Friends & Family,
Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the passing of our beloved sweet Melinda. Please be reassured she went very peacefully and was surrounded by an abundance of family. What an Angel she was to so many and most certainly is occupying a special place in heaven.
We are all managing things quite well as we are supplying comfort to one another. Please know that your prayers I know were heard. God's plan was to have her take her place in heaven today, and we know that she is looking over all of us.
Arrangements for her will be made tomorrow, but we do know that services will be at Ingram's Funeral Home in Cumming, GA. The viewing will be Friday and the Funeral on Saturday. Specific times will be determined tomorrow. We will do our very best to inform you of the details.
God Bless You All!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Melinda, An Inspiration!
Friends & Family,
Melinda is now resting comfortably at Embracing Hope Hospice Care in Cumming, GA (1803 majors rd). We have been blessed these last few days to be able to spend time with her as a family. We've enjoyed each other's company and comforted one another. Everyone is becoming more at peace with what is happening.
We continue to be amazed by her fighting spirit and positive attitude. She has spent more time trying to comfort us than us her. We are truly inspired by her!
Thank you, again, for your thoughts and prayers... please know that she is comfortable and surrounded by loved ones.
God Bless!
Melinda is now resting comfortably at Embracing Hope Hospice Care in Cumming, GA (1803 majors rd). We have been blessed these last few days to be able to spend time with her as a family. We've enjoyed each other's company and comforted one another. Everyone is becoming more at peace with what is happening.
We continue to be amazed by her fighting spirit and positive attitude. She has spent more time trying to comfort us than us her. We are truly inspired by her!
Thank you, again, for your thoughts and prayers... please know that she is comfortable and surrounded by loved ones.
God Bless!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Our Dear Melinda
Dear Family & Friends of Melinda,
Our heart is heavy for Melinda as we have just learned of her latest prognosis.
The cancer has now spread well throughout her lungs and is in a state that they can neither treat nor stop its spread. Our goal as a family is to keep her as comfortable physically and spiritually as we can.
The doctors have made us aware that time is likely short and it probably best we inform all. As her/our prayer warriors, we just ask that you continue to pray.
Thank you and God Bless!
Our heart is heavy for Melinda as we have just learned of her latest prognosis.
The cancer has now spread well throughout her lungs and is in a state that they can neither treat nor stop its spread. Our goal as a family is to keep her as comfortable physically and spiritually as we can.
The doctors have made us aware that time is likely short and it probably best we inform all. As her/our prayer warriors, we just ask that you continue to pray.
Thank you and God Bless!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Extended Hospital Visit
All,
Unfortunately I have to report that Melinda is still in the hospital. While we were optimistic she would return home last week, more complications surfaced. I will do my best to summarize recent events and how we are proceeding.
After receiving many of the blood products and additional meds, they were initially pleased with how she rebounded. However, the abdominal issues returned and the platelet levels plateaued. Following some consultation, they decided to go ahead and perform an upper endoscopy. The result's showed an extremely inflamed duodenum and stomach ulcers(much of the reason for the pain issues).
They are now aggressively treating all of her issues. She is receiving more platelets, meds to relieve/heal the tummy issues, breathing treatments, and she now has a PCA where she can administer her own pain medication when needed. There is some comfort in knowing that they are taking no chances and doing everything they can to make her well enough to return home. As far as when that will be is unknown. We will just pray for continual improvement and comfort for now.
Melinda and I would also like to share some of the good that has occurred over the last week. Our little one's participated in the Mashburn Elementary Talent Show. We were proud enough that they had the courage to perform, but we enjoyed watching them as well. I was able to attend and then showed the videos to Melinda shortly after. Caroline sang "Rolling in the Deep" & Rachel Rose, as the cowgirl, danced to "Born this Way". Here are the links for you viewing pleasure!, just copy and paste into your browser if necessary.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=FLLXRd0HUzPWx3ROFvowJI6Q
As always, we thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Our spirits are high and attitudes positive. We will do our best to keep you posted on the progress she is making.
Unfortunately I have to report that Melinda is still in the hospital. While we were optimistic she would return home last week, more complications surfaced. I will do my best to summarize recent events and how we are proceeding.
After receiving many of the blood products and additional meds, they were initially pleased with how she rebounded. However, the abdominal issues returned and the platelet levels plateaued. Following some consultation, they decided to go ahead and perform an upper endoscopy. The result's showed an extremely inflamed duodenum and stomach ulcers(much of the reason for the pain issues).
They are now aggressively treating all of her issues. She is receiving more platelets, meds to relieve/heal the tummy issues, breathing treatments, and she now has a PCA where she can administer her own pain medication when needed. There is some comfort in knowing that they are taking no chances and doing everything they can to make her well enough to return home. As far as when that will be is unknown. We will just pray for continual improvement and comfort for now.
Melinda and I would also like to share some of the good that has occurred over the last week. Our little one's participated in the Mashburn Elementary Talent Show. We were proud enough that they had the courage to perform, but we enjoyed watching them as well. I was able to attend and then showed the videos to Melinda shortly after. Caroline sang "Rolling in the Deep" & Rachel Rose, as the cowgirl, danced to "Born this Way". Here are the links for you viewing pleasure!, just copy and paste into your browser if necessary.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=FLLXRd0HUzPWx3ROFvowJI6Q
As always, we thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Our spirits are high and attitudes positive. We will do our best to keep you posted on the progress she is making.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Update on Melinda
Hello All!,
Melinda has had a challenging time over the last few weeks and we understand many of you are concerned. So I, John, will update you as best I can on what has been going on.
In previous posts Melinda has let you know of the new chemo regimine and radiation that she was to receive. She began her chemo and radiation treatments the first week of January. All seemed to be going well until shortly after chemo. The side effects of chemo resulted in a trip to the ER. She was made comfortable then sent home with a pain and nausea management plan. Unfortunately, after a few days of coming back home we had to rush her back to the ER as the side effects and pain worsened.
They discovered that her blood counts were extremely low so she was admitted to ICU. She's received several units of blood and platelets to help stablize the situation. She has now been moved out of ICU to a standard room and appears to be stable. She will receive two more units of blood today, and will be able to return home once her counts are back up and she is able to tolerate pain with oral medication. The good news is that she is feeling much better and is looking forward to returning home.... possibly tomorrow.
Melinda and I would also like to reassure everyone that our spirits and overall outlook are extremely positive. The professional care and plan going forward are promising to us and we look forward to conquering this disease.
We would also like to share some of the wonderful things we have experienced recently as well! Rachel Rose continues to do well in school and is having great fun with her Martial Arts. She is a joy every day and helps to keep a smile on our faces continually. Caroline is excelling in school and enjoying her dance. Most notably, she just WON her school's "Spelling Bee". We are very proud of her... not only for her win, but how she conducted herself afterward. Once she knew she had won, she immediately turned to the runner-up and gave him a "thumbs up" and reassured him that he had a lot to be proud of since he was just a fourth grader.
So, we will continue with the battle and know that good things are ahead. We cannot thank all of our Friends and Family enough for all the support and prayers.
Melinda has had a challenging time over the last few weeks and we understand many of you are concerned. So I, John, will update you as best I can on what has been going on.
In previous posts Melinda has let you know of the new chemo regimine and radiation that she was to receive. She began her chemo and radiation treatments the first week of January. All seemed to be going well until shortly after chemo. The side effects of chemo resulted in a trip to the ER. She was made comfortable then sent home with a pain and nausea management plan. Unfortunately, after a few days of coming back home we had to rush her back to the ER as the side effects and pain worsened.
They discovered that her blood counts were extremely low so she was admitted to ICU. She's received several units of blood and platelets to help stablize the situation. She has now been moved out of ICU to a standard room and appears to be stable. She will receive two more units of blood today, and will be able to return home once her counts are back up and she is able to tolerate pain with oral medication. The good news is that she is feeling much better and is looking forward to returning home.... possibly tomorrow.
Melinda and I would also like to reassure everyone that our spirits and overall outlook are extremely positive. The professional care and plan going forward are promising to us and we look forward to conquering this disease.
We would also like to share some of the wonderful things we have experienced recently as well! Rachel Rose continues to do well in school and is having great fun with her Martial Arts. She is a joy every day and helps to keep a smile on our faces continually. Caroline is excelling in school and enjoying her dance. Most notably, she just WON her school's "Spelling Bee". We are very proud of her... not only for her win, but how she conducted herself afterward. Once she knew she had won, she immediately turned to the runner-up and gave him a "thumbs up" and reassured him that he had a lot to be proud of since he was just a fourth grader.
So, we will continue with the battle and know that good things are ahead. We cannot thank all of our Friends and Family enough for all the support and prayers.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year's!
Getting ready for a new year and new happenings, positive ones! With the holidays, it’s been slow and tedious getting dr appts and speaking with anyone, but here’s what has gotten done so far. We got my PET scan results to Dr. Horowitz with Winship at Emory, but when I spoke with his assistant the next day, she said that wasn’t what they needed. Ugh! They need the original biopsy result. So we’ll have to wait until next week to get copies of that. Dr. H is thinking that the bone lesions might be a different kind of cancer. He says it’s rare for ovarian cancer to metastasize to the bone and he asked if I’d ever had a bone biopsy. I said no, we all just assumed it was the ovarian cancer. So I think he’s going to want to do a bone biopsy. If it does turn out to be a different cancer, then that could determine what kind of treatment I need. So far the radiation has been working, but there might be another kind of chemo that would do better. When I went to the radiation dr as planned to get set up for rads to the bone spots, I mentioned this suspicion of Dr. H’s to the rad dr, Dr. Levitt. He agreed that with the possibility. So he’s going to start treating the neck and shoulder and save the lower back (I don’t think I mentioned that spot earlier) until after the biopsy.
Now for the rad appt . . . since I will be getting radiation to my spine in my neck, it is imperative that I not move my head at all. And the way they do this is to place a hard plastic mesh mask over your face and bolt it to the table. Now, if you have problems with MRI and claustrophobia like I have, this procedure is a zillion times worse. First the plastic mesh starts out soft and warm and wet. It takes about 10 minutes for it to harden. But it has to be the exact mold of your face, so to begin they stretch it down hard over your face and bolt it to the table until it hardens. You can open your eyes and breathe through it because it is mesh after all, but it was so tight, my eyelids wouldn’t open all the way and I couldn’t move my lips at all. I knew the panic was coming. Before it got completely solid, I let the techs know that I was freaking out and asked how long it would take. They said about ten minutes. Bless them, they really worked as fast as they could. But after it hardened, I had to have a CT scan to target the spot for treatment. So as I lay there, locked down to the table with a Hannibal Lecter type face mask, I began going in and out of the CT scanner, which is essentially an MRI tube . . . AHHHHHH!!! I began trying to control my breathing, but every time I exhaled I made some kind of vocalization. It began with a light moan, but escalated to a wail, then to a loud cry. I couldn’t speak, but I began to recite the Lord’s Prayer the best I could and that calmed me down a little. Finally, the tech rushed in and unbolted me. I can’t believe I made it through. But I kept telling myself, I had to get this done and over with. I didn’t have a choice. God gave me the strength and control I needed, thank you, Lord!
Here's a video of the mask-fitting process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh2ni2BVbuw
So, now I will start treatments next Wednesday. I will have 15 days of treatment to my neck, so that means 15 more battles with the mask. I plan to take some medicine to calm me beforehand and the treatments won’t last as long as the mask fitting and CT scan did. I think I can do it. But I would still appreciate prayers of mental strength and control to get me through it.
Also, I will begin a new chemo on Wednesday right after the rad treatment. This one is Topotecan and has basically the same side effects as all the others – nausea, fatigue, general malaise, etc. The plan is for this chemo to zap the lung areas. I will still see Dr. Horowitz at some point once he reviews my original biopsy. It’s not that I don’t trust Dr. Salmieri anymore. I’m just ready to look at this whole thing with fresh eyes. MD Anderson is still not out of the question, either.
Well, I hope everyone has a great New Year’s Eve tonight and a Happy New Year’s Day tomorrow!
Now for the rad appt . . . since I will be getting radiation to my spine in my neck, it is imperative that I not move my head at all. And the way they do this is to place a hard plastic mesh mask over your face and bolt it to the table. Now, if you have problems with MRI and claustrophobia like I have, this procedure is a zillion times worse. First the plastic mesh starts out soft and warm and wet. It takes about 10 minutes for it to harden. But it has to be the exact mold of your face, so to begin they stretch it down hard over your face and bolt it to the table until it hardens. You can open your eyes and breathe through it because it is mesh after all, but it was so tight, my eyelids wouldn’t open all the way and I couldn’t move my lips at all. I knew the panic was coming. Before it got completely solid, I let the techs know that I was freaking out and asked how long it would take. They said about ten minutes. Bless them, they really worked as fast as they could. But after it hardened, I had to have a CT scan to target the spot for treatment. So as I lay there, locked down to the table with a Hannibal Lecter type face mask, I began going in and out of the CT scanner, which is essentially an MRI tube . . . AHHHHHH!!! I began trying to control my breathing, but every time I exhaled I made some kind of vocalization. It began with a light moan, but escalated to a wail, then to a loud cry. I couldn’t speak, but I began to recite the Lord’s Prayer the best I could and that calmed me down a little. Finally, the tech rushed in and unbolted me. I can’t believe I made it through. But I kept telling myself, I had to get this done and over with. I didn’t have a choice. God gave me the strength and control I needed, thank you, Lord!
Here's a video of the mask-fitting process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh2ni2BVbuw
So, now I will start treatments next Wednesday. I will have 15 days of treatment to my neck, so that means 15 more battles with the mask. I plan to take some medicine to calm me beforehand and the treatments won’t last as long as the mask fitting and CT scan did. I think I can do it. But I would still appreciate prayers of mental strength and control to get me through it.
Also, I will begin a new chemo on Wednesday right after the rad treatment. This one is Topotecan and has basically the same side effects as all the others – nausea, fatigue, general malaise, etc. The plan is for this chemo to zap the lung areas. I will still see Dr. Horowitz at some point once he reviews my original biopsy. It’s not that I don’t trust Dr. Salmieri anymore. I’m just ready to look at this whole thing with fresh eyes. MD Anderson is still not out of the question, either.
Well, I hope everyone has a great New Year’s Eve tonight and a Happy New Year’s Day tomorrow!
Friday, December 23, 2011
PET scan results
Well, the PET showed spread to my lungs and bones. In my bones, there is are spots in my right scapula (that is very painful!), the base of my neck in my spine, and my 11th left rib. He is recommending radiation for the bones. I've had good success with that, so I'm hopeful there. And he is suggesting more chemo for my lungs, ugh! I really don't want any more chemo. I feel it is doing enough damage on its own. I think we may plan on seeing someone from Emory and perhaps MD Anderson. Will let you know what plays out. I appreciate all the prayers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)