I'm so excited.......... Jody & Brian are flying in this weekend for a visit.....yeah! Sure do wish that Cheryl could have come with them but we totally understand why she couldn't, maybe next time. We miss family so much, sure do wish that we could go home for a while to see all of them but since we can't.... Jody & Brian are coming here!
I have 4 more weeks of full body radiation, then they'll do the bottom of my feet & top of my head, don't know how long will that take, hopefully not too long. We're ready to be home but free of this cancer! Leon has been working with John getting our water lines ready for a northern winter since really cold weather could happen at any time now.
Treatments are still going well, not much change. My skin is accepting the treatments well, if it begins to break apart, they'll have to stop therapy foe a while. I'm having pain & swelling in my hands again, will ask about that today. Also, still having a lot of itching and bumps coming up, not pretty!
Leon has made friends with 2 guys that are patients here, both play guitar, imagine that! Both have pretty tough throat & stomach cancers but they enjoy talking guitar. Leon needed that connection & I'm sure that they do too since both of them are here alone, that's tough.
And our precious Chloe........... we've taken her by Lake Michigan a few times for walks, she doesn't like walking in the sand, too much work for those little short legs! We're so thankful that she's here with us! She brings so much unconditional love & joy to us, she is so sweet.
Praise reports:
***Still no serious side effects, Praise the Lord
***Leon's guitar friends, Steve & Al
***Blood work is still good
***that my skin is still ok for accepting treatments
Prayer requests:
***relief from the itching & sores
***safe travel for Jody & Brian
***comfort & protection for family at home
***that God will be glorified in all this
***that we can share our faith with others
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
September 25th
Autumn has definitely arrived here in Illinois! The leaves are turning into a harvest of beautiful fall colors as they begin falling from the trees. Thank you Lord for the beauty of nature. I’m really going to miss the beautiful fall foliage of the Ozarks and my yearly trip down the mountain (& the memory of my very 1st speeding ticket a few years ago) to admire the beauty that God created for us to enjoy. This is my favorite season of the year! We are definitely going to need heat tonite since it’s supposed to get down in the 40’s tonite, get ready to snuggle up Leon & Chloe!
Yesterday ended my 9th treatment, only 9 more to go! Then my therapist told me that when we finish with the full body radiation, we then will begin to treat the bottom of my feet & the top of my head, shew! So that will take us into November, so Leon is making plans on winterizing the trailer with the help of John, our very sweet friend here at the trailer park. And to add a mesh panel to our existing lovely fence that Chloe goes right thru, that silly little pooch! It’s not unusual to get snow in October up here. I’ll have to admit, I will love that!
The itching & sores are about the same, some days are better than others, I’m really ready for MORE good days than bad! My Doc says that everything looks good and progressing as it should, that’s comforting. I’m so thankful again for the wonderful folks that we’ve met here, including the Dr’s, nurses, therapists, & other patients and caregivers that make going thru this valley a little easier!
Praise’s:
***Blood work still great
***Still no serious side effects
***Coconut oil helps with itching & dry skin
***new wig & night caps
Prayer Requests;
***continued healing for Mike Neeley, he has a long road ahead of him & for Connie
***Itching & sores will diminish
***Continued good blood reports
***Safety for family & friends
Sunday, September 19, 2010
September 19th
Praise the Lord IN all things! That's what I've told myself a lot over the past few days. AND YES, God is good all the time and He does care about all of our needs and emotions. It's been a challenging few days but the 3 of us ( Leon, me & the Lord) will be victorious over this Cancer!
My hair began coming out last Wednesday and by Friday I lost 4 hairbrushes full so I called the hospital salon & got it all cut off yesterday! I was much better taking control of the situation myself than having it try to take control of me. And then He blessed me again! The stylist asked if I was going to wear a wig, hats, scarves or nothing. Well for me, nothing or scarves was not going to happen, that's me talking! As most of you know, I wore a wig a few years ago when my hair began thining pretty bad. I told her that I had a wig to wear & also had brought another one to donate to them. She then pulled out some tubs filled with wigs that had been previously donated. After trying on 3 she found one that was perfect for me. It's a little blonder than the one I already have and it's long enough to be warmer in cold weather. WOW, yes He does care about our every need & desires!
The itching is some days here & some days gone, I'll be so thankful when I can truely say that it's gone for good! My skin is also very dry from the treatments & my doctor is very strick on whar I can use on my skin but he did give permission to use Extra Virgin Coconut Cream on it, it helps the itching some and makes my skin sooooo soft while smelling really good too. Thank You Lord!
On a lighter note, this area is beautiful and the folks at the Cancer Treatment Center couldn't be more helpful and compassionate. I told my therapists about my hair loss on Friday and that I was getting it all cut off. They both cried and hugged me, I'm so blessed to have compassionate ladies that work with me on my treatments. I just love all of them!
Praise reports;
***Coconut Cream to use for the dry skin & itch, Yes!
***My blood levels are good again this week!
***A new wig to brighten my day!
***No serious side effects except for my hair loss
***Thankful that the Lord is opening doors & planting seeds for us to share God's love to others
***So very thankful for all the encouragement of our family & friends thru cards, email, phone calls, etc.
Prayer requests;
***Our friend, Mike Neeley is still in a medicated coma due to the seriousnessof his injuries, its' been 5 weeks now. Please pray for healing for Mike and that his body will begin to operate as it should. He's on breathing & feeding tubes and is now requiring dialysis since his kidneys have almost shut down. Also, pray for strength & comfort for his wife, Connie & all of his family. Connie is staying on another floor in the hospital so that she can be close to him. I pray that the Lord will comfort all of them & that they can draw their strength from Him. We love them dearly & wish that we were closer to give them our support.
***For my itching to go away
***That my bllod work will continue to be acceptable
***Protection for Leon & me and for our family at home
***That our Lord will be glorified thru all of this
***That we will again be able to share our faith & God's love with others
PS; if you're unable to leave comments, feel free to shoot me an email, we love hearing from you.
leon.joyce@hotmail.com
My hair began coming out last Wednesday and by Friday I lost 4 hairbrushes full so I called the hospital salon & got it all cut off yesterday! I was much better taking control of the situation myself than having it try to take control of me. And then He blessed me again! The stylist asked if I was going to wear a wig, hats, scarves or nothing. Well for me, nothing or scarves was not going to happen, that's me talking! As most of you know, I wore a wig a few years ago when my hair began thining pretty bad. I told her that I had a wig to wear & also had brought another one to donate to them. She then pulled out some tubs filled with wigs that had been previously donated. After trying on 3 she found one that was perfect for me. It's a little blonder than the one I already have and it's long enough to be warmer in cold weather. WOW, yes He does care about our every need & desires!
The itching is some days here & some days gone, I'll be so thankful when I can truely say that it's gone for good! My skin is also very dry from the treatments & my doctor is very strick on whar I can use on my skin but he did give permission to use Extra Virgin Coconut Cream on it, it helps the itching some and makes my skin sooooo soft while smelling really good too. Thank You Lord!
On a lighter note, this area is beautiful and the folks at the Cancer Treatment Center couldn't be more helpful and compassionate. I told my therapists about my hair loss on Friday and that I was getting it all cut off. They both cried and hugged me, I'm so blessed to have compassionate ladies that work with me on my treatments. I just love all of them!
Praise reports;
***Coconut Cream to use for the dry skin & itch, Yes!
***My blood levels are good again this week!
***A new wig to brighten my day!
***No serious side effects except for my hair loss
***Thankful that the Lord is opening doors & planting seeds for us to share God's love to others
***So very thankful for all the encouragement of our family & friends thru cards, email, phone calls, etc.
Prayer requests;
***Our friend, Mike Neeley is still in a medicated coma due to the seriousnessof his injuries, its' been 5 weeks now. Please pray for healing for Mike and that his body will begin to operate as it should. He's on breathing & feeding tubes and is now requiring dialysis since his kidneys have almost shut down. Also, pray for strength & comfort for his wife, Connie & all of his family. Connie is staying on another floor in the hospital so that she can be close to him. I pray that the Lord will comfort all of them & that they can draw their strength from Him. We love them dearly & wish that we were closer to give them our support.
***For my itching to go away
***That my bllod work will continue to be acceptable
***Protection for Leon & me and for our family at home
***That our Lord will be glorified thru all of this
***That we will again be able to share our faith & God's love with others
PS; if you're unable to leave comments, feel free to shoot me an email, we love hearing from you.
leon.joyce@hotmail.com
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
September 15th
Praise reports:
***God IS good, ALL the time! No serious side effects... 6 treatments down, only 12 more to go!
***More new friends, Jan & Jim from Kansas. Jan also has lymphoma but different than mine, sweet Christian folks. Thank you Lord for bringing them into our lives.
***Blood work continues to be good, yeah! Thanks again Lord!
***Itching is some better, awaiting the END to the itching, Yes Lord!
Now to a new issue, my hair is beginning to come out. I'll have to say that I haven't been looking forward to this, but I know that God will be beside me thru this also. Leon is being so supportive and the ladies that administer my radiation are so sweet, they say that I have a good head and not to worry, silly girls! I'm very thankful for wonderful therapists that are working with me, thanks again Lord! So now, I'll begin wearing my wig or hats............ and make lemonade out of this situation!
I'm also getting sores on my skin. We were concerned about that but the Doctor says that it's the radiation killing the cancer cells & they will go away but they're pretty sore will they're here. It was good news to hear that this is a sign that the radiation is working, yeah!
I'll get my 3rd Accupuncture treatment tomorrow, not sure if the radiation or the accupuncture is helping the itching, but I'm very grateful for the relief. It's much better but still has a ways to go and I'm ready!
We're so blessed to have a family and friends to take our needs to our Lord in prayer. We pray many blessings on each & every one of you. Your emails, cards, comments and phone calls are so cherished by both of us........... you never cease to amaze us of your thoughtfulness and love!
Prayer Requests:
***That the itching will continue to get better
***That the sores, if more come, will go quickly and painlessly
***For protection & safety for the family at home
***That Leon & I will continue to be encouraged
***That we'll have the opportunity to share our faith with new friends we meet
***That God will be glorified as we go thru this valley
PS: please let me know if you continue to have difficulty leaving a comment, I'm contacting the web administrator when I hear of new issues.
***God IS good, ALL the time! No serious side effects... 6 treatments down, only 12 more to go!
***More new friends, Jan & Jim from Kansas. Jan also has lymphoma but different than mine, sweet Christian folks. Thank you Lord for bringing them into our lives.
***Blood work continues to be good, yeah! Thanks again Lord!
***Itching is some better, awaiting the END to the itching, Yes Lord!
Now to a new issue, my hair is beginning to come out. I'll have to say that I haven't been looking forward to this, but I know that God will be beside me thru this also. Leon is being so supportive and the ladies that administer my radiation are so sweet, they say that I have a good head and not to worry, silly girls! I'm very thankful for wonderful therapists that are working with me, thanks again Lord! So now, I'll begin wearing my wig or hats............ and make lemonade out of this situation!
I'm also getting sores on my skin. We were concerned about that but the Doctor says that it's the radiation killing the cancer cells & they will go away but they're pretty sore will they're here. It was good news to hear that this is a sign that the radiation is working, yeah!
I'll get my 3rd Accupuncture treatment tomorrow, not sure if the radiation or the accupuncture is helping the itching, but I'm very grateful for the relief. It's much better but still has a ways to go and I'm ready!
We're so blessed to have a family and friends to take our needs to our Lord in prayer. We pray many blessings on each & every one of you. Your emails, cards, comments and phone calls are so cherished by both of us........... you never cease to amaze us of your thoughtfulness and love!
Prayer Requests:
***That the itching will continue to get better
***That the sores, if more come, will go quickly and painlessly
***For protection & safety for the family at home
***That Leon & I will continue to be encouraged
***That we'll have the opportunity to share our faith with new friends we meet
***That God will be glorified as we go thru this valley
PS: please let me know if you continue to have difficulty leaving a comment, I'm contacting the web administrator when I hear of new issues.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
September 11th
WOW, just writing the date gives me chills thinking of that day, so many years ago. We're so blessed & grateful to live in a country that country means so much! Thanks so to all who gave a little or all to get us thru that horible day.
Here in Zion IL, they have the largest Labor Day Parade in the nation that we were priviledged to watch on Monday. We are very close to Great Lakes Navel station so they were the 1st band in the parade, along with the Marine & ROTC bands. WOW, how exciting to see them in their dress uniforms. And priviledged is what I felt. And then more emotions surfaced when a float came by looking like the firemen with our flag atop of the ground zero rubble, but this one used real soldiers. Oh my goodness, that had to have touched every heart there, it sure did ours! Thank you to all that serve that we can be free.
Well, I'm finished with 5 treatments now and still very itchy so my Dr has suggested that I see an Accupuncture therapist which I did on Thursday, she thinks that she can help my itching. He also wants me to take Raiki classes (something about mind/body techniques) that's on Monday. We also saw a dermitoligist but she didn't have any suggestions. I'm beliving that these treatments will bring relief along with the radiation.
We're getting homesick for family, friends & home and its only been 3 weeks, 6-7 to go. Thanks so much for your prayers, cards, emails and posts here. It's amazing to think of all of you that care so deeply for us. May God bless you all!
Prayer Requests;
***wisdom for the Doctors to find relief for the itching
***Safety & protection for family at home
***encouragement for Leon & I as we await a cure
PS: if you're having trouble posting a comment, you might need to sign in to google for an account. Send me an email of that doesn't work & I'll keep digging to see what the issue is.
Well, I'm finished with 5 treatments now and still very itchy so my Dr has suggested that I see an Accupuncture therapist which I did on Thursday, she thinks that she can help my itching. He also wants me to take Raiki classes (something about mind/body techniques) that's on Monday. We also saw a dermitoligist but she didn't have any suggestions. I'm beliving that these treatments will bring relief along with the radiation.
We're getting homesick for family, friends & home and its only been 3 weeks, 6-7 to go. Thanks so much for your prayers, cards, emails and posts here. It's amazing to think of all of you that care so deeply for us. May God bless you all!
Prayer Requests;
***wisdom for the Doctors to find relief for the itching
***Safety & protection for family at home
***encouragement for Leon & I as we await a cure
PS: if you're having trouble posting a comment, you might need to sign in to google for an account. Send me an email of that doesn't work & I'll keep digging to see what the issue is.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
September 5th
3 treatments down, thank you Lord for NO side effects! I'll get treatments from Tuesday thru Friday next week without a break on Wednesday. My therapist said not to plan anything for the weekend after that, shew! My God is greater than Cancer treatments! Thank you Lord for the witness that He's allowing us to be.
Our friends, Judy & Peggy went home to Nashville, we miss them dearly but are very happy that they got to go home for a while. Then, just a faithfully he brought Josie into our hearts. She's been here alone and was a blessing for us to get to know her. She shows horses, so she had a lot in common with us to talk about.
Josie had very long hair and lost it all, we talked a lot about that. My concerns about that happening to me also and what a mountian that is for me at this time. I know that the Lord will walk with me if that happens to me but at the same time I need to work thru those emotions, its good to talk to someone that is feeling or felt the same thing to work thru them that took my concerns to heart. It'd very hard for someone to imagine how you would feel in that situation until hit hits you between the eyes. Thanks Lord for bring Josie into our lives! Leon is so very supportive but I know that he doesn't know what to say at times, thanks Lord for sending Angels to help us get thru our days here.
We've only been gone for 2 weeks and it seems like a lot longer than that, 7 weeks more to go, we miss everyone so bad. Thanks Cheryl for posting clips of the boys in the band for me, I wish that I could have been there.
They took blood on Thursday so I'll find out Tuesday when I see the Doc if it's in an acceptable range so I can continue treatments as scheduled or our stay could be extended. We're believing that it will be good!
Speaking of thanks, we want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for you prayers, cards, emails & phone calls. It's so encouraging to both of us to hear from our family & friends as we go thru this and knowing that you're taking our petition to our Father, you're all a blessing to us both.
I'd also ask that you hold up in prayer a longtime friend of ours, Mike Neeley and his family. Mike had a motorcycle accident while in WY and was life flighted to SD, then flown to Tulsa 3 weeks ago. He had a broken pelvis & while in surgery, the dr's found a lot more issues to concern them. He's still in ICU after 3 weeks. Mike and his family need the comfort, spiritually, mentally & physically that can come from our Lord.
Prayer requests;
***that my itching would get in control & be gone!
***that my blood levels will be acceptable
***that my treatments won't cause any side effects
***that He'll continue to send Angels to us
***safety & protection on our family at home
***encouragement for Leon as he stands by me thru this
***healing for Mike Neeley & encouragement for his family
We love you all, Leon & Joyce
Our friends, Judy & Peggy went home to Nashville, we miss them dearly but are very happy that they got to go home for a while. Then, just a faithfully he brought Josie into our hearts. She's been here alone and was a blessing for us to get to know her. She shows horses, so she had a lot in common with us to talk about.
Josie had very long hair and lost it all, we talked a lot about that. My concerns about that happening to me also and what a mountian that is for me at this time. I know that the Lord will walk with me if that happens to me but at the same time I need to work thru those emotions, its good to talk to someone that is feeling or felt the same thing to work thru them that took my concerns to heart. It'd very hard for someone to imagine how you would feel in that situation until hit hits you between the eyes. Thanks Lord for bring Josie into our lives! Leon is so very supportive but I know that he doesn't know what to say at times, thanks Lord for sending Angels to help us get thru our days here.
We've only been gone for 2 weeks and it seems like a lot longer than that, 7 weeks more to go, we miss everyone so bad. Thanks Cheryl for posting clips of the boys in the band for me, I wish that I could have been there.
They took blood on Thursday so I'll find out Tuesday when I see the Doc if it's in an acceptable range so I can continue treatments as scheduled or our stay could be extended. We're believing that it will be good!
Speaking of thanks, we want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for you prayers, cards, emails & phone calls. It's so encouraging to both of us to hear from our family & friends as we go thru this and knowing that you're taking our petition to our Father, you're all a blessing to us both.
I'd also ask that you hold up in prayer a longtime friend of ours, Mike Neeley and his family. Mike had a motorcycle accident while in WY and was life flighted to SD, then flown to Tulsa 3 weeks ago. He had a broken pelvis & while in surgery, the dr's found a lot more issues to concern them. He's still in ICU after 3 weeks. Mike and his family need the comfort, spiritually, mentally & physically that can come from our Lord.
Prayer requests;
***that my itching would get in control & be gone!
***that my blood levels will be acceptable
***that my treatments won't cause any side effects
***that He'll continue to send Angels to us
***safety & protection on our family at home
***encouragement for Leon as he stands by me thru this
***healing for Mike Neeley & encouragement for his family
We love you all, Leon & Joyce
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