Today's Appointments

Here's the latest:

MRI results show that all lesions are "significantly smaller". The neurosurgeon said the largest lesion is only 25% the size it was last month. That's great news! Most of the swelling is gone, and the doctor's don't see any reason for surgery at this point. Scheduled another MRI in 3 months. If anything is growing, or causing any problems, they will consider surgery then. As for now, headed home to continue oral chemotherapy. Thank you all for your continued prayers. If you need specifics, you can pray that my nausea subsides.  It's not severe, just a nuisance.  They gave me some new nausea meds today, so I'm hoping they help. It's crummy to feel queasy!

Thank you for everything!  Blessings to you all!

Jeff and Leslie

Saturday

Enjoying a non-eventful Saturday!  Ahhhh...

Here are some pics of Isaac's kindergarten musical...The Three Piggy Opera.  It was outstanding! In addition to my good lookin' little boy being in the choir, I also loved the set, the Big Bad Wolf carrying a knife and fork, and the songs!  It was just too cute.  (BTW...Isaac's class was in the 3rd program of the night.  In addition to his 8 pm show, there were 2 other identical programs, one at 6, one at 7 with just as many kiddos!  What I didn't show was the 2nd set of risers on the other side of the gym.  Six classes for Isaac's program I believe!  There are 17 or 18 kindergarten classes in our district.  Ummhmmm....it's a biggun!)

Hope you all have a great weekend.  Thanks for checking in!

Blessings,

Leslie

Wednesday's Words of Insight

I have so many people wanting to know how I'm doing, and I'm a little weary of saying I'm doing fine, but that's the truth.  I'm doing well.  I feel good.  My mouth is feeling way better.  My appetite is still good.  I'm still nearly bald as an onion.  Everything is basically the same as last week.

I'm just waiting and resting until I go back to Houston on the 27th for a rescan. Then we will know if further action is needed.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our camping trip.  Levi was beyond annoyed that I wouldn't reveal our destination.  Actually cried!  Give me a break!  And that pretty much set his mood for the trip.  We paused for several attitude adjustments, after which we had a much more enjoyable time.

Jeff's parent's have been so generous as to give us SDC passes again this year!  We put them to good use this weekend, and met our friends Kevin and Renee there on Saturday.  Perhaps a monumentally poor choice of days, as there were more school buses than you could count. 


The man that scanned our card at the gate was the neat kid we saw on Undercover Boss!  He was so nice!  Told us they were expecting at least 15,000 that day!  Yah!  We can pick 'em!

Driving by on Sunday, none of the lower lots had cars in them.  Perhaps we should've chosen that day!  The boys had a blast riding roller coasters with Jeff and Kevin, and Renee, Calvin and Cassie and Isaac and I enjoyed riding and watching the butterflies and the teacups (with Daddy, not me!).  I enjoyed some banana split Dippin Dots!  That's about as adventurous as I got!

Anyway, good food, good friends, good time had by all!  And now...we are all TIRED!!!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for our family and for me.  We appreciate them  more than you know!


Blessings,

Leslie, Jeff, and the boys

Thank You So Much

"Playin' in the Rain" June 2007

Just wanted to say thank you to all of you that planned and participated in the benefit that was held for our family.  I cannot believe the generosity you showed to us.  Well, knowing all of you like we do, actually we can!  I just feel so overwhelmed I don't even know how to begin thanking everyone.  I am working on putting together a slide show of the benefit.  May have to snag Debbie Ray's memory card to do justice to the photos, as the ones I tried to copy from her website only copied as tiny pictures, and won't work just yet. 

Hoping to get it fixed by next week so you can all see what a fantastic job Erica and Krisi did.  I'm tellin' you what!  You show up to eat food at the Christian Church of Republic, and those people just take you in! Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

If you haven't heard, the benefit raised over $4000 to help with our medical expenses!  What a huge blessing! Thank you to everyone.  From Kristen and her bracelets, to the large donations from businesses, and everything in between! 

And thanks to Amanda for the wooden cowboy hat!  Just brings tears to my eyes!  I put it right where I can see it every morning when I wake up!  Makes me smile.  :o)

Have a wonderful weekend, and may God bless you all above and beyond your wildest imagination!

Love,

Jeff, Leslie, Owen, Levi, and Isaac

Friday, FRIDAY, FRIDAY!!!

I am so glad it's the weekend, aren't you?  This week I have gone from feeling crummy to feeling very good.  My doctor in Houston had me stop taking one of my medications because it made my tongue raw.  Now I am feeling much better!  I'm sure they'll have me start up again as soon as everything heals, but for now it is so nice to feel good again!

I went to Hulston today to have them look at my mouth...per Dr. Booser's recommendation (Houston).  They confirmed my opinion (nice of them, eh?) that there was no infection, just a raw mouth.  Prescribed some mouth rinse for me.  I'm sure it'll be yummy!  However, it will probably help. 

Then I met my brother, Jim, who is loaning us his camper for the weekend (it's a nice one...much to my liking for roughing it!).  We went to the campground and he set everything up, then showed me how everything works.  We are surprising the boys.  I have everything packed, and as soon as Jeff and the boys get home, we are heading out for the weekend.  They are going to love it!  It's our first camping trip as a family, and promises to be WAY better than the surprise 3rd anniversary camping trip I planned for Jeff and I!  Landed us right in the middle of a May thunderstorm...in a tent, no less!  Yah---that's the last time this lady graced a campsite with her presence!  Not a fan of thunderstorms at HOME!  Little sheet of fabric over my head ain't gonna cut it, my friend!

Just wanted you to know how we are doing.  Feeling fine.  Nearly bald as an onion, but feeling fine.  Glad I've got a good lookin' head!  FYI-Levi and Isaac prefer my bandana look.  Owen thinks my wig looks better on me.  So I'm alternating.  Nice to have fashion consultants when you need them.  Oh...and it's definitely bandanas this weekend.  Maybe a UT ballcap!

Thank you all for your continued prayers.  We appreciate them so much!

Leave me a comment when you can! I love to hear from you!

Blessings,

Leslie

Just checking in

I arrived home Wednesday night.  What a long trip.  I told mom I thought the longest part was from Joplin to here!  We are slowly but surely settling into our new routine.  I'm supposed to limit my driving, so Jeff is still taking the boys to and from school.  They love their daddy and the extra time they are getting to spend with him.

My new chemotherapy arrived via UPS on Friday.  To say that I am less that excited about taking it may be the understatement of the year.  My routine prior to this required me to receive one IV infusion of Herceptin, which had absolutely no side effects.  Could've been water, for all I noticed.

These new prescriptions require me to take 11 pills a day...11!  That's about 11 more than I've ever taken in my life!  I couldn't even remember to take prenatal vitamins, so now I have a little old lady pill organizer!  Yah!  It's lovely!  Yesterday they made me pretty nauseaus.  Hoping that a phone call to TX tomorrow lands me some nausea meds that won't zonk me out!

Today I feel pretty good, and I'm glad for that.  We went to church, then came home for some much needed R and R.  The boys are busy trying to put together an aquarium we purchased for some tiny turtles that made their way home from Pearland to Missouri.  Speedy and Flash!  They're awful cute!

Hope you are having a good weekend.  Enjoy your family! Thank you for your continued prayers. They are much appreciated.

Blessings,

Leslie, Jeff, and the boys