Meanwhile, back at the Ranch!

Hard times aside and accounted for, there has been SO much joy at the same time!



Hugs with Bud and Gus - wearing a crazy clown nose!




And backyard chats with some of the grandsons -
Celyn and Treavor here.

Grandma got to take a zoo trip with some of the little ones.
Jack loved his icee as much as Grandma!

Mae couldn't wait to ride the
"gowiwa"!

Buddy loved petting the sting rays!

Chelsea & Amy & little Bud

And some crazy cousin time at Aunt Chelsea's - yep folks from the colder climates, THIS is what we do in Arizona in the springtime:)




And while all of this fun was going on, our son-in-law, Alex, successfully defended his thesis and is now officially Dr. Alexander Petersen!
Many years of being "starving students" have finally paid off for Alex and Bee and their three little boys!  Dr. Petersen will begin his position as Associate Professor of Statistics at UCSanta Barbara in July!!



And just in case any of you think I might be bored at home when I'm not visiting Lothaire in the hospital . . . . . .




These just arrived from Chile!!  Our incredible friends, Ingrid, Kent & Michele Arrington, and Terry & Lynda Lee, went to the Mission Home and helped me sort what needed to come home to us via FaceTime.  Friendship doesn't get much truer than that!!!

Re-entry

April 14th came mighty fast!

That first week home, after his March 31st release, Lothaire was a little queasy and pretty low on energy. But then his cells began to rebuild, and he became stronger and stronger.

We felt blessed to be able to see every session of General Conference in the comfort of our own home.  We were reminded of the purpose of adversity in our lives - yes it IS a part of Heavenly Father's plan for our growth and development!   We were also reminded of the deep love that our Heavenly Father and our Savior have for us.  We were strengthened once again.

We were also able to enjoy eating out a bit, and we even made it to a movie!
Plus some great family time - the best!!

Just about the time he was starting to get his energy back and feel pretty good, it was time to go in for round two!  Two days before, on the 12th of April (exactly 46 years from the day we met for the first time - a story for another time!), he went in as an outpatient and had a central port installed under the skin in his upper left chest - just under the collarbone.  The port is a quarter sized rubber device that has 3 raised bumps on it (which you can see and feel from the outside of the skin!), and the needle for chemo and blood draws and whatever else is needed, is inserted right in the center of these bumps.  There is a tube (catheter) that goes from the port to the jugular vein (still under the skin - don't get queasy on me!), then goes down to the vena cava where it dumps the medications for the best dilution and distribution.  This way, the veins on his arms and hands will not be poked and damaged over and over again.  I know that it is a good thing but I just can't dwell on it very long or I get a little light headed!!

He did not have the same shaking reaction to the first medication - the Rituxan - and he has handled the chemo quite well, even though they bumped up the strength to the next level.

As bored as he is, it does give him time to read which is something he LOVES to do and has not had much time to do in the last 40 years or so:).

And he has a lovely view from his window:).
For those of you from verdant areas, this may just look like ugly desert.  To us, it has it's own beauty:).  The mountains in the background are the famous Superstitions - often hiked, and occasionally explored for the Lost Dutchman's Goldmine!



There have been many wonderful visitors to help pass the time - I didn't always have my camera at the ready.  But here is Lothaire's sweet mom, LaRee, and her husband, Dale.  They are both 88 years young!!

And just this afternoon, these 5 amazing missionaries popped in for a great visit with their President!  Hermana DeGroff and Elder Cupello - far left - live in the area and have been a great support.  Elder Faas - center, striped shirt - recently returned from the mission and gave his "homecoming" report in his Sacrament Meeting today.  I was able to attend, and he gave SUCH a fine talk on how the Holy Ghost provides safety, guidance, and comfort in our lives!  Thank you for your great service as a missionary and your great testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Elder Faas!  The two awesome young men flanking Lothaire live in Utah and drove down especially to support Elder Faas today!  Elder Casperson (left) and Elder Clay have been home a little longer than Elder Faas and are getting readjusted to "normal" life, whatever that is!  I need to practice calling them all by their first names, now that they are home.  But to President and I they will always be Elders and Hermanas!

Our sweet kids in Hawaii  - Jonas, Priscila, Apollo & Adonis (5 year old twins) sent a chemo care package to Grandpa!    Some reading material, some dry mouth care, some body lotion, and some anti nausea ginger candies - Grandpa loved it all!!

Hang in there Grandpa - you will be back home on Tuesday!!!

Hair is Overrated !!

They mentioned that his hair would begin to fall out between 2-4 weeks after the onset of treatment.
Sure enough!  About 2 1/2 after the beginning of the chemo, Lothaire's hair began coming out by the handfuls.  We decided to go for it:)

BEFORE:




AFTER:

NOT BAD FOR MY FIRST TIME WITH A PAIR OF HAIR CLIPPERS:)!!

HERE ARE A FEW MORE ANGLES:

I think he has a great shaped head!

And now he has an excuse to wear his Chile hat everyday:)


MEET THE FAN CLUB:



Son, Jordan, was the first to jump on board!



Followed by son, Jonas, who lives in Hawaii.
Better break out that sunscreen!



Surprise visit from cousin, Oscar - joining the club!


I just love all of these handsome bald men -
Especially the one in the red shirt!!

The Aftermath

We were able to leave the hospital and come home the afternoon of Easter Sunday.  Such a blessing for us - especially Lothaire, who had been "caged" and poked and prodded for nine straight days!       Here is how he felt about coming home:

That's a Happy Face!!!

Some of the kids popped over to visit that evening and we enjoyed a pie fest, thanks to the sweet mom of one of our returned missionaries!

The last four days at home have had their share of fatigue and upset stomach for Lothaire, but that is to be expected.  We have met with his oncologist and it has been determined that Lothaire will go in for five more treatments.  There may or may not be radiation at the end - depending on the results.  Lothaire was SO hoping to be able to have the infusion as an outpatient, but this particular regimen must be administered as a continual drip over 5 days.  It is the optimal treatment for his particular lymphoma - so that is what we will do!  He will go in every 21 days - with the next treatment beginning April 14th.  They removed the PICC line before he came home, and will "install" a central port two days before he goes back in.  Good thing he isn't needle shy like someone else I know :)!

The prognosis is very good - and the lump on his neck has already reduced significantly.  His vocal chords are still compromised and he can only speak in a whisper - we are hopeful that his voice will return as the treatments continue.

The Saturday before Easter, I was able to slip away to our family gathering for a couple of hours.  That is usually held at our home, but this year one of our daughters hosted, and everyone pitched in with the preparations.  Our kids have been so amazing and supportive!!  Here is a glimpse:

Everyone waiting inside for the Easter Bunny to finish hiding the eggs out front!

ENJOYING THE FRUITS OF THE HUNT:

AND SO YOU CAN SEE - "ALL IS WELL, ALL IS WELL"!!

Change is Inevitable

When I last posted, it was Monday evening.  It is now Wednesday evening - just 48 hours later.
Here is how those 48 hours have gone!

When I arrived at the hospital Tuesday morning, fully expecting to bring Lothaire home with me, the team of doctors came in to the room and said that unfortunately, Lothaire did not qualify for the study since he had already taken doses of prednisone that were different from what the study required.
Back to Plan A - and Lothaire would not be coming home just yet!

The chemo plan for him is DA EPOCH - here is my simplified version:  4-5 hours administration of a bio therapy drug called Rituxan, followed by 96 hours of the chemo regimen, concluded by the administration of cyclophosphamide (spell THAT without looking!) which is the drug that apparently often brings on severe nausea.  And that is when he gets to come home.  This occurs every 21 days - the number of treatments depending on the response of the cancer.  Usually somewhere between 3 and 8.

Fortunately, they had not removed the PICC line, so after signing some paperwork and explaining that the first drug administered, Rituxan, could have some crazy side effects, they hooked him up and began the treatment.  This was about 5:45 PM.

Crazy side effects - rigors.  I can talk about this now because it is over and he is okay.  But within 10 minutes of the onset of the therapy, Lothaire began shaking uncontrollably.  Anticipating that possibility, the nurse had doses of demerol on hand.  It took two doses, after pausing the therapy, and lots of blankets, but he finally became calm again.  They started up once more and bumped it up slowly, and he tolerated it well after that.


Son in law, Shane, came to visit just before the treatment began.  Lothaire was
ready to get going!!!





Ready, Set, Go!  Smiling - not knowing what was just around the corner (the rigors)



As soon as the bag was empty, they connected the chemo formula.  No side effects.  I went home about midnight, assured that he was going to be fine.  And he was.
When I returned the next morning, here is what I found:):




He was up and showered and ready to do laps around the floor!  Our daughter, Chelsea, had slit tshirts on the right side - where the picc line is - and attached velcro.  No more hospital gowns for our stylin' man!  He felt great and we took our 5 laps, then settled in to our computers.

I must tell you how much your emails and messages and Facebook posts and responses to the blog mean to him and to me.  Your love and your concern and your prayers help to sustain us in a very real way!  We don't have time to respond to all of them, but we read and treasure each and every one!

The journey ahead is promising.  Yes, he will probably lose his hair and a little weight.  But he is a fighter and a man of faith - knowing that he is in the Lord's hands and that all will be well, regardless of the outcome.

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS!  And we know that each one of you have hard things to deal with in your lives!  As we seek help from the Lord, He strengthens us and helps us to understand.

We are so grateful for the feelings that arise during this Easter week - contemplating the hard things that our Savior did for us.  We love him, and want to be more like him, and marvel at the comfort, the mercy, the peace, and the hope that his wondrous atoning sacrifice offers to each of us.



Our kids worked together to create this precious poster to have in Lothaire's hospital room.
Each picture filled with love and joy!  How we love our posterity, and how grateful we are to know that families can be eternal, through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ!

At the End of the Day

No pics today - just a little info:

When I arrived at the hospital this morning, Lothaire had already had his echocardiogram and his breakfast:) - a very important item on the agenda!

The doctors came in doing their rounds and talked about the chemo treatment. We decided to go ahead and begin this evening, and preparations were underway.  It will require 5 days in hospital for the treatment.

I left for an hour to have a birthday lunch with our daughter, Amy, and our three other girls plus 7 little grandkids who were not in school today.  It was delightful, unorganized chaos at Joe's Farm Grill:).  Okay - maybe one pic:)


HAPPINESS IS:








When I returned, another of the doctors had been in and there were some changes.
He presented a new regimen of chemo that targets the cancer cells, is particularly effective with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and is administered outpatient.
That was so much more appealing to Lothaire, who is feeling very much like a caged animal after only two days in the hospital!  SOOOO - he will be released tomorrow, come home and take some large doses of prednisone for the next several days, then hopefully have the first treatment later this week.

This afternoon brought on a bone marrow biopsy and another needle biopsy of the neck mass.
I told Lothaire that if I had been poked and cut on that many times in one day I would be hiding under the bed!!!

If there is one thing that I have learned this whole last month, it is that I am not in control of ANYTHING!  Except my attitude - sigh.  Working on that right now.

Arizona - Home Sweet Home!

We know that many of you have been waiting for an update.  Please forgive me for being a little slow!

We arrived in Arizona last Saturday evening the 13th of March.  It was so good to be HOME!!

Fresh off the plane!

Hugs and Smiles - long overdue!

We gathered at home and just enjoyed some together time.

Our little Miss Adelynn was born while we were gone.

She was a little suspicious of the smiling man claiming to be her Grandpa!

The plan of action was that Lothaire would be seen on Tuesday at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, as a transfer patient from the Huntsman.  We were okay with that - just anxious to get things going.  However, on Monday, the center called and said that the doctor had gone out of town - spring break.  Our appointment was pushed back to Friday.  Lothaire was not having pain, just increasing discomfort.  We could see that the mass was growing.   We waited patiently.

On Thursday the center called and pushed the appointment back to Monday (today).  I should have taken that call!!!!  Lothaire is too nice sometimes!!

We were all on super anxious, frustrated, maybe a little bit angry mode!

So that is why I didn't post anything last week - there was nothing happening!

On Friday, however, things took a turn for the worse.  In the afternoon, Lothaire became very uncomfortable and began experiencing pain for the first time.  His voice, which had been at a low whisper, became a COMPLETE whisper - no volume whatsoever.  He spent a miserable night, trying to control the pain - finally falling asleep in the early hours.

I felt prompted to arise early and get showered and ready.  As soon as he woke up I said that I think we should DO something about this!  He agreed - a sign of his true discomfort.  After kneeling in prayer together and pleading for divine intervention, I, being the only one with a voice at this point, and feeling a bit protective of my companion(!), made a call to MD Anderson and, of course, got the call center because they operate on clinic hours - Monday thru Friday.  I explained the situation with urgency to the fellow on the other end of the line.  Even though we were not officially patients there at this point, he agreed to call the on call oncologist - a tender mercy.  She called us within 5 minutes and listened carefully and compassionately to our story.  I will forever be grateful for her at that moment in time!

She told me to take him to the ER at Banner Gateway, which is the admitting facility for them - right next door.  We were there within the half hour. Our sons in law, Max and Alex, who had just driven in the evening before, were able to give Lothaire a blessing of health and comfort before we left.  

 Suffice it to say that it was a very lengthy procedure, but 5 hours later he was admitted to the oncology floor.  I felt that he was finally where he needed to be and was so greatly relieved!

They were able to control his pain and make him comfortable.  He had a much better night.

The next day - Sunday (yesterday) - the doctor came in, we went over his transferred records together, and she ordered a PICC line installed for the chemo, and a CAT scan done to measure the growth of the mass in the last two weeks.

This morning Lothaire will be having an echo cardiogram to make sure that his heart can withstand the treatment, and they will be doing a bone marrow biopsy to make certain that there is no cancer there.  They plan to begin the R Chop chemo this afternoon/evening.

That is what we know to this minute - and I am on my way to the hospital right now.

We are both very hopeful - and grateful for the divine intervention that we felt take place.

Lothaire is in very good spirits.

We had many sweet family/friend/missionary visitors yesterday in the hospital.

We thank you ALL for you continued love and prayers and support.  We honestly can feel it and love you for it.

I will post a few more pictures and then off I go.

I will update as soon as I am able -

Jordan came to be with us for the admitting process - so good to have him!

He, along with us, had been very frustrated with the whole week!

Before the nurse came in and fill in all of the blanks, he filled in the bottom two:):):)

Patiently waiting - with a big lump on his neck!

If you haven't had your flu shot or if you have a little cough, you have to wear a mask to visit on this floor!!

We enjoyed our visitors so much yesterday!!!!!