Rough Week and Googly Eyes

My mom has had a rough week. A lot has happened, so I’ll try to cover what has happened.

Thursday, May 27th

Mom requested a chest x-ray because breathing has become more difficult for her. The x-ray showed that her right lung was filling up (actually it is the area surrounding the lung). The doctor drained a quart of fluid from her right lung. The fluid was pushing the bottom of her right lung up, which was effecting her breathing.

Friday, May 28th
She went back for a chest x-ray. The doctor was hoping that the lower portion of her lung might drop back into position to ease her breathing. The x-ray showed that the lower portion did not drop and that the area was filling up with fluid again. Any action was put on hold because of the holiday weekend.

Saturday, May 29th – Sunday May 30th
We all noticed a change in my mom over the weekend. She was continuing to have a hard time breathing. She was sleeping all day, was listless, had no energy, not eating because she couldn’t keep it down, and was having coughing fits. There was talk about going to the ER but mom had no energy to want to get up and go.

Monday, May 31st
Things continued to get worse so the decision was to go to the ER around 8:00 pm. They immediately put her on an IV of fluids for dehydration. My dad saw an immediate change in her as she began to get fluids. After they got her IV started they took x-rays. They found that she had an infection. They then put her on antibiotics through the IV. She was a trooper through all of this and endured 7 hours on an uncomfortable bed in the ER. My mom was admitted and stayed till Wednesday, June 2nd.

She is home now and is still sleeping all day. She’s trying to eat and she still has the coughing attacks. Overall there has been a change. We all hope for my mom to be comfortable and we hope that something can be done for her comfort.

Chemo
She is going to chemo today. Please pray for strength for my mom. It takes a lot for her to go places because she would rather be home sleeping. Also, pray that they can figure out what is going on and they can find a way to make her comfortable. She is still trying to get to work when possible. She doesn't want them to have too much fun without her :-)

Dad
My dad has been AMAZING. As you would expect, he is taking care of her, serving her, and doing anything to make her feel comfortable. Please pray for him as he continues to take care of my mom.

On a lighter note below are pictures from my mom’s chemo two weeks ago. Everyone, even Gretta were all googly eyed over chemo.

My Aunt Suzanne made this for my mom. We are blessed the hope we receive from God.

Results, Graduation, and Chemo

There is never a dull moment in the Ours’ family. We always have something going on. Below is an update on what has been keeping us busy.

My mom has finished 3 treatments of her current chemo. This chemo has been the hardest on her. It has taken all her energy away and has made her feel exhausted ALL the time. She has done a lot of sleeping and it never takes away the exhausted feeling. However, she still continues to go into work through all of this.

CT Scan Results

My mom had a scan before she came to San Diego for my graduation. My mom decided to wait to hear the results of the scan till after their trip to San Diego. She had a doctor’s appointment on May 12^th. The test results came back that the cancer continued to grow in her liver and lungs. My mom asked for a printout of the results to take home and review. Later my mom noticed that the scan was not compared to the most recent scan (this is proof that it is important to be proactive in your doctor appointments). We finally received the correct results. The CT scan showed that there were no changes since the last scan. This means that the chemo kept the cancer from growing. This is good news but we want the chemo to get rid of the cancer. She will now start a different type of chemo this Thursday May 20^th. The new chemo treatment will be every two weeks. We are hoping that the new chemo will not take her energy away and her hair might grow back.

San Diego

My parents came out for my graduation from Azusa Pacific University. It took a lot of planning and perseverance from my mom. We were concerned that the weekend would be too hard on my mom (traveling, visitors, sitting through the graduation in the heat, and having a place for my mom to rest). The first concern was having a supply of oxygen on the plane and at our apartment. My mom rented a portable oxygen machine that makes oxygen from the air (her name was Bertha). Oxygen tanks and an oxygen concentrator were delivered to our apartment. The next concern was planning a weekend that would not be too much for my mom. Once graduation was over she got to rest in our tiny apartment. We were happy that Amy came for the weekend too. We were all cozy in our two bedroom one bath apartment.

Chemo

Below are pictures from my mom’s last chemo. This chemo session was around six hours, which gave my mom, Aunt Suzanne, and Greta time to read lots of magazines.

Greta

The Ours family was together for Easter and enjoyed a short weekend together. Kaelee and Isaac were the focus of the weekend. Kaelee is starting to walk and had fun playing on the stairs. Her smile can melt your heart and her laugh is adorable. Isaac has a vivid imagination and loves books. He was really into telling all of us he loves us and giving hugs, kisses, and zurberts. Isaac also woke up both mornings around 5:30 a.m. to play in his clubhouse. He would come down the stairs in the dark and would try to get Grammy (she was sleeping on the couch) to play with him.

Jeff and Isaac having fun in the clubhouse : )

Isaac in his clubhouse at 5:30 a.m.

Kaelee and Isaac had fun at the animal room at Bonita Park

Kaelee's Easter Outfit

Love this pic!!!

My mom started a new chemo a month ago. She was extremely tired, had a terrible cough, had a hard time breathing, and her neuropathy started coming back in her hands, of course she worked at her job through all of this. This is the first time we have seen the chemo and cancer affect her this bad.

A couple of things were done to help her comfort level. She is now on 24-hour oxygen and they lowered the dosage of her chemo to hopefully maintain the neuropathy. The oxygen helped her energy level and breathing.

The oxygen tank has been life altering. It is something that my mom needs to have on all the time. She has a machine at home that makes oxygen from the air. She has a 45-foot cord, which gives her freedom to walk around the house. The tubing loves to get tangled up around chairs or in computer cords. The storage room has turned into storage for oxygen tanks for when my mom leaves the house. My dad is amazing at making sure there are enough tanks in the car or at work.

My mom has named her portable oxygen tank “Greta.” We decided to make a dress for Greta two hours before her chemo yesterday. We gathered scraps of fabric and quickly assembled a dress (please do not critique the quality). The chemo center loved it and they were requesting the same dress to be made for them.

My dad must really love my mom : )

Aunt Suzanne changed the chemo center’s bulletin board for Spring. She did an amazing job like always. : ) We stayed with the Spring theme and did a spring photo shoot.






Please pray for my mom’s strength with this second round of chemo. This time she felt really good the morning after her chemo but was quickly fading by the evening. We are also praying that she will have enough energy to attend my Masters Graduation in California in May.

Please continue to pray for the miracle of healing in my mom’s life. God is capable of much more than we can imagine.

Wow! It has been way too long since my last post. A lot has happened but at the same time there hasn’t been any fun Chemo treatment photo shoots.

First, I’ll give you an update on the Ours Family.

- Amy convinced my parents to take her to Disney World for Christmas. They had a blast and spent a whole week there.
- Amy, Dan and, I spent New Years with mom and dad and had a lot of fun in the snow.
-My Grandma Ours passed away in January. She lived a long life serving Jesus. We miss her but we are happy she is in a wonderful place, pain free. Everyone in the family, except my mom (she had an important doctor’s appointment), flew to Pennsylvania for the service and to spend time with our grandpa.
-Dan and I also got to spend a wonderful weekend with my parents in February - Presidents weekend.

As you can tell we don’t let miles get in the way of spending time with each other. Phone calls also help us keep in touch.

Now, for the update on my mom: The last chemo my mom was on was not making a difference in fighting the cancer. She also received results from a bone scan that said there had not been much change over the year. My mom decided to look into getting an opinion from another doctor and possibly trying experimental drugs. After figuring things out with insurance and using connections through our friend, Wanda Golson, my mom finally got an appointment with a doctor at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center. My mom really liked the doctor and we were hoping it would open up new opportunities. We were bummed that there were not any experimental treatments open that she was eligible for. The doctor suggested trying hormone treatments and she would let my mom know if a new experimental treatment would benefit her.

So, my mom went on hormone treatments and changed to a different Doctor at the treatment center she had been going to in Ruidoso. (Albuquerque Doctors) She has been on the hormone treatments since the end of January. Since then her energy level has really dropped and she has developed a HORRIBLE cough.

My mom had a CT scan yesterday and met with the doctor today for the results. The cancer is back and is as bad or worse than it was the first time she found out it came back. The cancer is still in her bones and has grown again in her liver and lungs. Her low energy was from the cancer taking over her liver and the cough is from fluid in her lungs because of the growth of cancer. On Monday my mom is going to start a new chemo that is going to have guns blazing at this cancer. The chemo is going to be strong. The side effects are hair loss, tiredness, and low white blood cells.

The news was frustrating to hear because we feel like we are back at square one. The doctor said she still has hope. : ) My mom is strong as usual and went back to work after the appointment with the doctor. She’s ready to attack the cancer and I know she is able to do this because of God, my dad’s support, family support, work support, and most importantly all your prayers. Please continue to pray for my mother’s strength and for a miracle of healing.

Below are some pictures from a chemo back in December. My mom and Amy brought back a little of Disney World.

Everyone Deserves a Lifetime

I am VERY sorry for the lack of posts. A lot has happened since the last post. The posts slowed down because my mom was taking oral chemo, which meant no chemo photo shoots J. I’ll try my best to fill you in on all the latest news.

My mom started experiencing side effects with the oral chemo. They decided to do a CT scan and bone scan. The results from the scans were not what we were expecting. The CT scan showed that there had been no decrease in the cancer and one of the lesions on the liver had grown. The bone scan showed no improvement. So, the doctor decided to change my mom to a new chemo.

The new chemo is three weeks on and one week off. My mom has been handling this chemo well so far and she is enjoying having her hair grow back. We are not sure when the next CT scan is but we are anxious to see if the new chemo is working.

Dan and I participated in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day the weekend before Thanksgiving. With the help of friends and family we raised over $4,600 for Breast Cancer Research and awareness. We walked 60 miles over three days. It was an amazing experience and even though we couldn’t walk by the end of the three days, we would do it again and again for mom. What we suffered was nothing in comparison to what we have seen my mom endure with an amazing attitude. It was an emotional 3 days being surrounded by breast cancer survivors and walking in honor of my mom. The slogan for the event was, “Everyone Deserves a Lifetime.” My mom deserves a lifetime and that is why I pray daily for a miracle of healing.

Well, as you can all imagine, in the midst of chemo and side effects, my mom has done everything but slow down. Here is a glimpse into her life over the last couple of months.

- worked full time
- weekend trip to visit Amy in Chico, CA
- one night getaway with dad to a mountain resort in Ruidoso
- week trip to San Antonio with my dad and my mom’s parents
- entertained 37 people at Thanksgiving
- entertained many friends and family dropping by for little visits
- and much more

Below are pictures to catch you up. Please keep praying for a miracle and strength for my mom.

Weekend trip to see Amy

View from my parents night getaway

Isaac, Dad, Mom, and Kaelee at Thanksgiving

Mom and her girls : )

My mom trying everything to get her port to work...

Brenda keeping my mom company

My mom complained of looking like a boy. Nancy Erwin (my coworker) made bows for my mom to wear. My dad and mom had fun with them at chemo but they look really cute in my mom's curly hair.

Paula explaining nurse stuff to Tiffani (my cousin who is in nursing school)

Paula.....Where does this tubing go??? : )

Aunt Suzanne made a cute interactive bulletin board. People wrote their favorite season and why on the leaves.

Alaska, Colorado, Chemo, Oh My!!!

Even though there is a lot happening it's not as exciting as having a fun chemo treatment every three weeks. Mom is still taking the chemo orally from home. She feels great and only has a few side effects. Her best week is the one between the two chemo weeks. The main side effects are pain in her feet and her feet peeling. (Sounds fun doesn't it?) She has been having headaches which might be from high blood pressure. Of course she always deals with tiredness. All in all she feels very blessed to have no pain and mild side effects. Last week she saw her doctor and he felt like she had great color and was doing well. They will probably do another CT scan in about a month.

We are so thankful for Karen (PA) and her staff at the chemo center. Mom really does miss going to the chemo center weekly. They are always VERY helpful and genuinely concerned for her. I feel that Karen and her team are a blessing from God for mom during this time. They are always so helpful and friendly. The greatest thing is that mom feels very comfortable contacting them when she has a question or a concern.

My parents have done a lot of traveling the last month. At the beginning of September they flew to Alaska, with Erna & Darrell Crosby, to visit Mike & Linda Couch and enjoy the beauty. They had a WONDERFUL time! They also went to Colorado to visit Jeff, Krista, Isaac, and Kaelee. They loved spending time with their grandkids. Isaac turned three on Monday and Kaelee was showing off her new crawling moves. I know this is a lot of pictures but I'm making up for the lack of pictures from chemo treatments. : )

Gorgeous View Flying Into Anchorage!

Amazing Train Trip From Anchorage to Seward

Dog Sled Ride Without Snow in Seward

Future Sled Dogs

Dad and Darrell Both Caught Two Halibut (Very Happy Men)

Denali (Mt. McKinley) Only 20% Of The Visitors
Actually See The Mountain
Because Of The Cloud Cover

The Picture Doesn't Do The View Justice

Mom As A Caribou (they have heavy horns)

Dad As A Caribou (looks much better then mom)

Dad and Mom As A Mixed Up Moose

Darrell and Erna Crosby

Hanging Out At The Princess Lodge In Denali

They all stayed at a lodge and my parents were
given a room with this sign above their door.

The women did last minute shopping in Anchorage before flying out. The men waited patiently With their new friend (the bear). Next to the bear is our friend Mike Couch.

My Mom Brought Some Alaska Back With Her To Work

Train Ride In Cripple Creek, CO With The Family

LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!

Isaac got to blow the whistle on the train
and loved the whole experience.

Isaac Being Silly And REALLY Cute : )

On another note, Dan and I, along with Bernadette (Dan's mother) are participating in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk THIS November. We will be walking 60 miles over the course of 3 days. We are very excited to be a part of this cause and raise money for breast cancer research. EACH one of us have to raise $2,300. Below is a link to make a donation to help us reach our goals. You just need to search our names individually to make a donation. We are under Bernadette Coronado, Dan Coronado, and Sara Coronado.

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Events/General?fr_id=1170&pg=pfind


Thank you in advance for any donations.
Most of all thank you for prayers for my mom's healing.