Good day at home....

We returned home from Coshocton last night.

What a beautiful day today! Warm but not too hot...wonderful breeze! You can feel fall in the air! I love Fall!

I had a great week with the grandchildren. Thank you for letting me "crash" for another few days! Grace is now in Kindergarten full time starting today.

I started feeling "normal" again around Wednesday....not so tired, off the pain medication, spasms better.(still have some tenderness on my left side) It always seems to take a week to recover from these procedures. I have found that if I behave and allow myself to rest and take it easy for that 7 days, the recovery is better. A couple of times, I came home ready to walk and work and when it didn't happen, I got all frustrated and grouchy. Can you imagine me grouchy....no way!

I started walking Matt and Val's Buena Vista hill on Tuesday with the girls before school. It's so much more fun with them! And the stories they tell! I smile every inch of those walks! Andrew is getting too old to hang out with Grandma (with the exception of an occasional movie & mall date) but I got to watch one of his soccer games and he did awesome! I was very proud of him. He had algebra homework every night! Yuck!

Mike is at the Tri Valley/John Glenn football game tonight. I will be listening on the radio. It's a perfect football night! Go Dawgs!

Tomorrow evening we head back over to Coshocton to kid-sit (they aren't babies so we aren't babysitting!). Mike is working a golf tournament Sunday & Monday.

I'm tired tonight. I sorted laundry, worked on the September budget and paid bills, got groceries and caught up on some emails today. I feel like I did lots more than I did!

We are waiting on a phone call any day now from Chris & Suzy in Raleigh. Their baby girl is due! It will be wonderful having a new baby in the family!

Matt & Valerie switched cell phone plans from Nextel to Verizon. Mike is in deep depression over the loss of direct connect! He was the king of direct connect! I think he was probably the only one to really use it. Our cell phone plan was done in July. I have a feeling we will be heading to Verizon too. Any recommendations out there? We don't have good Nextel service in Coshocton.

I called the Clinic today to schedule my follow up appointment and they already had me scheduled for Monday, October 22. (ultrasound at 11am and Dr. DeSai at 1:15) That is nearly 8 weeks if I can avoid any complications!! It's party time!

I probably won't blog everyday.....honestly, I am getting boring!(and isn't that great news!) How about once or twice a week?

Feel free to email me at home and I will keep checking the site for comments! (home email: bebout@columbus.rr.com

Thank you Val, for posting the pictures. I know you showed me but I'm not sure I remember how to do it. I might try it by myself tomorrow....or not.

love to everyone....
I couldn't do any of this without your love and support!
hugs...
Leslie

Other pictures from things I have blogged about!

Soccer, Grace's Bday, Val's 30th, Concrete Day
Andrew's Jr. High soccer team!

Grace's Dairy Queen birthday cake! What a smile!

Valerie's 30th Birthday dinner....her 2 favorite guys (Mike's new Bee Gee shirt)
Our 5K MDA race First Place winner in the 30-39 division! This one was in memory of Aunt Karla! Val and I had just sorted some boxes in the basement a couple of weeks ago and found all Karla's letters to her from the hospital....precious keepsakes. We were so proud of her!
The Concrete Crew extending Matt & Val's driveway! Hard work! Great Job!

Cleveland Clinic Visit

Posing in new school clothes on the soft and cushy Intercontinental beds!
Posing in the lobby in front of the incredible artwork by an autistic artist who is unable to talk.

The next picture is of the wishing pond at the main entrance to the Clinic. I have wheelchaired across it many times. The girls always sent up prayers and wishes for me when they crossed over it! My little angels on earth....

Canal Day Parade and 1st Day of School!

Grace and Madison's 1st Days of school! (Andrew somehow dodged the camera) Then, the Canal Day Parade from last weekend.
This was Monday...Grace's first day of Kindergarten! It was a "girls only" day in Kindergarten (Monday & Wednesday) Boys went on Tues & Thur and everyone together on Friday! I could just eat them up!
Madison posing before school. I love her school bag this year!
I was excited to watch the girls in the Canal Days Parade. It was a couple of days before heading back to the clinic. I bought this new outfit for walking! It's so comfortable!
It was so HOT and instead of just walking, these two were doing cartwheels along the parade route! Madison obviously wiped her head with her cartwheel dirty hands! We were so proud of them! It was a fun parade!



This was Mike's 2nd favorite part of the parade....a take on Andy Griffith!(one of our favorite all time tv shows....yes, we are old) I actually think it was Barney and Gomer! Very funny!

Blogging in my sleep? Is that possible?

I just read my middle of the night blog! (Talk about changing the subject at every other line!) It's hard to keep up! I can hardly remember doing it but I do remember having an urgency to "talk" to someone so I went to the blog. I think I might have emailed people too!

Valerie...did you tell me you felt like you were having heat stroke...now I'm not sure. Maybe it was a dream!

I didn't sleep very well. I was up again at 4am emailing Mike at work. I'm staying off the percuset today!

I feel good this morning....a little tired from all my blog and email chit chatting during the wee hours!

Everyone have a great day! I'll be taking a nap! lol

love, Leslie

Can't sleep...

Good Morning...(it's around 1am)

I woke up and now I'm having trouble going back to sleep. I can't help but think about Mike at work. It has to be so hot in there tonight. I'll be happy when he gets home.

Val said she felt like she might have been starting a little heat stroke yesterday at the pool. It's going to be close to 100 degrees today. The children are getting an early release from school today because of the heat...no air conditioning in these old school buildings. I'm praying for a breeze for the football game. Everyone is excited to be there but I'm not sure it will be safe for dad and mom and I don't want any set backs in my recovery. We just have to be there for Logan's first game of his Senior year! I'm so excited....maybe that's why I can't sleep tonight! It's dawg pound time!

Thank you for the phone call tonight Donnie. I've missed talking to you too! I'm glad we are still so close. You can call me anytime...even when I'm at Val's! It's not that far away! I saw Tracy walking with Chaye and Aidon to football practice . They looked so cute. It was hot for those little ones to be practicing. I heard that he already has a girlfriend on day one of second grade and he gave her a ring! (Cortney called me and it was part of her first day of school news...I told her she will have lots of boyfriends this year and she said Chaye is so cute) He's pretty smooth if he is already giving out rings on the first day of school! They are good kids!

Logan...good luck tonight! We will be cheering for you!
Chad...it was great talking to you too! Thanks for the phone call. We miss you!

Okay...I'm starting to feel tired again and I feel like I'm rambling.

I love you all out there in blog land.

Thank you....

Thank you for all the wonderful cards and messages!

Luann...I have loved reading your blog comments. I have such great memories of our girls together in high school and lots of fun at sporting and school events. I especially appreciate that you also have had to overcome an illness recently and yet, you found time to reach out to me and my family. I'm so glad our girls have remained friends post high school and, though our paths no longer cross as much, you are there as a friend and encourager (my new word for you!) Please email me where you are in your journey. Give my love to your family...

Miss Roxy....your Bill can sing to me anytime! He may bring tears of laughter rather than mushy, emotional tears but I'm sure he will have me crying at some level! What wonderful new friends we have welcomed into our lives from Coshocton. Thank you for posting on the blog and being a comfort to Val. (and Bill's comic relief has helped get Mike through some tough times!)

I have to do a shout out to the Moore and King families who should really now own a piece of the Hallmark stores! I think we have received at least 5 or 6 cards from each of your families at different times during my journey! And I have loved the notes and pictures from the children! Emily...I loved today's card with your picture! Parker, I hear you are riding your bike fast WITHOUT training wheels! You will be able to teach Mckynna how to ride when she is big! Kutter, I know you are going to love Preschool and Austin, you are going to have a great school year. I can't remember if you are in 2nd or 3rd grade. You are growing so fast! Vicki....I can't get through any of your notes without crying...thank you for the beautiful messages. Angie...I've seen the pictures of the baby and she is beautiful! Congratulations to you and your family. I miss you all very much!

Kris Corbin....What a blessing all your cards have been and I love the little note pad that came in today's card. Each card and each message has given me a renewed strength! It's like Christmas when we go to that mailbox. Kris, you are another friend whom I don't see much now that our baby boys are grown men and that makes your support even more special. Your home was Chad's second home and I knew he was cared for when he was with you. Thank you for your many cards and comments. Mike and I love your family and we are thankful for all the memories!

I will never be able to thank you all for the hundreds of cards and notes, not only for me, but for Mike.

I'm ashamed to admit that I am not good at sending cards. I think about it and have great intentions but I'm not very faithful in getting them in the mail.

I promise that will change. I want to take a picture of my piles of cards to post on the blog. Each one is unique and a gift of unmeasurable value!

I've had a good day. I'm tired but I think that is from the pain meds. I'm still planning to be at the Tri Valley football game tomorrow! Go Dawgs! I'm looking forward to seeing lots of friends.....even some from Riverview!!!

I hope all the kids had a great first day at school! Cortney, thank you for calling and telling me about your first day in 2nd grade! I'm so happy you LOVE your teacher! Michele, thank you for sending me the picture! She looks so grown up!

Mike is working tonight and I'm feeling a little mushy and emotional.... in a good way! So many people to thank and not enough words or time to give you all the thanks you deserve. I pray that you feel our appreciation and love even if we don't get you all listed by name....you are in our hearts...forever!

To all my email, blog and pen pals...we love you!

Stint #4

Hello family & friends....
We just returned home from the clinic. Neither of us got any sleep, so we are planning to rest and and get caught up on sleep tonight. Andrew's soccer team actually plays Tri Valley this evening. I would love to go if the spasm and pain medications kick in.

Okay....so going into this EVERYONE assured us we would be going home yesterday after the surgery. We would even reply to not promise us anything because it never works out for us but they insisted this was going to be an easy & quick procedure. Just taking pictures of all the areas then sending us home.

The operating rooms got very backed up due to a couple of complicated surgeries so my 1pm surgery started around 6pm. 6 hours in this tiny pre op cubby with a tv that had terrible speakers. We had to laugh and stay positive but after 6 hours....well you can imagine.

My operating team was wonderful.....so kind and supportive. No anesthesiologist fighting with nurses. I went under very easily. When they woke me in recovery I remember somebody telling me the doctor wanted us to stay the night and I saw lots of blood in the catheter bag (sorry for the graphic details) It scared me and I called on my angels until Mike got there to tell me what happened. In recovery, they let visitors come in for 10 minutes and they have been very strict in all my past surgeries. I asked for Mike the minute they woke me up and when he finally got in there around 9pm, they let him stay with me the whole time.

If I understand correctly, where the kidney meets the ureter, it's narrowing from the scar tissue. So they removed the old stint, lazered a larger opening to the kidney and put in a bigger stint (bigger in width, not length). (That explained the blood.) I had to drink lots and lots of water during the night and by morning it was much better. This stint will stay in for 6-8 weeks and there is a 70% chance this will be the end of my stint stories!

They took me to a "short stay" ward where there were lots of people, men and women, in little curtained cubby areas, but no soft chair for Mike. He sat up in the little hard chair until he was too tired, then he went out to the little lobby which had the same chairs and a round table. He headed down to the main lobby at the clinic and actually got a little comfortable until a woman told him she was going to sweep. So he headed back up to my floor and the little lobby.

I stayed up drinking water all night and at 4am the dreaded blood sample was needed....4 tries until they finally got a slow moving vein. It was a darling little Phillipine nurse who kept assuring me that she is great at getting blood. She does it for all her patients. She said my veins are very deep. She was precious...I felt so bad for her. She tried 3 times then called in the Swat team. Mike came back in with me around 5:15am. We looked like a couple of zombies.

I admit to having some discomfort but all systems are working.

Still trying to keep the positive attitudes despite all the things going wrong.

In my recovery room prayers, I asked God to send Grandpa and Grandma Holdren and I held out my hands for them, one on each side of my bed. I calmed down until Mike got there. I felt their presence. What a blessing!

Valerie is running a 5K race for MDA in memory of her Aunt Karla this Saturday. I would like to be there to see her cross the finish line. Karla died at the age of 26. She was a wonderful aunt to our children and a great friend to me. We miss her and I'm so proud of Val for doing this run. It is sponsored by the Coshocton Fire Department.

I will be walking with the "Hopewalkers" team for the "Light the Night" cancer walk on September 20th. It's a little over a mile at OUZ and it's so moving and powerful to be a part of it. We are walking in honor of and with Ginger Miller. This walk donates money for researching blood cancers. Maybe we will see you there. I have a website for donations , but I think you will have to copy and past the link below!

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnColumb/2101_lesliebebout


Thank you for your love and support.

Amy B...we stopped at Wal Mart to get me a stadium chair so I could go to the TV-Riverview football game on Friday! Go Dawgs! It will be a great game! Our Logan is #31! It's very exciting to think about Marcus on the RV high school team!!! You have wonderful sons....and your husband is pretty great too! Todd...thanks for singing our song "To Love Somebody" at Val's birthday dinner. I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person to hear it but it sounded incredible over the phone line! We have an anniversary in November....it could be a perfect time for another performance!

Teresa...thank you for your faithful blog comments all the way from Louisiana! You make me laugh and you inspire me!

Donna...the scripture you sent in one of your recent blog comments was just what I needed to see that day. God is good and knows our needs before we do!!

It's great to be home...
love to all,
Leslie

Valerie...thank you for keeping up the blog! I thought about you during that 4am blood draw! It made it easier thinking about our "special" blood draw times together! I'll be glad when our special times are shopping trips to the mall and fun dinners! I love you!

Chad...thank you for the phone call while we were in recovery! It came just at the right time. It was wonderful to hear your voice! Hope we can see you soon!

Surgery Complete

Surgery started at 6:18, and Mom just got out of surgery (7:30), they replaced her current stint with a wider one, and it will be looked at again in 6 weeks to see if it has fixed the scar tissue. They are keeping her overnight. I will check back in the morning. Dad will call in the morning.

It is 7:30am on Wednesday and I just talked to Mom, her and Dad did not get any sleep, she is worried b/c her glucose level is up. Waiting on the doctors to come in.

9:30am.....they are getting ready to be discharged. Something else was done yesterday during surgery where they had to make an incision, but Mom can explain it when she gets home. Hopefully it will do the trick in getting things back to normal.

Ready for Surgery and STILL Waiting.....

Okay, so Mom and Dad had a great day yesterday in Cleveland, they were both relaxing and very prepared for today. They made it sound like today's agenda was basically exploratory and to take photos of everything (her kidney, her stint, her complication areas) then they could better plan on how things are healing and what is next in fixing them for the next surgery.

SO TODAY....they got to the Surgery center around 11:15 and they took Mom back, put in her IV, she was all prepped for surgery and it is now 4:00 as I am typing this and she is STILL in the prep area waiting to be wheeled back and they told her it will probably be 2 more hours. How frustrating!!!!!!!!! Wow, so I wanted to put on an update before people started to worry.....the update that there isn't a new update! So, thanks for the continued prayers! She and Dad are still hoping to get out of there tonight and make it here for 1st day of school tomorrow!

Till the next posting......Val

I Feel Great!

The last couple of days have been great!

The catheter came out yesterday with no problems. I had a fun day and a great night.

It's nice going back to Cleveland feeling good. I'm feeling very positive.

Madison and I went to the store this morning to buy my craving for the week...carmel creams! She told me that angels live in the clouds. Then she wanted to know if that was true. I told her I really wasn't sure. We would just have to wait and see. She said, "No Grandma, I saw an angel head looking out from behind one of them...it's true!"

I believe her....

Have a blessed weekend!
love,
Leslie

Good week...

Wow...it's great to start with anything that includes the word "good!"

It's been so much fun at Matt & Val's. The only downside is that Mike is working nightshift and can't be here until the end of the week. He's coming over this afternoon after some sleep time.

Mornings are the best! Waking up with the grandchildren and having energy. By afternoon, I usually need a nap and my kidney area is starting to tighten and I feel a bit blotted and hard. I'm guessing it has something to do with the "leak" that is healing. My back hurts a bit after any lengthy walking or standing but it isn't anything I can't deal with. I think it is a side affect of my stint and I'm okay with that. By 7:30pm I'm ready for my pj's and usually pretty tired.

I'm heading to the doctor tomorrow morning to have the catheter removed. I'm a little nervous. It seems that anytime I have things removed I have issues. But I head to the Clinic on Monday so I figure I can see what happens over the weekend. It's funny to think about how I first reacted to having to come home with the catheter and now I'm hesitant to remove it!

Mike's phone calls from home have been so sad. He said it is really quiet and lonely there. I know!! That's exactly how I was feeling! Our house has always been full of the sounds of children! I can't remember when it was so quiet!

We head back to Cleveland on Monday. My first appointment is 1pm. I'll know my surgery time when I call the surgery center between 2 & 4. We are praying for a morning time! It is listed on my schedule as "in / out surgery!" I think it could end up being one of the following....removing the stint and looking for the scar tissue blockage...if it's a small area they will lazer then replace the stint. If the area is large, they will replace the stint and schedule a more extensive surgery to remove part of my ureter and reconnect the 2 good sections then replace the stint. They also mentioned something about a permanent stint. Bottom line....I hope I get to come home that day! We are guessing at all the scenarios. We will know more after the doctor appointment on Monday.

Grace just got up and there is a sister fight going on over who has more room on the couch! It's a wonderful sound!

Grace Moment....I was getting up from the couch yesterday and she ran over and said "Grandma, let me help you....you are really, really, really, really, really, really old!"

Madison meltdown....Val and I somehow got ourselves into an unplanned sorting of the basement playroom. It started out great...the girls were involved in other things. Then Madison realized we were sorting some things to put in a yard sale or trash. She went hysterical. You would have thought someone was dying. She wanted to "save" the stuffed animals. She almost had ME in tears. And this morning she got up and wanted to go find the box with the discarded animals because she had room for them in her bedroom toybox. She must have thought about it all night!

Andrew's soccer season is about to begin. He's been busy with practices. Austin stayed over Tuesday night. I had to smile as I heard them goofing off until the wee hours of the morning! I walked into the kitchen for a 3am glass of water and piece of Elaine's peach pie. They quickly turned off the basement light and were quiet as little mice until I left the kitchen, then the fun began again! Andrew had to get up at 9:45 for a hair cut but Austin slept until after 2pm! The will begin 8th grade next week!

Thank you to our Coshocton friends for making me feel so welcome! It's been fun couple of weeks!

I'm missing my family & friends in the 'burg but it sure has been great to be around these grandchildren every day! It's the closest thing to being "back to work!" (without all the restrictions)

I'm going out to load the dishwasher before Val gets home from work (she will have a fit that I did it) and Grace wants her hair flat ironed! God is Good!

Love,
Leslie
Angie King....we are all waiting to hear about the new baby! Send us some details when she arrives! Thank you for your inspiring blog comments!

George & Lynn....Mike is using his last 2 vacation days for next week's surgery. I'm not sure we will make it to the Ivy Cottage this year. You will never know what your offer meant to us! (and always will...the offer alone was such a gift) We are trying to focus on the positive...never dreaming we would still be dealing with surgeries this far out. Maybe Chris, Suzy and baby Porter will be ready for a week at the beach by then and we will definately be planning a weekend trip to meet Porter and visit with our Chad as soon as I get an "all clear!" Thank you for the prayers and please thank your congregation. You are a blessing to us and our family.

30 years ago....

today....a baby girl was born, much to the delight of her parents and big brother.

It's Valerie's birthday and it's all about her!

Have a wonderful birthday sweet daughter.

We love you more than words can say....
Dad & Mom

waiting...

Val took me to Zanesville for some lab work yesterday. I will feel better once I have those results.

It was great to be out and about and we took Grace to the mall to spend some birthday money in Claire's. She bought a cell phone with lip gloss, body & hair glitter spray and a pack of hot nail colors. Then she bought a hot pink straw hat at Old Navy. It was so much fun.

Graceism...We were sitting at the dinner table eating my craving for the week...loaded hotdogs and baked beans. Grace informs me that she knows what a girl's private part is called. I told her that was a good thing....what is it? She said the girl's part is called a "peep" and the boy part is called a "beek."

Why do they have to grow up....I LOVE this age of innocence!

I'm having a bit of back pain after being up for a while but nothing I can't tolerate. Madison is very concerned that I am going to be sad when I have to take out the catheter. She is very comforting!

Looking forward to another good day.

love to all....
Leslie

Next

Next surgery will be August 21st. I have to be there on August 20th for pre op.

Downside....It's back to school week! I will miss seeing all those first day of school outfits! Take pictures!!

Upside.....Maybe it will all be done by September...dare I hope!

Details...The procedure could end up being diagnostic depending on what they find. I questioned if scar tissue is even repairable...seems to me it will just keep growing back. She said they could lazer it, put in a stint for healing and be done or, if it's a large area, another surgery will be scheduled and they will cut out the bad area and reconnect the good areas to rebuild my ureter.

I also wanted to know how long I will have to be there. She is calling back with that answer. Mike is nearly out of vacation time now. He is going in to ask about Family Medical Leave.

Granddaughterisms...Grace told me yesterday that emptying the catheter reminds her of peeing like a boy. Madison was the first one up this morning so she was checking my amounts. She said "Grandma, this thing is so cool. Won't you be sad when you have to take it out?"

Grandson moments...Andrew saw me cry yesterday after the Clinic phone call. He became my protector the rest of the evening constantly checking on me and touching my hands. He finally went up to bed but anytime I coughed or made a sound he was back down those stairs asking if I was okay. I honestly don't know how he even heard me!

Lest I forget my many blessings....I am surrounded by them!

Their eyes see things for what they are! It IS really cool to be able to stand up and empty my catheter like a boy and it is pretty cool to not have to go to the bathroom all the time! And it's comforting to know that someone is always watching over me...like a precious grandson

I had a fun morning yesterday! Matt is extending the width of the driveway and installing a basketball hoop! Yesterday the cement truck came! It was a lot of work and so interesting!

It's been a wonderful week here...such a busy and happy place! Thank you Matt, Val, Andrew, Madison & Grace.

Love to everyone...
Leslie

One more surgery...maybe 2

The Clinic just called.

My stint will stay in 2-3 more weeks.

My problems seem to be coming from the original surgery. Scar tissue blocking my ureter.

I will have surgery in 2-3 weeks to find out where the blockage is and how big it is. If it is do-able....they will fix it during that surgery. If not, another surgery will be scheduled.

I am waiting on another call from Dr. Desai who is a urologist specialist and will be doing my surgery. He will give me dates and schedules and I will pass them along to you.

Oh, I almost forgot....I can have my catheter removed by my family doctor anytime. I will call tomorrow! Okay, nevermind.....Cleveland just called back, I have to keep it in another week.

It's been a good day...
love you all, Leslie

Coshocton r & r

I'm resting and relaxing with Matt, Val and the grandchildren. I feel like royalty! Everyone fussing over me....it's wonderful!

Faithfully drinking my 3 liters of water so by evening I feel like a blimp and very uncomfortable. It's so nice to be empty in the mornings! (then I start all over...) I'm not complaining...it was the deal to get me home from the hospital on Sunday.

I've adjusted to the catheter after a bit of a panic attack when they first told me I had to wear it home. The girls are so cute...always checking it to see if it needs emptied. This morning Grace said "Grandma, you know I don't care if you have the catheter. You know we love you anyway." (gulping back a tear)

I still find myself panicking at every little pain. I won't lie, it was a rough 4 days at the clinic....not just for me but also for Mike, Mom & Val.

The days were getting very dark and even when I got good news I wasn't excited anymore because the odds were that something bad would follow.

Then a van full of angels arrived....a real gift from God. Matt & the girls came. Andrew had soccer practice (thank you to the friends who kept him during the weekend....I can't remember who it was but I hated that he was home while we were all in Cleveland...he was greatly missed)

So, in came my little red headed angels and the room changed and the world became brighter! (along with my mood)

They stayed the night at the Guesthouse and checked in with me in the morning. Everything pointed to me going home so I insisted Val leave with them. They were going to Akron/ Canton to do some school shopping on the way home. Several hours later something went wrong and they wouldn't release me. The next thing I knew Matt & Val decided to come back with the girls. (the girls told me that mommy was crying so daddy brought them back)

Typing it all in words just can't really express what that meant to me and maybe even more for Mike. He still tells me how Grace came running up the front of the hotel wearing her new little pink camo hat and jumped into his arms. He cried the first time he told me and now it makes me want to cry telling you. They made all the bad things go away just by their presence.

Thank you to everyone for the notes, cards, blog comments and especially for your love and prayers. I never thought I would still be struggling this far out from surgery.

*Hey G...I just hung up the phone from our "therapy" session! Thanks for the call.

To my Mike, you are still my hero...even heroes have to cry.

To my Mom....thank you for the hugs and for your endless love. I know this was not an easy trip for you. It broke my heart seeing you in that chair for hour upon hour. And thanks to my Dad for staying strong at home not knowing this trip would be a bit longer than one night.

To my Daughter...you light up my life and make the bad things so much easier. I will never forget the night you stayed until nearly 2am because you knew they were coming for blood and my veins were blowing. Your gentle touches on my face and hands were so calming and I know it was so hard when I cried. I am so proud to be your mom.

Chad, I know it is hard for you being so far away and having to keep up by phone. You were missed! I know if we needed you that you would be here as quick as the next flight out. Stay strong and we will see you soon.

Suzy, I'm thinking about you and that baby daughter you will deliver soon. You will be blessed. You will love her and cherish her and teach her and one day she may have to care for you....and she will, because she will have learned how from you. Give her a love touch from me. I can't wait to meet her next month!

I have so many to thank. So many have written encouraging messages and notes in their cards & emails....they always arrive just when I need them most. You know who you are.....I love you all!

Today is Grace's birthday. She is 6. She got up this morning and decided to change her middle name from Kathryn to Abigail. So we are letting her do that for today. Kids just make everything better.....it's going to be a great day!

Happy Birthday, Grace "Abigail"!

Hugs for everyone!
Leslie

Home for Now....

I knew some of you would be checking in to see what was going on, and I am sure Mom will put on a post when she is ready.....but we are home against the advice of the doctors.

They tried to keep Mom "again" overnight and it was just heart breaking news for all of us. It was so frustrating to be there this time, I don't know if it was b/c it was a weekend or what. We made many promises to them if they let us go home, so if we need to run to z-ville and get labs done for kidney function, we will, she has to drink like 2 liters of water a day. She needed a break, even if for a day. They couldn't even get an iv into her veins anymore, they would blow as soon as they hit the vein. We got home late afternoon yesterday. We are in touch with Dr. Novic's office and I think we go back there next week. She has the stint for a month, 6 weeks without lifting more than 10 pounds and the biggest bummer is she has a catheter for 2 weeks. Although Madison and Grace think it is pretty cool!

Okay, I have to get dinner in the crockpot.......have to keep my patient fed well this week! Hugs to everyone!

Still here....

Mom did not get discharged today, and we had made it to Canton and when we heard the news, so we (Matt, Madison, Grace and I) turned around and headed back. Dad and Gma were obviously still here. I am not going to go into great detail tonight, but her levels dropped, but then stayed the same and they aren't back to "normal" yet. Improved, but they don't want her to go home and have to come back. She did get thrown for a bit of a loop today when she found out she would be coming home with some tubes and such on her for 2 more weeks. I will let her explain all this in more detail when she is back home and blogging! :) So, her road to recovery will definately have to be extended a little. We are still cheering her on and reminding her of all the blessings we have in our lives and most importantly that she is cancer free......this stuff is all fixable!

3rd Time's a Charm.....right?!

Mom went into surgery last night to get her 3rd stint around 9pm and was out of recovery at 1:30am. They did find that it was urine leaking and put in another approx. 11 inch stint. To make a long story short--it is a complication from the orginal surgery and it did not heal properly due to the misplacement of the 1st stint and then who knows what from the 2nd stint.

Thankfully, she is not in any pain with this one and all her levels are returning to normal and her kidney is "back in business". We are keeping our fingers crossed for a discharge this evening. This one will be in for approx. a month, she will check back in with the doctors and they will decide from that point if she will need a perminent stint.

Madison and Grace got to come and visit Grandma this morning and they loved seeing her as much as she did them. Matt and I will be heading out with the girls and Gma Hood and Dad will be staying until Mom is discharged. Mom will be finally checking into the "Miller house hotel" this week, I have waited 6 weeks for custody of her! We can't wait to help take care of her!

Thanks for all the prayers and continued support......

Friday....

So, 5 different doctors have been in before 7:30 am.....so , she at least looks pretty important around here. It wa a long night and Dad and Mom did not get any sleep.

So, we are booked for another night's stay here. They are continuing to try and figure out what they need to do. They have discussed another stint (YUCK, they hurt), they have also still talked about either putting a needle in to drain the fluid or physically putting a drain tube in (YUCK, that means we have to come back) or just observing her kidney and seeing if extra fluids will flush it out and get it working properly. Time will tell, and Dad and I just said, we would rather them do what "needs" to be done versus guessing. Option A,B or C all lead us to stay here tonight. It is Friday, and everything is crazy, busy here, so they would not be able to schedule any procedures until late today or tomorrow.

I am going to go home today and bring some extra support back here tonight.....grandchildren! I think it will do the trick to get her and Dad through 24 more hours of this place!

Thanks for the comment Roxanne, it is nice to know someone is out there reading this! :) I wasn't sure if anyone checks this anymore, but I just sit here and ramble on and it makes me feel better anyway!

See you all soon.

Admitted...

This is Valerie, and Mom is admitted at the Clinic tonight. We feel very comfortable with the doctor caring for her tonight, and she really gave us some insight as to why we are here.

Mom's kidney is showing signs of being stressed. They need to eliminate things, by running the tests, to figure out how to get it functioning properly again. She has thankfully gotten an IV started to eliminate dehydration, I say "thankfully" b/c her poor veins have been through a lot, and everyone has struggled to find one. They will also be doing a cat scan between 1 and 2am to see where this fluid around her kidney is coming from, and why her kidney is not working properly. The doctor will be in at 6am, so we will know, here are the things that are possible at this point, another stint (if there is inflammation), a drain (to get the fluid out) or go home.....okay, I just added that one to be on the positive side!

Her spirits are great today, it has been a rough 6 weeks and to be back here at this stage in the recovery. I know has taken a lot of inner strength for her to be finding reasons to continue to smile up here tonight, but she is doing it and as always, I am so proud of her.

Well, better head up to bed, Gma and I are heading over at 5:30 and of course Dad is at the hospital sleeping on a chair to make sure he doesn't miss anything.

A special hug to my friends that are helping with my kids tonight and tomorrow, there are never words to express how you have touched my heart with your continued kindness. Jenny, keep the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies coming! That cookie therapy was just what I needed!

Hopefully, good news to report in the morning.

Heading to Cleveland

Spent Wednesday in Emergency room at Good Sam. Developed a large lump around my incision in my back and lots of bladder pressure but no urine. Looks like fluid leaking from somewhere.

Clinic just called and they want me over there. Mike is heading home from work. Mom and Val going over with me. Depending on what they find I will possibly have fluid drained and another stint.

I'm okay. Just want to get it done.

Love to all....
Les