Waiting Game....I feel like a WINNER!

Okay....I am cautiously optimistic....that this stint worked!!!!!

It was removed without incident at around 8:30am this morning. We have driven home, stopped at exit 83 to have our Bob Evans meal, stopped at Coshocton Wal Mart and drove on home (after Val remembered they had dentist appointments, so they wouldn't be home).

I keep waiting on the spasms....but I'm not having any. They started immediately after all the others.

I am so excited and just holding myself back from moving furniture, planting flowers, bringing grandchildren over to spend the night!!! I feel normal!!

I told Val I feel like jumping on a bed and laughing and yelling! Instead, I just cry...happy tears. So, warning.....if you call me today....I'm going to cry!

At this moment, I am cancer free, have a functioning kidney and the "system" is working.

I have to take antibiotics for a couple of days, drink lots of water and have blood tests done locally, to check my kidney for distress in 3 days. I head back over on October 22 for Molecular Imaging and a doctor appointment. I thought it was for an mri but I guess not. I think this is the radioactive scan.....(I'll be glowing)

Mike and I had a nice Sunday evening watching the Browns beat those Ravens and watching USA beat the Internationals in the Presidents Cup. Why can't they do that in the Ryder Cup!!!??? Cleveland was a very exciting place to be over the weekend! Indians and Yankees on Thursday! Oh my goodness...it's Ohio sports overload!

We had a nice morning and tried to be optimistic going over to the Crile Building for the appointment. Mike was so supportive....I love that guy.

We got there early so he was reading his ESPN magazine and I was reading my little book from Lynn...THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOPE. It has been an amazing read but this morning I reached the chapter entitled "Life and Death." It was beautiful to read but some of it was so emotional and I started to cry in the waiting room. I had to put it down and pick up my knitting then they called my name and I rushed in without saying goodbye to Mike. I just left him sitting there. I felt so bad when I came back out and the first thing he said was..."you just left me here without saying goodbye." Oh my gosh....I felt so bad. Mike is reading over my shoulder again and he just said in his Forrest Gump accent...."I just felt like running..." and I did.

I had the nicest nurse, Shelli, and I finally met Dr. Desai. He has done 3 surgeries on me but I've never met him! He is very nice and I left there feeling very good about him.

So, we are home and Val called and said, do the blog! She is getting lots of phone calls. Thank you so much for praying and for remembering us.

I'll check back in tomorrow.....
love you all very much.
Leslie

Tri Valley vs Philo...Football Friday night in Dresden!

We love attending the Tri Valley Football games. Here are some pictures I took at the September 21st game against Philo. The pregame was packed full of little cheerleaders, little football players, Jr. High Band and Middle School Football team. It was wonderful to have the future Dawgs introduced and acknowledged! I wasn't fast enough to get pictures of everyone! Sorry! We can't wait to take on Sheridan this Friday!!! Go Dawgs!
This is our nephew, Logan Lewis helping fellow players with their shoulder pads.
This is our eye in the sky....

It's Michael!




I know this little cheerleader! You did a great job Taylor Hunter!


Nephew, Chaye Liggett is in the backwards hat...I think that is Lucas Coleman turned around with the mohawk haircut. I never found Marshall Tignor or Matheu Coleman!



All the little girls who attended Cheer Camp were invited to perform with the Varsity Cheerleaders and the band! They were so cute!


Amidst all the pregame, our quarterback, Cameron West, was warming up on the sidelines! What a year Cam is having!



I LOVE our band! This is a picture of our Jr. High Band joining the High School for the National Anthem and the Alma Mater. It was wonderful!



The tunnel......waiting for the players!





TThe tear a way sign...and the brave holders!





Our flag team....I love watching them but I cannot figure out the purple costumes. They do stand out among all that gold and black.




Our adored mascot....Scottie Dog!






Here come the DAWGS!!!!







I love this part!!!



I wish you could hear this huddle and the crowd!!!





A couple of old dawgs......




Another nephew, Landon Lewis, in the white jersey, being introduced with his Middle School team during halftime.




Logan had a great game after sitting on the sidelines for a few weeks recovering from a swimming accident. It was awesome to have him back! Go #55!!




Final Score....61-0




Morgan next then...SHERIDAN!!!




Ringing the VICTORY BELL!

Sweethearts at the Air Show....

I like to think this heart was made just for us...

What a fun day with my sweetheart and my family....

Lincoln Elementary school picture day...

The girls are getting their school pictures taken today! I begged Valerie to take digitals so I could see what they wore and how their hair turned out! Thank you Val! They look so cute. I tried to find the email with Andrew's picture and I couldn't find it. Maybe I already shared it. He took a great picture this year.

*I don't know what I did on Madison's full body picture (it's little). I tried to go back and do it again and I got another little one.

Grace, 6 years old , Kindergarten. Madison, 7 1/2 years old, 2nd grade.(that 1/2 year is very important to her!)
Grace loves dressing up. She wanted to put this on at bedtime last night!
I love that fresh haircut!

Madison does not like wearing dresses but I think the leggings might have made it feel more like a L O N G top!
SMILE girls!

Blog Journey and update...

Val called today and told me her friend Amy was reading the blog from the beginning and was crying through the surgery posts.

I decided to go back and read a few. That was a couple of hours and a dozen kleenex ago.

Even with all these "bumps" I've come a long way since May.

I'm so happy to have those firsthand accounts of the journey....very humbling...very emotional.

I'm feeling good. My glucose was elevated in the 24 hour urine test so I have to go back for a fasting test. It was 169. I've gone down to mom's a couple of times to have her check it on her little meter and it was 106 last week and 103 this morning. (good numbers!) I will go back down this afternoon to test is again before dinner. I think we will do it at the same time for a few days.

Mom feels sure it is the stress from the kidney cancer causing this to elevate. I've never had issues with glucose or sugar. The first time they even asked me about it was after my August 21st surgery. In recovery, they wanted to know if my sugar had ever been up and I told them no...they never said anymore about it.

I'm tolerating the spasms and backaches so good now! They still limit my activities more than I like but I keep reminding myself that it's all temporary!

6 days until stint removal!!! 8am Monday morning!! Put me on your prayer calendars!

I hope you don't mind me sharing my pictures with you! I love pictures! I actually think about if my house caught fire, I want my photo albums to be someplace on the ground floor, near an outside wall where I can save them!! It's overkill, I know!

Hmmmm....there is a big birthday coming up around here! Happy 75th Birthday Dad! (September 29th)

One more thing....Luann, it was wonderful seeing you at last week's football game! I wish we had more time to talk. Please email and let me know what is happening and please update me on your diagnosis. I never really knew what it was. You will be in my heart and in my prayers. I LOVED your blog comments and always wished I could respond and let you know what they meant to me. Let us know when the new grandbaby comes! Love you!

Okay....I'm blogged out. I'm exhausted from all that reading and emotion!!

May God do in your life what only He can....strengthen you with His love, fill you with His assurance, bless you with His peace and hold you in His arms (those words were in one of my cards....what a blessing!)

love you all,
Leslie

Snow cone pictures...

I loved this picture of Mike and the girls at the air show. It was so chilly and they wanted these snow cones so badly but nobody wanted to walk them over to the refreshment stand. Grandpa Mike took them to get their snow cones!

Wings Over Coshocton Air Show

This was a fun weekend. I've uploaded a few pictures and I just realized there aren't any airplanes! Oh well....we all know what airplanes look like....let's see more pictures of grandchildren!!





Madison & Grace got autographs from the Misty Blues...an all woman skydiving team.



Madison couldn't wait to climb the rock wall. She made it to the top in record time!



Mike saw this monkey lady while the girls were in the kid's area. He took pictures to show them. Honestly, this woman's hair was really gross. Those baby monkeys were all over her head. They were wearing baby diapers.


This was our row watching the show!




Matt and Val...it was a little chilly at the airport that day!


One of the Misty Blue skydivers heading our way!