Thursday, February 28, 2013

Plugging Right Along


Hi Everyone,

Does everyone else wish for spring as much as we do? We are getting so tired of dreary, dark Ohio days. Can't wait for some sunshine!! Lauren is doing great with getting in shape! She is still eating right and exercising every day. She has lost 12 pounds so far and we will weigh again tomorrow. Her nutritionist is very happy with her progress.

Next week will be a busy one. We go to Michigan on Tuesday for a pre surgery consultation with Dr. Sonnenday, Laurens surgeon. I'm sure we will see the nutritionist, Patti, as well. It is also Lauren and Mark's birthday on Wed. March 6th!! Lauren will be 27 and Mark will be 54. Mark always says Wo was his best birthday present ever. I still find it crazy that these two were born on the same day!!

I have found a wonderful website with great recipes thanks to a friend from the cc.org website. It is called skinnytaste. I have made broccoli cheese stuffed chicken and turkey stuffed peppers from this site. The stuffed peppers were so good that I might make them again tonight. I keep thinking about them. Lauren wouldn't eat them, but Gio and Mark loved them too. Miss Picky usually eats a turkey sub from Subway if she doesn't like what we are having.

I know this is a very short post for me, but seriously I have nothing more to say. I will leave you with a few photos and update next week. Thank you for supporting Lauren on this journey. We love you all.

-Pam


This was us back in 1987 before Ryan was born. Just call us the little pink family. Haha. It's kind of blurry because it is a pic of a pic.


Pretty Wo.


 
Lauren and Ryan at a seafood buffet in Myrtle Beach. I don't remember the year, but it is probably around 2005. Ryan looks so young!

This is an oldie but goodie! Standing is Mark, me, Linda and Wayne. Sitting on the couch is Matt, my Mom, my Dad, and Lauren. Sitting in the front is Ryan, Kristen, and Michael.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Date For First Surgery

Hi Everyone,

Lauren got a call last week from Dr. Sonnenday's nurse and the surgery date for her first surgery is March 26th. This will be the surgery where he looks around laparascopically to make sure there are no tumors on other organs. If there are none, he will make an incision and cut out the tumors in her left side and cut off the blood supply to the right side of her liver. She is ready!!

We are so proud of Wo. She has been doing great on her "healthy lifestyle" change. She walks on the treadmill every day. I ride the exercise bike next to her and we watch dvds of Sex and the City. We started out for 15 min. the first week and now are on 20 min. It might not sound like a long time, but when you are doing it it seems like an eternity. We want to get up to 30-40 minutes each day. She is doing really well with the eating part too. She is reading labels and making smart decisions. She lost 8 pounds last week!! Her nutritionist gave her a pedometer to use and we are so surprised at how many steps she takes a day. Patti was nice enough to send me one in the mail and I love it.

There hasn't been much going on lately around here. Lauren and Gio had a wrestling party on Sunday. No, they don't wrestle!! They watch pay-per-view wrestling with their friends. We went to breakfast on Monday with our gal pals Debbie, Jill, Debbie, Chyrel, and Dawn. Always a fun time. Lauren is going out with Jill tonight for shopping and dinner. We are getting anxious for spring so we can go outside more. The treadmill started acting up yesterday, so we walked outside and it was so cold. The wind blew right through us. Mark came home yesterday and fixed it. It is pretty old and has seen a lot of miles. Mark's day off is today and he and Lauren went shopping. They wanted me to go but I took a pass because of my unlove for shopping.

I would like to wish my brother-in-law, Wayne, a Happy Birthday today!!! He is also a cancer survivor and all around great guy. We love you very much, Wayne! Thanks for continuing to support Lauren and pray she is able to have the surgeries. I will leave you with a few pics of Lauren and Gio being silly on their Mexico vacation. Until next time...

Love, -Pam










Saturday, February 9, 2013

Down To The Nitty Gritty

Hi Everyone. We just arrived home from Michigan after a 3-day stay. Lauren had labs, saw Dr. Zalupski, her oncologist, and met with Dr. Sonnenday, her surgeon, and a nutritionist named Patti.The plan for surgery is set and in motion. No exact dates yet, but we should find that out on her next appointment which is March 5, the day before Lauren and Mark's birthday!!

We saw Dr. Zalupski for the last time for awhile on Wed. He has turned Lauren's care over to her surgeon, Dr. Sonnenday. This is kind of scary to think the next time we will see Dr. Z is after Lauren has surgery. We have seen him every 2-3 weeks for 16 months. It is going to be hard not seeing him for so long.We have come to love him so much. He has helped Lauren more than you could imagine and is a very special doctor.

Wo had chemo on Wed. after seeing Dr. Z. This was her last chemo for who knows how long. That is really scary because the first thought that comes to mind with no chemo is tumor growth. Dr. Sonnenday wants Lauren's liver chemo free for surgery so I guess this is normal to do. Very scary. Sis got off work and came and sat with us. She was in her scrubs and little flowery surgical cap looking so cute. While at work, her hat is her fashion statement. She loves bright colors, so you can always tell it is her with her bright cap and neon green shoes!! We were in the big semi circle room which we are not fond of, but it was ok because we were on the end. Sis left right before Lauren was done to get food for home. We had salads and garlic bread from a pizza place near their house.

Thursday, Wo had no appointments so we thought we would make dinner for Sis and Bruce. We went to Meijer and walked up and down every aisle for some exercise. They have so much of a variety to choose from. We made breaded pork chops over scalloped potatoes and green beans. Lauren also made a peanut butter chocolate dessert and chocolate chip cookies for them. You gotta understand their house. No junk food whatsoever. Cut up fruit in the fridge. Everything whole grain, low fat,or fat free. They work out practically every day!!! This is what happens when you work with sick people and see the effects of heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. I guess it scares you into being healthy. I have been on the receiving end of many lectures by my lovely daughter. They did enjoy the dinner and do enjoy eating what they want in moderation occassionally. I am very proud of them.

Lauren had an appointment with Dr. Sonnenday Friday afternoon. We were sitting in the exam room and a lady named Patti came in. We had some small talk and then Dr. Sonnenday came busting in the room. He ran in so fast that he scared Lauren. He said he had to see another patient, but that Patti would talk to Lauren and he would be back. Patti told us that she was a nutritionist and that Dr. S wanted her to help Lauren get in shape for surgery. She was so nice and the thing she said that we really loved was that she didn't believe in "diets" because they aren't realistic. She gave Lauren guidelines to follow and said that if you are ever craving something, eat it. She said you will try to squash the craving by eating healthy things which won't work. You will usually eat healthy and then eat what you are craving too. So, just give in and try to eat a smaller amount. No food is bad. They mostly want Lauren to exercise every day to get her heart really healthy. I told Patti that I will do everything with Lauren. I know this won't be easy, but we are really excited for this. I will let you know our progress. So, our kitchen will soon look just like Sis and Bruce's. Dr. S came back in and said he had to run to surgery, but he mostly wanted Lauren to talk with Patti. He wanted to see Lauren in 3-4 weeks to see her progress and to give us exact surgery dates. He said the first surgery will probably be around the end of March.

Lauren has explained the surgeries on Facebook, but for those of you who don't have Facebook, I will explain. She will have two surgeries. The first one, Dr. S will go in laparascopically and look around to make sure there is no cancer anywhere outside her liver. If there is not, he will make an incision and remove the small tumors from her left side. He will also cut off the blood supply to the right side of her liver. This will be a 2-4 hour surgery. After 6-8 weeks, if all goes well, he will do the huge surgery. This will last 8-12 hours. He will remove 2/3 of her liver which includes the large tumor. There will be a lot of intricate work involved because her large tumor is leaning on many major arteries and veins. This is such a miracle that she can have this surgery. We have 100% faith in Dr. S. Each surgery will take about 6 weeks to recover from. Lauren is young and strong. She is also in the right mindset for this. So, continue with prayers, prayers, and more prayers. They really have worked for Lauren.

On a sad note, our friend, Cindy passed away last week from this cancer and is being laid to rest today. Please say a prayer for her family. This happens all too often with this cancer and it is just not fair. Rest in peace, sweet lady.

Thanks so much for your continued support. A special thanks to Mark for working so hard to support us and taking care of our pups while we are gone. We love you very much and I know it is so hard for you not to be with us every time in Michigan. Lauren will beat this!!

Love, -Pam

Wo and Gio in Mexico.


This is where you will find us every day. Geez, I think I need to dust off that treadmill!!