May your days be filled with laughter and the joy of many friends;
May God bless you with His grace
and peace that never ends.
It took about three days, but the chemo side effects started kicking in Friday afternoon. More than anything else, Jane's been feeling pain all over. It's pretty well controlled with pain meds, but it's still uncomfortable. Luckily there hasn't been much nausea, so the anti-nausea meds are likely doing their job. We're hoping she starts feeling better and less fatigued tomorrow.
Our favorite cook Teresa brought food for Randy and Jane yesterday, so they have a very full fridge! Thank you for all of the wonderful offers to bring food. Randy told us today that they're turning you all away from bringing food, which is a pretty nice problem to have. We'll keep you posted when they're ready for more.
Also, Jane was just approved for catastrophic leave at work. For those of you who are University employees, you can donate time if you're interested. The website is here: www.uiowa.edu/hr/benefits. Contributions are confidential and completed forms should to be sent to Julie Kasparek, 120-40 University Services Building. Please know how grateful Jane and Randy are for these donations, as well as everything else you all are doing. They are truly overwhelmed by it all.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Update from Martha
Hi all,
Below is an update from Martha after Jane's first day of chemo.
UPDATE: Jane and I are home from the hospital after 9-10 hours. She had her first session of chemo today. So far so good. It is now 8:06 p.m. and she is acting more "normal" than she has all day. She says she feels better than she has in weeks. She is awake, eating, and watching the State of the Union activities. Her CT scan had good results-no new growth of cancer and the enlarged nodules that were not removed have not grown. She is now dictating to me but I can't type that fast, but she won't take her eyes off the State of the Union!!! CA 125 blood test is 147, which is going the right direction and lower than when we started. Jane says thanks to everyone. Hopefully, tomorrow she will feel just as good and we will get out and walk, pick up some things she needs, then I will head to Burlington and back to work on Thursday. Her next chemo is scheduled for Feb. 14th. Nothing like spending your 60th birthday doing drugs!!!
Love,
Martha
Below is an update from Martha after Jane's first day of chemo.
UPDATE: Jane and I are home from the hospital after 9-10 hours. She had her first session of chemo today. So far so good. It is now 8:06 p.m. and she is acting more "normal" than she has all day. She says she feels better than she has in weeks. She is awake, eating, and watching the State of the Union activities. Her CT scan had good results-no new growth of cancer and the enlarged nodules that were not removed have not grown. She is now dictating to me but I can't type that fast, but she won't take her eyes off the State of the Union!!! CA 125 blood test is 147, which is going the right direction and lower than when we started. Jane says thanks to everyone. Hopefully, tomorrow she will feel just as good and we will get out and walk, pick up some things she needs, then I will head to Burlington and back to work on Thursday. Her next chemo is scheduled for Feb. 14th. Nothing like spending your 60th birthday doing drugs!!!
Love,
Martha
Let's Try This Again . . .
Hello all,
If you're looking for an update on how Jane's chemo went yesterday, we don't have it. Unfortunately, she didn't get started yesterday. The good news is that it had nothing to do with her or her health. The bad news is that it was a mix-up in the office that resulted in them not being ready for her. As we mentioned, Jane has the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial, but somewhere along the line there was a mix-up so that she didn't have the pre-chemo tests she needed to participate in the trial, and they weren't ready for her. Needless to say, yesterday was very frustrating! Jane and I joked that instead of an Irish blessing we should just title our post "S.N.A.F.U.: Situation Normal: All F***ed Up." As of yesterday afternoon when she left, the office was going to do everything they could to get her started on chemo and get her test results read so that she could still be in the trial.
Fortunately, we're back on track today. Jane just sent me a message that she is starting chemo right now with the clinical trial and that she'll get it every three weeks. I don't much more beyond that, so we'll post updates in the next day or two as we have them. Martha is with her today. Also, Jane has a fun new iPad, so she can read your messages as she's getting chemo! Thank you all for the notes you left Sunday and yesterday. Keep them coming!! Again, thank you all!
If you're looking for an update on how Jane's chemo went yesterday, we don't have it. Unfortunately, she didn't get started yesterday. The good news is that it had nothing to do with her or her health. The bad news is that it was a mix-up in the office that resulted in them not being ready for her. As we mentioned, Jane has the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial, but somewhere along the line there was a mix-up so that she didn't have the pre-chemo tests she needed to participate in the trial, and they weren't ready for her. Needless to say, yesterday was very frustrating! Jane and I joked that instead of an Irish blessing we should just title our post "S.N.A.F.U.: Situation Normal: All F***ed Up." As of yesterday afternoon when she left, the office was going to do everything they could to get her started on chemo and get her test results read so that she could still be in the trial.
Fortunately, we're back on track today. Jane just sent me a message that she is starting chemo right now with the clinical trial and that she'll get it every three weeks. I don't much more beyond that, so we'll post updates in the next day or two as we have them. Martha is with her today. Also, Jane has a fun new iPad, so she can read your messages as she's getting chemo! Thank you all for the notes you left Sunday and yesterday. Keep them coming!! Again, thank you all!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Big day tomorrow!
May you be blessedwith the strength of heaven--
the light of the sun and the
radiance of the moon
the splendor of fire--
the speed of lightning--
the switfness of wind--
the depth of the sea--
the stability of earth and the firmness of rock.
Hello, dear friends! Tomorrow is the day that many of us have been both dreading and looking forward to for several weeks. Dreading, for obvious reasons, and looking forward to so we can get this fight started!
Jane is doing great. As she mentioned in her post, she's been getting her strength back by walking the mall and rewarding herself with ice cream. Jeff went back to Iowa for the weekend, and they had a nice, relaxing time. They even spent a few hours at the Riverside Casino on Saturday afternoon!
Tomorrow will be a long day. Jane's first appointment is at 9:30. She has several folks to meet with, and then chemo will start around noon or one, probably lasting all afternoon. Randy and Linda Leu will be joining her tomorrow, and Martha is going to come up to Iowa City for the evening/night. Although we have some idea of the chemo side effects, you can never know which ones will affect her, and at what times. It could be a day or two before we post updates, but please know we'll be feeling all of the love and prayers you're sending Jane's way.
the light of the sun and the
radiance of the moon
the splendor of fire--
the speed of lightning--
the switfness of wind--
the depth of the sea--
the stability of earth and the firmness of rock.
Hello, dear friends! Tomorrow is the day that many of us have been both dreading and looking forward to for several weeks. Dreading, for obvious reasons, and looking forward to so we can get this fight started!
Jane is doing great. As she mentioned in her post, she's been getting her strength back by walking the mall and rewarding herself with ice cream. Jeff went back to Iowa for the weekend, and they had a nice, relaxing time. They even spent a few hours at the Riverside Casino on Saturday afternoon!
Tomorrow will be a long day. Jane's first appointment is at 9:30. She has several folks to meet with, and then chemo will start around noon or one, probably lasting all afternoon. Randy and Linda Leu will be joining her tomorrow, and Martha is going to come up to Iowa City for the evening/night. Although we have some idea of the chemo side effects, you can never know which ones will affect her, and at what times. It could be a day or two before we post updates, but please know we'll be feeling all of the love and prayers you're sending Jane's way.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Post from Jane
Below is a post from Jane herself! She posted it as a comment to the last update, but we wanted to make sure everyone saw it, so here you go:
Hi,dear ones!!!
It's me, Jane!!
Thank you seems such an inadequate word for all you are doing for me & my precious family. Love is more appropriate, I think.
Yes, I am gaining strength, walking the mall each for the past 3 days, rewarding myself with a hot fudge shake! Not yet ready for a 5K! but ready to get this fight going in 7 days! Today, Martha helped me try on hats & scarves at Von Maur, me sitting on the floor in front of full length mirror & Martha bringing the hats/scarves...a Kodak moment, I am sure! We did buy 3 hats!! One is practical-wool & GREEN; one is suede&copper; one is fancy: brown with a bow,my DERBY hat! We are gonna have FUN with this crap & party our way to the end!
Bless you all!!! Love to you!
Hi,dear ones!!!
It's me, Jane!!
Thank you seems such an inadequate word for all you are doing for me & my precious family. Love is more appropriate, I think.
Yes, I am gaining strength, walking the mall each for the past 3 days, rewarding myself with a hot fudge shake! Not yet ready for a 5K! but ready to get this fight going in 7 days! Today, Martha helped me try on hats & scarves at Von Maur, me sitting on the floor in front of full length mirror & Martha bringing the hats/scarves...a Kodak moment, I am sure! We did buy 3 hats!! One is practical-wool & GREEN; one is suede&copper; one is fancy: brown with a bow,my DERBY hat! We are gonna have FUN with this crap & party our way to the end!
Bless you all!!! Love to you!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Change to chemo start date
May Saint Patrick guard you wherever you go
and guide you in whatever you do--and may
his loving protection be a blessing to you always.
Hello again, friends! We're posting with an update about Jane's chemo start date. Instead of starting chemo tomorrow, she will be starting next Monday, January 23. After her meeting with Dr. Bender last week, his office changed her start date. Nothing to worry about--I think it was just a scheduling issue. She continues to do a fantastic job of recovering from surgery. Her energy is coming back, and she's going to be very well healed before chemo.
Her appointment next Monday is mid-morning, with chemo starting around noon. Randy will be with her all day, and Martha is coming up that afternoon/evening. We'll post an update about how she's feeling as soon as we can, but it may not be until Tuesday. Thank you again for the positive thoughts and comments--it's been great to get them even during this quiet period before she begins chemo. We'll continue saying prayers that Saint Patrick and his guardian angels watch over Jane in these next few weeks and months.
and guide you in whatever you do--and may
his loving protection be a blessing to you always.
Hello again, friends! We're posting with an update about Jane's chemo start date. Instead of starting chemo tomorrow, she will be starting next Monday, January 23. After her meeting with Dr. Bender last week, his office changed her start date. Nothing to worry about--I think it was just a scheduling issue. She continues to do a fantastic job of recovering from surgery. Her energy is coming back, and she's going to be very well healed before chemo.
Her appointment next Monday is mid-morning, with chemo starting around noon. Randy will be with her all day, and Martha is coming up that afternoon/evening. We'll post an update about how she's feeling as soon as we can, but it may not be until Tuesday. Thank you again for the positive thoughts and comments--it's been great to get them even during this quiet period before she begins chemo. We'll continue saying prayers that Saint Patrick and his guardian angels watch over Jane in these next few weeks and months.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Quick Update
Hi friends,
I apologize for getting this post up late. We wanted to send a quick update to let you all know that Jane is doing well. She met with Dr. Bender yesterday to follow up after surgery, and once again, we are blessed to find out that the news is as good as can be expected. The pathology report from surgery came back and showed that of the lymph nodes that were removed from her pelvis, none of them had cancer! This is great news and her diagnosis is still stage 3c, as opposed to stage 4. We don't know for sure that the enlarged lymph nodes in the cardiophrenic space are not cancerous (if you'll remember, those are the ones that were enlarged on the initial CT scan but that Dr. Bender was not able to get to during surgery), but it's certainly reassuring to find out that the pelvic nodes were not cancerous.
Jane will start chemo on Tuesday. We don't have her schedule yet, but she will likely get infusions every three weeks, with one drug coming once a week. She has the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial, but her final drug regimen hasn't yet been determined. Needless to say, it will be some nasty stuff that will hopefully be nastier than the cancer, so that we can get rid of it all.
Thank you again for all of the support. Once we get a better idea of times for chemo--and Jane has a better idea of what help she'll need--we'll let everyone know. One thing that seems to be consistent with chemo is that everyone will respond differently. It's frustrating to not know what to expect, but in the meantime, we will continue to pray for the best. We probably won't have much news for the next few days (if not a week), but please don't hesitate to leave comments and send good thoughts. Also feel free to call or email Jeff or Nike too.
Thank you!
I apologize for getting this post up late. We wanted to send a quick update to let you all know that Jane is doing well. She met with Dr. Bender yesterday to follow up after surgery, and once again, we are blessed to find out that the news is as good as can be expected. The pathology report from surgery came back and showed that of the lymph nodes that were removed from her pelvis, none of them had cancer! This is great news and her diagnosis is still stage 3c, as opposed to stage 4. We don't know for sure that the enlarged lymph nodes in the cardiophrenic space are not cancerous (if you'll remember, those are the ones that were enlarged on the initial CT scan but that Dr. Bender was not able to get to during surgery), but it's certainly reassuring to find out that the pelvic nodes were not cancerous.
Jane will start chemo on Tuesday. We don't have her schedule yet, but she will likely get infusions every three weeks, with one drug coming once a week. She has the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial, but her final drug regimen hasn't yet been determined. Needless to say, it will be some nasty stuff that will hopefully be nastier than the cancer, so that we can get rid of it all.
Thank you again for all of the support. Once we get a better idea of times for chemo--and Jane has a better idea of what help she'll need--we'll let everyone know. One thing that seems to be consistent with chemo is that everyone will respond differently. It's frustrating to not know what to expect, but in the meantime, we will continue to pray for the best. We probably won't have much news for the next few days (if not a week), but please don't hesitate to leave comments and send good thoughts. Also feel free to call or email Jeff or Nike too.
Thank you!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Happy birthday, Connor!
Deep peace of the running waves to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
The first line of this blessing was the theme of Connor's party yesterday--the beach! Pictures of the beach on the wall, a beach cake, beach clothes, and a water table! For those of you who don't know, Jane and Randy went on a beach vacation to Florida with Scott, Ann Marie, and Connor just before Thanksgiving. They had a wonderful, relaxing time. Thinking back to the warm weather and beautiful scenery--and looking forward to the next family beach vacation--has already been inspiration for Jane. So naturally, a beach party was in order to celebrate Connor turning 3.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
The first line of this blessing was the theme of Connor's party yesterday--the beach! Pictures of the beach on the wall, a beach cake, beach clothes, and a water table! For those of you who don't know, Jane and Randy went on a beach vacation to Florida with Scott, Ann Marie, and Connor just before Thanksgiving. They had a wonderful, relaxing time. Thinking back to the warm weather and beautiful scenery--and looking forward to the next family beach vacation--has already been inspiration for Jane. So naturally, a beach party was in order to celebrate Connor turning 3.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Road to Recovery
Wherever there is happiness
Hope you'll be there too,
Wherever there are friendly smiles
Hope they'll smile on you,
Wherever there is sunshine,
Hope it shines especially
For you to make each day for you
As bright as it can be.
Happy Thursday! Just a quick update for all of you loyal followers: Jane is still doing great! She's getting lots of rest and helping her body recover as quickly as possible. She is loooooving all of the cards you're all sending. She said she got six in the mail yesterday and four more today. Thank you! She's still pretty exhausted, but she's hoping to get in touch with people soon when she's feeling up for some company.
Teresa went home yesterday afternoon. Thank you again, Teresa, for being such a wonderful caretaker and spending a few days in Iowa City. Scott, Ann Marie, and Connor are coming up from Kansas City this weekend to have a birthday party for Connor. It'll be great therapy to see her grandbaby again this weekend.
As for the medicine side of things, Jane's follow-up appointment with Dr. Bender is Monday afternoon. We should get an idea of how chemo will go and maybe even have her appointments set up then. If we don't post before then, keep an eye out Monday evening for an update. Thank you all again for everything! Have a good weekend!
Hope you'll be there too,
Wherever there are friendly smiles
Hope they'll smile on you,
Wherever there is sunshine,
Hope it shines especially
For you to make each day for you
As bright as it can be.
Happy Thursday! Just a quick update for all of you loyal followers: Jane is still doing great! She's getting lots of rest and helping her body recover as quickly as possible. She is loooooving all of the cards you're all sending. She said she got six in the mail yesterday and four more today. Thank you! She's still pretty exhausted, but she's hoping to get in touch with people soon when she's feeling up for some company.
Teresa went home yesterday afternoon. Thank you again, Teresa, for being such a wonderful caretaker and spending a few days in Iowa City. Scott, Ann Marie, and Connor are coming up from Kansas City this weekend to have a birthday party for Connor. It'll be great therapy to see her grandbaby again this weekend.
As for the medicine side of things, Jane's follow-up appointment with Dr. Bender is Monday afternoon. We should get an idea of how chemo will go and maybe even have her appointments set up then. If we don't post before then, keep an eye out Monday evening for an update. Thank you all again for everything! Have a good weekend!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Home Sweet Home
May this home and all therein
be blessed with God's love.
As you can probably guess by the title of this post and the Irish blessing above, Jane is at home!! She was discharged from the hospital early this afternoon and spent the rest of the day getting settled in at home. A huge thank you to Teresa, Martha, Scott, and Randy for getting the house ready and to Teresa for bringing a fridge full of food.
As we've said before, no news is good news in terms of updates about Jane's health. She's still pretty worn out, but is otherwise feeling good. She was moving around well before she left the hospital and that should continue to improve now that she's at home. The treadmill is set up downstairs to help remind her to walk a couple times a day if it's too cold out. Jane's follow-up appointment with Dr. Bender will likely be next week, and we'll know more about the chemo schedule then.
In the meantime, Jane's full time job is rest and healing. She continues to get fatigued by conversation and visitors. Although she loves the support and all the love you want to send her way, it will probably be a few days before she's up for many phone calls or visitors. Posting notes on the blog and sending e-mails is a great way to reach her and lets her respond on her own schedule. Scott is heading back to Kansas City tomorrow, and Teresa's going to stay the next few days to make sure Jane is doing okay and can move around the house as she needs to.
Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. There may not be many updates in the next couple of days, but we'll try to post when there's news to share (or other cute Connor or Jack pictures!).
Here's a good one of Jane and Jack from last week that I don't think we've shared yet.
be blessed with God's love.
As you can probably guess by the title of this post and the Irish blessing above, Jane is at home!! She was discharged from the hospital early this afternoon and spent the rest of the day getting settled in at home. A huge thank you to Teresa, Martha, Scott, and Randy for getting the house ready and to Teresa for bringing a fridge full of food.
As we've said before, no news is good news in terms of updates about Jane's health. She's still pretty worn out, but is otherwise feeling good. She was moving around well before she left the hospital and that should continue to improve now that she's at home. The treadmill is set up downstairs to help remind her to walk a couple times a day if it's too cold out. Jane's follow-up appointment with Dr. Bender will likely be next week, and we'll know more about the chemo schedule then.
In the meantime, Jane's full time job is rest and healing. She continues to get fatigued by conversation and visitors. Although she loves the support and all the love you want to send her way, it will probably be a few days before she's up for many phone calls or visitors. Posting notes on the blog and sending e-mails is a great way to reach her and lets her respond on her own schedule. Scott is heading back to Kansas City tomorrow, and Teresa's going to stay the next few days to make sure Jane is doing okay and can move around the house as she needs to.
Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. There may not be many updates in the next couple of days, but we'll try to post when there's news to share (or other cute Connor or Jack pictures!).
Here's a good one of Jane and Jack from last week that I don't think we've shared yet.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Up and Moving
Happy New Year!
We're posting from the road, so no Irish blessing tonight. The bad news is, we're leaving Iowa City to head back to Denver, but the good news is, that means Jane is doing great! We can't believe how well she is doing and how fast she is progressing. Once she felt well enough to sleep, she's had a couple of great days of rest, mixed with some hard work doing her breathing exercises and walking. Randy, Scott, Martha, and Teresa are all poised and ready for Jane's discharge, which we're hoping will be in the next day or two.
The NG tube, catheter, and IV are all out, and Jane is eating solid foods. She's had a great appetite, even for hospital food! Speaking of the hospital, Jane has had nothing but positive things to say about her care at UIHC. The nursing staff and Dr. Bender's residents have been wonderful and are taking great care of her. The doctors haven't done rounds yet tonight, but we think that as soon as that food starts moving through her system, she'll get to go home.
Thanks again for everyone's prayers and thoughts! Although the start to this new year is not what we planned, we are counting our blessings for a successful surgery and a great support team for the next step in this fight. Hope you all have a happy and healthy new year!
We're posting from the road, so no Irish blessing tonight. The bad news is, we're leaving Iowa City to head back to Denver, but the good news is, that means Jane is doing great! We can't believe how well she is doing and how fast she is progressing. Once she felt well enough to sleep, she's had a couple of great days of rest, mixed with some hard work doing her breathing exercises and walking. Randy, Scott, Martha, and Teresa are all poised and ready for Jane's discharge, which we're hoping will be in the next day or two.
The NG tube, catheter, and IV are all out, and Jane is eating solid foods. She's had a great appetite, even for hospital food! Speaking of the hospital, Jane has had nothing but positive things to say about her care at UIHC. The nursing staff and Dr. Bender's residents have been wonderful and are taking great care of her. The doctors haven't done rounds yet tonight, but we think that as soon as that food starts moving through her system, she'll get to go home.
Thanks again for everyone's prayers and thoughts! Although the start to this new year is not what we planned, we are counting our blessings for a successful surgery and a great support team for the next step in this fight. Hope you all have a happy and healthy new year!
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