Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!

For some reason, I have had trouble logging on to the blog this week. I'm not sure if it is computer related or a google issue. Hopefully, I won't have any more problems with it.

Denny has been doing pretty good this week. He went to Chattanooga for meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. The kids have been gone all week so I'm the only one left holding down the fort. We have 3 dogs, 8 cats, a rabbit and a chicken that need to be taken care of!

Denny doesn't seem to be as tired as he was after the first treatment. He still has fatigue but it doesn't seem as prevalent this time. It makes him happy to be able to keep busy and that is a good thing!

Dan has a school golf fundraiser tomorrow. It is an 18 hole scramble to be held at Pinecreek. Denny plans to play with him along with friends, Kim and Aaron. This should be a fun time for all.

The kids start school on Monday, Aug 2. Denny and I can't believe that summer has come and gone already. It has been like "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" for the Woodruff4! So hang on because we're not done yet! :)

Love to all,
Deb

"Every day is a good day!"

Denny and I got home about 10pm on Friday. We took our time; stopping at an auction place, and Antique shop and Gander Mountain. To me, the drive seems to be getting longer! Denny and I will both be glad when his treatments are complete and he is well.

It has been so incredibly busy at home that I haven't had a chance to update the blog. Dan and I made another 4 hour trip to Missouri on Saturday morning to meet mom and dad. He is going to stay with them for a week. On Sunday, I took Dana to her friend's house to stay for a week. She is going to be a camp counselor for Vanderbilt's Space Camp through the Dyer Observatory. Since she will be exposed to so many kids, she is staying with her friend until the camp is over. We don't want Denny exposed to any more germs than necessary!

Denny went into work at his usual time today. He is feeling a little more tired but still doing better than last time. I think it is a gift to be able to live life normally while we are home. If you ask him, Denny says, "Every day is a good day!"

Love to all,
Deb

"To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with." - Mark Twain

Home Sweet Home

We are packing things up and getting ready to head home. Denny gets his last treatment this afternoon and then we are out of here!

Amazingly, he seems to have energy; not the same level of fatigue he had before. I can see the difference in him. He is tolerating this second round much better than the first. That's a good thing!

To Helen and Gene, thanks for the idea for the blog title! To everyone else, thanks for checking in!

Love to all,
Deb

Enjoying the Lull

We got up early today and went to the farm. Denny is doing so much better this time as compared to his first round of chemo. We were only there for a couple of hours but it was time well spent.

We had to get back to the lodge in the early afternoon so that Denny could have the chemo pump unhooked. He ate a good lunch and is currently napping. Tonight, he plans to meet up with some old college pals for dinner.

Many thanks to everyone who fit us into their busy schedules this week. We enjoyed visiting with all of you: my sister, Diane, Denny's cousin, Pat, my cousin, Greg, friends-John, Ron and Lenny, our nephew, Ben, and tomorrow, the brunch bunch from the STL Corps. All of you helped make this week go by quickly.

Tomorrow after Denny's treatment, we will head for home. This is the lull before the storm as our lives will be very busy in the coming weeks.

Thanks for the continued prayers, emails and comments. We are halfway through the treatment plan and everything is looking good.

Love to all,
Deb

An Apple a day...

5:00pm - Dr. Haughey said everything was looking good. He will not need to see Denny until October. When Denny asked about when we would know the results; if the chemo has worked, this was his response: "We will know if it worked if nothing further develops. There is no scan that will tell us if it is gone because it was microscopic to begin with." Denny and I were hoping for something a little more concrete such as "yes, the cancer is gone" but if no more tumors crop up, we will consider it effective. We will be happy with that.

9:30am - Today, Denny sees Dr. Haughey, the ENT doctor. He will be running a scope up into Denny's sinus cavity to check on things.

I've been tied up with pharmacy and insurance billing issues. What a pain in the neck! Hopefully, I have everything resolved now. It seems to be an ongoing battle....

Hope everyone is having a nice day. The rain has passed through where we are and the sun is shining. It's all good!

Love to all,
Deb

Rainy Day

There is not too much going on today. Denny is feeling okay; a little tired with that bloated feeling. He is eating well and drinking lots of fluids like the doctor ordered.

It's raining so we probably won't go to the farm as we had planned. Denny has an appointment today at 4:30pm so we will hang around for that. It looks so gloomy outside but, as I've said before, with the rain, comes the flowers!

Love to all,
Deb

Round Two

6:00pm - We got back to the Lodge about 4pm. Denny (Mr. Haney) got two watermelons for a dollar at a flea market in Paducah that we stopped at on the way in yesterday. He put one on ice and ate it today after his treatment. I can't stand the smell of watermelons (anything in the melon family, actually!) so he gets to eat the whole thing!

Denny is tired but doing well. All of his blood levels were great. The treatment went off without any problems. Dr. Adkins was very pleased with how he is tolerating the chemo cocktail! So far....so good!


6:55am - We got into St. Louis about 7 p.m. last night. Now, we are off and running for round two of Denny's treatment. He will be in the hospital all day for two of the medicines that have to be given onsite through IV's. Then, they will hook up the pump for the third medicine that will go until Thursday.

That's all for now. Everything is good!

Love to all,
Deb

Helen's Words of Wisdom

We are gearing up for another week in St. Louis. Denny's next treatment is July 19th. I'm starting the process of getting all of our clothes and food packed. In addition, part of my "job" is making sure that all of Denny's appointments are scheduled and that he has his prescriptions filled. I've got to get the pantry stocked because the kids need food and so do the animals! It is a labor of love (with many details!).

The kids only have a few weeks left before they start school on August 2nd. In between the packing, I'm trying to get the school shopping done. On a positive note, Dana got her driver's license yesterday so that will help.[See picture!] She can drive herself to cross country practice at 6:30am every morning. Our neighbors, BJ and Bill, will be taking care of them while we are gone this time.

I was reading my little notebook again because even "doughnuts" need a dose of optimism! I ran across another bit of wisdom from someone who is the poster child for conquering adversity.

"No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit." - Helen Keller (or had a teenager drive off for the first time in your vehicle....)

Love to all,
Deb

The Doughnut or the Hole?

I've been watching Denny slowly and steadily gain back his strength. He tries to live each day to it's fullest; showing some accomplishment through his efforts. It is not hard to admire someone like that. I am more optimistic than ever that he will win this battle!

Whenever I am reading and a quote or something jumps out at me and makes me think, I write it down. Those quotes that I've shared with you on this blog came from that little notebook. I was reading through some of them tonight and one of them caught my interest again. I thought I would share it with you.

"Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!" -Oscar Wilde

I laughed again, just as I did the first time. I'm proud to say that Denny and I are doughnuts!

Love to all,
Deb

Recharging the battery

Denny's immune system is at it's lowest point right now. We have been taking care to stay out of crowds and away from people in close quarters. He is going kind of crazy cooped up in the house so he enjoyed being outside at the auction yesterday. Hopefully, his system will get stronger as he "recharges" his battery.

The kids have not had any of their friends over to decrease his risk of exposure. I've been wiping down the faucets and light switches with lysol wipes hoping to keep as many germs as possible away. Maybe it helps; maybe it doesn't...but it makes me feel like we are doing SOMETHING good to help Denny get through this.

Love to all,
Deb

Just another Saturday morning

What a beautiful Saturday morning we are having! Denny and the kids took off to go to an auction (Estate sale). I thought it would be nice for the kids to spend some time with their Dad and they like to go to auctions too.

Denny has spent so much time cooped up indoors that he is looking forward to spending some time outside while it is cool.

It is a good day here... wishing you a good day, wherever you are!

Love to all,
Deb

Can't keep a good man down

Denny has been off and running this week. He has a business trip to Wolf Creek in Kentucky that has taken him out of town overnight. He will be back tomorrow.

He has been eating really well and seems to be getting more energy as the week goes on. Like the title says, "can't keep a good man down!"

Love to all,
Deb

Back to Business

Yesterday was beautiful here in Tennessee. I took Dan to Windtree so he could play 9 holes of golf to practice for the school team. Dana stayed with Denny while we were gone. He was feeling much better as the day progressed.

Last night it was cool outside so he was able to go out for awhile. It probably felt good getting out of the house.

Today, he went to work. It seems like things are back to business. Our lives will be as normal as possible for a couple of weeks. It's all good!

Love to all,
Deb

Happy..5th of July?

I can't believe it is the 5th of July already. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. We hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July.

Denny is feeling a little better today. The bloating and fatigue are the main effects he is dealing with. The good news is that he is eating well. I made some homemade chicken soup that seems to taste really good to him. It has been a little tricky coming up with food combinations that don't taste "metallic" to him. Therefore, he has been eating chicken soup and made-from-scratch fruit smoothies.

A big "thanks" to our niece, Brooke, again! I was in Wal-mart Saturday, armed with the recipes and shopping list from the literature she gave me to help Denny's nutritional needs. It was the day before a holiday and the store was packed. I was talking on the cell phone to her and trying to push a loaded cart one handed through the crowds. It was not pretty! I was getting alot of dirty looks but I was too busy trying to find out if Brooke thought regular ice cream or yogurt ice cream was better choice for Denny's diet. During summer in the south, ice cream is serious business! :)

I'm sending out another big "thanks" to the Motley crew for the wonderful card they sent to me. You guys made my day! At first, I thought it was a mistake as it was addressed to "Debbie Woodruff" instead of "Denny Woodruff". Imagine my surprise, when I opened it and the little note inside was telling me to hang in there! That was so nice of you!

Thanks to everyone for the continued prayers, comments, cards and emails. We appreciate them!

Love to all,
Deb

"Heart" is where our home is!

Denny got his last treatment about 3 p.m. yesterday. After they watched him for side effects, we were finally able to leave to come home. The heart and soul of Team Woodruff is here; the 4 of us together under one roof.

Denny is not feeling well today. He feels bloated, "stuffy" and has pain in his head. He said he just doesn't feel good. That says it all for me with no details required. Chemotherapy is not an easy treatment to endure for a cure.

He took a shower, ate breakfast and is now resting in his own bed at home. Hopefully, he will feel better as the day progresses. If you would like to send him an email to cheer him on, try: thewoodruff4@yahoo.com

Denny's cousin, Glenda, headed out early this morning for her home. She has been staying here with the kids during our trip to St. Louis. Both kids told me they are going to miss her. Thank you, Glenda, for all you have done. We appreciate you! :)

Love to all,
Deb

Life's little hiccups

Today, the weather has been great in St. Louis. The heat has backed off and there is a wonderful breeze. We plan to spend a little time outside.

Last night, Denny had a reaction to the chemo. He got the hiccups. These hiccups lasted for over an hour. They stopped for about 15 minutes and then started for another hour. This cycle kept repeating. About 7pm, I called the on-call doc for chemo patients. He called in a prescription that has helped. Denny will be disconnected from the chemo pump today at 4:15pm. We are happy about that!

The other "Incident" happened about 11pm. Denny and I were sleeping when I heard the alarm go off on his pump. It showed some kind of error message that caused us some anxiety! I called the home infusion after-hours service and they told us how to stop and reset. It all happened in about 8 minutes so everything worked out fine. Whew!

Other than that, we are wishing all of you a very nice day. I hope the weather is as great wherever you are as it is here.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

Love to all,
Deb