Next Blog Entry-November 1 (unless something happens!)

Home Again

Denny got home about 8pm last night. He said he had a wonderful weekend seeing family and visiting his friend, Kevin.

This week is starting out busy as usual. Denny seems to have more energy each day. His taste is coming back. Everything is going the right direction!

Love to all,
Deb

Family Reunion

Denny is headed back to Missouri today for the Branson reunion. Each year, his mother's side of the family gets together at a restaurant to visit and catch up on each other's lives.

Also, we had a visit from Denny's cousin from Missouri. Adam, and his lovely girlfriend, Amanda, stopped by for a visit and had dinner with us. It was great to see some family!

Love to all,
Deb

Scherenschnitte

Denny is starting to get his energy back. He is feeling better every day. The infection is gone. His life will start getting back to normal now. The doctors didn't give him a total clean bill of health but he is headed in that direction.

I guess you are wondering what that has to do with the blog title. If you have a minute, I'll tell you.

Scherenschnitte is the Swiss art of papercutting. A nice, crisp piece of paper and a pair of sharp scissors are all that is needed to create a design that is quite beautiful. With one cut, the artist can change the original design into something else; different but still very beautiful.

I was looking at the fall leaves, today, starting to change into their vibrant colors and thinking about where we were this time last year. We had no idea of the change that was coming.

However, like the art of Scherenschnitte, with a few changes, the design of our lives is different now. Different, but definitely more beautiful!

Love to all,
Deb

Click "like" if you agree

As you know, Denny went back to Missouri this weekend to meet with most of his doctors on Friday. First, he met with Dr. Custer. This doctor has been monitoring Denny's optic nerve for the past 6 years. The reason is when Denny had radiation, it had to be performed close to the optic bridge. Dr. Custer monitors the optic nerve health and looks for any changes that may be occurring. He does this through a combination of detailed eye exams and a test called "The Humphrey Field test". Each test he takes is compared with previous ones to determine if there is any change in his vision field.

The Humphrey Field Test is conducted on a large computer-like monitor with a black screen. Denny sits in front of it and presses a button when tiny pinpoints of light appear. It resembles a star constellation, if you ask me. This helps Dr. Custer know if Denny is losing any vision. It is subjective, however, on whether a person is feeling good that day.

Denny's test on Friday did not come out very well. He said the technician administering the test was not listening to him when he requested an adjustment before taking the test. Denny repeated the test this morning. The results were better but still not as good as previous tests. Dr. Custer wants to see him again in a month to dilate his eyes for further testing. I should mention that we are not concerned about this. Denny has always accurately predicted when he felt there was a problem with his health. He has noticed no vision changes.

The second doctor he visited was Dr. Haughey, the ENT. Dr. Haughey looked at the sinus cavity through the scope and was very pleased with what he saw. He said that everything is healing as it should be from the surgery in May. In addition, he cleaned the sinus area; removing some congestion that Denny was not able to get to with irrigation. He did notice a small sinus infection but nothing significant.

From there, Denny went to get his post-surgery MRI. It came back clear! Of course, the microscopic disease cannot be detected but as long as it hasn't formed into any tumors, then it is not considered an issue.

Lastly, he met with his Neurosurgeon, Dr. Chicoine. Dr. Chicoine was as pleased as Dr. Haughey with Denny's progress. The concern was the healing factor in a previously radiated area. Once again, Denny has come through with flying colors.

His next appointments will be on November 12th with his chemo doctor, Dr. Adkins and with Dr. Custer again.

I was on facebook the other day and an entry caught my eye. "God is still performing miracles every day", click "like" if you agree. I'm quite sure you do not have to guess my response! like...like...like...like...like...like.

Love to all,

Deb

Lookin' Good

Denny is headed to Missouri as I write. He has Dan with him. They loaded up the 4 wheeler and some other things Denny wanted to take to the farm in the trailer. Denny has doctor appointments and an MRI at the Siteman Cancer Center tomorrow. Then, he and Dan will be free to be at the farm to do some cabin remodeling work and bow hunting. Denny is looking forward to the peace and quiet so he can work on his projects without interruption.

The infection is looking good. The antibiotic has halted the progression. There have been no fevers or abscesses. Denny will finish out the antibiotic and that should be the end of this obstacle on the road to wellness!

Thanks, as always, for checking in. Have a great weekend! The next blog post will be early next week....

Love to all,
Deb

Infection Update

Our primary care doctor took some blood from Denny on Monday to see what his levels are. We just got the results. His white blood count was at 13. Normal white cell count is between 6 and 10. This indicates that his immune system is in good shape and fighting. The Neulasta shot is doing it's job!

Denny has been on the antibiotic now for over 24 hours. The infection is not quite under control but it is a far cry from the previous incident. He probably needs another day of antibiotics before we start seeing improvement.

I'll keep posting with updates. Thanks for checking in.

Love to all,
Deb

Here we go again

Denny went to the doctor today. He has infection again. Luckily, he was familiar with the symptoms and got antibiotic before a fever started. We are hoping the antibiotic will nip this thing before it can get a foothold on him.

I keep posting with updates as this thing runs it's course. Thanks for checking in.

Love to all,
Deb

Days of Autumn

"Last eve I saw a beauty contest brief; Between a rainbow and an autumn leaf." The days of autumn are upon us. This picture was taken at our house. Denny and I completely missed spring and summer this year so we are going to enjoy the fall! I have all the windows open; feeling greedy for the crisp, fresh air after so much time spent in hospitals and doctor offices.

Denny is feeling a little better today. The fatigue is still getting to him but he is eating well and continuing to go to work each day. Today, he went to work and will take off a half a day to go golfing with the Corps league. Last night after work, he mowed grass with the tractor and worked on his "man-cave". He is like the eveready bunny...just keeps going..and going...and going! Go, Denny!

The emails keep coming with encouragment for Denny. We are amazed by the number of people reading these entries. All we can say is, "THANK YOU!" It makes this journey so much easier to know we are not alone.

Love and Thanks from The Woodruff 4,
Deb