February 28, 2010

Cannot believe that February has come and gone!

We went to church this morning as a family. I love being able to do this! I know that Trystan loves being able to go to church and not have to wear a mask!

No school tomorrow! What to do with the girls to pass the day?

February 27, 2010

Last night we rented Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. What an interesting movie. Funny moments and toward the end it freaked Trystan out a little when Sam had an allergic reaction to peanuts. Even though it scared her she still wanted to watch it again today ! :)

Today Tracy and I worked hard on the business taxes. Made pretty good headway on them. Hoping to finish them up tomorrow afternoon.

February 26, 2010

This morning we received a call from the surgeon's nurse. She called to tell us that Trystan's surgery is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on March 19th. We will still be called by the hospital to let us know exactly what time to be there, but she thought it would be about 8 a.m. I then asked her if he will be putting in new screws or just tightening what she has. She told me it all depends on what it looks like when he gets in and sees what he's dealing with. Trystan may be needing all new hardware, but still won't know any of that until he's in there to see it.

February 25, 2010

Trystan was able to SKYPE twice today with her class. She got to team read this morning with her cousin Tyler. They had a good time doing it too. Joking around making faces at each other through the computer. Had to laugh at them! They were too funny!! Today she did very well and was able to stay positive. She is so hard on hersef sometimes.

This afternoon I called the surgeon's office and spoke with the nurse. She said to absolutely continue to have counts done at least once a week. They are wanting to monitor them as well. We were also told that her surgery is scheduled for March 19th.

February 24, 2010

This morning Tracy took Alyssa to school, while I headed with Trystan to Maryville for bloodwork. He then met us at Quest and we headed over to the surgeon's office in St. Louis. We arrived right a 10:00 a.m. and she was to get x-rays of her right tibia. After the x-rays were finished we saw the doctor. He pulled up the x-rays on the computer along with a few of her older x-rays to show us the movement of her bone. He told us that she now has two loose screws at the top and now the bone that they put in is pulling away from the bone. Not good news. Originally the doctor was going to wait for more bone growth, but too much has changed in the last six weeks. The doctor also said that he wanted to do surgery within the next month because he is afraid that the bone may snap if he waits too long. The surgery is tentatively scheduled for March 19th. He will be going in straightening the bone, retightening the screws and taking bone from her hip and doing a bone graph to "build up" the top part of her tibia. In hopes that it will help to make that bone stonger and heal faster. Tracy and I knew in the long run she was going to have to have surgery but was thinking it was going to be much later. It came as a shock that she was going to have to have another bone graph and that the surgery was going to be so soon. Trystan seems to be angry. But who can blame her? I'm a little depressed myself.

Came home from getting some not so wonderful news to getting a call from the clinic. Thankfully some good news. Trystan's hemoglobin and platelets are both in the normal range! Praise God. Her white blood cell and anc are higher than they were last week, not normal yet but at least they're climbing!

Once we have the date confirmed for her surgery, I guess I'll have to call and talk to the lady who is in charge of granting Trystan's wish. We may have to reschedule it. Hoping we don't have to but we also want her to be able to swim, which she won't be able to do much if she's back in a cast from surgery.

Please continue to pray for Trystan and our family. We appreciate all of your prayers. God does listen.

February 23, 2010

Trystan was able to do a morning and afternoon session on SKYPE today! I think I get a little more excited about it than she does. I think she is now realizing that it is alot more work than she first realized. She gets very frustrated with herself if she doesn't get something right away and the rest of the kids already know it. I then try to calm her down and remind her that she hasn't been to school everyday like the rest of her class. I do believe that she is reading much better than just a few short weeks ago and her math skills seem to be getting a little better as well. All and all I think she's doing pretty well considering the circumstances. Please continue to pray for her. We go to the surgeon tomorrow. We're hoping to find out more about what is going on with her leg.

February 22, 2010

Today was a pretty good day. Trystan didn't get to SKYPE as much as we would have liked, but there was alot going on at the school this morning. It all worked out good. Tomorrow her teacher said should be more of a normal day and she should be on with them most of the day.

February 21, 2010

This morning we all went to church together. It was nice to be able to do this as a family. Trystan was excited because she didn't have to wear a mask. The girls played all day together once we came home. We needed groceries badly, so we all decided to go together to Wal-Mart. Trystan and Alyssa used just a little bit of their shopping money and bought themselves a few pieces of fashionable clothes. The girls were bargain shoppers! We also then finished the grocery shopping. It was fun to go all together, like we used to.

February 20, 2010

Today was the BIG party!

Started the morning by cleaning out the back of my car so I would have room for all of the balloons and cakes I needed to pick up on the way to the party. Left home and went into Greenville to pick up the balloons then on to Katie's house for the cakes. Loved getting into the car to drive to the church and smelling the iced cakes in the back of the car! Yum! Once at the church I unloaded the balloons, cakes, and other small items. Tracy had to meet me at the church since there wasn't room in the car for any passengers.

The party went very well. Had about 130 people come. We were very excited about that! Thank you all for coming and helping us celebrate this wonderful event. We also know that there were alot of people plannning on coming but were home with the stomach flu. Thank you to everyone who helped in planning, preparing, and donating things for the party. I was in tears many times today with people's generosity. It really means a lot to us.

February 19, 2010

Trystan and I dropped Alyssa off at school this morning. Trystan's teacher was back today, but she wasn't to SKYPE today because they were going to be going over things she's already done and doing alot of group things.


One more day til the party. I'm getting a little nervous and excited! We ran to the church tonight to take some things and be sure we had everything we needed for the party.

February 18, 2010

On Monday when the clinic called the nurse told us that there wasn't any need to continue bloodwork except for every three months. Tracy and I weren't comfortable with that and we told her that. She said that we could continue weekly if we wanted, but there really wasn't any need for it. They (the clinic) considered her fully recovered. We don't understand how they can consider her fully recovered when not all of her counts are in the normal range. The only one that was normal as of Monday was her platelets. Her hemoglobin is almost there. But her white blood cells and anc still had a ways to go!

Since we are having her post chemo party on Saturday we wanted to be sure that her anc is high enough. If it isn't we'll know that she'll need to wear a mask. So we went for counts this morning after dropping Alyssa off at school.

When we were walking in the door from picking Alyssa up from school, the phone was ringing. It was the clinic calling with Trystan's counts. Her platelets were already in the normal zone and are continuing to climb! Trystan's hemoglobin is at 10.8 and the lowest end of normal zone is 11.0. She's almost there!! Her white blood cells and anc have dropped again. The lowest end of the normal zone is 1500 and she's dropped to a little above 900. It isn't too bad yet, so we are trying to stay positive. Clinic said to only go for counts once a week. Therefore, we are not to go for counts again until next week Wednesday.

Continuing to prepare for the Post Chemo Party on Saturday.

February 17, 2010

This morning I took Alyssa to school and went in with her to get Trystan's schoolwork. She was unable to SKYPE again today because her teacher is still out. Not only is her teacher out sick, but now her tutor is as well! Yesterday, there were 60 students out of the elementary alone! The stomach flu has officially hit Greenville. We are praying that we stay healthy and not get it. Especially since Trystan's party is this weekend.

Today Alyssa got out of school an hour early. Trystan and I went into town to pick her up. Came home both girls did their homework, then it was off to play outside again. Today instead of making snow angels, Alyssa made snowballs and Trystan swung on the swingset. This is another thing she hasn't done since last year March. It brought tears to my eyes to see her being able to play. Of course, I had to get her started swinging and stop her when she needed to stop to be sure she didn't put any weight on her right leg. But, she was able to do it! God is so good. Please keep the prayers and support coming.

Pictured above Alyssa making her snow balls and Trystan swinging for the first time in almost a year!

February 16, 2010

This morning Trystan seemed very tired. She slept in which isn't much like her. She is normally the first one up!!

Drove Alyssa to school and went inside to pick up Trystan's schoolwork for the day. Only to find out that her teacher is out today. He probably has a sick kid at home or he is sick himself. So Trystan will not have to Skype in today. The sub was nice enough to give me the papers the class was to do today so at least I can work on those with her at home. She didn't seem too awful upset about that!

Trystan and I went to pick Alyssa up from school. We came home and did homework. Once the homework was finished, Tracy took Trystan for a ride on the 4-wheeler. While they were gone Alyssa played outside making snow angels and throwing snowballs at Tracy's car. Trystan and Tracy returned and he then took Alyssa for a ride. So while they were gone Trystan made snow angels and threw her snowballs at me! I soon brought Trystan back inside and Tracy returned with Alyssa and I built a fire in the fireplace and made the girls hot chocolate! This was the first time Trystan went outside and played in the snow. I think it really made both the girls' day!

Pictured above is Trystan and Alyssa making thier snow angels.

February 15, 2010

It snowed quite a bit last night. There was no school today due to it being President's Day. Wasn't too excited that I had to drive in it to take Trystan for counts. But we do what we have to. Alyssa, Trystan and myself made it just fine. After she finished getting her finger stick, took the girls to ToDo's in Edwardsville to pick up some party supplies for Saturday night.

Got the call from the clinic a little before 1 p.m. Her platelets are now in the "normal" range and her hemoglobin is still rising but are good. This is great news! Her white blood cells and anc however have dropped since Friday. This is a little discouraging but the numbers are not that bad.

Praise God for all that He has done and continues to do!

February 14, 2010

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

This morning the girls and I got up to make breakfast for their daddy. We sat down and ate breakfast and gave each other our valentines. What a special moment! After breakfast was cleaned up we got ready and headed out the door for church. It's been a number of weeks since we have all been together at Sunday morning service. Tracy took the girls and I out for lunch at Cunetto's is Greenville. We were just finishing up and ready for the check when our waitress came over and told us that someone had picked up our bill. What a great surprise it was to all of us, we only wish we could give them at least a thank you!!! Thank you whoever you are, you did something today that touched us in ways most will never understand.

February 13, 2010

This morning we all slept in just a little. Once we were up the girls were of course playing. Alyssa, Trystan and I ran to Higland and while we were there met Grandma Watson for lunch. We came home and there were flowers waiting for us for Valentine's day from Tracy! Soon we began to get ready to go to Grace Hassard's benefit. What a wonderful turnout the family had! We were so glad to be able to attend the benefit as a family. Today was a blessing. We are hoping to be able to go to church as a family tomorrow.

February 12, 2010

This morning Trystan and I went for counts earlier than normal, while Tracy took Alyssa to school. Alyssa's 4th grade pod was going on a field trip to the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield today. Trystan and I followed behind the busses up there. It was awesome!! If you have never been it is a must see! We arrived home and I called the clinic for counts. Got a call back from the nurse about 3:30 p.m. Trystan's counts were really pretty good. The only one that dropped was her hemoglobin and that was only slightly. Her platelets, white blood cells, and anc have all risen. Platelets are almost normal, white blood cells are continuing to rise, and ANC with a few more small boosts will be almost normal as well. Praise the Lord for answered prayers!

February 11, 2010

I took Alyssa to school this morning and came home and Trystan logged in to Skype. She was in a great mood today which made it so much easier to get her schoolwork done. She also did very well working with the tutor. Thank you God for another good day!

We are going very early in the morning to for bloodwork so that I can go along with Alyssa to Springfield for a field trip.

February 10, 2010

This morning we dropped Alyssa off and headed for Maryville Quest. We got there and actually got to park in the handicapped again! Woot woot!! Went in and got right back. Her finger stick went very quickly because it bled fast, but the color of her blood looked great! We came home and got online with her class. While we were connected the clinic called with the results. Her hemoglobin and platelets are still climbing. This is great news! Her white blood cells and anc however have dropped a little. We are thanking God for rising counts and praying that the others would begin to rise. We do not go for counts again until Friday.

February 9, 2010

Today there was no school today due to the snow. The girls had a pretty good day together. Not only did they play, but they did their Valentine cards and finished them. Trystan made her Valentine Box for school. It's been a good day. I will take Trystan for counts tomorrow morning.

February 8, 2010

This morning was the same routine. Trystan and I dropped off Alyssa at school then headed for Maryville. Arrived and actually got a handicap spot! Woot! Woot! Then went inside and went straight back to the room. Wow! This may very well be a great day. Trystan's finger stick went pretty good. She bled well and then clotted pretty quickly. Holy Cow! Another plus. Then we went outside. I started the car with my remote, unlocked the car, loaded up Trystan, put her chair in the back, and then got behind the wheel. Reached into my pocket...no keys! Well I know I had them because I auto started and unlocked the car. Trystan was scared and I was upset. She kept telling me, "mom, maybe we should call 9-1-1 because this is an emergency." After a half an hour of looking inside and outside of the car I found them...in the ignition! Trystan could not stop laughing at me and to tell you the truth neither could I!

We came home, ate an early lunch, then called into the school through Skype. It really wore her out today. After the call was ended, we finished up her schoolwork and she layed down until it was time to leave and get Alyssa. At 2:30 p.m. I called the clinic to find out if they had the results of Trystan's counts. The receptionist told me they did and she would get a message back to the nurses to call. Waited until a little after 4:00 p.m. and called again. Still had to wait for the call from the nurse. Finally the nurse called back at about 4:30 p.m. and her white blood cells are holding. Her hemoglobin, platelets and anc have all come up just a little. We'll take it. It's better than going down!

February 7, 2010

This morning Alyssa and I went to church together, while Tracy stayed home with Trystan. Her counts are still low so she is unable to go out yet. Once home from church, Alyssa and Trystan started to play together right away. Her appetite is back and going in FULL FORCE! Praise the Lord!

February 6, 2010

This morning the girls got up and started playing right away. We ran some errands in the car then came home and I worked out and the girls played the Wii. So glad they still enjoy playing together especially since Trystan is so limited in what she's able to do. Trystan seemed to have a little bit more energy today. Hoping that this means her hemoglobin is coming up. We'll have to wait and find that out Monday. Trystan will not be able to go to church tomorrow due to low counts. Tracy or myself will take Alyssa to church.

February 5, 2010

This morning Tracy took Alyssa to school and Trystan and I headed down to Children's. We arrived down there about 8:45 a.m. Went directly to the Outpatient Labs and waited almost an hour to be called back for her to get her finger stuck. She seemed to have bled pretty badly. After we were finished there we headed to the 9th floor Clinic to wait for the results. Her nurse came out to tell us that her Hemoglobin was still exactly the same, Platelets and White Cells came up just a smidged, and ANC dropped a little lower. They decided again since her Hemoglobin is still holding not to give her a transfusion. We were told to check again on Monday and to just go to our regular lab for counts as they do not expect her counts to go down but to only go up. We'll just have to wait and see. On a much higher note! Trystan's appetite is back and in full swing!!

February 4, 2010

Trystan Skyped with the classroom twice today and the tutor came this evening as well. She did assessments with her while she was here. Was a little worried about the spelling test, but she pulled through it and only missed two! Way to go!!

We will be going for counts again tomorrow again down at Children's. Praying that we get down there and back before the weather gets too bad! Hoping that her counts are bouncing back and she won't need a transfusion.

February 3, 2010

Tracy took Alyssa to school this morning while Trystan and I headed to Children's for bloodwork. We arrived at the clinic right at 9:30 a.m. They called us right back and got her port accessed and blood drawn right away. We got her counts back in less than an hour. The nurse told us that her hemoglobin was the same as Monday and her platelets had dropped. She said that since her hemoglobin was exactly the same and hadn't dropped she thought it best to see how they were on Friday. Would have felt a whole lot better if they would have just given her the transfusion and been done with it! Her platelets aren't low enough to be transfused. It was suggested that we go to the lab there at Children's on Friday and wait to there to see if a transfusion is needed. Saw on the news that we are expected to have bad weather on Friday. Please pray that the bad weather would hold off until Friday evening so we can get down there safely.

February 2, 2010

This morning I took Alyssa into school and when I left Trystan was still sleeping. This is not like her. I can tell that her hemoglobin is low. She's been complaining of headaches, being extemely tired, and is lacking energy. I called down to the clinic to see if it would be possible for me to bring Trystan to the clinic tomorrow for them to do bloodwork, that way if she needs hemoglobin we'll be there and be ready. It took a while for her to do her schoolwork because she was so exhausted. She would do a paper and then lay down. Later do another paper then have to rest. It's pitiful!

On a more positive note, we got a call from the oncologist office to give us the results from the rest of Trystan's scans. Her bone scan was clear and her EKG was good as well. Praise God!More prayers answered. Our God is an AWESOME God. Thanks again to everyone who continues to pray for our family. Words cannot express how much this means to us.

February 1, 2010

This morning as we were driving Alyssa to school I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone at the house! Oh, how did I ever live without it before? I felt lost all day without it. We were off and running to Children's after dropping Alyssa off at school. We arrived at Children's Radiology Department only to be told we had to go up to the 9th floor to be accessed. Off to the 9th floor we went. Once there, the nurse accessed Trystan's port and drew blood from it for counts. After accessed we went back down to the 1st floor only to wait almost an hour before being called back. The lady injected the nuclear dye and we were told to be back there by noon. They then took us to have Trystan's CT Scan done of her chest. She did so well. Although she was scared she layed very still and did an awesome job. We then had to go back up to the 9th floor for a doctor's appointment. Dr. Wilson had the results of the CT Scan within the hour and told us that it was clear! We were very excited!! Trystan's nurse also had the results of her blood work. Her white cells, platelets, and anc were great! The hemoglobin however has dropped yet again. It is now low enough to receive a transfusion, but the doctor and nurse want to wait until her blood work is done on Wednesday to see if by chance they begin to bounce back on their own. Tracy and I felt they should have went ahead and transfused while we were there, but decided to do as they wished and will wait. While up on the 9th floor we had Trystan deaccessed then went back down to the 1st floor because it was noon already! Trystan again did a fabulous job doing exactly as she was told and lying so very still for the bone scan. After the bone scan we were told there wasn't any reason to have an x-ray done since she just had one a couple of weeks ago and is due for another in three weeks. So we headed to the Heart Station for her EKG. They do an EKG to check for any damage the chemotherapy could have done to the heart. We weren't scheduled until 2 p.m. We arrived at 1:00 p.m. and told the lady we finished early and didn't know if we could get in any earlier. The called us back about 1:15 p.m. Trystan again did an excellent job lying completely still. She got so relaxed during the EKG that sh fell asleep! She woke up as soon as the lady finished and we were up and off on our way home. We arrived home about 3:15 p.m. We are hoping to get the results within the next few days. As soon as we receive them we will post. Thank you everyone for your prayers today!