Randy's Head

Hi again,

Just asking folks to say a little or a big prayer for Randy. Today was his first radiaion treatment (see the post under this one) and he is really struggling with a rough headache and extreme exhaustion. He slept the entire afternoon and early evening. He is really hoping that the next six weeks don't look like today (me too). I told him that we can pray through anything and that all of you will help us with that. Thanks so much!

Love,
Rachel

Radiation - Day 1-MIRACLE 13

Hi Everyone,

Randy had his first radiation treatment today. All in all things went very well. His actual radiation time is about 20-25 minutes (not including wait time etc).. We also met with the nurse, physicians assistant, and doctor which took up more time (that will be typical on Mondays - and Wednesday next week).

For the most part Randy is feeling pretty good. He is rather tired (he's been sleeping for the better part of the afternoon) and has a headache. It is hard to tell at this point if these things are symptomatic of radiation or if it is just a coincidence. He did have to wake up early this morning because he had physical therapy at 8:30 a.m. - plus we did have a little scheduling glitch with the radiation center today....read on.

When Randy finished up treatment today we were told that they would not be able to give us the appt. time we had requested b/c they did not treat patients during that time frame unless it was for a new appt. Well, I informed them that I was not happy because I was told originally that my request should not be a problem. Let's just say that by the time I started to explain my frustrations to the nurse I was in tears. I think the very thought of having to pack Joshua up everyday at his nap time just about did me in along with the frustrations of having gone through the trouble of setting this up in advance so we wouldn't have this problem....it all just overwhelmed me. Let's just say, we were a bit stressed out, but God is so much bigger than scheduling conflicts - and He cares so much about us that He just worked it all out. The nurse and doctor talked things over with me and they were able to give us an 11:00 am standing appointment...PRAISE GOD...we are naming this one...MIRACLE NUMBER 13...He cares about the small stuff that seems so big to us!!!!!

So, things are moving along. It will be a long 6 weeks (although my goal is to have my thank you cards done by next week), but we are certain that God will continue to hold our hand through the big and the little things that come up. We continue to learn that leaning on Him is the only way to stay sane amongst the trials of life :-)

Have an incredible day.....
Much Love,
Randy and Rachel

The Staples Are Out!

Hi Everyone,

Randy is SO HAPPY today!!!! We went to Dr. Chan's (radiation oncologist) office on Friday morning to have the remaining 15-16 staples removed from the back of Randy's neck. We were worried that they may be painful to remove due to the fact that they had been in for 3 weeks. You would think that by now we would lay our worries aside and be still and know that God is so much bigger than staples, but we are human. Anyway, Randy was relieved that there was no pain involved in the removal process. Just a bit of tenderness afterward, but nothing painful.

When we got home I shaved his head for him to prepare for his first radiation treatment on Monday. He was full of smiles to say the least :-) He was also able to turn his neck from side to side a bit more than normal in Physical Therapy. Goodbye Staples....Hello more neck movement! His neck still has a long way to go in the recovery process, but for just over 3 weeks post-op, he is doing great!

Anyway, say a prayer for us as we look forward to next week. It will be busy and exhausting for both of us, but we are so thankful that there is medicine available to fix these pesky problems. We are also thankful that our God is plenty big enough to give us the strength to continue moving forward in this journey. Life is certainly good!

Have an awesome weekend. I will try to post again on Monday after his first treatment.

Love,
Randy, Rachel, Joshua and Mocha

comments revisited

ah-ha ....

I think I have fixed it so that ANYONE can comment on our blog....you do not have to use the google account we set up. Again, I think this is the case...not sure...try it out and let me know :-)

~Rachel

Still plugging along

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we are still hanging in there. Randy is very anxious to get his staples out...we are a little fearful that the lower portion of the staples may be rather painful during the removal process. Hopefully, Dr. Chan will be gentle. Randy continues to have in home physical therapy. He alternates days because he is usually in quite a bit of pain on his off days as he recovers from his workouts. We are so thankful that someone invented Tylenol and sometimes Vicodin. Randy will start radiation treatment on Monday...continue to pray that everything runs smoothly with that. We will also be heading to outpatient physical therapy in 2 more weeks 3x/week. We'll be busy, but are so thankful that there is medicine out there that helps save lives!!!! We've been able to head outdoors a bit and enjoy the nice weather. Randy walks some, rides in a wheelchair some and then sleeps lots :-) He is doing a very good job at listening to his body and when he is tired - he sleeps.

Anway, we hope you are enjoying your week and for those that celebrate...Happy St. Patrick's Day!

~Randy, Rachel, Joshua and Mocha :-)

Something kind of funny happened today....

As I was updating some blog items and removing others Randy and I noticed it was particularly quiet in our house. When we walked into the living room this is what we found.....

I know the photo is kind of dark, but Joshua found a roll of paper towel in the closet and decided to take it apart sheet by sheet...next is a short video clip....

Again, sorry about the dark shot...the sun was not helping the lighting, but who cares...Praise God for SUNSHINE!!!!

Leaving a Comment and a Brief Note

Hi everyone,

I have heard from several people that they are having problems leaving comments on our blog. It seems as though it is much easier to do so if you have a "google" or "gmail" email account. I recognize that many of you don't have gmail as their email provider so....I set up a "blog" only gmail account for people to use. This gmail is registered in my name so unfortunately my name will appear at the top of each comment...however, if you include your name in the note that you leave we will be able to know who it was that wrote the comment.
So...please note...this IS NOT our email address...we will not be checking this account. It is simply set up for people to be able to leave comments.

cripeblog@gmail.com is the address/login and
blogsite - is the password

You will probably have to type in some identifying letters that appear on the screen but other than that you should be all set. Hope this helps some of you :-)

Also, Randy is doing well...he is napping right now. He is having some hearing issues (echo, vibrating sounds, stereo sound etc.). The doctor is aware of this and has told us to notify them if it becomes more consistant or worse as we approach the middle of next week. They believe it is just some residual fluid that is trying to figure out where to go :-) Hopefully, it will clear up soon. He is also plugging away at physical therapy although he doesn't like it...who likes pain anyway???? Hopefully, his range of motion in his neck will restore quickly and once his staples are removed in their entirety it should help out a bit.

We are looking forward to moving on with his radiation treatments and physical therapy and enjoying the many more blessings God has in store for us.

Enjoy the weekend,
Rachel

Seen the Radiologist today

Good afternoon everyone!

We were able to meet with Dr. Chan today to discuss Randy's radiation treatment in more detail. It was a long appointment, but very informative. We were able to go over all of the risks and side effects of radiation and get Randy all set for his treatment. They did another CAT Scan that they will use along with Randy's most recent MRI to make the plan for radiation. They also made a "mask" of Randy's face that he will wear each time he goes for radiation - it is designed to keep his head/face perfectly still for precise treatment...he can take it home with him when he is done with treatment :-)

We did find out that Randy will get the remainder of his staples taken out on Friday, March 20th...he can't wait! Then on Monday, March 23rd, Randy will have his first radiation treatment. He will have treatment Monday-Thursday the first week, Tuesday-Friday the following week and then daily (M-F) for the remaining weeks (until the first week in May). He will not be able to drive during this time (makes sense...he still has very limited range of motion in his neck...and they are radiating his brain so they want to be safe with side effects).

Along with this we also learned that Randy will continue to have in home physical therapy for another 3 weeks or so (3 days a week) and then outpatient physical therapy at a different site for 4 more weeks (3 days a week)...do I get a chauffer's license after all of this?????

Please be praying with us that Randy will have minimal or even no side effects to his radiation treatment. The most common side effects would be loss of hair in the radiated region, tanning or reddening of the skin in the area treated, fatigue (usually around week 3 or 4), possible swelling in his brain, and/or possible side effects with his pituitary glands. They believe that his pituitary glands will be okay because they really aren't doing a whole brain radiation so that is good. If he does have swelling in his brain he will be put back on a steroid medication. We obviously are praying that this does not happen. Randy's blood sugars tend to spike with this type of medication (as found out in the hospital) and it would lead to monitoring blood sugar levels, following an ADA diet, and possible insulin. Finally, we are asking that people continue to pray that this tumor does not return in any way shape or form and that the radiation does not cause any time of secondary cancer. We believe that God is preforming complete healing in Randy's body are looking forward to living a long and healthy life together. While any tumor of the brain is "technically" considered to be a form of cancer, Randy's results are promising (benign and the majority of the tumor removed) - God is SO GOOD and has given us a tremendous amount of faith and strength as we go through this journey...we can only hope that you are encouraged also as you walk this journey with us.

Thank you again for all of your support, prayers and kindness. We feel so humbled to be a part of such a tremendous family and group of friends. The outpouring of love is overwhelming. We know that we have a long road ahead of us, but we also know that with the support that we have in each of you along with the strength and faith we have in God - we will come out victorious...GOODBYE TUMOR - FOREVER!!!!

Have a great Wednesday everyone....we will be in touch with more updates and photo's soon.

Love,
Rachel (and Randy)

The news is in...yes, we have another MIRACLE to share!

Hi Everyone!

The only way I can start this note is by saying, "Praise God!" Randy and I just returned from his follow up appointment at Dr. Pieper's office and we have fantastic news. The tumor that was removed from Randy's brain was benign!!!! This of course is MIRACLE NUMBER 12.

We met with Judith this morning at 10:15 at Dr. Pieper's office. She was pleased to tell us the good news and said that Randy has a very good prognosis. As you know, he already had a full spinal MRI that came back all clear. The deal with this type of tumor is that there could be a trickle down cell that plants itself somewhere else in the spinal column and the news that his spinal MRI was clean was really a big deal (in an awesome way). Randy was also able to have every second staple removed from his neck region. They like to keep some staples in place because the radiation can make the skin around the targeted area weaker. Should the radioligist want them out they can take care of that prior to radiation...the more time for the incision site to heal the better.

The plan at this time is for Randy to undergo approximately 6 weeks of daily (M-F) radiation. We will have a more concrete plan after we meet with Dr. Chan at radiation on Wednesday morning. Following radiation Randy will be scheduled for another MRI (2 weeks post radiation). At that point we will make an appointment to go over everything with Dr. Pieper. Obviously, our prayer is that the radiation will wipe out any little cells that were trying to stick around. Randy will also receive an MRI every 3 months for 1 year post surgery, 1-2 MRI's the following year and then 1 MRI each year for the rest of his life. The frequency of MRI's is simply based on the fact that this tumor can return in the same or in a different location. We are praying and believing that we are indeed DONE with the whole tumor thing, however we will be happy to comply with the doctor's orders to keep Randy in optimum health.

Randy will continue to have in home physical therapy this week (at least). Once he graduates from that we will begin physical therapy at a different location (a bit more intensive) which will allow him to regain mobility in his neck. This should last for about 4 weeks - 3 times a week.

Randy and I are simply thrilled to share with everyone that the power of prayer and placing your faith in God offers more strength than we could ever explain. The support we have had and continue to have is powerful and has blessed us in ways that have impacted us forever. We believe that God has used this situation in our lives for us to minister to others in a variety of ways. Our relationship with each other, with our son, our family, friends and more importantly-Jesus has grown by leaps and bounds through this experience. We want each of you to know that should you ever need prayer, want to know more about a relationship with Jesus or need anything...PLEASE do not hesitate one moment to call us, email us, write us etc. We are excited to believe with you for miracles as well - big and small - God cares about every detail!

Thanks for reading...we love you...we will share more on Wednesday,

Randy and Rachel

What's new with Randy :-)

Hi!

Just a quick update to let you all know that Randy continues to make tremendous strides in his recovery. We were able to get outside as a family on Friday and enjoy the beautiful spring like weather and sunshine. Randy walked around the block and enjoyed breathing in some fresh air. We also made a trip to Costco and Target over the weekend...trying to make life as normal as possible. It is very helpful for Randy to have occasional outings so that he can begin to rebuild his strength by walking around (with his walker of course). His Physical Therapist has been working with him on regaining movement in his neck as well as working on a muscle in his hip area that has been aggravated due to over compensating for his neck and weakness in his legs (amazing how the whole body works together).

As I mentioned his appointment to find out his pathology findings is now on Monday at 10:15....be looking for a good news post later in the afternoon....that is our prayer. His radiation consultation and simulation was also moved up to Wednesday morning...pray that everything runs smoothly with that. He will most likely start radiation the following Monday.

Again, thank you to everyone that has stopped by, met us up at Target, walked with Randy, shared cards, emails, phone calls, meals, dessert, gifts etc. The support of so many has made this new chapter in our life much less stressful than it could have been.

Enjoy your day...much love,

Randy and Rachel