Where is Luis? WHEW! Great news for Luis. Prayers for Jeff!

LilChemoSmoker

Maybe I missed it but....Just looking back and can't find anything on Laura23 (Laura and Luis). Last I can find Laura posted an update on Luis on the 20th of Sept. Can't find anything since. Anyone???

NikiMo

Posted on Erica's update I believe
Hi Michelle,

Welcome to the board, both you and Eric have shown much love and bravery in the face of EC. I remember that Laura recently posted on an update from Erica about John. Last we heard Luis is recovering very well!

I am concerned about Jeff Thomas we haven't heard from him since a few days after surgery and that near September 8th. Luis and Jeff were both seeking treatment at Fox Chase, wondering if Laura has heard anything. Laura any updates on Jeff?

Hope all is well,

Niki

LilChemoSmoker

NikiMo said:

Posted on Erica's update I believe
Hi Michelle,

Welcome to the board, both you and Eric have shown much love and bravery in the face of EC. I remember that Laura recently posted on an update from Erica about John. Last we heard Luis is recovering very well!

I am concerned about Jeff Thomas we haven't heard from him since a few days after surgery and that near September 8th. Luis and Jeff were both seeking treatment at Fox Chase, wondering if Laura has heard anything. Laura any updates on Jeff?

Hope all is well,

Niki

Thanks Niki!
I missed that one. Still didn't read on her post how he is doing but good to see she is still posting! Keeping my eyes peeled on both Jeff and Luis now...Will pray that all is well and no news is good news?

Thank you for the kind words for Eric and me as well. I have been following things from a distance and finally decided to chime in. Glad I did, as I didn't realize how much participating would help my own psyche! Learn something new everyday! Thank God for the halls here!

All the best!
Michelle

TerryV

LilChemoSmoker said:

Thanks Niki!
I missed that one. Still didn't read on her post how he is doing but good to see she is still posting! Keeping my eyes peeled on both Jeff and Luis now...Will pray that all is well and no news is good news?

Thank you for the kind words for Eric and me as well. I have been following things from a distance and finally decided to chime in. Glad I did, as I didn't realize how much participating would help my own psyche! Learn something new everyday! Thank God for the halls here!

All the best!
Michelle

CSN posting is healing
Michelle,

I haven't "spoken" with you directly yet. But I am *so pleased* that you came "out of the closet" to join us.

Your husband, and you as well, have talents in some serious wordsmithing. I enjoy reading what you write. It is heartfelt, open, caring, and informative.

I found when "hospital sitting" with my mom 7 years ago after she suffered of a series of TIA strokes that writing is very healing. I kept an email update list going while she was hospitalized and while she was under direct medical care. Not only was I able to head off my own anxieties, I learned a great deal about nuerology and strokes in the process. And best side benefit - I learned a lot about mom!

The same has been true again for me here at CSN. Nick's diagnosis took us completely off-guard. Unlike your Eric, Nick chooses to follow direction blindly and with faith. He placed his complete trust in the doctors and moved one foot in front of the other as directed. 2nd opinions were not ever a want for him. Intimate knowledge of what he was fighting was too much information. He trusted the docs that completely. To be honest, that scared the hell of me. I find it difficult to place faith without knowledge, so I landed here after Googling and finding nothing but scary black & white statistics. And thank God for here! Personal experience, individual experience and related by those living with EC - that gave me the faith I needed. It didn't hurt that I finally also realized that this was bigger than both of us and handed my worry to God.

Glad you're here. From what Eric writes, you seem to be an incredible person, and I have to say - your personal writings so far have confirmed his right to brag.

Hugs, Love and all the Best

Terry

AngieD

TerryV said:

CSN posting is healing
Michelle,

I haven't "spoken" with you directly yet. But I am *so pleased* that you came "out of the closet" to join us.

Your husband, and you as well, have talents in some serious wordsmithing. I enjoy reading what you write. It is heartfelt, open, caring, and informative.

I found when "hospital sitting" with my mom 7 years ago after she suffered of a series of TIA strokes that writing is very healing. I kept an email update list going while she was hospitalized and while she was under direct medical care. Not only was I able to head off my own anxieties, I learned a great deal about nuerology and strokes in the process. And best side benefit - I learned a lot about mom!

The same has been true again for me here at CSN. Nick's diagnosis took us completely off-guard. Unlike your Eric, Nick chooses to follow direction blindly and with faith. He placed his complete trust in the doctors and moved one foot in front of the other as directed. 2nd opinions were not ever a want for him. Intimate knowledge of what he was fighting was too much information. He trusted the docs that completely. To be honest, that scared the hell of me. I find it difficult to place faith without knowledge, so I landed here after Googling and finding nothing but scary black & white statistics. And thank God for here! Personal experience, individual experience and related by those living with EC - that gave me the faith I needed. It didn't hurt that I finally also realized that this was bigger than both of us and handed my worry to God.

Glad you're here. From what Eric writes, you seem to be an incredible person, and I have to say - your personal writings so far have confirmed his right to brag.

Hugs, Love and all the Best

Terry

The same
Terry,
You and I have the exact same approach to EC and Larry, my husband, and Nick have the exact same feelings! Whatever works, right?
Angie

TerryV

AngieD said:

The same
Terry,
You and I have the exact same approach to EC and Larry, my husband, and Nick have the exact same feelings! Whatever works, right?
Angie

Learned a lot about myself during this journey as well.....
Hey Angie! So sorry that you're here, but glad this is the "here" that you have landed at....

I tried to convince Nick initially to get a 2nd opinion, to consider Mayo Minneapolis as an alternative to our cancer center in Iowa. He would have nothing of it. He had faith in the docs from his 1st meeting. It took me a while, but I learned to keep the scary information to myself and provided him only with bits of useful information (much of it taken from personal experiences here). Not easy for me to bite my tongue. I've never been good at keeping my mouth shut But I've learned. A bit anyway....

Best of luck to you and your Larry, Angie! Know that we're here for you. And if you need someone to talk with - I'm only a cell phone away. If you wish for my number, just send me an email through the forum and I'll forward my info.

Prayers & best wishes to you both!

Terry

LilChemoSmoker

TerryV said:

CSN posting is healing
Michelle,

I haven't "spoken" with you directly yet. But I am *so pleased* that you came "out of the closet" to join us.

Your husband, and you as well, have talents in some serious wordsmithing. I enjoy reading what you write. It is heartfelt, open, caring, and informative.

I found when "hospital sitting" with my mom 7 years ago after she suffered of a series of TIA strokes that writing is very healing. I kept an email update list going while she was hospitalized and while she was under direct medical care. Not only was I able to head off my own anxieties, I learned a great deal about nuerology and strokes in the process. And best side benefit - I learned a lot about mom!

The same has been true again for me here at CSN. Nick's diagnosis took us completely off-guard. Unlike your Eric, Nick chooses to follow direction blindly and with faith. He placed his complete trust in the doctors and moved one foot in front of the other as directed. 2nd opinions were not ever a want for him. Intimate knowledge of what he was fighting was too much information. He trusted the docs that completely. To be honest, that scared the hell of me. I find it difficult to place faith without knowledge, so I landed here after Googling and finding nothing but scary black & white statistics. And thank God for here! Personal experience, individual experience and related by those living with EC - that gave me the faith I needed. It didn't hurt that I finally also realized that this was bigger than both of us and handed my worry to God.

Glad you're here. From what Eric writes, you seem to be an incredible person, and I have to say - your personal writings so far have confirmed his right to brag.

Hugs, Love and all the Best

Terry

Nice to be here!
Thanks Terry! I did come out and it feels good! Your words of experience are comforting and insightful! I am encouraged by the pleasant responses to my posts here, that have shown me that I AM in the right place. I do have a lot of admiration for the strength and courage I see in the people here. It has been and will be a long road for all of us, both in dealing with EC and the emotional walk we are facing daily.

Your posts about your experience with Nick's EC have been very touching for me.(Like I said, I HAVE been lurking these halls for a while...LOL) It is obvious through your writings you are a caring and loving caregiver and that is comforting to see.

Following from a distance was certainly not as helpful as direct participation. There is a fair amount of comfort to be gained from reading a response directed to one's self rather than reading responses and communication between others. I do believe that I have something to contribute to the threads, but more importantly I am learning that many (like yourself) have a lot to contribute as well. It is easy to bury your head in the sand and ignore the reality of all that is happening, but that doesn't help anyone. Thank you for the warm welcome and I look forward to hearing more from you!

Regards,
Michelle

Laura23

LilChemoSmoker said:

Nice to be here!
Thanks Terry! I did come out and it feels good! Your words of experience are comforting and insightful! I am encouraged by the pleasant responses to my posts here, that have shown me that I AM in the right place. I do have a lot of admiration for the strength and courage I see in the people here. It has been and will be a long road for all of us, both in dealing with EC and the emotional walk we are facing daily.

Your posts about your experience with Nick's EC have been very touching for me.(Like I said, I HAVE been lurking these halls for a while...LOL) It is obvious through your writings you are a caring and loving caregiver and that is comforting to see.

Following from a distance was certainly not as helpful as direct participation. There is a fair amount of comfort to be gained from reading a response directed to one's self rather than reading responses and communication between others. I do believe that I have something to contribute to the threads, but more importantly I am learning that many (like yourself) have a lot to contribute as well. It is easy to bury your head in the sand and ignore the reality of all that is happening, but that doesn't help anyone. Thank you for the warm welcome and I look forward to hearing more from you!

Regards,
Michelle

Update on Luis
Hi Michelle,

So glad to "meet" you and thanks for asking! I went back to work and haven't had much time to read and post on the board. Also, with the kids back in school, and all their activities, I am pretty much running around the whole day.

Luis had a checkup today and the doctor is very pleased with his progress. They finally discontinued tube feedings (he was doing overnight only) because his weight has stabilized. He is pretty much off of pain meds except for the occasional one when he overdoes something. He is slowly getting back his strength and energy. He goes for a walk everyday and tries to get in one or two other activities, such as an errand. It is slow going and I'm getting impatient, so it's a good thing that I went back to work. The doctor will probably let Luis return to work in a few weeks but I can't see how he will have the energy to put in a full day right away. He has the flexibility to be able to work from home sometimes, but I don't know how much of that he will be able to do.

As for Jeff Thomas, we have not seen or heard from him since he was discharged from the hospital. He had a difficult recovery after surgery and we are hoping and praying that he is recovering well at home.

We are so glad that you have joined us here on the board and I look forward to reading more of your posts.

Laura
Wife to Luis, age 51
Dx 4/11/2011 T3N1M0, stage 3
MIE 8/30/2011

LilChemoSmoker

Laura23 said:

Update on Luis
Hi Michelle,

So glad to "meet" you and thanks for asking! I went back to work and haven't had much time to read and post on the board. Also, with the kids back in school, and all their activities, I am pretty much running around the whole day.

Luis had a checkup today and the doctor is very pleased with his progress. They finally discontinued tube feedings (he was doing overnight only) because his weight has stabilized. He is pretty much off of pain meds except for the occasional one when he overdoes something. He is slowly getting back his strength and energy. He goes for a walk everyday and tries to get in one or two other activities, such as an errand. It is slow going and I'm getting impatient, so it's a good thing that I went back to work. The doctor will probably let Luis return to work in a few weeks but I can't see how he will have the energy to put in a full day right away. He has the flexibility to be able to work from home sometimes, but I don't know how much of that he will be able to do.

As for Jeff Thomas, we have not seen or heard from him since he was discharged from the hospital. He had a difficult recovery after surgery and we are hoping and praying that he is recovering well at home.

We are so glad that you have joined us here on the board and I look forward to reading more of your posts.

Laura
Wife to Luis, age 51
Dx 4/11/2011 T3N1M0, stage 3
MIE 8/30/2011

Hello Laura!
Laura,

So nice to hear from you and thank you for the welcome. I am so relieved to hear that Luis if doing well and recovering! Though it might be slow it is progress and that in itself is a cause for celebration! KUDOS to you both. I totally get it with having not enough time to be here more often and I hope and pray that things get easier for you from here! You are a tough lady to be handling things as well as you have and that speaks volumes for your character!

As for Jeff, I will continue my prayers that no news is good news and for his full recovery. Hope to hear of his progress!

Regards,
Michelle

Edit note! I am so sorry that I typed John instead of Jeff. Must be a John on my mind as well. I fixed the post and am glad to hear that Jeff is still with us and on the mend after a very tough month!