"Mickey Mouse is going to miss us when we don't go on our cruise next week," Christa say's in a little groggy pain medicine voice. "but we will find other fun times. Did that whale just swear?" she continues somewhat concerned as she looks over at the TV that is on in the room. There is some fishing-type Discovery channel show on. The loopieness is actually much improved.
She is still on pain meds, but has was finally moved from the ICU this afternoon to a regular room. They have removed the drain tube, which was our numero uno goal up until now, and also a few other tubes and connections. She is now only on oxygen and has her port accessed, but is not getting any I.V. fluids on a regular basis. She's also walking around a bit and using the restroom on her own.
At this point she should be able to come home Tuesday, but may need to take a portable oxygen bottle with her. We can easily manage that. The kids came for a visit last night, which was really nice because technically no one under the age of 12 is allowed in the ICU. However, Cindy our nurse got an exception for us. Cindy has two sisters currently battling stage four cancer and so was definitely on Christa's side.
After the episode with Christa having a rough night alone on Thursday night and another Friday afternoon we have been sure to have someone with her at all times. I spent the night Friday, not the best three hours of sleep I have ever had, and Christa's mom spent last night. I will be here again tonight, but this time I brought in my camping cot.
We feel that the last few days have been filled with a series of miracles that can only be the result of so many prayers on her behalf and the several folks were found out were fasting for her. Thank you all for your support whether in person or in spirit. The Johnson family loves you.
-Morgan
LEGOS IN THE LAUNDRY?!!! CRAZIES IN THE KITCHEN?!!!......WELCOME TO OUR AMAZING LIFE..
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Christa Surgery Update
This is Morgan signing on in Christa's place for an update.
It was determined that in order to fix the problem with fluid building up outside her lugs they needed to go in and do a "talc" procedure. Basically they go in with a scope and collapse her left lung. Once this is done they can look around. The chamber surrounding the lung that they would be looking at is called the pleura. The surgeon then sprays talc powder all around the walls of the pleura. Then, when the lung is inflated, the talk will agitate the lung and the pleura and cause them to fuse. This fusing will keep fluid from building up and improve her quality of life. There are no real cancer fighting benefits to the procedure however. Once the process is complete we will procedure on to the next chemo drug.
So, we checked into the hospital yesterday at 1pm for the pre-op stuff. Christa's parents, Randy and Sharon were both with us in the prep area. We waited around for a while for the surgeon to finish the open-heart surgery that was scheduled before Christa's operation. Finally at about 5:40pm they wheeled her away.
The actual procedure only took about 30 minutes. The surgeon came out and told us that it went well. She also told us that she notices a lot of tumor activity on the wall of the pleura. Apparently it looked like a rash, but was really the cause of the fluid and related to the cancer. She was also sending Christa to the ICU for the night while she came out of anesthesia. She said that she would be out of it all night which we liked since we have heard that this procedure can cause a lot of pain. They were also going to keep her on a special ventilator to make sure the lungs stayed inflated properly.
Christa's parents and I went up a little later to see her and tell her good night. We were told that there was no staying with her while she was in the ICU. It certainly seemed that way when we were there. Unfortunately I arrived this morning to find that she was not really all that "out of it" last night, and that in fact it was a miserable and pain-filled night. She says that she actually knew we were there when we came to say goodnight, but she just wasn't able to open her eyes and acknowledge us.She also unknowingly pulled out her special breathing tube around 9:30pm last night. I have to admit that I felt like a pretty big failure as a husband for having left her when she turned out to have had such a rotten night.
While today has been a little better she is still in a lot of pain and they are trying their best to manage it with medication. She has walked a bit and has moved from the bed to a chair and back a few times, but in order for her to get out of the ICU they will need to wean her off the pain meds some more. She also has a chest drain hooked up to drain the fluid while the talc takes effect. It is apparently the reason for most of the pain so we can't wait to get it out too. That will happen when the flow of fluid slows down.
It looks like for now we will be in the ICU until tomorrow and the hospital until at least Sunday. The kids are doing well and once again it has been family to the rescue. There have been tons of well wishers and other helping with meals and prayers, which we appreciate greatly. In spite of the pain and the pain medication haze Christa continues to be herself. She makes the occasional funny or sarcastic comment and smiles her cute sideways smile. She is a champion. Thank you again for all of the prayers and acts of kindness. The Johnson don't doubt for a minute that they are loved.
-Morgan
It was determined that in order to fix the problem with fluid building up outside her lugs they needed to go in and do a "talc" procedure. Basically they go in with a scope and collapse her left lung. Once this is done they can look around. The chamber surrounding the lung that they would be looking at is called the pleura. The surgeon then sprays talc powder all around the walls of the pleura. Then, when the lung is inflated, the talk will agitate the lung and the pleura and cause them to fuse. This fusing will keep fluid from building up and improve her quality of life. There are no real cancer fighting benefits to the procedure however. Once the process is complete we will procedure on to the next chemo drug.
So, we checked into the hospital yesterday at 1pm for the pre-op stuff. Christa's parents, Randy and Sharon were both with us in the prep area. We waited around for a while for the surgeon to finish the open-heart surgery that was scheduled before Christa's operation. Finally at about 5:40pm they wheeled her away.
The actual procedure only took about 30 minutes. The surgeon came out and told us that it went well. She also told us that she notices a lot of tumor activity on the wall of the pleura. Apparently it looked like a rash, but was really the cause of the fluid and related to the cancer. She was also sending Christa to the ICU for the night while she came out of anesthesia. She said that she would be out of it all night which we liked since we have heard that this procedure can cause a lot of pain. They were also going to keep her on a special ventilator to make sure the lungs stayed inflated properly.
Christa's parents and I went up a little later to see her and tell her good night. We were told that there was no staying with her while she was in the ICU. It certainly seemed that way when we were there. Unfortunately I arrived this morning to find that she was not really all that "out of it" last night, and that in fact it was a miserable and pain-filled night. She says that she actually knew we were there when we came to say goodnight, but she just wasn't able to open her eyes and acknowledge us.She also unknowingly pulled out her special breathing tube around 9:30pm last night. I have to admit that I felt like a pretty big failure as a husband for having left her when she turned out to have had such a rotten night.
While today has been a little better she is still in a lot of pain and they are trying their best to manage it with medication. She has walked a bit and has moved from the bed to a chair and back a few times, but in order for her to get out of the ICU they will need to wean her off the pain meds some more. She also has a chest drain hooked up to drain the fluid while the talc takes effect. It is apparently the reason for most of the pain so we can't wait to get it out too. That will happen when the flow of fluid slows down.
It looks like for now we will be in the ICU until tomorrow and the hospital until at least Sunday. The kids are doing well and once again it has been family to the rescue. There have been tons of well wishers and other helping with meals and prayers, which we appreciate greatly. In spite of the pain and the pain medication haze Christa continues to be herself. She makes the occasional funny or sarcastic comment and smiles her cute sideways smile. She is a champion. Thank you again for all of the prayers and acts of kindness. The Johnson don't doubt for a minute that they are loved.
-Morgan
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Blessings, blessings, blessings...
Yes, I am on a pain meds as I write this, which basically turns me into the emotional consistency of a pregnant lady, but everything that I am about to type is true.
I was feeling bad for myself a little while ago, (like 20 minutes ago),........."oh poor me, my lungs are filling up with fluid.....oh poor me, it's hard to breathe...........oh poor me,.............waaaawahhhwahhh." And then I went to my facebook entry i had recently posted and noticed that 27 people had posted beautiful remarks about praying for me and caring for me, and loving me. My heart was sooo touched that I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started to look around me at everything else......
Here are some wonderful things that have been going on lately.
A. I had a horrible sore throat for two weeks, that sore throat was what got me into the ER finally last week. Nothing was wrong with my throat, but my lungs were filling up with fluid and collapsing. Sore throat blessing?........ I think so!
B. Our family has experienced an outpouring of love that surpasses my understanding. Meals, Grandparent slumber parties, cleaning sisters, laundry fairies, and the list goes on and on..... I am baffled at the love!
C. And i would just like to share with you a story that touches my heart everytime I think of it. It is very personal, but I feel close to all of my readers.
Morgan and I went back to the hospital on Sunday night and I was going to have my left lung drained again in the morning. I BEGGED Morgan to go home and be with the kids, so they wouldn't be so traumatized at mom being gone at the hospital AGAIN. Reluctantly he left my bedside and went home.
Hours went by and I lay in the dark hospital room and all I could think of was something the lung doctor had said, almost in passing...."worse case scenario, you could drown in your own lungs....." like it was the flu, or a bad cold.
In that dark room, as those words swirled around in my head, I had FEAR, real live FEAR! I didn't want to go to sleep and die in the night, and I lay there on the hospital couch in the room with wide eyes.
By this time it was probably 1 am and still I lay there looking like a cartoon character in the darkness with HUGE eyes. My nurse came in to check on me and immediately melted. She asked what was wrong and I told her that I didn't want to drown. She was soooo nurturing, I will not ever forget it. She ran over and sat next to me and talked to me. She asked me if I wanted to play on her iphone or just hang out right there all night together. She asked if I wanted to watch a movie with her. She got me medicine that calmed me down and then she didn't stop there. She stuck her desk right outside my window to my room and opened the curtains so she could constantly watch me. She turned a dim light on and she would come in every once in a while and rub my arm or my hair, just to let me know that she was there. She propped my door open with some cupboards that she dragged over and listened and watched me ALL NIGHT LONG. Long after the medicine worked its magic and the prayers kicked in. In the morning, I saw her only momentarily as they whisked me away to my procedure. I didn't get to thank her, but I will never forget her. The night nurse who had other patients, but left the ninety and nine, for the one who needed her the most!!!
I was feeling bad for myself a little while ago, (like 20 minutes ago),........."oh poor me, my lungs are filling up with fluid.....oh poor me, it's hard to breathe...........oh poor me,.............waaaawahhhwahhh." And then I went to my facebook entry i had recently posted and noticed that 27 people had posted beautiful remarks about praying for me and caring for me, and loving me. My heart was sooo touched that I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started to look around me at everything else......
Here are some wonderful things that have been going on lately.
A. I had a horrible sore throat for two weeks, that sore throat was what got me into the ER finally last week. Nothing was wrong with my throat, but my lungs were filling up with fluid and collapsing. Sore throat blessing?........ I think so!
B. Our family has experienced an outpouring of love that surpasses my understanding. Meals, Grandparent slumber parties, cleaning sisters, laundry fairies, and the list goes on and on..... I am baffled at the love!
C. And i would just like to share with you a story that touches my heart everytime I think of it. It is very personal, but I feel close to all of my readers.
Morgan and I went back to the hospital on Sunday night and I was going to have my left lung drained again in the morning. I BEGGED Morgan to go home and be with the kids, so they wouldn't be so traumatized at mom being gone at the hospital AGAIN. Reluctantly he left my bedside and went home.
Hours went by and I lay in the dark hospital room and all I could think of was something the lung doctor had said, almost in passing...."worse case scenario, you could drown in your own lungs....." like it was the flu, or a bad cold.
In that dark room, as those words swirled around in my head, I had FEAR, real live FEAR! I didn't want to go to sleep and die in the night, and I lay there on the hospital couch in the room with wide eyes.
By this time it was probably 1 am and still I lay there looking like a cartoon character in the darkness with HUGE eyes. My nurse came in to check on me and immediately melted. She asked what was wrong and I told her that I didn't want to drown. She was soooo nurturing, I will not ever forget it. She ran over and sat next to me and talked to me. She asked me if I wanted to play on her iphone or just hang out right there all night together. She asked if I wanted to watch a movie with her. She got me medicine that calmed me down and then she didn't stop there. She stuck her desk right outside my window to my room and opened the curtains so she could constantly watch me. She turned a dim light on and she would come in every once in a while and rub my arm or my hair, just to let me know that she was there. She propped my door open with some cupboards that she dragged over and listened and watched me ALL NIGHT LONG. Long after the medicine worked its magic and the prayers kicked in. In the morning, I saw her only momentarily as they whisked me away to my procedure. I didn't get to thank her, but I will never forget her. The night nurse who had other patients, but left the ninety and nine, for the one who needed her the most!!!
Monday, February 27, 2012
I have a date with my nebulizer!
Well, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth, but almost. I was in the hospital from Monday of last week until Friday of last week. Then I had a great time with the family on Saturday, watching Lund play in his last football game and enjoying the sunshine. Then Sunday, I was feeling a lot of the "symptoms" they warned me about, so I was back in the ER. The results of the hospital stay last week showed that I had fluid around my left lung and they had to do a procedure to remove the fluid. ("thorancenticis") Anyway, I didn't realize how painful "re-inflating" your lung can be! Last Thursday when they "tapped" my lung the first time, they pulled out a liter and a half, which is a LOT of liquid! After they finished draining my lung, my heart rate and blood pressure plummeted, and I had to lay down until they could get my body under control.
So, when I had to get the fluid drained again today, I wasn't quite excited. I did ask my nurse to give me pain meds before I left my hospital room and it was STILL painful. I was given more pain meds when I got back to my room and I finally had a chance to eat breakfast.....then I threw up. Fun times! Too much pain and too many pain meds don't work wonders on the tummy.
Another procedure they performed on me last week in the hospital was called a broncho-scope. They lay you on a cold metal table and then shoot a syringe of numbing solution up your nose....How Rude! The Pulmonologist went into my right lung to see what was going on to make the top lobe collapse. Turns out it is a new tumor doing the dirty work. Stinky tumor!
So, now that I have been discharged from the hospital twice in one week, I think we have a plan. It goes as follows...
1. Place a catheter/stint into my left lung to drain the liquid easier.
2. Possible radiation for the tip of the right lung to shrink the tumor that is blocking and collapsing that lung.
3. New chemo regimen since the current regimen doesn't seem to be effective in the least.
And the most important step is to...................Go on a cruise and forget that any of this stuff exists!!!! Wahooooooo! March 10th cannot come soon enough!!!!
So, when I had to get the fluid drained again today, I wasn't quite excited. I did ask my nurse to give me pain meds before I left my hospital room and it was STILL painful. I was given more pain meds when I got back to my room and I finally had a chance to eat breakfast.....then I threw up. Fun times! Too much pain and too many pain meds don't work wonders on the tummy.
Another procedure they performed on me last week in the hospital was called a broncho-scope. They lay you on a cold metal table and then shoot a syringe of numbing solution up your nose....How Rude! The Pulmonologist went into my right lung to see what was going on to make the top lobe collapse. Turns out it is a new tumor doing the dirty work. Stinky tumor!
So, now that I have been discharged from the hospital twice in one week, I think we have a plan. It goes as follows...
1. Place a catheter/stint into my left lung to drain the liquid easier.
2. Possible radiation for the tip of the right lung to shrink the tumor that is blocking and collapsing that lung.
3. New chemo regimen since the current regimen doesn't seem to be effective in the least.
And the most important step is to...................Go on a cruise and forget that any of this stuff exists!!!! Wahooooooo! March 10th cannot come soon enough!!!!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
This week's update through random pictures acquired in my hospital room
 |
| Last week, I was ridding down the road of life, and I hit a little bump.(that's what I get for riding such a crazy bike!) I had a cold that just wouldn't leave. So, eventually I went in and got an antibiotic, and on I rode. But, after five days on the antibiotic, I noticed that I wasn't getting any better. In fact, I seemed to be getting worse. My throat was so sore, I thought maybe it would close up on me as I slept. Finally, we decided to go to the ER, since we had a guest staying the night and they could stay with the kids. Thanks Mentz! |
So my Oncologist sent me back to the ER, and they decided to admit me and figure it out. Updated diagnosis is that the right lung has collapsed a bit and there is fluid around the left lung.
Also, we learned a few things along the way this past weekend.
A. I am allergic to Morphine. No fun to find that out, but at least we know for next time.
B. After looking at the x-rays, my oncologist gets the feeling that this chemo med isn't working, so after we get rid of the pneumonia, then we need to decide which route to take next.
Thanks to all of you who have been helping out with the kids at home. Feelin' the love!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
13-years-old, a bonk on the head, and football
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| We also love to put paper tablecloths out to be signed by everyone. |
Cassidy only had one breakdown when everyone wasn't listening to her after she had taken so much time to plan her party. She cried, and her friends consoled her and all was well. And then........................Will fell down the stairs and hit the corner of the banister splitting his eyebrow pretty good. I have a matching scar above my eye from my childhood. It is a spot that doesn't hurt very much, but sure bleeds a ton! he has quite the black eye this week as well.
We decided to end the party early after the blood and tears were flowing.
Monday, February 13, 2012
A very Pink Celebration!
Last week, I went to an AMAZING surprise party for a dear friend, who was turning the big 50. The decorations were OUT OF THIS WORLD! And many fond memories were made. I was lucky enough to be the photographer for the event and that is something I love to do.
One of my dearest friends, LeAnne.
Here are all the gals that came to the party. The lady of honor is in the front. She is an amazing Young Women's President, and great friend.
I stole someone's baby, (of course). And then someone stole my camera and snapped a few pics.
Seriously, the decorations were amazing!
Lots of fun! I hope my 50th birthday will be just as fun, in 17years~
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