Happy July 4th---Wherever you may be.....

Dear Family and Friends,
GREAT NEWS !!!! BOTH ONCOLOGISTS GAVE MARTY THE "NO NEW CANCER" THUMBS UP.
Yes, Marty and I made it thru the medical marathon of tests, doctor visits and all that goes with that. It was 2 FULL days of hurrying and waiting in one after the other offices and being sent here and there for tests and procedures. In all, he saw four Doctors, had an MRI, a shoulder x-ray, an EMG, a KUB x-ray, a stent removal and got more prescriptions to fill. When we arrived home Thursday evening, we were both bone tired and glad to be home. We made NO follow up appointments. As we left each office, it was just too overwhelming to predict what day we could make and then keep an appointment, so we just walked out the door of each office----knowing we will have to sit down with a calendar and give it careful consideration. We have FIVE follow up visits to schedule. The heat, our exhaustion and just the long days made it seem to be an impossible task. Of course, today, being a holiday and all and me having to work all day, we have not even thought or acted on any of it YET. He says he wants to do nothing, but that will probably not be the solution.
As he continues to find out, being a patient is a full time job!!! And, not an easy one !!
We made a few phone calls, planted some plants, did some laundry and put away our baggage from the trip, had a few visitors and calls and before we knew it, it was bedtime.
Thank you for checking in on us. We love and appreciate you all. Love,
LaRee , and of course, Marty

Happy July 2008

Dear Family and Friends,
WOW! One month since I updated our blog. June has been a full and busy month. I'm sure it has been for all of you, too. I have worked longer days in Dialysis and also
some hours in the Skilled Nursing Facility and at the Manor. I enjoy all areas and am grateful for my job. Being a patient has been such a full time job for Marty for so many months now. It has been wonderful to see him trying to be outside as much as the weather has allowed and puttering in the garage and around the yard.
His biggest problems this month continue to be the kidney stone issue and the impaired range of motion of his left arm and shoulder. Even with his two emergency room visits and 2 surgeries at Logan Regional. he still has not got rid of the kidney stones. A stent was placed during the last surgery and he is anxious to get that removed.
We have set up THREE doctor appointments for July 2nd. We will probably be nuts by the end of the day, but with the price of gas and shortage of time, it seemed like a great idea when we did it. We'll know better afterwards how it all worked out.
We enjoyed the Jack and Jennie Crane reunion this year. Deidra and Jenny were the two grandchildren in charge this year. I am very thrilled with the job they did. All who made the effort to attend had a great time. There was a lot of fun, good food and some visiting. The weather cooperated beautifully and several were able to attend the blessings of Spencer and Yulia's twin baby girls in Logan that Sunday. Randy, SunDee, Bradley, Marty and I all attended from Bear Lake. They had a wonderful lunch after at the Armory.
Please know that we love you all and appreciate the calls, visits and prayers in our behalf. We can usually be located on our cell phones if we are not at home.
Love,
LaRee, and of course, Marty

Happy July 2008

Happy June

Dear Family & Friends,
I find it hard to beleive it is already JUNE! I will try to write an acurate, but brief report on our favorite guy. MARTY has STILL not passed the kidney stone. He had one other Emergency Room visit on Friday evening--the start of the Memorial Day weekend ---and was sent home with pain meds and the news that the stone (stones) were too big to pass. He got thru the weekend without any additional trips to the Emergency Room, for which we were very grateful. We had a picnic on Saturday here at our house. Yes, it was an indoor picnic because of the weather! He wasn't up to going to church on Sunday, but we went visiting a bit that evening. I worked Memorial Day and as soon as I got done, we left for Logan to stay the night. Fasting, Marty reported to Dr. Michael Callister's office at 9am Tuesday morning the 27th and he was seen, had some further X-rays and then was admitted for an outpatient surgery-- a LEFT ESWL (lithotripsy treatment) to break up the 9mm stone that was lodged in the ureter. Dr. Callister did not go after the other THREE stones that are still in the kidney because of the anti inflammatory meds he is on-- too much risk of the kidney bleeding. The procedure only took one hour and when he came back, though groggy, he felt like he had been kicked by a mule. Dr. Callister assured us that was appropriate for the procedure he had just had done. Although he was able to knock off some edges and make it smaller, he could not break the stone up as he had anticipated. So, there is a large (but smaller than it was) stone and many fragments that now need to come out.
As soon as he had some more IV fluids and was awake enough to get dressed, he was discharged to go home with major pain meds and another strainer! Any of you who have had kidney stones can appreciate how unfun this whole thing is. Yet, at the end of the long day, when we were going to bed, he asked me if I had had fun today. I said, "No, I really wouldn't call this fun". His reply was that he thought it had been pretty nice. I was shocked by this statement and then I decided that maybe compared to the LAST two surgical parties he has had, this WOULD seem nice. No ICU, no tracheostomy, no drainage tubes....... Anyway, it made us laugh the next day when we talked about it. He will see Dr. Callister in another week for a follow up, but so far, no pay dirt has been strained and saved for show and tell. I am afraid he will need further surgery or something. Now, things have got stirred up and bleeding and that is a worry.
Although neither of us felt great, we pulled the trailer over to the Apple Garden Campground in Garden City. It was probably foolish, but we did it anyway.
Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We never have to look very far to see others who are having overwhelming trials and struggles. We continue to be grateful that with each check back with the oncologists (both Dr. Sharma and Dr. Hitchcock), no new cancer has been found. It is always a relief to hear that. His main trial at this time is THE kidney stone issue and the pain and lack of use of his left arm and shoulder. He has an appointment with a nuerologist about that and hopes something can be done to help. His job now is to adjust to his new self/body and not get discouraged. It is so hard to believe that next month it will be one YEAR since the day Marty was last able to work.
It is so true that we take our marvelous bodies for granted until they start to betray us and malfunction in all the ways bodies can. We need each and every part present and working to truly be comfortable and fine. I know that so many of you know that all too well. And for you that don't, be grateful for your health.
Love to all--those that check the blog once in a while and those that we see or hear from more often. We love and appreciate you all.
We hope you are having a wonderful June.
Love,
LaRee and, of course, Marty

Again.....Sorry

Dear Family and Friends,
Hello. Im ashamed that it has almost been a month since my last post. Each day is a new and unexpected adventure. Yesterday was an example. I left early for work and Marty was sleeping so soundly I did not even wake him up to kiss him goodbye. I was very frightened when Deidra called me to say she had brought him to the ER in a great deal of pain. (10 on the 1-10 scale). Dr. Campbell and Brandie took very good care of him and it appears he is in the process of passing a kidney stone. Something brand new. It is probably related to his being dehydrated over a long period of time now and the changes in his intake and diet since all this started. Anyway, he was grateful for the pain shot that brought the pain to about half of what it had been. He has not felt well since coming home. He has also not captured the cultpit stone in the strainer he was sent home with. That will be the proof that it is a kidney stone and we can have it analyzed to know how to prevent another occurance. Now, he knows what labor feels like! He is still trying to be good and trying to keep up with all the problems as they pop up. His next scheduled appointment is with a nuerologist about the problem of not being able to lift his left arm up and pain in the shoulder and arm. Dr. Sharma feels it may be a result of the radiation treatments, but it puzzles me that it took 6 months to present itself. We will explore that avenue and then hopefully get him back into some sort of Physical therapy for strengthening. He remains persistant and I am very proud of all he has done to try to get used to life as it is now with all his new limits and restrictions and challenges. He is resourceful, as always. His new answer to "How are you doing"? is usually "Well, I'm still on the right side of the grass!"
To all, have a nice Memorial Day. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Love, Marty and LaRee

Sorry.........

Dear Family and Friends,
I have been reminded several times now that the blog is NOT being updated often enough. I just get too busy with all that is going on. Life continues to be an ever changing series of unpredictable and challenging events. YES, I continue to be ever so grateful that Marty is still here with us and is trying to get his life back. We both know that things will never be the same as before the big "C", but life changes us ALL in little and huge ways.... everyday.
I am so proud of all he has endured because of his determined personality and that he continues to try each day to feel productive. And..... I might add, though there are many moments of misery in his day, when he gets rested up, dressed up in a suit and out to a funeral or family event, he looks pretty great and people comment on how good he looks. He still has a few hurdles to jump before he can even get fitted for new dentures that will fit his new titanium jaw!! He has regained some of the weight he lost during the grueling ordeal of radiation, but is still down 40 pounds from where he started out. He's happy with that. He is up to 12 minutes on the treadmill and trying to work with 4 pound weights to regain strength in his arms. It still shocks me each time I open a jar or pill bottle for him....it was always the other way around! We often get into some awful situation because of the aftermath of this surgery and radiation. When I am tempted to whine about how hard his life is......I try remind myself how close he came to NOT having to deal with any of this!!!! Dr. Sharma reminded us again at Marty's last check up that this particular cancer is usually found on autopsy. WOW!
We see so many around us dealing with cancer and other illnessess, losses of many kinds, financial and emotional problems and much more. We will forever be grateful for the love and support of all who helped hold us up when things looked too hard and too unbelievable. Thank you , again, for each kind and helpful contribution you made on Marty's behalf and keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.
I am grateful for my job and oh, so grateful for the health insurance I had on Marty, as I am certain NO ONE will be willing to insure him now. We are grateful that through this, he did not max out his lifetime benefit---I really feared he would. So, even though my hopes of early retirement (only because I have worked since I was 13 years old) will probably not be an option, I feel so lucky to LOVE the job I have. Knowing as a youngster that I wanted to be a nurse and then reaching that dream has been one of the many blessings in my life. I may have hard days at work, as anyone may. But always know I LOVE my work and even if I end up working my entire life, I will never regret my decision to be a nurse.
Well, duty calls. I will try to write more faithfully.
Love, LaRee and of course, Marty

Our Family

When you almost loose a parent it is impacting to look back through all of the memories and try to imagine them not there for future memories. I am so grateful that my dad is still here today. He is doing okay and tring his best to adjust to his body the way it now is. Most days are a struggle for him but he trys to get through them. My mom has been so wonderful through all of this. I continue to admire the unconditional love that she has for him. I think dad does realize how lucky he is to have my mom, and I hope that he is letting her know how much he appreciates her! I know that I don't let her know enough how much I appreciate all that she continues to do for dad, her dad, me, my siblings, and to still be so dedicated to her job. I love you both so much and I love the time that we get to spend together. Life continues to change, Grandpa moved out of the Manor Saturday and in with Aunt Kristi. I look back and think WOW I never thought life would turn out the way that it has. I just feel blessed to have the parents that I do, and the Husband that I do. My little 2 year old boy, who I love so much,what would I do with out him? Thank you to all of you who continue to send love and support to my parents. Love Deidra



Our Family last August before dad's surgery.
Missing are : Chris, Misti, Dakot, Chris Jr, Jentz and JosLynn


This is the start of the home that Dad built us!



Angie, Brandon, Curtis and Deidra


ABCD














Our little Family minus Chris who was living with his mom is California.


Chris, Misit, Dakota and Chris Jr





Family Reuinion Bear Lake 2003 (Some were missing)
Esther couldn't make it she was due to have Christophy (Christopher) the next month.
Chris, Misit, Chris Jr. and Dakota couldn't make it.
Sabrina IS Pregnant with Brody. Additions to our family since then have been
Christophy, Brody, Drew, Shailey and Jentz and JosLynn.