Wishing everyone a
Happy and Healthy New Year.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
I am in insurance limbo..
for the next few months. My COBRA insurance ended Nov 30th and we signed up with a BCBS value plan. I thought I had to wait until April 1st for my medicare to kick in but I just received my medicare card and it goes into effect March 1st. Bob has only 32 more months until he is 65 and eligible for medicare. : ) In the meantime we have no prescription coverage. Celgene who makes my Revlimid is providing me with 6 months of free Revlimid. This is a tremendous savings as Revlimid costs approximately $8000 a month. I have heard many complaints about drug companies including Celgene, but Celgene has always been of great assistance to me in my time of need. I am also filling out paperwork to get a month of my Zometa which is also very expensive. I have narrowed down my choice for my medicare coverage to 2 advantage plans which both look great on paper. I need to talk to both companies before I make my final decision. GOD CONTINUES TO BLESS US !!
for the next few months. My COBRA insurance ended Nov 30th and we signed up with a BCBS value plan. I thought I had to wait until April 1st for my medicare to kick in but I just received my medicare card and it goes into effect March 1st. Bob has only 32 more months until he is 65 and eligible for medicare. : ) In the meantime we have no prescription coverage. Celgene who makes my Revlimid is providing me with 6 months of free Revlimid. This is a tremendous savings as Revlimid costs approximately $8000 a month. I have heard many complaints about drug companies including Celgene, but Celgene has always been of great assistance to me in my time of need. I am also filling out paperwork to get a month of my Zometa which is also very expensive. I have narrowed down my choice for my medicare coverage to 2 advantage plans which both look great on paper. I need to talk to both companies before I make my final decision. GOD CONTINUES TO BLESS US !!
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Stacey and Jennifer
The Ladies Tea..was last night at church. Jen hosted a table and she represented the country of Mexico. There were 11 other countries represented. It was really a very festive site to behold. We had great food and fellowship. We sang Christmas caroles and an awesome missionary from Argentina spoke.
Jennifer's beautiful table
Sylvia and Elin Clingan.....
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Thanksgiving 2007 has come and gone...
We had another great feast at Jennifer and Dave's house. They are so kind to open their home up to all of us. For this we are all thankfull. We had 28 people present. All of Sylvia's and Bob & my grandkids were present except for Alex , who was up north with his mom hunting. It is getting harder to put everyone in one picture but here we go.
We had another great feast at Jennifer and Dave's house. They are so kind to open their home up to all of us. For this we are all thankfull. We had 28 people present. All of Sylvia's and Bob & my grandkids were present except for Alex , who was up north with his mom hunting. It is getting harder to put everyone in one picture but here we go.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Have I told you I'm in love with my doctor?
I went for my last oncologist appointment of the year today before my cobra insurance expires. Dr Goldman told me my MRI showed no new damage from the one I had done on 1/25/06 which is very good news. My last serum free light was normal and if the one today remains normal I will be able to stop taking the Revlimid next month. He told me I would not have to pay for any doctors appointments I need between now and April when my medicare kicks in. He also is getting me samples of zometa for the 2 infusions I would otherwise miss. God has surely blessed me with a wonderful and caring doctor.
I went for my last oncologist appointment of the year today before my cobra insurance expires. Dr Goldman told me my MRI showed no new damage from the one I had done on 1/25/06 which is very good news. My last serum free light was normal and if the one today remains normal I will be able to stop taking the Revlimid next month. He told me I would not have to pay for any doctors appointments I need between now and April when my medicare kicks in. He also is getting me samples of zometa for the 2 infusions I would otherwise miss. God has surely blessed me with a wonderful and caring doctor.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Today is Danielle's 8th birthday...
..she celebrated with it her family on Sunday. It was costumes optional. Here are a few pictures of the happy occasion. I am having a MRI on Sunday morning, just to make sure everything is ok before I lose my insurance the end of this month. I have been having some new pain in my back, especially with bending. We will be starting a new insurance the first of December but it basically just protects us if we end up in the hospital. I will be going on medicare the first of April and the coverage will be much better and a whole lot cheaper. Bob will have to wait 2 years and 4 months after me to be eligible for medicare. 
Sunday, October 21, 2007
We went to Jenny & Dave's...
after church today. Grandma is leaving for Florida on Wednesday. This was our last chance to finish up the 4 generation pictures with Sylvia's family. We did pictures with Jenny her kids and when we got back to Sylvia's we did the one with Shaun and his kids. I am also including a picture of Jenny and Dave's fuzzy chickens. They look like stuffed animals but I swear they are alive.
Friday, October 19, 2007
We had a big scare yesterday...
Steve was at Beaumont working and was sent to the ER for a rapid and irregular heart beat. He was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. They started him on medication to control and prevent the problem, and ran a few tests. His heart looks good and strong and he will live a long and normal life. He spent the night and was discharged today. He will need to take medication daily or he can elect to have a procedure called Ablation therapy. This is a decision he will make along with his doctor and Jennifer. Please pray for him and his family.
This is a picture taken with Bob's cellphone so please excuse the quality. Just wanted you to see he is alive and well. :)
Steve was at Beaumont working and was sent to the ER for a rapid and irregular heart beat. He was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. They started him on medication to control and prevent the problem, and ran a few tests. His heart looks good and strong and he will live a long and normal life. He spent the night and was discharged today. He will need to take medication daily or he can elect to have a procedure called Ablation therapy. This is a decision he will make along with his doctor and Jennifer. Please pray for him and his family.
This is a picture taken with Bob's cellphone so please excuse the quality. Just wanted you to see he is alive and well. :)
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Grandma's going away dinner...
at Steve and Jennifers house tonight was great as usual. Julie and Andy and their kids were there except for Alex who had other plans. Thats a teenager for you. Also Aunt Sylvia came. We had a nice Mexican dinner followed by apple pie and carrot cake. I am adding the 4 generation pictures from my family.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
Celgene came through...
After initially being rejected because I have prescription coverage I received a call that my Revlimid would be delivered tomorrow. I can only assume that Dr. Goldman followed through with Celgene to confirm that my insurance was no longer covering it. So after a 6 week vacation I will resume my Revlimid tomorrow. Time to resume fighting the beast.
My cousin Larry and his wife Gail came up from Tennessee to visit yesterday. We had a nice visit with them and Uncle Bob, Aunt Bea and Sylvia. After lunch we went to visit Aunt Thelma in Rehab. 
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Good News.....
I just returned from Dr. Goldman's office and he said my serum light chain results had improved dramatically and were now in normal range. Better yet for me , when I told him if he needed to do a bone marrow biopsy I would like it before the end of Nov. when I lose my St. John insurance. He said with my good lab results I didn't need one.
Now for the bad news, my insurance decided after 6 months they were no longer covering my Revlimid. If I wanted it I would have to pay for it myself at over $6000 a month. I filled out a form to see if Celgene would give it to me through a special program they have. So please pray they will give it to me and soon.
Sorry that it took so long for me to post but my internet connection has been out ever since we had a severe thunderstorm here Aug. 24th. I had Comcast out here twice and they were unable to get me connected to my main computer. Finally I talked to a great tech on the phone who got me connected to my laptop and told me how to use my wireless connection without being hooked up to a computer. She thinks my ethernet card may have been damaged during the storm. Unfortunately the ethernet card appears to be connected to my motherboard. I decided to get a wireless connection for my computer as we plan on going wireless soon. Oakland County will be offering free wireless to everyone sometime in 2008, as soon as they finish the connections.
I just returned from Dr. Goldman's office and he said my serum light chain results had improved dramatically and were now in normal range. Better yet for me , when I told him if he needed to do a bone marrow biopsy I would like it before the end of Nov. when I lose my St. John insurance. He said with my good lab results I didn't need one.
Now for the bad news, my insurance decided after 6 months they were no longer covering my Revlimid. If I wanted it I would have to pay for it myself at over $6000 a month. I filled out a form to see if Celgene would give it to me through a special program they have. So please pray they will give it to me and soon.
Sorry that it took so long for me to post but my internet connection has been out ever since we had a severe thunderstorm here Aug. 24th. I had Comcast out here twice and they were unable to get me connected to my main computer. Finally I talked to a great tech on the phone who got me connected to my laptop and told me how to use my wireless connection without being hooked up to a computer. She thinks my ethernet card may have been damaged during the storm. Unfortunately the ethernet card appears to be connected to my motherboard. I decided to get a wireless connection for my computer as we plan on going wireless soon. Oakland County will be offering free wireless to everyone sometime in 2008, as soon as they finish the connections.
Monday, August 06, 2007
My doctors visit today...
went well. My labs were all pretty good. He drew a serum light chain which will show if my myeloma has improved since the last lab done in June. This is a big improvement over having a bone marrow biopsy from my point of view. In as few days I will start my 6th cycle of Revlimid, although the dosage has been dropped again. I will be taking 10mg a night for 3 weeks along with the 20 mg decadron once a week. I am on my 2nd month of decadron and have managed to keep my weight stable. Wish I could say the same about my blood sugars, but I am controlling them as much as possible with insulin. Thank you to all who continue to keep me in your prayers. God is Good!!
went well. My labs were all pretty good. He drew a serum light chain which will show if my myeloma has improved since the last lab done in June. This is a big improvement over having a bone marrow biopsy from my point of view. In as few days I will start my 6th cycle of Revlimid, although the dosage has been dropped again. I will be taking 10mg a night for 3 weeks along with the 20 mg decadron once a week. I am on my 2nd month of decadron and have managed to keep my weight stable. Wish I could say the same about my blood sugars, but I am controlling them as much as possible with insulin. Thank you to all who continue to keep me in your prayers. God is Good!!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Friday, August 03, 2007
Thursday, August 02, 2007
I'm 60 today!
It's official now,after celebrating since the end of June. Steve and Jen had the family over to celebrate Steve and my birthdays yesterday. I have a wonderful daughter-in-law. Today we went to the funeral home to celebrate my Uncle Lewie's life. He died tuesday after a battling COPD for several years. Uncle Lewie was my mom's baby brother. She was 10 years older than him. He was exactly 1 month shy of his 83rd birthday. He will be greatly missed.
It's official now,after celebrating since the end of June. Steve and Jen had the family over to celebrate Steve and my birthdays yesterday. I have a wonderful daughter-in-law. Today we went to the funeral home to celebrate my Uncle Lewie's life. He died tuesday after a battling COPD for several years. Uncle Lewie was my mom's baby brother. She was 10 years older than him. He was exactly 1 month shy of his 83rd birthday. He will be greatly missed.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Monday, July 02, 2007
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Birthday Bash...
Yesterday we had a birthday party celebrating MaryLou's 70th (June 21) and my 60th birthday (Aug 2) at MaryLou and Lyles house. Thank you to everyone came and celebrated with us. As always the kids had a great time riding Thomas the train and the doodlebug. I will post a picture of Thomas as soon as I receive it from someone. (hint, hint) I didn't have my camera with me but lots of pictures were taken by others. Thank you MaryLou, Lyle and your girls for all your hard work. We all appreciated it.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
My Uncle Lewie is in Providence Hospital.
again for the 2nd time in 2 weeks. He was having difficulty breathing. Tonight we took Uncle Bob to visit him. He is looking pretty good and will be leaving the hospital hopefully in a few days. After leaving the hospital we went out to celebrate Uncle Bob's 84th birthday.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Had a full day today...
Grandma took Pastor Brad and us out to lunch to Pasquales. Jennifer watched Dean and the girls for us while we ate. The girls ended up spending the night with their cousins. Last I heard everyone was having a good time. Tonight Grandma, Bob and I went to a cancer survivors meeting sponsered by Karmanos. It was really nice. They fed us and then entertained us. It was a nice night. Happy 70th birthday Marylou!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
My daughter, my mom and I..
This was also taken at Max's birthday party. If I do say myself we all look pretty good, for bunch of old ladies. (36, 59. 92) These numbers will all be going up shortly though. We are blessed to be alive, well at least 2 of us are. I hope Julie has many more years ahead of her
This was also taken at Max's birthday party. If I do say myself we all look pretty good, for bunch of old ladies. (36, 59. 92) These numbers will all be going up shortly though. We are blessed to be alive, well at least 2 of us are. I hope Julie has many more years ahead of her
Max is 8 years old today.. 
but we celebrated his birthday last week when our whole family could get together at once.
The kids had a great time playing in the boys pool. Wish I could get in it, but after my last tumble I think will pass on it. Although ultimately it was how I discovered my multiple myeloma and was able to start getting treatments early. God was watching over me then although I didn't realize it at the time.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Here we go again...
I am going back on decadron again. My oncologist just got back from a seminar on multiple myeloma. He says the research shows Revlimid is working much better with decadron in beating the beast and not doing well when given alone. The findings show that a low dose of decadron works best, Unfortunately it plays havic with my blood sugars and weight. This time I am aware of this and will be much more careful with what I eat. Also last time I took daily doses and this time it will be only once a week. My white blood count and platlets were both down very low today so I stopped taking my Revlimid early again. Other than that I am feeling pretty good.
I am going back on decadron again. My oncologist just got back from a seminar on multiple myeloma. He says the research shows Revlimid is working much better with decadron in beating the beast and not doing well when given alone. The findings show that a low dose of decadron works best, Unfortunately it plays havic with my blood sugars and weight. This time I am aware of this and will be much more careful with what I eat. Also last time I took daily doses and this time it will be only once a week. My white blood count and platlets were both down very low today so I stopped taking my Revlimid early again. Other than that I am feeling pretty good.
Monday, May 21, 2007
We babysat for Dean and Harley today.
Harley is Andy and Julies new puppy who is 7 weeks old. He is a Llewellin Setter. Both of them were good. They ate their lunch and took their naps. They had fun playing with grandpa in the back yard. I am finishing my 3rd cycle of revlidmid and no side effects so far with this reduced dose. My labs were all in a good range last Thursday when I saw 
Dr. Goldman.
Dr. Goldman.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Mothers Day...
has come and gone. I thank God for allowing me to share this special day with my mother, sister, grandaughter and husband. After church we went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch where Sylvia and I had a great ribeye steaks and my mom had barbeque ribs. Bob and Aly had bacon cheeseburgers. This was a big change over last year when I spent the day in the hospital and I was unable to eat anything except for some watermelon. My kids came over to celebrate with me on Saturday. Aly and Jack spent the night and hopefully had a good time with us old folks. : ) Julie, Andy and the kids brought me a hanging plant filled with red astorias. Steve, Jen and the boys brought me 2 hanging plants, one with yellow petunias and the other with white and lavendar petunias. My porch looks so beautiful now.
has come and gone. I thank God for allowing me to share this special day with my mother, sister, grandaughter and husband. After church we went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch where Sylvia and I had a great ribeye steaks and my mom had barbeque ribs. Bob and Aly had bacon cheeseburgers. This was a big change over last year when I spent the day in the hospital and I was unable to eat anything except for some watermelon. My kids came over to celebrate with me on Saturday. Aly and Jack spent the night and hopefully had a good time with us old folks. : ) Julie, Andy and the kids brought me a hanging plant filled with red astorias. Steve, Jen and the boys brought me 2 hanging plants, one with yellow petunias and the other with white and lavendar petunias. My porch looks so beautiful now.
Friday I went to Danielle's school for a Mothers Day tea party. Julie had to work and I was happy to be asked to fill in for her. The first graders sang songs and read poems for their moms and a few of us special grandmothers. This was followed by snacks in the cafeteria. I felt sorry that Julie had to miss this special day but I had a great time.
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