Doctor Report

I figured I better get an update on our doctor visit today, as many of you are probably wondering. We feel we did come away today with more info and encouragement than we did last week.
The 'lesion' under Marissa's nail did come back benign, praise the Lord! BUT he said that they are not totally ruling anything out yet. He said that to have completely removed it all, you have to remove a 'margin' area around and underneath the lesion to get all the cells in the surrounding area that could be infected, if it is Melanoma. Which for her, he would have had to remove some bone too since it was so deep. So, he chose to not severely deform her finger by doing that until he knew what he was dealing with. So, he removed just the lesion, not the surrounding area. Because of that, IF the margin area has infected cells, they will re-group and form another lesion that will grow out along with her new nail-bed. If that happens, then they will know they are dealing with Melanoma. We won't know what the cells are doing until her new nail-bed grows out, which is about 3 months. She is to go back in 6 weeks to see if the new nail, which will be slightly grown out till then, is at all showing signs of a new lesion. But we cannot totally know until the 3 months when hew nail is grown out. We felt relieved to know that the test was benign, but we still have to fight a deep down inside fear of what those cells are planning. He said they will keep a close eye on her since Melanoma is the worst, most aggressive and deadly cancer. Not a comforting thought. I asked him why of all places under a nail, when I think of skin cancer, I think of skin and sun exposure, not nail beds. He said only God knows why that spot. We have no way of knowing where it can pop up, it does not have to be just from the sun. I also asked if it is possible to be treating one area and it could show up at another spot at the same time, kind of like it is in your system, and he said it can. He felt confident that all is going to be well. He did speak with the doc that did the pathology test while we were there, and he agreed that this is the best thing to do since that 'margin' area is still there.
She goes back next week for the stitches to be removed. She will not be put to sleep as we originally thought since he used a very fine thread. So I am not sure how that will go. She was panicky today to have the bandage removed, she is very sensitive with her thumb. She also cried at how "disgusting" it looked. (~: Her old nail is there but not attached, and will fall off as her new nail grows in.
Once again, we thank everyone for their prayers. We do feel that God answered our prayers on the Pathology test showing benign. We now pray that those cells stay put where they are supposed to and don't cause future problems!

Slow Down Marissa

I thought it is time for an update on how Marissa's week has been going! It has been going so much better than I expected! She has not complained of pain since the day (Tuesday) of the surgery! I gave her the codeine for the first day after, even though she kept assuring me it does not hurt. In fact, I had to keep reminding her that she has a bad boo-boo and needs to be careful and take it a little easier! The next day Thursday, I gave her no pain killer. She has since Wednesday been normal. I think the codeine did give her a slight buzz on Wednesday cause she was quite hyper. The docs had warned us that she would have a lot of pain the first couple days. At first we said that medicine sure does work, but I told David that I don't think it was the meds but all the prayers going up for her! She has adjusted to it all so well. She was always the independent, "I can do it myself" type of kid, but she willingly gave that up to let me help her get dressed and so forth since she can't. I was worried about the whole bandage thing too, cause she never wears band-aids since they are constricting, but she has not complained about her bandage either. I think she is just loving all the attention she has been getting! She has some jealous sisters who are wondering if they could somehow get some surgery too! (~:
I want to take time to thank everyone for their prayers, the notes/emails/phone calls of encouragement, and the several meals we have gotten. It has meant so much and we are so thankful for all of you. We are anxious in a worried way for Monday and Marissa's results. I will keep you informed.

Marissa was so excited about the boxes she got in the mail from Grandma and Aunt Anita Summy, and Grandma and Aunt Lynette Heisey yesterday. She is not aware of it now, (she is sleeping), but she has another box waiting for her from Aunt Sadie too that came today!

Her sisters were glad she decided to share her new toys

The week before Rissa's surgery, the kiddos and I were invited to meet a couple other Moms and their kiddos for an afternoon at the park. It was a fun time and good to just get out for awhile! (~:

Yes, that is Amber with the missing coat and bare feet. The rest of us were shivering away, but not Amber, that is just her, what more can I say!? (~:

Marissa Update

We left this morning not sure what to expect, but hoping for answers and closure to Marissa's situation, but to be honest, that is not how we feel right now.
She had actually started to be excited about going. I think it was from everyone's prayers! I am afraid that she will be more of a handful for surgery #2 since she now knows what to expect!
The first thing she got to do at the hospital was pick a toy, it is the tiger in the picture. She was glad to find out that they do no give shots to their awake little patients, so she never knew she got any. I must put in here that we were really impressed with the hospital and are thankful for that blessing! The nurses and doctors could not have treated her more sweetly! They told us it would take 95 minutes for surgery, figuring high, but it was 2 hours till they got us. The surgery went well. She did wake up in hysterics and pain, but morphine soon took care of that. (~:
When the doctor talked to us, we left feeling more afraid than when we had gotten there that morning. We felt the doc was very vague and even cagey in what he thought we should expect, actually he gave us no idea saying we won't know nothing until results are in. The spot under her nail was deeper and larger than he originally thought. So it meant a deeper incision and he also had to cut away skin at the bottom of her nail to get to more of the dark spot. The pathology test did not give them clear enough results to satisfy the doctors, so they sent it away to another lab that does more extensive tests. The results for that will take a week. So, now we wait, impatiently and nervously. We go back on Monday to find out the results and the next step of action. Her hand is bandaged up, and will require another surgery no matter what the results are. Even if that is to remove her eight stitches. Her nail is removed but placed on top for protection right now. We would still appreciate your prayers as we wait even longer for answers.
Oblivious as to what is next.


In lots of pain, but thankfully her codeine has helped with that!

She is enjoying the extra attention and loves her new animal, "Stripes" (~:

Biopsy Date

Just to let you know, Marissa is scheduled for her biopsy on Tuesday at 7:20 in the morning. She has to be there an hour early, so we have to leave here at 5:20. It is going to be a long day for her!
Thanks for the prayers and emails/notes/phone calls of encouragement! It means alot to know that people are praying and thinking about us!

On a lighter note, my Aunt sent me this funny email that I could not help but share with you: "Check your shampoo bottle. I don't know WHY I did not figure this out sooner!!! It's the shampoo I use in the shower! When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body and (duh), printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning, 'For Extra Volume and Body'! No wonder I have been gaining weight!!! Well, I have gotten rid of that shampoo and I am going to start using dawn dish soap instead. Their label reads, 'Dissolves Fat that is Otherwise Difficult to Remove'. Problem solved!!! So, if I don't answer the phone, I am probably in the shower!" All these years I thought it was from eating too much chocolate! Beings that is the ONLY kind of shampoo I use, I did not stand a chance! (~:

I know I posted this song on here a couple years ago when we were facing medical things with Amber, but I had to do it again. It is a favorite of mine. I need to share something with this song that happened this past week. On a day when I was particularly worried, and I went out in the garage to do my daily elliptical, I cranked the radio, and this song was the very first thing that came on. I figured it was just a coincidence, but the next day I went out, it happened again! Another coincidence? Maybe, but I like to believe it was a Promise and the encouragement I needed...

Casting Crowns "Praise You in the Storm"

A Fun Date and A Prayer Request

Well, it seems like so much has happened in the past week! First of all, I did go to a lady doctor that gave me satisfaction on my hair problem. She did a full panel of blood work, all of which came back normal. She said that if our body goes through an extreme change whether it be dieting, stress, or medical problems, it goes into trauma mode and will fall out. It can be something we experienced months before. So the conclusion is that my hair was traumatized from dieting, then when I started to home-school, ( which was a very stressful time for me, and my hair did start to fall out a little over a month after I started), my hair said 'ya know what, we had enough, were outa here!' The doc recommended some supplements, and some special shampoo that costed more than I ever thought shampoo could cost! So now I have to be patient! )~:
On a much more important note, a prayer request for Marissa. About a year ago I noticed a dark area under her thumb nail. When she went to the pediatrician for her three year check-up I mentioned it to the doctor cause I till then noticed it was getting darker. She had never seen anything like it and referred us to a dermatologist. She said it is either a skin pigment that is putting out dark color or Melanoma. She sent us to the surgeon for a second opinion. We were there on Monday, he said he sees no choice but to go with a biopsy especially since it was changing. We are looking for that to be on this coming Tuesday. It will be at a Children's hospital in Augusta that I really like. I don't know an exact time yet. They will make a slice in her nail at the dark spot, remove the dark area and do an immediate pathology test. If it comes back positive they will amputate the thumb at her knuckle at that time since she will already be in surgery. He said that is the only way to get rid of it and we should not need more treatment than that. If it is negative, they will stitch the area, and put her thumb in a splint. Once the stitches are out, they will mend her nail back together. He seems pretty confident that it is not the Melanoma, but cannot say for certain. I guess I am nervous cause I have seen it changing in just the last week. It started as a dark line going up the length of her nail, but is now spreading along the bottom of her nail. (I have a picture at the bottom of this post). Rissa is very scared and full of questions, will it hurt, will I need a shot, can you go with me and so on. I don't want her to be un-prepared for anything, for her that would be worse than knowing what is going on, so I try to be honest without creating more fear.

Making Valentine cards


Last Friday I was really in the mood for a date. Since that was not possible, I improvised. The girls thought this was so much fun to surprise Daddy. I carried the kitchen table out to the deck, (of course it did not fit through the back door, so I had to carry it around the house) and we set it with candles and my good dishes. I told David I had a very busy day, could he please bring some Chinese carry-out home for supper. When he got home, he wondered where the table was. I tried to convince him that our crazy kids had been dancing on top the table and it busted, but he did not believe me. (~: The girls took him out to his date on the deck. It was fun, even though it had gotten colder than I expected. After supper we all watched a movie together.

I sometimes feel my kids are picky eaters, but they all actually really like Chinese food...

...even Treyton!

Foxy was always present waiting for any crumbs to fall.

We all love Daddy!

Jenny thought this was a fun skills project in school. She made it with play-doh

I sometimes worry that Treyton is surrounded by too many girls, he did his hair this way, and left it in better than the girls do! (~:

Rissa's thumb, I could not get a good picture.

Waiting for Spring

Ok, I am back. I know, I should have lots of pictures, but sorry, I don't. Life has been busy as usual. We are working hard at school, and David has been working ALOT still trying to get caught up from our PA visit!
I know I have been neglectful of the blog these days. Any time I spend on the computer anymore is for doing medical research, and till I am bleary-eyed from that, I don't feel much inspiration to blog. I mentioned in an earlier post about losing hair from weight loss. Well, I have moved from the losing hair, to the don't have any hair category, really. I think I can about give David a run for his money on who is the most bald anymore! (: Not quite but too close for my comfort! I have officially quarantined myself from going into the public, so good-bye world until farther notice! I thankfully have a very understanding husband who allows me this little bit of dignity! After getting blown off by my regular doctor 3 times, (it was obvious to me he was not the one going bald, cause he did not give a rip!), I decided to do a doc change. I really wanted to find a Nutritionist, but I could not find one. So, I hope I get some answers today! I have a feeling he will say that I have depleted myself of protein/nutrition by dieting too hard and that 700 calories a day doesn't cut it. I hate to find out how long it will be till I have hair again, I read that your hair grows about a 1/4 inch a month!? ):
Well, enough about me. I had intended on writing about the joys of being a mother and how I would not trade it for the world. Even if that means finding your six year old soundly sleeping in the middle of the night in a huge amount of puke. Yes, I cannot figure out how she could puke that much and not wake up. When I found her, she was contentedly sleeping with it dried on her face, in her hair and all over her side of the bed and floor! I spent an hour cleaning it up, not what I want to be doing at 1am! I asked David why it is always the Moms who are expected to clean up the disgusting messes! Like when you decide to give your little boy prune juice to get things moving in the digestive area, and not being familiar with how well that method works, allow him to drink the whole can. It was not long till he came to me and said, "I reek". Well, he did more than reek! David and I sometimes joke about trading jobs for the day to give each other a break. But that break comes for me when my little three year old throws her arms around me and tells me I am her princess and she loves me sooo much. Or when I find a little note on my mirror from my oldest thanking me for all I do and for being the best mommy. Sorry Honey, but you can keep your job at the shop, I am content just doing what I already am! (:

We had a few days of warm weather that gave us all spring fever!

Treyton playing with his favorite toys. Maybe he is going to follow in Grandpa's footsteps and be a farmer?

Spring is in the air! I think we are all anxious for winter to end! David tilled my garden on Saturday. Till he was finished, it had doubled in size! I hope it is a little self-helping, cause till school is done, I am not sure when I will be able to garden that amount!

After a hard day of playing

One change we made last week. We turned Treys room into a boys room! Also, for the first time in 8 years, my house is crib free! ( I sold it) I guess I should not say too much, when my Mom sold all her baby things, my little brother decided he wanted to join our family too!
(Treyton is now waiting for a toddler or twin bed)

Well, I guess Treyton would not mind if I did say too much, cause his new thing right now is "baby". (: