Grandfather to start treatment on March 30th

Hey all, my Dad will start his radiation treatment on Monday, March 30th and will have to go to MDAnderson every day, Monday through Friday, for six weeks. There is a myriad of side effects, some short term, some long term. Hopefully the worst he will have to endure is dry mouth, although if you've ever really had dry mouth you know that that's not fun in itself. I guess everything is relative.

Everyone here is doing well. Ryan is getting excited to see his Grandpa John and his Grandma Belle in the next couple of weeks. He will turn 11 months this Saturday - I can't believe he's almost 1!!!

The Baby Girl is doing great, growing like she is supposed to and making me more uncomfortable every day! That's okay though. Big is beautiful, right!?!? Hahahahahah... We are in our 29th week now and we are trying to get to 36 so we have a little less than 7 weeks left! Time flies! The plan, as of today, is to have an "amnio" on Friday, May 8th. If the test shows that her lungs are mature enough, we will have a c-section on Saturday, May 9th. If they're not developed we will wait one more week and then have the baby.

That's about it for us. Ryan (and Mommy) is hoping to get a puppy dog for his birthday (even the pediatrician recommends it!) but Daddy doesn't want to comply. Maybe one day... Maybe a little girl will help change his mind. He has no idea the control a little girl can have over her daddy... This should be fun to watch!! :)

Until next time...

Pregnancy Update - 28 weeks!

Hey all! We met with the high-risk pregnancy doctor on Friday and got to see our baby girl (on the ultrasound machine of course). It was kind of neat because Grandma Margaret got to see the baby also. It was fun to share that with her. All is well - no news is good news - he just reiterated everything that we'd heard before. The baby is growing like she should be (one of the risks of placenta previa is that there is not adequate blood circulation from the placenta to the baby and that can affect the baby's growth and development) but she is a strong 2 lbs, 12 oz - we are so proud! The doctor reminded us of some of the other risks of the complications of this pregnancy and checked to see if the placenta has moved. There was little chance of it moving from the bottom to the top (where it's supposed to be) so they checked it, but it didn't move. So, right now the plan is that if there are no further bleeds we will get to 35-36 weeks and then do an amniocentesis (where they take a sampling of the amniotic fluid through my abdomen) to check the baby's lung maturity. I think it's amazing that they can tell if her lungs are mature just from the amniotic fluid! Anyway, at that point, if her lungs are developed we will deliver the next day and if not we will wait another week or so and then deliver at that time, by c-section of course. We can't afford to risk any contractions as that increases the risk of hemorrhaging and could put my life in serious danger. So, 36 weeks puts us somewhere around the second week of May, depending if they do it at the beginning of the 36th week or the end.

I will meet with my regular OB later this week and let you know if anything changes!

Yesterday my Aunt Jeni and Uncle Mohammed came over and made Kabsa (an arabic chicken-and-rice dish). It was SO good. My cousin Mishial had a few of her Arabic friends over as well and all had a great time. We ate traditional Saudi style - on the floor with no table and chairs. I'm sad that Aunt Jeni and Uncle Mohammed had to go back to Jeddah (they were only in town while Mishial was on Spring Break) and I can't wait to see them in the summer with the boys.

Ryan, Shane, and I had a pretty quiet day today. Grandma was out most of the day so the three of us just hung out on the air mattress in the living room for much of the day. Ryan is learning how to throw a ball and had so much fun laughing (a full belly laugh) when Daddy would throw the ball off his head (he threw it off his own head - he was not bouncing it off Ryan's head). Ryan was a sure chatterbox today! We have no idea what he was saying but he was saying it a bunch! It was so much fun - too bad the work week starts tomorrow.

xoxoxo,
Becca, Shane, Ryan, and Baby Girl

Sad day for The Lange Family

Yesterday evening our sweet Chocolate Lab, Chief, passed away. He was 14. Grandfather, Sir brought Chief down to San Antonio on Tuesday so that he wouldn't be left alone in Midland while he is going through his radiation treatment in Houston and he was staying at my brother Matthew's house with his Chocolate Lab, Beau Jangles. Chief was a dear member of our family, he was the last puppy from the last litter that our beloved Hershey mothered. He was born my Freshman year of High School and I've always considered him "my dog." His favorite thing was to get the paper every morning and was able to do that yesterday morning (even though my brother and his wife don't actually get the paper delivered - maybe he got the neighbor's??). He will be buried down at Grandma Eunice's Ranch. Shane took Ryan and I over to my brother's yesterday - we were trying to get there for Chief's last few moments - we were about 5 minutes too late. I'm glad that I was able to see Chief (on a very temporary reprieve from bed rest) though our hearts are still heavy this morning. It was interesting to see my brother's children deal with death - Max (almost 7) was very mature, he was visibly saddened but coped with it better than I did, petting Chief and assuring Beau Jangles that everything would be okay. Juliette (5), the dog lover like her Aunt Becca, was just crying and crying, like her Aunt Becca. Alexis (3) was somber and just hugged me for a long time while I sat in front of Chief. There is such comfort in children, I'm so proud of them, and I'm grateful to have spent the time with them.

Update on Grandfather, Sir: Dad got a tooth pulled yesterday morning in Houston and is recovering well. He and mom came back to San Antonio yesterday afternoon. He will be back in Houston on March 17th to be fitted for a mask that will guide the radiation and also be fitted for a device that will push his tongue as far away from the radiation as possible and also to meet with the group of doctors that are working on his case for the the final "plan of attack." Progress is slow, it seems, and MDAnderson doctors don't seem too concerned about life outside of MDAnderson. There is never more than one appointment in one day (even if it's just a consult) so Mom and Dad have had to "waste" most of the days waiting for one appointment and then the next day do it again to meet with a different doctor - not very efficient and VERY frustrating.

Update on me: I got news yesterday that I am NOT diabetic (thank Heavens!) so I don't have to restrict my diet like I thought. Today I am 27 weeks pregnant, so we have 9 more weeks to go! This week I had a lot of helpers while Mom was in Houston with Dad. Emily Middleton came over again this week - she spent more than 12 hours with me on Wednesday - we had so much fun! She showed me her handmade cards and I taught her how to make bows! Thursday, my cousin Mishial came over early early, and then Shane's Aunt Phyllis came over for the rest of the day. She helped me make some decorations for a baby shower (yes I can do that laying down) and we just enjoyed each other's company - laughing mostly and then crying together when I found out about Chief. I know I've said this before but we are so blessed to have such special people in our lives. Thank you thank you. (And thanks to everyone who brought food over this week - Scott and Sarah, Emily, Phyllis, and Matt and Lisette. That takes such a burden off of all of us - and it has been very enjoyable.) Also, thanks Grandpa John and Grandma Belle - the cleaning service was FANTASTIC - our house feels so clean!

Until next time,
Becca

Diabetes Testing

I went for the Gestational Diabetes 1-hour Test (also known as Glucose Tolerance Test) on Friday and got the results today. The test checks to see how effectively my body processes sugar. They'd like the results to be 135 milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood plasma or under and mine was a whopping 177!! That doesn't mean I HAVE gestational diabetes, it just means I need further testing. I will do the 3-hour test soon - I really hope that I DON'T have diabetes (obviously) - it can really complicate the problem that we are having now. (My good friend Michelle had gestational diabetes with her baby and the doctor had her restrict her diet, check her blood sugar levels, and walk the neighborhood every couple of hours! She couldn't stop moving! How will I be on bedrest AND keep exercising??!?!?) All doctors and probably all patients have different protocols on how to deal with it so we'll just have to wait and see the results from this next round of testing.

"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you." (Kristen Faudree Mar 13, 1980 - Nov 22, 2008)

Baby Registry

Some people have been asking... I have made a Baby Registry at Babies R' Us - if you want to look at it you can see it online (babiesrus.com) or in a store but be sure to choose the registry from 2009 or you'll be looking at the registry we did last year for Ryan!

Thanks!

26 weeks pregnant and other miscellanous updates

I had a appointment with my OB on Wednesday and the baby sounded good. We bombarded the doctor with all kinds of questions about what may or may not happen over the next couple of months, questions about her philosophy on things, how she normally performs procedures, and all kinds of things. Poor thing should have cleared her morning schedule to talk to us - we took up so much of her time. I have so much time to just research all kinds of things on the internet - I probably read TOO much and then ask too many questions! Ha! She answered everything (with a smile), added an iron pill to my regiment, and sent us on our way.

Today I did the gestational diabetes testing (they test everyone these days) and should find out the results on Monday. We have an appointment with the high-risk pregnancy doctor in 2 weeks and then a follow-up with my OB the following week.

Grandpa got the results from the chest x-ray and the CT scan and both came back normal so the cancer has not spread to his lungs or lymph nodes respectively. This was a proactive measure to make sure we were not dealing with something even more complex so we are considering it good news. Radiation will begin two weeks from next Thursday (or thereabout).

Ryan got his first tooth yesterday (yahoo!) and definitely has the drool to show for it! He has learned to clap and also learned his part of peek-a-boo if there is an available blanket lying around. He's not walking quite yet but tests his balance without holding on to anything - he lasts about half a second and then succumbs to wobbly gravity. It's pretty fun to watch him!

Thank you to all the kind people that have helped out this week - on Monday Brooks, Kristen, and Brooklyn came over for a visit and brought yummy food, Stephanie came over with fruit and entertainment, and Letty brought communion. Grandma was sick on Tuesday (hey - who's taking care of whom?) and Amy and the kids brought dinner over and Sarah helped with Ryan in the evening. Wednesday Grandma and Grandpa went to Houston so Shane stayed home and took Ryan and I both to our doctor appointments (Ryan has thrush - yuck!) and Sarah helped us with Ryan again in the evening. Then on Thursday (Grandma and Grandpa still in Houston) my cousin Mishial came in the morning, my friend Emily came for the bulk of the day with lunch and made dinner, and then Aunt Mary took the late afternoon! Whew! So many kind people thinking of us and helping us get through this incredibly trying and humbling time. Thank you Thank you. The food has been SO DELICIOUS and takes so much off our plate (hahahha - kind of a backwards pun I think)! And thanks Sarah, in advance, for helping with Ryan tomorrow. You are truly a blessing and you are going to make a great Aunt!! We can't wait!

That's all I have for now. This is longer than I thought it would be but sometimes its just like that I guess! I'm looking forward to the weekend - that means another week has passed without us being in the hospital! :)

Talk to you all soon - feel free to comment on any of our blogs - we'd love to hear from the people keeping up with us!

Lots of love,
Becca and family

Update on Grandpa at MDAnderson

Dad had his first couple of appointments at MDAnderson yesterday and today. Yesterday he met with the Head and Neck Oncologist who sent him for some testing. He had a chest x-ray to see if the cancer had spread into his lungs and also a CT scan to see if the cancer had spread into his lymph nodes. Both of these are unlikely because the cancer that was removed from his salivary gland a few weeks ago was "totally encapsulated" and had "no positive margins" but we don't want to assume anything. We will find out the results from those tests next week. Today he met with the oral surgeon to see if he needs to have any teeth pulled (the radiation can cause some problems to the jaw bone). He will have to have one tooth pulled. He will meet with the radiologist next Wednesday and have the tooth pulled next Thursday. After pulling the tooth he will have to wait 2 weeks and then start radiation. Radiation will last for 6 weeks, will be administered at MDAnderson in Houston, and will only take about 15 minutes a day.

I will update this as we learn more...