Merry Christmas!

"In this world you will have tribulation..." John 16:33 . Jesus went on to say "...but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
O Come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O Come ye, O Come ye, to Bethlehem,
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels,
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

What a wonderful time of year to rejoice and be glad because He has come. "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the city of David, a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

Savior - how precious that word is for us and the overwhelming impact it has on those who accept Him as their Savior. He is our hope in this sinful world and our salvation out of this sinful world.

Sorry we haven't written in a while. Having too much fun enjoying "Christmas". I've been pondering in my heart this Christmas and what it means to "Come let us adore Him". We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Such sweet memories for all of us. Doug's younger brother John and his 17 yr old son Francesco are with us until Jan. 6th. We are having delightful time with them.

Last week they hydrated me on Wed and Friday to "tank me up" for Christmas. They take such good care of me. I have been feeling good and thank you for all your prayers. I'm sleeping well and those waves of anxiety have dissipated. My air exchange is just fine for now. I can go grocery shopping, run errands, work around the house. Just pace myself. So for now, the idea of a trac is put on the back burner. Also we got two doctors opinions about the feeding tube and for now since I can swallow food and drink, they can't recommend it. So, will keep praying about chemo and further treatments. Dr Tezcan is trying to find a combo that won't be so nauseating for me.

The wedding plans are coming along just great. Hannah is a little stressed so pray for her. I'm loving it all. Can't wait for the day (Jan. 5th)

Nathan has received such wonderful support from all of you. Thank you for all your love, prayers on his behalf. He is doing well. Michelle is staying strong relying on the Lord for her peace and strength. God Bless.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Oh how we Vetschs love the snow. We went out in the hot tub early Saturday morning. There was snow on all the aspen branches overhead of us, and it would blow down on us. We are so enjoying the hot tub my family bought us last Spring. We went sledding at the golf course that afternoon. I sat and watched with such fun memories. The older kids have been up to Schweitzer and Silver Mountains to snowboard. They love the new Quad lift improvements. Several of the kids are switching back to skiing.
This was a good week for gaining new perspective on my situation. Just have not been comfortable and been doing ALOT of enduring. Doug and I made an appointment with Susan Herbst (Physician assistant at Cancer Center) to talk about it and options for further comfort. We talked about pain management, my weight and dehydration issues. We decided to pursue a feeding tube. One of my doctors has already said it isn't warranted. Will you please pray about this matter as we pursue mor opinions. Also we continue to pray about further chemo treatments which are causing such nausea and dry heaves. One more thing, the trach is still an option that I find myself wanting to do after Hannah's wedding. We desire God's will be done and that all of it would be to Glorify Him.
I have a huge praise in that the moments of anxiety are much better. When they wash over me, I have purposefully given them to the Lord. He is in charge of all the details of death and loved ones left behind. And all the other concerns a mother's heart has.

I'm sorry I haven't written lately. I've been struggling with health issues and time has gotten away from us. I did do the new chemo drug last Thursday. It went real well with no reactions. Over the weekend, I started to get nauseated, dehydrated and couldn't stop dry heaving. Sunday afternoon we went into the ER and they were so sweet to me. I received 2 Liters of fluid and an IV shot of anti nausea medicine. Oh, by evening I was feeling so much better. Continue to deal with waves of anxiety. I think its a side effect of my pain meds. I will inquire about this matter. Sleep continues to be an issue although my breathing is doing well. I'm really trying to keep my thoughts only on Jesus BUT having moments of discouragement. Where great faith lives, fear cannot live. Where great fear exists, no faith can survive.

2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Fear is a product of the devil and Satan will strive to turn my doubts into fears and my fears into panic.
"Lord, I believe, help me in my unbelief." Mark 9:24

We were greeted Sunday morning by a phone call from Nathan in Iraq. It was so wonderful to hear his voice. He is doing well. We do still need to keep praying for his safety even though we hear that it is improving over there. Still in harms way. Also, Hannah had a second Bridal Shower with Jake's side of the family, on Sunday afternoon. She was blessed once again with such sweetness of generosity towards her. We as a family are blessed to have them all in our life.

Glorious Bridal Shower for Hannah

On Saturday, we had a Bridal Shower for our Hannah (Wedding is Jan. 5th, 2008). There were 26 ladies there to celebrate Hannah getting married. We had a very special time with ladies that have been and are a big part of Hannah's life. It was glorious! And the weather outside made it even cozier inside. It had been snowing and more fell that night (about 8"). So it was special.
Since last I talked with you all, I had been sleeping pretty well. On Sunday though I started having waves of anxiety over me. I couldn't figure out if it was anxiety that was triggering shortness of breath or shortness of breath causing the anxiety. It persisted into Monday, so we called Dr. Detar back about this anxiety. And he said that my CO2 level maybe elevated due to inefficient air exchange. So I did blood work and it showed normal. But in the discussion, I discovered that one of the nausea medicines that I had been taking was good for anxiety as well. Once I starting taking it again, my anxiety went away. Praise God! My sleep in the past couple of nights has been somewhat normal. I am also taking a High Calorie, High Protein shake mix usually three times a day and that is going well. Keep praying for weight gain and resting in the Lord for needs of my family. I need to learn to not fight the shortness of breath but relax my way through this and keep my thoughts centered on Him.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Chrst Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7

I Slept Well!!

"The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

I had a very nice sleep last night. YEA! I was able to lay flat and on my side. Now this was while I was in the hospital so that really makes it special. There is still swelling so we are hopeful it will only open more. Saliva, food and liquids are always wanting to go through that open hole into the lungs so I have to really concentrate when eating or drinking. Normally it closes during swallowing but my cords are paralized.
Oh, I am overwhelmed with gratefulness for the success of the surgery. Thank you for all your prayers. It was such a hard week with the breathing issue.
Pray that I will not be weak in faith or fearful from present, momentary suffering. Our Father's love is too great for these feelings. May I only ponder with great joy the anticipation of seeing Jesus and "the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

More Surgery

I went to see Dr. DeTar, my throat doctor, on Tuesday morning about my difficulty breathing since last Wednesday. The airway has shrunk even more with no real apparent reason. We talked in depth again about a trach. This would be the best solution but one I didn't want to do. I can't go on this way though with breathing so labored and sleeping is a nightmare. Wednesday morning at 0700 am at KMC, Dr. DeTar will try taking out some implants we had put in the voice box area (months ago) to beef up the one vocal cord to make me talk better. Dr. DeTar hopes this will give me some space to open up the airway and improve my air exchange. I am very hopeful this will work but trying to surrender it all to Jesus and accept what lies ahead, fixing my eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).

It was a Blast!

"To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work with in us, to Him be the glory." Ephesians 3:20-21

Thank you for all your prayers for us over the week at Stoneridge. They were very small units but we all made the best of it and we had a wonderful week. We swam, played basketball, had fierce wally-ball competitions, boardgames, puzzles and plenty of vegging out.
Something happened in my voice box Tuesday PM which has made breathing and talking more difficult. I also got a cold and unfortunately by Friday AM, I was very ill and dehydrated. I got admitted over at KMC for hydration and to fine tune some other things and now it is Saturday 2mp and I am home again. Ready to hit the road again. Amazing how sick you can feel and 24 hrs later feel so much better. We are so blessed with out health care.
This week I'll go see Dr. Detar as to what happened in my voice box. While in the hospital, the family started getting Christmas decorations out, so we'll happily finish that up on Sunday evening. Kayla won tickets for whole family to go on a Holiday Lights Cruise to see Christmas lights around the resort on Coeur d'Alene lake. We are excited. Laura also sings at the Festivals of Trees at the resort on Sunday afternoon.
My prayer for all of us in the coming weeks is that more time would be spent with our Lord reflecting on God's precious gift for us rather than focusing on our dreaded 'To Do' list. (Oh I am so guilty)
Love to All, Susan

The Lord is Near!

"The times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" Acts 3:19
I didn't sleep well last night. Got up early and had a wonderful quite time with the Lord. So amazing that I, Susan Vetsch, can have full access to God Almighty on a couch in Blanchard, ID.
The appointment with Dr. Tezcan was yesterday, Monday at 10:00 am. A big concern right now is my weight (110 lbs). He is putting me on an appetite stimulant to help with gaining weight. I'm going to start a new chemo drug next week. Will do one dose in December and then in January we'll go every 3rd week with it. It does cause nausea and nerve damage to hands and feet. The nausea causes concern with my lost of weight so I will go on a low dose steriod to see if that helps control it. Pray that I would tolerate the side effects and wisdom and peace to know how far and how long to fight.
Please also continue to pray that all of this would bring Glory to God and completeness to our family. Proverbs 14:30 says "A heart at peace gives life to the body."
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

Also keep praying for Nathan. He is doing fine, seeing alot of Iraq. The holidays are hard to be away. For those that are thinking of Christmas gifts to Nathan, go ahead and send them individually to his mailing address, he would love them. His address is:

Cpl. VETSCH, Nathan
1/10 P Battery 5/14
Unit 73323
FPOAE 09509-3323

Sometimes No News is Good News

I know that a lot of you have been wondering what is up with us, so that is why we titled this the way we did. I am enjoying no chemo but I am still dealing with nausea and dry heaves on a random basis. Most of the time though I am feeling good. Enjoying the normalcy of life, including cooking, cleaning, raking leaves, etc. On Sunday, I drove over to Chewelah, WA to spend the night and all day Monday with my sister Jeanne. She is part of the traveling RN program and picked up the job for a couple of months in Chewelah so that she can be close to us. This coming Monday, I will see Dr. Tezcan to see what to do next. Pray for us as we decide further treatments for my cancer. We will be going to Stoneridge Resort nearby for Thanksgiving week starting this Friday. Pray that we all have a special family time, enjoying all of our personalities while living in such tight quarter (get my point) or should I say pray that we don't get on each others nerves. God Bless and enjoy Thanksgiving. We are so blessed!

Susan's Week

Susan did not do her usual chemo treatment this week. After a tough week last week, she decided not to do the chemo and we all agreed. She had a great weekend, bouncing back from the week. Her hydration on Friday really helped her recovery over the weekend. Now on Monday, she still had to go in to get her Herceptin treatment. Herceptin is an immune system (antibody like) drug which is for certain cancer patients. Susan has been on it periodically in the past few years. After Mondays treatment of Herceptin, she got sick throughout the evening. After sleeping and now into Tuesday, she is doing better. Pray that this is short lived and she continues to do well. Also pray for her weight. Even though she has been eating more, her weight yesterday hasn't changed. It may take weeks to really see a trend. Thanks for all your prayers. We are doing great! Jason's musical has been a hit and they have four more performances this week. Susan and Michelle plan on going again.

' "My Grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ' 2 Corinthians 12:9

High School Musical

Tonight we all went to Coeur d'Alene High School's play this year called "High School Musical". Jason, our Senior, was a basketball player in the play. The Vetsch family isn't known for the 'Arts' so we were very excited to go see him. And he was great up on stage. He really has been having fun with the whole production. Yes as you can see, I am feeling better. They got me on some steriods to appease side effects from the chemo. It is official: I won't do chemo this coming Monday. Yea!! I will see Dr. Tezcan on Nov 19th for further options and treatments. In the meantime, I will use time to get stronger and to gain some desperately needed weight. I am so looking forward to precious family time over the holidays. Words can not express all the gratefulness for your prayers, love and support for us.

Hanging in there

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121
Hi ALL,
My hill is Canfield Mountain that is just east of us by about a mile. From our front room couch I can see a full view of it. These verses have kept me going through this week. Thank you for all your prayers on my behalf. Still very nauseated and can't eat much BUT NO dry heaves in the past couple of days, PTL! We thought I was getting hydrated because I have been drinking enough, I thought. But today at 3:30 pm I will go down to the Cancer Center and get hydrated through my veins. That will be good for me. We are still planning to cancel next weeks chemo treatment. I have peace about it and the family supports the decision. It gets REALLY wearing on me and the family, me being so sick. My days are blessed, enjoying the sun outside and resting. I have had a chance to pray for all you dear people in our lives. Our son Jason has been in his high school play. Its the "High School Musical" and he has a dancing and group singing part. He has been having fun with that. Something different than sports. Well we go to the play tonight and pray that I will be up to going. I should be feeling good after getting hydrated at the Cancer Center. Thank you all for your comments on the blog and your emails. God Bless!!!!

Another Tough Week

Susan had her chemo treatment on Monday. It was the second of her three treatments in this cycle. She has been experiencing really bad nausea with frequent bouts of dry heaving. Today she is in bed taking it easy. Pray that the nausea and dry heaves are short lived and that she keeps up on her liquids and food. Also pray about a decision not to have the third treatment next week. We plan on talking to the doctor today about that decision. These treatments have been really hard on Susan. We keep looking to God as our true source of strength and peace.

Great Fall Days!!

We have been having beautiful fall days this year. We have been collecting apples from friends and neighbors to have made into apple cider. We took all the apples up by Bonner's Ferry, Idaho to a farm that has a big heavy duty apple press. We made 52 gallons of fresh yummy apple cider. And we all had a great time on such a beautiful fall day. Of course a lot of the cider will go as gifts to friends. And plenty to have in the freezer, to enjoy throughout the year. The picture is at the farm just after making the cider. Susan has been feeling better each day and is ready for her next round of chemo on Monday morning at 10:30 am. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Here is Nathan by one of the trucks that they have been driving. He mans a 50 cal machine gun. He thanks you all for your prayers. Susan has had a good week considering all that she has gone through with the chemo on Monday. Yesterday and today have been rough but she has been laying low and has been eating and keeping up on her water intake. She is constantly awed by the fact that through God's provisions and the support through all of you, her only job is to get well. She thinks of other woman that have to continue working and provide for their families while dealing with health issues. We are so grateful.

A Family Weekend!

A wonderful weekend with my brother Bob and his wife Penny (from Bozeman, MT) and brother Rory and his wife Connie along with their kids, Dillon and Mikayla (from Gig Harbor, WA). We had great visits and great food provided by several friends. We made carmel corn, carmel apples and carved some pumpkins. We even introduced them to the game of BUNKO. It was soo good to see my family. And then on Sunday my sister Jeannie came over from Chawelah, WA where she is working temporarily as an RN. Jeannie stayed Sunday night and went with me for my Chemo treatment today. I was feeling pretty good through the day but by night time I was ready to go to bed. Gotta keep up on my meds at the prescribed time to stay on top of the pain. I wanted to share with you a picture of the family with my brothers and their families. It was good to have everyone near this weekend. You are all such a blessing to me and my family. Thank you all for your concerns and prayers. God Bless you all!

Great News!

We are just praising the Lord for the results! The tumors were down 50%. Dr. Tezcan was very pleased with the results. What a humbling place to be before our Savior at the Cancer Center. Many other patients today did not receive such wonderful news. Thank you all for you prayers on our behalf. With such good results, Dr. Tezcan wants to stay the course and keep doing what we are doing. It was one of those "Are you serious?" moments. I asked if he thought I could handle anymore. He was positive I could. He also talked about a new chemo drug just approved last week. So there is yet another chemo option. So three more weeks of the current chemo cocktail and then another cat scan. As shocked as I am about doing the hard chemo, I am so thankful and praising the Lord that He continues to give me options. There will come a day when there are no more options. So with that I will continue to run the race. I can't express enough how we appreciate your love, support and prayers.

There's No Place Like Home

Thank you everyone for praying me home. It is so wonderful to be back in my family's presence. My pain is under control but still dealing with nausea especially right after I eat. I have an appointment with my oncologist on Thursday, 0930 am, to go over my cat scan results. Over the past two months, it has been amazing to see the outpowering of love and support and prayers on our behalf. It has truly carried us along. We will report the doctors results as soon as possible. Our email address: dougvetsch@roadrunner.com .

Susan is Back Home!

Susan came home today. It took a little more time than we thought for Susan to finish the prescribed amount of water and food before the doctors would release her. But everyone was excited to have mom back home again. This is a picture out front of the house with some of the corn stalk decorations we got at Carver Farms on Sunday. Susan was impressed with our decorating. We are going to stay up on her pain meds and not get behind like we did last week. Cat scans tomorrow at 10:20 am. Pray for the cancer sites to be radically smaller. Thanks again for all your prayers and getting Susan through this.

Good News!

Susan had a great day today! First she has been eating more in the hospital. And looking better every minute. The doctors also still concerned about the pain concentrated around her stomach wanted to do a brain MRI to count that out. There has been a correlation in other patients with the same symptoms. The MRI showed no brain tumor activity. Praise God!! By the time I got up to the hospital today, the doctor already had Susan off of the Morphine that she was on for the past couple of days. She is now only on her oral pain meds which are now controlling the pain. This is huge! The doctors are now saying that she could be heading home on Monday morning. So this is our prayer right now, that she comes home on Monday. The PRAISE is that all your prayers have given the doctors wisdom for direction in the proper meds to presribe to Susan and the pain is now under control. She is doing super considering the past week of post-chemo side effects. Thank You! The family picture here is of today's Carver Farms activities. Susan was not there of course but she wanted us to still go and post a picture of most of us. Also check out our handsome marine Nathan, pictured on the right column of this blog. He is doing great!

Another Day

Susan is still in the hospital. She is resting comfortably but would rather be home. Her stomach continues to burn with pain and she has low grade nausea even though she is on nausea meds. Doctors plan on doing further tests to see what might be causing the pain in her stomach and the nausea. Today was just a glorious day outside and Susan was just itching to get outside. Our son Jason had a championship playoff Soccer game in town and Susan wanted to ask the doctor if she would be allowed to go to the game under my care then return to the hospital. I wasn't there when the doctor visited with Susan, but I really wanted to see his expression when she requested it. She didn't make the game. And Jason's team won the big game. I'd say that she is slowly coming around. She was willing to get up and about to do the things she loves dispite her condition. She continues to amaze me. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and the course of action to understand the stomach issues. Thanks to all of you. Oh by the way, we are back and running on the computer back home. Email us at: dougvetsch@roadrunner.com .

Rough Week

As of this afternoon, Susan has been admitted into Kootenai Medical Hospital. She is fine mostly, but has had a bad week after her chemo treatment on Monday. Tuesday night, all day Wednesday and today, Susan has been in bed too nauseated to eat, drink or get around. So today, she was admitted into the hospital to get hydrated and get on some pain meds to get the pain and discomfort under control under nursing care. She could be in the hospital for 1-2 days. We will keep you posted. Susan has lost some weight this week that is concerning. So the hospital is a good place to be right now, so they can keep her under observation. Pray that her pain and nausea are controlled and SHE EATS! Pray for the family for it has been hard to see Susan in this condition. We are heading up to the hospital right now. Talk to you all later.... Thanks for all your love, prayers and support.

Concert Tonight!

Doug and I just got back from the Casting Crowns Concert over in Spokane. Was very good. Doug & I always have such a sweet time when we worship the Lord together.
I go for my 3rd week of chemo tomorrow, Monday at 10:20 am. This was a harder week for me. Much more bed rest than I've ever had. New levels of surrender, trust and peace having to be sought as we look to our Lord.

Roof Transformation

Nathan made it safely to Iraq. Here is his address:
Cpl. VETSCH, Nathan
1/10 P Battery 5/14
Unit 73323
FPOAE 09509-3323

He is settling in. He has called several times now. Michelle is doing well. Thank you so much for your prayers for them.

The Vetsch house is in the process of a new roof. (Picture: Susan supervising, a good job for her) Hard work but thanks to many friends (ones that knew what they were doing, too!) it became a steady project that is finally done. We are thankful for smooth sailing and still laughing over all the memories of the weekend. Chemo again was on Monday, 0130 pm. This will be my 2nd treatment for this round. Cat scan on October 16th to see how this is working. I am able to do things around the house and yard but at a slower pace. I truly am enjoying life. I am doing well solely do to all your prayers that keep me going with the Lord's Grace. "For I have learned to be CONTENT in whatever circumstances I am." Philippians 4:11

Thank you all that helped on the new roof. You are all blessings to us. May God Bless you for your out reach. Be praying for the chemo to do its job.

Leah is back, Nathan is gone

We are so sorry we haven't updated in a week. Doug was out of town and our computer is still down. We should have it back this Friday. I changed my chemo day to Monday so by the weekend I hope to be feeling better to get in some good family time. ALso this way the 5 younger kids and I can get to night class Bible Study Fellowship on Monday with little problem.
Lots of family news. Leah has been over by Pendleton, OR all summer fighting forest fires. Well she finished up over this past weekend and got settled in her new house with several other girls in Spokane, WA to continue with school at Eastern Washington University. She is a senior going for her Elementary Education Degree. Nathan leaves from the west coast on Friday for Iraq. It will be a 22 hour trip. So pray for Nathan's travels and keep him in your daily prayers as he goes to war. As for myself, I am tired these days. Pray for the effectiveness of the chemo that it would prolong my days. In several weeks the cat scans will be big in this course of treatment. God Bless you all. Thanks for all you do!!!!!

Nice Break From Chemo

My parents left today to start the long trek back to Phoenix. Pray for safety as they return to AZ. We all had a sweet visit with them. We played lots of board games which I just love, especially when I win. Well, tomorrow (Friday) I get another round of chemo. It has been a nice two week break. The plan right now is to finish this cycle of chemo through the next month and then get another set of CAT SCANS. Be praying for the effectiveness of the chemo to reduce the cancer sites and for my reactions to the chemo, especially the third day after. My weight is maintaining but should be gaining.

The JOY of the Lord!

"The JOY of the Lord is your STRENGTH" Nehemiah 8:10

Thank you all dear family, friends and neighbors for all of your love and support in the form of prayers, meals, emails, encouraging words and helping get kids to and fro. It is a busy life but when we stop and abide in Him with all your help, we do gain strength that can only come from Him. Susan has been in Billings, MT visiting uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, etc. She has had an incredible time visiting. Keeping up on her meds and getting adequate sleep has helped to give her a very special time with her parents on this trip. They travel back today. Jack and Mary Carol will stay for a couple more days after that. Nathan left last Friday and made it back to N. Carolina with his unit. I have included a picture of Nathan on this blog so that you can pray for him as well. They will leave for Iraq by end of this month. We still do not have the computer back yet, but the good news is that everything was recovered on the hard drive. So praises for that. Will be back up soon. For now, send emails to me at work doug.vetsch@navy.mil (click on this link to compose an email and send).

VISITORS

My parents drove up from Arizona and arrived safely Wednesday afternoon. My sister and brother-in-law came over from Red Lodge Montana last night. Such sweet fellowship in the front room last night. This afternoon we will all watch the boys soccer games. Then tonight, we will have a big BBQ as we cherish our last night with Nathan before he flies out to N. Carolina and then to Iraq later this month. Pray for PEACE, JOY and STRENGTH as we all emotionally deal with our good byes to Nathan. Please especially pray for Michelle, Nathan's wife. She has been so strong but it is very hard on her. It has been a blessed visit by Nathan.
P.S. I feel better each day. I have been off this week from Chemo so I rejoice in that. I plan to drive over to Billings MT with my parents to visit extended family and spend more time with Mom and Dad. Pray for me and traveling 500 miles.

Good Weekend, Again!

We are so sorry for the lack of communication on our part. Our computer crashed on Saturday while we were up at Farragut State Park camping with Nathan and Michelle. Of course, we are sick over the potential loss of our pictures and email info. Please pray there will be complete recovery of the hard drive. We had a great time camping, hiking, bike riding, playing games and doing nothing. That is what is so nice about camping, we can just leave things at home and not get caught up in the hustle bustle.
After seeing Dr. Tezcan, Oncologist, on Thursday, he put me on Amend a potent anti-nausea pill. Take one the day of treatment, then one 2 days following. So far just a wonder drug. Feel "rough" but no nausea. Praise the Lord. Oh, I'm still eating too!!!
My brother Rick and his wife Cheryl departed on Friday back to Phoenix, after a 6 day visit with us. We were so blessed by our time with them. Came with servants hearts and serve they did. Thank you again. During this time of computer uncertainty. You can send emails to Doug's email at work. That email is doug.vetsch@navy.mil . Will let you know when we are back up at home.

I'm STARVING!!

Thank you all for your prayer concerning my appetite. I was hungry ALL day yesterday and so of course I ATE all day! It was fun. No calorie watching for me. Along with my appetite I also felt pretty normal. YEA!!! This will be cyclical though I''ll bet. This all was possible with the help of all your prayers, support and meals. Enough of me; Doug, Hannah, Nathan, Michelle and my brother Rick did the Hiawatha Trail on their bicycles yesterday. 20.4 miles through railroad tunnels and over trestle bridges. It was a beautiful day for them. We all played Michigan Rummy after dinner and overflowed the hot tub with 10 of us in a 6 person tub. I have another chemo treatment on Friday. So pray that my appetite keeps going through it all. God Bless!
dougvetsch@roadrunner.com

Nathan is Home

Nathan is home for 11 days. Susan was able to go to the airport and personally greet him along with Michelle and the rest of the family. Here is a picture at the airport. Susan is very tired these days due to the pain meds and chemo drugs. So getting to the airport was a lot for her but nothing could have held her back from seeing Nathan. Keep praying for her appetite to return.

Good Weekend!

(This picture from a recent trip to Glacier NP) Friday night we had a great show of thunder and lightning and Susan just loved it. She watched from outside as a bolt of lightning struck about 1000 feet away. She was sooo excited. Game night was afterward and Susan is so competitive that she still has that drive to win. We have been having a lot of down time and relaxing. Susan can tell she is back on chemo but is coping with it very well. Pray that her appetite improves. Saturday we watched Jason play a great game of soccer. His team won. Mary, Laura and Kayla have been gone camping with friends so it has been quiet around the house. Susan and I went down along the shores of Coeur d'Alene Lake, laid in the grass and watched Les Miserables (the drama) on Susan's portable DVD player. Wonderful movie and what a setting to be with Susan. God provided a nice day! Keep praying that the chemo drugs are attacking the tumors, the pain medicine keeps Susan comfortable and she eats! Thought for the day: "Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional"

"Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14

Chemo Day Today

I will be getting my second dose of chemo this morning. Will be a weekly rotation 3 on and 1 off. Will do that for a couple months and then take tests (cat scans, etc) to see how cancer is responding. Always an adventure to see how the Lord is writing our story.

I continue to be in complete AWE at how God worked out the tracheotomy situation, improving my breathing and not allowing a surgery date until later so it would give me time to reconsider. I am so overwhelmingly grateful that I don't need that procedure done (at least right now). Our son Nathan is coming home in 4 days!!! He is in North Carolina training for his upcoming deployment to Iraq. His second tour. We are sooooo proud of our son. He has a great attitude and is a fine young man. We are all looking forward to his 11 day visit, especially his wife Michelle.

Thought for today: "Happiness is a feeling, JOY is an attitude"

dougvetsch@roadrunner.com

Many Friends

"It is better to weather the storms with Christ than to sail smooth waters without Him". And I add to that "better to sail with many friends in the boat than to go it alone". It continually brings tears to our eyes the outpouring of love, support, meals, cards, words of encouragement and prayer for me and the family. Kurt Elmer blessed us with the installation of a newer dishwasher that Debbie and Dan Morris found for us.
Pain meds continue to be adjusted and bringing blessed relief and comfort. A friend drove me down to Moscow, ID so I could watch Jason and Aaron play high school soccer games. As a parent, it is always such a joy to watch your children's activities. Pray for the children that they would look to God for comfort and strength. Love to all. dougvetsch@roadrunner.com

Just Say 'No' to Trache Tube!

Monday PM: Thank you for answered prayer. Susan's doctors agreed that there is no hurry to have the tracheotomy. Susan just did not feel that it was needed at this point and all agreed. We are still going to see a cardiologist about her heart. She is still feeling OK, comfortable when she stays up on her pain meds. Pray for the cardiologist visit that questions will be answered.
Email address: dougvetsch@roadrunner.com .

Decisions

Monday; Please pray as we reconsider having the tracheotomy surgery on Wed. I just don't know if I want that included in my quality of life. I'm already dealing with my heart issues and side effects of hard chemo. Right now I am comfortable living with what oxygen I get for my activity level right now. Long conversations are the hardest. But with this site and email, we get around that (our email address is ( dougvetsch@roadrunner.com ). I like my wheelchair and it isn't like I'll be running ever again. Another thing is my hot tub. I live in it and love it. But having a trach tube would seriously be an issue. Having a wonderful time with Leah and of course all the kids. Leah goes back to fighting fires in Oregon (summer job for college $) tonight. We are truly being blessed by everyone's love and outpouring of prayers and concern.

Leah came home!

Today, Susan is actually doing well. I think that the pain meds are now taking hold and the pain is in control. We had a good evening on Friday. Leah suprised us all and showed up just when we were falling a sleep. She will be here for three days. Susan was soooo excited. This morning Susan, Leah and Hannah went to pick out flower ideas for Hannah's wedding in January. They were like a bunch of kids. Good times.
"This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us Rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Another Chapter

My dear family and friends,

It is our greatest desire to keep you informed with accurate, detailed information. This blog site seems the best way to do this. Please know how important you are to us. Your concern and care for us at this time means so much.

Let me update you at this point. Monday the 20th, I went to the ER with a heart rate of 174. They stopped my heart and started it with no problems. It continues to run at about 115. Tuesday morning we went to the voice doctor to see why my voice had taken such a turn and why I was having difficulty talking and breathing. Unfortunately, tumors have paralyzed my voice box completely and I am breathing out of a hole the size of a straw.

A tracheotomy is the only solution since this is a permanent condition. This will be performed Wed. the 29th, at KMC at 12:30. I hope to stay 2-3 days to get used to it, how to manage it and most importantly, having time with the Lord. This is going to be a big adjustment for all of us, so we request no visitors so I can save my strength and spend time with the kids as they get comfortable with the new me.

On Wed. the 22nd, I did cat scans with Dr. Tezcan followed by an appointment to go over the results. I had been off chemo since March and since that time the cancer has advanced into the soft tissue of my chest area and torso. We are in a serious spot in this fight in that we need to get ahead of the cancer. For the next 2-3 months we are going to hit it with hard chemo and hope that it will give me more time.

Wed. night I was back at the ER with a heart rate of 188. Once again they stopped my heart and restarted it. It continues to run high but we are trying to manage it with a heart drug. It is not known at this time why it is racing. There are tumors in that area that could be irritating my heart. I am scheduled to see a cardiologist.

Friday 24 Aug: Susan started first round of chemo treatment. She will be doing a cocktail of three drugs weekly. Pray that she would tolerate it well and pray that the cancer would respond to the drugs. Also pray for wisdom for the cardiologist to better understand the interaction of the heart racing and her cancer history.

The children are grasping the reality of the situation in their own sweet way. Of course it is our prayer that they will turn to their Lord for comfort and strength for the days ahead of us. As for Doug and I, there have been sweet tears of surrender but mainly peace and joy amidst the storm.