Sleeping Today

Susan has been sleeping most of the day. Her Mom and Dad flew in today from Phoenix and about the time they arrived at the hospital, Susan woke up and you should have seen the look on her face. She was just excited. So for about a half hour, we sat in the lounge and talked. Susan ate some food and then got sleepy again. Then back to bed for a few more hours. Susan has been on some morphine so this has been taking it out of her with the drowsiness. She rests comfortably and without pain. The kids are handling everything very well but it is hard to see our loved one like this. Saturday was a blessing with the burst of energy that Susan had. The bowling game will always be remembered and the formal dinner at home will be cherished. Here are some pictures from yesterday.
"O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for Joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 91:14

Susan and our daughters Sarah, Hannah & Leah at the bowling alley
A silly group shot after the bowling game
After our dinner group shot before Susan went back to hospital

Not so good night, good day

Susan was restless through the night with short periods of sleep. Shortness of breath and pain being the issues. Small amounts of morphine are now being given through the iv and that really helps with the shortness of breath. But as a result, she slept pretty good through the morning and was given a pass to go home for the late afternoon into the evening. Our children were going to go bowling with Uncle Bob and Aunt Jeanne, and Susan wanted to go and watch them bowl. So she did. Most of us had not bowled in years so it was pretty comical. After that we went to our home in Dalton Gardens, where a big family dinner was planned. We dressed up and had a pretty good feast put on by our daughters. Shared memories of Susan, she shared some too, the best she could. She had a delightful time and we made it special for her. She actually had quite a bit of energy through the evening including a short nap. Back to the hospital by ten and she went right to bed. She got her usual meds for the night and should sleep pretty sound. She is comfortable and managing the pain. Thanks to all the good care at Kootenai Medical Center, that includes RN's Joi, Carol and Cindy. God had been so faithful to bring us caring nurses. Time to go to sleep, good night.

A Note from Susan

"Dear loved ones who have supported us over the years, in small and big ways. We thank you so much for your willingness to be so generous to us. But, as the time draws near, my ability to write thank yous is diminishing.
Please note, we continue to remain very grateful for all you've done for us in the past, present and future. Thank you for all your prayers during this time. The accommodations here are just wonderful and is allowing us to enjoy each other, including Uncle Bob and Aunt Jeanne.
I have been taking at least 2 naps a day, am very sleepy, even when I'm awake. My pain isn't bad, by breathing has gotten harder though. Today, I have been more frisky and a harder time taking my morning nap & didn't sleep very well. The 5 younger children individually came through and shared their heart with me. It was a sweet, tender time with each. Out of the 11 love letters I have to write, five are totally done, 3 almost, and three to start. That is on my mind. Please pray that I can get that done ASAP.
Tonight, the family is very excited because I got a pass to go to the 7pm service at Real Life Ministries where some of the kids go."

A Good Night

We had a great Thursday evening at the hospital in a lobby near Susan's room. The room has a large wrap around sofa which we filled up and we all watched some Vetsch Family home videos. We watched some scenes of Susan dancing with Sarah on Christmas 1988, when Sarah was 10 months old. She was really getting into the music. Very youthful. Susan and the rest had a good laugh and memory over that one. Some other special video memories of backyard activities. So the evening was a good one. Susan had a very good night's sleep waking at 0800 am. So the morning was a very good one for Susan, writing some more on the Love Letters and spending one on one with some of the younger kids. She will take a nap this afternoon and early evening. This has been a very good day. On our quiet time this morning......

'A person doesn't know the Joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, But because of it.' The Apostle Paul said, "I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation." 2 Corinthians 7:4
The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, are powerless to "separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 8:39)

Sweet Sweet Times

The results of the chest x-ray were not so good. There was a return of liquid in the right lung lining. The liquid contained cancer cells. Also, the left lung was still cloudy after the antibiotics. Susan is given drugs to reduce the liquids and she is still breathing with good air exchange. Susan is comfortable and the pain is controlled. When she is up and awake she is a wild cat but most of the day today she was sleepy. We will see what the evening brings. Susan continues to impact the lives of even the hospital staff. She is loved by the nurses in the oncology ward. Is that a surprise to anyone. For now we continue to have a sweet sweet time with Susan.

Dawson our black lab, Susan's favorite dog made a guest appearance last night at the hospital. Can you tell that Susan was surprised and excited! There is a black lab in there somewhere. This was a moment she really cherished. Dawson is a loyal companion to Susan. He was excited too.





Susan's brother Bob and sister Jeanne came in on Wednesday night. Here we all are with Susan playing games. Susan won about half the games. One favorite nurse, Joi, also looks on.

Bedside is Mary and Leah. Susan has had a big appetite. Keep in contact with us. Thanks for your prayers and support.

News

Well we got to talk to Dr. Tezcan this morning. The real concern is Susan's left lung not the right lung that had the fluid around it. From last Wednesday's chest x-ray to this past Monday's chest x-ray, there is congestion in the left lung that has developed which required the anti-biotics. He has never mentioned pneumonia but this could be an onset to that. So for now, she is being watched, keeping an eye on her breathing and of course keeping up on her pains. She has such a rosiness to her cheeks and she is beautiful. On Thursday, another chest x-ray will be taken to see how things have progressed since Monday. This will definitely give us an idea of how much longer Susan will continue to bless us with her presence. For now, she needs to take naps and minimize visits. We got alot done this morning with Susan's love letters to the children. Thankful for that. Will keep you posted. Thanks again for all of you that are lifting us up in prayer. I am always relying on that.

Susan In the Hospital

How things do change in the uncertainty of life. With the shortness of breath issues over the weekend and awaiting the hospice nurse to come over on Monday morning, Susan became pretty sleepy and a little confused. She is a strong woman though and endured with a lot of pampering and forcing the liquids. In talking with the hospice nurse, it was discussed that with the hydration process that happened on Friday afternoon, that sometimes fluids will accumulate in possible areas like the plural lining around the lungs. Now this made sense that there was a possibility of new liquid (since last Wednesdays chest x-ray, which showed clear lungs) now showing up after the hydration on Friday. Come Saturday, the shortness of breath and the chest pains became alittle more concerning. So I defitinely wanted a chest x-ray on Monday afternoon. By 4:00 pm on Monday afternoon, it was identified that there was indeed liquid on the right lung and that Susan was to be admitted into the hospital right away. Her Oxygen saturation in her body was 78-81%, which is normally over 90% in a healthy person. That was a major reason why she was so sleepy and disorientated. So with continuous oxygen, her level came up to 91%. Dr. Tezcan wanted to keep her in over night to perform a ultrasound on Tuesday morning to extract the fluid. Susan had a very good nights sleep, with the help of the drugs. On Tuesday morning, she had a chest x-ray and ultrasound showing a good amount of liquid. Then a radioligist performed a procedure to remove the liquid. He removed >700 ml which will now be analyzed for cancer cell presence. This test for cancer cells will give a better indication of her life expectancy. Lots of things going on and the family is doing well with God's sufficient and never ending Grace. He is the basis for our faith and hope through our relationship with our Lord Jesus. We have been having wonderful family time together. We ask at this time that no visitors be allowed at the hospital and that could be relaxed in the days ahead. For now, thanks to you all for checking in faithfully with us. Your prayers have been wonderful. As of about an hour after the liquid was removed Susan is breathing better and she is eating.
"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together." Psalm 34:1-3