We're home, we're home at last!!!

This little cutie (Brielle) was waiting for us when we got home along with her mom, Chalece who was helping her take care of Amelia and Mariah. We are so happy to be home. Lee is doing quite well, a little tired, weak, bald. We are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas surrounded by family. We have so much to be grateful for, family, friends, and faith.

We are looking forward to 100 days of no treatments so enough cancer talk, there will be enough of that later, on to happy things. We have already wrapped and mailed all our presents to out of town family and are looking forward to putting up lights outside and finishing decorating and making cookies.

We are blessed.

Day 15, This is a GOOD Day!

We finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! Today the doctor told us that Lee is doing better than most of his patients and we don't have to come to the hospital tomorrow. That will be the first free day in a month.

The doctor also said that we can go home, home, (you know where we live for real!) on Monday, after our appointments in the transplant center. We are so glad to be looking at this ordeal from the other side now. It has been one of the most difficult things we have ever gone through.

There will still be a gradual recovery as Lee builds up his strength. He hopes to go back to work after the New Year.

But wait, there is more good news!!! Our son Robert called this morning to tell us he was accepted into Dental School at the university he is now attending. We are all so happy, he, Chalece and our little darling baby Brielle will be living close for at least 4 more years. We are so grateful, they have been a wonderful help this past year, and we love watching our grandaughter grow up.

Janette and Brandon may also be moving to the same city within a year and a half! They also have been so much help during the past years of Lee's illness. Everything from watching their sisters to helping us maintain our cottage. We don't know what we would do without them! Noah thinks his Grandpa Kolts is the guy who will buy him surprises when he sees him, and he is so cute about it grandpa is a push over. Baby Isabelle is 10 months old and is soooooooooooooo cute!

Aubrey contacted our neighbor who has her own housekeeping business and hired her to do a extra good cleaning, he is imune compromised so it will be a good thing.

We are so blessed to have eight wonderful children, and their spouses who are so loving and supportive, with daily contact and prayers we have gained our strength from them and from our friends who have remembered us in their prayers as well.

So you see, today is a GOOD day, and we look forward to many more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 13

Things have slowly been progressing for the better. Yesterday, day 12 Lee was much improved so they let us go back to our apartment. Somehow, our apartment, which felt a little like prison seems a whole lot nicer and much more enjoyable! Everything in perspective I guess!

We still have our worries, every little chill, nausea, etc. is cause for concern, Lee still does not have enough white cells to fight infection. The good news is that his white count doubled in 24 hours which is low, but they are climbing, that is an indication that engraftment has begun. A really good sign is when he begins to make his own platletts, and needs no more infusions.

We were told that if things continue at this rate we could go home home(you know, our real home) as early as next week!

I sit here in our apartment and watch out the window at the elementary school across the street. The parents are taking their children to school, I think of our two daughters at home being cared for by their big sisters, and miss them, it is interesting to think that I welcome the time when I can get up at 5:30 a.m. and help get Amelia to seminary and sit on the front steps with Mariah while she eats her breakfast and waits for the bus! There will be no more complaining about the early hour!!!

Days 9 and 10

These have been the hardest days yet. Yesterday (day 9) Lee nearly fainted due to lack of fluid. It is just so hard to keep on eating and drinking after chemo. Also platletts were low, so IV fluids and platletts kept us in the hospital most of the day. We returned to our apartment at about 4:30 exhausted.

Today (day 10) Lee has still been unable to keep the fluids in so today he has been admitted into the hospital. They say just until engraftment takes place, that is when the stem cells find his bone marrow and begin regenerating. When engraftment takes place we will see things turn the corner for the better. We don't know when that will be, we pray for sooner so we can GO HOME!!! Lee has lost about 7 pounds. That could have been worse, I credit that to Lee, for eating when it tastes bad and he doesn't want too, and to my good home cook'n!! (that's the best I can do at humor right now)

It is harder in the hospital, harder because we just sit and wait, but a relief because I know he is being looked after in a way that I can't.

I will keep you all posted as things change, thanks for caring!

Day 8 OUR 30TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

We began our anniversary by going into the hospital for our daily check up. It took awhile, Lee's central line would not cooperate, but after 3 hours they accessed it and we were able to go home.

Lee is not feeling the greatest today, but is a very good patient and is trying to do all the things I ask him to do.

Where has the time gone? 30 years and 8 kids, now 8 grandchildren. It seems like just yesterday in so many ways. It is hard to celebrate today, we hope to celebrate our milestone another day. Yes, we can look forward to many other days to celebrate and for that we are truly greatful. I can remember several anniversaries, but one stands out, the time he kidnapped me and took me to Hawaii. I was completely unaware. Lee arranged for our oldest daughter Aubrey to fly home to take care of the children. He (with Aubrey's help) bought a new suitcase and filled it full of new clothes any thing I might need for the trip. The morning of our trip, Janette packed my makeup and toothbrush etc. Then we were off, 2 weeks on Kuai. That celebration was a little different. I remember telling my friends about it when we got home. It was so fun to watch their faces. I have always known I have the best husband!!!

Lee wouldn't like this, but since I am typing this, and he is sleeping on the sofa, I can write anything I want. Just to let you know there has never been a better, more caring, and loving husband than mine. He truly treats me like I am a queen and loves me unconditionaly. For us both, we have always been the best of friends. I find it amazing that through this whole ordeal he is not complaining, he just rises to the occasion to whatever is asked of him and deals with it. I am truly blessed to be able to care for him and be of some help.

The past 30 years have had their challenges with medical training and having 8 children. I wonder what we will accomplish in the next 30 years?

DAY 6

The days are not going very fast, but we are greatful for every day Lee isn't admitted into the hospital. Each day we go into the hospital, they draw blood, and moniter his overall health. Yesterday he needed IV fluid so we were there a little longer than usual. His white blood count now is 0 which means he has no imune system. I am very careful to watch all food handling and keep the sanitizer near by.
I minitor all his medications and take his temp. several times a day to be sure there is no infection or virus brewing. They tell us soon his red blood count will drop and there will be transfusions etc.

Today they began growth hormone shots to help his stem cells implant. This should happen at about day 11, but everyone is different. We pray for sooner, than later. The sooner implantation occurs, the sooner his bone marrow will regenerate.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, we have alot to be greatful for, wonderful medical care, both at home at here where we are. Medical research, that has made stem cell transplant possible, it is a realitivly new proceedure. Most of all we are greatful for our family, and our faith in the Lord. We have the greatest children, all gathering around in the way they can and lending us great support. We love them and count them as the greatest of all blessings. We are greatful for our Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers, and watches over us and has given us all things. To have the health to be of better service to him would be wonderful.

On Thanksgiving day, we will be here in our apartment, not alone however, for we know that we are receiving many prayers on our behalf and our spirits are good. I will make a classic Thanksgiving Dinner for two, perhaps we will watch the Macy's parade and just spend more time counting our blessings. We miss our family and will be with them as soon as Lee's imune system kicks in.

At this time we want to say to all our friends and family, "Thanks - for- Giving!, Giving of your thought, prayers and time and support, we are truly blessed and can't wait to be with you all again!!"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING,

Lee and Debbie

DAY ONE

Counting the days is really how they keep track of the transplant patient's progress.
We know at about day 7 - 10 things will be pretty rough. They are already a little rough as Lee had quite a bit of nausea now. This is where I can make myself usuful as the caregiver. I must moniter each bite of food and liquid and make sure all medications are taken on time.

We now go into the hospital each day and have blood drawn, if the labs are good we can go home, if not, we stay for a transfusion, or whatever the treatment may need to be. Today is a good day!

We are so greatful for such nice people to work with and for the wonderful facility and the knowledge and research that abounds here. We feel very blessed and feel the effects of all the prayers on our behalf and thank you all.

DAY ZERO

STEM CELL TRANSPLANT DAY

We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. to begin our 14 hour day. The first four hours are anti-climatic as they infuse normal saline to hydrate the kidneys.

The transplant took about 2 hours. First they gave Lee medications designed to help curb and reaction to the preservative the the cells are frozen in. The stem cells come up frozen in a cooler on a cart with a sterile double-boiler like mechanism which is kept out side Lee's room, the technician is there with the frozen cells ready to thaw. The nurse inside the room nods through the window to the tech and he begins to thaw the first bag of stem cells, only to the point that they are liquid. He then fills the first syringe with stem cell solution and gives it to the nurse.
The nurse begins to slowly infuse the solution into Lee's central line. The cells are infused slowly so as to monitor any reaction Lee would have.

This goes on for 8 syringes, thawing only as the cells are needed. Lee did great, he had no reaction really, just a flushed face, and the preservative smell kind of like creamed corn cooking(that will go on for 48 hours while it disapates). After the two hour transplant there is another 4 hour saline hydration. We left at about 4;30p.m. quite happy that things went so smoothly.

Have you ever wondered how sitting around all day can be so exhausting? We came home ate a little dinner watched Shrek 3 and went to bed early.

AND SO IT BEGINS

Tomorrow we begin our journey beginning with high dose chemotherapy. We will spend about 6 hours in the clinic having an infusion of Melphalan, Wednesday Lee receives a second dose of chemo, thursday is day 0, with the transplant of his own stem cells.
They tell us the preservative that the stem cells are frozen in will dissapate out of his system over the next week with its own set of side effects.

We anticipate a multitude of side effects, for that reason we will be back to the hospital every day for tests to monitor his situation and I think just to keep him moving and to keep him out of a germ infested hospital they try to do everything outpatient. There may be times when he needs to be admitted, dehydration, infection etc. Your prayers right now on Lee's behalf are greatly appreciated.

We intend on spending today trying not to think about tomorrow. (we spend alot of time trying not to worry about the future) Right now Lee is rowing on his rowing machine which we both intend to use for the next month. We are trying lots of different activities to keep in shape the best we can. We have great faith that things will go well. We know that we are in Gods hands no matter the outcome and that he is mindful of us.

We are trying to finish the Christmas shopping today, and the rest from the internet.
I'll start my cookbook later this week, and will post receipes later on.

THE TIME HAS COME

Hi family and friends. We are here at a major medical center (most of you know where that is) preparing for a stem cell transplant next week.

Monday we moved into our apartment, a nice, furnished, 2 bedroom apartment about 8 miles from the clinic.

Tuesday Lee began his pretransplant testing, it will be an entire week of tests, blood, marrow, cardaic, lung, kidney etc. Including an MRI, all in preparation, to be sure his body can take the trauma of the transplant and to see how his cancer (myeloma) has progressed/or not progressed.

Emotionally we are doing well, we have brought along alot of projects to keep ourselves busy, that is if we are ever home, we have very long days at the clinic, and who would think that sitting around all day could make you so exhausted?

I miss the YMCA classes and my friends there. However, there is a workout room in our building and we did bring our rowing machine in the hopes of staying more active.

We have wonderful daughters(Janette and daughter in law(Chalece who seems just like our daughter) taking care of Amelia and Mariah and our home. It is a comfort to know we have such a supportive family. Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement.

I will try to post as often as I can.

OUR TRIP

We had a wonderful time at grandma's 80th birthday party. It was fun to see all our family. We were able to visit 4 of the grandchildren, Kaylee, Mikelle, Brielle, AJ during the first leg of our trip(pictures will follow when someone teaches me how to post a picture!) Kaylee and Grandpa had quite a bonding experience, they are quite the bud's now. Mikelle is so full of life and loves her baby sister so much, she also loves life, and we love her!!

AJ is growing so fast, it was nice to be there for his birth and return one month later for his first smile. He is a doll. Brielle was such a good little traveler, hardly a peep on the airplane.

During the second part of our trip we visited Janette and Brandon and little Noah and Isabelle. Each child is so precious. I'm afraid I confused Isabelle while trying to teach her SO BIG and PEEK A BOO. Now she covers her eyes for so big and is totally confused, but OH SO CUTE.

We had a dress up halloween party at Janette and Brandon's, I dressed up as a pirate complete with beard and mustache. Belle took one look at me and started crying out of fright! Needless to say I didn't stay dressed up for long, better to have Belle enjoy the party. We played a rousing game of Encore, the game where you have to sing songs that contain a certain word or phrase in them, and then you have a sing off. It was fun, Brandon is so good with all the country songs he knows, put him on a team with Mariah and Amelia and forget it! I must say it is fun to hear grandpa Lee sing those boy scout songs though!

We are glad and just a little sad to be home as we are now preparing for cancer treatment and a bit of an abscence from each other. We are greatful to our wonderful children who will take care of their little sisters and help make this ordeal a little easier. We love them all!

family

James graduation 2007

Just Getting Started

Its early morning, thats how we start life around here. Seminary at 6:15 everyday.

This blog will be a group effort,

OUR FIRST EDITION

The first edition of The Dairy Air is now underconstruction, stay tuned.