Archives: Personal

Aug 9- Surgery update from Daniel on Facebook

Daniel Bishop: Thanks for all the prayers! This morning’s gone really smoothly. I’m surprisingly calm – can only be God’s peace. Mar’s been in a great mood and was making her surgeon laugh for a while before they took her into the OR.

It’s a good day. And she’s gonna finish it two tumors lighter! 

Much later update from Martha: I was really nervous about coping with surgery pain while I was already on a pain management plan with a palliative care doctor. I actually woke up from surgery OUT of pain for the first time in a LONG time. Recovery was easy! Getting those tumors out was amazing for my quality of life. Almost NO pain from the time of the surgery! Amazing amazing difference in my quality of life! Yay!

It was a good ride Lambrolizumab (Anti-pd1)

One month ago I had my first set of scans since beginning my anti-pd1 trial. Those scans weren’t horrible, but they did show some slow growth in my tumors. My oncologist decided to allow me to receive two more doses of the medication and then rescan me after a month to see if my tumors continued to grow or if my immune system would kick in and the scans might show shrinking tumors.

Today I had my second set of scans and my oncologist called me with the results soon after. My tumors are mostly stable except for the one in my groin which has grown. This is the one that causes me to need pain killers all the time, too. Stinker! Unfortunately, although it is not official yet, it looks like this is the end of the trial for me. It is bittersweet because I did show an initial response to the treatment so we really thought this was going to be the drug that would be the solution for me. On the other hand, being out of the trial will allow me to  have this painful groin tumor surgically removed. In the middle of typing that last sentence, my surgical oncologist called to set up an appointment with him for next week. So, sounds like that tumor is going bye-bye! Yay! I will most likely also see my main oncologist next week to decide what the plan is going forward. Continued prayers are appreciated as we make decisions about my next treatment. For now, Danny and I are going on a trip and I am under doctor’s orders to not think about cancer for the weekend!

 

Teaching Sun Safety and Dreaming about the Future

book cover: Max & Mila at the Beach

Max & Mila at the Beach

Last week I taught a lesson about sun safety and sunscreen application for my Mom’s second and third grade students . It was fun for this former teacher to get back into the classroom and talk about something I am so passionate about. Since that lesson went so well, and I recently purchased a children’s book about Melanoma and sun safety written by a fellow Melanoma warrior, I offered to teach a similar lesson in my children’s first and second grade classes. Today I taught in Joey’s second grade class. Joey loved being the model for me to demonstrate sunscreen application. I think the kids learned a lot about sun safety and proper sunscreen application. I didn’t focus on the best type of sunscreen to wear, because most second graders don’t have a lot of influence in their parents purchasing decisions, but instead I showed them tips for best applying stick, lotion, and spray sunscreens. We also talked about how important it is to reapply sunscreen and wear hats and sunglasses. I also discussed how to politely share what they learned with their parents. I sure hope that part got through!

I am dreaming about how to expand teaching sun safety to more elementary age students. I want to make hats available for students to wear on the playground. I’ve been doing lots of thinking about the best way to make this happen. Ideally we would raise money for hats and educational materials. Do we form a foundation? Do we create a non-profit? Is a non-profit the same as a foundation? Do I try to work with an existing organization such as the Skin Cancer Institute? It sure is fun to dream about the possibilities!

A Mommy timeout from the policeman

I got pulled over today for the first time in 10 years. 2nd time ever. Our tags expired in May ’09 (my mouth dropped when he told me.) No registration in the glove compartment, proof of insurance expired 2 days ago… thankfully legally we’re caught up, but my paperwork was sorely lacking. We misplaced the new tags back in May and just never thought about it. Thankfully the officer was super gracious and wrote me a warning. Scolded me for not ordering a new license with my current address (although it was changed in the system.) I cried, which drove ME crazy, but I was thankful for a warning and the chance to correct things before I got a ticket. I was trying to figure out how I was going to fit going to traffic school in with chemo (which prompted the tears.) I’m such a pleaser and have a more than healthy fear of authority, it’s a BIG deal to be pulled over. I think I can laugh about the comedy of errors now…. I think!

In other good news, my lung function test went fine. I was a little below average, but I didn’t tell the 50 year old man who was doing my test that my spanx I’m using to prevent my lymphedema swelling may have limited my breathing some. Teehee!

 

Great day and Jesse Tree Celebration!

It’s December already! It was a great day. We are back to a normal schedule this week. I took the kids to school this morning (although Danny was sweet enough to help me get the kids ready.) It was a super productive morning. I got some VERY overdue books returned to the library, hit the grocery store twice, made a new jesse ornament (more on that later), had the car washed, made homemade butternut squash soup and took care of kids! It was a MAJOR victory for this girl who has been on the couch recovering from surgery for the past two months!

Tonight we started our advent celebration with the kids. It’s a variation of a Jesse Tree which is a Christmas tradition explained best here. He’s an excerpt from their website. Jesse Trees are all over the internet now, but this website is where I found the first and best information when I started researching this tradition a few years ago.

What is a Jesse Tree? It is a tree branch decorated with symbols representing the stories of people in Jesus’ family tree. In Isaiah 11:1 we read, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesse was the father of David, Israel’s greatest king. And it was from David’s lineage that Jesus came. That’s where the idea of using a Jesse Tree to celebrate Advent came from. Before a symbol is hung on the branch, a Bible passage or a story from a story Bible is read.

I’ve augmented our tradition a bit. I picked stories and ornaments to fit with our favorite children’s Bible. The Children’s Storybook Bible fits with the Jesse Tree tradition perfectly. Every story is written in a way that points to the promise of Jesus. It is absolutely beautiful. I’m making felt ornaments for us.

Happy Birthday Danny!

This is my husband. He’s the best friend I’ve ever known. He loves me on my ugly (inside and out) days. He’s an awesome dad. We’re a great team. Danny has walked with me through more health issues than we ever could have imagined when we promised “in sickness and in health.” He takes care of me, the kids, the house, and a full time job. We are blessed with family and friends who help shoulder the burden, but he does more than anyone can probably imagine.

Danny, you are one of the most selfless people I know. I am so glad you choose me to share your life. I look forward to celebrating many many more birthdays with you. I love you.

To everyone I’ve slighted in the past weeks

I am in full on introvert mode and don’t feel much like talking to anyone. Especially when I know calls are probably going to discuss the c-word. Yes, I’m screening my calls. No, I haven’t been replying to voice mails or emails. Partly because I’m trying to protect the kids from overhearing scary things and partly because if I could, I would be spending the week in bed with my covers over my head. I am SO appreciative of all the sweet thoughts and nice notes on facebook and email. They mean the world to me. I would assume I’ll have days I’ll want to chat, but for now, please forgive my behavior that has Emily Post rolling over in her grave right now.