Dearest family and friends,
It has once again been some time since our last update and since then many things have happened. On December 1st, the two year anniversary of the diagnosis of Lynn's disease, we got the difficult news that the cancer had spread and that there is nothing left medically to treat the disease. What was left was management of her pain and continuing to live and we have done that. All the kids were home for Christmas and it was beautiful to spend it with family. Lynn felt well enough to participate in the celebrations.
Immediately after Christmas the pain became too great and a pain pump was inserted. The levels a which the medication needed to be administered to control the pain caused her to be placed in hospice at home where she rested comfortably until her last breath on News Years morning. We were all able to be with her.
We know with all our being that she is now in God's loving arms. Heaven has a new Angel.
God bless all of you from the staff who rendered loving care and to all who continued to pray and think of us. We will be forever grateful.
Visitation will be at Becker Ritter Funeral Home in Brookfield Tuesday January 4 from 4 until 8 and the Mass of Celebration of her life will be at St. Mary's Visiation in Elm Grove Wednesday January 5 at 10:00 A.M.
All Lynn knew was love. We are all better to have had her in our life and we are so very fortunate to have had the two extra years with her. She will be so sorely missed.
The Steinles
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Continuing the fight
Dearest Friends and Family,
As you know, Lynn has been struggling with pain for quite awhile, so she was “teamed” with oncology, radiology and palliative care all participating. The consensus was that Lynn should get vertebralplasty, which is an injection of a cement substance into her thoracic vertebrae where it had collapsed (T-3) much like a compression fracture with the hope that it would give the spine more structure. It would also take some of the pressure off the nerves which they believed was a source of some of the pain. It was also suggested Lynn undergo a pain medication change as she had reached the top end of the therapeutic levels of the fentenyl without much relief. Both procedures had to be done inpatient.
Lynn and I decided to move forward and undergo both at the same time for the long haul and she checked into Froedtert last Monday. She underwent a battery of tests and after some delay, the spinal procedure was done Thursday. It was very successful according to the radiologists. It will take some time for the nerves to “quiet down” before she sees the total benefit but we are optimistic.
After that was done, they began the process of changing her over to new meds. Again, it will take some time but she is doing well…extremely tired, but well. Her pain is already significantly reduced and we are hoping for more improvement.
We would like thank you all for the extra good thoughts and prayers during this time. We would also like to thank the entire Froedtert staff from the very talented doctors and nurses to the techs who gave us wonderful care.
She is back on the chemo schedule of two weeks chemo on, and one week off and then will be scanned periodically to see if the chemo is stabilizing the cancer from growing and spreading.
We will continue to meet with the doctors to explore any and all options available for her continued care and treatment. We love you all!!
As you know, Lynn has been struggling with pain for quite awhile, so she was “teamed” with oncology, radiology and palliative care all participating. The consensus was that Lynn should get vertebralplasty, which is an injection of a cement substance into her thoracic vertebrae where it had collapsed (T-3) much like a compression fracture with the hope that it would give the spine more structure. It would also take some of the pressure off the nerves which they believed was a source of some of the pain. It was also suggested Lynn undergo a pain medication change as she had reached the top end of the therapeutic levels of the fentenyl without much relief. Both procedures had to be done inpatient.
Lynn and I decided to move forward and undergo both at the same time for the long haul and she checked into Froedtert last Monday. She underwent a battery of tests and after some delay, the spinal procedure was done Thursday. It was very successful according to the radiologists. It will take some time for the nerves to “quiet down” before she sees the total benefit but we are optimistic.
After that was done, they began the process of changing her over to new meds. Again, it will take some time but she is doing well…extremely tired, but well. Her pain is already significantly reduced and we are hoping for more improvement.
We would like thank you all for the extra good thoughts and prayers during this time. We would also like to thank the entire Froedtert staff from the very talented doctors and nurses to the techs who gave us wonderful care.
She is back on the chemo schedule of two weeks chemo on, and one week off and then will be scanned periodically to see if the chemo is stabilizing the cancer from growing and spreading.
We will continue to meet with the doctors to explore any and all options available for her continued care and treatment. We love you all!!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Belated Update!!
Sorry we have not updated lately. We know many of you rely on the postings and don’t call because you don’t want to bother. We will try to be more prudent.
Throughout the summer, Lynn’s condition remained relatively stable. She continued to receive chemo, Gemzar which is a targeted agent. She did pretty well on it with. Although she still has affected areas, at least the treatment seemed to keep the growth controlled. It is also more tolerable than some of the harsher drugs. We had a recent scare which had us believing chemo may be winding down but we are reevaluating this issue this week.
The problem we are dealing with is pain management. Lynn’s cancer has infiltrated in some bones including her ribs and some vertebrae. We are working with the palliative doctors to try to address this and we are currently examining options. We are confident these good doctors will come up with some solutions for her pain.
With the chemo, the pain meds and her body fighting this disease, she is tired, really tired so if we haven’t attended a function, we are sorry. We love to see all so we do the best we can. Lynn also still hits the office as much as she can because she wants to. She loves her clients and everyone at the office is like family.
The kids are doing well. Jake continues to live large in Chicago, Danny is headed to Denver to network to try to find something more permanent after his MUHS gig and Abigail is back at St. Mary’s for her junior year. Their strength is a beautiful thing to see.
Our love to each and every one of you. The love, support and continued prayers have been unending. Words truly cannot thank you. We could never have made it this far without you all. For all those we owe a thank you note for the gifts and flowers, please accept this as our sincere thanks.
Lynn and Tim
Throughout the summer, Lynn’s condition remained relatively stable. She continued to receive chemo, Gemzar which is a targeted agent. She did pretty well on it with. Although she still has affected areas, at least the treatment seemed to keep the growth controlled. It is also more tolerable than some of the harsher drugs. We had a recent scare which had us believing chemo may be winding down but we are reevaluating this issue this week.
The problem we are dealing with is pain management. Lynn’s cancer has infiltrated in some bones including her ribs and some vertebrae. We are working with the palliative doctors to try to address this and we are currently examining options. We are confident these good doctors will come up with some solutions for her pain.
With the chemo, the pain meds and her body fighting this disease, she is tired, really tired so if we haven’t attended a function, we are sorry. We love to see all so we do the best we can. Lynn also still hits the office as much as she can because she wants to. She loves her clients and everyone at the office is like family.
The kids are doing well. Jake continues to live large in Chicago, Danny is headed to Denver to network to try to find something more permanent after his MUHS gig and Abigail is back at St. Mary’s for her junior year. Their strength is a beautiful thing to see.
Our love to each and every one of you. The love, support and continued prayers have been unending. Words truly cannot thank you. We could never have made it this far without you all. For all those we owe a thank you note for the gifts and flowers, please accept this as our sincere thanks.
Lynn and Tim
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Battle Continues!
Well the battle continues. Lynn finished radiation for the second time and unfortunately it did not reduce the pain like it did the first time and as we were hoping for. She got scanned on Monday and it looks like he radiation is beginning to shrink the 3 tumors and lymph nodes which were targeted but the other tumors have grown somewhat in size.
The second reason for the scans was to get a “baseline” now that Lynn has started another round of chemo last Thursday. She will receive a drug commonly called “gemzar” (http://www.gemzar.com/Pages/index.aspx) . It will be given as a single agent. Lynn’s red count is quite low so Dr. Choong wants to keep a very close watch on all her blood counts. He said she will most probably need transfusions during this round to keep the red counts up (and we are hopeful the transfusions will help with her energy level). Gemzar is infused but it will go pretty quickly. The “cycle” includes receiving the chemotherapy during the first and second week and then a week off. She will be rescanned after the second “cycle”. She is also getting a shot to help with bone growth in the thought that this will help with the pain.
Her two major issues now are her pain and her fatigue. As to the pain issue, she will be seeing Dr. Marks, a pain specialist to explore options next Tuesday. Hopefully the chemo will also knock down some of the pain. As indicated, the transfusions will increase her red blood count which should help.
Life continues. Lynn continues to work as much as she can to keep her life "normal" and has just returned from Houston from a national SEBS conference where she got to spend time with her long time friends in the business. We are looking forward to our first spring visit to the Lake House and spending time with friends. The kitchen and first floor remodel is essentially done and we are enjoying the “beverage center” on MORE than a regular basis. The kids are doing well. Abbey finished her second year at St. Mary’s and is home for the summer. Danny’s gig at Marquette High is coming to a close so he is searching for opportunities. Jake continues with UNUM in Chicago and he is enjoying life in the big city.
As always, thanks to God and to all of you for the continued thoughts and prayers. Our love to all!
The second reason for the scans was to get a “baseline” now that Lynn has started another round of chemo last Thursday. She will receive a drug commonly called “gemzar” (http://www.gemzar.com/Pages/index.aspx) . It will be given as a single agent. Lynn’s red count is quite low so Dr. Choong wants to keep a very close watch on all her blood counts. He said she will most probably need transfusions during this round to keep the red counts up (and we are hopeful the transfusions will help with her energy level). Gemzar is infused but it will go pretty quickly. The “cycle” includes receiving the chemotherapy during the first and second week and then a week off. She will be rescanned after the second “cycle”. She is also getting a shot to help with bone growth in the thought that this will help with the pain.
Her two major issues now are her pain and her fatigue. As to the pain issue, she will be seeing Dr. Marks, a pain specialist to explore options next Tuesday. Hopefully the chemo will also knock down some of the pain. As indicated, the transfusions will increase her red blood count which should help.
Life continues. Lynn continues to work as much as she can to keep her life "normal" and has just returned from Houston from a national SEBS conference where she got to spend time with her long time friends in the business. We are looking forward to our first spring visit to the Lake House and spending time with friends. The kitchen and first floor remodel is essentially done and we are enjoying the “beverage center” on MORE than a regular basis. The kids are doing well. Abbey finished her second year at St. Mary’s and is home for the summer. Danny’s gig at Marquette High is coming to a close so he is searching for opportunities. Jake continues with UNUM in Chicago and he is enjoying life in the big city.
As always, thanks to God and to all of you for the continued thoughts and prayers. Our love to all!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
We Are Sorry for the Delay
We are sorry for not updating the blog for a while, but the days seem to get away from us. Lynn has rehired me to help with updates so you have to put up with me again.
In February, the pain returned after a successful round of radiation. Scans showed the cancer had not only returned but had progressed to lymph nodes which previously had not shown any signs of disease. Lynn was accepted into a Phase II Clinical Trial through University Hospital in Madison. They were testing different agents that target enzymes that allow cancer to grow. Unfortunately, after two “cycles” the cancer continues to progress. After consulting with a number of doctors, the current treatment program is going to be a return to radiation first and then a return to chemotherapy. Radiation to hopefully address the pain which is escalating way too quickly. Once the pain is controlled, it is the hope that systemic treatment will keep things “at bay” because the good news is the cancer still has not spread to any vital organ or to her brain.
Our continued thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. Your continued love and support have been unending.
We are enjoying our new kitchen and keeping the new beverage center active.
All of our love
We are sorry for not updating the blog for a while, but the days seem to get away from us. Lynn has rehired me to help with updates so you have to put up with me again.
In February, the pain returned after a successful round of radiation. Scans showed the cancer had not only returned but had progressed to lymph nodes which previously had not shown any signs of disease. Lynn was accepted into a Phase II Clinical Trial through University Hospital in Madison. They were testing different agents that target enzymes that allow cancer to grow. Unfortunately, after two “cycles” the cancer continues to progress. After consulting with a number of doctors, the current treatment program is going to be a return to radiation first and then a return to chemotherapy. Radiation to hopefully address the pain which is escalating way too quickly. Once the pain is controlled, it is the hope that systemic treatment will keep things “at bay” because the good news is the cancer still has not spread to any vital organ or to her brain.
Our continued thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. Your continued love and support have been unending.
We are enjoying our new kitchen and keeping the new beverage center active.
All of our love
Friday, January 8, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 !!!!!
Thank you to all whose prayers have kept my miracle of life continuing into 2010. My family, friends, neighbors, community, Christian women’s group, prayer chains too numerous to recall have been in daily prayers of which I am the recipient. I often receive letters and emails from people who know some of you...but whom I have never met...wishing me well and offering prayers and hope.
God has blessed me once more and allowed me to continue this great gift of life for a while longer. My 4 weeks of radiation targeting three tumors has been successful in shrinking them on my last set of scans. There is no new evidence of cancer returning to my liver and my brain remains free of cancer to this day (although some question this). I am STABLE and will not have to undergo more chemo for at least 8 weeks. My FIRST treatment free period in a year! I will be scanned again in March for further evaluation, and no matter what occurs then, I have planned a trip to Mexico with our Producer’s group from work and a trip to Florida to visit my mom and whatever else I can fit in!! Party time is relative, limited by my continuing daily fatigue.
I continue to pray daily for all of you and your challenges in life and hope you are the recipient, as I have been, of strength to continue down our respective paths. All roads lead to heaven which has its own comfort amidst the speed bumps and potholes slowing our journey. I continue to fully enjoy each day on earth and hope our paths cross often.
I stay warm each day with my prayer shawls and hand knit items.
I had a surprise fireworks display put on my exclusive enjoyment at our lake house on New Year’s Eve to ring in this glorious New Year! Thank you Ertz’s and Machi’s. It was a glorious display.
CHEERS TO YOU UNTIL I WRITE AGAIN IN MARCH!
God has blessed me once more and allowed me to continue this great gift of life for a while longer. My 4 weeks of radiation targeting three tumors has been successful in shrinking them on my last set of scans. There is no new evidence of cancer returning to my liver and my brain remains free of cancer to this day (although some question this). I am STABLE and will not have to undergo more chemo for at least 8 weeks. My FIRST treatment free period in a year! I will be scanned again in March for further evaluation, and no matter what occurs then, I have planned a trip to Mexico with our Producer’s group from work and a trip to Florida to visit my mom and whatever else I can fit in!! Party time is relative, limited by my continuing daily fatigue.
I continue to pray daily for all of you and your challenges in life and hope you are the recipient, as I have been, of strength to continue down our respective paths. All roads lead to heaven which has its own comfort amidst the speed bumps and potholes slowing our journey. I continue to fully enjoy each day on earth and hope our paths cross often.
I stay warm each day with my prayer shawls and hand knit items.
I had a surprise fireworks display put on my exclusive enjoyment at our lake house on New Year’s Eve to ring in this glorious New Year! Thank you Ertz’s and Machi’s. It was a glorious display.
CHEERS TO YOU UNTIL I WRITE AGAIN IN MARCH!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)