HAPPY MOTHER's DAY

#5 Chemotherapy from last Friday is history!

HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY TO ALL!! I FEEL GREAT AND HOPE YOU DO ALSO!

I always feel great on that Chemo Friday and usually on Saturday-then by Sunday (BUT NOT TODAY ON MOTHER’s DAY) I start feeling “funky” is the only way to explain it…each day presents some new issue and each day is touch and go. And then by Thursday afternoon, I go back to being and feeling pretty normal and on Friday I am ready to return to life.

I am at the point in my treatment that some symptoms are progressive. My sore mouth, tongue, and throat are really sore. My voice is going quickly. I get frequent headaches. The fatigue is the worst of it from my lowered red cell count. If I am up at 6 a.m., naptime could be at 9, noon, and 3 p.m.-tired all day right now but the fatigue and the migraine frequency should subside after the next, #6, chemotherapy.

And while we are looking forward to the end of THIS cycle of chemotherapy, it looks like I will begin a different “cocktail” regimen of 2 of the same drugs I receive now BUT not the one nasty drug that really gives me all of the side effects so that sounds much more pleasant to me. This maintenance chemotherapy will be given every three weeks and may be given for up to another 2 years—which is the maximum length they can give.

Dr. Choong explained that radiation is not preformed on Stage 4 lung cancers that have metastasized. ABSENT THE MIRACLE FOR WHICH WE HAVE ALL BEEN PRAYING, they do the best they can to keep you living with the cancer and keep it controlled in your body. They will continue to scan me about every 3-4 treatments and I think they try other chemotherapies if it starts to metastasize again. We have again been given some time on the horizon for which we are thankful.

Thanks to all of you for your continues PRAYERS, support, flowers, gifts. Thanks to GOD for taking such good care of me so far, and PRAY that this next round of maintenance chemotherapy brings along with it all peaceful, prayerful, and asymptomatic days.

Trips to Phoenix and Denver were great…but Denver was a bit of work just doing normal activities at the higher altitude. I am glad Dan is coming back!

The rest of the Steinles’ are doing well. Jake loves his sales exec job in Chicago with UNUM. Dan graduated last weekend from Regis University and will be coming back to Milwaukee to teach for one year at MUHS in their Alumni Service Corp program. He will likely teach either Art History or English Literature and HOPES to use his Visual Arts Degree with Photography is some way. He will move back at the beginning of August. They will supply his housing and a stipend for meals…he may need a part time job!!!
Abbey successfully completed her Freshman year at St. Mary’s in Winona, MN…and can’t wait to return…long summer coming!

All kids are coming back for the Memorial Day Parade and it will be a feeling good week for me!! Hope to see you all as the weather warms up.

I continue to be blessed every day of my life because of my wonderful husband who is taking such good care of me every day, and my family and friends!
Love to all of you, Lynn

P.S. I tried to change the settings on this blog so you can leave comments for me...or email to me at above address.

ALLELUIA !!! Some long-awaited GOOD news!!!

I had my brain MRI and CT scan of the rest of my organs on Good Friday as planned. We expected results this Friday but got the call today with the GREAT results. The brain MRI was clear!!! The CT scans showed that the chemo is working. The spot on my liver is gone!! The shadows around my adrenal gland and other “watch” areas are all gone!! The one cancer remaining is in that lymph node in my chest area which they could not remove because of the entwinement with an organ (my heart, I think). That lymph node should shrink with the chemo and I still do not know if I am a candidate for any radiation. I will ask that question on Friday when we see the Dr. before my next chemo treatment #4.

It’s such a great news day today! I hoped and prayed every day for this good news and thought it would be good because other than those 5-6 funky days (as I call them) after chemo, I am feeling so good…still fatigued, a few aches and pains, but otherwise, really good for where I am in this process.

My friend Jaki, shared one of her favorite verses with me and I will share it with you, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,…plans to give you hope and a future…You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart”. Jeremiah 29:11,13 Thanks, Jaki!! Spring HAS refreshed my spirit with new hope and new strength.

It looks like future travel plans for my national SEBS meeting in Scottsdale, and Danny’s graduation from Regis University in May are a GO!

All I can continue to do is to say thanks to everyone for helping me through this very difficult journey. Even if we don't speak, I benefit from your prayers, cards, gifts, good wishes and positive thoughts. I continue to be blessed every day of my life because of my friends!
Love, Lynn

P.S. I tried to change the settings on this blog so you can leave comments for me...or email to me at above address.

CHEMOTHERAPY---3 DOWN, 3 TO GO

It’s Friday, the day of chemo which is over, but I feel pretty good! We will sit around watching some good basketball tonight and for the next few days. We will return on Sunday to the cancer care center for preventive fluids and anti nausea drip drugs to insure a good vs. bad next week. The trip to FL did me good! We arrived home last night before chemo. Moderate sun intake, moderate Malibu rum intake (with every healthy juice mix available-including digestive friendly PLUM JUICE)…trying to be good! I was very relaxed and when TIM wasn’t snoring, I slept very well…as did the rest of the house guests. Developed some migraine headaches down there which COULD have been due to the MU WARRIOR loss!! I even had my ‘Buck the Fadgers’ t-shirt ready in case MU met UW in the sweet sixteen…back on the shelf until next season.

April 10th, Good Friday, I will be having a CT scan of my chest, liver and other body organs and also a brain MRI to see if we are making progress with the chemo. Since everyone I know MAY be in prayer mode on this day, please say one for me…that I get some really needed good news after these diagnostic tests.

Read a great book in FL that I highly recommend to all…’The Shack’…Great story and you will see God in a whole new light!!

Tim’s family will be coming to visit at Easter…we have never been home for Easter, always in FL so this will be new to us. We will welcome Maggie and Tim, Beth with son Matt and new fiancé Shannon, Charlie (Anne) and maybe Charlie and Franny…Jake and Abbey and Tim and I can’t wait to see you! Danny is gearing up for graduation and cannot make the trip.

I came home to some great cards from the loyal crew that sends them every week to keep up my spirits!! THANKS to Jaki & Mike, Patricia, Mary A., Aunt Evie, Aunt Dorothy, and Joanie B. (Mrs. B)

Creative Happiness 24/7

I am finding how hard it is to always stay happy and positive these days. YOU have all done such a great job of lifting my spirits (even though I cry when I am happy now-HAPPY TEARS) and have shared some really powerful prayers from a variety of sources. I keep your individual names on each of these prayer snipits or books and smile with thoughts of you as I pray each day.

CHEMOTHERAPY---2 DOWN, 4 TO GO

CHEMO #2------ONE WORD-IT’s OVER!!!!!!!!!! Here is the clinical update first. The FIRST chemo cycle was one bad week, one great week and one so-so week. I was able to work steadily during my good week but only sporadically the other times. I have been able to stay healthy between #1 and #2 but have had to sacrifice my social life for it and staying away from people!! It’s hard to do! But my Blood count stayed healthy.The so-so week was NOT due to the chemo but due to the continued healing process of my surgical site where the lung was removed. And this pain continues. All the nerves and muscles are starting to regenerate and come back to life from numbness…all at the same time---OUCH---BUT GOOD that this is happening!!! Tim went off to a silent retreat last weekend while I had my chemo #2. My girlfriends, sister and I do NOT understand this quiet concept for 4 days. My second session chemo escorts were Sherry and Mary and we laughed, talked and the 8 hours we were there went pretty quickly.chemo #2 had 2 new drugs and one similar drug to chemo #1 so I have been experiencing better physical results without the horrible nausea stuff. We are so confident of this continuing, we booked a flight to Florida for mid March and will stay a week and return for my next #3 chemo treatment on March 27th. I hope my only complaint in Florida is that I ran out of ice in my “whatever-tini” I am drinking that day. God willing with me AND good weather, I should have a nice tan and a relaxed body for chemo #3. After the next chemo, they will be doing another (CT) Scan to see where the treatment has been effective and where it is trying to hide next!! Thanks again for the continued flow of cards, I seem to notice more deeply, the added written words, more so than in the beginning when my brain was too crowded with medical stuff. I am going back and re-reading them again. I received a beautiful card from my Aunt Evie this week------one of my many faithful weekly writers------and her last line was, "Remember Lynnie, SPRING ALWAYS COMES”. How simple, how true, how relevant to so many issues in our lives.These words and so many of the words you send me carry me for hours and days---and then more hours and days and I re-read all of my cards again. I find your “words” of encouragement at this time are more meaningful than entire books I read. It took me so long to post this update because I anticipated the same chemo experience and was pleasantly surprised that in this cancer business, it’s not always what you expect, sometimes better, sometimes worse, you need to just remain open for change.
A little added update. Our kids are all doing very well! Abbey is home this weekend from St. Mary’s University in Winona…she arrived with books trying to impress me!!
Danny is 7 weeks away from graduating from Regis University (Denver) with a double major in English Literature and Visual Arts and has many requirements to fulfill before we see him receive that diploma in 7 weeks. He is already exploring opportunities for after graduation.
Jake lives in Chicago and is with UNUM insurance company and finished his 9 month training program and has started his sales position in his Southern IL territory where he will be a few days a week calling on brokers who need his products for their clients.

This cancer/treatment/cure process takes a heck of a long time. Thanks for sticking it out over the long haul. I feel like I am in a time warp right now and appreciate how many tell me they think about me every day! Thank you, thank you, as I know how your days fill up and become overloaded…thanks for keeping me in that busy day.

Hope you all go to watch (Joe King's of Irish Fest) St. Patrick's Day Parade in Milwaukee and stop by a few places for a few green beers!!!!

Cancer and Chemo Update 2/20/09

OH BOY, THAT CHEMO!! I guess the good news is that chemo sure was working because my body was beat to heck by it. The usual drugs that block the nausea receptors did not work in me so I am just coming out of a 24/7 nauseous state since last Friday…long week. So, let’s hope for two good weeks before that next ‘cocktail’ is scheduled to be mixed.

We also found out that my cancer is a very fast moving type. Since that last Ct scan (post-surgery) until now, the cancer has already moved into my liver—but only a little bit. Dr Choong says, “The faster the cancer moves, the easier it falls.” So it is a race right now. This advancement means an additional two rounds of chemotherapy (total 6) and the addition of another chemo drug.

My social life still pretty much sucks! Thanks for keeping all the cards coming, I am not usually able to sit and read a book so the cards are very welcome during my inhouse time. I still have to stay somewhat secluded so my immune system stays healthy, I cannot handle germs at this time in the cycle…so hugs from a far to each of you!! But I am checking email again and returning all that I can. Feel free to send your PICTURE and I’ll put it up on the refrigerator with your cheery card and prayerful message!

Love to you all and a HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY to ABBEY Steinle on 2/22/09!! You were a great help to me this week!!

Chemotherapy 1 Down---3 to go

It was a busy week in my recovery. I had a port implanted for all the future blood draws, ct scan dye injections and for all the chemotherapy and associated drugs they need to use. This port insures they never miss the target and leaves both arms available to do anything I want to do for all those hours...or just sleep and be able to bend your arm. I am also receiving some PT services for the muscle damage left behind from the lung removal and the excessive tension and stress on muscles across my shoulders and back....Donna Butz and YOGA, here I come!!

One thing I didn't fit much of any in this week was work! Needed most of my time for recovery.

As far as the actual chemotherapy, it went fine. They have these drugs almost perfected to avoid all the old nasty side effects, so it’s only the mental you must conquer. Tim was along and my sister, Sherry stopped in for lunch and a bit of conversation. Our analogy for the chemo is 'weed killer' which is my job out in the gardens…sometimes… to keep them beautiful.

The most special time of all my weeks are the 'people' supports I receive-the woman at the hospital who is much further along in her spinal cancer treatment (yeah) who stops me to ask my name so I CAN BE THE OBJECT OF HER PRAYERS while she is in the MRI machine for the next 1/2 hour.
Like the letter I received from someone I had never met (a competitor) who heard I was a good person having a rough time and I would be in his prayers.

My gifts are too numerous to list but a few thanks!! For Aunt Evie, and Dallas Jaki & Mike, and Patricia B. and Pat K. and others who send me cards and write me notes, send prayers each and every week to me. It is very special to me to continue to receive support as this process is so long and it gets lonely down the road for others, not so for me with all that I m receiving. Molly TY for the kind words and flowers. Thank you Nancy B. for the worm scarf that I wear during chemo as I am always chilled. TY Tammy Laurie, my BFF diamond pin always sparkles on whatever I wear...along with the mini-purple tiara that I wear only on the way to chemo...didn't want to scare the nurses while they were working on a real 'sweet potato queen'. TY Brahm Kids for the flowers. TY Marsie & LBJ for driving Miss Daisy. TY Cento kids for the flowers. TY Jen for the vitamins, TY Alison for the healing lavender. TY Helen for the Hibicus but more for the story behind it. Lydia, Patricia B for time in the adoration chapel. Everyone for all the rosaries. And a special TY to the Girls at NDMS-Jazmine, Thania, Esmeraldea, & Jessica for the sweetest Valentine cards I have ever received. TY Paula, chocolate and cancer soap...what treats.

And LORA!! The ONLY person who understands that I can have a glass of wine each night who brought over the FIRST bottle we have received (we of course made her stay and drink it with us).

I hope to list every special one of you in the next few months because everyone of you is so special to me. New blog in about a week. Love to you all. Lynn & Tim