More good news

9AM Thursday


Sorry to be so slow to update. Dave’s chores have kept him even more busy than the ‘usual’, which was already busy. He left the Motel room at 545AM Wed and got back there about 840PM, but could only stay about 2 hours in the Motel room. He needed to go back to Jessie.

Jessie was moved to a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) late Wednesday and the people there seem very nice. Dave spent the night to help the transition, and all went very well, but Dave hopes to have time to try out the Motel bed soon.

Jessie is not recovering as fast as she did from the troubles in early September, but the doctor emphasized that that is to be expected. Please no phone calls or visitors yet. I will keep you posted.

She is better this morning than yesterday PM, so there is certainly improvement.

Janet, as those who know her expected, is doing great and ‘raring to go’. She has even had several visitors, but getting rest is important, so go easy on her. Being more popular than the Prom Queen, can be tiring. She went on a clear liquid diet yesterday morning (Wed) and did several ‘laps’ around the 5th floor pushing her IV pole.

The Holiday Socks that Julie gave her are all the rage. Everyone compliments her on them. She did her first lap today at 3AM and I think that she said that she has done 6 more so far today as of 9AM, so she may wear them out.

She has been put on ‘Full liquids’ which includes Cream of Wheat and other more interesting things. She can get rid of the pole. Hopefully tomorrow will bring at least some kinds of real food and a ‘Get out if Jail’ card, but we will see.

I am writing this from Jessie’s SNF and I will go see Janet next on my way to some sack time.

Many thanks for all of the prayers, good vibes, etc. When you think of any of us, see us with big smiles and having a great time.

Dave

With all of the interruptions, it is now 10AM.

Wonderful News!!!

930PM Tue


It is easy to see that Janet keeps getting better every few hours. Sitting in a chair for times, etc.

Jessie was better, but recently is not quite as good as a few hours before. Hopefully just a low spot in a generally upward roller coaster. This has happened before as her brain recovers and 'tidys up the blood leak.'

Please note the improved wording two paragraphs below. Janet's OR nurse clarified it about 0700 this Tuesday AM.

740PM Monday
We got to the hospital right on time. However, she was late going into surgery because the operating rooms were running late, but Janet is out and in recovery. It went SUPER well!!!

Janet's surgeon came out and answered all questions. (The next bit should have read.) Her surgeon got all the bad stuff out and the chemo should continue to clean up any invisible 'crumbs' that might have been missed. The first two cycles of chemo had done an excellent job on even the large tumors that were there when the chemo started. Many that they found during surgery had shrunk. Some were just a lump of dead tissue and many visible on the CT scan had disappeared all together.

He did not have to remove any important bits. She will not need any intensive care, just a hospital room. She will probably be out of the hospital in about 4 days with no long-term side effects. Just the standard 'get over having your insides opened up'.

In about a month, there will be 4 more cycles of chemo (12 treatments, but we are VERY happy!

Many thanks to everyone, emails, calls, prayers, love, good vibes, etc, especially some friends that came and 'Dave sat'. (Waited with me in the operating room waiting room.)

Janet & Jessie 01

13:19 Houston time

Thanks for all of the prayers and Well Wishes. There are so many that we can easily 'feel' them. But, don't stop now. Jessie, Janet and Dave really appreciate them.

Dave's mom Jessie is still in Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center. She had a leak in a blood vessel in the back of her brain that we discovered Tue, Nov 30. The first thing that we noticed was that her vision was impaired.

Please no visitors or phone calls to her yet.

They still have her on drugs that have the side effect of making her sleepy and disoriented. Getting rest and letting her brain 'tidy up' are the top priority. She has improved a LOT in the last few days. There are ups and downs, but things are definitely much better.

She had a smaller bleed in the front part of her brain on Sep 7 while we were in the Seattle area. This gave her a lot of trouble, but over the following weeks she got better and by late Oct, the blood leak was gone from the CT scan and she was walking and doing everything about as well as before Sept 7.

We hope and expect similar results this time, but we need to be supportive and let the body heal. This is a larger bleed, so will take longer, but she is much better already.

Janet is going in for removal of any remaining tumors on Monday Dec 6 at 12:45PM, with surgery at 2:45PM and hopefully out in about 4 days, but it depends on many things that cannot be forecast. She has been having nearly no side effects from the chemo and her lab tests, etc are dramatically better every time, so we are respectfully and gratefully optimistic.

Cancer is never a good idea and we have all lost loved ones to it and had some suffer even though they recovered. We all send our prayers, heartfelt good wishes, affirmations, good vibes, or whatever you do, to all of them.

Her doctor is one of the best (we think THE best) and we are very fortunate and not the least bit cocky when we say that Janet is doing extremely well and the doctor says that this particular cancer is perhaps the one that he has the most success with.

So, let's all expect total success!

To make things easier for you and me, I will try to post updates on our blogs.

http://alegria1976.wordpress.com/

http://alegria1976.blogspot.com/

In theory, they are identical, so don't feel compelled to read both. The only reason that we have two is because they function slightly differently and we have not decided which we prefer. Plus, things in general and computer / software things in particular seem to have occasional difficulties, like our Gmail account right now. We like the 'backup' aspects of having two websites that are fairly easy to update. Having our eggs in two baskets.

Our old website at 

http://home.earthlink.net/~jessie-heath/Small/index.html

seems to still be open, but probably will disappear soon. It was much harder to update.

Thanks again for all of the prayers and Well Wishes,

Dave & Janet & Jessie

Captain Erken has crew problems

19 May 2010 Houston, TX USA

Captain Janet Erken has many years of experience with crew problems. Here her brother runs them aground. As the Brits say, “He was made redundant.” (The Yanks say, “He was laid off or discharged from his position.”)

In David Heath, she has found excellent crew that seldom runs them on the beach. Perhaps because Captain Erken does most of the driving.

We are still in Houston, getting lots done, but there is lots to do.

Happy Summer,

Dave + Janet

Burial Plots in Seattle

Janet’s family owns five (5) adjacent, full size burial plots available at Evergreen-Washelli in Seattle at 11111 Aurora Ave. North. 

$3,000 each plot or best offer. I phoned Evergreen-Washelli on May 6, 2011 and they sell these for $5,750 each today. These are on the Evergreen side, section 1, Lot 152, graves 3, 4, 6, 7, & 8. You may buy 1, 2, 3, 4, or all 5 plots.

This is a chance to invest for the future, or they are ready immediately if desired. These are full size plots 40” by 9ft.

The perpetual care (care for the graves forever) comes included, pre-paid with this price. These are in a quiet, 150 year old part of the Evergreen Memorial Park [Flat Memorials], next to a beautiful tree. The location is convenient to drive to, yet well away from the busy Aurora Ave North. 

Janet’s parents and grand parents are there and we can highly recommend the quality of the staff and the ambiance of this full service facility. We were told that these full size plots may be used for a single casket each or up to 3 cremains urns in each plot. Please confirm the current rules and costs as the basic plot prices have doubled in the last 7 years. There is an additional cost for cremains. That is between you and Evergreen Washelli.

Contact by us at

svalegria

At

Hotmail dot com

for more info and to be certain that we have what you want.

Alegria on sticks

This is how it is done here. No jackstands.

Update Apr 20, 2010

Sorry for the gap in postings. We have been really busy. Yes, I know that you’ve heard that one many times before.

 

Janet & Dave fly to Houston on Apr 29 for an open ended visit to Dave’s mom. She has moved into an apartment and is selling her house and contents. We are going to be helping her with that.

 

She is well and just downsizing to an easier place to live.

 

Alegría is hauled out at Finike and will be until Apr 1, 2011. We don’t expect to be in Houston nearly that long, but want to do some land travel upon our return and think that she will be safer on the hard. Especially in the sometimes stormy Winters.

 

A quotable quote heard here in the haulout yard. “A walk through a haulout yard is a lot like going to a topless bar. You get to see interesting things that you can’t normally see.”

 

How true. We are amazed at the diversity of boat designs, especially the underwater part.

 

Keep in touch through email. The best is our gmail account. Put alegria1976 in front of the at sign.

 

Dave & Janet

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