Our Journey Has Ended

Larry passed away last night, October 26, at home surrounded by his wife and children.
This journey was much too short, and as I try to wrap my head around it, I know that he is in a better place.  The kids and I have spent today doing the unthinkable. We picked out his casket and burial plot. It was a really sad thing to do, but we found a beautiful casket that looked just like the furniture in our house. And that made us all feel better.
We were so blessed to have him in our lives. He was a great husband, dad, son, brother and uncle.
Over the last few days, we have heard about a how lucky he was to have us, and we all agree that we were definitely the lucky ones. He never missed a ballgame or a dance recital. If the kids were sick during the night, he was right there with me taking care of them.  Anyone who knew Larry, knew about his kids.
We have spent some time today sharing funny stories about Larry, he was quite a comedian.

A friend of the kids, who knew Larry wrote something this morning that was just perfect:

The streets of heaven are celebrating the arrival of Larry today. I know a wonderful father and loving husband will be missed, but the Lord will be laughing and enjoying his company as much as we all did. Always smiling, always cheerful, always remembered!

Visitation Friday, 10/28 6:00-8:00, First Baptist Church in Madison
Funeral, Saturday 10/29 11:00, First Baptist Church in Madison
Burial in Madison City Cemetery

 

Thank you again for all of the love, prayers and support during our journey. 

God bless Larry

 

October 25

I just realized that it has been 20 days since my last blog. I do apologize, but in those 20 days the whole world is starting to change, and I thought that if I wrote it down, it would make it too real. I was hoping that it would change back.
Let me go back from my last post and start from there.
Larry did have his port put in, and did great with the procedure. His appetite continued to be a major issue. In the time since that last post, he has only eaten part of a boiled egg and about 6 bites of yogurt.
He was still drinking pretty well until last Tuesday morning, when he threw up twice. He had been drinking Carnation Instant Breakfast(which has pretty much the same nutritional value as Ensure, but with a better flavor and consistency.) a couple of times a day until last Tuesday when he threw it up. He said "no more of that". So we were left with coke or sprite as his drinks of choice.
When we went in for new chemo last week, I asked the doctor what this chemo would do for Larry. He said that is was for pain control only. Larry had not responded to the first line chemo(aka the big guns),  Dr Shreeder said that there was little to no chance that the new chemo would be effective for anything more than pain. After the initial shock, I asked the doctor about Larry's prognosis, and he said "months".  We then asked about Larry's other options, and the Dr. said that we could stop all treatment and just let hospice take over, but he wanted us to think about it. They gave him a bag of IV fluids and sent us back home with a follow-up appt for today, which we have since cancelled.
That Tuesday night, while I slept, Larry got up and pulled random stuff from his wallet, spilled about half of a Sprite in the middle of the bed and then lost the bottle itself. I had noticed a decline in his mental state for the weeks prior to this, but when he had no memory of any of it, I knew that the situation had changed. So last Wednesday morning, I called to set up Hospice. Larry and I both agreed that there was no point putting his body through more chemo for no real reason, and I realized that his mental state would not likely improve.
Since last Wednesday, he has been in a steady decline.  Last Thursday evening, I knew it was time to tell our kids and families about the decision to stop treatment.  Those were some really hard phone calls. Our oldest son, Phillip, had not seen Larry since the end of July, and was not prepared for that phone call. The other two kids, Courtney and Chad, live with us, so they had watched the decline. It was gut-wrenching to call his mom and brothers and sisters. After losing his nephew less than 3 months ago, it was so painful to tell them that Larry was not going to make any sort of recovery.   Hospice started last Friday and the first thing I asked for was a hospital bed. I was so concerned that he would get out of our bed and somehow get himself hurt. The "intake team" came in and did an assessment, and then set up delivery of the bed and some oxygen. There is a special place in Heaven for the hospice staff, they made us feel so comforted and loved, even though they were complete strangers.
Since Friday, Larry has gone from sitting in a chair most of the day, to staying in his bed all day yesterday. He did have a rough day yesterday, the nurses came in and gave him a catheter and then another nurse came in and gave him a bath. So he was really worn out, and was pretty much out of it the rest of the day. Since last Friday he was up to 2 Lortab at time, every 4-6 hours, even with the pain patch. Yesterday the nurse changed him to morphine, because he was getting too much Tylenol with the heavy dosing of Lortab. They also told me to put on a second pain patch. The number one priority with Hospice is the comfort of the patient, and to that end, that make sure that pain is controlled.
The one truth about lung cancer is that it doesn't discriminate and that no one ever beats it. Larry was diagnosed so late that he didn't really have a chance. I was thinking the other day, that if there was a survivor's walk for lung cancer, no one would be there.  Lung cancer kills more people, per year, than breast cancer, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer combined. I only wish there was more awareness about the disease. And I wish with all my heart and soul that I didn't have to know all of those statistics.




Please read Courtney's latest post on her blog "The Hoopla". You can find a link at the top of my blog page. It is a very moving post.


Thank you again for all of the love and support.
Please keep Larry in your prayers.

Long Week

It has been a topsy-turvy week for Larry.
He is still really struggling with his appetite, to the point that some days he barely eats at all. And now he isn't drinking enough fluids, causing him to get dehydrated. We went into the E.R. on Saturday evening for a couple of bags of fluid and today into CCI for a bag of fluid.
The radiation really took a hard toll on him. Today was our last radiation treatment, YEAH!!!!!
Tomorrow morning, he goes into the hospital to have a "port" placed in his chest for chemo and blood work. The veins in his arms are just wrecked from all of the needle sticks. The port will make things much less painful for him. He starts new chemo in a couple of weeks, and the port can be used immediately.
The doctor has also given him a pain patch. It gives him consistent pain relief for 3 days and then the patch is changed. Consistency is the key, it is really rough on him when a pain medicine stops working and he has to wait for another one to kick in. It is very much a balancing act.
I guess I have gotten everything caught up for now!
Thanks for the love and support.

Rough Week

Larry has had a really rough time over the last week. The radiation is really kicking him in the pants, but the good news it that he only has 4 more treatments. We will finish next Wednesday.
Larry has had some trouble with medications interacting with each other, which brought on a whole new set of problems. He had several episodes of what the nurse called "hallucinations", I called it talking out of his head. He is on so many pain meds and when you add in medicine for anti-nausea, it is a recipe for trouble. I think we are getting it all worked out, but it was a very worrisome time.
 Larry has lost most of his hair, and is losing more weight than he needs. His appetite is gone and what little he eats doesn't taste good to him. I am hopeful that after the radiation is over, he will get back to normal eating habits.
We will see the oncologist on Tuesday and I think he will have a plan for the next step in his treatment plan.
Thank you again for all of the love and support.

Radiation Week 3

The radiation is going pretty well so far. He is still very exhausted and his appetite is non-existent. They started a 2nd spot on his back yesterday which means that we will go an extra week. My guess is they will finish the brain and the original back spot this week or maybe early next week. Then they will concentrate on this new spot. We will go back to chemo after all of the radiation is over. I am not really sure which is harder on him, the once weekly long chemo days or the daily quick radiation days. Both seem to take a toll, They both wear me out but mainly because I seem to do so much sitting and waiting. I never knew how tiresome it could be to sit in a chair.
Everything else seems to be going well. The kids are doing great. Chad starts his new job tomorrow morning, he is really excited.  Phillip and Casey are doing great in Atlanta and Courtney is enjoying her new school year.
Once again I want thank everyone for their love, support and prayers.

Radiation

Larry started radiation last Wednesday and it seems to be going well. Although, it seems to be kicking him in the pants a lot more than chemo. I think it might be the trip to CCI everyday, although most weeks we go in at least 2 times a week.
He is eating pretty well now. He tries really hard and most of the time he really struggles with getting the food down. He says that nothing tastes the way it should, but if we find something that tastes good to him, we concentrate on that food until he gets sick of it.
Larry's weight is staying stable for the time being. His other tricky thing is that he doesn't drink enough fluids, he tends to sip his drinks instead of gulping them down. This did cause a problem last week, because he got dizzy from being dehydrated. I told him he could get the fluids through his mouth at home, or through his vein at the hospital. Tough love.
Larry had a nerve test done on his leg last week at the neuro surgeons office. He was having trouble lifting his right leg and the test showed that it was a nerve problem due to rapid weight loss.
Everything else is going well around here and I hope all of you are doing well also.
Again, I can't thank you enough for the love and support.

Test Run for Radiation

No chemo for today and no chemo for about 3 weeks. Today we had "dry run" for radiation. We start radiation tomorrow for about 3 weeks, once a day, Monday thru Friday.
Larry gained 3 pounds over the last two weeks. He is doing well with only some back pain now and again. The pain can be controlled with pain meds. His spirits are still very good, although the fatigue seems to be in full force these days. I am in the dark as to what to expect with the radiation. He has had such an easy time with the chemo, I am hopeful that he can get lucky twice.
On Sunday, our little dog, Zorro, was hit and killed by a car. It was such a sad day for us, he was a sweet boy. Beau, our other dog, keeps looking for him. It just hurts my heart for both of them, they were buddies.
The kids are all doing great. All are busy with jobs and/or school. That is the bright spot these days, knowing that the kids are doing well.
I hope all is well with all of you.
Thank you for your love and concern.

August 31, 2011

An update on Larry's recent doctor visits.
He went in to CCI yesterday for a MRI of his brain, no results yet, maybe on Tuesday. Also met with Dr. McCarty, radiology oncologist, and he explained how the radiation will work. Basically, once a day, 5 times a week, for 3 weeks.
Today we met with the neurosurgeon who didn't feel that surgery on Larry's back would be a good idea, that radiation would be the better choice.
We should find out for sure tomorrow about the radiation, but for now we have an appt on Friday to get 
marked for radiation.
Otherwise, Larry is still doing quite well, his back is giving him some pain, but that is about the worst of it. He seems to be eating much better, another good thing.
Thanks and love to all.

Chemo Day, August 23

Larry is still doing quite well, although the chemo seems to be taking its toll on his energy level. He is always tired now. But that is the worst of the side effects, so far.
Today's treatment was the last in cycle 3, next week we go in for a brain MRI and consults with the neurosurgeon and radiology oncologist. Those appointments are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. We are also hoping that Larry can get a port for his  treatments.His poor arms have just been so beat up by all of the blood draws and i.v.'s., and we know we will have at least 3 more cycles of chemo.
Larry also gained just over 2 pounds last week, which makes everyone happy.
Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers.

Chemo Day and more test results.

Larry has had a good week, he is eating well but doesn't have much energy.
We went in for chemo today, he had lost 2 pounds last week, but all of his blood work is good.
The MRI results showed that Larry has a compression fracture on his spine. We knew he had a "spot" on his spine, and apparently the spot has weakened the bone and caused the fracture. We will see a neurosurgeon for a consult for a possible surgery. We will also meet with the radiation oncologist to determine when he will begin radiation.
So last week's good news about the tumors shrinking was somewhat dampened by the MRI results. But as Dr. Shreeder told Larry today, "You look really good for a guy that is as sick as you are". And to me, Larry still looks quite healthy, even with the weight loss.
More next week.
Good night to all!!!

Chemo and Good Test Results

Sorry again for the long lapse in blogging.
After my lost blog about Larry's nephew dying, we just felt so sad. A week later my cousin died from cancer that she had battled for 13 years. God bless them and their children and families.
As for Larry, he is doing well, all things considered. He is eating better and is more upbeat. We had last week off from chemo, but did go in Friday for a ct scan. And the fantastic news is that the tumors, both the lung and adrenal glands, have SHRUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a spot on his spine that the doctor wants to investigate, so Larry had a MRI this afternoon after his chemo.
Funny, we were both so worried about the ct scan results, but didn't really talk to the other about our fears. I guess it is the theory that if you speak the words, it might make it real? At any rate, we were both so relieved to get the good news. We are still a little concerned about the MRI results. But since we have to wait until next Tuesday, hopefully we can just bask in the good news that we have now.
Larry did gain a pound this time, which is good. His blood counts are still very good and blood SAT level is still remarkable(97-100%).
And once again, I have to mention that the all of the folks at CCI are just fantastic!!!
Thanks for all of the prayers and good thoughts.
Good night to all!!!!!!!

A Sad Day for Larry's Family

Last night, Larry's nephew, Aaron Thrasher, passed away from injuries he sustained in a car accident.
Aaron has 3 children, Jake, Riley, and Reece, they will miss their daddy. Aaron's mom, Jeff Murphy, is Larry's older sister.
Please keep our family in your prayers.

Chemo, July 26

Great news for Larry, he didn't lose any weight last week. Instead, he gained a pound, which doesn't sound like much, but the fact that he didn't lose anymore was fantastic.
He has had a good week and he is trying his hardest to eat more and moving around as much as possible, which are good things. He still hasn't thrown up the first time and still has all of his hair.
We are off next week, I can't believe how fast this chemo cycle flew by. He goes in next Friday for a CT scan of his chest, abdomen and pelvis. The worst part of it is the contrast liquid that he has to drink before the scan. Two big bottles of "berry" flavored liquid. Yuck!!!! We will go back the following Tuesday to see the doctor, get results and have chemo. Depending on the results of the scan, his chemo will be adjusted accordingly. I am cautiously optimistic, he is doing so well, I am hoping it is carrying thru to the chemo treatments.
All else is well with our family. We are just hoping and praying that we have good news from the scan.
Good night to all!!

Chemo Day, July 19

Hello again. I guess I will just blog on chemo days and/or when there are big changes. I just can't seem to get my act together to write like I should. But on the other hand, just remember that no news is good news!!
Today we went in for chemo. We went in at about 10:30 and got out at about 1:30, which is about the normal time frame.  Larry lost 8 pounds last week, not good. His protein count is low as well. So he is to eat, eat, eat. and exercise as much as possible. The eating is actually the tough part now. If anyone has any suggestions for things that he might like, I would love to hear it.
Other than that, Larry had a very good week. He seems to have the back thing just about cured. There is still a little discomfort, but not so bad that he needs pain meds.
Thank you again for all of the love and support!!
Good night!

Tuesday, July 12

Again I must apologize for the long absence in posting to my blog.
Larry is doing well, but had a rough week last week. Apparently, the blood clot in his left lung was causing some nerve trouble and making him have what he thought was a "catch" under his shoulder blade.  I was very afraid the cancer had spread to that side. Sunday night he was in so much pain that he literally could not move off of the bed. So we went to CCI yesterday morning and got him checked out. After a chest x-ray, the doctor determined that it was the blood clot causing the issue. He is on anti-inflammatory medicine for a while and pain med and muscle relaxers until the
pain gets better. I can't tell you how relieved I was yesterday, I had worried about it for at least a week and it was so good to get good news. The x-ray also showed that there has been no change since his May x-ray which was more good news.We went back to CCI for chemo today. It was a long afternoon, but uneventful.  He will have another ct scan in about 2 weeks to see it the chemo is working.
Other than all of that, everything has been pretty good. Chad finally made it home last week, Courtney is enjoying her last couple of weeks before school starts back and Phillip and Casey are working hard in Atlanta.
Good night to all!!

Finally Back!!

Sorry for the long delay since my last post.
Larry is still about the same as last week. Although he is eating better, apparently the new "appetite-enhancing" medicine has kicked in!! I thought he would never stop saying "What do you have in there to eat?" But  I am just happy that he wants to eat.
We had a pretty dull weekend and holiday. We just hung around the house, it was way too hot to do much else. The hot, heavy, humid air is really hard on Larry, so he stays in all of the time.
We were off from chemo today, which was nice. I think the break has been good for Larry.
Our youngest child, Chad, will finally be coming home from Auburn tomorrow. He hasn't been home since before Larry was diagnosed. It will be good to have him home.
Good night to all!

Wednesday, June 29

Today was a good day for Larry, and he is still feeling well after the chemo. We went out and ran a few errands this afternoon and then went out for supper. He was able to keep up with me quite well. I tend to walk really(too) fast, and so I am learning to slow down for him.

We are looking forward to the holiday weekend. I don't think we have anything planned, except a trip to the farmer's market for some fresh fruits and vegetables. It is a good sign that Larry is anxious to eat fresh squash, corn and tomatoes.
Good night to all!!

Chemo #3

Larry and I went in for his treatment this afternoon. We met with the nurse practitioner this week instead of the doctor, which was great. She gave us more info about Larry's labwork.
And the good news from the visit today is that Larry didn't lose any weight this last week and his blood work is still very good. Yeah!!!
He is still not eating like I think he should, but hopefully this will improve as they adjust some of the medications.
He is still pretty tired most of the time, but  I am going to try and get him out of the house more. I think that inactivity doesn't help him keep his strength up.  Next week is our "week off" from chemo, and will give his body a rest from the chemo and then he starts back the next week. His chemo schedule for now is 3 weeks of treatment and then one week off.
I can't begin to thank everyone for their love, support and concern for Larry. It has really helped us during our journey.
Good night  to all!!!

Monday, June 27

I think that the chemo is starting to take its toll on Larry. He has had a lot more fatigue this last week. His appetite kind of comes and goes, I am anxious to see if he has lost anymore weight.
Tomorrow is chemo treatment number 3. He is on steroids and I can tell a big difference in him. The steroids make him much more energetic. He was actually cracking jokes at dinner tonight. It was great to see him cutting up with us.
Hopefully, tomorrow will go as well as the other treatments. It will be another long afternoon at CCI, we can never get out of there in under 3.5 hours.
I will update tomorrow night!!
Good night to all.

Saturday, June 25

Today was a quiet day. Larry was feeling really tired, I think the chemo is catching up with him. He seemed better this evening, a little more "chipper". So far, that is the only sign that he is taking chemo, just the fatigue.
I worked in the yard and Courtney started a new project of painting a little iron bistro set, table and 4 chairs. She is very creative and talented and the table and chairs turned out just beautiful!!
Larry's family came over for a visit this afternoon. His mom made his favorite, Cream Puffs!!! It was good to see his family and spend some time with them.
Good night to all.