Wonderful news...no news to report once again. As such, I think it's time to return the blog to the storage shed for the time being and hopefully forever.
If the blog is rekindled, perish the thought, Cindy and I will inform everyone via Facebook and personal contacts.
The administrators of this blog, my fantastic brother and sister-in-law, Rus and Amy Van Westervwelt have been suggesting for quite some time that I should consider sharing our experiences and life lessons over the past several years related to battling cancer and our fight for Cindy's survival.
After a great deal of deliberation, I have agreed to both consider the idea and, finally, commit to the project...so off we go. The mission will be to provide a positive perspective to those about to undertake this unfortunate journey.
Thank you to all of you for everything you have done...which includes your love, friendship, compassion, support, gifts, comments and questions. I hope the blog provided you, in turn, with much of the same. In truth, it helped me more than you could know as it allowed me to communicate our trials and tribulations in a way that I did not feel as if I was a burden to anyone.
I will be checking the blog on occasion in case anyone has questions, comments or suggestions (regarding Cindy, myself or the upcoming book). We relish all feedback and wish to stay in touch.
With that said...adios for now.
Rob & Cindy...actually, more appropriately, Cindy Lou and Rob
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Legless in Orlando
Our insurance company denied our claim for Cindy's $32K leg because they don't approve computer chips in knees. We are appealing. Hope it goes through or things could get expensive.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Progress Report
Cindy returned to work today. It went well.
It's a slow road back to normal...but at least we are moving forward.
It's a slow road back to normal...but at least we are moving forward.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Quick Saturday Night Post
Cindy is doing better each day. The pain is lessening and she is becoming more mobile.
All is good!!!
All is good!!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Visit To Moffitt
Kyle took Cindy to Moffitt yesterday (I am running out of days off...). Great news! They removed the staples and everything is healing according to plan. No sign of the infection, but Cindy is still taking daily IV antibiotics so it is a bit too soon to ge overly excited.
The pain in Little Lu (amputated leg) and hip (from the surgical procedure) are subsiding.
Having Kyle home has been a blessing. He built four wheelchair ramps for Cindy so she can be more mobile around the house.
Cindy is not ready to begin working with the prosthesis again, but she is beginning the early stages of preparing to do so as she was advised to start wearing her shrinker again. A shrinker is a devise she wears on her amputated leg to shrink it a bit so the leg will fit comfortably into a prosthesis when she begins to wear it again.
That's it for now. Sorry for the delay in the updates, but things have been crazy these past couple of weeks with all of he visitors we have had.
The pain in Little Lu (amputated leg) and hip (from the surgical procedure) are subsiding.
Having Kyle home has been a blessing. He built four wheelchair ramps for Cindy so she can be more mobile around the house.
Cindy is not ready to begin working with the prosthesis again, but she is beginning the early stages of preparing to do so as she was advised to start wearing her shrinker again. A shrinker is a devise she wears on her amputated leg to shrink it a bit so the leg will fit comfortably into a prosthesis when she begins to wear it again.
That's it for now. Sorry for the delay in the updates, but things have been crazy these past couple of weeks with all of he visitors we have had.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Wednesday Update
Great news! Not much to report. Cindy had a good day with minimal wound issues. It is still leaking, but not as bad as it had been in the past. Her blood pressure is normal and all else is going well.
Kyle & his future bride (Kristen) grilled for the family tonite. Kevin & Katie, Cindy and I, and my parents loved it! Katie made an incredible couple of desserts. There is nothing like being surrounded by family to assist with the healing process.
Tomorrow, Cindy has a doctor's appointment. I will provide an update later in the day.
Have a great Thursday!
Kyle & his future bride (Kristen) grilled for the family tonite. Kevin & Katie, Cindy and I, and my parents loved it! Katie made an incredible couple of desserts. There is nothing like being surrounded by family to assist with the healing process.
Tomorrow, Cindy has a doctor's appointment. I will provide an update later in the day.
Have a great Thursday!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
POST JULY 4TH UPDATE
What a week it's been and what a week it will be!
Kevin, our son from Afghanistan flew in last week. We treated him, our daughter-in-law, and her mom & dad to a holiday weekend at the Palm Island Resort. For Cindy & me, this was our 5th visit to the beach there so you can see how much we love it there.
We faced two major obstacles while there...the first was that it rained throughout the weekend. It didn't just rain, it poured much of the time! It cleared up just long enough for us to go down to the beach and get some beautiful sunset pictures. Kevin captured an amazing shot which we will soon add to our collection hanging in the house. We also got to see some terrific fireworks displays on the beach.
The second major challenge was that we had a 2nd floor 3-bedroom apartment which really meant we had to climb three flights of stairs because the first floor is actually 10 ft off the ground to avoid possible storm surge. Since Cindy cannot walk with a prosthesis yet, it meant we had to figure out a way to carry her up and down the stairs each time we wanted to go anywhere.
Our initial attempt was for four of us to try to carry her in the wheelchair. Unfortunately, the staircase was too tight for us all to do that. We then took a lounge chair off of our patio and had her sit in that. Kevin grabbed one end while I grabbed the other and we carried her up and down the steps. It turned out to be very successful...except for the fact that Cindy made it VERY difficult for us. She would start giggling each time we began and would get us laughing. We almost lost her when we were almost at the top of the 2nd flight of stairs, tired and straining, and she announces "Jesus, take the wheel!". She almost went crashing down 3 flights of stairs because we began laughing so hard.
As for Cindy's medical condition, it was mostly good news. The moment we were leaving for the beach, Cindy found her wound had opened up and had been bleeding rather badly. We almost canceled the trip. Fortunately, we were able to get in touch with our good friends at Moffitt and they instructed us that it was okay to go and how to care for the wound. For the most part, things went smoothly during the trip, with only a couple of times where the wound and the pain became a bit overwhelming for her. Otherwise, it was a great time!
The rest of this week will be planning an engagement party for our other son, Kyle and his fiancee, who some of you who work at the American Cancer Society with Cindy know very well. For those that don't know, Kyle met Kristen while visiting Cindy there last August when he was on leave from Iraq to attend his brother's wedding. Funny how things work out.
So now we are back home and Cindy continues to follow her antibiotic regimen and wound care. Kyle, arrives from his base in Germany this evening and my parents arrive later in the day. Other immediate family members and Kyle's close friends will begin trickling in as the week comes to a close. We anticipate a very full house!
It will be a busy week, but I will blog often as I am on vacation until next Monday.
Have a great (work)week!
Rob
Kevin, our son from Afghanistan flew in last week. We treated him, our daughter-in-law, and her mom & dad to a holiday weekend at the Palm Island Resort. For Cindy & me, this was our 5th visit to the beach there so you can see how much we love it there.
We faced two major obstacles while there...the first was that it rained throughout the weekend. It didn't just rain, it poured much of the time! It cleared up just long enough for us to go down to the beach and get some beautiful sunset pictures. Kevin captured an amazing shot which we will soon add to our collection hanging in the house. We also got to see some terrific fireworks displays on the beach.
The second major challenge was that we had a 2nd floor 3-bedroom apartment which really meant we had to climb three flights of stairs because the first floor is actually 10 ft off the ground to avoid possible storm surge. Since Cindy cannot walk with a prosthesis yet, it meant we had to figure out a way to carry her up and down the stairs each time we wanted to go anywhere.
Our initial attempt was for four of us to try to carry her in the wheelchair. Unfortunately, the staircase was too tight for us all to do that. We then took a lounge chair off of our patio and had her sit in that. Kevin grabbed one end while I grabbed the other and we carried her up and down the steps. It turned out to be very successful...except for the fact that Cindy made it VERY difficult for us. She would start giggling each time we began and would get us laughing. We almost lost her when we were almost at the top of the 2nd flight of stairs, tired and straining, and she announces "Jesus, take the wheel!". She almost went crashing down 3 flights of stairs because we began laughing so hard.
As for Cindy's medical condition, it was mostly good news. The moment we were leaving for the beach, Cindy found her wound had opened up and had been bleeding rather badly. We almost canceled the trip. Fortunately, we were able to get in touch with our good friends at Moffitt and they instructed us that it was okay to go and how to care for the wound. For the most part, things went smoothly during the trip, with only a couple of times where the wound and the pain became a bit overwhelming for her. Otherwise, it was a great time!
The rest of this week will be planning an engagement party for our other son, Kyle and his fiancee, who some of you who work at the American Cancer Society with Cindy know very well. For those that don't know, Kyle met Kristen while visiting Cindy there last August when he was on leave from Iraq to attend his brother's wedding. Funny how things work out.
So now we are back home and Cindy continues to follow her antibiotic regimen and wound care. Kyle, arrives from his base in Germany this evening and my parents arrive later in the day. Other immediate family members and Kyle's close friends will begin trickling in as the week comes to a close. We anticipate a very full house!
It will be a busy week, but I will blog often as I am on vacation until next Monday.
Have a great (work)week!
Rob
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