Tina's Home in Time for Brownies and Cheese

Brownies and Cheese? Ewww, okay so maybe it's not what you think...let me go back.

Tina was released from the hospital on Monday, Sept 13. The doctors were unclear at first if Tina did have pnuemonia or not but it turns out she did. Her calcium and potassium were better so they let her go home with just an inhaler, unfortunately, no oxygen.

On Wednesday, Tina had a lot of trouble breathing in the morning so she had mom call 911 so she could get oxygen quicker than waiting until they got to the hospital. They didn't get into a room til about 11:30 pm. By 11pm on Thursday, she was tucked in bed at home resting and recouping after a family birthday party for Ashley. I can't believe it, she's 7 already! They said the party was a blast. I wish I could have been there.

Sadly, the next few days were pretty rough. She didn't have an appetite and was nauseous and vomitting. She was still having a hard time breathing. Her care manager from CTCA in Philly said to take the drive up on Monday for tests.

On Tuesday they did a CAT scan and drained almost a liter of fluid from her lungs. I didn't know it was even possible for lungs to hold that much...not that they're ever meant to hold fluid. She was sore afterwards. The nurse had her doing excercises to reexpand her lungs. My heart just goes out to her. With the breathing problems, I feel guilty calling her because if she can't breathe well, she can't talk. I also feel guilty only being able to get updates through mom instead of first hand.

She spent a lot of time resting in the hospital and came home today. She was home in time for Ashley's first Girl Scout meeting for Brownies. Tomorrow is Ashley's party at Chuck E. Cheese. See, brownies and cheese. :)

It's been a rough time recently. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers to feel better.

Hospital Trip aka Family Fun Day

Tina wasn't feeling well Friday morning; she had a little trouble breathing. Her doctor said to go to the ER. She really dislikes Freehold hospital so they drove an extra 10 minutes to Jersey Shore hospital. Her bloodwork came back high, possibly due to an infection in her lungs. They started her on IV antibiotics as a precaution before any results came in.

It's Tina's weekend with Ashley so on Saturday, they had a family fun day. Paul, Peyton, Mom, Tina and Ashley sat around playing board games and card games. You've got to make the best of the situation.

Speaking of "the situation", when I heard she was at Jersey Shore Hospital, all I could think of was a too-tanned guido with a six-pack and a stethoscope as her doctor. Nurse: "Doctor, what's the situation?" Doctor: "I AM the situation!" Laughter really is the best medicine. It really helps and doesn't make you feel all crappy like chemo. :)

The results weren't ready on Saturday and they spoke with the pulmonogist today (aka The Situation). He compared the xray from two months ago when she was in the ER the night before the wedding to the one from Friday. He said they look the same. The fluid in her lungs is not new, they just thought there was an infection this time. Mom didn't mention anything about the cultures but did say that if she had pneumonia that the doctors wouldn't be releasing her today...but they are. Tina and the family will be home soon.

Ups and Downs Recently

Tina has started a new chemo. It's once a week for two weeks, then one week off. About a week and a half ago, Tina had a cracked molar surgically extracted. That was pretty rough between the chemo "hangover" and the sedation drugs.

The good news is she and mom got to see one of the last Brooks and Dunn concerts before they stop touring forever. She said the wheelchair seating was pretty close. With that, you never can tell if it's gonna be up front or close to the back. They lucked out. I think she even got an autograph from the opening act. Who knows, maybe it'll be worth something someday.

New Test Results

It's time for another MD Anderson visit. She had her appointment yesterday for new scans and got the test results today. The brain and bone scans showed no progression of the cancer. The scan of her organs showed that it spread in one of her lungs and shrunk in the other. Unfortunately the liver shows growth. Sigh. I don't know how much though. They are going to try some new medication.

Mom and Tina are on their way in driving to Austin. Over the next few days I will get more information to update. I'll also see if I can scan some pictures from the Florida trip.

Keep praying. Keep positive. Keep the faith.

Some Pictures!

Of course we're still waiting on the photographers pictures, but here are some preliminary ones to hold you over.

Tina and Paul's Wedding Photos

If you have any, please email them to supporttina@gmail.com or upload them to a site and email that link to supporttina@gmail.com.

What an Amazing Wedding!

Paul and Tina's wedding was one of the best nights of my life. There is so much that I want to say about the day leading up to it, the ceremony and the reception, but I'm still writing it all up. The good news is that the Asbury Park Press has beaten me to it and I can share that story with you. It says Tina was in the hospital Thursday and Friday. She was in the ER for about 5 hours on Friday to get a chest xray and some fluids, but the article made it sound worse than that.

Asbury Park Press Article

Here are the pictures from the ceremony that the paper took:

Asbury Park Press Pictures

If you were there and have pictures, please send them to SupportTina@gmail.com . If they are too big, you can upload them to a site like Photobucket, Flickr or Picasa and send the link to that gmail account. Since they don't make bridesmaids' dresses with pockets for cameras, we're waiting anxiously on family, friends and the professional photographer.

The day is almost here

The day is almost here

Well, it's already Wednesday on the East coast which means Tina and Paul's wedding is only 3 days away. I am so incredibly excited. Although it's been extremely stressful for Tina, after this is over, this cancer thing will be a breeze.

I leave for the airport in 9 hours. I'm mostly packed and ready to hit the hay, but I really doubt there will be much sleep tonight. I think all of the details that can be dealt with on my end are handled, but it still won't stop the tape reel from playing over and over of this checklist. Was this done, was that done? Yes. No wait, I still need to call...STOP THE MADNESS! As the maid of honor, my job is to take any stress off the bride. Stress? Bring it on! I got this!

I'll post pictures as soon as I can (unlike my extremely long breaks I've been taking between posts...oops, my bad). You'll get the see the amateur party pics just as soon as I have computer access. Love you all for reading and supporting. Wedding, here we come!