Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Normal again!

It's amazing how the human mind works.  We've only been home since Sunday and yet somehow it feels like we never left.  The kids are being rowdy and getting in trouble, the house is messy, the dogs are barking, Mark is getting irritated, I do nothing but pick up and cook....LIFE IS SO GOOD!!!  Who knew that simple living could be so amazingly satisfying!

I had forgotten how busy these kids are and how much back and forth I do!!  I think I was in my car like six times yesterday!  I WANTED them to be involved right??  LOL

We went to Lazy Boy yesterday and got Mark's chair!  Thank you SO much to everyone who helped with that.  We couldn't have done it without all your support and that's no joke!  A special HUGE shout out to all the people at Allvac for the spaghetti feeds and the water jug for donations for us.  We are still overwhelmed with your gesture and are so very thankful!  You guys rock!!

I'm off to do some laundry and make my Beloved some scarves for his cold head!!!  (oh yes, I'll be sure to take pics!)


Mark chillaxin in his own bed!!
The kids took to the new chair really fast!!!  LOL


Sunday, March 29, 2009

WE ARE HOME!!!

First off I must apologize for the last few days of being MIA!  We were without internet at the hospital for about three days the end of the week and then without a computer for the last two days!  Luckily though, not TOO much was going on...lots of the same old stuff for me to ramble on and on about that you were fortunate to have missed!  :P

The most wonderful news that I didn't get to share was the improvement in Mark's blood counts.  It was nothing short of a miracle.  They came back SO fast that the doctor was even shocked!!  On Tuesday Mark was still feeling kinda bad and nothing had really come up, by Friday his counts were almost back to normal!  It happened SO fast.  And today, the doc came in and said "How would you like to go home"?  HA!  Would we!!!!  There is only one of his counts that isn't normal...EVERY OTHER COUNT IS NORMAL!  Praise God!  PRAISE GOD!!!

Mark is having a couple weeks of "free time".  He gets to be normal until 4-13 when we go back to the hospital for his consolidation chemo.   He can have visitors, he can eat whatever he wants, he can even go shopping if he wants!  (ya right! LOL)  After these two weeks we will be back to not having people over a lot and all that, but for now...come one come all!!!  We are going to have an early birthday party for Mark two weekends from now and we'll be living it up outside (weather permitting) with the bbq going, deck time and lots of hugs for everyone!!  I imagine it'll be a bit like our 4th party without the fireworks and alcolhol!  LOL  I will be sure to post the day and time as we get that figured out, but it will be 4/10-12...one of those three days.

A huge shoutout to all of you that made it to my last minute "clean sweep"!!  I couldn't have done it without you guys thank you SO much!!!  The house looks and feels awesome and every room I go in I just thank God for our wonderful, amazing, generous family and friends!  We are SO blessed!!!!

Now that I have my computer back I can blog again and keep you guys updated better...of course I won't have much to update you on anymore!!  LOL We will be seeing Dr. Caton again at the end of the week so I'm sure there will be something to share from that.  We are still awaiting that flat 3 ligand test also, so keep the prayers going on negative results for that one!

Love you all!!!
~B~

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Great news!! And a cleaning party date change...

Good morning everyone - My name is Becca, I'm a friend of Becky's. I just got a call from her and she has asked me to blog for her today. She has had no internet service for the last two days, and she wants to apologize to everyone that she hasn't been able to post any recent updates.

SO - GREAT NEWS!!

The doctor came in this morning and it looks like Mark might actually get to come home this weekend!!! His counts are skyrocketing. His white blood count has doubled, hemoglobin came up 2000 points, and his platelets tripled! What an answer to prayer. Before he can go home, he'll have to be off of his antibiotics for 24 hours. His nurse says he'll probably come off of them tomorrow, and if you do the math, that means that Mark could be coming home on SATURDAY.

Of course both Mark and Becky are overjoyed with this news, but extremely anxious about getting the house cleaned. It MUST be clean before Mark gets home, otherwise he may very well wind up right back at the hospital in a matter of days. The date of the Bagenski Cleanliness Cleanathon has changed from this Sunday to tomorrow, FRIDAY at 10am. Please call Becky on her cell if you can make it. (541) 513-6422.

Thank you everyone!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

March 24

Hard to believe March is almost over.  And we've missed it ALL!!! LMAO!!  The kids are on Spring Break; I had planned on taking them to the beach this week, instead they get to be at Nana and Papa's watching movies and getting homemade cheeseburgers!  YUMM!!  I'm jealous!

I went home today for a while, enjoyed a hot shower, did some laundry, watched some TV from the comfort of my own bed.  Tried to take a nap, but that just wasn't gonna happen...and Mark thinks I could go home for a night!  HA!  No way I'd be able to sleep with him here!  I made my Beloved some brown butter spaghetti...it wasn't as good as his but still hit the pasta craving we've both had the last week or so!!  I came back feeling rejuvinated.  I hadn't realized how much of a habit it's become for me to sit in our living room and soak in the view every morning with coffee.  It's really theraputic and I've been missing it!  Blasted some Nickelback, sipped my coffee and watched the birds...was very nice.  Next to have my man sitting next to me!  Ah bliss!  It's the little things.

I also brought back my camera, so I'll be taking some better pictures for y'all instead of the crappy cell phone ones!  I'm gonna try to get all our nurses before we leave.  They all have such a special place in our hearts now!  They have helped this healing process for sure!  I love watching them with Mark, so playful and smart alec...you can just tell they adore him!

No updates on his health from yesterday.  It's just a waiting game now.  He's feeling good and energetic!  Love to see that!  He's up for visitors if anyone wants to stop in.  You CANNOT be sick in any way shape or form!   Remember, sniffles to us is a raging fever and antibiotics for Mark.  Just give us a call if you wanna come up!

Love ya, 
~B~

Monday, March 23, 2009

Help is being recruited!!

Hey guys!!

It's been a very uneventful couple days.  We are so ready to blow this pop stand and head home!  Mark's blood counts have NOT BUDGED however and that's what we're waiting for.  As soon as they start coming up we'll be able to go on and move forward with this treatment.  Looks like the end of next week is when we might be able to go home...first few days of April we are hoping.

Mark is feeling great.  His fever's are here and there, but nothing like the were.  His stomach is fine, his mouth is fine, his rashes are gone.  His appetite gets better every day; in fact this morning he was complaining that breakfast wasn't here cuz he was HUNGRY!  lol that was awesome!  His voice still isn't back however and I'm starting to think those ulcers scarred his vocal cords and he may never have it back.  Who knows.  It's kinda sexy....although it's really hard for him to talk on the phone!  

OK...so the help I was speaking of in the title.  On Sunday, March 29, 2009 I am holding a "Bagenski Sanitation" party at my house! The entire house needs to be deep cleaned; carpets cleaned, all surfaces disinfected, major dusting and sweeping, all chandeliers cleaned the whole nine yards!  I'd like to get it done this weekend so the carpets have a good chance to dry completely before Mark comes home.  IF you would like to be part of the clean sweep team, give me a text, call or email and let me know.  If there's enough people and weather permits we may even get some of the outside cleaned up too.  We'll get started early(ish) and I hope to get it done in just one day.  If you are willing and able I would be SO grateful, however please don't feel pressure to do it and if you can't, no need to let me know why or whatever.  I know you all are thinking of us and praying and believe me...THAT IS ENOUGH!!!  I just thought I would throw this out there and see what I get!  <3

That's all for now!!  Thanks again for all your prayers y'all!!  Don't forget to pray for "negative on the Flat 3 Ligand test"!  

Love you, ~B~

becknbunch@centurytel.net
513-6422

Sunday, March 22, 2009

ACK!

Ok, Loyal Blog Followers I am SO sorry!  Yesterday was a whirlwind and by the time I remembered I hadn't written, I was logged out of the computer and snuggled under my electric blanket...there's just no coming back from that once I'm there!

First off let me say that this morning Mark looks almost completely NORMAL!!!  He's feeling great, he's looking awesome!  He has color in his lips and cheeks, his eyes are bright, he's messing with the computer, has a great appetite!  It's amazing!!!  All we need now is for his blood to start behaving, bring the counts up to near normal levels and we can go home!!!!  (prayer time!)

Yesterday was exhausting but lovely.  My oldest friend came down with her hubby and 7 month old daughter.  Can we say baby therapy?  Oh yes, Becky was VERY mellow last night!!  Kim, Tim and baby Kira were here for about 4 hours and it was so nice!  My mom and dad brought up the kids so they got to play with the baby too.  OH and they got to see their daddy!!  No in the room, but we have them stand at the door.  That was awesome.  He's only seen them twice now since we've been up here and boy does he miss them.  THEN after everyone had left and we were getting settled in for the night we had another visit from our friends Martin and Jessica!  Now...I haven't seen Jess for FIVE weeks and man...was it wonderful to see her!!!  She's due in June with their second baby boy and I feel like I've missed the whole pregnancy!!  She was barely showing when all this started and now she's...uh...showing!  (I thought that was nicer than saying HUGE! )  It was such a great day.  We were both wiped out and slept like logs which is yet ANOTHER blessing!!!

It's the little things.

Today's plan is more platelets since his are still low.  But that's it!  Maybe it'll be a movie day!  It's unbelievable how good he looks and how normal he sounds today!    God is so good!

Love you all!

Friday, March 20, 2009

IT'S A QUILT!!!

Look at this perfect blog background!!!  It's a QUILT!  Just like the quilt hug I snuggle in CONSTANTLY in this room and like the prayer quilt Mark won't allow to leave his side!  I saw this and just knew it was meant to be on our blog!  It's the little things.

Oh and the new Title picture is called "Heaven's Light".  Amen!

Today was mild and ordinary!  LOVE those days!  Mark was feeling well and got spunky near the end of the day! LOL (that means sassy and grumpy to those that don't understand when I'm nice....)  We had a lovely visit from our neighbor Kathy who is in a program here at the hospital where she and her Golden Retriever Jag come visit the patients!  I didn't even know they did this until last week when all of a sudden here she was!  What a wonderful surprise!!  And today she came in to say hi to Mark.  Jag was at the door and when we told him he could come in to say hi, Mark said "Hi Jag!" and he scrambled right over to him tail a waggin to get at Mark!  I honestly think he recognized him!  I mean, we see him enough around home!  It was amazing and made Mark's day!!  LOL  Amazing what a little pet on a big dog  can do for the spirits!  It was so nice catching up with Kathy too.   She walks around our house to make sure everything looks good and then keeps an eye on it from next door.  We seriously have the best neighbors EVER!  Kathy and Hal with their beautiful dogs Jag and Max (the guard dogs!), and then Karen and Clyde on the other side.  They truly are extentions of our family and I'm sure when we return home that will be even MORE true!  Mark keeps saying that when he's well he's gonna be passing out random hugs constantly!  I'm sure these two families will be first in line!

Other than that it's been pretty uneventful. Mark got another 3 units of blood today so he should be nice and perky tomorrow...no platelets but I'm sure we'll get those again in the morning.  I got a print out of the bone marrow test saying there are ZERO cancer cells in his body at the moment...I think I might frame it!  I know we have a long way to go and there's still "possibilities" of other problems, but for now I'm just reeling with this good news.  I mean seriously...just a little over 3 weeks ago we thought Mark had mono.  Now he's in remission from Leukemia???  Who does this happen to???  WOW!  We are blessed indeed!

Mark did get good sleep last night which was the plan.  I think I was awake more than him for the first time!  HEY, I'm an Erbes...I can sleep ANYWHERE!!!  LOL!  The ambian really helped him I think and the nurses left him alone for the most part.  Funny how simple silence can be such a blessing!  If only they knew! LOL  The plan is the same for tonight as far as I know so we shall see!

Well, that's all for tonight!  God bless and sleep good!  I think we will!!  :)

No clue

Ok...so I know there's some sort of blog protocol for posting other people's ideas and whatnot.  Normally I really could care less about giving credit to someone for some random joke or saying.  Therefore I have no idea how to do those cool little links to another blog.  SO...I'm putting the address here for this amazing blogger that was shown to me today.  Not only do I not usually post other people stuff, but I normally don't click on links where people advise me to!  There's always notes that say "oh this was great go check it out (insert link here)" but I have never clicked.  

Until today.

Here's what it was.  I was moved, touched, amazed, and shown even more (as I am everyday) that God is right here next to me.



MARCH 19, 2009

Through and Through

“Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-24).



It was waiting for me in my inbox this morning. An email from my friend who is battling for her physical health from a hospital room that’s been her home for over a month now. Her life has changed dramatically in that time. She went into surgery with high hopes of gaining some relief from a tumor that was growing on her upper spine. What she received, instead, was partial paralysis in addition to her continuing fight against cancer.

Her hopes have changed over the past month. Today she lingers with the prospect of a wheelchair and a return home very soon. I imagine it to be enough for her in this moment—to get home to her family and to bask in the warmth of some normal, if only for a season.

She’s journeying down a long and uncertain road right now. A “through and through” kind of work in her own heart and life that doesn’t seem fair. That hardly seems necessary. That rarely feels right and good and pure as it pertains to the life of a saint.

And while I would never want to “explain away her pain” as some part of her purification process ... as if there is something in her that “needs” the lesson of a difficult suffering ... I do know this, as it pertains to the life of a saint. To the lives of all of us who know Jesus and are walking ever closer to seeing Him face to face.

Our process of becoming like Jesus is a “through and through” process. A word in the Greek language(holotelous) meaning “All, or the whole, completely or entirely.”[i]

The opposite of holotelous is monos meaning “only, alone, without others.”[ii]

Thus, our sanctification is a collective work, not a partial or solitary experience. It is an entire work. A completed work that can only be accomplished through the faithful hands of a peaceful God who seeds our lives, as we go and all along, with the flames of holy fire with a holy end in mind. He is a God who is after far more in us and through us than we are willing to concede at the time of our salvation.

Surrendering our hearts to the way of the cross—to the road of a crucified life—is a costly decision. It means that we willingly submit our flesh to the purifying flames of a holier notion … a better becoming that would otherwise be left undone should we have chosen otherwise—to stay as we are rather than who we are meant to be.

When we say “yes” to Jesus and his cross, we say “yes” to our Father’s “through and through.” Rarely do we understand on the front side of our “yes” what that will look like in the seasons to come. A good “ignorance” I suppose. God grows us in our sanctification. To receive it all in a first moment with Jesus would be too much. Perhaps, would be too hard. Too difficult of a cloaking at the point when our tender hearts cross the line from flesh to faith.

“through and through” kind of work is a gift from a gracious God who understands that the more we come to know him ... that the more we grow in our understanding of just exactly how long and wide and high and deep his blood was shed ... the more willing we become to surrender our flesh for the same. When we finally come to the place of a deeper knowing of Christ’s love for us, then we are willing, like the Apostle Paul, to surrender it all—our flesh and our now—for the sake of our completed end.

It’s not easy. It’s not always fun. It’s never predictable, and rarely does it ever make sense. But in God’s hands and through God’s love, of this one truth we can be sure.

It’s always good. It’s always right, and his work in us is always for us. For Him. And for a kingdom’s sake that exceeds our momentary grasp at understanding.

There is coming a day, when our “through and through” will make it through to the other side. God will push our flesh through an invisible barrier, and in a moment’s pause, our faith will be made sight. We will have the glorious truth of our difficult now laid out before us in a way that makes perfect sense and that will leave us panting a breathless "hallelujah" for the process that we walked to get there. 

Hold onto the good, weary pilgrims. Hold onto the promise. His name is Jesus, and he is faithful to complete in us that which he began in us over 2000 years ago—perfection. A “faultless to stand before the throne” kind of finish because of his willingness to bow before the throne on a cross.

Oh, what wondrous love is this? It’s a love that calls us to a “through and through” kind of faith. May we all have the good sense and the willing “yes” in our hearts to take up our cross and follow faith through to the threshold of our finish that will birth the truth of our beginning again.

A beginning that lands us at home, at rest, and face to face with the One who created us with such sacred splendor in mind. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Now, as I said before, I don't know how to link the blog.  But here is the address.  I definitely will be watching this one because MAN did she help me today!   Thank you, Elaine!  http://peaceforthejourney.blogspot.com/

Oh and by the way to my blogger techies...I don't wanna know either so don't bombard me with emails with instructions on how to do it!!  LOL!!!  Love you!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

More info

OK!  Believe it or not there's still much to say after our wonderful news today!  Let's get started!

As I mentioned before, Mark had his second bone marrow test this morning.  I don't recall if I said before, but these tests are EXTREMELY painful.  The first one he had done in the doc's office three weeks ago was done drug free.  There were locals put at the site, but nothing in Mark's system.  Dr. Caton said they only do it that way once, from then on the patient is always given something.  We knew why right away...after that first time, YOU KNOW WHAT'S COMIN!!  They suck.  Well anyway, today he got a huge dose of Ativan and then some benadryl on top of that.  Although he still felt the pain, it was numbed a little and frankly, that high on drugs he didn't care all that much.  The doc said he wouldn't remember, but Mark is "special" and of course rules don't apply to him!  He remembers it all!  LOL

So while the doc was here we mentioned that we thought Mark was having some anxiety reactions to the meds he's on.  As he started explaining that he's been seeing things that aren't there, having horrible visions as soon as he goes to sleep and therefore wakes himself up, Dr. Caton just nodded.  He said oh yes, I've seen that many times.  It's not a reaction to meds, it's a reaction to sleep.  We have been here for 3 weeks and I don't know how many of you have stayed over night in the hospital, but it's NOT a place to come to rest.  They are in and out of this room all day and all night, checking on him, taking vitals, asking if we need anything etc. etc.  So what Mark is experiencing is sleep deprivation psychosis.  His brain is actually not functioning properly due to lack of sleep.  He's hallucinating.  It's SCARY AS HELL to see.  He was really freaking me out today.  So, they have put him on a special thing in his room where the nurses won't come in as often, especially at night.  From midnight to 6am they will not come in his room unless we ring for them.  He's also being put on a sleeping pill.  I pray that over the next day or two he'll get enough REM that his brain can snap out of this phase.  I'm gonna be white haired and wrinkled by the time this is over I tell ya!  OY!

So back to the bone marrow test thing.  Dr. Caton is going to run a "flat 3 ligand" test.  I still am not clear on what it is exactly because all I've found on the internet is all in medical terms and I'm just not quite there YET!  I'm sure I'll understand better tomorrow as I will grill Dr. Caton until I understand.  He indicated however, that if that test comes back positive we will be back to talking about a bone marrow transplant.  Needless to say, we need prayers going up for a negative on that test!  NONONO on transplant talk!!

The Plan:
Now we are at the point of after care.  Here's what will happen.  We will remain here in the hospital for approximately 2 more weeks while Mark's blood cell levels even out.  We need his white blood cells, his hemoglobin and his platelet all to come back to near normal levels before we can head home.  We will barely have time to get settled at home however.  After a week (or two maybe Dr. Caton said) home, we will then come back to the hospital on a Monday.  He will have HEAVY doses of chemo on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all of which will be a 12 hour drip through the IV.  We will go home on Saturday, then be home for that following week, then back into the hospital the following Monday.  One week in, one week out.  This will continue for 8 dose weeks; about 4 months.  As soon as we are done with that, he will be in recovery mode.  A couple months for his body to heal and for him to start feeling normal again, then he can go back to work.  During those four months Mark will still be very sick.  He will not be able to be around a lot of people and especially not around anyone with an illness of any kind.  He is now, and will be for at least those four months, Neutropenic.  

Neutropenia (adjective neutropenic), from Latin prefix neutro- and Greek suffix -πενία (deficiency) is a hematological disorder characterized by an abnormally low number of a type of white blood cell called a neutrophil. Neutrophils usually make up 50-70% of circulating white blood cells and serve as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria in the blood. Hence, patients with neutropenia are more susceptible to bacterial infections and, without prompt medical attention, the condition may become life-threatening

Basically what that means is that he will get sick if anyone around him is sick and his body will not be able to fight it because he will have no defense; ie: white blood cells.  (good dudes that fight infection).  When Mark gets the sniffles it means the hospital with IV antibiotics.  Scary huh?  So, you will all understand I'm sure if we lay low this summer.  Chances are not good we'll have our annual 4th of July party...first time in 12 years!

So there ya have it.  What we are looking forward to here in the next few months.  But ya know what?  After all is said and done we will all be stronger for it.  Our family, our friendships, our love will all be stronger.  We know there is a Higher Power at work here and we are going down this path not only for ourselves but for others too.  We know that many of you have had changes in your lives because of this struggle and we are proud to be able to be examples of God's undying love and power.  Despite all of this, we know He is here, watching over us, protecting us, bringing us through it better people.  God is so good.  I know I've said it before but we FEEL him here in this room.

To end this long winded post I thought y'all deserved some pics!! yay!!!  


Our beautiful boy.
Gracie and her Grandma
Allie in the beautiful new hospital near the cafeteria.
Mark while he still had hair.  Although notice how thin it is compared to last weeks pics?  Crazy!  Our floor was starting to look like a shag rug!  Gross!
My handsome Beloved after a shave!



God bless you all, Family and Friends.

Second Bone Marrow test March 19

First off, we finally got the results back on the Cytogenetics from Mark's first bone marrow test.  They came back Neutral/normal.  Not exactly what we wanted but still great!!

Mark had his second bone marrow test this morning and Dr. Caton called just a bit ago with "preliminary" results.  

ZERO BLAST CELLS!  MARK IS IN REMISSION!

God is SO good!!!!!

The "final" test results will be back by tomorrow afternoon but Dr. Caton said that the preliminary results are very reliable.  There is one more test he now has to do on the original bone marrow sample BECAUSE it came back with the neutral/normal.  There is still a very slim possibility that his marrow carries an enzyme that will make the cancer reoccur as fast as we got it under control.  We are sure it will come back negative...as sure as we were that we'd blast this out the first round!  GOD IS GOOD!!!

Thank you ALL for your prayers!  THEY ARE WORKING!!!!  Mark is now living proof for us ALL that God is with us, God listens to us, God answers our prayers, and God performs miracles EVERY DAY!

Amen!

We will still be following the plan set out for us a few weeks ago so we still have a long way to go.  But man...we can DO IT!  We are READY! First hurdle jumped clean and clear...the rest are lower.

More to come later with today's trials...but this had to come now and all by itself!


Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Prayer Request for the Mary's

Remember LeRoy?  He's the brother from another mother, the shoulda been brother, the second half of my husband without the blood relation!  Remember him?  He's awesome.  We love him.  We love his family as they are our family too.  

They've been dealt a rough hand here lately.

First off we need prayer for LeRoy's grandpa Bud.  He has a lump on his lung and another tumor behind his forehead.  He is currently going through radiation, which ends on Friday and then next week he will begin chemo.  

Then we have Jerry,  LeRoy's dad.  He is the meanest, toughest, most solumn looking teddy bear ya ever did meet!  He's kind and loving, funny and fun-loving, always looking out for the other guy, always there to crack a joke and make you feel better.  He's struggled with health since I met him 11 years ago but he's always persevered...such a strong guy!  He's just been diagnose with Lymphoma.  They don't know details yet, will find out more next week and then the plan for treatment will begin.

There's so much going on with this family this month!!! What is the DEAL???  Please, as you pray for Mark, add in Bud and Jerry.  For their complete recovery and for the travel to that place to be as stress and pain free as possible.  

Our prayers and thoughts are with you Mary's.  We love you.

March 18th

Dr. Caton is back!  YAY!!!  We love Dr. Caton.  He is a no nonsense, take no prisoners type of guy.  He lays it all out on the line and then we discuss.  It's so nice!  He was away, as I mentioned before, for a 360 mile bike race in Texas.  Well, he was ahead of the pack by 15 minutes!!! OH yes...in first by that much...most likely the race was over!  But at mile 277, in the middle of the night, he lost his eyesight!  He said it's happened once before and they thought they had figured it out, but it happened again.  His wife was standing about 6 inches from him and he couldn't see her!  So he had to drop out of the race.  SUCKS!!!  But he had fun and now he's back and we are happy to have him.

Oh, and his eyesight did return, by the way.  He's good to go on Mark's care!  :P

Mark got his special platelets late late last night.  I think they finally put them on the pump at like 1:30 this morning.  Low and behold they worked!!  From 8 -12 over night!  YES!  He got another round of them today and three more units of blood.  He's feeling really good today!  His eyes have gone almost back to normal except for the bruising.  No more swelling.  And he said they are starting to itch and in my experience that's a good sign!  

His hair is really coming out now.  He pulled out a huge clump earlier.  So, my mom is bringing up my clippers tomorrow and we're just gonna shave it off.  He's making a mess with it otherwise...there are little brown clumps everywhere and that's just gross!  I'll make sure to take one more pic of him with hair and then a shot of him right after.  Y'all thought he looked weird without facial hair...just wait!!  LOL

That's about it for Markie!  We treasure these good days.  They are wonderful.  He's so sassy!!

We got an amazing group of pictures from a member of his crew at work today.  They had a luncheon in his name today.  These people and their love for Mark continues to amaze and overwhelm us.  Every day there is a message from at least ONE member of his crew or another co-worker (usually more) and they are so positive and so supportive.  We are blessed indeed.  A huge thank you and big ol wet kiss to all our Allvac Family.  You guys rock!!!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!

Today is my Daddy's birthday!!!  There will be no cheesecake today, Daddy but I will make up for it next month I promise!!!!  

I love you SO much!!!  Enough as a matter of fact that I will NOT say how old you are!!!  Cuz that's the kind of daughter I am!!!  :D

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DADDY!!!!!
Happy birthday to yoooooouuuuuuu!!!!!!

I love you!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Well, it's happened....

The man's hair has officially started coming out.  He ran his fingers through it a bit ago and out came about 15 strands in his fingers.  DOH!  Oh well, he'll be just as handsome baldy!

Not too much going on in our little world today.  He was pretty tired this morning because night shift was in and out of here so much last night...and every time they came in they asked if he needed anything; whether he was asleep or not!  LOL  Very nice but...common!!  So he was pretty much zonked this morning.  Gave me an opportunity to shoot home, get some clean clothes, grab a shower and head back.  I got to see Lukey and Gracie briefly, and of course my Mommy.  My house is big and empty and cold.  It's so weird to be in there with no dogs barking.  It's getting REALLY dusty too!! LOL

Mark's fancy platelets should be here this afternoon.  So we are really hoping those will help him.  One of the docs thinks his eye rash and facial discomfort is possibly a fungal infection.  Did another CT scan on his head this morning that "looked normal" but he still thinks there might be the beginnings of this infection so he's treating him for it.  There are so many drugs pumping through Mark's body I wonder if there's any of his own fluids left!!!

On the home front the kids are doing great.  They are enjoying being at Nana and Papa's.  Our friend Sadie actually gave them a bunk bed set up and Dad put it up for the kids in the extra room.  The queen is on the bottom and the twin up above.  It's really cool and the kids love it!  Luke and Grace love sleeping together and the top bunk is just like Allie's bed at home.  I'm sure they will all sleep even better now.  Luke is reading SO well now!!  Mom has been working with him and it's finally clicked!  She even recorded him reading a school book for Mark today on her cell.  It was so cool!!  He's looking forward to being able to "read Daddy to sleep" when he gets home!  Allie and I got to chat on the computer last night and that was a lot of fun.  I can't believe how old she is!  The only way I could tell it was her and not Mom was that her typing is slower!  I'm sure that will speed up too though after all this is over!  Gracie said for the first time yesterday that she missed her Mama.  Out of the blue she told Mom that.  Two weeks is pretty long for her JUST to miss me....but it's ok!  At least I know how comfortable and well taken care of!!  It makes it easier on everyone...especially me...that they don't whine about missing us and can just carry on with everyday life.  Kids are so resilient that way I suppose...but I just feel like my babies are EXTRA special!  Cuz...well, they ARE!  :D

As for me, I'm hanging in there!  I'm just hanging out with my on line buddies (which now includes all my real life friends as well!), read my books, mess with the computer, and watch over my Beloved.  I feel really comfortable with a lot of these nurses and am enjoying the "clinical" side of this experience.  I've decided that after all this is over I'm going back to school  to become a nurse.  I wasn't sure what God had in store for me after the kids were all in school and my days would slow down, but I feel this is my calling.  I have an old friend that is just completing the RN program and has tons of insight.  He's offered to help me zip through as fast as possible with short cuts and mentoring.  He's already getting a list together for me of first steps.  I'm hoping that come summer, Mark will be feeling more like himself and I can start with a couple easy classes to get me into the swing of learning again.  Gotta oil up these old brain cells that have done nothing but Dr. Seuss book since 1999!  He's actually going to be here at the hospital with his wife this Thursday to have a baby so not only do I get to see him but I get to have some BABY THERAPY too!!  Oh my, you have NO idea how much I'm looking forward to that!!!  Nothing better than a newborn to make you feel relaxed!

I'm feeling chatty today I guess!!  Enough for now!  

God Bless
~B~

Monday, March 16, 2009

HML Testing

OK...I asked the right question to the right person and got my answer!

Mark's body is resisting the platelets.  What little white blood cells he has are attacking the platelets as they go into his body because they are seen as a "foreign body".  Technically the white dudes are doing what they are supposed to...but for goodness sakes couldn't they attack the bacteria that's causing the rash and leave the platelets alone!!! SHEESH!

So they took Mark's blood this morning specifically for this HML testing which stands for Human Leukocyte Antigens.  They need to find a perfect match to Mark's so his body will stop fighting them and allow them to help.  By tomorrow we should have a "special" batch sent down from OHSU in Portland.

On another note he's feeling a little better.  The prayer Nan said today while putting a knot in his prayer blanket obviously worked!  (she prayed for his day to be better and for him to feel better).  He even requested a shower!  Those always make him feel better.  Nan is about to give him some IV benedryl to prep him for his platelet...so he's about to get REALLY funny!!  They send him soaring HIGH!!! LOL

Friggin special!!

We all knew that Mark was special!  (some of us know it's in that little yellow school bus, helmet with a chin strap way...)  We found out today that he is so special, that they have to make special platelets for him!  Now, ask me what that means!!!  dunno.  Something about matching him specifically to platelets that will effect him the best.  He's gotten a transfusion for the last four days and they haven't really done anything.  Last night right after his transfusion they drew a sample and he was up to 17, but this morning he was back down to 9.  I haven't gotten a clear answer as to why this happens...and believe me...I asked.  Pretty much the answers to all the questions this last week were "well, with chemo patients..." blah blah blah.

Very frustrating.

So this morning his face is hurting.  The rash has spread, his eyes are swollen and purple.  It's even on the roof of his mouth.  He's miserable but we're keeping him drugged.  His platelets will be here soon.  That's about IT.  Gonna be another book day for me!!  

Til next blog!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Today's Ailment....

We actually have a diagnosis on this one!!  It's a miracle!!!  Mark has Bacterial Folliculitis, which is an infection (caused from his own body's bacteria) in his follicles!  It has caused a rash on his forehead, the rash on his eyelids and spots around his back and chest.  Our infectious control doc put him on a hefty antibiotic today and the swelling on his eyes is almost completely gone, but the nurse said the redness (looks like I beat him up in his sleep) will remain for up to a week.  He can open his eyes normally now so that is a blessing.

His stomach continues to trouble him, but they have ruled out all infections...it's just the chemo has destroyed the lining in his small intestine and he has to barrel through it until his white cells are high enough to fix it.  Understandably so this discomfort (ha...such a weak word to express what's happening to him) has made him EXTREMELY grumpy.  He has no patience for anything or anyONE...including me.  I've just sat in my corner all day and read my book.  At this point I'm encouraging him to allow the nurses to keep him drugged up so he can sleep through it.  I can't imagine this will go on too much longer...we're coming up on a week of it.

So I hope nobody feels ignored if you've texted him.  Hopefully he'll feel a little more like himself tomorrow and will respond to the wonderful messaged y'all send to him everyday.  They mean the world and he loves getting them!

4 more days til the bone marrow test that will tell us what the chemo did; although it will be several days after that til we get results I'm sure.  Dedicated prayer for remission, Dear Prayer Warriors!!  That is what we want and nothing less!  :)  We know it's what will happen, but let's continue to pray for it anyway!

All for tonight!  Sleep well, My Friends.  

-B-

Clarification

Ok...so I had it all wrong with the quilt my Auntie sent. And how it actually works is even cooler!!!

There IS a group that makes these quilts for people requesting prayer. But I was wrong about the ladies making it, sitting in a group to tie and pray. They make it then hang it at the church with a description of the person needing it, what they need for prayer and then the congregation ties and prays as they pass it!! My cousin Keith's daughters even prayed for Mark and tied a knot with their precious little hands!!

My cup runneth over.


And then to prove it my mom sent me this picture last night.  Allison got a camera for grades last year and she randomly will go into fits of taking pictures CONSTANTLY!!!  She grabbed it while packing to live with Nana and Papa and found this cool picture of her daddy.  My dad printed it out for her room.  Talk about tear jerker.  She is a Daddy's girl through and through.
This is todays view out our window.  You can't see the rain, but it's pouring out there.  It's a perfect representation of how our day is going.  
 Mark is feeling like crap again.  His stomach just won't quit and now his head is hurting him again.  His platelets were down to 9 today AFTER he received a transfusion yesterday and they were 11 then!  I'm not quite getting how that works.  So he'll get more today and I pray they work.   He had a bloody nose for most of the night which is very scary when you don't have platelets to clot it up.  It never got out of hand thankfully...he's just really tired today.  He's started developing these weird rashes.  He has one on his forehead, one on his back, and then today his eyelids.  He can barely open his eyes at the moment.  What is it?  Dunno.  Where did it come from?  Dunno.  How can we get rid of it?  Dunno.  Welcome to the life of a chemo patient.  He's sleeping now which is wonderful.  Hopefully with a little rest he'll be feeling better by this afternoon and we can continue with our Star Trek marathon!  



Saturday, March 14, 2009

March 14th

First things first.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT AND TRAVIS!!!!  We are so sorry we can't be there to help you celebrate in person but we are with you in spirit!  We love you both very much!

Today was fairly unblogworthy!  It almost feels like we're in a motel room with nothing to do!  Mark did take a shower and wanted to go for a walk, which we did.  Then back to the room for more platelets, went smoothly.  Then my mom came up and brought me lunch and visited a bit.  That was lovely!!  I miss her so much.  Other than that....same ol' same ol'!  I feel I'm getting boring at this point!!!  LOL

I did take some pics for y'all today...since you like them so much!  :D


Rock on Baby!!!  Up and about last night feeling good!!  It's been a nice couple days.

My bff/shouldabeensister made me a "hug quilt".  Since she can't be here in person to hug me...she MADE me a hug!!  And check out how it's the PERFECT size for my bed!!!  This is truly one of THE best gifts I've ever received in my life.  I love you, Rebecca.  Thank you so much!
My Aunt Donna has a quilt group that make "prayer quilts" from her church.  The way it works is they make a quilt, then sit in a group and tie it. With every knot that is tied, a prayer is said for the person receiving it.  They prayed for Mark's complete recovery.  This is such a special gift for Mark and it was received with as much emotion as I've seen out of him to date.  He absolutely loves it and I doubt it will be off his bed or away from his side for the next 6 months.  Thank you so much, Ladies.  What you do is an answered prayer in itself.  We are truly blessed.
When my mom brought lunch and our quilts she also brought Mark's electric razor.  He got a bit carried away in my opinion!!!  What a baby face!!  I have not seen my Beloved without facial hair in over five years!!!  It's so odd!!  Isn't he gorgeous though?  Oh how I love him!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Another answered prayer

Because today was wonderful!  Mark felt good, he looked good, he played his game, read a magazine, watched tv!!!  He was up for most of the day!!  Snoozed for a bit this afternoon but he was so much like my Markie!!  We laughed, we played, we debated!  It was absolutely wonderful!

We have yet to learn a few test results.  Mark has some sort of stomach upset that they are testing for infection.  Also the strain of leukemia he has we STILL don't know (13 days later).  Kinda frustrating but at the same time I suppose it doesn't matter too much.  The treatment is the same at this point anyway.  

He received another batch of platelets today and two more units of blood.  That is definitely helping with his energy and color.  God bless people that donate!!!  :D  He had a bit of a reaction to the platelets earlier, a little drop in his blood pressure and a rash on his forehead, but the nurse said that next time they will just give him a few more preventative meds to prepare his body better and we shouldn't see that again.

Speaking of the nurses...they love my hubby!!  They are starting to give him crap and banter with him throughout the day.  It's so wonderful!!  Now that he's not feeling like he's on his deathbed like when we first came in, his personality is shining through and those who know him, love him.  Y'all know that!!!

That's about all I've got tonight!!  Thanks so much for the continued prayer and well wishes!

Love you much,  B

Yes I did!

Forget to post last night!!  OH I suck and I'm so sorry!!!!

We slept last night!  Thank God for small favors.  Yesterday was touch and go. Obviously it started off terribly.  We hardly got any sleep night before last and the residual effects of that in addition to Mark's stomach issues made the morning rough.  However, when he woke up in early afternoon he was feeling much better.  We even got him into the shower (which made him feel better still) and watched a bit of a movie before he slept again.  He was able to eat better since the swelling in his mouth had gone down and he even got snippy with me a couple times!!!  Never thought I'd like that.  LOL  (ok...maybe LIKE is a bit of an exaggeration....)

Yesterday evening marked the end of the first round of chemo!  Woot!!  They took it down at about 7.  Now we have a week of managing pain, controlling viruses and dealing with the side effects that will undoubtably come now.  Next Thursday will be the next bone marrow test (which the doc promised to knock him out for!) and the results of that will show if my Beloved is in remission or not.  Y'all know what to be praying for now!!! 



The kids ready for bed.  Mom sends pics or videos to Mark daily.
You asked for it...here I am looking all glammed out.  Oh ya baby.  ick.  LOL
Our friend Martin went had gave blood yesterday and brought me the coffee cup!! I love it!!!!
Martin and Mark.  See his bandage???  :D
The sunset yesterday from our window!  GORGEOUS!!!




Thursday, March 12, 2009

Wonderful night

Yes, and those that know me well can see the sarcasm dripping from that title!!  

We were up half the night with Mark's cranky stomach.  NO idea whats going on there.  They took him down for a CT scan at 2am to make sure he didn't have a bleed going on.  He doesn't.  Could be the pain meds have irritated it, could be a lower intestinal infection, could be the chemo, could be not eating for the last two days, could be nothing.  Wonderful world of Leukemia...they don't know. How great is that?  AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

He's sleeping now and I'm gonna lay back down as well.  I totally missed the visit from Dr. Lee (who is filling in for Dr. Caton while he's in Texas doing a 360 mile bike race!!! wow!!) so I didn't get to meet him OR ask my insistant questions!  Dang it!!  LOL  Tomorrow is another day to annoy the new doctor though!

On a good note, his tongue is WAY better today.  He was talking easier and able to eat most of his breakfast.  That will help with his strength and mood today I imagine.  OH and he sat on my couch and watched AI with me last night!!  That was a beautiful thing!  Snuggling with my man watching AI...does it GET better than that?  I think not!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Nope, not better

Still having a rough go at the moment here in room 8106.  We think we might have a reason for the fever now though.   When all this started and Dr. Caton was explaining Leukemia to us and how Mark's immune system would be compromised, we at once worried about the kids being in school and bringing home crud.  I was in an instant ready to pull them out of school and home school them for the rest of the year should it be a concern.  The doc however didn't advise that.  He said that in all truth, although outside illnesses ARE a threat to Mark, his biggest battle would be his own bacterias.  Well, that has already reared it's ugly head.

A couple nights ago Mark woke up and realized he'd bit the back of his tongue while he slept.  And then, as we all have done after an initial chomp, he bit the swollen tissue again while eating.  Because he has no immune system to heal the sore, it has become a hemotoma and the side of his tongue is swollen to about twice it's normal size.  Well....also since he has no immune system, the sess pool of bacteria we all have in our mouths has attacked Mark's body and has caused the return of the fever/chill fest.  Lovely.  So they do all these test to see if they can find something when in probability it is something as simple as a slip of the teeth to cause a weeks worth of pure agony.  Unbelievable huh?

He's been pretty much in a drug induced sleep for going on 2 days.  It's been relatively peaceful in here except for the 4 bedding changes today when he gets up to pee!  The man knows how to sweat out a fever I tell ya!!  Yay God!

More to come later if he wakes up and says something blogworthy.  Otherwise y'all will see me tomorrow!

God Bless, B

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

My prediction

The man is sleeping in a peaceful drugged up state, giving his reality tv addicted wife control of the remote control.

My prediction is as follows for the final four:
DANNY!!  Of course!
ADAM!!
MATT!!
ALEXIS!!

Maybe Lil Round...but not if she keeps it up like tonight.

SO SAYS THE BECKY, SO SHALL IT BE!!!  I think I've been right every season.....

NIGHT!!!

Another rough one

As you can see our day started well enough.  Mark's "brother from another mother" came down and visited earlier and it was wonderful to see him!!  Mark was having a tough morning and to see his brother lifted his spirits SO much.  Leroy was able to stay for a few hours although unfortunately Mark started to feel bad during that time.  His fever came back.  Not good.

They came and took him back to xray to see what the pneumonia is doing and then took some more blood to do some infection cultures (we JUST replaced that blood!!!).  Now it's another waiting game.  It's frustrating to be "treating" something we don't know what it is.  It's terrifying seeing him shiver in bed with no energy to move and not know WHY.  It sucks thinking that we're done with the fevers, only to have them return 3 days later.  They just wear him out.

On the plus side he's gotten really good sleep today.  I'm sure his body needed it.  He's still asleep as I write this.

Pastor Brent was in today as well.  He stayed and talked with us for a while, got up to speed about all that's happening, time lines and whatnot and of course prayed with us.  He is such a special man to us and it was awesome to see him and now to have his presence in this room.  It's such a comfort for us both.

I wish I had more to say.  I wish I had positive things to post.  Thank you for your prayers and hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Love to all, B

A couple pics

This is my bed and my "nightstand".  I totally moved in!!!  See my COFFEE POT????  Omg I had REAL coffee this morning!!!!  I'm a happy girl!  See, it doesn't take much!!!  LOL

Cards, Pic of the babies, A cross and Desiderata from Joe, a drawing from Allie with a portal so Daddy can port himself out of the hospital to anywhere he wants to go!  She's so smart! And of course our calendar to show us the beach we can pretend to be sunning ourselves!
A glimpse at a not so good day.  :(  These days suck.  But it's reality.

Monday, March 9, 2009

March 9th

Can you believe I had such a "normal" day that I almost forgot to blog??? Praise God for small favors!

I'm just sitting here on my couch with a glass of wine (oh yes...I still drink wine even in sterile environments!) watching the feel good show EXTREME home makeover...feeling all warm and fuzzy! From the SHOW not the wine!!!

I went home for a few hours today. Took a shower (oh how I miss my hot shower!), did a load of laundry (mark needed clean panties!), saw the babies (they are fine and were ready to go back to nana's house!). When I got back, Mark had finished receiving two units of blood and was feeling pretty good! He didn't get a chance to sleep much today as the nurses and docs were in and out all day long, but he was feeling better. His stomach isn't bothering him quite as much....Dr. Caton has him on some anti acids and some pain meds that are helping with that. Also the infectious disease doc was in and said he was not only taking him off the hard core anti biotics and putting him on preventative, but also taking away some of the precautions. This means that we can now see our nurses faces instead of yellow masks and eyes! It's the little things.

Only two days left of this batch of chemo. Dr. Caton said that after this the doses will be much lighter and easier on Mark's system. He'll still experience the side effects, and it will get worse over time, but it won't be like THIS.

I expect we will have a good night's sleep. Mark's cough is almost completely gone now. They did another chest xray to check on his pneumonia but I haven't seen the results. Although I can tell ya just from being in this room that it's better. He's suffering much less.

I enjoyed the most awesome cookies I've had in a LONG time from a long time family friend Chris. Oh my I'm in trouble!!! I've been having to ignore the temptation all night!! SO good! I also received like, the worlds BEST care package today from my shouldabeensisterbestfriend Rebecca!!! It was like Christmas in a diaper box! Thanks you SO much Bec!! I'm gonna enjoy having a REAL cup of coffee in the morning instead of the nasty hospital crap!! How they call that "coffee" is beyond me!

It's the little things.

Goodnight to you all! God bless and sleep tight!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

From our friend Leroy

Mark's best friend since they were 5 years old asked me to post a letter to you guys. This man is more a brother to Mark than anything else. Neither one of them has siblings and they refer to each other in that old cliche "Brother from another Mother"! hehe He wanted to make sure this idea got to the broadest spec of people and since so many of you are reading and keeping up on this blog, he figured it was better than an address book!

Please know ahead of time that this is not a request, it's an option. We love you all and know that you're praying for us and thinking of us always and we feel it! And we thank you SO much for that.

God Bless, Becky





Greetings fellow blog followers!

With the recent diagnosis of Mark, we all want to help out in some way.
I want to throw out an idea for those of us that are to far away or unable to do any physical work to help the Bagenski family. Most of us would like send flowers etc. We all know that Mark is unable to accept anything like that. So in leu of flowers or gifts I am thinking that for those of us readers that feel like we would like to help the Bagenski's this might be an alternate way of helping and showing appreciation to them.

You can send them a donation to help them pay for the incidentals that they will need to purchase for Mark once he is healthy enough to go home for rest periods. I know after reading the blog that the house will need to be cleaned from top to bottom including the carpets and everything in between. I know that Mark will need to pretty much live in a recliner when he is home on rest periods. He does not have a recliner and the man is a big boy so a run of the mill recliner will not work for him. I am sure the list goes on and on of things that they will need for Mark.

This suggestion is for those of us that want to do something for them that will have some meaning.

Here are the two ways I propose for them to receive your donations if you feel like doing so:

Paypal for those of us techy nerds =)

bbnbears@centurytel.net

Snail Mail for those of us that have not embraced technology =)

Mark and Becky Bagenski
PO Box 91
Creswell OR, 97426


This was an idea of a thoughtful way for some of us to help them out. I am sure any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

LeRoy Mary
lmmary@comcast.net

March 8th

It's a good thing i'm putting the dates on these things or I woulda lost track by now! It sure seems like we've been here longer than we have. Seems like months. It's still so surreal...such an out of body experience.

We started off having a good day. Mark had a shower (which is not an easy feat lemme tell ya! That catheter makes him VERY nervous!), we watched a movie, he had a good appetite for lunch. Then about 3ish, it all kinda went downhill. He all of a sudden got nauseous, began violently throwing up and said he felt like he'd hit the height of a stomach flu in about 30 seconds flat. Welcome to chemo side effects. Wheeee. The nurse came in and gave him some nausea meds which promptly knocked him out, he woke up about 45 minutes later to pick at his dinner and then back to sleep. Then about 2 hours later he woke up again with pains in his stomach. The nurse then gave him his regular dose of nighttime pain meds, but gave them through the IV instead of pill form. Made him FREAK out...he got paranoid that he would stop breathing and was basically refusing to sleep. His mom and I assured him we would watch him, but still it took him a good 5 minutes to let himself go and even after that he was waking up every 10 minutes or so. I would never be able to do that...someone gives me pain drugs and I'm down for the count! This man has some pretty strong WORRY genes going on!! He is finally sleeping peacefully now, completely drugged out, but peaceful. Only 3 more days of this round of chemo and then the real side effects should be just about to hit, so we'll see.

Earlier today when he was feeling a bit more peppy he came and sat next to me on my couch/bed. He was messing with the laptop a bit and I was reading. Now, he was sick at our house for over a week before checking into the hospital. And now we've been here for over a week. So that's over 2 weeks of him being in bed and away from the family. As we sat here together, I scooted closer to him and laid my head on his back, and it hit me how much I miss him. I miss touching him, kissing him, hugging him. We are very loving people, we are always touching and kissing, to the point where our kids don't even notice! LOL More than 2 weeks it's been since I've been able to kiss him, to hug him, to snuggle with him at night and feed off his warmth. OH how I miss him. These are such simple things that we've always just done; ie, taken for granted. Never again will I let an opportunity go by for these little pleasures in life. Never again will I leave the house, go to bed, let an hour go by, without kissing my Beloved and telling him how much he means to me. It's the little things.

So tonight, as you head to bed, tell your family how much you love them. Go tuck in your kids one last time, kiss their heads, say a prayer over them for God to watch over them as they slumber. Hug your husband, kiss your wife, lie in each others arms this night and thank God that you are able to. Do this an extra time for Mark and me. Don't take it for granted. Don't lose one precious second. Don't waste one single show of affection. I would give anything to be able to crawl in bed with my husband tonight and sleep in his arms again.

My love to you all, Becky

Emails

Quick note just to answer a few requests for our email address.

Mark's is bbnbears@centurytel.net

Becky's is becknbunch@centurytel.net

Kathy (Mark's mom) k.maple@comcast.net

Debbie (Becky's mom) quiltsnkars@att.net

Keep praying guys!! He's having another good day! PRAISE GOD!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Last for tonight...march 7

Good evening all!

It was a quiet day in the Bagenski house...doh...I mean hospital room!! Haha, it sure is starting to feel like "home". 27 more days and counting! The nurses are getting to know us, how we act, Mark's stupid sense of humor...they all adore him. OF COURSE!!!

He had a quieter day today. I think he overdid it yesterday!! Also, some of the chemo side effects started hitting him today. Pretty tired after his dose, not a big appetite, and just kinda listless. We know this is the beginning of a hard road and we're ready to take it on.

Some good news about his catheter....They put some stuff up in one of the lines and let it sit there for a couple hours and were able to get blood out of it again!!! YAY!!! No poke at least for tonights draw. We pray that it stays clear and they can continue to get the blood from it as his poor veins are collapsing. The IV specialist said that his body is fighting the "foreign object" in his body and so it threw up a protection against it...figures...can't fight the dang cancer, but it caps off the catheter!! Leave it to MARK'S body to be so stubborn!

I want to say a very special thank you to a very special person. I'm not naming names because I don't think it's appropriate, but I think he will know who he is. I was so touched today and really beyond words. It's a blessing to me to be shown how much my husband means to people, and it blows him away. Your kind gesture today not only showed me that but put you into a very special place in my heart. I'm sure you know that it's not what you did; but what you said, how you said it, and what it means. I was without words today, and am struggling still, but thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for caring for my husband and for our family. I will NEVER forget you and how you made us feel today. God bless you.

And with that I wish you all a wonderful evening. Until tomorrow, God bless.

Just for you.

You say: "I'm tried"
God says: "I will give you rest" Matt. 11:28-30

You say: "nobody loves me"
God says: "I love you" Jn. 3:16 & 3:34

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: "My grace is sufficient" 2. Cor. 12:9 & Ps. 91:15

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: "I will direct your steps" Prov. 3:5-6

You say: "I can't do it!"
God says: "You can do all things" Phil. 4:13

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: "I am able" 2.Cor.9:8

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: "It will be worth it" Rom. 8:28

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: "I forgive you" 1. Jn. 1:9 & Rom. 8.1

You say: "I can't imagine"
God says: "I'll supply your needs" Phil. 4:19

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: "I have not given you a spirit of fear" 2.Tim. 1:7

You say: "I am always worried and frusterated"
God says: "Cast all your cares on me" 1. Pet. 5:7

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: "I will give you wisdom" 1 Cor. 1:30

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: "I will never leave you or forsake you" Heb. 13: 5,6

May you find everyday encouragment in God's word "Just for you".

March 7/Morning

I was able to get the laptop back from the WoW addict!! Woot!! He keeps feeling better this may become an issue!! LOL Trust me though, I would rather be fighting over the computer than watching him stuggle to breathe. God is SO good!

So yesterday we got the results of the herpes culture. Turns out Mark does NOT have herpes in his throat and lungs. Now they thing is is Aspergillis, which is a mold fungus. I immediately got online to look that up and it's something that infects 10-25% of cancer patients. It is something that he got most likely from our house, but it's everywhere so I don't feel "unclean"! (oy!) We did get a ton of information from our nurse last night about it though and I will need to do some heavy duty deep cleaning in the house before he comes home in a month and then I'll need to keep everything completely disinfected with bleach until his is well again. Jeez...I thought I WAS a good housekeeper...now I gotta be Donna Reed???

Any volunteers to help me???? :D

So anyway, they will treat that with an antifungal and hopefully that will be the end of it! Yay!

We are both coughing at night and the nurse last night finally remembered how dry it is in this hospital. With the air system they have pumping in 24/7, it really dries out nasal passages and lungs which is why I have picked up a cough too. Not to mention my skin is so dry I can write on my legs with my fingernail! Owie! We're hoping to get a humidifyer from respiratory today...keep your fingers crossed!

Today marks day THREE of chemo! Almost half done with the induction! Then it will be 7 long, boring days waiting for the next bone marrow test.

OH, last night Mark's Groshong Catheter stopped giving them blood. They did a chest x-ray to make sure that the tubes hadn't slipped out of the vessel and they haven't, so they are still able to use them to GIVE him meds and the chemo, but it isn't allowing them to GET blood draws from it, so they are back to poking him for now. They are going to try to flush it today as maybe there is a clot type thing at the end of it making a flap in the tube, and if that doesn't work a radiologist may be able to pull it just a bit to open it back up. This is all very technical and I'm not sure I'm explaining it very well, but we hope that they'll be able to get it fixed today. The guy that came in to draw his blood this morning blew out a vein in Mark's hand. Now he has this huge bump! His poor veins have had it with being probed and prodded!

We had a relatively good night! They even came in once last night to do vitals and decided to leave him alone since he was sleeping so peacefully! OH, and I'm already half done with a book! LOL It's the little things.

Til next blog! Love you all!