Working Our Way Through February

Dear Family and Friends,

These past few weeks have been good in our home.

For what it's worth I apologize if I am not keeping up with these updates often enough.

The day of my last post was on the morning we went to bring Mandi home from The Huntsman. That was a great day that turned into two, due to a couple long infusions during her last couple cycles.  It was so good to see that while away from us, she was very well taken care of, and still the upbeat and caring person that we all know her as.  It was odd to the Doctors when they are on their morning rounds, and the first thing they hear when entering Mandi's room is "how are you all doing today?"  The Doctors respond "We are fine! But, that is what we are here to find out about you!"

We though it would be a good idea to share the beginnings of how this adventure all began.

In October 2015 Mandi was having some symptoms that were not normal, such as chest pains, some difficulty swallowing, some tingling in her arm, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, and finally a cough that made our supply of cough drops seem never ending.  During this time she had made multiple trips to the doctor trying to figure out what was going on, only to be sent away with adjusted prescriptions, many of which she did not fill.  This time was very trying for her, because she would leave the appointments thinking this was all in her head.

It was Sunday morning January 10th when a trip up the stairs left her short of breath.  I was out of town, and called to see how things were going.  When she answered and told me that she was having a hard time breathing, we decided she should go to the emergency room right then.  I will probably not be able to explain this experience very well, since I wasn't there with her.  Which does bother me to this day, but I will do my best.  At the emergency room she was admitted and started through some of the same tests that are standard at the ER.  It lead to a CT scan, and that is when the mass was discovered.  The mass is about the size of a baseball and is not attached to, but located near the top of her heart, lungs and esophagus, all of which we feel is due to the symptoms she has been having.  This news as many can imagine, and many that know is very scary.  We feel that even worse is that you do not know what the mass is.  This began our process of wondering and waiting.

That next day we met with a Doctor to consult what would be our next step in figuring out what this mass was, and on the 12th went to McKay-Dee hospital to consult a cardiovascular surgeon due to where the mass was located.   This was the first time we were able to see the CT scan and have the doctor explain what we were looking at, but still did not know if the mass was benign.

We scheduled surgery on the 15th to perform a biopsy.  Due to the location, we understood that it was not safe to remove the mass, and that a piece would be sent for further testing to determine whether or not the mass was benign.  The surgery went well without complications,  There was about a 3" incision made in-between a couple of her ribs.  Her recovery was a bit rough, the anesthesia made her nauseous and she was dizzy.  That week of recovering, and waiting seemed like one of the longest weeks on record.  During that week we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.

Finally on the 22nd the results from the biopsy were sent to the Doctor.  We had been advised to ask any question that we could come up with.  In that appointment is where we finally were told that the mass had positive cells that were non Hodgkins lymphoma, and that it would be necessary to start some type of treatment.   While asking questions, the Doctor made a call to a surgeon to see when it would be possible for her to get a port for further treatments.  He was available, but only in his office for a short time that day.  So we rushed off with a lot of questions unanswered.  We met with Dr. Hansen, a family friend and former ward member who was more than helpful in his counsel and kindness.  Another surgery was scheduled for 25th and we headed back to find out treatment plans and other details related to our questions, only to find the staff works half days on Friday and we would need to wait until the first of the following week "MORE WAITING".  We were able to schedule another CT scan that day and also a echocardiogram.

On the 25th we went in for another surgery to get the port she needed for treatments.  Mandi's spirits were up.  While getting ready for surgery we learned of close Family and Friend relationships with many of the nurses and staff involved in this procedure.  I feel this was a relief to Mandi knowing there were not just strangers looking after her, but people that had genuine care for her and her well being.  This surgery went well also.  While she was in surgery, I went to get the results, and more questions answered, set up appointments with additional Doctors at other hospitals, ETC.  That is when we found out more details of the diagnosis and, of the treatment plan that was recommended.  We found out that the echocardiogram results were good and that her heart would be strong enough to withstand the treatments.

Finally getting questions answered!

I remember it being almost impossible to answer the questions of Family and Friends when we didn't have any answers as well.  We were so glad to finally be headed in a positive direction towards healing.

On the 28th we headed for Salt Lake to get our second opinion.  Another treatment plan was recommended and the details of their treatments were explained, of which we are currently in the beginning stages.

Life at our home these past few weeks has been pretty normal, with all the things that come with life in a what we call "dysfunctional family".   Having Mandi home after being gone with her first set of treatments has been good.  It helps us to realize how much she does for us.  Some of the side effects that were explained, due to chemotherapy have been true.  While she is home there are scheduled appointments to get lab work done to check that her blood counts are where they need to be,  there is a long list of meds and one shot she is required to give herself in the belly (A bit painful but very helpful). This last Wednesday she finally was tired of the clumps of hair falling out and we broke out the clippers. She has learned that a nap during the day will save her energy for the last part of the day, and that she does not need to do everything she is used to, and that relying on others for help is okay.  She has always had her same upbeat and smiling personality, except one time and that's okay too.

The treatment plan has her scheduled to start the second treatment this coming Thursday and hopefully home the following Monday.

The weather here is starting to warm up so Mayci and Deaken are starting to roam the streets again.  "Beware"  Harli and Taeden are both growing up and it is fun to watch their personalities blossom, even though there is still some weeding to do. Taeden and I went with some friends for a snowmobile ride Monday for valentines day.  Mandi was supposed to go with me, but was not up to it.  I was glad to have Taeden there with me, even though the weather was not great and we took a couple wrong turns.

Our Family could never say thank you enough for the kindness shown and felt by all those who have helped where needed.  We know that there are more situations than we are aware of, that people are in need of a caring thought, a smile, or just to know they are not alone in their struggles.  Our hearts are with those people and we should take moments daily to remember them and think of ways to lift their spirits, like you have done to ours.  A big part of this life is about developing Charity, the pure Love of Christ, that we will be more like him and be filled with this love is our hope. (Moroni 7:48)

With Thanks and Love,

The J&M Poulsen's