CW continues on

Oh, my CW. Our appointment with the radiologist went good. The brain MRI showed the 2 tumors that had remained, still small and a new one that is small. MD said if we're going to have the stereotactic radiation surgery now is the time. He also felt we should treat the lung tumor in the right lower lobe (which has not been radiated yet). Dave's response is...let's bring it on. So next is an appointment with the neurosurgeon. Oncologist appointment next Friday and Dave feels the chemo pill would be best for now, at least we should find out the cost and try it. I'm with him. And NOTHING until after the BIG party...which is 8 days away.

Both of us are feeling stronger and motivated today...the fight continues.

peace, love, groove.

Wednesday

So today seems to be a day of reflection. Days before and days to come. A little bit of a emotional day for me. So thankful for our friends and family for supporting our boy. A friend went to a seminar that talked about stress and support systems and how people live longer with good support systems when there's a fatal disease. I know that's our Dave. He and I talked about that tonight...... how lucky we are to have such a wonderful support system which has helped to keep us strong for so long. We love you all. Thanks.

It was soooooo good to come home to Dave tonight. Mom, Tim, Phil and Lindsey had taken good care of him. I love each day when we reunite........he is my love, my soul.

love, peace, groove

Another busy week and Tuesday dinner.

Lots of inservices and meetings for me this week. Dave went to get his IV fluids with Tim this morning. Then they got the iPad to work....now Dave needs to synch his email. I got home about 6 pm and Dave said..."how about a burger for dinner?" Well, this means North Shore Inn if they're open and they were. The best deluxe cheese burger in the world..

Dave has the day off tomorrow. No appointments at all. I, on the other hand, have to be on the road by 6 am to go to a meeting in Detroit and won't be home until after 8 pm....poor, poor me. Mom will be here doing the day and then I've heard there may be a boy party until I get home. Oh, I meant MAN party.

Radiation appointment Thursday afternoon with CT scan results, IV fluids Friday and then the weekend.

peace, love, groove

It's Monday Again?

Pictures: Dave looking at emails Saturday afternoon; 2 dogs snoring; Dave at the piano this afternoon; Dave and Tim on the front deck.

Dave seemed to have a good day. Tim took him to his brain CT scan this afternoon and they were sitting out on the deck enjoying a beer when I got home. Tim talked Dave into starting his iPad (he wanted to go through 100s of emails first) and they worked on another computer project Dave has started. Plus Tim got the piano pedals attached (I tried...guess I'm just a girl) and Dave sat down and played a little. I think he'll really start practicing for the party now. We had pork chops, green beans, cucumbers, potatoes and tomato slices for dinner. Tim stayed for dinner and Dave ate one of his biggest plates ever. At least he's having fruit for breakfast and a medium size dinner the last few day. He had only lost 2 lbs at the last MD appointment and that was 3 weeks. Tomorrow am IV fluids with Tim.

peace, love, groove.

A new week

We had a wonderful Sunday. The weather here was beautiful. Sunny with a nice breeze and less humid. I did some prep work for the party in 11 days and Dave got to sleep in ( we were out at the campfire until about midnight on Saturday). After a usual breakfast on the front deck... a nap. I got to share in this one. Oh my..... a nap on a Sunday ....priceless. Dave didn't feel up to going to the wedding open house at 3 pm, so I went alone. It was for Liz and Dan's son Micheal ( and his wife Allison) and was very nice. It was a good thing Dave didn't go, he got sick when I was gone. Although he does still have nausea and stuff, it is less every week. We sat out on the deck for a lot of the evening, had dinner out there too. Left overs- smoked sausage, cucumbers (still the one from Al's garden....it's huge) and added some green beans the neighbors brought over.

Today, Dave has a brain MRI and we get results on Thursday. Down to just 2 IV fluids per week because he's eating and drinking more...weaning that down. Off to work for me....

peace, love, groove

Saturday Camp fire

Another pretty good day for Dave Maki. He had fruit for breakfast and a Healthy Shot while I went to the Vet to get pain pills for Miss Audrey. Started cleaning the house for the BIG party in a couple weeks and of course had to make another trip to the pharmacy for some of Dave's medications. A never ending saga. Dave wanted steak again for dinner, so this time we cooked it on the grill with side dishes of cucumbers from Al's garden, tomatoes and potatoes. We ate out in the back yard by the fire....which led to a camp fire we just started. I've been weeding this afternoon and hope not to stay out late.

Dave's also getting all his updates and going through his emails so he can set up his iPad. Should be ready to do that tomorrow. We have a reception to go to in the afternoon. What a nice weekend!!!

peace, love, groove.

Wednesday and Thursday night pictures and a CRAZY video

Pictures: Noah and Dave on the front deck Wednesday; Kris and Noah...wearing Dave's shoes; Phil, Ev and Loni watching fireworks; Al; Dave.

Here's a link to a short video from the CRAZY fireworks !!!!

Friday's appointment and plan

It was hard to get up this morning after all the fun we had last night. We were a little late to Dave's appointment at the oncologist. The answer is good results from radiation to the lungs. The tumors in his kidneys, liver and adrenal gland grew (which is not surprising since we have not been treating them since the last IV chemo). Where to go from here? Dave and I had a good conversation about his choices. Chemo..no chemo.... He is a little weary of IV chemo because of how sick the last dose made him. He asked the MD- if I don't do any chemo...will I die sooner. The answer was pretty honest. We hope chemo will extend your life...and we think so, or we wouldn't be doing it. But we really don't know. So Dave felt comfortable talking about the pill option (which is Tarceva). We are thinking and researching it for 1 1/2 weeks and then going back to discuss. Dave is decreasing his IV fluids from 3x/week to 2x/ week. Dave decided he didn't need IV fluids today... so we got to go home. It was kinda weird that we didn't get pictures of the CT scans to look at. We'll ask for them next week.

After the appointment we went to Joe's Cafe (one of our favorite breakfast places). Dave had 2 pancakes and ate almost all of it. We saw Nita and Clete Brummel there. After a nap we went to South Bend to pick up his iBook. Tonight Dave had steak and green beans for dinner. Too humid and hot to be outside much, but we did sit by the back door and watch the storm come in this evening.

Had a great time last night. Pictures and video to come....

peace, love, groove.

The vote is complete!

"Keep the Beard" won. Of course this appears to be a small sampling and may not be statistically significant.... but Dave says "I'll do what the people want" (for now anyway). Thanks for participating- your votes did count to us.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

To continue the story from yesterday...... Dave and I spent the next three days crying and hugging, talking about what we wanted to do. We just napped and held each other close. Every time I said "we need to tell our family and friends", Dave started to cry and said he just couldn't do it. By Sunday, I said..."I can't do this anymore, we can't do this anymore...we have to tell our family and friends. I'll do it". The calls started with a lot of fear and tears. By Sunday afternoon we were in our backyard surrounded by family and friends feeling the circle of love around us. After that each call got a little easier. By Monday and Tuesday, Dave was calling.

Tonight we honored my husband, my hero and Cancer Warrior (CW). GREAT Fireworks and family and friends. Video and pictures coming tomorrow. At 8:45 am we go to the oncologist and see where we're at and what's next. Update when we get home.

peace, love, groove.

VOTING IS ALMOST CLOSED!!!!!

Wednesday July 21, 2010

Dave had a pretty good day. He went to get IV fluids this afternoon with Tim. We had to get his computer CD drive fixed so he can use his iPad...I just hate it when he's right. Tim took it to South Bend Tuesday and hopefully we'll get it by Saturday (if their open on Saturday). He sat out in the back yard listening to some wild jazz with Tim when they got home. After Tim left, Dave got up too quick and slowly fell to the ground. At least he knew he was going down and controlled it.....no injuries. I went for a very short time to book club and then brought home Neon burgers and fries. Dave had about 3/4 of his burger and actually liked the fries. Yesterday he had 1/2 tuna salad sandwich ( a very thin and small sandwich) and finished it. He told me the first 2 bites where great and then he started thinking about something else and before he knew it- it was gone. That sounds good to me. Not thinking about eating. And he doesn't seem to be dizzy anymore tonight. :)

I think I've mentioned that one year ago on Wednesday July 22nd I took Dave to ER because he fell and was "clammy". In the middle of the night in ER we found out that Dave had Stage 4 lung cancer. Tomorrow night we celebrate a year of family, friends,love and survival....of course with some fireworks to boot. Will post pictures tomorrow or Friday.

peace, love, groove

ps- positive vibes going out to our friends Jeri and Mark Raycraft...for a speedy recovery Mark!

Feels like a start to a great week

Pictures: Momma bird hanging out by the front deck; Lee trying to finish up work; Dave's pasta at Lucretia's; yard decorations; Dave enjoying the fire Saturday night.

What a great day for Dave. Tim came over to take him to infusion this afternoon and they worked on getting his iPad started. Of course Dave was right to say this would be a little work....we need to get the CD out of his computer (it's stuck) and upgrade his operating system. It'll be worth it. Anyway, Dave felt pretty good when he got home. He ate a good dinner too- smoked sausage and sweet corn. We also sat out on the deck some. Dave's singing more and joking more.... all and all "feeling stronger every day". Oncologist now says his appointment is Friday morning instead of Thursday, I'll call tomorrow to figure that out.

peace, love, groove

ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT to VOTE

Shopping trip and a stormy Sunday

Yesterday we went to get fireworks with Tim and Joni. Then we ate at Lucretia's in Chesterton. We sat out the patio...it's a charming restaurant. Plus we had leftovers. I have a couple pictures I'll put on tomorrow. Then we went to Best Buy in Valparaiso to get Dave an iPad. I had to talk him into it! On the way home a quick stop at Sawyer Garden Center. Dave had a gift certificate from Christmas, he got a new wind chime. It was a quick stop because they were closing. It was time for Dave to get home away...we were gone for 6 hours. After a nap Dave actually wanted to have a camp fire. It was a great night for one and we stayed up until 1 am.

Today Dave was pretty tired. Big day yesterday. He mostly sat on the front deck and napped. I did a little yard work early afternoon and then about 3 pm the storm came. It was blowing pretty hard although it passed over quickly. We had sweet corn the neighbors bought us and left overs for dinner. Tomorrow Dave get IV fluids and hopefully Tim will help him get his iPad going.

peace, love, groove.

Starting the weekend

Yesterday Joni took Dave to get his IV fluids and PICC line dressing change. We sat out on the front deck for a lot of the evening. Dave took short rest periods in side while I watered. Lot's of birds we've never seen in our yard this year. Last night a woodpecker was in the grass eating at something. May just be a male, but I've never seen one like "him" in our yard before. Dinner was Popeye's chicken and mashed potatoes. Dave loves their mashed potatoes now. He ate most of his piece of chicken (a first). All and all a good day.

Today is yard work day for me. This afternoon we're going to get fireworks and eat at a favorite restaurant in Ind. with the Kings. Getting ready for all of the celebrations and party's coming our way!

peace, love, groove

CT scan #.....oh no I lost track.it may be #6

Tim took Dave to his CT scan today- chest and abdomen. They were back by 10:30 and, after a SMALL breakfast, Dave napped most of the day. This afternoon he spent a lot of time out on the front deck. I watered some (expecting rain) and got the lawn mowed. Dinner was pork chops and corn on the cob. Dave did okay but had 2 healthy shots today without much trouble or complaining.

So probably IV fluids tomorrow. We'll start getting ready for next Thursday and the party August 6th this weekend. Lots of fun coming our way.

peace, love, groove.

Last couple days

Hope everyone gets to see the video we made (link post just before this one- I couldn't get on the blog...so did a link). We had a great time making the video in the back yard last night with Tim and Joni. I did editing tonight....Dave had corn on the cob last night and tonight. Thanks Kings for bringing over. He had left over steak too.

Dave's had some low BPs the last couple days. Starts out in the 120's so he took full BP pill yesterday and only 1/2 today. Ends up with BP in the 80's and 90's in the afternoon. Today he went in for lab and they checked his BP there, so he got IV fluids. It's a little hard to figure out right now.... anyway lab results were good. Potassium is NORMAL, sodium a tiny bit low. Hemoglobin up to 11.5 and platelets up to 95,000. Both are still low but coming up! Dave goes for CT scans in the morning. One week to the results. I'm feeling pretty positive about my CW.

peace, love, groove

hope to see you on August 6!

August 6- an event

Go see our video invite for August 6th.

Wonderful Tosi's dinner

Dave did go in for hydration (IV fluids) today. His BP was down to 124/94 and heart rate was up to 100. Probably the hot weather didn't help. Tim took him....it was kinda last minute. This evening we decided to go to Tosi's for dinner. Dave's been craving a steak and that's a good place for steak. We had zucchini blossoms. I have to admit, we've never had them. Anytime we've been to Tosi's and wanted them they were already sold out. I know, I know, I know.....they were great. Dave even loved them. He had salad, some rib eye steak and some smashed potatoes. All tasted good to him. He did eat a little more than he has been, but there's a lot of leftovers. Dinner tomorrow! I'm really glad things are tasting good. Time for bed.

peace, love, groove

Angels?????

I've been thinking about this all weekend. There have to be angels on earth. If not really "angels" they are kind souls here to do good. We are surrounded by them. From our family to friends, near and far.....you just never know how their "good" will come to us, but it does. I'm still shocked by the depth of love and giving we receive daily if not hourly.

For all of you "angels" out there: we love you back, we can never return what you have given us, it all has value (checking in on the blog, coming for a visit, helping with a project, giving a hug or more). I'm so humbled by the number of people who truly love my Dave.

peace, love, groove.

Camp Fire, Yard Work and visits

Pictures: Dave and Scott; Dave with a power tool; starting the camp fire; Dave's beard.

Sunday was another warm day here in southwestern Michigan. I did some work work and then some things around the yard. Dave was up before 1 pm. He had fruit and bacon for breakfast while watching me get some transplant grass planted around the front deck. Our friend Scott came by for a visit. Dave enjoyed spending time with him. Scott thought Dave's beard looked a lot better in real life....so I took anther picture. It's hard to capture.

Tim came over about 7:30. By then the fire had been going and was ready for cookin'. We had smoked sausage and stuffed mushrooms (cooked on the fire), fresh green beans and peas, baked potato and a salad for dinner. Dave loved the smoked sausage. We sat on the porch after dinner while it was starting to rain. Great end to a great day. Dave was a little weak when walking, I think it's the hot weather. It's suppose to rain some today.... but temperature in the 70s.

Garden update- I pulled the green bean plants from the garden and plan to plant a second crop today. Think we got the last peas too, so we may do the same thing.

Probably no hydration for Dave this week. We'll call after he gets up and checks his BP. Just lab Wednesday and CT scan Thursday. Summer is flyin' by..... glad there's more to come. Glad Dave is enjoying it.

peace, love , groove.

WEDDING BELLS

Pictures: Chuck and Cookie at the reception; Erika and Dave; Dave and Joni sippin' cider through their straws; Edd and Erika; a present; Dave's breakfast Saturday; Dave getting ready for a nap Friday afternoon.

We made it to the wedding.....just in time. I dropped Dave off by the walkway to the church and went to park the car. I lost him! He thought the door was locked and walked to another door which had steps. I was running around the church to find him and all of a sudden he came through a side door(which maybe was really the front door....I don't know). It was so humid and hot yesterday that it took everything out of him. I worried through the wedding service, but we made it. Dave wanted to go home to take a nap and recover, so we skipped the receiving line and I took him home for awhile. An hour nap and we were off to the reception at the DANK. They had very good food. Dave had a meatball and some chicken pasta (I didn't tell him there was chicken in there). We made it to the first dance and headed home. Saw a lot of friends...Deb, Greg, Mike, Mark and Cloe, Ray, Chuck and Cookie, Tim and Joni, Sue and Lindsey....to name a few. Ed and Jeri looked very proud and Erika was a beautiful bride. So glad we didn't miss it.

peace, love, groove.

Friday evening

Dave didn't need to get hydration yesterday. He tried to get a hold of his ride before he came over (his brother Mark), but missed him. Sorry Mark. Dave's BP is staying high now, so he should be done with IV fluids for awhile. We sat out in the back yard until about 8 pm last night. It was beautiful as the temperature started to drop a little with the breeze. Saw a lot of birds eating and enjoying the back yard. Dinner was a zucchini casserole Al brought over the other day (ummmm good) and......guess....... green beans! I got Dave to eat a little salad too.

We have a friend's wedding to go to this afternoon. It will be fun to see everyone and get out again. Update coming later.

peace, love, groove

A great Thursday

Dave had another good day. He was up around 11 am sitting out on the front deck. He had an appointment with the radiation oncologist today. Looking through the brain MRI results again. Only 1 tumor now visible in scan from May. Decision made to get another MRI at the end of this month. MD feels Dave is finally in an upswing and although he can have the targeted radiation surgery to any tumors left, he thought Dave should enjoy life a little (a great concept). But we will keep an eye on the tumors with MRIs, if they start to increase or he has symptoms that will be time to re-evaluate for the procedure. He did say there are very little side effects. That makes me feel better... there's an option if or when the tumor(s) start to grow again. Dave also can have some more lung radiation if needed. All and all, it was great news.

Dave took a nap when we got home and we had a late dinner. He ate the rest of his spaghetti from the other night and some beans from the garden. Not gonna count them today..... but he did well. My guy's appetite is coming back.

Dave's scheduled for an infusion tomorrow. His BP is starting to run high, I think we'll be done with that very soon. 2 weeks to next oncologist appointment- will look at CT scan results (get them next week) and look at the plan. That day is the one year anniversary of Dave's diagnosis. What a year it has been. What an amazing CW Dave is.

peace, love, groove.

HUGE burgers

Dave went to the infusion clinic today with his brother Mark and sister Al. When they got back, a little after 3 pm, we decided to try a Northshore Inn burger. Well, we learned a long time ago to call before we go out there. Never can figure out their hours. So I called and no answer. Dave has been getting himself ready for a Northshore burger and asked if we'd just drive out there to see. Well, they were closed. Probably don't open until 5 pm or so. I suggested the Chatterbox and that seemed to be a hit. 1/2 lb deluxe cheese olive burgers for all! Dave got through about 1/2 of his......great job.

We also tried a some coconut water this week. "We" because I did try it too. I heard about it on a morning news program. It's not bad and comes with some different flavors. These supplements have more potassium than a banana. Since Dave's potassium was still low last week, I thought he could try it. Something new and different.

Tomorrow Dave has an appointment at radiation oncology to see if we should look at an MRI of his brain again.... we'll see and update tomorrow.

peace, love, groove.

Italian Tuesday

Dave went to infusion clinic with Tim this afternoon. It's been so hot out that Dave has had to watch his time outside. It started pouring rain about a half hour ago, so maybe it will chill off a little bit. Tonight Dave agreed with pizza for dinner. He wanted DiMaggio's with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and extra cheese. Oh my.... how extravagant. We also ordered some spaghetti and meatballs. Dave did pretty good with that. He only had about 3 bites of pizza. Now we're just looking for something to watch on TV. Looks like a Hell's Kitchen evening.

peace, love, groove.

Update - Sunday night

How could I have forgotten a picture of John Payne playing his yukalaylee for us Sunday night.

Holiday weekend in the sun

Pictures: Dave ready for a party; Dave takes some pictures of me- tired of being in all of the pictures; Tim eating a brat; Noah and his glow stick; Lindsey having fun; Chuck is always happy' Tuna salad; bean salad; Joni staying cool; Dave enjoying dinner.

Wow, another hot day in southwestern Michigan. Mom came over and helped me mow the lawn and water...did some weeding before it got too warm. Also picked green beans and peas. Dave slept until 1pm. I finally made pasta tuna salad this afternoon with peas from our garden. Dave had a small taste with his morning fruit. Then Tim and Joni came over and we had brats, leftovers and a green bean salad I made....with beans from our garden. Dave continues to eat pretty well. Yeah! I only tried to get one healthy shot down him this weekend.

Last night was a "blast". The best fireworks at our house ever. It was pretty hot, but great friends....Kings, Sanfords, Mieraus, Hartzells, Skorjals, Shimans and our neighbors all stopped by for some July 4th spirit. Flash, bam, bang. Happy 4th to all.

peace, love, groove

New Poll

Notice: we've started to new poll to help Dave decide if he should keep his beard.....or shave. Let us know your opinion. Only 17 days to vote!

July 3rd

We were up by the campfire until 1 am last night. First time we've done that in awhile. Today I did some staining....almost done. Dave had some fruit for breakfast and then we decided to go get some fireworks for tomorrow night. We just took 94 west until we got to fireworks mecca, right around Chesterton, Ind. Of course (wink, wink) we only bought legal things like sparklers, fountains and firecrackers. On the way home Dave mentioned he would try a hamburger, so we ordered Redamak's burgers to go. Dave ate all of his and a couple fries. We had time for a nap before heading out to Czar's tonight to see Pura Vida and our friends, Mike, Ty, Tom and Josh. Didn't stay long, about an hour. Kevin went with to be Dave's "bodyguard". I'm so glad Dave's getting out more. Time for bed.

peace, love, groove.

Friday night campfire

Pictures: Katie felt a little cool; Dave and Loni; Katie, Dave and Ben.

Another good day for Mr Maki. Infusion clinic in the afternoon, Joni went with. His BP is finally up and he's back on his BP pill. Dave had another pork chop and green beans dinner. We wanted to have a campfire Thursday night so the SouthBend gang (Al, Mark and Erik) could come....but Dave got tired. So we had a campfire last night. The other Makis came, Ben and Katie had never been over for a fire. Lot's of laughs and a beautiful evening. We'll get the Rasmussens up here on a weekend soon.

Pictures: Dave and Nikki napping on Thursday afternoon; Dave "catnaps" Friday afternoon; dinner at the Maki cookout Thursday night; Jean, Jennie and my mom; Al and Phil; Ben contemplating; Erik.

Pictures of napping and the Maki cookout.

Cook out

Dave was up most of the day. He spent all afternoon in the back yard. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. Tonight we went to a cook out at the other Maki's. Family get together with 3 of the niece/nephews in town. YEAH! Dave ate a hot dog, potato salad and a couple chips. Not bad at all. Now we're pooped....going to bed early.

Camp fires this weekend. Sunday some fireworks too!

peace, love, groove