they have told us that we CAN go home today... as of right now (11am!). we are staying until his radiation oncologist comes to talk with him and take him to his radiation treatment, which is supposed to happen after lunch. who knows if that is 12:30 after lunch or 4:00 after lunch! we just have to go with the flow.
today will be the first of 10 treatments to his sacrum area, which should help relieve some of the pressure he is feeling. he does have a fracture to both his sacrum and his pelvis, which will have to just heal by itself. that will continue to be painful, but over time we hope that it will heal more.
while at the hospital, they did not find anything irregular with his heart after doing two different tests and having him on a monitor all night. though it did stop for 2.8 seconds yesterday afternoon, it has been fine since.
we've met with all the doctors and all have given the approval to go home today. yeah!
thank you for praying and sticking with us!
July 16, 2010
July 13, 2010
a quick update
tuesday i sat down to do a long blog entry, updating everyone on the details of what has been going on with james. just as i did that we got a message from his radiation dr. that we should go to the hospital because they found a blood clot in his vein.
we had suspected this for almost 5 weeks now, but multiple leg sonograms had not shown anything. the ct scan that he had done to prep for radiation (that will be starting on friday!!!) showed the clot... finally!
james' leg has been really swollen and is just so huge it is unbelievable.
to finally find the clot is a great thing.
so after spending the evening tuesday and all day wednesday in the hospital at menorah, trying to figure out what to do, they have a plan.
today (thursday) they are putting in a stint in to open up the compressed vein. they will also put in a filter, which once inserted opens up to catch any pieces of blood clot that could break off. if something did break off and go into his lungs it could quite possibly kill him. the dr. this morning thought the size and location of his clot had an unlikely chance of doing this, but the filter is a precaution. yes, we are happy to take that precaution doctor!
so, we are in the hospital all day again today, and the procedure is happening now. it is a fairly simple thing to do, so there isn't a lot of risk. but he will have a hard time standing up and bending for awhile, because of where they go into the veins.
please pray for a quick decrease in the swelling of his left leg, for continued relief from the pain pump (that is a whole different story i will tell) and for the clot to be broken up, removed and not a problem anymore.
thanks again for journeying with us!
love, james and sarah
we had suspected this for almost 5 weeks now, but multiple leg sonograms had not shown anything. the ct scan that he had done to prep for radiation (that will be starting on friday!!!) showed the clot... finally!
james' leg has been really swollen and is just so huge it is unbelievable.
to finally find the clot is a great thing.
so after spending the evening tuesday and all day wednesday in the hospital at menorah, trying to figure out what to do, they have a plan.
today (thursday) they are putting in a stint in to open up the compressed vein. they will also put in a filter, which once inserted opens up to catch any pieces of blood clot that could break off. if something did break off and go into his lungs it could quite possibly kill him. the dr. this morning thought the size and location of his clot had an unlikely chance of doing this, but the filter is a precaution. yes, we are happy to take that precaution doctor!
so, we are in the hospital all day again today, and the procedure is happening now. it is a fairly simple thing to do, so there isn't a lot of risk. but he will have a hard time standing up and bending for awhile, because of where they go into the veins.
please pray for a quick decrease in the swelling of his left leg, for continued relief from the pain pump (that is a whole different story i will tell) and for the clot to be broken up, removed and not a problem anymore.
thanks again for journeying with us!
love, james and sarah
June 24, 2010
quick surgery update
this morning james had the surgery to implant the pain device and everything has gone well. he was in at 7:30am, the procedure was over by 9am and i saw him after recovery at 11am. he was so groggy still from being put under, and had a beautiful head of messy bed head. it is funny.
the pain pump has been running and he hasn't mentioned any feelings of intense pain at all. he is sore from where they did the implant, but of course that is expected. it is 3:00 now and he got up for a bit and is now back resting. he asked for an additional pain med, to maybe help with the soreness, but again was the first time he's said he wanted anything.
so it looks like the medication mixture they have running in his pain pump is working well. he has a big wrap around his belly, to keep things from moving around, to avoid any type of infection. as he drifts back to sleep i am going to run home and get some things to stay overnight with him.
thank you for praying today and we will be sure to let you know how things are progressing!
praise God for allowing him to have this surgery, and for it showing positive results so far. we continue to live with an attitude of hope... for today and for the future.
the pain pump has been running and he hasn't mentioned any feelings of intense pain at all. he is sore from where they did the implant, but of course that is expected. it is 3:00 now and he got up for a bit and is now back resting. he asked for an additional pain med, to maybe help with the soreness, but again was the first time he's said he wanted anything.
so it looks like the medication mixture they have running in his pain pump is working well. he has a big wrap around his belly, to keep things from moving around, to avoid any type of infection. as he drifts back to sleep i am going to run home and get some things to stay overnight with him.
thank you for praying today and we will be sure to let you know how things are progressing!
praise God for allowing him to have this surgery, and for it showing positive results so far. we continue to live with an attitude of hope... for today and for the future.
June 22, 2010
surgery on thursday
thank you again, to all who have looked at the care calendar link for us. we so appreciate it!
on thursday, james is having a surgery that we are very hopeful will make a huge difference. he will have a small device implanted in his side, called an intrathecal drug pump.
here is what a site online has to say about it:
intrathecal drug delivery, or 'pain pump' is a method of giving medication directly to your spinal cord. the system uses a small pump that is surgically placed under the skin of your abdomen and delivers medication through a catheter to the area around your spinal cord - similar to an epidural that women may have during childbirth. a pain pump may be a treatment option if all other traditional methods have failed to relieve your long-term symptoms. because the medication is delivered directly to the spinal cord, your symptoms can be controlled with a much smaller dose than is needed with oral medication. the goal of a drug pump is to better control your symptoms and to reduce oral medications; thus reducing their assoicated side effects.
so, if it works like it should, it could really make life much better. we are praying that it works and that this would be the beginning of a new phase of 'good' life for james.
the surgery is scheduled for 7am, so we have to get there at 6am. wednesday night the kids will get to stay with gigi and papo, which everyone loves! we shouldn't be there too long, though they will take some time to get the pain medication level correct once the device is implanted.
thank you for praying and for continuing on the journey with us!
the blessing of help
we have been so blessed by family and friends helping us out so much. it is hard for us to ask and accept so much from others, but when it comes down to it, really makes life easier when we do. and with james in such pain, it has been hard to get anything done outside of the normal 'get through this day with the kids' stuff!
so for those of you who are helping, thank you.
to those who have in the past, thank you.
for those who are organizing the recent help, thank you.
for those who are going to help, thank you.
a new care calendar was set up by our friend, for meals and random help, so i thought the easiest way to share it would be to post it here.
here is the link:
http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/43321
the security code is: 4200
thank you to everyone who helps us keep going, through prayer, encouragement and hands on service. we love you!
so for those of you who are helping, thank you.
to those who have in the past, thank you.
for those who are organizing the recent help, thank you.
for those who are going to help, thank you.
a new care calendar was set up by our friend, for meals and random help, so i thought the easiest way to share it would be to post it here.
here is the link:
http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/43321
the security code is: 4200
thank you to everyone who helps us keep going, through prayer, encouragement and hands on service. we love you!
June 20, 2010
for father's day
today we took some time to celebrate james! he is a great father, and it is so fun to watch both abbie and asher express their love to him. i wanted to take some new photos of the three of them all together, to mark this time in life, so we went to the backyard after dinner and had a quick shoot. 
we got a lot of great moments and i am happy to have these photos. we love you so much!
June 8, 2010
what a few days we've had...
just like outside today in kansas, it is pouring... as it is in our lives again.
but the clouds do clear and sunshine does show itself to us- eventually.
i spent the last two days at olathe medical center with james, dealing with some very intense nerve pain to his left leg. see, i was out of town for a wedding over the weekend and my sweet husband tried to do some wonderful things around the house. he knows he has hundreds of people who are wanting to help him do these things, but the man in him just wanted to do it himself. and when he does that, his sciatic nerve just gets mad at him.
recently he's been told that the tumors on his spine are also getting bigger so the combo of that with too much extension in lifting and bending all worked together to set him into some big pain.
we went to the ER on sunday night, after i got home, and they gave him 2 shots of pain medicine. these don't work, because they don't effect the nerves. we could have been admitted to the hospital and spent the night, and then seen an anesthesiologist to see if he could do anything. we opted to go home, so he could sleep in his own bed, and come back in the morning if necessary.
it was necessary, and we checked back into the ER on monday. we hoped they would just get us admitted quickly and go from there, but they had to do all the protocol checks and questions and after several hours, we did get a bed in the hospital. james was quite loopy, and on so much medication. it was wonderful to have my mom with me while we waited and kept a close eye on james.
the dr. saw him and wanted to put him on more pain medication, but i was pretty insistant that it needed to be more particular for his nerves. with a recent MRI in hand, he was able to call the pain specialist and anesthesiologist to come back to the hospital to perform a treatment.
he did a nerve block to his S1 vertebrae, which has really helped. he injected a pain medication as well as a steriod right into the base of the nerves, very similiar to an epideryl. it has really surpressed the pain and should give him general relief for quite awhile.
we are home now, and thanks to wonderful friends and family our kids were well taken care of. once again, it is such a blessing to be able to just call and hear 'whatever you need, i will do'. thank you to everyone!
we hope that this week remains calm and that we can get back into a slower, summer like type of life while still dealing with all the trouble and sadness that we have experienced in the last month.
thanks for your continued prayers for our entire family.
now, let the sunshine burst through!
but the clouds do clear and sunshine does show itself to us- eventually.
i spent the last two days at olathe medical center with james, dealing with some very intense nerve pain to his left leg. see, i was out of town for a wedding over the weekend and my sweet husband tried to do some wonderful things around the house. he knows he has hundreds of people who are wanting to help him do these things, but the man in him just wanted to do it himself. and when he does that, his sciatic nerve just gets mad at him.
recently he's been told that the tumors on his spine are also getting bigger so the combo of that with too much extension in lifting and bending all worked together to set him into some big pain.
we went to the ER on sunday night, after i got home, and they gave him 2 shots of pain medicine. these don't work, because they don't effect the nerves. we could have been admitted to the hospital and spent the night, and then seen an anesthesiologist to see if he could do anything. we opted to go home, so he could sleep in his own bed, and come back in the morning if necessary.
it was necessary, and we checked back into the ER on monday. we hoped they would just get us admitted quickly and go from there, but they had to do all the protocol checks and questions and after several hours, we did get a bed in the hospital. james was quite loopy, and on so much medication. it was wonderful to have my mom with me while we waited and kept a close eye on james.
the dr. saw him and wanted to put him on more pain medication, but i was pretty insistant that it needed to be more particular for his nerves. with a recent MRI in hand, he was able to call the pain specialist and anesthesiologist to come back to the hospital to perform a treatment.
he did a nerve block to his S1 vertebrae, which has really helped. he injected a pain medication as well as a steriod right into the base of the nerves, very similiar to an epideryl. it has really surpressed the pain and should give him general relief for quite awhile.
we are home now, and thanks to wonderful friends and family our kids were well taken care of. once again, it is such a blessing to be able to just call and hear 'whatever you need, i will do'. thank you to everyone!
we hope that this week remains calm and that we can get back into a slower, summer like type of life while still dealing with all the trouble and sadness that we have experienced in the last month.
thanks for your continued prayers for our entire family.
now, let the sunshine burst through!
May 28, 2010
mourning for my sister - posted by sarah
sometimes in life, we question why God does what He does. but we believe His Word to be true, and work hard to have the faith that He wants us to have.
this is going to be the daily challenge that me, my family, and my sweet little sister and her family are going to be facing.
on friday may 21st, my sweet nephew, wyatt, went to be with Jesus. this is only 9 months after his baby brother, zeke, went to be with Jesus. both were taken in an instant, by accidents that were completely unexpected.
why, Lord? why would you take both sons from my sister, Leah?
as you can imagine, her life has been turned upside down. not once, but twice. her little girl, Cassidy, and her husband, Tom are all facing new grief as they mourn losing Wyatt. and we all are trying to figure out how life is supposed to look now.
our daily sadness, mixed with constant questions, is exhausting. the memories and thoughts of him bring tears, but are so important in remembering the buddy we loved so much.
it is a reminder that life is not in our hands, that in an instant, we are faced with eternity. we are confident that Wyatt is in Heaven, being loved by our Father God. we believe, as parents, that our children are given to us by Him, and belong to Him. but never do we plan to have to give them back to Him... and in such an instant, at only 4 years old.
there are so many people who have been shaken by this. we hope that hearts will be turned towards Christ, who is our only salvation. he gave His life, so that we could know Him personally, and so that He could be our peace. we will need much peace as we struggle through this.
we do have hope to go on, knowing that it will be hard every day, but trusting that He will sustain us.
Wyatt is so loved by his cousins, his grandparents, his aunts and uncles, his friends and so many of us will find it so hard to enjoy life without him with us. but we will show our love for him, by remembering him and his joy for life, taking this moment to speak truth about the Savior, Jesus Christ, and the importance of being His child.
though i do not understand why God has chosen to work this way, and just say 'really, God?!' a lot, i will try to seek His face more, love others more, and pray to learn how to comfort and encourage Leah during this valley in life she is facing.
we miss you so much, sweet boy.
all our love to you, Wyatt.
this is going to be the daily challenge that me, my family, and my sweet little sister and her family are going to be facing.
on friday may 21st, my sweet nephew, wyatt, went to be with Jesus. this is only 9 months after his baby brother, zeke, went to be with Jesus. both were taken in an instant, by accidents that were completely unexpected.
why, Lord? why would you take both sons from my sister, Leah?
as you can imagine, her life has been turned upside down. not once, but twice. her little girl, Cassidy, and her husband, Tom are all facing new grief as they mourn losing Wyatt. and we all are trying to figure out how life is supposed to look now.
our daily sadness, mixed with constant questions, is exhausting. the memories and thoughts of him bring tears, but are so important in remembering the buddy we loved so much.
it is a reminder that life is not in our hands, that in an instant, we are faced with eternity. we are confident that Wyatt is in Heaven, being loved by our Father God. we believe, as parents, that our children are given to us by Him, and belong to Him. but never do we plan to have to give them back to Him... and in such an instant, at only 4 years old.
there are so many people who have been shaken by this. we hope that hearts will be turned towards Christ, who is our only salvation. he gave His life, so that we could know Him personally, and so that He could be our peace. we will need much peace as we struggle through this.
we do have hope to go on, knowing that it will be hard every day, but trusting that He will sustain us.
Wyatt is so loved by his cousins, his grandparents, his aunts and uncles, his friends and so many of us will find it so hard to enjoy life without him with us. but we will show our love for him, by remembering him and his joy for life, taking this moment to speak truth about the Savior, Jesus Christ, and the importance of being His child.
though i do not understand why God has chosen to work this way, and just say 'really, God?!' a lot, i will try to seek His face more, love others more, and pray to learn how to comfort and encourage Leah during this valley in life she is facing.
we miss you so much, sweet boy.
all our love to you, Wyatt.
April 23, 2010
a lovely rainy day
thursday was cool and rainy, but it was a nice change. asher could not understand that he couldn't go out and play, and that made him so mad. but wonderful daddy got the umbrellas out and took a walk with the kids. i took a [much needed] work break, to go enjoy the rain a bit with them. thanks, james for being the best daddy to our kids. rain or shine, we all love you so much.
April 12, 2010
a QUICK update on life
so much has been going on around here, but i've neglected the blog... so sorry!
here is a quick update:
1. we are LOVING the sunshine! it has been so great to be outside. we have a great neighborhood of friends, so there are always big wheels and scooters out for fun!
2. james IS doing treatment at KU Med. they approved him to continue with the Erbitux infusion, so he is going on thursdays. this week will be his 3rd treatment.
3. abbbie had her birthday! she turned 6 years old. we had a week of celebration (the way us franz girls have always done it!) with an overnight to the great wolf lodge (thanks marjorie!), party at school, dinner out with gigi and papo and a fun bday 'GAME' party!
4. asher is loving the outside. he 'drives' a big wheel all over, complete with 'rrrrrrrrrrrrrr' sound effects. he is all boy! he loves hitting the baseball off the tee, and still loves going really high in his swing. it's hard to believe he'll be
two next month! we have GOT to get rid of that pacifier soooooon.5. the spring has brought many new clients in for business, and a lot of new beautiful babies have been born, which is keeping me busy! i just wish i could set up my desk in the back yard, rather than be in the basement. maybe one day i will.
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