Christmas 2016

Christmas 2016
Celebrating Christmas at Grandmor & Grandpa Bob's

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Smiles

Who's at Anna's 1st birthday party? (Grandpa Bob, Grandmor, and Uncle John)
Love that cake!


Andrew, Katie, and Anna celebrate


Grandmor Terri and Anna in Michigan

Anna on the beach in Michigan

Friday, June 24, 2011

The greatest news of all

Got wonderful news when I visited my doctor Thursday. The PET scan of my whole body that I took early that morning showed that I am 100% cancer free.  Whooo-hooo!  Thanks and peace to all of you who hoped and prayed so diligently for me to make this miracle come true. Please continue to pray that it will remain that way.

With sincere thanks!

Bob

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Success

What a lot of steps!
One last dune!

Success!


Success! I made it down the dune and was able to walk on the beach in MI this past Monday! I have to thank my therapists who worked very hard to simulate the conditions on the walk to the beach during my therapy. Thanks also to Terri who had the great privilege of escorting me to the beach so I didn't fall--which I didn't. All she had to do was hold tight to the back of my pants a couple times! Oooooo-weeee!

Now all I need is a beach chair, umbrella, some SPF30 lotion, and a good summer book to relax on the beach. WHOOPEE!  Actually, I will still need a lot more work before I can go swimming in the lake or walk barefoot on the beach, but it's a start! I'll keep you posted!

Cheers!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Beach walking

When I first came to outpatient therapy a month and a half ago I told the therapists jokingly  that one of my goals was to be able to walk on the beach by the end of the summer. They remembered and yesterday my PT, Jenna, took me to Glencoe Beach nearby on Lake Michigan where we not only walked on the sand but also walked up and down the stairs and ramps there to mirror the pathway I need to take to get to the beach. According to Jenna, I passed with flying colors. Hallelujah!! (Of course, I still need to wear my braces and gym shoes, but I can deal with that. I'll take them off when I get to the beach and am safely seated. I can always put them on again when Terri and I decide to walk on the beach. Great exercise!!)

Terri and I are up in MI at our little stuga this weekend. If the weather is nice, we might even try and get down to the beach. I'll keep you posted.

Cheers!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Anna's 1st Birthday

Had a wonderful time in MN this past weekend celebrating our granddaughter Anna's 1st birthday. It was great to play with her and I think it was the first time she and I really had some time to bond. She definitely knows who Grandpa Bob is--she already had a fondness for Grandmor (Terri). Our son Andrew and his wife Katie had a great party for Anna on Sunday with delicious food and lots of good times. It was fun to see all of the presents she received as many of them reminded me of toys Elizabeth and Andrew used to play with.

Last week was a monumental one for one other reason. Terri finished her last day of school and is now officially retired. We celebrated by dividing up our drive to MN (it was the first time that Terri had driven north) so it could be a more relaxing time when we left on Friday afternoon. Stayed at a nice motel in Tomah, WI called the Cranberry Country Lodge and celebrated by going out to dinner for ribs. Terri has a lot of things on her retirement to do list and is looking forward to tackling them this summer. We're also working so I can do more things independently around the house.

I continue with therapy. Not much change in my condition except that the neuropathy in my hands seems to be accelerating so that I am now dealing with it during the day rather than just at night. The therapists have been great in giving me exercises to do and the doctor has recommended braces to wear at night and additional medications to take (Ugh!). Hopefully I will see a change in that condition in the not too distant future. My feet have shown a little improvement but still have portions with no feeling and lots of numbness. That continues to halt my progress in walking, driving, and similar activities. Please continue to hope and pray that they will show more improvement sooner rather than later.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

A Good Report

Doctor is very pleased with the status of my multiple myeloma. A PET scan next month will confirm how well I am doing. He has discontinued 3 medications since the pneumonia appears to have cleared up. Hallelujah!

Issues still remain with the neuropathy and drop foot in my feet and the neuropathy in my hands. If those would heal, especially in my feet, things would definitely improve, including my ability to stand, walk, and run easily. No one knows when that will be. It is simply a matter of wait and see!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Back-to-Back Therapy

Just finished 2 days in a row of therapy. That's 12 hours in 2 days! Quite exhausting! Especially now that I no longer have speech therapy which gave me some time to sit rather than work out. Fortunately there were some perks as some of the exercises happened outside on a beautiful day in Chicago. Still I came home each day and took a nap!

I still have neuropathy and drop foot in my feet so they are not responding very well. The physical therapist works on them every day with the hope that they will respond at sometime. I'm also experiencing some neuropathy in my hands which causes nerve pain and numbness, mostly during the night. I have to wear braces on each of my hands nightly to relieve the pain. Please continue to pray that my feet and hands will heal to reduce the pain and give me a better opportunity to walk smoothly.

Cheers!