Mayo Visit Update

We made our way to Rochester on Tuesday for two medical appointments.  The first with Palliative Care and the second with Oncology. Both of these were check-in appointments.  There were no tests/scans.

In our Palliative Care team visit we talked about pain management, quality of life challenges and end of life wishes.  Gin continues to struggle with her "evacuation systems" and the challenges faced in these past days have been met and conquered.  She is good humored, thank God.  I don't know that I would cope as graciously as she does. The discussion about end of life wishes made for hard conversation, but we are all in agreement and decisions have been documented.

The visit with Oncology folks went well.  Ginny believes the tumor is growing because the pressure she feels has increased but we need to wait another month before taking another scan.  We expect the scan will be set for mid-January.  The pain pump masks her pain but she still feels the pressure. STINK!

She is asking that I convey to you all that despite it all she is CHEERFUL :) and enjoying life.  I continue to be amazed.

Love fiercely peeps. Take nothing for granted.  Hold your kin close.

Love
Kir & Gin

A Thankful Kir

 Grateful…

We are 35,000 feet in the air on our way to Baltimore to spend Thanksgiving with the east coast Larsen clan.  Our flight was delayed hours and sweet gin is exhausted.  She fell asleep before take off and has not stirred.  Thank God for the pain pump.

There are so many things that I am thankful for and as I look at Gin sleeping soundly I am genuinely grateful for my life with her.

Ginny and I have been together for almost 10 years.  We met "officially" after a mutual friend suggested I reach out to her. I was looking for a confidant and some guidance.  She was happy to oblige. We became fast friends.  She became a wonderful support and I so enjoyed her company. Although neither one of us saw it coming, love happened. 

These past 10 years have been the greatest of my life.  The challenges faced and the victories won, the adventures sought and realized, the joy of love – for each other and those we love and living/loving each other in health and in sickness, all mark this incredible journey.

As we move forward in this next season of uncertainly, I am so honored to be hers, to wake at her side and to walk through these days, cherishing every moment together.  Our decision to not take anything for granted in these days is something I wish we ALL could do ALL of the time.  There is a sweetness and a joy in walking so intentionally. 

As the weather has changed I have moved my morning coffee from our patio to our bed.  That 30-minutes of time at the beginning of each day has become my favorite time of day.  There is a tenderness to morning coffee pillow talk.  There is security and comfort in that bed full of the Lindbloom-Larsen gals and pups, making for gentle and real conversations about living and dying, wishes and regrets, the future and the past.

Ginny has given me the world, figuratively and literally.  She has challenged me to be a better me, to be a better teacher, a better friend, a better sister and a better wife.  All of which she takes pride in and rightly so. 

So this Thanksgiving I am thankful for my wife…my creative, linguistically brilliant, animal loving, tender-hearted, justice-minded, story-telling, ass-kicking, quirky, hilarious Ginny. 

Grateful…

Kir

Tis the Season

It is Friday night and winter seems to have arrived.  We are settled in for the night and I decided not to wait until morning to fill you all in.

Tuesday afternoon I picked Ginny up from the hospital and brought her home.  The antibiotics have worked beautifully now that the systems are flowing.  She has her appetite back and seems to have more energy.  I am so grateful.

It seems her symptoms are being managed.  We return to Mayo November 29th for a day of appointments with Ginny's various care teams.  We will have an update after these appointments.

In the meantime, the yard is ready for winter.  Christmas decorations and lights are up.  We have increased our outdoor Christmas presence in the neighborhood this year.  It feels good to be ahead of the weather.

Wednesday next week we will fly to Baltimore to spend a few days with our east coast family (Ginny's side).  I LOVE this tradition...great people and fantastic food.  I am looking forward to the oyster shucking and slurping off the half shell - YUM!

We are so very thankful for you - our friends and family.  We are entering this season with hope, joy and a sense of peace.

Love
Kir & Gin

All Backed Up

Well that's what I get for declaring that we would have a routine procedure and have nothing to report until the weekend.

Ginny went in for her ureter stent replacement today.  No big deal, this is her 9th placement.  It turns out that her stent was all backed up...clogged.  The Dr. suspects that she her right kidney has not passed fluid for 2-3 weeks.  She has been treating a UTI this past week without success, the reason is now clear.

So the old barnacle covered stent is out and a new one is in.  System fluids are flowing as they should and her kidney is likely signing the Hallelujah Chorus.

She is in the hospital for the night for observation.  We are hoping for a good night's sleep and a release around noon tomorrow.

Love
Kir&Gin

Chemo, Loose Ends and Hillary - What a Week!

We had quite a week.  Ginny has had a better week with pain control.  The pump adjustment made last Friday seems to be a great balance.  From a chemo perspective there have been some side-effects this week.  Gin has been tired and nauseous at points.  The greatest shift is that my FOOD LOVING gal has lost her appetite.  Gin has always had a great appetite and she really enjoys food.  This change is a sadness for her.  We are working keep her calorie intake up.  She doesn't have room to lose so this is our focus this coming week.

Ginny has talked about the need to get things in order for many years.  The "we should take care of this"...moved to "meet me at the ? after school".  This week we consolidated bank accounts, got my name on her car title, made sure household bills had both our names on them and visited our lawyer to make sure all the details are being addressed correctly.  Sigh...she feels accomplished with our achievements this week...I feel a deep sadness.  I appreciate her determination to make sure she leaves things in order but I wish we were not at this point in our life together.

It will be no surprise that the political events of this past week were/are difficult to swallow.  We are still grieving and are working to reconcile the outcome in our minds and our spirits.  We were talking about the election with a friend who works at one of the offices we visited this week.  Gin expressed grief at not seeing a women in the Oval Office and got caught on her words as she realized she never would.

On Monday Ginny will have a new ureter stent placed.  This will be her 9th.  They replace them every 3-4 months.  This is needed to keep her right kidney functioning.  Two working kidneys are needed for Chemo.  This is a routine procedure for Gin and so I will not post Monday.

I will be back again next Saturday - Unless of course there are new developments during the week.

Thank you for the ongoing prayer and support.  We are so very grateful.

Kir & Gin

She is a Feisty One

Saturday morning coffee and fishing shows for Kir.  Ginny is buzzing around, getting ready for her Saturday morning guided meditation group. She will also have lunch with a friend and then attend the Hormel Nature Center Thanksgiving Feast this evening. Living Large :)

We returned to Mayo yesterday for a follow-up.  Gin had her staples removed and her pain pump was adjusted to better meet her pain needs.

The pump gives a constant base drip and then at 8 am and 8 pm it gives her an extra boost.  This will help with her morning social events where she is sitting and then in the evening when she is emailing the world.  She is a night owl.

We will return Tuesday and Friday next week to fine tune her pump dosing.

Ginny is expecting to lose hair with the chemo pill and is digging out her favorite headgear in anticipation.

We will travel to Baltimore for Thanksgiving to be with our Larsen family.  This is tradition and a highlight of our year.

We will be in touch as we go.  I will commit to a Saturday Morning updates while we are waiting to see if the chemo is going to work.

Love Kir

Ginny's wisdom for the day. "To regain control over your life you learn to cooperate with what you cannot change."

Chemo Underway

The super human Ginny started her oral chemotherapy Monday morning. She seems to be tolerating it well.

The challenge is pain. She is struggling to get her pain managed. She is needing to augment her pump with oral  meds. We are tracking her pain and meds and Friday we will return to Mayo for a Pain Team meeting and hopefully we will get the pump adjusted.

I have received messages from folks saying things like "she doesn't look sick."  She does look great, but she is sick.  She is maintaining her daily routines and yes she is keeping lunch dates and planned activities, BUT it is a challenge.  Activity is a sign of LIFE and she is LIVING!

I will post again Friday after our appointments.

In the meantime...pray for her "systems" and the pain.

love
Kir