Strongest in Heart

Terri, Gail and I had a game of musical beds today.  The baby bed and the guest bed went to the downstairs retreat, the master bed went to the guest room, a hospital bed is going in Kim's room AND the shin bone is connected to the thigh bone.  Oops I got a bit carried away there.  Wrong game.  

Kim slept through most of our moving adventure.  In true Kim style she kept asking us how she could help when she was awake.  This afternoon she smiled when she said it.  Earlier the realization of not being able to help was not funny, sweet or a cute idea to her.  

Kim showed us that she stills has some spit-fire in her.  She let us know that she is upset and mad that she is losing her strength.  She did the only thing she could do about it at the time and that was to get mad.  Terri said in an earlier posting that it is hard to see her go from the physically strongest woman in the family to someone who needs helps standing up or getting out of bed.  It is hard and now I will add maddening too.

Friends must have sensed that Kim needed a bit of cheering up today.  It worked for Gail and I too.  Fresh flowers are adding a bright spot to every ones day.  Thank you for that

I am getting ready to head to Omaha and I have hidden the Tylenol PM from Gail.  She will be on call tonight and we will see if she can keep better tabs on Kim in the middle of the night.  I have not passed my test very well so I am going back to Omaha and ask my kids how many things they got away with in the middle of the night.  It HAS been about 10 years since I had high schoolers…. Maybe I will just take a pill and chill.

No Nun or Angel, just a sister,
Jan

The Farm Tour

Early to bed tonight.  I might follow soon.

Kim slept in this morning.  She did not use the call of the nightlast night that Gail taught her.  The call is "Jan, Jaannn, JAN!"  I might add that after Gail taught this call to Kim, she promptly took a Tylenol PM pill.

Apparent Gail and I have been out of the baby and sneaky teenager years for so long that we do not hear when someone is up moving around in the house.  Kim got up just fine but missed a dance beat when crawling back into bed and ended up falling.   The good news is that she fell into bed.  The bad news is, she strained her side and it is not feel so great today.

Tonight we reviewed the call and I made her repeat it for good measures.  I think we have it down.  No Tylenol PM for me tonight.  I will be sleeping with one ear open.   

This afternoon, Sister Terri (no she is not a nun -- an angel maybe) came out to escort us on our family farm tour.  We started in Syracuse so Kim could pick out some stain she wanted Gail to use on a project she has us doing.  She is our expert on paint and stain.  She also took the time to clean off her desk.  It was emotional chore but she did not want to leave it undone.

We then rode to Burr by way of country roads.  We checked out the crops.  Shane's corn is starting to turn and the beans looked full and lush.  The Christmas trees we planted so many years ago are a huge wind break and shelter for deer.  The corn was so tall that we had to strained to look back over our shoulder to see Dad's ponds.  We turned the corner and headed for the home place.  Dad has is all mowed and looking so nice.   The farm was singing Welcome Home to us.

Kim sat with us on the patio for a few minutes before she went inside for a good nap on the couch.  The rest of us stayed outside to enjoy the day.  Dad's  flowers are beautiful and his garden overflowing with tomatoes and peppers.  Mom showed us the pumpkin and gourd patch she planted for the grandkids.  They will be excited to raid the pumpkin patch when they make their annual fall pilgrimage to the farm.

Terri and Mom took turns checking on our sleeping beauty while Gail pruned flowers and I picked peppers.  It was a great day to visit the farm.  As much a I love seeing my grandkids enjoy my folk's farm, this day was special.  It was Mom, Dad and their girls.  Sorry Willie and Monte, we did however miss you.   I highly recommend a Mom, Dad and their boys day as it was very theraputic.  

Terri took us back to Kim's by way of the big town of Burr.  We slowly drove by the church lawn to check out Dad's lawn service skills. (Tyler, Grandpa does a pretty good job if you need to pick up an extra worker)  We drove by the improvements in the city park.  Zeb did some great work there too.  We were running out of day light and steam so we headed back to Kim's.  

When we got home, Shane was entertaining good friends and was wondering if he needed to fill out a missing persons report.  I guess we should have left a note.   Oopps!  

Good night
Jan 

Family Time

I see that the last post was just yesterday morning but a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then.

Gail just put Kim to bed with all her meds and gave me directions to update the site.  She and I are spending the night. 

Shane and Liz are having some father/daughter time.  Liz got him tickets to a Jackson Browne concert for Father's day.  Kim could not go so she wanted Liz to go with her dad.  I bet they are having a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band kind of time.

Kim's pain seems to be under control most of the time.  She does get sleepy and her down time appears to be restful.  We are thankful for that.

I mentioned that Nurse Becky spent Thursday night and then Friday.  Gail and Cameron went back for the day and Mom and Terri also helped out.  Kim had visits from other family and the pastor too.   Uncle Bill dusted off Grandma's wheelchair and it has been put into service.

Kim has always followed the nieces and nephews events and is really looking forward to Mackenzie's volleyball season.  Gail suggested that they go into the scrimmage on Friday night.  The school was hopping.  Lots of activities inside and out.  Watching Mac energized Kim because they stayed longer than Gail expected. 

Gail took her home happy and tired.  Kim was ready for a good sleep too because Saturday was going to be a big day.  Liz had arranged for a tour of the home she is buying.  The current homeowners have not moved out yet but were very willing let Liz to share it with her mom. 

Kim loved it!  She was so happy for Liz and very proud of her.  When I asked what the best part of the house was, she couldn't decide, she loved everything.  She could picture Liz, Jerome and JJ in their home and playing in their yard.  Kim had a peaceful happiness.

Kim stood the trip well but was really tired when she and Shane got home.  She was in a deep sleep when Gail and I got here this afternoon. 

Shane was getting ready for his date with his daughter when I asked who the heck was Jackson Browne.  Gail wanted Shane to sing a few lines of one of his songs.  That didn't help me.  I don't think it was because of Shane's singing, I am just so bad at things like that.

He told me to google  it so that is the only reason I knew the connection with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. 

Tonight was a great night.  We just needed Terri.  We sat around like pioneer women with needle work.  (Only thing is, they didn't have electric lights, movie channels and surround sound.)  I helped Kim thread her needle and Gail kept trading Kim work if we needed to unknot something. 

We watched Sisterhood of the Traveling pants while we did our handiwork and agreed the 3 of us could trade (stretch) pants but Terri was out.  Instead we will be putting our jeans in a quilt that is one size fits all! 

We have another full day tomorrow as we are thinking about a driving tour of the family farm.  We will see if we have not worn her out too much today.

Stitching sis,
Jan

Treasures

Did I say yesterday was quiet?  

Well I guess it was for about the hour while I wrote the update.  It was good to listen to the silence for a while then the afternoon kicked it up a notch.

Kim was not in pain and resting well when Gail, Becky and Cameron arrived.  Becky would be staying the night.  Kim put us on a mission.  She wanted us to find the 3 special rings that Shane had given her over the years.   One ring she took off before going to the hospital another she took off when her fingers got so thin.  The third she had not seen since her "friends trip" to the tropics.  That one would be the challenge but we were up for the treasure hunt.

It was a treasure hunt too.  We found lots of treasures.  We found the heart locket necklace that was her first gift from Shane.  She shared the story and to me that was a treasure.  

They were in high school and Shane had gone to Ardan's to buy a gift for Kim.  His sister, Cheryl thought he was a love sick fool because he was spending too much money on a girl he had not dated that long.  Shane knew what he wanted.  He wanted the heart locket and the girl.  He got both.

If you happen to have one of Kim's senior pictures, she was wearing the locket.  We opened the locket and inside was Shane's senior picture.  

We found earrings and necklaces that screamed the 80's.  We found pins that Art Whitehead made to spread holiday cheer.  She told us stories of where things came from and when and where she wore them.  We found her high school track medals.  I have forgotten so much more than I remember.  I remembered she was a thrower.  I had forgotten that she ran the hurdles.  We found her old metal, screw-in cleats.  

Liz, JJ and Jerome came while we were re-living some of those old memories.   They got in on the.. "tell me about where you got this dish" stories too.  We looked at bowls and dishes that had been passed down over the generations.  There were special champagne flutes, a gift from good friends.  There were shower and wedding gifts.  The silver that Kim's grandma gave her for a wedding present and the china that Kim earned from saving Betty Crocker box tops.  The time re-living the stories and the memories they invoked were the day’s treasures.  

All of the sudden we were approaching the dinner hour and there were guest in the house.  My grandmother would have been in the kitchen an hour before planning to feed the hungry.  It had not even crossed my mind.  I was so thankful for the angels that have provided frozen casseroles! 

It was Willie and Denise's anniversary and they wanted to spend it with a visit to Kim.  Gail and I needed to get back to Omaha so we missed seeing and wishing them many more years.  So with the front door revolving, it was out with some of the family and in with others. It was not quiet anymore.

By the way... we found the third ring.

Jan

Broken Hearted

Kim is home and sleeping.  She is also broken hearted.  They did not do the procedure.  

The pressure she is feeling is not because of extra fluid building up.  The tumor continues to grow and is pinching things inside.  It is causing obstructions too.  They recommended for her to cut back on the intake of her feedings.  

It is quiet in the house today.

It was not so quiet last night.  Kim was talkative.  I read the postings and cards to her at midnight last night when she was wide awake for that late night pill.  We talked about memories and how smart and lovable nephew Sam is and hoping he starts having a better school year.  We talked about how Sam was celebrating his birthday today and Willie and Denise an anniversary.  We talked about what the right nutrient can do for a person.  We talked about taking pictures at Liz's new house.  We talked about how it is time to get a wheelchair.  We talked about how much JJ loves to ride in the beebine (Combine) with his Papa.  We talked about what she would like to give as Christmas presents.  We talked about the family's annual hayrack ride.  We had more to talk about but I am the one that shut off the conversation because I knew she needed rest for her Omaha trip.  

There is a season for everything and I guess a time of quiet and a time to talk.  Now it is quiet and I look forward to the talk time again.  Afterall anyone that really knows Kim, know she can talk!

Please don't let the day go by without telling someone you love just how special they are.

Sister,
Jan

We Love Our Nurses

It sure is nice to have some nurses in the family.  Cheryl spent the day and Becky called in for support tonight.  I (Jan) had to get up to speed on the change of meds.  It is really important to stay ahead of her pain management.  Kim was not able to spend much of the day out of bed.  The fullness she is feeling makes it very uncomfortable for her to sit up. 

Because of the build up of fluid and pressure it causes, Kim will have a procedure at the Med Center tomorrow morning.  She will have a PleurX peritoneal catheter placed in her side.  This will allow us to drain some fluid out.  The doctors office sent us a video to download and it looks like we will be upgrading from the monkey skills to something a bit more technical.  

This procedure will be done as an outpatient again and Kim should be home in the afternoon.  She will come home wiped out as these Omaha trips tend to be exhausting for her.  

As a side note.  There are no more mice to report.  The only thing we caught recently in the sticky trap is the portable phone when Kim dropped it and it bounced under the bed.  

Ken and I also had a great weekend with Liz's son, Jerome Jr.  He LOVES tractors, skid loaders, mules and sand.  This gave Liz time to work on the paperwork for her new house and one-on-one time with her mom.  When I offered to take him, I asked anyone would be disappointed if Kim and JJ did not see each other on Saturday.  Liz liked the idea because when the grandkids are around they take front and center and she was wanting a bit of mother/daugher time.  

 It was a perfect weekend to be in the outdoors.  JJ had Kenny and Connor as best buds and playmates.  He started off looking for his Nana as she is usually there when he is and my grand kids were calling me Nana.  It was a bit tricky to try to get the point across that I am also a Nana... so when we settled for Banana Jan (which is what Monte's kids have always called me.) he finally stopped looking for Kim.  

Janelle, Bella and Connor were able to deliver JJ back to Omaha late Sunday afternoon for his Nana fix.  

I hope I did an OK job of proofreading this.  My "N" key is wobbly...(why is that Miss Cameron?) ... and I found lots of "n"s missing the first read through.

We will keep you posted on how the procedure goes.  


Until then,
Banana Jan

Yard Tricks

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the past few days. Sunday Kim was feeling like she wanted to get out of the house so Shane drove her up to Omaha. First on the agenda was to drive by Liz's new house - yes I did say new house - they agreed on terms and Liz should close around October 15th. Kim is so proud of Liz. Next they came over to the Bates for what we call Pool Sunday. Kim enjoyed watching all the kids young and old swim. Lots of family stopped by to say Hi and enjoy a little BBQ. Jess and his family made the trip to see Nana after a weekend at Harlan County. 

Kim's team is doing a good job of trying to manage her pain. We are all learning right with her what works and what doesn't. 

Monday and Tuesday were filled with visits from family and good friends. Kim feels blessed to have so many people that love and care about her. We spend time everyday reading the postings from the website along with cards and letters that have been sent to her at home.

Kim's niece Karla had an old 8 mm movie put on a DVD and we have enjoyed watching it over and over this week. To be honest Kim and I didn't hardly recognize those two skinny sisters and their best childhood friends the Goering girls. The Movie named "Yard Tricks" is a dance routine we created one summer day at the Scheef farm. Seriously if you like bell bottom jeans, hair bandanas and four crazy girls just ask her if you can watch it the next time you stop by!

Kim wanted you all to know how grateful her and Shane are for all the food and flowers that have been sent to the house. Shane and anyone who is lucky enough to be around at meal time are eating like Royalty. Kim loves the flowers and they always bring a smile to her face. One of my favorite memories of Kim and Shane dating was that he was always bringing  her flowers - I was so jealous.

When I left tonight Kim  getting ready for bed. Good night Sweet Sister - We Love You!

Gail

Tough as Nails

Everyone who knows Kim knows she is a strong person.  We have always known Kim as a strong willed and physically strong individual.  She could unload the semi with the best of them at Do It Best.  Kim continues to be strong in her fight to enjoy life as much as possible.  However, her body is getting weaker and she doesn’t like it.  I don’t like it either, not that I mind helping Kim get up off the couch, or out of bed, it just doesn’t seem fair.  After all she is my younger sister.  Haven’t we all heard life is not fair so just deal with it.  Kim is dealing with it and with the help of family and friends we are all trying to deal with it.  

Friday when I went to visit Kim she had another visitor and it was obvious Kim was in a lot of pain.  Her pain medication had been changed and the new med schedule had not quite kicked in.  Gail called her hospice nurse who gave some suggestions on how to help relieve the pain with the as needed prescriptions while the new scheduled meds worked up to their level.  On my return trip to Kim’s Saturday morning she reported that she had slept better.  The key word is better – still not good but, those of us who love her are thankful when things are better.

Jan and Gail seem to have humorous side notes to share.  I probably could, but if I did you would all know that Gail and I are not the best at multi tasking when it comes to figuring out the meds and watching little Miss Cameron play with Jan’s laptop.  Jan if you haven’t heard yet your laptop has all of the keys back on (hopefully in the right place) and it even worked for Liz to show Kim and me pictures of the home she is in the process of buying.

The last I heard was that Kim was resting and hoping to be up for a little drive this afternoon.

Thanks for all the support from family and friends.

Sister,

Terri

God's Beautiful Landscape

I (Gail) can not tell a story quite the same way as Jan but I can give you an update on the last couple of days. Wednesday Kim and I went to Syracuse to do a little Do It Best office work and grocery shop. Kim felt good to get out but was pretty wiped out by the time we got home she was ready for a nap. We took the scenic route and she pointed out some of the neighbors I remembered from childhood. We commented on how beautiful the crops and landscape look – I told her I was pretty sure she had a hand in it as I think that God knew she had enough to think about and didn’t need her to worry about the crops this year.

Kim’s pain seems to be more manageable – it is her stomach that does a lot of rumbling and tends to get upset now and then. She sleeps sporadically either on the living room couch or in her own bed. It seems she is awake for longer periods of time then a week ago. The PEG tube allows her to drain her stomach if it is upset and also allows her to give herself some nutritional drinks if she feels hungry.

Lori was on vacation this week so she was able to bring out the kids a few different times for Nana’s enjoyment. Kim is also very excited that daughter Liz is looking for her first house.  

Kim asked that I relay a message from her. She wants to thank everyone for their prayers and support. She appreciates all the cards she has received and meals that have been sent to the farm for family.

PS  I think we got the little booger as their have been no more mouse sightings J

M-I-C-K-E-Y

When I got to Kim's on Tuesday morning, she said she had a pretty good night and good sleep. She was sleeping soundly when the alarm went off at 4:45. &*@!&%! She forgot the alarm in her room was still set for Monday's early wake up to get to the hospital by 6am.

She couldn't go back to sleep but she did doze off and on until I got there. She told me that she had eaten some eggs and a piece of toast. AND she had peanut butter on toast the night before. So far everything was staying down. She was anxious for the nurse to get there to show her how to use the PEG tube. She wants to start getting the protein drink into her system through the tube. She is very sure it will start making her feel better.

I was a bit nervous about learning how to help with this. I do not think I am nurse material and was worried I would do something wrong. Nurse Becky assured me that I would do just fine. She said they told them in nursing school that even a monkey can be trained to do this. The lesson went well. The feeding went OK and the flushing went great.

Becky is right. I think a monkey could do this.

We are learning that small frequent feedings work the best. She was up for most of the day without napping. Not alot of energy but not sleeping either. Around 3 she wanted to take another feeding and lay down in her bed. We did this.

I was watching TV in the living room and just dozing off myself when I heard some blood curdling screams coming from the bedroom. I jumped up, looked at the tv to make sure it was not something I heard there and ran to Kim's bedroom. I was really afraid of what I might find. It is amazing how many things ran through my mind in those 2 seconds.

When I got there the light was still off and Kim was standing beside the bed yelling "Mouse... Mouse!" She was shaking, rocky back and forth and repeating the mouse-mouse cantra.

Apparently Kim had her eyes closed and was just dozing off when she heard a scratching noise. She opened her eyes to look straight into the furry little face of a mouse. It was on her pillow just inches away from her nose.

She went to the couch while I removed the covers and pillows looking for the little monster. I found nothing. When I got back to the living room, Kim was shivering and moaning. She had hurt her back when she jumped out of bed.

She told me that she would be alright if I would please run into town to get sticky traps. Get lots of them! I made the round trip in about 40 minutes and that was with 2 extra stops. I got some meds at the pharmacy and dropped dry-cleaning at Terri's. If I would have been in a car with lights and sirens, I would have used them.

Five sticky traps are in her bedroom with 5 others around the house. I have poison for the garage.

It is the season when those little guys are thinking about their winter dealings. I just had exterminators at our place on the island 2 weeks ago.

At bedtime, she took her meds, I fluffed the covers again, rattled a stick in the closet and under the dressers just to assure her the little booger was gone. She also took Max (the mouse hunting dog) into the bedroom.

I tried not to laugh but when she caught me, I told her that I hoped she could laugh about it someday. Yesterday was not that day.

I turned on the monitor and went to the guest retreat in the basement. I could hear some light snoring or heavy breathing.... I was hoping it was her and not our furry friend.

I am happy to report that our friend is stuck to one of the traps near the back door this morning. I think he was trying to escape the bedroom where there was way too much screaming for his taste. The sticky traps are staying in the bedroom for a while just to make sure he did not dare a friend of his to enter the loud and scarey sanutary of Kim's bedroom.

Although she is not laughing out loud, Kim is smiling today and even allowed me to post this story.

Jan

PEG (Not Bundy)

Kim is out of her procedure and the doctors are pleased. She is in recovery and Shane is back with her now. Gail, Cheryl, Liz and I are holding down our favorite corner of the surgery waiting room.

They will keep her for another hour or so and then turn her loose. Shane thought they would be home early afternoon.

The head of the Interventive Radiology dept did the procedure. He came out to explain the PEG. We will have to have some lessons on how and when to use it. I think we are trainable.... we will see.

More later,
Jan

Princess Hailey

Today was all about Princess Hailey. And because Nana Kim has "the cancer" (as Hailey calls it)... the party came to Kim.

It was a princess birthday party and Nana's castle was full. Liz and Jess' families (7), along with the great-grands (5) and grandparents (4). Scott and Lisa Watermeier and Shane's sister's families (7).

Hailey was so excited with her gifts. Most had a princess theme, a couple of Barbie Dolls, a bike, and some clothes. She also got jewelry, a purse and a princess nightgown.

Her Nana and Papa gave her a princess style wedding dress and dress up shoes. She tried on her dress and heels and gave everyone a style show.

Kim had asked Jess to help her with the shopping. Kim knew exactly what she wanted to get Hailey but was unable to do it herself. So last Thursday Jess and Lori took Hailey to Lincoln to the secret Princess store that Nana knew about. Hailey's eyes lit up when she realized she was going to be able to pick out her own dress.

I was with Kim on Friday when Jess gave the details of the shopping trip. Jess said that Hailey had to try on at least FIVE dresses. (Well no duh! She is a Princess) Hailey knew she wanted one with sparkles..... but then there was a red one she just had to try on. She had no intention of getting it.... but it was red and she never tried on a red princess dress before. Then there was the one with pink on it. That one just didn't sparkle enough. And the twirling..... it must twirl! But then there was one with a train. Trains are really special and it did have the sparkles..... and joy of joys.... it bustled, so yes it would twirl too. Now she needed shoes to go with it. And daddy, trains and heels just go together so well.

I hope you can picture the little Princess Bride with a sparkly dress, dancing bright eyes and curly long hair. And because it is Hailey, I would add a dirty face to my image.

Kim was up for the opening of gifts and cake and ice cream. She had a few bites of ice cream. She then went to rest. All that twirling does wear a person out. That is the great thing about having the party come to her. She can escape through her secret passage to her castle bedroom.

Hope she gets a good night sleep. She has a big day tomorrow. Kim is to report to UNMC at 6am. They will prep her for the procedure that will place a PEG tube in her stomach. It is an outpatience procedure so she should be home tomorrow afternoon.

We will keep you posted.

Jan

Moving Beds

There were a lot of things packed into the week. In some ways it went way too fast and in other ways last Monday seemed so long ago that I could not remember much about it. It took a team of family sitting around on the deck last night to piece together what we all did last Monday.

Kim and Shane met with Aseracare Hospice yesterday. The papers are signed and she will be receiving visits from their nurses to help improve the quality of her days. They will manage her meds and keep her comfortable. Until the on set of this cancer, Kim was never one for a lot of medication. She is taking more pain meds now in one week than she took her first 50 years of life.

Kim is usually worn out and ready for bed about 9pm. She can sleep off and on for a couple of hours and then is restless until about 3am. The best sleep comes from 3am to 7 or 8 am. Kim is becoming an expert on middle of the night infomercials. She has learned that babies can read from flash cards, you can juice just about anything and there are dozens of machines that can melt away the pounds. She also knows how to stage a house for a quick sale, remodel a kitchen or how to pull off an inter-faith wedding with a book theme. It helps keep the mind busy thinking about something other than the worries. The only problem is the meds may have her dozing out of one show and into the next so she may think the bride is freaking because she can’t find the flash cards because the kitchen is in disrepair and won’t be done for the wedding reception so there will be no place to serve the juice!

Speaking of sleep and rest, we did some re-staging of our own. Gail, Blaise and I moved some beds around and made the downstairs into a guest retreat. This way a caregiver will have a place to spend the night yet not be underfoot so much. I stayed 2 nights last week. We set up a baby monitor so that Kim can holler at us if she would need something.

Miss Hailey was not keen on me staying while she could not. With the 2 beds in the basement, now the grandkids can come again and stay while Kim has the extra help. Shane and Kim use to have at least one grandkid stay a night every week. It will be good medicine for have them on an occasional overnighter.

Kim has the first visit from her hospice nurse scheduled this morning. In fact Shane, Gail, Becky and Kim should be meeting with her now as I write this. I am glad that they are there getting everything managed. I am confident that Kim will have some better quality days (and nights) ahead.

Miss Hailey will have a birthday on Monday. The plan is for a small party to come to Kim on Sunday. Lori and Jess will bring Hailey (and Ryan) to Kim along with cupcakes and ice cream. The great-grandparents and grandparents are going to join in the fun too.

On Monday morning Kim is going to have another procedure at UNMC. This is for the insertion of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG tube). It is a tube that goes into your stomach. The Drs are hoping that this will help to make her more comfortable also. Kim is anxious to try this.

Thanks for sharing some of your memories. They are precious, fun, comforting and a lot better than watching brides freak out.

Jan Snyder

My Nana...

Gail and I are heading down to Kim's this morning. We will post more about the Dr appt and how Kim is doing after we see her.

For now we would like a bit of help. Her sister's have committed to helping Kim with a couple of gifts for her grandkids. She is the light of their world now and they are all so young. We are going to help them know more about their Nana. Our plans are to scrap a "My Nana" book. Each one of the kids will have a book to cherish. It will include little stories and pictures about Kim from birth to present. Pages may have titles like the following

My Nana was born in Gretna, Nebraska.

My Nana took swimming lessons in a lake.

My Nana wore hats and gloves to church at Easter.

My Nana showed 4-H calves at the fair.

My Nana played in the Syracuse High School Band.

My Nana married my Papa at the North Branch Lutheran church.

My Nana ......... ????

This is where you can help us. If you have a fun story and/or pictures that would be great for our book please share. Just maybe you would like to make a page for this scrapbook too. We find it can be very theraputic. You can post stories to the guestbook or email any of the sisters.

snyderjan@msn.com
tjanssen@windstream.net
gail.bates@hotmail.com
dkscheef@yahoo.com
jscheef@cox.net

I think we may learn more about our Kim in the process too!

Flooded with memories,
Jan

Did you know Giraffe's are Kim's favorite wild animal?

It is almost midnight and so far much better. Kim appears to be sleeping or at least resting. I believe she was able to keep her meds down tonight…. So far. I am spending the night.

When I got here this morning she told me that she had a very rough night. She had been very uncomfortable and in quite a bit of pain. She finally took enough pain meds to allow her to get some sleep. This morning she was having some heart burn and afraid it might make her sick.

Kim said that the mornings are better for her. The afternoons are when she can not keep things down and the pressure in her abdomen starts to increase. She used the calm before the expected storm today to take a trip into the store. She was able to spend about a half hour training an employee on something she remembered was due.

We drove by the quilt display in the window of the old variety store. It does look bright and cheery. Kim asked if any tickets sold and they told her that they sold around 30 so far. That pleased her.

Willie, Denise, Mac, Jess, Lori, Hailey and Ryan were here for dinner. Denise made some chicken enchiladas and they were wonderful. Kim drank her mixture. I do feel guilty about eating (and enjoying it) in front of her but she says although it looks good, she is not tempted.

Miss Hailey needed to tell her Nana all about the county fair. She rode a giraffe on the Merry-Go-Round AND giraffe’s are Nana’s favorite wild animal.

Tomorrow Kim will see the Omaha Doctors. It will be a full afternoon of lab work and Doctor visits. It appears that after her appointments, Kim and Shane will select a Hospice service that will coordinate all her Doctors plans and meds into one plan and provide the pain management that Kim needs. For tonight Kim has to get through another night with her current pain management program.

I do hope that this sleep is just what is needed to help her get through a long day tomorrow.

Jan

A Nice Day at the Pool

It was another good Sunday with Kim and family at the Bates. Shane brought Kim up for family time. Kim was not doing well when they got there but was able to rest and rally.

The kids came ready to swim. The rain just helped the kids in and out of the pool…in and out…. in and out. The guys had to put up a pop-up cover so they could do their manly cooking in the “danger zone”. They were in charge of the deep fat fried turkey and corn on the cob. At one point when mom thought she could lend a helping hand (and almost got burned) she was told, “you're good in the kitchen but you have no business out here”. The outcome was some wonderful food and great fellowship.

Kim ate nothing.

Kim looks good and when she puts that smile on her face the room lights up. That smile is good medicine for us. She has lost a lot of weight but her abdomen is bloated with tumors and fluids. She put on lipstick and mascara for pictures and was beautiful.

Kamp Kim made a quilt for the 2010 Relay for Life. We took a picture of Kim in front of the quilt and made a poster out of it. The poster and quilt will be hanging in the old hardware store window this week advertising that raffle tickets can be purchased at her store. The Otoe county fair starts today so it should get lots of exposure. Cousin Jill purchased the first tickets so we are on our way. This year Kamp Kim raised $9,200 for the American Cancer Society. We have never started so early before so maybe 2010 will be the year team Kamp Kim goes over $10,000.

I wish Kim was feeling better and more comfortable. She has a call into the doctor this morning so hopefully they can give her something that will help. She said she is ready for the help of a hospice type service too. Mom is with her this morning and will help her make the calls to set it up. They will be able to help with pain control and comfort level. This service focuses on quality of life rather than length of life.

If you happen to go to the Otoe County Fair this week, take a peak at Kim’s quilt on display in the window on Main Street. It is bright and cheery, just like our Kim.

Jan

Thursday's Happenings

Gail, Cameron and I went to Kim’s yesterday (Thursday). Since Kim is not eating “solids” we thought it would be a nice treat to have a smoothie luncheon. Good friends Mel and Andrea joined us as well as Terri, Laurel and Kaita. We did have a enjoyable time and the smoothies were good but Kim still could not eat more than a couple of table spoons. Gail and I commented that the last time she was able to eat and digest food was at the family reunion on July 3rd. It is no wonder she is weak and needs to rest often. Kim has found that eating (drinking) small amounts more frequently settles a bit better.

Sleep comes in short spurts. Kim is restless and needs to change positions often or tries to stand and move to get more comfortable.

She has had quite a few visitors and they have been good about reading her physical needs as when she needs rest. Sometimes Kim feels the tug of her inner hostess/caregiver and wants to do more when guest are around.

Shane’s sister, Cheryl spent the day Tuesday with Kim and was able to take her into the Syracuse hospital for blood test. I think that kind of wiped her out. Mom spent some of Wednesday with her and Kim was hoping she would feel up to going into work for an hour. She was not up to it.

Today (Friday) mom is back out there. Liz will be down over the weekend. Shane and Jess are working around the place so Kim has people to call on if she needs anything. I took a laptop down to her and Jess hooked up the wireless. I hope this makes it easier for her to stay connected if she desires.

When we left she mentioned that she would love to go to Bates on Sunday again for a repeat of last Sunday. She told Gail several times what an enjoyable day it was and how much she loved watching her grand kids play and swim. Hopefully she will feel up to it.

She has a special connection with all the kids. Monte brought the triplets over and Ali was playing on the floor in front of Kim. Kim said…. “I going to get down and play but someone is going to have to help me up.” And she did get on the floor where she and sweet little Ali had some good bonding time. Ali was having a good time too and we know that because our sweet little Ali bites when she is not happy!

The kids have been a real blessing for Kim. And they do make us smile. Miss Hailey said… ” My Nana has the cancer so I’m not going to spend the night because I am such a hand full.”

Kim and the family appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Jan

Needs More Sugar

I will try to update you on the purposeful happenings of the family.

Terri posted her Saturday happenings and I will try to catch up. Kim was very worn out on Saturday but some of that had to do with her blood sugar being very low. Actually it was dangerously low. Some sugar on the tongue and glucose tabs helped her get through the day. She is working on regulating her insulin with her new eating habits.

On Sunday Shane brought Kim up to the Bates for a little pool time with the grandkids. Of course with our family that means impromptu “parr-tay” . Nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters congregated poolside. Cousin Jill stopped by with new grandbaby pictures which brought lots of smiles and Aunt Marge from S.D. tracked her down by phone..more smiles.

Monday, Gail went down to spend the day with Kim. Kim wanted to go into the store and do a bit of work so Gail drove her into town. The rest of the day was one on one sister time. Mom must have gotten a bit jealous so she thought she might head to Kim’s today for her one on one time. I am in line. She really doesn’t need us as caregivers right now but we are finding that we need to be with her more. She tires easily but is good about excusing herself for a little nap. Kim is also getting better at telling us when she needs a bit of quiet time. And just maybe we are getting better at listening too.

Posted by Sister,
Jan

August Already

Wes and I visited Kim late this afternoon and she was enjoying some sunshine in her lawn chair watching JJ drive his motorized John Deer toy around the yard. I was hoping her digestive system would be working better but those things must take more time.

She was looking forward to a visit from some friends. My family and I appreciate all the support Kim has gotten from her friends and community.

Terri