Author Archive
Saturday, January 28th, 2012
Chemo Round 2 Went Well
Cathy expected her chemo treatments to get progressively more difficult, but this was not the case for dose #2. This time Cathy had a better understanding of how to use the medications at her disposal to keep the usual nasty chemo side-effects at bay. So Round 2 ended up going better than the first week. We are really happy about this! We recognize that God is allowing this to be less difficult than it could be, but either way Cathy has continued to experience God’s peace and patience in this.
We are so grateful for everyone that has been praying for Cathy. The sense of peace she has had in this is truly a gift from God.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Friday, January 20th, 2012
Training Team On The Way
Training Team
Today three of our team left for Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya to train the technical coordinators who will be teaching the orientation sessions for our mobile phone pastor training course. These are most of the people who developed the training. It took a lot of work, but we expect it will pay off when we see the first wave of 2400 pastors-in-training start this course!
No Comments » - Posted in GTO,Ministry,mLearning Project by Jerry
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
Chemo Week 1 Completed
Week 1 of Cathy’s chemo treatments is complete, and she is doing fairly well. Fatigue and a weird sensitivity to cold temperatures were the main difficulties. Knowing there are 7 more to go has not exactly encouraged her, but she recognizes she is doing a lot better than what is possible.
On Monday (Jan 9) we spent half the day at the MD Anderson Cancer Center while Cathy got her first round of infusions. Later that evening a home nurse connected a small pump to another infusion that lasted for two more days at home. The pump sits in a little shoulder bag that Cathy carries around with her. It’s a lot better than being at a hospital, but it’s odd carrying something like your purse all the time around the house.
What was really interesting, and annoying, is the cold sensitivity. It hurts her fingers to pick up anything cold, and it feels like gravel in her mouth when she drinks anything cold. Now we have a pair of gloves sitting on top of the fridge for whenever she needs to get something.
She continues having an incredible endurance about this whole thing. We’re praying she doesn’t feel too badly over the next three and half months remaining.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
600 memory chips coming right up….
Last minute software bugs are now fixed, so today we begin copying the first 600 memory chips that will go into each student phone. We will ship another 1800 blank memory chips, along with two mass duplicators, to the program coordinators in Ghana and Kenya. It is these memory chips which hold the content that each pastor-in-training will go through during their training. Without an Android smartphone, though, these memory chips are useless. Each one must be installed into a phone and activated before the training course will be available on the student-pastor’s phone.
For those interested in the geeky details; each memory chip is a 16 Gb Class 10 microSD flash memory card, similar to the ones that come in nearly every new Android smartphone these days.
1 Comment » - Posted in GTO,Ministry,mLearning Project by Jerry
Monday, January 9th, 2012
Chemo Day 1
Today looks familiar for Cathy as she begins her first day of IV chemo treatments. It’s at the same hospital, MD Anderson, that she had her surgery in, but everything else about the day is new.
Everyone reassures her that she shouldn’t be experiencing any terrible nausea, but they also reassure her she will have extreme sensitivity to cold temperature, difficulty sleeping, headaches and other odd side affects.
This may be an interesting few months. We’re praying for endurance.
No Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Three trainers going now….
Today our team decided to send three people to do the training in Ghana and Kenya instead of two. This will increase the number of people on our team who can lead other mobile phone training projects in the future.
At the same time we are working on some minor last-minute bugs in the mobile phone training system. It seems that when you submit a quiz from one country to the “system” in another country the quiz answers get dropped. D’oh.
(I thought I’d start the new year by writing more about the smaller details that go into making a larger mobile phone pastor training course work.)
No Comments » - Posted in GTO,Ministry,mLearning Project by Jerry
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
Chemo starts Monday
On Monday Cathy will have her first chemo dose of this last phase of her cancer treatment regiment. She’ll get eight in all over the course of four months.
Honestly, she is pretty apprehensive about it, and we’re praying the side effects aren’t too bad. Everyone has said it should not cause her any hair loss, but nausea is pretty likely.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
Training for Accra and Nairobi
Today we confirmed our training dates for the coordinators who will be facilitating the mobile phone pastor training. Looks like two people from our team will conduct two days of training in Accra, Ghana and two days in Nairobi, Kenya.
It looks like I probably won’t be going on this trip, as it will be during Cathy’s second week of chemo treatment.
No Comments » - Posted in GTO,mLearning Project by Jerry
Monday, December 19th, 2011
Chemo to start in 2012
Cathy received some good news for Christmas recently; her chemo treatments will not begin until after the Holidays. This is really good news, as she was not looking forward to being tired and nauseated for Christmas and her birthday on New Year’s Eve.
Brother Jim and family will be here for Christmas, and we are really looking forward to their visit. Cathy is in full “Christmas spirit” mode now, even if not in full energy mode. We have lots to be thankful for this Christmas!
2 Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
Minor Surgery Today; a port
Cathy gets a port installed today, near her shoulder, to make chemo injections easier. The nurse she had was really good and talked about all the benefits of having a port. She even suggested keeping it in after chemo treatments are finished to make follow up medications easier. It was then that I knew we have become citizens of a different world, where having permanent medical hardware installed is considered a good thing.
We’re praying today’s procedure, requiring full anesthesia, goes without complications.
2 Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
No Second Surgery!
We met with Cathy’s surgeon today who recommended NOT to pursue a second surgery. After reviewing her situation with a group of doctors on a “tumor board” our doctor didn’t think it was a good idea going back in with no certainty that there was anything malignant there.
So that is really good news for Cathy!
This also means that chemo treatments will begin in the next couple weeks. We will be praying that Cathy responds to them as well as she did the first phase of chemo treatments.
5 Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Saturday, November 19th, 2011
Fourth good day at home
Today was another good day at home. Cathy’s recovery has gone really well since she got home. She has had no nausea and is eating well. We took a walk around the neighborhood tonight, too.
No Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Yesterday ended well
Cathy finally got over her nausea by the end of the day yesterday. Today she is like a new person; had a good night’s sleep, is ready to eat breakfast, and is pain and discomfort free. Her mobility is good, too. She doesn’t hesitate to get up and walk around if she needs something. Recovery is moving faster than I expected. She even said she might write something to post here today.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Home and trying to get over nausea
It sure feels good to be home! But Cathy doesn’t yet have an appetite and is still struggling with nausea. We are praying she can get over this so her recovery can proceed.
7 Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Going home today!
Cathy Going Home
After getting past more nausea this morning, Cathy finally got clearance to go home today. She is feeling pretty well otherwise and is ready to leave the hospital. Both of us are going a little crazy here.
She’s looking forward to her own bed and her own food again. And if she makes the same recovery progress at home that she has made at the hospital, it won’t be long until she is feeling better again.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Monday, November 14th, 2011
Not today
Cathy’s primary doctor made rounds this afternoon and decided today was not the day for Cathy to go home. No one argued with her. Tomorrow looks likely, though, and Cathy has been feeling better this afternoon.
She walks whenever she wants now, and it’s not a big deal. I suppose the next big goal will be getting back into street clothes again.
2 Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Monday, November 14th, 2011
Home today?
This morning the doctor making rounds thought Cathy might make it home today. I’m beginning to believe this could happen, given how much progress she’s made. If not today, certainly tomorrow.
Dealing with nausea has been the biggest challenge over the last 24 hours. The anti-nausea meds have not seemed to be effective, so Cathy’s gone through waves of feeling really bad. When it backs off she sleeps for a while and wakes up better.
Good recovery overall continues happening.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Sunday, November 13th, 2011
Good progress today
Cathy’s recovery goal for today was walking one lap around the hospital floor. She did 4. She was also in and out of bed several times and in and out of the chair many times. She’s doing great.
Pain management was a learning experience, though. Having had the “Mercedes Benz” of pain meds until today, it took a few hours before understanding how to manage discomfort and pain levels with a new system. Cathy ended the day uncomfortable but surviving. Hopefully tomorrow will look better in this area.
They say she should be able to come home on Tuesday. We’re praying.
No Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Saturday, November 12th, 2011
Made Two Trips
Cathy ended up making two walking trips down the hall today. She did really well.
Tomorrow she is scheduled to jump to the next level of recovery with the removal of two more tubes. One of those tubes will be the pain med drip tube, to be replaced by taking pain pills instead.
The goal tomorrow is to walk a lap around the floor.
No Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Saturday, November 12th, 2011
Windows open, pain meds working
Recovery with pain medication is good. Cathy is comfortable and enjoying the beautiful weather today with the windows open. She can’t stay awake more than 5 minutes at a time, but that is way better than experiencing the full on pain she would have without medication.
The goal today is to walk to the nurses’ station.
2 Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Friday, November 11th, 2011
Two challenges today
Just after Cathy finished her walking tour of the hospital room, the good day she was having presented some challenges.
Her IV port problems had developed to the point where they required a specialist to put a new one in, but during the three hours while we waited for the specialist, Cathy got no pain medication. Shortly after she got back into bed from her walk and got the new IV port installed, her back developed some very acute pain. It was difficult for her to tolerate and difficult for me to watch with no way of helping.
Shortly after the pain meds kicked back in and gave her some relief from the intense pain, her surgeon visited us for a consultation. She explained that Cathy might need a smaller follow-up surgery in a few weeks, but it is still uncertain if that is required. While we are not happy with this possibility, we know God is taking care of us and will get us through it if it’s required.
In the mean time we will be praying that God gives our doctors wisdom and good judgment while they discuss Cathy’s situation and form a recommendation.
No Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Friday, November 11th, 2011
Taking a walk today
Cathy is out of bed again today and began walking around the room. Sounds like nothing, but it’s really good progress!
Today all the healing indicators were good with the minor exception of some complications with the IV port. She is drinking and beginning to take in clear liquids.
2 Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Day 1 Recovery went well
Cathy made it out of bed and into a chair today. This was actually a big accomplishment, and getting it done was a mental boost. Pain meds help, too.
No Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Recovering well
After a good night’s sleep Cathy is alert and on the recovery path. The big goal for the day is to get out of bed and into a chair. And to remain free of complications.
The room here has a Murphy bed, so I got a good night sleep, too.
3 Comments » - Posted in Cathy by Jerry
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
sleeping in her room for the night
[12:00] Cathy is in her room and sleeping on and off. The pain meds are doing their job, so she is not terribly uncomfortable, but she is exhausted. .
Tomorrow is a new day. Thanks for praying for her today.
