Crossley update

Lillian Marie Stogner Crossley
June 16, 2007

Not much info, but did find out the biopsy report is not expected until next mid-week. Family does not expect any decisions regarding treatment or surgery until the doctors get the lab report.

I do have the phone number for her hospital room. If you want it, please let me know. She is in St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown, Pa.

Trip to Pa. canceled.

When Mother told me this morning she did want to go see her sister, I knew she would back out. And she did by about 11:00 a.m. I had just hoped she wouldn't. I hate it so much that they won't ever see each other again. They look so much alike and have always been very close. There is another photo of the two of them here on the blog. (Click Crossley label)

Lillian and Ruby

1946 in Gatlinburg, TN

Mom had started trying to get some things packed and wore herself out with what little she had done. She has decided she just cannot make the trip. It's hard for me to prepare for traveling and being away for long, so I can imagine how hard it would be if I were almost 90 years old!

Blessings and hugs,
Lillian

Doctor appointments, Earl & Sam T

Earl said he climbed the stairs from our basement twice today without his cane. That's progress! He doesn't use it much while walking around the house, but does still take it when he leaves the house.

Earl has an appointment with the oncology doctor on Wed. Aug 1st. We assume chemo will start soon after.

My father, Sam Trentham, has an appointment on Aug. 2nd with Knoxville Orthopedic. One of his feet/legs is getting numb from just below the knee down. He has finally agreed to go get it checked out.

As you pray, please remember my guys as they face these appointments.

Blessings,
Lillian

Lillian Crossley - Stomach cancer

I got news a few minutes ago that Mother's sister, Lillian, has stomach cancer...tumor at top of stomach. It's 7-8 cm and was not there a month ago. Drs aren't talking surgery. She's 87 and has lymphoma in her neck and chest. Kidney's aren't operating at full capacity, either. She's in hosp. already having problems getting food down. Does not sound good at all. Dr mentioned feeding tube. They took biopsy of stomach tumor, no results yet.

When family took her to hosp. she was very anemic. She got 11 units of blood.

I will probably go with Dad & Mother to Allentown, Pa. tomorrow to see her. I went to see her while we were in Philly. So glad I did! Guess we'll head out in the morning and I hope to get back Monday or Tues. as I have to work!

Please put her and sons , Jack and David and their families on prayer list.

I put a photo of her and Mother on the blog back in June. Click on the "Crossley" label on the right side of screen to jump to it.

More later as I get news.

Lillian

Earl fell on Saturday

I have debated about whether to tell you about Earl's fall. It scared me so badly.... I'm still not over it. He probably won't appreciate me telling on him!

He is ok except for a 1/2" cut across the bridge of his nose and a scratch above his eye. Minor carpet burn on his right knee. His right hip was sore for a few days, but he's getting around better now.

I think this fall may be related to the sleeping pills he has been taking. After we got back to Tenn., he was having a hard time getting back to sleep after getting up to go to the bathroom during the night. At times he would still be up around 5 or 6 a.m. He went to his Dr. who agreed with Earl that he needed to get his days and nights turned back around. Dr. prescribed something to help him sleep. Suggesting he take 1/2 pill when he could not get back to sleep.

Earl had been taking the sleep aid about two weeks was sleeping better. Then, he got up Sat. morning about 6:15 a.m. and fell. He said he could feel himself falling, but there wasn't anything to catch himself to keep from falling. The crash woke me with such a scare!

His head landed about 10-12 ft. from anyplace he should have been. I imagine him, in his mind, falling forever! His head was about a foot from the wall and about two feet over from a large wall mirror. Glad he didn't hit/break it!

I don't know now how I did it, but after making sure he wasn't hurt badly, I picked him up!! I know! I've paid for it for several days! I had gotten his walker and he used it to get on to the bathroom. He was very dazed and almost fell a couple of times by the time I got him back into bed. I have wondered if he might have taken too much sleeping aid and over medicated himself.

Monday morning, about 6:45, he almost fell again. This time, he was using his walker going to bathroom. He woke me when he fell forward holding on to the walker and hit the door facing going into the bathroom. If he hadn't stumbled into the door, he would have fallen head/face first over the walker. This time, I was furious! It almost had to be the sleeping pills. He has never done anything like this in all the weeks since his surgery!

We bought some Tylenol P.M. which he took last night. (I hid the sleeping pills!) Then about 6 a.m. this morning he insisted on taking 1/4 of a sleeping pill. Fortunately, there are only a couple of pills left, so I'm hoping I can talk him out of getting any more. I know it's aggravating when he can't get back to sleep, but I don't like cleaning up blood, applying bandages and worrying about broken bones!! Both of his hips have already been replaced, so he sure doesn't need to break one of them or something else!

We still have not heard from the chemo Dr. but we'll contact him, if we don't hear from him this week.

Earl is cooped up here at home.... working a couple of hours daily now in his home office. It means a lot to hear from friends. Thank you to everyone who has sent cards, called and visited.

Please continue to remember us in prayer. I'm praying for more patience!! :-)

Lillian

If you are reading this blog, I bet you can relate to this!

Thanks to my niece, Stacie, in SC for sharing this. Enjoyed a good laugh!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your
coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list

AND NOW YOU ARE LAUGHING at yourself.

Special hello to 3 North gang

We appreciate Linda and Kerri from 3 North (Fox Chase) stopping by to say "hello". Great to hear from you! Please tell all the gang Earl is doing well. Still not winning any foot races, but he's still walking several times each day. Also eating better each day. So far, he hasn't lost any of his meals since the second discharge from FCCC.

His incision has finally healed. There was another place near the bottom that puffed up and I squeezed for a few days. We have finally left off all bandages as of yesterday.

We are waiting for the chemo Dr. to call. He was to contact Dr. Watson and then let us know when treatments will start. We expect to hear something in the next couple of weeks.

Earl is having to buy new Jeans & dress pants. He has lost so much weight, he's having trouble keeping his pants from falling down!! Finally donated a BIG bag of his pants. His shirts are swallowing him whole, too, but they won't fall off!! :-)

He has discovered the motorized shopping carts. He has used them the last couple of trips to grocery or other shopping. Now, I'm the one trying to keep up! He can go & go & GO! He was spending a lot of time sitting somewhere on a bench, while I made the rounds. Not any more!

This week....

Really not much going on. He's just recovering and I'm just working. This will likely be what the next few weeks will be like, until he starts chemo and radiation.

It was good for me to get back to work on Monday and see everyone. A LONG week, but a busy mind doesn't have time to dwell on home matters! I'll welcome a break this week by being off for the 4th!

Earl has been fending for himself during the day. He is walking outside several times each day. Eating small amounts of whatever he wants. Avoiding fatty foods.

The open place in his incision has closed up to the point that we stopped packing it yesterday. Hopefully the small place will continue to close and heal without further problems. Another place festered this week and I have been draining and treating it. It seems much better today.

The big thing that is getting to him right now is that he has his days and nights switched. He never has gone to bed until after the 11 p.m. news. Now he's waking up around 2:30 or 3 a.m. and can't get back to sleep until around 5-6 a.m. He is napping during the day and then isn't sleepy when he should be.

Earl at cookout 6/30/07

I did take him to my sister's yesterday afternoon for their annual cookout to celebrate her husband's birthday (July 2nd) and The 4th of July. Earl ate TWO hotdogs! That's a lot for him now! It was so hot, he didn't feel like staying too long. He was ready for a nap when he got home. And he wonders why he can't sleep at night!?!?

Earl has ventured downstairs to his office a few times this week. Going thru mail and checking email, but not attempting any real work yet. His mind isn't clear enough to really concentrate on work. He's still so weak.... isn't able to do much for very long.

Dr. said recovery would take about eight weeks and as things look, it'll take that long or longer for him to recover. I hope the treatments aren't too debilitating.

Boredom is his enemy, too. He wants to GO.... then we go and he's ready to sit down or head home shortly after we get anywhere! So, if anyone has time to call or visit.... he will definitely appreciate any contact, now that he's feeling better.

Won't bore you any more with our boredom!

Hope you have a good week and A HAPPY FOURTH!


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