Archive for January, 2009
What is presented as a blessing is turning into a time consuming challenge. Dan’s sister, Bonny, a very intelligent, caring lady, is Office Manager for a good home health care company. She chose to learn all of the Medicare rules so that she can serve the people of her community well. Naturally, we turned to Bonny to learn the U.S. Federal Rules about Home Health Care. We learned: 1. Federal Law says that the Home Health companies have to follow the doctor’s instructions. 2. it is against Federal law for a company to discharge a patient without doctor’s orders.
When we returned from Dr. Simonton’s retreat near Santa Barbara. Dan’s home health care, Tender Loving Care, (TTL),a national company, announced that Medicare Rules won’t let them come more than 3 days a week. When the Office Manager saw Dan’s doctor’s orders today for daily wound care, she announced that Dan will be discharged as their patient…that we have to find someone else to take care of Dan.
At the recommendation of two doctors, we called Sutter Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA). TTL had said Medicare limits them to 3 days a week. SVNA said that Medicare only allows 2 visits a week and a family member must be trained to change the bandage the other 5 days a week, that “Medicare expects the family to do something to take care of the patient.” The company rep went further to say that no matter what the doctor orders, the visiting nurse has the final say. Two different stories from the two companies. OOPS! Have they not read the rules that they contracted to follow? Why are they telling us things that are not true?
After a long conversation with TTL’s office manager, our son managed to get her to assign an RN to come Saturday, and an LVN to come Sunday. No wound care has been arranged for Monday. (By the way, TTL gave two different stories about why the Clinical Supervisor was not available to speak with our son.) LESSON TO BE LEARNED FROM THIS – KNOW THE LAWS OF YOUR COUNTRY ABOUT YOUR CARE. SOME COMPANIES WILL TELL YOU WRONG INFORMATION.
All of a sudden, I’m hearing a message in my head, “It’s like with the Bible…many people will say things are in God’s Written Word that are not there. If a person wants healthy soul care, God expects each one of us to read His Word…and live according to what Jesus taught.” Interesting thought…do you suppose God really cares? We believe He does. — Anne and Dan
Dan & Josef Studied Together in Sfantu Gheorghe, RO
January 31, 2009 at 8:59 am
Today was very special for us today for four reasons. First, Dan had his Small Group Bible Study in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania, – 8 p.m. their time/ 10 a.m. our time. Second, the oncological surgeon, Dr. O’Donnell, had his assistant phone to tell Dan that he has an appointment for next Tuesday, Feb. 3, 9:00, to discuss Dan’s case; it was warm and sunny all day (this is the best time of year out here); I got to go for a walk.
In many ways, every day is more of the same – Dan has pain; his bandages must be changed; the new bandages come loose and must be replaced or repaired; Anne spends 1.5 – 4 hours bending over Dan fixing his 2 bandages. But there are wonderful things that happen every day too. We receive hugs from our grandchildren and their parents. we are together in one of the most beautiful places in the world; we sit down to a delicious, attractive dinner prepared for us with love and creativity; God loves us in spite of our shortcomings.
Tonight God gave me Acts 7. What particularly stood out is Acts 7:55-56, “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Will you look up from your burdens and worries? God’s glory is all around you…and Jesus is waiting for you to give your burdens and your life to Him so He can bless you more. — Anne and Dan
The Creation Declares the Glory of God —
January sun & flowers
We Enjoy God's Ocean
January 30, 2009 at 6:36 am
We are thankful for the many messages from our friends all over the world who celebrate that the good Dr. Jahan has given us new hope that Dan can get well. It was a beautiful, cool, sunny day all day. Dan went for a very short walk with me…beginning the effort to work up to being able to walk 25 minutes a day.
Even though we are both tired from the long day yesterday, Dan’s face is relaxed for the first time in a long time. The nurse came today to put new bandages on Dan. She was so confident that she had come up with a design that would hold. Four hours later, both bandages had worked loose – 2 sides of one bandage had escaped from the tape, and 3 sides on another had come loose. But the good news is that we saw it early enough that I won’t be up until 1 or 2 a.m. fixing a bandage.
Tonight Dan and I went through the last large box we had shipped out here right before we went to Romania. We had fun going through Dan’s mementos from high school, report cards, letters, photos of my family and me when I was quite small. Scott’s National Merit Scholar letter along with many letters from universities offering scholarships to him were in there too. The best thing in there for me was our electric back massager. My back “burns” with pain the minute fatigue hits me.
I took that massager, and worked myself over, then went to bed at 9:30 p.m. I thought I’d listen to a book on CD, but went to sleep half-way through the CD. Dan stayed up awhile longer visiting with the family, but is now sleeping. I awoke to find him covering me with a blanket. I got up, straightened up the room a bit, and decided to write you.
We are well…not thinking about what treatment may be ahead for Dan. But this we know, God is holding us in the palm of His hand, and Jesus is there beside Him bringing our prayers to the Father. This is why we can lay our head on our pillow and sleep a peaceful sleep. — Anne and Dan
56th Anniversary flowers & Anne Pacific Evening Here
January 29, 2009 at 8:34 am
THE GOOD NEWS – Dr. Jahan, sarcoma specialist at U of CA at San Francisco (UCSF) said the C-T Scan shows necrotic material in the mass…in other words, the cancer is continuing to die. It is a Grade 3 sarcoma now. He said there are many options to help Dan. First, get some weight on him in case the oncology surgeon who works very closely with Dr. Jahan wants to do – 1. some kind of robotic surgery to remove the cancer, and 2. If the wound does not close completely, plastic surgery can probably be successful in closing it.
There is a more gentle oral chemo – daily doses of Doxyl (sp?),, and once a month intravenous Temazolymide that has had good success with Dan’s type of sarcoma.
Concernng the nodule in Dan’s lung – easily removed with a thorasascope (sp?), just “snip” it out, according to Dr. Jahan.
Dr. Challa or Choula, at UCLA does many clinical trials. He uses liquid chemo for really resistant tumors. Two out of five patients that Dr. Jahan sent to him are fine now.
Bottom line – we will see the surgical oncologist by early next week. Dan will continue using the Guided Imagery. Dan is to eat whatever he wants to get weight back on him. Dr. Jahan says he is okay like he is now, but must not lose any more weight. Dr. Jahan said, “I want to get you back to Romania!” Dan is elated; I’m cautiously optimistic. Our CA family are all very encouraged. We still believe in miracles. We are encouraged by the Scripture God gave me for tonight, Matthew 10: 38 – 39, “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” — Anne and Dan
January 28, 2009 at 5:46 am
When we went to Santa Barbara for the training by Dr. Simonton, Dan had to be discharged from the Home Health service here in this area in order to receive Home Health help down there. We were told it would be a simple matter to reinstate Dan upon our return. Well, think again.
First of all, the Dr.’s office did not follow through Friday. As a result, we had no help for Dan’s wound care for 3 days. But, maybe that’s a good thing…the trip home kept Dan immobile too long and the wound started getting infected again. Because I took the time to clean it carefully those three nights, the infection is almost gone today. So that’s the bright side. No one told us that when we reinstated Dan’s service, it would go from 7 days a week care to 3 days a week. Frankly, I can’t bend over 1.5 – 2 hours changing the two bandages on Dan.
It turns out that the mixup with our health insurance was what changed the care schedule. February 1st, we go back on Medicare…we think that will solve the problem. What may also come out of this is that we may find a service that will do a better job of taking care of Dan. The third good thing is that we are really learning that if we know the laws AND be our own advocate for our care, Dan will get better care. Meanwhile, I’m looking for a good massage therapist to help the burning sensation in my upper back.
I had to take a break. It’s 1:41 a.m. now. Two hours ago, Dan asked me to check his bandages. The big one covering the mound on his right pelvis was saturated on one end; the tape was off on two sides. The bright side is that I saw that the infection had started up again. After cleaning the incision carefully, and building a new bandage, I gave Dan colloidal minerals in Xango juice to fight the infection. Maybe there could be a 2nd bright side – if the girls here would quit making wonderful chocolate chip cookies, I’d lose some more weight! ; > ) – I’m only 8 lbs. away from my goal weight. We could choose to be depressed that we’re walking through a deep, dark valley…but God is guiding us, helping us. We will make it through all these challenges. Prayer changes things. — Anne and Dan
Beautiful Nature at La Casa de Maria
Dan's recliner & workstation at home
January 27, 2009 at 10:08 am
Once upon a time, long, long ago, in July of 1950, there was a 16 year old boy named Danny, who, on a whim, accompanied his folks to the States. He had planned to spend the summer working in Fairbanks, Alaska, his hometown, to earn money to help pay for his Freshman year at Pepperdine U. When his family arrived in Texas, his cousins told him, “We’re going to Camp Sheffield! Come on, go with us!” At the same time, there was a 15 year old girl named Mary Anne who lived in South Central Texas…who, on a whim, accepted Holland Boring, Jr.’s invitation to go with the Lockhart youth group to…you guessed it…to Camp Sheffield, 500 miles from her home.
Do you know what happened? Danny told Mary Anne, “I think I shall marry young because I feel the need of a companion.” Well, she thought he was far too serious. She told him, “I don’t plan to get married until after I finish ACU, have a career and money in the bank to set up housekeeping.” But…he helped her change her mind! When he was Junior, and she a Sophomore at ACC, they got married January 25, 1953 during semester break.
Today, Sunday, January 25, 2009, we are celebrating our 56th wedding anniversary! And, not only do we still like each other, we are still madly in love. : > ) Our life has been very full with many ups and downs, but the Lord has always been helped us through every difficult period. He has called us on a great adventure to serve Him from Texas to Alaska, and on around the globe to Europe, Africa and Eastern Europe.
Here we are today, living in California with loving children and grandchildren, while Dan strives to overcome cancer. The last two days Dan has been exhausted from the travel to study with Dr. Carl Simonton, famous for helping thousands defeat cancer. His webssite is http://www.simontoncenter.com. Tonight Dan is feeling better. He wants to attend worship services today.
Jesus has asked us to spread the Good News, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10 :33-34. God is good and loving. He gives us the choice. — Anne and Dan
Oklahoma Boys - Dan and Dr. Simonton
Anne, Erin our trainer, and Dan
56th Anniversary Roses and Golden Miniature Orchids
January 25, 2009 at 9:17 am
We are on the road back to our California home. Our son flew down to Santa Barbara today, and is driving us back in a Toyota Minivan rented for the trip. The retreat with Dr. Carl Simonton is history now. You may be wondering, “Did it help? Was it worth the time, effort and expense?” We’ll let you decide that answer for yourself.
The wound that had been rapidly growing is smaller than it was before the retreat. The infection that was setting up again in his thigh is completely gone. We have learned a moderate way to free Dan’s body from cancer…no extreme measures are required. Dan’s mood is greatly improved, and I have hope that I will be able to take care of Dan without wrecking my health. We are looking forward to Dan putting on some weight, me losing the dark circles under my eyes…and the both of us finding more joy in life. (By the way, if you really want to know more about how Dr. Simonton helps cancer patients get well, you can buy his book, Getting Well Again, online or at most bookstores. You can look him up on line. His clinic is in Santa Barbara, CA. He conducts retreats several times a year.
We owe a special debt of gratitude to Ed DeMoss, Saturn Road, Garland, TX, for introducing us to Gerald White who got Dan started using his Guided Imagery CDs, and told us how to reach Dr. Simonton. We also are thankful for Dr.Tom Payton who told us about the Simonton’s work back in the 1970’s, and encouraged Dan to work with Simonton now. We are grateful that Debbbie Jenks and Dottie Schulz coached us about healthy eating. There are many others I could name who have helped us in so many ways. But we are back at the house now, and it’s time to get ready for bed.
The scripture God gave me for tonight is about the woman who had been ill for 12 years. In Matthew 9:21, “She said to herself, ‘If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her, and said, ‘Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed from that moment.” — Anne and Dan
January 23, 2009 at 9:07 am
The wound care provided by Visiting Nurses helped the swelling in Dan’s wound to go down 1/3 in 2 days! I learned about a better way to tape it to avoid pain. We return “home” Thursday, 22 January. I pray God will help me teach the nurses there how to do it the better way.
The education we received at the Simonton Retreat about healthy living has improved the way we will care for Dan’s health in the future. Keeping our minds clear of anger, fear, frustration, stress, etc. will help create the alkaline body fluid that is needed to heal the cancer. Dr. Simonton taught us several ways to do that. He also recommends a mostly vegan diet with other foods in moderation. “Balance is the key,” he said.
We have found peace about many challenges and hurts in our life by turning those things over to God to deal with as He sees fit. “Do not be anxious about anything, but through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7. — Anne and Dan
January 22, 2009 at 6:31 am
Just a quick note while internet is accessible. We are at a very encouraging retreat with Dr. Carl Simonton, M.D., renown researcher in oncology and positive ways to heal cancer through Guided Imagery. It is very helpful for the both of us. You can read about his work on the internet if you are interested.
The retreat is being held at a quiet beautiful place, La Casa de Maria, Santa Barbara, CA.
The incision is beginning to heal. Please, pray that God see fit to heal Dan of all cancer in his body…and that God’s will be done always in our lives.
— Anne and Dan
January 20, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Today was another day of lovely, “summer” weather here with temperatures in the upper 60’s – delicious! A new nurse came today to change Dan’s bandage. She was very open to letting me train her in what works but she didn’t quite “get it.” After dinner, Dan was in pain. It took 1 1/2 hours to repair the bandage because it is a difficult shaped wound, and I am slow. Please, pray that God will help the nurses fix Dan’s bandage so it will stay on, and so that Dan will be free of any pain, and so we don’t have to fix it later. It is very stressful for both of us and painful for Dan to have to fix it again. The good news is that the incision is healing more. Please, pray that the lymph fluid will find a good way to flow and allow the swelling in Dan’s wound to go down.
We will have a Home Health nurse come daily to change Dan’s bandage while we are at the Simonton Retreat. The retreat will be held at La Casa de Maria just outside of Santa Barbara, CA, nestled in the foothills. The place is run by nuns, is very spartan, yet the surroundings are lovely and the food is healthy. Please, pray that this training and therapy with Guided Imagery will be healing for Dan. Scott will drive us down there in a minivan so Dan can lie down on the trip, and come again on Thursday to drive us back to Montara.
There will be no computer connection in our room. There may be internet in the main building. If there is no blog for 5 days, you can be sure it is because there is no internet at the retreat. When I asked the Lord for a scripture tonight, He gave me Jeremiah 40 and 41. The message in those 2 chapters is that God blesses those who obey Him…and punishes those who do not follow what He tells them. Perhaps this is an admonition to pay close attention to what God tells us through His Son, and follow Him. — Anne and Dan
January 18, 2009 at 7:12 am
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