Happy Birthday to me.....

It's a great day so far. Breakfast in bed, compliments of Cammie. Wayne's birthday wishes and kisses. Thoughtful gifts and well wishes from family. Nice relaxing morning. Now, if my back would stop hurting or at least drop to a tolerable level, I could go to church.

Here is a pic of a thoughtful birthday gift that I didn't realize was available. Maybe it will give you ideas for a birthday wish for someone you know. I think is it awesome and WAY WAY TOO PRETTY to eat, much to Riley's disappointment. Thanks Shelly.

surgeries for the Thomson's

Well, Wayne's surgery went well, although initial recovery took a little longer than we had expected. We spent a nice romantic night in the hospital. ;) Ok, not really but at least we were together. He in his hospital bed, and I in my hospital recliner..... He is doing better since he got the nose splints out, but in my opinion, I think he is still having a rough go at it. He pushes himself just beyond his threshold to see how long he can go with out his pain meds, then he's really hurting. I much prefer to see him take his meds on time instead of pushing his threshold. But that's his call not mine.

As I anticipate my own surgery, I am filled with mixed emotions. Part of me is terrified of the possible side effects, even though the odds are slim, but I still worry about them. The other part of me is SOOOO looking forward to the back pain going away. I continue to pray for the best recovery for both of us with no complications.

Broken Back still broken

Found out today that I have a fracture in the L2 vertebrae. Can't fix it till Monday 3/30. It's going to be a long week.....

Caricature

Ok - forget Ms. Pink. They made a caricature (sp?) of me. It's cute and I've never had one before. I like it much better than Ms. Pink. I look better as a caricature than in real life too. ;)

Ms. Pink

Well, as I stated earlier, my high school classmates and friends are organizing various fundraising efforts on my behalf. I am humbled and honored that they are doing this for me. They asked me for a "logo" for a t-shirts. At first I didn't have any ideas, but last night we were visiting and I came up with "Ms Pink" in my mind and tried to sketch her profile. She is a pink ribbon lady. I'm excited to see how she turns out.

They are also making glass bead bracelets. I'm looking forward to helping make those too.

Well, It's Sunday and time to get ready for church. Have a wonderful Sabbath Day. lol -Sheryl

Susan G. Komen Foundation "Walk for a Cure"

On September 20, 2009 there is a Susan G. Komen Foundation "Walk for a Cure" fundraising activity in downtown Portland, Oregon. The goal of this activity is to raise fund for Breast Cancer Research.

I am an Aloha High School Alumnia 1986 and have breast cancer. My friends and classmates from AHS in conjunction with the "Walk for a Cure" are organizing a fundraiser to help with my medical expenses.

I am inviting anyone, who has had breast cancer affect their life or the life of someone they know to join us. Whether or not you know me, come for all breast cancer patients and breast cancer survivors. It is a great cause and we need your help.

Draper Temple Open House

Sisters-in-law Darla Kay, Sheryl Ann, Stephanie Ann, Vicki Lynn

in Draper, Utah on March 10, 2009

Family Update 3/19/09

Hello everyone. Well, let's see if I can figure out what's happened over the last month or so and what's coming up.....

The last week in February we were honored to have little Miss Katelyn stay with us for a week while her parents went on a "management retreat" for her Dad's work. She was a great delight and we enjoyed having her in our home.

I think that's about the time that Savannah's glasses broke and she had to have them replaced. She is now "stylin" with some new glasses.

We wrapped up the month by attending our Ward's Annual Skating Party with our friends from church. That's the one time each year Cammie joins me for "church". Every year she brings a friend or two. I skated for about 30 minutes and I was done. I skated first while I still had some energy then rested the remainder of the time there. The kids enjoyed free skating, free laser tag and of course a free meal. :)

Riley and Cammie both started a new tri-mester at school. Riley signed up for track again this year and is looking forward to the warmer weather and running. He also started working for his home-teaching companion and is glad for the income.

I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Draper Utah and attend the LDS Temple open house there before that temple is dedicated. It is a beautiful temple and you could feel the spirit within the walls of this holy place. I was able to go with my sisters-in-law Darla and Vicki and my brother-in-law Bert. The roads were a little slick in places but our drivers did a fantastic job and we were all kept safe. We stayed with my brother-in-law Shane and his wife Stephanie and their boys. We had fun giggling and reading bedtime stories with Ethan and Tucker before they left to have a "sleepover" with their Grandma Tucker. It was a good trip and I was blessed to be in such good company.

During that same time Wayne had the opportunity to go to Twin Falls for some work related safety meetings and came back with a wealth of knowledge that he immediately shared with those he works with/for.

The 11th we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary with a nice dinner out and a temple trip. It was a wonderful evening and we enjoyed spending that time together. I am deeply blessed to be married to Wayne and have him in my life.

I had a Zometa treatment on the 12th. I was really tired when I got there and I actually fell asleep in the waiting room and then again after they got the IV started. I woke about 15 minutes after the IV was done, feeling well rested. The nurse said she was glad I got some rest and was willing to let me stay and sleep as long as I wanted. She didn't want me driving home tired. I was grateful for the offer. I later found out that I left my library book there. I opted just to renew it and pick it up on the next visit.

That evening I joined several friends for our homemade card exchange. That was also fun. It's always nice to see how creative these ladies can be. One of them brought a bowl that she made out of magazine pages. It was cool.

Also on the 12th, Riley went with BHS's Business Professionals of America to Boise for the weekend for the Regional Competition. While his group didn't place, he said he definitely had fun.

The 13th, I was able to spend the evening with Shelby. He wanted to take "a picture" of the Idaho Falls Temple. We spend several hours in Idaho Falls taking multiple pictures of the temple, the water falls, and the ducks and geese. Then we headed up to the hills in Ammon and watched the sunset over the valley, where he got more pictures. We also ran some errands and grabbed some dinner. It was a very pleasant evening. Thanks Shelby for the date.

Saturday the 14th was a special treat as my good friend from high school days, Jodi "Walker' Jarvie and her family came to see us. We enjoyed lunch and visiting for a few hours before they headed to Rexburg to meet up with their older kids. Her daughter Mickayla (sp?) is planning on attending beauty school in Rexburg and Her son, Remington (sp?) is headed to the MTC and then on to Florida for his mission. It's been 12 years since we last connected. Now that we've connected we're looking forward to more visits especially since Mickayla is so close. Thanks Jodi for making the effort to come see me. It was a great day. And thanks to Shari and Darlene for helping us find each other. These same two ladies, who are also high school friends of mine, have organized a fundraiser for my medical bills in Portland Oregon on September 20th. A walk for a cure and other things. They have set up a facebook "website" on my behalf. I am deeply humbled and honored that they would be so giving of their time and talents to help us. Thank you.

Savannah had spring break at Utah State and I understand she spend the week working. Wayne and I had a good chuckle the other night as she accidentally called us and left a long voicemail message. She must have had her phone in her pocket or something and accidentally hit speed dial - we're not sure what happened, but we were entertained with several minutes of voicemail message listening to her and her friends talk about boys. ;)

This last week we had a cancer scare, thinking that I had new cancer in my back. We learned just yesterday, we learned that it's not new cancer and that what was really happening is that my body is responding so well to the Zoledex and Aromasin that the cancer is "shrinking" faster than the Zometa can "rebuild" the bones. (I picked up my library book during this visit.) I am scheduled for a Bone Scan and an MRI tomorrow. And Monday I am scheduled to meet with the doctor who will do the "bone cement" injection(s). We were able to schedule both the MRI and the injections here in Blackfoot at Bingham Memorial, which saves me a trip to Rexburg.

Last night we had the Relief Society's birthday enrichment meeting with a service auction. That was a big hit. We had Hawaiian hay stacks for dinner and yummy orange sherbet/cake rolls for dessert. We enjoyed hours of laughter and fun as Brother Smith served as our auctioneer and auctioned off the donated items of service. We had homemade breads, cookies, cinnamon rolls, cards, blankets, a little girls dress, a girl's night out, yard work, lots more auctioned off. The service auction is one of my favorite enrichment activities. I'm glad the enrichment committee decided to go with that them this year. I enjoyed spending of few hours laughing and being with my girlfriends.

Monday starts spring break for our kids, but if you ask them, spring break starts as soon as school lets out on Friday. Either way, they get the week off from school.

Monday we are also looking forward to having Brett Holm over for dinner. Most of you know that Brett and Wayne have been friends for 30 years or more. We are looking forward to having him over for a visit.

Tuesday is a big day for Cammie, she is scheduled to get her braces off and she has been counting the days. We are happy for her and glad that she has straight teeth now. :)

Wednesday is Wayne's surgery for this tonsillectomy, removing his adenoids, shortening his uvula, and reconstructing his soft pallet all in an effort to cure his sleep apnea or at the very least alleviate it some.

It seems like we have something scheduled for Friday the 27th but I can't recall what at this point. And we will end the month with my birthday on the 29th. Now last year I had my 40th birthday and my body fell apart and my health went down hill, way down hill. I'm hoping being 41 years old will be less eventful than being 40. ;) Either way, we will continue to keep you posted on any more health issues that come up.

Well, that's all I can think to share with you for now. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. May our Heavenly Father watch over you and keep you safe, and bring you comfort and peace as you need. And Happy Spring to yall.

Love, Wayne, Sheryl and the kids.

Funnies that I had to share....

Here are a few funnies I came across this week and have been giggling about them ever since and wanted to share with some of my friends. Here, ya go.....

"Don't get your knickers in a knot, it doesn't resolve anything and it makes you walk funny."

"There is Beauty all around when......There's no one home..... Peace and Beauty all around, when there's no one home." ha ha ha

"Our family put the FUN in disfunctional" We all need a bumper sticker for this one....

"Sometimes you are the statue and sometimes you are the pigeon"

"And Never, under any circumstances, NEVER, take a sleeping pill and a laxative in the same night."

Authors are unknown, or at least not willing to admit they came up with it. I hope it brings you laughter into your day. It did mine.

lol -Sheri

Broken Back a good thing.?!

Hi everyone. We met with the oncologist this morning. The cancer in my lower back is not new cancer. It was there before and I didn't realize it. I think he told me that, but we were focused more on the ribs and upper back because those lesions were larger than the ones in the lower back.

Here's what's happening.... (minus the medical terms)

My body continues to be responding well to the treatments (maybe even better than before) and as the cancer reduces in size and/or "dies" my bones are left with "holes" until the bone fortification can rebuild the bones (increase the bone density). The lower spine and vertebrae have been weakened because the cancer is reducing in size and is smaller and my back is compressing faster than the fortification process can rebuild the bone where the cancer once was. Hence the intense pain. This is what we want. The good news is that they can inject "bone cement" into those areas and the relief is instant. They are scheduling me for an MRI for early next week, hopefully Monday, and I'll have the injection(s) done immediately afterwards.

So the doctor said that it's a good thing to be in pain and to have a "broken" back because it means I am responding well to the treatments.

Thanks for all your prayers. lol -Wayne and Sheryl

In a message dated 3/16/2009 11:54:56 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, SherylThomson writes:
Good Evening.

I have been struggling with some intense pain in my lower back the last couple of days. Also had a nose bleed and some other symptoms that indicated possible internal bleeding, so I went to the hospital and had some lab work done. I was told no internal bleeding. I went home and felt strongly that I needed to return. So this evening I took myself to the ER. After several tests all the labs came back normal. I insisted that I wasn't leaving until we learned what was wrong. We did a CT scan and learned that my cancer has spread to my lower back. I was given some pain medication and will be call the oncologist in the morning. That's all I know for now.

Thank you to Trina and Debbie for helping me emotionally and to Shelby, Darla and Bert for coming to see me. Thank you to Roy, Neill and Alan for the blessing - that was of by far the greatest comfort.

We will keep you posted. Love, Sheryl