I am so blessed!

Hello my dear friends!

My faithful scribe Daniel has declared me typing ready, and so i must blog. I am so thankful to you all for your prayers, thoughts, cards, flowers, meals & errands that you have generously given. My kids are loving all the desserts around the house.

My trip to Jonesboro was such a precious gift. I tried to just absorb as much of Kim as i could. I have to just say that God Blessed Me! Wow! My sister rocks. She has always been someone that i have admired, looked up to & loved dearly. She teaches me in all she does. Not only does she have a faith that is unshakable, but she remains a servant. She kept trying to take care of me! We curled up in bed together like we were kids. We would laugh, talk about life, take some pain meds, sleep, and then repeat. My mom loved having her two girls together for her to take care of! My mom has the ultimate servant heart. She is at her happiest when she is doing something for someone. My dad is displaying a life of ministry skills. We all are finding much comfort and hope in his prayers, stories and revelations. God is so at work and so into the details of our lives. I love to see His hand. Thank you God!

Physically i feel like i am making progress everyday. I was able to have another drain removed today. Down to the final drain, and if all goes as planned it will get yanked on Friday! pray it goes as planned because these drains are getting on my nerves. And they are uncomfortable.


I feel so blessed! Who knew that having breast cancer & a blog spot would turn up some precious people from my past! I have loved hearing from so many friends! Thanks! God has put many people into my life, and every single one has taught me something special and necessary for me to know for this moment in my life. I have been overwhelmed with love. I give God the glory for all of you and your support.

The prayers that you are lifting are so necessary for my sister (kim), her husband (mark), their kids (oliver, jackson, lehman, mary claire), my parents & my family & me. I truly believe it is by your willingness to storm the throne in prayer that we have been lifted by such amazing grace to endure these hard times. We have received many blessings out of your prayers. We need you to continue the race. It is not over yet.

I love you all! God bless you and yours!
Your servant,
karen

To Jonesboro with Love

As most of you have read on Kim's Blog, Karen was able to make the trip yesterday afternoon to Jonesboro to see Kim. HOORAY! Many thanks to our good friend Dr. Rob Hix for applying his flying skills to his aircraft and delivering Karen safely to see Kim. Karen said she had an enjoyable journey over with Rob, Paige and their children. She is so THANKFUL to be able to be with Kim and their family at this time.

Karen is flying home in the morning to go to a doctor visit tomorrow and hopefully will have a good update and be able to remove the remaining two drains. We will then turn our focus on planning for the next phase of her treatment which will involve more surgery but the dates have yet to be determined. The short term plan is to have my mom and sister come up this Wednesday and help with the house and the kids for the next week as Karen continues her recovery and it allows me to go back to work.

Please pray that Karen will continue to heal quickly so she can head back to Jonesboro in a week or so for another precious visit. Karen really needs to be able to be with Kim & Mark & the kids as well as her parents right now so please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers along with the McNabbs & the Greens. Thank you all for the many gifts, flowers, prayers & kind comments posted to this blog.

Your ever faithful scribe,

Daniel Blasingame

doctor appt. update

I took Karen to her appointment at Dr. Atwood's office yesterday afternoon and they were able to remove 2 of her 4 drains. Our marching orders are to continue to monitor the output of the remaining 2 drains and call Tuesday morning to talk to the nurse about the progress. If she continues to heal, and not over exert herself, we should be able to have the other 2 drains removed on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The doctors (Atwood & Cross) both said that if she feels up to it, she can go to Jonesboro to see Kim. If she has a good day today one of our good friends is going to fly her over in his plane tomorrow. A 5 hour car ride is probably too much to undertake but she thinks that she could make an hour plane ride given good weather. If the Good Lord is willing, they should take off for Jonesboro tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon. Pray for good weather so she can go see Kim.

We are sitting out on the back porch reading the paper enjoying the break in the weather. It is such a joy to sit together and watch the kids play out in the wet grass and on their rain-soaked swing set. Karen is finding great pleasure in being able to get out of bed and get some fresh air. Vic is finding every mud puddle within sprinting distance and making quite mess of his clothes. I'm glad my mom is here to help clean up these children.

Continued thanks for your help and prayers,

Daniel Blasingame

update from home

After spending the afternoon on Wednesday and all day Thursday at home Karen is continuing to recover well. Thanks to everyone who has brought food, emailed, called, SMS'd, prayed & directed positive thoughts to Karen.

Today we hope to be able to have Dr. Atwood remove 2 of the drains that are helping keep down swelling as Karen heals. They serve a good purpose but they are kind of a nuisance and it will be great to get them out. Keep your fingers crossed.

The kids are being gentle and adjusting to not being able to be held by their mama. They are proud to have Mom at home. My mother, Marietta, came up last night to help out and we are thankful. We have made it very well over the past couple of days but having a grandmother around is a HUGE positive with the kids.

Yesterday Kim called Karen to check on her progress!! They were able to have a good conversation and it was a real blessing to Karen. They changed Kim's pain medication to a stronger, longer lasting dosage. She was up eating soup when she called Karen which is great because the 2 days before she was hardly able to eat. Please keep Kim & family in your prayers. Your prayers are providing much comfort to Kim & Mark & family.

I am typing this with Karen looking on. She still can't really put her arms in "typing" position yet but it won't be long!

Karen says she feels your prayers and she really appreciates everyone. She has a great attitude and I think that is really helping to move her along in the healing process.

Sincerely,

Daniel Blasingame

good news and home at last!

Dr. Cross came to visit early this morning bearing encouraging news from pathology. There was no indication of any other cancer or anomolies in the tissue other than what was found on the initial biopsy. This is really great news!

Karen rested the remainder of the morning and had her last lunch in the hospital. She said it was pretty good, meatloaf & mashed 'taters. (That tidbit of detail is included for the lime jello coveters - you know who you are... Julie Francis) About 2:30pm we were discharged out into the heat of August. Thank goodness we are home. Karen is doing well, resting in her own bed now. Baby Fiona is taking a little nap too. Vic, Ophelia and I are all sitting on the couch watching Little Einsteins. It is the first TV they have been able to watch due to the fact that Nan and Pop weren't able to coax the TV on at the same time as the satellite box. No worries, we try to limit their TV time anyway and it did them good to spend a few days at home with no Dora, Little Einsteins or Back Yardigans.

With Karen's good progress Mary and Victor Green left to spend the night in Benton tonight and go to Jonesboro first thing in the morning to be with Kim. They have been so helpful to us over the past 4 days; We wish we were on our way to Jonesboro to be with Kim too but Karen can't travel in her current state. The Drs. advised that Karen shouldn't travel until she has the last of her 4 drains removed which will probably be next Wednesday; We will see. Although we want to be en route to Jonesboro, it is kind of nice to sit at home with the kids and Karen and pretend for a few minutes that everything in life is back to normal even when I know it is not.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers, words of encouragement and help while we were in the hospital. Thank God for answered prayer.

Sincerely,

Daniel Blasingame

end of day 2

WOW! What a difference a day makes... Karen continued to get better and better today. She was able to walk around a bit, sit in a chair in her room and she is eating real food now.

Mary and Victor brought our kids by this afternoon to see their mom and they were a little taken aback with the hospital room and I think it was a little unsettling for little Boo (Vic) to see his mother laid up in the hospital bed. They were glad to see her but they did not like the hospital and want to see mom at home.

Dr. Atwood visited this evening and answered some questions for Karen and me. Everything continues to be in order with her surgery and recovery from his perspective. His nurse will be back tomorrow morning and he said after that, if Karen feels like it she will be free to go home. I would expect that if we have a good night and morning we will go home tomorrow.

The Northwest nursing staff, who has given Karen excellent care, removed her IV after dinner and she is now on oral pain medication vs the IV morphine. She continues to rest well and we are looking forward to going home tomorrow.

Thanks again for all of the prayers, emails, phone calls etc. Hopefully the next update will be made from our home.

Daniel Blasingame

day 2 mid-day

Dr. Atwood's nurse, Candy, came by this morning after breakfast to check on Karen and everything with the surgery continues to look good. She was great to talk with and answer questions and generally made Karen feel good about her progression. Dr. Atwood is planning a visit late afternoon or early evening.

Soon after Candy left Karen was able to get out of bed and go to the bathroom which is really great (it is the small things that are important!). She was able to sit up in the chair for a while so they could change her bedding and her gown which she had been in since surgery. They have also been able to take her off the oxygen and she is doing hourly breathing exercises. She was able to call Kim and have a short conversation with her and I went down to the cafeteria to get Karen a cup of coffee.

After she got back in bed and rested for a while she decided to get up again and before getting back in bed, Karen suggested that she go for a stroll to satisfy one of her prescribed walks. The nurse and I were able to wrap her robe around her, stick her drains in her pockets and guide her on a walking tour of the floor with IV in tow. She really enjoyed getting out of the room. After the stroll we had a great visit and prayer with another of our Central United Methodist Stephens' ministers. Karen is herself involved in this ministry and greatly appreciates being on the receiving end of the support through this ministry at our church.

Special prayer request:

Rev. Victor and Mary Green (Karen's Parents) have been great taking our kids to their pre-school activities and helping me in many ways. They are very dear people. I want to ask for special prayer for them: with Kim and Karen both sick I cannot imagine how hard it is as a parent to have your children in pain and struck with a vicious illness such as cancer. They are very, very strong people and strong Christians but I can see that these episodes with Kim and Karen have really shaken them. Please remember to pray for them as you pray for Kim and Karen.

I look forward to the day that I get out of posting updates and Karen is the one taking over the helm of updating everyone on her phenomenal progress.

Daniel Blasingame

day 2

Last night Karen did pretty well. There was a fair amount of pain so she maxed out her self regulated morphine a couple of times so they administered some oral vicodin which helped her rest. Earlier in the evening last night, Dr. Atwood called to check on Karen and yesterday while she was in the recovery room his office had a single beautiful pink rose delivered so she would have it upon arrival in her room. It was a very thoughtful gesture and we appreciate it.

At 7am this morning Dr. Cross came by the room and checked her incisions & drains and talked with us for a bit. He said these all looked good and the drainage chart kept by the nurses was regarded as very positive by Dr. Cross.

I didn't mention this yesterday but before surgery Karen's platelet count was abnormally high > 830k. At the time it was a bit of a concern but Dr. Cross said if it was an issue we would deal with it later. Well when he checked this morning from her bloodwork, it was 199k so yesterday was either a fluke or a mistake so that was somewhat of a relief. Dr. Cross also said that Karen needs to get up and walk today which we knew. Overall he seemed very pleased with the outcome thus far. He wants her to drink lots of fluids so they can remove the IV and reduce a possible site of infection. No one enjoys having a needle stuck in their arm anyway.

Karen is still a little groggy from the pain meds and after effects of the anesthesia. They brought in a YUMMY breakfast of lime jello, oatmeal, coffee & a lime sugar free popsicle. She isn't really hungry but she is eating it. She hasn't had anything to eat since about 8pm Sunday night and those of you who know Karen well will understand that is a really long time for her to not eat. Hopefully the oatmeal with the sugar in it will give her some energy. I asked her if she wanted something more substantial and she did not. I figure at lunch after getting up and around and settling back in she will want to eat.

This morning I have been showing Karen the comments on the blog by all of the people praying for her and watching her progress. You can't imagine the positive effect this has on someone going through an ordeal such as hers. THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!!

We continue to thank God for the blessings we have and ask for your prayer for a full and speedy recovery.

Daniel Blasingame

out of the OR, finally

Karen's parents and I spent the afternoon in the waiting room getting updates from the surgical nurses every hour or two. We were visited by some of Vic & Mary's friends as well as Rev. Fink and our faithful Stephens Ministers (the Greens). We visited, waited and had some prayer time between updates.

Around 4pm Dr. Atwood emerged and we met in the consultation room. His news was good and the surgery had gone as he planned. PRAISE GOD! He said Karen's muscle structure was good and her blood flow was excellent which will help in the healing of the reconstruction. We breathed a sigh of relief and shook his hand. He told us they were dressing Karen's incisions, attaching the pain pump for her back and then they would put her in the support bra. After this she would go into recovery and then go to her room (2513). He said this would take over an hour.

Mary and Victor went to our house and I went to pickup the kids from Kori's and delivered them home. They all had a fun sleepover at Coco, Kori & Waynes but Little Vic and Ophelia immediately fell asleep in the car. I dropped the kids with Nana & Pop and then went back to the hospital with Karen's clothes & bag.

I got to the room before she did and waited. I was kind of relieved to sit down in a place besides the waiting room. She arrived on the gurney with 4 nurses in tow. I was so glad to see her but my eyes welled up with tears because the toll of the all-day surgery was evident in her face. Her poor eyes were still almost swollen shut and she was still very groggy from the medication. The nurses moved her from the gurney to the bed and I became ill as I watched helplessly while they dutifully moved her and the amount of pain she was experiencing while being moved became very apparent. I think the nurses did a fine job it is just the fact that she has such injury from the surgery. I really became weak during this time. It is excruciating to watch her in such pain and not be able to do anything about it; she had also maxed out her self regulated morphine. They administered additional oral meds and after lying there for about 20 minutes she became at rest again. We were able to talk and she became more lucid each minute. PRAISE GOD SHE IS OK and the recovery is beginning I thought to myself. She was able to eat some ice and drink some water and is now sleeping and resting.

Dr. Atwood said she would need to get up and stand tonight which is a scary proposition for me to think about right now but she is very strong and I can see her getting stronger by the minute. I think tonight will be the hardest and tomorrow she will really begin the healing process in earnest. Tomorrow she is supposed to get up and walk 3 times. Please continue to pray fervently for her recovery and thank God for answered prayer. Her surgeries went very well and this first day is almost over.

Again, thanks for all the email/text messages of encouragement. I am going to read them all to Karen tomorrow. The kids go to church-school/mother's day out in the morning and they are VERY EXCITED to see their mother tomorrow afternoon. Continue to pray for Kim and Mark.

Thankfully,

Daniel Blasingame

surgery update

We arrived at Northwest Medical Center in Springdale a little after 5:30am and got Karen admitted. By 7am we were in a room awaiting the surgery to begin. We had a short prayer session with 2 of Central's Stephen Ministers. After this Dr. Cross came in and we had a short prayer with him too. They soon administered the first of her anesthetics and we rolled down the hall. We bid a tearful farewell (at least I was crying, she was kind of loopy) and she went into surgery as I went to the waiting room at 7:23am.

Karen's parents arrived around 8am and about 9:30 Dr. Cross came out and said his part of the surgery was complete and everything went well. Dr. Atwood was walking into the OR as Dr. Cross finished. They will now take the breast tissue and send it to the lab to check for any further sign of cancer (we should know more by Thursday). If there is none, they will test the initial biopsy for to see if it is hormone receptor positive or negative. We expect it to be negative which is the same as her mother's and her sister's. This will dictate more options as we progress through treatment in the coming months.

The surgery team has been really good about coming out and giving updates and the quality of customer service we have experienced thus far at Northwest has been very good. Hopefully within a few hours (by 3 or 4pm) Dr. Atwood will finish and Karen will go into the recovery room. Due to the length of this surgery she may stay in ICU tonight or she may be moved to a regular room on the floor.

I appreciate all of the encouraging emails and SMS messages that I have received and I was able to pass many of them on to Karen before she went into surgery. Continue to pray for Karen, the doctors and for Kim and her family.

Daniel Blasingame

getting started

For simplicity of updating our friends and loved ones I set up this blog to post updates on Karen's progress as she goes through the process of treatment for breast cancer. In the tradition of Karen's sister, Kim Mcnabb (Kim's Prayer), we will try to update as possible.

We are truly blessed today

Through God's grace and a Citation II, Kim, Mark, Oliver, Jackson, Lehman and Mary Claire McNabb were able to fly over from Jonesboro this morning to visit with us and go to church before Karen's surgery tomorrow. Kim and family are in GREAT spirits and we continue to pray but frankly her health prognosis is not good. The physicians say her time here with us is short: 2 weeks to 2 months. We are enjoying the time we have together and praying for peace and for acceptance of what God has in store for Kim.



I take Karen in the morning at 5:30am for her surgery. She has a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction scheduled that will last about 8 hours in total so tomorrow will be a really long day. The surgeries will be performed by Dr. Michael Cross and Dr. Daniel Atwood at Northwest Health. Our 3 kids are spending the night with good friends so Karen can get some rest tonight and we can get an early start tomorrow. We will probably be in the hospital through at leastWednesday and possibly Thursday. Please pray for Karen and our family.

The good news from 2 weeks ago is that Karen's lymph nodes showed no sign of cancer. However Karen, Kim and their mother Mary Green are all BRCA Positive . When we get through with the breast surgery and the oophorectomy+hysterectomy there will be no need for chemo or radiation thanks to the negative lymph node lab results.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support,
Daniel Blasingame