Dane

On Dec 16, 2009, at 3:07 PM, trauntvein wrote:

It’s official, Dane is 5’12” .  He went in today for an ear/sinus infection and I had them measure him.  Plus his doctor he hasn’t seen in a year couldn’t believe he’d grown so much.

  

So, doesn't that make him 6'?  Or are we staying in the 5' "range" to make the other male species in the Trauntvein family feel better? :)

Kirsten

It is so I feel better.

Interestingly, when Melanie told Mom yesterday that the lifting thing would limit some of the grandchildren that she could pick up and tote about, I agreed quickly in my mind that she probably needed to quit doing that with Dane. Melanie is right, he can mostly get around by himself now.

 Shawn

I will only feel sorry for you when your youngest daughter is taller than you...like mine is now. 
Mel

I meant like Mikaela is taller than me...not taller than you...dang those modified danglers...

Melanie

RE: Mom and Dad

You pretty much had changed the diet portion because most of the food was affecting you, so it won't be too much of a change. The lifting thing, that limits the grandchildren that you can carry, but since most of them are old enough to walk, you should be okay there as well. Now, carrying Dad on your back while taking him to the neighbors so that he can do service, will just have to stop. And the burdens of your life need to be put on someone else's shoulders...other than that...I think you are all set.


Seriously, I am glad that it isn't cancer. We have seen to much suffering from this among our loved ones.
Mel


I am very glad that it isn't cancer, even though it still isn't a bed of roses.  Please, you and Tim take it easy and follow the doctors' advice - Tim can heal and hopefully you can respond to the treatment without further procedures.  It sounds as though you have everything in hand. (Listen to Mel!!)
We love you both, and please keep us informed as you get better!  :)
Dave Childs

More Fun for the Old Folks at Home

LHT fell again and broke four ribs again. It is on the same side, the left side, that he has broken three times before this. He had just finished snowplowing the whole neighborhood and our driveway. He then decided to go into the garage and get some ice melt to sprinkle on the driveway and oops! He fell on his side and just laid there for a minute. It took him until the next day to decide he needed to go to the doctor. Sure enough, there were four broken ribs. It takes about six weeks to heal. It's a good thing that Jim's dad came down to help drive to California. I don't think LHT could have made it. He has had a lot of pain. Luckily for him, one of our new neighbors across the street has a plow attached to a truck and he has been doing the street side as we got nothing but slush and smush out of the last storm. LHT has been doing the sidewalks and driveways but the little plow on our 4-wheeler works just fine. Of course, pain or no pain, he has continued to do the sidewalks and driveways of every widow, widower and sick person that he knows.

I don't have cancer. If the doctors keep playing with my emotions like this, if, or when, I get cancer I won't believe them. I had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. The bottom half looks great "for a woman of my age." The top half, not so great. At any rate, I do have esophageal lesions from acid reflux but they may be treated without surgery. That was what was causing me to vomit so often and to have diarrhea. That is why blood was coming. So, as a result of the two inside peeks Dr. Anderson made, he knows, as if we didn't already have record of it, that I have GERD. When Dr. Tatton prescribed the meds he gave me the average dose and, for quite a while, I thought it was working. Then I started being sick at least once or twice a week. I have to take Prilosec two times a day, rather than once a day because that treatment wasn't working. That gives me 40 mg daily. As for the hiatal hernia, Dr. Anderson, who is a surgeon, said he prefers to try and treat before operating. He saves that procedure for the last ditch and tries several approaches first. 

He told me that a hiatal hernia is a condition in which the upper portion of the stomach protrudes into the chest cavity through an opening of the diaphragm called the esophageal hiatus. This opening usually is large enough to accommodate the esophagus alone. With weakening and enlargement however, the opening (or herniation) can allow upward passage or even entrapment of the upper stomach above the diaphragm. Hiatal hernia is a common condition. By age 60, up to 60 percent of people have it to some degree. I am not so bad that my stomach stays up.

Suspected causes or contributing factors to a hernia are: obesity, poor seated posture (such as slouching), frequent coughing, straining with constipation, pregnancy and childbirth, frequent bending over or heavy lifting, heredity, smoking and congenital defects. I'll give you one guess what caused mine and if you say childbirth I'll laugh because I think it is heredity. Of course, I do my fair share of slouching over the computer.

Lifestyle changes are often necessary to avoid symptoms of hiatal hernia. He said I should minimize heavy lifting, straining, bending over, improve my seated posture and not slouch, exercise more, lose weight, sleep on an incline with the head of the bed raised 4-6 inches on blocks and choose standing activities after a meal rather than sitting or reclining. I am to avoid the following: caffeine, chocolate (oh, no! UGH!!!!!), fried or fatty foods, peppermint, alcohol (don't use it anyway), citrus foods, tomatoes, meals within 2-3 hours of bedtime, large meals (eat smaller meals more frequently) and smoking (not a problem since I don't smoke). I also get to eat Metamucil wafers twice a day because they help cut the acid.

Shawn said:

Sorry to hear your news. Kimberly just got back from the doctor also, she broke her 5^th metatarsal when she rolled her foot last night. She has been wearing a Velcro-boot contraption that acts like a splint. She can take it off for a bath, but it is supposed to be on the rest of the time until the bone heals.

 We have been having fun this week. Sorina just started on antibiotics for strep yesterday, and Dane was already on them for an ear infection.


Kimberly said:

Not like a cancer scare or even breaking 4 ribs!  I’m in a lovely Velcro boot for six weeks minimum and on crutches, which may kill me.  But not too much pain, just a really strong desire to stretch and flex my foot.  And Shawn sleeps in fear that I will take him our with my steel boot.

Snowman Humor From Melanie

Mleanie wrote: And you think you have it bad. A little humor to lighten this snowy weather.

Myrna wrote; Did the "picking the nose" one remind you of the brothers and their joke? You know, "You can pick your friends. . .?" I'm still chuckling. I can't wait for Dad to come in from the snow shoveling to show him. Love, M

Merry Christmas from Gordon and Roberta Smith

Dear Myrna, Leonard and family,

 

Hope you don't mind the informal way of extending a sincere Merry Christmas to you and yours. Time is getting close, and we do want you to know that we appreciate and value you and your family's friendship.  We love your letters and information that you send to us.  I don't always get to see them, as Gordon is the computer person at our home.

 

You never have a dull moment at your home, or with your family.  Seems the same here, often. Gordon told me that Leonard had some broken ribs, ouch!  Be sure not to make him laugh or cough. Do hope he is beginning to be more comfortable.  He also said that you are having some health problems.  Keep us up to date.  Know that you are remembered in our prayers.

 

Merry Christmas and may the new year bring better health, joy and peace to you and yours.

 

Love, Gordon and Roberta

Tom and Laurel

Please note our new email address.

tom_laurelm@emerytelcom.net

Happy Holidays

 

Tom & Laurel

Question: Money VS Gift

Myrna Trauntvein, 12/09/08
Who wants money and who wants gifts for Chistmas?

From: Melanie

BOTH, if you are asking!!! ;-)

Eric wrote:

Mom 

 Mom, you should know better than to ask that of me. Thanks for the option.

E.

Myrna wrote:
Now, why should I know better? I keep forgetting the lessons I should have (but failed) to learn. Love, M

From: Eric

Are my teen years a blur? Always money. Not a lot, just enough to get something really cool from the Dollar store, hint hint.

Myrna wrote: 
My life is a blur. It is not just your teen years that I don't remember. I don't even remember my own. It would be nice, impossible, but nice, if Heavenly Father didn't remember my past any better than I do. Love, M















Love, M
Who wants money and who wants gifts for Chistmas?

Love, M

Is Ann OK? Yep, I have been scammed but did not send money.

Myrna wrote:

You will note the crazy way that the following is written. It is, obviously, not written by Ann. So why did I let myself become alarmed? Now I would, and have done, just have deleated the letter and moved on. I did not do that. I think that I caused more trouble than I should have. I am sorry but now Ann does not email anymove.

From: annolsen9@gmail.com

Hi,
     I'm sorry for this odd request because it might get to you too urgent but it's because of the situation of things right now, i'm stuck in london  right now, i came down here on vacation , i was robbed, worse of it is that bags, cash, cards and my cell phone was stolen at GUN POINT, it's such a crazy experience for me, i need help flying back home, the authorities are not being 100% supportive but the good thing is i still have my passport but dont have enough money to get my flight ticket back home, please i need you to loan me some money, will refund you as soon as i'm back home, i give you my word.

Love
Ann

Myrna wrote: I do not think this sounds like you. Have Ronnie call me from his home phone. M

Melanie, do you have any of the Olsen's e-mail addresses or phone numbers? Could your friend who is a relation supply them?


Melanie wrote: I'll see if Cheri will give me Robin's address.

I still have to send you Siovhan's. I have it in my cellphone, not my address book.
This isn't a true message. You might have been hacked. Contact Todd.

Mel

AnnMarie wrote:

Mom, 
I'm sure you know by now that this is a scam.  It is about a year old.  Next time, it would be best to not reply at all.
AnnMarie

AnnMarie T. Howard
Chief Deputy Juab County Attorney

Myrna wrote: I was put off by this. The scams I have received in the past have not been from an address of a friend that I have emailed several times a week.


AnnMarie wrote: That is how they do them now.  It will almost always come from an email address you frequently receive mail from.  They get into her address book and send them out to everyone she has listed as "contacts".  I get them from Annette and Jared all of the time telling me to buy a watch, that I have fraudulent activity in my bank account, or to buy various pills.  I got this exact one last year from an in-county email address.  It is the language verbatim.  

Myrna wrote: I received a call from Ann. She said that one of her neighbors had called her to tell her about it and then she had heard from Rebecca that I had also been concerned. She stopped using that e-mail address and contacted g-mail. Sounds like they won't do anything about it. Rebecca was on Facebook and so was Ann. That will likely now change. The wisest thing, then, is just to ignore emails of this type.

Savior

A bit of mud.

 Shawn Trauntvein

I'm a person of little consequence,

a beggar before my Savior King,

appealing to Him of Gethsemane,

to ransom me, a lowly thing.

My broken heart, contrite soul, distressed mind

have been in storm and dark fury tossed,

Silently, I pled to Him, Jesus save

me...and the fear and noise were lost.

Often, as an unhealed Leper I pray,                                                                              

Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean,

with hope to hear our Eternal Father

say to me, "I will, be thou clean".

Still when misfortune cast me off the path,

bruised of spirit, wounded and worn down,

my Shepherd, yes, the babe of Bethlehem,

sent another to lift and bound.

I was known a beggar, at one time blind,

'til He mixed dirt and spit to make clay,

still not sure why, He would anoint my eyes,

but praise Christ's name, I see today.

Although I, still less than the dust of ground,

hope to serve and love, as He, my friend

You may wonder why? For the Prince of Peace

may use me too, to serve His end.

Please, Redeemer, stir in me, a burning heart,

an undried tear, true charity, a will to serve,

and witness of Thee.

Myrna wrote: Thank you! I think this is wonderful and very helpful.  I too "am a person of little consequence. . ."

This is very beautiful. Do you have more?

Toni Jackson, cousin

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2009

Guest column: No mammograms, nor lumps, predicted this bout of breast cancer TONI JACKSON

Roseburg Oregon Columns | The News-Review - NRtoday.com

The article I wrote regarding lobular breast cancer ran in yesterdays newspaper.  Here is the link to read it on line in case you are interested & missed it.  Just sharing the information....

    Hugs, Toni

By now most of us have heard that October was Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Well, I sure as heck was a lot more aware of breast cancer this October than I was last October because now I know that I have it.

Not only do I have it, but my first sign of it in mid-July was being diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer ... with no lump ... and I'd had regular annual mammograms! By the way, it's called Stage 4 because it has spread to my lymph nodes and many of my bones, but it actually takes eight to 10 steps of worsening conditions to reach Stage 4 (depending on what books you read). It should be called Stage 10! And someone should have noticed.

The scale starts with Stage 0 if the cancer is discovered very early. Then there is Stage 1, Stage 2A, Stage 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, and finally Stage 4. So with all my regular check-ups, blood work, and various medical tests done over the last few years, how come nobody noticed it until now? One of my doctors told me recently that my body could have been trying to fight this stuff off for six or eight years already! Another doc mentions survival rates of five years, 10 years ... starting from when is what I'd like to know ... or maybe I don't. I feel fine now, just like before I knew.

My motivation for writing this article is to share with the women who read it that there are at least two kinds of breast cancer, and the kind I have is called “lobular” and there is no lump. With lobular breast cancer, the cancer forms in long, stringy, spider-web-type shapes in the lobe of the breast and only makes the breast feel more firm (Hey! I thought that was a good thing).

Also I want to spread the word that if you are on any type of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), especially Premarin (which I took for years), that according to “Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book,” alcoholic drinks increase the estrogen levels in your body. Why don't they tell us these things! The estrogen is apparently what feeds the cancer. I may not have decided to quit having a cocktail, but I sure as heck would have quit taking Premarin sooner!

By the way, I did go to my gynecologist here in Roseburg in March to complain that my right breast felt different. I was told to quit drinking any caffeine for a month and come back to be re-examined, which I did, and was told that it was “probably OK.” No tests were offered or given.

I suppose that even at that point, it would have been too late anyway. Since the cancer has been found in my back bones, my ribs, my neck, shoulders, pelvis and foot, it probably would not have spread that far in just four months.

As for regular mammograms, this type of cancer does not show up, obviously. Even after my cancer was accidentally discovered (in my bones, on a CT scan for something else), and a biopsy on two of my vertebrae detected breast cancer cells, they never did find a lump on either of the new mammograms done after my diagnosis.

I was told that when comparing my new mammogram to the one from 2005 (after the diagnosis) that a “slight difference” was noted. Do they always compare the new mammogram to any from the past in order to detect any change? I don't know, but they should, especially since a “breast MRI” will probably never be given routinely as a check-up tool due to the cost. It wouldn't cost much to compare a couple of mammograms would it? To save someone's life? I'd have paid for it if necessary.

To end on a more positive note, there is some good news about my diagnosis in that I feel fine at this point, and I am not scheduled to have any surgery, radiation or chemo. That's because those treatments are done to prevent the spreading of the cancer, kill the cells, and allow the patient to live a normal life span. Since mine has already spread to my bones, etc., there is no point in my getting those treatments. I verified that information by seeking other opinions at both Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland and City of Hope in Southern California. I am happy not to be going through those treatments and am doing well so far on just my little daily pill and monthly IV infusion.

So that's my story and I hope by sharing, it may make someone think twice about taking it lightly if your breast feels perhaps more firm than it did before. Unfortunately, that may not be a good sign.

Toni Jackson has been a Roseburg resident since 1992 after living most of her life in California's San Fernando Valley. She's an avid amateur photographer, a mother and a grandmother. She and her husband, Craig, live along the North Umpqua River. She can be reached at TColeJackson@aol.com.