Author: Cassie Henriksen

Today started fairly well and then ended oddly. My sister and niece came to visit today from Kansas. It was enough motivation for Tim to shave, shower, and sit up in the chair for a bit. He ate some Cream of Wheat (not his favorite) mixed with a bit of vanilla malt (whatever it takes). Happy to have him get a little bit in. I was pretty pleased with that. At lunch he was willing to try mac and cheese. He had been liking that last week so I was excited for him to try that. He took one bite and that was it.

He has been having a lot of trouble getting his pills (A LOT of pills) down. We decided to try taking them with applesauce today. That went pretty well. However, he had one more pill this afternoon to take and we tried it with just water. That did NOT go well!!

About 7:15 tonight, the tornado sirens went off in Ames so we had to move across the hall to an interior room. Since there are no interior patient rooms, we were put in a small office. So, in true Henriksen fashion, his last drops of chemo ended while stuck in a tiny office during a tornado warning. Yep, that’s how the Henriksen’s roll. Some people call it chaos but we call it family!!

We were finally able to return to his room about 8:30 and that is why I am, again, so late in getting this update out.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Please continue to pray for Tim and the effects the chemo is having on his body. While the chemo is done for now, the effects will continue to be felt for the next 3-7 days. He is very weary of it!

PRAISES:

The first round of chemo is in the books! Please pray that it was effective and that it will put his body in remission.

I had a good conversation with an organization whose mission is to specifically help people with blood cancers. I believe they will be able to give us help both informationally and financially.

Even though it was short lived, I saw a little life back in Tim for a short time today. That is a HUGE praise! Hoping for a bit more every day.

It was about this time (10:00 ish) two weeks ago that we were first hearing the words leukemia when we came to the E.R. Hard to believe it’s been that long and, at the same time, feels like it’s been much much longer!

Every day it seems as if things couldn’t get worse and then they do. Our day started with them trying to give Tim platelets. Within about 10 minutes, he spiked a fairly high fever, so they had to stop. Then they had to draw blood (had to take it from a the opposite side of his PICC line) which led to several pokes before they could find a good vein. After all the tests it was determined that he was okay to get the platelets so finished that this afternoon. In the meantime, he has had a fever on and off all day, still having issues with nausea and just feels all around terrible. He basically sleeps as much as possible even though it is never a good rest. He is struggling with depression at the moment.

He did have a CT scan of his stomach today. We don’t have any results from that yet.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

First and foremost, I would ask that you pray for Tim’s morale. Part of that would be that he can get even a little relief from some of the multitude of issues he is having right now. As I said before, seems like we add a new issue every day.

PRAISES:

I was able to get him to take a small vanilla malt this evening. It is a small victory but a victory that we will celebrate. I get to be around more tomorrow and will try to get him to take more of those with a little ‘healthy’ stuff added to it!

We have received some extremely generous donations and volunteer help from friends and family. For that we are humbly thankful! It makes the immediate needs much less worrisome! Thank you to everyone who has been so gracious!!

Today was Tim’s worst day yet. He is so tired and nauseous. He didn’t do much today except nap and go to the restroom. He has not eaten much of anything today and his blood sugar numbers show it! He has also lost about 15 lbs in the last 3 days due to not eating.

He had an X-ray of his stomach today. They wanted a baseline so they can watch it and make sure he is not getting a perforated bowel. Once again, everyday seems to bring a new challenge.

As my title says, today is World Acute Myloid Leukemia Awareness Day. It is projected that 22,720 new cases of AML will be diagnosed worldwide this year. Tim is one of those numbers.

I did get some information from a friend today that led to finding a website that might be able to help us navigate a few of the things we are going to be facing over the next few months to a year or more. As if it wasn’t bad enough to have a cancer diagnosis, then you have to figure out how to pay for everything, wonder if you will be able to keep your insurance (and if not, if you will be able to find insurance anywhere), wonder when you might possibly be able to return to a normal life/work, and so many other things. I have felt like a deer in the headlights for almost a week now!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Tim really needs to be able to eat something. Please pray that the nausea meds will help him be able to get some food down. Today part of the issue is his being so tired. He has slept most of the day (when he wasn’t being checked or having tests done).

PRAISES:

That I received the information about a place that might be able to help us. I am so thankful for friends and family that have gone out of the way to help us! Just know this journey would not be the same without all of you!! As I sit here typing this update, our soon to be son-in-law, Tate, is sitting with me working on his homework. He has been here nearly every afternoon. Tim’s brother, Rob, was here today since I couldn’t be and will be back tomorrow, since I need to be at work. He is driving back and forth from the Cedar Rapids area. Tim also got a visit today from his brother-in-law, Bill, who drove in from the Cedar Rapids area too. My sister and niece are coming Thursday from Kansas. These are just a couple examples of the love and support we have right now. We are so grateful it’s hard to express!!

I also want to thank those that are following along on this journey through this website. Your encouraging words and prayers bring tears to my eyes frequently! Our God IS an Awesome God!!

Today was a tough day for Tim. He is having a hard time with nausea and just feeling blah. He has a very hard time having an appetite for anything. However, I (Cassie) bought some cookies on the way to the hospital and Tim ate half of one and enjoyed it so much, he ate the other half also! We will consider that a win for today!

He is also more and more tired. Of course this is all very normal. It is just hard! We are very thankful though that it has not been as bad as we thought it might be, or at least not yet.

Tim has to make frequent trips to the bathroom, (those IV’s will get you every time!) including through the night, so getting more than an hour or so of sleep at a time is a luxury. If it’s not a bathroom break, it’s time for vitals or some other thing! A hospital is no place for a sick person!

We got somewhat of a timeline from the doctor this morning. Once we are finished with chemo (4/23), he will have a week to start building his immune system back up. Then on or about 4/30, he will have another bone marrow biopsy to see how his body has done with the chemo. Depending on what that says, he will either have another chemo treatment or will go home to recuperate some more. Then, in mid-May, he will have another biopsy to check how things are going. Those results will tell us what comes next. Still quite a long road ahead of us!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

We are down to 3 more days of chemo. Prayers that he will be able to handle these next few days and head into his “recovery” period as strong as possible.

Prayers that the chemo does what it is supposed to do (kill the cancer) and that his body will respond well.

The month of May will be a busy time for our family with Sarah’s graduation and moving back home, 3 grandkids birthdays, a family wedding, and a family birthday party for Cassie’s mom. We hope Tim will be able to join us for some of it but, we don’t know for sure.

There are some decisions we will have to make over the next couple months regarding health insurance. Please pray for us as we look at all our options and, that we can find knowledgeable people to help us with the situation.

PRAISES:

We know that God is still on his throne and he is still with us and walking this road with us. Despite the hard moments, we DO feel his presence and thank all of you for praying with us.

Today Tim was able to listen to Timmy and Michaela’s church service. Our church was struck by lightening and is still working to get their online services back up, so we are thankful for our kids’ churches. We had several visitors and a decent day overall.

He did have heartburn and nausea today but it wasn’t bad and a little medicine helped to make it go away. Ate a bit more than yesterday but still not much of an appetite. He will tell me something sounds good but then once he starts to eat, it just doesn’t taste as good as it sounded. All very normal things, just not always fun to deal with.

Some of our special visitors today (Grandkids Harper, Micah, and Wells) were able to give Bampa hugs before they left. We have been blessed to have a double room up here. There are sliding glass doors between the rooms and most of the time their parents were up here, they were in the second room with the doors closed. Before they left, our daughter Emily asked about the kids being able to give Bampa hugs. We were told hugs were important so we washed hands and faces well and then let them all give Bampa hugs. It was a much needed boost for Tim’s morale!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

It seems as if every day brings something new that he needs another medication for. Today he told me that just taking his morning meds is getting hard to stomach. Please pray that some of the things will start to clear up enough to reduce the number of pills Tim is having to take every day.

Continue to pray for many of the things we have already asked for prayer for: finances, rest, nausea, etc.

Our daughter, Sarah, will be graduating from Wayne State College on May 9th. Tim would REALLY like to be there. Please pray that if it is God’s will, he will be able to be there that day to see her walk across the stage. If he is not able, please pray for him as that will be a difficult time!

PRAISES:

Tim was able to not only see a couple grandkids but also get hugs from them. That was a VERY special time!!

Tim was able to walk 2 1/2 miles today and spend just a bit of time outside. Having some ‘normal’ activity is very good.

Today was a quiet day. We had a couple visitors this morning and a couple this afternoon but most of the day was spent resting. Tim’s appetite continues to dwindle and he gets tired more easily but, he was able to walk a half mile this morning and a mile this afternoon. He did need a blood transfusion today and that will likely continue. His toe and cough have been much better and we are very thankful for that.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Today was the last day of one chemo and we have 4 more days of the other. Please continue to pray that the medicines do their job well.

As he gets closer to the time he will be SO immunocompromised, we ask for prayer that he is able to stay as healthy as possible.

We still have not heard back from his job regarding some things and that is weighing heavy on his mind. 

PRAISES: 

For friends and family that have been helping with chores around the house, keeping Tim company while Cassie is at work, and just giving words of encouragement. We appreciate and love you all!

Today was another good day. A little more tired and his appetite is starting to dwindle. For the most part though, he still feels pretty good. We know it will take a turn eventually but , for now, we are praising God for the good days.

The cardiologist came in today and spent quite a bit of time with Tim going over what they saw on the CT scan and echocardiogram from yesterday. The fluid around the lungs and heart is just slightly elevated from what a normal person would have. Because of the treatments Tim is doing, they want to make sure it doesn’t cause any issues, so they will be giving him some medicine to treat the inflammation.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

That the medicine would do its job and no other intervention would be necessary.

For Tim’s spirits. It’s hard to not think about the bad days that you know are coming. Trying hard not to borrow trouble from tomorrow!

Tim is like the typical man and is concerned about providing for his family. Please continue to pray about his disability with work and Social Security. We are still waiting on some things to come through in our favor and worrying about that during treatments can be a not so good thing.

PRAISES:

For the good talk with the cardiologist. Tim felt very good about the conversation they had and the plan for treatment.

Tim was able to take several good walks today. Walking is very beneficial for him right now and, as boring as it is to walk the halls, we are thankful he is able.

His cough, toe, and shortness of breath are getting better. We are extremely thankful for the prayers of so many.

Speaking of which, we praise God for all the friends of friends and family that are seeing our posts and praying for us and sending words of encouragement. They are most definitely felt!!

Tim has now had chemo being pumped into his body for about 8 hours. His brother, Rob, was here most of the day so I could go home and do some laundry and pay some bills. Life does not slow down despite the challenges we are facing! He has felt quite good today. He took a good nap this afternoon, got to spend some time outside on the hospital’s rooftop garden, and got a little over a half mile walk in the halls. Overall, a pretty decent day! We are holding onto those days a little tighter! 🩷

PRAYER REQUESTS:

I am going to repeat the request from this morning. Please pray that as the chemo begins to kill his immune system, he will be able to manage the side effects AND that he will stay as healthy as possible.

PRAISES

So thankful for a good day as he started chemo. After yesterday, we are thankful that he felt so well today and was able to do all the things he did today.

The blood work has come back and confirmed that Tim has Acute Monocytic Leukemia. Chemo treatments will start today. He will have a 7+3 regimen of chemo, meaning for the 1st three days he will have two drugs (Cytarabine and Daunorubicin) and then just Cytarabine for the rest of the 7 days. They will do another bone marrow biopsy on Day 14 and see how the chemo worked.

An update from yesterday. Last night he felt like he was having a lot of trouble breathing normally. We finally decided it might have to do with sleep apnea. They had him on oxygen all night and that seemed to do the trick. He slept well and feels quite ready to face the day! PTL!!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and all your calls, cards, and comments. We can feel God’s presence!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Prayers as he starts chemo. That the side effects will be manageable and he will be able to work through them well.

Prayers for our kids and extended family. It’s hard for those who are not close and can’t be here to ‘see’ how he is doing.

We would also ask that you specifically pray for our daughter Sarah who is down to the last 3 weeks before college graduation. This diagnosis, obviously, came at a time when distractions are not welcome. Please pray as she tries to finish up her classes and prepares to move back home.

PRAISES:

That whatever happened yesterday was a minor thing and we think we have it under control.

That we finally have some answers and are able to move forward with treatment.

Tim woke up about 4 this morning with chest pain and shortness of breath. There were blood tests, EKG’s, an X-ray, and the heart monitor came back. We haven’t actually heard from a Dr yet but it seems they are not terribly concerned about it. He did feel rather terrible and wiped out most of the day but by evening started feeling better. This journey will have many ups and downs and today was just a down day.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

That Tim’s heart episode would not be anything serious and that he would not have anymore.

That even during these ‘down’ times, we can continue to see God.

PRAISES:

We have some wonderful family and friends that have been so supportive and we feel so blessed by everyone!!