# Bad news for my haunt this year.



## psyko99

We just learned that my wife has colon cancer. She's been sick for about 3 weeks and after ruling everything else out, they did a colonoscopy and took a biopsy. She's scheduled for surgery today, but we don't exactly know when.

I've had to put everything on hold for now. Just playing things by ear.


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## dflowers2

Good luch and I hope everything goes well. Sending good thoughts your way.


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## debbie5

I'm so sorry to hear about this. My family is sending prayers for strength & recovery.


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## RoxyBlue

Cancer sucks.

Give your wife a hug and tell her your family here will be thinking of you both as you go through this together.


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## jdubbya

All good thoughts coming your way man. One step at a time.


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## hedg12

So sorry to hear that. All our best, and hopes for a speedy recovery.


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## Spooky1

Our thoughts are with you. Good luck and stay positive.


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## AzKittie74

I'm so sorry to hear that your both going thru this, Speedy recovery, Best of luck


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## The Pod

Hope everything works out.


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## LairMistress

I wish your wife the very best in treatment and recovery, and my best to you and the rest of your family as well.


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## Bone Dancer

Best wishes to you both, hang in there.


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## lewlew

God bless you both and hope to hear that things are going better soon.


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## Vlad

Very sorry to hear that. Wishing the best for her, and a speedy recovery.


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## sharpobject

My prayers and thoughts for a speedy recovery.


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## Lauriebeast

My thoughts are with you both at this difficult time.


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## Jack Reaper

Positive healing energy...coming your way!


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## psyko99

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. She came out of surgery & they think they got everything. We'll know more about what's coming next when the pathology comes back in about a week.

Right now she's in a lot of pain. We're just taking things one day at a time.


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## IMU

Sorry to hear of your wife's bad news. Best wishes for you and your family.


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## madmomma

Be assured we will keep you, your wife and family in our thoughts and prayers. Sincerest wishes for a thorough and gentle recovery.


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## psyko99

Good news! My wife is home after almost two weeks in the hospital and cancer surgery. My neighbors have picked up finishing the haunt & we'll run with whatever we have done. Unfortunately my wife won't be able to take on as big of a role she usually does, but hey, things could be worse.

Thanks to one and all for your well wishes and your prayers.


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## RoxyBlue

That's good news indeed! And being able to participate in the haunt, even if her role is less active, is good for her spirits and good for healing.


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## Spooky1

Glad to hear your wife is home. Best wishes for her speedy recovery. Hope an enjoyable Halloween will help her healing.


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## scareme

You and your wife are in my thoughts and prayers. Watching things come together for Halloween will help her take her mind off things, if even for a few minutes. That is so nice of your neighbors. Tell them someone from your hauntforum sends them a hug.


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## HauntedHacienda

Sending your Wife Healing Energies, Love and All my Best Energies and Angelic Friends to help speed Recovery.
All will be well.
I will do some Healing Work for her.
Nasty Cancer! Be Gone with you!
You are Not welcome!


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## The Bloodshed Brothers

good luck your in our prayers and thoughts


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## Bethene

you and you wife ar in my prayers,am sending healing prayers and thoughts her way!
what wonderful neighbors you must have!


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## halloween71

Hope all is well.And your neighbors are truly great!


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## Masterofmydomain

Happy to hear that your wife is on her way to recovery. Best wishes and have a great haunt this year.


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## saint paul mn

IS she cancer free? Good vibes man.


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## psyko99

We got some bad news the week before Easter. My wife's cancer has returned. This time it has spread to her ovaries. She had them both removed, but now has to face 6 months of more intensive chemo. So that means she'll be finishing up just about Halloween. The doctor's are hopeful, but working on my haunt this year is the last thing on my mind.

Things had seemed to be getting back to normal. The past two years I was able to run a charity haunt at my daughter's school and have a kick ass party at my house.

This year, hopefully, we'll still be planning a party, but it will have a significantly different theme.

I'll drop in from time to time to see all the haunting goodness everyone else is up to.


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## Lunatic

Our prayers are with you and your wife. God bless her for a comfortable recovery.


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## Blackrose1978

So sorry to hear that! Our thought will be with you through this.


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## Hairazor

Such sad news. I will wish for strength for both of you.


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## scareme

What is your theme for this year? Is there anything we can do to help out? Keeping you and your wife in my thoughts and prayers.


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## Spooky1

Our thoughts are with you and your wife. Chemo sucks, but it's better than the alternative. Be strong and just be there for your wife through this tough time. We found laughter has great healing properties. Roxy watched lots of 3 Stooges and Comedy Central during her chemo.


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## hedg12

Sending prayers for you and your wife. Cancer sucks.


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## RoxyBlue

hedg12 said:


> Cancer sucks.


Amen to that, and chemo sucks, too - been there.

So sorry to hear this, Psyko. She's got a physically demanding trial ahead of her, but knowing she has a loving and supportive family will help her face and get through what she has to do in the next several months. Our thoughts and prayers are with you both.


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## PrettyGhoul

I am so sorry to hear that your wife's cancer has returned!! I wish I could do something, anything to help you both; it is devastating news. Please let us all know how she is doing and like the rest I will be praying for her to heal and recover!! I hope it helps a little to know that people are thinking of you both and hoping for the best!!


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## psyko99

Thanks for the kind words and thoughts everyone. My wife is definitely a fighter.

My wife has never been into the Three Stooges, but we will be getting our money's worth out of Netflix this year. The cancer center has pretty good WiFi and her first infusion is four hours so we'll be streaming a lot of movies, and doing a lot do soduko and crosswords.

Historically, my theme has been a haunted mansion/graveyard theme. I wanted to change it up. But I think we'll be having a kick cancer's a** party instead.


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## debbie5

Sending prayers.


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## niblique71

Good thoughts your way


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## hpropman

May I recommend from Netflix Apostles of comedy these guys are 3 christian men that are extremely funny with no cursing. Also Jeff Durham is very funny also. Comedy is good for healing. Our thoughts and prayers will be with you.


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## Pumpkin5

:jol: Psyko, you are such an inspiration. Your wife is so lucky to have you and your attitude of 'kick cancer's ass' is right on target! I am going to include you and your wife and family in my prayers, and I want to see a post from you closer to Halloween saying all is well and she is in 100% remission. I know you want that as well and you have the support of all of us haunters.


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## psyko99

Thanks again everyone. You are right about the healing power of laughter HPropman. One of our closest friends is a professional touring comedian who's done several fundraisers for the American Cancer Society. I'll have to give him a call.


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## randomr8

Good thoughts going your way. Ya'll can beat it. Not the same cancer but I'm 4 years in remission and counting.


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## Frighteners Entertainment

You have many friends here wishing the best for your wife and Tim!!


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## scareme

Just a thought for your kick cancer on the a## party. You could decorate with all kinds of shoes, boots, sandles and slippers. It you wanted to go with a darker Halloween feeling to it, you could put some severed limbs in them. I have a couple extra legs lying around here if you need them.


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## psyko99

Thanks Jeff. That's a great idea Scareme. I was thinking of doing a masquerade ball. I've already had some friends offer to cater it. But we have to get through the chemo first.

This first week was rough. She has to go in for four hours for the first three drugs, then has to be on a 46 hour infusion that she brings home. It totally makes her nauseous and wipes her out. I've got to get back into our chemo routine. I'm not used to going grocery shopping and e erything else by myself.


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## debbie5

psyko, you might want to call her doc & ask for more anti-nausea meds. It should help.((hugs))


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## psyko99

Thanks Debbie5. She's going to do that when she goes in for her blood work before her next treatment. I'm still going to keep a bucket handy.


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## psyko99

So my wife and I were sitting at the Cancer center last week while she was getting a treatment and she asks me if I had started planning our haunt/party this year. I told her that given everything going on I wasn't sure if we could pull it off.

She said that she still wants to do it. She even sees or reads about things and says "hey, that would be a great idea for the haunted house." I've created a monster.

Her last treatment will be the second week in October. Last night she we talked about it and she thinks the masquerade party idea is the one to go with. I could probably use most of what I have. I'm thinking of a Gothic/Victorian garden party but I'll be soliciting people for ideas. And now my mind is working.


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## RoxyBlue

Big hug to you and your wife for hanging in there. Chemo puts heavy demands on your body (and soul, sometimes), and all you can do is keep your eyes on that light at the end of the tunnel and and keep plodding though. When I got to the halfway mark with my treatments years ago, I was so happy knowing that, from that point on, the time spent being systematically poisoned was going to be ever shorter. Having a sense of humor about the whole thing helps and having something to look forward to, as your wife clearly does, also helps.

Here's to the successful completion of her treatments and an eventual return to normalcy (if such a statement applies to anyone who haunts:jol.


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## scareme

Glad to hear you guys are planning for Halloween. A garden party sounds like a great idea. Check out Love Manor for some great ideas for gothic garden parties.


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## Pumpkin5

:jol: Hey psyko, if you need any invitation ideas I have a couple I can email to you...the wordage and all or I can mail you copies of what I sent out. You can change it to suit you and your wife's party plans and I would be thrilled to help. (and I can come up with the wordage to suit you guys too if you want) I am praying for you guys and I love that your wife is keeping the Halloween spirit. You guys inspire me....


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## psyko99

Thanks Roxy, she just passed the half way mark, each treatment gets harder to get over and the nausea lasts longer.
Scareme, that's a good idea. I'll check out Love Manor for ideas.
Pumpkin5, I'll PM you with my e-mail. I'm a pretty decent wordsmith, but sometimes I need a jump start.

Thanks for all the good vines everyone. It does help keep the spirits up.


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## RoxyBlue

I know how she feels, psyko. Each treatment knocks you back a little further, and you find yourself holding on out of sheer stubborness or cussedness after a while.

My personal experience with antinausea medication is that whatever they gave me to take at home (post infusion) to control nausea actually made me feel worse in the early stages of chemotherapy, so I stopped taking it with good results. Later on in the process, when you pretty much feel crappy all the time and swallowing anything can be less than appealing, they gave me samples of a sublingual tablet (I think it was Zofran) that didn't cause problems for me. It was also strawberry flavored


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## goneferal

I think its great that she wants to push on with this year's festivities. What a wonderful thing to look forward to during such an awful ordeal. Halloween sounds like the light at the end of a long dark tunnel.


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## The Halloween Lady

I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must be. Your wife sounds like a very kind person. It is obvious how much you both love each other. Something fun, that might help her smile/laugh would probably be good for the soul. (for both of you.)


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## Copchick

Psyko - That great that the Mrs. is looking forward to Halloween with all she's going through. It probably shows the end to the treatments that she's dealing with. I can't imagine what you both are going through. My prayers are with you two! Having that garden party sounds just grand.


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## debbie5

Psycko...see if she could get more or diff meds for the nausea. Sometimes they can tinker with the anti-nauseas meds and make it almost non-existent.

Also, make sure you take care of YOU. It's great she still wants Ween. But if you need to scale back a bit due to all the stuff going on, that's okay too. ((hugs)) to your whole family....


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## Evil Queen

She has set a goal, has something to look forward to and it will help keep her mind occupied during treatment. I think it's an absolutely wonderful thing! I'll keep you both in my prayers.


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## psyko99

Thanks again everyone. She does have zofran, which IMO she waits too long to take, but she's too stubborn to listen sometimes. It's also hard b/c the one drug gets infused over three days. They are supposed to be working on getting pre-approval for another anti-nausea med, but we haven't heard anything yet. In the mean time she sips on ginger ale and sleeps. 

I take the day off from work on the day she has to go to the cancer center, and our kids help out on the following days. I don't know what I'll do when they go back to college next month. Fortunately, I have plenty of sick time and have been hoarding my vacation days, so I can take extra time off if I have too.


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## Evil Queen

psyko99 check into the the FMLA program. You may not need it if your employer is cool about how much time you need to take off from work. But if you have any concerns that you may lose your job this will protect you.
http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/


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## Troll Wizard

psyko99, you sound like you are doing the right thing by your wife. The more normal you can keep your life for the both of you the more she will love you for it and you her. Yes it is hard some days to try to keep your lives on a normal track knowing what your wife is going through. But the planning your doing for the Halloween ball, is something that keeps her mind off what she is going through, and I believe it will help you in the long run.

From her asking about what you're plans are for this years Halloween celebration, she is telling you that she wants you to keep things normal in both of your lives. The strength you show her in keeping your lives the way they usually are, as much as possible, gives her strength! I can see that you are doing this already, the very best you can and yes everyday is different, bringing new challenges for you and her. 

She sounds like she is a very strong women, and that she would want your kids to go back to college when the time comes. She will want them to continue being who they are and go back to school. She is a fighter, and it shows from the things you have said earlier. You both are building each other up, and you are finding a greater love for each other while going through this part of your lives together. 

With all of the prayer's and thoughts that are coming your way from everyone here at HauntedForum, I believe that you're wife will get better, and that your love for each other will continue to grow to even greater heights!!!! :jol:


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## Headless

Thinking of you guys.


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## psyko99

Thanks Evil Queen. I'm fortunate enough to have a supportive employer. Last time I worked with my boss to schedule telecommuting days, sick days and emergency leave days under FMLA to take care of my time off.

Thanks too for the thoughts and prayers Troll Wizard and Headless.


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## debbie5

psyko- you can make homemade ginger ale with ginger root (or tea)...its fast easy& cheap to make, tastes great and works better on the nausea than store bought as it has more ginger in it.

more ((hugs)) to you & yours...

http://joythebaker.com/2011/06/homemade-ginger-syrup-for-ginger-ale/


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## psyko99

Thanks Debbie, I was thinking about trying Ginger Beer. I think there is a Caribbean market in town that caries it. Also, I think Verners is a little stronger too, but I only saw that when we lived in Buffalo.

I'll take a look at that recipe for home made ginger ale too.

She needs to stop waiting too long to take her anti - nausea meds. The Nurse Practitioner told her she can take it after four hours. Yesterday, she still waited eight and paid for it.

They also suggested crystallized ginger. I'm going to have to look around for that, or find a recipe.


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## RoxyBlue

Recipe for crystallized ginger - the sugar can be omitted if desired:

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthykitchenrecipes/r/crystallizedgin.htm

Ginger tea recipe:

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/3/a/Ginger_Tea.htm


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## DynomiteDaniel

I want you to know that my family and I are keeping you in our thoughts my friend.


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## Acid PopTart

Sending you some strong, positive vibes my friend. We have a survivor in our house, we don't say the word, I just like to focus on the fact he is alive and happy. It's an unlikely fellow, our 3 legged black Shepherd mix, Krypto. I'm hugging him and thinking of you both.

I love your masquerade idea.... goth is my speciality, use to be the fashion editor for Gothic Beauty Magazine. What size does your wife wear? I may have something she can wear in my collection, or perhaps one of my wigs might work for your party. It's not much, but thought I'd offer.


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## dead hawk

don't worry about halloween your wife is more important hope she heals well with love DH <3


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## psyko99

I just have to say thanks again to everyone for your kind words, moral support, prayers and offers of help from afar. It means a lot to me. One thing she says often is that the cancer is not who she is, she's not defined by that. It's something she has.

I think the planning does help us to keep a semblance of normalcy, and by no means does it distract us from dealing with her health. I'm reminded of that whenever I go into the basement and see my shop, with unfinished, or not even started projects. I promised her that I wouldn't build anything this year and use what I have. If all goes well, and she gets through this on schedule without any problems, I will probably put a call out to some friends and neighbors to help set up the week before. If not, then we take one day at a time.

This week she had another possible setback. She's been having pain in her abdomen and her CEA level has gone up a little. So the docs want her to have another CAT scan after this week's Chemo is over. Hopefully it is just a reaction to the Chemo and not another recurrence.

To top it off I tore the meniscus in my knee and was on crutches all last week. Thank God it was an off week for her and she was able to chauffeur the kids and me. Even though I could drive, she made a point of making sure she did as much as she could.

Creatively, this is not something I can turn off. I'm constantly coming up with ideas and am inspired by others ideas. So I keep my notebook handy, even when I take her to the cancer center. Sitting in one spot for three hours gets pretty boring.

Again, thank you everyone and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming. We need every bit of positive thinking we can get.
Tim


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## psyko99

So we got some unexpected good news this past Friday. My wife went in for her pre-treatment check and the Dr. Informed her that she was done with the chemo. She was prepared for two more treatments, but after ten, the chemo had started to take its toll on her body. The Dr. Said that it was a sign that her body had enough, and doing any more would actually cause more damage. She had ten out of a potential twelve.

Now she is geared up for our party to celebrate the end of her treatment and we have more time to prepare than we thought.

Thanks again to everyone for your kind thoughts, prayers and offers to help. Everything is very appreciated.


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## Headless

Great way to celebrate. Sending you big hugs and lots of good thoughts.


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## RoxyBlue

Good news, indeed! I remember how happy I was when I finished up my chemo treatments years ago, so I know how relieved your wife must be. Now she can look forward to getting her strength and energy back, and maybe her sense of taste, if that was an issue since chemo can make food taste odd.


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## debbie5

What wonderful news!


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## Spooky1

Great news. Hope your wife is back to feeling like herself by the time Halloween rolls around.


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