UPDATE 1:00PM - Dr Ott was just in to see us.  He says the tumor is too big to treat with Gamma Knife and has some bleeding around it.  His plan is to do surgery, probably on Wednesday, then treat the other tumors with the Gamma Knife a few days later (Friday?).  The tumor is very close to the surface, will be a fairly simple and straightforward surgery, should take about an hour. Looks like the insurance is giving some trouble over the Gamma Knife, also pray that is straightened out soon.  Leslie and I are a little anxious but hanging in there, grateful for your prayers and support.

UPDATE 10:00 - Dr Ott called in an order for an MRI, please pray that it shows the swelling has decreased and we can carry on the the Gamma Knife as planned. I expect it will be several hours before we know anything.

Good Monday morning!!! I slept pretty well last night.   Today is the day that my neurosurgeon, Dr. Ott is back in town and I should be getting some answers to our questions on what is going to happen next. 

I have an AWESOME story to tell you this morning!  I received the BEST GIFT EVER YESTERDAY!!!  My friend Cheryl Hargrove's 86 year young mom, Hilda Greshem who had a stroke a few years ago and lost her speech got on the phone and sang the whole song "God Is So Good" to me.  I felt like I was in heaven.  She truly is an ultimate prayer warrior!  I love her!  To be able to do that for me was such a miracle!  GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!!  Thank you Hilda!! I had happy  tears! Then a bunch of crazy fun girls from my church came by to visit and brought me a pair of big pink boxing gloves that had everyone in my churches signature with messages on them.  So very cool!  Thanks church family for the gloves and sweet messages and prayers. Denise Rogers took my picture yesterday with them and I will post it when I am able to get home.   My heart is so happy and very full! 

I did cat nap off and on yesterday afternoon.  I guess I will take sleep when I can get it.  It doesn't have to be at night.  I am in this bed all of the time anyways......I will sleep when I can.  I did get to walk more yesterday.  It felt great!   I really, really appreciate the continued encouragement and prayers.  Throughout these trials that have come my way I have found God's biggest blessings and miracles. Well I better go.  They are getting ready to take my vital signs again.  I hope to see Dr. Ott very soon.  Mike will update later.My love and thanks to you all!

Today is another gift from God, He is so good!

UPDATE 3:30 - SEE MY COMMENT BELOW

Good early, early Sunday morning everyone!!  Slept a whole 1 1/2 hours last night so I am a sleepy tired patient.  Hard to get rest in a hospital.  THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SWEET AND ENCOURAGING COMMENTS, TEXTS, E-MAILS ETC.....it means a ton to Mike and I and our family.  I want to especially thank you for bombarding God with prayers.  We all walk down a road in life.....some of our roads are a little curvier than others and sometimes God has us take a sharp left or right turn.  Right now I am on one of those off road turns.  I choose to think I went on a right handed turn because God ALWAYS has the right purpose in mind for me.  As I was riding on the helicopter to come here and have brain surgery I asked God.....am I really doing this?  On the 45 minute ride over here I must of said 450 times these 4 words.....I TRUST YOU LORD.  I also said that...... I SURRENDER ALL.  I had to ask myself half way through do I really mean those words?  Yes, yes I did.  My faith has yet another big chance to grow.  I cling to HOPE!!

Miracles have happened.  It just so happened that when I went to Pioneers E.R the only neurosurgeon in the Imperial Valley Dr. Calvin was there.   Mike quickly found him, told him what was going on, he ordered a bunch of tests immediately and stayed until they were done, he looked at results and came back to Mike and I and told us what we needed to know.  Wow!!  What got me to the E.R.??  I had had  a constant headache for 4 days.  I went to sleep with it  and woke up with it.  However on Friday I became extremely lethargic and was feeling a bit nauseated.  Mike didn't like the looks of my symptoms at all and I knew in my gut that something was wrong.  A tumor that started out the size of a jelly bean turned into the size of an apricot.  Not good.  Can I still have brain surgery?  Yes.....waiting for Dr. Ott tomorrow to see.  I probably won't know right away because he will probably order another MRI brain scan first.  But the meds are working and I haven' t had a headache.  My gamma knife surgery is still scheduled for Wednesday but I know they are going to try to get it done earlier.  I am not sure if they can.....their schedule is tight and full. Keep praying about that and that I do not have to have brain surgery. Also pray that the steroids I am on don't take an ugly toll on my body like they did the last time.  I am also on a preventattive anti seizure medicine.   Is this the hardest thing I have had to go through or will go through?  Probably not.  I keep taking things one minute at a time, one day at a time.  I am also trying to keep an attitude of gratitude.  I was moved to my own room last night and can now walk around.  Yay!!!  Mike has been AWESOME!!!!!  The staff here has been wonderful.  I have met some great people!  Thanks to everyone who drove 2 hours to come and see me yesterday.  It certainly made my day pass by faster.  I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR SO MANY THINGS.  Thank you for loving and caring for me so much.  I feel the love and prayers.  I am praying for you too.

Well I need to run now.  The nurse is here again to tell me how my blood pressure, temp, oxygen levels etc... are again.  I am in the best place that I need to be now.  I am so ready to be back home though. 

Mike will keep the blog updated today.  I love you all.  Thanks again for everything.  Especially for your constant encouragement and prayers for me. I am so appreciative!!! 

UPDATE 4:30PM - The neurosurgeon came in and he's happy with the way Leslie looks.  He is going to transfer her out of ICU into a regular bed this evening.  They have stopped her IV fluids and given her permission to get out of bed.  The doctor didn't come back and tell us about the results of the CT scan, appearently there was nothing exciting.  Looks like we are pretty much in a holding pattern until Dr Ott gets here Monday morning but that's OK -Mike

UPDATE 2:30PM - Well the only update is that there is no update.  Leslie's headache was gone this morning, I think that's a sign that the steroid is reducing the swelling - that's a good thing.  CT scan was done early this morning, the neurosurgeon should be in sometime today to tell us what's going on.  In the meantime Leslie is comfortable, we are just relaxing and enjoying the visitors. - Mike

I haven't spoken with Leslie yet this morning but I talked to her nurse.  She is doing well, no pain and slept pretty good last night (as well as you can sleep in an ICU)  Visiting hours do not start until 10:30 so they can get all the patient's tests and doctor rounds done efficiently without a bunch of visitors hanging around :)  Thank you so much for all your prayers and support, I will keep you posted.

God is good

Mike

Urgent Prayer Request:  Leslie is being transferred by ambulance to San Diego for emergency brain surgery.  It appears one of her tumors is bleeding and they need to stop the bleeding.  I will keep you updated as I hear more info.  She is very anxious!  Please pray!!!  Thank you...God is Good!  Sister Monica

A hug is worth a thousand words.  Someone you know needs a hug.  It might be you!

Good Friday morning!!!  I am ready for another adventurous weekend with Tyler!!  Yes.....Poppi and Nani have Tyler for the weekend while Ryan and Jenna are away celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary.  Mike and I are already thinking up plans for him. 

A Friend is a Gift from God......Among the great and glorious gifts our heavenly Father sends is the gift of understanding that we find in loving friends....For in this world of trouble that is filled with anxious care, everybody needs a friend with whom they're free to share the little secret heartaches that lay heavy on our mind--not just a mere acquaintance, but someone who is just our kind...For somehow in the generous hearts of loving, faithful friends, The good God in His charity and wisdom always sends a sense of understanding and the power of perception and mixes these fine qualities with kindness and affection....So when we need some sympathy or a friendly hand to touch or one who listens tenderly and speaks words that mean so much, we seek a true and trusted friend in the knowledge that we'll find a heart thats sympathetic and an understanding mind....and often just without a word there seems to be a union of thoughts and kindred feelings for God gives true friends communion.--Helen Steiner Rice.  You are all a gift to me!!  God gives us just what we need from each of our friends. 

Here is a picture of Nani and Tyler snuggling in a towel after he got out of the pool. My niece Kayanna is to the right of us.

@Amy Brinnon.......Thank you!

Prayer requests:  Please keep the Carolyn Shelton family in your prayers for peace and comfort as Carolyn went home to our precious Lord this week.  Pray for comfort for her church family too as they will miss her so much!  She was quite a prayer warrior.

Proverbs 22 verses 17, 18 & 19:  Listen to this wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord. 

Read the bible in a year:  Today......Psalms 119 verses 89 - 176.  Saturday......Psalms 120 - 132.

Have a fantabulous day everyone!!  Today is another gift from God and He is so Good!!

Question: Where did you go for your most favorite vacation?