Little steps of progress

As you might have noted, I am not posting everyday as I am just not that creative. There is only so many ways to tell everyone that Joni is making slow and steady progress. In the last few days we have seen improvement in the amount of control she has over her lower lip. (This is good because drinking was a messy affair before) She continues to have minimal control of her eye on the side she had the operation. The eye lid does not want to go up and down and she still has double vision. She still finds it easier to wear a patch or keep it closed off. She is able to get around the house pretty well when she is up. We continue to talk about what the next step is and what is in our control to speed up the recovery. As her strength comes back we plan to spend time walking which should help that brain of hers learn better balance. (Yes we did confirm during this process that she does have a brain and we are all very excited about it) Boy I'm going to be in trouble when she reads this.

We are all good and grateful for the little steps of progress we continue to accomplish. Again, thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. I have also realized that we have some neighbors that are very good cooks, as I think I am putting on weight during this process.

Thanks again,
Clay

Well... I have uploaded the latest picture of my cute granddaughter because I am afraid that Joni is going to be up and around enough to look at the blog. She is going to see the pictures I have posted in the past and once that happens, as our friend Meryl Rasmussen instructed me, I will need to break out the check book because I owe her big. :( ..... Isn't she cute!!!

Joni continues to make slow progress day by day. She is able to walk down stairs and be upright for a little longer than before. She is able to function enough to be home by herself and people keep checking on her during the day. It's been two weeks since the surgery and we are glad it is behind us. We keep saying "It just takes time". Sorry for not sharing any new and different information, but short of just making things up, I'm just sharing the facts.

Thanks for all the support,

Clay

It is Saturday night and Lane came down from Logan to reclaim his two girls. I don't blame him, they are great to have around. Joni and I are so grateful for Barb and Brooke spending this last week with us. They both have been such a great help. Before they headed back to Logan we had the family gang over to eat some pizza and help support Joni. Anytime we are all together there is always lots of laughing. I have realized that with Joni its a constant game of "She's up...yea!! - Oh.. She's back down."

Not much is new regarding Joni's condition at this point. We continue to see her strength slowly come back. She wants to do more than she can and that gets frustrating for her at times. She is in good spirits and realizes this will take a while. The face numbness is still present and based on the doctor's council will be around for a couple of months possibly. All is still good, and sometimes the best medicine is just having family and friends that love us. Thank you all for everything.

Clay "The Dad" Henderson

Cute Pirates

Grandma Joni's eyes still do not want to focus together so the eye patch allows her to focus with one eye on things without getting sick to her stomach. Brooke wanted to play the pirate game with her grandma so her mom made her a pirate eye patch. Joni is playing tired pirate while little Brooke is practicing making scary pirate faces. Have you ever seen two cuter pirates?

Joni was able to get up several times today and travel down stairs for a short period of time. She still tires easily and can't be up for more than 10 or 15 minutes but is trying to do a little more each day. With one eye she was able to read some for the first time today since the operation.

Joni and I are so grateful for Barb and her willingness to help us during this week. She has been a great help to us both. She is getting a good work out going up and down the stairs all day. Joni asked me to post her sincere appreciation to all who have that continue to help and support. The continued service in our behalf has been appreciated more than you know.

Thanks for everything,

Clay

Slow and Steady

There are so many people that continue to reach out to help us through this trial. We want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayer, cards and meals. It has helped lift Joni's spirits as she recovers.

There are also many that have asked me to note in the blog when Joni is up to visits or phone calls. I discussed it with her tonight and we fell like she has reached a point where this is possible. Because she still gets tired if she is up and talking to much (And you know how she loves to talk) we need to keep visits on the short side. Joni has always been one who is lifted and encouraged by her friends and family and she can use some of that mojo now. It might be a good idea to call first if you would like to come by to make sure she is feeling OK.

Progress continues to be slow and steady. After two days of avoiding the whole getting sick thing by taking things slow we decided to have her walk down stairs to have dinner with Barb and I tonight. It was good for her to get out of our bedroom for awhile. By the time we got her back to bed a half hour later she was feeling like she might have pushed it to much and was not feeling so good. After resting for a while she was doing fine again. Moral of the story: Slow and Steady.

All is good as we continue to count our blessings.

Clay

One thumb up

It has been another good day as we have taken small steps back towards being healthy. Joni "The Pirate" is resting up before she goes sailing the seven seas. Feeling on the side of her face that they did the surgery on seems to continue to get a little better each day. Her eye still does not blink or close enough so the eye patch seems to help. "ARRR ME MATEY"

The vertigo issue that upsets her stomach and continues to negatively impact her gets less and less every day. As she feels better this has allowed her to sit up more. She still tires easley for a renegade pirate, but I am sure she will come back strong. The next step to her recovery is get her up and doing a little walking around the house.

Thanks to all for everything,

Clay

Progress

The above sign was posted in Joni's hospital room by strict instructions from one of her doctors. We were afraid that she would forget, so we brought it home to put over her bed. Sometimes there is just too much material to give her a hard time about. :) The doctors have indicated that she is not to blow her noise for one one month. The pressure of lifting something or blowing her noise can cause issues with the healing of the trap door where they went in to get the tumor. Go figure.

Today has been the best day since the operation. She still has to be down more than she is up, but some good time sitting up vertical was logged today. I contend that it was an improvement in her nursing care as Barb took care of her when I went back to work today.

The numbness in the face still exists due to the swelling but we have seen some slight improvement in this area. Due to this numbness, her eye does not blink so she has to keep drops in to keep it lubricated. I bought her an eye patch so it can block out the constant light when the eye does not close. I think I might have to get a picture of that.

We want to thank everyone for their support. I will try and continue to keep you updated on Joni's recovery. She is making progress, slowly buy surly.

The Long Haul

Since coming home from the hospital we are realizing that there are good days and then there are the bad ones. There is some balance between food, resting and getting up and walking that we are trying to find to prevent the vertigo from getting the best of us. Being vertical for more than 10 minutes usually results in disaster. We are slowly sneaking up on a solution.

She has not lost her sense of humor as she has started calling me her CNA for "Clay Nursing Assistant". Every time I tell her it is time to get up and walk some she says she wants her other nurse.... the nice one. I keep telling her that she is stuck with me for now.

Our mentality is and has to be hour by hour, day by day. It will get better, we just have to work at it some more. With Kelli in her first trimester of pregnancy, she keeps saying she going to come over and share a barf bucket with her mom. Does not sound like much fun to me.

Not much else to report at this time.

Thanks for thinking of us.

Clay

Reganing Strength

As you can see, Joni and Miss Brooke at taking lots of naps. Grandma Joni would have it no other way. Joni still gets nauseated and tired if she is vertical for more than 5 or 10 minutes. We have been told this is normal for her kind of recovery. As you can imagine, this is frustrating for Joni as she wants to be up and on the go all the time. I keep telling her that there is no magic pill, it is going to take time.

Joni was able to negotiate her first shower since her operation this morning and it has helped boost her spirits. It took a lot out of her and she slept for two hours afterward but she said it was worth it. Lane, Barb and Brook are now here at the house and we are grateful for their support. Our kids have been such a blessing to Joni and I through this trial. We were granted a couple of missionary phone calls to Rob during this last week to keep him up to date. It was great to hear his voice and I know he felt better talking to his Mom for a few minutes.

Joni loves to visit with all the great friends who have supported her before and during her surgery. At this time, she get exhausted very quickly and we may want to let her strength build back up before having visitors. Everyone has been so kind and supportive and we thank you for everything that has been done for us. The normal healing process for an Acoustic Neuroma is two months long. Once she gets her sea legs under her I know she would love to have visitors.

Thanks for your thoughts and prays.

Clay

Home

We are transitioning to the next phase of our process. I was able to bring Joni home today and she is resting comfortably in her own bed. She told me that she already feels better now that she is home. They gave her some of the medicine to control vertigo this morning and then we made a dash north to Layton. The ride was uneventful which is a good thing. We had a good experience at LDS Hospital, but there is no place like home.

Barbara, Brooke (New granddaughter) and Lane will be coming down from Logan this weekend. Barb and Brooke will be staying to take care of grandma this next week as Lane will head back to work in Logan . I think this is the best medicine that Joni could have at this point. She loves her little grand daughter. Thank you Lane for letting your little family spend this next week in Layton.

Thanks again for all of your love and support.

Clay

Re-Learning Balance

OK, I know I am in trouble for yesterdays picture post, so I figure why stay in the shallow end of the trouble pool, Lets swim to deep end. As you can see Brandon and Lindsey came by to keep Joni's spirits high. The family and friends have been a great support.

Today the doctor took out her IV and told her to not use the vertigo medicine if possible. He wants her to get used to flying solo without medication. She has gone the entire day without any pain medication or vertigo medicine. She is way tougher than me. This has made her stomach upset again when she gets up and walks. She still can not open both eyes at the same time, (as you can see in the picture). I told her I was going to get her an eye patch so she can be a pirate. She has also fondly named her new hair due as "The Volcano". ---- I am just reporting the facts.

As I have said before, All is going according to plan, Its just that the plan is not a lot of fun. My good wife is a fighter and she has maintained a good attitude through out this trial. I love her and am grateful for her ability to make the best of any situation she is put in. I feed off her her strength when it should be the other way around. It looks like she will be coming home sometime on Friday. I know this is a little scary for her, but the doctor has indicated that she can be dizzy at home or in the hospital, either way she is going to have to work through the being dizzy and the side effects that come with it.

Thanks again for all the love and support.

Clay "The blogger" Henderson

It Has Been A Good Day

Each day brings additional improvement as Joni's strength get stronger and stronger. I will probable get an ear full from her when she can review this blog for taking and posting this picture, but such is life. She is getting up (slowly) on her own and we have gone for a few walks down the corridor. This is based on her doctors orders to be up and starting the balance relearning process. Tonight she was happy that they allowed her to eat real food for the first time. I know she must be returning to normal as she had be go get her a diet coke. It is still hard for her to open both eyes and focus.

The doctor came in tonight and said he is going to take her off the IV and wanted her to try and stop taking the medicine that prevents the vertigo. We will see how it goes during the next 24 hours, but there is a possibility that she could be released to come home on Friday. Each day I can see the color and strength come back into her. Not a fun hill to climb but she is doing great.

Thanks again for all of your love and support. She is on the road back.

Day after surgery

Just a quick update on how Joni is doing. She was moved out of the ICU unit this morning and into regular room. There is many less tubes and things hooked up and they don't wake her up as much to check this or that. The directions from the doc were that he wants to get her up and walking 3 or 4 times a day. This will start the process of her brain figuring out the balance thing again. He told us that she won't like it, but you have to do it... He was right about her not liking it. The vertigo is very hard on her and makes her throw up every time she stands up. Not a fun deal. But, the trouper that Joni is, she is doing it. There is some swelling of the nerve area and she has lost some felling in the side of her face that the doctor has indicated will come back when the swelling goes down.

The summary of the update is that things are going all according to plan. The issue is the plan is not a lot of fun.

"What a day"

Joni and I were up at 4:00 AM to be at the hospital by 5:30. They did some basic prep and rolled her into surgery at 7:00 AM. We were told that the operation would take between four and six hours. At 11:15 the two surgeons came out and told me that the operations was a success and they both felt very good about it. They track the nerves as they operate on her and their comment was that they electronically showed great response when they were done.

In recovery I was able to sit with her and some of the family stopped in to see her. She was slow to come out of the fog that the anesthesia puts you in, but slowly she came out out of it throughout the evening. This made her sick to her stomach, but as it left her system she slowly got better. Keeping her eyes closed and the lights off help as she is sensitive to everything around her. This is considered very normal with her kind of surgery.

We consider the day a big success. We knew all along that this was going to hard and it was for all kinds of different reasons. On the same hand we received the outcome we were hoping for. One of the fears with this surgery is that the facial nerve can be damaged during the operation causing paralysis. At this point all looks good on this front.

Its been a long day and I am going to bed.

Thanks to all of you for your love and support.

Clay

Family & Friends

Hello to My Family & Friends...

I am writing this on the eve of my surgery, bright and early tomorrow morning.
We have to be at LDS hospital at 5:30 am Monday morning.

The surgery is anticipated to start about 7am. I didn't find out until this last Friday afternoon what time the surgery would take place, so we were very pleased that I will be the first surgery of the day!

The kids have been here throughout the weekend with us and that has helped keep my mind off of surgery. Not that I am in denial about it, but it is out of my control at this point. I have the best doctors in the area performing the surgery and I feel good about our plan.
Clay and the boys gave me a blessing Saturday night and so I am ready to face what is ahead of me.

I am consuming my last Dt. Coke as I write this...I am thinking I might not like it anymore after the surgery...so we shall see! :) Kelli has put this blog together for me and I wanted you all to know about it so you can be updated any time you want to look at the blog. The address is:
hendersonfam13.blogspot.com

Thank you so much to my Kelli for setting this up for me! It is so nice to have children that are so capable! And Clay said he would help keep it going.

I am a little nervous, but probably in a vain way...I am afraid at the last minute they will tell me they have to shave my entire head instead of just one small area...now that would get me upset!
Anyway, Clay and I feel very blessed with regard to all the circumstances leading up to the surgery. By waiting to have the surgery in January, not only was I able to be with Barb & baby Brooke in November, but our Insurance changed for the better and other little tender mercies that all worked in our favor...we truly are blessed!

Thank you again for all the love, prayers and continued support you have sent our way...I am so blessed to have so many people that care about me and about my family.
Thank you to my work family for making it possible to take 2 months off and still come back to work...Rampton Orthodontics is an amazing support system of its own and I love working their with such dear friends!

Thank you to my family for the joy and happiness and love that they bring to my life...I am who I am because of each and every one of them.

I don't want to be morbid, I would write this even if I was just having my tonsils out...
But one of my biggest fears in life has always been that I would not be able to tell the people I love and care about how much they mean to me.

So, just so I don't have to worry about a single thing in the next few days, other than getting healthy...I want each of you to know how much you mean to me and how much I love you and appreciate all that you have done in my own life or in the life of my family. No act of service, kindness, support, teaching...whatever it might have been, ever went un-noticed!!
Know that I love you and am looking forward to being strong and healthy again, however long it might take!

I am not sure what else I can say at this time, so I will just say, talk to you soon!
All My Love,

Joni:)

First E-mail

Hi to Everyone!
I am writing this to you as a group, but also thinking of each of you individually.
I just wanted to fill you on the lastest happenings in my life...

In the middle of July I had a sudden hearing loss in my right ear, along with vertigo, headaches, tinitus & dizziness. I pursued medical treatment and eventually had an MRI last Tuesday, August 11 and got the results this last Friday afternoon.

It turns out that I have a tumor (most likely begnin) that is located in the nerve lining on the brain behind my ear. It is called an Acoustic Neuroma. I am sure I will be okay. I will be seeing a Neuro-Surgeon this week and will know more then. The hearing loss is supposedly permanent, but of course I believe in miracles so we shall see.

I wanted to make sure you knew about this because this is obviously a major bump in the road for me and our family. I would greatly appreciate any and all positive thoughts and prayers that you wish to send our way.

Each of you have been a real influence at some point in my life and I will greatly appreciate any continued love and support that you wish to share.

I am not the best communicator, but I do want to keep everyone informed as to how things progress...cuz right now we are just waiting for further diagnosis and treatment options.
Please know that I love each of you and truly feel that all will be well and that the Lord will continue to bless us, things could be so much worse.

Just for your info,we are not telling Robbie all the details of this, we don't want to stress him out at this point. We will fill him in on a need to know basis, just incase any of you do communicate with him...he has been out almost 12 months...he is so happy and working so hard, no need to distract him at this time.

Thanks for your love and support!
Joni:)

Surgery preperation

The weekend before the big day we have gathered as family to laugh and just be together. We have an overwelling sense of "We are ready" Through this entire process there have been many decisions and possible paths to consider and issues to resolve. All has come together and we feel good about our plan to deal with this curve ball that Heavenly Father has deceided to throw our way. We want to thank you all for your love and prayers. We appreciate and feel them all. I will try and give updates as things progress.

Clay

November 11, 2008 Email

In case you didn't hear the special "News Break"...Clay & I are officially Grandparents!! :)
It is everything and more than we imagined...we just love her!
Her name is Brooke Taylor Olsen. Born Friday, November 7th at 1:27pm. 6 pounds 4 oz. 19 inches long.
Mom Barbara and Baby Brooke are doing great, Dad Lane too. :)
Clay is worried that I might never come home from Logan!
We love you and are so happy to finally be sharing this wonderful news with all of you.
Love,

Joni

P.S. The 'thing in my head' as I like to call the tumor, is still the same...surgery on Jan. 12th and I would much rather think about Baby Brooke!

September 7, 2008 Email

Hello!
I wanted to let you know our latest news.
Yes, we got the insurance coverage we need...big relief!
So, I scheduled the surgery and it turns out to be Monday, Jan. 12, 2009.
The doctors said I needed to have the surgery in the next 3 to 6 months.
If I were to have a change in my symptoms, get worse, then the surgery would happen right away.

This type of tumor is slow growing. They think I have probably had it for several years already, the tumor just recently getting big enough for me to have the symptoms to even notice it.
So we wait and plan.
I am doing okay...

Yes I have dizziness, headaches, imbalance and fatigue off and on, but I just take each day as it comes. Some days are better than others.
Again, thank you for your support and love.
Take care!
Love,

Joni

August 29, 2008 Email

Hey Everyone,
Thank you for all of your continued interest and out-pouring of love and support.
I am going to be fine.

We saw the oncologist(sp?) on Tuesday to investigate the possibility of radiation, Cyberknife, treatment. Clay felt pretty optomistic about it and to me it sounded too good to be true. Clay kept reminding me to not decide anything until after we met with the Surgeon.
So Thursday afternoon we went to the University of Utah to meet with the surgeon.We had some really good news, the tumor is actually smaller than we orginially were told, so that is good. But after that consultation we both feel that surgery is the best option for me.
If I was 20+ years older then maybe the radiation would be a good option. But there is still so much unknown about the long-term side effects of it. Because I am planning on a long life still ahead of me, with the surgery it can be totally removed. Yes, there are possible serious side effects but it is all tried and true, so to speak. This Dr. is THE guy to do this surgery. They go in above the ear and remove a piece of the skull, remove the tumor and take fat from my abdomin to put as a replacement/cushion and then put the bone back. I asked if that meant I also get a tummy tuck ...he said no, but he did smile just a little bit. One of the big hopes is that the surgery can hopefully not affect the rest of the hearing in my right ear...that is somewhat the unknown with either course of treatment. But if hearing loss is the worst thing to have to deal with when this is all over, I can handle that. However, between Clay's 'natural' work-induced hearing loss and now mine...it's pretty pitifull when we are talking to eachother NOT face to face...we are pretty funny, like a toothache funny!

So, for today at least, that is our plan and it feels good to have a plan.
Of course we also had a curveball thrown at us this last week...but not too big of a surprise I guess, we were told our health insurance would not cover me having treatment at the University of Utah...but we think we have that figured out. We just keep taking each step, one at a time.
Clay has been such an amazing partner in all this. He has gone to the doctor appointments, asked the right questions and literally supported me as I walk, which is often times very off balance!

I will have the surgery either the beginning of Dec. or Jan. The recovery time is 8+ weeks, and because the tumor is not a fast growing kind, the doctor said I have 3-6 months to get the surgery done.

So, in the meantime, we are counting the weeks until Barb & Lane make us first-time Grandparents to a baby girl in November!! We are so excited!

So, that is the latest information...if anything new or important comes up I will let you all know.
Thank you again for all of your love and support. I have great faith that this will all work out just fine.

Take care!
Love,

Joni