12.30 p.m.

Thanks for checking in.

Irene had a massive needle infiltration today, which has pre-empted her from completing dialysis treatment. She's home icing the significant swelling. She returns tomorrow morning where they will endeavor to get her through a complete session.

http://www.mcrh.org/Hemodialysis/35759.htm

Thanks for caring,
Dave

9 p.m.

Irene’s circulation in her hand is worsening and she’s counting down the days to the UCSF procedure (although it’s not as if she is looking forward to the upcoming skirmish). 

This evening she commented that after two hours on the dialysis machine today the pain escalated to an 11 on a 1-10 scale.  Not good.  She endured colossal pain and discomfort but was determined to finish the session so she that didn’t have to return tomorrow.  She’s using hand warmers to promote circulation; her arms even have burn marks on them.

The nausea is raging this evening; the emotions are raw…but she remains faithful.

Irene deeply appreciates the expressions of care and intercessory prayer.

When It Pours, He Reigns,
Dave

Thanks for checking in…!!!

Here’s the latest development.

On Tuesday, July 26, 2011, Irene is scheduled @ UCSF for an Angiogram, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodinated_contrast, using CO2 rather than DYE in order to minimize what remaining kidney function she currently enjoys.

Following the Angiogram she will be admitted at UCSF.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011, Irene will have an Angioplasty procedure, http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=angioplasty, in order to expand the vein diameter in her right arm. This is her FISTULA arm and where the dialysis needles penetrate. Following the procedure UCSF Irene will be dialyzed. We hope that she can be discharged late Wednesday.

Certainly this is not a process that Irene wants to go through but the arm pain has become excruciating after about 2 hours on the machine. She’ll endure 4 more days of dialysis before the procedure is done on July 26.

Angioplasty is the best mitigation measure available with the most amazing medical team on the planet…!!!

Stay tuned and thanks for caring,
Dave

8 p.m.

Thanks for checking in!

Irene’s local vascular specialist believes that the dialysis discomfort is primarily due to poor circulation in her arm. He will consult with her nephrology team in the coming days. If his observation is validated he is recommending an angiogram http://www.vascularweb.org/vascularhealth/Pages/angiogram.aspx to increase the size of the vein in her arm.

Irene has a 3.5 hour dialysis session scheduled for tomorrow to make up for lost time on Monday. Hopefully she can complete the entire session!

On Thursday she is seeing Dr. Charles M. Eichler @ UCSF, the specialist who performed original the FISTULA surgery, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemodialysis#AV_fistula, in 2008.

Thanks for caring,
Dave

3 p.m.

Thanks for checking in.

Irene's had growing challenges at dialysis related to the fistula function.

On several occasions over the last few weeks she was sent home early without completing the sessions. She had dialysis 4 days last week because the challenge is escalating. She came home early again today with an incomplete session.

She has an appointment tomorrow with a vascular surgeon.

Stay tuned and thanks for caring,
Dave

6.30 p.m.

Irene's recovering from 2.5 hours of dialysis treatment today. The medical team iced the region throughout the treatment because the pain was intense. It's a typical evening...raging nausea and chronic fatique.

She gets to return tomorrow for more of the same...

Thanks for caring,
Dave

3 p.m.

Thanks for checking in.

Irene was sent home early today from dialysis treatment because of needle complications and pain. She returns tomorrow so it's another 4 day dialysis week.

Irene is cancelling the plans that she had made for tomorrow...an off day for dialysis. It's certainly emotionally challenging...........

Thanks for caring,
Dave

Happy 4th of July...!!!

I hope you appreciate this article as much as I do......

Author: Paul G. Kengor
I encourage you to set aside the burgers and dogs and soda and beer for a moment this Fourth of July and contemplate something decidedly different, maybe even as you gaze upward at the flash of fireworks. Here it is: Confirm thy soul in self-control.

What do I mean by that? Let me explain.

The founders of this remarkable republic often thought and wrote about the practice of virtue generally and self-control specifically, two things long lost in this modern American culture of self. Thomas Jefferson couldn’t avoid a reference to one of the cardinal virtues—prudence—in our nation’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence, which, incidentally, ought to be a must-read for every American every Fourth of July (it’s only 1,800 words). Our first president and ultimate Founding Father, George Washington, knew the necessity of governing one’s self before a nation’s people were capable of self-governance. As Washington stated in his classic Farewell Address, “’Tis substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.”

A forgotten philosopher who had an important influence on the American Founders was the Frenchman, Charles Montesquieu, whose work included the seminal book, The Spirit of the Laws (1748). Montesquieu considered various forms of government. In a tyrannical system, people are prompted not by freedom of choice or any expression of public virtue but, instead, by the sheer coercive power of the state, whether by decree of an individual despot or an unaccountable rogue regime. That’s no way for human beings to live. There’s life under such a system, yes, but not much liberty or pursuit of happiness; even life itself is threatened.

Montesquieu concluded that the best form of government is a self-governing one, and yet it is also the most difficult to maintain because it demands a virtuous populace. As noted by John Howard—the outstanding senior fellow at the Howard Center for Family, Religion, & Society—Montesquieu noted that each citizen in a self-governing state must voluntarily abide by certain essential standards of conduct: lawfulness, truthfulness, honesty, fairness, respect for the rights and well-being of others, obligation to one’s spouse and children, to name a few.

“Each new generation must be trained to be responsible citizens … to be virtuous and conscientious,” writes Howard in The St. Croix Review. “Once the free society is well-established, the daily life of the family and the society is such that becoming virtuous is not a monstrous chore for the young people.”

Sadly, becoming virtuous has indeed become a monstrous chore in a society not only lacking virtue but eschewing virtue—fleeing virtue like a vampire fleeing a cross. Living life in a good way—what Benedict Groeschel calls The Virtue Driven Life—becomes so alien that the people prefer darkness over light. When virtues are not taught—whether at home, at school, or by America’s educator-in-chief, the TV set—they become unknown and ignored and unfulfilled, desiccated and dead upon the national landscape.

And perhaps saddest of all, as John Howard notes, virtue is something that can be acquired, like learning to speak a culture’s language. Once inculcated, however, it needs to be continuously reinforced by the cultural elements of the society. Virtue needs nourished, like fruitful plants need water and sunlight. Says Howard emphatically: “I want to repeat…. Virtue must be continuously reinforced by the culture.”

We Americans might not think about this much, but we actually sing it fairly often, even if the words don’t sink in. Consider this line from one of our sacred political hymns, America, the Beautiful:

America, America,
God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

That’s the ticket: Confirm thy soul in self-control. Our liberty is enshrined in our laws, but liberty should not be license for opportunities for the flesh. Our liberties, protected and permitted as they are, should not be exploited to do anything and everything we want, including things harmful to oneself, to one’s family, to one’s neighbors, to one’s culture, to one’s country. That misunderstanding and abuse of freedom is what Pope Benedict XVI calls a “confused ideology of freedom,” one that can engender “the self-destruction of freedom” for others.

In truth, a genuine freedom requires responsibility. As the song says—and as Washington and Montesquieu intimated—we must successfully govern ourselves in order to successfully govern our nation.

It’s a timeless concept worth remembering this Fourth of July and every day going forward.

Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College, executive director of The Center for Vision & Values, and author of the newly released Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century. His other books include The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism and God and Ronald Reagan.

5 p.m.

Thanks for checking in.

Irene's dialysis treatment was cut short today because of a needle infiltration. She returns tomorrow for 2 hours. She's very wrung out, battling a raging headache and nausea.

4 days of dialysis this week...

Thanks for caring,
Dave

Thanks for checking in…!!!

June 15, 2011 will officially celebrate and commemorate Irene’s 4th Stem Cell Transplant BIRTHDAY…!!!  It’s sobering and amazing to reflect on all that has transpired.

The photos reflect the recent San Jose KIDNEY WALK which include Irene walking with Jocelyn, Jordan and Vince, Howard and Jane Smalley, Carmen Pedroza.

Special thanks to Matt, Shannon, Caleb and Jake Fidiam, Tresemay Briceno, Howard and Jane Smalley, Carmen Pedroza, Cristy, Matt, Nina and Felix Arnold as well as Kalyn Bertelsen for helping Irene surpass her KIDNEY WALK fundraising goal…!!!

Thanks for caring…to God be the Glory,

Dave

6 pm

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

Certainly that verse is magnificantly manifested in Irene’s life. 

JOYFUL in HOPE, PATIENT in AFFLICTION, FAITHFUL in PRAYER.

Irene did extremely well while JoAnna and I traveled to Israel.  Jocelyn, other family members and friends provided great encouragement and support for her since I was out of the country.  To all of them, THANK YOU...!!!

Irene still experiences some very difficult Monday, Wednesday and Fridays which represent here kidney dialysis treatments.  The nausea rages on those days and chronic fatigue chases her.

Most who see her on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays are not even aware that she is walking a long distance marathon.  Her signature smile and joyful attitude accompany all that shes does.

Thanks for caring so deeply that you regularly check on her status.

Dave

9 a.m.

Thanks for checking in.

Irene’s amazing sister Jane is spending the weekend with us.

Jane delivered an envelope to Irene with the following label:

“for Kidney Walk
To: Tia Rini
from: Tresemay Briceno.”
Inside the envelope was $79.00 in mixed bills.  Tresemay is 8 years old.  She’s been saving for the last year.  She’s Jane’s grand-daughter.  Jane explained to us that Tresemay asked, “How much does a kidney cost?  Can I get a part time job doing dishes or cleaning houses so we can buy Tia Rini a kidney?”  Jane patiently explained the research purpose behind the the “Kidney Walk”.

We’re humbled and inspired by an 8 year old with a HUGE HEART for giving…and hoping for her “Tia Rini” to get a new kidney. 

We’ll convert the cash to a cashier’s check and apply it toward the kidney walk on on June 4, 2011 at the CityView Plaza in San Jose.

Thank you, Tresemay, and may God richly reward the longing of your heart…!!! 

Thanks for caring,
Dave

Take A Life Saving Step...raise money to fight kidney disease!

Irene will be participating in the Kidney Walk on June 4, 2011 at the CityView Plaza in San Jose. 

You can support her efforts by visiting this website:

2011 Kidney Walk

Be a DIFFERENCE MAKER...and act now…!!!

Thanks for your support,
Dave

7 p.m.

We received official word from UCSF today that the Primary Amyloidosis remains in remission…!!!  YAY…!!! 

The official values are as follows:

Kappa Light Chain: 43.9
Landa: 58

The ratios are even better than the last report.  This is GREAT news…we’re celebrating…!!!       

THANKS for caring,
Dave

Dr. Lloyd Damon, Irene’s amazing oncologist at UCSF, is all grins because Irene continues to defy the odds; the Primary Amyloidosis remains in remission.  It’s now approaching 4 years (the stem cell transplant was in June of 2007)!!!  He’s so pleased with her progress that her next appointment is scheduled in October ...!!!

“X” the chronic nausea (which is manageable but brutal at times) and 3 days a week of dialysis treatment, one would never suspect that Irene is plagued with a debilitating disease.

Thanks for caring,
Dave