April Already!?!

O.K.  Somehow I missed February and March.  Dennis is doing fine.  He has not experienced any improvements since I last blogged, but the benefits that he has already received from the treatment - incredibly increased energy levels, increased balance, disappearance of swallowing issues - have continued.  He had a bad cold at the end of January and anytime there is sickness, MS symptoms become more pronounced.  While this did happen with his mobility, the issues that disappeared after treatment did not reappear while Dennis was ill.  Praise God!   It seems that the improvements made will be lasting ones.

We received a call from his neurologist - wondering where he has been!  (He can't make any money if we don't go!)  Dennis explained that he was not interested in taking novantrone - a chemotherapy and the only drug available for secondary progressive MS.  The nurse that he spoke to said that was fine and suggested that he go back on Tysabri.  We are baffled by this because Tysabri is an experimental drug for relapsing remitting MS, not secondary progressive. At this time we do not see a need for Dennis to go to a neurologist.  We are hoping that our family doctor will prescribe Dennis' medicine when it needs refilled.  (He takes baclofen for spasticity in his muscles.)

We do want Dennis to begin seeing a physical therapist.  While we can do the exercises that we were shown in Costa Rica, I just don't feel like I know enough to really help him improve.  I think he also might benefit from a brace on his left hand - something to wear occasionally to help retrain his muscles to hold his hand open.  He can open his hand with a conscious effort, but his hand naturally wants to close into a fist.

The rest of the family is doing well.  A synopsis of the last couple of months:  We have made two overnight trips to the metroplex - the kids and I go to have fun while Dennis is at meetings! The first trip we spent the night at the Great Wolf Lodge which has a huge indoor waterpark and the second trip the kids and I got to shop at Ikea.  In February I went to a Whole Heart Conference for moms hosted by Sally Clarkson and the following weekend Madi and I went to a conference for girls at First Baptist in Vernon.  We spent a few days at Gram & Pawpaw's while the kid's cousins were on Spring Break.  Last week some friends came and spent the night with us and then we went to a Fossil Dig at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.  It was so fun to ride in the open air bus and feed the giraffes!  The kids began basketball in January and finished in early March.  At the end of the season an award is given to the most Christ-like basketball player.  One boy and one girl are chosen from all of the teams.  Our Matt was given the Christ-like award for the boys.  We were so proud!  

Actually, some of our favorite times are just hanging out at home.  We camped out on the trampoline one night.  Dennis and the boys have replaced toilet seats.  : )  We hung rings (the gymnastic kind) in the hallway and the kids have loved them.  I finished painting Nate's room - a project I began a year and a half ago.  I have also started painting my utility room orange! Dennis was hesitant, but I told him, "It's just the laundry room!"  Now I will have a bright and cheery place to do laundry.  We are also currently mummifying a chicken - part of an ancient Egypt homeschool project.  We will see how Pharaoh Cluck-A-Tut smells in six weeks!

 Today in Sunday School with my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders we talked about sheep.  (We even made paper sheep and ate pudding sheep!)  I was reminded that we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.  Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:27-28)

Celebrating Easter,

The Trammell Family 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Dennis continues to do well.  He is trying to re-establish his physical therapy routine after the holidays.  He rides a recumbant bicycle and then we do stretching exercises.  For Christmas, the kids and I gave him a Wii Fit.  It is a balance board that you stand on to play video games on the t.v. using your balance.  There are balance games, yoga exercises, aerobics, and strengthening games.  This has been a wonderful addition to Dennis' physical therapy.  He loves the balance games and proudly has the family high score in skiing and soccer-ball heading - 2 of the balance games on the wii.  His balance as well as his energy level seems to be much improved since the stem cell treatments in Costa Rica.

As many of you may have heard, Costa Rica had an earthquake last week.  I checked on Edward and his family via email and they are fine, but as of last Friday, about 300 people were still missing.  The epicenter of the earthquake was at the Poaz volcano - the one we visited!  It is about 22 miles from San Jose.  According to a blog of a woman who is in Costa Rica receiving treatment right now, the quake was felt in San Jose.  They lost power and there were some broken windows, but the main damage from the quake was closer to the volcano.

Over the holidays, we had the joy of meeting a young man from Ohio who has MS and is considering treatment in Costa Rica.  We met with him and his girlfriend, who lives in Austin.  He had a wonderful testimony of how God has used MS to bless his life and to draw this young man closer to the Lord.  He is 34 and in a wheelchair due to MS.  Please pray for him as he prepares to make the trip to Costa Rica.

My goal for the New Year is to update this blog monthly, around the first.  Dennis progress is slower and more gradual now, so I think monthly updates will be sufficient.  He will be attending a luncheon tomorrow with others who have gone to Costa Rica for treatment.  They have developed a questionnaire so that they can track everyone's improvements.  It will be interesting to compare compare notes with everyone.

Please feel free to pass our contact info. to anyone that is considering this type of therapy.  We will be happy to visit with them, answer questions - whatever they need.  We hope y'all have a wonderful 2009!

Love, 

The Trammell Family

Weekly Update #8 & #9

Hello!  We hope you are enjoying the Christmas season.  I'm sorry that I didn't post a blog last week, we have been out of town off and on over the last week and I never sat down to post!

Last week, after an amazing concert at the Dallas Symphony with Michael W. Smith, Dennis and I stayed overnight to eat lunch with a group of people who have traveled to Costa Rica or have plans to travel to Costa Rica to treat Multiple Sclerosis.  It seems like such a small thing to each lunch with people who struggle with the same condition, but we both found it so encouraging. Dennis was able to interact with people who share his daily struggles and was also able to compare notes with them regarding treatment.  There are those who have suffered the debilitating effects of MS far beyond what Dennis has experienced and your heart goes out to them and you become even more grateful for the abilities that you do have.  

Dennis continues to do well.  We have seen significant - and almost immediate -  improvement in the areas of energy, balance, cognition (the ability to think clearly and verbally express your thoughts), and swallowing.  When talking to others, these were areas - especially energy and cognition - that they noticed the most significant change.  The physical movements, like walking, are improving at a much more gradual rate.  Dennis continues to ride his recumbant bike daily and I help him with the exercises for physical therapy.

I will try to update once more before the holidays and then I will probably wait for the New Year.  Thank you again for keeping up with us.  Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Trammell Family

Happy Thanksgiving! - #7

Words can not express our gratitude to God for all he has done in our lives this past year.  It was such a blessing to travel to Costa Rica as a family and to make memories that will last a lifetime.  I am so thankful to God for giving Dennis the opportunity to receive a stem cell treatment and for giving my kids and I an opportunity to experience foreign missions. 

Dennis continues to do well.  We are approaching the 8th week since treatment, the average timeframe in which people begin to see improvements.  We have been blessed to have already seen marked improvement in Dennis' abilities, and we continue to pray that God will finish the healing work that he has started in Dennis.

It is our prayer that God will use our experience, our blog, our mission efforts, and our very lives to bless and encourage others.  We have been blessed and received more than we could ever give.

Our Cup Overflows,

The Trammell Family

"I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:3-6

Weekly Update #5 & #6

Hello!  I'm sorry I did not post last week.   I was out of town on and off for much of the week, and never did make time to blog.

Dennis has had a good week.  The week prior, it seemed that his body was fighting a virus or maybe just allergies.  His energy level was lower and he could tell that he was not "up to par". This week, however, he is back to the new normal.  His energy level continues to be much higher than before treatment.  Not long ago he was driving at about 3:00 in the afternoon and he realized that  he didn't have the feeling of fatigue/sleepiness that occured in the afternoons before treatment.  He was so excited!  On Saturday he was home with the boys and he was able to work on various projects with them throughout the entire day.  He just didn't have the energy to do that before.   

Dennis continues to ride his recumbent bike daily.  One of the exercises that he does for physical therapy requires him to lie on his back and bring his left leg to a bent position.  His ability to do this prior to treatment was almost non-existent.  After treatment we discovered that if I held his ankle, he could do the rest of the work to bend his leg.  Now I just barely hold on to his foot.  Last week there was one time he was able to bend his leg almost completely without any assistance from me.

We are praising God for the "new normal".  We continue to pray and believe that God will finish the healing work that he has started in Dennis.  Thank you for keeping up with us!

Love,

The Trammell Family

Weekly Update #4

We have been home from Costa Rica for almost a month now. Dennis is still showing signs of improvement. As we have mentioned before, his energy levels, balance, and ability to move his arm and leg are all improving.

Last week I explained that Dennis was going to try to taper off the Baclofen medication that he takes for spasticity. He went from 5 pills to 4 without any effect, so on Thursday he reduced his medication to 3 pills. He has noticed a difference in his muscles, they seem to be tighter, harder to move. He may go back to 4 pills and stay there for a while.

Dennis' left ankle has been swollen for several months, at least since January of this year. We were concerned that this swelling might inhibit his movement. After considering this, we wondered if the brace that he started wearing in January, might be causing some of the swelling. He has started taking the brace off and elevating his foot when he knows he is home for the rest of the day. (A great excuse to lay on the couch and watch football!) On the days that he does this, we have noticed that some of the swelling is alleviated and it is easier to work with that ankle when we do Dennis' daily physical therapy.

Thank you for checking in with us. Thank you also for praying for us as God continues to bring healing to Dennis' body.

This is such a beautiful time of year. God's creativity and artistry is all around us as we enjoy the fall weather and the fall colors. We hope y'all have a great week!

Love,
The Trammell Family

Weekly Update #3

Hello all!  I am actually blogging on Sunday!  

We have been home for three weeks and continue to see improvements.  Dennis has an increasing amount of energy.  After preaching today, he noticed an improvement in his ability to walk and maneuver.  Before, he would be tired from standing to preach and would sit and rest for a time before we left the church and again before we ate lunch.  If we went out to eat, he depended on his cane to get in and out of the restaurant.  Today he came home, sat for a few minutes to drink a glass of water, and then went to buy a paper.  He was able to go into the store for the paper without the use of  his cane!

Dennis takes a drug called Baclofen for the spasticity in his muscles.  This week he decided to gradually go off of the medication, to see how it affected his recovery.  He decreased his dose from 5 pills to 4 on Thursday and 3 days later, he hasn't noticed a change, so the assumption is that he doesn't need the pill. He will decrease his dose 1 pill/week until he either notices a negative effect due to not having the drug or until he is off the drug entirely.  A side effect of Baclofen is that it makes you sleepy, so going off of the drug, even partially, should increase Dennis' energy as well.

Thank you so much for keeping up with us.  If you know of anyone who could use this information, please share it with them.  Feel free to share our email addresses as well.  God is so good and we want to continue to testify to his infinite mercy and grace in our lives.

Blessings!

The Trammell Family