Update - March 25, 2012
This is Melanie. I just spoke to Leslie and here is an update. Friday night was pretty much hell on earth for the Briggs family. The doctors told Leslie that she needed to pay attention to make sure the constant drip of spinal fluid didn't stop or there would be a problem. Thursday night it stopped dripping. They were concerned and called to find out what to do. They were told to 'keep an eye' on it. Leslie got continually worse. By Friday evening she was shaking and throwing up. Her temperature was 103.8. Hal rushed her to the hospital because these are signs of spinal meningitis. When I talked to him he was very scared and worried about his kids. Their good friend Richard went to the house to stay with the big kids. I have the little girls in Pocatello. Richard stayed with the kids until Hal's brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Kathy, could get there after midnight and stay overnight.
They admitted Leslie to the hospital in Logan. She does have spinal meningitis and was very sick. She made it through the night. They were pumping her full of antibiotics to try and get the infection under control. On Saturday afternoon she was transferred by ambulance to University of Utah Medical Center, where she is now.
Dr. Orlandi returned early from his trip to help with the situation. He explained to Leslie today that because they have her on such a high dose of antibiotic to fight the spinal meningitis that the cells in her body may be sealing the hole. She may not have to have the surgery to fix the bone, which would be a huge blessing.  She will have to be attached to an IV drip for the next 3 weeks.
They will be keeping her in the hospital until Tuesday, at least. Hal has taken the next few days off and really wants to thank his friend Chris for saving him at work. I am very concerned about Hal and his health. He is exhausted with worry and he has not slept much. He is headed for a big crash. I am hoping that he will be able to get some sleep while his wife and children are being cared for.
A big thank you goes to Cindy Ness and her girls for going to Logan to stay with the big kids until Leslie's friend Robin gets there tonight to take over.
Hal and Leslie wanted to make sure that I give everyone a true, heart-felt thank you to all who have given so much to help them. They have an amazing ward and amazing families. Thank you so much to all.

Some good news, Stephanie started last Monday, I took over Wednesday and we are all proud to say that I believe Lucy Briggs is potty trained. No peeing accidents since Wednesday and today she pooped in the potty. She is so proud of her sticker chart and loves all of the special prizes she has earned. Bailey lost her other front tooth last night. The tooth fairy gave her two whole dollars. I seriously think I got 2 dimes. The price of teeth has gone up a lot. Wowziers!
On behalf of Leslie's family we want to thank everyone who has helped us through this challenging time. It is so amazing to watch prayers be answered.

Update-3/22/12

The surgery to repair the spinal fluid leak will be Wed. Mar. 28 @ 4:00 P.M. I had the packing that was placed in my sinusus during surgery removed today. (On my pain scale, it was second ONLY to a bone marrow biopsy.) Dr. Orlandi said it would feel like they were ripping my brain out... pretty good description. I will stay 2 nights in the hospital and then, hopefully, we can begin to put this whole ordeal behind us.

Brought to my home today: 2 rotisserie chickens, a pizza, 2 orders of cheezy breadsticks w/sauce, bag of chips, salsa, 2 bags of green salad, bottle of Ranch dressing, apple pie, 2 cartons of ice cream, and a huge bag of Sweedish fish... and that was just today!
 
HUGE thank you to my sisters, Melanie and Stephanie, for taking care of Bailey and Lucy for the week. What a God-send that has been. I'd forgotten what it feels like to actually be able to rest.

Update-march 20th

There comes a time when you have to shake your fist, shrug your shoulders, furrow your brow, and say "Really? Heavenly Father?... Seriously?..." ...I do have a spinal fluid leak, so as soon as an operating room is available, we are heading back to the U of U hospital to have it repaired.   Many thanks to Melanie and Stephanie for taking Bailey and Lucy this week. Recovery would be much more difficult with 75 lbs of "little girl" constantly bouncing on me. Hal and Leslie

Go away big ugly tumor! And never come back again!

This is Melanie. Leslie said I could let you know what is going on. I went to Logan Thursday night to stay with the kids so that Hal and Leslie could go to the hospital at 5:00 a.m. on Friday. Stephanie and Mom spent the day at the hospital with Hal. A big thanks to Kathleen Parrish and Kendra Burton, who also paid a visit. The surgery was suppose to start at 7:45. She finally went in at around 11:00 a.m. The surgery went very well and Dr. Orlandi feels like he was able to get the whole tumor. There was one little complication. The tumor had grown into the bone that covers the spinal column. When the doctor removed it, it put a hole in the bone and spinal fluid was leaking. He was able to put a membrane over the hole. The recovery will be a little tough though. She is not allowed to sneeze, cough, bend-over, lift anything or have her head below her heart at all or she could damage that membrane. This is going to be very tough for her especially with her little girls. They are busy, active young ladies and demand a lot of attention. Leslie needs to rest and this will make it really hard for her.
Stephanie came to Logan after the surgery and helped me with the kids. We discovered that we are a great child care tag-team. Stephanie is going to take the little girls to Salt Lake until Wednesday then I will pick them up and bring them to Pocatello. We hope this will help Leslie heal and get a lot of rest. Hallie Kate, Carson and Mason should be big helpers for her. Here are some pictures I took over the weekend of the kids and Leslie when she got home from the hospital. Thanks to Jan, Debbie and Janae for the beautiful flowers!

Update-3/18

It's done! Dr. Orlandi is confident that he was able to remove the entire tumor (will know for sure in a couple of months). Just as he suspected may happen, there was a small spinal fluid leak when he removed the tumor from the bone in front of the brain. Somehow he managed to "glue" a membrane down to cover the leak and now I get the spend the next 3 weeks hoping it holds. I am not to bend or lift anything heavier that a gallon of milk. They don't even want me to suck through a straw...but IT IS DONE! YEAH! We confident that I will heal a bit more every day and that we are nearing the end of this jouney. The love and support shown me and my family was overwhelming. Much love.

Update-Wednesday march 14

After the conference call, in which Dr. Orlandi explained what needs to happen during my surgery, Dr. Hunter (the doctor chosen by the ins. co. to perform the surgery) replied, "Oh, I can't do that." ...So now that the ins. co. realizes Dr. Orlandi truly is the only option, they have agreed to pay for the operation in full (not sure why that conversation couldn't have taken place a couple of weeks ago). Hallelujah! Prayers are answered. We are on for Fri. and I have a very calm feeling about what will happen. Thanks for all your prayers and support. 

Update-Tuesday march 13

Get this...we will not get an answer about whether or not the insurance company will cover my surgery until tomorrow...after their med. dir. has a conference call with Dr. Orlandi at 9:00 A.M. Therefore, I had to cancel the 8:00 A.M. MRI (and hope that if  Dr. Orlandi is approved we will be able to get the MRI done sometime before Fri.) We are hoping to have an answer before the P.E.T. scan @ 10:30 A.M. (it would be nice knowing if it will be covered 100% or if we'll have to borrow $7,000-$10,000 to pay for it.) Absolutely the craziest thing I have ever seen. talk about an emotional rollercoaster. Hal and Leslie

Insurance battle

And so begins the fight with the insurance company... they've agreed to pay for the surgery, but not for Dr. Orlandi. They "think" they can find someone in-network who can do the operation. Great... the "think" they can find someone who will not leave me blind, paralyzed...or dead. Call me selfish, but I'd really like a doctor who has actually done this before. According to my doctors, Dr. Orlandi is the only one (in a multi-state area) who can do this type of surgery. Please pray that within the next day or two my insurance company will decide that my life is worth a few extra dollars. If we can work things out with the insurance company, I will have an MRI and PET scan at the Huntsman Cancer Institute next Wednesday (March 14) and the surgery will be on Friday (March 16). I'll let you know what happens. Love you all.
Leslie

Update: 2/29/12

Last Thursday Hal and I met with Dr. Orlandi at the University of Utah hospital. He has decided to surgically remove the tumor from my head. It is located in such a delicate place that Dr. Orlandi is literally theonly Dr. outside of UCLA Medical Center who has the expertise to perform such a surgery. The tumor is located around the optical nerves and extends down to the base of the skull. The major concerns are the possibility of nipping the optical nerves (which could result in vision problems or even blindness) and spinal fluid leaks, which could result from removing the tumor and making the effected bone separating it from the brain too unstable. He also said that there is a pocked section near the bottom which may or may not be cancerous (It may be pocked as a result of radiation). If it cannot be removed, more radiation will need to follow. Yeah... it's a pretty big deal. However, on the bright side, both Hal and I felt very much at peace with Dr. Orldandi. We know we were led to him and, therefore, feel confident that things will turn out alright. The surgery will be on Friday March 16 and all prayers are appreciated (not just for me, but for Hal and the kids, and Dr. Orlandi too). Love you all. 

Update from 1/31/12

Well, unfortunately we are not done with this thing. We learned yesterday that, although the radiation did shrink the tumor, it is not gone, so we continue on this journey. We feel discouraged, but know there is a reason for all of this. Officially, I have a Solitary Plasma Cytoma in the Clavis (bone) of the Sphenoid Sinus (How many of you can say that?). I will go back to the Cancer Center tomorrow for additional blood tests to double check and make sure this thing has not spread, then next Monday we are on our way down to Ogden for another PET scan to see if the tumor is growing. If it is not, the doctor will just watch it closely. If it is growing I will be sent to a specialist in Salt Lake who may be able to remove it. The problem is that it is quite far back in the head in a very precarious place (exactly between the optical nerves). What an adventure this life is turning out to be. Trying to keep the faith. Love you all.

Tuesday, January 24th

I guess I should let people know what is going on...
 
I am finally able to eat again, which is very great. Olive Garden... here I come! I will need to be careful though. Now that I have lost 65 pounds, I need to keep it off.
 
Tomorrow morning (Jan. 25) I will have an MRI to determine if the tumor is gone. I will know the results next Monday, Jan. 30 at 3:30 P.M. when Hal and I meet with my doctor. My doctor seems optimistic that everything will be fine, but I am a little concerned because I am still experience problems with my ears and my sinusus. Prayers are always appreciated. 
 
Love you all. 

Update

 
It's probably time for me to let you know what's going on. It's been hard to get motivated to update my status because I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself. I kept hoping I could get on and say that everything is great, but unfortunately that is not the case. It's actually been a bit more difficult since I finished receiving radiation treatments. I didn't realize that the radiation would continue to effect me after the treatments were over. It's been quite surreal because I can almost feel the radiation moving up through my head. Once the sores in my mouth and throat healed, my sinuses became quite swollen and now that that is improving, my scalp is feeling sunburned. What an interesting adventure this has been. I've had an ear infection for 6 weeks now that is just not healing and I have too many kids and too much to do to be as patient as I need to be. I still cannot eat anything but Ensure, but things are slowly improving. I just didn't realize what an intesive process this would be. (Of course that is because Hal and I decided not to read the literature provided us and just take things day by day.)
 
This experience has certainly changed my perspective about everything. I like to think I am a little kinder and more loving... I am certainly more appreciative of my blessings and empathetic towards others. I am confident that the day will come when we will view this experience as a blessing.
 
Love you all so much.

 
Hal and Leslie

Starting the recovery phase

Hal stayed home today to take care of the kids, get our house back in shape, and let me rest. What an awesome man he is.

Well, I didn't realize this before, but the recovery phase of radiation therapy may actually be more difficult than the radiation itself. I'm having a very difficult time getting enough nutrition and, therefore, enough energy because I cannot eat anything and the nutritional drinks sometimes make me throw up. My nose and throat are very tender and bleed a lot and my skin is burned a bit.

Even though I know I have a few tough months ahead, I feel very blessed to have such competent doctors and state-of-the-art facilities here in Logan. This would have been so much more difficult even a couple of years ago. I would have had to drive to Ogden every day and who knows what I would have done with my children.

I know the Lord is aware of me and my family and the struggles we are going through. He sends me messages of comfort in so many ways and I am so grateful for this.

Final treatment

Well, tomorrow morning will be my final treatment and then, hopefully, the process of rebuilding my body can begin. I feel like the knot at the center of a tug-of-war rope. On one side...my family, friends, doctors, and faith... and on the other...that &^%$&* machine. It's tough to be caught in the middle, but how very grateful I am for those fighting and praying for me. The prayers are real and tangible and so very much appreciated. I know I have a long road ahead because I am having an extremely difficult time forcing myself to eat anything because it all tastes like acid and I have a hard time keeping down those "nutritional" drinks, but I know I'll have to force myself.

Hal wants to build a bon fire and burn my mask, but I think I may regret that because, once I stop hating it so much, it will make for an awesome show-and-tell.

Update: 9/26/11

Tomorrow I will begin my final week of radiation treatments. At this point I am just hoping time will pass as quickly as possible. I am suffering a lot with the sores that cover my tongue and throat and having a very difficult time eating or drinking anything because the radiation has destroyed my sense of taste. I am forcing myself to drink a Carnation instant breakfast 3X day (not easy because I do not like milk) and then doing what I can with rice cakes, chicken broth, and hard boiled eggs (the only thing I have found that tastes a little like it is supposed to taste). YUMMY! I was truly feeling sorry for myself as I watched my family eat the Pizza Hut pizza, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks they had for dinner.

Hal is stressed and overworked, but he has been so kind and supportive. I have no idea how I would get through this without his support and willingness to listen to my occassional...O.K....constant...babywhining. He is a very good husband.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.

From Melanie

From Melanie:
The experience that Leslie has been going through has really been a horrible time for her and for Hal. My heart goes out to her and I am so glad that she is almost done. There has been one or two really great things that have come out of it though. I have had the opportunity to get to know Leslie and Hal's kids better and I can tell you that they are delightful. One of the big concerns Leslie had when she was diagnosed was the well-being of her children. I offered to help anyway I could but I will tell you that they brightened my life much more.

After the horrible flood in their house, I offered to take the four little ones to Pocatello with me and have a sleepover. Mason wasn't very interested in going to see Cinderella but the other kids were. Thank you so much to Jan and Alan Frew, Debbie King, Kimberly and Zach Miller who helped me buy them some new clothes for the big night. We went to Mystique to see the show and the little girls loved meeting Cinderella for reals. Bailey kept asking me questions all through the show, "Is that the real Fairy Godmother, is that the real King, is that carriage really flying, are the rats real?. She loved it. After the show, the whole cast was really great with them but they really loved Cinderella. Great times.

Carson has always wanted to going fishing. I want to thank Jordan and Terry for taking him fishing. He caught two fish all by himself. Jordan and Carson caught their first fish ever that day. Victoria took Hallie Kate shopping and bought her some new back-to-school clothes and gave her a new hair cut. Hallie Kate is a very bright, very charming young lady and Carson is all boy. He is very quiet unless you talk about fishing or baseball. We bought him a Yankees shirt and hat. He was so grateful but was very quiet about it. The little girls are simply amazingly adorable.

Thank you to Hal and Leslie for raising such super little people. I will always appreciate getting to know them better!

Lucy, Bailey with Cinderella at Mystique




The Briggs kids having a candy hunt

Hallie Kate with her little sisters

Halfway there

My last treatment will be Sat. Oct. 1., so that makes 10 down...10 to go. Saw the Dr. today. Unfortunately I have a yeast infection in my sinuses, so that complicates things a bit. The infection was likely caused by the steriods. Oh why can't things be easy? Right now I am mainly suffering from sore throat, swollen sinuses, and congestion. I was given an antibiotic for the infection and hopefully that will help. I mentioned in my last post that the radiation has dramatically changed the smell and taste of everything. Basically everything tastes the same, from water to chololate... similar to what I imagine arsenic would taste like. At least I lost 6 pounds this week, so I guess that's one minuscule silver lining.

Nine down

Nine treatments down. I'm having some very interesting side-effects now. The radiation has completely changed the way everything tastes, including water. It's really interesting, in a blind taste test I'd probably not be able to identify even the most basic food. Weird!

I feel that if I can get through this upcoming week, I can begin the home stretch. Knowing your thoughts and prayers are with me and my family (at least Hal...the kids still think cancer is the greatest thing ever to happen to our family...food...attention...playdates...kind parents...) truly does make all the difference. We love you all so much.

Getting tougher

Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers. Things are definately getting tougher. Can't lay flat because of the swelling in the throat and the soreness has worsened. However, after tomorrow's treatment I will be halfway to the minimum goal of 18 treatments. Hal is able to come and be with the girls during the treatments and then ladies of the ward are able to take them for a while so I can rest. Everyone has been so wonderful. Love you all.

More side effects

Dr. Ingersoll wants to do somewhere between 18-25 treatments. I've done 6 (1/3 of the way to the minimum...hard to stay optimistic). Now that the radiation is building up in my system, the side effects are starting to show up (sore throat, burning on the face, nausea...). I'm just taking it minute-by-minute, knowing the day will come when I'll be glad I did this. I am starting to feel as though this may be the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, but at the same time I realize that it could be much worse.

By the way, if you happened to see the video that went viral yesterday (of the people who pulled the burning car off of the motorcycle rider), my radiologist, Matt, was the big guy lifting near the rear tire. It's comforting having a real-life hero taking care of me.