Joey spent the night with constant nausea. I got in here this morning and he was white as a ghost! Dr. Starks was in (of course I could never get up in time to see him because he is here at like 6am!!) and told Joe that around 2pm they are going to take him in and drain his gallbladder through a tube. As I had mentioned last night, they do not want to operate on him as it is too soon after his last operation with the chemo. He has not been up much since he has been in here because he has been in so much pain. I am hoping once they drain his gallbladder, he will be able to move around a lot more. After that, they will have to see if he will be able to take on food again. If that happens, maybe we could get him home tomorrow. Only time will tell.
I am letting him sleep for now...headed to the shop to get some work done. His room is nice and peaceful. He gets to look out over the river, which really makes us ache for home!! Cameron surprised us last night by coming home for the weekend :) I plan on spending as much time with him today as possible. Next Friday, he will be home for good!!! Just in time for me to go to Portland haha!! My stay will be short and sweet, so I would rather he be home with this Dad anyway.
I will let you all know how the procedure goes this afternoon and hopefully know more about the length of his stay here. Until then...
God Bless and {{hugs}} to all!

I know I posted that Joey was not feeling very well, but I guess even I underestimated super Joe! 9pm Wed. brought us to EMMC because his pain was so severe. For EMMC's Emergency Dept to move him from my car to a ED critical care room in 15 minutes from start to finish, you know how bad he looked and felt. They were absolutely wonderful here (meaning we are STILL here) and we are certainly lucky to have Dr. Starks as Joey's Dr. in Bangor.
It is now Thursday night at 7:45 and we are still waiting on 1 more test...CAT scan. They feel his gallbladder has a blockage, but they do not want to operate on him so soon after his chemo treatment. Dr. Starks and Dr. Rutstein (in Portland) are conferring and will make a decision HOPEFULLY tonight as to what and where they are going to do his treatment. Please do not be alarmed, as right now Joey is as comfortable as he has been in 2 weeks!! They have finally found a pain med that does not make him nauseas and that keeps his pain away. Has been quite the dance to find the right med partner for him!! Not only is this new med working, many outragious things have been coming out of his mouth! He will be sound asleep and he will wake up with a start and break right out in full conversation. Not sure who he is talking to or about, but we play right along and he is happy as a clam :)
I will let you know as soon as his scan is read and the next plan of action takes place. If we have to return to Portland, then so be it. We've really missed the staff down there anyway. If we can stay right here, then happy with that, too! Whatever it takes!!! Will probably be in the hospital a couple of days because he is back on IV's.
God Bless and {{hugs}} to all.

Yesterday has officially taken its toll on Joey today. He has been extremely tired and the nausea is back. He had his Reiki session this morning and he thought maybe that was what was making him so tired. As the day has gone on, it seems to be getting worse. He did make it a point to get outside for his walk in between rain drops though!! All he talks about is that he wants to get up to the office just so he can go over things and maybe do a little work. I am doing my best to hold him back, but maybe he just needs to spend an hour there just to get it out of his system. This is normally the time of year we hire back all of our men, so it seems a little weird right now.
We have had a couple of visitors this afternoon, which really breaks up the day. Joey's "mentor" John Peters, who was diagnosed with lung cancer about two weeks before Joey was diagnosed with his disease, stopped by today and that really boosted his spirits. John is the one we hired when we decided to expand Lynch Construction and started doing the earthwork. He ran that part of our business until we decided to stop building and just focus on the earthwork part. He and Joey are like father and son!
A friend came over the other day and got all of our dock furniture out and cleaned, so now I have to get it off my front lawn! Not a very pretty site right now. This weekend, we have some neighbors who are getting together to put in our dock. Can't wait!! Now I can get my front yard organized!! I hear the weekend is suppose to be warm and sunny, so I know where you'll be able to find us!
A friend of my brother always used to have a saying every time you asked him what the weather was going to be. His reply was always "Sunny and 80!" no matter what time of year. That is now my new theme. No matter what we are going to be facing in the up coming months, in my head I need to be thinking...Sunny and 80! That does wonders for me right now anyway!!
Well, not much news on the home front. Just love the fact that you are all still following the blog. Keep those postings coming! (For those of you that are still having problems, try to sign in under anonymous then post your comment. If you sign up for a google account, you can also post. Good Luck!)
Until tomorrow, God Bless and {{hugs}} to all.

We are in Portland and Joey is now staple free...Yeah!!  He is felling good enough to turn around and head back home.  Joey's appt went really and Dr. Rutstein told him she did not need to see him until the day after my surgery.  This will make it easier on our schedule, too.  We talked with her about Joey's pain and she has put him on the track to get him comfortable.   We are with Cameron right now and grabbing something to eat before hitting the highway.   Talk to you all once we get back home!

I know it has been a couple of days, so we need to play catch up here...
Saturday and Sunday were fun days with lots of visitors. We especially like it when we get to watch the little ones playing in the stream trying to catch the fish. Joey had lifelong friends Greg, Joe and Bill come to visit on Sunday. They laughed for hours while talking about their old escapades. By the end of their conversations, I realized two things: They are all very lucky to be alive and I am amazed they never spent any time in jail!! But one thing is for certain, they stuck up for each other back then, just as they still do now. It was wonderful to see these guys having so much fun! (Russ, I think maybe these are some of John Bapst finest that you were curious about!)
Yesterday Joey finally got a chance to "go for a ride!!"...we went to Caleb's first tennis match of the season aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand he WON! We had a chance to see quite a few friends, which was really nice. Even the boys that were on the team and some of them just watching made it a point to come up to Joey and me to give us some hugs. Love that!!
Today is a big day. We are off to Portland to hopefully get Joey's staples out. He is still in tremendous pain, but if you all know Joey like I do, he is a man of incredible strength! We will be discussing his pain situation with the Doc today. Am worried a little about the traveling part, so we are going to bring our overnight bags just in case. We have to travel back down on Monday and Tuesday for two pre-op appointments for me. Joey really wants to come along, so today will be a good trial run for him. Good think we like Portland and have great friends there to visit! Plus, Cam is still there so we get to spend time with him today, too.
I will let you all know how our trip goes, so until then...
God Bless and {{hugs}} to all!

Having a great day today. We've had several visitors and each time we've gone down to the brook to watch the suckers run. (For those of you who do not know what suckers are, they are bottom feeder fish that swim up the stream beside our house to spawn.) It has been fun to watch the kids that have been here to get in the stream with rubber boots on and try to catch the fish with their bare hands. We were hoping that the blackflies and mosquitos were going to miss us this year, but they are already out in full force. We are hoping that they don't like our chemo or radiation so they won't bite. If you look outside and see glowing mosquitos, you'll know they've been at our house and that we are inside itching profusly!!
Joe is starting to get more energy and eating a lot better...looks like his sense of humor is returning too!! Going to Joey's follow up on Tues. Hopefully he'll get his staples removed. He is healing great and he is looking forward to standing up straight soon!! Will keep you posted.
God Bless and {{hugs}} to all!

We finally have my surgery date: May 17. I guess I have a lot of cleaning and organizing to do before anyone comes to help us around the house!! My friends Bronwen, Shelley and Joanne did a lot of cleaning out while we were in Portland with Joey. After taking a look at our pantry and all of the food they took out, I was on a mission to "get organized." They even found a package of food dated 1997!! Anyone want me to cook dinner for them?? Caleb keeps going to the basement where they stored the "bad stuff" and sneaking it back upstairs to eat it. He feels starving to death will a lot more painful than eating what they took away! (Just kidding Bronwen!!) Joey and I are really trying to change our eating habits to enhance our immune systems. I have stepped outside of the box more than once these past few weeks and tried things I've never thought would pass through these lips. And the funny thing is...it was really good!! Joey is still real cautious as to what he eats right now, so he hasn't experienced some of the things I have yet. You just wait until he gets better. He won't know what has hit 'em!!
Joey is eating a lot better now and sleeping though the night. He is also very vigallant with his daily walks. He hardly even watches TV...imagine that!! Many phone calls have come through from old friends and you can see how it brightens his day! He writes, reads and sits on the screened porch watching the ducks, loons and otters in the cove. He's starting to talk to them and give them names, so I think he is getting ready to see more visitors!!
Here is to friends and family and hopefully a beautiful summer on the lake!
God Bless and {{hugs}} to all!!

Sorry this is so late, but between getting home really late last night and a very busy day today, we are now finally getting to you all!
Update on Kerri: Yesterday's appts. with the surgeons went extremely well. Dr. Lisa Rutstein (same doc as Joey) is my cancer doctor. She will be performing the double mastectomy then Dr. Brandon Claytor will be the surgeon doing my reconstruction. There were a couple of things I learned yesterday that I was not planning on, but realize needs to be part of the plan...I will have to have chemo...YUCK!!...and the reconstruction will take about a year to complete. I guess if I want 'em to look good it is going to take time, right?? My brother made me feel great about the chemo part...He told me that all I needed was a nice wig and a set of "Billy Bob" teeth and I would be good to go!! Thanks Lee!! Love your support LOL!!
My surgery will be taking place the week of May 17. This is good because that puts Joey 6 weeks out from his operation, so it looks pretty good that he will be able to be with me throughout my "ordeal." I know how I felt about being by his side the whole time he was in the hospital, so I can relate to his wants and needs to be with me. It is certainly a comfort zone.
Now, a word from Joey:
"Thanks for all of the posts and cards. They mean a lot to ALL 4 of us! I just got a card from a group of boys that I have coached from all different sports in the past and it really warmed my spirits. It was so touching to think these boys had such kind words for both me and Kerri.
It was hard not being able to be with Kerri in Portland yesterday, but between my brother Don and sister Jenny, they made sure I was pampered just fine!! I also had to endure a night without her, so Caleb decided he'd come lay with me and we just talked about everything. Caleb and Cam always make fun of me with my "life lesson" stories, so I tried not to make the conversations too deep!! We have always been able to talk to our boys about anything and this situation is no different, which makes it a little easier moving forward.
I am starting to eat better and went outside today for 3 walks. My goal is to gain some weight here, even though I've never been on the large side, but with all of the great food people are sending our way, it looks like I am well on my way!! I am still quite sore, but it is feeling a little better every day. Only on Tylenol for pain and am just getting my digestive system going again. Even got to have a whoopie pie before Kerri ate them all! Delicious!!
Our spirits are high and we wish you all well. God Bless."

WE ARE HOME :) Joey says "hi" to everyone! He says..."It was nice finally getting out of the hospital and a little more emotional than I thought it would be, because as I left, all of the emotions of the past 3 weeks started rolling forward like a freight train! From finding out about myself, then Kerri, going through the two operations so far, it has all seemed like a blur. I thank you all for the cards and nice words; and I can feel the power of your love and prayers. Kerri and I know we are still at the beginning of this, but because of friends and family like you it makes it easier to continually be moving forward and not looking back. One thing that we cannot forget is that we are travelling this journey with our wonderful boys by our side. They have been so strong, but we cannot forget what it must be like for them.
We are receiving blessings everyday. A neat one was upon my arrival at home I noticed how the road had been freshly graded up into the neighborhood baseball field. As we drove up to see all of the hard work (Mark!!!) that had been done to prepare the field for this years Little League practices, I saw my little friend Addison playing in the sand box. This brought back a flood of memories and reitterated the reason why we built that field in the first place. Thanks again to everyone."
My turn..."It does seem nice to be home, but unfortunately I am turning around this afternoon to go back to Portland for my appts. tomorrow. It will be too long of a day to do it all at once, so my Mom and I opted to go down today and spend the night with my friend Donna. I probably won't post anything tomorrow, because it will be too late when we return. (my appts are spread out from early morning to late afternoon :( ) However, I will post on Wed. with my new findings! Joey is lookin' good...he just needs a constant reminder to go sit down and DRINK LOTS OF WATER!...maybe he really is listening to me and the reason he is getting up a lot is to go pee!! On the way home yesterday he had me stop at Irving to get him banana bread. OK, this guy has not eaten anything for 12 days, except for a half piece of toast and a couple of popsicles, and he wants banana bread!! He did eat quite bit for his first time and it seemed so good! This just proves he is on the mend. We like that.
I will post again on Wed. and until then, God Bless and lots of {{Hugs}} to all!

It is absolutly amazing what a shower can do for one's soul. Joey had his first one this morning and a new man emerged from the bathroom!! Because he is feeling much better and they decided to remove the IV 's, it looks like we may be coming home this afternoon!! He still is not eating, but has gone back to liquids and the doc feels that is all he needs. Food will come in time. We are getting ready to go for a walk then we will make our plan for later.
We'll keep you posted!

You are probably wondering why I have not updated you today...I actually headed home for the day to get some work done at the office. We thought Joey might be able to come home either today or tomorrow, but that has been postponed until probably Tues. The wall he hit was a little bigger than we thought. He is now back on IV fluids and not drinking or eating. Kind of back where we started from...except for the actual operation! When I got back my first reaction was as to how good he looked!! He is actually DREAMING of food...very unusual for Joey Lynch!! The plan is to get him hydrated enough so they can slowly ween him off the IVs and then reintroduce him to clear liquids then onto solids.
Joey's brother Donny came down to stay with him while I was "up north" and I thank him for that. It has been nice to have the blog for our correspondence so Joey is able to get your messages and get his rest at the same time. This way when we come home we'll be able to see you all with a well rested patient!
Hopefully we'll be home soon, so until then keep those messages of hope and good cheer coming!!

Well Jenny, his oompa loompa blue day is now only a bad memory. He was put back on an IV today only to replenish the fluids he missed yesterday. They decided to pull back the solid foods for now, but I must say, he looks great. I think his biggest problem now is the reflux. Again, thanks to nurse Jenny, we got a fix on order and he should get his first dose within the hour. He never has really explained the reflux feeling to the Dr., only the fact he felt the nausea. I think that is now under control. The Dr. assured him that he would have bad days and not to let this get him down. I think he totally understands this now. When we do get home, I am going to have to be careful as to not let him get too overtired. I am going to keep the blog going all of the way through to my surgery date, so stay tuned!! :)

From the man: "Hi guys. I really enjoy it when Kerri reads your posts to me. I really am not in much pain anymore, just the worst part is that I feel like I have an extreme case of integestion. Once the meds for this kick in, I am sure I will be leaps and bounds closer to coming home. Maybe tomorrow, but probably Sunday."

Had a good nights sleep...probably the best yet, but having a problem keeping the food in. They are going to put him back on IV fluids for the day, just to get him back to where he needs to be. Dr. came in this morning and reassured us that he really is doing great. Also reminded Joe that these "walls" will appear every now and then and not to get discouraged. If he needs to take a break from the regular food, that is perfectly acceptable. Joey also made the decision to for-go the oral meds for now (i.e.: tylenol, ibuprofen) because his stomach is so raw. His stomach wasn't very tolerant of these before his surgery, so really no issue there. Doc agreed with him as long as he can tolerate the pain...which he is doing very well.
Note to sister Deb: I know it is tough being so far away, but please know he is in great hands here and believe me, they have tried many things to ease the nausea. The chemo he received was 40x stronger than a regular dose would be, so we do have to take that into consideration. I promise you he is doing great! When you get here this summer, rest assured he will be spending lots of time with you because he won't be going anywhere for quite a while!! Love you!!

Good evening to all. I wish tonights blog could be as positive as the ones in the past, but do have to say that Joey has had a rough day today. He felt real tired this morning, but wanted to get up and going, so even before I went down to breakfast, we went for 2 1/2 walks around the loop! This tired him out, so he took a nap while I went to get something to eat. The nausea never seems to subside and it is really getting to him. His Mom and Charlie came to visit (along with his Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Arthur) which was a very welcome site!! But after they left, he started sinking fast. I won't go into detail, but let me just say it was "blue!" I don't think he will ever be able to look at a blue Powerade bottle the same again!
I left him alone for most of the evening: went to dinner with Cam, then a friend of mine met me and we went out for a walk. When we returned, he looked a little better, but was ready to call it a night. I wish when he went to bed that he wouldn't be bothered until HE decided to wake up...but the nurses do have their job to do. I will tell you this...the nurses and CNA's here are unbelievable. Even if they are working and don't have Joe, they sneak in just for a quick visit and to check up on us :)
Pray for him to have a good night sleep tonight and here is to a better day tomorrow.
Good night and love to all.

The night went well as we transferred from frightening dreams to very productive ones!! Joey has us expanding our business and even has our new staff hired...some of you just don't know it yet!!! :) It was probably because I pulled my bed over beside him so we could be side by side that he had such a good nights sleep...what do ya think?!? The nurse came in and just went "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwe!" I think a picture was even taken!!!
This morning he was given the OK for a normal diet, so he had cream of wheat for breakfast :) then after breakfast, he went for a walk all on his own. I wish you could see him stopping by the different rooms and talking or just waiving to the patients. He really should be a politician!!
Oh, forgot to mention this one...they took out all of his IV's!... but if we could just get this nausea think under control. It is a constant and it really p*#@%* him off!!
We are still hoping to break out of here either tomorrow or Saturday. Hey Danny...Got that motorhome ready for us??? Don't worry though, I'll drive :):) You can still pay the tolls if you'd like. (Joey even mentioned you could pay for the gas!)
Joey is so looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone, so until I have some more earthshattering news, which will probably be this afternoon, I am signing off for now.
{{Hugs and Kisses}} Kerri

After the news on this morning's post, could things get any better? Well, yes they can! Joey got to eat a slice of peanut butter toast and pudding!! You would have thought he was eating at a fine restaurant. He savored every bite. Caleb was here to witness this milestone event, too. Not only did he get to eat, he practicly ran down the hall everytime we went for a walk.
No news is good news as far as the ultrasound goes, so I guess we can set that worry on the back burner. His feet are still quite huge, but that too will subside.
We did have a few visitors today, which was a wonderful distraction to our otherwise quiet day. Caleb really needed a "Dad day", so he took some time off from school. Cameron stopped by a couple of times, as did Bry. We love this family time! Talk to you all tomorrow. Hopefully more good news!!

Didn't get a chance to write last night as it was pretty busy...for Joey, more tests, for me it was a more social...so hear goes it:
They finally ended up taking him in for his ultrasound for the fluid at around 8:45pm. Still no word yet on that.
He had an awesome nights sleep! The first thing I noticed this morning when I got up was how good he looked. Doc came in around 6:30am to tell him she is going to ween him off his IV meds, so that means he has to drink enough on his own to support oral meds. Another hurdle to jump!
Everyday he looks better and better. I must say that we've had a few moments where we just break out laughing because his humor has certainly come back!! It is amazing what running water and singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" will do to make someone pee!!! I guess you probably needed to be there!
I don't know what I would do without this blog. The outpouring of love and support is incredible! We've had messages from all over...My next door neighbor from growing up, Joey's buddies from growing up, cousins from out of state and even from our friends we met on our cruise back in January!! Not to mention our dear friends in our everyday lives. I know there are a lot of you who read the blog, but don't post anything (and that is certainly OK!!) but just knowing you are all there is support enough.
Last night Joey and I had a discussion about when I am here and he needs to do the updates. He's a little apprehensive about this, so we may be looking for a secretary!! It looks like I will be 2-3 weeks out for my surgery. I'll know more on Tues. 4/20.
Well, all for now. Caleb is coming down today, we are so looking forward to that. We miss him soooooooo!!!!! It is strange not having him here with us. Plus we are not used to seeing Cam, but now we are seeing him on a daily basis! Love that part! It will be a Good Day when we are all together again.
{{Hugs and Kisses}} Joey and Kerri

Guess what...Joey's eating a popsicle!! He also has green jello to enjoy. That's the good news. Now for the not so good...He still is full of fluid. His right side seems to be puffier than the left, so he is going for another ultrasound later this afternoon. His blood cultures did show some signs of bacteria, so they are continuing with the antibiotics. It's only 3:30 and he has been on two walks and in between has been sitting in the chair...so by my math, he has been up since 10:00!! This is unbelievable. Have no idea when they plan on springing him, but assume Fri. or Sat. He still has some hurdles to get over, but if you know Joey like I do, he will give it his all to beat the odds. As Darlene says: {{hugs to everyone!}}

The morning has started off really good...the NG tube is GONE!!!! Yeah!!! Gave him an ice cream freeze headache though, so he is laying quite right now. His fever is also down. They started him on an antibiotic last night and it must be working :) Today will bring more milestones for him I am sure of it.
Interesting tidbit...I counted 30 staples yesterday...His stomach really does look like a railroad track!! Looking good though. The only thing that is still getting to him are his dreams. They are so vivid and real. Once that subsides during the night, he will truly get a good nights sleep. I guess I must be feeling more comfortable here because I slept though the night last night. Have been up since 6 and feel like a new woman! Here is to a good day!

Joey is tucked in for the night...unfortunately with a fever again. They are giving him an antibiotic, but they still cannot find the source . He is still retaining a lot of fluid. Up 23lbs from when we came in here. He did a lot of moving around today which was great. He walked "the loop" 3 times, plus sat up in the chair for a couple of hours. It was nice and sunny so he wore my sunglasses :) My parents came for a quick visit today. Joey is like one of their own and it was killing them to stay away. They had lunch with me, so we were able to have a nice visit. It also gave Joey some quiet time after all of his morning activities.
Tomorrow morning is the big day...the tube (NG?) going to his stomach is coming out!!!!!!!!!!! He was actually getting a little ugly about it when Cam, Bry and Bry's dad Brian came to visit tonight. I think that spunk is proving to me that he is on the mend!! Tomorrow is going to be a good day, I can just feel it.
Good night and God Bless.

This one is going to be very short and to the point:
...epidural out...check! catheter out...check! bowels moving...check! WHEW. What a day!!! One more tube to reckon with and all will be good. Pain and nausea still an issue, but he tells me he can deal with that...its that stupid tube that goes through his nose to his stomach that really ticks him off. Hopefully that comes out tomorrow morning. Toes and fingers crossed?...check!

This is from the man himself:
"Hi everyone! Thank you for your posts. I am tired today but I am really not hurting that bad. My body has been through a lot and it is just draining me. I truly am letting people help me. It was nice having my boys beside me this weekend along with the rest of my family. It made me feel good. Jenny has been teaching Kerri a lot and now she is pushing me. I do know to get better I will probably get sicker, but I will keep moving forward. It is a beautiful day today. Can see Mt. Washington from my room. I am looking forward to getting out in the fresh air soon and to hear those loons calling to me. I got my epidural out this morning and perhaps the catheter later on today. These are all good signs. I've gained 17 lbs. because of all of the fluids that have been put in me. I guess I won't be playing professional sports anytime soon. I just might fail the drug test!! I can hardly wait to get home to just sit and watch the boys fish. I am actually looking forward to enjoying the summer on the dock and resting. Thanks for all of the encouraging words. They mean the world to me."
Love, Joe

Joey actually got his bath in the bathroom last night! He washed his hair in the sink and even asked me to blow dry it :) I think he just liked the warm air blowing on him. He is so funny. He's sitting in the chair just smiling away. You would have thought this was an everyday event for him. Let me tell you, with all of the crap that is going through him and all of the stuff we make him to, he is just incredible. He hates to complain. Everytime he does, he's apologizing to us. You talk about inspiration, he is mine. Now I have to live up to his toughness!!

Joey's night was a little better. His sleep was so sound during the day yesterday, that the nighttime was more in and out. I, however, had the best nights sleep (here) yet. I slept 4 hours in a row! That felt like a whole night's sleep!! We got Joey up at 3 and moved him around. His left arm is so swollen that I asked what they could do about his IV. They moved it to his right arm (Don't worry Jenny, it went really well, unlike the past efforts to find a vein!!). They decided he needed a sonogram on his left arm because of all of the fluid build-up. So, when do they decide to come get him for this test? 5am! Yup, my thoughts exactly! I didn't even hear them come back they were so quiet. Dr. Rutstein came in at 7 and made the decision to remove his epidural to hopefully "wake up" his bowels. Once they wake up, the tube that runs through his nose to his stomach will be removed. That will be a day to celebrate...could be tomorrow even...Keep those fingers and toes crossed for us!! With the removal of the epidural though, this means constant movement for him and less pain meds. Not sure how this will go, but if he keeps in his mind that this tube is going to be removed, you just might see him dancing down the hall!!
Will post more this afternoon.

He is sleeping so sound. Didn't get to spend much time with the kids. I can only imagine what 2am is going to bring!?! Certainly a big turn from this am.
I want to thank you all for understanding us when we asked for peace and quiet. Because of that, I do believe it has put Joey on the fast track to being up and about.
Tomorrow hopefully brings more answers for me. Dr. Rutstein's office is suppose to be coordinating my appointments so they all happen this week while I am here...her office, the plastic surgeon, etc. I cannot tell you how pleased we all are with the care Joey has and is receiving. Hopefully my experience will be the same. I told the nurses that we are being really nice because we have to be back here to do this all over again soon. I want the same nurses and the same room Joey has! It is so nice. I wish the Sea Dogs were playing right now...looking out over their field. Beautiful sunny day here.

I know I am getting to you all a little late, but as my brother put it, we are kind of "upside down" here. Joey was up most of the night, he actually went for his first walk at 2am!! Wide awake and still quite nauseous. His fever finally broke early this morning. The pain meds are sending him on a trip that he's quite uncomfortable with. He's seen a christmas tree in the room, a nice fireplace that was quite warm...????????????...When we were watching the Nascar race last night he thought his bed was racing with the cars. His eyes were quite wide open too, so he really must have been feeling like he was really moving!!
He is looking really good today, but still the nausea problem. He can take the pain but this nausea thing really sucks! He is sound asleep and has been since I got back from running an errand this morning. While I was gone he went for a long walk and sat up looking out the window for awhile. Caleb and Delaney drove down to visit today. That put a sparkle in Joey's eye!
I don't know if I have mentioned this, but Joey's brother and sister (Jenny and Donny) have been by my side since we got here. However, they are headed home today. They have been great and I am going to miss them. Thank God I have Cam and Bry (and Donna!) here with me!!!! I'll talk with you all later.

Update: Joey is quite feverish and nauseous today. Trying to find the source. He has had chest x-rays and blood drawn, but on a good note he had his central line removed!! He did sit up in a chair today for about a half hour and got a lovely sponge bath :) from a very cute girl...his nurse wasn't bad either LOL! He even got his hair washed. That did make him feel better...for a while...then back to sleeping most of the day. We are trying to keep him moving from side to side so he does not get fluid build up. Unfortunately, our efforts have failed here. He does have fluid build up, but I think we can manage this without him getting worse. Please pray for a peaceful night for him. Nighttime seems to be his worst.
Keep those posts coming. It's helping me as much as Joey. Love to all.

Good Morning. I would love to say we had a wonderful night together, but unfortulately, that was no so. Joey had a rough night. They set up a bed for me beside him and I was so glad they did. He is in a lot of pain today, but they changed his meds, so hopefully, now we can get him up and he won't feel nausea. Thanks for understanding our need to keep him quite. Hopefully by the beginning of the week, he'll feel up to seeing you. Love to all.

News From Kerri!!!

Howdy folks! I just heard from Kerri and she wanted me to put up a post for her. Two things we talked about are 1)her day and 2)visitors in Portland.

First off, her tests and appointments went well today in Bangor. She made the decision to be treated in Portland by the same practice who Joe has been using- hopefully she will actually have the same surgeon. She is hoping to get an appointment this week and solidify dates and such for her surgery and course of treatment.

Secondly, with regards to visitors, Joe and Kerri are requesting that folks please hold off on visits to Portland. Joe is doing great, but with the magnitude of the surgery he just had, he is exhausted and has some pain (which they are managing well). Both Kerri and Joe are very, very tired given all that has happened in the last couple of weeks and want to take this time in Portland to rest and build up as much strength as possible before returning to Bangor and embarking on the next stages of their treatments. They will keep us posted on when they are ready for visitors.

Joe and Kerri will also keep us all posted via this blog on what's going on in their world. They would love to see everyone, but need to have a little "Lynch-time" right now. What we can do is keep posting messages and sending our love and support. It means so much to them and they are loving hearing from everyone.

Thanks so much.

I guess there is no rest for the wary...off to Bangor I go for my "big" appointment today. Cam is driving me up there (because his boss is so wonderful and just so happens that he needs a vehicle delivered to Bangor and one to come back to Portland...saves the miles on my car!) so we will be there in time to see Dad and Zachary (and Nicole!!) get off the plane. I cannot wait to see him!! Dad has no idea I'll be there so may be a little emotional :) Mom and Cam are going to my appointment with me so I have my support team. Then we turn around and head back to Portland. I will be going to see Joe this morning and Cam will pick me up at Maine Med. I've been up since 6 just waiting for a decent time to be able to go see him. Maybe I'll pick up that hamburger he wanted to bad last night LOL! I'll post my results and an update on Joe later tonight. Love you all, Kerri

Cam and I were able to give Joey kisses goodnight and I must say he was pretty funny!! With a very hoarse voice he told me he was really hungry and wondered if he could have a hamburger. I told him I would check on that!! Then when Cameron went to speak with him, he might have mentioned something about Joey's shaved chest...Joey said "Don't ya think I look pretty sexy?!" Cam and I walked out of recovery laughing our butts off. I am certain Joey is going to be OK now 'cause his sense of humor is baaaaack!
I also want to send out a very special "thank you" to both of our families. We are the luckiest people alive to have the love and support you've shown to us, not only in our everyday lives, but especially these past two weeks. We love you all!

6pm...Joey is out of surgery and did FANTASTIC!! Dr. was very impressed with how things went. Now he goes to recovery for 2 hrs. I will let you all know as soon as I have more information. Talk about TOTAL RELIEF! Now we are officially in the recovery period. Love to all.

Casey, you are my rock when I least expect it!! This is amazing what you have done. You know how much we love you:)Joey is up and ready for his big day. He says "Hi" to everyone, thanks for the encouraging words and friendship. A good nights sleep was had because we had such a great evening with our family and a few friends! Joey is confident and excited about moving forward. We know this is not going to be easy for any of us, but have accepted the challenge in front of us. Love to all.

Big Day #1

Tomorrow is Joey's big day in surgery at Maine Medical and I am thinking of him, Kerri and the boys non-stop. They are in Portland tonight and are accompanied by some beloved family members- Joe's brother, sister, and Kerri's mother. (There could be more folks, these are just the ones I know of.)

I was lucky enough to give Joey and Kerri a hug yesterday and the strength they have is amazing. Joey was so poised and calm; I found that he was making me feel so much better. I suppose this is just another example of how the Lynchs help people...Joey and Kerri are the ones with cancer and facing the treatments and they are the ones providing comfort and calming for all that love them and are so devastated by this situation.

Joe, Kerri, Cam and Caleb I am thinking of you and sending you all my best, best thoughts. I may not be in Portland right now, but I am with you. I love you guys so much. I know Joey is going to do great tomorrow.

****Please everyone- as you read this site for updates, leave comments of your thoughts and prayers for the Lynchs to read as they check the site and update us on Joe's surgery tomorrow. There was a bit of a glitch with leaving comments earlier that I think I have fixed. Here's how you do it... just click on comments at the bottom of one of the posts, type your message, and click to post it. If you are not familiar with blogging, and an option comes up asking you how you want to post- choose "anonymous" (one of the bottom choices) and it should work. If you have problems with this email me and let me know at caseymonnier@gmail.com. Everyone's thoughts and prayers are really, really meaningful and appreciated by the Lynchs.

Ways to Help

The outpouring of support from all of the Lynch’s friends has been heartwarming. A few of us are trying to coordinate the efforts of all of you that want to help. Kerri and Joey may be too busy to ask for help when they need it, so here are some people you can contact that will extend your offers of help to them:

MEALS: Shelley Burgess has offered to store meals in her freezer and give them to Kerri and Joey when they need them. Her number is 735-5731 or e-mail at spalmerburgess@yahoo.com .

FOOD: Joanne Awalt will be helping with grocery shopping/cooking. If you have fresh food you would like to give them (we love veggies from an organic garden!), you can call Joanne at 843-5960 or 944-3301, or e-mail her at livestrong03@wildblue.net .

ERRANDS, RIDES, VISITING: If you have time on your hands you would like to offer, contact Bronwen Pierson and she will make sure your offer gets passed on. Her number is 479-3777 or e-mail at btpierson@roadrunner.com .

Kerri and Joey are going to try to follow the most nutritional diet that they can. Of course, Cameron and Caleb will appreciate any home cooking, but here are some of the foods that Kerri and Joey like that will be beneficial to their recovery:

Whole grains like brown rice and barley, whole grain pastas, soups, lasagna, shrimp, scallops, chicken, beans, mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, avocados, yellow, green, red, yellow peppers, onions, garlic, shallots, green onions, beet greens, fiddleheads, swiss chard, squash, summer squash, zucchini, nuts, fruit. Basically, keep the meat to a minimum, and stay away from the “white” stuff like white flour and sugar. Organic food is going to be the best for them while they are recovering.

Thank you so much for trying to make the next several months as comfortable for the whole family as possible.

What you can do

We've created this site as a means for everyone to stay in the loop. With the medical treatments Joe and Kerri are looking at in the near future they are going to have some rough times ahead. Their roads won't be easy, only worth it.

Joe and Kerri have reached out to so many people in their lives, each of them separately and together as a team, they are always willing to help and give in any way they possibly can.

Now it is our turn to help. Through this site we would like to organize a help system for Joe, Kerri, Cam, and Caleb. Right now support, encouragement, and prayers are what is needed. There will be a time when meals, rides, other help may be needed. Please in the comments section leave the help you would like to donate, the time you are available, etc, etc.

Planned postings for this site include, first and foremost updates, and additionally, what the Lynch family would appreciate and enjoy for food, what help they may need around the house and town, and contacts to persons coordinating help.

Da Boys...

Joe and Kerri's biggest concerns are for their boys and of course for each other. Both have expressed worries about how their illnesses will impact the boys and I think Kerri is more worried for Joe and Joe for Kerri (I suppose this is what makes their marriage and family so wonderful).

After spending some times with the boys, I think both boys have been shocked and scared, a little numb, and now are gearing up for the battle that their family will be fighting for the next couple of months. They both have caring girlfriends in their lives and they both have lots of hobbies (Cam- skateboarding, Caleb- mudding in his jeep) that help keep their minds at ease and give them nice outlets.

The Brief Diagnostic Story- Hers

Kerri has a medical history including poly-cystic ovarian disease and has a history of cysts. She had recently discovered a cyst in her breast, but wasn't initially alarmed due to her medical history. Given Joe's recent diagnosis and some pushing from a few of Kerri's lady friends Kerri got herself checked.

When it rains it pours. On April 2, Kerri was diagnosed with breast cancer. There was a lymph node that was concerning, however testing has confirmed that the cancer is not in her lymph nodes. Kerri's cancer is considered to be medium in terms of aggressiveness.

Kerri's treatment plan is still being finalized. She still has more test to complete and is contemplating whether to be treated in Bangor at Eastern Maine Medical Center or by the same doctor who is treating Joe in Portland. As of right now, the plan looks like Kerri will have some radiation initially in an attempt to shrink the tumor, then she will undergo a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery followed by chemo.

The Brief Diagnostic Story- His

Joe has been experiencing stomach illness and pain for about 1.5-2 years with no certain diagnosis. He had been to the doctors and had some testing, but nothing that seemed to help 100% of the time. The most recent finding was during and ultrasound where the docs found his appendix was enlarged and that it looked like it had been leaking some fluid. Joey went for an appendectomy on March 24. During the surgery the doctors (very much to their surprise) found cancer. The name of that cancer I have heard only one time and Joey translated that Latin name to "Bad Shit that needs to be removed". The cancer is in the peritoneal space (areas outside of the organs in the stomach cavity).

The plan for Joe is to have surgery at Maine Med in Portland on April 8. The surgery is a major abdominal surgery in which they will open Joe up, remove non-essential parts, and scrape the essential parts clean of cancer. Then they will do what they call "heat chemo" on Joe which will involve placing him on a heart and lung machine and circulating chemo through his abdomen via 4 ports (2 on each side of his body). This form of chemo is largely the key to his treatment as regular chemo is not nearly as strong and does not readily reach the peritoneal space where his cancer is.

Joey is the perfect candidate for this treatment and for survival of this cancer 1) because he is tough as nails and has a great attitude and support system and 2)because his doctor is a specialist who knows this type of cancer well. Joe feels very fortunate to be in Maine where this doctor is and where the proper treatment is available. The negative prognosis often associated with the cancer is largely due to its mismanagement as it is rare and not widely known.