JAMs Jams. Pure. Real. Fresh.

 Work started on the kitchen today - here is a morning & an afternoon shot. You can see Mike, the contractor, working outside the window.  By this afternoon the window is gone & drywall is in.   In case it doesn't make much sense, we are adding a wall of kitchen along the right side of these pictures.  The corner will hold a big pantry cabinet.  In the middle will be a built in ice machine & next to that integrated SubZero fridge & freezer columns.  Where our fridge is now will be turned into another pantry cabinet.  So step 1 is to remove the window.  You can see that he drywalled it today.  Tomorrow they will brick over the exterior.  Amazing how fast a window can disappear.  Next week they will move the air vent, do the electric & plumbing I suspect.  Hopefully the week after that the appliances...Fingers crossed. As for me, I'm doing fine.  I'm pretty tired this time around - out...

So today marked past halfway for me - 25 treatments done & 24 to go! Tomorrow is hump day & this week will be on the down slide too! I appreciate all the notes & texts this week. They definitely help me. Been very tired & a bit nauseous although I did manage a bowl of chicken noodle soup & peach cobbler for dinner. Going to bed early again... Right now I'm listening to EB help Eri clean out her toys. Women after my own heart. I'm excited to have this week well underway & looking forward to a 5 day weekend! Tomorrow is our preconstruction meeting for our kitchen project. They are starting the work Thursday! I will document with pictures of course. Pretty excited for our new fridge, freezer & ice machine! Will write again later in the week!

This morning I was surprised to turn on my phone and have a message from Vanderbilt.  I just saw all the docs & I haven't communicated with any of them, all systems are go for restarting chemo Monday so I really wasn't expecting any communication with them this week. When I opened up the message, which was sent after 10 pm last night, it was from Dr Linn, my primary care doctor - the one who initially made me get the lump in my groin biopsied.  She didn't need or want anything, didn't have any medical results to share with me, didn't want to schedule another test or procedure or infusion, just wanted to tell me she is following my progress & wish me well in my appendectomy recovery.  This message really struck me.  Dr Linn has 3 little kids - and gosh only knows how many patients (she doesn't take new patients).  Here she was at 10 pm thinking about me.  And letting me know it. This got me to thinking about the power of not only thinking about p...

Today & yesterday were busy with doctors appointments & labs. I'm so used to going to Vanderbilt for chemo & being there for hours it's a weird feeling to just go to see a doctor. Yesterday was my final visit with Dr Johnson, the radiation oncologist. Yep, I have my first official release from an oncologist. I hope it's a sign of things to come! I dont have anymore appointments in the basement, where radiation oncology hides. Hooray. Today I had labs, then I saw Dr Keedy. She is so wonderful. She said it was quite the accomplishment to undergo a major surgery being so nutropenic (low white blood cells) & anemic (low red blood cells). We thoroughly reviewed everything & agreed to start chemo again with the 5 day Ifosfamide Etopocide regimen Monday followed by Cyclophosphamide Adriamycin & vincristine the week of july 9. She is pleased its only a 2 week break & was thrilled with how quickly my white count has stabilized as well as how well the ane...

Early on in my trips to Vanderbilt Cancer Center I found a flyer for an art & photography contest sponsored by Lilly.  Entries are due June 29th & I wanted to share what we submitted.  Many of you have seen this on Facebook - I apologize for the repeat if you have but a lot of my readers aren't Facebookers for one reason or another. We are entered in the cancer patient - photography contest.  I don't know when results will be announced but I will keep you posted.  Even if we don't win a thing (the prizes are funds donated to a cancer charity of your choice), it was fun to enter! Entries consist of a 9x12 photograph & a 125 word narrative.  Here you go.... By My Side. Cancer is a very personal illness but one that cannot be endured alone. This image depicts unconditional love and support – a mother with cancer watching the natural beauty of a perfect Florida sunset side by side with one of h er beloved daughters. Captured by a loving a...

So one thing I haven't written much about cancer is the financial impact it can have.  We have been truly blessed with an outstanding health insurance plan provided by LP so the impact on us has been relatively minimal.  Our particular plan has a $2,000 out of pocket maximum which we hit about 15 minutes after the doctors first said the word cancer.  Vanderbilt has a really great web platform that enables me to keep track of my labs, communicate with my providers, etc. but it also has a billing interface.  So, just for grins, I took a look at what my illness has cost so far.  If I just typed the numbers in nobody would believe it so I copied them off the website. The first number there - $312,978 is how much Vanderbilt has billed our insurance company this year.  Keep in mind this is before the latest appendix event.  And it doesn't include prescriptions or the physical therapy I had.  Each cycle of chemo costs about $50,000.  The surger...

Thought you would enjoy some non-medical, non-cancer photos.  We took the dogs to Percy Priest Lake a couple weekends ago to let them swim.  Thats probably the one thing (aside from our friends) that we miss about Hendersonville - proximity to the lake for the doggies.  Kendall thought maybe Jessie wouldn't remember how to retrieve her buoy - no worries there. Emilia's ready to throw the ball (but Jessie doeesn't care about the ball) She is just trouble no matter how you look at it Forget how to do this?  No way I can't tell what Cedar is thinking - probably thinking back to the good old days when she was so athletic Trouble is turning into a good buoy thrower The supervisor I know, we are in trouble here too That splash you see is Jessie! When we were in the Keys we pledged to take them more often - we have been pretty bad about it since we moved.  I guess maybe we have been busy with other stuff?  Anyway for once I...

What a whirlwind few days. I'm doing much better today - the pain from the surgery is well controlled by Lortab & this was the first surgery I ever had that the anesthesia didn't make me sick! They let me eat real food at lunch - you will never believe what they brought me - fried catfish & spicy rice. Ugh. I ate the cornbread & a cookie. I'm actually feeling a bit hungry for be first time since Friday morning. My white blood cell count jumped from .7 yesterday to 6.7 today! Woo hoo. And my neutrophylls (the healing part of the white blood cells) jumped up too from way low to in the normal range. My red blood counts are still low so I'm getting a unit of blood before I go home. Dr Keedy says we will probably restart Chemo in 2 weeks. Not sure if that means 6/25 or the week after. Hopefully this break will allow the incision to heal & my body to recover a bit so maybe we can keep on schedule for a few more cycles. I will probably be home from wor...

Truth is stranger than fiction, I am in the hospital at Vanderbilt tonight. I know it's crazy. After such a great week, I felt like shit yesterday. Finally took my temperature in the late afternoon & it was around 100.3 plus I had severe pain in my lower right abdomen. Kendall called the on call oncologist & she said I should go to the ED to get checked out. I asked Kendall to stay with the girls & I headed here. Spent a while in the ED, which was very busy, finally got a room. My white & red counts were the lowest they've been so I was pretty sure they were going to admit me. To make a long night short, I had a CT scan & an X-ray & was diagnosed with appendicitis! At 3 am I got admitted to the surgical service. This morning around 10 they took me down for surgery & I am now less one appendix. Feeling ok, getting tons of antibiotics since my white count is so low. Also got some platelets transfused today. Not sure how long I will be here - I...

Its been a wonderful week here.  Had a really fun & successful trip to Maryland early this week.  I had no idea how much I have missed being out there with our customers & sales people.  It was freezing cold there & kind of rainy so I made the decision NOT to go on the boat fishing on Tuesday.  Instead I hung out by the fire in the lodge & read a book (no internet there!).  It was a very relaxing day for me.  It was a fun but cold day for those out fishing but they had a great time.  Looks like we will eventually get some very nice new business out of the efforts and I made some new friends!  Amber & Lorraine took great care of me, made sure I got back in one piece. Kendall & the girls were happy to see me when I got home on Wednesday.  Seemed like they really missed me - I guess you get used to Mom not traveling after a while.  I think swim practice every morning is really wearing Emilia out - its about an...

After a couple very sleepy & crappy days, I'm nearly back to normal.  Hooray!  This morning I was even motivated enough to put the Keys pitures up on Facebook.  You should be able to look at them by clicking this link: Facebook Florida Keys Album If it doesn't work let me know & I will send you it separately.  There are some really fun pics.  I'll have to figure out which ones will get to be printed & displayed on my famous photo wall in my office. I can't really remember how much I have shared of this week.  It was a tough one.  I had the three-drug cocktail on Wednesday (I feel nauseous just writing about it) & again on Tuesday.  Those drugs are just vicious. No two ways about it.  I felt pretty much like crap all day Wednesday & Thursday & only marginally less crappy yesterday.  I hate that feeling of being out of it - not being mentally clear.  Its the worst.  Got a lot of nausea meds that didn't...