JAMs Jams. Pure. Real. Fresh.

That this is actually going to come to an end soon! I saw Dr Keedy & she checked my labs today. My bloodwork was excellent. Still a little anemic but plenty good enough for treatment next week. My white count came back up to normal, my platelets are back in the normal range & all the other functions were great! So chemo is on for the last time next week. Woohoo. And i talked her into letting me take the second and third doses of Mesna by pill next week which cuts about 2 hours off each days chemo time!!! Woohoo again. She also said we could go ahead & get the first set of post cancer scans scheduled. Did you read that? Post cancer! At the end of each visit the doctor fills out a form that tells the schedulers what to book for you coming up. For seven long months each time this has been more chemo, more labs, more yuck. But this time my form didn't have any more drugs or chemo on it. I have to say taking that form to Debbie, My favorite scheduler & a cancer...

And a bunch of new blood! I feel like Judy again. Well more like Judy. Looking forward to a fun 5 days before I start the FINAL round. If you're coming next week, the location is the 2nd floor of The Vanderbilt Clinic in the Cancer Infusion Center. Tuesday thru Friday I will start around 8.30. Not sure yet what time I will be done ech day, depends on some things I have to check with Dr Keedy about Friday. Please don't feel obligated to spend the whole time with me. It's VERY boring & I'm quite happy with whatever time you can spare!  Here is who I think is coming each day... Monday - Christine (CB, it's a slightly different location Monday) Tuesday - Angie J & Bob Wednesday - LML & Angie V Thursday- Lisa A Friday - Jenn T I'm at the point where there's no way I'm not finishing this so if your plans change & you can't make it, don't feel bad!  I will keep the faith, carry on & cross the finish line!

Well, its really no surprise, as much as I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, my red counts are super low today.  My Hematocrit is 20 - the lowest it has been is 19 so thats pretty stinkin low and explains my extreme fatigue in the last few days. That also means I have to get 2 more units of blood today, which takes forever.  My platelets are also really low - 59 - which is the lowest they have been by far - nothing really to do about those except hope they jump up to above 75 by Friday so I can get chemo next week.  Cross your fingers for that please. I also saw Dr Holt, my orthopedic oncology surgeon, this morning for a routine follow up.  She said my scar looks good but there is a lot of scar tissue.  Nothing really to do about that.  In some ways it doesn't even seem real that all this started with surgery back in January!  She said the leg swelling & "fat foot" is probably going to continue for a while but eventually should get be...

Its been a tough week, I won't lie.  I'm pretty sure my red blood cell count is at rock bottom - we will have it checked Tuesday but until then its a major effort to accomplish the simplest tasks.  Tired doesn't really describe it - its not like I go to sleep at night & wake up in the morning & feel rested.  Taking  a nap would make no difference.  Its a fatigue deep to my bones.  Its the kind of fatigue that makes me lean on the counter to peel potatoes. I think I've finally reconciled why this is so hard.  I have this constant mental war going on.  I have to make this choice all day every day - choice one is to do what I need & want to do physically like go to work, make dinner, take care of the house, cook breakfast, etc.  The downside of choice one is that I am left so physically drained I can barely function - and I take that out on those around me unfortunately so we all end up miserable!  Not a good situation. Choi...

September 30 in the afternoon will be the no mo chemo party at our house. Everyone and anyone is invited - we will have a jumpy house, a keg & who knows what else. Invites will be coming but consider yourself invited!!

I wanted to share this communication from Southwest Airlines.  I traveled a ton last year & finally right at the end of the year made their A-List status - I was pretty excited.  A couple weeks later this whole cancer thing started & so I haven't been able to travel this year as you know & also haven't been able to take advantage of the A-List "perks".  So Amber suggested I ask them to extend it for a year.  I figured what the hell - they will probably say no way but I will ask.  Here is the letter I got back from them. As you can see, not only did they extend my A-List for the whole of 2013 but they wrote such a nice, kind note to go with it.  Customer service is so important - something I have come to appreciate professionally in the last few years but its nice to experience it personally as well. I feel a little bit better each day - still fighting the remnants from that damn virus - I just can't seem to kick it & by the end of...

This last treatment of Adriamycin (Red Devil) & Cytoxan has me really dragging.  Thank goodness there aren't any more.  Just kind of hanging out this weekend waiting for the extreme fatigue to pass & hopefully for my appetite to return. Its gorgeous & cool (for us) here so its a perfect day to sit on the porch & watch the day go by! I'll keep it short - have a great weekend!!

So we are confirmed for the Final week of chemo to start on Labor Day, September 3rd. Need some help that week if anybody is able. Kendall signed up to run a half marathon on the 3rd so if anybody wants to volunteer to watch the brats for a few hours that morning we would appreciate it. The other thing we need are "chemo chaperones" for Monday, Tuesday & Thursday if anybody is willing? It's about 9 am til 4 pm but I will take whatever time you can give. The final, fun, thing I need help with is someone to plan & execute a small. Party for the staff on Friday afternoon. This party is NOT about me but it's about the nurses, techs & receptionists who have been so amazing these last 9 months. So let me know if you want to help with any of these! I'm pretty sure there won't be any more schedule changes. Unless I have another appendix!

Well, my platelets were high enough today to proceed with chemo this week.  Thats good news - as much as I hate getting it, I love getting it out of the way.  So today I'm almost done with Cytoxan, Red Devil & Vincristine and almost done with the 2nd unit of blood. Julie B has been here with me every step of the way which has been wonderful.  So nice to have company to keep me from sprinting on out of here. Happy to report I am done with Vincristine FOREVER.  After tomorrow that will be the case for the Cytoxan and Red Devil too.  Tomorrow my neighbor, Angie, is coming and so is Pam - two knitting experts - so I am planning to get double instruction! Looks like the next and final round of Turbo Chemo (the 5 day treatment) will be Labor Day week.  Will keep you posted about needs for volunteers that week!

So, the not so good first - my red counts are really low again.  White counts are low too but the neutrophylls (the part of the white blood cells that matter for chemo) are fine.  So, treatment for this week is still uncertain. The plan is to go in the morning for more labs & to get a transfusion.  The transfusion will make the hematocrit (or red blood cells) good enough for treatment.  The labs will tell us if my platelets have jumped up enough to do treatment this week or not.  If not we will do it Monday & Tuesday next week.  So more to come tomorrow on that.  I feel very tired - every time I walk it feels like I'm climbing stairs - but honestly I've kind of gotten used to that feeling so it doesn't feel unusual to me. The good/great/stupendous/awesome/amazing news is that Dr Keedy feels completing the 6 cycles will be sufficient and that the 7th is not necessary.   That means I get 7 more chemo treatments and I'm done.  She fe...

Finally I seem to be on the back side of this doggone virus.  It really had me down for a couple days but I'm feeling much better.  Thanks for all the notes & well wishes - much appreciated!  I still have a bit of a cough & chest congestion but hopefully that will disappear over the next couple days. Kendall & I were able to go out to dinner last night & to see The Campaign.  I haven't laughed that hard in a while - we were both in tears.  It was a really fun night for our last night as DINKs.  We are looking forward to meeting with Dr Keedy on Tuesday morning.  And I'm looking forward (as much as possible) to getting chemo out of the way this week. Now, what we are REALLY excited is getting our kids here in a couple hours!!  They have had an amazing and fun time in Florida - I am so thankful that my family has been willing and able to make that time so special for them.  But we really miss them and I think they are starti...

It was bound to happen eventually, I have gotten sick.  So far its sinus, headache, body ache, sore throat & an icky cough.  I didn't have a fever yesterday but today I have a low grade one.  Please cross your fingers it doesn't get to 101.5 when I have to make the dreaded call to the oncologist & tell them I have a fever & then wait for them to tell me to go to the ER. The kids come home Sunday - I need to be back to 100% by then!  They are in Disney World tonight & tomorrow with my brother's family.  Lucky ducks!  I can't wait to see pictures. In brighter news, our kitchen is finished!  We are in love with it - still not thrilled with the ice maker but we will work thru that over the next couple of days I hope.  Here's a pic. Not much other news to report! 

Well, Kendall & I are enjoying being empty-nesters.  Amazing how much we can get done and how many things we find to talk about when there aren't any interruptions.  I actually am married to a very interesting person - who knew(=  Just kidding, I've known that for a long time.  And gosh, there aren't toys strewn about the house - how boring. The girls are happy happy happy in Florida. I'm sure they will come back brown as can be - I know they have spent most of their waking hours in the pool.  This weekend my sweet brother & his adorable family picked them up from my Dad & Maryann's.  So they are now over in Jupiter enjoying the good life on the other side of the state.  I believe a trip to Disney is in the works for later this week if they can all 4 behave themselves.  I just absolutely love how close the 4 of them are even though they see each other only a couple times a year.  I treasure the time they have together & the ...

Lisa took this picture this week of me with Max, one of the therapy dogs that visits the chemo center sometimes.  I love Max because he is a Weimeraner like Jessie, our dog.  He likes to give big wet kisses.  Its been about as good of a week as possible this week.  We have laughed a lot and told a lot of good stories.  Lisa & I were saying yesterday how we don't ever get this much friend-time so it has been great - as long as we can forget the reason we are getting that time!  Luckily the treatments haven't made me feel sick this week - just very tired but with no kids here I have been able to go to bed early & sleep late - doesn't do much for my Olympic watching but something's gotta give right!  So I've been able to eat a couple good meals each day & that has also helped me feel stronger & more able to take the treatments. We are rolling along with the last one of this cycle now.  Its not quite real in my mind yet that I ...

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm doing fine this week. Having Lisa here makes a world of difference. And today is hump day! Only 2 more treatments this week after today. And get this - after this week is done I have only 7 (or maybe 14) treatments left. Yes, the end is definitely getting closer. Lisa has been wonderful keeping me company & making me laugh. Had a visit from Roger Monday too which was nice. And Julie B is coming to see us today, yay! And this cycle I seem to have the nausea Meds right so I have been feeling decent even able to eat dinner & breakfast. My blood tests wee okay Monday, good enough for treatment but not stellar even with the extra week off. After this week the next step is for Kendall & i to meet with Dr Keedy on Tuesday August 14th to discuss whether we do one more round or two. As you know I'm leaning towards one which is 7 treatments. But we will fully discuss all the pros & cons before making a decision. I will start che...