Taxol Round Two

Hello,
Here's an update from my Doctor's visit yesterday, the second round of Taxol treatments and a recap of the day.
First of all, Ryan was nice enough to give up most of his day off to drive in with me, sit with me during the chemo, get me coffee from the gift shop and just be an all around support guy. This is huge since he is a busy working guy and has Grady and Chantal to care for too. I appreciated his support and perspective on things.
I spent spent a couple of hours working from home in the morning - amazing got a bit accomplished. Guillermo decided to join me for awhile, finding just the right place to sleep in between the keyboard and the monitor on my desk - amazing! He was a big help. :-)
Ryan and I drove off about 7:30am headed for GHC. I checked in and did the blood test, then had my appointment with Dr. Chen. This was a bit educational and I have a few more plans for the future now. First of all, he advised me that I need a total of 12 Taxol treatments, so....this means that I should have been scheduled for treatments to the end of October - bleah!! Things will be going on in that regard a bit longer. I told him that I am getting the numbness in my hands and feet occasionally. Apparently this can become a permanent disability that will stick with you after the treatment is over. They will be monitoring this to see how it progresses. Dr Chen also suggested that I make an appointment with Dr. Stepan, the surgeon,  just to check in and possibly plan the date for surgery. It looks like that will be pushed to mid November at this point - a month later than I thought. Oh well...

I will be more diligent in getting in the Glutamine powder three times a day to see if it backs off, stays stable or what. (Ryan had a good suggestion - mix the powder with a very small amount of water to make it like a shot, therefore not fouling up the other water I drink with all that grit. Good suggestion, buddy!)

After my visit with Dr. Chen, it was time for the infusion. I had Tiffany as my nurse again this time. She is very good. First they flush the port out with saline solution to clean it out while we wait for the chemo to arrive from the pharmacy. When it finally did arrive it was about 10:00. This takes about an hour. As I was drinking a lot of water and coffee, I had to go to the bathroom before this was finished. That is OK as you can unplug the IV pole and travel with it. After I used the restroom I came back to finish up my treatment - two minutes at the most - wow! Turns out I could have waited for that. As the nurse was flushing my port, I told her it kind of hurt this time, which was a bit unusual. She took a look at the port and it had pulled out halfway - most likely when I stood up to go to the bathroom. This meant that the last 2-3 minutes of the chemo went under my skin and not into my vein - OY!! Since this a little bit of an emergency, they contacted the pharmacy and put an ice pack right away.  I am to ice the area 4 times a day for several days - if it becomes very red, hot or swollen, I am to contact the hospital. Anyway, as of this morning it looks OK, just a little sore and pink. Sheesh, I felt like an idiot, especially since I only had two minutes to go and could have waited for the bathroom. Well, I won't do that again!

Infusion finished, I made my next few appointments with scheduling and we were on our way to do errands and pickup Ryan's car at the body shop. (His fender had come loose on the Altima - they fixed it up and had it done in less than 24 hours). We headed over to have lunch at Ooba Tooba in Redmond - it's a Mexican Grill down the road from Ben Franklin and J. Michael's pub. Since I have the Pirq app on my phone recommended by Kevin, we had 30% off deal that started at 1:30. We got there just in time after shopping for milk at QFC. Placed the order including one for Chantal. They were really busy, but it seemed ours was taking a bit too long. Finally went up to the desk - they forgot our order! Had to do it over again, so we got it to go this time. They threw in chips and guacamole to make up for it and Ryan and I drove home to eat. By the time we dug in, it was probably close to 2:15 and we were hungry haven eaten breakfast at 5am! I had the Fajita Salad - really good and he had the Juan's special - awesome! Chantal came up a bit later and had her Taco special - she liked it too. It was worth waiting for, but put us a bit off schedule. After that ,we were all pretty tired. I took an hour's nap as I was feeling the effects of the chemo and the medications they gave me - especially the steroids.

Luckily, I did not have to cook dinner this evening thanks to the generous support of Trish from work. She had made an awesome Zitti Pasta with homemade meatballs that I was able to pop in the oven and warm up. We didn't end up eating dinner until after 8 since we all had lunch so late (Frank hung in there). Thank you Trish - and good luck to you in your new job!

About 11:30pm I decided to call it a night and try to sleep. Well, due to the steroids kicking in and drinking all that water, I was up and down all night. Finally got to sleep about 2:30am I think, so it will be kind of tired day today. 

I feel a bit more wiped out from this Taxol treatment in the past, maybe just because I had the week off and forgot how it feels, I am not sure. Dr. Chen did say this has an accumulative effect, so that could be part of it as well.

Anyway, this is the latest, I am off to ice my swollen port area and drink the Glutamine powder and see what the day holds.

Thanks to everyone for all your support.

Cheers,

Jan            

A week without chemo

So..it was really nice not to have chemo this Friday; although I decided to work from home on Friday because we were having screens replaced and I wanted to be here for that installation.

Since I didn't have the chemo, we went ahead with our plans to have two dinner parties over the weekend - woo hoo!

Saturday was the big birthday bash for Mike and Anne's 60th! We barbequed fish, vegies and pasta for the occasion along with the rest of the wonderful side dishes provided by the rest of the guests (Terry and Fritz, Chantal and her friend Marceil). Since we hadn't gotten together for quite a while it was great to see those guys. I am sure we entertained the neighborhood well into the wee hours of Saturday night/Sunday morning because it was just too hot to be inside.

Sunday was another birthday bash (or Wing-ding as Frank calls it). This time it was for the Fisher Family - lots of birthdays to celebrate: Doreen, Michael, Samantha, Jude, Chantal and Griffey! This time we made ribs, corn on the cob, grilled potatoes and corn bread along with the salads and desserts from the other guests we were stuffed. We managed to fit 14 on the deck for dinner; Griffey cleaned up all the spills from the floor and Grady entertained us with his coos and smiles. It was great to see all the relatives; the cousins get along really well. Whew, another really hot day made hotter by the oven being on all day to slow cook the ribs. I had been losing weight, but not after this weekend!

Going back to work on Monday was a bit of a challenge, but I made it through the day. By that evening, my back was pretty sore and I decided to work from home on Tuesday. There are a few side affects that are still persisting with the Taxol - a few aches in the joints and bones and increased tingling and numbness in my hands and feet especially. It is a bit weird and I am noticing it more and more as time goes on. I do have some glutamine powder to take daily and I will increase that to see if it helps.

This week I do have my chemo again along with a doctor's appointment and blood test,  so we will see what he has to say about my progress. I'll be going in early, so hopefully can just work about an hour or so in the morning, then knock off for the rest of the day after the treatment.

Things I'm noticing: my hair is growing back on my legs (groan) and a little bit on my head although it is very fine and light colored (could that be gray -- no!!) At the same time, my eyebrows and eyelashes have almost disappeared. People really look at me sideways in the stores. I haven 't had the nerve to go out in public bald, but maybe I will someday just to see the reaction. :-) So far my fingernails and toenails have not turned brown or black, but I am going to keep coloring them just in case. And so far, I don't think I have developed "chemo brain", but just in case I need an excuse for screwing up, I'm keeping that phrase in my back pocket.

I have been so busy at work that I have not been able to take my morning and lunchtime walks. I pledged to myself to try to get that in daily - I just have to ignore the phone calls and emails and just go for like it is an appointment that I cannot miss. I know this will make me feel better and keep my back stronger. I just have to put myself first; hard to do sometimes.

Sorry again for not posting so regularly, do not want to worry anybody. It's been a busy week.

Love and hugs,

Jan

Taxol III - doing OK

I know I have been scolded for not posting - might make some of you worried. Things have been busy - so sorry! Here are the updates:
Friday Morning I worked from home from 6-7:30am, then drove in with Frank to Group Health.
I had chemo buddies Kass and Judi meet me there again for my Taxol treatment #3 . It was so nice to have them in the room and I do appreciate the company and time they are giving me to watch the clear liquid drain into the little tube hooked up to my chest.
After the chemo session, they went shopping with me to pick out a hat to wear to the wedding reception this weekend and Kass took both Judi and me to lunch at Agave in Redmond. Those guys have some good fashion sense and found a cute little british straw hat and a white flower pin that coordinated with my dress really well. We had a nice morning and afternoon.

After that trip, Judi came back to the house for awhile to hold Grady for a few minutes before the man came in the replace the screens in the house. Wow - was that a welcome addition as we had not been able to open up the windows for a week - it had gotten really stuffy. After that, I finished up some phone calls for work and started getting the dinner ready. As the eveining progressed, I did not feel that well; pretty nauseous, tired, "buzzy" and had a bit of numbness in my hands and feet. I was bummed because we had a big weekend planned for going to Bellingham for the wedding reception, staying overnight and then up to Blaine to visit Marcia and Gary Sunday morning.
Well, went to bed early and when I got up Saturday morning, things were much better. So, off we went to Bellingham. Kevin and Nancy met us at the Best Western there near Bellis Fair Mall and we had dinner with them at the Thai restaurant. We then headed over to Lee and Jessica's reception at her aunt's place in rural Bellingham. It was a lovely night and then had lots of room to spread out on the lawn for the party. Since they were married the week before in Mexico, this was the local celebration for friends and relatives that couldn't make it there. We enjoyed the party for a couple of hours, then headed back to the hotel. We spent the rest of the evening visiting with Kevin, Nancy and Griffey in our hotel room. So nice to catch up with them. Griffey and I conked out on the bed before the rest, as I  cannot stay up late any more.
Sunday morning we met the kids for coffee in the hotel breakfast room, then headed up to Blaine to visit Marcia and Gary. It was a beautiful morning and their house is in such a lovely setting right on the bay before you get to Canada. Their daughter Stacy was visiting so we got to catch up with her as well as Marcia and Gary. They have done so much work on the house - it is amazing. They served us a nice breakfast while we caught up.
After that , we drove back home with a cruise down memory lane through the WWU campus, Fairhaven and Chuckanut drive, stopped at Costco and Albertson's in Woodinville before finally hitting home.
We saw Ryan, Chantal and Grady for a few minutes before they headed out to dinner with Michael and Sara.
Shortly after that, Juanita and Kathy Roach came over with a casserole and a gift for Grady - good to catch up with them as well.
It was a great weekend, I enjoyed it immensely, but this old lady is tired now! The numbness is coming back into my fingers and toes, so I think I need to just get some sleep.
Thank goodness I will have this next Friday off to recuperate before the next round. We are excited to have a couple of dinners planned for Saturday and Sunday with friends and family. Got to get this stuff in while the summer is here!

Sweet dreams to you all,

Love Jan

Taxol II

Friday, July 20th I went in for Taxol treatment #2, again riding in with Frank in the morning. I was lucky to have good buddies Judi and Kass meet me there! Everybody was talking about the Batman movie massacres from the night before - what a tragedy. Judi, Kass and had a good visit during the chemo session and it went by really fast since we were all chatting away...


Things have gone pretty well so far this time. I was able to hang in there to go out to lunch with Judi and Kass, visit with Grady and Ryan in between treatment and lunch. Honestly, Kass is suffering much more than I am with her broken tailbone!

The only side affects I have noticed so far are the usual tiredness that hits you pretty quickly when it comes and a little "buzziness" from the medications they give you before treatment. I am to expect getting some numbness in hands and feet; so far I have not felt that. I am losing more hair all over - my eyebrows and eyelashes are almost completely gone now - looking more and more like Uncle Fester from the Adams Family!

There is some more good news; I thought my Taxol treatment schedule was going to be extended out to finish at the end of October - the current thinking is that it will still be the end of September, with three weeks of chemo, one week off and then two more rounds like this. Woo hoo!

Yesterday, Chantal, Grady and I attended the bridal shower for Sara Eshe, my nephew Michael's fiance. Doreen and Samantha put on a great party - lots of nice food and a couple of fun games. We all got to know Sara, her friends and  relatives a little bit better. Of course, Grady was a  big hit being the only guy there! He got to visit with a few surrogate Grandmas and Aunties - even got a few minutes bonding time with his Godfather, Michael at the conclusion of the shower.

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend, more updates later.

Lots love,

Jan

Taxol I

I am so sorry that I haven't posted for two weeks - yikes!
I guess the reason is that I have been doing a bit better, but also work has been so busy and I have been working extra hours. The last thing I have wanted to do is look at the computer since I've already spent 8-10 hours in front of it!

Anyway, here we are with the new chemotherapy drug which I took yesterday for the 1st time. I met with Dr. Chen and he has filled me in on the expected side affects and thinks they may need to alter the schedule a bit. The main side affect that people seem to complain about is numbness in the hands and feet and tiredness. For this reason, I may need to do three weeks in a row of chemo, then take a week off and then repeat for three more sessions like this. This will stretch things out for another month or so, taking it until mid-November.  I guess we will just have to see how I do.

I drove into Group Health with Frank and then met Kathy and Nancy there for my chemo session. This time they had to have me lying down and check for any allergic reaction to the drug (swelling of the throat, hives, rashes, etc.) Since I did not get that, they were able to give me the whole treatment just fine and I will likely not have that reaction in the future.  It was so sweet to have Nancy come by on her way home from work (after her 12 hour shift)  and Kathy on her day off to keep me company.  Always great to have extra nurses for back up too! The treatment went well and will not take so long in the future.
Nancy brought miniature cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then we all went to the 3 Pigs barbeque across the street when we were finished for lunch compliments of Kathy. Thanks guys! Afterwards, Kathy drove me home, so things were easy for me this day.
Finished out the day at home with watching Grady for a little bit while Ryan and Chantal did some shopping for a crib mattress in Bellevue. Dr. Chen says I am not toxic with this treatment, so I was able to feed him, change his diapers and give him little kisses with no worries - just have to take the hand washing precaution of course. Yay!

Last night I had a little trouble sleeping since they gave me the Dexamethasone (steroid) before starting my chemo. It is not prescribed again, so hopefully tonight I will sleep better. So far no nausea, heartburn or numbness, but we shall see how things progress.

We're looking forward to a nice dinner here with Kirk and Heather tonight - catching up with our good buddies! I'm hoping the weather cooperates and we don't get thunder, lightning and hail like yesterday!

Until later,

Jan

xoxoxo

One week past Chemo IV

So, I feel like this week has been a bit more exhausting than the last three times following the chemo - I have been so tired after work that I cannot do much more than make dinner, clean up, get ready for the next day and go to bed early. I think this is due to the Neupogen shots I was taking to prevent the neutropenic fevers that I had over the course of the other treatments. It does leave you very tired, and with a lot of aches and pains in the bones (specifically the back and wrists for me). The odd thing is, I get totally winded doing the most normal things - ex: walking up stairs, walking up little inclines, moving things around. I have been walking up hills, walking up stairs and moving things around all my life - it is so frustrating to find these things leaving me worn out. I'm hoping this will change; I know, I know, I am old, so I can't expect too much, but this is a bit ridiculous!

On the plus side this week, Grady and I have had some G to G bonding moments - I can't tell you how lucky I am to have him here - a grandma's absolute best dream come true! Chantal, Grady and I have also had a couple of evenings where we could take a nice walk around the neighborhood. We had an unexpected little gift on the last outing - dog poop stuck to the stroller  wheel! Little did we know that the lady walking her dog in front of us kept looking back because she "forgot" to scoop his poop -- how convenient..  In the nicest way  possible I confronted her and asked her if she had a bag and then allowed her to scrape it off the stroller wheel. She didn't protest!  In a way this was a bit of a relief - both Chantal and I kept thinking the smell was coming from each other..

Last night and today I do feel a bit better - just having it be the weekend does help. I did not work from home at all last week and I am reconsidering adjusting that schedule to include at least a few days at home to allow my self the chance to rest if I need to. And....I might sneak in a couple of moments with Grady...hmm....it's sound better by the moment.

We had a great visit from Marcia this morning - so good to see her - she is a ray of sunshine. She brought some nice hats for me and a ton of cute stuff for Grady. Loved catching up with her and we are so sorry we don't live closer. We've made plans to visit her and husband Gary in Blaine the morning after Lee Martineau's Bellingham wedding reception in July. This will likely be our big outing for the summer, which I will totally treasure.

Looking forward to relaxing the rest of the weekend and the promise of sunshine before the summer is over.

Love and hugs to you all,

Jan

Circumcision and Chemo

Today was a major day - Grady's circumcision and my Chemo session IV.

They expect him to be pretty tired and sore for a few days - they just got home about an hour ago, so we will see how the next 48 hours will go. Since I am a bit toxic for 48 hours, I can't hold him until Sunday afternoon -- waaaah!!
Kathy drove me in for my chemo session today; it was great to have her with me. Karen was planning to come too, but she ended up getting a bad cold last night and we figured it was for the best that she stay home. I missed her, but as it turns out, there are very many more opportunities to have a "chemo buddy" along.
I met with Dr. Kentley today; she said the plan was to have 12 more chemo sessions with a different drug - this time Taxol. So, beginning Friday, July 13th, I will have chemo once a week for 12 more weeks. This drug is supposed to have less side affects, but can have some consequences at the beginning - i.e. swelling in the throat, chest pain and other allergic type reactions. I will be taking a strong antihistamine about an hour before treatment. They will check me every 15 minutes to make sure all is well, so the first one will be long.

The rest of the side affects are somewhat similar to the Adriamyacin: loss of hair, low blood counts, numbness, pain and burning in the hands and feet, slow heart rate, changes (darkening) of fingernails and toenails, nausea, sores in mouth, tiredness, change in taste of food, headaches, skin rashes (sounds fun doesn't it!) Oh well, if I get these things, I know it will be working on the bad cells too.

After the 12 weeks of Taxol (ends September 28th), I will then see the surgeon to make plans to go under the knife - probably a month or so later. At that point, I guess I will have to be off work for a couple of months - darn! See, there's a silver lining to almost everything.

Signing off for now,

XOXOXOXO

Jan

Friday Morning

All is well in the Shea household.
Baby Grady continues to enchant us all - the cat is curious, but not jealous - just sniffs him every now and then. I have been lucky enough to get to hold him some of the mornings before I leave for work, because he gets up early you know!
Ryan was able to take two weeks off to help get things settled around here - he's doing a good job of helping out. They are all very tired of course.

Have been feeling fairly normal - just have the beginnings of hay fever I do believe.

Today Grady and I have our hospital dates - he has his circumcision and I have my Chemo IV treatment. I have a feeling he is going to be suffering more than I am!

I am lucky to have both Karen and Kathy join me today for my chemo session - lots of support from by my BFF's.
I am sneaking away from my work computer to type this, since I am working from home until I have to go to Group Health.
I hope to have more updates later after I speak to the doctor today - like - what the heck happens next? I have no more chemo scheduled, so I may have surgery next or a different chemo treatment - they were not sure last time.

XOXOXOXO

Jan

Grandma and Grandpa Gaga over Grady

I made it to the hospital in the nick of time to see Grady being born. Ryan was calling and texting me while I was on the freeway. I got to help hold her foot while she pushed. Chantal did great; no episiotomy or C section required. He is beautiful of course, lots of beautiful black hair, Chantal's nose and Ryan's eyes. He is a hungry baby - Chantal has been and will be busy feeding him!

Here are the stats:

Grady Dale Shea

Born Friday, June 15th, 12:59pm

7 pounds, 11 ounces

20" inches long

They should be coming home  this evening

All doing fine; tired and hungry.

Grandma is doing great too - so glad I am in my "feel good" phase to help out for a few days.

Baby update

Chantal and Ryan are in the hospital; I am leaving now to go over.

She is dilated 10 cm ; expects to start pushing at 1pm.

Much more later!

Almost Normal and Baby update

Baby update: No baby yet. Chantal has still had only Braxton Hicks contractions and cramping. She felt confident enough to go with Ryan to his basketball game in Shoreline tonight, so maybe it will be awhile longer yet.

Today I had this really weird feeling - I felt almost normal - no kidding.

The first sign was that I was able to drink almost the whole cup of coffee - normally I can only handle 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup.

I ate the whole bowl of cereal at breakfast, all the soup at lunch, a power bar on the way home from work and finished what was on my plate for dinner. (No, I did not have Frank dish up my plate - that is always a mistake).

Kass and I were ready to do Yoga after work, but got sidetracked talking when Julie missed the timing. But, we took a good 1/2 an hour walk instead and it felt good. (For me anyway, but I think Kass will be a bit sore since she has not fully recuperated from the hip surgery).

I managed to cook the entire dinner without having to sit down every ten minutes to rest.

Let's see - what else? - I pooped today!

Sorry, if that is offensive, I just saw this really funny ad for a Tshirt that had that sentiment and it kind of cracked me up:  http://www.noisebot.com/i_pooped_today_t-shirt.htm

We do get fixated on this stuff.

Ok, that is all for today, my mind is going off in weird tangents.

Love and hugs,

Jan

Catching up

I realized this morning it has been almost a week since I have posted, so time to catch up.

I know most of you have been waiting to hear if there is a baby in the house yet - not so far!
Chantal was officially off her pills yesterday; the baby is 37 weeks old today. She had a few Braxton Hicks contractions and cramps yesterday, but nothing sustained. She is frantically reading through tips from the internet to get labor going - boy there are some weird suggestions out there - eating black licorice, pineapple, spicy foods, castor oil - swinging, walking and dancing. If she does not go into labor by Sunday, June 24th, her doctor will induce her so she can have natural child birth. If that does not work by then, she will need a C section which she is trying to avoid. The waiting game continues.
The week started out nice  - Kevin and Nancy came over for dinner on Monday night. We got to catch up with them on the events of their Florida/Carribean vacation. They both looked tanned and rested and it was good to see them that way.  Tuesday afternoon was Yoga with Julie and Kass. Really appreciated some of her tips to get the blood flowing in the morning - controlled breathing. I've been trying to do that and it does seem to give me a little lift. I love hanging out with those guys.

Worked at home on Monday and in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday - after struggling through Tuesday with the wig on and ready to rip it off as soon as I was off work, I decided I am not going to make myself wear that any more - the hats are much more comfortable and tolerable for 8+ hours a day. I told  the friends at work that they will just have to get used to me this way - the said they just want me "Alive and Kicking". I appreciate that.
Wednesday at work was hard to stomach (literally). There were smells coming from all directions that I could not handle - burnt food from the toaster, people with weird smelling fabric softeners/body odors and perfumes and a temporary (they said) natural gas smell coming from the back stairs. I went home feeling very nauseous.  On Wednesday evening, I had pain in my back so bad, I could not get comfortable in any position - sitting, standing or lying down. All I could do was pace around in agitation. I had taken a couple of Tylenol to try to ease the pain with no result. Since the Tylenol lasts for 4 hours, I had to wait that long before taking any other pain medicine (Frank knows these things). Finally at 8:30pm I could not wait any longer and popped two hydrocodone to allow me to sleep - relief was on it's way.
I knew I could not drive to work while taking the pain meds, so worked from home on Thursday and Friday. Made it through all day Thursday and 7 hours on Friday; was glad to be done Friday afternoon. At least at home, I can stand up and walk around during breaks and split up the sitting with exercising. This is so much better for my back. It really does work out OK as most of my work is with clients on the phone. There was one meeting they linked me up on a Conference call - really could not hear anything they were saying though...Got the gist of it from an email. On Friday after work, Chantal and I went to get a manicure and relax a little. It was a nice outing.
Frank looked up the side affects of the Neupogen shots I was getting to keep my White Blood Cell count up - lo and behold some of the things that were bothering me I can attribute to that: flushing of the face, low grade fever and bone pain. Those are finished now, so the side effects will hopefully be behind me in the days ahead. I don't know if the back pain can be totally attributed to that, but I do think it is a partial cause. The shots should keep me from getting any other infections like the pneumonia from the 2nd round and the unexplained fevers of the 1st round.

I am starting to get "sick" of feeling sick and being perceived as sick. I am one of those people that rarely misses work and prides myself in fighting through colds and minor illnesses in a couple of days. Of course, I thought that the chemo for me would be different - I would sail through it with just a few little bumps in the road and then be ready to move on with the surgery as soon as possible. I have to admit that this is humbling and I need to be more realistic about what is happening to my body with the toxic chemicals and the cancer. It has been unpredictable and frustrating lately. I do long for the day when I can wake up in the morning and say "I feel good today!". I know it will come again, it just is down the road a little further than I thought and I have to accept that.

I want to take a minute to thank a few people that have been visiting, calling, writing and bringing over food. I probably will miss somebody because my brain is not quite the same - forgive me if I do - I will probably remember by the next post.

Lori for the nice visit and awesome soups - jam packed with vegies and fiber - really good stuff and the fiber effect is amazing. She also knit me the cutest fuzzy black cap - I think they call it "Eyelash" yarn. It is warm and soft - thanks Lori.
Dan and Lloyd for the nice visit and another soft and warm cap - it's a beautiful red color and made out of baby yarn - really, really soft and warm. Lloyd is an amazing knitter!
The nice cards and letters from Debbie, Mike and Anne - you guys are ganging up to  keep the Post office in business! Debbie even rips out pages of books and sends them on - that is so awesome! Mike and Anne's cards are cute, funny and touching and I appreciate the contact.
Rosslyn and Kathy's phone calls to check on me (and us) when I don't get to the blogging - you guys are the sisters I never had and I love you both for it.
Paul and Doreen for the visit and the awesome Minestrone soup - thanks for taking the time to come over yesterday - I know how busy you are and I appreciate your carving out a little time for me.
Jude and Steve for the offer of black out curtains - can't wait to try those to see if it helps get to sleep earlier.
Terry, Judi and Birgit for your encouraging comments on the blog, emails and texts - you keep my spirits up with your words of wisdom and support.
Karen, Gloria, Heather and Kathy Roach for the emails - thanks for keeping in touch.
Thanks Anita and Marcia for the phone calls and voicemails - somehow we just don't seem to connect - I appreciate hearing from you guys.
Genia - I miss you so much already - thanks for keeping in touch by email and text. Thanks to your lovely daughter Alex who did the Alaska Run for Women this weekend and had my name on her T-shirt - wow!
My kids, their women, my husband and my cat. Thanks so much for understanding, helping me out in so many big and small ways and just being there for me. You know how frustrated I am to not have the same energy and drive to get things done and accomplished as I usually do. Thanks for picking up all my slack. I love and appreciate you so much - it keeps me going.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Jan

Weekend update

Finishing up with the baby news - Chantal had to go into the hospital again on Saturday - started having cramps. This time she developed a UTI so they have her on antibiotics for that now. She is really wiped out.
The soonest they want her to deliver is June 10th - the baby will be exactly 37 weeks at that point and will be better developed to not have to go to the NICU. If she gets contractions or cramping again before that,  she will have to go back in for another shot - so far the pills are working.

I managed to stay busy over the weekend - got the extra bedroom cleaned out enough so that there is room for a changing pad on the table and the bed is usable if Ryan or Chantal needs to sleep upstairs any nights/days. Ryan and I found a little outdoor mattress at Value Village that I can cover with some sheets for a changing pad and I will get that sewn up later today.

I'm feeling OK - just a little more nauseuous with the chemo this time - my whole face, neck and chest was flushed on Saturday and Sunday - not sure why that is - I maybe just need to drink more water to flush the chemicals out. I managed to cook the whole dinner last night without feeling sick, so that is good.

I opted to work from home one more day (today); I think I will have to head back into the office tomorrow (yuck). Just wanted to make sure I could make it through a whole day without having to lie down. So far, so good as it is not too busy. Just have an hour left to go. It is nice not having to get the wig on and dress up too much, plus the stress of the whole vibe in the office.

Eww.. the cat just got sick in the bathroom  and coughed up a hairball - double yuck!! I guess this is one downside of working at home - I get to discover that. There goes the appetite for this afternoon!
This is one way to lose weight, I'll tell you.

 I have high hopes that the Neupogen shots will allow me to feel better next week and that I won't get a neutropenic fever or pneumonia this time. Frank is gleefully giving me a shot in the belly each morning - he's good at it, so it doesn't really hurt.

We're excited to see Kevin, Nancy and Griffey tonight for dinner; they are back from their Florida trip/cruise, so we can catch up with all the latest from them.

A Bientot,

Jan

Baby Update

Chantal and Ryan returned to the house about 2AM. Her contractions were real, but she is only dilated one centimeter and the baby is  35 3/4 weeks - still too early. They gave her another shot to stop the contractions and she is resting comfortable at home now. More pills to take daily.
So now after last night's fire drill, all of the bags are packed for the upcoming event - doctor says she needs to be at 37 weeks which will be no sooner than Sunday, June 10th..

More later....

The 1st of June

I realize that now I am posting about the 1st of June on the second of June - oh well!

Several big events today.
1. Liquor in the grocery stores - is it a good deal? Sounds like lots of tax on those puppies might take away all the savings...hmmm...I won't be drinking that for some time, so y'all will have to tell me.

2. Chemo III - I was escorted by the lovely Doreen for treatment today. She was kind enough to sit with me through the infusions. While there I met another chemo patient who complimented me on my earrings, called me sexy and said she'd jump on me! Whoa! Then she said she doesn't swing that way - whoa again! You never know what you will encounter in the Oncology room.

3. As of about an hour ago, Ryan and Chantal have headed to the hospital - she's having lots of contractions even though she has taken the pill to stop them. This might be the real deal! The thing that sucks is that I am toxic for 48 hours now since I just had my chemo today, so will be laying low here awaiting the news.

More updates later.......


XOXO

Jan

Back to work

Well I managed to get through two days of work without a horrendous coughing fit on the phone - that's good because it does tend to scare off the customers - what sort of sicko employees do you hire?

Last night Genia and  Betsy came over after work and we sat out on the deck and talked until around 8pm. It was so great to have them here; it's bittersweet though because Genia is now on her way to her new life as the Captain's wife down in Astoria, Oregon. I'm really going to miss her in the office - she was a really good boss and a good friend ( a rare combination.)  Thank god for texting, email and blogs, right?

I worked from home again today - made it until about 12:45 and then had to lie down NOW! It's funny how tired you can get with this shit. After an hour nap, I was back in the ball game until 3:30 or so.
I have decided that I need to make my bedtime 8:30 during the week - it's hard because it not at all dark out. All the literature on managing chemo tells you to get 8 hours of sleep - I've just not had that luxury for so many years that I resist it.
I had a nice phone call from the wilds of Alaska - good buddy Doug is out Halibut fishing near Juneau and wanted to say hi. So good to hear from him.

My lovely sister in law Doreen has offered to take me in for Chemo Part III tomorrow - I'm so lucky to have her. I'll meet with the doctor and then have the usual infusion cocktails from the penthouse suite at Group Health Bellevue. We'll probably have lunch together from the hospital food cart -gourmet tuna or turkey sandwiches - woo hoo! This is a day I am not really looking forward to, but I know I must get it over with. The up side is I will only work for three hours tomorrow morning 6 - 9 and then off for the weekend again.

Hasta Manana,

Jan          

Memorial Day Weekend and Tuesday Update

Well, while the rest of you were out camping or partying, we kept it kind of low key here.
Frank and I did manage to get out to the Saturday market to get my favorite "stuff" - we like the Australian guy "Vic" that commutes over from Yakima - his vegies are organic, very fresh, and he always has great suggestions for cooking. Picked up a few herbs for the Herb Garden project. Frank is hell bent to get that finished this weekend. That visit wiped me out so I came home after that.

For Ryan's birthday, he wanted a new mattress. He, Chantal and Frank found one at the Redmond Mattress factory. The guys headed out to get a one hour van rental from Home Depot to pick up the mattress and recycle the old, plus load some unwanted items from the house to go to the dump. In the middle of this, Chantal started having some serious contractions - major one's lasting 4-5 minutes and 7 or 8 within the hour. Long story short, Frank went to the dump and Ryan came back to take her to the hospital - she was in labor! But since it is only 35 weeks, they gave her a shot to stop the contractions and some pills to hold it off for two weeks. We may have a baby here as early as June 9th!

We are so excited, but the downstairs bedroom that Ryan and Chantal will share with the baby still was a bit overloaded with excess crap. Chantal and I spent a few hours on Sunday clearing some of the old stuff out. We loaded up boxes of books, blankets, pillows, etc for charity/garbage removal. It was so much easier to do it without the guys there. They got to look at it, but eventually agreed to let the stuff go - YES, YES, YES!!!! Ok, I was wiped out after this, but I have been wanting to get at that stuff for so long, I was pumped.

On Sunday, I was obligated to go into Urgent Care to have my blood drawn and be checked by the physician there. Per usual, this takes a really long time. We arrived about 9:30 and didn't get out until almost 1pm. But, things are looking better. The White Blood Cell count was up from 1,600 on Friday to 2,700 on Sunday. (Normal range is 4000-10,000). Neutrophils improved from a low of  .2 to 1.2 (Normal range is 2.0 - 7.30). Hematocrit went down from 34 to 33 (normal range 36-46). Mostly this was heading in the right direction, but not enough to call me cured and I am continuing with the heavy doses of antibiotics. I am still coughing and hacking a lot - makes it a bit hard to sleep at night.

On Monday, Frank really wanted to get the rest of the plants for the Herb Garden, so he could say that one project was "finished". He drove out to Flower World, where we did find most of the herbs on our list plus more. One interesting one we found, the "Curry Plant" - boy does that have a scent that lingers! We put it in the far edge of the garden. I do hope the cat doesn't roll in it - might be hard to get the scent out. It might be a deterrent to the coyotes eating him, but maybe not some of the other cultures that like cat meat - he would be pre seasoned - watch out Guillermo!

I really wanted to check out Classic Nursery in it's new location on Woodinville Redmond Road - they had some great plants and many I couldn't find elsewhere. Gosh, I really do hope they can stay in business.

I took the afternoon to do a little clearing out of the side bedroom while Frank was occupied in the yard. Do you see a theme here? - works better that way :-)  Didn't get a massive amount done, but it is more manageable than it has been. So all in all a lot of clearing out. Again, I was pretty wiped out after that and started spiking a fever - shit! Time to take it easy again. This evening Steve and Jude stopped by for a few minutes with a delivery - we are trying still trying to divvy up the family "heirlooms". Nancy and Kevin expressed interest in the grandparent's china, so we are storing it for them until they get back from their cruise. Speaking of that, of course we have not heard from them, but I am really hoping they are avoiding the storms in the Atlantic.

This morning, Tuesday, I had a a doctor's appointment to have my blood drawn and vitals taken again. The results were good - White Blood Cell count up to 4700 (normal), Neutrophils 3.1 (normal), Hematocrit still low at 33, but she wasn't worried. Next chemo session will be Friday. She is ordering Neupogen shots for me to take after this session - this should prevent the low drop in white blood cells that I have been experiencing. When I was at Group Health, I saw our friend Turie in the lab so we got caught up. She's encouraging me to take the Vitamin D - will do Mom!

I am not going to work at all today; tomorrow I might work from home. I have to see how well I can hold up talking without excessive coughing. Since my job is talking all day, this is a challenge!

Hope you all had a good weekend,

Jan

XOXOXO

Slowly Recuperating

Well, I have to say, Friday was better than Thursday - fever has gone down, don't have the shakes and chills or vomiting, just a persistent cough, fatigue (what else is new) and my lower back keeps locking up.
Hey, I discovered that frequent coughing really works your abs - mine are really sore right now - tells you how out of shape I am in that area!

I went into the clinic Friday morning - had to have my blood drawn and see the Physician's Assistant to read the results and take my vital signs.  Unfortunately, this takes three hours. She wants me back into Urgent care on Sunday for another blood draw/vital signs check up and then again on Tuesday. If the white blood cell count is back up to an acceptable level and I don't have a fever, they will take me off the heavy dosed antibiotics. My next chemo session is scheduled for June 1st and they want the white blood cells to be at an acceptable level by then.

Chantal and I managed to plant seed starts for the greenhouse while the weather cooperated in the afternoon. We may have a few too many - I'll let you know in case anyone else is planning a garden.

I had a couple of surprise visitors yesterday - Betsy came by with Cougar Gold Mac n Cheese in the afternoon. She was on her way to a company photo session - so good to see her for a few minutes and catch up. We haven't had a chance to visit for a long time and I've really missed her.

Terri came by in the evening for a short visit, bringing lotsa love and moral support. She's got so much going on, I really appreciate her taking the time to come over. And...she looks really good driving her new Nissan Z convertible - woo hoo - what a babe!

Chantal made an amazing salmon dish for dinner - we had that with Betsy's Mac N Cheese and corn. My appetite came back just in time - really enjoyed it. She is getting to be an awesome cook - it's impressive.

Today I will be laying low again; my one desire is to take a short trip to the Saturday Market. I love it so much; just need to cover myself up to avoid the germs. We'll see.

Hanging in there,

Jan

Yoga Tuesday

I forgot to mention one really awesome afternoon - Julie came over to run a yoga class in my living room - it was great!

Kass came over and since Ryan and Chantal were home, they participated too.

Julie tailored the moves to our particular weaknesses (or should I say strengths!) and we all felt really good at the end of it.

Ryan commented that he was pretty sore as he had basketball that night too - good for him - his muscles definitely can use some stretching.


Thanks Julie!

Back Home and back to the office

We managed to leave Cannon Beach at 9am on Friday, so got back home fairly early in the afternoon. Good to be back home. We slept well in our own bed that night - sure beats the Double Murphy bed with the dip in the middle that we slept on in Oregon.

Saturday was busy for me - Chantal and I went shopping at the Saturday Market, Molbak's, Home Depot, Fred Meyer and REI. Got a lot of the herbs and plants for the Garden plus stash for the week. We both did much better once we had a Power bar and some water. Really helps to keep hydrated and fueled up. That evening we celebrated Ryan's birthday a little early with Kevin - went to the Vietnamese restaurant in Redmond and to the movie "What to expect when you are Expecting". It was cute and very appropos to their situation. I am not sure that Kevin found it that fascinating, but he was a good sport about it.

Sunday started out with a visit to the Verizon store to get new phones for Frank and Ryan. They both had what Frank called "Fred Flintstone" phones and were sorely needed upgrades. They ended up with Droid Razr phones - a bit different than the IPhone, so Frank is going to have to get schooled by Ryan.
After that, I drove over to Terri and Barb's birthday party at the Woodmark Beach Cafe.  We had lunch and presents, then headed over to the spa for the luxury pedicure/manicure treatment. What a great day!
So good to catch up with everyone - does my heart good to laugh and share with the gang! My appetite is coming back - yay! Sunday night I made Zitti pasta from a familiar recipe. Boy..did I screw that up! Totally put the wrong stuff in the wrong order....was this chemo brain messing me up or just being tired? Really don't know.  Everybody ate it and didn't get sick, so I guess it was OK.                     



           

Superwoman Succumbs

Hi all
Sorry I haven't posted for over a week; I have been a bit too busy and also really tired.

Last night I was running a temperature and had sweats, chills and shakes along with a cough. Things weren't any much better today, so I worked from home until I could get an appointment with the doctors office. I went in and had a chest xray, blood test and urine test. My white blood cell count is way down and I have pneumonia! Here I thought I was fighting hay fever!

So, I have to go into Group Health every day for the next few days to take blood tests and talk with the doctors until the antibiotics kick in - you know how my Memorial Day Weekend will go!
Sorry for all of you that I have had to cancel out on for the next few days, I think I now know that I need to take it much, much easier from here on out.
After my next  chemo session, they will be giving me shots to take to keep the white blood cell count up. I can't even imagine how things would be going if I was scheduled for chemo every two weeks - yikes!
Back to bed,

Jan

Post from the Coast Day III Wednesday

Wednesday - another beautiful day on the Oregon Coast. We are so lucky with the weather!

Today I felt like we should walk a little further in the morning - we went to the end of the coastline as far as we could go down the beach to the south. Pretty area and a lot less crowded than up to Haystack. After that, we decided to head to Cannon Beach to do some shopping. Oh, yes, we have to hit every one of the stores - funny how you can have more energy when it comes to shopping!
I found lots of cute things and felt good about the shopping trip.
When we got back to our hotel, I really wanted to take 1/2 hour to sit on the beach and read. This was always my definition of a vacation when raising the kids - If I could have 1/2 hour to read a book on the beach, it was successful. I still feel this to be the ultimate in luxury and I treasure those breaks. What is nice about being here during the week before high season is that the beach is not crowded - we could grab those chairs in front of the hotel and had no competition from other humans. We were only disturbed by a seagull who wanted to see what was in our little green bag...
After sitting on the beach, I  felt like we needed to take another walk up to Haystack Rock- what the heck, its a nice day right?
Oh boy, this one did me in! I could barely walk up the stairs to the third floor of the unit.  I took a look at the pedometer - over 17,000 steps! Geez.....
Too tired to cook or go out to dinner - Frank picked up Salmon from Mo's tonight. Again, I really wanted to try the Panther Creek Pinot Noir with the salmon - two little sips and DONE. Cannot handle it darn!
Went to bed right after American Idol......

Peaceful dreams,

Jan

The Oregon Coast Day II Tuesday

Ok, here's another "Post from the Coast" - catching up to Tuesday

OMG we were SO TIRED today.  Frank had worked his tush off trying to finish staining the deck so it would be ready when we came back from the trip and his knees and arms were really sore. I was just feeling more tired from the chemo and the busyness of work and getting the house in order before we left. It was a nice morning and not windy, so we got in our walk to Haystack rock fairly early.

Because we were so rushed we forgot a lot of  stuff. Frank didn't have any socks, I forgot a swim cap (totally forgot about using that) and we just need a few supplies for the problem I was having and supplies for cooking.  Our choices were Costco or Fred Meyer - yuk! So off we went to Fred Meyer as we know they have just about everything. The thing that sucks about their location it is that is almost back to Astoria (Warrenton) and over a 1/2 an hour drive. It was one of those totally disorganized Fred Meyer stores that had you wandering all over hell and back to find what you needed. Due to cutbacks, there were not many employees to point you in the right direction - oh well, I don't relish asking 20 something retail associates to point out their selection in Fleet's enemas anyway.
We drove back to CB to chill.
We had lunch here and went for  a swim in the indoor saltwater pool. My swim cap made me look like a commercial for Egghead software (are they still around? - maybe I can get a job). I just was worried about showing up at  the pool and scaring little kids and their parents with my shiny bald head, so I figured I should wear it. God, it felt awful - don't know how those competitive swimmers can stand these things. Anyway, I had heard that it is really not a good idea to stay too long in any public pools or hot tubs because people with infections may have entered recently, so our visit was short.


We came back and rested up after the swim; I am reading a book about a Seattle woman doctor (breast cancer pathologist) who got breast cancer in her early 30s while she was nursing her 2nd baby. Her book is called "Red Sunshine" after the chemical agent Adriamyacin - aka the Red Devil. It  was  an interesting read - many parallels to my life and some different. Being more in a privileged lifestyle, she could afford to take lots of time off work, had a mother and mother in law who didn't work and stayed with her for long periods of time and could hire nannys, au pairs and cleaning ladies to help with the kids, cooking and upkeep of the house. Nevertheless, she had some really good points that I am going to list here that I want to keep in mind:

1. Keep LIVING - you are here now and very much alive
2. Believe in your treatment and treatment team
3. Educate yourself on your options
4. Second opinions are a good idea
5. Let other people help and tell them how (this is hard)
6. Let go of the guilt (neither you nor the chocolate you ate did this)
7. Contact others who have a similar diagnosis
8. Get fresh air every day and stay active
9. Don't give up good distractions - working, volunteering, hobbies
10. Embrace the big picture and let the small stuff go
11. Take this opportunity to put yourself first (this is hard for me too)
12. Let this process change you for the better;  this will make you stronger

All good advice that I will try to follow.

Some of the rest of the day was taken up with getting myself more "regular" - I promise I will not go into detail!

We had takeout from Mo's restaurant again tonight. Fish Tacos and salad. Just don't feel like eating out in a restaurant - I am still a bit self conscious in my little caps. Food was OK -still can't taste much anyway.

More posts to follow on Weds, Thursday soon - maybe not tonight though...

Love you guys,

Jan.

The Oregon Coast Day I Monday

Monday was the day we both had been looking forward to -vacation for 5 whole days away from work and chores. We had some last minute packing to do in the morning, so we were ready to go a little before 10am. I wanted to take a picture of the herb/vegetable/flower garden in the back, so I could look at it for inspiration on the trip. Well I was looking down at the camera when I walked through the kitchen and I didn't see the cat at his food dish. Yep, I stepped on his tail, he howled, hissed and turned around to bite the bejesus out of my big toe - right where the toenail meets the flesh - owee!! When he realized it was me, he turned a little smile on me and walked out the door. I was a little worried about getting an infection or me infecting him - but all seems to be well. (We're both up to date on our shots).

Anyway, the drive down to Oregon was pretty good - nice day. We stopped in Astoria for lunch at the pub for fish and chips. Eating meals is a challenge because I have no appetite, but I spied the senior menu - thought that that might be the right amount. Whoaaa...still way too much food, but luckily Frank is happy to oblige finishing off the rest of my order. He is not interested in ordering from the Senior menu - no sir..

After that we cruised through the outlet mall and did a little shopping at Safeway before checking into our room about 4pm . Nice unit with a view of Haystack Rock and the ocean - it's a studio with a kitchenette and a Pull down Murphy bed. Works fine for us.We got in a brisk walk to Haystack and back. We decided to order dinner from Mo's restaurant across the parking lot - we both got the Shrimp Medley - it was Cajun shrimp skewers, shrimp salad and shrimp cocktail - whole lotta shrimp - again way too much food for me- but I have my handy dandy husband/trash compactor along, so nothing goes to waste! I tried to have a little Pinot Noir - we were in Oregon for god's sake - just can't stomach it! So..again Frank got my share of the Elk Cove Pinot Noir this night.
I wanted to stay up and enjoy the view from the deck, but way too tired. Fell asleep around 11pm.
Plenty more days to enjoy Cannon beach, so I gave into the pillow.

More vacation posts to follow.

Jan

Recapping the Weekend

It was a busy and beautiful weekend; a lot happened and I am looking forward to this week on vacation.

On Friday night after I posted, Frank came home and gave me a head shave. I have to say it is weird looking at yourself without any hair. I was reminded of how much I look like my Dad as I have the same haircut that Frank used to give him when he was at the nursing home.

Anyway, since the wigs had arrived I was able to try them on. It is amazing how good they look. The "Michelle" wig looks very much how my hair looked once I came home from the hairdresser. The color is exactly right and the style is very similar. It is fairly comfortable. The other wig, "Hope" is a bit different than my regular style - a bit longer in the back and longer bangs that swoop to the side. The kids think I look younger in this one..hmmm.. I have to figure out how to wear this one as I am not used to longer hair. I will alternate wearing the wigs with the caps; so far I am only going "au naturel" around the house - don't want to scare anybody with the shiney head.

On Saturday morning I woke up with a worse  headache - yikes not used to wearing stuff on my head I guess. The doctor said I should not take Motrin, so I tried the Migraine medicine with Tylenol and it went away. It has not come back and that is great.
Frank and I went to visit his folks and to bring food we had frozen in the "Seal a Meal" for them. Kathy and Joahnn are in Germany for a few weeks, so we wanted to catch up with them. They seem to be faring well. Vyerl knew right away I was wearing a wig, but Frank did not. (Guess that is the difference between women and men.)
Saturday evening we had a get together here for Mother's day since Ryan and Nancy were working on Sunday. We had Chinese take out and sat around the back yard since it was such a nice evening . The kids gave me lots of nice stuff - the gifts seem to be a  bit different now that there are a couple of girls in the family!

Sunday morning, we have a visit from Mr Terry Y at the back door! He's delivering a major breakfast from Panera bread complete with egg souffles (omelet in a croissant), fresh fruit and bagels. Chantal, Frank and I had breakfast with him and there were tons of leftovers - wow - very good. He also had another bag of "chemo" caps for me. Terry, you are too nice.

Frank spent the day finishing up staining the deck so we could sit out there for dinner and it would be ready to finish setting up when we get home from Oregon on Friday. It looks great.
I spent the day shopping and cleaning the house between a couple of short ten minute naps. The steroid medication they have me take for three days, does get me a bit hyper, but not nearly as much as the last go round. I am till making lists, but they are not as long as the last time! Don't seem to have much nausea thanks to the other medication, so am hoping this time will go smoothly.

We are headed out for Cannon Beach this morning - looking forward to getting away for a few days of rest and relaxation. We're bringing books and videos and will walk on the beach, sleep in (hopefully) and take it easy.
I may not be able to post the blog for a few days; we'll see how the WiFi works with the laptop down there at the Tolovana Inn. (I'm not too good typing out paragraphs of stuff on the IPhone!)

Lotsa love

Jam

Catching up - Friday Chemo Day

Wow - I didn't realize I hadn't posted since Tuesday - very very busy with work - it's got me worn out!
Neat things from yesterday
~ I got to walk with my friend Kass who has just recovered from her second hip surgery - she is doing great and looks really good.
~I got a package in the mail with lots of "chemo caps" to try out. I remembered that I am not really a hat person so it is going to take some getting used to.
~I got another package in the mail from my wonderful  nephew Nick - get this - very high tech - USB powered fingerless warmer gloves! How awesome is that? They are a Japansese product - so clever. I will never have to suffer with freezing fingers on the computer again thanks to New York Nick. (Soon to be Frisco Nick) - thank you so much.

I was somewhat dreading today because I had so much work to finish in 2 1/2 hours before I headed out for my chemo appointment. But, I got it all done and I am not going to look at my work computer until Monday, May 21st - yee haw! Wow - I am officially on vacation!

I had blood work done today, met with my new Oncologist, Dr. Chen and had my 2nd chemo session with the red and clear stuff. Dr. Chen is very nice and knowledgeable - but he says I have to have at least two more chemo sessions before they decide what to do after that - Waaaaa!!  I guess I should have known that two was not going to cut it - I was just hoping..
The really, really neat part of this day was when I came into the lobby of the Oncology clinic and there was my good buddy, Heather. I just about cried when I saw her and immediately called her by a name I hadn't said in a long time - Heath-ey poo! We totally got caught up on what's going on with her and her family - it's so neat when you see a good friend that you haven't seen in a long time and you just remember why you liked them so much. Visiting with her just made the whole thing go by really fast. They even served us lunch - not too bad!
After that, I went and picked up all my medications - whew! I think I might be able to claim the medical expenses on the income tax return this year.
When I got home, there were two deliveries - Flowers from the friends at work, and then came the FEDEX truck with the wigs from TLC!  So... I think it is time for me to have Frank shave my head and I can try them out. Then I can be a different person - one says "Michelle" and one says "Hope". Maybe I will turn into a different person when I put them on. Or......I can blame all my bad behavior on Michelle or Hope - you know - Michelle made me do it - or it was all Hope's fault - what do you think? :-) 

To the commenters - thanks a lot! Was it hard figuring out how to do it? Would one of you share how it works? I think some people might not get it. Terry - jokes are......interesting! :-) B - I am now very intrigued for the package in the mail....hmmmm... Michael - I appreciate your thoughts.

Well now I am tired and it is time for the old lady's afternoon nap. It's going to be a beautiful evening and a beautiful weekend. Happy Mothers day to all the moms and to all the "mothers" out there.

Love ya lots,
Jan

Tuesday

Well, I made it through 2 days at the office; tomorrow one of our agents who was out the last two days is back in and she has a major head cold - I am going to have to work from home through the end of the week to avoid getting that nasty virus - bummer!

Still feeling fairly normal; just tired.
Every flat surface in the house seems to be covered with hair - I am afraid to touch it because every time I do, another long wad comes off.

Michael - I appreciate the idea about saving my hair for a wig - I wish I would have thought of that earlier - there's not really enough of it now and it is looking pretty ratty.

Due to Terry's generous gift certificate to the TLC store I have a shipment coming by the end of the week - will be trying out some new looks. Can't wait!


Terry - thanks for all the jokes and comments - love the one liners - especially the Irish joke! Keep em coming!

Cheers,

Jan

The Weekend

The weekend was nice; many visitors and I felt lotsa love coming my way.

First of all, the plans for the wig "fitting" were cancelled as I looked at the cost for purchasing from Anton and it ranged from $1500-$2500. I don't think they could make me look that good for that price, so have opted out of this plan for a little while. Frank has convinced me that most of the chemo patients he sees do not wear wigs - the cute little hats are what they go for.


Since we were not going to the wig fitting, Frank and I decided to take a trip to my favorite place in Redmond - the Saturday Market. They had just opened up for the season and it was so good to go back there to purchase our organic vegetables and fruits. I always get a little sad when they close up for the season at the end of  October.

Saturday was also highlighted with a visit from Paul and Doreen - bearing grandparent gifts.  Kevin and Nancy were over for an Italian dinner. Very nice company.

Lo and behold on Saturday, comes a package in the mail - Terry Yamaguchi has sent me a gift certificate to TLC - the American Cancer Society catalog that carries hats wigs, and other supplies! What a nice gift and just in time. I am planning to order from them.

Sunday we had a nice visit from my cousin Alan, his wife Rebecca and their precocious first grader Sam. They delivered a yummy looking Ginger Chicken, Rice and vegie dish.
Fritz and Terry Yamaguchi were over for lunch - bearing more gifts of flowers, cookbooks, hats, food and more. . And....Terry has shaved his head....wow.....it's amazing.
My friends and relatives - you are so kind and generous it touches my heart.

I feel good tonight - no fever, heartburn or nausea. I am going to try to work all week in the office.

Oh, and don't worry if I haven't posted a blog on one day or another...things might just be too busy.

Love ya,

Jan

Friday - Woo hoo!

Today was good because

1. I did not have to take any Zantac - ate my breakfast with no stomach pain whatsoever
2. No fever
3.  Well, duh, it's Friday!

Working at home for 4 straight days makes me miss the office - weird! Ryan and Chantal left for Cannon Beach, so there was no one to talk to except the cat and my customers. The cat does not talk back; customers talk too much. I think I will go back in Monday.

I don't like all the hair coming off my comb - loads and loads - and the front is starting to look like a dude's combover! :-(

So my friend Karen thinks I should recycle my hair - wow yeah - can't let all the beautiful stuff go to waste. She is talking about stuffing it down gopher holes -  would never have thought of that!

Does anyone else have any ideas for recycling hair?


Yes, looking forward to the weekend and checking out the wigs.
I am going to try not to overdo it like I usually do on the weekend - going to still try to stay away from the general public - no mingling at WalMart or other suspicious venues.

Oh, just realized - today was the day we were going to leave for France - bummer....

I guess I just have to try to eat some Mexican food and celebrate another country!


Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Jan

Thursday

Today was pretty good,  I feel like I am getting a bit stronger and was actually hungry for dinner! Woo hoo! Too bad it was not too exciting - chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese - the ultimate kid's meal. The only thing missing was the jello and the m&m's.

I am still running a bit of a temp - 100.0 - so I worked from home yesterday and today and will again tomorrow - just want to shake this thing. There is a lot of hair coming off my comb today and lots more showing up in the sink. I have an appointment with Anton the wigman on Saturday - oh boy! New look soon!                   

Something I wanted to put in here - my very awesome niece, Laura is running in the Rock and Roll Marathon for the American Cancer Society - yes she will be running 26 miles! Here is the link to her page if you want to check her out: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=26501154&pg=personal&fr_id=44620&fl=en_US&et=CjNVLkc6linPbW9MoE48jA&s_tafId=925614

Tuesday - better than Monday

Working from home today - SO much better! Nice to be ten steps from the bathroom and bedroom.

Still getting the chills, and a bit of a temp, so I bundled up with gloves, heavy sweater and socks. I actually got pretty good typing with gloves - every now and then I would get this message: Did you forget your password?
I am now building a corner of the kitchen counter with pharmaceuticals   - I have a whole slew of stuff including Zantac Maximum strength, Levofloxacin (Cipro) antibiotic, Tylenol, Probiotic tablets and Viscous Lidocaine to mix with Maalox - this makes the concoction known as "Snot in a cloud". This last one has Frank out of his mind with excitement. You basically mix an antacid with this thick clear gunk, about the consistency of well...snot...and toss it down the hatch. The result is that it numbs up your esophagus and relieves the heartburn so you can eventually eat! I'm saving it for a special occasion.

Funny things for the day:
~Someone name Edna called me and stated: "I ordered a certificate for a "Bottomless Mimosa" from you guys and I haven't gotten it!" Huh??? I'm pretty sure she had the wrong company, but I should have asked her to call me back and let me know where you get that. Wonder if it comes with a self test breathalyzer kit and a lawyer referral?
~Frank emails me and tells me he's getting a haircut - I beg him not to shave his head. He says he was thinking about getting a "reverse mohawk"....what??? You'll have to come by and see what it looks like.
~Guillermo the cat decided to join me for my afternoon nap - he's been rather distant lately and it was nice to have him cuddle up with me on the bed. No sooner had he settled in, than I smelled the worst kitty cat fart! What the heck, Guillermo????  I think we need to change to cat food....

Good things for the day:
~My friend Kathy showed up at the door during her lunch break - bringing hugs and Probiotics. She had a hug from Birgit in China and another one from her. Her company is the premier source for Probiotics - they sell to Trader Joe, Rite Aid, Kroger, GNC, WalMart, etc. It was great to catch up with her and here her laugh.
~In the mail, I have a joke book from Steve Ducharme - "The Greatest Joke Book Ever" - always good to get new material!
~Lots of nice emails from folks near and far - thanks to you all for your love and support.

Au revoir!

Monday

I forgot to mention two really cool things from yesterday:

1. Steve and Jude stopped by with the best Green Enchilada Casserole. It was great to have that all ready to go, because I didn't get home until 8pm tonight from the doctor. Ryan and Chantal had it ready for us when we got home. Yummy, Jude!

2. My good buddy Heather told me she will be with me at my next chemo appointment, May 11th. She recently went through chemo, is a nurse and one of my oldest friends. That is so awesome.

Today at work was very tiring - I was cold, achey and felt like I had a fever. I wore my coat all day. When I got home, I found that my temp was 100.6. It had been going up and down for a few days. The Oncology nurse asked me to go into Urgent care. Frank met me there and sat with me through urine tests, two blood cultures, blood chemistry, hematology studies and a chest x ray.

The only result of significance was a very low white blood cell count - no signs of infection however. The doctor put me on an antibiotic for twelve days.

I missed my friend Kathy, who stopped by today when I was at Urgent Care. She's the probiotic pusher, something I think I'm going to need!

I have decided to work from home for the next few days - to stay away from the germs and the bed is 10 steps from the "office." Otherwise, I will probably have to wear one of those annoying masks that make me claustrophobic.

Early to bed tonight!

Introduction Jan's Journey - Chronology of Events

This year, Frank and I had planned a journey to France and Germany for two weeks in May - inspired by the two free tickets I had earned during the Air France Holidays Sales contest last year. We were to travel from Paris to Languedoc, Provence, the French Riviera, Burgundy and Bavaria to visit the home of our brother in law Johann.
Due to unforseen life altering circumstances, that journey has been delayed. Instead I am embarking on another path to concentrate on my health.

I wanted to write this blog to:
~Record the events as they happen
~Keep a journal of thoughts and feelings
~Document how things are progressing with my treatment

I have this idea that I will write a little each day, but that might be too ambitious.

I am going to start with a chronology of past events, so I can keep them straight in my mind.

So here goes:

March 21st - Self referred to Mammography for mammogram - I was worried about the size and shape of my right breast

March 28th - Office procedure in mammography to complete a needle biopsy of the right breast

April 5th - visit with Dr. Donald Stepan, Surgeon who specializes in breast cancer. He diagnosed my condition as Inflammatory Breast cancer and prescribed a regimine of several months of chemotherapy every two weeks followed by surgery.

April 10th - visit with Dr. Bruce Cutter and PA Donna Kentley, Oncologists, to map out treatment and order radiological tests.

April 12th - minor surgery to implant a "power port" in my upper chest to allow the medical staff to access my veins for blood tests, infusions and IV's. Saves the other veins in the arms. My wonderful sister in law Kathy, sat with me before surgery, which was really nice. I am so lucky to have her.

April 13th - I had three radiological procedures this day - CT scan, MUGA scan (for the heart) and a Breast Cancer MRI at the First Hill Clinic in Seattle. My power port was accessed for the first time by none other than my handsome and talented husband. It was a beautiful day, and I got a sunburn from all the driving around.

April 16th - Back to Bellevue Radiology for a Bone Scan ordered by Dr. Cutter.

April 17th - This day was supposed to be my last haircut for awhile before going on chemo. This was interrupted by a phone call from Dr. Cutter. He wanted me to come in and discuss the results of the bone scan. Frank and I met with him in the late afternoon - Dr. Cutter was to fly out later that evening to Spokane to start his new assigment to run the Spokane GHC Oncology department and wanted to make sure he could talk to me before he left. The results of the bone scan surprised him and us - the breast cancer cells are in the bones throughout my body. Because of this fact, the cancer will not be cured, can only be controlled by chemo, surgery and hormone therapy. This was a shock. The good news was that the chemo sessions would be spaced three weeks apart instead of two and then they would think about surgery.

April 19th - Meeting with Dr Callahan in Oncology and first chemo treatment
Asked the Dr. Callahan the dreaded question: What is the life expectancy for someone with my condition? He stated that in his experience it ranged from 5 years to 25 years. I'm going for the latter.
I then went over to the Infusion room and met with Jane the Oncology nurse. She set me up with the two treatments I was to receive that day. The first one was red and it's called Adriamyacin. The next one was clear and it was called Cytoxan. I was set up in a comfortable seat facing the window. I could see the new Uwajimaya store from there - woo hoo! Jane went over all the possible complications and ways to manage the symptoms - lots of really good advice.
A little later,  a young girl who was a nursing student visiting came over to talk. She told me a story about a Doctor she met who wrote a book about her own breast cancer, called "Red Sunshine". This was an alternative term to the name given to Adriamyacin - known to some as the "Red Devil". I appreciated that she took the time to talk to me about that. She will make a great nurse I think.

April 20th - worked a full shift from home this day. Got a little tired about 1pm; it was nice to be able to lie down in the room next to the office.

April 21-22 - over this weekend, I wanted to stay close to home to see how I could manage the symptoms. I was given medication for nausea; one was a steroid. It actually made me hyper, so I was getting a lot of chores done around the house. I did not feel like throwing up, but did not have much appetite and my stomach was upset. The steroids and the volumes of water I had to drink kept me wakeful at night.

April 23 - 27 - Worked a 40 hour week in the office. On Wednesday, I was so tired that I wanted to take a nap in my car. I went out to lie down, but it was too cold! Plus I had to go to the bathroom so that didn't work!

April 26th - Had a visit with the Group Health Genetics department. Dr. Stepan had suggested I make this visit due to the prevalence of breast cancer a Ovarian cancer in my family (My Aunt Dorothy and my cousin Jocelyn on my mother's side.) I met with Shannon DeVange who took copious notes and put together a family tree. She has sent a referral to get tests done for BRCA at a lab called Myriad Genetics in Utah. The results may take 3 months or so to return. I wish to do this for my nieces and future granddaughters/grand nieces, in case they have an elevated risk.

April 28 - 29 - this weekend I have had a hard time eating; lots of gastric distress and "heartburn" type feeling. Frank spoke to the pharmacist who recommended Zantac - it seems to have helped. I have been running a low grad temp. I will follow this, as they want me to call in if it goes above 100.5 degrees.
Saturday was a good day - Chantal and I hit the garage sales and Molbak's - we scored.
Sunday was another fund day - celebrated the 90th birthday of Frank Shea, Senior - he's amazing!

Signing off for the evening.
Jan