Playdate

Chemo has been tolerable so far. I spent much of yesterday in bed sleeping. I was able to eat a wonderful homemade meal delivered by Cheryl. I am taking anti-nausea pills every 4 hours and they seem to be working well. No vomitting. The fatigue has been much harder. There isn't much we can do to fight it except rest.

Today, Ry had arranged a sledding family adventure. We weren't able to go at 10 as planned, but we were still able to go later and had a blast! It was a perfect set up! We went to Victory Acres off of Cameron Lane. Ry's work buddy let us borrow a 4 wheeler! We could ride the sleds and intertube down the hill and use the 4 wheeler to get back up! Chloe went down by herself! She crashed at the end of each trip and just got right back on and finished down the hill! Stac, Noah, Isaac, Ry, Heather, Ryder, Dad, Chad, Chloe and I all sledded. I wore out before everyone else, so Heather took me back to her house with Ryder and we had snacks. When everyone else was done, we had pizza hut. It was a great day! I hope you all make time for some fun family adventures too! Tell me all about them!

From the Pit

I am one-handed blogging from my recliner in the chemo treatment room. Things have gone fine, but the actual iv in my veins didn't start until after noon so I will likely be here until supper time. Chad and Ry are both here with me so they can take turns if they need to. Right now there is enough space that they can both be back here with me. The daunting thing for me is sitting here for so long! Thank God for ipads and wi-fi!

The test results we were waiting for came back. There was no mutation so the pill form of chemo will be reserved for 2nd line defense. We will have a follow up with Dr. Le-Lindqwister next week and she will set us up with an appt to get a port put in so there won't be a lot of needle sticks after today. The expectation is that the next 3 days will tell what my side effect will be and how severe. In 3 weeks, I will return here and do the same thing again. Then scans, then the 3rd round. Radiation will be checked by MRI on March 14th.

Have a great day! Do something that's not sitting in a chair for me!

Praiseworthy

As I was contemplating what to write today, I decided to share some praise reports and prayer requests. As I have had visitors, comments have been made about how positive I have been and how hard that must be. It's hard to explain that to others. Then I received this email from 'Women of Faith' and it seems to put it perfectly. I will still add praise and prayer requests to the end of the article.

Your Favorite Bad Feeling

Finally . . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. —Philippians 4:8 NIV

If we can’t control anything else in our lives, we can control what we think about. But when we have been buffeted by a situation that throws us, it is easy to abdicate our control and go to our “favorite bad feeling.” That’s the feeling we went to as a child because we learned that it helped us get what we wanted. Once you are an adult, you will find that it is the first place your mind rushes when there is something troubling on your mental radar screen.

Some of us cry, some pout, some sleep, some eat chocolate, some go shopping, some withdraw, and some slam doors, some clean house, some sit and stare. You could probably fill in your own favorite bad feeling. But you don’t have to respond that way, you can choose not to go there. Circumstances rarely change, but how you feel about the circumstances can change dramatically.

How you feel is up to you, not to anyone else in your life. Peace is the result of choosing to focus your mind on what is true and honorable and right. When you choose to do that, it is amazing how much peace will overtake your mind and heart.

—Jan Silvious

Excerpted from A Grand New Day © 2008 by Thomas Nelson. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Praise:

• 1/2 way through my 2nd round of antibiotics and with slightly adjusted use of my inhaler, my wheezing and rattling are gone!
• Both kids have finished their 2nd round of antibiotics and are feeling well!
• Chad did NOT catch what the rest of us had!
• Dr. Salgia says we have a lot of options and he would like to treat aggressively.
• We have received a number of very generous and thoughtful gifts.

Prayer Requests:

• My sister is very sick. We miss each other but she can't come around until she is fever free. She needs rest.
• Our chemo class is today and treatment starts Thursday. Pray for good decisions from the dr.s, strength for my body, and courage for Chad.
• We need wisdom in handling paperwork for things like disability, social security, etc. Those things work differently for teachers so it is complicated.

Don't forget to make today count!

2nd Opinion

Typical for us: "are you waiting to be seen?" "Yes my appointment was at noon" "hmmm" she says as she walks away at 1:00!!!!
We did eventually get to see Dr. Salgia and it went well. Stac was able to participate over the phone. The Dr. actually held the phone and addressed her directly several times. I will have her post some time this weekend a better understanding of what we found out. The bottom line Chad & I both got out of it is that he wants to be aggressive, he feels  like we have several options, and he is happy to work with Dr. Le-Lindqwister's group so treatment can be local as much as possible. All good news.
It is not hereditary so there is no extra concern for my children or siblings. Of course, there is now a family history so there will be precautions, but no immediate concerns. There is a high risk clinic at the University if famliy members are concerned, but he said no need for worry now.
He also addressed some concerns we had about the radiation and going off the steroid. I had a lot of anxiety about going off the steroid and worrying that the brain swelling would come back. He assured us it's good to go off the steroid and gave us better direction on what to look for in the way of the swelling returning.
We really liked what he had to say about each case being individual and not believing in statistics and I signed paperwork to add whatever information they can to the research they do. We were assigned a person to watch over our case and be our specific contact person that we can call any time and directly when working with the University.
I know these are terrible circumstances we are facing and the fight ahead will get ugly, but it is still amazing to me to meet some of the people who fight this battle for us on a daily basis. I know people say it takes a calling to be a teacher and that even different grades require different callings, but cancer treatment is such a calling and the people who have come along our side have been amazing! I am in awe of the medical community!
The current order is to spend now until the 10th resting and playing. On the 10th, chemo or an alternative plan created by the dr.s together with some new information they are waiting on, will begin.

Typical for us: amtrak:"the 5:00 train you booked has been cancelled. If you report to the station a bus will be available for you." Arrive at the station and ask "where do we catch the bus that is replacing the 5:00 train to Bloomington?" Amtrak:"Is there a bus?" Long story short: we caught a bus home from Chicago and made it to Bloomington by 8. We are SOOO glad to be back home and with our kids!

A Little Bit of Fun

Today is the big day! We meet with our "Guru". We were finally able to get out of the hotel yesterday. We went to an indoor inflatable playground, the Rock N Roll McDonald's, and the Rain Forest Cafe before we loaded everyone onto the train for home. I did fine until Chloe crired :(

We had a hard time getting through to Amtrak and making travel arrangements. Stac was so worried they would all get back to Bloomington and then get stuck there! Brian came to our rescue! He drove over to the train station, checked the parking lot, and made sure the cars weren't buried! What a great guy!

I will post again this weekend to share what we find out.

A Good Husband

We have been cooped up in this hotel since lunch time Tuesday. With the storm, they have had buffets for each meal set out. The same staff have been here with us as well. Those who served breakfast were the same as those who served every other meal. There is no housekeeping service. The pool is great, but after swimming, I got leg cramps and decided it wasn't the best idea. All outside attractions are closed. Isaac will barely eat because he's not a fan of the hotel food. The "cooped up" feeling is starting to get to all of us.

So, I get cranky with the kids, we order delivery pizza which is "the best food Isaac has eaten in 4 days!" and we go to the pool to watch the kids swim. That was too hot and steamy. So my crankyness level has just about hit the roof. We finally get ready for bed and I decide I really need some chocolate. What do you mean those vending machines only have soda?! I need a snickers or chocolate ice cream. Maybe room service? What does a good husband do at this point? He takes the little girl in her jammies to the hotel lounge and has her give them a pretty face to get some carryout chocolate ice cream! It hit the spot like you wouldn't believe! Did I mention it was after 10? Now that's a good husband!

Not Even Kidding!

I am posting ffrom Chicago. As we were deboarding the train, the University called to see if they could reschedule my appointment for next week! I told them I was arriving in Chicago so they are working me in Friday at noon. Chicago is shutting down so it is good that we got here when we did. If  possible, the rest of the family will come home tomorrow as originally planned. The kids will have to spend a couple nights without mommy and daddy, but they will love the "sleepover adventure". Luckily, the ACS set us up at a great hotel because I think this is where we'll be most of the time. Thank goodness the kids all LOVE to swim!