Hey everyone,
Laurie had her third chemo treatment almost two weeks ago on February 16th. When we went in to the doctor’s office that day I wondered if her blood levels would be high enough for her to have her treatment because of the nagging cough I mentioned in the previous blog posting. Her blood levels turned out to be good and she had her treatment.
The next day, Tuesday, I came home from work and she looked great and had a great day with the exception of the continued nagging cough. That evening we were treated to dinner with a Mexican theme by Cindy and Tara from Floris ES which included enchiladas, salad and cookies. Gracias!
Wednesday was pretty much the same with feeling pretty good but the coughing continued. I expressed my concerns but Laurie continued to blame it on allergies. That afternoon I received a call to pick up Ridge from school because he had a fever. No other symptoms. Just a fever. Ridge stayed home and with Tylenol the fever was kept in check.
Thursday afternoon I received a call from Laurie and she informed me that Ridge’s fever was 102.8. She called the doctor and I took him in and he was diagnosed with Type A Flu. Yea! Our family all received the flu shot earlier this year and I informed the doctor of that. The doctor prescribed Tamiflu. While there I mentioned that Ridge has a brother and sister and the doctor prescribed a “preventative” prescription for them too. Yea x 2! Thursday evening our dinner was catered by Diana from Oak Hill ES. She brought us chicken casserole, salad and cookies. Great choice! We all love chicken!
Friday morning Ridge was feeling fine and if the schools didn’t have that 24 hour fever rule he could have gone to school. Apparently, since he received the flu shot previously and received Tamiflu within the first 48 hours of his symptom, he recovered almost immediately. Yea x 3! Laurie was still coughing and feeling more tired than normal Friday which we expected after our experiences following the 2nd treatment. We anticipated her feeling tired for a couple more days and then bouncing back like she has previously.
Sunday Laurie woke up but was still very tired and the cough was still with her. She decided to stay home from church and rest. The rest of us went to church and she slept all morning. While at church we met members of the Eppert/Ossenfort family who provided us with dinner for that evening which included smothered chicken with mushroom sauce, rice, green beans, rolls and dessert. Awesome meal! Thanks so much!
Laurie continued to be tired and still had the cough and mild congestion on Tuesday. We contemplated a visit to the doctor but ruled against it due to her low tolerance against infections from the chemo. She would just keep hoping she would feel better in a day or so. I brought home from school all the fixin’s for ice cream sundaes and a gift card for Fresh City which was provided by the Floris Kindergarten team. You guys really know how to party! Thanks!
Wednesday Laurie contacted her oncologist and explained her symptoms and was told to contact her primary care physician. She was really feeling tired and suffering a lot from all the coughing and allergy like symptoms. Once again, the fear of infection was on her mind so she emailed her doctor for suggestions. Her doctor did get back to her but Laurie did not see the email until later that afternoon since she was sleeping. She did not have a good day and there was nothing we could do for her.
Thursday she contacted her PCP again and arranged to be seen that afternoon. She would sign in and be brought back to an exam room immediately. No waiting room time! She was seen and prescribed Levoquin which is an antibiotic. She doesn’t feel like she has an infection and wonders if she has the flu since Ridge had it last week. I don’t know what she has but I do know she has been miserable the past few days and hope the Levoquin or something else will make her feel better.
Next week is usually the “good” week before her next chemo treatment and I’m praying that will be the case. I hope you will continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I believe in precision prayer and that is why I have gone into such detail above. Pray that Laurie will recover from whatever it is she has and continues to progress through these chemo treatments towards a full, complete, cancer free recovery.
.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Presidents Day Update
Here we are again at the oncologist's office in Reston for the third chemo treatment.
The past week has been a good one. Laurie has been feeling well except for a nagging cough that we believe is due to allergies.
The week began with Laurie and Brooke attending Girl Scout Day at the GMU girl’s basketball game. They got there early Sunday morning so Brooke and her Brownie friends could learn a dance routine which they performed at half time. The day was long but both enjoyed their "Girl time" together.
Then on Tuesday we were treated by Roberta and Karen from Floris ES to homemade sugar cookies and a gift card to Chick Fillet. Many thanks to you both! We enjoyed the cookies and look forward to using the gift card.
Thursday was my Dad's 84th birthday. I was able to meet him for lunch at a local Chinese restaurant which we both enjoyed. I forgot to bring the birthday cards from the family so I put them in the mail. Cards or not, it was still good to be able to see him and enjoy a quiet meal together.
Thursday evening we were grateful to receive a platter of chicken strips and a large order of fruit salad from Chick Fillet. Jesse, Phyllis and Shanan of Oak Hill ES were the thoughtful trio who put that together. Many thanks to you all!
Friday the 13th, one of my favorite days in the year, was also Laurie's Mom's 70th birthday. The family couldn't get together that evening so we hosted a birthday party for her at our house Saturday evening. Each family contributed to the meal which included steamed spiced shrimp, KFC chicken, honey baked ham, baked beans, scalloped potatoes, apples and grapes, Cole slaw, tossed salad, rolls and birthday cake and ice cream. Sounds like a lot of food but when you're feeding 18 people you have to cover all the bases. Laurie enjoyed being able to do this at our house and the timing of Mom's birthday as related to Laurie's chemo schedule was perfect. We all missed David who was sick and my Dad who was out celebrating his day again with friends.
The chemo treatment went as expected. Laurie gets a bit apprehensive before we leave for the treatments but once we get there that all goes away. Her blood levels were really good today. Her WBC was 8.3. That is close to the level she had before she started chemo. Her GRAN count was 5.8 and her PLT was 306. All three are in the good to very good range. Thanks God! The only anomaly today is that the ice chips and fruit pops that she normally eats during the Adriamycin did not taste very good this time. We were told that her tastes might change. They were right!
So, three treatments down. We know that with each step in the recovery process we are that much closer to the fulfillment of God's plan for a full recovery. We thank you for the continued prayer and support. Please don't stop. Another update will be posted in the next few days.
.
The past week has been a good one. Laurie has been feeling well except for a nagging cough that we believe is due to allergies.
The week began with Laurie and Brooke attending Girl Scout Day at the GMU girl’s basketball game. They got there early Sunday morning so Brooke and her Brownie friends could learn a dance routine which they performed at half time. The day was long but both enjoyed their "Girl time" together.
Then on Tuesday we were treated by Roberta and Karen from Floris ES to homemade sugar cookies and a gift card to Chick Fillet. Many thanks to you both! We enjoyed the cookies and look forward to using the gift card.
Thursday was my Dad's 84th birthday. I was able to meet him for lunch at a local Chinese restaurant which we both enjoyed. I forgot to bring the birthday cards from the family so I put them in the mail. Cards or not, it was still good to be able to see him and enjoy a quiet meal together.
Thursday evening we were grateful to receive a platter of chicken strips and a large order of fruit salad from Chick Fillet. Jesse, Phyllis and Shanan of Oak Hill ES were the thoughtful trio who put that together. Many thanks to you all!
Friday the 13th, one of my favorite days in the year, was also Laurie's Mom's 70th birthday. The family couldn't get together that evening so we hosted a birthday party for her at our house Saturday evening. Each family contributed to the meal which included steamed spiced shrimp, KFC chicken, honey baked ham, baked beans, scalloped potatoes, apples and grapes, Cole slaw, tossed salad, rolls and birthday cake and ice cream. Sounds like a lot of food but when you're feeding 18 people you have to cover all the bases. Laurie enjoyed being able to do this at our house and the timing of Mom's birthday as related to Laurie's chemo schedule was perfect. We all missed David who was sick and my Dad who was out celebrating his day again with friends.
The chemo treatment went as expected. Laurie gets a bit apprehensive before we leave for the treatments but once we get there that all goes away. Her blood levels were really good today. Her WBC was 8.3. That is close to the level she had before she started chemo. Her GRAN count was 5.8 and her PLT was 306. All three are in the good to very good range. Thanks God! The only anomaly today is that the ice chips and fruit pops that she normally eats during the Adriamycin did not taste very good this time. We were told that her tastes might change. They were right!
So, three treatments down. We know that with each step in the recovery process we are that much closer to the fulfillment of God's plan for a full recovery. We thank you for the continued prayer and support. Please don't stop. Another update will be posted in the next few days.
.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
February 8th update
I know. I know. Why has it been so long since I updated the blog? I guess I’ve been a little busy lately and the blog was not the first thing on my honey-do list. I’ll try to do better in the future.
The days following Laurie’s 2nd chemo were good, but Laurie forgot how the anti-nausea meds are gradually reduced within the first 4 days of the cycle, so by the end of the week, she was down to eating smaller meals again. She also experienced very low energy levels over the weekend, and that was very difficult for her. She wanted to be doing something. Anything. But just did not feel like it. Thank goodness for understanding family members. :-) By mid Tuesday, her energy began to return, and she was able to return to "normal" activity (yes, her definition of this has had to change too, at least for now). She is working from home four hours every day which is good because it keeps her in tune to everything going on at Orange Business Services and allows her to focus on something outside of everything that's going on.
Now for the question of the week. Has she lost her hair? In her words, the good news is that she still has her eyebrows and she no longer has to shave her legs! TMI? She told me to include this. But many of you are probably thinking of the hair on her head, and this is truly an example how every person is different. She had heard many stories that she would begin losing her hair by the 3rd week or so, and when it started falling out, it would fall quickly (within 3 days was one quote). Laurie did begin losing her hair during the 3rd week. In fact she sent me an email that said “Day 18. My hair has begun to fall out”. It has not fallen out quickly. In fact, for at least 2 weeks, she felt like she had just gotten a haircut and had that "itch on her neck" since it was falling out so gradually. Even now, some of it is still hanging on! In fact, it sort of looks like she went for a Mohawk look in the back! But she is really glad she had Jodie at Shapes shave it before her first treatment. That made the gradual loss even more bearable as it wasn't as obvious to everyone else, and the kids were able to get used to the wig as well as the "home look" of bandanas or turbans. Since the children think the wig from the American Cancer Society is the one that looks "normal", that is the one she will wear for now. But the spring may bring on a new look as she has another wig which has a slightly different style with highlights and is not as dark and it really looks great. The kids just want Mom to look like she always has and we understand that.
Last week, on Thursday the 29th, we were treated to roast chicken, mashed potatoes, a veggies medley and scrumptious apple pie by Martha from Oak Hill ES. Thanks Martha! Please continue to take care of yourself as you recover from your fall last year.
Then on Super Bowl Sunday, Kristen and Jeremy from Ox Hill Baptist Church brought us Super Bowl cuisine which included Manwich sandwiches, chips and salsa, cole slaw and the boys' favorite, brownies! Thanks Kristen and Jeremy!
This past Tuesday our meal was prepared by the 1st grade team at Floris ES. They provided chicken tenders, steamed vegetables, macaroni & cheese, and chocolate chip cookies. Yum, yum!
Even though I have not done my part lately in keeping up with the blog, we still need and appreciate your prayers, well wishes and assistance. Please don’t stop! We still have a long road ahead of us and will depend on the Lord’s help as well as yours. Enjoy this wonderful spring weather while it lasts. I’ll update again soon.
.
The days following Laurie’s 2nd chemo were good, but Laurie forgot how the anti-nausea meds are gradually reduced within the first 4 days of the cycle, so by the end of the week, she was down to eating smaller meals again. She also experienced very low energy levels over the weekend, and that was very difficult for her. She wanted to be doing something. Anything. But just did not feel like it. Thank goodness for understanding family members. :-) By mid Tuesday, her energy began to return, and she was able to return to "normal" activity (yes, her definition of this has had to change too, at least for now). She is working from home four hours every day which is good because it keeps her in tune to everything going on at Orange Business Services and allows her to focus on something outside of everything that's going on.
Now for the question of the week. Has she lost her hair? In her words, the good news is that she still has her eyebrows and she no longer has to shave her legs! TMI? She told me to include this. But many of you are probably thinking of the hair on her head, and this is truly an example how every person is different. She had heard many stories that she would begin losing her hair by the 3rd week or so, and when it started falling out, it would fall quickly (within 3 days was one quote). Laurie did begin losing her hair during the 3rd week. In fact she sent me an email that said “Day 18. My hair has begun to fall out”. It has not fallen out quickly. In fact, for at least 2 weeks, she felt like she had just gotten a haircut and had that "itch on her neck" since it was falling out so gradually. Even now, some of it is still hanging on! In fact, it sort of looks like she went for a Mohawk look in the back! But she is really glad she had Jodie at Shapes shave it before her first treatment. That made the gradual loss even more bearable as it wasn't as obvious to everyone else, and the kids were able to get used to the wig as well as the "home look" of bandanas or turbans. Since the children think the wig from the American Cancer Society is the one that looks "normal", that is the one she will wear for now. But the spring may bring on a new look as she has another wig which has a slightly different style with highlights and is not as dark and it really looks great. The kids just want Mom to look like she always has and we understand that.
Last week, on Thursday the 29th, we were treated to roast chicken, mashed potatoes, a veggies medley and scrumptious apple pie by Martha from Oak Hill ES. Thanks Martha! Please continue to take care of yourself as you recover from your fall last year.
Then on Super Bowl Sunday, Kristen and Jeremy from Ox Hill Baptist Church brought us Super Bowl cuisine which included Manwich sandwiches, chips and salsa, cole slaw and the boys' favorite, brownies! Thanks Kristen and Jeremy!
This past Tuesday our meal was prepared by the 1st grade team at Floris ES. They provided chicken tenders, steamed vegetables, macaroni & cheese, and chocolate chip cookies. Yum, yum!
Even though I have not done my part lately in keeping up with the blog, we still need and appreciate your prayers, well wishes and assistance. Please don’t stop! We still have a long road ahead of us and will depend on the Lord’s help as well as yours. Enjoy this wonderful spring weather while it lasts. I’ll update again soon.
.
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