My Week after Round Two of Chemo

Monday I had blood work done and found that my white counts had plummeted.  I began antibiotics and my isolation from anyone that may carry a bad germ.  I rested lots.

I had a difficult time doing much of anything for most of the week.  I felt weak and tired.  I went to the clinic again on Thursday to check blood counts.  Everything was still low,  I do have an excuse for my body to not want to work.  I cancelled my physical therapy appointment on Friday, I just did not feel up to it.

Tammy had appointments with her doctor on Friday, she brought Morgan with her and stayed the weekend.  Our goal was to finish Alden's Christmas present, his jean quilt.  Friday I sat at the serger and sewed all the pieces together.  Saturday Tammy was able to put the quilt on the frames and tie it.  I tried to help her and became frustrated with myself.  My arm just does not work like I would like it to.  We needed to move a board,  I was holding it in my right arm but did not have the strength to keep it where it was needed.  It finally fell from my grip.  I felt helpless as I did not have the strength to push the tacks into the frames.  Tammy can get it done though, she worked hard so I didn't have to.

I made a few ties in the quilt before realizing that it was taking me way to long with struggles at each tie.  I recruited Alden and Shane and before long it was completed!.

Our quilt is done!  Tammy is my lifesaver, she kept me going on this project every step of the way.  I would not have been able to do it without her.

Listening to a Return Austrailian Missionary

Sunday was a great day.  We had been in contact with a family that has a missionary in Adelaide Australia.  He came home last week and was speaking in Pleasant View.  Shane, Alden and I went to the meeting, it was fun to hear "Elder Marsden's"  accent as he started his talk.  After the meeting we took the opportunity to meet the Marsden family.  They were so warm and welcoming.  Margie kept looking at Alden with excitement and almost in tears saying " You are so lucky, You are so Lucky.  You are going to the best mission, you are going to love it."

They invited us to their home however I was feeling pretty out of it and felt I needed to go home to rest.

I am grateful for the Internet that can connect us to good people and for good people that are willing to help.

Saturday is a Special Day

Alden and Shane went to Provo to the wedding of Shane's nephew.  It was a good opportunity for them to spend some time together.  After the wedding and before the luncheon, they visited with Grandma Baker.  It was nice for them to see each other.  The boys mentioned that they were going to look for a coat for Alden to take to Australia with him.  Grandma showed her full support to Alden by giving him money to get that coat.  We love all the support we get from loved ones.  They succeeded in finding a perfect coat.  It was fun have Alden show me his find.  He will think of his grandma every time he wears that coat!

I had a quiet day,  I put in a load of laundry here and there.  The best part of the day was when my friend Gwen Rich, from Morgan drove  down and brought me a pot of chicken soup, a loaf of bread, fruits and vegetables.  She is so good to me.  We visited for a couple of hours.  I have amazing friends.  Gwen did not need to come down to Ogden, she just chose to come.  Gwen you are an exceptional example to me!
After Gwen's visit, I had a great nap.  I find that very easy to do at any time of day.

Friday-- Day to go Home

I received another dose of Lasix to help lose the water weight.  It has helped to have the compression sleeve on my arm and hand.  My arm is not swelling up like it did the first time.  I also am wearing compression hoses on my legs that have reduced the swelling there.   We have learned what is working.

I continue to have physical therapy while in the hospital.  I do about half of the exercises as usual and they stretch my arm and shoulder to keep it moving well.

Friday I was finished with the last of the drugs at two o'clock,  Britney, with Tyson and Brielle came to pick me up to take me home.

It was nice to be home in my own bed and surroundings.  I still had to get up about every two hours, but I slept sound in between.

Home Sweet Home.

Day Three A Busy Good Day Lots of visitors

My weight was up so the doctors cut the amount of sarcoma fluids that I was getting in half.  I was given Lasix to help me eliminate the extra fluids.

I received a beautiful flower arrangement from Britney's family.

Flower picture taken by Tyson

This is Tyson

Shannon came in the afternoon to give me a good foot rub.

Brit, Tyson and Brielle came to visit.  Joe also came from work for a visit.  We ate dinner together and watched a comedian on TV.  Tyson took my camera and took pictures of my room.  It was fun to see things from his view.

Tyson's picture of Brielle

Later Derek and Jessica came for a visit.  It was a good night.

My family is the best.

Day Two Busy Day

I have gained 10 pounds if fluids.  I have so much fluid going in but not as much going out.  I makes my right arm swell and my feet and legs swell.  This time I was able to get a compression sleeve for my arm.  They gave me compression socks for my legs.  They all seem to be working better than last time.

There have been other things that they have changed to make it easier for me.  They started giving me thiamine that will help with the side effects of the Ifosimide.  They also are not giving me the Ifosimide and the Decaddron together.

These things seem to make the side effects easier to handle.

I stay busy during the day.  I see several nurses, the doctors make rounds, I go to physical therapy to work on my arm.  I eat meals and then walk a mile during the day.

It is a busy routine.

Round Two Starts Today

Shane took the day off to take me to Huntsman.  We arrived before 9 am and make our way to clinic E.  I got my blood work orders and go to get my port a cath accessed.  We anticipate that my platelets have recovered enough to start another round of chemo.  I waited 12 minutes to be helped.  The access process went very smooth,  They access both sides of my port and make sure there is blood return.  Then they take blood for the test and flush the lines with saline and heparin.  Because I will be at the hospital for the week they tape everything down well. 

We are off to see Dr Gouw.  We spoke about the affects that I had during and after chemo.  He chose to keep the levels the same for this round.  He had not received my blood results but chose to send me up to check in.

Room 4515 was waiting for me with a view of the mountains.  I figure that we arrive an hour earlier than last time so I should get started at least an hour earlier.  By lunch time my stomach was getting upset.  I tried to order lunch but they did not have orders yet.  Within five minutes they got it straighten out and I was able to eat.   My stomach still seem unsettled.  It may have been nerves. 

At 1:30 pm they brought in my pre medication and started them.  I get a steroid (Decadron) and zofran.  A half hour later I start on the Chemo,  Doxorubicin, Ifosomide and Mesna.   

Shane and I spent some time working of puzzles together before needs to go home.

Later I have dinner then watch some TV before going to bed.

Peaceful Sunday

We had another good session of Stake Conference.  I enjoyed all of the speakers.  It was a beautiful day.

We had put a turkey in for dinner,  I figured we would have enough leftovers that the boys could have several meals using the extra meat.  I gave them some ideas for leftovers that I like to fix like Hawaiian Haystacks.  Turkey Cream Cheese Pea Pockets, Turkey Noodle Soup, Turkey Sandwiches and Mashed potatoes with Turkey gravy.  I hope they eat well while I am at the hospital.

I spent part of my afternoon packing my bags with things I would need for the week.  Because I am hooked up to an IV  I have to have clothes that button up or can slide up from the bottom.  I refuse to wear a hospital gown for a week!

I am taking my digital recorder with the book "The Help" to finish listening to.  I will take the computer and external drive so that I can download all of our pictures that are on the SD cards.  I will take several music and talk cd's, my mp3 player, camera, word search and suduco books and I have thank you cards that can be written.

I am packed for another week at the hospital

We had a wonderful dinner and watched a movie as a family.  It was a great Sunday!

Stake Conference Adult Session

While I was in the hospital at the beginning of the month Shane called and asked if I felt that I could speak in the adult session of Stake Conference.  Knowing that I would have more strength and be ready to begin another round of chemo I agreed.  The subject was gratitude.  Shane let the Stake Presidency know that I would prepare to speak and that as long as I had the strength I would be there to do it.
Last Sunday President Sommer asked Shane how I was.  Shane told him I had a hard time talking without coughing.  Prayers must have been said for  me because by the end of the week I was hardly coughing.
I spent most of my day rewriting and refining my talk.  Shane made a comment that he hoped I was not going to just give information about the subject, that people would want to hear about my experiences. I went back to rewriting because I had started to edit some of my experiences.
I practiced my talk over and over, trying to get it to 15 minutes, having to cut out many parts.  My practicing continued between doing laundry, going to the grocery store, dinner and getting ready for the night.
As we arrived at the Stake Center I was surprisingly calm.  I was the last person on the stand.  I hope they weren't worried about me showing up.  President Sommer greeted me and asked how I was doing.  I asked how many minutes he wanted me to take.  He replied with 15 min if I could.  The other speakers offered to jostle their time if needed.  All was well I felt like I could do it.
There were more people than I had expected to be there.  All of the chairs in the cultural hall looked full and more people were still arriving.  As I looked to the audience I saw many friends some that I had not seen in months,  I could not see my family but I knew that they were there..
The talk went very well.  I felt good about the information that I shared.  I felt calm with few times of being tearful.  The subject was perfect and easy for me to share.  I feel blessed by having this experience.
It is always a  blessing to share my testimony with others.  My life was bless to see so many good friends and people that I have not seen for some time.  Their words of encouragement and love has lifted me up.

End of the First week after Chemo

Many things had to be done this week.  Each day I had to be somewhere in the morning.  I often came home exhausted and needed a nap.
Monday was blood test and talked to the physical therapist about the surgeon's visit.

Tuesday I had an appointment with a Lymphedema  specialist.  she measured me for a  compression sleeve to help with the swelling I get while on chemo and exercising.  She did not feel that my nymphs were causing my problems so she did not do any therapy on me.

Thursday I did blood test to see how my counts were.  They were still down.  I went to a specialist to get a compression sleeve and glove.  The lady was wonderful and was able to get me all that I needed.   My wonderful friend Sandy took me to these appointments then we went to lunch.  Always a fun day with her.

Friday I went to physical therapy.  I thought that they would be easy on me...not!  Whining did not even help.  He was given authority to do all exercises except stretching my arm out 90 degrees away from my body.
I did fine but had to go home for a nap before Alden's party.

My sister, Tammy was here for a few days.  She had appointments in Salt Lake. She helped me cut jean material for Alden's quilt.  We had a good time.  On Saturday we finished all the pieces that needed cut.  Now I will be sewing before she comes back to help me finish it!

Alden's Birthday January, 14 2011

We had a really  fun Party for Alden's 19th Birthday.  We had Lots of family over,  Aunt Tammy and Morgan, cousins Cameron and Kristy, Joe Britney Tyson and Brielle, Derek and Jessica, Friends, Ben and Cody and of course Shane and me.

We had pizza, bread sticks and salad for dinner.

This is the Australian Flag cake that Britney make for him.  She did an awesome job  We all loved it.

Alden's friends Ben and Cody that helped celebrate his Birthday

Happy Birthday Boy!

Take his breath away,  Half of the candles kept relighting

Tyson helping with presents

Nice gifts form Britney.

Do you think if he owns a hymn book he will sing?

Happy Birthday to my 19 year old,  He has given us 19 years of good memories and many laughs.

Alden supporting his Friends

As we prepare for Alden to go an his mission to Australia he has been busy supporting his friends that are entering the MTC.

Garrett entered the MTC on January 5th.  He will spend three weeks there before going to the CCM in Peru for another 6 weeks of training. He will then begin serving in Ecuador.

Kason entered the MTC on January 12th.  He will  be there for three months learning to speak Russian.

Lay Low Monday

I wish I  could have laid low today, but I had a to do list.
I needed to:
Get a blood test
Take paperwork to Physical Therapist and make an appointment
Have a follow up appointment with the Radiology Oncologist.
Make an appointment with a PT that can fit me with a Lymphedema sleeve.

I wanted to:
Catch a big sale at Bath and Body Works to redeem a great coupon and gift card.
Get good sales at Rite Aid
Have lunch with my boys.

Believe it or not it all got done.  I got sick before lunch but I was able to recover quickly and finished up.  I spent the afternoon resting.

I received a call from my oncologist nurse with result of my blood test.  Things are  not good.  My white cells are at 700.  They do not like to see them get lower than 1000.  I will start 2 different antibiotics immediately.  My platelets are also low.  I need to stay away from sharp objects.  If I bleed for any reason more than 30 minutes I will need to go to the emergency room.

Here's hoping for a good night's rest and a better start tomorrow.     :)

A Wonderful Sunday

Amazing that you can have a peaceful restful night and yet wake up fatigued.  I was determined to get a sacrament meeting today.  It was a worthwhile endeavor. 

 Kason Hill is one of Alden's friends.  Kason has received his mission call to Russia.  He spoke today.  He did such an awesome job talking on the importance of obedience.  It has been a joy to watch each of these young men prepare to serve the Lord for two years  Kason will leave Wednesday for the MTC and we will miss him.  We hope to hear often from them.

Home Sweet Home

After five days in the hospital, being infused with chemo drugs, home is a welcome place. 

The hospital is nice, Great people  work to make sure the stay is pleasant.  Doctors make rounds often to make sure each patient is doing well.  I had a physical therapist that worked with my arm each day.   The nurses and CNAs are fabulous.  You would think it would be hard to leave. 

I was ready to get rid of my dancing partner, IV pole.  I had been so full of fluids that I gained 15 pounds.  To get rid of that weight you need to stay close to the bathroom. Sleep came a couple of hours at a time.

I had plenty of things to do.  I read, worked on word searches, kept up on email, and went for several walks.  I walked a mile each of the last 3 days I was there.

Friday I was feeling the effects of the drugs.  I was very tired and slept most of the day.   I felt nausea mid morning then discovered a pill on the floor.  It was an anti nausea pill that didn't make it to my mouth.  I soon had one to replace it.

Saturday I needed a Nuelasta shot to help build my white blood counts.  We went back to Huntsman to receive that shot.  Other than that trip, I have spent most of my time in the recliner dozing.   I know that this feeling will pass and tomorrow and each day after will be a better day. 

Tuesday Night was Difficult Wednesday is Much Better

In the afternoons I start a new set of drugs, two of them affect me the most.  The steroid makes my blood glucose rise to the point that I need insulin shots.  It also gives me mood swings and I become emotional. The chemo drug Ifosfamide is one that affects the brain so I feel quite foggy and less able to concentrate when it is taking affect.

I am getting a constant drip of fluids which is now building up in my body.  Tuesday night I weighed 13 pounds more than on I did on Monday.  My extremities are swelling.  I was given Lasix to help pull the water out.  It worked wonders.  I had to spend alot of time in the bathroom through the night but it helped with much of the swelling.

Wednesday morning I was feeling like a new person.  now it's time for the new set of drugs to take affect.  I hope for a good night.

The View

I am on the fourth floor at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital, my room faces the west looking over the Salt Lake Valley.  On a clear day you can see for miles, many spectacular landmarks.  On inversion day those landmarks are hidden.

Here is the picture of my view today.  In the distance the view is distorted with smog and fog.  Closer is view it is lighter and clearer, there a small flakes of snow slowly brushing past my window.   It is peaceful when I focus on what is close.

This made me think of an analogy of my life right now.  In the distant future my life looks dark and unsure of what's out there.  When I think of the present,  it is much clear, full of light, and peaceful.  I choose to focus on the good in my life and the wonderful things I have to look forward to this year.

New Year, New Adventures

Today's adventure beginan at Huntman Cancer Center with xray, Port access and blood draw.  then we visited with the Drs.  We talked about Chemo and Then about the progress that I am making with the arm.    My arm is in good shape.  I will continue physical therapy and keep trying to get more movement in it.

We moved to the 4th floor and found my room.  we talked to drs and nurses to get admitted and learn about the plan  Shane and I had a nice lunch together.  At 2 o'clock we were ready to start chemo.  I was surprised they hung 5 bags of fluids and medications.  This stuff is on it's way to killing those cancer cells!

Happy new year!

Jessica, Chloee, Derek

We spent New Year's Eve as a family.  We started in the afternoon with a game of bowling.  We all had a great time.

Dhantel and Chloee

Tyson with a ball

Brielle, Britney, Tyson

Connor



Alden,  Just got a high five?


We had dinner together.  Our family has grown large enough to need a "kids" table.

We watched a movie, played games and celebrated the new year!