Drip... drip... drip... round six!

I feel like these "day of" postings might be getting old. After all, how many times do you need to read about our SCCA routine? By now you get it... check-in at 9 a.m. for port placement and blood draw with Kelsey, followed by a consult with Charlie and (hopefully, depending on platelet count) infusion and pump hook-up on the way out the door late in the afternoon.

The good news is that Gidget's platelet count has rebounded to 87,000 – still low, but sufficient for treatment. So here we go with (drum roll, please!)... Round Six. YAY, CHEMO!!!



They were running behind today, so we spent an hour in the lobby before being assigned an infusion bay... and Gidget didn't last long (the anti-nausea meds knock her for a loop):





I have been staring at this on the wall next to Tamara's desk (Dr. Whiting's scheduler) for nearly four months, so I asked for a copy:



True, true, true.

While I have your undivided attention, I thought I'd throw in a quick remodel update. We've done some major work on the house we bought in late-March, and we're finally starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Don (my brother-in-law) has done beautiful work as usual, and other various family members have pitched in, too, which has been great.

I'll put together a before and after "remodel page" for the blog one of these days, but for now I just wanted to post a couple pics and videos. Note: if you are subscribed to our blog and can't see the videos in your e-mail window, you'll need to view this post on the site: www.Acey.us.

We spared no expense on the appliances. Here's our stainless steel fridge:



Kidding, I am! That's the fridge from the "man cave" at our rental house. That's where me and Acey keep the hard stuff -- water, soda and Otter Pops. I know, I know, we're a pretty tough crew.

Speaking of Acey, he had a ball during "demo week" knocking stuff down, breaking up sheet-rock and generally behaving like a nine-year-old. But as soon as we started putting things back together, the kid went frog hunting! Here's a couple videos from the demo stage:





I finished installing all the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers (which my dad assembled on his "vacation") late last night, and Don finished the bamboo flooring in the kitchen and dining room, so it's really starting to shine:



Gidget will check in from home this weekend to let you all know how she's doing.

Beethoven ROCKS!!!

Just wanted to do a quick update. As you know, my platelets were too low to get my chemo treatment last time around. Assuming my levels have gone up, my next round will be tomorrow (Friday). I can't even tell you how much better I feel without chemo in my system. I have been taking advantage of feeling better.

On Sunday we spent the day in Seattle. It always feels like I'm on vacation when we go to Seattle – since I don't commute anymore I can appreciate the "city" life. We spent part of the day at Pike Place Market, got a little snack and then went to the Seattle Symphony.









We have never been to the symphony before, but Acey has really been gravitating toward classical music lately – not a big shocker for anyone who knows him. He is an old soul and appreciates all things old. He is currently into Beethoven. The first part of the symphony was Tchaikovsky and the second part was Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Acey loved it, and I must admit Jay and I enjoyed it as well. We capped the day off with dinner at McCormick and Schmick.

While at the symphony, I ran into my friend Marian. We made plans to meet up sometime in June with the rest of the girls. It always amazes me when I run into people I know when in Seattle. I am used to it in Fairbanks, but I grew up there, so it makes more sense.

We have been working on our house any chance we get, and I do what I can whenever I have the energy. The nausea and fatigue haven't been as bad this week because of my reprieve, so I have been making the most of it. Of course, I am not looking forward to Friday, but want to get it over with, then I can say I am at my halfway point, YEAH!!!



Just so happens the neighbors next to us have two boys who are 9 and 10 years old. Also, by luck, they are also "Frog Hunters" :O)... what are the odds? So Acey has been in frog heaven, spending most of his time outside with his new friends. They caught several frogs and put them all in "Acey's Pond," also known as the ditch at the bottom of our driveway :).

Drip... drip... DENIED (again)!

Hi All,

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your kind words of encouragement and prayers. I can't even begin to tell you how much they inspire me to pick myself back up, brush myself off and move on.

I was supposed to get my sixth chemo treatment on Friday - it would have been my half-way point for my chemo treatments. Again, they found that my platelet count was too low and they denied my chemo.



To be honest, I was kind of glad, because the last round of chemo was so awful. I was likely feeling so bad because my platelet count was low... either way, I knew I didn't feel like myself.

I am feeling better this week and hope to get my energy back. I think it has a lot to do with all of your support :)... Again, thank you!!! I really do love you all so much!! I cherish each comment and read them over and over when I need encouragement.

We have been doing a lot of work on our new house. Donny (Jay's brother-in-law) has done a great job remodeling the kitchen...



...with the kitchen I picked out from IKEA - love that store :).



Next week Donny will be putting in the new bamboo flooring and we all will finish painting the rest of the house. Merd (Jay's Sister) and her husband Fevzi came over to help any way they could. How great is that? I am very thankful to all the work they were able to do.

Ed and Joyce (Jay's Dad and step-mom) have been in town all week helping out too. Ed and Jay finished assembling all of the IKEA cabinets, and Ed put together all of the cabinet drawers... I can't believe how much work they got done in such a short amount of time.



I helped with painting, we purchased eco-friendly/low-VOC paint so that we won't be breathing chemicals. I did get exhausted, but was able to at least do a little work.



Acey and I went up to the new house today to check things out. Acey found a frog, and he has agreed to keep him just one day and then put him back. We told him his family will miss him if he is gone too long. Then when we were leaving, we saw a pheasant and small bunny rabbit. Acey was so excited that his new home has "wild animals," he is a little sick of the rental house after 2 1/2 years of looking at homes. Tomorrow, his Auntie Merd is coming over from Seattle to paint his room. She painted his face the last time:



Acey thinks all Aunties spoil their nephews :). We LOVE her!!!!

So, that's what has been happening in my world.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Hi All-

Sorry that it's been so long between posts.

The Good: My Mom came to visit for a week while Acey was on Spring Break. She was a great distraction. As you can imagine, Acey takes a lot of entertaining and a full week of it would have been a bit much for me. Mom was able to listen to his continuous stories, theories on life, his experiments, etc, etc. I was able to sleep :).



Mom was also a HUGE help when it came to packing. She was able to clear out Acey's bedroom and pack other parts of the house. Plus, at night she would tell Acey stories about Rampart. He LOVES when his grandma tells him stories of Rampart - he is fascinated by them.

Acey has also changed Mom's name from Grandma to "GRAND Mother" - two words :) or "The Ancient One." He tells me that "The Ancient One" is a Chief of ALL the Native People. Because he sees people coming up to her all the time, I guess he assumes she MUST be important and Chiefs are important :). His thinking and the way he looks at life is way beyond his years.

The Bad: I did very little exercising, which is bad both physically and mentally. Getting out and walking helps to clear my mind and appreciate everything around me. I did do some stationary bike riding but, honestly, it wasn't much. Jay and I did get out and walk today.





The Ugly: "CHEMO" even the word makes me nauseous. This round of chemo has taken a lot out of me - I believe I have had every side effect that it can cause. The fatigue and nausea were the worst. One day I dropped Acey off at school, came home and slept until 3:30. I was almost late picking him up.

The cold sensitivity has really been debilitating this time around. The only way I can explain it is that the nerves in my hands and feet become painful when they get cold. It feels like when your hands or feet fall asleep and you have the sensation that needles are stabbing you - multiply that feeling by 100 - that's what it feels like. It isn't fun, but if I run them under hot water the sensation goes away. So, I have been living in warm socks and mittens ;)

Chemo is my friend and my enemy. I say that I "HATE" it, but know that it will make me better. The best approach is for me to stay positive, which is easier said than done - this week has been rough. I am trying to change my thinking so that I can get through the next round.

It has been a "Gidget Pity Party" this week :), and I definitely need to change my negative thoughts into positive. So, that is my GOAL... I will let you know how I do.

Drip... drip... drip... round five (plus good news)

Let's start with the good news. It starts out sounding like bad news but, trust me, it's good news! In order to establish a post-surgery baseline, Gidget's doctor ordered a CT scan about a month ago. While going over the results, Charlie (Dr. Whiting's assistant) casually mentioned the appearance of five abscesses on Gidget's liver. This was of course, very, very scary news. Charlie was only able to read what was written in the lab report, so we were left in the dark until we could talk to Dr. Whiting. He said that he suspected the scan was just showing bruising from the surgery -- where the surgeon had felt each of the organs to inspect for tumors (he didn't find anything back in December). Still, we had to wait a month or so for the next CT scan to find out what we were actually dealing with. That scan took place Wednesday afternoon, complete with that gimungous bottle of contrast that Gidget enjoys so much:



We went over the results yesterday, and Gidget's liver got a clean bill of health! Dr. Whiting said she has fatty liver, which still isn't great, but it's reversible and can be caused by chemotherapy. Anyway, big, big relief this week.

Acey is on Spring Break, so today is the first time he has been able to come with us for Gidget's chemo treatment. He has wanted sooooo bad to see how all of this stuff works.





So there we have it... round five is underway. Yay, chemo!







Gidget is out like a light, so me and Acey are going to go raid the 5th-floor kitchen and then walk over to REI to see what kind of trouble we can get in.



More from home later.