Chemo, No Chemo

We're at the doctor's office now but we just met with Dr. T and it looks like L's labs are a bit irregular.  Elevated liver levels. Dr. T thinks it's a lab error but he's postponed the today's treatment and is going to run some more tests to see what the story is. He said the word hepatitis but he says there is nothing to worry about yet. It isn't on the usual list of side effects for L's treatment regimen which is why he thinks it's a mistake.

Til Friday, L stops his at home chemo pills but everything else proceeds as normal. We might go to Chipotle for lunch to celebrate the respite from chemo for the day.  :)

Still out there?

Well, so much for my 3-4 times a week, eh?? I apologize for being a touch on the delinquent side with regards to keeping up the updates (hmm-- kinda poetic). I don't have good excuses so I won't bore you with my bad ones. So yes, we're still out there. (Well, we're here but it'd be 'there' to you... but.... I digress.) But the question goes both ways. Are there faithful readers still out there? L and I would love to hear from you. [Insert shameless comment solicitation here.]

So what's been up? Well, this week has gotten us back to where L and I were before my travel and our influx of visitors -- just he and I at the house. We're sliding back into our old routine with some positive changes.

This past week was a chemo week, week 1 of round 3 of chemo. Tuesday at Dr. T's office, L got the clearance to drive (YAY!) and notification that the chemo is really doing its thing and all appropriate levels are beginning to balance quite well.  This is fantastic news! Still working through the chemo, 8 rounds are scheduled in all, but things are really looking up. Wednesday, we went to the follow up appointment at the orthopedist's office and again, clean(ish) bill of health from him. He was only in the room for a few minutes as everything is healing/healed up nicely from the surgery and L's mobility is almost 100% back to normal.

Overnight Wednesday night, L had some stomach issues and didn't sleep great because of that and unfortunately, by Thursday evening, he was feeling pretty sick to his stomach. A quick run out for some Pepto helped overnight but by the time I picked up K from the airport Friday morning, L was feeling pretty sick. He made it to his chemo appointment a little late but got sick at the office. They gave him something and he started feeling better quickly. By the time I got home from work Friday, he seemed to have kicked the stomach issues. There were some patients in the chemo area, though, that were coughing and sneezing and it seems like L may have picked up a little 'snizzle' (as he likes to call it). We're gonna be calling to check on what to do about that tomorrow.

The weekend was pretty chill for all of us. The weather was exceptionally beautiful... clear skies, crisp fall air, falling leaves.  L and K took a couple of shopping trips throughout the weekend and K left us with a big pot of super tasty chili. Mmmmm.... chili......

This week is a chemo week also... week 2 of round 3. Next week will be off. We gotta figure out L's cold and I'll be at work the non-chemo days. So that's our story.

Drop us a comment... we'd love to hear from you! Thanks for your prayers and support. Much love to all.

Oh-so-hi-o

Well, if you haven't guessed it, I'm in the state of my birth for the weekend. I've been here since Wednesday night... in town to celebrate the 30th bday of my good friend, J, from high school. The beginning of this week coming off of my trip last weekend was pretty busy. Much much more to do recently as L keeps getting better and I've been able to start to pick up some of my old clients and some new ones. I say all that to say that I miss the days of writing on the blog nightly but I think they may be behind us. I will definitely be keeping this up but I think it's much more realistic to think that I'll write 3-4 times a week.

So for now, a quick long distance update on L. K got in early yesterday morning after having been able to jump onto the direct flight to Atlanta instead of having a layover. She and Grandma K and Aunt B and Uncle K were together yesterday and the group heads back to TX today.

L's last meeting with the physical therapist went well last week. She said that he is back to 99.99% of usage of his leg and that he's to walk as much as possible. For her part, she says that driving is okay. We just need to get the all clear from Dr. T which I think we will do when we go in on Tuesday. It's been since the beginning of August that L has been without wheels and I know he's anxious to be able to set his own agenda and come and go as he pleases.

I'm back in Atlanta early early Monday morning so I'll be back sometime after that.

Much love to all. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Leaving on a jet plane - back in November

Just a quick post from cruising altitude (yes, AirTran has WiFi service!) - I (M) am heading back home today. L is enjoying the week off treatment and visiting with his family from Texas. It is sunny again in Atl, and AuntB&GMa ventured out to the stores while UncleK is doing a round of 18. L has received many cards throughout the last two months and I just want to say a quick thank you. We all (L, K, M & A) so appreciate that we are in everyone's thoughts and prayers. It means a lot - more than we can put into words and more than I think you know. Specific prayer requests - that L would know peace and allow himself to rest, safety for everyone's travel, strength and wisdom as L contemplates getting behind the wheel again.

A is back on the blog soon - I know you all miss her! Then she is leaving on a jet plane too for a visit to Ohio. K is back on Friday and will be with L until the following Monday. GMa/AuntB/UncleK will be returning home on Saturday afternoon.

That's all she wrote. . .
m.
P.S. Picture is from Boston Harbor looking onto the city skyline - to let you know where I'm headed! :)

Sunny Monday!

Howdy from Daleview Way! Yesterday was another busy day of visiting with family. L seems happy with the company but it seems to be very tiring for him. We're hoping that today will be quiet and that he will be able to rest and focus on continuing his healthy habits of resting and eating well. A is back in town and with us until Wednesday when she heads to the Buckeye State to visit some of our favorite friends. On tap for today, more visiting and the last PT visit this afternoon. More updates this evening!

Cheers!
m.

Picture from a family visit Summer 2008

Fall, family and reunion

Greetings! A chill is in the air here - bringing in fall weather and a reunion of mother and son (and sister and brother-in-law and cousins, oh my!). GMa, AuntB/UncleK flew in this afternoon from the Lone Star State and will be here for the week to spend time with L. We also were visited by some lovely cousins who helped to welcome everyone from Texas and spend the day here on Daleview Way. On the afternoon's agenda, cooking and eating together, college football and lovely memories and stories. L seemed to enjoy all the company and being the host with the most! He has had low pain today and the cankles are mostly under control. More elevating is on tap for tonight. Everyone is tucking in for the chilly night - tomorrow includes more visiting and the return of our favorite, A!!!

Again, I post pictures of New England fall - this time courtesy of the garden on Sunnyside Ave - what is more fall than pumpkins! Thanks to P for assisting this blog post!

Until later friends,
m.

October Baseball. . . ALCS & NLCS

L and I are winding down the day with a little baseball watching - Yankees vs Angels. We watched an exciting Dodgers vs Phillies game earlier. Since Boston is out, there is little personal attachment but it was a good come from behind win for LA. Today was full of preparations for the guests coming in tomorrow and treatment at Emory. Beds are made, towels washed and a grocery trip planned for the morning. Busy, busy, busy. Dad is an old hat now on treatment days. He said hello to the nurses, made arrangements for prescriptions that were running low and headed back for his meds. In fact, I went for a coffee and chat with our family friend RUlrich, and he headed right down to find me when he was done. His pain has been low the last few days. We're dealing with swollen ankles at the moment. He's horizontal with ankles up and eyes on the game (bottom of the 7th). We'll keep an eye on it and hopefully we'll soon report that the cankles are gone! :)

With all the news that's fit to print. . .
m.

The more things change. . . the more they stay the same. . .

Hallo Blog Friends! Starting to wind down after an outing in dreary/rainy Atlanta. We had a slow morning that started with pancakes and boiled eggs. It cooled down overnight and Dad was "johnny on the spot" in correcting for the cooler temps. Dad had a dentist appointment this afternoon so we ventured up to Northern Atlanta to Buckhead. Pretty uneventful - reminding me that even though things are changed i.e. Dad's diagnosis, things really do stay the same. The outing ended with a trip to Kroger and acquiring the fixin's for dinner. No pics with this post, but dinner was yummy pork and veggie-filled salad. We committed the age-old sin of shopping while hungry and yes, it's true, we BOUGHT a cherry pie. At the same time as buying supplies for a cherry cream cheese pie!!!! I know, I know - but it's all for L - he needs the calories! The plan for the rest of the evening - eating said cherry pie, new Grey's Anatomy and sleep.

Tomorrow - back to Emory for treatment and then preparing for Saturday's guests! Visitors from Texas arrive on Saturday afternoon and include L's mother, sister and brother-in-law - definitely a full house.

More later. . . .

P.S. Since family is coming, decided to post a picture of L with his siblings

Testing. . . 1, 2, 3 . . . posting pictures

Just testing the picture posting and showing how glorious fall can be in New England (recent picture from weekend camping trip in NH)

Test. . . this is only a test!

Hello Blog-World! I'm here. . . it's me, M. . . jumping from the world of reality into the blog! Delightful! Just doing a early morning check that I am all set and have full blogging rights.

A is safely in Richmond, VA. We had a lovely reunion in the airport before I met up with my bag and L at baggage claim. L and I came back to Daleview Way for some of A's yummy left-overs and a quick catch up. It's amazing how much progress L has made in the few weeks I have been away. So mobile, so strong and steady! It's comforting to see him and to know that we are making progress in our cancer war. Also comforting as a soon to be certified research scientist that the new chemotherapy drugs work so well.

Plan for today - L has a dentist appointment this afternoon. I have some reading/writing to do for the various "irons" I have in the fire. Also hoping to get in a walk with L outside and maybe make a cherry cream cheese pie as a surprise treat - looks for a busy day!

More later! :)

L @ chemo (10/13)

Looking great, no?? :)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Hand off at the airport

M is in and I am out. Her flight came in right when I needed to be at the airport for my flight so we saw each other briefly at my gate. M and L are being reunited as we speak out by baggage claim.

L and I had a chill day today. Both PT and OT today...and.... Today was Mr. OT's last day! Yay!

M will be writing for the wknd. Enjoy the new perspective. See ya'll soon!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

If only...

If only it were not always the middle of the night when I get to this, I would have the time to write all about the adventures of L and A. Alas, tonight is no different and I'm much too ready to go to bed to really get into our comings and goings. I'm off to Richmond for the wedding of my homegirl, G, tomorrow evening but I promise (really, really promise!) to write before I leave. I'll be handing it over to M for the week. Should be an exciting week... lots of folks coming through in the next week and a half.

That's a teaser for the next entry. Live in anticipation.  ;)

She's back!!

Thank you. Thank you... yes... Quiet everyone, please. Quiet. Thank you for your applause. You may take your seats.

I'm back on the case of the blog... recording L's every move as he takes cancer by the throat and wrestles it to the ground (go L!)... It was a good week, although not entirely restful. I did get a lot of much needed work done, though so it was worth it. Special thanks to Cousin B for coming to share the load with K while I was away and EXTRA special thanks to K for holding it down here at the house and for taking over the blogging responsibilities. You may applaud her. I'll wait.

[Crowd roars.]

Yes, yes. She gave us some very thourough accounts of the comings and goings of L and his entourage. I have a lot to live up to! In any event, things are going quite well around here. L is feeling so so much better and is highly mobile and very nearly totally self-sufficient. So wonderful! Less two months ago he was in the hospital. The prayers of the righteous availeth much!

He and I are off to chemo in the morning.... tomorrow at some point I'll write more about what we did yesterday and today and about the rest of the week holds for us.

More pictures and stories to come! (Along with the long awaited 'Return of M - The Sequel'!)    :)

Guess Who was on Time!

Well yesterday was another good day.

Pain level no more than a 3 all day. L,cousin B, and I (K) got up this morning with a plan. We decided that we would go out today and take L with us.

Cousin B and I(K) went out to Barnes and Nobles while L got dressed to look for a drawing book for cousin B's grandson. She would like for him to draw her a picture that she will frame and hang up in their home. That is so sweet. cousin B is trying hard to motive are grand sons.

Okay back to L.

After we left the book store Cousin B and I(K) came back to the house and had lunch with L before we went out to the stores. (note stores) The first store was Ross department store to return the too short pants 33/30 needed a 33/32. Cashier said that L needed a 32 length so that he would not be in floods. So we got a beige pair that is 33/32. We could not find any shirts that he liked. He wanted shirts with a front pocket and reasonably priced.

L taking 8P meds

We left there and went to the new department store A.J. Wright. L found two shirts with front pockets and a pair of blue jeans. L looks real cute in them. After A.J. Wright L, cousin B and I (K) headed to Kroger. L was in the riding cart, and again I did not get a picture (sorry A). cousin B paid for all the groceries and I(K) could not stop her. Bless cousin B.

We headed back to the house with the groceries; once there I started cooking as we were putting away the food. I (K) put some chicken in the oven, boiled some smoked ham hocks, fixed squash and onions, fried okra, and black eye peas. Oh, almost forgot the corn bread. I was on a serious roll getting the food ready. L was hungry and cousin B was going out to church with her friend here in Atlanta.

The dinner was de--lish!!!!!!!! hmmmmmmmmmm good

Now here is why I titled this blog as 'Guess Who was on Time'. That's right, to all that have been following this story about the OT guy. He actually showed up on time. miracle of miracles

(I (K) just have to mention that tomorrow is his last time with L)

Great Dr's Visit

I'm the guest blogger today and I'm two days behind. So let me catch up. K flew in on Sunday morning and it was a very quite day. A, K and L just enjoyed the quite time together. M called to check on everyone and to see if K had a good flight into Atlanta.

L's pain level was maybe around a 3 at best. He only had to take 1 percocet on the q4. This is a great thing because that means his pain is getting less and less. Still having pain when the sun goes down.

L and K went to see Dr. T on Monday and he had good news. L's blood count is up and that means that the chemo is working. The blood count up means it is working on his anemia and working on his bone marrow. L is looking so much better and he is feeling so much better too.

L and K went to the Ross department store to buy pants and shirts for L because all of his current clothes have become to large and are falling off of him. No just joking he uses a belt.

We got three pair of pants and four shirts but we had to take back one pair of the pants and two shirts. The reason the items are being returned ; one pair of pants that are to short and the two shirts that are to expensive. The new clothes do look good on him. Will take pictures on Friday when we go back out to the doctor.

Tuesday cousin B came in from Kalamazoo, Mich. to spend time with L and K. Cousin B is a RN and one of the best people in the world. She is really a sweet heart. She was one of the first people L talked to about his disease. Cousin B went through some of the same treatments when she was fighting the Big C. "SHE WON" now C free for 9 years.

Oh all most forgot here are a pictures of:

Monday night dinner Wednesday night dinner

No Tuesday night dinner picture but the meal consist of chicken, rice, gravy, and garden salad

(got eaten before pictures could be taken) Very Hungry People (Sorry)

That bring us up to today Wednesday 10/07/2009

Today was another good day. L had a good night slept most of night woke at 3am and took sleeping pill and pain pills. He was up early but not to early. L had PT with Ms T and she took him outside to walk down the block. He did a good job and Ms. T would like L to take longer walks like in a mall. 'Malls now that is my cup of tea' so lets walk in the mall and shop in the mall heheheheheeeeeeeeeeee :)'

L is looking so much better and he seems to be getting stronger. What L needs to do now is to make sure he put a nap in his schedule each day. Tonight after 'home boy' left L was really tried and ready to go to bed. The picture here is L taking his 8 p meds. He left to go to bed and left instruction to make sure he was awaken at 10:30p to get his sleeping pill. That is kind of funny you wake a person up to give them pills to put them back to sleep. Cousin B and myself will be turning in soon too. So at this point I will say good night and remember this is my first blog. K

Coming soon...

We're still working on K accessing the blog to write. Updates coming soon.

Weekend Numbers

Yesterday and today were as low-key as you can get. L and I just hung out yesterday with one little trip to the pharmacy and the grocery store in the evening. I picked up K from the airport this morning and we've all been in our corners all day. L on the move, K on the couch and me in my office and bedroom.

The only bit of interesting news is that K will be here all week along with her cousin, B, who is coming in on Tuesday. I will be AWOL for most of the week as I'm taking the time while they are here to work on my getting my thesis project back on track. If she agrees to it, K will be guest blogging for me for the week. So stay tuned to K's rendition of things.

PAIN: 3
L had a small run in with some swollen ankles last night. Doctor's orders: elevation. Better today.
ATTITUDE: 8
APPETITE: 10
ACTIVITY: 5

Home Alone

PAIN: 2
I don't know if L had any pain at all today really. Every time I asked he said he was feeling good. Pain meds (and chemo?) doing their thing!

ATTITUDE: 8
Generally, L was very upbeat all day (except for when he was going off about Mr. OT. I'm not the only one who thinks he shady).

ACTIVITY: 7
We went out to Chik-fil-a in the morning (as I mentioned we would last night) and then I headed off to work for a few hours. L's mobility and appetite and general with-it-ness is so improved that I wasn't too worried to leave him alone for a few hours. Now that he's allowed to run the staircase, he's up and down all day. I think it's good exercise. In fact, when I got home from work, he was up in his office, just like he always used to be and it was just like old times.

After I'd been home for a while, he says to me, "Do we have any pie crust? I'm hungry."

Huh?

Confusing. We went back and forth for a minute trying to get to the bottom of those strange non-conjunctive sentences living together (M was involved in this because she and I were on the phone at the time but I can only imagine how confusing it was for her only hearing sort of 3/4 of the conversation). Turns out, he had a taste for homemade peach turnovers and although we did have pie crusts we didn't have any peaches or anything that would resemble a fruit filling for turnovers. So a bit later, we went out to Kroger (not Publix -- that detail will be important later) to get some dried peaches and lemons for the turnovers (L's secret recipe). We walked past the deli when they were just putting out manager's special whole rotisserie chicken for $3.99. I know I just went to the store yesterday but yum! So we got one.

Waited in line... cashier seemed to be taking an extra long time... then checked out. L paid with a 20 but she didn't have any tens to give him change so she had to go get some and we waited some more. L was studying the receipt (just for something to do, I think) and noticed that she had rung the chicken up for $4.99. Now, me?? I'm already at Kroger and not Publix, which is 10 times nicer than Kroger and I've already had to wait two different times. $1 makes no difference to getting out of the store and back home. But, L?? Well, he's an accountant. So, naturally, we tell the cashier when she comes back and she sends us over to the Customer Service desk. Again, me - by myself? Peace. I'm out. But... we wait. (Again.) Two customer service reps finally come to the desk talking loudly to each other and then start to try to help us but answer the phone in the meantime and are barely paying attention to us. One looks at the receipt, scans the chicken and reaches in the drawer to give us the difference in price. She hands us $5 and some change.

Honestly, Kroger. Really?

No, that's too much, we say. She, still on the phone, says, if we ring it wrong, it's free.

Oh. Thanks, Kroger!

The moral of the story: Free chicken tastes better.

(M and P got to watch us enjoying the chicken when we had another very fun video chat with them right when we got home.)

APPETITE: 10
See above


(Make sure to check out L in action making the turnovers in The Food Files.)

Promises you can't keep

PAIN: 4
Well managed overnight and all day today. L was even doing extra PT exercises in between his sessions with the PT and OT folks.

ATTITUDE: 9

APPETITE: 11
L was eating everything in sight today and has already requested a Chik-fil-a sausage biscuit for tomorrow morning.

ACTIVITY: 7
There was PT in the early afternoon and then a friend of L's from Solid Rock came by. One of the ministers there, I think. They visited while I slipped out to the store for groceries. Then came the waiting. You guessed it... Mr. OT was behind schedule - again. Not as bad tonight so I won't fuss for too long but after yesterday, he promised L he would be to our house BY 7. Hurmph. Yeah, right. I was incredibly skeptical all day but he actually sorta kinda almost made it. He rang the doorbell around 7:15. What kills me is how he just walks in all nonchalant like it's no big deal. Smiling and all, "Have a great weekend!". So upbeat, I can't even hate. :)

Meet the Knowltons

Here we go!

PAIN: 4
We didn't talk much about pain today which tells me that it's pretty manageable. It started back up the scale a bit as we got into the evening but still nothing like a couple nights ago. Also, L slept really well last night so again... indications point to pain on the decline. Rah!

ATTITUDE: 8
This goes together with pain so overall so today was a good day. I think L might have been a bit bored today at some points, though. I had to be pretty focused on some deadlines at work (although working from home) so I wasn't a lot of fun a good chunk of the day. We did take a ride to the theatre to get my computer charger first thing this morning but L cat napped a little while I drove. Then I worked while he wandered the house and worked with the Physical Therapist in the afternoon. He napped while I slipped out to the gym for a quick workout and as I left around 10 after 6, I figured the OT guy would come and leave while I was out (since he likes to tell a story about our appointment time being between 6 and 7). His car not being there when I got back (at about 7:10) seemed like a good sign and when I got in, I asked L if Mr. OT had been there and gone.

"No. He hasn't come yet."

No, for real. Stop playin'.

So we went on with dinner. Would you believe it... homeboy didn't show up until after I had finished making dinner, we had eaten, I had the dishwasher running and L and I were discussing this dude's suspicious business pratices. I promise... it went just like this...

Me: "I don't think he's coming."
DING DONG.

I wish I was making this up.

I know I give his guy a hard time but dang! It's after 8 o'clock, yo! And to look at the complete picture... A.) He said he had two more people to get to tonight!! and B.) When is he going home?? It twists my brain in a knot. It really does.

Anyway... APPETITE: 10
Big breakfast, lunch, two boosts and a big dinner. Yay! :)

ACTIVITY: 8
PT and OT plus a trip to the theatre (although L stayed in the car). I'm also gonna go ahead and count the waiting for OT guy (cause you know that tardiness stresses L out). And L and I watched Meet the Robinsons this evening. It was lovely. I highly recommend.

(Mr. OT better get it together for tomorrow or I'm letting him have it on here tomorrow night. Stay tuned....)

Boo Battery!

I left the battery charger for my computer at work and my battery is old and on life support so this is literally all I have to say tonight:

PAIN: 5
Mainly under control today. A little worse at night but it didn't seem as bad as last night.

ATTITUDE: 7
Pain was mainly at bay so he was pretty upbeat when I was around.

APPETITE: 7
Still not doing much eating as I'd like. I gotta get some more of those Whole Foods hot dogs. L is crazy about those and eats 'em like they're going out of style.

ACTIVITY: 10
Cousins W and T came today because I was needed at work to finish a project, the cleaning folks came and cleaned the house and L went to the HOA meeting in the evening. Whew!

Just verifying

Working with the new system tonight. I haven't gotten any feedback that it's a rotten idea. If you hate it, speak now... or forever hold your peace.

PAIN: 6
Most of the day it was actually probably lower than that because he was able to do all of his physical therapy exercises much pain but this evening, around 7, it jumped up a little and it's bothering him a fair amount right now. We're trying alternating compressions of heat and ice on his knee and keeping it elevated. Along with some nice distracting music and reading material.

ATTITUDE: 7
L was feeling much better once he was able to get some sleep after 5 this morning. He napped a good amount into the late morning since he was pain free. It's weird but something about the dark makes his leg hurt worse. We need a Truman show set up where it's light outside and around our house 24/7. He's staying encouraged now I think... I'm trying to help him keep his mind off of the pain.

APPETITE: 5
This one was strange cause I made a killer "cook-what-you've-got-in-the-pantry/fridge/freezer" soup today. [A few tips on this: #1: Cabbage is the heartiest vegetable ever and never goes bad. Ever. #2: Canned chick peas are much easier to work with than the dried ones. #3: Canned tomatoes make any soup start looking like soup right away. Very encouraging for the adventurous chef. #4: Italian dressing is my secret weapon.] I think we'll try to cook up a big breakfast in the morning.

ACTIVITY: 6
No adventures outside of the house today but the Physical Therapist came by for a session. L did all his exercises with minimal pain and she even did a test run with him and then gave him permission to go up and down the stairs on his own.... which he promptly did about 5 minutes after she left.

Me: "Taking advantage of your new freedom already, huh?"
L: "Just verifying!"

Silly L.   :D

What's your number?

So, I've been sort of running out of things to say as the days get less hectic and the treatment goes along fairly smoothly. In my mind there is nothing worse than a boring blog (well, there are worse things... global warming, starving children -- stuff like that, but you know what I mean) so I thought of a new plan last night when I was chatting with my friend J.

When there is something to report, of course, I will do that, but for now, the new system will go something like this: in each of four categories - Pain, Attitude, Appetite and Activity... a number will be assigned on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the most). And I'll give a short summary of each ranking as necessary and tell any interesting tidbits of L's day. We'll be shooting for high numbers for Attitude, Appetite and Activity and low numbers for Pain.

(Let me know if this is a terrible idea.)  :)

For yesterday:

PAIN: 8
L's leg started hurting very badly in the early evening. It didn't really get better until early this morning.

ATTITUDE: 4
He was feeling pretty discouraged about his leg and frustrated that there wasn't more that we could do to make it feel better and that he couldn't sleep because of it.

APPETITE: 7

ACTIVITY: 7
L and I took K to the airport together in the morning and then Pastor T came by from Solid Rock UPC in the late afternoon.

Happy Anniversary L and K!!

L and K are celebrating their 34th wedding anniversary today! Ahhh, love....   :)


(These are K's roses from L.)

Untitled

(Can't think of a title tonight.)

I'm gonna be brief... L is doing okay. His pain comes and goes but usually only come when we get off the pain med schedule. The treatment hasn't done enough work that it's eliminating the pain yet but we're prayerful that that step will be coming soon. Yesterday was the last day of the first round of chemo. He's pretty excited about that. He's convinced that that fact means that he can drive (he hasn't driven since before he got sick) but we'll see.  ;)  Next week, we don't have any doctor's appointments. The PT and OT folks will probably come but those appts are not scheduled yet to my knowledge.

So yesterday was the appointment and L and Cousin M went with him to that while I was at work. In the evening, I took Cousin M out to see a little bit of Atlanta with my friends S and E (and her cousin) while K made a yummy looking dinner for she and L.

Today, I dropped Cousin M at the airport in the morning and then came back and hung with L and K for a bit before we all split to run some errands. L and K to the grocery store and to IHOP for dinner and me off to catch up with my friend L from school and to pick up a random thing or two. The rain caught us while we were out and it was that crazy kinda rain from earlier in the week where the sky opens and it just dumps down rain. Totally nutty.

K is back to Beantown in the morning and L and I will be holding it down here all week.

Premiere Week

You'll have to forgive my recent lack of attention to the blog but as you probably guess, I've been diving into some of my favorite shows as they return for the fall. Monday was House, Tuesday - NCIS (thanks to K for getting me addicted to that! *smirk*) and tonight was Grey's Anatomy and Project Runway. Luckily, most come on after L has taken to the bed for the evening. Never fear... L's needs come first. (But I do try to fit them into the commercials. I'm a horrible daughter - I know!)

So let me give you the recap of our week here on Daleview Way. L and I have been holding down the fort alone all week.  Tuesday, he had his chemo treatment in the late morning. As we were about to leave, I go to grab something off my desk in the living room and what do I see?? A huge trail of ants leading from the wall by the window to my lunch bag which is sitting on the floor by my desk. Wheat thins and peanut butter sandwich cookies leading to a legit Ant-festation... What's a girl to do??!? So I holler for L to figure out what to do but he felt torn just like I was. We had to get going in order to be on time for the appointment but we don't just wanna let the ants pig out all day while we were gone. After a few minutes discussion, we decided to just get going and deal with the intruders when we got back.

While we were at the office, we had a good chat with Dr. T and it seems like we're looking forward to about 8 rounds of chemo. One round is two weeks on and one week off so at 3 weeks a pop, we're looking at 24 weeks, aka 6 months. So my guess is that L will be nearly back to his old self by New Year's and in remission by the time I turn 30 (April 17th -- for all those who want to get an early start on shopping for the perfect present. Prank! Hehe.) :) Anyway, it's the type of cancer that comes and goes so there will be different treatment after it's gone a while and then returns. Dr. T is very optimistic, though, about the rate of study of Myeloma and thinks that there may be new, even better treatments by the time L would need a second round. Until then, we'll be prayerful that he is right about that. Also, we want to pray that once the first round of treatment is over, that L will have a long time where he's healthy and not going in for treatments.

So that was the chat with Dr. T and I got some work done in the lobby while L got his infusions. On the way home, we stopped at L's favorite little Asian restaurant for lunch. We both got lunch specials... chicken w/ mushroom for L and avocado sushi for me. We checked on the ants when we got home... I guess they were fat and lazy and back taking a nap at the crib because there were fewer but there were still enough to be concerned about (not that we could have forgotten about the pile from the morning), so we called the pest people and made an appt for them to come the next day.

We also had a lovely video chat with M and P in Boston. L really enjoyed that a lot. M was her usual chipper self and we were very entertained by P's antics in the background which involved faux flying like a super hero, putting his longer-than-usual hair in a ponytail on the top of his head and climbing in and out of the window onto the ground below.  I'm laughing now just thinking about it. Those two....

After that, nothing else really went down other than a run in with some rather disappointing soup for dinner. L, not normally given to firm judgement calls about things like that called it a, "wrong choice". Bleh.

L had some trouble sleeping Tuesday night (as he usually does the days he has treatment) so we both got a pretty slow start Wednesday morning. Once I got going though, I spent most of the day working (I had few pressing deadlines at work) at the table in the dining room--NOT over in ant heaven by my desk. (Ew. ) Bob, from the pest company, came and took care of biz with the ants and then the PT lady came and worked with L on his hip.

*Clarification section: There are two different people working with L to improve his mobility. The Occupational Therapist... who is a guy -- the shady guy that we can't get to schedule a time. He has been previously referred to as the PT guy. He is really the OT guy and will henceforth be called such (he's called the OT guy cause I can't understand his name when he says it). Tina is the psychical therapist. She came to work with L for the first time (after her initial consult) on Wednesday.*

OT guy was supposed to come too but by 645, he still hadn't come and then homeboy is really getting into dinner time so L told him that he wanted to reschedule. Besides, L and I were off to the airport to pick up Cousin M from the airport, who came to help out for a few days all the way from Southern California. Very grateful for his help and presence here. He and I haven't seen each other since I was 9, i.e. 20 years ago, so it's been interesting. I honestly don't even remember meeting him so it's like getting a brand new cousin, still in the wrapper. The three of us grabbed a pizza on the way in last night and then got a visit from Cousin C who actually lives in our development. I didn't catch how he ended up coming over... maybe he was out for a walk but the four of us visited over wings and pizza.

Then off to bed for everyone and up early this morning. I was at work all day but Cousin M and L got out so that L could get a haircut (it looks super cute but I didn't get to snap a shot of it). Cousin M and I collaborated on dinner and we had spaghetti and spinach salad. L was extra sleepy after I got home (and after the OT guy left... he was there when I got home) and took a nap before and after dinner. Really, you could argue that he went to bed at 7 and just got up briefly to eat dinner.

Anyway, that brings us to right now and I'm up way too late and gonna regret it in the morning. Tata!

So about those storms...

I mentioned storms. Yes, well, they didn't stop last night. As I said, there was drenching rain as we traveled to the hospital. We met the same on the way home. It stopped briefly and the sun made a valiant attempt at showing its face the clouds won out and then it proceeded to rain cats and dogs for the better part of the afternoon. L and I were glad to only be watching it out the window and on the news. The Doppler looked something like this and here and here are the results of that kind of forecast. It was a total hot mess. (As a slight silver lining, I have exceptionally cute wet weather wear!)

As for the other events in our day, L's port insertion went well. It took a while but we got home well clear of all the foolishness with the roads. After that, we just kinda bummed around. L and I chatted and he chatted on the phone some and I worked on some projects for work and we watched the news.

I told L I wanted to watch the season premiere of House at 8 and he actually asked me, "So you don't want me to talk to you at all during that then?" I felt kinda convicted... tried to play it off. "It's not that big of a deal."  "No, no... I've watched shows with you before."  Ouch. I'm trying to get better about that... Really, I am. :) (I still can't have interruptions during Smallville... but I'm working on that too!).

And that was the end to our day. Chemo in the morning. Pray for safe travels and for all those who are struggling with the results of the floods today.

Storms overnite

Neither L nor myself slept well last night. Heavy storms have been in the area for the last few days and there was so much lightning last night that I felt like there were paparazzi outside of my window. I guess it's good we're not celebrities or we'd never get any sleep.

In any event, we made it out of the house and through the drenching rain to the hospital on time for his procedure this morning. I was quite proud of us (You know how I feel about 8 o'clock appointments--napping WILL ensue later today). He is getting a port put in today so the chemo infusions are quicker and easier than L having to get an IV put in twice a week (ouch). It's gonna take a few hours which means we might be here another hour or so.

Yesterday was largely uneventful. I was at church to dance from very early until about 1 when I got home just in time to take K to the airport. After she left, I napped while L puttered about the house. We both talked on the phone a fair amount after I got up... L to his mom, to K and some other folks; me to my former roommate who is getting married (yay!) and to my homeboy, J, for our Sunday night check-in.

This is a busy week for us.... Port today, chemo tomorrow, PT and OT Wednesday, OT Thursday and chemo Friday. Expecting a visitor from CA on Wednesday (more details on that as I get them) and K returns on Friday.

Stay dry, kids. We'll try to do the same.

The pressure!

I know I skipped last night but unfortunately, I don't have time to write out the full story of the last two days cause I need to up early to dance at church. This writing daily is a lot of pressure! :)  I'm gonna bullet...

FRIDAY

• K took L to his second chemo treatment (I was at work). Doc didn't make a fuss about the rib cause it didn't hurt that much by that point and they can't do much about broken ribs anyway. (No confirmation that it actually was broken, either.)
• K and L went to BJ's (wholesale club) in the afternoon. L rode in a motorized cart.... EXCEPTIONALLY sad that K wasn't able to take a picture of that. Too fun.
• K, L and I watched the new episode of Monk together in the evening while I did my hair (which, if you've seen my hair, explains why I was too tired to write Friday. It's kinda labor intensive.)

SATURDAY

• K made a killer breakfast for everyone. Deeee-lish. L's appetite has maintained strong through the first week of chemo. Glad about that.
  
• K and I left L for a little bit and went and got our nails done and went to the grocery store after I got home from dance practice.
• The three of us had dinner together, each benefiting from some new yumminess gleaned from the grocery store. L had soup and hot dogs, K had a turkey sandwich and I had beef ravioli. Too many details, I know.

So, I gotta run but L has been feeling very good. He's still pretty tired generally and takes a nap or two but overall his energy is good. He mainly just walks, does stuff on his computer, and watches a little TV from time to time. Usually the news and The Weather Channel but this evening he got sucked in by an Andy Griffith marathon on TV Land for a while and sometimes I can get him to watch Monk with me.

His other leg has been hurting a bit which makes sense since he has been favoring the right side because of the surgery. Pray that it doesn't get as bad or need as much work done to it as the right side.

That's it for now!

Zzzzz

L is sleeping, K is soon to be sleeping and so am I. Nothing really to report today. After K got in this morning, I was around for just a bit before I headed off to work. I got home just shortly before I had to rush off to dance practice and L was in his pj's when I got home. L's pain is very low! Surprisingly enough, it's because of the Ibuprofen that he's taking now, per the suggestion of the on-call doc last night. With all the pain medicine that he's been given, it's Advil that makes a difference. Apparently it works differently with bones than does acetaminophen. Either way, I'm just glad he's not hurting so badly and that the insomnia isn't being worsened by pain.

More chemo in the morning.

Hi-5

Quick update: L made it through the night well (only waking up a few times) and woke up feeling so much better that when I asked, "How are you feeling this morning?", he answered with a high five. :)

More later!

Vertigo

(There is no real reason for the title other than that while I was sitting here trying to think of a title, I felt the room spin around me. I reserve the right to make it more meaningful later.)

Right to it today.... One of the chemo meds make you an insomniac. Bad. He had this med while he was in the hospital and in truth, he was really just starting to get over it but since it was pumped into his veins yesterday, of course, he barely slept last night. And unfortunately, in the tossing and turning, what was an uncomfortable area in his rib cage on the left side, has now become a source of extreme pain.

We talked to the doctor on call for Dr. T tonight and she gave some suggestions for managing the pain overnite and the recommendation that we call Dr. T first thing in the morning. Dr. Knowlton (that's me) thinks it's a broken rib and the on-call doc agrees. Hopefully, we won't have to take her other suggestion (go to the ER if the pain gets worse overnite).

For now, L is asleep. I'm gonna do the same because I suspect it won't last long.

Pray for sleep. Pray for peace. Pray for comfort.

"I thought you were sick!"

So sorry for the neglect! Last night I was working on a project and worked until I was falling asleep on my keyboard and went straight to bed. My intention was to write early this morning but was finishing that, then getting L to the doctor's and then more finishing of the project. (Almost done!)

But I wanted to give a quick update on the last two days. Yesterday, M and I stayed in with L all day. My back has been grouchy these last couple days so I stayed in from work to rest it. We didn't do too much of note really. For the better part of the morning, we were wondering if it was too early to eat salad. I kept asking M if it was time for salad yet. Remember the aforementioned best chef salad ever? Yea... it was that good. She managed to stop me from eating it for breakfast. ("The Salad Hour" was going to be the subject of last night's post. Let's have a moment of silence for a great title sacrificed to fatique.)

I digress....

So I worked at my desk and M worked in her "office" while L went to and fro. He was awaken by pain before he was really ready to get up so he was pretty sleepy all day. We tried to see if he wanted to run to the store with us but he was feeling too sleepy. So M and I left him on the couch, M making him promise not to be "on the move" while we were gone. Something told me to make a bet with her that he wouldn't be where we left him. I wish I had because sure enough, he was standing in the kitchen eating a piece of raisin bread when we got back. :) Anyway, more Publix wings for dinner (yum, yum, yum!) and that was about it for yesterday. Oh yeah... I also had a chat with my bestie, S, and she was telling me more stories about her dog, Griffey. He dropped his fetch ball off the top of the parking deck while S and I were talking. But he's so cute that I'm sure S didn't stay angry with him long. Look at that little face. See what I mean?

On to today.... So L got ready for the doctor while M made breakfast and make sure that everyone was on schedule. We got to the doc right on time, waited for a bit and then chatted with the doctor. He comes in the room saying, "I thought you were sick. You look great!" Yes, yes... L cleans up well. He's moving so much better now and he had on a black suit and a white shirt such that he looked almost like his old self. :) After they took him back to start the treatment, they let us know that it was going to be 2-2 1/2 hours so we went down to the cafe to food for L and for ourselves. Next time we know to pack a lunch for all concerned. I'm happy that I went with my usual tact, which is to bring way too much stuff to do. I got a lot done during the treatment, including getting to have lovely lunch with my favorite sister in the rather luxurious lobby of the hospital. Afterwards, L had no ill effects on the way home (nausea is not one of the main side effects of the treatment plan that he is on) and was feeling quite strong enough that he insisted on pumping the gas when we stopped on the way home. (M made him use hand sanitizer immediately upon settling in the car. Gotta love our little scientist!). L also had some visitors this evening from the HOA. K will be happy to know that someone actually used the sitting room! And I think they were happy to have a quiet place to visit briefly with L. He was very happy to see them.

The only ill effects that we've seen so far is that the one drug makes him sort of emotional (he had a four day intro of this med while he was in the hospital). That happened a bit tonight. It also is what causes the insomnia. Weird, though, because I just checked with M about whether or not he had his Lunesta tonight and she said that he didn't want it. So we'll see what results from that.

Other than that, we'll just wait and see a bit how these three drugs affect him. M is leaving tomorrow afternoon and K is returning Thursday around the same time. I'll be ducking off to work around those schedules.... still trying to avoid picking up the germs that are still running rampant through the office.

Pray for "the peace that passes all understanding" for L.



*Correction: The friend who brought by the Edible Arrangement last week was incorrectly identified as a friend of L's from church. Actually, he was one of the lovely folks who came by tonight from the HOA. Sorry, Mr. B! We appreciate you!*

The return of M

M is here! L and M had a lovely reunion and the three of us have been hanging around the house all day. M's flight was early... like 530a, so she's headed to bed now. L is scooting around on the phone with someone (don't know who) and is transitioning to bed soon.

M and L chatted with our neighbor from two doors down outside in the yard for a while today. Then C and D from next door came by with their adorable little ones. C made THE MOST delicious chef salad ever and an extra yummy key lime bundt cake. We sooo appreciate it. :) Then L and I ran to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription that his PCP called in but we didn't get it because I told L that we should check with him tomorrow to see why they called it in. It seems weird because he hasn't been to his PCP in a while. After the pharmacy, we drove around the neighborhood and took in the sights. We passed by Dr. W's (L's friend from the HOA) house and thought about stopping but he wasn't home so we kept it moving. It gave me an idea, though. It's so much easier for L to get around now, I think we might try to take a little trip everyday provided he continues to get stronger.

Anyway, we don't have anything planned for tomorrow but there is the constant threat that the PT guy will come back.... nobody knows when. Goofy. Other than that, M and I will get to be Guitar Heroes (more on that later this week), pending the affects of the chemo on L. First appointment for that is Tuesday morning at 1030. Please pray that the affects of the chemo will be only positive and that L will continue to feel stronger and stronger.

As for me, I'm gonna do a little work before bed. K returns this week and we are also expecting a visit from K's cousin. Busy week for all!

*Another quick shoutout to all who are going through this with us: Thanks especially to P and the Boston crew, R and the gang at New Life in Akron and everyone else who has us in your prayers.*

Man about town

Imagine my surprise when I call L from work yesterday to see how things are going and he says, "We might go get some pizza later." Um, whoa! L hasn't really been able to venture out of the house except when needed (doctor's visits and of course the hospital) since the first visit to the oncologist on August 14 (L, K and I went to Golden Corral, one of L's favorites, after the appt.). So yeah.... whoa! Getting those staples out have made him a whole new man. Very exciting. :)

The gang ended up going to Cracker Barrel instead, another old favorite of L's. They had some issues with the service but it only ended up providing L with 3 sides to his fish instead of 2. He was right on those leftovers first thing this morning before I was even able to ask if he wanted grits or oatmeal. Yesterday's events tired him out a bit but not in a bad way. W was finally able to convince him of the merits of not walking to and fro all the time which I think will help. After W and T took off shortly after I got home from dance practice this afternoon (thanks again guys!!), L and I eventually got around to thinking about what we wanted for dinner. I ran out and got us some Publix wings and soup, per L's suggestion. Fabulous deliciousness. Then we watched the latest episode of Monk (well, I watched it and he sort of visited it regularly) and now to sleep (well, he's been sleep for a while and I'm heading that way soon). Sorry for all the sidebars.  ;)

Looking forward to seeing M in the morning.....

You're My Healer

I first heard 'Revelation Song' at church the first Sunday that L was feeling sick. It was an amazing service and the worship in the sanctuary was unlike any that I have ever experienced. The next day (randomly... but not randomly), a friend from church used FB to share a video with another friend from church. I followed the link and discovered Kari Jobe. I found her Youtube page and was in tears at my desk at work watching her video 'I'm Singing' about having joy in the face of all sorts of difficult situations. I downloaded her album and discovered that song 11 was 'Revelation Song' (this was in fact why the friend from church found her as well... she was looking for 'Revelation Song' after we'd heard it the day before).

As the events of L's illness have unfolded in these few short weeks, there have been so many ups and downs... already. Kari's album has been one of the ways that God has continued to remind me that He is here and that He cares.

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging sea
You walk with me through fire
You heal all my disease

I trust in you
I trust in you

I believe you're my healer
I believe you are all I need... I believe
I believe you're my portion
I believe you're more than enough for me
Jesus, you're all I need

Nothing is impossible for you
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for you
You hold my world in your hands

Kari's site for this song has a video with an amazing story of how God can work.


I believe....

Beautiful Sleep

Just a quick update... L slept well last night! He fell asleep between 9 and 10 and didn't wake up until about 5. Praise God!  :)

The doctor's appointment was quick and easy. They took the staples from the surgery out, we chatted with the surgeon (who is a bit of a prankster as well!) and made a follow up appointment. L has been encouraged to come jogging into the follow up appointment in 6 weeks so we're gonna start cross training for that.  ;) Just prankin'!

More this evening.

Aaaaah, and wake me up

Very little to report today. L is doing okay. The pain in his leg was fairly bad last night apparently. It's gotta be tough. He's taking medicine to make him sleep but his body is fighting to try to make him wake up. The title is how he described his attempts at sleep last night. He'd fall asleep and then pain would vibrate through his entire leg and he'd wake up. I guess we need to chat with the docs to see if we can get something to either calm the pain more or make the sleep deeper.

As a result of the nightly struggle, L is more and more sleepy throughout the day. When we were chatting today, he would get tired and drift off. I just made sure to keep quiet and let him get those few minutes at a time when he can. He did get in a good hour/hour and a half long nap around dinner time which I was glad about.

Going to the doctor to get the staples from the surgery out tomorrow. Eeeeeearly in the morning, i.e. 8 o'clock. Not early for most but I'm a self-proclaimed and proven night owl. Trying to be somewhere at eight is tough when your productive hours are between 11pm and 1am. (And try as I might to change that, so far no good.) Anyway, since I'm working tomorrow, our cousins who live in Alpharetta, W and T, are here tonight to come with us to the appointment so I can go to work from there and they can stay here with L during the day. They graciously agreed to stay through Saturday so that I can go a dance meeting and practice at church on Saturday. Much love, W and T!

The next big event on the horizon: the return of M! Sunday AM. I heart my sister.

"We'll just do what we do and go from there."

L said that to me tonight. Simple but kinda poetic, dontcha think?

Another fairly low-key day. No doctor's appointments = no drama. I worked until about 330 then I came home to give K a ride to the airport. K and L said goodbye around 415 then she was off to the airport. I ran an errand or two for L (shirts to the cleaners, picking up orange sherbert from the store) then back home. L and I started a game of Scrabble which I figured we could just leave on the table and come back to throughout the weekend. We played four rounds then we took a break and the next thing I knew, he had cleared the board and put all the pieces back in the bag. Highly disappointing! I love the idea of games that last for several days. Didn't Frank Farmer/Kevin Costner have some year or two long game of chess running with his father in The Bodyguard? Yea... that's what I had in mind. (And no, I don't usually shape my life after scenes from The Bodyguard.)

After that, we just kinda chilled... I worked at my new little office station and he walked to and fro, sort of sitting to check out the Presidential address with me from time to time. L pointed out that if Congress had to deal with Social Security and health insurance like the rest of us do, they would have fixed it all a long time ago. I agree wholeheartedly.

Beyond that, nothing much else is up. Pain was manageable today. Appetite was good. Much success with the bell today! ;)  K made some fancy cinnamon pecan pancakes that I didn't get to experience. They sound legendary. Rock on, mom. L got a couple calls from some extended family and from a friend from church. FYI everyone, bedtime is close to 9. Call before 7 if you want to chat with L.

*Quick shoutout... thanks for all the support: TH, SB, SL, JK (Ohio), JK (NYC), SG, LR, LB, CC, EB, PB, KG, All WOG and all the HTC crew. 143.*

Just Prankin'!

We gave L a bell. We gave it to him so that he could get our attention when he's in the bed and we're in the living room or kitchen without having to holler at us. It's the kind that they put on hotel counters so you can get the clerk's attention when they're not there when you're checking in in the middle of the night.

It's been sitting on the nightstand for at least a day or so but he finally started using it tonight. Of course, K and I weren't used to listening for it, so we didn't notice it at all. L appears in the doorway... "I rang the bell."

Whoops.

We all laughed a little about it (he just wanted his Ensure for the night) but after I left the bedroom and settled back in front of the TV, I jumped right up when I heard the bell again about 2 minutes later. I get to the door... "What's up, dad?"

"That was just a test."

PRANKSTER.

Anyway, today was fairly low-key. I was at work all day but K said that he had a good day (low pain, relatively high energy/appetite) all day until about 6 when his leg started bothering him a lot. It kinda distracted him from wanting to eat dinner (salad and grilled chicken -- which I grilled on the deck as the day shifted from dusk til dark... our (really lovely) neighbors must think we're nuts) which is why he went with the Ensure instead.

I ran into a friend of L's from church in the driveway when I was coming in from work who was just arriving to bring by an Edible Arrangement which was really super thoughtful. I happen to love those things. Unfortunately, we're up to our armpits in fruit (got another fruit basket from someone over the weekend). Currently, we've got a watermelon, 2 cantelopes, 1 banana, a fruit basket and an edible arrangement. Fruit salad, anyone?

Hopefully all of the Vitamin C will help keep me healthy. My co-workers, who I really and truly adore, are all in various states of ailment. L's immune system is so low that I'd have to go stay somewhere else if I get sick so I'll be making sure to keep my distance and clean my keyboard and mouse when I'm at work tomorrow. Here's hoping you get better soon, Horizon-ites... for your sake and mine!  :)

I also set up a little faux office in the living room today. I've been waaay unproductive since this all started but a little workspace in earshot of L's room is just the thing to turn that around.

Clairvoyant

Did you know that I'm clairvoyant? Oh, yes. The physical therapist called this morning saying that he was coming today but when I asked when, he wouldn't answer. I mean, even the cable company gives you a 4-5 hour window. Not particularly helpful but at least it's something. Nope, homeboy said "today".  So when two cousins come over for dinner and to chat about how they can help us this week, I told K that the PT guy would come as soon as we were ready to eat dinner. Two guesses what happened as soon as everyone filled their plate. Gee... It's hard being so smart.

So L worked with the PT guy while we ate (K and I took turns sitting with/checking on them) but it was mainly just an opening session, checking on what the docs and the hospital want him to be able to do and checking on L's mobility and strength a bit. They didn't get get to much... they just did a few of the exercises that he got from the OT folks at the hospital. He made some recommendations about L moving around the house (take fewer trips to get what you need, sit on padded chairs, etc.) and that was about it. He was pretty wiped out by the end of our cousins' visit. We let him sleep a bit before we gave him his Lunesta so he would be able to sleep later in the morning. We'll see how that plan works out.  :)

Make sure to check out the photos I've been taking.

Let's get this party started, yo.

 I've been meaning to start this blog since shortly after L was diagnosed with Myeloma. I've been proscrastinating (just as I've been doing this evening -- it's almost 3am) but it always seems to me that there is a perfect moment for things and this is that one for this project.

So from the beginning... L stayed home from church with some "mobility issues" (his words) on Sunday, August 9. Hurting right shoulder and right knee. Monday, he went to his doctor and got a bunch of blood tests and took some X-rays. There was some follow up in the next two days where his doc ordered a bone scan of his shoulder to be done. We went to pick up the order and get that done but of course it was complicated and we weren't able to get it done that day. We made an appointment for the following Tuesday. Wednesday, the doctor called just before 5 and told L that the blood tests indicated there was a good chance that that what he was diagnosed with in Denver a few years back, MGUS, had transformed into Multiple Myeloma.

From there, he was referred to Georgia Cancer Specialist (GCS) and we made an appointment for Friday. L and K were supposed to to Hawaii that Thursday but the doctor said no so K came here instead. The three of us went to the doctor on Friday where the doc basically confirmed the MM diagnosis but was very loose about it (which, in truth, was half hopeful and half annoying). We got a walker for L (very reduced mobility by this point) and got some stronger pain meds for the pain that was now getting stronger and stronger in the shoulder and knee/femur. We also left there with an appointment for the following Wednesday to get a bone marrow bioposy and another for the Wednesday after that to start some treatment to the weakness of L's bones.

K left on Monday evening and I took L to get his bone scans on Tuesday. The original order for a shoulder scan turned into a rib and a hip scan as the doctor kept seeing suspicious areas further and further down as the did the scans. That was obviously pretty scary for everyone so M and K came from Boston that evening and we all went to the appt at GCS on Wednesday morning for the bone marrow biopsy.

We made it from Wednesday to late Friday night. K was helping L get to the bathroom in the middle of the night and he suddenly had extreme pain in his right hip. K woke me to help get him situated in bed and I recommended that we call the ambulance. Sudden new pain = trouble. K and I went to the hospital around 530a where we were in the ER with L until they admitted him to the hospital in the afternoon around 330p. He stayed there from Saturday, the 22nd thru Tuesday, the 1st. It turns out that he fractured his hip and he had surgery to put in two screws to stabilize the bone so it doesn't break again. He's going to heal up from that for a little while longer before the chemo begins.

My aunt and uncle from TX came up on the Sunday after L got admitted and stayed until Friday the 28th. K headed back to Boston on the 30th and M went back on the 2nd. K came back on the 3rd.

We went back to GCS on Friday, where the doctor (different doctor, different GCS office) -- Dr. T -- gave us some straight talk about what's going on. L has IGG Lambda Myeloma, Stage 3. 75-80% of his bone marrow is cancerous. It's not curable but the treatments kill the cancerous bone marrow and the docs watch a protein indicator in his blood. When the indicator disappears, the treatments can stop and L should be back to feeling like his old self again. They continue to watch that protein indicator and when it goes back up, the cancer has returned. The idea is to increase the amount of time that the protein is undetectable and no treatments are needed. The first round of treatments will be a three drug therapy that will go in three week rotations, two weeks on - one week off, two days a week. We're going to start that the week of September 14th. Tuesdays and Fridays.

Right now, L is having some trouble sleeping because of some of the treatments but a Lunesta around bedtime has settled some of the jitteriness that resulted from being so worn out. He still walks around the house incessantly, trying to walk off the healing pains of the surgery. He is very often "on the move" as M would say. But overall, he's doing okay. In good spirits despite the constant pain and ever faithful to his God.

FUN FACTS ABOUT L!!
1. The only CD he listens to is Alvin Slaughter's God Can, started at track number three on repeat all.
2. He likes to take his medicine with either water/ginger ale/white grape juice with crushed ice -OR- warm blueberry-pomegranate juice or tea sweetened with honey.
3. He's taken to calling me Sugar Plum.
4. He doesn't like to talk on the phone very much right now.
5. He LOVES this video.