Chemo Day #9 – Round 2.5 ✔

Thankfully, my white blood cell count was back up on Monday, so I was able to get my next treatment on Tuesday. Yippee!!! It is actually up higher than it has been for a while, so the week off was probably good. Hopefully, it won’t go down too fast so I can get the rest done or at least minimal speed bumps left!

I have appointments in Wichita and Kansas City to visit surgeons the first two weeks in May. I’m anxious to hear my options and pray God guides me to the right pair. Thanks to all of you who called with or forwarded recommendations; it was very helpful!

Scott and I have decided to take in a Royals game on Friday night. I am excited and am sure I will tolerate it just fine. It’s very easy to get distracted at Kauffman Stadium; it’s a fun place to be! Although they haven’t been playing well, I’m hoping we can bring them a little luck. (I'm sure my KC shoes will do the trick!) Maybe being back in KC will help too. Let’s just hope the game doesn’t get rained out!

It will be a quick trip, because we will be heading back to Abilene early Saturday morning to watch Emma play her last soccer game for the season. I can’t say it enough, grandbabies are the best medicine!

Love you all!

Speed Bump!

<a href='http://www.freepik.com/free-photo/

danger-bump-road-sign_1035404.htm'>Designed by Freepik</a>

Well…I hit a little speed bump today. My white blood cell count was too low to get my treatment. I’m not going to lie...I was bummed!!! I have had the timeline in my head of when this would be done and this interferes!!! However, I also know I don’t want to get my body so out of whack that it takes an even harder toll on it and makes it harder to recover in the end. So…patient I will be and my guess is this won’t be the last time I’m postponed. It’s probably more frustrating, because I actually feel good! But God's got this and it will be on His timeline.

On another note, I have this little game I play every morning. It’s called count the eyebrows and eyelashes. They are getting so sparse, it is actually doable! Makeup is a little more challenging. I’m used to filling in brows with a pencil, but it’s a lot more challenging when there is nothing to fill in. Getting them even is a trick. It’s also a challenge not to look like Charlie Chaplin! Ha! I’m sure I will get better at it as time goes on and fortunately, I have glasses which frame my eyes. It does help!

Easter was a little lonely, since we didn’t get to see the kids. It was hard seeing all the darling posts of grandkids and grandparents coloring and hiding eggs. I’ve decided I’m calling dibs on next Easter and I want the whole experience! Just giving you kids a heads up now! Actually, our church service was beautiful and our youth group served breakfast after. We had a great time with our church family and a relaxing day after, including a wonderful nap!

Thank you all for your prayers and support! I couldn’t do this without you!

Chemo Day #8 - Round 2.4 ✔

I’m REALLY late in posting my update, but it’s been a crazy week! My treatment on Tuesday went well and I’ve gotten along good, but we had an insane storm Wednesday night with hail that looked more like snow and flash flooding. Last night we had Maundy Thursday services at church and I was exhausted and ended up going to bed early! All in all, though, everything is good. Treatment-wise, I am halfway through. Time-wise, I am more than halfway...only 8 weeks left!

We’re starting to look at options for surgery. I should finish all my chemotherapy the first week in June and they will likely give me three weeks to recover before surgery, so it looks like it should be the last week in June. I’m anxious to find a surgeon/plastic surgeon pair we are comfortable with. I’ve received a couple of recommendations that we hope to check out soon. It’s one more thing I want to get checked off my list!

Last weekend we got to see all the kids and grandkids as we traveled to Abilene Friday night. We watched Emma and Killian while Mom and Dad had a much needed date night. On Saturday, we took Killian to the Rolling Hills Zoo to hunt Easter Eggs.

Kyle, Caitlin and Kinley were there, along with Caitlin’s family, so we got to see them too. We walked through most of the zoo afterwards. Needless to say, Grammy and Killian were both pooped out by the time we were done!

Emma had a conflict with a soccer game, so she didn’t get to go. She did, however, score six goals! We were disappointed we didn’t get to see that, but hope to get over there for another match soon. We just love the time we get to spend with them…duh!!!

I pray you all have a very, blessed Easter! He is risen!!! He is risen indeed, ALLELUIA!!!

Chemo Day #7 – Round 2.3 ✔

The Taxol treatments seem to be going fairly consistently. The day of treatment, I come home and crash for a few hours and then can’t sleep at night. I’m sure it is the steroid I’m given with the treatment on top of the steroid I take the day before, the day of and the day after treatment. Sleep and more fatigue seems to come toward the end of the week when the steroid wears off. So far though, that seems to be the only side effect. My skin has cleared up  from the AC treatments (steroids might have helped with that too) and it doesn’t seem to be nearly as dry. Yay!

AND…my hair seems to be coming back in! Now…just what kind of hair remains to be seen (or not seen). It seems to be very blonde. When I originally buzzed my hair off and the remaining red fell out, I had a sort of blonde peach fuzz that remained (except for a stubborn bit of red growing out of a mole on my head – very pretty – NOT!). It annoyed me, so I finally had Scott use his razor and shave it all off and it stayed off. That may be what is returning, but right now I’ll take whatever I can get!

Last Friday night, Kyle, Caitlin and Kinley came to visit, since Kinley’s bedroom got flooded from all the rain they had and their landlord needed to get in to get it all fixed. Kinley cuddles were just what I needed and it was great seeing the other two as well. On Saturday, they went up to Smith Center to visit Kinley’s other Nana and Papa. While there, they stopped in to see great grandma and grandpa too.

Oh, how I treasure the pictures of Great Grandma Della and the grandkids!

There's only 85 yrs difference
between these two!

This weekend we are headed to Salina to watch Kinley hunt Easter Eggs at Rolling Hills Zoo and then will head to Abilene to see Kellen’s crew. We are way past due seeing Emma and Killian and boy, do we miss them! FaceTime helps, but it’s just not the same!

Thank you for your continued prayers! I know they are working and treasure them so! Love you all!