"Let's Play...Pass the Infection!"

It's not really a fun game, but it seems to be what we having been playing in our house lately. Just before Thanksgiving, Jayce got sick. We took him to the doctor and found out he had pneumonia. It was sad to see him so listless and sick. His fever went up to 105 before he started to feel better.

We did manage to make it down to Tulsa for Thanksgiving weekend. It was nice to see everyone, but really exhausting too. I started feeling bad on Saturday morning. A sore throat was kicking in and for about four nights in a row, I didn't get good sleep because it kept waking me. I went to the clinic Monday morning for tests galore. When you are on chemo and your immune system is compromised, they take every little thing seriously. Which means I got a chest X-ray, flu test, strep test, several blood tests, IV fluids. The result: strep throat and an ear infection.

Now that my throat is better and I nestled in for a good night's sleep...I was awakened at 12:30 in the morning by a crying 10-year-old who said her ear hurt. We took care of her and she woke again at 6:00 a.m. Kent took Kaylee to the doctor this morning...ear infection.

I guess we are doing our part to keep the antibiotics companies in business. I'm looking forward to another round of chemo next week (I use the phrase "looking forward" very loosely)! It will be back to feeling sick for me. So, let's hope we can keep everyone else well!

"Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow"

I had my G.I. Jane moment, but it didn't happen the way I thought it would. It turned out more like Benjamin Button instead. My hair started coming out in great big wads a couple of weeks after my first chemo. Then it slowed down and I was left with very thin hair. It started up again and I was left with zombie-like hair that made every day a mandatory hat day! Now, it is gone. Just little wisps are left (and those are still coming out).

It was very uneventful and not nearly as glamorous as it was when Demi Moore's head hit the shears in G.I. Jane. I guess that is what I expected, minus the really ripped, pumped up muscle queen body!

I'm also not traumatized by my lack of hair. While it certainly makes getting ready in the morning much faster, other time is added trying to choose an outfit that has a hat to match. I haven't gotten around to having my wig fitted yet, so hats it is for now. Hats are fun, and sometimes hot and sometimes itchy. So, sometimes (at home) you just have to dare to go bare!

"Chemo Tricks Me Back"

I am in the post-chemo feeling bad stage. I had chemo Friday afternoon and the next day my Mom flew back to Tulsa. She had flown in the Saturday before to help during the week because chemo was supposed to be on Tuesday. That's just not the way things turned out.

We went in on Tuesday, had my port accessed, lab work drawn and saw the oncologist. At that point, he was concerned about something "abnormal" and wanted me to see the surgeon. So, instead of chemo I got another mammogram and ultrasound. The next morning, we went back for an appointment with my surgeon. Everything turned out okay, it was just a lot of scar tissue.

But, this pushed chemo to Friday. Mom's plane ticket pushed her back home on Saturday. It was still a huge help having her here. A couple of people from church brought a meal today and that will help this week too.

Right now, I'm just sleepy. Good night!

"No Trick, Just Treat!"

I tricked my chemotherapy! It was supposed to fall on Halloween. So, I tricked it and moved it to next week so I could have a treat of a day!

Kent and I went to Kaylee's class Halloween party at school. It was a "Monster Mash" dance party in the gym for the 4th and 5th graders. That's 67 kids in costume! They ate, they danced, they sang to pop songs and Halloween favorites! After school, we brought the geisha girl home to get her make-up on (not allowed at school). Then we dressed her pet dinosaur (that would be Jayce). Don't geisha's usually have pet dinosaurs? I would think so.

 

 





Then it was off to a nearby grocery store Halloween event. On our way home, we stopped by their former babysitter's house for a quick treat. Then it was down the street to a neighbor's house for a pre-trick or treating Halloween party/dinner! The weather was pretty nice when dusk came and we hit the streets in search of porch lights!

It was a long day, but in a different way than a chemo day is a long day! I would choose this one! Mom is flying into St. Louis on Saturday and we'll go pick her up. She'll be here for a week to help us out since I'm facing a "long day" on Tuesday (AKA Chemo Round 3).