Rocket Dog Molly

December 10, 2006

First, I would like to apologize for taking so long to get this on board. We arrived home from the hospital a week ago yesterday, took a day to settle, welcomed my Dad and stepmom on Monday, parted ways on Friday morning (they for Ohio and me for St. Louis), returned home about 7:30 Friday evening, welcomed my son, daughter-in-law and grandson at about 8:00 and my girls returned home from their grandmother’s, all pretty much simultaneously. Yesterday we visited, shared pictures, ran a few small errands and such. Which brings us to here we are!! I thought I would attempt to get an entry in before the household starts waking and moving about.

Now, to explain the title. For those of you who have not seen VanHelsing (and I can say I include myself although I did watch it somewhat casually), he is a monster fighter (Frankenstein, Dracula, Werewolves etc). I was trying to think of something to call this entry and I decided since we are now to the battle stage, that would work as well as anything else I am able to come up with at the moment (anesthesia, ya know, affects the ability to think and concentrate – I swear!! Hence the lack of creativity). At any rate, (for Les Mis fans and to quote Enjolras) the time is near! The plan is this: Chemo begins this Friday. It is a three week cycle with chemo being given on days 1 and 8. Day one will be the rougher of the two with it taking four hours to run in. It will be through an IV and through the abdominal port both. Day 8 should take less time. I will need to see the doctor in the morning prior to the chemo so we will be going to St. Louis on Thursday evening and spending the night before and then also spending Friday night down there, at least on the Day 1 of the cycle. We are planning on staying Friday night on day 8 also at least for the first one till we know how I am going to react to the treatments. The doctor did say the intra-abdominal chemo is more effective but it is also very rough. There have been some patients that could not tolerate it and had to stop. They also said there have been some patients that played golf throughout their treatment. That will not be me – I don’t play golf. At any rate, it is impossible to know exactly what we will do yet. Can’t tell until I actually experience it. The doctor was very encouraging in that she said it is the “garden variety” of ovarian cancer. Strange expression huh? Basically, she is saying that it is the most common kind of ovarian cancer, nothing exotic or unknown, so the treatment has been around and it is the one that there is the most experience and studies with. This is a good thing. I found myself thinking it ironic that it would be the “garden variety”. That will teach me not to have a garden next year. She also reiterated that they got everything visible (it was even in the appendix), and that the spot on the liver was extremely superficial and not involving the liver (which was supported by the pathology report). They are classing me at a 3C level out of 4 in the staging. Anyway, I hear stirring about and the sound of my grandson. I will close for now as we have plans to take Cole to see Santa Claus and finally put a few decorations on the tree. Might look a little more like a tree that way. Love to you all – will check in as soon as I can. Hopefully, I can get Cheryl the computer whiz to help me fine tune this bloody computer a little so it is not so excruciating to get on here and make entries. Is slower than molasses in Alaska and the cursor likes to place itself randomly in the text even while you are typing so if there is anything that doesn’t make sense I attribute it to this stupid computer (I swear Michele – I didn’t do it)! I really did try to proof this as best as possible.

Love,
Lisa

Lisa

Okay – I am going to try this again.  Was sitting here typing an entry when I got booted out by a bottled water add.  No respect I tell ya!.  Hopefully, I don’t have a double entry although I hadn’t saved anything yet so I think I am starting afresh.   Anyway, have been sitting here having coffee and trying to stop procrastinating and get in the shower.  I was just handed a little added incentive as the home health nurse just called and will be here sooner rather than later.  It isn’t that showering is that much more difficult although it does require a little more care than usual.  Maybe it’s just the thought of the injection I have to give myself after I get out that leads to this dragging of the feet.  At any rate, I seem to feel pretty good in the mornings after I have been up for an hour or two.   Find myself waking up rather a lot at night – could have something to do with conditioning from being in the hospital – or it could just be that it is difficult to find a place (or position) to be in for more than several hours at a time.  Either way, I have pretty much been up at 5:00 or 5:30 every morning so far.  My energy held up much better than I expected yesterday.  I was afraid I would be worn out by afternoon but I was excited to see my dad and stepmom and my brother came out to visit also.  This was defininitely an energy booster.  I think Rube will be putting the lights on the Christmas tree tonight and my folks have been delegated the duty of tree trimming.  Given my analicity and perfectionistic tendencies, I don’t envy them this task.  I can already hear myself – “No, two branches to the left and up three”.  Or something like that!  I will have to let go of these tendencies of mine and savor the moment.  Well, speaking of moments, I think the moment has arrived that I must trudge to the shower and start the process.  It will be worth it once I get there.  Talk to you soon.

 Lisa

December 4, 2006

Hey everyone! We arrived home on Saturday, December 2 at approximately 2:00 pm. I was actually discharged from the hospital on Friday afternoon, but given the little ice storm that descended upon St. Louis, we were very grateful that we had another night’s reservation at the motel which we fully took advantage of. I have been wanting to update my blog for several days but have had a hard time finding a sustained level of energy to get through showering, medicine regiment, phone calls and just plain staying awake so I apologize for not writing sooner. Am doing pretty well, although I still find myself suddenly falling asleep without little advance warning at times. Also still feel like I am walking like a primate somewhat. Would rather walk like a camel, or an Egyptian or something other than a chimp. Want to say thank you to all for the messages, thoughts and prayers; the absolutely lovely flowers (thank you Cardiac Diagnostics peoples!); my get better bear – balloon – and sunflowers (thank you and I miss all of you, my adopted platypii); Jane and Wendy – you are so very thoughtful and we appreciate it more than you can know; Diana – for your endless energy, your encyclopedia of been-there done-this knowledge (I am sorry you had to learn about all of this first) and the wonderful birthday messages for the girls; Sr Mara for your much needed and appreciated visit; Michele and Lin for your kind hearts and for the food; Jack and Julie for enabling us to stay connected and help with the girls, Tim and Kathy for your help with the girls and the motel arrangements; my “sisters”, my family, my husband and lovely daughters! Oh heavens – I knew it would be impossible to list everyone and everything that you all have done. I keep waiting for someone to start playing the music like the academy awards when you have too many thank you’s! Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that the support is amazingly strengthening. Rube and the girls brought home a Christmas tree yesterday, I had most of the house decorations up before we left last week so it all feels good. Things seem right, not scary. We will have the rest of the information we need to go forward when we go this Friday for my follow-up appointment. In the meantime, am expecting a visit from parents and my son and grandson this week. Am looking so forward to seeing them – have only seen my grandson Cole once since he was born. It is way past due. I promise I will check in more often as my energy improves – of course I expect there will be times in the near future when I will backslide a little but you can’t keep a good dog down too long can you? Or a platypus?!

Love,
Lisa