Happy Thanksgiving!

I am having a lot of fun in Kohler with my family (Grammie and Grampie are in town, too!) this Thanksgiving and actually feeling a lot better.  I think I have officially kicked the virus I was trying to fight, my ANC is really high (3000) and Dr. McFall didn't increase my oral chemo dosage (love her!) so life is pretty rosy right now.
Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

This is a quote that one of our favorite friends forwarded to us and although I am not exactly sure what it means,  I know it is really sweet, because she is really sweet :)

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
~Marcel Proust
 

 

 

heartwarming

In case you haven't heard about San Francisco's "batkid" and his wish....take a look.  My Mom and Dad weren't surprised at all about the love and generosity that this city showed a little boy who had battled leukemia.  After all, I think they left their hearts in San Francisco years ago before I was born.

 

http://gma.yahoo.com/batkids-family-paying-forward-superhero-fund-164131366--abc-news-topstories.html

still fighting...

It has been exactly one year and nine months since I was first diagnosed with leukemia.  I know…who is counting, right?  Well, actually, my family and I are counting down the days and will be so darn happy when we can take a little break from the fighting, when treatment is over.   Almost 6 months to the day and I will be officially finished with my roadmap and treatment plan!!!! April 24th will be the big day!!!!!  It seems like a long way off but I am sure it will be here before we know it.
Woo!  Hoo!
 

bye bye beautiful California......

I am a little behind on my blogging these days and it made me really happy when my Mom and I were looking back through pics from our last day in California. We visited La Jolla beach and took in the beautiful sights and smells and sunshine....and I very sweetly asked my mom, "can we please go back?"

clinic update….

Well, the good news is that my ANC is up to 2200.  That is really high for someone who is going through chemotherapy.  When I was in the hospital over the weekend, it was only 200, so that is a really big change.  I supose that neupogen and all fo the othe meds they gave me did their jobs.
The bummer is that I am still not feeling very good.  I am very tired, and my body aches.  I just don't feel like myself.  So, they want me to come back next week to check my ANC again and they will also do a test for ivig, to see if I may need an infusion of intravenous immunoglobulin.  This is supposed to help boost my immune system even more.
And the doc did put me back on all of my oral chemo so that means today was an extra fun day because I had vincristine through my port, my monthly steroid burst started today, and I got to take two oral chemos tonight.  That is a lot of chemo.  So, we will see how I am feeling tomorrow.  I am really hoping I can kick this funk I am in and start to be myself again…..
 

kind hearts bring smiles

"Allowing your soul to smile through your heart and your heart to smile through your eyes, your healing essence will gently flow through everyone whose path you cross."

Dr. Terry Gordon

Ellie and Max dropping off "procedure gifts" on spinal tap day....for all of us!


Mrs. B always makes sure I am ready for homework at clinic with gum and a mechanical pencil (I love both of those things!!!)

My friends from playgroup's grandma sends me a care package every single month (just so I know she is thinking of me!)

IMMUNOSUPPRESSED!!!!

Well, it hasn't been the most fun week in the world.  As you can see, I was admitted to the hospital (yes, our home away from home!) on Saturday with a fever……not a good thing when you are immunosuppressed.  So, it all started on Thursday at clinic when they put my oral chemo on hold because my ANC dropped from 1100 to 200 in one week!  I am guessing I was fighting off whatever landed me in the hospital.  Again, not fun.  So, my hospital stay wasn't the worst thing in the world and I did see some of the nurses who I met when I was first admitted to the hospital after I was diagnosed with leukemia.  They are fun.  But I can think of a lot of other things I would rather be doing than sitting in a hospital bed.  And the  neupogen they gave me to help boost my ANC kind of left me with some flu like symptoms.  I will let you know what they say at clinic tomorrow.  I wonder if I will get my monthly dose of vincristine and start my monthly steroid burst???  I secretly hope not…. :0
shhh…don't tell anyone!