Saturday, March 9, 2013

3/9/13 Seven down, eleven to go!

Dear friends and family,

Gabrielle here.  I survived double number three yesterday!  We were a little nervous at first when my blood counts came back and my neutrophils (the part of your white blood cells that fight infection) where 50 points below the minimum amount required to get chemo.  They had to consult the oncologist for what to do.  She decided to let me get the full double chemo but on Mon, Tues, Wed of this week I have to get a shot in my stomach every day of a drug that stimulates my bone marrow to make more white cells and neutrophils.  We can do these shots at home so Daniel will get more practice (he used to do my blood thinner shots in my stomach for four weeks post surgery). 


The chemo took five hours and we watched the movie Juno and played Scrabble.  I drifted in and out of Juno as the benadryl they give you to prevent reactions to the drugs made me sleepy.  Near the end, we got the GREAT news that my CA-125 ovarian cancer tumor marker in my blood had dropped again!  Remember when we started it was 142, after the first three-week round of chemo it was 32, and yesterday, after two rounds, it was 27.4!  Yipee!  The oncologist said our goal is to get it to 20 or less.  Thanks for praying! 


Right after the double, Daniel and I couldn't resist the sunshine so we walked Green Lake!  Then last night, the kids and I went to the Seattle Symphony to hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  This was Renee's Christmas present to me and we had no idea I would have cancer or that our concert would fall on double chemo day!  But there was NO way I was going to miss this concert.  I debuted my wig and put on make-up and real clothes (not sweat pants!), and we had a wonderful time.  The concert was magnificent and refreshed our souls.


Today (Sat.) has been fine up until about 4 PM.  I ate a normal breakfast and lunch and had a one-hour walk with Steve from Richmond Beach up through Innis Arden, relishing the sunshine.  But around 4 today I kind of hit the wall.  A little queasy now and quite lethargic.  We had toyed with going out to dinner and a movie (date night--kids gone), but instead, I think we'll stay home and eat soup and watch something on tv.  I'm a cheap date!


Thanks to all of you who have sent cards this week and to Kristi who brought dinner on Wed. and to Jennifer who is bringing dinner tomorrow night!  What a blessing to experience such kindnesses. And please keep the prayers coming.  I feel them so powerfully as God is answering so many prayers and being so near and dear to us daily. 


Love to you all,

Gabrielle

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