Dear friends and family,
Just a quick note to say I made it through triple chemo today in only 4.5 hours!!! This is a new record time! It's partly because I had the best chemo nurse, Janelle, and partly because I started at 8 AM--before the hospital pharmacy got too backed up. And since you are probably wondering, I beat Daniel at Scrabble. :-)
Once I got home, I have felt quite nauseous and "had to" lie down for three Frasier episodes. Renee joined me on the king bed for that little bit of luxurious rest. I can see a Frasier for the 10th time and still laugh all through it. The best sitcom EVER.
When Steve got home, he and I managed a short walk to the pharmacy for some anti-nausea pills (the little ones that melt on your tongue) and some Excedrin (for the headaches the little nausea pills give you). We also grabbed fixings for amazing wheat bran/wheat germ muffins. My chemo makes me chronically low in magnesium. Two pills a day, as they prescribed, makes my guts too sick. So they told me to take one magnesium pill a day and to up my intake of high magnesium foods. Number one on the list is bran! A little further down the list is wheat germ. I just ate a muffin, warm out of the oven, and it was so good! That's dinner tonight, along with a few apple slices and some herbal iced tea.
I am so, so grateful I was able to get treated today. I will think of that every time I notice my nausea and weakness this week. And this sunshine doesn't hurt my mood either. Thanks be to God for all His blessings!
Love,
Gabrielle
Friday, June 20, 2014
Thursday, June 19, 2014
6/19/14 Triple chemo eve
Dear Family and Friends,
Good news! After chemo was delayed a week due to low blood counts from the bone-marrow stimulating neulasta shot the hospital forgot to order for me, my counts are finally high enough to get triple chemo tomorrow. Hooray! Sort of.
It's such a weird thing. You praise God and celebrate that your counts are good so you can go be filled with three poisons that will kill your cancer. But with that comes your counts dropping back down to energy-sapping, potentially dangerous levels, and days of nausea and weakness. Bittersweet, that's what chemo is.
Dr. M decided to reduce my dosage tomorrow by 10% since my counts dropped so low last time. My platelets had dropped to 28, for instance. Normal is 150 to 400. Ten or below is life threatening for an internal bleed that can kill you. So she is adjusting my drug dosage to give me enough medicine to kill the cancer--but not me! I'm all for that!
As usual, I have been living it up during these past couple of non-chemo weeks. One highlight for me was tracking down my old college roommate, Shannon, and having lunch together on our deck after not having seen her for 25 or more years. As I knew we would, we picked up right where we left off and had a great time.
A highlight for all four of us was spending Father's Day weekend at the home of a good friend on Shaw Island. We explored beaches and trails, had a campfire with roasted marshmallows, read books, saw deer, seals, baby geese, and eagles, and of course, played lots of Scrabble. During one late night game, Renee was constantly falling asleep. When it was her turn, we would nudge her, she would stir awake, play a 40 or 50 point word, then snooze again. She can beat us even in her sleep! We started calling her an idiot savant for this amazing ability, which over the course of the weekend, got shortened to just idiot (spoken with great jealousy). :-)
Daniel, the scientist, had a wondrous archaeological find on Shaw--a perfect dead deer skull. Well, perfect except that the two jaw bones had disengaged from the head. He soaked it in bleach and it's now sitting proudly on his dresser at home, soon to have the jaw bones wired back together. To each his own. The only things I want sitting on my dresser are a few photos, and perhaps a box of See's dark chocolates.
Daniel and I have had two good adventures this week. First, we played an hour of tennis the other day. I haven't played in about 7-8 years. It was SO much fun to play again, though now, due to lower blood counts and chemo, I had to rest every 10-15 minutes to catch my breath and re-hydrate. Then yesterday we played Frisbee golf at a park that is a designated Frisbee golf course in north Seattle. It is a super fun course with very long holes and challenging trees/bushes to go over, around, or in many instances--through, to get stuck in the middle. We tied in Frisbee golf, but Daniel beat me 6 games to 3 in tennis--and that is with him going VERY easy on me. Goal--to improve my tennis game to pre-cancer levels by playing once a week for the rest of the summer!
Renee is leaving this Sunday for a service trip with her junior high kids for a week. They are going to a native American reservation in Yakima where they will do a variety of service while also learning about the culture of the people they are serving. She hasn't been feeling too well this week, so please pray for her health and the health and safety of all the group as they head out on this trip. I'm guessing she won't be resting much while there, in a cabin full of teeny-bopper girls. Daniel thinks I'm the only adult on the planet who still says "teeny-bopper." But I'm guessing some of you reading this remember that term.
I will see if one of the kids can attach some photos to this blog post later. Steve's very old laptop is no longer letting me attach photos! Hence, I will be buying myself a new laptop in the next month or so, and Steve can borrow it from time to time if he plays his cards right (spoken by the woman who is earning $0/month and spending his earnings, our savings, and our insurance company's money, at a rate of about $8,000 per chemo treatment)!
As I head into this triple chemo day and week, I am claiming God's promise of peace. Peace for my mind, spirit, and gurgling tummy. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 I wish you peace, health, and many adventures this week!
Love,
Gabrielle
Good news! After chemo was delayed a week due to low blood counts from the bone-marrow stimulating neulasta shot the hospital forgot to order for me, my counts are finally high enough to get triple chemo tomorrow. Hooray! Sort of.
It's such a weird thing. You praise God and celebrate that your counts are good so you can go be filled with three poisons that will kill your cancer. But with that comes your counts dropping back down to energy-sapping, potentially dangerous levels, and days of nausea and weakness. Bittersweet, that's what chemo is.
Dr. M decided to reduce my dosage tomorrow by 10% since my counts dropped so low last time. My platelets had dropped to 28, for instance. Normal is 150 to 400. Ten or below is life threatening for an internal bleed that can kill you. So she is adjusting my drug dosage to give me enough medicine to kill the cancer--but not me! I'm all for that!
As usual, I have been living it up during these past couple of non-chemo weeks. One highlight for me was tracking down my old college roommate, Shannon, and having lunch together on our deck after not having seen her for 25 or more years. As I knew we would, we picked up right where we left off and had a great time.
A highlight for all four of us was spending Father's Day weekend at the home of a good friend on Shaw Island. We explored beaches and trails, had a campfire with roasted marshmallows, read books, saw deer, seals, baby geese, and eagles, and of course, played lots of Scrabble. During one late night game, Renee was constantly falling asleep. When it was her turn, we would nudge her, she would stir awake, play a 40 or 50 point word, then snooze again. She can beat us even in her sleep! We started calling her an idiot savant for this amazing ability, which over the course of the weekend, got shortened to just idiot (spoken with great jealousy). :-)
Daniel, the scientist, had a wondrous archaeological find on Shaw--a perfect dead deer skull. Well, perfect except that the two jaw bones had disengaged from the head. He soaked it in bleach and it's now sitting proudly on his dresser at home, soon to have the jaw bones wired back together. To each his own. The only things I want sitting on my dresser are a few photos, and perhaps a box of See's dark chocolates.
Daniel and I have had two good adventures this week. First, we played an hour of tennis the other day. I haven't played in about 7-8 years. It was SO much fun to play again, though now, due to lower blood counts and chemo, I had to rest every 10-15 minutes to catch my breath and re-hydrate. Then yesterday we played Frisbee golf at a park that is a designated Frisbee golf course in north Seattle. It is a super fun course with very long holes and challenging trees/bushes to go over, around, or in many instances--through, to get stuck in the middle. We tied in Frisbee golf, but Daniel beat me 6 games to 3 in tennis--and that is with him going VERY easy on me. Goal--to improve my tennis game to pre-cancer levels by playing once a week for the rest of the summer!
Renee is leaving this Sunday for a service trip with her junior high kids for a week. They are going to a native American reservation in Yakima where they will do a variety of service while also learning about the culture of the people they are serving. She hasn't been feeling too well this week, so please pray for her health and the health and safety of all the group as they head out on this trip. I'm guessing she won't be resting much while there, in a cabin full of teeny-bopper girls. Daniel thinks I'm the only adult on the planet who still says "teeny-bopper." But I'm guessing some of you reading this remember that term.
I will see if one of the kids can attach some photos to this blog post later. Steve's very old laptop is no longer letting me attach photos! Hence, I will be buying myself a new laptop in the next month or so, and Steve can borrow it from time to time if he plays his cards right (spoken by the woman who is earning $0/month and spending his earnings, our savings, and our insurance company's money, at a rate of about $8,000 per chemo treatment)!
As I head into this triple chemo day and week, I am claiming God's promise of peace. Peace for my mind, spirit, and gurgling tummy. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 I wish you peace, health, and many adventures this week!
Love,
Gabrielle
Sunday, June 8, 2014
6/8/14 My Unremarkable Wife
For those of you who are interested in a few more medical details, we got a copy of the CT report in the mail yesterday afternoon. The word that kept cropping up over and over again was "unremarkable". That's Gabrielle, all right: unremarkable. In medical parlance, that's a very good thing! Here's the Cliff Notes version of the report:
The lungs are clear.
The heart, great vessels and mediastinum are unremarkable.
There are no abnormally enlarged lymph nodes anywhere in the chest.
The visualized skeletal elements are unremarkable.
There is resolution of the previously noted mass in the left lobe of the liver.
The liver is unremarkable, the spleen is unremarkable, the adrenal glands are unremarkable, the kidneys are unremarkable, the pancreas is (wait for it...are you seeing a pattern here?) unremarkable, the l'il ol' gall bladder is...yep, another unremarkable. The bladder is mentioned as being full of urine and unremarkable. It is not exactly clear if the radiologist is alluding to the bladder or the urine itself, but I think I will go out on a limb and say that what they heck...they can both be unremarkable in my book.
The largest lymph node has shrunk by half and two other lymph nodes nearby have had complete resolution. Oh, I forgot one other one: the bowel is...unremarkable.
It's funny when a word that usually has such negative connotations ends up being so positive and affirming. If I went to a ball game and the pitcher had an unremarkable time on the mound, that wouldn't be all that great. If someone had an unremarkable performance review at work, he'd be pretty bummed out. If I was told by my financial planner that my investments were yielding unremarkable returns, it would be reason to find another planner. On the other hand, I am reminded of a joke my dad used to tell about a remarkable pig. It was one incredible pig, not a mediocre one (for details, should you want to punish yourself, I am including it at the end of this post and you too will see that it is one remarkable pig).
But that's medicine for you. If something is positive that's bad. If something is negative, that's good. Nothing like a good negative X-ray to cheer someone up. But anyhow, the message on the CT report came through loud and clear. Gabrielle opened the mail, sat down and read it through a couple of times, stopping on each "unremarkable" and positively glowing and then she got a big grin on her face and said, "It's even better than Dr. M. had said. I guess God wants me around a little longer." To which Daniel corrected her and said, "A lot longer!" Amen to that!
So, thanks once again for being on our rope team, in our corner, and for being such a remarkable set of friends, colleagues, prayer warriors for us. You are more precious than you will ever know...and that's a kind of remarkable that I would like to see.
Well, before I end this unremarkable post, I need to tell you about a certain pig that was encountered by a traveling salesman...
This salesman shows up at the farmer's house. In an effort to feign interest in the guy's place, prior to selling him a set of encyclopedias (or whatever else suits your fancy), he asks for a tour of the farm. Horses, check. Cows, check. Ducks, check (Daniel wants one by the way). Sheep, check. It's like a scene right out of Babe. However, when he comes to the pig sty, there's a pig in there with only three legs. Guy naturally asks why, to which the farmer goes into great detail about what a remarkable, incredible pig it is. He starts by telling him that once the pig broke out of his sty to alert the family that the house was burning down. Remarkable pig. Next, little Billy had fallen asleep right in front of the combine and the pig raced back and forth in front of the combine to stop him from threshing little Billy and turning him into a hay bale. Remarkable pig. Depending upon Dad's mood at the time, the set of amazing feats this little squeaker performed could go on and on, sometimes for 20 minutes in the telling, always with the refrain that it was indeed some remarkable pig. Of course, we all knew the punch line and we sometimes would chime in with stories of our own, like how there weren't enough farmhands to harvest the apples, so the pig climbed the tree himself. We'd all shout out in unison: "that's some remarkable pig!" You get the drift. Finally, the exasperated salesman says, "Yes, I understand all that, but it still doesn't explain why he only has three legs." Farmer replies, "a remarkable pig like that, it would be a shame to eat him all at once."
The lungs are clear.
The heart, great vessels and mediastinum are unremarkable.
There are no abnormally enlarged lymph nodes anywhere in the chest.
The visualized skeletal elements are unremarkable.
There is resolution of the previously noted mass in the left lobe of the liver.
The liver is unremarkable, the spleen is unremarkable, the adrenal glands are unremarkable, the kidneys are unremarkable, the pancreas is (wait for it...are you seeing a pattern here?) unremarkable, the l'il ol' gall bladder is...yep, another unremarkable. The bladder is mentioned as being full of urine and unremarkable. It is not exactly clear if the radiologist is alluding to the bladder or the urine itself, but I think I will go out on a limb and say that what they heck...they can both be unremarkable in my book.
The largest lymph node has shrunk by half and two other lymph nodes nearby have had complete resolution. Oh, I forgot one other one: the bowel is...unremarkable.
It's funny when a word that usually has such negative connotations ends up being so positive and affirming. If I went to a ball game and the pitcher had an unremarkable time on the mound, that wouldn't be all that great. If someone had an unremarkable performance review at work, he'd be pretty bummed out. If I was told by my financial planner that my investments were yielding unremarkable returns, it would be reason to find another planner. On the other hand, I am reminded of a joke my dad used to tell about a remarkable pig. It was one incredible pig, not a mediocre one (for details, should you want to punish yourself, I am including it at the end of this post and you too will see that it is one remarkable pig).
But that's medicine for you. If something is positive that's bad. If something is negative, that's good. Nothing like a good negative X-ray to cheer someone up. But anyhow, the message on the CT report came through loud and clear. Gabrielle opened the mail, sat down and read it through a couple of times, stopping on each "unremarkable" and positively glowing and then she got a big grin on her face and said, "It's even better than Dr. M. had said. I guess God wants me around a little longer." To which Daniel corrected her and said, "A lot longer!" Amen to that!
So, thanks once again for being on our rope team, in our corner, and for being such a remarkable set of friends, colleagues, prayer warriors for us. You are more precious than you will ever know...and that's a kind of remarkable that I would like to see.
Well, before I end this unremarkable post, I need to tell you about a certain pig that was encountered by a traveling salesman...
This salesman shows up at the farmer's house. In an effort to feign interest in the guy's place, prior to selling him a set of encyclopedias (or whatever else suits your fancy), he asks for a tour of the farm. Horses, check. Cows, check. Ducks, check (Daniel wants one by the way). Sheep, check. It's like a scene right out of Babe. However, when he comes to the pig sty, there's a pig in there with only three legs. Guy naturally asks why, to which the farmer goes into great detail about what a remarkable, incredible pig it is. He starts by telling him that once the pig broke out of his sty to alert the family that the house was burning down. Remarkable pig. Next, little Billy had fallen asleep right in front of the combine and the pig raced back and forth in front of the combine to stop him from threshing little Billy and turning him into a hay bale. Remarkable pig. Depending upon Dad's mood at the time, the set of amazing feats this little squeaker performed could go on and on, sometimes for 20 minutes in the telling, always with the refrain that it was indeed some remarkable pig. Of course, we all knew the punch line and we sometimes would chime in with stories of our own, like how there weren't enough farmhands to harvest the apples, so the pig climbed the tree himself. We'd all shout out in unison: "that's some remarkable pig!" You get the drift. Finally, the exasperated salesman says, "Yes, I understand all that, but it still doesn't explain why he only has three legs." Farmer replies, "a remarkable pig like that, it would be a shame to eat him all at once."
Thursday, June 5, 2014
6/5/14 Good news on the CT scan front!
Steve
here.
Today was the much anticipated, and equally dreaded CT scan. We were delighted to get great news on the
follow up CT scan which Gabrielle had this morning. The scan went off without a hitch and then we
killed time waiting for our appointment with Dr. McGonigle by wandering over to
the nursery at Northwest Hospital where I got to meet my great nephew, Jericho
for the first time. Molly even let me
feed the little nipper which was a big treat for me. Last time I held anything that weighed so
little was when I reached for a Talking Rain bottle (something I admit to
having a slight addiction to). Yep,
Renee told me that when Jericho was born, he weighed exactly the same as a 2
liter Talking Rain bottle. OK, on with the
“even better than meeting Jericho” news…
We were
ushered in to the exam room, complete with a lovely field of lavender displayed
on the ceiling, so recipients of Dr. M’s exams would have something pleasant to
look at. Fortunately, no exam today, as
we were there for, as Joe Friday would say, “Just the facts, Ma’am.” It took a while to get the results, as the CT
scan hadn’t been read yet. When they did
come in, Dr. M. had a big smile on her face and said that this was great
news. The previously seen spot on the
liver was gone. That’s the word she
used: “gone”! Just had to say it again,
as it was such a delight to hear. Also,
the largest lymph node (near her stomach and pancreas) had shrunk from over 2
centimeters to about 1 cm…that’s a reduction by over half! We don’t have the full report as it hadn’t
been dictated yet, but that’s about the size of it. We left on Cloud 9, unless there are any
clouds higher up the cloud scale than that, because we were on them. Hugs all around and a very emotional time, knowing
that this was some great news after such an unpleasant setback a couple of
months ago. So, I guess the chemo is
working and she’ll continue with more of the same for the time being. Next dose is scheduled for after Father’s Day
weekend, so we have a bit of a respite there.
We are all
so thankful for your prayers and kind thoughts.
Gabrielle told me that everyone she used to work with at Seattle Pacific
gathered for prayer for her right at the time of her CT scan…way to go,
guys! I have also gotten countless
messages from many of you telling me of your continued prayers, lifting
Gabrielle’s health up to the throne of grace.
It is truly humbling to be the recipients of so much kindness. We are all dedicated to follow the great
example you have been to us, and look for ways we can reach out to others in a
similar fashion. That’s what it’s all
about: community, mutual support and kindness.
So don’t be shy about asking for prayers for your own needs. We are happy to step into that ol’ prayer
closet for you.
Another
bit of great news today, which is a little aside…and no, it’s not that Talking
Rain is on sale somewhere, though that would be good too. I just got word this morning that I passed my
family practice board exam which I took back in April while Gabrielle was
frolicking on Maui (see prior blog posts).
As some of you know, this was a huge stress as it only comes around once
every 10 years and is quite time consuming to study for and take. It is also expensive, costing well over
$1,000 to take. Now I’m done with it for
another 10 years. Very thankful to be
done with that. You don’t have to call
me Sir or anything like that, though it’s fine if you do. They call him “Sir Paul McCartney” after all,
and he never passed a board exam.
And so
now, Gabrielle is resting on the couch. The
bone pain has just kicked in from the Neulasta shot she got on Monday and she
also has a touch of…how do I put this delicately? Well, let’s just say that I got sent to the
store for some Imodium and let you fill in the gaps. I guess that’s what swigging a liter of
barium contrast material will do to you.
She is quite worn out and reading a library book called The Thin Woman
which she says is pretty good…nice relaxing fare on a sunny afternoon.
So that’s it
for now. I’m still walking in the clouds. Now, get out
there and enjoy the sunshine!
Friday addendum. It goes without saying that the first recipients of our prayers are with the individuals and families involved in yesterday's shooting at SPU. We are numb from it all. So sad and cause for much prayer.
there and enjoy the sunshine!
Friday addendum. It goes without saying that the first recipients of our prayers are with the individuals and families involved in yesterday's shooting at SPU. We are numb from it all. So sad and cause for much prayer.
Monday, June 2, 2014
6/2/14 Happy June!
Dear Friends and Family,
Gabrielle here. It's a beautiful, sunny Monday morning and I am so thankful for the gift of life today--and for a free day with nothing on my calendar! I get to rest, do little errands, read, walk, and if I have enough energy, I plan to make "Greek Cod Gabrielle" for dinner. Yummo!
Last week was a whirlwind. I did a "bit" too much, though all of it fun. In the last four days I have had single chemo, gone to see the ballet Giselle, cheered on the Mariner's, enjoyed dinner and canasta with our neighbors, gone boating, and attended a beautiful wedding. I loved it all (except the chemo), but boy, am I tired.
A little glitch occurred on Saturday. The day after "day 8" in the chemo cycle, aka single chemo day, I am supposed to go into the hospital outpatient surgery center to get my neulasta shot to build up my blood counts. They called me at 1 to be sure I was still coming at 2:30. I showed up at 2:30. They put me in the chemo chair, took my blood pressure, and said they would run to the pharmacy to grab the medicine. They returned (two nurses) saying the pharmacist had the order but forgot to order the drug and there was none in the hospital. Very frustrating.
So first thing this morning (Monday), I went into my own oncology office and got the shot, but now my triple chemo is going to be pushed back by five days until the 17th. The three days of bone pain from the shot will be on Thursday, Friday, Saturday this week, so I will plan accordingly.
On a very happy note, my little grand-nephew, Jericho, was born to my niece Molly last Thursday while I was watching Giselle! He came a month early, weighing 4 lbs, 3 oz. He's in the infant ICU at the moment, with an oxygen assist. To feed him, they put a tiny bottle nipple in his mouth, then squeeze in half a syringe of milk into the nipple for him to learn to suck out. Please pray for him to gain weight, breathe well on his own, and have a safe, healthy transition home, which may be as soon as this coming weekend. Pray for Molly too, as she is a single mother and needs all the help she can get. By the way, Jericho is the cutest little miniature baby you every did see!
Looking ahead to this week, I have a huge prayer request for Thursday. I have completed three cycles of chemo and Thursday at 9:45 I get my contrast CT scan to see if the drugs are working or not to shrink my cancer. We meet with the doctor at 11:30 to go over the results. We all have pits in our stomachs because most of the time, scans don't seem to produce the happiest news. Please pray for some encouraging news on Thursday and for God's peace to rule in our hearts and minds this week. Thank you!!
One other important piece of news is that both Renee and Daniel are now officially moved back home! Hooray! It is such a joy to have them here with us so we can support one another on this cancer journey. I will say, our house is a bit of a disaster zone at the moment with stuff from both their households scattered about as we try to assimilate three homes into one. If you stop by, just ignore the chaos! Also, I'm pleased to report that Daniel finished his first year of med school last Thursday, acing his finals (90-100% on all) and he is now officially an "MS-2." Today he began his summer job at Children's doing research with the pediatric otolaryngology team. They will be studying laryngeal clefts in infants. Questions? Ask Daniel!
Thank you for all the kindnesses that came our way this last month. The cards, meals, flowers, desserts (!), etc. have been SO appreciated. I am not going to name them one by one anymore, as I am too afraid of missing someone. But believe me, we have been so blessed to know you are walking this journey with us and supporting us in so many loving ways. Thank you again and again!
"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13
Much love to you all,
Gabrielle
Gabrielle here. It's a beautiful, sunny Monday morning and I am so thankful for the gift of life today--and for a free day with nothing on my calendar! I get to rest, do little errands, read, walk, and if I have enough energy, I plan to make "Greek Cod Gabrielle" for dinner. Yummo!
Last week was a whirlwind. I did a "bit" too much, though all of it fun. In the last four days I have had single chemo, gone to see the ballet Giselle, cheered on the Mariner's, enjoyed dinner and canasta with our neighbors, gone boating, and attended a beautiful wedding. I loved it all (except the chemo), but boy, am I tired.
A little glitch occurred on Saturday. The day after "day 8" in the chemo cycle, aka single chemo day, I am supposed to go into the hospital outpatient surgery center to get my neulasta shot to build up my blood counts. They called me at 1 to be sure I was still coming at 2:30. I showed up at 2:30. They put me in the chemo chair, took my blood pressure, and said they would run to the pharmacy to grab the medicine. They returned (two nurses) saying the pharmacist had the order but forgot to order the drug and there was none in the hospital. Very frustrating.
So first thing this morning (Monday), I went into my own oncology office and got the shot, but now my triple chemo is going to be pushed back by five days until the 17th. The three days of bone pain from the shot will be on Thursday, Friday, Saturday this week, so I will plan accordingly.
On a very happy note, my little grand-nephew, Jericho, was born to my niece Molly last Thursday while I was watching Giselle! He came a month early, weighing 4 lbs, 3 oz. He's in the infant ICU at the moment, with an oxygen assist. To feed him, they put a tiny bottle nipple in his mouth, then squeeze in half a syringe of milk into the nipple for him to learn to suck out. Please pray for him to gain weight, breathe well on his own, and have a safe, healthy transition home, which may be as soon as this coming weekend. Pray for Molly too, as she is a single mother and needs all the help she can get. By the way, Jericho is the cutest little miniature baby you every did see!
Looking ahead to this week, I have a huge prayer request for Thursday. I have completed three cycles of chemo and Thursday at 9:45 I get my contrast CT scan to see if the drugs are working or not to shrink my cancer. We meet with the doctor at 11:30 to go over the results. We all have pits in our stomachs because most of the time, scans don't seem to produce the happiest news. Please pray for some encouraging news on Thursday and for God's peace to rule in our hearts and minds this week. Thank you!!
One other important piece of news is that both Renee and Daniel are now officially moved back home! Hooray! It is such a joy to have them here with us so we can support one another on this cancer journey. I will say, our house is a bit of a disaster zone at the moment with stuff from both their households scattered about as we try to assimilate three homes into one. If you stop by, just ignore the chaos! Also, I'm pleased to report that Daniel finished his first year of med school last Thursday, acing his finals (90-100% on all) and he is now officially an "MS-2." Today he began his summer job at Children's doing research with the pediatric otolaryngology team. They will be studying laryngeal clefts in infants. Questions? Ask Daniel!
Thank you for all the kindnesses that came our way this last month. The cards, meals, flowers, desserts (!), etc. have been SO appreciated. I am not going to name them one by one anymore, as I am too afraid of missing someone. But believe me, we have been so blessed to know you are walking this journey with us and supporting us in so many loving ways. Thank you again and again!
"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13
Much love to you all,
Gabrielle
Saturday, May 24, 2014
5/24/14 Chemo update
Hi, friends. Steve here with a brief update...
Gabrielle had her dreaded triple chemo yesterday which was an all day affair. It took an extra hour on the front end because there was a backup in the lab mixing concoctions for other patients (and you'da thunk she'd go to the front of the line by now). After that, she needed an additional drip of magnesium as that's a tad low. But after all was said and done, she rolled home about 5:00 PM and the first words out of her mouth (apart from the much anticipated, always dreaded, "wipe your feet") were "let's go for a power walk as I've been sitting all day". So off we went! I could barely keep up with her. I don't know what Dr. M. but in the juice she gave Gabrielle, but I could use some of that pep about now.
We are delighted to report that Gabrielle's CA-125 has dropped!!! As a reminder, it had a low of about 12 after initial diagnosis of around 130. This recent recurrence saw a rise to 16 then to 20 in early April. Right now it is around 14...a drop of 6 points (yep, I'm a math whiz), which is very encouraging.
So the plan is for another single treatment next week and we'll see how things go after that.
Need to dash along now. I will leave a more complete blog to Gabrielle when she gets rolling. As for me, I have to dash off to get my haircut then go for a brisk dip in the sound. I'd tell you more about my adventures at the barber shop, but they have absolutely nothing to do with chemo, so will remain taciturn on the subject.
Cheers.
Steve
Gabrielle had her dreaded triple chemo yesterday which was an all day affair. It took an extra hour on the front end because there was a backup in the lab mixing concoctions for other patients (and you'da thunk she'd go to the front of the line by now). After that, she needed an additional drip of magnesium as that's a tad low. But after all was said and done, she rolled home about 5:00 PM and the first words out of her mouth (apart from the much anticipated, always dreaded, "wipe your feet") were "let's go for a power walk as I've been sitting all day". So off we went! I could barely keep up with her. I don't know what Dr. M. but in the juice she gave Gabrielle, but I could use some of that pep about now.
We are delighted to report that Gabrielle's CA-125 has dropped!!! As a reminder, it had a low of about 12 after initial diagnosis of around 130. This recent recurrence saw a rise to 16 then to 20 in early April. Right now it is around 14...a drop of 6 points (yep, I'm a math whiz), which is very encouraging.
So the plan is for another single treatment next week and we'll see how things go after that.
Need to dash along now. I will leave a more complete blog to Gabrielle when she gets rolling. As for me, I have to dash off to get my haircut then go for a brisk dip in the sound. I'd tell you more about my adventures at the barber shop, but they have absolutely nothing to do with chemo, so will remain taciturn on the subject.
Cheers.
Steve
Saturday, May 10, 2014
5/10/14 Yes, we have no chemo; we have no chemo today....
Dear family and friends,
Steve here. Try singing the title to the tune of that silly song about bananas and you'll get it right. Of course you have to be at least my age to remember that song. Anyhow...
Sadly, Gabrielle's lab tests revealed that her cell counts were too low to get another much needed, eagerly anticipated (and dreaded at the same time) dose of medication yesterday as we had planned. That's the second time she's been "too low". I'm not liking this limbo stick game of how low can you go (sorry, another reference to an old Calypso song). So instead of getting the medicine, she got a shot of Neulasta which stimulates the bone marrow to squeeze out extra cells. From what I gather, it is significantly more potent than Neupogen which she had been getting periodically up to this point. I understand it is a tad on the pricey side, so much so that they won't let us give it to her at home. She had to go in and get it at Dr. M's office yesterday. It is associated with about three days of pretty significant bone pain that will most likely kick in today or tomorrow (happy Mother's Day). But for now, she is doing all right.
This has been a rougher than average week, post chemo and all. She has been nauseated every single day and had very little energy which has been unlike her. Yesterday, we went for a delightful walk around the neighborhood (her first in three days, which for her is very unusual). It was the highlight of my day, walking and doing my best to keep up with her. I always enjoy my walks with her as we have a chance to walk, talk and enjoy the scenery (lots of wonderful spring flowers out in the neighborhood...love those rhodies!).
On our walk, among other things, we had a chance to catch up and reflect on the many blessings we have and I would like to share them with you, though I am sure that I am leaving some out. If so, I apologize for the oversight.
First of all, she had enough energy to attend a Children's Hospital luncheon yesterday with Renee as guests of Luanna at her table. Gabrielle remarked on how Bill and Luanna are very dear friends and I agree. They even sent cards home for each of us. Gabrielle had a chance to visit with some of her former colleagues and friends (not "former" friends...they are still that!), though elbow bumps only. No hand shaking or hugs with her counts so low. She had a wonderful time. She was absolutely beaming about the event when I got home.
Thanks to Loretta for bringing amazing lemon rice soup yesterday which was oh so tasty.
Thanks to our niece, Katia for shipping us the most amazing pots that she had made, one of which was turquoise...the ovarian cancer color. They are now gracing our fireplace.
Thanks for meals from Sandy, Mary, Bryan and Kristin, Dean, Stohn, Joan, and Alison. You guys are keeping us amply fed and it's such a blessing to not have to stress so much about what to buy, prepare, and clean up for dinner now and then! Oh--and the most amazing chocolate cake you have ever tasted walked up the hill with our friends/neighbors, Laura and Jerry, and we have eaten every last morsel! Just pop those anti-nausea pills then cut a nice slice of cake and add a dollop of vanilla ice cream. A taste of Heaven!
We appreciate the cards and letters of support, cheery e-mails and many prayers on our behalf.
Thanks to Pastor Blake for taking me out to breakfast at The Pancake House (they do breakfast good up there). He was kind enough to offer up a prayer of absolution such that the calories didn't count...I like that.
We also are being increasingly made aware of how precious a gift it is to have the community of friends to walk this journey and have a renewed sense of our desire to pray for and help others. That's been a blessing too...to be able to reach out to others as the needs arise. I am especially looking forward to "ministering" to Tom by inviting myself down to his boat someday and firing the engines up and making sure the batteries don't run down.
Oh, and thanks to Matt and Ami for putting up with my marginal boating skills and agreeing to ship out on this, my second annual shrimping venture. It would have been miserable pulling those pots all by myself. And thanks for buying me lunch at Maggie's Bluff while the shrimp pots soaked. Speaking of soaking, we got soaked on the outing but had a lot of fun.
Well that's it for now. I want to end by wishing you all a wonderful weekend and especially want to send warm greetings to all the mothers out there: Happy Mother's Day. To my mom, Abby. To Gabrielle's mom, Gloria, and to Gabrielle...three of the best moms I know and to all the other moms as well.
Till next time, please keep those prayers coming.
Love,
Steve
Steve here. Try singing the title to the tune of that silly song about bananas and you'll get it right. Of course you have to be at least my age to remember that song. Anyhow...
Sadly, Gabrielle's lab tests revealed that her cell counts were too low to get another much needed, eagerly anticipated (and dreaded at the same time) dose of medication yesterday as we had planned. That's the second time she's been "too low". I'm not liking this limbo stick game of how low can you go (sorry, another reference to an old Calypso song). So instead of getting the medicine, she got a shot of Neulasta which stimulates the bone marrow to squeeze out extra cells. From what I gather, it is significantly more potent than Neupogen which she had been getting periodically up to this point. I understand it is a tad on the pricey side, so much so that they won't let us give it to her at home. She had to go in and get it at Dr. M's office yesterday. It is associated with about three days of pretty significant bone pain that will most likely kick in today or tomorrow (happy Mother's Day). But for now, she is doing all right.
This has been a rougher than average week, post chemo and all. She has been nauseated every single day and had very little energy which has been unlike her. Yesterday, we went for a delightful walk around the neighborhood (her first in three days, which for her is very unusual). It was the highlight of my day, walking and doing my best to keep up with her. I always enjoy my walks with her as we have a chance to walk, talk and enjoy the scenery (lots of wonderful spring flowers out in the neighborhood...love those rhodies!).
On our walk, among other things, we had a chance to catch up and reflect on the many blessings we have and I would like to share them with you, though I am sure that I am leaving some out. If so, I apologize for the oversight.
First of all, she had enough energy to attend a Children's Hospital luncheon yesterday with Renee as guests of Luanna at her table. Gabrielle remarked on how Bill and Luanna are very dear friends and I agree. They even sent cards home for each of us. Gabrielle had a chance to visit with some of her former colleagues and friends (not "former" friends...they are still that!), though elbow bumps only. No hand shaking or hugs with her counts so low. She had a wonderful time. She was absolutely beaming about the event when I got home.
Thanks to Loretta for bringing amazing lemon rice soup yesterday which was oh so tasty.
Thanks to our niece, Katia for shipping us the most amazing pots that she had made, one of which was turquoise...the ovarian cancer color. They are now gracing our fireplace.
Thanks for meals from Sandy, Mary, Bryan and Kristin, Dean, Stohn, Joan, and Alison. You guys are keeping us amply fed and it's such a blessing to not have to stress so much about what to buy, prepare, and clean up for dinner now and then! Oh--and the most amazing chocolate cake you have ever tasted walked up the hill with our friends/neighbors, Laura and Jerry, and we have eaten every last morsel! Just pop those anti-nausea pills then cut a nice slice of cake and add a dollop of vanilla ice cream. A taste of Heaven!
We appreciate the cards and letters of support, cheery e-mails and many prayers on our behalf.
Thanks to Pastor Blake for taking me out to breakfast at The Pancake House (they do breakfast good up there). He was kind enough to offer up a prayer of absolution such that the calories didn't count...I like that.
We also are being increasingly made aware of how precious a gift it is to have the community of friends to walk this journey and have a renewed sense of our desire to pray for and help others. That's been a blessing too...to be able to reach out to others as the needs arise. I am especially looking forward to "ministering" to Tom by inviting myself down to his boat someday and firing the engines up and making sure the batteries don't run down.
Oh, and thanks to Matt and Ami for putting up with my marginal boating skills and agreeing to ship out on this, my second annual shrimping venture. It would have been miserable pulling those pots all by myself. And thanks for buying me lunch at Maggie's Bluff while the shrimp pots soaked. Speaking of soaking, we got soaked on the outing but had a lot of fun.
Well that's it for now. I want to end by wishing you all a wonderful weekend and especially want to send warm greetings to all the mothers out there: Happy Mother's Day. To my mom, Abby. To Gabrielle's mom, Gloria, and to Gabrielle...three of the best moms I know and to all the other moms as well.
Till next time, please keep those prayers coming.
Love,
Steve
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