Now I'm really convinced everyone is tired of reading my blog. I only got one comment from last week, even though I included an adorable picture of Kate! I will try to make this brief, because I know at this point it is much the same every week.
Mary Ann Tueller was nice enough to come with me to treatment last Thursday, while Kate and Taddy had a very full and fun day of activity at the Walton's. Thank you for the kind support, and thanks to Stuart Walton for going above and beyond by fixing Kate's bike handlebars. The Walton kids are good people, just like their parents!
Treatment started a little earlier this week, at 9:15. Mary Ann was prepared with a lunch this time, since I was planning on another long day. The routine was much as it always is, except I saw the nurse practitioner again instead of the doctor, and she told me my platelet counts are getting low, so I'll probably need a transfusion in the next few weeks. She also let me know who to see if I needed help with my lifting toenails, so as not to let them become painful or infected or to have them ripped off. I was a little surprised about the transfusion news since I've felt more energetic the past few weeks and haven't had any signs of weakness or fainting. She warned I might experience those sensations soon.
Mary Ann was excellent company during treatment. She asked me lots of questions and let me talk almost the entire time, although I learned a little more about her and her children and grandchildren. She is a great example to me of continuing to learn, live, and pursue new interests after retirement age, and also a great example of how to get along with and enjoy a husband, and I could always use pointers in that area.
Unfortunately, just like the last 3 weeks, I had a physical reaction to the Taxol. It was the same severe back pain, and with it came the same necessary precautions and slowdowns. The infusion was stopped, more medicines administered, vitals taken, and the nurse practitioner consulted. I am growing accustomed to the pain of the treatment and feel fortunate that they are able to alleviate it right away, but the duration of the treatment is annoying, with Thursday's wrapping up a little after 4:30. MSTI is such a pleasant place, however, with such an excellent staff, that I already know I'll miss it when my chemotherapy treatments are over.
On Thursday evening after treatment we had our first entire family melt down in a long time. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with my tiredness after a long day, but it was just one of those evenings when everything seemed to go wrong, and everyone seemed to be short tempered and upset. Of course the house is a little chaotic when the mom is gone all day, and as a result chores went undone and frustrations ensued. The low point for me was cleaning the kitchen floor on my hands and knees in the wee hours of the morning, knowing I had to wake up early the next morning to drive to Salt Lake, but also knowing how hard it would be on my family at home if the work didn't get done.
Everything turned out just fine and Thursday night is just a bad memory now. Kate and I and my mom had a great, although brief, trip. My mom and I were able to be at my niece Ali's sealing in the Salt Lake temple, Kate was able to see her Las Vegas cousins that she doesn't get to see nearly often enough, and most importantly, I stayed awake and our drive was safe. I also got to see my sister Heidi and her husband who moved to Kansas City last summer, their son Chase and his wife (Chase just graduated with a degree in Japanese and business from BYU) and my nephew Jared who flew into the SLC airport after driving his sister and niece to Mississippi to join up with husband and father, Tyler. At the reception in Burley the next day we got to see my brother Jared and his wife Val and their daughter and son-in-law and two adorable grand children. There's nothing else in life that quite compares to sharing important occasions with family, and I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. I also enjoyed having just one of my kids with me, because it gave me time to focus just on her needs, she had no one to argue with, and she was delightful!
I am grateful I was feeling well enough to take this trip, that my family at home was willing to take care of Tadman while I was gone, and that Parker (13 as of last Friday!) was willing to put off his birthday celebration for a little while so I could go. I am also happy that Tadman was spared a bad case of the croup that seemed to be coming on Thursday night but never really materialized. My life would be empty and meaningless without my family, and I am so glad to have had the chance to renew and enrich those relationships through a little weekend away.
Many thanks to my friends and family once again for all the mental, spiritual, and physical support. I may have given up long ago without you, and even if I hadn't given up, getting to this point certainly would have been much more difficult. I hope you can feel the sincerity of my gratitude, because it's real and heartfelt! Onward!