Football, Football, Football, and an Important Day for Kate

Oh man I've been busy the last few days with school and football season starting and Kate getting baptized. Treatment starts to take a back door to all the other stuff when there is so much going on. But I'll start by telling you about treatment.
I was excited to have Melinda Sant go with me this week. Myrna Johns had signed up, but she was sick with food poisoning or the stomach flu and Melinda was nice enough to step in and volunteer to go in her place. Thanks to the Osiers and Misty for watching Tadman (Kate was at school that day) and to Melissa for watching Luke Sant at the last minute for Melinda.
Going to treatment was extra fun this week because of the big game on tap later that evening--BSU vs. Oregon at Bronco Stadium--and there was an extra buzz and excitement at MSTI because of it. Several of the patients were in their BSU gear, and 2 of the nurses were wearing their Bronco colors. People seemed a little happier and chattier than on a regular day.
After getting my port accessed and blood drawn I was called back to see one of the nurse practitioners. She had bad news for me, or the start of bad news anyway. As part of treatment I have been taking a steroid every week to help me get through treatment and recover more quickly from it. Since I've been doing the Taxol treatments they have increased the dosage and given me extra in pill form that I take 12 hours prior to coming in for treatment. I found out on Thursday that the steroid I've been taking has caused my blood sugar to gradually rise over the course of treatment, and while it was in the close to normal range 5 weeks ago (60 to 90 are the normal range numbers), it has now climbed to 160. ARGH! No one in my family has ever had diabetes, I've never had any problems prior to treatment, even during pregnancies, and now I have a new thing to worry about. For the time being they aren't going to treat me for the high blood sugar, but asked me to watch what I eat and try to increase my exercise. I'm pretty mad about it, not that being mad will make any difference, but I hope to be healthy again someday, and not permanently altered by cancer treatment. For those of you praying for me, if you wouldn't mind offering a prayer that I can be healthy and whole again, and that my body will recover once all the drugs leave my system, that is a blessing I hope for and would welcome! The only other symptom I'm suffering from now is called neuropathy, and Taxol causes it. Neuropathy is the loss of sensation in fingers, toes and feet due to nerve damage. I am experiencing it now, mostly in my toes, but also in my fingers and my face a little bit. So far it's not painful, but for some when it gets bad it can make it difficult to walk. I have started taking glutamine powder, an amino acid that body builders take to help muscles recover after hard workouts, at the suggestion of the nurse practitioner. It sometimes helps reawaken those nerve endings. My thought is, with all these steroids and the glutamine powder, why don't I have buns and abs of steel? What's up with that?
The good news for the week was that with Melinda by my side and helpful pharmacists nearby, I got through another round of Taxol without an allergic reaction. That's 2 weeks in a row! My mind has now moved on to worrying about surgery since the chemo treatments seem to be under control. I will meet with my surgeon on September 28 and we'll discuss the options available to me and the implications of those options, and then tentatively I'll have surgery on October 22.
Even though these treatments have been forced upon me, I am going to miss them when I finish up next month. I love the opportunity to spend several hours with my companions talking and bonding. I have gotten to know so many friends better since I started, and that's been a great thing. Also, I just love the nurses and volunteers that work in the chemo suite at MSTI. They are dedicated, smart, kind, and resourceful. They are cheerful, and friendly, and helpful, and patient. The volunteers make sure I'm comfortable and offer food and drinks and warm blankets. I hope to sometime have the opportunity to give some of that good care and attention back.
Now for the non-treatment news. The football season, which is always warmly welcomed at my house, started in full force this past week. Hunter had a game at Centennial on Tuesday, played again at Eagle on Wednesday (his team prevailed with a last few seconds field goal), and then came the big Boise State game everyone had been talking about for weeks. They say that college football is now as pro football once was, so I think it follows that high school football is as college football once was. What I'm trying to say is, I just love a good high school football game! To spend a warm, balmy evening in the stands, have a beautiful sunset unfold right in front of you, smell the hot dogs grilling, the cheerleaders occasionally cheering, the little kids playing in the stands, and now to have my son a part of it, it's just really exciting for me! I enjoyed those games even more than the Boise State game, mainly because there seems to be more and more negativity and bad behavior occurring at the college games. The Boise State fans have ventured out to away games over the past few years and have brought rudeness and insults back with them. Fortunately the players still display the good characteristics that we all want Boise to be known for--determination, hard work, dedication to a cause, discipline, a common goal, and ultimately success--but not so some of the fans, unfortunately.
After a great opening week of football action we had an even more significant event for Kate. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon yesterday, with both grandmas, Ron, aunts and uncles and cousins, brothers and sister, and lots of friends in attendance, Kate was baptized and confirmed by her dad. She had a new white dress to wear and new scriptures that she had chosen earlier in the day with her Grandma Gloria. She had her hair beautifully braided and a sweet, serene smile on her face. Afterwards she was able to celebrate at home with swimming and a barbecue and a house full of friendly conversation, more football, and good food. She had a great day, and what a blessing it has been for me to feel well enough to plan and enjoy these important times in my kids lives while undergoing treatment. I enjoy and appreciate it all more than ever before because I realize more than ever before how important and precious these occasions with my kids are, and I am so happy they haven't had to skip birthday parties, games, and baptisms because of my health. In that way I've been very blessed.
So as fall arrives and summer ends I am so happy to have a family to share joys and sorrows with, to occupy my time and attention with their needs so I am not preoccupied with mine, and to just spend time with. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing than being a mom of these 5 kids. Bruce Springsteen may have been born to run, but I was born to love and care for Greg, Rachel, Hunter, Parker, Kate, and Tadman. It's a pretty great life!