Round 9 Take 1 & 2

Life has been a bit of a blur lately.

Marc's last round of chemo was predictably more difficult than the last. He noticed that the "fuzziness" in his hands and feet didn't totally go away after treatment eight. So, when we went in for treatment nine (the first time), the nurses were concerned. They haven't heard it described as "fuzzy" before, but the consensus was neuropathy. The nerve endings are being damaged. This is another side effect of the chemo. However, this side effect can become permanent and is directly linked to Oxaliplatin - one of the chemo drugs. Paula relayed the information to Dr. B to see if he thought the dosage should be reduced.

Marc's first appointment for treatment nine was last week. His count was low. 1.4 rather than 1.5. Bummer. The good news is it only took one more week for it to come up and Marc was able to have a nice Christmas. He'll have a chemo-brain New Year, but at least he's moving forward again.

Dr. B did reduce the dose of Oxaliplatin. We'll see if it makes a difference in the side effects. He's pretty wiped out tonight, but that's normal for this point in the treatment.

The kids went in with us today. While we waited for Marc to be checked in, I rode the tram up the hill and back down with Rose (no crowds). Brett had no interest, but Rose wanted to ride so off we went. When we returned, Marc was checked in and they had drawn his blood. He came out (Rose is too young to be in the infusion room so she and I were in the waiting room) with a big grin - he was 1.9. Brett and Rose both had gift certificates to Everyday Music so we took the streetcar across town while Marc had his treatment. It was very quiet in town. The slow holiday retail sales seemed to be continuing today. It was nice for us - no crowds.

Somehow this blog about Marc's disease has come to include more than just what is happening with Marc's treatment. Since the last blog I've done report cards (they went home the 10th), had a major repair done on the car (catalytic converter went out), traveled to Walla Walla for mom's memorial service (the 15th), hosted our family Christmas (18 on Saturday/Sunday), and had a quiet family Christmas (just us Christmas Eve - Mike, Steph and Masen joined us on Christmas day for dinner).

Report cards are my least favorite part of teaching - one of my least anyway. They take forever and I'm not sure the parents have any clearer idea of how their child is doing than before the hours of work.

While I was swamped in report cards my sister planned mom's service with input from us and some writing/editorial help from my sister-in-law. They did a beautiful job. If you happen to lose someone dear and need to see a program example that will knock your socks off, let me know. Donna created a trifold program. The entire inside was an expanded obituary with pictures. The front had mom's picture, name, etc. The flap you saw when you first open it had the order of the service and the back had a list of things "Grandma Loved." It was perfect.

Mom would have been pleased with the service. We know because we kept thinking, "I wish mom were here. She'd like this." Brett played Amazing Grace on his guitar. My cousin John read the even more expanded obituary. Two ladies sang a medly of children's songs like Jesus Loves Me, This Little Light of Mine, etc., as a tribute to the years mom spent working with the babies at church. Greg, a friend of my brother's, sang the last song. I didn't recognize it from the title and the title is escaping me right now, but I knew it when I heard it. Mom's dear friend Eunice put her head in my brother's lap and sobbed. What an amazing tribute to the lasting strength of friendship. Even now, it brings tears to my eyes to think of it.

We all grieve in our own way. My siblings and I had been through Alzheimer's with mom - from the beginning when she began to forget little things to the day she died with family and friends by her side that she no longer knew. Our pain is different than the pain of friends who knew her and shared the laughter and tears that only girlfriends can share. Mom's girlfriends were true to her through it all. Mary Ellen and Martha visited mom regularly even through her final months when it was so painful to see her vacant stare or her anxious running or her own tears of grief when she was aware enough to understand how far along her disease had progressed. Eunice lived further away. Even so when she was in town, she would stop in and see mom. There were others who were faithful to mom as well - Aunt Hilda, Bea, and other College Place friends. Our family is eternally in their debt for being close and comforting her through it all.

Christmas was a whirlwind. My siblings and their families were here last weekend. We missed Jennifer and Kim, two of my nieces, but maybe next year they can join us too. We laughed and ate and laughed some more. It was good to be together. I'm hoping Christmas brought as much joy to your family as it did to ours. We are counting the days till 2007 is over and we can start fresh in 2008. We're holding out for bliss.

Round 8 Take 3

Marc's numbers were up. He needs to be 1.5 and he had gone from 1.4 to 1.6. Not as much as in the past, but we'll take it. He's looking forward to being finished - four more treatments. Next appointment is on the 19th.

In all my spare time, I read Rhett Butler's People. If you are a fan of Gone with the Wind, you must read this book. I love the movie, but have never read the original book. I know, I know it's a classic.... So, now it's on my Christmas list. Sometimes I do things backwards.

It's report card time. Ick. Assessments take so much time. It's good though. I have so many kids who scored so much higher on their insect post-test. Some of the answers were so cute. In the pre-test, one boy labeled the grasshopper's nes(knees). Did you know grasshoppers have knees? In the post-test in answer to how you know something is an insect, one boy wrote "if it has sexe (six) legss." His mom will laugh - she's a teacher. My favorite is in answer to what a "life cycle" is - one boy wrote "haw (how) he graws (grows) up." AWWW, so cute. He was one of my most improved 6/18 to 15/18.