Fall is a favorite season

Blogger has changed its way to sign in and I don't seem to have easy access to loading new photographs. Hence no photos added recently. New technology is sometimes crap. However, my life is doing well. New chemo, Cytoxan, really an old drug, appears to be holding cancer nodes stable, per latest CT scan. Cancer numbers are zig zagging up and down the same 26+/- points every three weeks. Kicks my white blood cells so have to be careful of possible infections. Campbells and kids flew to TN this weekend for Florida-TN game with friends who are TN alumns. Ruby is at Chez Jones ever hopeful of catchingg squirrels. Both dogs chased one this a.m. which is the closest they have gotten in recent memory. Squirrel quickly had to scoot up tree near deck spot he was on. Too bad Ruby can't climb trees. .

Olympics overload

Took a respite from the Olympics to have lunch with the Campbells at Adam's Ribs in Severna Park this past Saturday. It's been a rough couple of weeks as our Publications Office was ordered to move to another building at USNA. This involved recycling thousands of pounds of files and old publications and packing remains in boxes. Major move during "black flag" (Plebes can't be outside because of heat) days and in midst of creating publcations for Plebe Parents Weekend this weekend. Had chemo and a CT scan 7/26/12 but other than having my cancer numbers go down 26.9 point to 123.9, I haven't gotten the scan results yet.

Still hanging in there

Sorry not to have posted recently, but turns out internet explorer no longer supports the blogger site so had to realize that I can only get to it from Google Chrome. Yes, an old dog can learn new tricks with help of IT guy. 
Cardiologist said my recent nuclear stress test revealed my heart is OK. And lipid panel testing shows that my cholesterol is 148 and good lipid profiles: normal sugar, kidney function normal, liver function normal and normal thyroid. In fact, my oncology nurse was jealous. Said it was better than hers! 
And first CA125 after first treatment of Cytoxan dropped cancer numbers 55.6 points to 145.4. Always a good sign. 

Mother's Day field trip

Megan and I took Jenna to the American Girl Doll store in Tysons Corner, VA, on Mother's Day to buy her a McKenna doll and accessories. Jenna also fell in love with the painted filly horse so "Bob" came home with her too. What a fun day just prior to her 3rd birthday on May 15. We ate at their Bistro where McKenna sat next to Jenna in her own table seat. More fun!

Bad reaction to carboplatin #2

Crashed big time on 2nd round of carboplatin..So carbo is off the table for further use. One less chemo in my doctor's bag of tricks. After experiencing what I can only surmise would have been a bad LSD trip including dayglo colors, red skin, lungs and heart spasms, I had at least 6 nurses, 2 techs and 1 doctor working on me. Got me back to normal (yes, that's questionable) but Megan and troops had to come to the rescue to drive me home. Megan had to remember how to drive my stick shift and Alex and the kids followed us home. Alex and troops had brought me macademia nut cookies. Jenna was thrilled to be able to run in the middle of my dead-end street when she, Tyler and Alex walked Ditto. Both Dylan and Megan offered to spend the night but allowed me to dismiss their offers in lieu of making sure my retired hospice nurse neighbor was on-call. Just lucky timing it happened before Mother's Day. How to make sure I'm appreciated. Dylan didn't understand when I told him I had thought "I'd bought the farm." Wonder where that term became synonymous with "pushing up daisies." It should be a very happy Mother's Day: Megan, Jenna and I have a field trip planned to the American Doll Store in Virginia to get Jenna a doll and a horse for her birthday May 15.

started carboplatin chemo

Had forgotten what all has to precede getting actual IV chemo. The biological avastin I'd been on for two years (which held me steady but was denied payment by BCBS) required no pre-meds or anti-nausea pills. With carbo, I had a bag of dexamethasone & zofran followed by another anti-nausea bag of emend. Nurse Linda said they each deal with different receptors in the brain to prevent nausea. Think steroids. Was I wired last night!

After driving to OPC this afternoon to get a neulasta shot to boost my white blood cells, will stock up on anti-constipation pills as well as Immodium to be able to counteract whichever way the new chemo affects me.

Good news is that my CA125 only went up 1.5 pts to 207.2 since 3/23. Am hoping carbo will put numbers in a downward spiral and get rid of recent new very small pleural effusion near my left lung.

Spring has sprung

Jenna and Tyler have broken out their spring duds. And are enjoying the lovely weather albeit without much in the way of April showers this month.