Chemo #5

November 14.  My sis-in-law Margie went with me to the chemo clinic this go around.  She stay and chatted with me until Rick came towards the end to take me home.  It was so nice of her to come down all the way from Farmington and spend the day with me.  We had a great visit. It still takes about 5 hours with all the blood work, Dr. visit and then the 5 drips of drugs.  Colleen brought us dinner from Milagros.  Yummy food. The last "real meal" I would eat for about 10 days.  Still have my eyebrows and most of my eyelashes!

I got the Neulasta shot on Thursday which brings bone pain for about four days while the white blood cells are working hard to rebuild.  Dr. Wallentine decided to take a proactive approach this time and and have me return to the clinic on Friday and on Monday following treatment to get saline, steroids and anti-nausea drugs.  They helped so much and I think he will take that approach this last time.  My red and white blood cell counts weren't that good...boarderline...and he even considered postponing treatment for one week. Luckily he decided to forge ahead with my encouragement.  I want to get this over with! Each treatment is harder and it takes longer to recover.  It really beats down my body, but I try to concentrate on the fact that it is also beating down and killing the cancer.  Die, cancer die!
My sweet daughter Jordan came to town from Arizona on Thursday night to help me.  It was so nice to be with her for three days and she took such good care of us cooking, cleaning, raking 12 bags of leaves with Rick and providing loving service.  We even got out Friday pm to watch the last installment of Twilight.  It was so cheesy, but we've come this far, we had to finish off the series and we had some good laughs.  Her husband Jake was the main caretaker of their three little girls while she was gone and it was so good of him to encourage her to come and pay the way for her to fly!

 
Sunday we went out to Rick's parents home for their family Thanksgiving dinner with about 30 people. I rested while they went to church and did absolutely nothing to help out (no one would let me.)  We had a lovely dinner, baby shower for niece Catherine, family pictures and a large extended family gathering of Rick's dads side of the family for the annual pre-Thanksgivng pie party.  About 70 aunts, uncles and cousins attended at their ward building while I stayed at their home and rested.
 

 

Monday, November 19 I got anther IV of saline and anit-nausea drugs and was just barely up and about the next day when Rick and I drove to New Mexico for Thanksgiving with Claire and Rich.  I felt OK and made the trip fine.  Wednesday-Friday I was having more side effects and hardly ate any Thanksgiving dinner.  However, it was worth the trip since we got to see 5 of our 6 grandchildren.  What other activity would put a smile on my face and a spring in my step?? Jordan and Jake drove over from Phoenix and we had a lovely dinner sharing it with Rich's side of the family in his sister Elise's lovely home. 
Saturday the 24, the troups all headed to the BYU-New Mexico state football game in Las Cruses  while I stayed at Claire and Rich's home and watch three movies and rested.  All in all, it was a very fun Thanksgiving holiday and a WONDERFUL distraction from the side effects of chemo #5.  One more to go!

Colleen gave me this darling hat!  What do you think??