Well, the furthur between these blogs is a good thing. It means Sara is doing very well and now we only have to pull the cancer card when it comes in handy. Jerry and I have rented a house in Sandpoint for summer so we can be more available. Should have sooner, but we are here now to pester her when she finally can be independent of people. She is scheduling another appointment with Dr. Lin in Seattle and we will see what he has to say. Probably wants to "have what she's having" because she looks so great and feels pretty good. Still has to rest a lot and certainly does not want to overdo it because it is an instant relapse.
Summer can start now. Call me negative, but this spring goes down as the worst. For a lot of reasons. Take care and stay tuned in, we will keep posting. It is just too much fun to blog. Love to all!!
Posted by Colleen
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Now Me
Sissy in the house.
Well, we had a whirlwind visit! Sara wanted to hang out so she skipped all her naps and we kind of made her sick for a day or two. I said "Take your naps and get your acupuncture or we are not coming back!" or "We are coming back", I don't know which is more threatening with 4 kids who can get a *little* cranky away from home and routine.
Sara had to grill and wait on people, Mom kept limping around while carrying a baby and I wouldn't take a nap. What ancestor does this silly stubborness come from? Also, can I tell you about the hair? Kate and I are just in the "all the hair you got to keep while preggers will now fall out" stage and Sara was shedding quite a bit. Luckily Sara has thick gorgeous hair so you would never know. Together we must have shed enough hair for a whole wig, amazingly none of it ended up in our food.
Hopefully on the next visit we can relax more!
Well, we had a whirlwind visit! Sara wanted to hang out so she skipped all her naps and we kind of made her sick for a day or two. I said "Take your naps and get your acupuncture or we are not coming back!" or "We are coming back", I don't know which is more threatening with 4 kids who can get a *little* cranky away from home and routine.
Sara had to grill and wait on people, Mom kept limping around while carrying a baby and I wouldn't take a nap. What ancestor does this silly stubborness come from? Also, can I tell you about the hair? Kate and I are just in the "all the hair you got to keep while preggers will now fall out" stage and Sara was shedding quite a bit. Luckily Sara has thick gorgeous hair so you would never know. Together we must have shed enough hair for a whole wig, amazingly none of it ended up in our food.
Hopefully on the next visit we can relax more!
Tagging on to mom's post....
Couple things.... First Thank You Mom for getting the Penthouse at Seasons for our family to come together under one roof..... I know the people in the condo below us were appreciative with 5 little one's, 4 of them 3 and under, Nucky Gerald running around chasing them all and all, (except baby Liam and Penny who watched with envy).
So looking for an Oncologist in Spokane for a local Doc, and for 6 week check ups. I wish Doctor Lin was in Spokane:( My 6 week check ups don't involve scans to look at, it is a face to face with the Doctor to see how I'm doing. So I'm trying to weigh the pro's and con's of time, $$$ spent going to Seattle..... still don't know.
Charlotte is cooking for me and we'll see how this goes. Who knew you had to get sick to become healthy! I mean vitamins, eating right, acupuncture, exercise, no alcohol.... but when your healthy you'll eat lots of cheese and red meat, smoke cigarettes while drinking a vodka tonic..
Today is the last day of my 4th Chemo round. Get out the wigs, cuz I'm pretty sure I will have no hair left by the end of the month. My hair is coming out by the handfulls. I told Sarah I don't know if I could wear wigs, but don't know if I can be bald either. I've always pondered the whole "Blondes have more fun!". Although I'm not on any other narcotics but the chemo, I'm dosing up on supplements, so I do take 11 pills in the AM + the protein powder, 3 pills mid day, 3 pills at night, so just 17 a day. I carry a big bag, always have, but now I know why, it's not to carry the Vodka bottle anymore, it's for all these damn vitamins! I probably spend 30 min a day taking them, taking the lids off, putting the lids on... swallowing, gulp, gulp...
Lastly, I feel pretty lucky that I am able to do oral chemo, since it's now a part of my life I can't imagine those who have to get hooked up to IV's and sit there and watch the poison go in. At least I'm able to camouflage mine with the pretty vitamins so I can feel healthy while poisoning myself. Weird.
Cheers all! (Water in hand)
~S
So looking for an Oncologist in Spokane for a local Doc, and for 6 week check ups. I wish Doctor Lin was in Spokane:( My 6 week check ups don't involve scans to look at, it is a face to face with the Doctor to see how I'm doing. So I'm trying to weigh the pro's and con's of time, $$$ spent going to Seattle..... still don't know.
Charlotte is cooking for me and we'll see how this goes. Who knew you had to get sick to become healthy! I mean vitamins, eating right, acupuncture, exercise, no alcohol.... but when your healthy you'll eat lots of cheese and red meat, smoke cigarettes while drinking a vodka tonic..
Today is the last day of my 4th Chemo round. Get out the wigs, cuz I'm pretty sure I will have no hair left by the end of the month. My hair is coming out by the handfulls. I told Sarah I don't know if I could wear wigs, but don't know if I can be bald either. I've always pondered the whole "Blondes have more fun!". Although I'm not on any other narcotics but the chemo, I'm dosing up on supplements, so I do take 11 pills in the AM + the protein powder, 3 pills mid day, 3 pills at night, so just 17 a day. I carry a big bag, always have, but now I know why, it's not to carry the Vodka bottle anymore, it's for all these damn vitamins! I probably spend 30 min a day taking them, taking the lids off, putting the lids on... swallowing, gulp, gulp...
Lastly, I feel pretty lucky that I am able to do oral chemo, since it's now a part of my life I can't imagine those who have to get hooked up to IV's and sit there and watch the poison go in. At least I'm able to camouflage mine with the pretty vitamins so I can feel healthy while poisoning myself. Weird.
Cheers all! (Water in hand)
~S
June 16, 2011
With this blog, it is a case of no news is good news. Sara is back on a pretty regular schedule. She still has to rest a lot. She is eating whatever she wants. Her life is getting back to some kind of normal. Shanna and her gang were here for a week and that was very nice to have a family get together. It was very healing.
Sara still does her chemo but does not have to take a bunch of meds anymore. She looks wonderful and claims to feel good most of the time. If I stop to think about all that transpired, I can hardly believe it. The real straw was in the midst of utter chaos Sara and I both got called for Jury duty. I called Christine Quale and told her I knew she had heard every excuse, but I wasn't making it up and had newspaper articles to prove it. Needless to say, we did not have to show up.
So we are all breathing a little easier now. Whew! I sure am grateful for the love and support from everyone.
Posted by Colleen
Sara still does her chemo but does not have to take a bunch of meds anymore. She looks wonderful and claims to feel good most of the time. If I stop to think about all that transpired, I can hardly believe it. The real straw was in the midst of utter chaos Sara and I both got called for Jury duty. I called Christine Quale and told her I knew she had heard every excuse, but I wasn't making it up and had newspaper articles to prove it. Needless to say, we did not have to show up.
So we are all breathing a little easier now. Whew! I sure am grateful for the love and support from everyone.
Posted by Colleen
Thursday, June 9, 2011
June 9, 2011
Sara is working part time. I'm sure everyone at CWC is glad to have her back. Sarah Hess has found her a Personal Chef to make her super nutritious food from Common Knowledge Cafe. She also is doing intense vitamin therapy plus the acupuncture. {Thank-you to Lauren Miller!!} So let's just see who wins! Come on Summer! Love to all.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Just what the Doctor ordered
Cali was wonderful, the sunshine, reading on the plane (just finished Tina Fey "Bossypants", she's hilarious), being on a plane, seeing such a great group of friends there that were so caring and happy to see me. As mom said, since last Thursday, my last day of Chemo round #3, the whole time in Cali I didn't take 1 kind of medication, only vitamins, and WOW! I really feel and felt GREAT the whole trip, I felt like myself. And if I didn't have pictures of my insides that show I have cancer (and didn't loose 45lbs from a size 12 to size 6 in 4 months), well I'd say the Doctors don't know what they're talking about, because I feel great! I am looking into alternative methods of treatment to do as well as my Dr. Lin regime. But I want to do whatever possible to make this go away so I can feel they way I did this last week all the time. Thank you to everyone who reads the blog and all the support I get from all over the country, it's pretty awesome and clearly working on my psyche.
~Sara
~Sara
Monday, May 30, 2011
May 30, 2011
Sara is doing great. She went to Laguna Beach with Sarah Hess while Sarah works, Sara D. is getting warm finally. She got through with chemo and is trying to go without taking any medication at all for the next seven days anyway till she continues the chemotherapy. Which will be ongoing Still has severe muscle aches and joint pain. I think meds leech the calcium from your system.
I am always amazed at how people think their experience is comparable to yours. So by sharing every painful detail they somehow will make your experience more bearable. But cancer, or any crisis or life changing event cannot be diluted just because countless people have endured it. Each persons venture into the unknown is a singular experience. The individual uses all they have gleaned from life; values, examples, religious- or not- upbringing to deal with it the best they can. Some use their experience as a guideline for every other experience that follows. Others get past it and get on with it. We will never know which kind of person we are untill we get hit over the head with the proverbial spiritual two by four that Gertie Miles always refers to. {is that a dangling participle?}
I know for sure and am seeing it with my own eyes, my super strong daughter is not stickin' around with cancer for long. She is tearing off her rearview mirror and leaving the c-word in a cloud of dust. I am really glad for everyone who helped to get her there. Have a super and grateful Memorial weekend. And of course God Bless the USA!!
I am always amazed at how people think their experience is comparable to yours. So by sharing every painful detail they somehow will make your experience more bearable. But cancer, or any crisis or life changing event cannot be diluted just because countless people have endured it. Each persons venture into the unknown is a singular experience. The individual uses all they have gleaned from life; values, examples, religious- or not- upbringing to deal with it the best they can. Some use their experience as a guideline for every other experience that follows. Others get past it and get on with it. We will never know which kind of person we are untill we get hit over the head with the proverbial spiritual two by four that Gertie Miles always refers to. {is that a dangling participle?}
I know for sure and am seeing it with my own eyes, my super strong daughter is not stickin' around with cancer for long. She is tearing off her rearview mirror and leaving the c-word in a cloud of dust. I am really glad for everyone who helped to get her there. Have a super and grateful Memorial weekend. And of course God Bless the USA!!
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