Third base and heading to home plate...

The title says it all, Carol's blood counts were excellent and she's now had her third chemo treatment and had a wonderful evening sitting on the couch with Chester and I watching a movie. She just went to bed, and I'm heading that way myself. I just wanted to let everyone know she's on third base now, and one more of the "hard hitting" treatments left before she goes back to the minor league drugs.

Thank you for the prayers today, and please keep them coming. Saturday should be a piece-o-cake for her, but Sunday is always the worse day.

Thanks Kyle for taking Carol today for her treatment, We're sorry the office was running behind and that put you in a bind. Thanks Kira for hauling Mary to church this evening. Thanks Mike (our neighbor) for bringing some wonderful home cooked food for supper... man that comfort food sure hit the spot!!!

Good night everyone, God Bless you, and may each of you have a wonderful weekend! - Eric

"C" Day...

A little bit of a tough morning for all of us. Anna had to go to school early this morning, and Carol is really itching a lot. We find small red bumps on her upper torso, and it's really bothering her. Hair loss, red bumps, general fatigue and today is her assigned day for chemo treatment number three!

We hope her blood count is high enough for this third dose of drugs. We also hope the Oncologist will have some advice on the red bumps, and itching. Please pray for for this issues for her, and for a smooth departure on the "Chemo Roller Coaster."

Be well, and I'll post more this weekend once her ride is underway. - Eric

Under Cover...

Yep, its true... Carol's under cover now. Hats, scarfs, and on occasion a wig! Bless you Tammy for your visit the other day. You don't know how much that meant to Carol when you showed up with so many, and such a variety of head coverings! As predicted her hair came out in droves a few days after her second treatment. We never did shave her head but felt lead to just let if fall out as natural as possible. It was and is still tough... those first few days, but we're all getting use to it. She's still very beautiful to me in many ways and it just goes to show you that hair isn't everything.

Otherwise our past few days have been relatively uneventful... hence the lack of posts. We had a relatively quiet weekend with our usual drive to the lake (Morse resevoir) to watch the birds walk on the ice, and the sun set. Girls are getting along pretty good, and I'm just trying to do my best, and... be on my best behavior (the toughest part).

Carol's next treatment is this Friday (if her blood count is in order). We want to thank everyone for remembering it's the flu and cold season and being extra cautious around her... it's paid off so far. So... with that I close for the evening. Please pray she'll be able to take her next dose, the nausea will be under control, and I'll be the servant she and the girls need this weekend. Bell well, and good night to all! - Eric

Thin is... In!

Here we are... Tuesday night and all is relatively well. I worked at home most of the day Monday, and took the day off today since the girls were out of school. Carol had a tough Sunday, but we're told that is normal. Monday and today were better, but she does feel fatigued and is experiencing some nausea (though she battled the nausea without the powerful anti-nausea drugs both days ~ like WOW!)

Now that her second dose of chemo is well underway... her hair is 'thinning' pretty quickly. Matter of fact, I thought I lost mine in a hurry... I think she's got me beat, but who's counting (okay, it's a guy thing... we like to compete even when it comes to hair loss). It's tough on her, and on me as well... you'd think being a man with plenty of forehead exposed that I would have a special form of sympathy that some men cannot relate too. I have to admit I've tried, but it is very hard to see your wife with a beautiful head of hair struggling to keep it in. Wig is ready, but we're not... we even prayed about it several times today as I came close to cutting it all the way down to a military style butch. We both felt led that its just not time yet... until then we'll keep a sharp eye on the fallout.

Alvin and the Chipmunks was our theme for the day. Well... at least it was our entertainment for the girls and I. I never realized how special theatre popcorn and cold drinks can be. Twenty dollars later... and we're stuffed full of high-frutose corn syrup in water, and a lot of sodium laced Orville Redenbaucher's finest popping corn. Meanwhile Carol got some much needed (and quiet) rest while we were away.

Chester got his new Dog Watch collar today, so if you stop over and find flags flying in the yard... nope it ain't true we are not prematurely celebrating St. Patricks day. The green flags are Dog Watch's trade mark color. We're hoping that Chester we'll learn his new bounds like all good men, oops... I mean dogs and will help Carol in letting him go out to "do his thing."

That's my blog entry for tonight. Thanks again to all of you for each and every thing you are doing for us. Please keep praying and don't forget to look at our prayer requests on the right. Until my next entry, be well, be safe and may God bless each of you in a way that brings you closer to Him. Goodnight - Eric

Dosing, and Dozing...

Carol's white cell count was up enough for the next dose of her chemo. Jennifer took her, and she had Heidi and Deb F. stop by as well. I heard it was quite the party, and am sorry I missed it! Her PET Scan results were favorable. She has three lymph-nodes under her right arm near the breast that look suspicous and that is it! Whew... that's a load off of our minds knowing that the cancer hasn't developed a tumor somewhere's else. The surgery she'll have after chemo will take care of those pesky lymph-nodes.

Today Carol is dozing a lot! One of her medications for nausea just plain knocks her out. We are actually glad to see her rest so she can keep, and hopefully build her energy up. The girls are doing chores, and I was catching up on some much needed rest via a nap this late morning. Once chores are complete the girls and I are going to walk the dogs and enjoy the sunshine although its 40 degrees out... it'll be nice to soak up the rays.

We believe the combination of a surgery and her first chemo treatment...and her blood sugars being high from the surgery is what caused her to be so sick last time. Praise God for anti-nausea medication because she's far better off this time around (fingers crossed, prayers being said...)

Thanks Dave, Susan and kids for the excellent supper last night... man it hit the spot! Since I slowed down my posts my memory has failed me in recalling everyone else by name who's blessed us this week with a gift, visit, call of concern, but you know who you are and THANK YOU! Please keep praying... and be well, - Eric

You'll get a kick out of this...

I've slowed down on posting since we're focusing on getting Carol up to snuff for her next ride (remember? the Chemo Roller Coaster). Our weekend was full of action... Mary got such a 'kick' out of her mom feeling better she slammed her foot into the banister and a visit to the Immediate Care was in order and a borrowed set of crutches. Anna caught a cold (a zero white cell count and a nine year old with the sniffles ~ yikes) and I asked she be strep tested since Mary was being seen for her foot. Test was negative, and Mary just did some soft tissue damage.

It's Tuesday night and I arrived home after sliding half-way to Lafayette and back with a cold. Anna tried hard, but by providing my body as a human shield between her and Carol someone had to catch it... :-(! I'm OD'ing on Zinc laced candy and trying hard to suppress any cold symptoms in preparation for my nursing duties this weekend.

I'll post again on Friday night after Carol get's her next ticket for the ride (if her white cell count is high enough). Until then, be well, keep praying and please note to see our prayer requests on the right URGENT ONE FIRST. I've added another one... an employee under my leadership who is a friend fighting lung cancer. He is in our daily prayers, and we ask you include him too. - Eric

P.S., She cooked supper for us Monday night...YEAH! She really felt good doing that, and so did WE!!!!

An Awakening

Below is an email Carol sent to some friends and family. I'm so glad she's up and moving and almost back to normal. Here it is...

I can't tell you how much your cards, inspiring emails, gifts, meals, flowers, prayers, dog walking, errand running, taking me to appts, etc are doing for my spirits. I won't lie, last week was tough (and I thought child birth was the toughest thing I would endure!). But, I am regaining my strength and appreciating all my wonderful friends, neighbors and family immensely. It pains me that I have not written you all thank you notes...but that seems to be the one task I must let go of. I have to save some energy for Eric and the girls and I hope you can forgive me for not sending you each the fabulous card you each deserve. Just know that I do appreciate each and every one of you and how you are keeping me and my family afloat. God could not have given me a better set of friends and family.

I have always struggled with asking for help, but now see how the body of Christ functions (and has gotten us through this week). I am also thankful that my wonderful husband was able to set up and maintain an incredible blog for those who want the blow-by-blow news. Thank you for all your comments on the blog as well.

Continue to pray for God to be glorified through this adventure, for my children and husband and for my healing as well. People keep asking me what else they can do, you have all done so much but here are a few ideas:

1. If you know my children well...invite them over (as long as your family is not sick) to play. Or if you are planning a childrens activity we would be happy to pay for our children to attend the event with you. Even a trip to the mall or Target would be a welcome escape for them. I feel bad that I cannot take them places.

2. If you have Fridays free, I will be having 15 more doses of chemo and would love to have someone to sit and chat with me. You can bring a book/laptop/mag also since I might sleep for a bit. They usually last 2-3 hours.

3. If you live close and want a bit of exercise...drop by anytime and take my crazy puppy for a walk around the block!

4. If you see those coupons for free groceries/gift card with a new or transferred prescription in the paper/flyer/mailer and will not need it....send it to me! CVS takes any competitor coupon and we are filling prescriptions weekly!

Once again I am sincerely thankful for all your prayers, comfort and concern and love you all very much. With my eyes fixed on Jesus, I am going to run with perseverance the race marked out for me (taken from Hebrews 12:1-2) and make it with the support and help from friends and family like you! With much love, Carol

Ground Zero

Yep, the title is correct… we’re at ground zero. Carol had her blood work done today and she has a ZERO white blood cell count. So… it’s time to stay out of the public and away from everyone and just work on healing.

I created a little reminder titled “Germ-a-phobic” as a side-bar (look to the right below prayer requests). Something to refer too before considering a visit with us... We may seem a little stubborn or over-reactive but this is our first and we are praying only journey through Chemo…. So please forgive us.

Outside of her blood work today, she’s still fatigued and has a little nausea. Otherwise she looks great, and we are all really proud of her. She’s lost 10 pounds after last weekends ride (on the Chemo Roller Coaster). So I’m emphasizing nutrition this weekend in hopes of helping her get that white cell count up.

Yes, it’s a relatively short post tonight, but hey it’s Friday and we want to kick back and relax. So… keep praying (specifically for her white blood cell count to come up, and to be protected from infection) and take a look at our other prayer requests in the side bar.

Thanks Kira for taking Carol to her appointment. Thanks Jere for a wonderful supper... mighty good indeed! Lastly, thanks Tammy for the surprise visit arms open baring gifts and all. We are SO... BLESSED!

Good night, and God Bless… - Eric

A Clean Sweep

I was awoken this morning by Mary so I could help her get ready for school. Funny thing is, she was dressed and looking down on me while I was still in bed... so I did my duty of "helping her" get to school. Grandma was up as well, and I went downstairs to insure that Mary was readying herself... you know, I sat in the lounge chair staring at WISH 8 News while she took the dogs outs, brought the paper in, got her breakfast, brushed her teeth, etc. and I gave her a goodbye – be safe kiss on her cheek. She walked out the door, and I thought to myself these early mornings are tough ya know… having to get these kids off to school.

The next thing I know I see our bedroom light on and hear the shower running ~ I’m like wow that’s cool. So I do my things to get ready and Carol begins her morning on the move. I was beginning to think things are totally back to normal and that had my spirits up for sure.

I began preparing the upstairs for a thorough cleaning as Helen was coming today, a very nice cleaning lady who has been a friend of my wife’s family for years. Preparing means a lot of different things to different folks, so I’ll leave it at that – but I will say it was the hardest I’ve worked in a long….time, so someone else could clean!

I discovered Carol downstairs trying her best to eat a banana and looking a bit “green around the gills.” I had to put on my football coach mentality and inform her she started her day missing some of her gear… and ya can’t play football that way. I brought her a Zofran and stated it would remove the greenish tinge shortly… so not quite as well off as I had first hoped, but she’s certainly improving.

I headed off to work, and Carol’s day consisted of cleaning with Helen. I decided to leave her alone and only called her 29 times from the office today… thinking it would give her a chance to rest. I made my last call at 5:05 PM stating I was on the inbound and she should expect to see me land wheels down at or around 5:45 PM.

I arrived to an extremely clean house… wonderful job Helen and Carol, and the smell of cheese which I soon found out was Mac-n-Cheese brought over by Kira along with some rolls. We sat down to a wonderful meal at the table just like the good ol’ days not long ago (actually a week ago). It was nice and brought back feelings that I think we all needed after nearly a week of experiencing the ‘Chemo Roller Coaster.’

Our evening closed with the girls heading off to bed, and I had earlier in the evening prescribed a dose of laughter for the two of us. We sat and watched “Bill Engvall – 15 Degrees Off Cool.” We cried so hard that we both hurt, but this time in laughter and not in pain. What a beautiful experience to see the smile and laughter on her face. A truly spiritual moment for me… and a healing one for her.

Thank you and bless you Denise for the many helpful hints, gifts, and genuine concern. I promise you I will buy the best Juicer I can afford to provide all the nourishing fruit/vegetable juice Carol will need. Thanks Diane B. for the flower cookies they were awesome and it's the first time I've eaten a cookie on a stick. Thanks to you (again… and hey you’re going to get us in trouble with Dave) Kira for the wonderful food. Lastly, a big thank you is extended to the business support team at work. The ladies there raised my spirits far more today than they will probably ever realize… by letting me do one of my favorite things, and that’s tell a good story.

Good night to all, and may the good Lord bless you as richly as I feel he has done for me today – Eric (smiling)

Everything Is A-Okay

Short post tonight as I'm tired and all is well. Carol saw her Oncologist today about the chest pain and they believe it's the drug they gave her to boost bone marrow growth. The sternum is one the largest bones in your body. It's possible the marrow has built up there and hasn't distributed itself yet. Just a theory as they have not really ran into this before. We're keeping a close eye on her!

Anyhow her Mom stayed with her today and is here to stay the night. Carol is still fatigued but looking very good. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but I'm in hope that she'll grow stronger and feel a bit better even yet.

Thanks Susie for the dinner tonight... that casserole was awesome, and the Jello was A-okay in my book as I'm still a kid at heart ;-) Thanks Scott for the movies, and for walking Chester. Thanks Heidi for the visit and gifts, that meant a lot to Carol as she pointed to the flower at dinner. Thanks to all you prayer warriors out there... please keep it up. I forgot to say thanks to Tim for all the advice on the insulin pump yesterday, that will be extremely helpful during her next dose Chemo. Thanks Sharon O. for asking each and everyday how Carol is doing, and for all the nice cards, notes, and gifts and your closing remarks insisting I know that you are praying very earnestly for her ~ you're an Angel. Thanks Tim B. for calling and leaving me a very nice voicemail pardner, and finally... thanks Mary for the nice comment on the Blog and for cleaning your room. Thanks Anna for cleaning yours as well, that's a big help for your mother girls.

With that I close for the evening. Peace, Eric

What a Pain!

Tuesday started off with Carol arriving downstairs at 7:30 AM to oversee Anna's preperations for school ~ I was impressed. She is obviously tired/fatigued but trying hard to participate in daily activities which her Oncologist highly suggested.

I darted off to work about 9 AM after trying to leave things in as normal of a state as I could. It was very hard to leave her... it just rubs you wrong to leave your wife laying on the couch tired and not feeling herself.

Getting back to work for me was somewhat of an acceptable distraction... but I wondered all morning how she was doing. I finally broke down and called her at or about 1 PM. She told me the chest pains she has experienced since Chemo seemed to increase some. She's had these pains before when her blood sugars are very high (and her brother who is diabetic experiences the same thing) so after asking her the typical screening questions for an MI (heart attack) I suggested she call the surgeon's office since she just had surgery and then if no luck or direction there, the Oncologists office.

My pager went off at 2:35 and it was Carol's cell phone number on my display ~ YIKES! Of course I finished my cup of afternoon coffee, chatted with staff members in the hall for 10-15 minutes and decided to call her back -- NOT! I believe I broke the "return a page call record" and found a very upset lady on the other end informing me she was told to go to the ER. My response was plain and simple... I'm on my way!

I arrived at the ER at St. Vincent - Carmel to find Kira standing next to Carol who was a very tired looking patient. I was informed that she wasn't having a heart attack (matter of fact, from what I can remember from reading a heart rythm her heart looks better than mine :-) A beautiful rythm I must say... I wish my Q-wave looked as nice as hers I thought... but I digress. Kira said she was given a dose of pain medication, and some Zofran (for nausea). She seemed peaceful, and a bit embarrassed because for all of you who know Carol she's not one to ask for help, or to put anyone out.

Next steps... a CT chest scan to look for a blood clot, or any other issue that may be causing her pain. Kira went home to tend to the family (thanks Crecelius' for letting us borrow your mother/wife). I took over watch duty and did my best to be a comfort to her (instead of her demanding coach that I can be... she actually has a different title for me, but I'll leave that out here). The Doc ordered more pain med since she complained that the pain was still there... ought oh, our big mistake.

The pain med (more of the first dose) knocked her for a loop and brought on immediate and severe nausea. I mean we were back to Friday night after chemo nausea. I felt so bad for her... man it was rough. Of course in an ER she went from high priority (possible heart attack victim) to low priority due to other patients. She didn't get another nausea drug, and off she went to get her scan done.

When she returned man she was gray in the face and really struggling. The Radiology Tech said she'd say something to the nurse, but 30 minutes went by and no medication (big mistake on my part... should've started screaming at that point but was in a bit of a daze). Doc walks in and sees she's loosing it and orders a med and I somewhat jump on his case about the care there... ouch probably stronger than I should've :-(

The Reglan helped some but she was still feeling bad. He said you need to stay the night because they found inflamation in her media stinum (area between lungs) and wasn't sure why. He consulted her Oncologist on-call and he agreed she should stay. Hmmmm.....

Hospitals are for sick people and a wonderful place for germs... germs of all types and if your immune system is suppressed you need to becareful and have a real need for treatment if you are going to be in a hospital. We discussed it and found out she would not see any physician through the night, just sleep there be woken up on a regular basis for vitals, blood sugar, etc. Basically a very poor nights sleep! Time to call Big Brother!

Tom did a wonderful job of explaining what we were most likely dealing with and that helped her and I make a decision... and that was to go home. You can sleep at home, and as long as we follow up with an Oncologist tomorrow we're fine. Since I'm dangerously armed with a little medical knowledge Carol said, my husband will take care of me so I want to go. The doc wasn't thrilled, and he looked to me to make sure I was comfortable with it... and I said yes (of course I had said a prayer during a break between conversations and felt at peace). He said he'd put the paperwork together but with a disclaimer that we're on our own, etc., etc., etc...

Carol decided to really convince him that she was fine by tossing her cookies (I mean a lot of cookies) in front of him. The look on his face was fantastic... I had to hold back to chuckles as I could just read his mind (these people are crazy). I asked if she could have something to help us get home and she told him of a drug that we got Sunday and he said no problem.

A miricle occurs... she got a dose of Adavan and she's a new person. We hang out for the waiting period (to make sure she had no ill effects from the drug). We're good... and we're released and off we go on a slow ride home (at her request so we didn't have an issue with cookies in my car...ugh).

She's sounds asleep now in her bed, and I'm resting in my night attire reflecting upon yet another challenging but rewarding day. You might ask why? Well... I discovered today that angels do exist and they are in our everyday lives.

Angels arrived to walk our puppy who goes out on a lead, two more cleaned our hardwood floors and did several loads of laundry. Even more dropped everything to rush Carol to the hospital, or rush to our house and take care of our girls (and dogs). An angel is here now sleeping upstairs in case we need to go to the ER again tonight so our children are always under guard.

Thanks Mom, Tom, Betsy, Kira, Anita, Tier, Scott, Tamara, Jennifer, my boss, my peers, and my staff and the hundreds of you who are praying for Carol's healing and well being. You all are hero's in my book. Thank you, bless you, and may God's devine providence shine down upon you.

Good night, and sleep well - Eric

The Rising...

A much better day than yesterday for sure... Carol actually appeared in person downstairs with the rest of the family this morning! Completely under her own power as well, so we were all just tickled pink! She accomplished a shower on her own, make-up and spiffed up her hair. We were all very proud of her!

Fatigue seems to be her greatest enemy now. Her voice is weak, and her walk is slow and calculated. She progressed through the day attempting a few small tasks like talking on the phone with a medical supplier. It was nice to hear her voice kick into action like the woman I've always known as she worked so hard to muster up the energy to sound "normal" over the phone. To a trained ear, you could detect the occasional laspe of spunk as a small fade in her closing remarks gave her away.

Her PET Scan was to be today as well... hence "The Rising." Unfortunately after Kira drove her to the medical office, she was informed that her blood sugar was too high for an accurate scan to be completed. It was suggested that she and Kira take a walk around the building a few times in hopes of coaxing it into an acceptable range. She came close and the Radiologist said it was a go. Thankfully the CT Tech with a long tenure told her that if it were him, "he'd come back another day because her blood sugar really isn't low enough" and the accuracy of the image could be questionable when you're hunting for cancer. Though disappointed, we were very glad to know this... to prevent us the pain of convincing an insurance company you want a second scan :-(

Our evening included some smaller chores for Carol (against my will but I had to take Anna to dance class so she snuck'm in on me). She's now laying in bed resting and we're all glad she is... in hopes of tomorrow being an even better day.

Kudos to Kira, my sincere apologies to Tamara for messing up some well laid plans, and a big thank you to Anita for supper tonight ~ man that was some good vittles! One can never ever go wrong with chocolate dipped strawberries!!!!

Be well... Eric

How To Leave A Comment

You can leave a comment to any of these posts individually by clicking on the "comments" link below the post you have read and want to comment on. That will cause a window to pop-up (probably need Pop up's enable in your Internet browser) and you can type your comment in the window and then scroll down to where you can click on "Anonymous". Just click on that and then you don't have to create a Gmail account. Then just scroll down a little bit further and you should see a "Publish Your Comment" and your comment will show up. Feel free to sign your comment with your first name that way we know who it came from.

I hope this helps you out... if not, just drop me an email at my Insight address, or you can click on my profile on the blog and it'll give you my Yahoo email address.

Many thanks, and happy Commenting! - Eric

48 Hours (and not the movie either)

It's Sunday night and we just went through 48+ hours of nearly un-ending nausea. Poor Carol has been down and out since Friday night Feb. 1, shortly after arriving home. I've really felt bad for her, as I have NEVER seen her this sick. When she stated she wanted no visitors, or to talk to anyone... that sent a strong message to me! The girls have been terrific nurses, and semi-okay house cleaners :-)

I have to mention something about friendship. It begins with many statements indicating a willingness to help. It's somewhat overwhelming... and then it kind of becomes noise in the background while you're worried about your spouse and children (oh, and toss in a job on top of that). Then comes the first treatment... you soon realize what those plea's of help really mean to you.

First comes a the driveway. I failed to mention our friend Scott had cleared the driveway on Friday when we came home from our first treatment... bless you Scott! He did the whole thing by hand, with a little help from his Son and our daughter Mary. Then comes the oh man... I don't have any Jello in the house and she needs some. I place a couple of calls and one daughter heads to one neighbors to retrieve some instant Jello. In the meantime I realize I am very uncomfortable with Carol being out of ear-shot range of me. I then call Scott who tells me he's in route to Menards. I ask if he would be willing to purchase an intercom system for me (he's techy enough to know what I need).

I get a call on my cell phone an hour later and an entire intercom system arrives at my door with some ready made Jello. I'm then told that Kari (Scott's wife) wasn't satisfied with the Jello selection at Menards and had gone to Target to retrieve some more. That results in more pre-made Jello, some nausea medicine, hard candy, and pudding to boot. Oh yeah, did I mention all the SuperBowl treats Kari brought over as well so the girls and I wouldn't go treat-less during the Bowl? Thanks Kari... you're an Angel.

Thanks Mike, thanks Jeff for calling to check on me... that meant a lot. Thanks Tamara for your kind words, tons of encouragement and for bringing your mother over bearing gifts.

Thanks to each and every one of you who is praying feverently to see Carol's healing is complete and a part of God's will. Bless each and everyone one of you!!!

We will persevere.. and are very grateful for modern medicine. Speaking of that, I talked to a nurse from the Oncologist's office today and secured another medicine to ease Carol's nausea and it seemed to work, but it also did a good job of knocking her out providing some much needed rest.

Blessings to one and all, and if her strength is good and nausea under control we hope to have a PET Scan done tomorrow to determine if the cancer has setup shop anywhere else in her body. That will help the Oncologist determine if he needs to change his plan of attack. I am looking forward to Carol doing a post all on her own once she feels like using her laptop once again. Good night yawl!

Our First Treatment

Carol and I awoke Friday Feb. 1, 2008 to snow on the ground. Carol's wonderful mother Mary had stayed the night with us so someone would be with the girls since we were required to be at the hospital by 7:30 AM. Mary awoke at about the same time and the three of us began the day by starting coffee and finding something to eat. Carol reviewed any last minute instructions with her mother, and we were off to St. Vincent. Grandma and the girls got to start the off-to-school routine later that morning.

We arrived right on time at the hospital and I dropped Carol off at the door and found a place to park our SUV. I met up with her and we walked down to Surgery Suite A. The surgery (pre-op, surgery itself and post-op) went briskly and the surgeon was a very nice lady. Likewise the Anesthesiologist was even nicer... probably once of the nicest I have met. By 10:30 AM we were walking back to the SUV hungry and Carol now sporting a "port" just below her left collar bone with an incision glued shut about 1.5 inches long.

All hail Dunken Doughnuts... they serve breakfast 24 hours a day (just in case you didn't know), and Carol was really wanting breakfast and some coffee! I tredge through the ice and snow to return with her steaming hot coffee and an egg and cheese sandwich on English Muffin (not realizing this would be her last real food for sometime). We drove off discussing how Dunken's coffee isn't quite like a Starbucks, but it's not bad either.

We arrived at the Oncologist office spot on... 11:00 AM that is. We showed up with coffee in hand and made our way back for our visit with him (quick stop for some blood work to determine all systems are go). He commented about the coffee as something we should enjoy... (reflecting back I now know what he means :-) He said we were a go... so we made our way back to "the room" where there are (believe it or not) medical grade Lazy Boy recliners. We actually spent a few minutes discussing which one would work best of us. She didn't want to be chilled by the window, and I didn't like looking down a hallway while other patients come in for their first visit (it's traumatizing to them). She got the recliner and I got a "visitors chair" which isn't know where near as comfortable, but I persevered somehow.

We had chosen a corner and Karen our Oncologist Nurse offered something to relax Carol. I think I said yes, before Carol said yes... just knowing how nervous she was by reading her face. 15 minutes later she was RE....LAX....ED. I can see how people get addicted to narcotics... that is amazing stuff. Kind of wondered if I could "take a hit" myself for a moment, then sanity set back in realizing I couldn't, and someone had to pay attention to all the instructions. Yes, I was nervous as well... wouldn't you be?

Now relaxed, the first IV bag of chemo arrived... Cytoxan (even sounds bad eh?)http://www.drugs.com/cdi/cytoxan.html. Piece of cake, Carol dozed in and out of cautiousness and I watch a Sherlock Holmes flick on my Ipod Touch (you don't think I'm addicted to it do you?).

Eleven minutes before the end of my Sherlock Holmes flick, I looked up and Heidi a good friend of ours is approaching us with a bag of goodies... Carol wakes up immediately and I start sniffing and peaking to see if there is substances in that bag of wonderous beauty and delight.

All I can say is, God Bless Heidi! She rose Carols' spirits up and they chatted like nothing was going on. I on the other hand was not only casing "the bag" but beginning to do the guy thing of going back to finishing my flick. Heidi stayed with us until the Cytoxin was done and then headed back off to work ~ THANKS Heidi (and your roasted almonds and 7 UP saved me later in this story).

Next came the really bad stuff... I mean I've see caulk flow easier then the red looking syrup called Adriamycin http://www.drugs.com/cdi/adriamycin.html. It's delivered in an IV push and Karen would push some into Carol's port and we would chat about nausea (our greatest fear at this point). Before we know it that stuff was done and our coaching over how it turns your urine, and tears pink for the next 24 hours had been completed.

Karen provided a lot of nice documentation to take home that we're still sifting through. She topped off the drug cocktail with a syringe of antisemtic (anit-nausea) and I can't remember the name of that one after she stated it cost $6700 smackers ~ yikes!

We walked out and for all you who know Carol very well... we stopped at the "Women's botique" to SHOP. Of course I was jealous immediately seeing all that hair in one room. The Manager offered to order a wig for me, but I stated "I was quite satisfied with my situation, but thank you anyway."

This is for the guys... have any of you shopped for a wig, or just lulled around a Women's botique? Oh man... I hope I earned some kitchen passes with Carol... as I know I wasn't earning any points with the manager as I walked in and out of that place so many times (to take a hit on my 7-UP and eats some Almonds... again thank you Heidi) that I was setting off the courtesy ding that occurs when a customer arrives or exits. Sorry Andrea, I didn't realize it until after the 20th ding, and the look on your face. I might be a Geek, but sometimes I don't pick up on things like that too well.

An hour and 15 minutes later I discovered that wearing brand new shoes wasn't a good idea as my arches began to hurt, and I had run out of things to advise poor Carol on when it comes to a wig. At this point I utilized a tool in my bag of tricks... I dropped the "I bet Kira would be really good at helping you decide the color...hmm?" Sorry Kira, but you are good at that and I'm not so thank you, and thank you again.

My suggestion saved me and we left with five Breast Cancer awareness wrist bands for the family to wear. We drove home and would have never guessed anything was wrong with Carol other than she (and I as well) were quite tired.

We arrived home to a grand welcome comprised of banners, welcome signs and little notes of love from Anna (she's our "feeler" daughter who loves to do things like that). Grandma (Mary) was still there and Mary (our other daughter) and Anna all greeted us with big hugs. It wasn't two minutes and the girls and Grandma went back to cleaning and doing laundry so when she left we would be "standing in high cotton" (redneck term... see Redneck Dictionary for interpretation).

Within a half hour of our arrival Carol began to feel tired and decided to go upstairs and lay down. In the meantime, our loving neighbor Tier delivered a wonderful hot meal of pork (with an awesome sauce), brocoli rice cassarole, fresh cut fruit, rolls, and some AWESOME brownies.

Grandma, Mary, Anna and I had a wonderful feast while Carol rested upstairs. Of course for those of you who know Mary, she would never leave a kitchen a mess so she insisted on cleaning it up, and making sure both grandaughters knew what they were to do and off she went home.... thanks Mom, you are such a wonderful self-less person!!!!

I'll end the post here... and will post again tomorrow with our story on the affects of Chemo on Carol and our family. In the meantime, thank you for your prayers, well wishes and the many blessing of help, food and genuine concern. Please post your comments... as it really does lift Carol's spirits.

Be well - Eric