Chemo Round 2 #6

Thought I better publish a little update while I am sitting in the chemo recliner. OK, I will tell you all the truth why I couldn't have chemo two days ago. I FORGOT to start taking my chemo premeds last Sat. I thought of it on Sunday night and when I told them that on Tues. they said it is just TOO dangerous because of the reaction I have to the Carboplatin too give it without taking it for the full 3 days. They have had to rush people to the hospital because of reactions. SOOOOO, it was a wasted trip to GR, I was mad at myself, but I will give you my excuse. I was so busy thinking about going to work on Sat. am, to teach expectant parent classes, and thinking about feeling good and normal, that it totally slipped my mind to start premedicating myself. Don't you think it is partly my Dr's fault?? because he wanted me to go back to work and try to feel "normal"??   No?? They didn't buy it at chemo either.

So I wait two days, take ALL the pre meds, and here I am. It feels wierd to be here on a Thursday, because I have always been here on a Monday or Tues. It is a whole different set of patients. But, you learn from them. One girl has been doing this for 6 years and she was told she had only months to live also. She had 4 years of "remission", but then her CT scan showed spots of cancer had come back. Her CA-125 didn't go up, so they don't even use that as a test for her. First time I had heard that.

I forgot to mention in my last post that I will be having a CT scan in Sept. They will finally send my CA-125 in today, so hopefully will get those results tomorrow to know if only two more of these chemos.(this round).

We will be up north for a long weekend. My parents will be at their log home, and all the kids should be up there for a part of the weekend. Should be fun and nice and hot.  It will probably be the last weekend for floating around in my blow up raft chair with the cupholder. I might even fill it with something fun! It is always beautiful around the water, with a breeze usually and stays nice and cool in the house.

Guess what I did yesterday? I played 9 holes of golf with my friend Karen. I never would have gone had she not encouraged it. It was a beautiful day, sunny with a nice breeze. I hits some good shots, many bad ones. We didn't keep score (after the mulligans). So that took all the pressure off. We will hopefully try it again this fall.

The past few weeks I have had fun doing some shopping with my friend Deb S. who organizes the Honduras mission trips that Mieke and I have gone on. We got to go to Spectrum Health's warehouse and pick out LOTS of wonderful large items for the surgery center in Gracias, Honduras and the work that they do in the villages. I also helped sort and pack in boxes lots of donated drugs that they give out. This all had to be done before Labor Day when they send out a large shipping container over there. To go on another brigade with this group with the Luke's Society is definitely on my bucket list!

Some of you know the following because you follow Facebook, but I will  update those who don't use that.
1st -Ross won an audition and is now the second chair trumpet for the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.
       He beat out 9 others, who he said were all very good players, and at the end a woman (from U of
       M). He was very glad to have an official position, it means regular work, you get calls for other
       and hopefully more students for lessons. They don't have as many concerts as the Grand Rapids
       Symphony, so he will be able to play with them also. He is scheduled already for their first  
       classical concert in Sept.
        He is also going to go on tour for 3 wks. in Nov. with a National Touring Broadway tour of
       Fiddler on the roof. He is subbing for a trumpet player who needed the 3 wks off. You can go
       on their website and find out where he will be playing, starting Nov. 14. We are going to try and
       go when they are in Muskegon. He ends up in Florida and then they fly him home.  He will be
       gone over Thanksgiving and he offered to have the family over for a Thanksgiving meal early
       at HIS house before he leaves. (I put this in writing, so he won't forget his offer...)

2nd- Mieke has excepted a full time job at Park Elementary School in Hudsonville. She will be     
        working as a para pro in Kindergarten in the morning and 5th grade in the afternoon. She loves
        this school, the principal, the teachers, etc. They hire most of their teachers through their para
        pros, so this is what she is hoping will happen (sooner than later).  She did get offered a teaching
        job in Niles, but did not except it. She and Aaron are happy to stay living in Holland.  She was
        asked to start working the day she excepted the job by going to a Kindergarten open house , so
        she could meet all the kids, their parents and all the teachers. Of course she was wishing she
        was the"teacher" , but that is only natural, she will learn so much this year, and there will not
        be all the pressure and work at home every night and weekends to make lesson plans, etc.

 3rd- Aaron is going to start a full time job selling at Michigan Air Specialties in GR. He has benefits
        so that took the pressure off Mieke to except the teaching job that she didn't feel was a "good
        fit". He is very excited to start this new position next Tues.

      I have to admit I am thrilled to have them stay around for a while.  I am thankful, and thank       
      God for all three of these new jobs!!

Sorry this is so long. We will be up north for the long weekend and hopefully all the kids will be
there for some part of the weekend.  Next weekend we will all be going downtown Detroit and stay at a hotel in Greektown. We will be attending my nephew Kyle and his new wife Richenda's wedding celebration party at the Detroit Yacht Club on Bell Isle.  They live in Australia, and  their wedding was the one we went to in Hawaii in January. This reception is for the friends and relatives who
were not as fortunate to go to that wedding in Hawaii. Can't wait to see everyone again. My niece and her boyfriend from Chile will also be there.

Just got a call from Ross, and guess what? I get to tell you that one more of my kids got a new job!!
Rumy is now going to be working at Albion College as an accompanist for students. Ross has students there and they can go in together. So good to have on her resume and the added income!!

What is going on with the Tigers loosing?? No good. Hope they do better this weekend. Have a
wonderful Labor Day weekend!! Next chemo Sept.24, would you do me a favor? If you see me, please remind me on Sept.20 to start taking my pre meds. OK? The nurse said it happens usually once to patients on premeds, but what it tells her is that people are living their lives and not just thinking about the big "C".

Oops.....

I now know why I can't find out my CA-125 results. They drew the blood, but never sent it. I guess because I couldn't have chemo last Monday, they want to keep your count at the same time as you have chemo. So now I know, and we will hopefully find out what it is next Monday.

Worked four hours L&D last night. It feels good to get back. Stan is going up north tonight with a friend, and work on "deer stuff". I am kind of glad to stay back here for a change because I teach all day tomorrow, get to go to outside church, see everyone there and I plan to have my neighbor across the street and her friend over for lunch on Sunday. She is the one who was so kind to loan out her house for my family to use at the time of Mieke's wedding. Speaking of Mieke, she has another teaching interview today so say a little prayer for her. Today is Aaron's last day at DeBoer Bakery, they are having a little send off party for him. I know they will miss him!!

I forgot to mention that we had a nice time visiting with my sister-in-law Lisseth last Sunday. She stopped by at the Hoksbergen Homestead on her way home from the Leland area. He husband Roland (Stan's brother) is in Ghana until December leading a group of students from Calvin. Lisseth is a Spanish teacher at East GR schools so she couldn't go along.

The grey hair is getting very thin on top, it is getting harder to hide the bald spots....

My Tigers are doing good lately which makes watching the games so much fun!!

Couldn't have Chemo

My Platelets were too low, so no chemo on Monday. I have to go back next Tues. They did draw blood and sent it in for my CA-125 count, but I can't seem to find out those results. I called twice today, and she said they are not back yet. It has never taken this long before, but she thought maybe because it is summer, and less people working?? Anyways, she said call on Thursday am if was "all that important to me to know the results". Well, I guess that person has never had cancer, or she would understand.
This week delay has now pushed back my surgery date. I need to pray for patience. I have worked three days so far. It is going OK. I am teaching all day next Sat. expectant parent classes.

Today my friend Lori picked me up in her convertible and we drove up Lakeshore Dr. to Grand Haven. It was a beautiful sunny day and she treated me to lunch at Snug Harbor. After lunch we walked around downtown and checked out some shops. I really don't know the stores in Grand Haven that well and it was a fun day.

Yesterday I got rear ended. I was at a stop light in Holland and a woman ran into me. Luckily it only scraped my bumper. We called the police and he made out a report. I was just leaving work and she was a nurse just going to work. I felt bad for her, I bet she got a ticket.

Tonight Mieke and I had dinner at Itty Bitty Bar. We ate outside on the patio. We walked there from our house, it is so close and so nice out tonight. Stan had his golf league and stopped by on his way home.

I have really had trouble with my ileostomy lately, it is painful, leaks and is a real PAIN. I am sooooooo ready to get it reversed. It is all I think about. That date can not come soon enough for me.

Listening to the RAIN...

Hi, thought it was time to give a little update of last weekend.

It was a success. The weather was wonderful, nice an warm on Sat. so we could have fun in the water, and a bit cooler on Sunday so we could sit outside all day in beautiful non humid sunshine. Sat. night was our "Detroit Tiger" theme dinner for my Mom's 80th birthday. We had ribs and chicken and had the tent outside all decorated with Tiger paraphernalia. We gave her a Tiger banner to hang up wherever she is watching the games. We watched them win that night. So fun to all be together.

Sunday we had a pigroast. My crazy brothers got up at 3am to put the apple in the mouth, grapes in the eyes and start it roasting. It was delicious and we had plenty with a 100 lb. pig. We had about 50 relatives and friends, and even some "up north" neighbors came over. Dessert was ice cream sundaes with all the toppings and homemade brownies. We had a wonderful program lead by an old friend from the Grosse Pointe Christian Day School days, Jim VW. He played the guitar, sang, taught us fun songs, we did skits, people told stories about Mom and Dad and we gave them a framed Tribute signed by us 4 kids. My sister Krista read a beautiful writing that touched on all the things we are thankful for from our parents. She did a great job putting this together.

The little kids couldn't get enough Gator rides and pushes on the swing from Great Grandpa.
I was so grateful to feel pretty good throughout the whole weekend.

I did work 4 hours last Tues. and it went good. I didn't feel my best that day, but did get through it. I am singed up to go in Next Tues and do it again. I also signed up to teach two Saturday expectant parent classes. It was good to be back and work with my co-workers again.

We head back up north tomorrow to attend a wedding in Petosky on Sat. afternoon.

We are so happy to hear the good news of our friend Kent's results of his recent PET scan. It shows that the chemo is working, little to no glow. He will soon have surgery to remove half of his liver.
Hang in there Kent, we are praying for you!

I am sad the Tigers lost today. I was used to them winning with a 6 game winning steak.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the rain, I am.