Good Days and Bad

It is a quiet Wednesday evening in my luxurious accommodations of two weeks.  Mom left this afternoon for a few days at home and Brant will be down to visit me tomorrow.  So I am flying solo for the evening.  It is a good day for it to happen because I have been up and about today and feeling very well.

The tummy troubles have continued to plague me.  Lots of pain and I haven't eaten much since last Friday.  Yesterday was not a good day.  They decided to order a CT scan of my belly and then I had to drink like 1000mL of liquid prep - are you kidding me?!?  I am getting the scan because my belly hurts!!  The results during the night confirmed a very inflamed upper GI tract - which could be torn up from chemo, but could be caused by infection.  They started a new antibiotic overnight and by this morning I was breaking out in a rash....oops.  Switched me to another antibiotic and gave me some Benadryl and steroid cream.  The doctor says it is "benign" but it is kinda freakin' me out.  Actually it isn't too bad, just aggravating.

Despite all that mess, today has been great.  I managed a couple of continuous hours of sleep last night after the CT scan and woke up feeling good.  The nurse said that the lab tech was "super excited" to report my platelets were at 37 and I didn't need a transfusion of those.  My hemoglobin was 6.6 so I did get some red blood cells which always make me feel better. I managed a shower which is a MAJOR accomplishment with an IV pole and found that the hair loss has begun.  I was hoping it would wait until next week, but I realize it is inevitable.  The Massey Styling salon can shave it for me, but they are actually closed this week so I will probably just have to deal with shedding.

I had visitors from VDOT and it was nice to talk about something other than hospitals and medicine.  They brought well wishes from my co-workers which is really nice.  Yesterday when I was feeling pretty bad, I got my first cards in the mail and a care package from Hawaii.  Gertrude the IV pole now has some bling in the form of hand painted tree nuts.  I think she is happy with all the compliments. As you can see I have quite a windowsill of love and support!!  Thanks so much everyone.

The other really big news today is that my brother George in less than 2 days has gotten over $2500 in support for his half marathon.  He has moved into the top ten of individual fundraisers for the Sydney Half Marathon.  I told you he was an overachiever!!  Put some miles in for me, bro, I would love to be out on the beach with you!! Check out his site - Running4Rachel

Running for Rachel

My brother George in Australia has recently taken up running and is getting very good.  He always pushes himself in life with new challenges and never likes the status quo.  He is going to run his second ever half marathon in my honor to raise money for Leukemia Research.  Check out his page here.:
Running for Rachel Half Marathon.    Even though we are half a world away, he is going to find a way to help.  Thanks George!!

Monday night is coming to a close and we can put another day in the books.  I had a little appetite today and tried a popsicle and some gatorade.  Then I tried a bite of frozen banana and found out that WAS NOT a good idea.  Hey - trial and error.... After an intense episode of pain, I was so relieved when it was over that I actually had a good day.  Happiness is relative sometimes. 

My counts continue to stay low as expected.  I had a bag of platelets and a bag of Red Blood Cells today to perk me up.  Unfortunately I was running a little fever in the morning so I had to go thru the battery of culture tests and wait for Tyelnol to bring down the fever before I could have my transfusions.  So the day stretched out pretty long.  No word on the fever but it has not returned since the Tylenol.  If you ever want to do something to help - DONATE BLOOD.  I can not begin to tell you how many blood products I will go thru over the next few months in order to support my poorly functioning bone marrow, but it is a lot.  So give whenever you can.

Mom and I wheeled around the hallway two different times today.  I was able to get up and walk a little of it, and enjoyed strectching my legs.  I'm looking forward to some rest tonight, and am hoping my needy friend "Gertrude" the IV pole will not keep me up beeping half the night with Air in Line.....

Sunday Blessings, Part II

It is amazing to think that we have made it thru a week and tomorrow will start a new work week.  I feel like we have taken out a significant chunk of time in this process and that at least I'm not at the very beginning.  The last few days have been rough as the chemo takes out all your healthy cells that divide rapidly - this would pretty much include everything from one end of your digestive tract to the other....nuff said.

The doctors and nurses have been really great about getting on top of my symptoms.  They have tried several strategies including a morphine pump that I control as needed so I feel much better today.  I still don't have much energy. but I did make it out of the room and walked a 1/2 lap or so and then got pushed for a few more by my sister who is up visiting today.

Mom was able to walk to a neighborhood church again this Sunday for services and then got out to do some laundry while my sister was here.  So she has had her spiritual and emotional threrapy for the day!!

Our son's soccer team wore orange socks (the color for leukemia) at their tournament this weekemd - very cool.  All of the kids sports teams have really rallied around Team Cox.  It has been nice to read their sweet cards, wear wristbands, and see the pics and videos that have been sent.  Thanks Kodiaks, New River United, and Diamonds!  You guys are great cheering squads.

The Fun Begins

I guess it is unrealistic to take 7 days of straight chemo and not feel any effects.  Things started getting a little iffy yesterday but today it seemed like several things hit all at once.  But on the bright side - I finished my last bag of chemo and Brant and the kids came to visit!!  Katie had a little cold so they wore face masks just to be safe.  We all put on the matching Mickey Mouse face masks for the picture.  I felt good enough at one point during their visit and was able to do two laps around the hall with them.  I showed them where the treadmill was at.....but no demonstrations today.

Thank you for all the care packages we continue to receive.  It means so much.  I especially like reading the cards and words of encouragement. Our little room will be overflowing soon.

I am having a lot of gastric issues including nausea and upper GI heartburn.  The pain is not fun but I am hoping a good night's sleep and some of the measures they have taken will bring a little relief for tomorrow.  The next 7 -14 days will probably get worse so I am preparing myself for the challlenge.  I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Good Night!

Clothes & Gadgets

They have hung my 6th bag of Cytarabine.  Only one left to go.  I woke up today feeling some effects.  My platelets had fallen to 8 so I got a transfusion of those little guys.  The Benadryl they gave me to prevent another reaction did not help my attempts to get up and going.  Mom finally nudged me up to breakfast and then I remembered - I have clothes to put on today!!!!  Last night my friend's mom (the personal shopper) stopped by with a batch of shirts that she had modified with velcro to work over my IV lines.  It was quite exciting to be strolling around without a green and blue gown!!

Although it was a slow start to the day, I did come around.  Wearing pink helps.  We had visitors from my mom's church, and it was nice for her to have lunch with a friend.  My sister sent up some organizational gadgets for our room including a shelving unit.  It was a perfect fit and an easy assemble item. My "tooly" personality really enjoyed the afternoon project of putting it together and reorganizing the room.

I am still walking the halls with mom and spending some time on the treadmill with Pandora.  It is a great time to escape into the rhythm and words of music.  God seems to have taken over the DJ role of what comes out of my Pandora box.  Each day I am greeted with songs that I need to hear.  Today I felt a little less rock and tuned into the Christian Contemporary Channel.  The praise songs that played during those 20 minutes really raised my spirits.

I better go eat some of this exciting dinner they have prepared for me......

Strolling Along

Isn't it crazy to think that I was at work last Monday morning???!!  What seven little days can bring.  Wow, if you ever needed a reminder to cherish every moment of what you think is the "the same ol' routine" or the exhaustion of "keeping up with it all" - I am your poster child!!!  What I wouldn't give tonight to walk downstairs and tuck my babies (big ones now!) in bed and then fall asleep next to my husband. But I am also painfully aware that there are so many others just like us who have had their worlds turned upside down in the blink of an eye.  You just gotta keep moving forward.

I am on Day 4 of chemo.  Three more to go.  Still holding up well.  We walked the halls three times and I cranked out another 25 mins on the treadmill.  Still at that blistering 1.5 mph pace.  Never too early to start training for that post treatment survivor race that I will be walking or running (thanks for the inspirational suggestion!)

My highlight today was a visit from a great friend from back home who was kind enough to drive thru Carrollton to deliver Odoodledoos donuts.  Great medicine and the nurses really enjoyed the leftovers!!  They want to know where they can find them in Richmond....sorry.....gotta head east to find 'em.

This hospitalization has been very interesting with the explosion of technology in the last six years.  Then I basically had the blog, email, and phone calls.  Now there is facebook and texting and Skype.  My daughter has got me "snapchatting" with her which is a blast.  People are inviting me to play games on line - note, I am not good!  Next to me I am watching my mom learn to navigate my IPad (painful!!) while I am either on my smartphone or the laptop.  It is very cool to have all of the connections.  I am sure my world will close in very soon and my communication will be less.  But for now technology and you all have really expanded these four walls. So thanks!!

Sunday Praises

I have so much to be thankful for as we close out a Sunday evening.  For one thing as you can see - I still have my hair!! Ha ha.  I have completed two full days of chemo and there have been very little effects so far.  They say it will be worst after the chemo ends on Day 7, and that Day 14 is the typical bottom, and then another 14 days of trying to recover after that.  I am only on Day 3 so I will worry about that when I get there.

We have had some expected and surprise visitors this weekend.  It was nice to see my mother-in-law on Saturday and so nice of Brant's cousins to drive her up here.  A friend from Blacksburg sent her mother who lives in Richmond on a shopping trip to see if she could find some clothes that will work in the hospital.  She has never even met me but shows up as my own personal shopper with a bag of stuff to try out.  So nice!!!  My sister drove up today after church to surprise me and we have had a fun day of visiting.  She brought goodies from the drugstore, decor to spiff up the room and some tennis shoes.  I am banking all these days of feeling good and hopeful in the memory vault for withdrawal in future days.

Mom and I are settling into some routines around here.  She corrects me if I say anything negative.  She's like a positivity app - you say something negative and she translates it into a positive statement.  Kind of aggravating at times, but helpful.  We also are walking the floor as much as possible.  I apparently set a patient record by logging a 1-1/2 miles yesterday.  Today with my tennis shoes delivered, I hopped on the treadmill and logged 20 minutes at a speedy 1.5 mph pace.  The Pandora tunes were upbeat and I found some good lyrics in Christina Aguilera's Fighter.  Definitely got some endorphins going and I made good use of the blood transfusion they gave me this morning.

Thanks to everyone who has overwhelmingly poured out love, support, prayers, and offers to help.  Brant and I feel so blessed and thankful.  The road ahead will be tough but you all have had so many words of encouragement and scripture verses to keep us strong.  I leave you with a favorite right now:

Phlippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.

P.S - A friend suggested I add the link on the right side of my blog.  I'm not sure if I did it right, but I think you can sign up so you get an email when I make a new post.