A Long Overdue Update

I just realized that it's been quite awhile since I made an entry to the blog, so I thought I'd give you all an update.

We got through the month of daily IV chemo without a lot more drama or trouble. Lexi and I are back at home, back at school, and back into our routine.

Cara is back to work and has been doing really well. She is giving herself interferon shots every other day and that will continue for a year from August. She gets tired, her white blood count is still low, but she's been able to keep up really well with a few days when she needs to rest all day. The doctors will do another full body scan in December and that will tell how the treatment has worked.



Cara and Hannah are coming down to Pittsburg this weekend to watch Lexi march in the PSU Homecoming Parade and we're all looking forward to that. In other words--we're not "all consumed" with Melanoma and all its ramifications. Life is moving forward and Cara is taking her life by the horns and shaking it for all she's worth.

Thursday, August 12Thi

I'm not going to lie. This has been a hard week. We've settled into a routine, we're over halfway done, but we're not close enough to feel relief. The treatments are accumulating in Cara's system. All that adds up to Cara feeling miserable. She hurts, she's really tired, she can't always relax so that she can rest.

We talked to the Dr. today and he is giving her a day off tomorrow. She'll appreciate the break, although it will extend the treatments into Monday, Aug. 23.

Some good news--Lexi is back from Pennsylvania. She got to go to the beach and the theme park in Hershey--I forgot to ask if she could smell the chocolate. She spend some good time with Uncle Evan and Aunt Jenny as well as the other housemates--Ben (who's actually coming back to Kansas to go to school at Washburn) and Jeff and his girlfriend, Audrey.

This Sunday, August 15 is Cara's 31st birthday. We have tickets to see Beauty and the Beast at Starlight, an outdoor ampitheater in Swope Park here in KC. The heat (it's been 100 or so every day for a couple of weeks) is supposed to break, so it should be a lovely evening.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. This will all be over soon and we will be able to go on to new adventures!

Halfway done

Cara's reached the halfway point in her treatments--10/20. We're looking forward to a quite weekend to catch up on chores and relax a little bit. Cara's feeling pretty good, we went shopping for awhile this afternoon and it tired her out, but she's doing OK and certainly being a good sport about the whole thing. Lexi is in Pennsylvania with her Uncle Evan and Aunt Jenny--I've heard rumors about a theme park tomorrow....

I hope you all have a great weekend.

No News is Good News

I haven't posted in a few days because thankfully, there's not much new to report. Cara generally feels tired and achy, but she's able to get around and even do some things. Yesterday we went to WalMart for a little bit in the afternoon and went to the movies in the evening. She held up pretty well, but was really tired this morning. Lexi and I left her alone this afternoon to rest.

Lexi is leaving tomorrow to go to Lancaster, PA for about a week to stay with her Uncle Evan. I've heard about plans to go to New York City for a day--beyond that, the trip is a mystery. Lexi's been pretty good about entertaining herself but it's pretty boring around here--a change of scenery will do her lots of good. It's her first plane ride by herself but the flight is nonstop, so I think she'll be OK.

Hannah has kept us all entertained. She's looking forward to starting school on the 16th. Summer is almost gone. I so appreciate everyone's prayers and good wishes. Thanks for all your support.

A Quiet Weekend

It's Sunday--two days since Cara's last treatment. She's doing pretty well--moving a little slow, but felt well enough to take the girls to the park for awhile yesterday afternoon. She had a rash on her legs yesterday, but it's disappeared today. The site where her line is on her chest itches "like sandpaper underwear".

It's quiet around here this morning. We're going to get the kids out of here to remove their heebie-jeebies this afternoon. More treatments tomorrow. They told Cara that Monday would be a rough day after the weekend off, so we'll enjoy the day, the sunshine, and the relative calm.

A Better Day

Today went a lot better. Cara slept all day yesterday, but felt much better this morning. She met with the doctor's office this morning and they think it was a combination of the treatment, the sedative from the placement of the line, and the medicine they gave her for nausea.

She woke up this morning and wasn't exactly raring to go, but she seemed much more like her old self. The treatment went well today. She hopes that she has a lot more of these days--me, too!

Day 3 Mission Accomplished

Today was a tough day. We went to the hospital early this morning to have the PICC line inserted. The radiology folks were able to use some dye to determine what was going on with the veins and it showed that they are a tangled mess around that scar. So--they went directly into her jugular and her "line" is located in her chest.

Following the procedure, we went over to the cancer center so that Cara could get her next treatment. They had sedated her for the procedure, so she was pretty nauseous and had a terrible headache. She rested while she had her treatment. She's pretty much slept since we've been back home, too. This one really wore her out.

I wish there was some way that I could make this easier for her. She's such a great mom and a great person--I hate it that she has to go through this...

More later.