We're No Longer Dreaming of a White Christmas; It is Here. Enough Already!!!

Happy Holidays to everyone. Now, I know people are sick of this politically correct reference and want me to say Merry Christmas. However, there is one hell of a lot of holidays taking place at this time of year. So Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa and Happy New Year (whew). Actually, I think there is some Islamic holiday in there some where too.

For those of you in warmer climates, we hate you. I would like to say that we are up to our asses in snow but we are WELL beyond that. And for those of you who think that we have an issue with global warming…stop by my house. The mercury in our thermometer ran out of room on the low side. This sucks!!! I was thinking of running my car non-stop for a couple of days just to see if I could warm this fricking place up a little.

All right, enough about me. What you really want to know is how is Princess Cynthia? Well, I can tell you that she is doing very well, except for the fatigue. She is still working full time so by the time she gets home, she is out of steam. Thank goodness she showed me how to turn on the dishwasher, start the cloths washer and dryer and how to start the microwave. My next lesson is how to turn them off. Seriously, I am trying to be as much help as I can so that she can get some rest. I never realized how much she does around here. The good news is that I will be able to give all of the chores back to her when she is well. :-)

Other than being tired, Cynthia is in very good spirits…well actually, that is poor choice of words because THERE ARE NO SPIRITS BEING SERVED AROUND HERE. We were supposed to go out with my brother Bill and his wife Paulette last Saturday and the weather was too dicey to venture out (big surprise). Although she was very disappointed that we were not going to get to see them, she was equally disappointed because she could not have the adult beverage she was planning on having. The next big development that they should be working on with regards to cancer treatment is a chemo treatment that you can blend with alcohol. Hmmm, maybe I should try to patent this. Until then, maybe she should start smoking dope.

On a more serious note, Cynthia wants me to thank all of you for the wonderful well wishes, cards and prayers. All of this support truly makes this journey easier. Also, thank you all for the Christmas cards as well. Our mantel is full from one end to the other. Hopefully you all received our cards…oh yeah, we forgot to send them out. I think this is the 20th year we forgot…sorry, we suck at sending out cards. Well, please consider this our wish to you for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Since we don’t have a good Christmas picture, I included a picture from our trip to Costa Rica (now that is global warming I can relate to).

Bye for now.

Bobby

On The Road Again - Finally!!!

Well, we have finally gotten the lab issue straightened out now. Cynthia finally received her official 2nd treatment today. All went well (except for the snail's pace that everything moves at). We arrived at the hospital at 12:00. Reviewed the labels with Cynthia's name, DOB, sex (yes) and phone number about 6 times. We finally had labs drawn at 12:30, then waited for our 1:00 Dr. chat. We got in to his office right on time...but the labs had not yet been processed so we waited yet again. Around 1:30, we met with the Dr. He reviewed the lab results with us while we reviewed the results to make sure they were Cynthia's. Everything was a go so off to the Day Clinic....where we waited again for about 40 minutes. However, once they came for us, the process moved along about as fast as it can. Two of the drugs are pushed by the nurse, the third is a drip. It takes about an hour to push the first two drugs and about an hour for the drip. We finally checked out around 5:00 and headed to Panera for a little soup & sandwich. Cynthia feels fine and is out reading the paper right now.

Leading up to today, we have been spending much of our time "going to work...coming home...going to work...coming home" That is Cynthia's little mantra for "not having any fun at all!" And you all know how she likes to have her fun. I believe she has most of her shopping done (most by Internet and phone) although I still have a few more items to pick-up. We also finally cut off the remaining hair she had left. It itched quite a bit and was getting very sparse. We found her two really nice stocking caps made of a very soft fleece which she likes a lot. Good timing too with the temps in the single digits and wind chills below zero (I really am starting to hate WI in the Winter).

Our tree is all decorated and there are presents under the tree...most of them for me I think. I do love Christmas..

Finally, we are starting to plan our trip to Las Vegas when this is all over. We are looking forward to many cold ALCOHOLIC adult beverages with our good friends Mark & Kim. Here they are from our last trip out there. Aren't they a good looking couple...and look at all that hair.

With Cynthia being couped up for the better part of a year...this trip could get very ugly (one could only hope). I can't wait.

Well...take care all. Lets all hope and pray that Cynthia has no more delays in this process.

Bobby

Hurry Up and Wait

Well, just when you think things are going well, something happens to slow down the process. Cynthia went in for her 2nd round of chemo treatments on Monday, December 1st. The normal process is that Cynthia goes to the lab to have the chemo needle inserted, then blood is drawn for testing. After the lab, she visits with the Dr. to review the lab results. If the lab results are OK, he will then send Cynthia to the day clinic where they administer the chemo. So, on the 1st, Cynthia goes through this process, lab first then the Dr. The Dr. reviewed the results with us and all of her values looked to be in the appropriate ranges so he sent us off to the day clinic.

In the day clinic, they administered the first of the three drugs. Then the nurse received a call telling her to hold off on administering any other drugs. We came to find out the labs that we reviewed with the Dr. prior to treatment were incorrect. They drew a second set of labs and found that her white cell count was too low. The Dr. and the Director of the Cancer Care Center came to meet with her and apologized profusely for the error. The Dr. stopped all further treatment and asked Cynthia to come back on Tuesday for a shot of growth factor (stimulates white blood cell production). Cynthia went in for the growth factor shot on Tuesday and more blood work. We met with the Dr. and Cancer Center Director again on Thursday. All of her values looked to be good. However, the chemo drug that they had administered on Monday needed to work through her system before they could restart treatment. So, the Dr. recommended that we hold off until the 15th and then, if all is in line, begin the 2nd round of chemo. We also received a written apology from Froedtert as well as complete explanation of what happened and the steps they are taking to make sure this lab error does not happen again.

Needless to say, this was a very emotionally draining process for Cynthia. Each time we get delayed, it extends the end date for this adventure. We are now looking at an end date in May (not April as we originally thought). We are also very disappointed with the error in the lab results at the hospital. If the Dr. had the correct results, he would have not recommended chemo that day and, instead, would have given her the growth fact shot, then started chemo later that week. The good news is that this incident is getting the full attention of the staff at Froedtert and we are getting more focused attention as well. The bad news...no more alcohol. It was determined that the little bit of alcohol that Cynthia had prior to December 1st may have suppressed her white cell counts. So it is back to the wagon for both of us.

So, other than that (which was a lot), things are going reasonably well. Cynthia's hair loss is having a little more emotional impact on her than originally thought. She told me the other day that she has never really felt ill throughout this process. With the exception of the post-surgical issues, she has always felt good. But now, she said she looks sick. The wig looks good, but itches. I told her that shaving her head might eliminate this but she has yet to make that quantum leap.

Finally, we have our Christmas tree up and a good deal of our shopping done so it is starting to feel like the holidays here. Let me tell you, Cynthia can not wait for this year to be over. 2008 has been a challenging year in many ways and we are eagerly looking forward to a better 2009.

We hope you all have a good week. And please, when you are out attending holiday social functions, please feel free to have a beverage for us. We will appreciate it.

Bobby

Hairless in Menomonee Falls (both of us)

Well, we knew it was coming...now it is here. Cynthia said her head was getting very sensitive to the touch last Sunday. By Tuesday, she noticed a few extra hair follicles in her brush. But on Wednesday, it started some serious exodus. I left early on Wednesday morning and drove 28 miles to work only to find out that our office was closed one extra day for the Thanksgiving holiday. I received the e-mail but forgot to put the extra day on my calendar. Well, it was a nice day for a drive. When I returned at around 10:45, I found the sink that she dries her hair in front of filled with hair. I knew I was going to be playing Floyd the Barber later that day (like the Andy Griffith reference).

Now, I cut my own hair from time to time with a Wahl electric trimmer and I use a number 1 blade guide. Since I have a fairly wide center part in my hair, I don't have too much to worry about. However, I was nervous about cutting off Cynthia's hair for some reason. So I set up a little barber shop in the lower level bathroom and when Cynthia got home, we got to it. Using a number 7 blade guide, I proceeded to give her the shortest haircut she has had in a long, long time. Although I thought she would be a little weepy during this process, she was actually fine. She said she was ready. Cutting it off was better than having it fall out during meetings at work. Actually, I was the one who was a little weepy. But we both made it through the process. Then, as a reward for a job well done, we treated ourselves to a beverage (yes, they included alcohol).

This experience led to our first outing with her wig on...Thanksgiving at Uncle Frank and Aunt Joanne's. Cynthia, her mother and I made the trip to Pewaukee on Thursday and had a very nice Thanksgiving with the family. Had we not told anyone, no one would have noticed that she was wearing a wig. However, she was very happy to get it off when we returned home. Her head is still sensitive and probably will continue to be until it is all gone.

No other major issues related to the treatment at this time (thank goodness). Her next treatment is Monday, December 1st. They say to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Well, we are both very hopeful that future treatments will be as relatively uneventful as the first. However, we are also planning for new challenges as she continues with this journey.

Thank you all again for all of the well wishes and prayers. Cynthia is very appreciative of the support you all have given her. She wanted me to send a very special thanks to Lynn Steinle. The bracelet that you made for her is beautiful. She may stop by and see you to have some adjustments made in the near future.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish you well for the upcoming holiday season.

Bobby

Whew...No major side effects

We have been very happy to learn that Cynthia has tolerated the first round of chemo treatments with no major side effects and especially, no nausea. She has had a few minor issues including fatigue, but nothing that has kept her from work. She has gone in every day except the treatment days and has felt good while there. She gets tired earlier in the evening (but not much...she would always fall asleep halfway through the news...now she falls asleep at the beginning). She had enough energy to make a pot roast for her Mothers birthday on Sunday. While that was cooking, and the Packers were waxing the Bears, my son Steven and I put the lights on the tree in front of our condo. Actually, Steven put the lights and I made sure that I was the cushion that he could land on if he fell off the ladder (thank goodness no major incidents). Here is the result of his hard work.

By the way, if anyone is ever looking for someone to decorate a tree like this, he is for hire (sorry for the shameful plug).

Finally, Cynthia was told by her medical oncologist that she could not drink during the treatments (6 months). So I told her that if she was not drinking, I would not be drinking. We are now a week and a half into this and, you know, it is not that bad. Although I do miss a good glass of wine now and then.

So all is good for now and we are looking forward to Thanksgiving. Her second treatment is the week after but we feel a little better going into this session now that we understand the process.

We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and will be in touch soon.

Bobby

Welcome Friends and Family

Well, here is the first entry in our blog. Most of you are already aware but here is little history for those who may not know...

Cynthia found a lump in her right breast back in June of this year. It was very high...about 3" below her collar bone. She saw the doctor in early July and was then scheduled for a mammogram and ultrasound. They could not see the tumor on the mammogram because it was too high. They did the ultrasound and that is when they saw it. She was then scheduled for biopsy at the end of July. The biopsy unfortunately was positive. It was a Stage 1 tumor (under 2 cm in size and had not spread as far as they knew).

Here she is the weekend before the surgery enjoying a cool beverage at Water Buffalo.

She had lumpectomy surgery to remove the tumor (the remaining breast was left in tact) on August 18th. The surgeon got clean margins on the tumor site and the lymph nodes were all negative (whew). However, the tumor was a grade 3 tumor (very fast growing and aggressive). It was also hormone resistant. These factors have determined the remainder of the treatment...both radiation and chemotherapy.

Radiation is always recommended for lumpectomies. Normal protocol for women under 50 is whole breast radiation for five weeks. This is typically performed after chemotherapy. However, Cynthia elected to participate in a clinical trial for partial breast radiation. This involved two treatments twice a day for five days. She was selected for this protocol so she had the radiation first. She started Monday, October 6th and had two treatments a day for five days and finished on the 10th. Although there was some difficulty getting her positioned just right each time, she made it through without major difficulty.

The doctors had her wait four full weeks before she got to start chemotherapy. Prior to starting, she needed to have a port surgically inserted in her chest. They use the port to administer the drugs. She had this procedure on the 30th of October. Which brings us to this week. Her treatment schedule is Monday and Thursday, every three weeks for four rounds. This will take her into mid-January. After that, she will start a new drug that she will get every week for 12 weeks. This will take her into mid-April. If all goes well, that will be the last of the treatments.

Her first two treatment this week are complete. She had the first treatment on Monday and seemed to tolerate it well. Her only real symptom now is fatigue. She went to work on Tuesday and Wednesday. Her Thursday treatment went well but she is feeling tired.

So that is where we stand. It is expected that she will lose her hair about the time of the second treatment although she is really pissed to learn that she will not lose the hair on her legs. She has a cute blond wig and is ready for that adventure when it comes.