Christmas Is Almost Here!

I didn't know if I would have time to post anything before Christmas, but by night time I am tired and usually play games on my computer or respond to posts on the cc.org website. So, I figured if I had time to do that, then I could write a blog.

Lauren and I left for Michigan on Wed. morning. She had bloodwork at 12:45, doctor at 1:45, and chemo at 3:00. Everything was on schedule. We saw Lauren's oncologist, Dr. Zalupski, and he said he had spoken with Lauren's surgeon, Dr. Sonnenday. Dr. Sonnenday had looked over her CT scans from last time and wanted a clearer picture, so he told Dr. Z that he would like Lauren to have an MRI. Hopefully, he will see that things look better and who knows what that might mean!! Lauren also signed the papers to be part of a study where she will have a liver biopsy again and the samples they take will be tested to see what chemos might work best for her. This is very exciting. Dr. Z wanted to coordinate all of this around Lauren's trip to Mexico with Giovanni. He said it would be best for Lauren to be off chemo for a little while to be able to get a good sample from the biopsy. She had her Gemzar at the hospital and is taking the Xeloda until Dec.26. We asked about the 5-FU pump again instead of Xeloda, and he gave us the choice. I asked him in his opinion which one did he think would work better for her and which one would he rather have her take. He said Xeloda, so that is what she is doing. She had the choice, but we like to do what the doctor says since he is the expert. She is having her MRI on Jan.8 and the biopsy the third week in Jan. Things are looking promising.

Lauren had chemo at 3:00. We got to the waiting area early because she got in to see the doctor early. She got taken back to the infusion area super early. That was a first!! My Mom and Dad came to visit at the hospital. Sis also got off work early and was there. We all have a great time together in the waiting area. Only one person is allowed back with Lauren at a time, so we all took turns. A research coordinator called Lauren and said she would be coming to the infusion area to collect a saliva sample and cheek swab for the study. She said Lauren would also have to go back to the lab for another blood sample as well after chemo. When Lauren was done with chemo, we went to the lab and she gave more blood.

We all went back to Sis and Bruce's house for a little bit and decided to go to dinner at Red Robin. All of us and Bruce went. We had a lot of fun and some good food. Here are a few pics from Red Robin.

Bruce, Sis, and Papa Ron.

Grandma Tommie, me, and Wo.

My Mom and Dad left for home and Wo and I stayed overnight at Sis and Bruce's. We got up the next morning and Wo and I went to Bob Evans for breakfast and headed home. Lauren has been doing ok so far. She has had a fever off and on since Wed., but that is normal with Gemzar. She takes Tylenol and it usually helps. If it goes up to 101, we are supposed to go to the ER. But it usually hovers around 100 or a little higher for a few days. Never 101 or higher so far. She has had a few bouts with nausea, but uses her trick of chewing mint gum and it seems to help. She also takes Compazine for nausea.

I spent all day cleaning today and I had Wo lay in the room I was cleaning and her job was to yell at me if I got sidetracked. Once in the afternoon, I took a bunch of stuff upstairs and she caught me trying to take a little catnap in my bed. Darn it!! She is very good at supervising.

Lauren and Gio are doing my grocery shopping tomorrow and it will be a big list since Sis and Bruce are coming on Sunday and will be staying until Thurs. Yippee!!! I'm sure we will have lots of fun and I will take loads of pictures. My Mom and Dad are going to a wedding on Sat. close by, so they will also be stopping by on Sun. Then, next Sat. we will be having another Christmas at my Mom and Dad's with my sister, Linda and her family. Oh, what fun. This is the day we all bring snacky food and all end up in a cheese coma. Haha. Hard on the belly, but it sure is good.

I hope everyone has a very nice Christmas. We are all so grateful that Lauren is still with us and doing well. God bless you all. Thanks for your continued support. Love, -Pam

Really Busy

I justed looked at the date on my last post and it was 11 days ago. Sorry I waited so long to write again. Like everyone else, we are really busy getting ready for the holidays. Lauren is feeling well this week. Her feet are sore, but that is mainly because she has been doing a lot of Christmas shopping and walking a lot. She has been in a happy mood since being off her Xeloda until we have to go back to Michigan, which is Wednesday. We are going to see if she can be put back on 5-FU instead of Xeloda. It is the chemo she used to be on that is given over 48 hours through a pump. Lauren hated that chemo because she had to wear the pump for two days, but it was so much easier on her and is supposed to be the same as Xeloda.

Giovanni's birthday was on Dec. 8th. He was 25. I can't believe he has been dating Lauren since he was a junior in high school! I made him one of his favorite dishes last Sunday. Chicken chimichangas.Here is a picture of Gio after he blew out the candles on his birthday cake.

Lauren and I had lunch on Wed. with our friends, Lisa and Betsy. We drove to Lisa's house and then she drove to Legacy Village. We met Betsy there since she lives near Cleveland. We had lunch at the Cheesecake Facory. We had a really nice time and hadn't seen Betsy since last Feb. Both of these ladies have the same cancer as Lauren. They are both doing well. In fact, you wouldn't know they had cancer by looking at them. I don't think anyone with Cholangiocarcinoma likes to say they are in remission, because it seems like bad luck. But both of these ladies are tumor free at this time. We pray that it stays that way too! Here are a few pics of our lunch.

Lisa, Betsy, me, and Lauren

Lauren and Lisa

Lauren, Lisa, and Betsy

Lauren and I went to Giovanni's house to bake cookies on Friday. We made apricot and nut foldovers, pecan pie bars, chocolate chip, and cut outs. We were having a great time and then Lauren checked her ipad. Big mistake. that is when we heard about the school shooting and it pretty much burst our good mood. We were both so sad. It kind of made me lose my Christmas spirit. We did as much as we could that day and went back Sat. night and rolled out and baked the cut outs and the rest of the chocolate chip that we had refrigerated. Gio had a guys night out for his birthday. We cleaned up and went home. Gio and Wo frosted the cut outs this morning. Her are a few pics from our cookie baking.

Apricot foldovers.

Pecan pie bars. Lauren had to taste test the corner!

Lauren working hard on the foldovers.

The little expert baker!

Christmas will be here before we know it! I wish you all a blessed holiday season and a new year filled with good health. Until next time...
Love, -Pam

We Are Happy

When I got up this morning the first thing I did was ask Sis if she had looked at Lauren's scan report. She said she didn't because if it was bad she didn't want to be the one that had to tell us. I said I can't wait until the doctor appointment. I want to know now. I told her to let me read it. I braced myself for the worst and was very surprised to see that all of the tumors were minimally smaller than before and only one tiny one was a little bit larger. Lauren had only been on her oral chemo for the last month because of her allergic reaction to Oxaliplatin. This is called stable in the cancer world. I would say it was a little better than stable since most of the tumors had shrinkage. We are all thrilled with the news.

We arrived yesterday to U of M a little before 1:00. Lauren had a CT scan at 2:00. She only had to drink two glasses of water before. None of the yucky contrast stuff. When she went to the desk to check in the receptionist told her she was very brave to wear that sweatshirt in here. Lauren totally wasn't thinking and neither were we. She wore a bright red Ohio State sweatshirt in the heart of Wolverine territory. It was an interesting day and we heard many people grumbling under their breath about that Ohio State sweatshirt. I think they are all just sore because we beat them in the big game. Haha. Wo was done around 3:30 and we stopped at Meijer for some snacks and went to Bruce and Sis's house.

We had some snacks and then Wo, Sis, and I went to Home Goods. Mark and Bruce went to Walmart. When we got back to their house, we decided to go out to dinner at Sidetrack, a burger joint in Ypsilanti. I guess their burgers had been featured on Oprah. They were really good. We got fried pickles and onion rings before the burgers. The pickles were huge spears, not little round pieces. I loved them, and Sis like them, but nobody else cared for them. I left the place with a bit of grease belly from all the fried food, but it was a fun place. There is a train track right next to the place and one went by when we were there. It flew by so fast that you could hardly see it!! It was a little bit scary. Then this guy kept hanging around outside the window we were sitting by. He picked a cigarette up that someone else had dropped and started smoking it! Gross. He kept looking in the window at us and was kind of freaking us out. We don't think he was homeless because he was dressed ok. I guess he just found us interesting. Gio pulled in the drive right after we got back to Sis's house. He had left to come up after work.

Mark and Bruce went to get donuts this morning and went a bunch of different places because nobody had maple creme sticks anywhere. They finally found some at Dunkin Donuts. In case you are wondering, maple is Wo, Sis, and my favorite donut flavor and you gotta keep the girls happy.

We got to the cancer center at 1:00 for Lauren's blood draw. We all went upstairs to the waiting area for Dr. Zalupski. Lauren's appointment was at 2:00. We saw his PA, Marlene first. I really don't understand why we see her because Dr. Z goes over all the same stuff. Lauren told him that the Xeloda is making her really tired and her feet are sore. He was pleased with her scan and offered her many options. No chemo, Xeloda only, or Gemzar and Xeloda. She chose the Gemzar and Xeloda.
She is having her Gemzar infusion now and will take Xeloda for one week instead of two. Then she will have a rest week and do it all again in two weeks. I asked the doctor about other chemos and he felt this would be best for her now. He said he will consider switching her to 5-FU instead of Xeloda, if the Xeloda continues to bother her, but he felt better with the Xeloda.

He also mentioned a study they are doing. Lauren would have a liver biopsy and it would be studied to see what kind of chemo might benefit her the most. Lauren agreed wholeheartedly and will sign the papers next time we are back. She is not excited about another biopsy because the first one was really painful, but she said she has been through so much, she can handle it. she will probably have it some time in January.

Dr. Z was very happy with the chocolate chip cookies Lauren made for him and the two ties she gave him for a Christmas gift. We thought we wouldn't see him again until after Christmas, but now with the two week chemo schedule we will. He reminded Wo that he expected another present next time as well. Always such a little joker.

I don't have any pics of Wo, but I did take a few pics of Sis's dogs. She dressed them up for me and we were laughing so hard. Buzz could not keep the the Santa hat on his big noggin an Stink just sat there like such a good boy.

Thanks for all of your prayers. They sure did help!! I will talk to you all again real soon...Love, -Pam

I am in the hospital right now and it won't let me post the pics. I will post them later.

Ok, I am home now, so here are Buzz and Stink. Buzz is the hyper, crazy dog in the Santa suit and Stink is the laid back good dog in the Elf suit.

Our Tradition Of Getting Our Christmas Tree

We decided to go get our Christmas tree Sat. after Mark got off work. Last year we went to a great place called Galehouse Tree farm. It is a very long drive and we only had a few hours before it would start getting dark this year. We decided to go to Moore's Tree Farm in Hartville. It was a beautiful sunny day in the 50's. We wanted a tree like the one we got last year. A Frasier fir. The needles are short and soft. They had a good selection and after hiking around for a while we found one that we all liked. It is a rather skinny tree, but it will decorate nicely. In years past, we have had trees so big around, they took up half the room. This one is just right. We all went to El Rincon after we dropped the tree off at home and had a great dinner together.

Lauren is on her off week for Xeloda and is feeling so much better. Last week she decided not to take her last two doses because she was extremely nauseous and her feet were red and sore. She can stay awake during the day and has a lot more energy. She went shopping today with Ryan and Stephanie and last night she made cookies for Dr. Zalupski, so she is the old Wo again.

Mark, Lauren and I will be leaving tomorrow morning for U of M. Lauren has a CT scan tomorrow at 2. We have to be there at 1. Gio will be coming up to Bruce and Sis's after work so that he can go to Wo's doctor appointment on Wed. to see what the scan says. She also has labs and if Dr. Zalupski has a new chemo plan, she is scheduled for chemo. Please pray as hard as you can for good news. I cannot even begin to explain how awful it is to wait for scan results. It's a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach that doesn't leave until after seeing the doctor. We are going to be positive. Hearing good news is the best feeling in the world. That would be the best Christmas present ever!! I will let you know the results when we find out. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. I will leave you with some pics at the tree farm and the end result. Until next time...Love, -Pam

Ryan, Wo, and Gio standing by our tree.

Lauren and Giovanni with a little Charlie Brown tree.

Getting ready to cut it down.


 

Ryan usually cuts it down.

Momma and Big Man

 

 

 

Gio and Wo

 

Haha. This picture cracked me up. Wo looks like she has an antenna coming out of her head and I just look like a dope!

Family pic. Sad Sis, Bruce, and Stephanie weren't with us. Gio was taking the pic.

I have no idea why we did this. I think the boys have weightlifting on the brain.

Pretty Wo.

Handsome Bub.

All done. A nice guy on a tractor took our tree to the baler for us.

This is what I spent my day doing with supervision by Lauren. I love it!

Thanksgiving Was So Much Fun

Well, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I think ours was one of the most fun we have ever had. With Lauren being sick, Wayne overcoming his cancer, and Grandma and Grandpa getting older, we all appreciate life, family, and getting together so much.

We got up early on Thanksgiving morning and Mark, Lauren, Ryan, Stephanie, and I were out the door by 8:30. Giovanni spent Thanksgiving with his family and came up in the evening. We went to McDonalds and got breakfast and realized we had forgotten the pop we were going to take, so we made a stop back at home and were on our way. We got to my Mom and Dad's before noon. Linda, Wayne and Michael got there a few minutes after we did. Matt and Katie had gone up the night before. Bruce had been on call the night before, so they came up after he got off work. They arrived in the afternoon. The only dogs that were there were Ernie, Buzz, and Stink. They all got along well.

We congregated mostly in the kitchen, talking, drinking, and snacking on shrimp cocktail brought by Linda and a yummy cheese ball made by Katie. We had the Macy's parade on the tv and then football the rest of the day.

 I had decided I wanted to take our Christmas card picture outside and Lauren had made signs for us to hold up that spelled out Happy Holidays. The weather did not cooperate though and Kristen and my hair was blowing in our face. The signs were also getting blown all over the place. I will post the pics and flubs at the end of this post. We decided on a shot that was taken with all of us sitting on the steps of the deck. I will post that pic in a later post as I don't want to spoil the surprise of our card. Katie, Matt's fiance took the pics and did a great job.

My Mom and Dad were hard at work in the kitchen. It was finally time to eat!! Before dinner, Mark usually says the prayer. This year he could not get one word out without choking up. Finally my Mom took over and said a very sweet prayer about everyone being around for a long time. Mark gave my Mom a big hug and thanked her. The dinner was so delicious and filling. Turkey and gravy, dressing, homemade noodles, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, jello salad, dried corn, deviled eggs, crescent rolls, pumpkin rolls, and cranberry sauce. What a carbfest! We didn't have dessert until later but when we did we had, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, nut pie, cookies, and a chocolate pudding,oreo,cool whip dessert.

We played games after dinner. The first game is called Left Right Center.  We play it around the dining room table. Everyone starts out with three $1 bills. In a nutshell, you take turns rolling three dice that have L R C or a dot on them. If you roll L R or C, you give a dollar to the person on the left, right, or in the pot in the middle. A dot means your dollar is safe. You just keep going around the table until the last person with money wins the pot. Stephanie won the first game and Lauren won the second. It is really fun and we all laugh so hard. The next game was Catch Phrase and it was fun too.
Gio got there in the middle of that game and we all kind of pooped out after that because everyone wanted to talk to him. We still had fun sitting around the table talking and laughing.

Lauren was really tired that day and tried so hard to participate. A few times she had to go sit down, put her feet up and wrap up in a blanket. The Xeloda is really making her so tired this time. Thank goodness she only has to take it until tomorrow.

Everyone stayed overnight except for Mark, Stephanie, and I. Steph had to be at work at Macy's at 4:30 in the morning, and we had to get home to take care of our doggies. Ryan, Lauren and Gio stayed overnight the next night too and came home Saturday.

Here are some pics from Thanksgiving. The first one is of Katie, Wo, and Stephanie. All so pretty!

One of the good ones.

Not paying attention.

Good one except for Sis's hair.

 

Wo having a hard time. I look like I have broken out into a song, and who knows what Sis and Bruce are looking at. Mark is the only one staying on task!

 

 

This is the pose that will be our card. Not this one, but a better one. Buzz jumped in the picture here and Sis is getting him the heck out. Haha.

 

My sister's family. So cute.

Ryan and Stephanie. Adorable.

Busy in the kitchen.

Grandma Tommie in her huge pantry.

Still in the kitchen.

We will be heading to Michigan next Tuesday for Lauren's CT scan. We will see her doctor the next day and decide what to do next. Please pray for good scan results. It is such a difficult and nerve wracking time. We are praying for a Christmas miracle. Many prayers to all others who are living with illness. Until next time... Love, -Pam

Getting Excited For Thanksgiving

Well, it's almost Thanksgiving!! We are going to my Mom and Dad's house in Port Clinton. There will be my Mom and Dad, my sister Linda and her husband, Wayne, along with my nephew, Matt, and his fiance, Katie, my nephew Michael, Mark and I, Kristen and Bruce, Lauren and Giovanni, and Ryan and Stephanie. My Mom and Dad make the turkey, dressing, noodles, gravy, jello, and pies. I bring green bean casserole, which I have to increase the amount every year because it is definitely a crowd favorite. My Mom has to make a ton of noodles because Lauren, my sister, Linda, and my nephew Michael looooovvvvve them more than anything. So do the rest of us, but they are obsessed!! I also make a sweet potato casserole that is the butt of many jokes every year. Matt and Michael, my nephews even used to sing a song about them on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Something on the order of "Ain't gonna eat none of Aunt Pam's sweet potatoes". Haha. It has mashed sweet potatoes, orange juice, brown sugar, butter, eggs, milk, and then pecans on top. I think it was the pecans that made them squeamish. Mark, Kristen, and my Mom and Dad like them. I'm not sure about anyone else. I guess the first time I made them I put too much oj in them. They have gotten better as years have gone by. This year they will be happy because I am not putting nuts on top. I can't disappoint them by not making them. They love to make fun of them and I don't really care. It is all in fun! I also make a chocolate pudding dessert with oreos, pudding, and cool whip. Linda brings tons of deviled eggs and snacks. Lauren wanted to make something and I told her to just get a bunch of two liters of pop. Kristen wanted to make something and I said no low fat, healthy stuff. She and Bruce are crazy health nuts. That has no place at a Thanksgiving table!! I am not sure what she will end up bringing. She is a good cook. She just doesn't like to cook. She and Bruce are always working and busy, so I really don't blame her. Katie, my nephew Matt's fiance always brings something as well.

I decided we are going to leave our dogs at home this year. Frank is too hairy and old and Peanut and Penny freak out on the drive up. Penny usually throws up and Peanut shakes so bad because he hates riding in the car. It will be a lot more stress free for us. Besides, Sis and Bruce bring their sweet but hyper and bratty Boston Terriers, Buzz and Stink, and Linda brings her Rat Terrier, Ernie. Her sweet Max had to be put too sleep a few months ago. So three hyper terriers are enough. Penny barks non stop around them. Peanut usually just hangs with the pack and thinks he's the head honcho, but I just don't like putting him through the stress of getting there. I think everyone will thank me for not bringing my two little yappers and big hairball. Mark and I will be leaving that evening. The kids are all staying overnight. I hope they have better luck with the air mattresses than last year. Remember, Ryan's kept going flat and it was a fiasco. I know I posted about it last year on Caringbridge.

Changing the subject, we decided Sat. to go to Dontino's, an Italian restaurant in Akron for dinner. Lauren, Gio, and Ryan went with us. We had a nice time but Lauren could hardly keep her eyes open. She was so tired and has been since starting her Xeloda on Wed. She seems to fall asleep whenever she is sitting. The side effects from this chemo are crazy. You never know each time how she is going to do. I sure hope this isn't a sign of her getting worse. I am anxious for her to have her next CT scan and we are praying for good news.

Since it was nice on Sunday, Mark decide to put up our Christmas decorations. I am sure all the neighbors think we are nuts for putting them up so early but it was a nice day and he couldn't pass up the opportunity. Plus, it makes him happy to come home from work and see the decorations and lights. Ryan hepled him and Lauren and I sat in the driveway. It was kind of cold when just sitting there, but it was sunny. Here are a few pics.

I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving with your families. Please say a prayer for Lauren and all others who are not in good health. I am sorry to say that our dear friend, Marta went to heaven  this past Saturday. May she rest in peace. Enjoy times spent with loved ones.

Love, -Pam

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Gretch.

It has been a fairly quiet week since I last posted. The weekend was warm and sunny. I am writing this while sitting in the sun today. For those of you that live in warm, sunny climates, it might not be a big deal, but wintertime in Northeast Ohio can be quite depressing. Lots of dark, cloudy days that make you feel so cruddy. We sure do appreciate the sunny days!!

Mark, Lauren, Gio, and I went to El Rincon, our favorite Mexican restaurant on Friday night. I have written before that Lauren has lost her taste for Mexican food, but it has come back a tiny bit. She loves the queso dip with chorizo. I think she could make a meal of that with chips and eat nothing else! I don't know how her tummy handles it, but it does.

Wo and Gio went to his house on Sat. and did yard work. Gio said he couln't believe how much energy Wo had. She helped him rake leaves and mowed on the tractor. Her legs were really sore and achy that evening, which is understandable. Lauren was hungry for chicken salad, so she and Gio made some along with pasta salad. Gio liked it, but Wo was disappointed in it. I didn't taste the chicken salad, but the pasta salad was great.

Sunday morning Mark made his usual big breakfast. Lauren and Gio went on a bike ride and a walk after breakfast. We were happy to see Lauren with energy! We all went over to Gio's in the afternoon since the Browns weren't playing this week. Mark and Gio hung motion detector lights around the outside of the house so Wo feels safe there. Gio always teases Lauren about her hating the house. It's not that at all. She loves the house, but likes to have people around her all the time and doesn't like to be by herself. She doesn't want you to bug her, just be around her. Plus he doesn't have cable or internet yet. Once she has that, I'm sure she will want to be there more.

Wo and I met all of our girlfriends for breakfast on Monday morning at our usual place, The Frontier in Hartville. There was a pretty big crowd this time. Lauren and I, Debbie B., Dawn, Debbie J., Ruth, Sherry, and her son, Jack. I had kind of had my fill of big breakfasts, so I just got a blueberry muffin. That definitely was a first! We always have the best time with these ladies. I don't think Jack said one word and probably couldn't wait to get out of there away from all of us cackling hens! Haha. Lauren and I went grocery shopping after that.

We had a lunch date with our friend, Lisa on Tuesday. We met her at Rockne's in Fairlawn. Our  friend, Sharon, that passed away this summer from gall bladder cancer has a daughter named Katie. She had written to me saying she would like to go to lunch with us in place of her Mom. She was planning on coming this time and we were all set for her and her two little children with a high chair, baby car seat holder, and coloring supplies. Her daughter woke up early with a runny nose and Katie didn't think she would make it through lunch without her nap. She also didn't want Lauren and Lisa around a child with a runny nose. Hopefully, they will be able to join us next time. She misses her Mom so much and I think it would be nice to cheer her up a bit. I finally charged the battery to my camera, so here is a pic of Lisa and Lauren.

After lunch with Lisa, Lauren went to dinner with her good friend, Jill. They went to Don Pablos down on The Strip. They shopped a bit at Marshalls and Wo was home by 8:30. Jill has been such a great friend to Lauren. Her Mom, Debbie is one of my good friends and still sends Lauren a card every week. We love you both so much!

Lauren started back on her Xeloda last night. She will take it for two weeks, have a rest week, and then have a CT on Dec.4th She will have labs, doctor visit, and chemo, if it is decided what new type on Dec.5th. She is having back pain and she says her liver feels really big and it is hard to lay on her stomach or side. She mainly sleeps on her back. I hope her CT shows good news. It is so hard wondering what is going on in that liver.

Lauren feels like a lot of her friends have kind of forgotten about her. If you could leave her a little message of encouragement, I am sure it would help a great deal. Thanks so much for your continued support. We would appreciate any prayers for good scans, tumor shrinkage, and maybe even a miracle. Also a few for all of our CC friends and for our friends with other cancers as well. Thank you so much.

I will leave you with a sweet pic of Wo and her first dog, Gretchen. Lauren was really afraid of dogs when she was little and would practically crawl up on Mark's shoulders when she saw a dog. She could spot one a quarter mile away and start panicking. We loved dogs and wanted one so bad. We had gone to a shelter and Lauren freaked out at puppies because they are so hyper. One day the shelter called us and said they had the perfect dog for us. They told us to come down and bring Lauren to see her. The dog was very calm and Lauren was not scared of her. I think something magical happened between them. She was meant to be there for Lauren and to help her overcome her fear. She was such a scruffy little thing with a terrible underbite. Her name was Gretchen and she was a stray that had recently had puppies. She also nursed some orphaned puppies, so I knew she was a sweet girl. She was one of the best dogs we have ever had. Sadly, we didn't have her for a really long time. She developed cancer and passed away. It took us so long to get over her, but she is forever in our hearts. This is Wo and Gretch making the Gretch face. Until next time...Love, -Pam

Cancer, Birthdays, and Microwaves

Woops! I think I have gone kind of long without an update. I am so happy all the election hoopla is dying down and things can get back to some kind of normalcy. Although, anyone living with cancer never has a normal life.

Lauren has been doing quite well on her Xeloda this time. She has had no nausea or vomiting and her feet never got red or sore. I wonder if the combination with Oxaliplatin was causing all the bad side effects. She has been very tired and has had some back pain this time, though.

We all had a nice time last Sat. night. Lauren and Gio met us at Outback for dinner. Ryan and Stephanie also went with us. Steph got a special sundae because Monday was her birthday!! A whole 20 years old. I love when we can all get together and have dinner together. Lots of fun, good food, and laughs. I sure do wish Sis and Bruce lived closer so they could join us too.

I had e-mailed Dr. Zalupski (Lauren's Oncologist) last Friday and asked what he planned on doing with regards to Lauren. Since she had the allergic reaction to Oxaliplatin, I was wondering what he had planned for her. He e-mailed me back and said he would call Lauren or myself Sunday or Monday evening. He called Mark's cell on Sunday and said he would call back Monday evening. He called and spoke with Lauren Monday evening. He said he wanted Lauren to continue with her Xeloda, take a week off, and then take her Xeloda again for two weeks. He doesn't want her to come to Michigan on Wed. He wants her to come for a CT scan on Dec. 4 and will see us on Dec. 5 and we will go from there regarding what chemo to take. He may keep her on Xeloda and add another chemo or maybe something different depending on the scans. He said he could try the Oxaliplatin and give her a bunch of steroids before and draw it out for 8 hours instead of 2, but he doesn't know if her reaction was a mild one for her or a bad one. It was a really bad reaction, but he doesn't know if that is the worse it could get or if the next one could be life threatening, and he doesn't want to risk it. Thank goodness. Too scary. He told her he could load her with all sorts of chemo, but he wants to help her and not hurt her. Do you see why we love him so much. He is doing everything he can for her and we trust him so much.

My Mom and Dad had decided to give Gio a really nice housewarming gift for his house. So, last week they came down and my Dad and Wo measured and  did more measuring and planning. They wanted to put an above the stove microwave in his kitchen for him. We had a nice time with them last week and  and the huge box was left in Gio's basement all week and he never even noticed it!! They came back yesterday and my Dad worked on this project from 10 to after 7. I swear he is a machine!! He is 80 years old and would put any 20 year old to shame. He is such a perfectionist too, so I am sure it is the best installed microwave ever. He had to trim cupboards and doors down and fit brackets into a very tight space. Mark and Ryan helped with things. My Mom brought sloppy joes for lunch. We ordered chicken from my Mom's favorite chicken place for dinner. Lauren, my Mom and I moved a bunch of stuff Gio brought from his parent's house into the office. We had a really fun time together. Gio was so surprised and happy when he got home. It was great. Sorry, we don't have any pictures. We are slipping on the picture taking.

Our little chihuahua, Peanut was 5 years old on Tuesday. He is my little baby and I just love him. He can be quite cantankerous and mean at times. Probably because I babied him so much. I think we have all been bitten by him at one time or another. He used to chew up paper and if you stick your hand near his mouth to get the paper away, watch out. He only weighed 24 ounces when we first got him. Here is a pic of him when he was a tiny baby with Wo.

Our little chihuahua, Penny, will be 2 tomorrow. She is such a sweet girl. She does not have a mean bone in her body, but man does she have a loud bark!! And bark she does!! She is such a little yapper.
Penny is definitely Lauren's favorite pup. Penny sits with her any chance she gets and loves to sleep in Lauren's bed. I think she knows Lauren is sick and always tries to comfort her. She is way bigger than Peanut. They are both quite hefty because they love to eat. A little bite of this and that adds up for them. These little dogs are such a joy to us. Here is sweet Pen.

That's about it for the week. We have a sad week. Our CC warrior, Tim passed away last Friday. He fought so hard and will be missed by so many. Marta, our friend with stomach cancer is in hospice care. It is even hard for her to post on FB or her blog. Please pray for her and Tim's family. Also for Lauren and all of her CC buddies. Some have had bad news lately. Thank you all so much for caring.
Until next time...  Love, -Pam

Bad Reaction To Chemo

Hi Everyone!  Happy Halloween!! Sorry it has been awhile since I last posted, but I have to psyche myself up to write. It takes a lot of time and thought and I haven't felt like thinking!! Lauren had a very trying time at chemo last Wednesday. I will try and remember as best as I can.

We left for Michigan early last Wed. morning. Hit a traffic jam near Arlington Rd. and it took an hour to go 14 miles. Good thing we give ourselves plenty of time. We got to Michigan about 15 minutes before we were due.

Lauren had a blood draw and then an appointment with Dr. Zalupski. Her platelets were only 63,000 and need to be 100,000 or more for chemo, but Dr. Z said he would just lower the amount of Oxaliplatin she got instead. He said he wanted her to have this chemo, one in November, and then a CT scan at the beginning of Dec. Dr. Z's PA, Marlene also saw Lauren. Lauren asked her about her nausea she gets from Xeloda, her oral chemo. Marlene said to take Compazine 15 minutes before she takes Xeloda. Lauren was taking Compazine when she got nauseous instead of before. I am happy to say that so far this is working much better for her.

Lauren got into a nice area for chemo back in a corner. She was happy she wasn't in the big, semicircle room that has no privacy. My Mom and Dad came to the hospital to visit . I don't have any pictures because I forgot my camera this time. Lauren got a flu shot before chemo and had all her pre-chemo meds. Then she had her bag of magnesium and bag of calcium. She gets some hydration as well through iv. My Mom was back with her at this time. All the sudden, my Mom came out and said Lauren wants you back there. She is really itchy. I was a little concerned and went back. Nurses were all running around like mad. Lauren said she was really itchy, her face was beet red, and her ears felt like they were closing. She said her throat felt ok and didn't feel like it was closing. They had a pulse oximeter on her finger and a blood pressure cuff on her arm. The PA came back to get control of things and had her nurses give her Benedryl  three times, steroids a few times, hydrocortisone a few times, and Pepcid all in her iv. She then developed hives all over her chest. Her ears and scalp were also really red. She had gotten up and went to the bathroom when this first started and scratched her stomach so hard that there were blood marks under her skin. My poor Mom didn't know anything was wrong until Lauren told her nurse she didn't feel well. Lauren was so scared and they finally got her under control after about an hour. She had only had a small amount of Oxaliplatin and it caused this reaction. Her doctor had told her before that each chemo would get worse and some people had a reaction about the 6th or 7th time. He sure was right.

Lauren felt good as new after a few hours and was allowed to leave the hospital. I was and still am concerned what will happen without her getting chemo. She still is taking the Xeloda, but what is the doctor going to do? She has to be on something to keep her tumors from growing. I am sure Dr. Z will have something in mind. I think we will call him this week or next to see what he has come up with.

We went to Applebee's for dinner and Lauren felt great not having chemo. She usually wants to go right to Sis's and go to bed. She had a lot of fun. We all went back to Sis's house and watched tv. Sis and Bruce and their dogs weren't home. Their dogs were in a kennel and they were on vacation in Mexico. We got up and went to Bob Evans for breakfast and headed home.

Lauren decided to wait until Friday to start her Xeloda. She felt so good on Thurday and then back to feeling cruddy. She has been very achy and sore this time on Xeloda. She has also been so tired. I hope she can feel better soon.

She went out with Mark today and went with me on Monday to get my flu shot at Mark' work. She did go with me to the grocery store on Sunday as well. Other than that, she has been resting.

Here is a cute picture of Wo when she was a little girl. She was so adorable.

Today is our oldest daughter, Kristen Marie's 30th birthday. She is such a beautiful, kind, funny, compassionate person. We are so proud of her and all of her accomplishments. She never gave us a bit of trouble her whole life. We have been very lucky in that we have three great kids. All different and all special in their own ways. Her is a pic of Kristen or Sis as we call her and her dear husband, Bruce.

Thank you for continuing to read my blog. Please keep all of our CC friends in your prayers as well as Lauren and our friends with other cancers. Also our friends that have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. Love to all of you, -Pam

Lunch, Lunch, and More Lunch

Hi Everyone, We have been so busy this past week. I know I wrote last time about going to lunch with our friend, Lisa on Monday. Well, it didn't stop there. All I know is Lauren and I could have full time jobs going to lunch!!

Gio did not feel well from the beginning of the week, so Lauren told him just to stay home until he felt better. The last thing she needs right now is to get sick. I am happy to report that by Friday he was feeling much better.

Mark had his day off on Wednesday and he and Lauren went to Sam's Club and to lunch at Rockne's. Lauren brought home almost her whole lunch because she hasn't had much of an appetite lately and has been getting nauseous a lot too. When she first got up on Wed., which was the last day for her to take her Xeloda for this 2 week period, her feet were so red and she felt bad. She tried to eat some scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast and threw up. I e-mailed Dr. Zalupski and said she was not going to take her last dose of Xeloda because it seemed like she couldn't handle it. He e-mailed me back and said that was fine and we probably should have stopped it sooner. Since then, her feet have gotten better, but she has still been nauseous.

I had to go grocery shopping on Thurs., so I asked Lauren if she wanted to come with me. Ryan came home from his class and we aske him to join us. I took them to lunch at Olive Garden because they have a really good soup and salad lunch that is really inexpensive. It was nice to get to do something with Ryan because he is usually working, going to school, or with friends or Stephanie. Here are a few pics of us at lunch.

Ryan really chowed down and ate a ton. I ate a regular amount. Lauren could barely eat anything. She thinks she is hungry, but fills up so fast. I really worry about her. After lunch we went shopping at Aldi. When I went to pay with my debit card, I realized I left it at Olive Garden. I remained calm and Lauren had cash to cover the bill. I later repaid her at home. We went back to Olive Garden and sure enough, they had my card. The reason I am telling you this is that before I was on medication for depression and anxiety I would have totally gone bonkers about losing my card. I calmly took it in stride and everything was fine. How wonderful it is to be calm. We then went to Walmart to get Halloween candy. Lauren is going to take a bucketful to Dr. Zalupski and his nurses. She did this last year and they still talk about it!! It was a really fun day.

Lauren and I went to Mark's store in Kent on Friday. My Mom and Dad came down from Port Clinton to get new tires for their car and my Dad had his 62nd high school class reunion that night in Wadsworth. Guess what else they wanted to do? Yep, go to lunch. We sat at Mark's store for a long time, visited, and waited for the car to be done. We all went to Mike's Place in Kent for lunch. we were happy Mark could come too. He rarely if ever leaves his store. We got to see one of Mark's bosses, Bruce as we were leaving for lunch. He is the one we call Sugar Daddy because he always does nice things for Lauren and even let her use his T-Bird for a weekend. We didn't eat lunch until mid afternoon. I hope my Mom and Dad could eat their dinner at the reunion. They eat such small amounts anymore. They split a plate of sliders and were stuffed. Here is a pic from  lunch.

Well, guess what we did on Saturday? I am not even kidding. This one had been in the plans for quite some time. Our friend, Kris from neat Philly, Pa. was visiting a friend near the Youngstown border. I met her through the Cholangiocarcinoma.org website and Lauren, Lisa, and I are friends with her on Facebook. She has the same cancer as Lauren and Lisa have. We met for lunch at a Cracker Barrel in Rootstown. We had the best time together. Kris came with her friend, Lorraine and they met a lady that I think was Lorraine's aunt. Lorraine and her Aunt sat at the table right next to us so they could visit . They were both very sweet as well. Here are some pics.

Lauren was so exhausted after this week of lunching. She fell asleep early Sat. night, slept all day Sunday and didn't feel good on Sunday. She felt very nauseous after breakfast and barely ate anything but some of my chicken rice soup that I had made and froze. She was in her bed all day and went to bed early. Gio had to go to bocce by himself and came back in the evening. We were supposed to meet our breakfast gang this morning and Lauren said last night. Mom, I can't do one more thing. I am so exhausted that I need to stay home and rest. I texted my friend, Dawn last night and told her we weren't coming. They all understand and we will try to make it next time. It is already time to go back to Michigan on Wed. Please keep our CC friends and Lauren in your prayers. So many are not doing well at this time. Thank you for reading this blog and I will talk to you next week.  Love, -Pam