Sleeping Beauty

I thought it was about time for an update on everything. Lauren has been doing ok, but if she is not busy doing something, she usually falls asleep. We think it is from her oral chemo which is called Xeloda. She has been taking a lot of naps lately and can't wait to get in her bed at night. Hey, if that is the worst side effect, I say we will take it! She has had some neuropathy, but really doesn't complain about it at all. Remember, her doctor gave her a prescription for muscle relaxants. She took one and said her back hurt worse and has never taken another one. Her back pain goes in spurts and it seems to be ok for the moment. She takes her Xeloda until next Wed. and is off for a week. We go back to Michigan on the 22nd.

 Speaking of Michigan, we are having a hard time with the scheduling for next time. She has labs at 12, doctor at 1, and then chemo at 5. What is wrong with this picture?? I have called twice to try and get chemo switched to an earlier time and have gotten nowhere. They keep telling me there are no appointments for earlier. I find that hard to believe when half the time we are in the infusion area, there are empty chairs. This is the first time this has happened. I know we used to get in right after her doctor's appt. because her infusion was 7 hours long and nobody wanted to be there until midnight. Now that it is 2 1/2 hours, they don't seem to care. I made a last ditch effort and e-mailed Dr. Z to see if he could help. If anyone can, it will be him. So, we shall see.

We have been watching the Olympics every day. I should say, I have been watching the Olympics ever day. Mark and Lauren are kind of sick of them about now. It would be nice to see some of the other competitions, but NBC seems to focus on beach volleyball and volleyball more than anything. I love Misty May and Keri Walsh, but come on. It must be those tiny bikinis or something.

Wo and I finally went to see Magic Mike this week. We were in the theater for the early bird showing with about ten old cougars. I am old, but I ain't no cougar. Haha. Anyway, they were all yacking it up and hooting and hollering before the movie, and we just looked at each other and said Grrrreat. They did quiet down after the movie started. Besides some nice looking guys, the movie was one of the worst we have ever seen. It seemed to drag on forever. Neither Lauren or I have ever been to a male revue and I think we will keep it that way. The way the ladies acted in the movie was just downright embarrassing. At least we didn't waste the whole day and had a nice lunch at Panera.

Lauren and Mark spent Mark's day off together on Wednesday. Lauren had an eye appointment because she needs new contacts. They went shopping and out to lunch at Olive Garden. As you know, shopping is not my thing, so I was happy to stay home. Plus, I think Mark has fun spending time with Wo. He lets her shop till she drops. I don't think they got home until around 4:30. They left the house around 11. Too long for me! I made one of my crowd pleasers, swedish meatballs, for dinner. Wo and Gio ate with us. Ryan and Stephanie are in South Carolina with her family. They are at a place called Fripp Island. He said it is really nice, but not a lot to do. He is used to Myrtle Beach which is full of things to do. I think Fripp Island sounds awesome. I would sure like to be there sitting on the beach.

Wo and Gio are still working on his house. They are tackling the kitchen now. Mark has been helping out a lot when he has the time. I think he really enjoys it, plus he gets to spend time with his girl. He pressure washed the deck and sanded wood in the kitchen. He also went over one night and helped Gio with yard work.

I had a doctor's appointment today as a follow up from the last time I went and was put on antidepressants. The first one had bad side effects and the second one I never took because I was afraid it would make me feel like the first one. Dr. Steineck said that I could start off taking even a sliver of a pill and work up gradually to a whole pill. If I ever got the side effect of heart pounding and feeling more anxious, I should call and he would let me try something else. He is the absolute nicest doctor ever. Lauren went with me and he was so happy to see her. He genuinely cares about his patients and on more than one occassion has said to not hesitate to call him about anything. He is always there for us. I told him about the little incident with the nurse when I called the last time and he was really upset about it. He asked if I knew who it was and I said she never said her name. Remember, the only words she knew were  "Can I help you?" in a cranky tone. He said he would bring it up at the next meeting and apologized up and down. I knew he wouldn't like hearing that one of his nurses was rude.

Lauren got the wacky idea yesterday that she wanted purple hair. She is one of the only people I know that can pull stuff like that off. So she bought a kit and guess who got roped into doing it for her. She wanted to do her whole head, but I suggested tips or just the top part that sticks up. I had to strip the color first and it was bright orange-yellow. Yikes! Then purple that looked like ink. We tried to be careful, but I got a little on the bathroom counter. I hope Comet takes it out. Her hair is definitely purple!! It looks really cute on her. She said she has always wanted to do crazy stuff like this, but was never able to when she had a job. So I say, more power to her. I will post a pic of her when she wakes up and has her hair done. She went and got it trimmed today and is taking a nap now. Gio and Wo are having a party at his house tonight. There is a Browns pre-season game on and we love our Brownies, no matter how bad they are. A bunch of their friends are coming over and Wo is going to make food for them. I'm sure they will have a lot of fun.

Yesterday was Gio's brother, Bruno's birthday. The family went to an Italian restaurant in Akron. I can't remember the name of it. Lauren said the food was really good and they had a nice time. Bruno is the same age as Lauren and is almost as nice as Giovanni. Just kidding, both boys are two of the nicest people you would ever meet. We just love them.

I did manage to sneak a pic of Lauren when she was sleeping. I don't think you can see her purple hair, so I will take another one later. Here it is. She has her favorite pup, Penny with her. I am posting a pic of my baby, Peanut after that one so he doesn't feel left out. Thanks for all of your continued support.   Love, -Pam