Things about Sam and Leslie

This past week was similar to a standard (pre-diagnosis) week.  It was the most routine week we’ve had since March.  On Sunday, Sam’s nasty side effects subsided and that marked the beginning of a lot of fun, food, and some normalcy.  Granted, our lives are very different these days, but we’ve adjusted well and we’ll happily take advantage of an illness-free week and a week in which we only have one appointment at Vanderbilt.  This is the first post to be typed on our desktop computer at home.  Every other post has been typed while sitting at Vanderbilt Hospital.  Finally, we’ve been able to relax and hang out.

Similar to BB’s new favorite position, our schedules for this week were wide open.

Oncology Talk

Two weeks ago, the oncologist had mentioned cutting Sam’s five-day treatment to four days to reduce his chances of neutropenia which would reduce his chances of being hospitalized with a neutropenic fever.  Sam didn’t want to reduce his treatments even if it does mean that there is a chance that he’ll be back in the hospital the following week with a neutropenic fever.  Dr. Keedy agreed to give him another chance at the five-day treatment and prescribed antibiotics that should help rid his body of some of the bacteria that could induce a neurtopenic fever.  The antibiotics were prescribed as a potential preventative solution and we’ve been advised that there is no guarantee.

We met with the oncologist this morning.  Sam is scheduled to receive 30 hours (Monday-Friday 6 hours each day) of chemotherapy next week, but we are not entirely sure if it will be next week or the following week that he will receive this treatment.  He got his labs drawn this morning and his neutrophil (special disease-fighting white blood cells) count is extremely low.  He’ll get his labs drawn again on Monday to see if he can begin treatment on Monday (June 20^th).  If his neutrophil count is still low, he’ll have to start the five-day treatment on Monday June 27^th.

Despite the news this morning, Sam has had a great week, if only his white blood cells would cooperate!  These next few weeks will be challenging.  The thirty hours of chemotherapy (Infuseapalooza) is actually the easier week.  It’s the week after the infuse fest that can be difficult.  We are both upbeat and convinced that we can handle any problems that may arise.  We are also hopeful that the treatment will start on this coming Monday.

One of the highlights of our meeting today was getting a handicapped placard for the car.  Sam becomes winded easily and every ounce of energy that he can save is critical to his healing, limited work schedule, and overall happiness.  Being tired all the time is no fun and being able to park super close to everything is a lot of fun. He even got his own assigned spot in the very front of our apartment building.

27 is the new 75

Besides our meeting with the oncologist, it was a typical goofy week for the two of us.  Here are some of the highlights:

Hat Euphoria

When facing baldness, it is necessary to find the one hat that you will always enjoy wearing.

Criteria for choosing the perfect hat:

1.     Your wife must think the hat looks foolish.

2.     The hat must be a dirty hat that was found by your father in the grocery store parking lot.

3.     After Googling, “What type of hat is this,” you must discover that the hat has a cool name like, “beanie visor.”

Once you have found a hat that meets all of these specifications, go to the appropriately named online silly hat distributor:  DogFunk.com and order an identical hat for your wife.

DogFunk.com Models

Warning: Beanie visors lead to a  state of total bliss.

Beanie visor bliss.  Everyone should have such a ridiculous hat.

Mr. Magoo Sighting

One of our favorite chemo nurses once told Sam that he looks like Mr. Magoo.  I’ll let you decide.

Must Keep Eating!

Sam ate so much food this week.  It was wonderful to see his hearty appetite back in action.

A good friend made Paula Deen’s macaroni and cheese for Sam.  It was made with:  cheddar, swiss, jack, colby, muenster, gouda, sour cream, eggs, butter, and more butter.  Because this side dish seemed too low in fat content and calories for Sam, he insisted that we add bacon to the dish.

In addition to the macaroni heart attack, we had the pleasure of eating crepes over at the Bledsoe household with Sam’s Uncle Jim.  Jackie played the role of the crepist and made some delicious crepes that were fit for a king.

That’s about it for the week.  Food, antics, work, and family helped raise our morale and will help propel us as we prepare for the next two weeks.

We are sincerely grateful for all of the kindness and support that surrounds us.   I know we’ve used the word awesome before, but it’s the best word to describe all of our friends and family.  You all enrich our lives.  Thank you.

Love,

Leslie

P.S.

The pitfall of blogging at a desktop!