Round 3, Day 2! Things are going well which is a blessing as always. The heartburn is kicking in fierce (Zantac has been helping a lot) and a bit tired, but otherwise doing well!
Linda was a bit more anemic with her most recent blood tests, so we need to keep the iron going. It's still not bad enough to delay the Chemo but we do need to bump up the iron a bit more in her diet if possible.
We made contact yesterday (through the pregnancy and cancer network) with someone who went through 6 rounds of the same chemo Linda is on while pregnant. We have just emailed so far, but it will be wonderful to talk to someone who had chemo while pregnant. Her little girl is 2 years old now and doing great!
More at another time - I just wanted to provide a quick update of how things are going.
Rob.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
$24 Bottle of Milk?
As Linda and I travel this path, we come across some interesting things that we never would have found out had we not had this journey. Linda and I have always planned on breast milk for Cricket. Given the cancer, chemo, surgery and potential radiation treatments Linda will have, she won't be able to breast feed Cricket. Luckily for us, we have had such great people connecting with us. We met someone who went through breast cancer while pregnant. She couldn't use her breast milk either a friend of hers helped manage (screened) donations. She told us how one time she ran out around Christmas time and had to buy some from a milk bank at about $500 cost! "What??", I thought. "$500 for Breast Milk???".
Okay, so now let's digress and imagine what a Breast Milk Bank must be like.... Okay, that's enough. Apparently, it is based on donations from screened donors but then they certify the milk, pasteurize it, and freeze it. This sounds great until you factor in the cost - they said it costs ~$3/ounce! I read something that said a baby can drink ~50 ounces per day (Super Big Gulp size). I can do math: $150/day, $4500/month... you get the idea. Ouch! So, we're looking into a Plan B. A good friend Stephanie has offered to be our Milk Manager and find qualified donors for us. She will use some of the experience from our connection who already went through this and setup donations for us.
Although this experience has been tough at times, it is also simply amazing how some of the connections and friendships are working out.
This crazy plan just may work! Stay tuned....
Rob.
Okay, so now let's digress and imagine what a Breast Milk Bank must be like.... Okay, that's enough. Apparently, it is based on donations from screened donors but then they certify the milk, pasteurize it, and freeze it. This sounds great until you factor in the cost - they said it costs ~$3/ounce! I read something that said a baby can drink ~50 ounces per day (Super Big Gulp size). I can do math: $150/day, $4500/month... you get the idea. Ouch! So, we're looking into a Plan B. A good friend Stephanie has offered to be our Milk Manager and find qualified donors for us. She will use some of the experience from our connection who already went through this and setup donations for us.
Although this experience has been tough at times, it is also simply amazing how some of the connections and friendships are working out.
This crazy plan just may work! Stay tuned....
Rob.
Monday, August 25, 2008
25 Weeks and feeling good
Little Miss Cricket is 25 weeks "old" today. Here is a picture from an ultrasound last week from our friend Tina at the local OB! Cricket actually held still for a few seconds for a few snapshots. She has been quite busy as normal and wouldn't let them catch her heartbeat with the Sonogram so we got the ultrasound instead. I'm sure she'll listen much better to her daddy than the doctors! She is getting quite big compared to the other pictures we have of her so here is only a partial head shot!
Linda has been feeling well this last week before the next chemo with most of her energy back. We have been continuing to walk every day.
We went shopping a bit this weekend for baby stuff! There is some pretty cool stuff out there and now that we have 2 months less than I had originally anticipated, we better start shopping! We got some clothes and are ordering a bassonet/changing table soon.
Some people have asked about names. We have a list going of names (Cricket isn't one of them, but I'm sure it's a nickname she'll get stuck with from time to time!). Thank you for the suggestions and let us know if you have any more! While we have a few favorites, we haven't locked in on one for certain yet.
Adam from Linda's work brought in an article from the Oregonian about someone else who went through breast cancer while pregnant! Here is the link if you are interested.
Linda and I almost felt like a normal couple the past week and kept low key over the weekend. It was nice to wash the cars and other "normal" stuff. We even went on a date to a nice restaurant on Friday night and drove the convertible (no more messed up hair)!
We have continued to appreciate the comments on the blog, cards in the mail, flowers, etc from everyone! We feel refreshed and ready for Chemo round 3 on Thursday.
Rob.
Linda has been feeling well this last week before the next chemo with most of her energy back. We have been continuing to walk every day.
We went shopping a bit this weekend for baby stuff! There is some pretty cool stuff out there and now that we have 2 months less than I had originally anticipated, we better start shopping! We got some clothes and are ordering a bassonet/changing table soon.
Some people have asked about names. We have a list going of names (Cricket isn't one of them, but I'm sure it's a nickname she'll get stuck with from time to time!). Thank you for the suggestions and let us know if you have any more! While we have a few favorites, we haven't locked in on one for certain yet.
Adam from Linda's work brought in an article from the Oregonian about someone else who went through breast cancer while pregnant! Here is the link if you are interested.
Linda and I almost felt like a normal couple the past week and kept low key over the weekend. It was nice to wash the cars and other "normal" stuff. We even went on a date to a nice restaurant on Friday night and drove the convertible (no more messed up hair)!
We have continued to appreciate the comments on the blog, cards in the mail, flowers, etc from everyone! We feel refreshed and ready for Chemo round 3 on Thursday.
Rob.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Hairless but well
Yes, it has happened - we have parted ways with the hair. Monday morning it started coming out (just as the Doctor had said). So, Monday night Lynn came by and we got the scissors plus razor and shaved Linda's head! I always thought I would be attracted to her with a bald head but now it is confirmed. Here is the progression:
Before:
Starting to cut:
Groovy Rocker Girl Look:
Buzzzz:
Buzzed!
Final look: Buzzcut and Baby!!!
The New Hairless Linda is finally ready for the Olympic swimming events!
Post chemo this week has been pretty good. Still some minor side effects but overall Linda has been doing great. Our little Cricket is still wiggling in her bubble world and Linda has been singing to her on occasion which both Cricket and I enjoy.
Only one doctor appointment this week - almost seems a bit slow! :)
Rob.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Round 2!
Feel like we're in a boxing match here.... Anyway we started Round 2 yesterday. So far, alles gut! The chemo went well and the red Kool-Aid (Adriamycin) wasn't as scary as last time. Linda's port is working well for administering the meds.
This time, we get a blood test before the chemo starts to make sure things look okay. Linda's counts were mostly good but she was slightly anemic. This may be due to the pregnancy plus the chemo. It wasn't bad enough to delay the chemo or require additional boosts yet but we do need to try to get some more iron in Linda's diet for the next couple weeks since we don't want her counts to get lower.
Linda has been feeling a bit off but otherwise okay and we did our walks last night and this morning. She had her acupuncture routine before chemo and has the next part this morning. This afternoon she gets her Neulasta shot (booster) and then most people feel flu-like for the following few days.
We're leaving for the "Resort at the Mountain" for a couple nights where there is a family gathering. Linda will be playing it by ear on how much she engages during this trip since she may be a bit worn out (worn out for her is normal for me!). It is a beautiful place and should also be a bit cooler than here in the valley as we may see triple digits this weekend!
Rob.
This time, we get a blood test before the chemo starts to make sure things look okay. Linda's counts were mostly good but she was slightly anemic. This may be due to the pregnancy plus the chemo. It wasn't bad enough to delay the chemo or require additional boosts yet but we do need to try to get some more iron in Linda's diet for the next couple weeks since we don't want her counts to get lower.
Linda has been feeling a bit off but otherwise okay and we did our walks last night and this morning. She had her acupuncture routine before chemo and has the next part this morning. This afternoon she gets her Neulasta shot (booster) and then most people feel flu-like for the following few days.
We're leaving for the "Resort at the Mountain" for a couple nights where there is a family gathering. Linda will be playing it by ear on how much she engages during this trip since she may be a bit worn out (worn out for her is normal for me!). It is a beautiful place and should also be a bit cooler than here in the valley as we may see triple digits this weekend!
Rob.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Helping Hands Website
Many friends have been asking about how they can help us and we are so appreciative of everyone's support and help!!! We are so lucky to have such great support. At the request of our friends and family, we have set up a website to organize future needs.
Here is the address if you are interested; we'll be updating it sometime soon with ways to help. In the meantime, if you are interested please request to be added (it asks for your email address). Thanks to Lynn Bos for helping coordinate this!
http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/606225
Rob.
Here is the address if you are interested; we'll be updating it sometime soon with ways to help. In the meantime, if you are interested please request to be added (it asks for your email address). Thanks to Lynn Bos for helping coordinate this!
http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/606225
Rob.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
Our OB Appointment was Monday (23 weeks!) and our little Cricket is doing great! She showed off her hands, feet, legs, and we saw her little heart beating away (~140bpm). She grabbed her toes to show off for us but wouldn't pose for a nice side shot so you get the face-on picture. She even gave me a pre-ultrasound kick as she repositioned right before they started looking so we couldn't see her side. They checked out all her organs, brain, etc. The doctor said she looked great and was right on track for her size. So, we're happy to say both Linda and Cricket did great through their first round of chemo!We triple checked the chemo regimen with the high risk Baby Dr one more time (he is very familiar with chemo and pregnancy - at least compared to most!). Linda and I will get a tour of the new RiverBend NICU sometime in September where we'll deliver Cricket.
Met with the Oncologist today. Linda is doing well - and - she STILL HAS HER HAIR! Well, it isn't supposed to fall out until late this week or Monday but it's getting close. Sorry Joe, Linda isn't in the Bald club with you yet. We already knew that Linda's breast cancer was estrogen negative, progesterone negative and today confirmed it is also HER2 negative. You'd think a bunch of negatives would be positive but it means the cancer is aggressive. The upside is it should respond well to the chemo. In fact, the doctor did a quick check on the tumor size and told us it already felt smaller!
Chemo, Round 2, on Thursday!
Rob.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Haircut and Wildlife!
Linda survived three days of my high school reunion so she must be feeling good. We had a great time seeing our friends and spending time with them. Here is her new haircut!
This week is two OB appointments, a checkup with the medical oncologist, and then round two of Chemo on Thursday!
On another topic, we've been enjoying many deer in the yard/neighborhood this summer. Attached is one of my "Wildlife Kingdom" encounters that would make Marlin Perkins proud. It is filmed at our neighbor's house.
Rob.
On another topic, we've been enjoying many deer in the yard/neighborhood this summer. Attached is one of my "Wildlife Kingdom" encounters that would make Marlin Perkins proud. It is filmed at our neighbor's house.
Rob.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Prescriptions, Hair, and Books
Funny getting a prescription for a new head of hair. Dr. K wrote Linda a prescription today for red hair (jokingly, he wrote red on the prescription at first). Luckily for us, Linda is double covered with insurance right now. One of the insurances covers the "reasonable cost" of a wig (called a cranial prosthesis --> seriously!) with a prescription. So, me being the "frugal" (no comments from my friends please) guy I am, I thought we oughtta take advantage of that bennie! So, thanks health insurance, for Linda's new wig she will get sometime soon.
Speaking of hair, Linda got hers cut today. It's shorter now and looks great. We think she's about 7-9 days from hairloss or so. But, it could go earlier so now we're ready for a "bald is beautiful" bumper sticker. She had it cut by a woman who is a cancer survivor and gives free pedicures or manicures to people going through cancer treatment. Very nice of her! There are some wonderful people all around that have been touched by cancer in one way or another.
Linda has been doing well. She had some side-effects that carried into our Sunriver vacation but overall is doing great. She feels better each day and went for an hour walk today! We're told we are at a point where she needs to be extra careful about colds/viruses right now. So, please excuse our paranoia and pushing sanitizer (thanks for the tip on the sanitizer, Audrey!).
We've been reading some good books. I am reading one recommended by my cousin Sue's (who successfully navigated breast cancer recently) husband called Breast Cancer Husband by Marc Silver. It's great for us guys and helps us help our wives (and ourselves) through this journey. I'm also reading Livestrong, one of Lance's books. It's a quick read with some amazing stories. Linda received a book today from my Great Aunt and Uncle called "Uplift" that she's started reading. Wonderful insights from Breast Cancer Survivors. We also got the Susan Love book from Linda's step-sister which is packed full of information and a great reference.
I'm going to get Linda to pose for a picture sometime soon with her new haircut - her tummy is also sticking out nicely now. Cricket has been kicking (I felt her again last night). I picture her in her safe little home watching some of the cancer drugs float on the outside of her bubble world and zap Mommy's cancer away.
Rob.
Speaking of hair, Linda got hers cut today. It's shorter now and looks great. We think she's about 7-9 days from hairloss or so. But, it could go earlier so now we're ready for a "bald is beautiful" bumper sticker. She had it cut by a woman who is a cancer survivor and gives free pedicures or manicures to people going through cancer treatment. Very nice of her! There are some wonderful people all around that have been touched by cancer in one way or another.
Linda has been doing well. She had some side-effects that carried into our Sunriver vacation but overall is doing great. She feels better each day and went for an hour walk today! We're told we are at a point where she needs to be extra careful about colds/viruses right now. So, please excuse our paranoia and pushing sanitizer (thanks for the tip on the sanitizer, Audrey!).
We've been reading some good books. I am reading one recommended by my cousin Sue's (who successfully navigated breast cancer recently) husband called Breast Cancer Husband by Marc Silver. It's great for us guys and helps us help our wives (and ourselves) through this journey. I'm also reading Livestrong, one of Lance's books. It's a quick read with some amazing stories. Linda received a book today from my Great Aunt and Uncle called "Uplift" that she's started reading. Wonderful insights from Breast Cancer Survivors. We also got the Susan Love book from Linda's step-sister which is packed full of information and a great reference.
I'm going to get Linda to pose for a picture sometime soon with her new haircut - her tummy is also sticking out nicely now. Cricket has been kicking (I felt her again last night). I picture her in her safe little home watching some of the cancer drugs float on the outside of her bubble world and zap Mommy's cancer away.
Rob.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Day 3 Post Chemo
I slept relatively well last night only waking up at 12:30 a.m. and 3:30. I laid awake for awhile before putting in a meditation CD to help me go back to sleep. I was able to get a good nap in yesterday and have been getting out for a walk each day - which is wonderful. I am not the best at putting things in writing but here I go.
As I lay awake last night - I wanted to share with all of you my thoughts -I was thinking about my wonderful husband whose love gives me trendmendous strength and loving support. I feel safe and so loved, he is so wonderful, I am blessed. And two wonderful loving and caring sons. Brian and Austin have been helping us around the house and I don't think Austin's hands have ever been so sanitized EVER. This might be a good time to buy stock in hand sanitizers. We are so blessed by all of you our friends and family who have wrapped your caring arms around us all - some people I have not even met in person. Bless you all. We Thank You for your encouragement, prayers, support, and love. We appreciate it all more then I can put into words.
Not to forget - the all the doctors, nurses, and people involved in helping people heal.
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day. We are off to Sunriver for a few days. Love,
Linda
As I lay awake last night - I wanted to share with all of you my thoughts -I was thinking about my wonderful husband whose love gives me trendmendous strength and loving support. I feel safe and so loved, he is so wonderful, I am blessed. And two wonderful loving and caring sons. Brian and Austin have been helping us around the house and I don't think Austin's hands have ever been so sanitized EVER. This might be a good time to buy stock in hand sanitizers. We are so blessed by all of you our friends and family who have wrapped your caring arms around us all - some people I have not even met in person. Bless you all. We Thank You for your encouragement, prayers, support, and love. We appreciate it all more then I can put into words.
Not to forget - the all the doctors, nurses, and people involved in helping people heal.
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day. We are off to Sunriver for a few days. Love,
Linda
Friday, August 1, 2008
Mr. Kimo and Neulasta
Well, this Mr. Kimo fella came by to visit yesterday. He said he is here to help with the job we hired him for and to take care of the cancer for us. So far, he has been fairly nice. He has been pretty courteous and seems to be helping us. Linda has been getting along fine with him, and although I'm a bit wary of him, we're actually getting along good too. I think his intentions are good. But, I have this feeling although he is a good guy and here to help he may cause a few problems along the way. We're okay with that, as long as he gets the job done that we hired him for.
Today we enjoyed some Neulasta which Paula gave Linda. No problems yet, we went for a couple short walks today and she's feeling relatively well. We hear Neulasta causes bone aches in some so we hope those will stay away.
Welcome, Mr. Kimo. Please stay with us as long as it takes to get the job done. But, we would appreciate a thorough job, thank you!
Rob.
PS: In case it wasn't clear from the post: Linda is doing well on Day 2, we got the white blood cell booster and she still is fine. Although, I think she is trying to keep moving so the fatigue won't set in (like when Austin is tired and keeps running around to stay up later).
Today we enjoyed some Neulasta which Paula gave Linda. No problems yet, we went for a couple short walks today and she's feeling relatively well. We hear Neulasta causes bone aches in some so we hope those will stay away.
Welcome, Mr. Kimo. Please stay with us as long as it takes to get the job done. But, we would appreciate a thorough job, thank you!
Rob.
PS: In case it wasn't clear from the post: Linda is doing well on Day 2, we got the white blood cell booster and she still is fine. Although, I think she is trying to keep moving so the fatigue won't set in (like when Austin is tired and keeps running around to stay up later).
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