Not much happening

Not much to report this week...last Friday we went to the "spray park" and on Sat we watch the skys and the Blue Angels perform from a friend's yard.

I think I've almost managed to get all of us scheduled and caught up on appts for physicals, dentists, eye docs and all the other things that were overlooked last summer.

We plan on heading up to Michigan Adventure on Thursday and spending some time in Muskegon area this weekend. The three older kids go to camp next week and Lisa goes for scans.

So, not much happening...but that's okay...life is good!

Chocolate not Vanilla Ice Cream

Things are going well. Lisa is a bit more grumpy and tired than usual. Doctors attribute that to her meds....they weren't sure what to say about me being grumpy and tired; it appears to be a personality glitch:)

Lisa's office visit went well today. She only had to give two vials of blood. It was such a small amount compared to prior draws, Lisa didn't even get a chance to help out. We seem to have the blood draw down pat. Count "1-2-3", yell "ow", needle goes in, no tears come out, collect tubes of blood, get stickers and suckers.

Doc said she looks good and the scans and biopsy at the end of the month will give us a much better picture. As for the elevated numbers in her urine last month, the doctor said there is a small chance that eating vanilla ice cream could have elevated them. Vanilla ice cream? Really?! We all know Lisa loves to eat and ice cream has become her daily treat (or two). Matter of fact, she's been known to sneak off to our neighbors at the lake and mooch some ice cream only to come home with her face covered and tell us "nooooo....I didn't have ice cream". Lisa doesn't count it as ice cream if it comes on a stick, only if it comes in a bowl.

I'm hoping she was eating lots of vanilla ice cream before that test a few weeks ago. To my knowledge, it's been mostly chocolate ice cream this week, so hopefully the results from today's urine will come back okay.

So, that's it for now. Life goes on, but it will be with chocolate, not vanilla, ice cream.

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone is having a great holiday and taking some time to enjoy life.

We've had a good past few weeks and we've been doing my best to take the kids on outings to make up for last summer. We've been to Camp Dearborn, went bowling last week and yesterday we took the kids to the African Safari in OH. They all enjoyed themselves and Lisa loved the animals. She even got picked to help with one of the magic tricks on stage and she was in one of her "performing" modes and marched up to the stage as she called out "they want me Mom."

Still trying to stay positive and upbeat and believe Lisa has beat this monster. Unfortunately, I still worry and become concerned when Lisa says her leg hurts or I notice she seems to be tripping a lot....I guess you just can't erase those memories even though you have the best intentions to move on. The latest email from her doctor has also raised my anxiety level. She wrote:

Just wanted to let you know that Lisa's urine tests finally came back late last week. They were both about the same as they have been for the previous several checks, but they are a little higher than we'd really like. 16.1 was the HVA with the normal cut off being 16. We don't need to do anything different because the scans would be the next step. We already have those scheduled in a few weeks. I'm going to add a bone marrow biopsy as well.So you are not allowed to get more worried yet, but I'll let you know if you should later!!

(For more info on the test and what it indicates, click here.)

ok...so the doctor and I joke about the words "more worried" but they are pretty accurate. The worry seems to always be there, I just need to keep it in check to make sure I don't become paranoid. I guess that goes with being a caregiver for anyone or thing....everyone worries about others, whether it's wondering if their child is safe biking alone to a friends house or if their dog is getting arthritis.....you just have to focus on the positive and try not to make yourself crazy with everything that could go wrong. Sooooooooo....even though Lisa's urine tests have increased, I have to stay focused on the positive. She looks good, she's eating, she's happy and she's having fun. Even if the cancer is re-emerging, there isn't one damn thing I could be doing right now to change things....except pray...which I do....every day.

On that note, I will end this downward spiral of negativity and ask that all you readers go out and enjoy the day, focus on the positive and, as always, offer up an extra prayer for Lisa.

Thanks and Happy 4th!

Happy 10th Birthday to Chrissy

We've had a wonderful week and the kids have thoroughly enjoyed being out of school and staying at the lake. Lots of fish, turtles, and snails have been caught. Thank you to the Jones' family who spent the week with us and helped us get things looking spiffy for summer rentals.

Lisa is doing well. Her appt with onc docs last week showed no changes in bloodwork or scans which is a good thing. She is showing some hearing loss in her right ear, but we think that is from fluid in her ear which has been a problem for her since before she was a year old. Looks like it will be back to the ear specialist to get tubes put in again.

Chrissy had a day of just hanging out and listening to her new country cd (ugh!) while the adults shoveled sand. She got the gifts she asked for including an mp3 player loaded with country music (double ugh!) and the ability to totally tune me out! We ended the day with cake, candles and presents and very tired, but very content, people.

Life is good.

Subject: No restrictions

Below is the email I received from Lisa's BMT doctor on Friday:

Sent: Friday, June 5, 2009 8:55:36 AM
Subject: Re: No restrictions? Lisa McMaster

Dear Linda: After an autologous transplant, immunity is typically back to normal somewhat before day 100. I do not recommend any restrictions. Enjoy the summer. Dr. Levine

It sounds as if we can unleash Lisa on the world...unless you take into account what the the oncology team email response, which was "ah...the difference in doctors is amazing isn't it!! Rajen said no way and John says fine. I love it"

So...we've basically decided to do what any prudent parent does and that's to do what we think best. We have taken Lisa into the "public" world but are still exercising caution and limiting her to areas that are outdoors. If we are indoors, we try to stay away from crowds and if anyone appears sick we get the heck away from them. Since Thursday, Lisa has been to the school circus, spent an hour at preschool, went to church, cheered Chrissy on at her soccer game (saw Christina get her first goal!! yeah!!) and gone shopping. Shopping entailed, "just a few more minutes" and "let's look over here". It's as if she's making up for lost time and she is definitely loving every minute of it.

Summer looks very promising and I'm doing my best to make sure we all have some fun and get to go a few places.

On another note...my mom's treatment is going well and I ask that those of you reading send up a prayer for my Dad who is having minor surgery (is it ever really minor) today. Also, a quick prayer for a niece of my who spent a few days in the hospital last week due to an allergic reaction but is recovering nicely.

Have a great day!

Reader's Digest Moment

I was working at my computer and trying to maintain my composure as Lisa kept interrupting my train of thought and asking questions. I'd asked her a few times to "give me a minute" or "let Mommy finish" but she just kept conversing and asking questions. Finally in desperation, I looked up and said very loudly:

"Jesus, please let Lisa be quiet so I can finish my work"

To which Lisa promptly followed in a loud voice with eyes looking upward:

"Jesus, please let Mommy finish her work so we can play"

Last Tuesday Lisa had a CT scan and you'll be happy to hear that there were no changes at all from her last scan. Yea! She's still doing great as far as I can tell and her hair continues to grow. While we're just about through with the 100 days of "isolation" after the bone marrow transplant, we've been told that it would be best to stay away from crowed places for another 80 days.

Today were at the lake and she has an electrocardiogram and EKG appointment at UofM at noon. She also will get a booster shot containing the last of the vaccine that was made for her.

Keep the prayers and positive energy coming. Thanks for checking in. - Mike