We have hair!

Number five out of twelve treatments down, thats 42% done with this round! We met with the doctor this afternoon and he said Holly's white blood count went from 700,000 to 200,000 which means it is back to booster shots twice a week. That was not really that unexpected but is still kind of a bummer. On a positive note, Holly is sprouting some new hair which the doc said would probably grow, very, very slowly and should stay put. Holly has some nice fuzz growing that appears to be a bit darker than before, it will be interesting to see how it comes in. The other good thing that came out of today was that the doctor had a hard time feeling the tumor so he is ordering an ultrasound after next weeks treatment, heres hoping the thing shrinks even more! Dr. Dobhi did get a little mad at Holly for her big concert weekend but she promised to behave this week so he let her off the hook.

All in all, things are going well, besides the fatigue, Holly's other biggest side effect is restless sleep but drugs can help that. Holly has been able to work all week yet agai,n but she is working at a much slower pace, finding it hard to keep her train of thought and has to stop to rest occasionally.

Thanks to everybody for the continued good wishes, talk to you all later.

John

The concert was a success but wore Holly out...

Treatment number four went off without a hitch, Holly's blood work came back with such good numbers she was able to forgo taking her white blood cell boosters yet again. Part of the current treatment is a regiment of steroids designed to alleviate some of the Taxol side affects, the steroids have a list of side effects also so it is a juggling act to balance the amount steroid Holly takes. The steroid was causing some restless sleep, increased appetite and other things I don't recall. The doctor slightly decreased her steroid dose which means Holly is experiencing some muscle fatigue and muscle soreness which the steroid was preventing. All in all we seem to have achieved a nice balance that allows Holly to function at a fairly normal level.

Holly felt well enough to actually participate in her choir's final concert of the season. I had asked her to please just watch the dress rehearsal on Friday night to rest but she cheated and sang along with the choir. At the end of Friday night Holly's voice was a bit weak and she was tired. Saturday rolled around and Holly was able to bring a stool to sit on and perform in both shows. By the time Holly got home on Saturday she was wiped out and she spent most of the day recovering. Holly is still feeling the effects of the weekend today and has required a couple of rest breaks but is managing to get a full days work in.

Thanks to Holly's choir buddies for watching out for her this weekend, she loves to participate in the performances and I appreciate having people who care for her watching out for her.

John

25 percent done with this round!

Today was treatment number 3 of 12; after a few simple computations we figured out that that equates to 25%, not bad :) We arrived downtown a little early, Holly's port continued to cause some problems with the blood draws but worked like a champ for the infusion. Holly's blood counts were perfectly normal, which is outstanding considering the crap they are pumping into her. The result is that she just got her normal treatment and does not have to give herself injections to boost the white blood cells.

Holly thought it would be nice to show you all what it looks like when she is getting her treatment so I posted a picture:


The other good thing is Holly is a bit tired but managed to come watch my hockey team, the Swarm, get our first victory of the summer session, yahoo!

John

Follow The Yellow Brick Road...

Sorry I did not post after the last treatment, we actually managed an attempt at camping then I just got lazy. Last Friday Holly had her second treatment, it was fairly uneventful, the only complication was a small problem with her port. We hooked up the RV Thursday night in anticipation of Holly feeling well enough for a camping trip during the holiday weekend and she did not disappoint. Unfortunately the weather was another matter, rain, rain and more rain along with a problem with a leak in our roof caused us to call a premature end to the weekend. Holly held up very well, the fatigue hit her Sunday afternoon but she has managed to work all three days this week. Holly called me in the afternoon on Tuesday for a ride home, ran out of gas in the afternoon but has managed to get full days in working at home with a little rest along the way.

The next treatment is a nearly upon us and I think we are both getting used to the new schedule. I went a good five nights without sleep but finally managed a good night sleep. Holly had one bad night but had a good drug induced sleep the next night.

Holly's next big goal is to attempt to perform in the Sno King Community Choral presentation of Follow the Yellow Brick Road which is a compilation of music from the Wizard of Oz, The Wiz and Wicked. She is looking forward to it, I have put her on observation only restriction during the rehearsals and am counting on Kit and Abby to keep a close eye on Holly making sure she does not get worn out. Kit and Abby, you also need to make sure she remains on her stool while practicing please. :) I hope Kit can find time in her busy Munchkin filled schedule to help me out with this, even though you are playing a character small in stature I am sure you are up to large job.

John