The Party's Over

The wedding is a beautiful memory now and the photos are arriving from the photographer and others who took snapshots.  It was a joyous celebration!  And we celebrate the addition of another wonderful son-in-law whom we love.  We're still finishing up dealing with "stuff" we accumulated for the wedding.  A yard sale was on the calendar for next week, but is on hold at this point.  Steve has come down with Shingles and is quite miserable!  I was able to quickly identify the rash that was just beginning and got him to the doctor in time for anti-viral medication which has helped stop the spread of the rash.  However, he is still very fatigued and very uncomfortable from the nerve pain that accompanies this virus. 

I made it through all the busy, hectic pace without getting sick inspite of my very low blood counts.  However, I was my usual germophobe-self and was extremely careful, and followed my doctor's orders about no one working in my kitchen without washing their hands first.  Until my health became so precarious, I never really noticed how much people work with food without washing their hands, and handle things that are not clean (such as money, menus in restaurants) then handle food.  My back held up pretty well, too, as I was very careful not to lift anything that was more than a few pounds.  My back has been painful since the wedding from doing housework, sitting at the desk catching up on bookkeeping, sorting mail that piled up for two weeks, etc.

The week following the wedding, I saw my onc-doc and was pleased that my cancer load was staying low and my blood counts were slowly improving.  Had my monthly infusion of Aredia (bone builder) and slept through the enitre 3-hour infusion!  hmmm....maybe a little fatigued following the wedding?!  I was very grateful for the burst of energy through the final 10 days of prep for the wedding.  It truly was a miracle.

Monday is my monthly gamma-globulin infusion and I am feeling the need of the boost to my immune system as I feel like I'm on the verge of a cold.  This is a typical scenario for me when I am due for this infusion.  It will have me feeling strong again within a few days afterward.

We're awaiting the arrival anyday of our new grandson, Grey Steven Rosten.  He is lovingly referred to as "Baby Grey" by his big brother Ty.  Jeremy will finally finish his B.S. in Business Management this month also. 

Jesse & Lyn took off a few days after the wedding and are touring Europe on BMW motocycles on loan from a couple they met through his business.  Am so happy for this opportunity for them and I find it's not easy being green!

I feel like I've been let out of prison now that I'm not quite so tied down with treatments and feel so much better without chemo drugs on board.  I don't want to think about the fact that this is a temporary break.  I just want to travel and see something or someone other than the inside of a medical facility of some type.  However, Steve and I seem to be having a problem being healthy at the same time right now.  We're praying he recovers quickly and doesn't have to experience months of nerve pain before the virus is completely out of his system.

I'll be seeing my specialist at UCSF the first week of November.  Am waiting to hear if I'll be having a bone marrow biopsy prior to that appointment.  I will be able to have this done in Chico.  We're so grateful for the wonderful care we get in Chico and I really like my onc-doc there.  However, we are really feeling the effects of gas prices here in our state!

Thank you for your continued interest in our lives and for your prayers that sustain us.