July is Mine

As anticipated, Rob and I turned in early except I forgot to take my ativan. I didn't realize it initially, it took laying in bed for almost an hour to realize why I couldn't fall asleep. I kept saying to myself if I am still awake in 15 minutes I will go downstairs and take it but would snooze for a couple minutes and think okay I can do this. Nick woke up around 12:30AM because his blankets had come off and he was freezing - so I tucked him back in and went and took my pill. I remember looking at the clock at 1:15 AM - then I must have gotten to sleep. Nick was up early again and Ellie followed.
It was superhero day at camp - I came up with an American Girl t-shirt - the girls tell their history and are always positive role models. We dropped Ellie off at camp and went to Mom's house. I had my Dr. Marsh appointment today so we quickly got on the road. I got to Kellogg and upon checking in was told I needed blood work done - swell. The phlebotomist was gentle again and this time it didn't even burn. Margaret met me upstairs and took my weight - I gained 2 pounds. We went to the exam room and talked about my issues from my last visit - abdominal pain (ended up being my "new" period - spotting on/off for a week+), hand and foot syndrome - pretty much worse than before. Margaret even noted in my e-chart that I took my xeloda for 42 days - I guess I would get a prize if it were available. Dr. Marsh eventually came in (I have never had to wait for him before). We went over new concerns - my hands and when the pigment discoloration might go away - I guess it just takes time. Hand and foot syndrome should subside in time. Photosensitivity should be back to normal by the time we vacation in Michigan the end of next week. Basically the xeloda will take about 2 weeks to completely leave my body. Dr. Marsh said it is a positive sign my butt is burned and peeling - he said that means the boost worked as a boost - if I didn't have anything we would wonder if the boost worked and if I couldn't walk or sit it might have been too strong. He went over his timeline - CT scan the first week of August, followed by an appointment with him and an appointment with Dr. Muldoon. He said chemotherapy after surgery will be 6 months with visits every other week. He said hopefully there will be nothing to so pathology on during surgery and they would look back on my initial biopsies and again he suggested that after chemo I go through genetic counseling to find out my future risk factors as well as a tool for our children. He surprised me with the news that he feels I have successfully finished the hardest part of this journey - he said the combo radiation therapy and chemotherapy is very hard on the body - that was really awesome to hear. I asked about the possibility of my port being inserted the same time as my surgery - I mean hey, I'll already be anesthetized and in the hospital with pain meds - seems like a win-win situation to me - he said it would be up to Dr. Muldoon - fingers crossed. Margaret got my blood work back and said it was all fine.
Margaret nicely scheduled my CT scan and my follow up appointment with Dr. Marsh. Believe it or not in the last 2 months CT prep has changed - no more chalky barium - just the nail polish remover smelling stuff. I think the taste has probably gotten worse because I have 60 minutes to get it down - it being about 2 ounces of liquid that I mix with 20 ounces of juice or soda (Margaret said people have said coke or cranberry juice hide the taste well). It was a long morning - I was there a bit over an hour and Mom and the boys hung out in the car during that time. We went back to Mom's after picking up some lunch. The boys had a picnic on their sleeping bags again - Mom and I opted for the couch. We watched Jungle Book and Tony took his nap - Nick took turns jumping around and cuddling. Nick and I left to get Ellie from camp - we even left early because we have been the last people picking up this whole week (mind you I am there at 3:30 and that is the end of the camp day). We ran to Target to pick up dessert for tonight, sunscreen and baby wipes. We came home and Rob got home pretty soon after us. We took about 30 minutes and cleaned the house - it has kind of lacked a formal cleaning for a couple weeks.
Mom and Dad came over for our family dinner - Dad picked up dinner on his way - I cut up fruit to go along with it - a most delicious watermelon and the most humongous blackberries ever. We had a nice dinner and then Dad read some books to Nick and Mom watched Wipeout with Ellie. Mom and Dad left and then it was bedtime for the kids. Our neighbor called and dropped off dinner for tomorrow - fruit, pasta salad, brownies and a fresh smoothie for breakfast. I feel real good about what I heard today, visualising my healthy body, Tree