Blog Archives

More Shots to Get WBC up

8/30/2019

I received my third shot today. My blood count still isn't high enough for chemo but getting closer. I have hopes that I'll have my sixth cycle of chemo next week. I wish I could have had it this week because next week we are babysitting our granddaughter two days. I'm sure it will work out. I suppose if I still don't have treatment next week, then might as well forget about it. I am in remission now.I probably will do the maintenance program for two years. From what we were told on Wednesday, it sounds like I have a higher chance of getting cancer again the first year.

We don't really have any plans for the Labor Day weekend. Last Friday night was so much fun because I decided to take the family out to celebrate two August birthdays (Sara's and Bart's), Christina's new teaching job, and my remission. We went to Rincon restaurant and it was a great time.

Grandchildren are back in school. Here are pictures of Dillon, Elena, Lila and Dean! They are so adorable!

0 Comments

Unexpected Flowers!

8/26/2019

0 Comments

Tom gave me beautiful roses today! I was surprised. That was very sweet! He also cooked supper but my darling husband does that frequently.

0 Comments

No Cancer!

8/18/2019

0 Comments

My oncologist on Wednesday told me and hubby that NO cancer showed up on my PET scan.

He also said that my spleen had shrunk and is just a little enlarged now. I am blessed to be in remission and thankful to all the prayers said for me. I wasn't able to have chemo on Wednesday due to my low white blood count. I feel like I'm on a roller coaster at times. Up one minute and back down again. I wanted to get the 6th cycle of treatments out of the way. I'm surprised because I had an on-site injector of medication after July's chemo treatment, so my white blood count would stay high enough for this month. It was 420 and needs to be 1000 (which is still low) or higher to be able to have chemo. Next appointments are August 28 and 29 for chemo treatments. I'm glad Dr. Herms made it for 2 weeks instead of this next week already. He wants my body to have time to recover from the low blood count.

This delay in treatment gives me more time to decide what to do about the maintenance program. I have Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and the marginal zone type which has relapses. If I do a 2 year maintenance plan, I'll go every other month and get the drug rituximab by IV. If I do this, I might have 7 years before I get marginal zone type of NHL again. If I don't do it, I might have 4 years before it returns.

0 Comments

Anniversary and Shipshewana Author/Reader Event!

8/8/2019

0 Comments

I can't believe it has been a week since Tom and I attended the Amish event in the charming town of Shipshewana. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to because some days I had absolutely no energy. I am so thankful I was able to attend. Chatting with friends and meeting new ones was a wonderful experience. It was fun meeting some of my readers. I'll share pictures that my husband took for me. Also Tom was with me for part of the book signing I did on our forty-fourth wedding anniversary. That evening we attended an Amish dinner at Yoder's farm. Saturday we went on a carriage ride, then went swimming at our hotel's pool, and attended Mass. We picked up a pizza on the way back to Shipshewana (went to church in White Pigeon, Michigan) and attended the play, A Simple Sanctuary, at Blue Gate Theatre. We enjoyed the play that was based on a novel by Beverly and David Lewis and the actors were awesome!

On Tuesday, I will go to Jewish Hospital to have a P.E.T. scan. Then on Wednesday, I'll see Dr. Herms to hear the results. I have chemo on Wednesday and Thursday.

0 Comments