SO tired ...

OK, so the chemo is finally catching up with me. My last treatment was Thursday (and I had "Fanny" until Saturday morning), and Friday I went to work and all was well, as usual. I even went out that night to dinner and a movie with my Psycho Sis. (We saw "Star Trek" -- very exciting!)

But Saturday I could hardly get out of bed! I did very little around the house, and took a three-hour nap that afternoon, plus I went to bed that night around 8 p.m.! My saintly sister and I walked only a mile (we usually do two) -- I was just too darned tired to do much of anything.

Today (Sunday) I'm better. Walked two miles. No naps. Still a little more tired than usual, but not too bad. No nausea at all this whole weekend!

So I'm thinking that the chemo is taking its toll. I lucked out that it waited until the eighth treatment to knock me out, but now I'm wondering what the next four chemo sessions will be like ... But if the fatigue is only bad for one day, like it was Saturday, I'll make it fine. (A day in bed? It'll be like being queen for a day!)

Re: Hannah, she has had her first big night out since the surgery three weeks ago (some "bed rest" ...). Yesterday she went to a wedding and reception and "afterparty." The pain is starting to subside and she's not taking as much pain medication as she was at first. She's still got friends coming and going (one is here now and another is expected when she gets off work later). She is grateful for the prayers and concern, and I'm sure she will be back to normal in no time.

Thanks for your continued prayers for me, too!

Until next time ...
P

Sock it to me!

OK, so today was supposed to be my LAST "chemo day." But, alas, my oncologist, Dr. W-G, said studies have shown that those who get 12 treatments fare better than those who get only 8 (sigh). My labs were a little off today, but not bad enough to not get the chemo, so I got my usual dose, as usual.

But, since both my radiation guy, Dr. M, and my oncologist, Dr. W-G, voted for "more chemo" -- just a little extra insurance -- I'm gonna go ahead and do it. Only 4 more, every other week, but I'm actually getting a little "break" next month 'cause I'm covering a four-day convention in Portland, Ore. (yay!) that falls on a "chemo day," so Dr. W-G says I can skip an extra week (double yay!).

So, my LAST FOUR chemo days will likely be on June 11 and July 2, 16, and 30. In August I plan to get back to regular living, with no bad chemo taste in my mouth, no tingly fingers, no "Fanny," and no thinning hair!

Since my body is starting to show signs of chemo "wear and tear," Dr. W-G says she'll probably lower my chemo dose for the last 4 treatments, plus they'll continue to do lab work to make sure nothing's in the "danger zone." I asked her if all this chemo would do any permanent damage to my organs and she said no, so hurray for that!

So, sock it to me, chemo! I'm ready for my LAST FOUR treatments! (And I'd appreciate your continued prayers.)

And a special thanks to my "Psycho Sis," Linda, who came up and sat with me during today's chemo. It went really fast because we talked and laughed the whole time! Some people "do lunch." We "do chemo."

Re: Hannah, she's doing great! She saw her surgeon today and he said she can do pretty much what she feels like doing, but to "take it easy." No driving for two more weeks. So she's going to a wedding reception Saturday (I'd rather she stay home) and went out to lunch today with a friend. Tuesday night she spent the night at another friend's house, but her mom is a doctor, so we thought it would be OK, and it was! (It is really hard to keep a "party girl" down, but I keep trying!) Anyway, she's doing great, so thanks again for your prayers and concern!

Until next time ...
P

I'm doing 'fantastic'

Yes, that's the exact word used by my radiation doc yesterday at our six-month check-up! Dr. M spent SO much time with me, answering questions, checking me over -- I love the guy!

Basically, here's my condition:

• The pathology report right after my Jan. 5 surgery showed no cancer at the tumor site and no cancer in the lymph nodes. (A few of the nodes did have cancer previously, as did the tumor, but last fall's radiation and chemo took care of it.)
• The CEA cancer blood test I had a couple of weeks ago was at 2.1, which is under 3 and "in the normal range."
• My two surgeries (for the tumor and the lymph nodes) have healed nicely, better than expected, in fact.

So I said to the doc, "So, I'm doing OK?" His response: "I'd say you're doing fantastic!"

One of my questions to him was, "Should I do a little extra chemo?" And he said, "If it was me, and my labs were good, I would." He said it all comes down to the labs -- if my liver enzymes are too high, or my white-cell count is too low, I should probably stop the chemo. Otherwise, go for it.

So I'll talk to my oncologist, Dr. W-G, next Thursday (what would have been my last chemo treatment!) and see what her opinion is. Then, I'll make a decision. But I'm leaning toward just biting the bullet and doing a few more treatments (sigh). Then I'll know I've done everything I could to beat this.

Re: Hannah, she's also doing fantastic! She even went out to dinner last night with a couple of friends ("Mom, I'm just walking to the car, walking into the restaurant, sitting, then coming home. No big deal.") I made her e-mail her surgeon, who said, "I trust you to know what you can do, but take it easy." So,there she went, laughing with her friends, 10 days after having brain surgery!

Thanks for checking on us!

Until next time ...

P

Hannah update

So, I guess the blog is now HANNAH'S, ha! Anyway, just thought I'd update you on her condition.

In a word, she's doing GREAT! She still has pain, but it's diminishing a little (just a little), and she's getting around much better -- she no longer touches the wall to maintain her balance when she's up and about. She's probably doing too much, though, like doing household chores (I swear, I'm not making her do that! I keep telling her to "rest").

Today she took her first full-fledged shower and washed her hair -- "You can't imagine how good I feel," she said afterwards. And really, you can hardly see the surgery scar when she's got her hair fixed.

Her friends stop by every day. Last night, a good friend came by and the two girls barbecued and made dinner for all of us -- and they did the dishes afterwards! Today another good friend came by to spend the day with her.

And she keeps saying she's going to her brother's high-school graduation on Sunday (we'll see).

So, yes, everything's ducky, thanks in large measure to everyone's prayers and support. So, thanks again! We DO appreciate it!

Until next time,
P

Hannah's home!

Yes, she's home and sleeping peacefully in her own bed. She's still on pain meds, but is getting a little better each day.

She is so glad to be home, and we're so glad she's here! I'm gonna baby her like crazy!

So thanks again for your prayers and support -- they are definitely helping!

Until next time ...
P

Hallelujah!

OK, people, God is great (all the time!) and we got some really good news tonight: Hannah's tumor was benign -- NO CANCER! -- and she's coming home days early -- tomorrow, in fact!

She's still in pain, and doesn't yet walk so good, but she's gotta be on "bed rest" for FOUR WEEKS, so that means no "going out," but instead taking it easy, hobbling around the house, watching TV and movies, and eating bon-bons until she's got her strength back. (Hopefully, her doting parents won't drive her crazy!)

But I saw her tonight, and she's doing pretty well, a little better each day, so we're happy beyond belief! I carted home some of her "stuff" tonight. She's got zillions of cards, about eight flower arrangements, cookies, candy, videos, balloons, four or five stuffed animals, and several gift bags with all sorts of presents! Thursday night, she had 12 friends in her room until midnight, when a nurse came in and said, "Um, visiting hours were over at 9:00." So I guess she's not suffering too much ...

But she's so brave and upbeat, I'm so proud of her and can't wait to get her home!

Thanks again for all the prayers, cards, and good wishes! We love you all!

Until next time,
P

Weathering the storms

OK, I know I haven't blogged in awhile -- TWO WEEKS, to be exact! (Sheesh!) But you know the saying, "When it rains, it pours"? Well, the Ross family has been weathering a !*#! MONSOON!

My 20-year-old daughter, Hannah, had brain surgery last Tuesday! Yes, that's right -- BRAIN SURGERY! (Photo at right shows her scar, right behind her ear. She took these pictures herself, with her computer, to post on Facebook!)

A few days before I went to Florida, she accidentally hit her forehead while on a cleaning binge and it bled like crazy, so she and her dad went to the hospital to get it checked. Well, they did a CT scan to be safe, and then called them into the room with the pictures up on a computer and said, "The bump on your forehead is fine. But this -- and they pointed to a little 2 cm "spot" in her cerebellum, in the back of the head -- shouldn't be here."

The hubby and Hannah knew about this before I went to Florida, but elected not to tell me until I got back. I will be forever grateful for that.

So, we ended up with a neurosurgeon who told us we had two options: he said he could "take it out safely and with few risks" if we do it now, or we could wait three months and take more pictures to see if it grows. Hannah said, "Take it out," which turned out to be the right choice because when they got it out, they said it's definitely a tumor but they don't know if it's cancer or not. They're checking. But a followup MRI showed they "got it all."

Anyway, I've been sort of a nervous wreck, especially on Tuesday, but I'm better now that I know Hannah's OK. She's still in a lot of pain (which is normal, says the doc), but it should start getting better in a day or two. (See forced smile at left. She is awesome.)

But here's the thing: we feel like it's a BLESSING that Hannah hit her head. Otherwise, the tumor would have been undetected until who knows when (she had no symptoms whatsoever), and the ultimate surgery likely would have been more complicated and risky. So, thanks be to God, who is definitely taking care of us, big time.

As for me, I had chemo #7 today, I walked a mile or so afterwards, and I'm not feeling too bad. A little tired, 'cause my white blood cell count is pretty low, so I've elected not to visit my daughter at the hospital today. But we talk on the phone, and she's got ZILLIONS of friends visiting, and calling, and texting, so hopefully that's keeping her spirits up.

Thanks for your prayers and concern! So far, so good ...

Until next time ...
P