Taxol Chemo - Round 5 - DID NOT HAPPEN!

I went in for chemo today and got my port flushed and blood drawn.  When the dr. saw my labs I was given a week reprieve from chemo as my red blood cell count was too low to continue another round and they wanted to give me a break to see if it would come back up.  I almost had a heart attack as I thought he was going to say I needed a blood transfusion and that is something that I have been afraid of since I started the whole process.  So sadly, I think this will put me a week behind schedule :(  But I guess if my body can't handle it then a break it is for me!  Tomorrow morning I have to fast and go to the Iowa Falls hospital and get my blood drawn to see if I have a B12 deficiency or anything wrong with my heart.  I am betting it's the chemo making it low and I have also been acting like I don't have cancer lately and doing WAYYYYY too much, so I probably better act like a sick person and take it easy.   That is going to be  hard since I have been feeling so good lately.  I have been extremely fatigued though in the past couple of days, so I should have known something was not right.  Cancer bites!

Don't forget to join Kristi and I at Relay for Life Hardin County on June 1st at the South Hardin Track in Eldora.  We will have our "I'm Too Sexy For My Hair" tent there and we will be there with refreshments and our smiling faces....bald heads and all!  Don't forget to bring your lawn chairs and coolers and warm clothing in case it gets cold.  I am glad it won't be too hot as I would be a "sweaty Betty" and no one wants to witness that.  Kristi and I will give our speeches later on that evening so come out and join us and buy all kinds of fundraising items to help support the cure for cancer!! 

Also, I have the "I'm Too Sexy for My Hair" t-shirts if you ordered one, please pick them up before Friday or I will also have them at our tent.  The cost is $14 each.  See you soon!

Also...please pray for Bonnie Nyce. She is the the hospital in Dubuque with a perforated bowel and was in the ICU.  I have heard she is doing much better but she still needs our daily doses of prayers to make her as good as new.  Praying for you Bonnie....get well soon so I can tell you a good joke in person.  (you have to see my facial expressions during the joke to truly appreciate the humor...)

Taxol Chemo - Round 4

Yesterday was chemo and I can report it gets better all the time. Dianna Haywood took me to this appointment and I was kept laughing by all her family and friend stories. It sounds like there is never a dull moment in that house!!  She also took me out to eat to Carlos O'Kelly's -- yum...and I could taste it!!  I have been having problems for a few weeks now not being able to taste very many things so it's been frustrating.  Most people that have the taste problem usually lose a lot of weight as they feel since they can't taste anything, they just don't eat.....well NOT ME!!!  I just keep eating, then trying another thing to eat,then another...hoping I will taste something!! It never works and I end up gaining 5 lbs.....man....cancer sucks!

To all of you that ordered tshirts from me (I'm Too Sexy for My Hair t-shirts) I have them at my house...cost is $14 per shirt.  Just call me or text me to let me know you are coming so I can put a hat on....my bald head is not for the human eye!!!  LOL!

T-shirts

I am going to have the t-shirts at my house by this evening (Tues May 22nd).  If you get a chance to stop over and pick them up this week that would be great.  I will not be home on Thursday night this week as we have to turn in our money and pick up the Relay for Life t-shirts that night.  If you ordered a Relay for Life T-shirt also, I will have those too at my house by Thursday night (May 24).  I will be swimming in t-shirts so come and get them from me.  Call or text first so I know when you are coming...and try not to breathe on me!! LOL!!

Tshirt pick up

For those of you who ordered t-shirts, we originally were going to have a pick up on Monday May 21st at Kristi Myers house.  We are not going to do it then as Kristi is not going to be home!  So I will post again in the next day or so as to when the t-shirts can be picked up.

Taxol Chemo - Round 3

This last chemo I was completely knocked out....zonked.  My sister took me to this one and I warned her I would be good to converse with for about 20 minutes or so before I started to slur my words...I think it only took me 10 minutes.  And my sister fell asleep too, so that tells you how boring it is!!  LOL --- It was great to have my sister take the day off so she could take me. We had alot of fun....once we woke up!! We ate lunch then did a bit of shopping (I am still a shopaholic, much to my husband's dismay)  I don't think it's really the money I spend, (well I am sure that has something to do with it) but it's my heaping closet that he doesn't like, as well as the totes, and bags of clothes.....he thinks I am a clothes hoarder and he may be right but I would never admit that to him.  I love clothes and shoes...it's as simple as that!  Hey, I already had to give up drinking, smoking, and hair management....I think I am allowed this last bit of fun that I can actually do!!!

So my sister got educated on the chemo process.  We were laughing about my sparse eyebrows and they have sort of turned an ugly shade of gray so they are a bit weird looking.  My sister said she wished she would have kept the hair that she donated to the locks of love so she could have given it to me so that I could make a wig out of it.  My sister's hair is SUPER thick and if I can't wear the Jacklyn Smith ultra-lite wiglet.....then I could never wear my sister's thick human hair....I am already sweltering thinking about it.  And really, human hair kind of grosses me out....even if it is a relatives hair.  Ick.

The I'm Too Sexy for My Hair, Team Laurie and Kristi t-shirts came in.  We are having a pick up time of Monday night (May 21st) at Kristi's house starting at 5:30pm.  If you are unable to pick up your shirt at that time, please let us know so we can make other arrangements.  Can't wait to see alot of you at Relay for Life...thanks for donating and supporting the team!

Happy Mother's Day (well yesterday...)

A belated Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's out there...and hey, we deserve it! Yesterday my darling son and daughter gave me a photo frame with a couple of pics in it of me and my kids....the frame said "Live, Laugh, Love...." of course I bawled (in private)- I think it scares Palmer to see me cry.  It was so touching and although I have a sneaking suspicion that my mother had something to do with it, I am so grateful to be my kids' mother. 

We went to eat lunch at the Pizza Ranch which was really nice.  Hadley had a great time eating hundreds of green beans and dropping mashed potatoes down her front.  It was good to get out of the house, but I am still a bit paranoid of germs.  I am petrified I will get sick.  I think I just have a phobia right now and hopefully it will go away after chemo.  I must admit, I understand those weirdos now that won't leave their house.  I hope I never become one of them....but I do understand.  I think too many people would miss me if I never left my house.....HA!!!

I also got another gift yesterday...everyone left me alone for a couple of hours so I could have a nap....while I never did fall asleep, I certainly enjoyed the vegging time....so thanks hubby and kids, I appreciate it!

Taxol Chemo - Round 2

I am happy to report that I am HALF-WAY through my treatments as of yesterday!! Woo hooooooo!!! Only 10 more weeks to go! Once again I was unable to blog again yesterday as the Benadryl they give me before the Taxol knocks me out!! Then the Taxol wakes me up as it gives me "early labor type" pains in my legs and stomach...I know yuck right???!!! But once the treatment is over, I don't feel that anymore, other than really tired and hungry! I guess that is a good thing. Yesterday I signed Palmer up for 5th and 6th grade football....which he loves! We have to sign them up now so they can get equipment ordered. Palmer cannot wait. It starts in August and I am so happy I won't be doing chemo anymore so that will help in running him around here and there for football. It's funny how I gauge everything on if I will be having chemo or won't be having chemo...maybe I am starting to look at making plans again....that's a good sign. Kristi Myers and I have team t-shirts that we are going to order for our Relay for Life team. Please let me know by tomorrow 5/11 if you want one cuz I have to order them ASAP to get them in by June 1st. I think they will be around $15 or so. They are awesome!

I jinxed myself!

Ok, yes I am 42 years old and I still believe in the "Jinx"....I probably always will. If I say something at the same time as someone else I always yell JINX! Even now I do it and my son looks at me like I am crazy! Evidently they don't do that anymore at school, nor do they have cooties or other childhood made-up games. I guess we were a bit more imaginative. But I jinxed myself by talking about how good I felt after chemo on Wednesday. I guess the Benadryl wore off cuz I felt poopy on Saturday...all day. But I was better on Sunday. So I will take one day of feeling crappy over the last round of nasty chemo. Even though I did jinx myself, I am hoping it's only for one day a week. I can sooooo deal with that, but not the cooties.

Phase II Chemo - Taxol Round 1

I didn't post yesterday because I was too sleepy at chemo!! They give you a bag of Benadryl which knocked my butt out!! Taxol has so far been pretty good to me. Dr. Yoda said that is would be a "piece of cake" compared to the last stuff I had so I found that to be very reassuring. And knock on wood, but I feel just fine today, the DAY after chemo!! Who would have thunk it???? I am so glad too, I feel like a productive member of society now!! I will continue to lose hair, not that I have much left but I am hoping to retain my eyelashes and eyebrows, but I don't think that will happen.....I am not looking forward to returning to my nickname "Lashless Laurie". I lost my eyelashes one summer in a drinking accident....don't ask, we'll just keep it as simple as that. And everyone called me Lashless Laurie that summer and I didn't enjoy the nickname. But I have to admit it was kind of funny! We are attempting to get our own team t-shirts made for Relay for Life. They will say "I'm Too Sexy for my Hair" so if you have not signed up online, let me or Kristi Myers know if you would like to be on our team so we can order you a t-shirt, ASAP! Cuz we need to order them soon! Relay for Life is June 1st from 11am - 11pm, South Hardin Track in Eldora.

I Look Like......

I have decided who I remind myself of with my bald head. That annoying pre-school cartoon character who Palmer use to watch all the time on Iowa Public Television and now who Hadley just loves....CAILOU! I remember watching that show with Palmer and I had a hard time with that character and his little whiney voice....it was worse than Barney! I use to tell Palmer that the cable wasn't working sometimes just to avoid watching that show!! I know, I lied to my poor little child!! But I needed some sanity! Isn't it ironic how karma has now blasted me in the butt for doing that with me being Cailou's twin now and all......gotta love karma.