The First Week of Summer 

June 24, 2014

On Tuesday and Wednesday I laughed, danced, acted, sang, drew and colored my way through two days of Arts Impact classes with my friend Jennifer at the Seattle Art Museum. Each day I took the water taxi downtown and walked up to class. It was a fabulous professional development with the emphasis on infusing the arts in classrooms as a way to teach to the common core but also as a way to allow children to show what they know. Jennifer and I had a blast playing together in this geeky teacher way and it was actually a great start to the summer.

Thursday my day was spent at home, nose to the grindstone, cleaning my house for my sister, Kathy, and packing for Ireland. I was in control and crossing things off my list. Thursday night I went to pilates and Megan gave us a kick-ass workout. Part way through I got giddy with excitement thinking about our upcoming trip.

Friday morning I continued with my packing and cleaning. About 10:00 I was hit with a wave of nausea and dizziness. I had to lie down and each time I tried to get up, I realized it just wasn’t gonna happen. I had a heaviness in my arms, like my blood was rushing there (though in hindsight I think the blood had left my arms, for I had very little blood). It took me a good hour and a half I think to completely get over this. I had many theories, most of them involved hormones.

I rallied in the afternoon, for I was on a mission to complete my tasks! I made it to PT for my foot and ankle, I had a pedicure, and then went to acupuncture. I told Jim and Kerry all about my symptoms and Jim thought I might have a flu. He treated me gently and gave me herbs. By the time I got home I was just tired and grumpy. I really did think I might have the flu and started taking my remedies. 

So much for being in control…

I got up a few times through the night and was ok.

In the 6 o’clock hour Saturday morning things really got rocking.

I sat up and immediately felt dizzy. I headed down the hall to the bathroom and had the most serious case of vertigo I’d ever had (not sure I’ve ever had it, but this was intense). I had to crouch down and hold the wall. The room was rocking and pushing me off balance. I made it to the bathroom and had to hold on to the counter to sit on the pot. I was as white as a sheet. Here is the gross part…I pooped what I call the black poop of death (BPOD). It was horrible, disgusting. Then I could only make it to the bathroom floor. And I had to lie still. I know I got up a couple of times to the pot but then immediately back to the floor. Mike came in maybe 15 minutes later. It was too early for urgent care, so he called Dr. Dagg’s office. The on call physician said what Mike had tried to do from the start but I wouldn’t let him; call 911.

Michael was home and had awakened to our noise. When he heard 911 he jumped up out of bed and came in. I think I had crawled to the kitchen by then as the bathroom floor was too cold. Right away, Michael grabbed a pillow for my head and a blanket to warm me up. 

When I heard that 911 was on the way a burst of adrenalin helped me make it to the bedroom to change into yoga pants and a T-shirt. I lay in bed and they came in there to take blood pressure, check my pulse and generally assess my health. They knew what all the health care professionals knew automatically after hearing about the BPOD and the dizziness; I was bleeding internally.

They called for an ambulance as I was stable. As we chatted we talked about Carrie being a medic. One of the firefighters could not say enough good  about Carrie (which is true for all of us). They canceled the ambulance, and 2 firefighters transported me to Swedish First Hill in a medic unit. They were so sweet and kind. The driver would alert me to upcoming hills or turns. The guy in the back with me was kind and comforting. Mike sat in the front and Michael followed behind in his car.

I was taken directly into a room (NO WAITING! WOO HOO!) and they started, very gently and kindly, mind you, putting me into hospital attire, poking me with needles, asking me all kinds of questions etc. I cannot say enough good about the people I encountered at Swedish. My first nurse Carly, was so sweet and caring. My admitting doctor/hospitalist, Dr. Connolly, I just loved. Both of them gave us the right combination of hope for our trip to happen and the realization that it just might not. As it turns out Dr. Connolly has dual citizenship in Ireland and the US. She has 2 men cousins that never married, live in a tiny village near Galway, wear those caps, tweed vests and mostly speak Gaelic. I promised to find them and tell them about her and lift a pint for her. Our nurse that replaced Carly was named Erin but spelt Eirann. She had visited Ireland and promised that we would see her name everywhere, even on the money! She loved Ireland. We took all this to be a good omen that the trip would happen. Mike and Michael stayed by my side and Betty showed up when she could get there.

I ended up waiting 6 hours in the emergency room waiting for a bed upstairs. During that time I began to think that I had been admitted to a tiny UN. Everyone that came in was from somewhere else in the world. And everyone was lovely. When my time finally came to go upstairs Eirann  was on the phone to the nurse who would take over for her. In the midst of her phone conversation she put her head in the door and asked, “Are you a teacher?” “Yes.” “This is Andrea, Gracie Peterson’s mom!” I just won the nurse lottery! Andrea is a firecracker and I’ve now learned what I always assumed, she is an awesome nurse. She had Eirann ask me if I was comfortable with her as my nurse. Absolutely!

Andrea welcomed me to the IICU (intermediate intensive care unit) with open arms and a fervor. She was not going to let Gracie’s kindergarten teacher down. I’ve always liked Andrea. She is hilarious and energetic and not afraid to speak her mind. What a great combination for my first trip (hopefully last) to the IICU. I had a huge room which was needed for all the monitors they hooked up to me. Andrea was like a mother wolf, protecting me and making sure I had everything I needed. She was a rock star. I can't remember all that went on up there in those first hours, but I was so sad when Andrea had to go home that evening. 

In the middle of all this Kathy and Mickey were coming in to vacation in our home while we headed to Ireland. They flew in Saturday and came up to the hospital after checking into their hotel. 

On Saturday afternoon I had an endoscopy and they found a bleeding ulcer, as expected, but it did not look typical. It looked like something was pushing the stomach lining in from the outside rather than the ulcer originating in the stomach lining. They ordered a CT scan to get a better picture and threw in a chest X-ray and a EKG. I got 3 bags of O+ blood (explains why I could not get up off the floor! thank you blood donors). The CT scan showed things (spots? tumors? lesions? things?) on the outside of my stomach, my pancreas and my liver. Not good news, to say the least. We had to wait another day to get an ultrasound and another endoscopy with a biopsy and internal ultrasound before we would know anything. 

Hello Ambian and good night world.

Sunday was a waiting game. I did get moved to a less intensive care unit as they determined after many many draws of blood that I had stopped bleeding. Bill, my Jamaican transportologist showed up to take me up stairs. He grew too weary of waiting for the nurses to have me ready so he “went to see a man about a dog.” Another character in this play was EB. He was one of the night nurses. He has an energetic, bright 5 year old son and he is from Gambia, so we had lots to chat about. He was lovely. I had a wonderful nurse from Iran who just oozed love and caring. She took great care of me. I had another nurse from India and many others who came and went were from all over the world.

I had many visitors. Lindy, Carrie and Lisa all showed up and spent the better part of the day at the hospital. Kathy and Mickey came and went a couple of times. I felt very supported and loved. I found out at some point the endoscopy I needed was a Monday-Friday kind of thing, so I had to wait for that. I did get an ultrasound which is so easy! No drugs, no pain. Unfortunately it did not tell them anything they did not already know.

By Sunday mid-day it became quite clear we would not catch our afternoon flight on Monday. But we still held out hope of putting it off a few days. Mike and Michael were able to Skype with Maggie and tell her the news. I don’t envy them that duty. It was not pleasant. After I’d found out they had Skyped I texted Maggie but could hardly do that through my tears. There was no way I could Skype at that point.

As an aside, I was on a “nothing by mouth” diet almost this entire time. Sunday night I was allowed to order from the clear liquid menu and enjoyed some cherry jello, green tea, black tea and gummy bears. After everyone left I ordered a second round! All my peeps left early on Sunday because Mike and Gillian generously, super generously, offered to let Kathy and Mickey stay all night at their house while they vacationed in Yellowstone. So they all went to dinner there so everyone could meet and Kathy and Mickey could get the lay of the land. I watched Waking Ned Devine and cried thinking about the distinct possibility of missing our trip entirely. After their dinner and my movie Mike and Michael came back to entertain me until it was ambian o’clock.

I was able to start Monday with a Skype session with Maggie. It was great to be able to see her and talk to her. We did a good job of keeping it together and we had a good conversation. Then I spent the better part of the day waiting. I was waiting for the endoscopy that would include an interior ultrasound, a biopsy of the stomach ulcer and spot on the pancreas. The doctor had a busy schedule and they had to try to squeeze me in where they could. I finally found out that I had a 3:00 appointment. Good to know. Prior to that I had more fabulous visitors. Jennifer came with her sister Allison and her two kids Gideon and Kincaid. Anyone of them on their own would be very entertaining, but altogether, they are hilarious! I highly recommend them as hospital visitors, anytime. Next came our neighbor Lizzie and her 9 month old June. These are our next door neighbors and we just love that June Bug! She is adorable and she gave me just the baby therapy I needed. Betty had to work but walked up from there to spend some time. Kathy and Mickey were there again, of course, enjoying a different kind of vacation than they had planned. 

At 2:00 they fetched me for my 3:00 appointment. Mike and Michael stayed with me for that hour while we waited in the holding area for the procedure. Finally I was rolled into the procedure room and 2 assistants entertained me while we waited for the doctor. Dr. Schembre is a highly regarded doctor. Andrea gave him the seal of approval and we looked him up on line. I knew I was in good hands. He was a lovely man and had a good bedside manner. He told me what I needed to hear and then away I went to la-la land.

Unfortunately I think I could have used a little more sedation. I remember trying to grab at my chest and I remember hearing them say “Not yet, Janet.” My visual image is that I had shipping containers being moved around my chest. They happened to be yellow-orange if you want to know, just a little detail. When I woke up I had a feeling they left a shipping container inside me. 

Monday evening after the procedure, I was rocky at best. I have faded memories of being up in the room with my people; Mike, Michael, Betty, Carrie, and Lillie, Dr. Connolly and Dr. Schembre. They were all talking but I was fading in and out. How about some more ambian, people? OK, good night.

Each morning I woke early and with a headache. Tylenol helped, but who wants to be up by 4:30 am in the hospital. Oh well. Tuesday morning was no different. I did get some black tea and saltines followed by a few bites of yogurt. I had a good Skype session with Maggie. We are still holding out hope, Maggie, but it is looking less and less likely. I watched The Book Thief and was able to escape reality for a while.

Dr. Connolly came in on the early side of the morning and refreshed my memory from the night before. I had really not been cognizant while they were all up in the room after my procedure. I am very fond of Dr. Connolly. She helped put all the pieces in place for me to get some clarity around what was going on and questions that I had…very helpful. She was kind and generous with her time. She said they would probably not know the results until Thursday and the trip looked less likely because of that. I think I was still putting the trip off just a few more days in my mind…at home we were all packed and ready to go, we just needed new tickets. But then she said the magic words…I could go home!! No aspirin, ibuprofen or the like. No alcohol. Anything else was ok.  Pantoprazole; one tablet twice a day. She said she did not think Dr. Schembre would make it up this morning but to expect a call today.

Mike and Michael were already on their way, so it would not be long. I did what I could with tubes still in my veins, to prepare for departure. Mike and Michael showed up and helped and the nurse showed up to give directions and remove tubes. During this time Dr. Schembre came in with his assistant. I had the clarity I needed, finally, to ask the direct and necessary questions. 

Do you know yet if it is cancer?

No.

So, the biopsies will show us if it is cancer or not?

Yes, and if it is cancer, what kind of cancer.

So, if it is not cancer can I travel?

No, too many unknowns.

Ok, now I’ve got my marching orders…take one pill twice a day, cancel your vacation and unpack your bags. 

It was great to get out of the hospital. We stopped by the pharmacy on our way out to  pick up my prescription and Michael went to get the car. Mike and I stepped out into the sunshine to wait for Michael and I could hear, in my head, a soundtrack. I said to Mike I felt like I was in a movie…a sad movie…I would really love this movie, but I don’t want it to be about me!

So we walk into a house full of mostly packed bags and lists of things to remember to pack at the last minute. Talk about rubbing salt into a wound. Damn. After a break I spent a good deal of time working on canceling our plans. How much quicker that was than making the plans. Maggie cancelled all our plans on the West Coast of Ireland (I now have many B&B hosts praying for me…good Irish Catholic prayers!). I cancelled everything from Dublin on including our flight to England and our Matilda tickets (so bummed). We were able to take care of it all pretty quickly and heard back from everyone in a timely way. Oh well…maybe next time.

We also made a decision to bring Maggie home on Friday, the fourth of July with the help of her Aunt Carrie and send her back to pick up in Paris for her month in Europe with her college room mates mid July (fingers crossed).

Coming Home

Tuesday as soon as I had finished with canceling plans, talking with Maggie and settling just a bit I texted Kathy and said we were home, settled and they could come over any time they liked. They headed over immediately with lots of good food and energy. It was a beautiful day, actually, quite hot, but that worked for me. We sat on the deck all afternoon and I think everyone was back and forth talking on the phone and catching people up to date. Betty was there but Michael had headed back to Portland. It was a waiting game, now and we might not hear anything until Thursday.

We did not have to wait that long. Dr. Schembre called about 7:30 that evening to give us the news.

Mike and I sat in Michael’s room to talk on the phone. Bad news…cancer. Good news…NOT originating from the pancreas, but from the stomach. Stomach cancer. The cancer started on or in the wall of the stomach lining. What is on the pancreas are the same kind of cells and most likely that is what is on the liver as well, they just can’t say it definitively as they did not get a biopsy. He gave me names of possible oncologists. He said I’d most likely start with chemo and then depending on shrinkage I may or may not need surgery. He gave me the name of a surgeon to be thinking about. There you go…here we go.

We headed out to the deck and I had to say it for the first time. It’s cancer. We all cried and cursed. But what are you going to do…you just have to do it, right? Kathy and Mickey have been in our shoes and it was so good to have them there. Betty is Betty and will always be here for us. We spent the evening talking to each other and lots of time talking on the phone. I talked to my sad momma, that was so difficult to do. I talked to my brother, Paul. Finally I hit the wall and we ended the evening.

We spent a good deal of time Wednesday morning looking up the potential oncologists and surgeons on line. Mike and I talked to Andrea as she gave us her number and told us to keep her posted and she could give us her opinion when we wanted it. She had lots of information and opinions on the oncologists. So helpful! Mike talked to Carrie and of course she is right on this, gathering all kinds of information and being so helpful and supportive. I got a phone call from Debra, my nurse navigator, from The Swedish Cancer Institute. What a treasure! She is the person who, if I stick with Swedish, will make all my appointments and help us navigate this new world. She is very upbeat and knowledgable. She knows the ins and outs as a professional but in addition she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer a number of years ago, so she, unfortunately has an inside view as well. I told her my doctor preference and of course our calendar is completely open as we were expecting to be roaming the hills of Ireland this month. She said she would make the appointments and call me back today. Waiting, again. Later in the day we talked. We have 2 appointments scheduled for next Thursday, July 10, one with the oncologist, Dr. Kaplan and one with the surgeon, Dr. Ong. We are going to get to see the oncologist who is top on our list…fabulous! And we are going to see the latest addition to the surgery department, a young and very smart surgeon recently recruited from Arizona. 

In addition, Carrie has talked to the oncologist she knows; Dr. Chen from the Polyclinic. He has given his seal of approval to Dr. Kaplan and we have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Chen later in the month for a second opinion.

We have a whole week to wait. Andrea had said to me “cancer is an emotional emergency, not a medical emergency.” She said we had time to take things step by step and be thoughtful and pragmatic. Thank goodness for Carrie and Andrea! We have 2 insider advocates and navigators, they have our back, for sure! We understand these doctors are worth waiting for, so in the meantime…

Let’s Make Lemonade

Let’s have a picnic! My dear Michael had made a Bakery Nouveau run for me yesterday and brought back 4 pieces of quiche (I had a distinct and strong hankering for quiche while in the hospital). We packed up some quiche, cherries, nectarines and grabbed Rudy and headed for the beach. Beautiful day! Right as we parked and got out of the car Andrea and a friend walked by…what a coincidence! Big hugs and laughter. I told her about Debbie and our appointment with Dr. Kaplan and she told us she was having surgery next week but she is always available to us. How generous! Love her! Mike and I had a nice picnic on the bench and took a stroll down the beach. Lovely.

Carrie came over when we got home and we all spent time talking cancer and doctors. Carrie’s advice: eat lots of good food while I can! Starting now: we’d stopped for organic coffee ice cream on the way home from our picnic!  I spent time talking to Jennifer and telling her the bad news. They have had so many medical issues in her family,  she is already a great friend and I know she’ll be a great support. 

Then we had to Skype Maggie. She was not thinking we would have a diagnosis yet and came on the screen with Daragh and Rian and her friend Kelly. We had a great chat then she took the computer downstairs so we could say goodbye to Cody and Lisa. She headed upstairs ready to sign off but we told her we had the news. It was no easy task telling Maggie and I know it was even harder for her. She just wanted to have some magic that would bring her right home, through the screen. We’d have to wait.

Thursday following Carrie’s advice I went to eat good food! Mike and I went to pick up Kathy and Mickey (so weird to go to Mike and Gillian’s to pick up Kathy and Mickey!). Mike dropped me and Kathy off at the water taxi and the boys went to try and walk on the golf course. Kathy and I walked right on to the ferry and cruised over to downtown. We went past the gum wall into the Post Alley Theatre and met Bridget our Pike Place Market Food Tour guide. We had a fabulous time, along with 14 or so others, following Bridget around the market, through the crowds to sample delicious foods and hear entertaining stories about the market, the people, the history and the food. Smoked salmon, Market spiced tea, cherries and peaches, meat from BB Ranch,  Beecher’s  cheese and mac and cheese, Pike Place Chowder and bisque, gourmet sandwich, Jon Boy caramels, Etta’s crab cakes and I know I’ve missed a few. Kathy and I are cut from the same cloth; it is more difficult for us to inhibit our quippy little thoughts than just blurt them out. We had a great time. After the tour we retraced our steps and bought yummies for dinner. We high-tailed it back to the ferry and the guys were on the other side waiting for us. By the time we got home Michael was waiting, Betty joined us and we had a lovely dinner on the deck! YUM! Eating good food while I can!

Happy Fourth of July

I have never had a 4th of July that has so little to do with the 4th of July. We did chores (I could not take these floors one more minute!!). I went to PCC and TJ all by myself. I was worried about who I ran into, but it was fine. I saw Maria Cheha and she already knew so I got a big hug and it was lovely. However, I had not been warned about one of my side effects:  “the first trip to the grocery store after being diagnosed with cancer and having to miss your vacation you’ve been planning on for 9 months and then feeling entitled to any thing you want!” Let’s just say I love sunflowers and zinnias and now I have some. Oh and pickled beets, too. Oh and Beecher’s cheese and lots of cherries! I’ll stop there! It was kinda fun!

At home I cleaned Maggie’s room, a quick dusting. I felt like the British shows when they come back to their homes after the holiday away and have to dust everything off. I had to get Maggie’s room back up and ready.

6:30, about 20 minutes early, a mighty tearful and heartfelt reunion! Maggie is home!

Freedom from the sadness and longing of missing Maggie! Happy 4th!

More Lemonade

Saturday was let’s just hang out and be a family; Micael and Maggie were both home! We watched Felix pitch an epic long game that we finally won. We went to the park and everyone else played frisbee, I took pictures, we watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs which made me laugh out loud!

Great day!

On  Sunday, Kathy and Mickey came over for an early Sunday dinner: salmon, roast veggies, salad, sautéed garlic spears. Kathy brought dessert; coconut milk ice cream with fruit compote. Yum-O!

Michael had to head back to Portland at 5. Mike took Michael to the train, Kathy and Mickey headed “home” and I got a text from Genya that they were home. She called and I started crying so she came on over. It was not easy telling Genya about cancer because she is my teaching partner and I am to be her son’s teacher in the fall. But, Genya has been through plenty herself. She is so practical and pragmatic and would not let me think at all about the impact on her and Ian. Of course she wouldn’t. But it was good to let her know, and hear that from her, it was a relief.

On Monday I tried to connect with David, my principal,  in person but I couldn’t make it happen. I ended up having to tell him over the phone. He was gentle and kind and said all the right things. Now I’m done with my absolute want to tell you in person list and I am just going to let it all out there. Anyone can tell anyone and I’m fine with that.

At some point talking to my mom this weekend she informed me that my great grandpa, her mom’s dad, Louis Heinz, at the age of 85 in the 1950’s had stomach cancer. They treated it surgically, he survived a few more years and died of a heart attack while working in his garden. Mom also thinks one of his sons had stomach cancer, but she may have just made that part up.

Talking to my mom is hard. It is hard for her to believe that I am feeling as well as I feel, but I do feel good, physically, right now. If it had not been for that bleeding I would not have known about all this happening inside me at all.

So my list was: college, college, kitchen, computer camera, Ireland, lathe and then more…A cautionary tale: do not wish for a long list of things that start with the “k” sound. Cancer snuck in right after camera, before I could change to another beginning sound.

Tuesday July 8

I continue my “eat what I want” food plan. When we were doing the Abascal food plan she talks about how to be on “maintenance” the Abascal way and she prescribes a “day off.” On that day you can eat and drink whatever you want. I always said that dream day would be Bakery Nouveau, followed by Zippy’s, followed by pizza (at one of a few spots). Today I am 2/3 of the way through that dream food day and I absolutely plan to finish it off with 3 for 3 at Delancy’s with Kathy and Mickey and Maggie and Mike. 

Delancy’s was closed…but there is more than one spot to get a wood fired pizza! Our neighbor Vince suggested Humble Pie. Yum! We had delicious pizza in a very “Portland-esque” setting. We finished this food day with a trip to Full-Tilt ice cream. 

Wednesday July 9

Mike, Maggie, Betty and I packed up early and headed to Mt. Rainier. A glorious day! We ended up on a nice hike starting at Ohanapecosh and hiking up just over a mile to Silver Falls. Betty and Maggie did an extra couple of miles to hike at the Grove of the Patriarchs but Mike and I skipped the extra miles, headed down in a slow meandering way, catering to my low volume of blood in my system and taking time to learn our new camera a bit better. 

It was a beautiful day.

Thursday July 10

That was a lovely bubble week. I really only worried about how unworried I was. It’s not in my nature not to worry and in hindsight I realize everyone else was doing that for me. I was building a fantasy that the oncologist would chuckle and say, “Oh, a few chemo sessions will take care of this!” And my fantasy continued with everyone saying, “Well that was a lot of hassle for no big deal.”

Thursday my bubble was burst. This is no little thing. This is going to be quite a fight.

We saw Dr. Ong the new head of the surgical/oncology department, at 11:30. We spent an hour with him as he drew pictures, made lists, wrote big words, drew arrows on his white board. He was quite informative and clearly very smart. He explained what was known and what was left to find out. He took the wind right out of our sails. We were punched in the gut. This was happening to us.

We spent the next several hours in a daze on Broadway (not the only people in a daze up there…I’m just saying!). We found places to just sit. Had lunch, had coffee, sat some more. A daze, unreal, out of body.

At 4:00, we met with the well regarded oncologist Hank Kaplan. He was just as kind and lovely as we expected. Such a good manner but I am here to say this man is not afraid to call it like it is, and it’s not pretty.

Here is what we learned on Thursday from the docs. This is unusual. There are 200,000 cases of colon cancer a year in this country. There are only 5-6,000 cases of stomach cancer, and it has been on the decline. So, it is really weird that I got stomach cancer.

There are different ways that cancer spreads. When it just keeps moving along to it’s neighbor it is “invasive”. So my stomach cancer invaded my pancreas, and that too is unusual. Most likely these will be treated with chemo.

What is on the liver has not been proven definitively to be the same, however both doctors think that it is the same stomach cancer. What is unusual here is that usually cancer moves through our bodies through the lymph system. My lymphs are clear and that means it has moved through my blood. But…there is a chance, still, that what is on my liver is not cancer. Until they have all the information they cannot determine the course of treatment. More waiting…I keep remembering Andrea’s words that now is the time to go step by step and be pragmatic.

I am scheduled for a PET scan on Tuesday July 15. This may or may not give us the definitive information regarding my liver. If it does, then they can, hopefully decide on a course of treatment and we can start fighting this cancer. If not, I’ll need a liver biopsy.

Kathy and Mickey came over for dinner. Betty had gone to the store and had a nice salad bar started for us. Mike and I relayed the new information, not pleasant, but we had a nice evening before Kathy and Mickey moved out of West Seattle to their new digs in Lynnwood for the rest of their time in Seattle.

More Lemonade, Anyone?

I love riding my bike! Friday was a hot one so we got an early start, Mike, Maggie and I, and loaded up a picnic and our bikes. We drove to the Green River Trail and had a lovely/flatish/shaddyish bike ride along the trail. We went off the trail and found a little park in Renton, then headed back. We stopped for our picnic at Starfire and then finished up before the heat of the day. It was perfect!

Mike and Gillian and Conor had returned from their trip on Thursday so they came over Friday evening. We had not seen them since all of this started. Maggie took Conor down to the park for some fun so we could talk frankly with Mike and Gillian. They ended up staying for our dinner of leftovers and we had a great evening.

Girl Time

Saturday I convinced Mike to go to his wood session up in Lynnwood. I reminded him there would be times he wouldn’t be able to go and I was fine! I had already invited Jennifer over for the day and I knew Roz might come by so we were gearing up for a girl day.
Baby June came over about 9 for a visit while Lizzie and Vince were busy around the house. Jennifer got there about 9:30 and we played with the babe for a while. Maggie was there, too. It was a nice morning. We sent Maggie to the store and set out lots of fruit and salad fixings to fix a nice lunch.

Roz texted me, she came over, followed by Lisa Gluckman and Kathy Ludwick. We all sat around the table snacking on yummy fruit and drinking tea and lemonade. Betty joined us when she got back from her chores. It was quite lovely. Mike came home and saw I was in good hands and disappeared down to the workshop and into wooden bowl land. After Roz, Lisa and Kathy had all left, Maggie’s Lisa and her brother Peter showed up. We had a nice visit with them, too.
Jennifer stayed for the duration. It was great to have her here all day. We fixed dinner and I called Lisa Clayton to see if she could come over. She did and we sat on the deck and I told my story once again. So sad to think about not starting kindergarten in the fall, but I have to be real so I can find a good sub and get things as set up as I can for them. I don’t like to think about that part. This impacts so many people.

No Exercise…OK!

Starting today, Sunday,  to get ready for my PET scan I can engage in no vigorous exercise (you know how sad that makes me, ha!). Tomorrow I have to eliminate all sugars including fruits, all grains and white potatoes. I can eat a high fat/high protein diet including: eggs, cheese, meat, fish, nuts. I can do that! On Tuesday I can only have water, as much as I want though, all day. We have a 12:30 appointment for the scan. They will shoot me with radioactive dye and I have to lie quietly during the scan and for a while afterward. I should be out by 3:30. The doctor will get the results by 5 and we have an appointment to meet with him at 5:30. Hopefully it will give him definitive results. If not, I’ll have to have a liver biopsy.

Today we are meeting up with Kathy and Mickey to say good-by. We’ll have lunch at Dukes and then take them to the airport. They are cutting their vacation short and heading back to Boulder. It has been so good to have Kathy here. I know it has made mom feel so much better knowing she was here. It was good to spend time with them and have some fun in the midst of this cancer fog.