Granny and Grandad

This post is dedicated to my wonderful grandparents. My grandmother's name was Rosa Mae Haddox, and my grandfather was always called "J.C. Wells", which is short for Joseph Caron Wells. Grandad and Granny got married on March 1, 1932. Granny used her middle name (sort of a common thing for our family to do, I've discovered) and so she went by the name "Mae Wells".

Granny was born on March 22, 1913. She was always very kind, warm, loving. She always, and I mean always, had a smile on her face. You know how most people, when they are relaxed and gazing into the distance, have a neutral look on their face? Granny didn't. Her lips were always curled up in a relaxed smile. This is one thing I remember about her. Granny was also very short, which became worse with her osteoporosis. Her upper back became hunched over, causing her to shrink. She LOVE it when I gave her back massages. Also, she always had a pot of beans on the stove or in the fridge. It's just the way it was done. I also remember that for many, many, many years (since when I was a little girl) she had a sore on her right leg. She scraped it when she was not very old and it never healed. The doctors did many skin grafts on it but could not get it to heal. I always wondered why. She was always cleaning it, changing the dressing, and always had a bandage on it. For the last few years of her life, she suffered from congestive heart failure and was in out of the hospital because of heart problems. She finally passed away, at the age of 96, on April 5, 2009. I am so lucky that she gave me a packet of old photographs a few years ago, which I rediscovered a couple of days ago as I was unpacking one of the final boxes from moving to our current house. In this packet was this photo. She was beautiful, and look at all that hair!

Grandad was born May 5, 1914. To me, he always looked the same, and that's to say: old. When I was a kid I was actually a bit afraid of him. He was gruff, and didn't speak to us kids much. Perhaps he just didn't like kids. I remember that he was ALWAYS working outside in the garden or in his tool shed, planting his garden, building something. He was outside all day, every day from the time he got up to the time he had to come in for dinner. After dinner he'd usually watch TV and relax. He taught me a poem about a wise old owl. I don't remember how it went, but I remember I cherished that poem because he taught it to me. When I grew up into an young adult I noticed something interesting about him: he slowed down, took more time to visit with me, and became very loving. He smiled a lot more, hugged me, and enjoyed conversations with me. When he spent time with me he made me feel like I was his favorite person. I'm very glad that the gruff grandfather I grew up knowing mellowed out and showed me that he loved me. And I loved him very much too. He died at the age of 87 on August 23, 2001. The cause of death was colon cancer which, by the time they discovered it, had spread too far to treat. (Side note: My colon cancer is unrelated to his. I am much younger and I also did a lab test to see if it was genetic. It wasn't.) This is how he looked when he was a young man. Very handsome!

Granny and Grandad were married for 69 years, and loved each other until the end. This is how I remember them:

This is a fun picture of them too, as a young married couple. This was taken in probably 1944. My father is the baby that my grandfather is holding.

Christmas Letter 2009 (penned by David)

Greetings –

Well, this year started off rather inauspiciously when we discovered just before last Christmas that Laurie’s colon cancer had returned as a metastasis on the left lobe of her liver (the small part often used for donation). We knew one of our first challenges of the year would be surgery. The surgery was done at Stanford by one of the world’s leading liver cancer surgeons. They also took her gall bladder out when they saw a second small lesion above it. After several months of recovery and another 6 months of chemo there has been no recurrence. Laurie continues to alternate between PET and MRI scans every two months. They’re continuing to look clean and we look forward to less frequent and equally clear scans as the years roll by.

Laurie also had the first of 2 bunionectomies done in November. The surgery corrects bone growth in the foot so that the bones are now straight and that will remove a lot of pain that she’s been having. There has to be 3 months between surgeries, so Laurie will have her other foot done in late February.

David’s continuing to work at Cisco. The work isn’t quite the same as he originally signed up for, but it is gainful employment and he feels there’s value in what he’s doing. Most importantly, the job and pay are solid along with great benefits. Now if only they’d stop forcing vacation times on him so that there could be some planned time for him to do stuff with Laurie.

We wouldn’t consider our life normal if it didn’t include a little chaos. Laurie finished her last chemo in August and was looking forward to a little relaxation time before considering a possible return to work. With the previous 19 months of her life pretty chaotic and lost with surgeries, chemo and recovery, it was decided that it was time for Laurie to slow down, relax and start to enjoy life for a while. Well, that was the idea at least. Then Laurie made the mistake of mentioning to Theo’s breeder that he seemed bored at times. Well, 3 weeks later Francee contacted Laurie and said she had a long coated female that was 9 weeks old.

The timing was right for everyone, but we also knew this would pretty much trash any chance of the next 10-12 weeks being quiet and relaxing. Less than 3 weeks later we met Francee and Hollie in Petaluma and returned with the most loving 12 week old ball of fur you’ll ever meet. Cassiopeia (aka Cassie) is gorgeous, loving, affectionate and full of life. Theo hoped she’d leave for the first couple days, then put her in her place for a few days. Now he just lets her do whatever she wants. She is constantly goading him into play and has brought the puppy out of him again.

The conclusion is all is right in our life again. Laurie may decide to return to work in the future, but for now she’s just keeping her license up to date so the options are open. Theo and Cassie are definitely our kids. We are very happy that Laurie is healthy and in the clear.

We wish you all a Happy New Year and Joyous Holiday Season.

Laurie, David, Theo, and Cassie

Poor Cassie :-(

Well, it was time. Cassie had to go in to the vet to get spayed. I know that some people think a dog needs to go through one heat but for her future we decided it was best not to allow that. For one thing, she isn't allowed to go to daycare after 6 months of age unless she is spayed. And she could have her first heat from 6-8 months old. We feel the socialization she gets from being around other dogs at daycare is very important and we don't want to deny her that socialization for 1-2 months just to have a heat cycle. Plus we don't want to deal with her having a cycle in the house or for Theo (who is altered but can still respond to hormones) to get weird. So, we took advantage of this Thanksgiving break in her training classes, and of the extended time that Dave's at home for the holiday, to go ahead and get her fixed.

She is a little confused, a little wimpery. I don't blame her. Yesterday she woke up, happy as ever, bouncing around, playing, wanting breakfast (which she could not have) and then we took her to the vet. The doctor said that when he was doing an exam on her she was giving him kisses. Then she was sedated and spayed and later Dave and I picked her up. I wonder what's been going through her head. She woke up, different somehow, and now she has to wear a cone on her head. She's not allowed to run, play, or jump for 7-10 days and so she goes outside on a leash. Gone are the free romps in the back yard. For all she knows, it's forever. But it's only for a few days. In a week or two she will be back to her old self, with free roam of the house and back yard and she and Theo can play again. I know that Dave and I can't wait for that to happen.

Here's a picture of her from today:

Did I Tell You I Had Foot Surgery?

It's not sexy... and it is painful. The bunion. Due to unlucky developmental abnormalities, my feet have always hurt when I wear anything other than tennis shoes. Well, I could wear flip-flops too, but those only get a person so far! Finally a couple of months ago my right foot was hurting after wearing flip-flops all day, prepping for some dinner party or another. So, I scheduled a visit with a foot doctor. He took some x-rays of my feet and declared them to have moderate bunions (coupled with some arthritis) which he could correct with surgery. I've heard of people regretting having had the surgery, and I've heard of people wishing they had done it sooner. I hope I'm one of those people.

So, two weeks ago my right foot was operated on and I have to say, I'm amazed at the "after" x-ray. The foot is still tender and swollen and I have to wear the big black surgical shoe for another week and a half, and then tennis shows only after that for 3 weeks or so. I will go easy on my foot, but when it's ready I can't wait to put on a nice pair of dress shoes and see how it feels!

So far the recovery isn't bad. Not much pain, unless I'm up on my feet too much. I've been keeping it elevated and iced a lot, watching TV, reading, knitting.

In about 3 months I'll do the other foot and go through this whole thing again.

Modern Courtesy

I'd like to bring attention to the decline of modern courtesy, specifically as it relates to invitations. I was taught that if someone invites you to something then you should respond with an acceptance or a declination. Ignoring the invitation is not an option. If I have decided that I'd like to spend time with someone and don't get any response at all, I don't take it as a "no". Instead, I feel snubbed. And after a couple of these I'll stop asking.

If I ask you if you'd like to do something or if you are available, it's OK to not be available. But I would appreciate it if you'd let me know so that I can either ask someone else or make other adjustments without the fear of a last-minute change. It's not polite to put people on hold in case some better offer comes along.

I find this is a very Californian thing, I think. At least I never experienced this in Texas. Does this happen everywhere else?

My Babies

I am so happy with my babies! Theo is a 4 year old very good-natured male Akita. Cassie is our new 4 1/2 month old female puppy Akita. Theo is a wonderful adult, very patient and playful with the very energetic Cassie. Cassie is by far the happiest puppy I've every seen. She smiles all the time and is absolutely joyful. She's not fussy - if she's confined she settles down and does not complain. If she's chewing on something she's not supposed to chew on she will accept a substitute if given one. The two dogs are so wonderful to have around, and it's wonderful that they have each other. I had no idea there was so much playfulness left in Theo but Cassie really brings out the puppy in him.

Right now they are tumbling around, chewing on each other. Both are so happy.

MRI Results Are In

I had an MRI scan last week and got the results today. Here are some snippets from the report:

Findings: Again are noted post-operative changes consistent with left hepatic lobe resection. No new liver lesions are identified. On post-contrast sequences, there is no abnormal enhancing liver lesion. No evidence for restricted diffusion on the DWI sequences. The main and right portal veins demonstrate normal enhancement without evidence for thrombus.

Other visceral organs including the spleen, kidneys, pancreas, and adrenal glands are within normal limits. No ascites is identified. No evidence for retroperitoneal mass or lymphadenopathy.

Impression: No evidence for residual or recurrent mass.

MY Impressions: I like the recurrent use of "no...", "normal...", "no abnormal...".
:-)

My Decision to Leave the Workforce

Well, I did it. I thought about it and thought about it, tried to make myself look forward to returning to work, but couldn't. The lab where I was working is full of wonderful, caring people who looked forward to my return and to my contributions. Wow, that made the decision even harder. In a way, they are my friends and I don't like to let friends down. But, I do have a habit of making decisions based on what's better for those around me, and then I figure out how to be happy with that decision. Well, this time I put myself first and decided not to return until I feel I can be dedicated to it. It's only fair, to me and to them. I will continue to earn my CEUs and keep my license up-to-date so that when I'm ready to return I will be prepared.

I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband who supports this decision. He knows it is likely not permanent, though there are no guarantees. In life, there are no guarantees. Except for death. And I think that's why he is allowing me this selfish time. Because I was unknowingly walking along death's path before I realized it. Now he is allowing me to walk along life's path and to spend my time being a bit selfish.

I plan to include him in my selfishness, though. Hopefully I'll be doing things that make him happy too.

Fall Garden is Planted

Well, I finally got some veggies in for the Fall! I planted seedlings this time around to give them a bit of a head start. Here's what's in the ground now:

• 6 Brussels Sprouts
• 2 kinds of lettuce
• 1 cabbage plant
• Spinach
• Sugar snap peas

Still in the ground from before:

• Tomatoes (these will probably be done soon)
• 2 Jalapeno pepper plants
• 1 Fresno pepper plant
• 1 Leek
• 5 Asparagus crowns
• The herb box (containing parsley, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage)

I still have to plant the garlic. I have 3 varieties to go in the ground and will try to get this done later this week.

My New Garden Pet

I found a pet in the backyard today:

These guys are friendly and are bug-eating machines. I'm happy to see him there. I hope the dogs don't get him.

Race Relations

The other day I was driving and saw a sign at a school that read something like "Latino Night Dinner tonight". And I was thinking that if we are supposed to be color blind, then why are we making that kind of distinction? Can you imagine the uproar if the sign read: "White Caucasian Dinner tonight"?

Just food for thought...

Colonoscopy

Today I had my second colonoscopy, the first one since my initial one February 13, 2008 when the tumor was found. Everything looks normal, he found no new tumors, polyps, nothing. This is great news. Usually when tumors return they usually do so in the first year, and almost always within the first 2 years. In February it will be 2 years from my initial diagnosis and surgery so if nothing shows back up by that time then I'm looking pretty good. I don't know if the tumors showing up in my liver reset that clock, but I don't think so. I think perhaps each organ gets its own clock, so to speak. My liver still has a little more than a year to go.

The true milestone will be 5 years. If no cancer appears for 5 years then I'll be considered cured. I guess until then I'm officially in remission.

I am scheduled for another MRI October 28th.

My Busy Last Few Weeks

Wow, I'm sorry that I've been away for so long! It's been very, very busy around here. Cassie has been a source of joy but she does take time to raise properly. We are taking her to 2 (yes, 2) Puppy I classes each week. And because she and Theo play together so much, they both have to be bathed quite frequently. Well, not Theo so much but puppies really know how to get dirty fast.

Also, at the end of last month, Dave and I went to Boston for 4 nights. It was a trip taken to combine visiting with some old friends of mine along with visiting Boston. Dave had never been there and while I have, it was really nice to take some time and explore the city. We were accompanied by Joanne, Tim, and Brian for much of the trip.

Another thing that's been taking my time is the garden, of course. We have some spots prepped for planting Brussels sprouts, cabbage, spinach, kale, peas, and garlic. I need to get these in the ground by this weekend, preferably.

The one thing that might interfere with that is this NASTY cold that I caught a couple of days ago. It's kicking my butt, but I'll hang in there. It'll be over when it's over.

That said, I'm going to go rest up some. I should be harvesting basil for pesto. Perhaps I'll feel like doing that later. For now I'm going to chill out for a while. Get it? Chill out? I have a cold!

Cassie

In yesterday's post I was so excited to write about our new little girl that I forgot to mention her name. It's Cassiopeia, and we call her "Cassie" for short. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was a vain queen who boasted about her unrivaled beauty. We feel that our little Cassie is so gorgeous that if she could speak she would be bragging about it too. But she doesn't brag and she's so loving and sweet. To see her (and get puppy kisses from her) is to love her.

She and Theo are getting along great. The first couple of days Theo wanted to make sure that she knew he was the boss. He was ignoring her (while keeping an eye on her) and wouldn't let her near the toys. And one time she tried to take a treat ball from him and he gave a very strong correction that ended by him doing an "Alpha Rollover" on her, where he rolled her over and held her down with his foot. She got the message, and after that he was satisfied that she knew that he was the boss. If she breaks any more of his rules he will let her know. Now they are playing and offers her toys. They do enjoy each other's company. Sometimes you can see that he is tired of her trying to play all the time so we let him go have some alone time for a while. And Cassie is so easy going that she will play by herself or settle down for a nap.

The first couple of nights we tried to bring her up to our bedroom to sleep in a crate, but she was so restless and fussy. I was thinking she was probably too hot so I took her downstairs to sleep in her pen in the kitchen where it was cooler. She settled right down and slept the rest of the night. She's been sleeping there ever since and goes right into her pen with no fuss. She is so happy to see one of us the next morning and is ready for full-on play and kissing action. But, she has to go pee first!

She's so sweet and smart. I can't wait to see how she is as an adult. Theo is sweet too and has a wonderful temperament, but he is not affectionate. Even as a puppy he didn't want to be held and cuddled. Cassie seems to enjoy this a lot. If I hold her in my arms she quits squirming and rests there, enjoying being close to me. Then she will look up at me and kiss my chin. And I smile really big!

Our New Little Girl

Well, it's been a month since my last chemo treatment. And what a busy month it's been! We've had people here doing work on the house, various things like making the A/C work better, installing cabinetry in the office, installing attic fans, and various other small projects. Finally there aren't people here disturbing my serenity. Oh, except what serenity? We got a puppy a little over a week ago! She's super cute and sweet. Here's a picture of her:

I told you she was cute!!!

So, that's what I've been up to lately. I've been playing with a puppy! I will admit that after we got her we had an "oh, shiesta" moment where we wondered if we were nuts. I mean, after a year and a half of chemo, just when I could relax and have time to myself, we get a puppy. What were we thinking? Anyway, she's here to stay and will be a lovely adult Akita when she's older.

I haven't done much in the garden lately. I need to go out there and clear the spent plants and prepare the ground for a small fall garden. Maybe next week?

So, I had a PET scan last week and went for the results today. It is clear. So, between the MRI and the PET scan it looks like I can relax for a couple of months. I will have another MRI at the end of October.

Time to go get some more puppy kisses...

Our Pondless Waterfall

A couple of weeks ago we decided to hire a professional pondless waterfall company to come and rebuild our original waterfall. We were just never delighted with the waterfall built by our landscaper. I exhausted myself by planting all of the plants around it but think it turned out nice.

Here's a photo of how it looked before:

These photos show how it looks today:

MRI Result

Last week I had an MRI of the abdomen and got the result today. So far, so good! Here are the findings: "Artifacts along the anterior left hepatic lobe may represent surgical clips. The liver is otherwise homogeneous. The gallbladder is not identified suggesting contraction or resection. [Note: My gallbladder was removed last January during my liver resection.] The pancreas, spleen, adrenal glands and kidneys are normal. No osseous metastasis or lymphadenopathy detected."

Conclusion: Status partial left hepatic lobe resection. No metastasis.

What this means is: There is no detectable cancer in my body at this time!!

Next week I have a PET scan. That will be better at detecting lymphatic involvement and will look for suspicious increased localized metabolic activity which could indicate tumor growth. I'll get that result next Friday, September 11th. Check here for updates.

My Crazy Week

My goodness, now I have a bit of time to sit still and breathe. So… here’s what I’ve been doing.

Last week was my final chemotherapy treatment. I was fatigued as usual until the weekend. Last week we also had people here rebuilding our pondless waterfall in the back yard. We just were never happy with the first one and should have hired the right people in the first place. The new water feature has lots of planting areas on it so last Friday I went to Summer Winds Nursery and purchased a lot of plants to go around it.

So, the plants were planted on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. In conjunction with that (unrelated, however) Theo got sick on Sunday. From Sunday through Wednesday midnight, we took him to the vet 5 times in 4 days. Here’s a summary of all that:

• Last Sunday he was having bloody diarrhea, so we took him to his regular vet at Adobe. She determined he had “colitis” and sent him home with an antibiotic.
• On Monday he started vomiting and not eating, so we returned with him to Adobe in the evening, around dinnertime. While he was there he started to seem to feel better so we brought him home without any additional treatment.
• On Tuesday he seemed very uncomfortable all day, very restless. When we went to bed he would come sit by our bed, he wouldn’t lie down and go to sleep. He was very restless. Also, his lower abdomen felt firmer than usual so we got out of bed and took him to the emergency vet on Dell Ave to check for early bloat. The vet there took an x-ray and that showed some strange gravelly substance in his stomach plus lots of gas in his intestines. He gave him an injection of a Pepcid AC-like stuff and an injection of a pain medicine. Bad move. When he got home he was even more unsettled, was running from his bed to my side of the bed, over to Dave’s side, back to his bed, to his other bed, looking at us funny, looking for phantom ants on the floor, and started scratching himself like crazy. I called the vet and they said he may be “loopy” because of the narcotic pain medicine. He eventually settled down but kept scratching all night.
• On Wednesday morning we got up and found fur all over the place, upstairs and downstairs, plus he still seemed very uncomfortable. So, Dave took him back up to Adobe. They re-took x-rays. The gas was better but still there. The stuff in his stomach was still there. The vet told Dave that when dogs get uncomfortable pressure in their stomach and intestines they scratch their bellies. He gave him 2 liters of fluids and sent him home. All day Wednesday, though, he was very unsettled, was whimpering and whining, kept scratching himself non-stop. From time to time he would settle down (was probably too exhausted) but when we went to bed he was much worse. So, back up to Adobe at midnight on Wednesday. This vet actually looked at his skin and found it red and blotchy. (We kept assuming his discomfort was his stomach, but it was his skin.) It looks like he was having a severe allergic reaction to one of the injections, probably the narcotic. His breeder said narcotics give HER hives and hallucinations, and it sounds like this was what Theo was going through. Anyway, we told the vet that Theo was just up there that morning and the vet didn’t evaluate the itchiness at all, and if he had we would have been saved the midnight trip, plus Theo wouldn’t have had to suffer all day. She didn’t charge for the office visit Wednesday night, which was the right thing to do. She gave him a steroid injection and sent him home with Tamaril-P (antihistamine + steroid) to treat the allergic reaction for the next few days. When we got home he was no longer scratching and we all actually got some sleep.

So, this all started with a GI issue that was compounded with an allergic reaction. I felt so bad for him. Luckily he’s feeling better now but is exhausted. So am I! He needs to rest a few days.

We don’t know what started the GI thing, or what’s in his stomach. The bloody diarrhea could also have been caused by stress, perhaps, since contractors have been here the last 3 weeks working on the office and various other things. On top of it all he went on a group dog walk last Wednesday and could have picked up a bug from another dog. We will never know but the important thing is: he’s getting better. We hope it stays that way but we will be keeping a close eye on him for a few days.

Two days ago (Wednesday) I went to get an MRI. I will get the report on Monday when I go to see my oncologist. I’ll let you know how that goes. Plus, I have a PET scan in a couple of weeks.

Today I am finally going to pay some attention to the house. Maybe I can get the laundry done, sort through the various piles of papers hanging around the house, trim Theo’s toenails, etc. Luckily this weekend will be quiet so maybe I can get caught up on things. And if I don’t? Well, for the first time in a long time, there’s always next week!

I'm Still Here!

I know I need to post again - I think about this daily but have been WAY busy. I'll do it next week. Promise! You know why? Because I can! I don't have chemo next week!!!

Hanging In There - 1 More To Go

I am on the upswing of my 11th chemo round and have only 1 more to go. The oncologist increased the amount of 5-FU these past 2 times which has caused me to throw up, but only on day 1 (Monday). The rest of the week I've just been sleeping a lot. My energy is slowly returning. Luckily my appetite has come back mostly, enough to eat a 1/2 cheeseburger yesterday!

So, last week I went back to my hometown (Wichita Falls, Texas) for my 20-year high school reunion! David and I flew out on Thursday and while we were in the DFW area we met up with my sister Krystal, her mom Fredia (Krystal's really my 1/2 sister but she feels like a full sister to me!) and Krystal's little girl, my niece, Abbye. We had a wonderful Tex-Mex meal and sat around and chatted for a while. I was really impressed with Abbye's patience with all the grown-up talk.

After the dinner with Krystal, David and I drove on up to Wichita Falls and checked into our hotel. It was late so we just went to bed.

The following morning we went over to my mom's to say hello and to grab some towels and a couple of chairs. From there we made a stop at Wal-Mart (woo-hoo!) and then made it to the first social event of the weekend: Risa's party. Risa made it all the way to Texas from Tokyo for the reunion, and her mom offered to host a pre-reunion party for a few friends. Her mom made wonderful food for us and we all lounged around the pool and had a great time.

From there David and I went to the hotel to rest up and change for the first "official" reunion activity: A "Howdy BBQ by the Wichita River". The entertainment was good, the food was great, and I really enjoyed hanging out with old friends. Unfortunately my energy ran out and we left fairly early.

Saturday morning we all met at the "Old High" for a group photo and a chance to walk around the halls. (I still need to order the group photo!!) Then David and I met my mom and my high school best friend Lidia at Stanley's. At Stanley's I was totally in love with my Beanie Burger. That's a Wichita Falls (Stanley's only) local culinary delight that's a combination of hamburger and Frito chili pie. Let me build it for you here: Put the bottom bun on a plate. Spread it with refried beans. Add the meat patty. The the craziness starts: Pile on chopped onions (which I leave off), jalapeno peppers (which I leave on!), Fritos, chili, and cheese whiz. I'm not making this up - I even called them a few minutes ago and asked them. This is yummy! yummy! yummy!!! It has to be eaten with a fork. And the perfect accompaniment: fried okra. I was truly in love.

OK, after my Beanie Burger love fest it was time to go relax for a while. Saturday evening brought another reunion activity: A light dinner and music event in a meeting hall. The music was actually a bit loud in my opinion since it made it hard talk to and hear anyone. So there wasn't much catching up to do there.

Sunday morning David and I met with a very dear friend and mentor, Charles, and his wife Jonell. It was a very nice breakfast catching up with a forever friend. After that we moseyed back to the hotel to pack, then to Schlotzsky's for sandwiches (another favorite of mine!) to take to the lake to visit with the aunts and uncles. From there it was back to DFW to fly back home Sunday evening.

It was an action-packed 4 days and I am so glad I went back to catch up with so many people!