"Interesting" Cat Scans

Dr. Allen's first words were: "These cat scans are really interesting." To which I replied, I don't want to hear that! Larry has a large pocket of infection in the leg at the site where the tumor was removed and the little buggies that are causing the infection have created air pockets there. Did you know they could do that? The things you learn. Anyway, we went over to see our good Dr Duncan in Orthopedics and surgery is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon to reopen the leg, drain it and clean it. Will most likely put a vacumn drain on it this time and he'll be in the hospital for a few days on IV antibiotics. There's talk of sending him home on IV antibiotics, man the things I've learned how to do this year! Chemo is on hold until this is cleared up, maybe until after Christmas. Oh, by the way, the cat scans were interesting.

In other, less depressing news, We had all the children here on Sunday for a pre-Christmas celebration and a little package opening since the California kids went home today. I put them on a plane tonight, they were looking forward to San Diego Weather 9F degrees is too cold they think! At the end of the party Larry's Mom, Sister Marie, Niece Kristi and G-neice Alayna came by on their way home from the airport. Alayna had decorated cookies for all of us and they were adorable, Since she isn't even old enough for school they were amazing and very sweet of her!

I am nearly ready for Christmas, I was better situated before today but I'll make it, I think. I had gotten to a place where I was going to be able to just sew but I think there's a kink in that plan!

Chemo Week two a no go

Larry was scheduled for chemo today but his white blood count was too low for it. Not dangerously low but low. That's one of the side effects of this chemo regimen plus he has something going on in his thigh which is likely to be an infection and that lowers white counts. The only thing to do for it is to wait and it will come up on its own. He's on antibiotics for the leg and is scheduled for a CTscan on that right hip and thigh Thursday evening. We tried to outsmart the system today. it didn't work. We decided that he'd go in and have his port accessed and blood drawn then come home and I 'd fix breakfast then we'd go back--not to be, he called about 8:30 and said he had an appointment at 9 with his oncologist so I quickly drove over to the VA. We had two cars there. After seeing Dr Allen, the Pharmacy, and getting his port tubes out we got home about 11:00, starving.

Sunday, a sewing day

Yesterday, Larry and I took care of some nagging details--the icicle lights that didn't work now light up our house and we are no longer drowning in recycling to name two. We also got the tree up, so the decorating is done! Larry set up an oval for his old "O" scale train under the tree this year and I added other of our toys from childhood. It looks cute even though it cuts down on present space! After that Larry was going to watch the MU-OU game and since I didn't particularly want to see them get creamed I went to the basement to sew. I finished one of my never-ending shopping bag projects, only about 9 to go, then I worked on blocks for Brayden's quilt. Today I have made more blocks, it's such fun and even fabrics I thought might not work or might not work well together are working out. I'm shooting for 10 blocks a day so that next week I can make the quiltlets. I hope it comes out cute enough for them to use it as his bedspread but even if it doesn't he will have a warm quit made with love by his Granna.

Speaking of Brayden, he was here for a while on Friday evening while Mommy and Daddy went Christmas shopping. He enjoyed playing with all those old toys, and reading books. He knows where we keep the candy and now always wants a "butterscotch," he nearly always gets one! Strangely, he never asks for more than one. I'll be picking him up at school tomorrow and we are going to Bass Pro to see the trains etc. Should be fun!

Larry, goes in bright and early tomorrow for his week two chemo. He has to have blood work and will ask them about his leg. He continues to have pain in the right leg and it swells and gets red as the day goes by. We are hoping the problems cause a spurt in activity on the Drs part as he is still not scheduled for imaging on it.

We're headed out to dinner soon, Cracker Barrel here we come! It's one place we can be sure to find food he can eat so we go there if we go out. It would be pretty discouraging to order food and not be able to eat it. Every day we look for more foods that he can eat but it's pretty limited and there's no rhyme nor reason to it, we both get frustrated with it. Other than the leg and the food things his only other problem is that he tires easily, not as bad as we expected.

Mid-week crazies

I'm trying something new here, adding photos! I pick Brayden up on Mondays from day care so we can spend time together and he loves Thomas the Tank engine trains. This is the layout he and Larry built this last Monday-it took up nearly the entire entry floor! I think they both had a ball, even though Larry complained about it being hard on the knees!

We went out and bought a snow thrower today. We'd avoided it so far but we have a lot of driveway (and parking lot) needing to be shoveled-sometimes. Also our helpers Rob and Tanya are just too busy this year to shovel, Larry does not have the strength and I have shoulder issues so a big hulking snow thrower has taken up residence here. It probably won't snow all winter now. I used to say that the winters when all the children had boots, gloves, snowpants etc were the ones with no snow, let me get behind on that and we got feet of the stuff!

I've gotten most of the decorations up and we plan to do the tree on the weekend. Saturday is to be warmer so we plan to get some outside stuff caught up. We need to work on the icicle lights and put the snow thrower together, I will probably mow leaves one last time as well. All before the MU-Oklahoma game!

CT news-Some good, some bad

I know everyone is awaiting news from Larry's CT scan last week so here goes. The good news is that there are no NEW places in his lungs, the bad news is that none of the old ones gone and two had grown a little. There is a little good news there as well as it was only a little not doubled or anything. This means that the course of chemo he was on isn't working so today he began a new course with different meds. These are administered on a out patient basis in a three week cycle, one today, one next Monday and then one off. After the second cycle he'll have another CTscan, probably the first week in January, the judge the effectiveness of this course. The good thing here being not admitted to the hospital AND the fact that there are fewer side effects to this stuff. He has been having some pain in the hip where the tumor was and will have some imaging of it in the near future as well. It could be a nerve, or arthur or more tumor, we have to wait and see.

I need to go get my little guy from day care, talk later.

The day after

We had a really wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday, twelve around the table. My Father and Brother, Bobby, Larry's Mother and sister, Marie, three of our four children with their spouses/fiancees. Poor Brayden slept through the whole thing. I used my mom's china and sterling for the first time, the china is platinum and white and I set the dishes on gold chargers. It was really lovely. I think that if I'm going to all the trouble to prepare a feast then the table should look as fantastic as the food tastes! Besides, I love to fuss! I played around with the pies this year as well, made the pumpkin out of real pumpkins and put cut out leaves on the edge instead of the crimping. They tasted good and looked pretty, although they weren't perfect.

Today, I made waffles for Mom, Marie and our kids. After they scattered and I finished cleaning up then we had a rest day. I napped, a very rare occurance. Then I wrote some cards to service men as I home to have them in the mail soon. Christmas decorating has begun, I hope to have that finished next week. Larry reports for chemo round 3 on Monday. Things will slow down for a couple of weeks then our oldest comes in on the 11th. After that it's Christmas. I love the holidays and I make a practice of not wishing my life away but this has been the year from hell and I will be glad to see it go.

A good day

The trailer's home! After two months at the dealership we got it back this morning all ready for winter and all fixed. I'm glad to get things back to normal, plus the backyard just looked wrong without it.

The new dryer was delivered this morning as well, we finally gave up and bought a new one. It is very quiet and very BIG.

Now all that's left is the mower. At least in terms of things needing fixed or replaced. I hope that's the end of it anyway. We're expecting one or both of the frigs to go in the next year but that is for another day.

Larry had a CT scan tonight, we won't have any results until Monday. When he's back in the hospital. We can only hope the chemo is working, if it isn't they will change meds and begin again.

Tomorrow will be a very full day for me, I try to do alot of the Thanksgiving cooking before hand and I have tables to set up, etc, etc. Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Just be grateful for all those irreplaceable things/people in your life!