Whooah, We're half way there!

In the words of Bon Jovi:
"Whooah, We're half way there
Livin' on a prayer
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear"

It’s progress report time! As usual, the week leading up to chemo (week 3), was a good week. Mom ate her first beef in over a month (thanks to Joslyn’s delicious meatballs). Thursday was so good that she had a Noodles and Company double feature (lunch and dinner)! She also felt well enough to tackle (and finish) Jess’ taxes. We all have our own ideas of fun.

We are officially halfway through chemo. Dad and Jess had both gone with Mom already, so today was my turn. I got to her house early enough to make sure she was early for her appointment (wouldn’t want to make her more nervous). We got into Mom’s private chemo suite (not quite as glamorous as it sounds) pretty quickly. After a few preliminary activities (weight, blood pressure, etc), we were greeted by Savannah, a Sheltie, that visits patients at the hospital through Canine Companions. We were reminded that we always wanted to bring Cali to do something like this but that she would be so happy to see people she would jump all over them. Savannah was very calm and just wanted to be loved on a bit. We happily obliged.

Here is Mom's halfway there glamour shot.

Mom and I both had bags of activities ready for the day (of course) including 2 laptops, 5 magazines, and our to-do lists (including starting to prepare my taxes). After watching most of an episode of Revenge (the wi-fi cut out on us so we couldn’t finish until the end of the day), Mom decided it was time to rest. She didn’t sleep well last night because of the steroids that she has to start taking the day before chemo. The lights were off, her eyes were closed, and then she started talking. And she didn’t stop all afternoon! Throughout the day I had multiple lists going of things that popped into her head. There was also a revolving door of nurses and doctors (and our new friend, Lee, a therapist/social worker for Bon Secours cancer patients and their families). They don’t make it very easy to fall asleep, but it is pretty peaceful in the room (minus the constant beeping).

After 6 hours, this round of chemo was in the books. The first thing that Mom did when she got home was cross it off her list. 

 Can you hear her say "ta da"?!

Between this chemo and the next, she’ll have a procedure done to make sure the port is working the way it should, a checkup with her oncologist, an MRI to confirm that the chemo is doing as well as it appears to be on the surface, and a check up with the breast surgeon. So, even though we are halfway done, there are still lots of milestones to come.  Thank you all for your continued thoughts, good wishes, and goodies.  We really appreciate all the support.

A few other photos that made us (well, me) smile:

Mom's rule: Park in a space that has a pink ribbon.


Dr Schaffer's office (the oncology office) is celebrating St. Patrick's Day!