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A Very Happy Fourth of July

Sherryl has been feeling better the past few days and her energy has been pretty good -- just in time to celebrate another Fourth of July get-together at her house.  The entire family was there.  After a yummy barbecue, we gathered on the front deck where we again watched in silence close to a dozen fireworks displays occurring simultaneously from Vallejo to San Francisco.  It's always a beautiful sight.  And the party continued into Sunday as several family members stayed overnight at Sherryl's house.  We love tradition, and sometimes the simpler it is, the more treasured it becomes.  Here's a musical reminder that it is the simple things in life that make it so precious.

~xoxo~

Wiped Out

Living with cancer can be tricky and skillful navigation is required to get through the physical and emotional ups and downs.  All can be going relatively smoothly, and then the disease kicks hard.  Cancer has kicked Sherryl hard over the past several days.

Although she continues to push herself, Sherryl feels wiped out.  She's had Nupogen shots, but she's had nno chemo medications for 2 weeks.  She typically feels more energy during the off weeks of chemotherapy; that's not the case this cycle.  She's frustrated that she doesn't have the energy to do small tasks around the house. 

The PET scan is scheduled for this Thursday, and an appointment with the oncologist will be scheduled the following week.  For now, she's staying cool since there is a heatwave, and she's getting as much sleep as she needs.

Our family will celebrate the 4th of July holiday together, a tradition Sherryl began over 20 years ago.  We're all hoping Sherryl's energy returns by then so she can enjoy every moment of it again this year. 

~xoxo~ 

Tumor Marker is Up

Disappointing news, Sherryl's tumor marker increased from 107 on May 14 to 160 as of this past week.  Another PET scan, which is due about now anyway, will be scheduled for this week.  Sherryl will receive Nupogen shots next week and the next appointment with her oncologist is the first week in July. 

Although Sherryl has been tolerating CMF chemotherapy treatment relatively well, she has felt much fatigue the past several days.  As usual, she is paying close attention to her energy level and resting whenever necessary.

When Sherryl does have some energy during her free time, she spends a bit of time on the computer reading email or playing one of her favorite word games.  We know she loves Scrabble, and she also loves an AOL game called Word Zen. 

And when her energy is higher than expected, as it has been today, she talks a mile a minute, sounds as perky as ever, and takes on projects the likes of which would exhaust most of us.  Today, since her laundry room painting project is finished, she is cleaning out the very huge craft closet at home.

A very Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers who are RaRa fans!

~xoxo~   

Loving the Simple Life

Sherryl saw her doctor last week and learned she is still anemic.  She was told there is nothing for her to do to increase her red blood cell count and that chemotherapy medications will be adjusted for this reason.  Overall, she feels great.

Sherryl has commented lately how much she is enjoying "living a very simple life."  Family and friends, work and play.  There is uncomplicated routine and she loves it.

She had another fun weekend doing the things she loves most: spending time with family and friends of all ages.  She rested on Friday, and on Saturday she had a massage, took Haley to her gymnastics class, had lunch with Austin, Haley, and Arleen, then made lollipop trees with Austin and Haley. 

Always crafting frugally, Sherryl took the children to buy lollipops and Styrofoam cones.  Simple, fast, inexpensive, and fun, creating those trees was the activity for Saturday afternoon.  Another slumber party at RaRa's house for Austin, Haley, and Annie, and then home they went on Sunday with their parents. 

The finished lollipop trees are absolutely adorable.  As for the time RaRa, Austin, and Haley had together, a picture paints a thousand words.  But a thousand words may be too many when you're loving the simple life.  These pictures seem to say it all.   

~xoxo~ 

 

Austin, RaRa, and Haley ~ June 6, 2006

Another Action-Packed Weekend

Chemo begins again this week, so Sherryl is taking full advantage of feeling great.  This weekend's activities included dinner with a good friend, shampooing the carpet at day care, babysitting for a few hours, grocery shopping, planning her next painting project at home, and getting lots of rest.  This week brings more routine, and that's always good. 

It's been too long since we've listened to Sherryl's favorite music, so here one of her songs.  Enjoy!

~xoxo~ 

She's Painting Again!

There is a song on the movie soundtrack for Miss Potter called "I'm Painting Again."  It's the perfect music for Sherryl this holiday weekend.  In the past three days she has gone to a paint store, selected two shades of gray, and painted her laundry room.  With Richard's help, appliances were moved out and back as Sherryl worked her magic with rollers and brushes.  She needs only to add to two cabinets adorable pink knobs she found at her favorite store, Anthropoligie.

Health-wise, Sherryl is getting over a little cold but is feeling pretty well during these two weeks of "no chemo" in this cycle.  She stayed home most of the weekend and, in addition to thoroughly enjoying her home project, got plenty of sleep and played a few games of Scrabble online.  

All in all, it's been a lovely holiday weekend, and the week ahead brings more cherished daily routine for RaRa: working at day care and spending time with family and friends.        

                                       ~ xoxo ~

Good News ~ Tumor Marker is Down

Sherryl met with her oncologist today and learned that her tumor marker has dropped from 168 in February to 107 today.  This is great news!  Sherryl's oncologist also told her that she is anemic again, so a course of shots were prescribed to boost her red blood cell count.    

The timeframe for the next bone scan was also discussed today; the next one will probably be scheduled for 8 weeks or two chemotherapy cycles from now.  

Except for some fatigue, Sherryl is doing well.  Her appetite is good and she feels OK.  She experiences no nausea and, in general, is thrilled to be able to function fully under the current treatment plan. 

Sherryl needed to stop into the clinic yesterday and one of the nurses approached her to tell her she had a "message from a friend."  Nancy, who has moved on to her new job, had asked the nurse to tell Sherryl hello for her.  Sherryl was truly touched that Nancy had thought to send her that message.

Sherryl continues to work at Day Care every day and this weekend will entail attending Austin's last Little League game, a massage, and spending time with family.  

All things considered, life is pretty good right now and we're all grateful for it.       

~ xoxo ~