Wednesday, August 15, 2012
100 Days
Today marks 100 days since Sarah's stem cell transplant! Monday she had her 3 month follow up MRI, and today we got the results. Everything looks the same, which is great news. Sarah can begin to drive again, and ease back into school by taking 2 online courses. She of course wants to go full steam ahead and jump back into a full schedule, but that is not realistic. Sarah does not have to go back to the oncologist for 6 weeks! She will have another MRI in 3 months, in the mean time we need to schedule a neuro consult, and cognitive rehab. I wonder if we can get a 2 for 1 deal, I could sure use some cognitive rehab; my memory is lousy these days, or maybe I just have way too much to remember. After Sarah's appointment, Greg joined us at the Cheesecake Factory for a celebration lunch, we have a lot to be thankful for! This afternoon both kids finalized their schedules for school, and paid their tuition; we are moving forwards, one day at a time!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Dirt
Today was all about dirt!
Kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, stairs; everywhere I looked, dirt :(
I spent several hours today getting rid of dirt. I really love a clean house, the process of getting one, not so much!
To reward myself for all my hard work, I made dirt for dessert, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and crushed Oreos, yum! We had fish for dinner, so looking forward to a big bowl of dirt :)
Tomorrow we travel down to New Brunswick to RWJ, for Sarah's three month follow up MRI !! Keep your fingers crossed for good news. We get the results on Wednesday, which just happens to be 100 days since Sarah's stem cell transplant. I can't believe how far we have come since that fateful Friday in January, when all our lives were changed in an instant. We still have a ways to go, but thankfully Sarah is getting a little bit better every day. Looking forward to a week full of good news and happy thoughts.
M
Kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, stairs; everywhere I looked, dirt :(
I spent several hours today getting rid of dirt. I really love a clean house, the process of getting one, not so much!
To reward myself for all my hard work, I made dirt for dessert, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and crushed Oreos, yum! We had fish for dinner, so looking forward to a big bowl of dirt :)
Tomorrow we travel down to New Brunswick to RWJ, for Sarah's three month follow up MRI !! Keep your fingers crossed for good news. We get the results on Wednesday, which just happens to be 100 days since Sarah's stem cell transplant. I can't believe how far we have come since that fateful Friday in January, when all our lives were changed in an instant. We still have a ways to go, but thankfully Sarah is getting a little bit better every day. Looking forward to a week full of good news and happy thoughts.
M
Saturday, August 11, 2012
The Plan
I'm back, it has been a crazy time for me since last time I posted. My dad was in the hospital for a week with an infection and fever; I went to Saratoga to visit and help mom. In between visits to the hospital, we rearranged furniture, bought a TV for the bedroom,
hooked up the TV to cable, and arranged some at home help for when dad came home. Parkinson's is a disease that changes every day, some days are great, and others, not so much. It is a relief to know that dad is safe, and mom gets a much needed daily break from the home health aides.
Sarah was a big help, she got the mail everyday, and taught mom how to use her new iPad. I think mom is really going to enjoy using the iPad, it is much easier and faster than the old dell laptop she was using. It took some convincing, but I think she is hooked!
Coinciding with dad's hospital stay, my 4 year old nephew, Teddy, was also in the hospital in Maine. He got a very bad staph infection from a bug bite. Poor baby was so sick, thank goodness Donna and Scott caught it before it became even worse. They have to go back and forth to a pediatric wound center to have Teddy's leg cleaned and bandaged every other day! Lesson learned: DO NOT scratch/pick/touch bug bites!
In between worrying/helping/visiting, we had doctor visits for Sarah. August 8th was the 3 month anniversary of her stem cell transplant! She is doing well, her counts are steadily climbing, her energy is improving, and her hair is growing. Unfortunately, in Sarah's opinion, this is all happening way too slowly. She is still angry and feeling isolated, and not wanting to accept her new "normal". Although the doctors have repeatedly said that going back to school in August is NOT an option,
Sarah is having trouble accepting this reality. Remember my dear: life is not a sprint, slow and steady wins the race! It is hard, especially at Sarah's age, to realize that taking time to heal will be worth it in the long run.
While my dad was in the hospital, he kept asking, "what is the plan?" he always loves a good plan, especially one that gets him home quickly! That is what Sarah needs, a short term plan that will eventually lead her to getting on with her long term plan/goal of becoming a teacher. There are many paths leading to the same destination. Although it may not be easy, it is time for my dear daughter to reprogram the navigation system and follow a new route. There are so many people cheering her on and willing to help her achieve her goals, she just needs to accept some help and make a plan!
:)
hooked up the TV to cable, and arranged some at home help for when dad came home. Parkinson's is a disease that changes every day, some days are great, and others, not so much. It is a relief to know that dad is safe, and mom gets a much needed daily break from the home health aides.
Sarah was a big help, she got the mail everyday, and taught mom how to use her new iPad. I think mom is really going to enjoy using the iPad, it is much easier and faster than the old dell laptop she was using. It took some convincing, but I think she is hooked!
Coinciding with dad's hospital stay, my 4 year old nephew, Teddy, was also in the hospital in Maine. He got a very bad staph infection from a bug bite. Poor baby was so sick, thank goodness Donna and Scott caught it before it became even worse. They have to go back and forth to a pediatric wound center to have Teddy's leg cleaned and bandaged every other day! Lesson learned: DO NOT scratch/pick/touch bug bites!
In between worrying/helping/visiting, we had doctor visits for Sarah. August 8th was the 3 month anniversary of her stem cell transplant! She is doing well, her counts are steadily climbing, her energy is improving, and her hair is growing. Unfortunately, in Sarah's opinion, this is all happening way too slowly. She is still angry and feeling isolated, and not wanting to accept her new "normal". Although the doctors have repeatedly said that going back to school in August is NOT an option,
Sarah is having trouble accepting this reality. Remember my dear: life is not a sprint, slow and steady wins the race! It is hard, especially at Sarah's age, to realize that taking time to heal will be worth it in the long run.
While my dad was in the hospital, he kept asking, "what is the plan?" he always loves a good plan, especially one that gets him home quickly! That is what Sarah needs, a short term plan that will eventually lead her to getting on with her long term plan/goal of becoming a teacher. There are many paths leading to the same destination. Although it may not be easy, it is time for my dear daughter to reprogram the navigation system and follow a new route. There are so many people cheering her on and willing to help her achieve her goals, she just needs to accept some help and make a plan!
:)
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