GinnyFaith's Birthday Party

I decided it was time for a doll post.  I've been neglecting this blog and Alphabe-Thursday.  I just don't spend a whole lot of time online anymore.  I always intend to do better, so bare with me.

We had a lot of rainy weather lately and I kept busy playing with my dolls.  I decided it would be GinnyFaith's Birthday.  She invited some friends over and they had hamburgers and hot dogs.

There's always one person that hogs the ketchup!

After lunch they had cake and ice cream.  The girls even helped decorate the cake.

I didn't want you to miss GinnyFaith's cat!

I'll try and do better in the future.  With a little luck I'll get an Alphabe-Thursday post up this week.  Wouldn't you know it's time for the letter "X" which is always a difficult one.

Things just got very hectic and stressful this summer.  Reid lit up on a PET scan and ended up having two biopsies that were both negative.  However, right after that he developed double vision and had to see a neuro-opthomologist.  He already has Horner's Syndrome from the cancer that was in his neck, but this was a different eye condition.  They had to rule out Hodgkin's in his spine and brain by doing a spinal tap.  That was also negative.  It was also determined that it wasn't caused by the radiation he originally received when first diagnosed.  I believe at this point they think it's from the graft vs host disease that he developed after the stem cell transplant.  He had another PET scan yesterday and we're hopeful that this one will be OK, but time will tell.  Meanwhile, he's still taking online courses and remains upbeat.

I'll be back soon...

Life goes on...

I've been wanting to post an update for a while, but I was waiting for some results.

Reid had been having spots in his field of vision and was sent to a Neuro-Opthamologist.  (I didn't even know such a specialty existed.)  Anyway, this doctor suspected the spots were caused by Reid's original cancer pressing against a nerve in his neck.  He wanted him to have a PET scan just to rule out a recurrence of the Hodgkin's in his neck.

There was no Hodgkin's in his neck, but the PET scan did light up in his check area.  That kind of caught us by surprise since all the scans since his last stem cell transplant had been negative.  A needle biopsy was ordered and that came back negative.  However, they thought there might be suspicious cells and suggested a surgical biopsy so they could get a bigger piece.  The needle biopsy only gets a very small amount.  So, two weeks ago Reid had the surgical biopsy where they went in with a scope and got a larger piece.  This one also came back negative for Hodgkin's.  However, now his doctor says they still might not have gotten enough, so they will follow up with another PET scan in two or three months.  The spot that lit up will either be gone or will grow.

Although we're grateful that the biopsies came back negative, we're still concerned.  It's been a stressful month.

Then on Saturday morning Reid told me that he now has double vision when he looks to the right.  He hasn't had the spots though since early July.  We have no idea what's going on, but he left a message with the Neuro-Opthamologist's answering service and they called back and scheduled an appointment for September 8th.  Hopefully, he'll get some answers then.

Meanwhile, he took an online class this summer and is currently enrolled in another one this semester.  He is able to read and type without any trouble, so hopefully he'll be able to keep up with this class.  He hasn't been driving and won't until he sees the doctor on the 8th.

With all of this going on I fell behind with Alphabe-Thursday.  To be honest, I just wasn't in the mood.  Stress will do that to a person, but I'm joining in again this week.  I enjoy doing Ms. Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday and it keeps me blogging at least once a week (most of the time).

Meanwhile, I thought I'd share a few pictures that I took from the 24th floor at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  This floor is the observation floor.  There's nothing else.  It's just a place to relax.

These pictures were taken through a glass window with my cell phone.  The building in the middle is MD Anderson's Mays Clinic.  In the background (from left to right) is The Astrodome, NRG Stadium (where the Houston Texans play), and the Houston Texans Practice Bubble.

In this picture the building to the right is where Reid was an inpatient for both of his stem cell transplants.  One time his room overlooked this helicopter pad and I would watch the helicopters land (while Reid mostly slept).

And here's how Reid entertains himself between appointments.  This was also taken on the 24th floor.  It's pretty quiet up there.  I don't think a lot of people even realize the observation floor is there.  Too bad because they're missing out on quite a view.

Now I'm off to get my Alphabe-Thursday post up!

How The Grinch DIDN'T Spoil Christmas

I took a picture of a Christmas tree in the Cardiac Pulmonary Clinic at MD Anderson Cancer Center this past Wednesday.  Some of the people that work there decorated this tree and made the Grinch.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of the entire tree, but there were a lot of patients in the clinic which made it difficult to stand back and take one.

I know in past years they've had a contest among the different departments.  I don't know if they are this year, but if they are the Grinch would definitely get my vote if I was a judge.  Is this the cutest tree you've ever seen?  I love it, but I'm a real Grinch fan.

This is the year that the Grinch will NOT spoil our Christmas.  Reid had all his tests and scans this week and is cancer free!  On December 21st it will be two years since he received his brother's stem cells in a stem cell transplant.  Two years is a mile stone since usually the tumor will grow back within the first two years.  The doctor said three years will be even better, but two years is very good.

The graft vs host disease has also improved.  He's got a very mild case.   It will still have to be watched closely, so he'll go back in four months.  Meanwhile, we're celebrating the good news!

I was putting up Christmas decorations last week and came across a set of reindeer antlers that I must have bought at one time for the cats.  Murphy happened to be nearby and Reid put the antlers on her head.  Needless to say, she hated it!

Doesn't Reid look healthy?  I call him a miracle.

The Latest Happenings...

We had a storm and just like that our TV, Internet, and phones were gone for 3+ days.

I've been watching Breaking Bad on DVD's, so I still had something to watch.  I never watched when it originally aired, but I kept hearing people talk about it, so I bought the first season.  I was hooked.  Normally I stay away from shows with violence, but I've made an exception with this one.  I'm up to season four now.

I also got quite a bit of cleaning done.  Then the family all came over for crabs.  (Keith came all the way from Austin.)  We hadn't done that in ages.  I've had the crab pot since the 1970's when we lived in Virginia Beach.  We used to buy crabs and sometimes crab there too.

Crabs are a lot of work.  It takes a considerable amount of time to get a little bit of meat out of each crab, but that's part of the fun.  You end up sitting at the table forever.

We had potatoes, corn, salad, and garlic bread with the crabs.

I can afford a tablecloth, but we always put newspaper on the table.   That way I can just throw out all the mess when we're done.

Somehow I missed getting Wyatt's picture, but I did get a shot of his hotdog.  (Not everyone likes crab.)

Yesterday I got up at 4:00 AM.  Reid had his six month scan, bone density test, pulmonary function test, and blood work at MD Anderson starting at 7:20 AM.  We left home at 6:00 AM because we expected a lot of traffic.  We were pleasantly surprised.  It only took us an hour to get down there.

The news was good!!  NO CANCER!!  His vitamin D was low and that might explain the fatigue, so he's started taking vitamin D.  His bone scan indicated that he needed it too and he is supposed to start exercising for bone strength.  The chemo has affected his bones and the radiation his lungs, but those are all things he can deal with as long as the cancer is gone.  He did get a call today and they want him back in six weeks instead of three months because one of the numbers that can indicate graft vs host disease was elevated and they want to watch it.  That's OK...it's better to play it safe.

It was a long day and Reid had gone without eating, so we went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

I believe Reid is a miracle and I thank God every day.  Back in 2009 he was in Intensive Care with his chest cavity full of mass.  His one lung was actually pushed a little to the one side and the mass was pressing on his spinal cord.  Doctors were trying to decide what to do.  They were afraid to give him anesthesia because of the mass in his chest, but they had to do something because of his spinal cord.  Finally they operated and we learned that he had Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  Later, one of the radiologists at MD Anderson told me that the head of radiation there had never seen a case of Hodgkin's like Reid's in 25 years.  It is now 2014 and he's been cancer free for 18 months.  Yes, it has taken chemo and two stem cell transplants, but the cancer is gone!  One of the drugs he was given hadn't even been approved by the FDA when he was first diagnosed, but that drug put him into remission before the last stem cell transplant.

Do you believe in miracles?  I do.

Change of plans...

MD Anderson called Reid a little while ago and told him that there are no empty beds.  So, he will not be admitted tonight.  They expect him to be admitted tomorrow and hopefully this will not effect the treatment plan.  He had chemo yesterday in anticipation of being admitted today.  They were not planning to give him chemo today, so I'm hoping they'll be able to stay on schedule with the chemo tomorrow and still be able to infuse him with Keith's stem cells on the 20th.

Since I now have a little extra time tonight I thought I'd post a few pictures and then get to bed early!  All of these pictures were taken with my cell phone because I forgot my camera.

This is Keith the day he donated his stem cells for Reid.

He had to keep squeezing that red thing  in his right hand so the blood would keep flowing.  It went through the machine, the stem cells were extracted, and the blood returned to Keith in his left arm.

He was a little uncomfortable because they had been giving his two shots daily for a few days so his body would produce more stem cells.  That caused the larger bones in his body to ache and gave him headaches.

He couldn't move his arms for three hours, so I changed the TV stations for him.  The stem cells are now frozen in a lab somewhere at MD Anderson.

The hospital is decorated for Christmas and they have a decorating contest.  Personally, I thought the 10th floor pharmacy went the extra mile with their decorations.

The staff dressed as elves and graciously posed for my picture.

The stem cell recipient and the stem cell donor got to pose by their tree.  That's Reid on the left and Keith on the right.  The tree was decorated with the staff's pictures, but you probably can't really see that in this picture.

One of the elves took my picture with Reid.  These are probably the only Christmas pictures we'll have this year.

They even had a fireplace.

They also had fake milk and cookies for Santa, but I neglected to take a picture.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Lots happening now!

This has been a very busy couple of weeks!

Yesterday Keith was finally ready to have the stem cells harvested.  He had been receiving two injections daily since last Friday.  (The shots left his with bone pain and headaches which was to be expected.)  He was hooked up to the machine with both arms immobile for three hours.  (I was kept busy changing the TV stations, taking pictures with our phones, etc.)  We got the good news today that there were over 6 million stem cells collected and only 4 million are needed to proceed.  So, everything is a go and Reid will be admitted to the hospital on Friday.  Tomorrow he has some chemo on an out patient basis and then will receive more when admitted.  This is to hopefully destroy any remaining cancer and also destroy his bone marrow so there is room for Keith's stem cells.

What is happening is pretty much the same thing Robin Roberts of Good Morning America has gone  through.  I've been following her story with interest on GMA.  It was very encouraging to see her a few day ago celebrating Christmas with her co-workers when they visited her apartment.  She is definitely starting to look better.

We do have to worry about infection when Reid's immune system is destroyed.  It will take time for Keith's stem cells to take over and there is a small risk that they won't.  He will also have to be carefully followed for any signs of host vs graft disease.  And he'll be more susceptible to infection for six months to a year.  But the big concern is just getting rid of his cancer once and for all.  He has a more resistant type of Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Reid is scheduled to receive Keith's stem cells on December 20th.  That will be day 0.

I'm sorry that I still haven't had time to catch up with E-mail or post some of the pictures I've taken the last couple of days.  When things slow down and I have a burst of energy I'll try and get caught up.

Thank you for your warm thoughts and prayers.

Busy, busy, busy...

I haven't been able to check E-mail lately, but might get a little time this weekend...we'll see.  I'll try and post updates here as often as I can.  We're busy all day and in the evenings I'm usually too tired to consider getting online.

They weren't able to get all the new floors down, so the hallway and computer room will have to wait.  The rest did get done, but taking up the brick kitchen floor made a mess.  It was far dustier than the slab work had been.  They had to grind to get some of it up and everything in the front of the house was covered in a fine brown dust.  I ended up sending Reid to a motel because we didn't think he should be breathing all that dust in right now.  Troy and Debbie came over on Sunday and helped me clean and dust.  We worked for hours, but the place is so much better now.  Just in time for Keith to arrive from Austin on Monday.  Thank goodness things were somewhat organized by then.

Reid's latest scan results were good!  The mass continues to get smaller and things are moving forward as far as the stem cell transplant goes.  Reid and Keith have been spending time down at MD Anderson undergoing all the remaining testing.  We spent all day Tuesday down there and today Keith is there for a half day and Reid another whole day.  I did not go today.  Reid assured me he'd be OK and he's feeling pretty good considering he had another infusion on Tuesday.

I've just been exhausted and Friday morning I will be going early with Reid since he's scheduled to have general anesthesia for the CVC.  That was his one request.  He wanted general anesthesia this time since they had trouble inserting it the last time and it was quite painful.

So far all the test results they've gotten back on Reid and Keith are good.  Unless we hear otherwise I'm still expecting Reid to be admitted to the hospital sometime before Christmas.

I need to get my butt in gear now and get a few things done around here today.  I only have so much energy and there's so much to do.  There's just so much going on at one time.

Thank you for your prayers.

Update:  Just heard from Keith.  He's been approved as a donor and will begin the injections to produce more stem cells on Saturday.  Hopefully, within a week they'll be able to harvest the stem cells.  Also, waiting on the last of Reid's tests, but assuming they're OK at this point.

MIA

I know I've been MIA for a while now, but there's been a lot going on lately.

Keith came to Houston on a business trip the second week of November and I decided to give him a ride back to Austin and stay and visit that weekend.  The weather was beautiful and we had a wonderful time.  I did manage to take a few pictures.

We went to a place called The Oasis which overlooks Lake Travis.  It was an overcast day, but still very pleasant.

I thought this statue was cute...

And this map of the United States made me laugh...

And Keith gave his elderly mother some apple juice...with brandy.  It's good for aches and pains.

And I had a nice visit with my grandcats...

Then I came home from Austin and didn't feel well for about a week.  Nothing got done around here for a while, but things are back to normal now.

Reid did have his appointment with the oncologist and his infusion that week and also saw the stem cell doctor again on the recommendation of his oncologist.  The mass had shrunk again, but it wasn't gone.  Based on that the oncologist felt he should now consider another stem cell transplant.  So, things are moving along in that general direction.  Reid is scheduled for another PT scan on the 30th and if the mass is still shrinking (and hasn't started to grow) he will probably be having a stem cell transplant using Keith's stem cells shortly thereafter.  They're talking about possibly admitting his sometime around December 12th.  Of course, all the other testing has to come through OK too.  He'll also be having the bone marrow aspiration on the 30th and Keith will have to come to Houston for more testing.  Then Keith will donate the stem cells and Reid will be admitted.

I believe he'll be in the hospital for around a month and then we'll have to live down in the Medical Center again for a while.  I'm not sure how I'm going to be doing all this with the dog and cats.  Last time Jim came home to let out the dog and feed the cats while I was at the hospital.  Keith and Troy tell me not to worry that they will help, but I do worry about EVERYTHING!

I did wrap Christmas presents last night and hope to get the ones out of state mailed this week.  Then I'd like to tackle Christmas cards.  I'd skip them this year except there are people that don't know that Jim died so I'd like to get them out.  There are lots of old friends that we only communicate with at Christmas.

On Monday the people will come back and finish the slab work (hopefully).  I called the flooring company and told them what's going on.  Hopefully, they can get a crew in to put down the new floor before things get any busier around here.  I'd like to get the house back in order.  Right now we have boxes piled all over the dining room.  And I need to take down the Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations.  I probably won't be putting up any Christmas things.  There's only so much time.

Reid and I drove to Brenham and met Keith for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Brenham is about half way between Houston and Austin.  It was a beautiful day and we had a very good dinner at a Brenham restaurant.  Then we found an empty table outside a closed coffee shop and played a game while we checked the Houston Texans football score on our phones.  What a game!  Reid and I listened to the rest of the game on the radio on the ride home and then watched the game that evening.  We had recorded it just in case the game was exciting.  It was!

I forgot the camera and took these pictures with my phone.  This is the empty table we found for our game.  In case you're wondering the game we played was Pandemic.

And this is Keith and Reid shaking hands the germ free way like Howie Mandel.  (We're becoming very germ conscious again with a possible stem cell transplant looming.)

I'll try and drop in from time to time with updates.  I just find myself kind of worn out in the evening and if I haven't had time all day to get online I just skip.  I've been doing that a lot lately.

I'm so tired of blogger and this new dashboard.  I had everything in this post evenly spaced and even though it looks OK once I hit publish it's all messed up.  I give up!

Some more busy days ahead...

It's official...Fall finally arrived today!  It was warm when I went outside this morning with the dog, but a few hours later the temperature had probably dropped ten degrees.  I actually had to turn off the A/C this afternoon.  Still don't need the heat, but it's so nice to turn off the A/C for a while.

The squirrels are running around gathering nuts for the winter.  I'm not sure why since we don't get snow and the ground never freezes, but I guess with all the pecans falling they're in a feeding frenzy.  They love to tease my cat.  I can see this tree from the computer room window and most mornings Baby is up there with the squirrels.  Yesterday there were three squirrels having a good time teasing him.  Of course, it was kind of difficult to get a picture because they all move so quickly.  If you look closely you can see Baby and two of the squirrels. (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

Reid drove to Austin this morning to visit Keith and attend a convention.  He was going to go yesterday, but didn't feel well in the morning and decided to wait. Troy is driving over tomorrow for the day to attend the same convention.  I'm sure they will all have a good time.  Reid plans to drive back on Monday morning.

He had his infusion on Tuesday and spoke with his oncologist.  The mass continues to get smaller, but he's not in remission yet and because of that the oncologist now feels he should consider another stem cell transplant using Keith's stem cells.  He told Reid to at least speak with the stem cell doctor and see what he says.  We also found out that Reid's oncologist is moving to Sloan Kettering in January or February.  That was disappointing to hear since he's considered a leading expert on Hodgkin's, but the Fellow said that it's a wonderful opportunity for him and he deserves it.  So, I guess Reid will be seeing another oncologist in the clinic when he moves on.  It was kind of a mixed bag of information.  Good because the mass did get smaller again, but not so good because of a possible stem cell transplant and his doctor leaving.  I might have told you before, but there are many emotional ups and downs with cancer.

And Monday they begin the slab work on the house.  I think this is more a Texas thing, but the homes here are built on a concrete slab and we have a clay type soil.  Because of the clay the ground expands with moisture and contracts with drought.  Having large trees makes the situation worse.  Although we have soaker hoses around the slab and water all the time the large trees drink huge amounts of water.  Once again, the slab has cracked and our house has dropped off along the back.  So, on Monday they'll be coming in and tearing up the carpet in the den and the kitchen floor and adding some interior piers.  They come in with jack hammers and go through the concrete, take out wheelbarrows full of dirt, and then pour concrete piers to hold the house up.  The concrete will have to cure for two to three weeks and then they'll come back, open up some of the interior and exterior piers we already have, and officially jack up the house.  Then I'll have to get new floors.  Needless to say, I'm going to be busy for a while.  In fact, I've spent time this week packing up stuff in the kitchen and den and temporarily moving it into the dining room.  I'm just hoping I can get everything done before we get too busy with Reid's treatment.  This was all supposed to have been done last June, but I put it off until October after Jim died.

I'm going to be very busy in the coming weeks, but I'll try and post here once in a while.  And I'm planning to take pictures on Monday because seeing is believing!  Reid took the camera to Austin, but I got an iPhone5 last week and can always use that for pictures.  That reminds me of something and I'm hoping someone can help.  I downloaded the Blogger app but can't figure out how to read blogs with it.  It just takes me to the page where you write a blog post.  Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Busy Days Ahead...

I've been meaning to write a quick post for almost a week.  I kept thinking I'd get some pictures taken to go along with an update, but never got around to doing it.  I did go to the Houston Italian Festival this past weekend, but forgot my camera.

Reid finally got the results of his latest PET scan last week...almost a week after the scan.  He had called and left a message a couple of days after the scan and never heard anything, so he called a second time last week and the P.A. called him back pretty quickly.  I guess they hadn't gotten the first message.  Anyway, the scan still shows activity (cancer), but it's gotten smaller again.  I was hoping it would be completely gone, but smaller is still good.  Originally his oncologist was thinking about 8 or so treatments.  I believe Reid has now had 7.  The drug was approved for up to 16 treatments, so we'll see what the doctor says when he goes back for the next treatment on October 23rd.

Meanwhile, I'm getting ready to have slab work done on the house.  Unless you live in this part of Texas you probably have no idea what slab work is, but I can tell you it's a pain in the "you know what."  Homes here are built on concrete slabs.  The soil is mostly clay which expands and contracts with moisture.  This causes the house to kind of go up and down.  Eventually, the slab cracks.  You can tell when doors stick, windows don't close easily, and cracks appear above doorways.  The problem is made worse by dry conditions and large trees which drink up the water and dry out the soil.  It usually takes time to happen...20 to 30 years.  Anyway, we've had work done before and now need some additional interior piers.  That means they have to come inside, rip up the flooring, and go into the concrete slab with jack hammers.  Needless to say, it's a big mess.  We were originally scheduled to have this done last June, but when Jim died I put it off until the end of October when hopefully it would cool off.  I need to put the dog and cats in the garage.  We've only had a few cooler days a week or so ago.  Other than that the A/C runs night and day.  It's been in the 90's, but today felt better and I think it was only in the 80's.  I just hope it will be cool on October 29th.  I'll be sure to take pictures.  Seeing is believing!

I miss the old Blogger Dashboard!

Moving On Along...

I meant to get a blog post up sooner, but I had to think about what to write.

Last Tuesday Reid had his appointment with his regular oncologist.  When the nurse came in he told her about seeing the stem cell doctor the week before, but she didn't seem to know anything about it.  Then she told him that she had pulled everything up and his doctor was reading it before he came in to talk with him.

The doctor came in and Reid explained to him what was going on and how he had no idea a stem cell transplant was planned for after the Adcetris treatment.  We were both under the impression that the Adcetris would be tried first and if that failed the back up plan would be another stem cell transplant.  I don't believe the doctor had spoken with the stem cell doctor, but he explained that the drug is so new that there's no one accepted treatment plan like there was when he relapsed the first time.  An auto stem cell transplant with ICE chemo first is pretty well accepted as the way to go with the first relapse.  Now we're kind of in uncharted territory with a new drug with the second relapse.  There are different opinions as to the best way to go.

His doctor said that if he felt very motivated about having a stem cell transplant then he should go through with it.  If not, he said he would do what Reid is doing and stay on the drug and see what happens.  There's no right or wrong way to go.  For now he can just think about it.  When I mentioned that the stem cell doctor said he wouldn't recommend another stem cell transplant if he relapsed again, this doctor gave us the impression that it wouldn't be a problem.  He also said if he relapsed he could go back on the Adcetris again and that there were other drugs to try.

To be honest, I don't know what to think.  I've been in a funk for the last two weeks.  In the past everyone was in complete agreement.  This whole thing is unsettling.  I did a google search and found a blog where the gal had just had a stem cell transplant after being treated with Adcetris, but I don't know all of the circumstances.  I've learned over the years not to dig too deep for information since it can be worrisome.  Not everything you read on the Internet is up to date or necessarily accurate.  It can drive you crazy sometimes.

Reid seems to feel a little better now after speaking with his regular oncologist.  He had his treatment and hasn't seemed as sick this time.  The plan now calls for another scan after his next treatment in two weeks.  Needless to say, that will be another stressful period.  I'm trying to think positive and pray that the Adcetris continues to work.

After all we've been through Keith decided it would be a good time to come for a visit.  He drove over from Austin early Saturday morning and left for home Sunday afternoon.  We had a really good time in a little over 24 hours.  We ate, shopped, played a game, and Keith got some things done around here for me.  We went to Walmart and bought a table and bench for this room.  The old table was falling apart and the one leaf was collapsing from the weight of the sewing machine.  Keith put the new table together and we dragged the old one out into the garage.  Then he hung another plate rack in the dining room for me.  So, in a little time we got a lot accomplished.

I wanted to take a picture of Keith and Reid together, but Reid got tired and was sleeping when Keith was ready to leave.  So, I asked Keith to pose for a picture in the backyard this time.  I always take pictures of him by the car as he's leaving.  This is Keith posing by my mobile garden.  We've had tomatoes and jalapenos this year.

Today I told Reid I had to take a picture of him before I wrote this post.  So, here's Reid cleaning up after dinner.

Usually he doesn't start bouncing back until ten days or so after the treatment, but this time he seems to be doing better.  This chemo is still so much easier than the chemos he's had in the past.

Thanks again for your comments, E-mails, and prayers!

The Bad "C" Word and other stuff...

I've been busy for a while trying to get some much needed stuff done around the house.  We had let things go for years.  First we had my Dad with Alzheimer's living nearby and that required almost daily visits for a long period of time.  Then Reid was diagnosed with Hodgkin's and more recently Jim was diagnosed with prostate cancer and lost his battle. So, getting stuff done around here wasn't exactly our first priority for a number of years.  Everything overlapped and there was never a break in between to have a somewhat normal life and get things done.

So, I finally hired painters for the dining room and then had a handyman put up crown molding (which I probably should have done first).  Afterwards I had to caulk and paint the new molding.  It took me forever because: 1.) I'm old, 2.) I'm tired, 3.) My back bothers me, 4.) I had to trim bushes and do some yard work,  5.) I still have to vacuum, dust and grocery shop occasionally 6.) I wanted to watch some of the Olympics.  7.) My friend, Coletta, visited from California!  I forgot to take pictures, but she brought me roses and Ashely said they were delicious.

Anyway, the dining room is done...sorta.  I still have stuff to be hung.  I can do some of it, but I asked Troy today if he could come by someday and hang the stuff that needs those molly bolt things.  Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks that will all be done.

Meanwhile, Reid received a call from MD Anderson about coming in to see the stem cell doctor this past week.  We did think that was a little odd since he had been sent back to his regular oncologist for the Adcetris treatment.  We both decided it was probably just a routine follow-up visit and so he went down by himself to see him. Normally I go with him if he's receiving test results or having a treatment and might not feel well enough afterwards to drive.  This time I did not go with him.

Much to our surprise the stem cell doctor told him that he needs a donor stem cell transplant while the Adcetris is still working and before his tumor becomes resistant to the drug.  This came as a complete surprise to us as we had been of the impression that the Adcetris alone had a 30% chance of giving him a cure and if not a donor stem cell transplant would be a back up plan.  The doctor said that if the Adcetris hadn't worked at all he wouldn't have even recommend a stem cell transplant.  The stem cell transplant will give him a 40-50% chance of a cure.  Needless to say, we're devastated by this turn of events.  Reid is not even sure what he'll do.  He already knows that the stem cell transplant will be hell.  He's done it before.  They practically had to kill him to in order to try and cure him.  (At least it seemed like that!)  Is it worth the extra 10-20%?  He's just not sure anymore.

He hasn't felt well for years.  This is his third round of chemo and even though the Adcetris is much milder than the past chemo it's still not a walk in the park.  Besides, prior to transplant he would have to be admitted again for the "really strong" chemo that will end up destroying his immune system.  The last time that was pretty horrible.  He developed a scab that ran through his entire intestinal track from his throat on down.  It was extremely painful...not anything like a normal sore throat and they had to hook him up to a pain pump. He wasn't able to eat.  The whole ordeal was pretty horrific. Then he developed pneumonia while his immune system was suppressed and at first didn't respond to the antibiotics.  So, we know what to expect the next time.  Reid remembers hearing that a donor stem cell transplant also means a longer recovery period.

If  he decides on the transplant Keith will have to come from Austin for a week so they can harvest his stem cells for Reid.  Then Keith will come back for the transplant and work out of a Houston office so he'll be here to help me.  They won't even consider doing a transplant unless there are caretakers.  Once again, he'll have a long hospitalization and then we'll have to live down in the Medical Center for a while.

My heart breaks for Reid.  He's been through so much already and it just doesn't seem fair.  Most people his age don't have to make life and death decisions.  It's very difficult to watch your child (and they're still your child no matter how old they get) have to endure so much. This has to be his decision.  I will not twist his arm or try talking him into it.  I've seen what he's already been through and can't be that selfish.  Whatever his decision I will support him 100%.

To be honest, I'm worn out and  hope and pray I'll have the strength and endurance to give him the support he'll need in the months ahead.  I had so hoped after losing Jim that we'd be able to get back to some sort of normalcy in the coming months, but I guess that won't be happening anytime soon.  We're going to desperately miss Jim's support this go around.  I am thankful that Jim died not knowing that Reid had relapsed.

It's been years since we've had any normal carefree days.  I think back five years or so and how we took those kind of days for granted.  It seems like once the "the bad C word" enters your life there's no going back.  Life becomes one big emotional roller coaster ride.

And I had put off having the interior slab work done on the house until the end of October when it would be cooler.  Now I might have to postpone that again and there are so many other things that need to be done around here (like new attic duct work and a new kitchen counter and sink) that I didn't want to have done until the house was level.  I sometimes think I should just sell this house "as is" and walk away.  I just don't have time to get everything done.

 For those of you who have supported us with your warm thoughts and prayers...THANK YOU!

We'll see what Reid's regular oncologist says on Tuesday.  It will be another long day down there.