G-R-R-R-reat News!

Yesterday was a busy day.  We started the day with a doctor's appointment with my Oncologist.  Thanks to my good friend Sarah for coming over and hanging with the kiddos.  About a week and a half ago I had a CT Scan done and it was time to get the results.  Dr. Cen came in and read us the radiologist's report.  The report wasn't that great.  The radiologist reported that there was a slight change.  So, Dr. Cen said, "Let's look and see."  We looked and guess what?  There wasn't a slight change, there was a GREAT change.  He said that the radiologist isn't an oncologist and they tend to err on the side of caution and since it is still wide spread they probably didn't want to say too much.  We looked at my liver and before I had more cancer than liver.  Now I have more liver than cancer!  YAY!!!!!  I am super excited.  There is still a lot of cancer, but the tumors are shrinking.  It was great to see that.  I also asked if we could have 4 weeks, not 3, between this week's chemo and the next round of chemo because we were going with my family to the beach for a weekend in August.  He said that I must want more energy and he thought that it would be fine.  YAY!  Another victory for me!!!

After we saw the doctor we went home.  Then my wonderful sister, Jenny, and her kids came down from Woodland and hung out with my kids so that David and I could go back to Kaiser and get my port put in.  That was a scary procedure.  They put in a port so that the nurses wouldn't have to do I.V.s anymore.  It is a little thing that they put under my skin above my right breast that has a catheter that goes directly into the upper chamber of my heart.  The nurses have a special needle that they just plug into the port and it directly puts the drugs into my bloodstream.  It is a neat little contraption, but it was scary for me to get it put in.  I was awake for the procedure and would have preferred it if they would have knocked me out!  But - I made it through.  And now I have a port so they don't have to poke me again while in search of a good vein.

I also got to speak with a doctor from the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City.  The doctor, John Ward, said that he was sorry about my cancer, but that they would be doing the exact same thing that Kaiser is doing.  That was good for me to hear.  I am glad that they came to the same conclusion.  It was nice to have someone else concur.

We came home from Kaiser and had a good visit with Jenny and her way cute kiddos and then we had the world's greatest pizza for dinner (thanks Carrie).  Round Table Pizza's Maui Zaui with Polynesian Sauce minus the red onions is the best there is!!  YUMMY!!  I LOVE that pizza!!  It was so good that I ate 3 pieces.  David was shocked and very pleased that I was eating!  I went to bed after Family Home Evening and was asleep before 8 o'clock.

It was a busy and great day.  I am so happy that the cancer is getting it's butt kicked!  I am so grateful that I have the port now.  I am lucky to have such great family and friends that are always so willing to help out with kids and dinners.  I am blessed to have good doctors and live in a time when things have been discovered and invented for my well being.  Things are good.  Life is great!!  And I am happy to be living!!!!!!!

Last week's adventures....

We left around 7 am on Monday morning for Yosemite. It is a little under 200 miles, 187 to be exact, to Yosemite to our front door. The kids were excited and the van started out running great. As we approached Yosemite...it was the beginning of the end. We got about 30 minutes out of the park entrance when the "Check Engine" light came on. We stopped, checked fluids and everything seemed okay, so we continued on. About 15 minutes later the light started flashing - not a good sign. We pulled over, had no cell phone service and wondered what to do. We said a prayer and felt like it was okay to continue, just at a slower pace. The light wasn't blinking anymore and within 10 - 15 minutes we arrived at the entrance to the park. David spoke with the ranger and she said that there was a mechanic shop in Yosemite Village. So, we decided to continue on. We made it to the campsite and were very relieved! The kids got their swimsuits on and headed over to the beach with Grandma and their Aunts and Cousins while all the boys helped David put up the tent. We unloaded the car and spent the rest of the day visiting with the family. David went over to the mechanic shop and talked with them and they agreed to look at the car. *****side note: I might get the order of these things mixed up, so if I am a little off, please forgive me.***** The good news of all of this is that we made it there safely. The kids were excited and we got to see our family in a really beautiful place.

On Tuesday the whole family wore our cool new family shirts (thanks to all that worked so hard on these) and went to Lower Yosemite Falls on the bus (my kids love riding the buses in Yosemite) after taking some pictures. When I find my camera I will post the pictures that I got. We had a great time looking at the waterfall and David took the kids up to climb on some rocks. Ted and Megan took me back to camp and David stayed a while with the kids and then they rode the bus back. Things were great. Then the fever hit. I started in with the chills and knew that this was not a good sign. I took some medicine and the fever went down and we decided that with no car (by then we had found out that there were major engine problems and it couldn't be driven home, but had to be towed - thank goodness for AAA) and since I was feeling better we would stay the night. The next morning I felt okay, but soon the fever came back. After a few hours and a rising fever, David's wonderful Mom and Dad hatched a plan to bring us home. Thanks Ted & Megan and Tami & Brent for the use of your cars and thanks to Mom & Dad for helping us drive everyone. While I got myself ready to go all of David's family was packing our stuff and taking down our tent. By the time I was ready to go, everything else was ready too. It was amazing to me. The Cox Family is AWESOME!!!! We really appreciate you guys and all the hard work you put into getting us out of there!

We left Yosemite around 5:15 and pulled into Kaiser's ER at 10 pm. After waiting for 14.5 hours in the ER I was finally admitted to the hospital with a white blood cell count that was off the charts (the opposite problem from last time). After many tests and many hours of waiting they finally diagnosed the problem, got me on the right antibiotics and I was on the mend. I was released from the hospital yesterday (Sat) afternoon. Thank goodness for modern medicine.

As for the car: David has spent hours talking with several different mechanics and they have determined that it needs a "Full head job" - at least I think that is what it is. Basically the top of the engine needs some major work. The car goes into the shop on Monday and it will hopefully be done on Thursday. We just cannot survive without a car and it is our only one. Starting on Monday I have appointments everyday - Monday thru Friday - for 5 weeks. We NEED a car. So it will be fixed.

So in a nut shell: We had fun for the few days we were in Yosemite, we are home safely, I am out of the hospital, the car goes into the shop on Monday and life doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon. While things didn't go as planned, they are working out. I wish we could have stayed longer in Yosemite and that the car wasn't a problem, but it was beautiful and we loved being able to see family that we haven't seen in a long while. I am one lucky girl with a great extended family. All of you are great - Cox and Morgan. We are very blessed to have all of you in our lives and I love you all very much. Life is great and I am determined to enjoy it, rollercoasters and all. I am hoping for a less eventful week this week....stay tuned!