Hiking at The Trinity River Audubon Center

Today we all got up early to see Mikey and Greg off and help them load up the truck. They are heading back to the ranch in Kansas for Christmas. Afterwards Sheila and I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast then headed out to the Trinity River Audubon Center to check it out and do some hiking. We have never been there and it has only been open for about a year now. It is free on the 3rd Thursday of the month and we thought that would be a good time to go. It turned out to be a nice place with a 14 million dollar education building and about 4 miles of trails. We spotted 1 Osprey, 3 Red-Tailed Hawks, 1 Kingfisher and a Turkey Vulture.We checked out the Ed. Center talked to the lady working there and hiked all of the trails they had.    (Note: double click on picture to see full size)

The WE CARE HOUSE Christmas Picture. L-R Josh, Sheila, Leetha, Mikey,Greg

Sheila in front of the new 14 million dollar Triniity River Audubon Center Building

                  Chaco and Toesocks at one of the overlooks with the Trinity River in background

                   

Toesocks the Tree Hugger

Sheila approching the Bird Blind

Sheila inside the Bird Blind

I don't see any birds!

Time for a Tea Break

The Alligator's Lair

Today we ran some errands and went to our storage unit to get some warmer clothes and hiking boots and to put up some stuff we no longer needed here. Last night we had dinner at home because Josh cooked a big brisket and Mikey and Greg and Josh and Leetha and me and Sheila all dug in! It was great! Mikey and Greg leave tomorrow to go back to their ranch in Kansas. Me and Sheila still have no idea what we will do for Christmas but we would like to get out of Dallas! Not much else is new, Sheila is still improving and we may go for a short hike at a new nature center in Dallas tomorrow. When we were in our storage I found some old poems I have written and decided I would put a few up here from time to time. Hope they aren't too bad or boring! This is one I wrote after we went paddling our kayaks for the very first time at Caddo Lake. It was our first time in a real swamp with alligators, cypress trees in the water and Spanish moss hanging everywhere. It is so primitive looking we wouldn't have been surprised if a Pterodactyl came flying out of the trees on us! Hope you enjoy!

The Alligator’s Lair


Today we paddled to the alligator’s lair,
Through cypress trees dripping mossy wet hair,
Past beaver lodges, through spatterdock,
Deadly silent, but I heard they can bark,
Our paddles slice through stagnant duckweed,
In this quest to see a gator, indeed!
Too late to turn back, or even around,
Blackwater, my boat, it completely surrounds,
The weeds, the moss, tower above my ducked head,
So low in the water is what I most dread,
Pressed on in our search, the noises and sounds,
Of buzzing and screeching and my heart when it pounds,
The water, it looks like I could just step out,
And walk on it’s surface to look all about,
Then I see up ahead in the swamp she is trapped
in the knees of the cypress her kayak is wrapped,
I hear such a scream, then a scream once again.
Is the nightmare we feared about to begin?
As the screams and the splashing begin to subside,
I see she still lives, her paddle held high!
To strike it with might again on it’s head?
The closer I paddle it’s clear I misread,
The danger was not huge teeth and great tail….
as long as the boat and covered with scale.
The danger it seems was all in our head,
Just a little fish jumping and bravery was shed!
We laugh when we paddle that place now and then,
Remembering what nimrods we surely had been.
Now we still go, when it rains and it’s dark,
When the swamp closes in and in the distance they bark.
I don’t worry what happens if a gator we meet,
In a paddle for life, her……I know I can beat!
-yfp-

Alpha Imp's Reiki Pays Off Big Time!

We just got back from seeing the doctor, this time just to see if the Pneumonia was getting better and it is! We knew Sheila felt better and was coughing less but the doctor says her lungs sound better and she should be 100% in no time. Also the BEST news was that the PRELIMINARY results of her bone marrow biopsy show everything COMPLETELY normal!! We have to go back on Dec. 22 for the FINAL results of the biopsy and also a chest x-ray to make sure her lungs are clear but right now everything is looking great.

Finally a Nice Day in Dallas

Today we skipped breakfast and went to feed the ducks at Lake Arlington. We had all kinds of old bread, cereal and crackers so we drove (we usually walk but Sheila is still coughing and didn't want to walk) down to the lake and fed all the mallards, coots and gulls. The weather was in the high 60's and sunny and it was just perfect weather for a change. When we got to the lake there was a little girl and her dad near the water's edge and Sheila gave the little girl most of the bread so she could feed the ducks. It was nice just to get outside. Tomorrow its off to the cancer clinic to check in with the doctor about Sheila's pneumonia.

Long Distance Reiki Working!!!

"Like one that on a lonesome road Doth walk in fear and dread,
And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head,
Because he knows a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread."
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge


Today Sheila actually feels better and she did not cough so much during the night. She has been taking antibiotics for weeks now so the only reason we can find for the improvement has to be the Reiki that sister Imp sent her long distance. THANKS IMP!!! Today as yesterday we have nothing planned except a few errands to run.. Tomorrow Sheila goes back to the doctor just to check up on her pneumonia condition. I think it is finally improving. We still have no idea what and where we will go for Christmas, it all depends on how she does getting over the pneumonia and what we hear of her bone marrow biopsy. Not much else is going on here.....below is a poem I read recently and it made me think how lucky we all were to share this past Thanksgiving with so many family members from all over the country and best of all in the old house at 705.

Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest

Gettin' together to smile an' rejoice,
An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
Are growin' more beautiful day after day;
Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
Buildin' the old family circle again;
Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin' our stories as women an' men.
Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be here.
Home from the south land an' home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We've come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.
Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.

Cancer Center for a Money Transfusion

"Give me the scorn of the stars and a peak defiant;
Wail of the pines and a wind with the shout of a giant;
Night and a trail unknown and a heart reliant " -rw service


Today we slept in having no treatments or any appointments. When we got up we went to IHOP for the Garden Scramble and some Gingerbread Pancakes. Then it was more Christmas shopping for the Grandkids and finally to the Cancer Center, this time to give THEM a transfusion of cash! At least that is the way to go if you MUST go there! We are now back at the house where we had seven people staying last night. Mikey and Greg who are always here with us and Josh and Leetha who come just a few days a week and also Darren a guy who has been here just a few times now and then. Don't know what the rest of the day holds for us but Sheila needs to just rest up and take her antibiotics so she can get over this pneumonia. I might run over to our storage unit and get some things out of it that we need now that the weather is cold and also put up some things we do not need.

Pic today is of Toesocks and me in the Smokey Mountains on our 2008 AT Thru-hike. It had been raining for 2-3 days and in the 40's and 50's. We were soaked through and through and our feet and socks were cold and very wet. When we woke up in the morning in one of the shelters it had snowed all night and our socks and sandals were frozen solid! We had to put them in our sleeping bags with us to defrost them enough to put on and continue our hike!

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Well today we went in for Sheila's bone marrow biopsy. She had blood work done first and all her counts are all perfect! The biopsy went OK and it will be 10 days until we learn the results. Because of her cough the doctor sent her down to get a chest x-ray and the results showed that she has pneumonia. So now Sheila has two more powerful antibiotics to take and goes back to the doctor on Monday to see how she's doing. She feels fine except for the cough and we are still trying to figure out where to go for Christmas.

"driver's license?......we don't have no stinking driver's license!

Yes that's right Sheila has been driving with an expired driver's license. We did not realize it until going through airport security when we flew to Connecticut and it was pointed out to her. Well today we realized we had forgotten about it when we got back to Texas, so today we went and got it renewed. We also finished some Christmas shopping for Sheila's grand kids and got my car's oil changed, new back brakes and replaced a burnt out resistor that kept the car heater and AC working. Glad that is now all fixed and the car is ready to hit the road again. Now if we can only figure out where to go for Christmas...we sure don't want to spend it here at the cancer house. Tomorrow we go for the bone biopsy and then won't know the results for a few days after that. We are both counting on good news!!!

Pic today is of Sheila, sister Carol, Scott, myself and a very STRIKING dog, RASCAL. We are walking the Sakonnet Greenway Trail on Aquidneck Island.

No Global Warming in Texas

Since we left New England and drove back to Texas we have had the nastiest, cold, damp, drizzily weather. Today we went to IHOP for the breakfast special then to the library to print out resumes to get in the mail, then to Walmart for Sheila to do some Christmas shopping for her grand kids. This is the first day we have taken two cars to run errands and the first time since leaving Texas for the trail that Sheila has driven her car. after the library I caught up with her at Walmart and so only had to endure a small bit of the Christmas shopping. At least it was a weekday and so the hordes of stampeding wilderbeasts that pass these days for holiday shoppers was at a minimum! We are still trying what to do and where to go for Christmas and have not come up with anything yet. I would like to spend it somewhere remote and unpopulated, preferably in a tent, but we will have to wait and see what the word is from the doctor when we go in for Sheila's bone marrow biopsy on Wednesday.

Do We Still Own This Much Stuff!!??

Back from IHOP after sleeping in today, tired from the drive back to Texas. I cleaned out the station wagon this morning and though its nice to have some more clothes to wear it is surprising how much "STUFF" we still own. By most people's standards we own next to nothing but after being on the trail with just a backpack containing the basic "survival" necessities, I still have to wonder why we have so many pairs of shoes, jackets and other stuff. A person sure does not truly NEED most of the stuff they work so hard to accumulate. Obviously there is still some more downsizing we can do. (We did drop off at Goodwill this morning, 3 pairs of shoes and a pair of pants) I recently have been reading about a guy who for one year was going to live with just 100 possessions, well Sheila and I have been doing with much less than that for the last year and I now cannot understand why anyone would collect all the stuff we used to own. I look around at houses while on a walk and cannot believe that with houses getting larger and larger and their garages full of everything BUT their cars, people still have to install sheds in their backyards for the things they think they need to make them happy. If you only stop and think about all the marketing and advertising we are bombarded with 24/7 you begin to understand how the average American has been brainwashed into thinking that their overworked underpaid stressful lives will only improve and be happier if they but buy this product or that product! I only wish I woke up to that fact when in my twenties and not my fifties. I DO know this....I will never own a TV, a new car, a closet full of clothes, a garage full of kayaks, motorcycles or other "toys", more than a room full of minimal furniture, or a house again! Right now the only question is where can we escape to for Christmas??

The Long Anticipated Trip is Through - Crossed Into Texas with Dylan's Tangled Up In Blue

We are back "home" at the WE CARE house and it was good to get back after 5 days on the road. Sheila and I had a 3 day visit with her sister Nancy and Nancy's daughter and kids, then a easy drive back to Texas. We only drove about 3-400 miles per day due to Sheila being tired and still suffering from that persistent cough she had since leaving Dallas. It seems we have been gone for a month because each day was filled with so much to do and so many friends and family to see. It was just fantastic for us to temporarily be footloose and fancy free after so many months confined to the hospital and cancer center. It was so good to see both our families and that they all seem healthy, happy and doing so good! Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible for us to be able to see so many of you! Some of you traveled great distances to be there, others worked so hard on cooking, and gathering tables, chairs, decorations and making the house available and comfortable for me and Sheila and we know and appreciate how much work it must have been. Then to also have to clean up afterwards.....THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!

Pic today is one sister Imp took of the Newport Bridge. Taken right from her island farmhouse in Jamestown.

Blinding Snow all the Way Through Mississippi

Well it is about 10pm and we just made it to Vicksburg, Mississippi. As soon as we left Birmingham about 430pm we noticed it looked like snow. When we got to Meridian, Mississippi it started snowing, then started snowing hard! Lucky for us the ground was still warm and it didn't stick anywhere except on parked cars and the grass and trees. It was great to drive at night at 70 miles per hour with the highbeams on so that we could really see the snow coming down sailing along listening to Crosby Stills and Nash. Tomorrow after a good breakfast (Cracker Barrel is right next to the motel) we will have only 380 miles or so back to Dallas. We were hoping the snow would keep on all night but just watching the Weather Channel it looks like it will all end soon.

Some pics from Birmingham: Nancy and Sheila at the computer looking at pictures.

The other pics are me and my new friend Rosie, Kelly's Cocker/Golden Retreiver mix. What a great little dog.....looked more like a golden retriever but the size of a cocker spaniel. I wanted to take her home with us, but then I wanted to take Sadie, Cally, Lucy, Shasha, Rascal and Ruger home with me too!!

Day 2 - Still in Birmingham

Today we went to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel next to the Jamison Inn then went to Lowes to find a bathroom light fixture that would work in Kelly's bathroom. We found a nice Hollywood type vanity light and headed to Kelly's house to see Nancy and install the light fixture. They also wanted me to install towels racks and paper holders and a shower caddy. These things were all standard simple installations and I was done in no time. Then the the new light and exhaust fan decided not to work. I knew the fan worked before I even installed the light fixture but now both failed to work at all. I took apart the switches on the wall to check all the connections and found everything was OK. After taking apart all the nearby switches and turning all the switches in the house on to see if a bad "make up" was causing the problem. Still no luck! Finally I decided to trip the bath GFCI outlet on and off and sure enough it turned the light and fan on and off BUT did NOT turn the outlet itself off when tripped. This meant that if you dropped a hair dryer into the sink the GFCI would not trip off and prevent a possible fatal shock! Once I took that device apart and rewired it properly everything worked as they should have.
We spent the rest of the day taking Nancy to lunch at Ruby Tuesday's and then to Walmart to by a baby outfit for Kelly's oldest daughter Sarah who is expecting a baby girl in February. We also showed Kelly and Nancy pictures of our AT hike and other trips we have been on. After it got dark we decided to stay here another day and go back and get our room at the Jamison back. Getting out of Kelly's neighborhood especially after dark is one of the most frustrating drives I have ever taken, and we have already been there back and forth once. Every street seems to run into others with the same name......8th Street runs into 8th Place then 8th Terrace and so on and so on. The different numbers do not even seem to go in any one general direction either and some street with no turns just turn into another street with a different number! My GPS did not have the street levels here loaded onto it and therefore was of no use. Being totally lost in the woods less maddening!! We even wrote down instructions right off of Mapquest and it did no good, we still got completely turned around! No matter what direction we drove off in we ended up back at the same little shopping center about 4 times! Tomorrow we will visit again ...IF we can find our way back into the maze!

Pic today is of the Chase Clan at 705 Thames..how many years ago?

Dodging Tornados and Rain All the Way To Birmingham

We got an early start today and made it the 400 miles from Kingsport, Tenn to Birmingham, Al. dodging tremendous wind and rainstorms. The weather was really bad as we headed out and we even heard that Dallas got snow last night. That's really funny seeing how we went to New England for Thanksgiving and the only snow was in Dallas! We got to Sheila's niece's house today about 2:30PM and had a nice visit with Nancy and Kelly and her kids and dog. Then we went and got a nearby motel for the night and will return in the morning so they can visit some more and I can start the electrical project they have laid out for me. One bathroom has no working lights and I will fix that tomorrow after a visit to the nearby Home Depot. We just got back in from eating at Applebee's with a motel discount and plan to go to bed early and be rested up for tomorrow. We called Sheila's doctor in Dallas about her cough getting worse and the nurse told us to keep taking the antibiotics and to also get some expectorant at a local drug store. That should be all she needs until we get back to Dallas in a couple days.

Pic Today: Sister Sue and her daughter Sydney walking arm in arm in the "Woods of Morton Park"

Driving Through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virgina and Virginia with Bob Dylan and Neil Young

Today we left Pine Grove, Penn. about 10 AM and drove about 500 miles and through four states! It was a nice sunny day and with Dylan and Young playing on the CD we passed city after city that we walked though on our AT north bound hike. Front Royal, the Shenandoah's, Marion, Akins, Buena Vista, Pearisburg, Damascus and others passed by and we remembered things about the hike. Also countless picture perfect postcard-like farms and rolling green hills kept the scenery varied as the miles went by. We didn't make Alabama but will tomorrow if we get an early start. Sheila is anxious to see her sister Nancy and see how she is doing. So we will most likely hit the Cracker Barrel Restaurant for breakfast in the morning and then head south. We still have a long way to drive before we get back to Texas.


Pic Today is of sister Deb on her horse

Pine Grove, Penn.

Short update: We are in Pine Grove,PA., a place we had hiked into while on the AT in 2008. Found a discount coupon for the Comfort Inn while eating at McDonald's tonight. Sheila is tired and coughing alittle more so we only went about 300 miles today. Will still try for Birmingham, AL tomorrow. Rain all day, enjoyed driving through the Bronx, the George Washington Bridge and even stopped in Delaware Water Gap and set foot on the AT! Took a pic of Sheila near an AT double blaze! Nice to be FREEEEEEEE again!

Chaco and Toesocks On the Road Again!!!

Well after a whirlwind visit in Connecticut and Newport, RI with all my family from four generations we are back on the road heading toward Alabama to visit Sheila's sister Nancy then on to Dallas. Thanksgiving was just unreal and will take a very long time for all the memories from that day to begin to fade. We saw so many relatives from all over New England and Florida, many who have not seen each other since they were small kids! It was just fantastic! Staying in our old family home and sleeping in my childhood room was just icing on the cake! Thanks to EVERYONE who made this trip so unbelievable! Walking in the WOODS with Sue and her kids and dogs, watching Deb ride her horse , hiking with Carol and Scott on that new trail and having dinner and REIKI at sister Imp's....well in could just not have been more enjoyable. We love all you guys! If a man's wealth was measured in the kind of people his sisters turned out to be .....I must be freeking Howard Hughes!!!!


Picture above is sister Imp's license plate....and I DO BELIEVE!!!! I believe I have the BEST sisters in the world!!!!

Newport Keeps Getting Better

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Thanksgiving at the old house with all my sisters and all their kids and our Uncle Robert was out of this world! The food was outrageous, the house was overfilled with about 30 people, dogs...LOTS of dogs, good cheer, funny stories, sad stories, remember memories and lots and lots of food! Everyone brought something to eat. There were TWO turkeys, one cooked here at 705 by my sister Deb, another cooked by sister Carol's boyfriend Scott, sister Imp's boyfriend Bob cooked several pies, brownies baked by Beth Allen who stopped by to say HI and grew up with us just two doors down, beer and wine by Uncle Robert who came dressed up as an Indian. It was just a mob of people who have not been together in a very long time, noisy, unruly, unorganized confusion of people with dogs running throughout the house, one table full of food collapsing into the floor and just the best damn time imaginable!! Thanks to all my sisters who pulled together to bring all this food, fun and family together after all these years!!!

New Haven/Newport.....WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!!!!

Today is Sheila's birthday!!!! We just got home from running around town, to the doctor, to the pharmacy, to go out to eat, back to the pharmacy.....WE GOT THE ALL CLEAR TO LEAVE TEXAS FOR THANKSGIVNG!! The blood work was all good, the doctor took her CVC out and we do not have to be back for ANYTHING until December 9th! On the 9th Sheila will have a bone marrow biopsie to determine what, if any future treatments are needed. So look out New England....here we come!! We cannot wait to see all my family again and spend Thanksgiving in the old house we all grew up in.

Two Days and A Wakeup!!!!

Just got to the hospital by 11AM for Sheila's two units of whole blood. We started the day at 10AM at the Parks Mall Carousel for her grand DAUGHTER'S birthday party. I had to correct my error on yesterday's post because I said it was her grandson's party. I thought that because we just received the birthday gift Sheila ordered for HIS birthday just the other day. We had to leave the party early because we had to get to the hospital. At least we made this one, Sheila just missed another granddaughter's birthday party last month because she was getting platelets. We have NO treatments tomorrow and then Monday we see the doctor for blood work and to see how long and IF we get to travel to Newport on Tuesday. Talk about taking it down to the wire! I think we should be OK because her white count is climbing now and she has had platelets and whole blood and she feels good. Sheila has had a few rough nights due to bone and joint pain but that is only the nuepergen shots causing that. Once those shots stop so will the pain.

Party Pics>

Blood, More Blood and Birthday Party Tomorrow

Well today we went to the Cancer Center and had Sheila's blood work done and her white counts are at 3.3 (they were just .3 on Wednesday) , so they are looking pretty good for flying the hell outta here on Tuesday!!! Her red counts are still low though and so tomorrow we go to the hospital to get TWO units of whole blood! This is bad niews because Sheila has her grandaughter's birthday party tomorrow at the same time. When we got to the house she called and had her transfusion postponed until 11Am so we can go to the party first. So its the party at 10 and then blood at 11. This should work out OK.

Congrats to Sister Imp....She Got the Vet Tech Job!!!!

While sitting in the hospital's blood room getting Sheila topped off with platelets so we can go home to Newport on Thanksgiving we got a call from my sister Imp (Christine) and she told us that she got the Vet Tech job she had been hoping to land!! She has been volunteering at a Wildlife Rescue , working at Ruff Life (a doggie daycare), adopted a rescue dog of her own, and working toward getting her Vet Tech credentials. CONGRATULATIONS IMP!!! They could not have hired a more dedicated person to help care for animals!!!!

Mikey and Greg Go Home Tomorrow

Today we went to have lab work done in addition to Sheila's neupergen shot and antibiotics. Her counts are SLOWLY coming back up and she needs platelets so tomorrow we go to the hospital to get platelets. Then Friday another set of labs and on Monday we see the doctor. Hopefully he will tell us that we can travel and how long before we have to be back. Also Mikey and Greg are doing better and they are OK'ed to travel home, so tomorrow they get on the road back to their ranch in Kansas. They have not been home in over six months! So all is all things are starting to look up for NOT having to spend Thanksgiving here!

Pic today is of our kayaks on Winstanley Island in the Tongrass National Forest Alaska. We had stopped there to dry out at the Forest Service Cabin on the island during our one week kayak/camping trip to the Misty Fiords in 2005.

Getting Down To The Wire

UPDATE : Sheila

Last night Sheila had some bad back pain and was up most of the night. A long massage and some Advil seemed to help. When we got to the Cancer Center today we told the nurses about the pain and as we already knew the neupergen shots she has been getting daily have a side effect of intense pain in the joints and bones. The plus side is they are supposed to help get her white cell count to come back up. Since we got home she took half of a pain pill and went to sleep.

UPDATE: Dan

I just got off the phone with Dan and he sounds like he is doing great. He went home on Sunday from the hospital and tomorrow goes right back to work. He is sore and black and blue where the inserted the catheter in his leg to run the stints near his heart. I am surprised he went home and is doing this good this fast. Technology is amazing!

New Week-Repeat of Last Week

Today we saw Dr. DiStefano and his plan now is continue Sheila on Nepergen shots and antibiotics all this week because her counts are still low. He thinks they have bottomed out though and hopefully will start back up this week. She is to have lab work on Wednesday and Friday to see if the counts improve. Its going to be right down to the wire about knowing if we can travel to Newport. He thinks it will just work out that we can fly out on the 24th.

Dan the Man Goes Home

After we finished with the Cancer Center today we called Yolonda to find out how Dan was doing. She said he was feeling good and waiting to be discharged. WOW, he really dodged a bullet on that one. In the hospital for intense chest pains one day and sent home the next after having two stints placed in his arteries! I am so relieved he is OK. We just came home from Cheddars where we had lunch and are going to relax at the house today. Nothing new here except trying to make sure we are able to fly to New England for Thanksgiving. Sheila is wearing her surgical mask when we go out and trying to avoid any crowds and are using Germ-X like there is no tomorrow. We just have to get her blood counts up to normal so that we can get out if here on the 24th!

Brother Dan Dodges a Heart Attack!

Well today while Sheila was receiving platelets at Arlington Memorial Hospital we got a phone call from Yolonda telling us that Dan was in the ER at Mansfield Methodist Hospital. He was having chest pains all night and agreed to go to the ER the next morning. By the time we got there they had him getting 2 stints put in due to the blockages they found during tests. Luckily the doctor said he did not have a heart attack but was very lucky he got into the hospital. When we left he was doing fine and cracking jokes about quitting smoking for sure this time! I sure hope so.

Not Many Miles Out of Last Fillup....In for Platelets Today!

Right now we are at the Hospital's Blood Room getting Sheila 2 units of platelets. We knew yesterday that she would need platelets because yesterday the nurse scratched Sheila when she gave her the nupergen shot and it was still bleeding last night! So after the lab's blood work came back they showed she needed platelets....big surprise! The hospital orders said, under, "when needed"...NOW! So here we are getting the platelets we knew yesterday she needed.

We Care House Preparing to 'bug out' for Thanksgiving

We went to the ACC today as usual for Sheila's antibiotics and nupergen shot. Tomorrow we have lab work to see if her blood counts have bottomed out yet. I think they probably have and she is wearing a mask now when she goes out just to be on the safe side. No other treatments are planned as yet but i think she will probably need more blood or platelets before the counts return to normal. Tomorrow we will know more. Mikey and Greg have been having a rough time of it lately but today got good news from the doctor and it looks like they will make it home to their ranch in Kansas for Thanksgiving. This is fantastic news because they have been here so long without being able to go home. Josh and Leetha are here but keep mostly to themselves in their room so we don't really know how they are doing. Everyone hopes to get out of here for the holiday though. Sheila is feeling quite good since she got the whole blood and that should only get better as long as she doesn't have to endure any chemo. So far things are looking good for everyone to get home!!!

On another note two of my sisters (Christine and Sue) have adapted dogs recently even though they both have a dog or two already. I know that the two dogs they rescued are very lucky to have found homes with them!! Here are some pics of Sadie and Cali




Sadie needs a good home!







Sadie safe and happy at home with Ruger


Cali also needing a good home













Cali safe at Sue's with Chase!

In for a Fill-Up!

This morning we went to the ACC to have blood work and antibiotics and Sheila's nupegen shot, then on to the hospital to get her TWO units of whole blood. When we got to the hospital's infusion room (The Blood Room) we were the ONLY ones there! We told the head nurse that we were SUPPOSED to get blood yesterday but were told by the oncologist's nurse that Tuesday they were "booked up" and we would have to wait until Wednesday for blood! The nurse then told us that the have been SLOW for days!!! They don't recall anyone even checking with them to see if Sheila could get in on Tuesday!! This really pisses me off! If you don't stay on top of things you WILL get jerked around.....and this IS one of the best cancer centers in the country!! I try not to be a total jerk when dealing with Sheila's medical needs but with few exceptions many of them just don't know what the hell they are doing or don't care! I am used to dealing with this kind of stupidity and apathy when getting my car's oil changed or waiting to be served in a restaurant but will not get jerked around again. After so long a process of getting treated everyday I guess I got lulled into a false sense of security that by now they KNOW what exactly Sheila needs when she gets there each day. This is the SECOND time they have dropped the ball and I have went blindly along....this will NOT happen a third time! I feel sorry for the cancer patient who goes it alone during this long process because they should not have to second guess each procedure while feeling as bad as many of them do while going through this treatment. Right now we are still in the hospital blood room and Sheila is on unit (bag) number 2 of whole blood. She also had lab today before we came over here and I am making sure they get the results over here before we leave. I will not get Sheila halfway home and they call us to come back because her platelets are low and she needs another infusion. I would think that that would happen automatically but the nurse said she wouldn't count on it. So we will wait and see if the results make it over here........I know it is ALL THE WAY NEXT DOOR!!!!

Running on Empty

This morning after IHOP we went to the ACC (Arlington Cancer Center) to have Sheila's daily infusion of antibiotics and a nupergen shot. She is really worn out due to lack of hemoglobin in her red blood. No red blood cells means she is not processing oxygen and she gets winded just walking around. We normally would have been to the hospital for whole blood but they are booked up and we cannot get in till tomorrow. Once she gets the whole blood she will perk right up and start improving, at least related to her energy levels. Her counts will continue to drop further for at least the rest of the week and I am sure we will be back to the hospital to get her some platelets before she rebounds from this last very powerful dose of chemo. It is called HIDEK (not sure of the spelling) but it is about 60 times the potency of the regular rounds she had in the beginning. We also found out she has subtype M-2 AML and at least that isn't the most devastating subtype to have and it has a slightly better than average prognosis for a recovery. We have met a young guy who has subtype M-8 and it does not respond to chemo so he is right now undergoing radiation and a bone marrow transplant. I hope he makes it!

Sheila is resting now and I am doing some laundry before going to meet my daughter Ashley for lunch. She is also returning some clothes she had of mine in storage and I could use them because we don't have much here with us. Most of whaat we own is still in my car up in Connecticut! Hoping to drive the car back to Texas after we visit my family in Newport for Thansgiving. Things look like they are working out as far as making it up there, all we have to do is get Sheila strong enough and get on the plane! My sister Sue is having new tires put on my car and I can't thank her enough. I planned on putting new tires on it after we finished the trail and moved to Virginia. I know they were getting bald and have squeezed every possible mile out of them. Thanks to Sue and Mike for taking care of this before we get up there!

The pic today is Sheila at a unique shelter on the AT. It is an AT Caretaker's converted garage in his yard just down the street from where the AT crosses a road. The Caretaker is a volunteer who lives in the house and maintains the shelter, the house and the yard. He also takes care of the hikers who stop there for the night. There were showers and toilets and even rumors of ice cream, although he had stopped selling the ice cream on the "honor system" for obvious reasons, by the time we came through! THAT was a BIG disappointment!

CHEMO COMPLETE- DONE-FINISHED-HISTORY!!

Today we went in to see the oncologist Dr. DiStefano and after looking at her blood work said although her counts are in the basement they should come right back up just as they have done all the times before. He plans no more chemo! At least not in the near future. The plan now is to let her counts come back up with the help of antibiotics and nupergen shots all this week and blood work on Wednesday and Friday. Then see the doctor again next Monday. At this time he does not see any reason we shouldn't be able to travel for Thanksgiving!


Pic today is of Sheila looking down into Lehigh Gap in Pennsylvania after climbing all the way to the top during our 2008 AT Thru-hike.

Zero Day

Today we did nothing except went out to eat breakfast at noon at IHOP. Sheila is feeling really tired and run down and has spent the day just resting in bed and sleeping. Mikey and Greg are in the same boat today and have spent the day doing the same with Greg sleeping and Mikey watching football. Greg has been having a rough couple of days with alot of pain. So it has been extra quiet around here today with everyone mostly staying in their rooms. The other couple we have had here from time to time, Josh and Litha were here for a few days and have gone back to west Texas until sometime next week. Tomorrow we go to see Dr. DiStefano and to have blood work done. I guess next week will be like all the others after a round of chemo with Sheila getting whole blood and platelets and antibiotics. The main thing we are hoping for is for her blood counts to come back up in time to go to Newport. The other thing we hope is that this will be the last round of chemo like the doctor has eluded to. We will know more next week!

Last Round of Chemo Completed!!

Well today we had Sheila's last round of chemo with her backpack disconnected and hopefully it will be last we see of that contraption! Next time she dons another backpack it will be while hiking a high, wild and lengthy trail of the Appalachian variety!!!! I HOPE!!! Anyways that's the plan. We go back to the doctor on Monday to have blood work done and I am sure will do the same every three days or so until all her blood counts come back up to normal. I hope that's the way it works out. It is so hard to plan ahead and we have seen many other patients thrown wild curves by the cancer and/or the treatments. Sheila feels good but is a little tired and run down by the chemo and also the eyedrops she has to use have a side effect of lethargy. Today after the cancer center I raked leaves up in the yard and then went and had lunch with my brother Dan at El Fenix. I had a good visit with Dan as Sheila stayed and rested at the house. Tonight Mikey made us all dinner and right now we are sitting out in the sun room relaxing before devouring the peach cobbler she also made.

Slackpacking Today!!!

Today Sheila picked up her slackpack at the Arlington Cancer Hostel. Since today is our last "scheduled" day on this Leukemia Trail (hopefully!) we will only carry it till tomorrow when we summit Blood (count) Mountain. This trail has been very much like our last great adventure thru-hiking the AT. We have met many people on this trail, some we saw almost everyday and others only now and then as they either hiked ahead or fell behind us or sadly........got off the trail altogether. Our backpacks weight has varied from time to time depending on how far the next resupply point was. We have used far more hand sanitzer than we did on the AT trying not to pick up any "nasties" from other hikers or the "townies". The food generally has been poor and we have been subsisting on whatever we can pick up along the way prefering as we did on the AT not to cook! We have not had many zero days on this trip trying to complete this thru-hike as quicky as possible. Most of all just like the AT hike it has been about the people. We have met many great people on this hike who have stopped to help us along the way. Some offered shelter, others made sure we got a good meal before heading out on the trail again! Ours plans after we summit tomorrow is to rest up and get healthy enough to make it up to the now famous Thanksgiving Day Hiker Feed in Newport Rhode Island. Fellow travellers from all over the country are expected to make it there this year! We hope to see everyone there!!

Home Stretch Tomorrow!

Tomorrow (Friday) we go to get Sheila's LAST day of scheduled chemo! She will get her chemo pack installed and it will run until Saturday morning. Then on Saturday we go to have it disconnected and it is ALL OVER! Well at least for awhile. Then we wait to see if all her counts come back up on their own. I am sure she will need whole blood and platelets like all the other times after chemo, but if her counts check out OK in the 16 days we have before we are due to fly up to Connecticut...WE CAN GET OUTTA HERE FOR THANKSGIVING!!!

Sold Old Sleeping Bags.....Sheila Got a New Backpack

Went to the Cancer Center as usual today to get Sheila's second chemo backpack hooked up today. Back tomorrow to take it off, then Friday back on for the last day of chemo. The last day EVER we are hoping! The next step is just to get her blood counts up enough to travel to Trumbull and Newport!! Sheila's hair is still trying to grow back and I have even let mine get as long as hers.....about 1/2 of an inch! Today I finally put on Craig's List a couple of sleeping bags we have that we don't need.. We have 7 sleeping bags total and it was time to get rid of some stuff! The ad was on Craig's List only about 15 minutes before I got a call. A lady and her husband heading to the Grand Canyon came by tonight and bought both bags. That Craig's List is amazing for getting rid off stuff quick!

A Day at The Cancer Center

Sheila sweeping the patio at the WE CARE house

(note her new chemo backpack)

Today we got back to the daily grind of the Arlington Cancer Center. First we went to the lab to get the tubes for Sheila's blood work. We will not let the lab draw her blood because she has a CVC line and I don't want them sticking needles into her when they can just draw it out of the CVC. Well the lab is not certified to draw blood from the CVC so we just pick up the empty tubes for the blood samples and take them to the Infusion Center next door. The Infusion Center can draw the blood samples but then we have to takes the now filled tubes of blood back to the lab for the testing. I think it is a small price to pay for avoiding all those needles! Remember that just one needle stuck in her arm back in New York cause a massive infection and alot of grief for both of us! Next we went upstairs to see Dr. DiStefano after waiting more than an hour for the blood work results to get over to him. He said all Sheila's counts are great and chemo would start back up today. As I type this we are back at Infusion getting her premeds infused so they can hook up the chemo pack and send us home. Mikey and Greg are here today also and he is in alot of pain since they temporarily took him off chemo so he could build himself back up. His legs and feet had swelled up so much that he could not even put shoes on and had to use a walker just to get from the house to the truck. He is one tough guy and like me has a major problem letting other people help him for ANY reason. I guess it's just a guy thing! Mikey and him finally just had a weekend with no treatments and wouldn't you know it, he started to have alot of pain. They start chemo again tomorrow and maybe that and some pain meds will help him. At least his swollen legs and feet have gone down somewhat. Sheila and I have been very lucky in that she has not had any of the serious side effects or radical treatments many of the people here have been through. We have been VERY lucky, compared to most of the people we see here at the Cancer Center, Sheila comes and goes pretty much like a healthy person and except for the bald heads (hers AND mine) you wouldn't even know there was anything wrong.

Picture Today: "A top notch looking couple" an elderly lady called us as we resupplied during a town stop on our AT thru-hike. Here we are in Damascus, Virginia during the three day celebration called TRAIL DAZE. Twenty thousand AT hikers from past and present attend the festival and the whole town comes out to throw water balloons and spray garden hoses at all the "smelly" hikers in the Annual Hiker Parade!

Chemo Tomorrow (Hope it's the Last One!)

Tomorrow 9AM (Monday) we have to go to the Cancer Center for lab work, which I am sure will be all good thanks to a week off. Then at 10AM we go to see the doctor and should be scheduled to start Sheila's last "planned" round of chemo. If all goes as planned she will get some premeds then start a backpack full of chemo to run one day. Then on Tuesday the backpack will come off. Wednesday another day of with the backback and off for Thursday. Friday it should run for one last day, then lab work every 2-3 days to watch her blood counts come back up. We are hoping it will all come back quickly enough for us to fly up north for Thanksgiving.


Pic Today: Tents on the Appalachian Trail 2008

Homemade Chili and Trick'r Treaters

Today we made a giant pot of homemade chili and its was excellent!! We were visited by Sheila's daughter with her kids all dressed up for Halloween and also my daugher Jacki and her boyfriend Joe came by on their way to a party. Here are some pictures.

Told to Take a Week Off!

Well I have not updated in a few days because nothing has happened. We went to blood tests on Friday and then again Monday hoping they would start chemo. NO WAY! I guess it's because her platelets are still low but they did not have her go for more platelets. We really don't know why but the doctor told the lab to have Sheila come back in a week, with no labs in between. This is a first. I guess we will get answers when we see the doctor on Monday. I just think he did not want to give her chemo again so soon. The problem is now she may not have enough recoup time to get her counts back up to travel to Newport. This is a major disappointment! We have nothing to to but go in on Friday for a dressing change and flush of her CVC line. Monday we will see the doctor and get some answers and I guess start her last "scheduled" round of chemo. I am still hoping it will all work out....we sure could use sometime away from the Cancer Center.

Sent to the Blood Room

After hitting Mickey Dee's for breakfast we went to have Sheila's blood work done at the Cancer Center. When we got there we found it was not open except for the workers doing remodeling on the weekend. We then went over (next door) to the Infusion Center and found out that there is where we were supposed to be. They do the blood work and have a person from the lab there on the weekends. We have never needed to get blood drawn on the weekend before. We were supposed to wait on the results in case her platelets were still low, and go over to the hospital for platelets if needed. We decided that instead of waiting there for an hour we would run over to Walgreens and get Sheila a pneumonia shot while her white counts were good and in case chemo starts on Monday again. When we got back to the Infusion Center sure enough her platelets were low and we had to go to the hospital to get her platelets topped off! Well that put us behind on getting to her grand daughters birthday party at McDonald's but when her platelets were complete we went to the house and tied the bicycle we bought for Maizie into the truck of the Miata and flew to McDonald's. we got there just as everyone was leaving but we got to see Maizie and give her the new bike! Then we drove to Grand Prairie to check our mail and get a pizza for our lunch at Pizziolo's. Another day of running all around town!

5 Mile Walk for Acorns and Mexican Food

Today at the Cancer Center Sheila's blood work came back with all her counts looking pretty good. Platelets are still down but her white counts are very good so she does not have to wear a surgical mask when she goes out. The doctor said we would start chemo a week from this coming Monday, then he remembered that we want to fly to Newport for Thanksgiving. Now the plan is back to trying to start chemo this coming Monday which means Sheila will have blood work tomorrow and Monday to see if her platelets come back up to allow the chemo to start on Monday. We are hoping it will all go as planned because she has to have 2-3 weeks to recoup after chemo before she will be allowed to fly to Newport. That's the plan so far but it all looks like it will work out. We also went on a 5 mile walk today down to Lake Arlington and back. While we were at the lake we watched the ducks and then the squirrels. It was nice getting outside for several hours and Sheila felt really good walking that far. We stopped and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant on the walk home. The weather has been great, sunny and in the 60's!

Rain and More Rain

Today we went to the Cancer Center for Sheila's neupergen shot and antibiotics and her lab work. Her counts are still low but slowly coming back up. That new round of chemo was some potent stuff! She feels good now though since she got 2 units of blood and 2 units of platelets this week. Tomorrow its back for more neupergen and antibiotics then Friday we see the doctor and get her blood work again to see what the counts are. Hoping to start the "last" round of chemo around the 26th so that she can recoup for a trip to Newport for Thanksgiving. Will still have to wait and see. Mike and Greg got some bad news today. He has been feeling worse and his legs and feet have swelled up very badly. They did cat scans on him today and the cancer is spreading to his liver and lymph glands. They are going to stop all chemo for now and let him get his low blood counts back up for the next few weeks, go home to Kansas for Thanksgiving, then when they get back start a completely different kind of chemo. They are having a really rough time of it right now. It has rained hard all day here and a cold front comes in tonight so we have just relaxed around the house.

Guns, Germs and Steel

Today we:
Went to hospital for platelets.
Went to Cancer Center for Neupergen and Antibiotics.
Drove to park to meet Sheila's Daughter Rhonda and 3 grandkids.
Got keys to borrow Rhonda's truck to go guy bike for Mazie's birthday.
Went to Walmart to pay for bike and decided it MIGHT fit in Miata's trunk.
Loaded bike into Miata's trunk...kinda...tied trunk lid shut with paracord.
Drove bike home to unload until birthday party.
Got call from Rhonda to check on elderly lady walking in traffic.
Drove to location of elderly lady.....found no one.
Drove to Boston market for lunch.
Dropped Sheila at home to go meet my daughter Ashley.
Met Ashley and picked up my hand gun.
Drove to car wash and washed Sheila's car.
Drove home to meet back up with Sheila.
Dropped truck keys back off at Rhonda's
Went back out to Walmart for laundry detergent (it was all stolen in yesterday's break in)
Arrived at home to talk to Carol who bought locks for me to install on windows.
Home FINALLY where Mikey cooked dinner for us all!!! THANK YOU Mikey!!!

So now we are safe and sound at the WE CARE house with new locks and armed against further intrusions with a Smith and Wesson Airweight .38 Special and a Wilson Combat Tactical 2 Fighter knife w/5 inch blade. THEY WILL GET MY TIDE WHEN THEY PRY MY COLD DEAD FINGERS FROM THE SPILL PROOF SPOUT!!!!

WE CARE House burgled today!

Well today was not your normal day of treatments by any stretch of the imagination. We went to the Cancer Center this morning because Sheila had an appointment to see the doctor. When we got there and she checked in for her lab work they told her she was "supposed" to come in over the weekend for Saturday and Sunday antibiotics and neuprogen shots. We told them that's the first we have heard of that! No one had told us to come in over the weekend for anything, We WERE told to go to the hospital for blood on Saturday and we did that. No one even called us when we "failed" to show up at the Cancer Center. The doctor was not too thrilled with the breakdown and when we got back to the infusion center they had already gotten an email from him about the lack of communication, so ......now we start another full week of antibiotics and neuprogen shots because Sheila's counts are still very low. While we were at the Cancer Center we met Mike and Greg who were trying to get in to see their doctor because Greg's legs are giving him trouble and swelling badly. They then received a call that their son Shane back in Kansas was taken by ambulance for the second time to the ER. They said Saturday that he had kidney stones and gave him something for the pain and said the stones would just pass in time. I guess he is having some serious pain to be hauled to the ER again! Now the fun stuff begins!!!....When we got 'home' we noticed that the bedroom door which we lock when we leave in the morning was open.....we then noticed that someone had been through the whole house with drawers and cabinets all open! As we carefully looked around we saw a case of toilet paper from our bathroom left at our bedroom door. I checked our closet and the portable DVD player and tote bag of movies that Mike had loaned to us was gone! That's all that was missing. All Sheila's prescription drugs were still on the nightstand. My $400.00 custom knife given to me by my brother and my pocket knife were still on the shelf in the closet, right above where the DVD player had been. Nothing else was missing but the window screen outside our room was torn off. I must have forgotten to latch the window after opening it last night. Sheila was running fever and we opened the window about 1AM. I don't remember if I latched it after closing the window before we left this morning! There were drawers and cabinets and lights on through the house and Mike and Greg's door out to their patio was unlocked. It didn't look like anything was taken from their room but all the drawers were open. I called 911 and told the police to get there ASAP! They said to leave the house but I knew there was no one in there still. I called Mike and after talking to her it didn't look like anything was missing. There was still jewelry and her other DVD player and movies and all Greg's prescription drugs were still there. When the police got there I walked around with the cop and it was easy to see what happened. We found a DVD movie right beside our car in the grass where I always park and it was not there when we pulled up to the house. It looks like he or they heard or saw us pull up and as we came in through the front door they went out the back through Mike's room and ran down the driveway and dropped a movie right beside the car. I was damn glad I had decided to take my backpack with laptop, camera, GPS and other stuff with us this morning as they surely would have taken that! We did notice after the police left that 3 or 4 bottles of liquid laundry detergent was stolen out of the laundry room. Why the hell would someone take that and leave TV's, VCR's, DVD players and jewelry? Just stupid kids is what the police thought. After posting this incident on Face Book a friend came back and said they make METH out of laundry detergent! You learn something new everyday. They break in to steal TIDE and GAIN and toilet paper??? I guess I am not as mad as I thought I would be, partly because I feel bad leaving a window unlatched although there are several windows in the house that CANNOT be locked. Carol will have to fix that problem! Also I guess because this house in not ours and it certainly is not our "home"! I do wish I could have caught the little bastard(s) as they came through our bedroom window though. As it scares me alittle to think what they possibly could have done to me if I was there , it scares me more what I may have done to them!

Relaxing Sunday at the WE CARE House

We slept in today because we had no lab or doctors to visit. When we got up around 9:30AM we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and it was packed. I was worried because Sheila's white count are probably still very low and she forgot to bring her mask. We staked out a back corner to wait for our name to be called and tried to avoid all the people and their germs. When we finally got seated we talked to the waitress we know there who is from Newport, RI and she asked us to bring back some chourico (Portuguese sausage) when we go up there for Thanksgiving. When we pulled back up into the driveway at the WE CARE House, Mike and Greg were also just pulling in. They had been to the Cancer Center for his treatment. Mike immediately ran up to Sheila for a hug, she had just heard that her son had been taken to the ER back in Kansas and could not find out what had happened. We have since learned that he had been in intense pain and they were giving him morphine and trying to do some tests and x-rays. Their son has been trying to run both his own and their farms since they have been here for the last 6 months for Greg's treatments. Greg is also having a bad day due to his legs swelling from all the chemo he has been getting and is having a tough time just getting around. Mike has really got her hands full and I think it is it starting to take its toll on her. They are stuck down here and worried about their family and farm back in Kansas. Mike had been talking to the local cocker spaniel rescue recently about getting a dog but with all this going on I don't see how she could possibly handle the extra attention it would require. She asked me a Sheila if we would mind if she adopted a little dog since we live in the same house. Of course we said it would be no problem as long as we got to take it for a walk now and then! I don't think now it will happen though. We were all looking at pictures of a couple of cockers she had it narrowed down to at the Rescue's website and the two names were Wrenny and Quisp. One was a blonde female and the other a tri-colored male, both were cute little dogs. Today would have been the ideal day for a walk with a dog as the weather has finally cooled off and the rain has stopped. I still have 11 oleanders to put in the ground for Carol but I checked today and the ground is still very muddy. I may try later today to get a couple in at least. Sheila is full of energy today due to the 2 units of whole blood yesterday at the hospital and she has already swept the front porch off and is doing laundry. I am hoping we can go for a short walk in the neighborhood later today.

Two McMuffins and Two Units of Whole Blood Please!

Well we just got to the hospital after a quick breakfast at McDonald's this morning. The other day when we came here to get platelets we met one of the nurses who took care of Sheila when she was in the hospital. Thuroo, the nurse from Shri Lanka was working in the hospitals infusion and blood center and today when we got here Dianna, another nurse that we knew from the hospital was working here. Also Fatima the nurse from Jordan whose son was murdered while Sheila was in the hospital is also here in this ward and seems to be doing pretty good. It was good to see them again and to hear about all the other nurses we met back in June and July. We have been meaning to go back to that ward and bring a cake or something to all those nurses but just have not made the time to do it yet. When Sheila gets all her treatments behind her we will do just that. They were so glad to see Sheila again and to see that she has done so well. They all wanted to look at her arm and were amazed that it all healed up to well! Right now this place is not very busy, I guess because its Saturday there are only 3 other people getting blood.

Back to the Hospital Tomorrow

We just got back from the Cancer Center where Sheila had another neupogen shot and antibiotics. She still has zero white cell count meaning that she has no immune system right now. She has to wear a mask when out in public and limit the times she is around other people. That's really no problem since we almost never go anywhere. Tomorrow she goes to the hospital to get 2 units of whole blood.

To the Hospital for Platlets Today

Today we went to the Cancer Center as usual to have Sheila's blood work done. She also needed antibiotics and a neupogen shot (it is supposed to help her white counts come back up quicker and fight risk of infection). While we were waiting on her antibiotics to finish the blood work results came back from the lab and her platelet count was just about zero so it was off to the hospital for an infusion of platelets. At least today we got it all done in one trip! Tomorrow Sheila has another lab for blood work and then a visit with her doctor, I am thinking by tomorrow or Monday she will need some whole blood as she has between every chemo treatment. The doctor's plan was to try and start the last round of chemo by October 26 so that she could recoup and get her blood counts up so that she could fly to Newport for Thanksgiving. It all depends on getting her blood counts up in the next 10 days. We are also hoping to get her a pneumonia shot before the next round of chemo.

Twice to the Cancer Center Today!

Well we came to the Cancer Center today for Sheila to get her blood work done. When we got back to the house they called us back for Sheila to have an antibiotic infusion because her counts are continuing to drop. We never know if we should stick around or leave after they take her blood because it can take from one hour to several to get the results back. The time we stuck around for the results we waited over an hour then were told that the system was down. The last time we left they called us right back. This time we left they called in about an hour and said to come back at one o'clock. Right now we are back at the Cancer Center for the antibiotic infusion. That's the worst part of all this treatment is not knowing what to expect next. Sheila is doing great though and that's all that really matters. We saw Make and Greg were still here since we saw them here on our first trip today. He has been getting a hell of alot of treatments.....radiation, blood, chemo., drugs.....the whole works!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

Today we went to have blood work and to see the doctor. Sheila's counts are still good but are coming down as expected. The chemo she just finished was 60 TIMES more potent than the original chemo treatments. I asked the doctor what is the exact purpose for this type of chemo and he said that is used to kill any remaining resistant type leukemia cells that might still be in her bone marrow and that it also goes into her central nervous system and the brain to go after any remaining leukemia there. When her counts come back up to normal (after they bottom out) he will start her on one more round of the same chemo. If all goes as planned that will be the end of her treatments. She will have to have routine check ups and blood work and bone marrow biopsies to make sure it is not coming back. So far so good!
Sheila was feeling so good that last night she went to Fair Park in Dallas to see Mary Poppins the musical with her daughter and grand-daughters. She was just off chemo and her counts were still up so it worked out great. They had a good time.

Backpack Number 3!

Today we went to the Cancer Center to have Sheila's last backpack of one day chemo hooked up and after it gets disconnected tomorrow she will have a few weeks of no treatments to let her counts build back up. When we got home...hmmm...... HOME?...when we got back to the WE CARE house there was another truck in the driveway with Kansas plates and since Mike or Greg had not said anything about having visitors, we knew they must have had family drop in from Kansas for a surprise visit. Sure enough when we got inside there were Mike and Greg's son, wife and two boys! They said they were shocked when they got a call on their cell phone this morning and the caler (her daughter in law) said " come open the front door!" Anyways they were sure glad to see them all and after talking with us for awhile they all went out to dinner and to Bass Pro Shop in Grapevine. The weather is also turning really cooll here finally, it must be only in the high 50's now and raining. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and cool also so I aam hoping we can get out somewhere for a good long walk.

Backpack Number 2

Today we went back to have another backpack round of chemo, then another on Friday and this one will be all over. Yesterday was a day off from chemo and we just hung around the house. Thats about it today, not much new.

Sheila Gets a New Backpack

Today we went to the Cancer Center for Sheila to start another round of chemo. When we got there they fisrt gave her some premeds through her IV. Then the nurse said that her last blood work was OK but not really good enough to start chemo. She asked when bloodwork was last done and we told her it was last Wednesday. She said we should of had a blood workup just before starting this chemo. We told her that when we came in last Friday that they said no bloodwork, just a flush of her CVC and a dressing change. Well it turned out that she SHOULD of had bloodwork last Friday! So they did it right then and there. We had to wait for the results before they would hook her up to her chemo backpack. Anyways it all came back AOK and they hooked her up and let us go. The new backpack is bigger than the last ones she has had and it goes on and off all by itself throughout the night. We go back in the morning to have it disconnected. Then Wednesday we start it all over again, every other day of chemo for a week.

Pic Today: Shelia checks out Capital Peak, Palo Duro Canyon, West Texas

Planting Oleanders in the Rain

Today the weather cooled off and Carol bought 13 five gallon Oleanders for me to plant for her along the back fence of the WE CARE house. i had already turned over all the dirt along the fence and was going to start putting in the plants when the rain came down. I got just two plants in. She is also going to buy 10 more plants since she now wants to do the side fence also! She also dropped of a box of romex (wire) off so i can finish up her wiring projects! Sheila is doing great and she starts chemo on Monday. This round will require turning the backpack machine on and of and I guess they will show us how to do it. She will also have to go to the infusion center everyday for a flush of her CVC line and to remove the pack. She will get the pack back on every other day for a week of chemo.