Happy Monday!

Good morning! I had my check up with the oncologist Friday and unfortunately my white blood cell count as well as my red blood cell count is very low. This means I am grounded. I am very susceptible to infection right now so I have to avoid contact with everyone. Even though I didn't go anywhere I still managed to get a cold and felt pretty lousy all weekend. My hair finally fell out. Saturday it was coming out by the handful so I asked James to just shave it off. I am glad I had already cut it short. I think it would have been very traumatic to shave off long hair. I was upset for a little while but got over it quickly! Today I have about 1/2 inch of hair but that is falling out as well. I am supposed to see the plastic surgeon today but I think I will cancel. With a cold already I don't think it is such a good idea. Regan did great at her gymnastic meet. She said it was huge! She did place in vault and all-around. A big thank you to my cousin Pat and his children Grayson & Morgan for making the trip into the city to cheer her on. Have a great week everyone!

Check up

Yesterday I saw a urologist for the UTI and he suspects the ultrasound is how I contracted the infection. The antibiotics seem to be doing their job so I will just need a follow-up in a few weeks. I saw the nurse practitioner today at the cancer center and everything seems fine. I am neutropenic now as my white blood cell count is very low. That just means I am at risk for infection and need to stay away from people and public places until my white blood cell count goes up. I am still anemic so I get tired easily. I am not supposed to eat fresh fruits and vegetables for a while and they recommend I avoid salads. I guess this has to do with how thoroughly the food is washed and prepared. They even suggested I avoid restaurants as you just can't be sure of food safety unless you do the preparation. Didn't someone tell them I don't cook??? Next week is my next chemo so hopefully my counts go back up by next week. Have a great weekend!

Great Week!

This week has been wonderful. The side effects are beginning to decrease and I still have hair! I told James I try not to brush it much or mess with it. I know it will fall out I am just trying to prolong this. I am on antibiotics for a slight infection but I feel good! The mouth sores are still a pain making eating a little more of a challenge but at least I can look at food this week. Regan and James are heading to Chicago today for a gymnastic meet and Alex is off to Wichita on Saturday for a cheerleading competition. Noah has been busy with basketball and lots of homework this week. A big thank you to all the My Gym families who have so graciously brought us wonderful food. We have been freezing a lot for the week when I don't feel so great. My next chemo treatment is February 13th so I have a feeling James and the kids will be digging in the freezer a lot that week. I am off to another Dr. today to try to figure out why I contracted this infection, believe it or not they think it was caused by e-coli. Thanks again for you wonderful support!