Hello to one and all,

      Well, this past month Karen completed her third cycle of six chemotherapy treatments.  Yippee!!!  As previously written, the hospital transitioning is still experiencing some delays with the patients.  Karen has met a new staff of nurses in the infusion center and the nurses are getting acquainted with Karen's sense of humor.  As an example, when the nurse is ready to infuse the patient with their chemo, the nurse will verify the patient's name and DOB.  Of course this question is asked while you are under the influence of Benadryl.  On the last chemo session Karen had this past Thursday, Karen decided to tell the nurse that the wrist band Karen was wearing did not have her correct name on it.  The name on the wrist band said "NERAK, KRALC." To say the least the nurse stopped and there was dead silence.  Karen started laughing and told the nurse that she was mistaken as Karen was reading the name upside down.  The nurse (Linda) began to laugh also and told Karen that it was unnecessary to verify her name and DOB.  Although the chemo sessions are to last only an hour and a half, the sessions have lasted closer to three hours because one of the medication is taking at least 40 minutes to be dispense through the IV. 
     Karen is delighted that her blood counts are well within the acceptable limits and her cancer markers appear to be decreasing instead of increasing.  Karen saw her oncologist also this month and he advised Karen that he wanted another PET scan done.  So during the month of July Karen will have a PET scan.  Karen is not experiencing any serious side effects with the chemo treatment. 
      During the month of June, Karen and her mom were treated to the services of a personal chef, who came to their home and prepared five meals.   This gift/service was paid by Karen's sister-in-law Joanne, who wanted to surprise Mom and Karen.  Yes, the food was very delicious and the chef, Perry, was a delightful and energetic character.  Additionally, Karen's niece, Lindsay, married her sweetheart, Ryne, on the 15th in San Francisco.   Although Karen and her mom did not attend the wedding, their heartfelt wishes and prayers were sent to the newlyweds via other family members.  Karen and her mom also had some family visits and calls.  Karen and her mom stay busy with yard work and other domestic duties.  Karen is completing some woodworking projects for two of her sisters.  Hopefully, the projects will be completed before the end of July.  Anyhow, Karen and her mom send big hugs and love to all the readers of this blog.  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
    
 Tip of the Blog:  Even though your life's journey maybe long, your angelic friends make sure you never travel it alone.  Please love God and your life. 

Hello one and all,

     Well, a belated Memorial Day greetings to all of our military people especially our veterans.  This past Thursday (May 30) Karen finished her second cycle of a six cycle chemotherapy treatment program.  As you know, a cycle is when Karen receives her chemo treatment of Taxol three weeks in a row and then has a week off.  Although the session which includes the pre-medications is supposed to last only an hour and a half, the sessions have been lasting almost three hours.  Karen as well as the other patients have discovered that the hospital has made the process more time consuming.  Even though Karen's appointment was at 3:00PM this past Thursday, the nurse did not call her name until after 3:30PM.  The week prior Karen again waited a half hour after her appointed time and after she was prepared for everything, the nurse informed Karen that she (nurse) was waiting for the medications and the Taxol to be delivered from the hospital.  The items eventually arrived almost thirty minutes later.  Karen noticed the nurses seem more upset and not happy with the new procedures.  Additionally, it is a new group of nurses so Karen is trying to get to know them better.   
     As far as side effects, Karen is only experiencing a little insomnia on the day of the chemo as one of the medications does cause temporary insomnia.  Karen still has the neuropathy in her fingertips but takes glutamine and a B-complex to help with that issue.  Karen is slowly losing (more like thinning) her hair again.  Her blood counts are okay, however, her cancer marker was elevated after this last blood draw.  Although Karen was not happy with that result, she is keeping a positive outlook and is enjoying doing some of her hobbies (yard work, woodworking, etc.).   Anyhow, Karen and her mom want to thank everybody for keeping them in your thoughts and prayers.  Thanks. 

Tip of the Blog:  Keep a smile on your face and say a little prayer for that special military person in your life (living or deceased).