Laying low

Steve and Katie cuddling

Steve has weathered Wednesday's dose of Carboplatin and Avastin well.

He's had no nausea -- and that's without a single dose of Zofran. He's tired, but the increased dose of Decadron (he's at 10 mg daily) seems to be balancing some of the exhaustion effects.

He's still battling headaches daily. His left side is still trouble. We'd sure be appreciative if those symptoms would lessen with the higher steroid dose. I'm guessing he'll move up to 12 mg soon -- three times the dose he was taking just 10 days ago. The goal is to find a level high enough to make a difference but not so high that the effects are worse than necessary.

After looking at the calendar for next week, Steve has decided to stay home all weekend. He is going to the office Monday and Tuesday -- a huge step and energy-zapper for him -- and to the cancer center Wednesday for routine lab work.

The kids are having a big weekend. Cooper and Uncle Jim are part of Cub World this weekend, camping out with the rest of Pack 443 overnight.

Sir Cooper, before the knight-themed Cub World camping trip (homemade tunic by Tyra and Allison, colors and accessories chosen by Cooper)

Katie spent the morning and early afternoon with sweet Julianna and her parents for an outing to the Museum of Nature & Science.

Katie and Julianna on a dinosaur dig

And Cooper's school hosted a carnival today. Half of the proceeds from the dunking booth are designated for our family, to help with medical expenses. Isn't that so thoughtful and generous? Doesn't it make you feel warm and happy to know that we all are surrounded by such goodness?

Stress-free treatment

After this morning's suspense -- will Steve be allowed to receive chemo? -- everything was smooth at the cancer center.

Steve slept through most of the treatment, barely noticing when the nurse came in the room to change the drugs. I was able to meet a writing deadline and get caught up on other work.

We're bracing for Steve to feel lowly for the next couple of days, based on past experience with Carboplatin. Maybe this beautiful week of warm sunshine will help combat just a bit of exhaustion.

Chemo on

Steve's nurse just called back to tell us that he's been cleared for chemotherapy and Avastin today. We check in at 1 p.m.

We also discussed his steroid dose. He hasn't seen improvement at 8 mg, so today he'll increase the dose to 10 mg.

Waiting

Steve's oncology nurse called this morning. She reviewed his counts again from Monday and noticed that his hemoglobin is a little low. It's at 10.9. (He required a transfusion at 8.)

She's not sure if he can receive chemotherapy today. She's tracking down Dr. M for advice and will call back -- hopefully before noon, when we're supposed to leave to make it to the appointment on time!

We are constantly reminded of the importance of patience and flexibility. Today is just another example.