Jan 18, 20, & 21st - Second Round Down, and Fighting Like A Champion

Jan 18th from Randy "I should take an opportunity to recognize a few special people who have spent a lot of their time making sure Wendy has been pampered and taken care of in general. Alex, Suzanna and Jackie have been working tirelessly cooking meal after meal to replace the unpalatable sludge that arrives 3 times a day. Combined with visits from her good friends, it really has been a nice few days. Alex, Todd, Jackie, Trish and Ashley all made it safely back to Oregon."

January 19th I don't have an update for, but it seems things where pretty quiet for a couple of days, which is great. I think the old adage 'No News Is Good News' applies to the 19th.

Jan 20th from Randy "Timing. Sometimes I wonder about the concept of timing. It's so important in almost everything we do, and so often out of our control. Being sick right now is the worst of bad timing. I haven't seen Wendy in 3 days while her white blood cell count drops. Unfortunately I've been sick again and have less to report than normal. Although Wendy's second round of chemo treatment is over and she is at her most vulnerable, she is still getting stronger. Today she did her laps on her own the only one with her was Suzanna. Wendy had a shower and enjoyed the practical jokes of her nurse. I'm hoping to get back up there tomorrow"

Jan 21st from Randy "Wendy started the day with a hearty breakfast and steadfast determination. Of course yesterday's blood transfusion made a big difference for her energy level. She isn't able to stand on her own without a walker yet, but once she gets going, she's going. The highlight of the day was her exercise. She started at 11 this morning with her 3 laps. Then after lunch, at 2, the physiotherapist came in to show Wendy some exercises. She did all kinds of leg lifts and when that was over and her legs were like jelly, she did another 3 laps. The rest of the afternoon has been quiet and relaxing."

Jan 15th - 17th - New Presents and Visits

Jan 15th from Randy - "It's been a good day today. The shingles test came back negativ. They still made us keep the gear on until noon, which no one could explain except to say there's a 48 hour policy once the threat has been identified. It seems to me a better policy would be to end the isolation when the threat has been eliminated, but hey, that's just me. Being out of isolation means Wendy can go for walks around the ward - three laps today plus out of the bed several times. Yeehaa! Alex made a light weight robe for her first project on her sewing machine. It fit Wendy really well, so she didn't have to use the double hospital gown method, which is just a lot of barely functioning material draped over the shoulders. I'd say it's been a good day and Wendy agrees.

Jan 16th from Randy - "Today was a very busy day for Wendy. She knew she had to have a lumbar puncture at 1:00, so that put a lot of pressure to fit everything in before then. She began the morning with chemo. After that, the nurse came in to fix one of her lines from her Hickman. Following that, the nurse changed her dressing. Wendy knew that after the lumbar puncture, she would have to stay laying flat for a couple of hours so she went on a long walk. When she got back to the room she sat on the edge of her bed for awhile and then the transporter came 15 minutes before her appointment. She was down there right on time, we didn't get back to the room until almost 5:00. Now it's 8:00 and Wendy is just now daring to move. They warned her about headaches following the procedure so she's been very careful. Tomorrow they scheduled her for an MRI, so she won't be able to eat between 5 AM until after her appointment at three. If that goes like today, that could mean not having anything to eat until supper. We'll hope they're on time, but either way Wendy will take it like a trooper."

Jan 17th from Randy - "I should start with a retraction. Yesterday I had the times wrong. Instead of going to her MRI today at 3:00, she was scheduled for 1:00. The funny thing about that is, the person scheduling Wendy's transport wrote down 4:00 instead of 14:00. No one came to get Wendy until someone checked, realized the mistake and got someone to Wendy's room around 3:00. She got back to her room around 5 after having not eaten all day long. So I was right after all. Todd surprised everyone by showing up yesterday evening, after I sent my update. This morning Trish and Ashley arrived, so it's been a day of visiting. I think Wendy is good and tired."

Jan 14th and 15th - Into Isolation

Jan 14th from Randy - "No good deed goes unpunished! That's the lesson of the day. 2 days ago, Wendy noticed a rash on her leg. She didn't want to say anything, but paranoid me insisted on not taking chances. Although it doesn't look like shingles and doesn't feel like shingles AND the rash is already pretty much gone, they are treating it as if it is. What does this mean for us? ISOLATION! For the next 48 hours we must wear isolation gowns, masks, gloves and goggles. I guess I'm sleeping in this getup for the next 2 nights - until the test comes back negative. Wendy did her nerve conduction test this morning. I've been through it, so I know first hand how terribly painful it is. It was bad. And that's all I have to say about that."

Jan 15th from Randy - "The day started with an echocardiogram. I knew Wendy had big heart, but now I've seen it for myself. Well, she has a normal sized heart, but it's jam packed full of all the best stuff. It only looked bigger because it was magnified. From my perspective, it looked pretty darn good. The valves opened and closed, the muscle went beat beat beat. She had spikes in the right places and dips as well. The rest of the day has been quite. There's nothing like isolation to keep the nurses away. Wendy can get them to come, but sometimes they just peek into the room. Wendy doesn't need a lot right now, so it works out just fine. The only real trouble is this outfit. Hopefully she'll get a negative on the shingles test and we'll be able to lose the goggles and masks. I 'm just whining. Wendy doesn't have to wear any special gear. It's just us visitors. (last part said in childish whiny voice :-))"

Jan 11 and 12 - Building up to start treatment again

Jan 11th from Randy "It was another red letter day in the penthouse suite. Wendy added another lap and got another shower. Todd has been spoiling us with homemade meals everyday. Tonight it was chicken and mashed potatoes. Alex arrived this afternoon, so the whole family is together again. Jackie did her best to spoil her daughter and make Suzanna's life easier by doing a ton of cleaning at the apartment. All this helped me in the most important way. I've never had to leave. I'm going to have to leave tomorrow, though. I've been marinating for a couple of days now. Wendy's been feeling more lively and energetic. Rising up. Back on the top. Did my time. Took my chances. Went the distance now I'm not gonna stop. Just a woman and her will to survive..... (Sticking with the Rocky theme if you didn't recognize the lyrics. Wendy is my new heroine.)

Jan 12th from Randy "Wendy is thankful it's been a quiet day. She walked her marathon and that's about it. Perhaps the most important job she had was working on a mindset for the day to come. Tomorrow, Wendy starts her second round of chemo. The doctor says she'll spend less time receiving the drugs, but they're more potent than the last round. If everything goes as predicted, Wendy will have about a week to continue to build strength before she starts to bottom out again. It's hard to think about, knowing how far she's come since her first day in the ICU. Tomorrow she'll also have a nerve conduction test and an MRI. Somewhere in there she'll do her walk and her breathing exercises. Her days of leisure have come to an end."

Jan 9th and Jan 10th - Gonna Fly! (The Song from Rocky)

Jan 9th - Wendy continued her walking. Her red blood count was low, so she had to get a blood transfusion. Randy said it's like going to Oil Can Henry's for your body, now she's good for another 5,000 miles. Jackie, Shawn, and Todd all showed up for a visit! Also, Wendy was able to get rid of her oxygen tube!

Jan 10th - Wendy got to take her first real shower, and feels really clean for the first time in a month! That always lifts your spirits! Wendy also completed two full laps around the ward without resting! Randy said she was tired, but proud. He said she's like Rocky preparing for her next battle.

Jan 8th - On the Way to a Marathon

Today was Gym and Spa day. Wendy completed a full 2 laps around the ward, which is the equivalent of a marathon for Wendy compared to how far she has been going! She was treated to a lovely bath, which was her spa treatment. If you've ever had to be in the hospital and had to go a while without being able to shower, then you know how good it feels when you finally get to be cleaned up. They were going to do an echo cardiogram today, but it ended up being canceled, which was nice since yesterday was such a busy day. In Randy's words "There's nothing like holidays in the hospital. That's a good thing, otherwise no one would want to take vacation time."

Jan 7th - What a Busy Day!

From Randy "The day started early. Wendy was scheduled to leave her room at 7:30. The cafeteria opened at 7:00, so I grabbed her a quick breakfast before her transport came. 2 1/2 hours later she was back in her room in time for physio to get there for her morning walk. When that was over it was time for lunch. An added complication arose yesterday when Wendy realized she couldn't lift her left foot. A neurologist came to do an evaluation and then later returned with a crew of 3 to repeat the whole thing. Jon and Lindsey came by for a visit and stayed until 7:15 this evening when another transport team came again to take her to a CT scan. I'm writing this waiting for her to get an IV so they can give her some dye before the scan. If that goes well it shouldn't be too much longer. Wendy has had a long day and Suzanna is bringing a pizza as soon as we head back up. I think Wendy's a bit tired, and for good reason"

Jan 6th - REMISSION!!!!!!!!

From Randy "Wendy had quite a morning. She napped waiting for physical therapy to arrive and when they did she broke another personal record. [She was still sitting up in a chair when Randy sent the update]. The doctor came with some very good news! The chemo has done what it's supposed to do and Wendy's cancer is in remission!!! They will give her a week off to continue to get stronger and then she'll get another round of chemo. That will lead to another bone marrow biopsy and more decisions. She can breathe a bit easier knowing she's whipping these nasty cells into submission!"

Jan 5th - Testing and Snacks

Randy Says " Wendy slept well last night. This morning they came to do the bone marrow biopsy and at one they took her away for an ultrasound. We got back to discover that Jon and Lindsay Larsen had come for a visit. They brought grapes and blueberry muffins, which were perfect since she hadn't eaten anything since early. After they left, Wendy took a nap, and I snuck one in too."

Jan 3rd and 4th - Up and Walking a Bit!

Jan 3rd from Randy "Wendy had a really good day. She walked 4 times farther than she has before and sat in her chair for almost 2 hours. On the downside, she got the chills and spiked a fever. They wrapped her in blankets and gave her tylenol to break it. They took blood samples and put her on antibiotics as a precaution. Her white blood cell count is up quite a bit, so I hope her body will be able to fight whatever it is."

Jan 4th "Another record breaking day! Wendy walked farther still then yesterday and stood up from a chair 5 times. Bill Saunders drove up and made Wendy's day with a nice visit. Wendy is exhausted and back in bed."

Jan 2nd - Bone Marrow Test Coming

From Randy "Wendy is improving steadily. The white is back in her eyes and the color is back in her cheeks. The doctor has scheduled a bone marrow biopsy for Monday, which will tell us what will happen next. Wendy is still not getting out of bed on her own, but she is working hard to change that. Today we are strength building.

Bone Marrow Donor information:
In Canada go to
www.onematch.ca

In the states
www.bethematch.org"