Thursday, February 21, 2008

Long Day


Yesterday was a long day at the clinic for Kelly. She had her chemo treatment, which goes pretty well now until the last couple hours. The anti nausea drugs help, but she still gets sick toward the end of the treatment. The second drug they give her to help with the nausea is the one that makes her a bit loopy and giggly for awhile. (See photo below) But we'll take that over being sick. Eventually the sick does win out unfortunately. We finally left our 9:30 am appointment at 6:00 that evening. They kept her longer because she had gotten so sick and the doctor wanted to send us home with another prescription. She slept all the way home, and then actually wanted to eat last night, which is unusual on a chemo night. She explained that her stomach was completely empty after her afternoon with chemo. So we were very happy that she was able to eat. Then she took a long bath (after American Idol, of course) and felt better.

Thank you so much to everyone who has joined us or donated to Relay for Life. We are glad to be part of something involved in the fight against cancer. You can go to our team page if you would like to join our team or make a donation in Kelly's honor. I will be learning more about the event specifics next week, so I'll have more information then.

Relay For Life Team Page:

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/kellylaude

14 comments:

Tracy said...

Hi Kelly!
Phew - that is a long day! The relay for life will be a breeze for you compared to days like yesterday! I love your giggling photo! How can you be so cute even during chemo!? Hope you're feeling ok today and able to just take it easy!
Love you lots & lots!...
Aunt Tracy

Anonymous said...

Hey Guys! We just got back from our appointment today and are still waiting for results. Chemo days are not fun, Kelly is doing a great job of hanging in there! We are so happy you invited us to be a part of your team, we can't wait to hear all the details! Have a great week! 9 days to the marathon! Yikes!

XOXO The Diemer Gang <3 :)

Aunt Jenny & Uncle Bob, Kylie and Ryan ie & Ryan said...

HI Kelly!
It's great that your Relay for Life thermometor keeps climbing!! Not so great that you were at the clinic all day yesterday, but I do love your photos! You look so peaceful and happy among the treetops! By looking at your pictures, one would never know you were getting chemo!! You look beautiful as always!

So, do you have a favorite American Idol yet? We're not sure yet, but there are some great contestants this season!

Hope you're feeling better and better by now...

Love,
Aunt Jenny, Uncle Bob, Kylie and Ryan

Anonymous said...

Dear Kelly,

I'm glad to see you were able to eat after chemo. Whenever my sister gets an upset stomach, she always goes for pizza. With me, its a small steak, with a little toast on the side, and some weak tea. But whatever works for you is fine.

Maybe in time they can shorten the sessions. If the colliewobbles don't strike until the last 2 hours, maybe they could reduce the sessions by 2 hours at some point. Or maybe you could come in on a Tuesday, say, have a shortened session, then come back on Wednesday or Thursday for 2 hours, and not feel sick. I'd take a happy pill just in case. You might want to talk it over with your folks and your oncologists. They won't kill you for asking.

Hang in there.
Henry

Anonymous said...

Dear Kelly,

You like snow, right? Well, we've got about 7 inches of it today. The treacherous thing, however, is that there's black ice underneath the snow, so there have been lots of car accidents.

There's no need to worry about your Aunt Denise, though. The Mahwah Public Library closed today, so she's home safe and sound.

They say we'll get more wintry mix (snow/sleet/freezing rain) later today, so roads could be bad tonight, too.

Enjoy your post-chemo respite.

Henry

Anonymous said...

Dear Kelly,

I see your thermometer is rising yet again. Well done! By now, I hope the colliewobbles are just a dim memory, and you're able to tuck into a pizza, KFC, or whatever your heart desires.

Yesterday's snow is very much with us. We have re-frozen run-off on some of our sidewalks, which makes them treacherous. Oh, well, I've got my work right here. There's no need to go out and risk life and limb, thank goodness. The trouble is, the stuff's deadly DULL.

Oh, well, this too shall pass.

If the ice melts, Kathy and I might go to the Mahwah ibrary tomorrow and see your Aunt Denise. She organized a piano recital. She gets such talented people, and it's all FREE. You can't argue with that price.

Have a lovely afternoon.

Henry

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly!
I saw a message that your mom left in the guestbook of a site that I visited today so I thought I'd pop on by and visit you too. :o)

I belong to a group called Audrey's Umbrella and we send smiles to people who are living with brain tumors. If you think you'd like to receive some happy mail, tell your mom to email me at candy-russ@sbcglobal.net so I can send her a consent form. We'd love to have you join our group of Friends and send some goodies your way!

I will be sure to keep you in my thoughts and prayers, ok?

Anonymous said...

Dear Kelly,

Sunday proved to be quite spring-like and lovely, so we got to the piano recital. The pianist was from Uruguay and the stuff he played was ultra-modern music by Spanish and Latin American composers. There wasn't a familiar piece in the bunch. He also played with great vigor. Playing the piano can be an aerobic sport if you go about it the right way. I had no idea.

Yesterday's weather was a carbon copy of Sunday's, but today we are supposed to get what the weatherman calls wintry mix: that's snow, sleet, and freezing rain, all together. Sometimes we refer to it as glop, and sometimes, depending upon how ironic we feel, we call it fruzen gladje. That's Swedish for "frozen happiness." It was the trade name of very expensive, imported Swedish ice cream. I haven't seen it in a few years, now that I think of it. Be that as it may, the fruzen gladje that falls from the sky turns the roads into a treacherous mess.

I suppose I'd better get into the kitchen and make the coffee, or my wife will be miffed. (Making the morning coffee is the only really important thing I do. The translations are just a hooby that pays. I call it gainful unemployment).

The thermometer keeps rising, I see.

Have a lovely day.

Henry

Anonymous said...

Dear Kelly,

Call this a close encounter of the moose kind. We didn't hear where it was, but somewhere, a man saw a moose nibbling on his trees. He went out to try to scare away the moose. Instead, the moose saw the man and decided to charge him. The man missed a nasty encounter with the moose's antlers by INCHES.

Whew!

Henry

Anonymous said...

Hey Kelly!
You are kicking some cancer butt with your RFL!! Danielle’s has been a little slow going this year but hopefully it will pick up closer to the actual date (April 18) I guess hanging out with college kids…all they eat is Ramen Noodles cuz they have no money! I’m glad everything is going “well” for you, you gotta do what you gotta do to kick this thing and you are doing a fantastic job!

Well, good luck with your RFL …every little bit helps! I will check in as usual!

Susan
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/daniellekrapinski

Anonymous said...

Holy Moly! you guys are kicking butt!! Way to go fellow Relayers! We got a packet of fundraising ideas from our Relay meeting the other night.. let me know if you need something. I mailed out a packet to my team members with a March calendar.. each day has a little fundraising idea on.. I can copy it for you and mail it to you if you would like. Easy stuff too... like on March 1st..#of volunteer activities you do each year .10 cents each. Then you drop your $ in a change jar and add it up at the end of the month. Each day has something different.
Well... I am around if you need me! Big hugs to both you!
Amy... Kasey's mom
www.caringbridge.org/visit/kaseyradford

Heide said...

Hey there Kelly. Just checking in. You guys are ROCKIN with the Relay stuff!!! GREAT JOB!!!! :)

How are you liking American Idol so far? Do you have any favorites? I think the guys are doing better than the girls this year ... Last night kinda scared me with the girls! lol

Hope you're having a nice Thursday, and HAPPY LEAP DAY tomorrow!!

~Heide
m/o ^Jessica^; forever 17
http://caringbridge.org/visit/jessicarandall

Anonymous said...

Dear Kelly,

You and your team are great fundraisers. Well done!

Listen, today I want to warn you. One of our best clients told us there's a new computer virus out there. If you or your folks get an e-mail called "Post Card," DO NOT open it. It will definitely kill your hard drive, and Norton, McAfee, and all the rest of them have NOTHING that can stop it.

Why do people have to be so twisted?

Take care,
Henry

Anonymous said...

It was a pleasure meeting you and your Mom last night. I am anticipating the Relay for Life and raising lots of money for Cancer Research. Kelly, you are going to LOVE the Disney Cruise. My grandchildren went on it and they had such fun. They talked about it non-stop and can't wait to go back. You'll be glad you chose that. Disney knows how to do things the right way.
I hope Chemo wasn't too awful today. It's no fun to have to go through that. Take it easy. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Love, Marilyn