Quick Update:

No Chemo this week due to low platelets.  If all goes well Chemo is set to resume this Thursday.

Radner, that is.  

Another week, another fun round of chemo meds!  Kelly was Mom/Kathy's nurse again, but the falcon didn't visit.  She tried something new again at Au Bon Pain - cream cheese croissant this week.  Yummy, but LOTS of flakes everywhere!  Still free parking, though, so all is good...

Next - Easter weekend, aka an excuse for the family to get together for the afternoon (not that we NEED an excuse...).  On the Shamrock Chalet lunch menu: homemade mac & cheese, and taco bar which included veggies, crumbled sausage, taco-seasoned quinoa, and a spicy lentil filling.  Plus homemade bread, and then carrot cake (from Cookie & a Cupcake) and quinoa pudding for dessert.  Yum!  Don't you ALL wish you could get a reservation at the Chalet??  

Given how much daytime napping she's been doing, Mom/Kathy had picked up a couple inexpensive sleep masks to try out.  Then her big sister Susan found some lovely, glamorous, much more comfy ones for her!

So, for Easter, we decided a photoshoot was called for in order to show off the designs:

Can you tell who's who?

Next appointment will be the end of cycle 2 of 3 for the chemo - more than halfway there!

Started cycle two of chemo today!  Which included:

A very comfy chair, ideal for napping.

A brief falcon sighting, rushing off with dinner in beak.

A new nurse - Kelly:

A discussion about wearing wool, leading to the quote of the day:  "I was hung as a witch in a previous life, that's why I don't like clothes tight around my neck."  -Kathleen Ann Reese, 4/10/14

An art therapist - Lisa - stopping by for jewelry making:

 

Lots of beeping from the infusion machine - apparently it wanted more attention.

A stroll in the lovely weather over to Au Bon Pain for lunch (naturally!), trying something new today - a cinnamon roll! 

Next to the art therapy studio for some silk painting:

 

And yes, parking is back to being free!

Positive news today!  We've been waiting for PET scan results after Dr. Rose had concern that the ovary was not the primary cancer site.  Results are in and the original diagnosis was correct.  Mom/Kathy was so excited she bought herself flowers! Chemo will resume Thursday with cycle 2 of 3. 

The bad news, parking was NOT free today :-(

Save The Date:  Angela, Dad/Jack & Karla plan on participating in the 11th Annual OutRun Ovarain Cancer 5K Run/Walk and 1 mile Family Fun Run on Saturday, August 2nd, 2014, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.   We would love for friends and family to join us!  More info to come!

First the down side: Fourth chemo day…but not really. The pesky PAX8 marker is still eluding the bloodwork, so Dr. Rose has put things on hold pending a PET scan. Without those results, he is not convinced the ovary is the primary site, and therefore cannot plan the chemo precisely enough. Once those results are back in and we have more information, more chemo will be scheduled.

On the plus side, Bald is Beautiful!!

After losing several clumps here and there, Mom/Kathy decided it was time to take the plunge and go all the way! Karla got the privilege of shaving her, and Mom/Kathy is seriously rocking the bald profile look! This also led to spending several hours of intense research on scarf-tying techniques, choosing just the right style. Big sister Susan helped get her ready for a family party with a fancy scarf, and in the midst of the arrangements:

“Oh, Susan, you’re messing up my hair now!” - Kathleen Ann Reese, 3/28/14

  

However, the scarf didn’t last long at said party, as Mom/Kathy realized that she and her son-in-law now match and insisted on a photo.

However, this just gave her an excuse to show off one of her new cute hats!

Earlier, there was also an impromptu family outing to Johnny Mango’s restaurant, with a few of the relatives in the neighborhood, to celebrate her big sister’s visit.

For now, we’re waiting for next week’s testing & results, so the doctor can decide on the next step. And parking is still free!

Sorry about the weekend errors (for those of you trying to visit the site) - the webhost server was being upgraded, and it took down the databases.

:(

On the plus side, everything should be working fine now...and there was a new post on Saturday, so come read! 

- Elfrhys

They also provide free juice and snacks during chemo. Mom/Kathy firmly believes that free parking/snacks/juice entitles her to weekly trips to Au Ban Pain!  Mom/Kathy gets a Cheese Danish and Mocha Latte as her post-chemo treat.  Dad/Jack is a little more versatile in his choices since variety is the spice of life…”unless they have Cheese Danish” – Kathleen Ann Liderbach (3/22/2014)

New menu additions for the week are referred to as “Good Calories” AKA White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.  Additional thanks to Jimmy Fallon for keeping Mom/Kathy's spirits high!

Medical note for the week: since multiple (not naming names) siblings have developed problems relating to the BRCA genes, we STRONGLY recommend alerting your doctor to this fact ASAP if you are part of this family!  The BRCA genes have been linked to ovarian, breast AND prostate cancers.  If you haven't already, please please PLEASE contact your doctor and have them take steps to monitor for any problems.  Here's a link for more information from the National Cancer Institute:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA

Happy Spring!!!

Little Miss Shamrock & Elfrhys

**Ascites: the build up of fluid in the space between the lining of the abdomen and abdominal organs (the peritoneal cavity).

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- Angela