One to Go

Today was infusion #11. It went very well. It also went very quickly. Without the dose of Oxaliplatin, it saved an hour and a half. Eric was done with the infusion at 11:30.

We had another window seat to view the beautiful and final day of February.

These two were up to their usual shenanigans. 

After the infusion, Eric and Bob went out to lunch. And then visited Bob's granddaughter and son while they were playing at a playground. Eric went home and took a nice nap after all of that. He seems to be doing pretty well. He even drank a soda with ice today. I think the absence of Oxaliplatin will be a welcome change.

And this is me and Jenny. Still waiting for the giraffe to be born... 

#11 Tomorrow

Eric had his lab work done today and met with a nurse practitioner. He told her his concerns about the numbness in his hands and feet and asked if the dosage last time was too high. She checked and it was not. However, she was also concerned about the numbness and consulted with the doctor. It was decided that Eric will not have the Oxaliplatin this week with his infusion. That is one of the 3 chemo drugs he's been getting. Oxaliplatin is responsible for lots of evil side effects that he's been suffering through. Including neuropathy, mouth sores, loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, etc. So maybe, just maybe, this go-around won't be as bad as the last one. He'll still be getting the 5-FU (which includes the miserable 48-hour pump) and the Leucovorin. These drugs also have some of the same side effects, but hopefully without the Oxaliplatin, they won't be as severe. And hopefully the numbness will fade too.

There still might be a chance to that they will give him the Oxaliplatin again for the final infusion, but they will wait to make that decision until they get closer and see how Eric is doing.

In other news, April the Giraffe is still pregnant.

Coffee and Giraffes

Eric and I went to breakfast this morning. Then we went to Kohls, AC Moore and the Mall. We got in lots of steps and managed to not spend much money. And Eric might have bought a couple of new pairs of shorts. We're starting to get excited about our "Celebration Vacation!" 

The rest of my day will consist of watching this giraffe. I've been watching April the Giraffe for 4 days. She supposedly giving birth "any minute now"... She's got me and thousands of others sucked into her YouTube page. Watching and waiting. I'm beginning to wonder if it's ever going to happen. And if any one else has nothing better to do (like me) feel free to check out YouTube. Just look up April the Giraffe. (You're welcome.)

Summer Time

The last few days have been lovely! High 60's and even into the 70's. 

We got some outdoor work done. Eric cleaned some gutters while I sifted through the mine field that is the backyard.

He's still feeling kind of crappy, but he's a trooper. He's eating as well as he can and still staying hydrated. He's just tired out. His throat is still funky and his fingers and feet are still slightly numb. He's taking it easy again this weekend. (Minus the quick gutter clean up.)

This was a sunset a couple of nights ago over Onondaga Lake. So pretty.

Best Friends and Todd

I just wanted to let everyone know that Jenny is still BFF's with the Airplane. She has a new friend, the Hippo, but not to worry. The Airplane is still a favorite. I know someone (mom) was concerned about the poor Airplane. But no need to worry. 

Eric is noticing that his feet and hands are kind of numb and it's hard to hold on to things. But he's keeping the positive attitude and just said "Another day down..." Less than 3 weeks from the final infusion.

And soon we'll let you in on our celebration vacation. Plans are in the works... but not finalized.

Oh! And this is huge news for Eric. He perked right up when he found this out tonight. Todd Rundgren is coming to the Syracuse Jazz Fest in June! I already put it on the calendar. 

The Hippo

Jenny got her latest and greatest (so far) Bark Box. Now her new BFF is the Hippo. 

So today Eric's stomach has been out of sorts. He had to take a few extra trips to the bathroom. That's been unusual lately. He's still tired, but he powered through work and made it home. He had a little extra energy to go get his car washed after dinner. The weather is supposed to be nice all week, so it's a good week to clean the excess salt off the cars.

Still Tired

It's been almost a week since the last Chemo treatment and he's still not feeling that great. Thankfully he had today off for Presidents' Day, so he got to rest. I had to work though. When I got home, he had dinner made. Which was wonderful for me. The only downside was that he didn't really enjoy it. He says he's not tasting anything at all now. So he wasn't into eating. We really need to find out about the dosage from last week. It's surprising he's feeling this crappy after a week. The last few times with the lower dosage, he wasn't feeling that bad. Something seems out of whack for sure. We're really hoping he starts feeling better soon.

And yes, he was so tired after dinner, he fell asleep with his phone in his hand.

Sunday Update

Eric's doing ok today. Still tired, but feeling ok. His hands are still bothering him with the burning sensation. He was able to tolerate some ice cream after dinner tonight, that was nice. We've also been eating a lot of steak lately. Chicken seems to bother him now, and steak seems to be the latest go-to meat. It's interesting how his tastes have changed from week to week. As long as he's eating, I'll make him whatever he wants. His weight has stayed about the same for the last few weeks, which is a good thing.

The weather this weekend was wonderful. I took lots of walks outside. It was nice to be out and not be bundled up and freezing. 3 weeks from today we Spring Ahead! And 3 weeks from Tuesday is the last Chemo treatment. Lots to look forward to!

Donuts and Chocolates

I was up early today to get these tasty donuts from Wegmans. The colorful ones were Eric's. A couple of Boston Creams and a Headlight. The one in the bottom row with the dollop of icing on top? That's a Snickerdoodle donut. I could eat those all day long.

It's a good thing is was so nice out today, I needed to work off those donuts. I took a couple of nice long walks. It was actually warm out, it was wonderful.

I also found the Valentine chocolate sale at Target today too. These are all for Eric. 

Still Beat

I think this will be where Eric will spend most of his weekend. He's so tired. I brought home Chinese food for dinner tonight, which he ate, but didn't enjoy. (He can't taste anything.) After dinner, he went to the big couch and fell right to sleep. He said this round is hitting him pretty hard and wonders if they went back to the full dosage. His fingers are burning, it's hard to swallow and he's more tired than he's ever been. We'll definitely ask the next time to make sure the dosages are still lower. The only other explanation is that maybe it's accumulating and the overall effects are getting stronger again.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a 50 degree day tomorrow! Hoping to get some motivation to do some serious spring cleaning.

The Exhaustion Hits

Today was hydration day. He was there from 11:30-2:30, then went back to work with no time to eat lunch. I think I'm going to have to drop off his lunch for the next (and final 2)  hydration days. He was so hungry when he got home. With his "limited" diet, there are only certain things he likes for lunch, most of which include soup. Which is a difficult thing to bring along.

After dinner, he went directly to the big couch. You know he's really tired when he goes for the big couch. He's feeling ok overall, just really, really tired. And he was nauseous when he got home, but he thinks that might have just been because he hadn't eaten much all day. I'm hoping he gets some rest tonight. Tomorrow is Friday and a quiet weekend is in store for us.

10 Down, 2 to Go

We want to give another shout out to Bob today for hanging out with us during Chemo and getting Eric home safely. We really don't know what we'd do without you! 

This is Eric's Valentine Cocktail. Another lovely assortment of various poisons.

And this helped off-set all that poison. A heart shaped donut makes everything better. 

Eric is doing well this evening. Before the donut, he ate a great lunch and dinner. He took a little nap this afternoon too. We're sitting listening to music now, enjoying the new stereo system and relaxing.

Underway with #10

Happy Valentine's Day from the infusion floor at Hematology Oncology Associates. I can think of a few more exciting ways to spend the day, but getting Eric healthy is most important. And besides, I brought chocolate hearts, so it's all good.

This is infusion #10. Only 2 to go!

And we got a seat with a view again today. It looks cold out there.

Snowy Sunday

Eric and I ventured out in the snow today for some fun. Well, we went to the mall and did a little shopping and walked around. 

Central New Yorkers are a hardy bunch. We don't let a little snow slow us down or keep us cooped up inside. Although it is nice to sometimes not leave the house, it's also nice to know we aren't trapped just because of snow. The Syracuse DPW crew is the best in the world. 

Date Night

We decided we should celebrate Valentine's Day today, since Tuesday will be a Chemo Day. We went to our favorite place, Twin Trees for pizza and wings. And Eric had his first beer since September. He enjoyed it very much and had no issues. 

I also enjoyed a beer. (Albeit not my first since September...)

We enjoyed a lovely dinner together. Thank you Erika for the gift certificate! We're happy we were finally able to enjoy it.

After dinner, we stopped at the grocery store for some delicious ice cream!

Signs of Spring

We pretty much escaped the Nor'easter that hit the New England today. We got an inch or two this morning and that was it. (We're getting Lake Effect tonight though.) The photo above was taken today behind my office in Syracuse at 5:30pm. Yes, it was still light out! And it was still a little bit light out by the time I got home at 6pm. Spring must be right around the corner!

And here are a couple of silly and random "SnapChat" pictures... We're kind of bored around here sometimes.

Looking good! (And feeling good too.) It's Friday tomorrow. Time for another relaxing weekend of doing nothing! Or... maybe we'll surprise ourselves and venture out and do something fun.

Rio Grande

It was girls night out tonight. We try to go out once a month or so. Last month we went to see Mamma Mia. There are 4 of us "regulars" who meet up. Our sons all ran track/xc together in high school. It's nice to still keep in touch with old friends and hear about what everyone's kids are doing. And we get to try new restaurants too. Tonight we went to the new Rio Grande in the village of Liverpool. It was pretty good! An authentic Mexican place. (In an old Burger King...) I'd definitely go again,

Eric and Jenny had a quiet evening together. Eric is still doing well, he had a good day today.

The Monday After

A little throw back and a tribute all in one!
(This is from Dec. 2007 when the Pats went 18-0 in the regular season, but sadly lost the big game...)

Eric is doing ok today, he's not as excited about the Super Bowl win as I am, but he's humoring me. We're both looking forward to this "off" week. He's eating and drinking well and not having much in the way of crazy or painful side effects. So we're hoping for a good week ahead.

Donut Day and Super Bowl Sunday

I made some more of those fabulous baked donuts this morning. They were as good as they were last time. If anyone wants to try them, the recipe is here.  It's a nice alternative to fried donuts.

The weekend has lived up to its expectations. Which were low. We've relaxed, eaten well and taken in a lot of television. Today we're gearing up for the Super Bowl. (Well, I am anyway!) Go Pats!!

Friday Night

It looks like the week caught up with him. Eric is really tired tonight. He's also not very hungry. I'm glad it's the weekend so he can get some rest and hopefully get his appetite back.

Fluid and Food

Eric had another hydration day today. He got a weigh-in as well. He's up 5 lbs! 

For dinner tonight we had beef & bean quesadillas. Eric even loaded them with hot sauce. It's nice that he's interested in more of a variety of foods lately! And it's great that he can tolerate it too.

Eric is feeling pretty well, all things considered. He's eating and he's hydrated. Plus he put on a few pounds. He's still really tired and he's got some issues with his mouth. His tongue hurts and it's swollen. He's still got the tingly fingers and it hurts when he touches cold things. But he says those things are wearing off quicker than before. Also, his throat is still funky when he drinks, but it's not as bad as it used to be.

It's Friday tomorrow -- looking forward to a nice quiet weekend again!

It's February

We've entered the shortest month of the year. Hoping for a repeat of January's weather this month. It was the warmest and least snowiest January on record. Those are my kind of records! February already started out cold and snowy. I think we only got an inch though, that's nothing for Syracuse. And it was gone by the afternoon. 

Eric is doing well today. The fatigue hit him a little after lunch. He's pretty wiped out, but still in good spirits. He's eating well and keeping up with the hydration, even though it's a little bothersome to swallow liquids. Tomorrow he goes back to the Oncology place for a couple of hours of IV hydration and to get the pump removed. Then it will almost be the weekend!