Friday, July 8, 2011

Life after AML- Week 1, Family Time

So you should all know from my last post, that I completed my last round of treatment Saturday, July 2nd.  It has been a busy week. 

It started with the Board family reunion the following Sunday in Carpenter.  Nice crowd.  Good food.  Though it seems that each year more and more people are leaving right after lunch.  It was a hot day...  Andy and I played a little kickball with the kids.  Fireworks that night.  Liv  and Veah, would pick them out and I would light them.  Managed to get through the night only starting one child on fire...  all around a success. 

Monday the fourth of July started with 13 of us doing nine holes of golf in Clark.  This has become a tradition that I look forward to every year.  Definately was not going to miss it, even if I had been in the hospital less then 48 hours earlier.  This year it was Royal, Gordon, Ray, Kirby, Scott, Wade, Brenda, Mike, Barry, Barret, Terry, Dylan, and myself.  It ended up being one of my best rounds of golf and though I was a little aprehensive about whether or not I would be able to walk that much, I had no problems.  Everyone congregated back at the farm for lunch.  The kids played in the water all afternoon.

I was back to work on Tuesday... really starting to get busy.  Went to a few softball games to watch the daughter of our new friends Brad and Cindy play ball. 

Now we are off to the Grann family reunion in the Black Hills.  We are staying at Placerville church camp again.   Sunday I leave from rapid city for Kansas city.  I have a big convention next week.  Andy and the kids are staying with her mom most of the week to enjoy the hills a little more. 

In other news...  I am writing this on my new Samsung Galaxy Tab .... it is so much better then Jessica's iPad.    I love new technology...  especially when work pays for it..

Saturday, July 2, 2011

AML: Goodbye Sanford Hospital... May we never meet again

I am happy to say that I am being released today. The Neupogen shots did the trick. I went from an ANC of 20 to 1020 in just two days. White count jumped from .5 to 2.4.

There has been a fair amount of discomfort from the shots. The bone pain is to be expected. Yesterday it was mainly in my legs and shoulders. Today it is mainly in my back and hips. The discomfort is manageable with Tylonol. But it is giving me flashbacks to the pain that started us on this path last September. Though this discomfort is no where as intense as that night in September.

i am eager to get home today because of the holiday weekend. Board reunion (My Grandma's family) is tomorrow. This had always been my favorite reunion growing up. We'd eat, visit and then the softball marathon would begin. We would usually play until it was too dark to see the ball. Monday is our traditional 4th of July gathering. Some of the group normally goes golfing in Clark, so I am hoping to join them. Might not be the wisest thing to do, but its time to start getting back to normal. My body needs to realize its time to get back in shape.

So this chapter is done. 9 months/6 rounds of chemo. I don't have a follow up appointment for 3 months. I imagine they will all miss me here. The care at Sanford has been great and I am fortuate that my treatment could happen so close to home. Even the view from my room has been much better this time. Everything is green.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.