Day 7, Cycle 3

Woody took the last four pills for this cycle a little over an hour ago...so the rest of this cycle (3 weeks) will just be a "down-hill slide"...at least we hope that it is as easy as that. He got up early this morning, took his drug study pills before going to work, then headed off to work, walked at lunch, came home relaxed and made cornbread to go with our supper (since I was off gallivanting at a fabric store). He read several stories to two of the neighbor grandchildren. We ate supper and then he has read this evening...oh, yes, and he has helped me change the sheets on our bed. I'm still having problems breathing and am coughing so we didn't go on a walk again this evening.

Day 6, Cycle 3

Woody and I both taught Sunday School today...he taught 6th and 7th grade boys and I substituted in my ladies' Sunday School Class. We came home and ate lunch. Woody has been relaxing and reading most of the afternoon and evening. We didn't go on a walk this evening because my allergies have been giving me problems. Woody says that this time tomorrow night can't come soon enough...as he will be through taking pills for this chemo drug-study cycle.

How Brave Are You?

Woody came upstairs this afternoon, after he came in from outside, and asked, "How brave are you?" I told him, "not very brave." He had found the pictured yellow jacket hole that was "very active...and did I want to take pictures of it?" I am a "major chicken" when it comes to stinging insects...so I wasn't really sure! But...got my camera and tripod ready and headed over to the spot. I probably took around 100 pictures...of which I probably only got a dozen pictures that showed the yellow jackets in focus...and many didn't have even a glimpse of one in the picture...they are really fast! But, here are a few of the ones that allow you to see what we saw. It wasn't until we came back inside and started looking at the pictures that we saw what some of the yellow jackets were doing. The picture that I consider to be in the middle of this collage shows a yellow jacket with a piece of dirt in his mouth...guess he was helping to make their underground home a bit roomier! We both survived the picture shoot without a sting...a good thing! (Be sure to click on the collage so you can see the pictures larger)

Woody got up really early this morning and went on an eight mile walk. He was home in time to take his morning nausea medicine and chemo and drug study pills. A little after 8am we decided that we would walk the Tullahoma Greenway (earlier in the day than we walked it before) and then go to the library after our jaunt. I don't know how far we walked...but we discovered that it goes much farther than just to the high school if we take the other fork in the path! Woody thinks that it was three miles...but I think that it was longer! But, then, I don't walk as much as he does...so it probably "seemed" longer to me! Woody experienced some pain in his arm and shoulder while we were walking. Once we got home and he was able to sit down and relax the pain went away.

This afternoon, besides helping me photograph yellow jackets, Woody has relaxed and read and watched a couple of DVDs that he got at the library this morning. A little while ago he took his evening drug study pills...so those are over for another day. Just two more days of the drug study meds and then he will be through taking pills for cycle 3.

Day 4, Cycle 3

Woody has had a typical Friday. He went to work early, walked at lunch, came home, relaxed, had supper, and then he and I went for a couple mile walk through a nearby neighborhood.

It is getting harder and harder for him to take his pills. After tomorrow he will be taking five less..."maybe" that will help???!!! He says that he doesn't want to even think about "pills" much less touch them or smell them. He filled out his daily chart for his morning doses, that he takes at work, after he got home from work...and I saw him sort of cringe as he thought about his 6pm dose. But...at this hour taking pills is behind him for this day...so that is a good thing (at least I can say it is...we won't make him decide if it is good or not...since that would make him think about pills!). He is looking forward to a laid-back Saturday and Sunday.

Day 3, Cycle 3

Sometimes on the way to and from Vanderbilt we see wild animals and sometimes...domestic ones! We thought that this fire hydrant in Wartrace, TN was rather unique...we have driven past it many times, but this was the first time that it had drawn our attention.

Woody went to work early, walked at lunch, came home, early evening he had a bit of a sinking spell...but never went to sleep...according to him (but, I can't vouch for that as I was upstairs having a nap, as I had a long day away from home). He has taken all of today's drug study medications...all 13 pills. He's on the over-the-hump day for the known chemo drug...just two more days to take that and the nausea medication (which will subtract 5 pills from his "regimen")...then he will "only" have to take the drug study medication (8 pills) for the rest of the week.

We are heading out for our evening walk as soon as I post this...my nap put us later than usual for our walk...we'll have to watch out for night critters!

A Fine 9/9/09

Definitely a fine day for goldenrod! Any of you wondering why you are sneezing and wheezing? Well, above is pictured one of the reasons in all its finery. I have been coughing since rolling down the window in the car yesterday to take this picture! (Really my allergy symptoms started some days ago...but I know that this is one of the culprits.)

Woody is on Day 2, Cycle 3 of his chemo drug study. So far...so good. Today he has taken a total of 13 pills. His comment to me a few minutes ago was: "2 days down, 5 days to go." So he is already on the countdown! I'm sure that he started counting down the moment that he took his first dose yesterday! He said that one time today he felt a little sick...but that was all. He got up early, went to work, got to concentrating on work so much that he took his pills a bit later than he meant, walked at lunch, came home, relaxed and read, ate supper, then this evening we went for a three-mile walk, and now he is reading again.

Day 1, Cycle 3

We left the house at 7:30am and pulled back into our driveway at 4:30pm...so a rather long day...but still not as bad as some have been. Woody's lab appointment was at 11am, but we had been told to get to the clinic no later than 10am. He was signed in and we were sitting in the clinic waiting room by 9:20am. It was a day after a holiday, so things were a bit backed up, but still he was called in for his lab work before 10am. The moment he stepped out from having the labs done the above pictured apparatus lighted up and started buzzing (very obnoxious sound and eerie blue light--these things are going off constantly all over this very large waiting room--seems to me that there should be a better way to page patients)saying that his doctor was ready to see him...now it is only a little after 10am and his appointment with Dr. Sosman isn't until noon! Hey...this was really looking good! We saw Dr. Sosman and the research nurses and were out of his office by 11am...but that is when the waiting game began. First wait = wait for all his lab results so the drugs could be phoned into the pharmacy; second wait = wait on pharmacy to fill the prescriptions and get them delivered to the research nurse (which happened a little before 1pm) At that point the nurse came and got us and took us back so Woody could take his first dose of the chemo and drug study meds. 3rd wait = after he took the meds then he had to wait an hour to have more lab work done. Then we were free to leave which put us at 2:20pm...really not bad! AND...we DON'T have to go back till October 5!

The visit with Dr. Sosman was very positive. He said that Woody's melanoma tumors had not grown and perhaps were even a little bit smaller than they had been and no new tumors...so VERY good news. Now...Woody didn't hear what I am sure that I heard...but I am pretty sure that Dr. Sosman said that he was guessing that Woody was probably getting at least the smaller amount of the study drug. Woody was concentrating on the statistics that Dr. Sosman was explaining about accuracy of the scans and the percentage that the scan measurements might be off...or some such. I knew that the numbers probably wouldn't stick in my head...so was concentrating on other things that the doctor said. Probably a good thing that we both hear different things...that way we end up hearing more!

Woody didn't go to work today since we had to head to Vanderbilt so early. And, we didn't walk this evening...I just felt too tired after our long day. Woody has gone in to lie down and asked me to awaken him to take his drug study meds, "if" he falls asleep (I think that I will be awakening him!)...now for me to stay awake or at least set an alarm to awaken us at 11pm. Since Woody took the first doses of the chemo meds in the afternoon (rather than in the morning), the research nurse asked that he take the next meds at 11 tonight and 9 in the morning and then gradually get back to taking them at 6am and 6pm.