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Wednesday, October 26, 2011 3:13 PM CDT Wow,
Been wayyyy to long since I have updated here.. Lots of thing going on.....good and not so good.
Lindsay is doing GREAT. She is now a freshman in High School, can't believe I just typed that! She tried out and made the JV Cheer squad for school. We just wrapped up the high school football season. Soon she will be cheering at basketball games and will also have a few competitions that her squad will compete at. She is also coaching cheer for our Township football program. She is coaching 3rd graders, which she loves. We do need to get her up to Milwaukee for her annual check up. Been so busy, which is great, that we haven't had a chance yet. We are shooting for Christmas Break.
The not so good news... We are moving. We have become one of those statistics that you read about with today's terrible housing market. We had been trying to work with our bank to modify our loan, but with no sucess we have had to put our home up for sale. Lots of lookers, but no offer yet. We did find a rental house that we are moving into in just over a week. We need to keep Lindsay in her current school so the pickings were slim, but we found a nice house. I never thought we would be in this situation, but with all the cost involved in caring for a sick child, we never dug out, as you Cancer families will I'm sure understand. Bryan also had a mishap at home in February and severed a tendon in his right hand that required surgery and 7 weeks off work. That was the final straw.
We are hoping this new endeavor is the answer to many many years of struggling and will give us the peace that we need. Sorry to be a downer about that, but it's hard to admit when things go wrong.
We are all healthy and that is what is most important....the rest is details as Bry would say.
Thanks for sticking with us this far, and I will try to not make the next update so far away.
Love to you all,
Carine
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 3:05 PM CDT Wow,
I almost forgot how to update this page...We are still hanging in there.. Lindsay is now almost 5 years off treatment and doing great!
She is now in 8th grade, a township football cheerleader, a school basketball pommie, member of her school's audio/visual club... WPKL, member of the Art Club, and has applied to be on the yearbook club again.. She's a busy girl!! Bryan and I are getting a taste of High School, I think...
We are heading up to Milwaukee on Sept. 29th for her first appointment at the "long term survivor's" clinic. Can't believe we have made it this far. We were supposed to go in June, but with one scheduling conflict after another, we made it to now..
Lindsay is getting braces October 1st..Think she's excited, the cost is definately not exciting to Bry and I...
Bryan is still at Frito Lay...business is down this year...with no light at the end of the tunnel..I am still working for an insurance agent and keep getting my hours cut.. UGH.. if anyone knows where we can get a money tree... pass it on..
We needed a little time away, so with some family help we were able to take a mini-vacation to Mackinac Island and St. Ignace Michigan in August. The photo above is Lindsay and I (and Bryan taking the pic) on our way back to St. Ignace after spending the day on Mackinac Island.. So beautiful!!
Bryan is coming up an a very BIG birthday this year... We were hoping to get away for a couple day's... not in the cards, but someday we will!! LOL
Thank you to those who still check up on us from time to time... We really do appreciate it.. I will try to make it back here after Lindsay's appointment next week!!
Love to all,
Carine
Saturday, December 12, 2009 UPDATED TO ADD:
Lindsay's cheer squad ended up 3rd in the STATE!!!! Way to go girls!!!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:26 PM CST
Hey everyone,
Again, I am not sure if anyone checks in on here often, but I had a couple minutes and though I would post an update.
Lindsay is doing fine, Her last report card a month or so was all A's and one B !! We couldn't be prouder of her.
I am excited to report that Lindsay's cheer squad placed 1st in both competitions they competed in so far this year, and because of these first place finishes they have secured 2 bids to go to the IRCA state competitions in early December. This is the 2nd annual state competition and we are really looking forward to it!
We are trying to get ready for the holiday's this year.. It will be a tough one financially since I had my work hours cut in half this year, but we will try to make the best of it... Lindsay has only asked for a Wii this year,, Yikes, I started adding it up, and don't know if it will happen or not! :0(
Last but not least.....Lindsay's birthday is Sunday the 22nd! She will be the big 13... I can't believe I am very soon going to have a teenager!! I am in shock and so very thankful that she is here, healthy, and turning into the beautiful young woman that she is! We are very blessed to say the least, maybe not financially, but in so many other ways!
I will try to get on and let you all know how Lindsay's cheer squad does at state, but if not Have a blessed, safe, and happy holiday season!!!
Love to all,
Carine
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 7:18 PM CDT Hi everyone...
Yeah, I am a terrible updater, I know.. Sorry!
We are hanging in there...Lindsay's last checkup in August went fine. Her labs were great and she is healthy!!
We didn't go to Branson, MO. for vacation like we thought we were going to, we ended up going to Louisville, KY. to see Bryan's brother Jeff, and then headed down to Tennessee. We went first to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge then to Nashville! We had the time of our lives.. Never been to Tennessee before, but we LOVED it! We are really into Country music, so Nashville was amazing... We went to the Grand Ole Opry for a performance on our last night there and saw Rodney Atkins, Vince Gill, and Little Jimmy Dickens among others... We will definately go back!
When we got back from vacation I got my hours cut at work by half... I was working 5 day's a week, now I work 5 days in 2 weeks.... Bryan has started to slow down too... Times are tough all around! I am thankful to still have a job, but the cut in pay is no fun!!
Lindsay is getting over a cold now... She was sick pretty much all last week with sore throat, headache, and just felt crappy... No fever so we didn't think it was the flu, but I have to tell you all that the H1N1 flu is in all the schools here except for 2.. from Kindergarten to High School...Very scary!! We are just trying to dodge that bullet!!
We are in the thick of Cheering for competitions.. Lindsay has practice 5 days this week... She is loving that, NOT!
Her competitions are November 8th and the 15th... If her squad places 1st on the 8th they can go to the State competitions again this year...Otherwise they are done after the 15th..
Ok, well I think I have you all up to date on us!! Lindsay get's her 1st report card Friday, and goes for her next check-up in January......
Until then........
Love to all,
Carine
Saturday, June 6, 2009 11:35 AM CDT Hi Everyone,
Can you believe that I forgot the password to update this site. I guess it has been a while! Sorry for that!
Things are going well. Lindsay just finished up 6th grade with all A's and one B for the entire year. I think the transition from elementary school to Junior High was an easy one for her.
Lindsay is signed up for cheerleading again this summer. Practices will start the middle of July with games beginning after Labor Day. We will then be running crazy again.
Bryan and I are both working, which we are thankful for. We have family and friends that have lost their jobs in recent months. I have been working full time since last August when Lindsay started school. Summer was a challenge making sure Lindsay doesnt' spend it in front of the TV or computer, but I think we have a pretty good plan. :0)
We are trying to plan a Summer vacation to Branson, MO. I have never been there, either has Lindsay. Bryan has been there, but not for years! Praying that works out!! We could really use some FUN time!
Lindsay had her last checkup May 1st, and is doing great on the medical front! Her blood counts are all within normal range, and her NP is very happy with how she is growing into a healthy young lady (*snif* for mom). We have been meeting with a nutritionist during out visits up to Milwaukee to make sure that now Lindsay's body is getting the nutrients it's needs to stay strong. She requires more Vitimin D and calcium that normal because of the treatment she had, but we got it covered....LOL
We have a new member of our family!!! Bryan's sister Wendy and her husband are new parents!!! Madison Faith (Maddy) was born February 26th!! She is adorable and we couldn't be happier to have a new neice!!! Lindsay loves having her own baby cousin to love!!! She sees her twice a week, and LOVES it!!
Well Folks, I am not sure if anyone even checks in anymore, but I had some time so I am now off to find some more recent pictures of Miss Lindsay to post....
Next appointment is in August. We have graduated to every 4 months (as of January '09). I will try to update at least with medical info then............
Love to all,
Carine
Sunday, November 2, 2008 9:04 PM CST Hi there...
All is good in our world... Just had to post a picture up top of Lindsay's Cheer squad, right before they won 1st PLACE in today's competition. They have one more competition next week... Hopefully they will do as awesome then as they did today!!!!
If you remember, last year with pretty much the same group of girls they won 1st place in BOTH competitions... We are surely hoping for a repeat of last year!
Next appointment is in January where we will be marking 3 years OFF TREATMENT.... Can you all believe it!!!!
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, August 18, 2008 8:13 AM CDT Hi there,
It's been a while, hasn't it?? Sorry about that... Lindsay is doing great!! As you can see from the picture at the top of the page, Lindsay started Junior high TODAY!! *snif* Our baby is getting so grown up!! :0)
Medically she is doing great. We has a check-up in July, and things looked perfect.
She started Cheerleading again with the McHenry Junior Warriors football organization. She starts cheering for games after labor day.
Other than being busy with normal everyday things we are enjoying life...
Love to all,
Carine
Friday, April 18, 2008 9:50 PM CDT Hello everyone...
I had a little time so I thougth I would actually update the day that Lindsay has her check-up in Milwaukee.....for a change! :0)
Things went well today. She is 1/2 an inch taller (now 5"3'). Her weight is holding steady.... They were concerned the way her weight was charting. She is doing pretty well. Her Nurse Practicioner and Doctor's just want to make sure she takes the necessary precautions to live a long and healthy life!!
Lindsay wasn't felling well a couple weeks ago and when I took her to our regular doctor we found out that she had strep. They put her on Penicilin for a week and she is back to her old self.. Today, however, her White blood cells came back a little high (14,000 - they should be no higher than 12,000). Those of you in the Cancer world know where I am heading with this....then when her NP came back with some forms Lindsay's Oncologist came in with her.. She was heading out to get the Manual Differential,which is an actual count of the cells they use for the CBC to make sure that there are no blasts in her blood.... After a few skipped heart beats...ALL IS WELL! We all think that her WBC was actually higher than 14,000 at one time. That is showing that her post-chemo body is reacting to infections as it should. Her NP feels like she is on the decline with her WBC. She wasn't too concerned in the end.
Interesting tidbit....There was a Mumps outbreak in a Milwaukee daycare so Children's is taking big precautions... Before you are even allowed to enter the Oncology Clinic you have to answer a bunch of questions. Wierd, huh??? I, for one, and glad they are so careful of the kids!
Bryan's brother and his fiance moved up their wedding. From September to MAY 31ST! So we have been super busy. Tomorrow My sis-in-law and I are throwing them a shower... Busy, Busy... Bryan is the best man and Lindsay is going to be their flower girl/ Jr. Bridesmaid.
Well, I need to head off now.. Gotta be up early tomorrow.. Lindsay's next appointment is July 18th....She "may" go to Camp the week before.. She doesn't seem to want to this year.. Time will tell!
Love and hugs to all!
Carine
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 9:35 PM CST Hello everyone...
Sorry It takes me so long to update, but I asure you that things are going well if I don't update! :0)
Ok, lets see, Lindsay is doing great. Her dentist appointment went really well with no cavities!
Eye Doctor was good. She get's new glasses every year, because, lets face it, she is 11.... Glasses get trashed every year. Lucky for us the insurance Bryan has is pretty good! Funny story though... Lindsay has a more in-depth exam this year which involved dialation of her pupils...She did fine, but it sure was halarious to see...Her vision is the same, which is fine.
Her check-up in Milwaukee went well also.. As you can see by the ticker above, Lindsay is now more than 2 years away from finishing treatment, and will be 5 years in remission the end of July. Each year away from Cancer is AWESOME!!!! They did additional blood work since it was her OT anniversary. All is well, some things like her cholesterol and triglycerides are better than last year also, and they didn't have her fast for the blood work either, so I am sure the numbers would have been better than they were. We have now graduated to every 3 month check-ups! Amazing, huh? Our next one is sometime in April. I don't even remember the date, and will look it up when we get to April! :0)
What else..... Well, Today is Mine and Bryan's 14th anniversary! We celebrated with a nice dinner out. It is a Wednesday, so there wasn't much time for a big tada....
This journey has definately done our marriage well... You really know how much you are loved when you go through something big together. Cancer can make or break a couple... It Definately made our marriage so much stronger.... mind you, it was great before!
I am doing fine...the forever struggle to loose those pesky 50 pounds never ends..LOL I will reach my 5 year-post-Cancer date this year.... June 5th to be exact. 5 years ago was my hysterectomy. I am doing great,and even get to go back to annual exams after June...
Bryan's brother, Tim, is getting married to a wonderful girl this September, so the family is buzzing again with wedding plans...That will be fun!
Alrighty, I think we are caught up a little now. I am working still for the Insurance company and loving it! My boss is really a great guy, and his wife works with us also and couldn't be nicer!!
Take care everyone,
All our love,
Carine, Bryan, and of course, Miss Lindsay
XOXO
Thursday, January 3, 2008 10:36 PM CST HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Things are going well..Christmas was great, Santa was good to us all!!!
This is a busy month for Miss Lindsay... Eye Doctor on the 10th, check-up in Milwaukee on the 25th, and Dentist appointment on the 31st... Didn't realize when I was scheduling... Oh and a report card on the 25th also!
Lindsay will be Off Treatment 2 YEARS on the 5th!!! We will have to do something special to mark the date! She will now only have to go up to Milwaukee every 3 months!!!
WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR ALL THAT WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH!
Every year she gets away from chemo lowers her chances of relapse. Now, that's not saying it can't happen, but her chances decrease with each passing year!!!!
We would like to take this chance to wish you a very Happy, HEALTHY, and prosperous New year!!!
Love to you all,
Carine (Bryan and Lindsay too!)
Sunday, December 23, 2007 2:27 PM CST MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!!!
We are all doing well, sorry for the lapse in updating. Lindsay’s check-up went fine. She is thriving and growing into a young lady. We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season, (the rest will fall into place sooner or later LOL)
Have a safe and wonderful couple of weeks here, and we will be back in January with an update after the next check-up (promise!)
ALL OUR LOVE,
Bryan, Carine & Lindsay
Sunday, November 11, 2007 OK.......
2 weeks on a row!!!!!
Lindsay's Cheer squad got 1ST PLACE!!!!
She is soooooo excited and we couldn't be prouder of all the hard work and many hours that got them to where they are!
until next weekend when she has her check-up!!!
Love to all,
Carine
Monday November 5, 2007
Hi everyone...
Things are going great here!!! The lack of updating just means that we are BUSY!!!
Let's see...
Lindsay is still going strong with her cheerleading! Her Cheering for football games is over, but she just had her 1st of 2 competitions yesterday. Her squad won 1ST PLACE.... the picture at the top of the page is her squad during their winning performance!!! They do have 4 more practices this week and then another competition this Sunday. She is having such a great time and it is wonderful to see her enjoying herself so much!
This past Saturday Lindsay received her first Holy Communion. We are Lutheran and the kids receive their first communion in 5th grade. Bryan, Lindsay and I had a meeting the Sunday before with the pastor to give Lindsay a better understanding the significance and inportance of taking communion. I am going to try to get a photo in the photo section below of our family at the Lord's table.
Lindsay also got her 1st 5th grade report card on Friday.. I am very happy to tell you all that she got all A's and B's... She will be part of a group of students honored this Friday with a breakfast to recognize those with a B average or above. I will get to attend and cheer her on!
Let's see, what else....
Lindsay's next check-up is Friday November 16th... As well as her Birthday party sleepover here with around 10 of her closest girlfriends! (yikes - am I crazy?! LOL)
Then Saturday night the 17th is her "end of the season" Cheerleading party....
Then Sunday the 18th we are hosting a Birthday party for Lindsay and her cousin's Rachel and Isaac who's birthday's are the day before and the day after Lindsay's.
By The Way.... Miss Lindsay will be 11 on the 22ND of November.... Thanksgiving this year! Guess what she wants for Dinner!! Corned Beef... Bryan said she can have it the day before her Birthday since Turkey is a given on Thanksgiving! She isn't thrilled, but maybe she will have leftovers to eat on the BIG day!!!
So, thanks for getting to the bottom of this rambling entry and Thanks for keeping Lindsay and us in your continued thoughts and prayers.. Beleive it or not, we can still really use positive thoughts and prayers... They still help....
I will try to post a mini-update on Lindsay's next competition, and her next check-up as they happen!
Love to all,
Carine
ps... I will try to get some new pictures up in the photo album... check them out if you have a mintue!!!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:44 PM CDT ***NEW PHOTO'S IN PHOTO ALBUM***
Hi there!
Sorry for lack of updates... Life is good & we are keeping plenty busy...
Lindsay did have her checkup on September 14th. All went well....Her counts were all in good range and there is nothing to be concerned with! She is feeling well and thriving! She is having a little knee pain that we mentioned to Susie and she thinks it may be because of the increased activity recently with cheerleading. We are going to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse or doesn't go away then we will do an X-ray or an MRI to make sure that the steroids that she took during treatment didn't cause damage to her joints. It ususally doesn't in the dose that she received, but as Susie said "never say never" Otherwise our next Milwaukee outing will be in November (16th to be exact)
As you can see our lives are consumed with Lindsay's cheerleading until the middle of November. She loves it, but it is work. She has practice 2 times a week and games about every other Sunday. She will have practices up to 4 days a week the first couple weeks of November for the 2 competitions they are competing in. UGHHHH! In the photo section I included a photo of Lindsay doing push-ups. She HATES this, but when her team scores any points they have to do as many push-ups as they score points. (field goal=3 push-ups.... touchdown = 6 push-ups....etc)It is quite funny to watch! None of the girls like the push-ups. Good thing for them that the Warriors lost 12-0 last Sunday - LOL!
I recently switched jobs... Quite a change for me. I went from 15 years in Banking to working as an assistant to an Insurance agent. I love it so far, but it is REALLY different than what I am used to! Still just part-time, but I am also in the process of getting some time in Lindsay's school district as a substitute teacher's assistant for the days that I am not working for the insurance company.
Bryan is good, Still with Frito Lay... "It's just a job" is his motto.
Well, I think that is all for now...Take care everyone..... and you lurkers... please sign in so we know you stopped by!!!
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, August 27, 2007 9:24 AM CDT Hi there....
Things are great!!! Lindsay is off today to "rule the school" at a FIFTH GRADER!!!!! Where has the time gone!!!
Next check-up September 19th... until then.......
love, Carine
Monday, July 30, 2007 10:08PM CDT
Hey there... All is well here... This weekend we had a pool party to attend.. I just loved this picture of Lindsay, Bryan, and Lindsay's friend Ally...
Enjoy!
love,
Carine
Sunday July 15, 2007
Hi there,
Just a little update... Our camper made it home safe and sound. She ended up having a great week! Made some great friends that she plans to keep in touch with. We did get her room redone and I am trying to get a couple pictures in the photo section. We went with an underwater/aquatic theme (by Lindsay's request). Blue walls, fish pictures, new bedding, and of course Miss Molly at the top of this page....
HAPPY SUMMER!!!
Love to all,
Carine
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Hi everyone...
I know, I know I am a slacker... But that just means that we are enjoying life, and are busy doing fun things!
Miss Lindsay is at Camp as you can see.... We dropped her off Saturday the 7th and went back up today the 8th for "Celebrate the children" day for the kids and their families. There are a couple of new pictures in the "photo" section on this page. We did find out that our little camper was a little sad last night missing home, but the counselors said that they would take good care of her this week. I know she was tired and it is VERY HOT there right now (heat index almost 100 degrees)which may explain the crankiness!!! :0)
Lindsay is officially a 5th grader!!! She finished out her 4th grade year with all A's and only 1 B (in Music)...
We were also in Milwaukee this past Friday for Lindsay's bi-monthly check-up. We have really put some miles on our van this weekend.... Anyhoo, her checkup went really well. Blood counts great and Susie liked what she saw... Lindsay is doing GREAT! Her next checkup is the 14th of September....
My little procedure that I mentioned in the last entry went fine and the bump was a reactive lymph node, which is NOTHING to worry about! (whew....)
I will be picking Lindsay up this Saturday morning. She will get her Cheerleading uniform Tuesday and pracitces will start the 24th. That will be taking up most of our time I am guessing...
I think that's about all going on here. Take care everyone, and thanks for stopping by to check on Miss Lindsay!!!
love to all,
Carine
ps.... lurkers, please sign Lindsay's guestbook so we know you stopped by!
Sunday, June 3, 2007 8:43 PM CDT Hi,
I hope all is well with you all, I am so sorry that I have been such a slacker about updating this page, but please know, "no news is good news" where we are concerned...
Let's see, what's up with us???
Well, Miss Lindsay is going to be a cheerleader this Fall for the Mchenry Junior Warriors (township) football league. She is soooooo Excited!! Practices start the end of July and her first game is the weekend after Labor Day (I think).
As you can see from the new picture we had a family wedding Memorial Day Weekend Downtown Chicago. It was very fancy and a great time!!! We don't get to dress that nice to often! :0)
Lindsay is doing very well in school, and will be finishing up her 4th grade year this week. Her last day is Wednesday the 6th (for a couple hours only)She took her state and capitals tests last week, and I am VERY PROUD to say the she was one of "very few" according to her teacher that got an A (100 on both tests!!!! She worked VERY hard and did a great job.... In fact I will have an "end of the year" report card to post this week too!!
We were in Milwaukee the beginning of May and all is well!
Her counts were fine and she checked out good. We are due back up there on July 6th.
Linsday has decided that she wants to go to camp again this year. I had been asking her and asking her if she wants to go and she kept telling me "NO"!, but then on the way up to Milwaukee in May she just changed her mind. We signed her up for the first week of camp which is July 7-14. The 2nd week would have interfered with her cheerleading..I think Bryan and I are going to try to remodel ger room if we have the chance. We told her we would do her room BEFORE she got sick 4 years ago and since then we have not had the money to re-paint and stuff, but now we are trying to scrape together something to surprise her when she comes back.
Bryan and I are going great, working, busy, but doing fine!
I am having a small lymph node removed on the 22nd of June, the Dr. thinks it's nothing, but in our family we don't take any chances... I will be in and out in one day, no biggie!
Ok, Well I think we are caught up now, I hope you are all enjoing your spring and gearing up for Summer, I know we sure are!!!
Love to you all,
Carine
Monday, April 23, 2007 2:07 PM CDT Hi all,
Hope this finds you all well, We are going great! Lindsay is feeling great, and we due for her next check-up in May 4th. She did get another report card a couple weeks ago and she had all A's and one B ....We couldn't be happier...
Nothing much else happening here, so "No news is good news" in our neck of the woods.
until May.....
love,
Carine
Sunday, March 11, 2007 9:14 PM CDT Hi everyone...
WOW has it really been almost a month since I last updated??? Well take that to assume that things are going well!
Lindsay was supposed to have her check-up in Milwaukee ont he 2nd of March, but Mother Nature had a different idea. We had near blizzard conditions here, so I called and re-scheduled it for the 9th.
Lindsay is doing well, Her counts were good:
WBC: 9.1
HBG: 13.6
PLT: 318,000
I have actually stopped figuring out her ANC... She is well and that is what matters!!! Her White Blood Cells (WBC) were a litte high, but that, we think, is because she has had a cold for a week or so now. SO that means that her body is responding well to an infection because your WBC's are supposed to jump when your body detects an infection.
Lindsay had a couple days off of school this past week so we took advantage and headed to Kentucky for a couple days to see Bryan's brother Jeff. He works for an apartment complex in Louisville, and we was able to reserve us one of the "guest suites" available to residents and employees for out of town guest... Best of all it was FREE! We celebrated our 13th Wedding Anniversary on Monday the 5th having a wonderful BBQ dinner with Jeff and Lindsay. Bryan and I were off the rest of the week and just took care of some odds and ends here at home. Tommorrow is "back to reality" for us all!
Lindsay's "Jump rope for Heart" went very well. She is still waiting to get her "prizes" for her donations. THANK YOU to all who donated to help her. She raised $285.00!!!!!
This coming weekend I will be pulling a very early morning wait outside our Junior high to sign miss Lindsay up for our Township football Cheerleading squad. There are only 5 openings for this years squad and she REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLY wants to be part of this with her two bestest friends, Hailey and Hannah. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO that means I get to wait outside at 4AM until the doors open at 9AM to hopefully sign her up.... I don't know if I want to come home if I can't get her on. It is first come, first served.
Luckily my girlfriends daughter also wants to get into this, so we will hang out together. If I get her signed up she will be grandfathered in until 8th grade if she wants to continue.
We are gearing up for Easter....Bryan's Grandfather will be celebrating his 90th Birthday on Easter....Quite an accomplishment... I truly hope I see 90! LOL
Well, I think that is all that is going on here.... Lindsay is leaning on not going to camp this summer... I am trying to sway her decision, but she is holding her ground.. Time will tell.
Lindsay's next appointment is the first Friday in May...Unless anything big comes up I will see you all then...
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, February 5, 2007 6:56 PM CST Wednesday, February 14th....
Just a quick note. Lindsay is jumping rope to raise money for the American Heart Association. She has an online donation page for anyone who would like to help her. Your donations are completely tax deductable. She is jumping on February 26th, and donations are due on the 22nd. The link to her page is on the bottom of this page.
Thank you!!!!!
Love to all...
Carine
Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the "deep freeze" that we are in. I think with the wind chill the temperature was around 20 degrees below 0! BRRRRRRRRRRRRR...
I think it is supposed to warm up later this week!!
We are doing good here...Lindsay is felling fine, and having fun in school and with friends...
We are due back in Milwaukee the beginning on March, but we are going to see Lindsay's GP on the 17th of this month for a Healthy child physical (I love writing the "healthy child" part!) to figure out a plan for dealing with her high cholesterol and high trigylerides. I am seeing a Low fat/ Low cholesterol diet in our future...Which is ok since we can all stand to get a little healthier.
Lindsay did get her report card...It was awesome...
Reading ~ A-
Writing/Grammar~ A-
Spelling~ A
Math~ A-
Social Studies~ A-
Science/Health~ A-
ART~ A-
Music~ A
PE~ B
How Awesome is that!!!!! She improved in all areas, and this is the first Art, Music ,and PE grades for this year!
We are very proud of her!
We are thinking of taking a little weekend trip in March to see Bryan's brother in Kentucky for some nice weather!!! I will update again after Lindsay's appointment on the 17th with her GP.
Until then, Take care everyone and Thank you for sticking with us all these years!!
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, January 8, 2007 7:50 PM CST Hi everyone....
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year. (so far anyway!!!) We have much to be thankful for this time of year... If you pay attention to the ticker above this journal you will see that Lindsay has been off all Chemotherapy for ONE YEAR! as of January 5th that is. That also happened to be the date of our check-up in Milwaukee...
Everything looks good, and we couldn't be happier that Lindsay is doing well at this point. She is 5 FEET TALL!!!! (I am only 5'4" LOL) her counts looked fine:
WBC: 7.0
PLT: 262,000
HBG: 14.4
ANC: around 3500
We did these labs the Tuesday before Lindsay's appointment because her nurse practicioner wanted some fasting labs also. She checked her Cholesterol, liver functions, kidney functions all that good stuff... Things looked good....... except her cholesterol and triglycerides. The Cholesterol was 205 Which is high for an adult, let alone a 10 year old. Her good cholesterol was low at 40, and her bad cholesterol was at the high end of normal. Her triglycerides should be below 150 and they are 185.
Now what to do with all this information you ask?.... Well, Miss Lindsay has to watch what she is eating (who am I kidding... *I* have to watch what she eats more closely)
Normally they don't check all these things on a 10 year old, but Lindsay's cholesterol was a little high earlier in her treatment and they chalked it up to all that her body was going through and decided to check it later. Well, now is later and we are going to see if we can get things back in whack so she doesn't have problems like diabeties and heart problems at an early age. Her Nurse practicioner wants her to see our family doctor to see if there is maybe a program here that we can get her into to teach her about the importance of nutrition. There is one in Milwaukee like that, but we are going to see if there is one closer to home. So I will make an appointment for her in the next couple weeks for a physical and to discuss the blood counts with her GP. Other than those little "bumps" she is doing fabulous! Her echocardiogram (ultrasound of her heart) went well and everything looks normal...AND the best thing of all..... We have graduated to every other month trips to Milwaukee..This is HUGE for us.. Half the medical bills, Half the gas to make the trip....Not that we don't love the people who take care of Lindsay, but we are ready for a little break.
One year off treatment also reduces Lindsay's chance of relapse! Not to say that it isn't still a possibility, but the odds are stacking in her favor.
Now about the picture at the top of the page... Well it is Lindsay (Duh!) holding my dear friend Jodi's hair that she had cut off on the 4th of January. She brought it to Lindsay along with the balloons you see so we can send it in to Locks of Love (www.locksoflove.org) to help make a wig for another child who is battling Cancer. She did this to honor and commemorate Lindsay getting to the 1 year Off treatment milestone! Now how is that for a friend! I am very lucky to have her in our lives...She has been so supportive of us (just check the guestbook!) during this whole ordeal. THANK YOU JODI!
I am going to get a picture of Jodi with the hair and balloons in the photo page also. She dropped off everything when Lindsay wasn't home, but I got pictures of Jodi with everything and Lindsay also...
As for what else is new... not alot... We are hoping our beloved Chicago Bears make it into the Superbowl this year.. only time will tell with that though...Lindsay is doing great in school and gets another report card on the 26th of this month. Our next Milwaukee appointment is March 2nd. (3 days before Bryan and my 13th wedding anniversary ~ WOW)
I also did have my 3rd mammogram to make sure the areas that were seen in January 2006 haven't changed and from preliminary findings they are still nothing to worry about. I also had a Bone Dexa scan to check on my bones.. I have been on hormone replacement since June 2003 and My Dr. just wanted to have a look. I haven't heard anything on that yet. I am taking the "no news is good news" approach with that!
So we are plugging along, working, paying off medical debt(will it ever end? LOL - no matter what the debt - Lindsay is healthy and that's all that matters)...enjoying family time~!!!
Until next time,
love to all,
Carine
Monday, December 11, 2006 8:34 PM CST Hi Everyone,
I am really not trying to keep you all in suspense by waiting so long to update... We have just been BUSY! With the holiday's and all right around the corner....
First the medical stuff... Lindsay is doing well! She is 1/4 of an inch shy of 5 feet tall..She will pass her 5'5" mom up before you know it. She had a check-up on Friday and her counts were fine:
WBC: 7.6
HBG: 13.4
PLT: 293,000 (up again from last time :0))
ANC: around 3000
all great! AND............ I am VERY EXCITED to say that Lindsay will be off treatment ONE YEAR on the January 5th!!!! Which happens to be our next appointment in Milwaukee. Lindsay will be having a couple additional tests done next month because of being off treatment for a year. First she will do some fasting bloodwork a couple days before that appointment to check EVERYTHING...even her cholesterol...When we are in Milwaukee she also has an echocardiogram scheduled. She had a baseline when she was on treatment. One of the chemo's that she had taken can cause damage to the heart. The dose Lindsay receieved was small, but they need to check things out regardless... They don't have any reason to suspect any trouble, but it is something that needs to be followed up on for a few years....
Now for the fun stuff....
As you can see from the (poorly scanned) picture at the top of the page we are back from Florida... We were there from the 25th of November to the 2nd of December.... We came home to over a foot of snow, but it was totally worth it!
The weather was awesome... 80 to 85 degrees everyday we were there. It did rain everyday, but just a few sprinkles here and there. We visited Magic Kingdom, where we saw Beyonce' (from the old Destiny's child) preform in front of Cinderella's castle. They were taping segments for the Christmas parade. We also went to MGM studios, and Epcot. We took a couple days away from Disney and went to Busch Gardens in Tampa, and spent a day at Sea World. We then spent a week recouperating from our vacation (going back to work that is!!!).
We rented a house about 10 miles from everything Disney... I would highly reccomend that. They house we rented was spacious, and comfortable....
This trip (sponsored by my in-laws - thank you) was to celebrate LIFE and the all of Lindsay's acomplishments! Finishing Chemo and turning 10!
We also celebrated Lindsay's birthday with 7 other girls (friends and cousins)sleeping over after going out for pizza and bowling. She is one lucky little girl...
Well I think I covered all that is up with us this month... We are trying to get our holiday shopping done. Planning for Christmas eve here at our house.
I have to thank you all again from the bottom of our hearts... You have been so kind to us and kept us in your prayers for so long... I hope I am not asking to much, but WE would love if you continue to be thankful for our health. Lindsay getting to one year off treatment is HUGE! Her chance of relapse drops significantly, but there will always be a chance it can happen. Continued prayers and positive thoughts can keep her in remission....
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!
WE LOVE YOU,
Carine, Bryan, and Lindsay!
XOXOXOXO
Friday, November 10, 2006 9:17 PM CST Hey there....
Only a week late. :0( sorry to keep you all in suspense. Things are FINE!
Lindsay's appointment fine. Her counts were great:
WBC: 8.7
HBG: 13.7
PLT: 243,000
ANC: around 3900
If you have been keeping up I was watching Lindsay's platelets since they has been going down each month, but they are heading back up. WHEW! Actually Lindsay's nurse practicioner told me that Lindsay hasn't given her any reason at all to be concerned about relapse...Nice to hear.
We are recovering from Bryan's sisters wedding 2 weeks ago. Things went really well and Wendy made a beautiful bride!
We are now gearing up for a celebratory vacation. This is Lindsay's treat/present for completing her chemotherapy this year. We are going so late in the year because we are going to Florida to see Mickey (again) and we wanted to be there during the holiday season.
This will be us, of course, and Bryan's family... We are so exited! I am not going to post our exact dates for security reasons, but it is soon!! If you can beleive it we have a friend (from caring Bridge)that had their house broken into while they were away and the crooks knew that because they posted it on thier page. How sick are people!!!
We are going to be celebrating Bryan's birthday this weekend. His birthday is Sunday. We are heading to Wendy and Chris' for dinner and a little Chicago Bears game...
Lindsay has one more week of school and then she is off the whole week of Thanksgiving. Her Birthday is November 22nd.... The countdown is on....12 days.... Oh and our Dog Sammy's birthday is TODAY!!!! Happy 4th(or 28th) birthday puppy!!!
I think that's about all going on right now... We will be back in Milwaukee on the 8th of December and I will be back then...
Thank you for sticking by us and keeping Lindsay in your prayers... We can always use them! No matter how long we go off treatment we will always appreciate your thoughts and prayers!!!
Much love to you all,
Carine
Thursday, November 2, 2006 12:12 AM CST Hi everyone....
Just a quick update until this weekend.. Lindsay is good. We are good. The wedding was wonderful. Halloween was fun.
Lindsay has a checkup tomorrow in Milwaukee... I will update about everything after that...
love to all,
Carine
I am going to try to get some photo's up today for you all to see how beautiful Lindsay is getting!! :0)
Friday, September 29, 2006 8:56 PM CDT Hi everyone.... I hope this journal entry makes you proud....It didn't take me 2 weeks to get it up here... LOL
Lindsay had her appointment today in Milwaukee... This was the first appointment since the Oncology clinic moved. The new clinic is nice, different, but nice....
Lindsay did well...She has been complaining of stomach aches lately so we are going to try giving her some Zantac to help. You just don't know what that Chemo can do to things.... Hopefully this will give her some relief...She is now 4'10 3/4" up 1/2 an inch from last month. Her counts were good....
WBC: 7.3
HBG: 13.2
PLT: 206,000
ANC: around 1700
all good.... We are keeping any eye on her platelets.... They are well within normal range, but have been dipping a little lower each of the last few months....If you are familliar with the Cancer world dropping platelets can be a sign of relapse.... WE DO NOT think Lindsay is relapsing, but that is one of the things you worry about the the off treatment life.....
I never did get into details in my last journal about our friend Cameron.... It makes me very sad to say that he did pass away. Please keep his family in your prayers...They have been through so much and to loose your child in the end has to be the worst pain ever!
Bry's cousin, Jenny is doing OK... She was just under 3 weeks left of radiation left and it is really taking a toll on her. She is discouraged and doesn't want to continue... Radiation is very draining...She is a very much "on the go" type of person, and now she is spending all her time trying to muster up energy to just do basic everyday things....
Please keep her and her family in your continued thoughts and prayers for strength...Thank you!
Wedding plans for Bryan's sister, Wendy, are coming together... Bryan is fitted for his tuxedo, Lindsay's dress is in, but needed a couple alterations, which are being done. I have to get my dress in to be taken up at the hem... The shower is this Sunday, and presents are bought and wrapped. We decided to get them all the ceremony things like the unity candle, guest book, flower girl baskets, ring bearer pillow, and cake cutter and server.... Hopefully they will like our choices!
The next month the Wedding will take up most of our time. The wedding is October 27th, which should be our next appointment... WELL, that won't happen so we are going up for Lindsay's next check-up on November 3rd...
I will be back probably the end of the month with some great family pics from the wedding... We are hoping to get a nice picture of the three of us for this years Christmas card! :0)
Till then, much love to you all...
Carine
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 8:02 PM CDT Hi everyone.... Ok well, I am wayyyyy late in updating... lots going on around here....all good!
Lindsay is doing well.... She gets stomach aches from time to time... but overall doing well... She loves her teacher, who happens to be one of her Uncle Jeff's friends from high school....She is great and Lindsay really likes her. She is gearing up for her first dance... They start in 4th grade now... I don't know how ready Dad is for that, but she can't wait.
Lindsay was supposed to have a clinic appointment for a checkup and labs this Friday, but we had to reschedule because her clinic is moving from the 8th floor of the hospital to the 2nd floor...BIG undertaking...So we are now going up next Friday 9-29....
Bryan and I are good....I had a check-up for the annual blood work to check my cholesterol and stuff like that...I was supposed to do this in January (oops!) My cholesterol is a little high, but I did get some good news... I am apparently no longer a Diabetic. I don't exaclty know how someone can be a Diabetic for a year or so and then not be one anymore... I wasn't on any medication for it, just checked my blood sugar once in a while... but it's good news all the same!
We are now in the midst of getting ready for the biggest news of all...... Bryan's sister Wendy is getting married the end of October....They got engaged a couple of weeks ago, are buying a townhome, and didn't want to wait, The wedding is October 27th. We are trying to be as helpful as we can, and luckily things are falling into place... Bryan, Lindsay and I are all standing up... Lindsay is the Junior maid of honor.... Too old to be flower girl.... to special to Wendy to just be a junior bridesmaid. We have an engagement party coming up, bridal shower and bachelor/bachelorette parties in the very near future....
In the middle of all this we still have to find time for fun, work, house cleaning, and all the usual stuff....
Wish us luck...... LOL
Ok, well I didn't want to keep you all hanging there for much longer.. I will try to update after Lindsay's appointment next Friday.
love and thanks for all the conitnued prayers for us all....
Carine
Tuesday, August 29, 2006 9:08 AM CDT Hi everyone....
Just a quick note as I run out the door to work.. Lindsay loves school, her check-up was great, and we are settling back into the routine of school....
Please keep our friend Cameron in your prayers.... I will add a better update later... and new pics....
love to all,
Carine
Monday, July 31, 2006 8:02 PM CDT Hi there,
I hope this finds you all well. We are doing great! We had a wonderful time in the Dells last week, and Lindsay's check-up went well. her counts are still wonderful:
WBC: 6.9
HBG: 14.2
PLT: 325,000
ANC: 3243
Exactly where they should be...
The Dells was 5 fun, and sun filled days...We did get rain usually at night, but we just did all the indoor stuff then. We are keepng busy swimming with friends and relaxing...
Not much on the Agenda this week...Lindsay is heading to the zoo with her Mammy (Bryan's mom)Thursday.
I had a follow-up mammogram today to check some areas from my last one in January and everything looks the same, which is good news...One more follow up in December and I won't need another mammogram until I am 40! (4 1/2 years from December)That is a huge weight off our shoulders!
Bryan's cousin Jenny is finised with her chemo, and had her port removed last week. She is feeling pretty good and is getting ready for her radiation that will start in August.
Lindsay will register for 4th grade on the 17th of August and her first day is the 28th! Hard to believe that Summer break is almost over! She will have her next check-up the Friday before school starts! (the 25th of August).
Thank you Nicole for the great package with the goodies for us all.... We really appreciate it and YOU!
Have a wonderful month if nothing exciting happens here I will be back after Lindsay's next check-up.... No news is definately good news!
love to all,
Carine
Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:03 PM CDT Hi everyone.... I hope this finds you all well. We are doing fine here! Lindsay came home yesterday from camp and loved it! Thank you to all those who sent Lindsay mail while she was there...That was one of the first things she showed me when I picked her up yesterday was all her mail!
She is sporting a great tan also... Thank goodness she has Bryan's skin... I am either white or red..... Nothing in between.
She fished, swam, went on a boat, went to a waterpark, had a dance, and made new friends...All in all a good week!!
We are heading up to the Wisconsin Dells this coming weekend (My 35th b-day...YIKES) for some much needed R&R! Then Lindsay has a checkup in Milwaukee on the 29th... Just a quick check-up and then we may head to the Zoo In Milwaukee. We hear there is a new Giraffe exhibit there!
That's about all that is up with us at the moment.... Just enjoying the summer!
We hope you all are too!
much love to all,
Carine
Sunday, July 2, 2006 8:05 PM CDT Hi everyone.... I hope this finds you all doing well... We are doing great! Lindsay is keeping busy with friends & family...She has already had a couple sleepovers. We had her appointment in Milwaukee on Friday and all went well!
her counts are awesome"
WBC: 6.9
HBG: 13.4
PLT: 313,000
ANC: around 3000
Her next appointment is July 28th.
She is feeling well and getting ready for Camp. We will be droping her off this coming Saturday, July 8th. I will then pick her up on July 15th. She is really looking forward to it! If you would like to drop her a note at camp it would be best to send it the middle to end of this week so that she gets her mail while she is at camp.
Her address there is:
Lindsay Ekberg
One Step at a Time Camp
AURORA UNIVERSITY
350 Constance Blvd. PO Box 210
Lake Geneva Campus
Williams Bay, WI. 53191-0210
That's about all going on here. Bryan's cousin Jenny is doing pretty well this week. Her LAST round of chemo is July 12th, and then she will have about 4 weeks off until she starts radiation. I will keep you all posted!
Thanks for checking in on us and for continuing on keeping Lindsay in your prayers. I don't know if you all realize this , but her Diagnosis anniversary is tomorrow. 3 years ago tomorrow we got the news that has forever changes our lives. Not exactly the anniversary we want to celebrate, but it is an important one. We have learned to take life as it comes, and cherish each day. We have learned who we can trust and those who truly support us. So many amazing people have been so generous and supportive of us during our journey.
We thank God everyday for you all!
much love,
Carine
PS......... I also just reached my 3 year mark since my Cancer diagnosis and surgery with a great check-up! Lindsay and I are going to have one he** of a party when we both hit our 5 year mark!!! LOL
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 ***UPDATE***
Lindsay is officially a 4th grader with another awesome report card....
Reading: A
Writing/Grammar: A
Spelling: A plus
Math: A
Social Studies & Science: S's
Art: A
Physical Ed: A
Music: B
All her Work habits, behavior, and attitude marks were "Excellent"
We are VERY proud of her!!!!
See you in a couple weeks!!!
until then
Much love, Carine
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Hi everyone.... Sorry for the late update... Things are going just fine here. Lindsay had her check-up in Friday and all was well
WBC: 6.5
HBG: 14.1
PLT: 340,000
All great! we didn't even wait for the Manual Differential since here neutrophils were 3.0 which is an ANC of roughly 3000....
She is off all meds still, and is due back in Milwaukee on June 30th for her 6 month off treatment check-up...A big deal here. This means she is 1/2 way to being off treatment one year.....at which time her chance of relapsing drops significantly. The chance is always there, but each passing year without relapsing is good!!
We are gearing up for Lindsay's last day of school, which is tomorrow and then she will be officically a 4th grader *snif*.... My baby is growing up so fast! We are so thankful that she is doing so well and turning into such a little lady.
We are still a "GO" for camp. We take Lindsay up to Wiliams Bay Wisconsin on July 8th and pick her up on the 15th. I know she is ready and will do great, and I just hope Mom and Dad do well without her for the week. :0)
The camp has a website if you want to check it out
www.onestepcamp.org Lindsay will also be able to get mail, but it would be a good idea to send it to her right before the week of camp to make sure she gets it.
Her address will be:
Lindsay Ekberg
One Step at a Time Camp
AURORA UNIVERSITY
350 Constance Blvd. PO Box 210
Lake Geneva Campus
Williams Bay, WI. 53191-0210
I think that's all that is going on with us right now... Just looking forward to a FUN summer!!!!
thank you all for your continued prayers for Lindsay and our family... and Please keep them up for Bryan's cousin Jenny. She has 2 more rounds of chemo and then a couple weeks off before she starts 6-7 weeks of radiation (5 days a week) starting in August. The weeks she gets chemo are rough. She gets about 1 good week between rounds! I know she wants to be healed, but she is definately tired of this!
Thank you!
Much love to all,
Carine
Tuesday, May 16, 2006 9:48 PM CDT *****GOOD NEWS UPDATE*****
Miss Lindsay has her 1st dentist appointment since being diagnosed in July of 2003 and guess what.............
NO CAVITIES!!!!!!!!
We are sooooo proud of her!!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE MOM'S & GRANDMA'S OUT THERE!!! XOXOXO
"Before I was a Mom"
Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do
tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want
to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the
hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my
body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and
happy.
Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every
10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The
wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.
And before I was a Grandma, I didn't know that all those "Mom" feelings more
than doubled when you see that little bundle being held by "your baby"...
MONDAY, MAY 8, 2006
Hi everyone... Sorry I promised an update over the weekend, well...... WE were OUTSIDE enjoying the beautiful weather... Things went well in Milwaukee on Friday.
Lindsay's counts were great!
WBC: 5.9
HBG: 13.5
PLT: 301,000
ANC: 2950
She is feeling good. Her Thyoid functions were check because of the weight gain she had last month and everything there was completely normal. Which is good. Lindsay's Nurse Practicioner assures us that Lindsay's weight is fine as long as she continues to grow "up" not "out"! LOL By the way... She is now 4'9" tall now!
More Big news!!!!!! Lindsay is now COMPLETELY DONE WITH ALL HER PILL TAKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She was still taking her Bactrim (anti-biotic to prevent a certain pneumonia) since she was diagnosed back on July of 2003. She was taking this 3 days a week twice each of those days. Now that her Lymphs have been consistantly in the "normal" range for the last few months she was told Friday that she is all done with Bactrim. Now we don't have to remember to take any pills anymore...
2ND part of the big news..... Lindsay is going to camp this summer! She will be going to an Oncology Camp in Williams Bay, Wisconsin in July. She was a little apprehensive about spending a week away from us, but her Nurse practicioner will be there in the medical office the same week Lindsay is there is case she needs a friendly face if she gets home sick. Kids going to this camp will be on treatment and off treatment like Lindsay. She is pretty excited at this point and we are happy that she will have the oppourtunity to do this.
Bryan and I are fine! I have my next appointment with my GYNE in June. At that point I will be Cancer free for 3 years.. More than 1/2 way to my 5 year "all clear" point.... I can't beleive how fast the time is going! Bryan is working hard as always. We have a close friend getting married this weekend and Bryan is the Best man, so we have been busy with showers, bachelor party, and this weekend the wedding.
Lindsay's last day of school is on June 7th, which she can't wait for. She loves her teacher, but she is definately ready for summer!
Bryan's cousin Jenny did a little better with her 2nd round of chemo she has 3 weeks ago. She was only sick for 5 days instead of 10. She does have her 3rd round this Wednesday (5/10). Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Her girls are having a hard time with Jen getting sick.
alrighty.... I think that is the month in a nutshell. Lindsay goes back to Milwaukee on June 2nd again for check-up and labs.... unless something major happens I will update then.... I hope you are all having a wonderful Spring and a fun Summer!!!!!!
much love to you all
Carine
Thursday, May 4, 2006 11:03 PM CDT Hi guys.....
Sorry, sorry, Sorry for the lack of updating... Please know that "no news IS good news"! Lindsay is doing just wonderful and life is slowly returning to "normal". We are heading to Milwaukee tomorrow afternoon for the next (4 months OT) checkup.... I will put up another update tomorrow or sometime this weekend... We have a close friend getting married next weekend and it is consuming a lot of time right now!!! Thank you to our loyal fans (Nicole) who continue to check up on us..... even when I am terrible about updating!!!
Talk to you all this weekend...
much love,
Carine
Friday, April 14, 2006 ******UPDATE******
Lindsay got her report card yesterday and.............
STRAIGHT A'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We couldn't be prouder of our girl!!!
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2006
Hi everyone... sorry for the delay in updating...things have been crazy here. Lindsay is doing well. We were in Milwaukee on Friday (3/31) for labs and a checkup. Her counts were good!
WBC: 5.3
HBG: 13.8
PLT: 291,000
ANC: 2756
She is also now 4 feet 8 1/4 inches tall, and around 113 pounds...Her weight is up about 6 pounds from last month. They will be checking her Thyroid just to make sure is it functioning properly. She isn't overeating, but they don't want to see that much weight gain. Other than that all is well.
We spent last weekend saying goodbye (for now) to Bryan's Grandma or GIGI as we called her. She was a wonderful, Caring, loving woman.... She will be deeply missed! Thank you all for your condolences and well wishes.
I would like to ask you all to please continue to keep Bryan's cousin Jenny in your prayers. She has Breast Cancer and had a single Mastectomy about a month ago. She started chemo last Tuesday(3/29) and has literaly been sick every since. She has been back to the hospital quite a few times for IV fluids, and was then admitted this Tuesday(4/3) for vomitting and she was also running a fever. Her White Blood Cells were very low. They are on the rise and hopefully she made it home today. I haven't talked to her today. She was very sick when she was pregnant with both of her girls, and she found out that she is allergic to many anti-nausea medications so they are having trouble getting her nausea under control. She is usually so peppy and full of life, and right now she is struggling. Any and all prayers would be very much appreciated!!!
Lindsay has her next appointment in Milwaukee on 5-5-06.... I will try to be back with any new happenings with Lindsay or Jen....
Love to all,
Carine
Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:13 PM CST Hi there everyone...
Just wanted to stop by and let you know what's happening here... Lindsay is doing great! She is feeling good. We are heading to Milwaukee on Friday for her 3 month off treatment check-up..... AND unfortunately then we have to head up to Neenah, WI... Bryan's grandma passed away today. She was a wonderful woman, and we have so many fond memories of her... We loved her very much and she will be deeply missed!
Please keep Bryan's family in your thoughts and prayers in the next few days and weeks as they cope with this loss...
I will be back after the services and Lindsay's appointment with an update!
much love to all...
Carine
Monday, February 27, 2006 2:53 PM CST Hi everyone...
I hope this finds you all doing well. We are doing fine. Lindsay had her 2nd off treatment checkup Friday and everything went well. Her counts were great:
WBC: 6.7
HBG: 13.7
PLT: 328,000
ANC: 3953
SO...Things are right where we (and her doctors) want them...We head back to Milwaukee in a month..
Thank you for keeping Lindsay in your thoughts and prayers....Also for keeping Bryan's cousin Jenny there too!!! She is facing a lot right now and things aren't going to be to easy on her. She will spend the next year or so fighting this Breast Cancer. She is an amazing woman, wife, and mother... She will beat this, but as most of you know it will take some time and effort! She will definately still need our prayers..
One of our CHW buddies passed away last week too. Can you please keep Aidan's family in your prayers..He was only 10 years old. Cancer SUCKS!!!!
thanks for stopping by to see how we are doing..
love to all,
Carine
Saturday, February 4, 2006 Hi Everyone...
I hope this finds you well! We are doing fine, Lindsay is great....
I am here today asking for your prayers for Bryan's cousin, Jenny. She was diagnosed this past week with Breast Cancer. She is one month older than I am (34) and has a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful girls (9 and 7 years old). The Cancer is worse than they first thought and She may be looking at a Mastectomy. They meet with the Oncoligist on Tuesday... From someone who has been there twice now (with Cancer ~ not breast Cancer specifically), please pray for her understanding, strength, and guidance as they make some difficult decisions. She is a wonderful person and Her and her family have been such a great source of support to us during mine and Lindsay's illnesses. They had always said "I don't know how you guys do it!" Well now, unfortunately they will know!
Thank you in advance for your prayers for Jenny and her family!!!
love to all
Carine
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Hi everyone....
Hope all is well with you all...We are doing fine! Lindsay had her first OFF TREATMENT check-up yesterday in Milwaukee, and everything looks good! Her counts were great:
WBC: 4.2 (perfect)
HBG: 13.0 (perfect)
PLT: 289,000 (perfect)
ANC: around 2000.... Just where we like it!
Lindsay is still being bothered by a cold or virus...Strep was negative from last week, so it is just a run of the mill annoying cold! Even with our unseasonable warm weather the school is still flooded with sickness... If Lindsay can come away with just a cold we will consider ourselves lucky!
That's about all for now... I think I can say our lives are heading back to normal (or New normal as my ALL-Kids friends call it!)...
Her next appointment is in 4 weeks in Milwaukee...
Talk to you all soon
Love,
Carine
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 12:24 AM CST Hey everyone...
I hope you are all doing well and making the best of the new year!
We are enjoying the new year CHEMO-FREE.... Lindsay is now however fighting some type of cold... She feels ok, but is running a low-grade fever... Last night it was 101.9, but after a little Tylenol (which we can give now since her port is gone!) it went down... This morning before any meds the fever was only at 99.4... Much better.. She is home from school today (as I am from work) and she is feeling fine, just a little stuffy.
Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers that whatever she has will resolve itself soon... Her immune system is going to take some time to recover (even as long as 6 months to a year) from all the chemo... It may take her longer to fight those everday illnesses that we all kick in a couple days....
That's about all for now... she will have her first "off treatment" checkup and labs done on the 27th of this month.... Unless anything else transpires I will update at that point...
Take care everyone
love and hugs
Carine
Wednesday, January 11, 2006 ***UPDATE***
Lindsay's NP called today and said Her Spinal Fluid was crystal clear.... and BEST OF ALL... She is in complete remission and all chromosome testing came back NORMAL ~ no sign of the abnormality!!!!!!!
We are so happy!
Friday January 6, 2006
NEW PHOTO'S IN ABLUM!
Hi everyone....
Well I updated last night, but I guess it is lost in cyberspace! The point of my update is to let you all know that..............
LINDSAY IS FINISHED WITH CHEMOTHERAPY!!! She took her last chemo pill last night! We are very optimistic that this will be that last chemo she EVER has to endure... Our prayers now need to ensure that she remains in remission forever with no relapses! This next year is critical...She needs to get through this year with out a relapse and her chances of one drop dramatically... We will be in Milwaukee every month for labs and a check-up.
I also wanted to thank all of you who have followed Lindsay and her story over the last couple years... I will continue to update Lindsay's page with what She is up to and, of course, details of her appointments... You haven't heard the last of us! :0)Your prayers and support are what has made us get to the other side of this in one piece...
I don't think anything we can say or do will ever be enough to thank those who have helped us along the way, but please accept this very sincere and heartfelt THANK YOU from Bryan, Lindsay and I.....
much love to you all....
Carine
Tuesday, January 2, 2006 HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!
We are doing fine... Lindsay was able to take off her dressing today and shower. (thank goodness... she was getting stinky LOL)The incision (under the steri-strips) looks great. The surgeon took out the wide scar and made it a nice straight line...
Lindsay also goes back to school tomorrow... I don't know who is more excited... Her or me! LOL~! We have been butting heads a little being couped up the last few days... She is out of PE this week so her site isn't bumped.... It really doesn't seem to bother her though.
Anywoo that's about all for now..She did take her last dose of oral Methotrexate on Saturday... Her last 6MP will be Thursday! Then she is officially OT! I did take a couple pictures of the last MTX... I will put them up after the last 6MP.....
Take care everyone...
much love
Carine
Monday, January 2, 2006 9:18 PM CST HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!
We are doing fine... Lindsay was able to take off her dressing today and shower. (thank goodness... she was getting stinky LOL)The incision (under the steri-strips) looks great. The surgeon took out the wide scar and made it a nice straight line...
Lindsay also goes back to school tomorrow... I don't know who is more excited... Her or me! LOL~! We have been butting heads a little being couped up the last few days... She is out of PE this week so her site isn't bumped.... It really doesn't seem to bother her though.
Anywoo that's about all for now..She did take her last dose of oral Methotrexate on Saturday... Her last 6MP will be Thursday! Then she is officially OT! I did take a couple pictures of the last MTX... I will put them up after the last 6MP.....
Take care everyone...
much love
Carine
Friday, December 30, 2005 9:35 AM CST 5:30pm UPDATE.....
We are home... Lindsay is feeling pretty good, other than some aches and a small headache... The preliminary bone marrow and spinal fluid results are "all clear" We will be waiting for the official results sometime next week.. The doctors are looking to make sure the chromosome abnormality found when she was diagnosed isn't still present.. that should take about 2 weeks for the final results on that...We did a little mis-calculating as far as her last chemo dose... her last oral Methotrexate will be tomorrow, and her last oral 6MP will be Thursay of next week... Not exactly starting the new year chemo free..... but close enough for us! :0)
Lindsay also had her count checked yesterday and they were fine:
WBC: 2.3
HBG: 12.8
PLT: 250,000
ANC: 1334
all good! She will have her first Off Treatment check-up and labs on the 27th of January..... We were going every 6 weeks while in maintenance, but now that she is done with chemo they want to see her monthly... just in case.....
All in all the day went nicely and Lindsay is now resting on the couch and I think I will join her!...
Thanks for checking on us...
love, Carine
10:30am UPDATE........
Just talked to the surgeon and Lindsay has been DE-PORTED!!! He even cleaned up and fixed the sloppy scar from the port placement... Everything went very well and her Spinal tap and Bone marrow aspiration are also finsihed. Lindsay's NP Susie stoped in the waiting room and told my mom and dad that everything looked good... Obviously we have to wait for the "official results" and that may take a few days with the upcomming holiday weekend, but She is done and things are going well.... I will update later from home if anything else comes up.
Thanks again for your well wished and prayers..
love, Carine
Hi everyone......
Just a note to let you know that they just took Lindsay into surgery.... She is doing fine this morning other than being hungry (no food before surgery).... We are in the family waiting room now until the doctors come out....
I will update after everything is done... Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers for Lindsay...
love and hugs
Carine
Saturday, December 24, 2005 1:03 PM CST MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!
I hope this finds you all well.... We are doing great!
7 more days and we will (God willing) be putting
Chemotherapy behind us FOREVER!
I will be back with an update after Lindsay’s surgery on the 30th...
Love and many hugs to you all
Bryan, Carine, and Lindsay
Sunday, December 11, 2005 9:09 PM CST Hi everyone...
I hope this finds you all well and with abundant holiday spirit.
We are doing well here and getting ready for Santa's arrival...
Lindsay had her labs checked on the 9th... They were fine ~
WBC: 3.1
HBG: 12.2
PLT: 294,000
ANC: 2356
We have begun the countdown... Lindsay should take her last dose of chemo on December 31st.... With the surgery to have her port removed, and a diagnostic LP and Bone marrow biopsy on the 30th. by my calculations that leaves 20 more days..... I am still in awe that we have come this far...
We were in Milwaukee Yesterday for FUN!!! we did a "flight to the North Pole" to see Santa. Which was organized in part by the hospital...With other awesome companies and organizations. It was wonderful and we were treated VERY well... Lindsay had a BALL!!!! We even had our own ELF assigned to our family...
I will elaborate more on that soon.....
If anything interesting happens I will update sooner... if not see you all when we cross over to the Off-treatment life...
love to all
Carine
Thursday, November 24, 2005 9:29 AM CST HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!
I told you I would be back soon...We are doing fine. Lindsay's shingles are healing more and more everyday. She is dealing with a dry-skin rash on her face. Her Nurse practicioner thinks it is from chemo even though she has been off all chemo since November 4th. They were also tossing around Exema (sp?) but decided to "wait and see". We are slathering her with lotion for now.
Other than that she is feeling well and we are going to re-start her chemo tomorrow. Her NP wanted to give the shingles a little more time to heal. Her counts were good on Monday when we were in Milwaukee.
Ok... Now the exciting part... Lindsay will be done with chemotherapy on December 31st.(last day of oral chemo). We will be in Milwaukee on December 30th to have a diagnostic Spinal tap (no chemo) and Bone Marrow Aspiration, and she will also be getting her port out. All in one shot..... one sedation... and still under this years insurance deductables. This will keep us home for New Years Eve, but I would give up all New Years partying if it means my daughter will be Cancer free for ever...It is such a small price to pay.
I do want you to understand that they prayers for Lindsay CAN'T stop when she ends therapy.... They need to be stepped up if anything. The first year after treatment ends is the most stressful. They are "watching and waiting" for Lindays body to heal, and that the Leukemia doesn't re-surface (relapse.) Leukemia "hides" in the body which is why the treatment plan is 2 1/2 years. Now they are taking away our "security blanket". We know in our hearts that she is done with this whole Cancer thing, but prayers don't hurt. She will still need to be seen in Milwaukee monthly for the first year off treatment....
So that's that... We are having family over today..The turkey is in the oven...We are also celebrating Lindsay's birthday with family today. She can't wait... I just wanted to stop on and give you all an update on Lindsay... I have to go peel potatoes....
Much love and many thanks for sticking by us these last couple years.... We are Thankful for you all!
Bryan, Carine, and Lindsay
Monday, November 21, 2005 11:25 PM CST Hi everyone....
We were in Milwaukee today and things are healing, but that isn't why I am here.....
TOMORROW IS LINDSAY'S 9TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Tuesday Nov 22nd)
If you can please stop in her guestbook and leave her Birthday wishes...
I will be back soon with a medical update.... End of treatment is SOON!!!!!!
love to all
Carine
Saturday, November 19, 2005 10:45 PM CST Hi there....
Sorry for the lack of update. We are still home and Lindsay is still healing...We do go back to Milwaukee Monday to have things looked at. Today was Lindsay's friend party for her Birthday (on November 22nd) I posted a picture here and one in her photo album. The girls had a great time and Lindsay got some great stuff. I have to cut this short, but we are doing fine and I will post again after Monday's appointment
love and hugs
Carine
Wednesday, November 16, 2005 8:00 PM CST HEY EVERYONE....
WE ARE HOME.........LINDSAY IS DOING GOOD AND WILL RETURN TO SCHOOL TOMORROW..I WILL UPDATE MORE LATER...
Love, Carine
Tuesday, November 15, 2005 1:20 PM CST DAY 4 AND WE ARE NOW COUNTING.....
He he.... Yep we are still here and will be spending another night in good old room 5522.....Lindsay's shingles appear to be getting better, but we are waiting for them to either
A. Crust over or
b. go away....
The biggest problem is that she was on Acyclovir by mouth which is what she is getting through her IV now (but at a higher dose) and she "failed" the profalaxis (sp?) dose... Dr Camitta saw her and said "we will see how they look tomorrow" So here we are......
Please keep Lindsay in your thoughts.... she is really getting bored not being able to leave her room... and that we won't be moved off the HOT unit....this happens when they are in need of space...They move the patients that can be moved.....We are very comfortable here, and would hate to pack up and move everything....
Alrighty... I will be back if we miracously get to go home today.....otherwise see you all tomorrow
much love
Carine
Monday, November 14, 2005 3:32 PM CST Hi everyone....
Hope this finds you all well... We are hanging in there...Still here in Milwaukee... Her Oncologist was in today and wants to wait at least one more day to see how the shingles are going to resolve...This time we caught them early... which I thought was a good thing, but now we are having to wait to see if they are going to blister or not. They are getting better, but we are still in "wait and see" mode. Lindsay is feeling good and the Child Life specialists are here trying to keep her busy with crafts adn stuff like that... I have read and re-read all my gossip magazines now... I am resorting to watching all the silly Nickelodean shows that Lindsay is watching... I am going to have nightmares of Spongebob I think...Don't get me wrong, I am thankful that she is doing so well, it is just a bummer that we are here again.
My mom is still doing well..she is getting around fine.... My dad is going back to work tomorrow and she will be on her own...
Alrighty... I am going back in to check on Miss Lindsay... I will update tomorrow.... hopefully with the news that we can go home.. We will see.
Love to all
Carine
Sunday, November 13, 2005 1:34 PM CST Hey everyone....
We are still up here in Milwaukee... Bryan will be with us until tonight... someone has to work tomorrow... bills to pay. LOL
Lindsay is feeling fine, and I think the shingles are starting to heal.... Bryan tried to talk the doctors on rounds into let us go today, but they said.... maybe Monday or Tuesday... I am fine with either as long as we aren't moved into a different room on a different floor. We are on the Oncology floor, and I am so much more at ease here rather than on a general floor... They don't know Lindsay like they do here. She is off chemo again this week because of the shingles also. Her counts did come back up from being off last week's chemo, but now they want the shingles to heal before starting her back up.
I talked to my mom today, and she sounded better and not so doped up.. She was getting discharged today and going home to rest... She just has to now watch for infections for the next couple weeks.
Well I think that's about all for now...If anything exciting happens in today I will be back...
love to all,
Carine
Friday, November 11, 2005 3:16 PM CST UPDATE SATURDAY NOV. 12TH
Hi there... we are hanging in here in Milwaukee...Being that this is the weekend and we are mainly being seen by interns i'm not thinking that we are getting out of here this weekend...maybe Monday. We will have to see. Lindsay is feeling fine still...maybe a little stir crazy, but feeling fine. Her patch of spots are the same if not a littel bit better. I did just talk to my mom... she is very doped up, but the surgery went good and she should be going home tomorrow. She will have to watch for any sign of infection for a couple weeks, but her appendix hadn't ruptured so that is good....She said er...slurred....that she feels better than she did yesterday. that's about all from here.... I will update again if anything new develops....
love, Carine
UPDATE FRIDAY 9:30 PM
Hey there... Well when it rains it pours... Lindsay does have shingles again. Looks like BOTH Bryan and I get to spend our birthday's in the hospital. Lindsay is feeling fine, but we are in lockdown until we talk to a doctor in the AM...ALSO... I just found out that my mom has appendicitis and is at NIMC getting her appendix out TONIGHT. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers also...Thanks
I will update tomorrow when I have a better idea what is going on...
Carine
Hey everyone... Please keep Lindsay in your thoughts and prayers... We are heading up to Milwaukee to have a spot checked on her side that looks too much like the Shingles that she had in July... If you remember we spent a week in the hospital getting IV meds to treat this... Her Kids birthday party is supposed to be next Saturday so pray that 1. it isn't shingles
2. that if it is we are discharged sooner than last time
I will update when I can....
OH yea, tomorrow is Bryan's birthday and it looks like he will spend it in the hospital with Lindsay like i did....Will this ever end?
Thanks
much love
Carine
Saturday, November 5, 2005 9:37 AM CST Hey everyone..
I hope you are all well... Lindsay had her clinic appointment yesterday. It went OK. I need to back up though to tell you this story. Early this week she started with a cough and stuffy nose. No fevers so we just medicated for the cough. Fast forward to Thursday nite. We were at my in-laws for dinner and Bryan and I had gone to look at a used Van to replace the leased Jeep we had to turn in October. (more on that later). When we came back to get her she was running a low fever. We watched her during the night knowing we would be in Milwaukee on Friday anyway. I kept her home from school Friday because of the "24 hour fever free" rule at school. She actaully didn't run another fever all day Friday. So, We headed up to the clinic and they accessed her port, flushed it, and drew labs. Her Nurse Practicioner then looked her over. She looks fine, but when they listened to her lungs they were rattling and wheezy. They were going to get a chest X-ray done, but then decided to go with an Albuterol Breathing treatment to try to loosed up some of the "junk" in her lungs. She is also on an inhaler (Albuterol also) for the next 7-10 days. No antobiotics as they think it is a viral infection which isn't treatable with antibiotics anyway. Then her counts came back:
WBC: 1.0 (low when you are trying to fight infection)
HBG: 12.3 (fine)
PLT: 253,000 (also fine)
ANC: 480 (way to low!)
They are confident that they low WBC is because she is fighting some infection, but her ANC hasn't been that low since the beginning of all this. We have to keep her away from all sickness, and follow her around with Purell all day (which she just loves - LOL)
Lindsay is also off all chemo for a week to let her fight this, and for her counts to recover. Her ANC needs to be above 500 next Friday (the 11th) for her Chemo to be re-started. We have a family wedding next Saturday so we are hoping the week off chemo and the inhaler get her back in shape... She really feels fine, it is just that she is coughing a lot and it pretty stuffy. We can't really treat the cough as they want her to cough the junk up.
OH... she also got her flu shot yesterday too... Not at all happy about that. She did great, but wasn't happy that she has to get one. Bryan and I need to get ours, but now i am on a hunt for them as out GP doesn't have them. They have the FLU-Mist which is terrible if you are in any contact with anyone who has a compromised immune system. So that is out for us...
On Thursday we did end up getting a new (to us) Van. It is very nice and something finally worked out in our favor. it is a 2004 Chrystler Town & Country. Very clean. The price was right and we were in need of something as we have been borrowing Lindsay's auntie's car for a few weeks now and we know she was anxious to have it back. Lindsay LOVES it.. She is more excited than Bryan and I, I think, and we are pretty darn excited too....It has the DVD entertainment system so on the way to Milwaukee yesterday we watched a movie while Bryan chauffered us in style. :0)
Well I think that it is for now... We are getting ready for Lindsay's party on the 19th (her B-day is the 22nd). We will have her counts re-checked here locally on Friday the 11th and I will check back with you all then.
Have a wonderful weekend!
love and hugs
Carine
Wednesday, October 19, 2005 9:02 AM CDT Monday, October 31st.....
*****HAPPY HALLOWEEN*****
Hi everyone.... I hope you are all doing well... We are fine here... Lindsay had her counts checked last Thursday and I am just getting around to an update now... my bad... That means though that things have been rather uneventful...which is good! Her counts were:
WBC: 2.3
HBG: 12.0
PLT: 267,000
ANC: 1472
All fine and I think I can optimistically say that the increases in Lindsay's chemo aren't knocking her counts too low.. They have been fine since the increase.
As I said.... nothing much new here. Bryan had to turn in his leased Jeep on the 8th of this month, and he was very sad.... We are in the process of doing some house refinancing, so a new car will have to wait until we can figure out what we can afford...Lindsay is gearing up for her Birthday party on the 19th of November (her b-day is the 22nd) She is having a " Girly Hawaiian theme" party... here at home. She invited 11 of her girlfriends. I am sure she will make me crazy before the 19th.... Everyday she wants to make things for her party...Like signs for the lawn to direct her friends (who all know where she lives) to her party...Things like that.. She is too cute!
I want to thank all those who helped us with the Jewel Shop and Share back in August... It went very well. For the 9 days that the promotion ran we had over $12,000 in sales at Jewel(based on the coupons turned in) which Jewel then donated a check for just over $600 to the Lindsay's Warriors account..THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! This paid the last bill I had been whittling away at from her Shingles admission in July. We are so grateful for all the help and love you have all showed us over the last 2 years. We are now trying to save, in the event that her port removal surgery happens after the first of the year, for those insurance co-pays.... and for the prescriptions she is still taking for the next couple months... It never ends..
Anyway, my short entry turned pretty ling winded, sorry...
We are due back in Milwaukee for a check-up and labs on November 4th.... I am hoping to get the END OF TREATMENT schedule down then.... I am excited and scared that we are almost done.....
Thanks and much love to all
Carine
Friday, September 23, 2005 3:28 PM CDT FRIDAY SEPTEMBER, 30...2005
It is with a sad heart I tell you that our 7 year old (that isn't a typo...7 year old) friend Clare from Maryland passed away yesterday, after a brave battle with ALL like Lindsay and a relapse in May. She had a Bone Marrow transplant with her sister as her donor in July. She developed pnuemonia (sp?) and because of the lack of her immune system endured many complications and spent most of her time after transplant in ICU. I have followed Clare's story closely since her relapse, and have been so touched by the unbelieveable love, support, and dedication of her family. This is every parent's worst nightmare, and I wish I had the words to adequately express my sympathy to Clare's parents, Karen and Benno, and her sister Phoebe. Please visit Clare's site at www.caringbridge.org/md/clareschmidt and leave her family a note of condolence and support. This is just so sad!!!!!
Thank you
I know this will seem so trivial especially in light of Clare's passing, but Lindsay did take her LAST DOSE of steroids EVER!!!! this morning.. We are so proud of her and what she has endured up to now.
Love to all,
Carine
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2005
Hi everyone...
I hope you are all doing well... We are doing fine here... Well she did it.... Lindsay had her last spinal tap WITH chemo... She will have a diagnostic Tap when she goes off treatment in Dec/Jan, but NO MORE CHEMO INTO HER SPINE! She also received her LAST dose of Vincristine...Which is an awful drug...good at killing Cancer...Hard on the body! She will start her last 7 day pulse of steroids tonight, so if you can keep us all in yor prayers for an uneventful week, and that the steriods aren't to bad for Lindsay this time.
I forgot to post her counts from yesterday:
WBC 1.7
HBG: 12.5
PLT: 321,000
ANC: 1020
Just right for her procedure today, and exactly where they want them with the current doses of chemo she is taking...
Lindsay did really well today and is resting in front of the TV as I type. She is feeling good (so far) and we will keep her low key until at least tomorrow night.. We don't want any spinal headaches.
What's next? Well we are scheduled to head back to Milwaukee in 6 weeks for a port flush and labs, with local labs three weeks from now...At that appointment I think we will be discussing more about what we are in for as far as the end of treatment stuff. We are hoping to have her last Spinal Tap, Bone marrow biopsy (if needed... not sure if they want to do this yet), and have her port removed on the 30th of December (if things go our way). I know it will put a damper on our New Years Eve... but.... starting the new year without Cancer and Chemo makes it all worth it!
Now is the time for me to thank you all for standing by us and seeing us through the last couple years. We are truly grateful from the bottom of our hearts and I don't know if we would have made it through with out our Families, friends, ALL-Kids (my online support system), and all our on-line families.... including Caringbridge.. I can't tell you enough what the world of Caringbridge has done to our lives... It has put so many things in perspective. If you ever look through Lindsay's guest book you will see entries from other parents that have children with other illnesses.. If you have time go visit their pages... pray for them, and sign their guestbook.. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to sign on and see that a complete stranger has visited Lindsay's page and left a note of encouragement for us... It really does make our day!
On the financial front... We still have many bracelets if you know anyone interested in being a "Lindsay's Warrior", and we have now opened a "Lindsay's Warriors" account where you can make donations to help with medical costs. The donations are now tax deductable and can be mailed directly to the Bank or to our house.. We are so very grateful for any form of donation.
Thank you if you made it this far.... I got a little long winded, but I am feeling sentimental as today my daughter has reached a major milestone in her journey.
Much love to all and I will be back if anything comes up... Otherwise I will update after her next lab check....
Carine
Thursday, September 22, 2005 5:13 PM CDT Hi everyone...
Just wanted to stop by and let you all know that Lindsay will have her LAST Spinal tap with Chemo tomorrow and the last dose of Vincristine (the one that makes her body ache) and she will take one more week of steroids starting tomorrow night.... She WILL have oral chemo at home until the end of this year.... But we are ok with that...
She is truly our hero!!!!
If you can please say a prayer around 10am that all goes will with her Tap and that the fluid is crystal clear...
I will update tomorrow night with how she did...
Thanks for all the love and support
Much love
Carine
Sunday, September 11, 2005 9:30 PM CDT MORE WEDDING PHOTOS IN THE PHOTO ALBUM....9-9-05
Hi everyone,
I hope this finds you all well. We are doing fine here. Lindsay is feeling well despite a nasty cough she has had for a few weeks now...She finished the 10 days of the antibiotics for her ear infection and is still coughing... We are now thinking allergies. She had her counts checked on Thursday and they were fine. The nurse who left her counts on the machine didn't leave all of them only that they were fine and her ANC was around 2300...
As you can see above Lindsay was the flower girl in Bryan's cousin's wedding on Friday. She looked like an angel and did a fantastic job! She danced the night away and we all had a great time...THANK YOU RYAN AND BETH FOR INCLUDING HER IN YOUR SPECIAL DAY!
Lindsay will have her counts checked again on Thursday the 22nd for her Friday (the 23rd) spinal tap...This will be her LAST spinal tap WITH chemo. We can't beleive that we are starting to see the light at the end of this 2 1/2 year tunnel...
Lindsay is also enjoying school, but is realizing that 3rd grade involves more learning and less play time than 2nd... I don't think she is liking that too much.. She will adapt though just like with everything else.
I think that's about all that is going on here.. Please if you know anyone interested in a "Lindsay's warriors" bracelet direct them to this page... Also remember that any donations now made to Lindsay's warriors are now tax deductable and can be mailed directly to the bank above....
September is also Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Chili's Bar & Grill will be donating 100 f their profits to St Jude's childrens hospital for Childhood Cancer research. If you are able please take the family out and enjoy a good meal for a great cause. Thank you!
As I am posting this on this date I ask you all to remember all those who lost their lives 4 years ago when out nation was attacked by terrorists... And today as so many are still looking for loved ones lost in Hurricane Katrina.....
Please keep my "ALL-Kids" families in you prayers also...some are really struggling right now..
Thank you
love to all
Carine
Friday, August 26, 2005 10:04 PM CDT NEW PHOTO'S IN ALBUM 8-29-05
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT SUPPORTED US DURING THE "JEWEL SHOP & SHARE EVENT"
WE ARE HOPING FOR A GREAT RESPONSE AND SHOULD KNOW IN A COUPLE WEEKS. ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDS WILL HELP TREMENDOUSLY!!!
THANK YOU AGAIN
"LINDSAY'S WARRIORS" FUND INFORMATION ABOVE ALSO.....
Hi everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. Lindsay had her appointment in Milwaukee today...The appointment went smoothly, other than the fact that she had a fever while there and they kept us there until her counts came back...
WBC: 2.0
HBG: 12.1
PLT: 355,000
ANC 1000
WHEW...I think if her ANC would have been below 500 (last checked it was 598) they would have admitted us for a couple days.. We definately didn't want to spend out last weekend before school in the hospital. We were able to go home...Oh yea..The fever was 100.3 and caused by the ear infection she now has....She has been coughing for a little over a week now, but her lungs are clear... Her ear, on the other hand is red and infected... No idea where she got an ear infection, but was started on a 10 day round of Amoxicillin. Her ear doesn't hurt at all so we were surprised to hear that she had the infection. They are thinking the antibiotic should clear up the cough too...
We are hoping she stays fever free and feels good as she is supposed to start school Monday..She will be on antibiotics for a couple of days, so as long as there are no fevers we are good to go... She is very much looking forward to getting back and seeing the friends she has missed over the summer. She did get the teacher she wanted which is helping in her enthusiasiam....
We are due in Milwaukee on the 23rd of September for her next (and last!!!) Spinal tap WITH chemo.... She will also get her last dose of Vincristine and take Steriods for the last week hopefully for the rest of her life! God willing!
Thank you all for your interest in the Jewel Shop and Share. The last week starts Monday...
We also want to put out there that we still have MANY "Lindsay's warriors" bracelets left if you know anyone who may be interested in them....
Thank you all for your unfailing support and love... We wouldn't have made it through this with out you all!
LOVE,
Carine
Friday, August 12, 2005 7:34 PM CDT REMEMBER... JEWEL SHOP & SHARE STARTS THIS MONDAY 8-15-05
THANK YOU...
Hi everyone...
We are doing fine here... Lindsay had her counts checked on Thursday. They were ok...
WBC: 1.3
HBG: 12.4
PLT: 276,000
ANC: 598
All counts are fine except for that stinkin' ANC..Her doctors would like it around 1000..That is a decent infection fighting ability...She was consistantly running around 1500 to 2000 so they increased her Weekly Methotrexate. I think if she runs low now for a while she they may put her MTX dose back down and try to increase her 6MP (nightly chemo). She is doing well other than a pesky cough. Nothing serious... just something we will watch (especially with that ANC)
Lindsay's first day of school is August 29th with registration next Wednesday (8/18). She finds out who her teacher is on Wednesday...I think she is most excited about that.
We will be heading up to Milwaukee on the 26th of August for port flush and labs..They are trying to get us back on track after our stay from the Shingles. Her LAST spinal tap with Chemo (God willing) will be in October. We are starting to count down to our chemo-free life!
I will update again after our trip to Milwaukee.
Thank you for the huge interest with our Shop & Share fundraiser... It starts this coming Monday... Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for the next THREE weeks...
love to all
Carine
Sunday, July 31, 2005 6:08 PM CDT Wednesday, August 3rd, 2005
*****JEWEL SHOP & SHARE UPDATE*****
It is OFFICIAL...The Jewel Shop & Share dates are
AUGUST 15-17th
AUGUST 22-24th
AUGUST 29-31st
The certificates you need to use are good in Illinois and Wisconsin Jewel-Osco. I can e-mail certificates to anyone interested. Jewel will donate 5 percent of your grocery purchase to our family for past, present and future medical costs. There is no cost to you... Simply turn in the certificate when you check out...That's all...Copies are accepted so please if you know anyone who shops at Jewel make copies of your certificates and pass them on... I will also e-mail anyone who needs them.
any questions PLEASE e-mail me at cae71@msn.com
Thank you!
Hi everyone...
Sorry for leaving you all hanging on Lindsay's appointment last Wednesday... She is doing fine and her Shingles are healing up nicely... She is back on all chemo's at the doses (increased) that she had been on..The only thing we are seeing is some irratation and rashes on her face from the chemo.. We are sure it isn't more Shingles, and that it is strictly chemo related.. She continues to feel good and her counts were good also.
She was supposed to have another appointment ont he 12th of August, but since she has been there so recently and had labs checked and her port was also recently flushed we will just do local labs on the 11th and head back up to Milwaukee on the 26th for her next check-up and port flush.
I think that is all that's up here for now... I want to again thank you all for being so supportive of us with donations and helping by purchasing "Lindsay's Warriors" bracelets. I did order some more adult mediums for those who would like a smaller size...The instructions for purchase are above this journal entry.. We are so very thankful for your generousity! It is a HUGE help and we are starting to bob our heads just a little *above* water! and for that we thank you!!!!
Unless anything BIG happens... I will update in a couple weeks when her counts are re-checked... We are still trying to figure out how the increased chemos are going to affect her. with the Shingles and being off chemo for almost 2 weeks we are back to square one!
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, July 25, 2005 9:54 PM CDT Hey everyone.... I am VERY happy to report that WE ARE HOME!!!!! We were released early this afternoon... Lindsay is doing good, but does have 2 tiny blisters still on her back... We do have to head back up to Milwaukee on Wednesday Morning to have her checked again by the doctors...
She is also home on an oral version of the IV Acyclovir that she has been on now for a week... She gets the oral form for 8 more days ~ 4 times a day.... 6am, noon, 6pm, and Midnight~!! I am still in for some sleepless nites, but at least they are in my own bed!
I am exhausted so I will close for now, but thank you for all the well wishes and prayers for Lindsay during our stay! If you or anyone you know is still interested in "Lindsay's Warriors" bracelets we still have A LOT of them left!
Thanks for all the support you have shown us over the last 2 years!
love and hugs to all
Carine
(very thankful to be home tonight!)
Sunday, July 24, 2005 2:50 PM CDT Hi,
This is Lynn Ritchie, Carine's mom. I'm trying to do this little update, because Carine no longer has access to a computer at the hospital. They have been moved to the 8th floor, room 861. The phone # is 414-607-5083 and you can also reach them on their cell phones. The shingles are healing, but it looks as though they may be there another day or two. If that changes, I'll try doing this again.
Thursday, July 21, 2005 7:01 PM CDT UPDATE: Friday July 22nd
Hi everyone...Coming to you still from Children's in Milwaukee. Lindsay's shingles do seem to be improving a little..The doctor was in and said the other two newer patches seem to be getting a little lighter, which he seemed happy about. He did say to count on a few more days here, though, just to make sure we aren't going to have any more outbreaks.
I had a pretty good Birthday today... Lindsay and I layed around this morning, and our good friends Julie and Dylan came to visit and brought some great craft projects for us to keep us busy. Thank you Julie and Dylan! Bryan was up around 4pm and went to "the Cheesecake Factory" and picked up take-out for my birthday dinner since we were planning on doing that tomorrow and it looks like we will be here. Dinner was awesome and I got a really cozy pair of pj's from Bry and Lindsay... and with Lindsay doing well.... I am one lucky mommy tonight... I am going to go for now and cuddle with my family.. We sure did miss Daddy this week!
Love to all,
Carine
Hey all....
Hope this finds you all well... We are hanging in there... Still in the hospital with no target release date. I did talk to Lindsay's doctor today and he said her original patch of shingles is crusting over,but all three, including the new one that formed yesterday has to also scab over.. It took the first one 5 days! He explained that at this point she may still get more and if they were to send her home on oral meds they aren't as effective, and she could have complications. We are fine with that and don't want to bring her home until she is past the point of new breakouts and until it is safe for her to be off IV Acyclovir and on to oral.
That's about all that is exciting for now... We are still in room 411 at Childrens in Milwaukee and our number is 1-414-607-5411. I will update tomorrow if anything comes up... Bryan should be here in the afternoon with my BIG birthday cake!
I also need to thank you all who have been purchasing and trying to sell Lindsay's warriors bracelets and especially for those making donations to help with with medical bills.... this one should be a whopper! your donations will definately come in handy! Thank you!
love to all,
Carine
Monday, July 18, 2005 9:07 PM CDT July 20th (update to the update)
Hey all.... Looks like there is another patch of shingles popping up on Lindsay's chest now, so I will have to talk with the doctors tomorrow to see how long now they think this may take, and if the Acyclovir is going to just make them less severe or if it is supposed to be preventing these outbreaks.... Who knows! That's about all from here.. Lindsay is still doing pretty well... getting more bored by the day, but the child life specialist is great and keeps bringing her fun things to do in her room... If we are here much longer she may have to dig into the "big guns".. LOL
Take care and I will try to update tomorrow with what I hear from her doctors. It isn't easy to get on the computer here, but I will try!
love to all ,
Carine
July 20, 2005 (Wednesday)
Hi everyone... I just updated and lost it, so this will be really quick.. We ARE still here and will be until Lindsay's shingles scab up... There are still only 2 patches, but one is just starting to blister, and the other has been blisters since Saturday nite and hasn't crusted over yet... We will be here a while! We are fine, Lindsay feels good... WE are jsut BORED!
Thank you for all the well wishes for us and for my Birthday! Bryan is planning on heading up here after work Friday and bringing me a cake!!!
Love to all
Carine
Hi everyone....this will be quick... Just want to let you all know that Lindsay has been admitted to Childrens in Milwaukee for Shingles (version of Chicken Pox). She started getting a rash on Saturday under her arm and there is now a patch on her back..She is feeling good, but we are here in Isolation so they can make sure there aren't any complications...
We are in room 411A and our telephone # is 1-414-607-5411. We were told that if she does well and there are no complications to expect 48 to 72 hours here... I will keep you all posted.
Thanks in advance for your prayers and good thoughts.
love to all
Carine
Wednesday, July 13, 2005 9:58 PM CDT Hi everyone....
I hope this finds you all well...WE MADE IT through last weeks steroids and heavy chemo. Lindsay did have aches and pains from the Vincristine, and the steroids did give her insomnia and made her very itchy, but all in all, she did pretty well...Also NO NEWS on the spinal tap, so obviously it was all clear!
We are still waiting to make sure her body handles the increased doses of her nightly and weekly chemo ok...so far so good. We will have her counts checked again next Thursday (7-21) to see how the increases are effecting her counts..Luciky for us they are increasing all this while she is on Summer vacation and not at school with all the germs...Many of our activities are outside so we can avoid close contact with sick people.. :0)
I did fail to mention that my last check-up back in June (13th to be exact) went well and I am an official 2 year Cancer survivor myself...My next appointment is in December. I will continue to go every 6 months until I hit the 5 year mark.
We are still selling the "Lindsay's Warriors" bracelets, so if you or anyone you know may be interested in purchasing one or making a donation the directions of getting them are above. A family member is also in the process of setting up a "Jewel Shop-n-Share" to benefit our family. Anyone in Illinois or Wisconsin can use a coupon (that I can send to you when i get them)at any Jewel at the checkout when paying for your groceries, and Jewel will donate 5% of the total to our family. It doesn't cost anything, you just have to turn in the certificate. More information on that coming soon...The dates tentively are August 15th-17th, 22nd-24th, and 29th-31st. I will post something above when this is finalized.
Thank you again, and I know it doesn't seem like enough, but we are SO very thankful for all of you that have donated to our family and included us in your prayers...There is no way for me to convey how much this means to us and how very much we appreciate each and every one of you!
I will update next week with Lindsay's counts.
Lots of love....
Carine
Friday, July 1, 2005 9:00 PM CDT Hi everyone...
I hope this finds you all well... We are doing ok. I am going to start with Lindsay's labs that were done Thursday (6/30/05) to check her counts before the spinal tap she had today.
WBC: 2.3
HBG: 13.1
PLT: 348,000
ANC: 1587
Everthing was fine and we headed up to Milwaukee yesterday. We planned on going to the ZOO, but the tropical heat wave we have had changed our plans...We had a fun girls day with my mom, Lindsay and me...We spent the day at the Mayfair Mall by the hospital and Grandma treated us to a night at the Hampton Inn by the hospital..Wasn't our original plans, but it worked out just fine...
Bright and early this morning we headed up to the hospital for a 9:30am clinic appointment and a 10:30am Spinal Tap..Lindsay was a trooper! The Tap went well and we haven't heard anything from the hospital.(which is good)
Lindsay is now going into Week 105 of 130.... Hard to beleive that we only have 25 weeks left... Seems like forever ago when we were staring at the pages of a 130 week protocol and didn't know if we would get through it all in one piece... And here we are 2 years later and Lindsay continues to do well with only occasional bouts with nausea and vommiting... We are truly grateful to everyone who has helped us make it this far... Sunday will be the 2 year anniversary of Lindsay's diagnosis...One of the worst days of our lives has now turned into a reason to celebrate our victories. Only problem is that, Like I said above, Lindsay has a spinal tap today.....That mean's not a whole lot of celebrating here this weekend anyway...She needs to take it easy so she can escape the grips of a dreaded "spinal headache". Believe me though... We will find some time to take in the magnatude of her accomplishments! She is our Hero....
A little more about her appointment today...They increased all her chemos...We are in a holding pattern now to see what this does to her counts... She has been growing, which is part of the reason for the increases...All the drugs are based on her height and weight (4'7" and 94 lbs by the way). Her ANC has also run consistantly on the high side (over 1500) and they want enough chemo in her to keep the ANC around 1000 or a little less...Her weekly chemo was increased from 9 1/2 pills a week to 13 pills... They increased her nightly 6MP by 1 pill a week, and (lucky US) her Steroids by 7 pills for the week she takes them... It isn't a bad thing they increased the chemos...They obviously just want to make sure that she has all she needs to keep her in remission FOREVER! (we obviously agree).
She also only has ONE more Spinal tap WITH Chemo! and ONE more week of steroids after this one! She will have a spinal tap without Chemo and a Bone marrow biopsy at the end of her treatment just so her doctors can "have a look"...
I also have to include a HUGE THANK YOU to all those who have purchased a "Lindsay's Warriors" bracelet.. There are still many left if those who haven't requested one (or more ) :0)...We are amazed with the generousity of strangers as well as those who are near and dear to us... Thank you!
Well.....I got a little long winded didn't I ....A lot happened today...I would like to ask for prayers and/or positive thoughts that Lindsay's little body does ok with all the chemo she got today and with all the increases starting today (including the steroids) She has done so well...I would hate to see her not do well with the increases... She did get Vincristine today and that's the chemo that makes her body just hurt... Please pray the side effects (if any) are minimal! We will get her labs checked again locally on July 21st...I'll keep you posted.
Thank you!
Much Love to all,
Carine
Wednesday, June 22, 2005 3:24 PM CDT Hi Everyone...
I just had to stop in a tell you all how wonderful you all are...We have had such a wonderful response to the "Lindsay's Warriors" bracelet campaign. We have not only had people so interested in the bracelets that we had to place a 2nd order because we FLEW through the first 60 we ordered, (another 500 should be in the 27th of this month), but we have also had some very kind hearted people just sending donations to heps us... We didn't think a small cry for help would open up us up to all this concern...We are FOREVER grateful to you all...
We also have to send a HUGE Thank you to the person or persons who Anonymously sent us Jewel, Walmart, and BP gift cards...I hope you are a reader of Lidnsay's page and see this...They will help more than you know and we are so thankful for them.
Well as I said.. We have ordered more of Lindsay's bracelets, and they will be here Friday of this week or Monday of next and we are sending them to those who have requested them as soon as they are in...There are many more and we are still taking requests and will do so as long as you would like to have them.
Other that all of the above...We are doing fine..Bry and I returned to work this week after being off last week. We tried getting things done at home and had a wonderful Father's day. Now we are back to work and Lindsay is enjoying her summer vacation...She is officially a 3rd grader!!!
Our next appointment for blood work is June 30th to check Lindsay's counts before her Spinal Tap on JULY 1ST. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers that the tap will go well, and she will do well with chemo into her spine and port, as well as they steroids she will be on for a week. Also, as always that the Tap will still show her in remission in her spinal fluid and no headaches from it either. Wow.... I guess I am a little demanding aren't I? LOL
I know you all can help us with this "small" request!
Take care everyone and you all need to know that we are so thankful and forever grateful for you all!!!
love and hugs
Carine
Monday, June 13, 2005 6:17 PM CDT NEW PICTURES IN PHOTO ALBUM 6-16-05
Hi everyone,
I hope everything is well with you all! We are doing fine here. I just wanted to post a little note in light of the "Lindsay's Warriors" bracelet note above....We aren't very comfortable asking for your help, but sometimes things are just too much of a struggle and you have to swallow your pride and ask... We have not only had Lindsay's Leukemia to deal with emotionally and finacially, but my Cancer Diagnosis in June of 2003 in which I was unable to work for 6 weeks, and then Lindsay's diagnosis 4 weeks later(because of which I wasn't able to return to work until she hit maintenance in February 2004...8 months after my diagnosis).... To top all that off (I know you are thinking isn't that enough? well.......) we had our basement flood in May of 2004 and had to completely gut it so that mold did not develop which could have been a huge problem for Lindsay. Well with one blow on top of another we have been trying to keep our heads above water for some time now... We have been very blessed with wonderful friends and family that have helped us along the way, and we were receiving some financial aid up until around June of last year, but as we are getting close to the end of Lindsay's chemo we are finding that the Medical debt and the attempt to get the basement done as we have a little money are strangling us....Even after the chemo is done we will not be done with the monthly doctor appointments...They will go on Monthly for the first year off treatment as well as port removal surgery.... Bi-monthly the 2nd year, every 3 months the 3rd year, every 4 months the 4th year, and then finally annually after she has been off chemo for 5 years. I know we have always said "no no we're fine" when we are asked how we are doing, and all we are asking is that if you would like to help please purchase a Warrior bracelet for Lindsay.....With out all of you, her "Warriors" we wouldn't have made it this far. There is a pathetic picture (LOL) in the photo album for you to see what you are buying...
Thank you to Jodi who came up with the wonderful Idea...
We love you all and thank you for all your support...
Carine, Bryan and Lindsay
Thursday, June 9, 2005 4:53 PM CDT Hi everyone...
Ok time for another update! Things are going fine here... Lindsay had her labs checked today. Her CBC was good, but the vial they drew to check her chemistries wasn't able to be used for some reason. We thought we would have to get them re-drawn...Lindsay wasn't happy..She does well with the blood draws, but 2 in one day? That wasn't going over well! Anyway her counts are good:
WBC: 2.3
HBG: 12.9
PLTS: 334,000
ANC: 1702
and like I said the Chemistires will be checked at her next appointment on July 1st.
Monday is Lindsay's last day of school. 2nd grade down 10 more years to go. HEHEHE Really though, Lindsay is excited for summer vacation, but does LOVE school!
Things are good here with "all the other stuff" too. I will have my 2 year check-up with my Doctor on June 13th.. I can't believe I am a 2 year Cancer Survivor! We are walking in the Northern McHenry County Relay for Life on the 17th (next Friday). This event is by the American Cancer Society and obviously a cause very close to our hearts! Anyone who would like to donate to our team you still have a little time... Just send a check payable to the "American Cancer Society" and mail it to our home address...E-mail me at cae71@msn.com for our home address!
Alrighty, That is about all for now...Lindsay will be back in Milwaukee on July 1st for a Spinal Tap with Chemo, another chemo into her port and start steroids for 7 days.... Kind of puts a damper on our 4th of July weekend, but If it keeps Lindsay in remission we are willing to make that sacrifice....
OK all, Take care and
much love to all
Carine
Friday, May 20, 2005 7:23 PM CDT Hi everyone....
Hope you are all doing well....Things are going fine here! Lindsay has her appointment in Milwaukee this afternoon, and all went well...her counts were good:
WBC: 3.1
HBG: 11.8
PLT: 293000
ANC: around 2000
Her Oncologist was scheduled to see her and he thought she looked wonderful and was doing great! Always what we want to hear... He did mention that since she is growing so much (she is now 97 lbs and 4'6" tall)that her next spinal tap on July 1st they will increase the chemo that is injected in her spinal fluid and possibly the vincristine (the one that causes the bone pain)...Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers that she doesn't have any side effects from these increases... She tolerates these doses pretty well now and we hope she will with the increase! Anyhoo...I am not sure if we are having her labs checked in 3 weeks or not... Her regular nurse Practicioner (NP)was off today, hence the appointment with her Oncologist. I have to call Tuesday when Suzie(NP) is back to see if they labs are necessary. Otherwise she will have then checked in just about 6 weeks... the day before her spinal tap..
Other than the medical stuff Lindsay is ready for school to break for summer... and for the warmer weather! She had a busy week this week... Tuesday she had a field trip to the Milwaukee Zoo.. (yep 2 trips to Milwaukee this week). and Thursday was her "fun field day" at school....She had a good week and I think next week is pretty quiet... The countdown to out of school is on.........15 1/4 days left of school (June 13th last day)
I want to also put out there a HUGE THANK YOU to Lindsay's Angels Nicole, Sonja, and Krista for being so kind and thoughful to all of us!..We just found out that one of our favorite nurses from the HOT unit at Children's recently found Lindsay's page..... HI CHRIS!!!!! Ok....Take care everyone and I will try to update sooner that 6 weeks from now...:0)
love to all,
Carine
Saturday, April 30, 2005 10:58 PM CDT Hi Everyone... Sorry for the lapse in updates... Things have been going well here.... Lindsay finished up the week of steroids without too much uproar. She did have the classic mood swings and constant need to eat... She is back to "normal" now... She had her counts checked on Thursday. They are fine:
WBC: 2.3
HBG: 12.4
PLT: 297,000
ANC: 1449
We will have them checked next when we head up to Milwaukee on the 20th of May for a check-up and port flush.
Well that is about all that is new here...Take care everyone and once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the well wished and prayers....that you all think to still include us all in them!
Love to all,
Carine
Saturday, April 9, 2005 2:52 PM CDT Hi everyone... Hope you are all well... We are going relatively well here.. Lindsay had her spinal tap yesterday. They did have to "poke" her twice to get fluid to test, but so far she is headache free. She also got one of her other chemos and we are waiting for the joint pain to start. Last time she has this she complained of quite a bit of Jaw pain.. Hopefully this time will be different. She also starts 7 days of steriods...I am going to have to get to the grocery store today or tomorrow :0) All in all she did well and we are just making her take it easy for the rest of today and tomorrow. She should be in school if she feels fine on Monday.... Thanks for checking on her and keeping her in your thoughts and prayers. We haven't hear on her spinal fluid results,but that in itself is good... "no news is good news"...She will have local labs in 3 weeks and then to Milwakee 3 weeks after that for a checkup, port flush and labs...
That's about all here!! Have a wonderful weekend... The weather here in Illinois is wonderful!!
love to all,
Carine
Thursday, April 7, 2005 9:21 PM CDT HI everyone...sorry to keep you all hanging after the last entry...Bryan is doing quite a bit better..thank you for your well wished for him. He was off for one week not being able to move much, and then had a planned week of vacation which worked out well for his recovery. He returned to work Monday. He is wearing a support belt on his back and it is helping.
Lindsay is doing pretty good too...She was home throwing up on Wednesday. No fevers or anything else.... just vomitting. Chemo related most likely. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow..We are heading up to Milwaukee for a Spinal tap with chemo and another chemo into her port and will start a 7 day pulse of steriods. I don't want to be all "doom and gloom" but the drugs she will get tomorrow have a huge array of side effect the biggest being different types of PAIN...Back, jaw, and joint just to name a few....She has been fortunate up to now to only have slight reactions, but they can hugely vary from time to time. With the Spinal they are testing her fluid for any presence of Leukemia with a small sample of fluid and replacing it with Chemo..This directly hits her Brain. We are so very thankful for the way she has taken everything in stride and hasn't had any major problems, but we also know we are one of the "lucky ones". We have so many online friends that are having such a hard time right now, and they have the same Leukemia as Lindsay. Anyhoo...Just thought I would throw a quick update here and I will let you all know how things go tomorrow night or Saturday...
Much love and thanks to all
Carine
Monday, March 21, 2005 10:36 AM CST Hi everyone.... We are pluggin' along here.. Lindsay is doing well. She will have her next appointment April 8th for a spinal tap with chemo, the chemo into her port and start 7 days of steroids...Until then she is going to school, playing with friends...Ya know, regular 8 year old stuff...
I did convince her to get her hair trimmed last Friday. I really hadn't pushed the issue because she wanted to let her hair grow long, and being that she almost lost all of her hair after her diagnosis, I decided to let her be "the boss of her hair" It is coming in nicely, but there were many uneven layers.. I convinved her to go to "Cookie Cutter" hair cuts for Kids. She was able to play PS2 while getting her hair trimmed. We only did a trim, but it looks and feels so much better..She even let me put a few curls in it on Saturday. She doesn't normally let me touch her hair.....even with a blowdryer! I did put a picture in the photo album of the back of her hair...She wanted a cut that would allow the back and sides to "flip" and they do...
Let's see..... What else... Oh please keep Bryan in your thoughts and prayers... He pinched a nerve in his back...VERY PAINFUL.... He is off work for a couple days and taking Motrin 800mg and a muscle relaxer every 8 hours.. He is hoping to be feeling better by the end of the week. He is miserable now though :0(
I think that is all that is up with us right now...Take care everyone and thank you for the nice guestbook messages, and for keeping Lindsay in your thoughts and prayers...
Love to all
Carine
Friday, March 11, 2005 7:25 PM CST Hi there... Hope you are all doing well.. Lindsay had her appointment today in Milwaukee. It went smoothly. Her counts were good also:
WBC: 1.9
HBG: 12.2
PLT: 225,000
ANC: 1140
Her MTX now that it is weekly isn't count dependant so she will take that unless (I am guessing)her counts crash. Her NP did tell us that if her ANC is consistantly on the high side they would increase her dose of either 6MP or MTX. Now she is on 100% doses of both of these drugs so she would be getting more than 100% because her body metabolizes it "too well" which in itself isn't a bad thing...It's just that more kids at some point get chemo reduced because it is too toxic or their bodies arent' metabolizing it well.
Lindsay will have local labs done on April 7th before she is scheduled for her next Spinal Tap with chemo, the chemo (Vincristine) into her port, and starting another week of the dreaded steroids all on April 8th.... After that we may go back to bi-weekly count checks if they decide to increase any of her meds. We will be able to do more local labs though and *possibly* be able to make our clinic visits now every 6 weeks as opposed to every 4...That would be wonderful for us...We will have to wait and see about that though.
Thank you for the well wishes for Bryan and I for our anniversary. We had a very nice night away to celebrate our 11th anniversary..We had a wonderful dinner and our hotel was very nice..The weather cooperated on Saturday (our actual anniversary) and we were able to roam around Lake Geneva and window shop at some really great shops..
So that's what's up with us...Thank you Sonja, Krista, Nicole, and Misty for the wonderful gifts for Lindsay...She truly loved all the things you have sent her...
Well I am off...but We all wish to thank you all for the well wishes and prayers for Lindsay.
love to all
Carine
Friday, February 25, 2005 11:09 AM CST Hi everyone...
Hope you are all doing well...We are plugging along here... Lindsay is showing signs of improvement...she is still very stuffed up and has that nagging cough, but seems to be doing a little better. She did come home yesterday from school with a slight fever (99.9) and was just tired..She took a little nap and felt better...This virus has just kicked her butt! She is at school today and so far I haven't received any calls. (knocking on wood)
Tomorrow we are meeting Bryan's cousin and his fiancee to look for a flower girl dress for Lindsay..She will be in thier wedding on September...She is VERY excited..She has never been a flower girl before.
Bryan and I are getting away for the night next Friday for our anniversary..For all those that were at our wedding....can you beleive it will be 11 years on the 5th of March?? We can't! We are just heding up to Lake Geneva for the night to have dinner and a little R & R...
I think that's really all that is going on right now... I will will update after our next trip to Milwaukee on the 11th...Take care everyone!
love to all
Carine
*****NEW PHOTOS IN ALBUM 2-27-05*****
Saturday, February 19, 2005 6:24 PM CST Hi There everyone.. I hope this finds you all well... Well after 1 1/2 years of chemo under Lindsay's belt we had our FIRST unplanned ER visit this morning.. Lindsay had been coughing for a couple of days now and this morning that paired with a fever of 101.8 required a call to Milwaukee to see what they wanted us to do. The Oncologist on call wanted Lindsay to be seen at our local ER for blood cultures to make sure there was no infection in her port or bloodstream. We should have those results in a couple days...they have to wait and see if anything grows. They did do a strep test, a urinalysis, a flu test, and a chest X-ray to see if her lungs were clear...All these tests came back great.. nothing out there to speak of. The Doctor in the ER and the Oncologist on call are figuring this is just a viral infection of some sort and just has to run it's course. Obviously if there is something growing in the cultures we may need additional treatment, but if not we are just going to medicate with Tylenol and Dimeatap for the horrible cough she has. At last check before giving her more Tylenol her temp was down to and even 100 degrees. I am hoping we are on the downward trend. Anyhoo...that was our excitment for this week..Lindsay is off school Monday for President's Day so that should give her an extra day to recover from all this...
I am asking for you all to just keep her in your thoughts that she will kick this bug and be back to her old self soon..Thank you, and I will update with any news if things change. Otherwise no news is good news. She is due back in Milwaukee on March 11th for a port flush and counts.
love to all,
Carine
Friday, February 11, 2005 7:54 PM CST Hi Everyone...
I hope this finds you all doing well. We are doing relatively well here. Lindsay had a checkup in Milwaukee today. Things went ok.
her counts were fine:
WBC: 2.7
HBG: 12.6
PLT: 347,000
ANC: 1944
These were good...We are now able to get labs checked once a month. That is good news! unless her counts fall low or get high we only have to check them once a month. Now on to the so-so news... Lindsay's Nurse Practicioner was checking her reflexes (hitting just under the knee cap) and Lindsay's weren't great... Her knee didn't "pop" Now, don't panic...this isn't earth shattering for her..They will just watch her closely with this...It may be a side effect from one of her chemo's ~ Vincristine. They will just keep an eye on this. Never a dull moment here huh?
We are due back in Milwaukee then again on March 11th. in the meantime we are gearing up for Valentines day and Bryan and my anniversary...Maybe we will squeak in a little "away time" or at least dinner.. YUMMY! Ok... Well thank you again for leaving great messages in the guestbook...We all love reading them...
Talk to you all soon...
love to all
Carine
Friday, January 28, 2005 10:21 AM CST **Lindsay got her report card Friday***
It was awesome...all "E's" and "1's"
WAY TO GO LINDSAY WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!
Hi everyone...
I hope all is well...We are doing relatively well here... Lindsay spent the last week "coming down" from her steriod pulse.. I think I hate the steroids more than the chemo... It makes her unbearable to live with sometimes... She is getting better and back to her old self now.
She did get counts checked yesterday and I got a call that her ANC was low (596) and we should hold chemo for a week and have the labs re-checked next week.. Well this didn't seem right because she has never been delayed and is now taking a lower dose of chemo weekly.. I checked her protocol and it said that chemo should be held if ANC falls below 500... Now I was really confused... I placed a call to the clinic and they failed to return my call until this morning, but as it turns out.... Her counts were fine and the report wasn't read correctly when they calculated her ANC...
WHEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! anyhoo... her counts actually were fine:
WBC: 1.9
HBG: 12.1
PLT: 242,000
ANC: 1254
She will resume chemo tonight and take her oral MTX Saturday night... We will have her next clinic appointment on February 11th for labs and port flush. She is fighting a cold now with a cough and stuffy nose... but now her that her ANC is good she should be able to shake this...
Well I am off to get ready to bring Miss Lindsay some McDonalds for lunch.. I do this once in a while and I am able to eat with her...She really loves when I come in..
I want to again send a BIG thanks to all of you for the wonderful guest book entries and well wishes, and to Lindsay's Angels... Nicole, Sonja, and Krista for taking such good care of her!
love and hugs to all.... I will update after her count check in a couple of weeks........ unless something good comes up.
Carine
PS.... New photos in album 1-29-05
Friday, January 14, 2005 8:20 PM CST Hi Everyone...
I hope you are all doing well. Lindsay did get her counts checked yesterday to make sure they were high enough to get her spinal tap today. They were fine:
WBC: 1.4
HBG: 12.6
PLT: 290,000
ANC: 826
So off to Milwuakee we went this morning. Things went very smoothly. We were in Day surgery by 10:00am and on the road home by 12:00pm Lindsay is resting tonight and will be taking it easy tomorrow to prevent any headaches from the spinal tap. She also got her Vincristine today (can cause bone and joint pain) and will start a week of steriods. We are hoping that she does well with all of this... Her back is a little sore tonight, but hopefully we be better tomorrow.
Other than that... Nothing much else going on here.... Lindsay will start her new dose of the Methotrexate next Saturday and then will continue to do this through the end of her treatment the end of this year. She will have labs done again in 2 weeks and then back up to Milwaukee for a port flush and check-up on February 11th.
Thank you all for the guestbook entries and thoughts and prayers for Lindsay. I also received the "all clear" from my latest Doctors appointment.
I will update again in 2 weeks after her next lab draw...unless anything comes up before then...
love to all
Carine
Friday, January 7, 2005 10:49 PM CST Hi everyone...
Hope you are all doing well.... We are pretty good here! We did get over 12 inches of snow starting Tuesday night and ending Thursday morning....resulting in a SNOW DAY for Lindsay...She didn't know what to do...This was her 1st snow day. She slept in, (wasn't feeling to great the night before)played a little in the new snow, and then we went to NIMC to have her labs checked once the roads were cleared...They were fine:
WBC: 2.0
HBG: 12.3
PLT: 297,000
ANC: 1160
She will be getting her last DD MTX tomorrow... Now, I wish I could say that this was the last of her chemo, but we just aren't to that point yet.... she is starting week #79 of #130... we still have a ways to go... She will go in for a Spinal tap with Intrathecal Methotrexate (chemo injected into her spine) next Friday (1/14). She will also have an IV push of Vincristine and start a week of steroids.... Last time she did OK with the steriods and the other chemo, but each time can be drastically different...Please say a little prayer or send a positive thought for her to do ok with all this...The following week she will start weekly oral Methotrexate (PO MTX), This will be a lower dose of the same MTX she is getting now and hopefully she wont have as many "pukey days" as she has now...
Sooooo.... She will be getting local labs done next Thursday also to check that her counts are still high enough to go ahead with the Spinal... Which is scheduled for 10:00 am on the 14th.
Lindsay had a wonderful Christmas and was treated VERY WELL by everyone....I did get my results back from my appointment and everthing looks fine... I do need to loose a little of the x-tra weight I am carrying....especailly so that my Diabetes doesn't get any worse... It has been fine up to now with normal blood sugar levels... But I don't want any reason for things to get worse...Loosing weight is one of the hardest things for anyone (especially me) to do so if you can keep me in your thoughts also I would so much appreciate it!
Ok Well I think that is all that is going on around here... I will update after Lindsay's Spinal tap next week...
we love you all!!!
Carine
Thursday, December 23, 2004 8:37 PM CST Hi Everyone...
I hope this finds you all doing well..... We are doing fine here...busy, but fine. We are as ready as we are ever going to be for Christmas... Presents wrapped....food prepared... Yep I think we're ready... Lindsay had counts checked today. They were fine:
WBC: 1.9
HBG: 13.5
PLT: 249,000
ANC: 969
all fine for her DD MTX on Saturday ~ yep Saturday(12/25) She will have her counts checked again in 2 weeks. She only has 2 more times taking the MTX this way and then she will go to taking a smaller dose orally once a week.... We are told that this should be a little easier on her. I really don't post this usually, but she has had quite a bit of nausea and vomitting lately. I think she is just getting tired of taking all the stuff... Her Nurse Praciticioner says she should not have as much sickness with the lower dose. Please pray they are right, and that her body likes this lower dose better...
Ok, Well...... I want to send, once again, a huge Thank you to Lindsay's Chemo Angels that have been so wonderful to her... Nicole, Sonja, and Krista.... As well as her Christmas angel, Cindy........I will never be able to thank you enough for all you are doing for my little girl! I love you all!!!
I will update again when her counts are checked again in 2 weeks..... in the meantime, please have a
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR...
LOVE AND HUGE HUGS TO ALL,
Carine
p.s. please say a little prayer or send a postive thought.. I have my 6 month checkup with my gyn. on Monday... Hoping for a good report.....
Thank you
Friday, December 10, 2004 9:08 PM CST Hi Everyone,
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL! Things are going fine here. Lindsay had an appointment today in Milwaukee. This one was for a port flush and labs. They were fine, although we just got the CBC, not the manual differential. Her counts were:
WBC: 3.2
HBG: 12.1
PLT: 320,000
ANC: Around 2000 (not exact without Differential)
All good enough to get her DD MTX tomorrow. Our next appointment is on January 14th, 2005. This one will be for a spinal tap, IV chemo (Vincristine) and she will start 7 days of steroids. Until then we will do local labs at Northern Illinois Medical Center every 2 weeks... We were also discussing the next "round" for Lindsay. She will finish the DD MTX mid-January. The next step is an oral Methotrexate which she will take as one dose once a week instead of four doses every other week. What that means is she will be getting a little less chemo and this phase will take her to the end of her treatment which will be sometime around the end of 2005.... We have come so far, but still have quite a journey still yet to travel! We pray that she continues to do relatively well with everything..... even though complications can arise at any time we will pray that they don't..... and would appreciate any prayers from you all also!
Lets see....What else... Lindsay continues to be showered with wonderful things from her "angels" from Cancerwarriors.org. Her Christmas angel already sent her an American Girl doll...(thanks again Cindy!) She absolutely loves it...She now wants to head to the the "American Girl Theater and restaurant" in downtown Chicago... Someday soon we will get there! She is getting Holiday cards from "friends if Allie" Which is also wonderful.
We are gearing up for Christmas and this years visit from Santa... Lindsay has a huge list for Santa to pick from!:0)
Ok Lindsay's next lab draw is on December 23rd and I will update then... Have a great couple of weeks and a joyous holiday season!!!
We love you all and are very thankful for all your well wishes and prayers for Lindsay and our family!
Carine
Sunday, November 28, 2004 9:09 PM CST Hi everyone.... I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday weekend.... We did. Things are going well here. Lindsay had counts checked on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. They were a bit high, but still within her "normal range"
WBC: 7.0
HBG: 13.4
PLT: 379,000
ANC: 6300
She took her DD MTX on Saturday...
Lindsay will be going back to school after a week off and I think we are both ready for her to go back.... :0) She has a nice week off. We had her birthday party on the 20th at a bowling alley close to home with our family and friends.. It was so much fun! We bowled, ate, and (Lindsay) opened presents.....many many presents. Now last year she didn't get a party because of her counts (way to low) so she more than made up for the lack of presents last year! She received many great things, but she is really excited about one in particular....Bryan's cousin ~ Ryan and his finace, Beth asked Lindsay to be the flower girl in their wedding next September! They also want to pay for her dress as her gift (as if asking her wasn't enough... I think the latter was a present for Bry and I :0))
Her actual birthday was Monday (the 22nd) and we went to lunch with Grandma, Mammy, and Auntie at Chili's and then did some shopping with her birthday money. We had spaghetti for dinner..... at Lindsay's request and then finished with some cake and ice cream!
Thanksgiving was nice and quiet... I cooked and had my parents, and Bryan's family here. 10 of us in all...... Great food and family.....now that's what I call a great holiday!
Lindsay was also in the "festival of lights" parade downtown Crystal Lake on Friday...She had a blast walking next to the carriage and handing out candy! Not to mention she got to spend the night at Mammy and Papa's house on Thanksgiving because I had to workon Friday and so she was there when her and Auntie needed to head over to the parade...
Whew......... Well now you see why we need to get back into our regular routine! We are Exhausted from our mini-vacation... we now need to gear up for the 2 weeks she has off at Christmas time....
Lindsay is feeling well and is due to head up to Milwaukee on 12/10 for labs and port flush. This should be her last appointment for 2004.... about 1 more year and she will be done with chemo forever! (God willing that is)
Thank you all for checking up on Lindsay and leaving such nice guestbook entries for us to read. They mean so much to Lindsay and Bryan and I!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, Carine
Friday, November 19, 2004 9:26 PM CST Hi Everyone...
I hope this finds you all well....We are doing good here. Bryan had a nice birthday and we are gearing up for Lindsay's on Monday. She will be 8 years old (already? when did that happen.....) We are having a party for her tomorrow at a bowling alley close to home. We are expecting lots of friends and family to be there to help us celebrate. Last year Lindsay wanted a bowling party, but ended up without any party because her counts (immunity) was too low to risk something like that! We are making up for it this year... Lindsay is off school all next week for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Mon and Tues are conferences, Wed. is an institute day... Then Thursday and Friday for the holiday. Monday we are "doing lunch" with both her grandma's and her auntie... one of Lindsay's most favorite thing to do is to go out to eat, so she is pretty excited about doing this on her Birthday.
Medically speaking Lindsay is doing fine. She will have her counts checked on Wednesday for her DD MTX she will get the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Our next appointment in Milwaukee is December 10th for labs and a port flush.
I want to take a minute and say a HUGE Thank you to all the "friends of Allie" who have taken their time to send Lindsay Birthday cards....she loves to get mail and has been getting at least one card a day for a couple of weeks now. She is also having a great time getting little things from her wonderful angels from "Cancer Warriors" They have already been so great to her and I only signed her up a month or so ago. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
Everyone have a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING.
love to all....
Carine
ps... some new pictures from Lindsay's 8 year pics (and a family one too) in album....
Thursday, November 11, 2004 6:58 PM CST NOVEMBER 12TH.......
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY...... LOVE LINDSAY
Hi everyone...
I hope you are all well... things are going well here. Lindsay did have her appointment in MIlwaukee today for labs and to get her port flushed. She also got her flu shot today. She will have to get another one in December at her next appointment on the 10th. Since this is the first time she has had to get the Flu vaccination she needs a booster 4 weeks after the initial shot. She did fine. How sad that a 8 year old is used to gettin so many pokes that an extra one doesn't effect her. Anyway her labs were good:
WBC: 2.1
HBG: 11.5
PLT: 228,000
ANC: 1218
She will be getting her DD MTX(oral chemo) on Saturday as planned... We did find out a couple of interesting things today. Our beloved Oncologist, Dr. Maloney is moving to Denver.:0( She was our admitting oncologist when Lindsay was diagnosed last year. We are really going to miss her. Lindsay's Dr. will new be Dr. Casper who is also great, but he isn't Dr. Maloney. We also asked her when Lindsay is scheduled to go off treatment....meaning no more chemo, and she said December 2005...probably the week of Christmas of the week after. What a great present!
I want to say a huge thank you to "Friends of Allie" for all the birthday cards you have been sending to Lindsay...she loves the fact that she is getting so many card from all over the country. I also have to say a huge thank you to Cancer Warriors for assigning Lindsay so many wonderul angels, birthday angels, and Christmas angels. She is getting such great things all the time in the mail..also another one of her favorite things...She also has a new pen-pal who is the daughter of one of Lindsay's angels....
HI MARISSA!!! I am going to guess that all of her angels are going to make her Birthday and Christmas very special for her...... Well that is about all going on here...
Oh, We did get our checking account hacked into via a stolen debit card this week....What a mess! Don't ever give your card information to anyone or respond to any e-mail...no matter how legitimate it may look.... I responded to an e-mail from MSN our internet provider... Well it was a fraud and now I am scrambling to get all the information the bank needs to re-credit the stolen money.....ARGHHHHHH!!!!It will get taken care of, but is just a big pain....
Ok Lindsay's next labs will be done on Wednesday November 24th so that we can get the results for her DD MTX the Saturday after Thanksgiving......
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!! We have a lot to be thankful for this year.... Oh yea, if you remember....Lindsay will be 8 on November 22nd (Monday) She would really like to be bombarded with guest book birthday wishes... Thank you
love to all, Carine
p.s. Lindsay got her report card last Friday and it was AWESOME!!!!! All E's and 1's (obviously the best you can do!!) We are VERY proud of her!
Monday, November 1, 2004 4:59 PM CST Hi everyone...
Things are going well here. Lindsay had a great Halloween... Way more candy was collected than any able bodied person should eat in a year, but isn't that the point?
We went with one of Lindsay's good friends Trick-or-Treating in her neighborhood.... The weather somewhat cooperated... It was about 55 degrees and clear.
I wanted to take a minute and say a huge Thank you to Christy Lillig who founded and organazation called Cancer Warriors. (they can be found at www.cancerwarriors.org). This is an awesome org designed to provide support to children fighting all types of Cancer. Most org's only support certain types of Cancer in Children and most often Leukemia is excluded because of its long treatment period. (2.5 plus years) This org does not exclude these kids.... Lindsay was assigned an angel (thank you Nicole) who will be sending her little gifts or cards of encouragement as she continues her fight. She will also have Birthday angels and Christmas angels who will help brighten those times for her... Lindsay is doing relatively well considering what she goes through, but it is nice that there are such caring people out there that are willing to do something nice for a child battling Cancer...Even though they also have busy lives.... We are truly blessed to have our "new friends" in our lives....
Thank you also to "friends of Allie" for all the wonderful guest book entries for us. They truly make our day! Here is a little background on "Friends of Allie":
"Allison Leigh Scott was born December 17, 2003, and diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in May of 2004. Her parents, Jenny and Andrew, decided to keep an online journal of their struggle. Jenny is a very gifted writer, and the two of them are among the most loving, caring, generous-hearted people you could ever hope to meet. Word of mouth is a powerful thing, and it didn't take long before their website was receiving 10,000 - 20,000 hits PER NIGHT as people logged in to read Jenny's post each day. I often stayed up until after midnight waiting for her post, as I found I was unable to sleep until I knew how Allie's day was.
Sadly, Allie lost her battle to AML on September 13th -- 4 days shy of turning 9 months. While she was with us, we formed a support board for the Scott family on MSN. Once Allie lost her battle, that site and all its members (over 3000) turned to raising funds for a cure, raising awareness, and finding ways to support other families still dealing with catastrophic childhood illnesses. And that's who we are. We were originally 'Allie's Angels', but recently found out that a group by that name already exists, so we are in the process of switching over to 'Friends of Allie'.
To give you an idea of the impact of this family, an 'Allie's Angels' team was formed for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's annual Light the Night walks. In less than 2 months time, 135 'Allie's Angels' teams walked in local walks and have raised almost $350,000.00 to date. We are 2nd in the nation in fundraising -- only Verizon raised more, and that company matches every dollar raised, so we are very, very proud of our accomplishments.
All for the love of a chubby little angel with the bluest eyes you ever saw who loved giraffes, and liked to blow raspberries at her doctors and nurses. She changed the lives of many. And now we're trying to pass it on by reaching out to other families in need, and by doing our best to make sure that, someday soon, no other family will need to endure the pain of losing their child."
You cna learn more about Angel Allie at www.scotthousehold.com
love to all
Carine
ps. I did add some Halloween pics to our album if you have a minute....
Thursday, October 28, 2004 9:36 PM CDT Hi everyone... Hope you are all well.. We are hanging in here this week... ONE more steroid dose tomorrow morning.... These are really getting hard on Lindsay. I know now that I don't want to ever have to take steroids for anything.... They just mess you up. Lindsay's headache did go away.. She is just really tired and very short-tempered this week. She did get her counts checked today for her DD MTX (oral chemo) on Saturday. They were:
WBC: 5.7
HBG: 13.1
PLT: 268,000
ANC: 5130
Everything is elevated because of the steroids. They tend to "boost" Lindsay's counts. This is nothing unusual. She is looking forward to her class Halloween party tomorrow and then Trick-or-Treating on Sunday. I will try to get my ancient digital camera to work so I can put up some Halloween pics after the weekend...
Other than ending the steroids... Lindsay is doing well... she continues to get 100's on all her spelling tests and is enjoying 2nd grade.
Lindsay's next appointment is in Milwaukee on the 11th of November (Columbus Day) for a port flush and labs. I will try to get some new pics up after the weekend.
Thank you for checking on us... We appreciate your prayers and well wishes more than you know..
love to all,
Carine
10-31-04.... NEW HALLOWEEN PICS IN ALBUM
Monday, October 25, 2004 10:58 AM CDT Hi everyone...
I hope this finds you all doing well. We are getting by here. Lindsay did have her Spinal tap, Vincristine, and started a week of steroids on Friday. We take the "no news is good news" approach as far as the spinal goes.. Her nurse practicioner said it looked clear and that is always a good sign.
We took it easy Friday. Saturday we were working on our never-ending basement troubles. Who would have thought that it would have taken us this long to get it finished. Oh well...
Lindsay came home from school today with a headache. I don't think it is from her spinal (at least I hope not), but from her steroids. Last time she had a Spinal headache it involved vomitting and lasted for a week. She was feeling good all weekdend, and then got one today. She has enough doses of steroids to start seeing the effects. Please keep her in your thoughts/prayers that the headaches will go away soon so she is able to enjoy Halloween. She is going to be a 50's waitress minus the skates.(not real good on those yet)
Well I think that is all for now... We will have her counts checked again on Thursday for her DD MTX on Saturday.. I will let you know then how they are and whether our week gets better! :0)
Love and hugs to all
Carine
p.s. adding some more pictures of our trip in the photo album.... stop by if you have a minute..Thanks...
Thursday, October 14, 2004 7:31 PM CDT Hi everyone ....
Kick back grab a beverage.... Here is our Disney trip and everything we did... BTW.. Lindsay is doing fine and has counts done today for her DD MTX on Saturday. We are getting the local labs done here at home on Thursday's now since it was becoming a problem to get the results by the time the clinic closed on Friday and we need to know whether her counts are high enough to give her the meds. They were fine
WBC: 1.9
HBG: 12.2
PLT: 255,000
ANC 1254
So she will get her DD MTX on Saturday.
Now I am going to have a hard time giving you an idea of just how wonderful our Make a Wish trip was, but I am going to try.
We were picked up in a beautiful Limo on Sunday morning at 4:30 am (somehow we managed to get up and be perky!) and took us to O'hare. Our wish granter, Jen met us there and gave us our tickets, and a cash card with spending money from Make a wish. She also had a bag of goodies for Lindsay like crayons, notebook, a barbie princess, playing cards, disposible camera, and things like that. This was Lindsay's first time on an airplane, and she did great... We had a great take-off and Landing so that helped. She did some homework and colored during the flight.
When we arrived in Orlando we headed to pick up our luggage and was met by a Give Kids the World (GKTW) volunteer with a cart for our luggage. She helped us grab everything and took us to the Avis counter to pick up our rental car (2004 Chevy Blazer) and then gave us directions to GKTW. We had a 30 minute ride to GKTW. We checked in and Lindsay was given a stuffed Mickey Mouse, and a t-shirt from Panama jack. We were showed were our villa was, and given the rest of the afternoon to look around and just relax. Our Villa was really nice. It had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Lindsay's bathroom was huge with a whirlpool tub, and a huge stand up shower. The villa also had a washer/dryer and a full kitchen with Pop, Milk and snacks there when we arrived. There was also a Walmart at the corner which came in handy for a couple more snacks. We wandered around the village for the afternoon and then went for a swim. We did visit the Ice cream parlor which was open daily from 7:30am to 9pm and you can make as many trips there is you like... We went to the gingerbread house for dinner... That is the restaurant in the village where we ate breakfast everyday, and dinner a couple of nights... Everything in the village is free, and they want you to get 2nd's and 3rd's.. I know I am not doing GKTW justice... It is a wonderful place with so many wonderful people taking care of your every wish and whim...There are about 60 paid employees and over 650 volunteers. Most of them are retired seniors who get such a kick out of making these kids happy.
Anyway, I went to new family orientation where we were given passes to Sea World, a 3 day Disney park hopper pass, and a 1 day Universal/Islands of Adventure pass. Now When we checked in Lindsay was given a button to wear that said "Give Kids the World" with her name and dates we were staying ar the Village. We found out that this was going to be the key to our vacation. This button, we found out, was our passport to the front of all the lines for the shows and rides everywhere we went. We were even pushed to the front of the lines to meet the characters.
We get up Monday and headed off to Magic Kingdom... What a wonderful place... Made Bryan and I feel like kids again... And Lindsay just couldn't get enough... We went on so many rides and saw some great shows... Tuesday we went to Sea World, and then we had reservations Tuesday night for a Buffet dinner with Cinderella and her friends at the Grand Floridian hotel. WOW!!! What a beautiful place. The dinner was awesome,and Lindsay had a great time meeting Cinderella, Prince Charming, Perla, and Suzy. Wednesday we went to Disney's Animal Kingdom. That was nice..We went on the safari and saw lots of cool animals right in front of us. We spent the afternoon back at GKTW enjoying all that they have to offer. Thursday we went to Disney's MGM studios...There were some awesome shows there, and once again we were treated like royalty. No waiting anywhere for anything.....
Friday we spent the day at Universal studios..We had alot of fun there too! We were exhausted, but had a wonderful time.... Saturday we checked out of our villa and took a ride to Downtown Disney and walked through some shops before we needed to catch our flight back to Chicago... We had the time of our lives and are completely spoiled... I told Bryan that we can never go to Disney again...I don't know if I can handle waiting in line for a ride or show!!
Lindsay also was given a little present every day when we would come back to the village after each day's adventure.
Due to the generousity of Make a Wish we were able to buy some nice keepsakes and things to help us remember our vacation! I did get all the pictures developed and on disks so I will update with new pics hopefully every couple of days... If anyone wants more specifics about anything drop a line in the guest book or an e-mail... I don't know if I did a good job describing our trip cause it was a trip we will never forget!!!
I will update again after Lindsay's next Spinal Tap next Friday the 22nd. She will have labs done on the 21st to make sure they are high enough for the tap. She will get MTX in to her spinal fluid, Vincristine, and start 7 days of steroids. Last time she had a hard time with the steroids so please keep her in your prayers that everything goes well. Thank you
love to all
Carine
Sunday, October 10, 2004 10:09 PM CDT Hi everyone...
We have returned!! The vacation was UNBELIEVEABLE!!!! It's getting late so I will update later, but I wanted to let you all know that we made it back safely, and couldn't have had a better time!!! Lindsay was treated like the princess she is!
love to all....
Carine
I am trying to get some new photo's in the album... If you have a minute check them out!
Friday, October 1, 2004 9:19 PM CDT Hi everyone...
Things are going great here!!! Lindsay is feeling well, and we are getting ready to leave for her Make-a-Wish trip to Orlando, FL. We are Leaving on Sunday morning. Our Limo will be here to pick us up at 4:30AM.....We will be leaving via O'hare airport at 7:30 am and should arrive in Orlando around 11:00am (Florida time) We are staying at Give Kids the world village which, I understand, is close to everything.... This is a resort for children on wish trips... everthing there is free and we will be staying in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa complete with a washer and dryer (at least that is what I am happy about....isn't that funny?)There is a restaurant that we can eat Breakfast and Dinner at(included) and an ice cream parlor that is open all day and you can make as many trips there as your little heart desires! (I'm sure we will take advantage of that! LOL) Anyway we are very excited about all that this trip will include! It will give us time to do something as a family that doesn't involve chemo, long trips to Milwaukee, ect...... We definately deserve this.....
Lindsay did have an appointment in Milwaukee today for a port flush, checkup, and labs... Everything looked great
WBC: 2.3
HBG: 11.8
PLTS: 253,000
ANC: around 1400
all perfect to make the trip! Our next appointment is on October 22nd for a Spinal Tap with intrathecal MTX, Vincristine(chemo), and will start a week of steroids. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as the steroids get harder and harder for her with each pulse. Last time she was on them she had trouble sleeping and felt as if her skin was crawling. I can't even imagine how horrible that must feel! The Vincristine can cause jaw and joint pain which it did last time she had it.... We are in week 65 of 130 and Lindsay has 5...... possibly 6 more Spinal taps through the end of her treatment.
Anyway... Just wanted to stop in before we leave and let you know we wil be thinking of you all while we are gone. We do have local labs on the 14th I will update when we get back from our trip though with all the great details...
until then......
love and hugs
Carine
PS. To Lisa from McHenry....Lindsay goes to Riverwood elementary and is in 2nd grade. Her teacher is Ms. M. (forgot how it is spelled, but sounds like Mes-E-S-Key).... Would we know you from somewhere?.... Thank you for signing the guestbook~!!
Friday, September 17, 2004 10:18 PM CDT Ok... I just updated and lost my entry.. ARGHHHHH. Oh well, Sorry this had taken me so long to get a new journal up. Lindsay is doing fine. She had labs done here at home today.
WBC:2.2
HBG 12.9
PLT: 328,000
ANC: 1584
All fine for her DD MTX tomorrow, We are getting ready for our Make-A-Wish trip comming up. We should be getting our itinery any day now. We do know we are leaving on Sunday, Oct. 3rd and returning on Saturday, Oct.9th... Lindsay is starting to get excited... She deserves this trip so much... She is such an inspiration to us....She is also doing well in 2nd grade.... She has had 2 perfect spelling tests so far! and has done some reading in front of the class which she really seems to love....
Ok.... We are going to Milwaukee for labs, check-up, and port flush on the 1st of October. I will update then with out final MAW itinerary and Lindsay's counts.
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, August 30, 2004 9:34 PM CDT Hi Everyone....
Things are still going well here. Lindsay started 2nd grade today... I put a new picture of her here on the home page. She is growing her bangs and hair out, so it is constantly in her face... Can't wait until its grown out.
She is feeling good most of the time. Her next appointment is this Friday up in Milwaukee. The one is just for labs and port flush.. Should be a quickie! I will update again after Friday.
Thank you for continuing to think of us an keep us in your prayers...We have 59 more weeks to go.... Just over 1/2 way through this chemo journey.. Thanks for sticking by us!
love to all,
Carine
Monday, August 16, 2004 9:56 PM CDT Hi Everyone....
This summer I have been really bad on updating the page.... I am sorry for that... We have just been enjoying the Summer! Lindsay did have counts done on the 6th of August. They were:
WBC: 5.0
HBG: 13.3
PLT: 230,000
ANC: 2100
These labs were to check for her DD MTX dose the next day (Saturday 8-7) She will get her labs checked this Friday, (8/20)again for DD MTX.
This Thursday we will register Lindsay for 2nd grade... She (and I :0))is excited to return to school. Her 1st day is August 30th. She will miss 1/2 a day on Friday Sept 3rd for our next trip to Milwaukee for a port flush and labs, but by Friday i'm sure she won't be too upset about leaving a little early!
Everything else is going ok. We did have some car trouble last weekend and had to take the Jeep in for some repairs, and we all know that's never cheap! I have been back and forth to the doctor to have my blood work checked.. I had trouble in the past with high Triglycerides and Cholesterol (yea, I know....What else, right?). Welll Those aren't as high as they used to be (still not where they should be, but not off the charts) I was told today that I am Diabetic though... My mom was diagnosed with Diabetes about a month ago, so I figured since that can be hereditary I should get checked, and guess what? I am now checking my blood sugar and changing my diet just like my mom.... I just wish I could have waited until I was 50something to have to worry about all this, but I don't have a choice.... It will be fine.. I could stand to loose a couple of pounds...(LOL... ok a lot of pounds) and this is a good a reason as any! Anyway enough about me.... Lindsay is looking a feeling good and is anxious to start school... I will get some new photo's up soon... I need to master the digital camera and I will be a picture taking fool!
Oh, by the way, we heard that our flight for our make a wish trip will tbe leaving (early)on Sunday, October 3rd and we will be coming back Saturday October 9th (late)... When I get all the final plans I will let you all know... WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!
Take care and lots of love to all!
Carine
Friday, July 30, 2004 9:58 PM CDT Hi everyone...Sorry, once again for the lapse in updates... Things are going pretty well here.. Lindsay had local labs done last Friday and this past Wednesday... Both were fine and she is still right on schedule with her chemo. Her spinal Tap on Thursday went good..... No headaches so far. She is back on the steroids for 7 days and had Vincristine also. She is having a little jaw pain from the Vincristine, but that has never been to severe that she needed anything for it.. Just a nusiance.
We have always been told that "NO news is GOOD news" so as far as the results from her tap.... we are assuming that everything was good.. Her fluid was clear and that is always a good sign... Now we just have a week of "cranky Lindsay" to deal with.... We are going to a picnic on a ranch (family friend) on Sunday and Lindsay will get to ride a horse for the 1st time.. She can't wait...
I had a Dr's appointment this past Monday and got the results yesterday... I am still all clear! Everything came back normal! My Oncologist moved to who knows where, so I won't be seeing them anymore and will have appointments every 6 months (that is new too... it was every 3) with my regular Gynecologist. That was good news!
Well....Lindsay will have local labs done again a week from Today for her DD MTX next week. I'll update then..
Thank you for all the love and prayers and the guest book entries... We love reading them.
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, July 19, 2004 10:39 PM CDT Hi Everyone,
Sorry about the lapse in updating...I guess a "no news is good news" would apply here! Lindsay has been feeling good having fun with friends and family, and just enjoying her summer... With a 6 week repreive from 8E Clinic in Milwaukee, we have been trying to do some fun things...
Lindsay did have labs on Friday, July 9th and everything looked fine:
WBC: 2.7
PLT: 275,000
HBG: 12.9
ANC: 1728
We do have to make the trip up to Milwaukee this Friday (7/23) to have her port flushed and get labs drawn since they are accessing her port anyway to flush it. This needs to be done every 4-6 weeks to make sure it keeps working properly and doesn't clog. Then the following Wednesday(7/28) she will have labs drawn here at NIMC to make sure everything is up for her Spinal tap and Vincristine on Thurdsay (7/29).. Please keep her in your thoughts/prayers for clear spinal fluid and no headaches from the Spinal. She did good last time (12 weeks ago), but we don't want any headaches from this as they can be horrible! She will also start a week of Steroids! (lucky us!)
The rest of us are doing good also..Bryan and I are going to the Chicago Cubs game tomorrow for my birthday which is Thursday.... We has such a great time when Bryan won tickets through work in the Spring I decided that is what I wanted to do for my birthday.. It is their final series with St. Louis (HUGE RIVAL) so it should be fun....At least if they win, that is! :0)
I will be having another check-up on the 26th to make sure everything is still good with me... positive thoughts and prayers would be apprecaited here too! I am feeling good and have nothing to be concerned about, but then again I didn't suspect Cancer either last year when I went in with small problems!!
We spent the weekend with Bryan's family...including his brother who was in from Kentucky for a few days... He has to return home tomorrow :0( and we will miss him.... Today we had family pictures done before he leaves (a 35th anniversary gift to my in-laws)... I will try to get some on the site if I am able when they are ready... We went to a photography studio, so I am not sure when they will be in.
Ok I think that is all for now... I will update after Lindsay's appointment Friday. Thank you for all the great guestbook entries and for all the thoughts and prayers for Lindsay.... I beleive that is what is keeping her in remission!!
Love to all,
Carine
Tuesday, July 6, 2004 9:41 PM CDT Hi everyone....
We are doing fine here.... I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. We spent ours with family and friends....just the way we are supposed to! What a difference a year makes...
For those that don't know, Lindsay was officially diagnosed with Leukemia on July 4th of last year... We were admitted to the hospital Thursday, July 3rd, 2003. Her Bone Marrow Biopsy and Spinal tap that comfirmed our fears (ALL) was done on the 4th. Her port was also placed in her chest that day. She has come such a long way and we couldn't be more proud of her and the hero that she is!
I am trying to find some recent pictures (not from Easter) that I can put up for everyone.... I will update after Friday when she is due to get her counts checked for her DD MTX on Saturday.
love to all
Carine
Friday, June 25, 2004 10:23 PM CDT Hi everyone,
Not a whole lot new here... Lindsay had labs done locally at NIMC today for her DD MTX tomorrow....All looked fine:
WBC: 2.1
HBG: 11.8
PLT: 294,000
ANC: 1260
She will start her dose at 8am tomorrow... She did have something pretty big happen today... She lost a tooth(5th one total)....first one since her diagnosis (which was one year ago July 3rd... WOW can't believe a year has gone by!!!)
Lindsay spent the last week going to Vacation Bible school at our church.. She missed it last year, but went the year before and loved it... This year was no exception. She had a ball, and the parent's program was last night... the kids were so adorable...
We did have a death in the "family" today.... One of Lindsay's beloved gerbils went to a better place... Dorothy is in heaven. We still have one gerbil named Krystal. Lindsay now wants to get a boy gerbil and have baby gerbils... WHAT!! when did she learn about that? LOL There will be no boy gerbil or babies, and Dorothy is burried on the side of your garage beneath some rose bushes... may she rest in peace........ :0)
Well that is about all that is up with us... I am working part time and Bryan is still with Frito Lay gearing up for the big July 4th weekend...(last year we spent it in the hospital :o()I will update in 2 weeks when she has labs done again.... Unless something big comes up!
Have a wonderful holiday, and be safe!
love and hugs....
Carine
Friday, June 11, 2004 11:26 PM CDT Hi everyone
Things are still going well here. Lindsay's last day of school was yestersay and she is officially a 2nd grader now.... I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished in a years time... She was diagnosed with Cancer, dealt with many many pills, pokes, and throwing up, and in the middle of all of this managed to stay with her class, is a wonderful reader and had had 4 AWESOME report cards this year.... Can you tell I am reflecting as our one year anniversary of her diagnosis approaches. She is a moody 7 year old, but I think I will keep her LOL!
We did have a trip to Milwaukee for labs and a check up today. Her labs looked good:
WBC: 3.2
HBG: 11.6
PLT: 266
ANC: 2200
She will again get her DD MTX tomorrow. We aren't due back into clinic for 6 weeks now... The nurse practicioner is letting us enjoy the summer and just get labs done locally for the next 2 rounds of the DD MTX... Now obviously if Lindsay isn't feeling well or if something comes up we may have to head up to Milwaukee, but we don't forsee having to do that!
We are still dealing with our basement... We have had more rain the last few days and it's full of water again... We did get it torn apart last weekend, but still have more work to do and will probably resume in a couple of weeks.... after fathers day! I hope you are all doing well, and thank you for stopping by to check on Lindsay, and please continue to sign the guest book we all love to see the messages!
love to all
Carine
Saturday, May 29, 2004 10:50 PM CDT Hi Everyone...
Things continue to go pretty well here. Lindsay is getting her DD MTX today. Her last dose is 2:00 AM (yes why aren't I am in bed... I'm thinking the same thing!) She had labs done they were pretty good:
WBC: 1.6
HBG: 11.2
PLT: 184,000
ANC 896
Good enough for the DD MTX. We are still dealing with our basement issue. We did get an adjuster to come out and take a look and he said he will see what he can do... We defiantly not holding our breaths on that one!
On a good note Bryan, Lindsay, and I did the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. It was a great time and really emotional for us (ok well just me) I am a private person, and my cancer recovery was cut shot when Lindsay was diagnosed (which was fine) but to have everyone there clapping and cheering for Lindsay and I as we walked the survivor lap... Too much for me.. I don't see myself as a hero and that is how you are made to feel being a Survivor of Cancer... It was truly breathtaking!
We had the summer kick-off bar-b-que today at our friends, and that was also a lot of fun... Lindsay was able to swin (heated pool @ 92 degrees) and Bryan sat in their hot tub... I sat on the sidelines and soaked up a little sun.
Lindsay's next appointment is in Milwaukee on June 11th... Will update with her next lab results... Have a great holiday weekend!
love to all,
Carine
Saturday, May 22, 2004 10:49 PM CDT 5-24-04.....Insurance update..... boy was I wrong about our homeowners insurance...just found out that we are SOL as far as our basement is concerned.... They don't cover that... They would replace my jewelry if it was stolen in my house, but not a catastrophy like this....What a twisted world we live in...... Oh well!
Lindsay is still doing well and had a good weekend with grandparents while we were trying to clean up the mess!
****************************************
Hi everyone...
Things are going ok here.....Lindsay is doing well. She has been going to school and only has a few weeks left!! I think she is looking most forward to being able to sleep in the morning! She inherited that from me.... We both aren't morning people! :0)
We woke up this morning to a flood in our basement! I am sitting down for the first time today. We have contacted our insurance company, and I am sure that things will all work out, but we now have A LOT of work ahead of us! We need to keep the mold away as Lindsay shouldn't be breathing in mold or thier spores... Fun for us! Thank heaven for insurance! First...Health, now homeowners!! I will never again complain about paying insurance premiums!
Lindsay had her interview with her Wishmakers from Make A Wish this past Wednesday. They were really great! The ladies brought her a new Bratz doll, and Lindsay showed them her room... Her wish is officially in the works!! We are hoping to be going to Orlando the first week of October... I'll keep you posted!
Lindsay will be going here to NIMC Friday for counts before her DD MTX and I will update with her counts then.... Her next appointment after that will be in Milwakee on June 11th. This is the day after her last day of school so she shouldn't have to miss any more school the rest of this year.
Thank you for all your thought and prayers!
Love to all
Carine
Friday, May 14, 2004 4:23 PM CDT Hi everyone...
Things are going good here. Lindsay had counts checked today for her DD MTX tomorrow:
WBC: 3.6
HBG: 12.5
PLT: 195,000
ANC: 2440
We'll take it... I did think they would be higher after steroids, but I'll still take them.
Lindsay is a little tired and is either fighting a cold or suffering from allergies. She has an annoying cough and is stuffy.... My allergies are acting up so I am thinking maybe she has them like me. Our next appointment is June 11th for a port flush and labs... We will have labs drawn on the 28th of May...I will post again then
love and hugs to all
Carine
Friday, May 7, 2004 9:36 PM CDT Hi everyone,
Thank you for all the nice entries in the guest book. Lindsay's Spinal tap went well... They were going to take e-xtra precautions to make sure she didn't get another headache like last time..... one of her oncologists tried to use a smaller needle, but said he couldn't get fluid to drip so he had to go with the regular needle. So far she is doing fine. Last time the headache appeared the day after the Spinal, and so far (knocking on wood) she hasn't had one. We have had her laying down since the spinal yesterday, and I think it has helped. As far as the fluid they took to test.... We are going with "no news is good news" on this one... We have always been told that if something showed up they would call right away, we are beyond the 24 hour mark so we are assuming everything looked good.
Our next appointment is June 11th for labs and port flush.. Which works out nicely because June 10th is her last day of school.... She won't have to miss any more school for the remainder of the year...
She will go to NIMC for labs next friday.... I will update then...
love to all
Carine
Sunday, May 2, 2004 8:55 PM CDT Hi everyone....
not a whole lot to report... Lindsay is doing well. She had labs done Friday to check her counts for her DD MTX on Saturday. Everything looked good~
WBC: 2.3
HBG: 11.9
PLTS: 252,000
ANC: 1794
She seems to be feeling good... Still having her bouts with "morning sickness" about once a week, but other than that she seems to feel good and have plenty of evergy.
I want to thank the ones who have sent us donation for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life that we are participating in Memorial Day weekend. We are looking forward to raising money and walking for such a great cause... Technically Lindsay and I are both Cancer survivors, and I want to help any way I can to make sure there are many more survivors...
On a side note I did get my test results back from my recent apponintment with my Oncologist......Everything was normal!! Yeah... I am due for another check in 6 months.
I would like to ask for prayers and thoughts for Lindsay on Thurdsay when she goes in for her next Spinal Tap.. This is to check to make sure there is no Leukemia in her Central nervous system, and she will have chemo injected into her spinal fluid. We have had a couple of friends from my ALL-Kids e-mail list that have recently relapsed in their CNS and are looking at transplants... These Spinal taps are the only way to check for a CNS relapse. Now, I have no reason to beleive that Lindsay has relapsed, but prayers for clear spinal fluid are always appreciated. Thank you also for all you guestbook entries... We love reading the notes from our family and friends...
I will let you all know how Lindsay's appointment goes on Thurdsay...
Love to all
Carine
Monday, April 19, 2004 10:39 PM CDT Hi Everyone,
Things are going pretty well here. Lindsay just finished another weekend of DD MTX. She had her counts checked on Friday:
WBC: 1.8
HBG: 12.2
PLT: 240,000
ANC: 1134
All of which was fine for her DD MTX. She seems to be feeling pretty well. She does have a rash on her back from over the weekend... We think it was because she was rolling in grass recently treated by Chemlawn at a friends (obviously we didn't know at the time...) I am going to call clinic tomorrow and see if there is anything I can get to help with the rash.
Lindsay's next appointment in Milwaukee is Thurdsay May 6th for a spinal tap with IT MTX, Vincristine (IV push) and she will start a 7 day pulse of steroids. She will have labs drawn on the 30th here at NIMC to check for her next round of DD MTX.
I had another checkup this past Wednesday with my Oncologist and he said everything looked good, now we are just waiting for the pap results. I am going with "no news is good news" on this one. I go back in 6 months for another check.
Memorial day weekend (well Friday anyway) Bryan and I... and maybe Lindsay are going to do the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. We are excited to be able to raise a little money for such a great cause... Someday, just maybe no one will have to go through what we have gone through this past year! (most of you will be getting my letter very soon!:0)
I will update soon....Thank you for all your prayers, and guest book entries....
Love to all..
Carine
Monday, April 5, 2004 8:00 PM CDT Hi everyone,
I just had to post a picture of Lindsay up tonight... As most of you know.....She never lost all her hair. It just got very thin, and now that is it coming back in she had sort of a "mullet" thing going on..... When we were in clinic last Friday her NP told her that if she cut off some of the "old hair" the new stuff might come in better...She decided she was ready and we went to a new Hair salon geared to kids called "Cookie Cutters". They had video games and a slide while you wait for your turn.... Lindsay picked this cut out of a book, and when the girl was finished she make it all spikey for her.. This picture is after her shower, but we are going to do the "spikey thing" in the morning! Isn't she adorable!!
love to all
Carine
***NEW PHOTOS IN PHOTO ALBUM***
Friday, April 2, 2004 9:52 PM CST Hi everyone,
Things are going well here... Lindsay had a checkup and labs today... All looked great!
WBC: 3.4
HBG: 12.1
PLT: 326000
ANC: 2584
She is set to get her DD MTX tomorrow. She is having a good vacation.. Her and dad have been keeping themselves busy. We are going to dinner tomorrow to celebrate Bryan's mom's bithday... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMMY.... There is also an Easter egg hunt by my parents house Sunday if the weather holds...
Lindsay isn't due back to clinic until May 7th for a Spinal tap, Vincristine, and to start a 7 day pulse of steroids (yea for us). The steroids may start earlier that week, but Friday will be her procedure day. Please keep her in your thoughts that day... As you may remember her last LP was back the end of January, and she suffered a Spinal headache. We talked with her Nurse Practicioner and she is going to try a smaller needle with the next LP and she want's us to keep Lindsay laying flat for about 24 hours after the LP.... We are hoping this will be the answer and she won't have to suffer through another one of those headaches. Not to mention prayers for clear spinal fluid is always appreciated!! :0)
Well that is about all for now... I will update with her counts when they are re-done on the 16th of April. Thank you for all the great guestbook messages.
love to all!
Carine
***NEW PHOTO'S 4-2-04 IN PHOTO ABLUM***
Monday, March 29, 2004 8:09 PM CST Hi everyone,
Everything is going well here.. Lindsay and Bryan started their vacations. They went today and walked around the McHenry Dam and feed the ducks and took a 2 MILE WALK... Can you believe it? Needless to say... Lindsay, Bry, and Sammy are pooped!!
I am attempting to get some new photo's up tonight... I am also trying to update some virus software and I can't seem to do both at the same time, so the pictures may have to wait until tomorrow!! I did get the main page done though!! That one is from our Lake Geneva weekend... Lindsay really loves her cousin Heather, and is always happy to see her!
We are scheduled to head up to Milwaukee to get labs done and Lindsay's port flushed Friday. Her next Spinal Tap should be around the 1st week of May. She is feeling pretty good, other than the occasional bouts with nausea.
Even though my family is off this week, I do have to work. He he... Bryan gets to see what I do in a day...(boy won't he be surprised!!)
We have a busy "rest of the week"..Tomorrow we are having dinner with my in-laws (usual Tuesday thing), and Wednesday we will be at my aunts visiting my cousin (from New York) and Grandma(from Arizona). Thursday Bryan and I are going to the Marriot Lincolnshire for dinner and to see West Side Story.....a anniversary gift from my in-laws. Friday we have Lindsay's appointment. Saturday we are going out to dinner for my Mother-in-laws Birthday. Sunday is the Easter egg hunt at My parents!! Wow, I am tired just typing that!!!
Well I wish everyone a great week, and I want to THANK YOU all again for the wonderful guestbook entries and for your prayers for our family!
love to all
Carine
Monday, March 22, 2004 10:49 AM CST Hi Everyone
Things are going pretty good here... We had a great weekend up in Lake Geneva!!! A couple of very generous people gave Lindsay a weekend at the Timberridge Resort and Waterpark for Christmas.... We went Friday and Saturday, and my parents and my niece came with us.... The girls had a blast!! the (indoor) waterpark was a lot of fun, as was the arcade.
This was also Lindsay's DD MTX weekend so we had her counts done Friday... they were great
WBC: 4.7
HBG: 13.3
PLT: 319,000
ANC: 4089
All well enough for the DD MTX... She started her Leukovorin this morning and will have her last dose around 8PM tonight. The Leukovorin is a "rescue" to stop the effects of the DD MTX... This is the same drug she was getting in a higher dose while in-patient, and the Leukovorin would help her body rid itself of the MTX... She is still having some issues with vomitting and upset stomach, but it isn't an every day thing. She wasn't feeling great this morning (too busy weekend???) and did vomit a couple of times, but then felt MUCH better and headed off to school... She is a little bummed that she is now not feeling well, since she hasn't had any side effects since diagnosis back on July of 2003.... Now that things are getting easier she feels icky!! "One day at a time" is now our motto!!
Lindsay and Bryan are on vacation next week!!! They are very excited.... I however have to work.... Hey that is the price you pay for being off the last 10 months.... My vacation will be in October when we will hopefully be taking our Make a Wish trip to Disney.
Thank you all for the great entries in the guest book... We love reading the notes from our friends and family...
Lindsay's next Milwaukee appointment is Friday April 2nd...
love to all
Carine
Monday, March 15, 2004 11:31 AM CST Hi Everyone,
Not much going on around here... Lindsay is good. She went to Kentucky this past weekend to see her Uncle Jeff, with Bryan's parents. She had a ball!! Uncle Jeff is in a musical: "State Fair", and they went down there to see him in it. Lindsay said he did a great job! This was Lindsay's first "vacation" without Bryan or I. Let me tell you.....we sure did miss her!! She left Friday night and was home around 8pm last night.....Just in time for a shower and bed, and then today off to school she went... Wow I guess it is good that she is feeling so well that she is able to run and run and run!!!
This weekend is our turn...Thanks to some generous people we are going to Timberridge Resort and (indoor) waterpark in Lake Geneva, WI. on Friday night... We are staying Friday and Saturday night. Lindsay's cousin, Heather, is comming with us, along with my mom and dad...It should be a lot of fun!!
Lindsay will go to NIMC Friday morning before school to get Labs done to make sure her counts are high enough to get her DD MTX this Saturday... We are hoping they are or we shouldn't be going to an indoor water park!!:0)
They were fine last time, so I am really not worried, but now this will be the time they are low and she had no ANC...Isn't that Murphy's law? LOL
Thanks for checking on us and for all the great guestbook entries... Please pray for the many children suffering from all types on Cancer and pray that Lindsay is in remission forever!!
lots of love,
Carine
Saturday, March 6, 2004 12:59 AM CST Hi Everyone,
Things are going well here!! Lindsay had a clinic appointment yesterday for labs and to get her port flushed..
Labs were :
WBC 4.0
HBG 12.0
PLT 329,000
ANC 3000 All great!
When her port isn't getting used regularly it needs to be flushed once a month, and since it will only be used for chemo every 12 weeks we will be going once a month to get it flushed... THAT'S RIGHT......once a month!!!! Lindsay will have labs done every 2 weeks before she gets her DD MTX, but the in-between weeks can be done here in McHenry at NIMC... Around Spinal tap time she may go sooner than 4 weeks, but that is ok with us! :0) She feels great other than a little nausea in the mornings from time to time, which we asked about yesterday, and they told us it is probably from the increased dose of 6MP. We give her Zantac and it really seems to help!
Well we did it!!! Bryan and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary yesterday!!! I can't believe it has been 10 years already!! We went out to a great dinner (thanks to some great friends and family) and rented a movie... Lindsay got to have a sleepover at Bryan's parents.. She loves sleepovers with both sets of grandparents... Maybe it's the spoiling thing.......ya think? We are going to pick her up and head off to a friends birthday party!!! Tomorrow is our day of rest... We will have Lindsay's next Milwaukee appointment Friday, April 2nd... If all stays well....
Thank you all again for the thoughts and prayers you say for us!! We are very blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends and family behind us!!
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, February 23, 2004 11:28 AM CST Hi Everyone,
Things are going well here. Lindsay had her first Divided Dose Methotrexate(DD MTX for short) this past Saturday. This is the one that has to be done one day every other week. It is important that the doses are given every 6 hours so we started at 8am and then 2pm, 8pm, and 2am (yep 2AM!! that was tough!)Lindsay did great and didn't appear to have any side effects from this new dose of MTX.... You might remember that this is the drug she got while impatient for those 3 day stays, but then it was a much higher dose. We weren't expecting her to have any reaction, but as we have learned, nothing on this journey is predictable!! She will be on this phase for 46 weeks (give or take). She didn't need labs this past Friday because she had them done Monday and they were good, but she will probably have them on Fridays now here at NIMC before her next dose.
I think that's all on the medical front.... Lindsay is doing great in school, and we took her to see "Confessions of a teenage drama queen" yesterday.... It was very cute, but made me realize what I am in for in a couple of years (sigh!!). She really enjoyed it!
I did go back to work last Wendesday and I will be working this Wednesday.. It went really well! Since my leave (almost nine months ago) the bank has a completely different system, so I am trying to acclimate myself to it a little at a time, and I should be back to a regular schedule the 2nd week of March...It isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but boy was I tired after that 1st day!!
We are going to be going to an indoor water part In Lake Geneva hopefully the 19th of March, thanks to some very generous people that work with my dad... Lindsay is sooooooo excited!! she loves to swim, and we are really in need of some "fun time" these days!!
Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers for us and for all the nice guest book entries!! It really does mean a lot!
love to all
Carine
***NEW PHOTO OF LINDSAY AND DAD IN PHOTO ALBUN 2-29-04***
Monday, February 16, 2004 8:06 PM CST Hi everyone,
Once again, things are going well here. Lindsay had labs and a checkup in Milwaukee... Labs were good..
WBC: 3.8
HBG: 12.1
PLT: 444,000
We didn't have the Manual Differential back yet, but our Nurse Practicioner said because her Absolute Neuts are 2300 that is about what her ANC is... I think that is how she explained it.... Anyway. She is feeling fine...
We also figured out our next step in this journey... We are starting Divided Dose Methotrexate on Saturday. This will be going on for the next 47 weeks. When we were having our 3 day in-patient stays Lindsay was getting High dose Methotrexate... Now she is getting a lower dose one day every other week. This is the best day to do this... Lindsay won't have to miss any school. She doesn't even have to have labs done Friday because they were so good today... but she may have to have this done on Friday mornings in the future. This will change her Clinic days from Monday to Friday... I think every 12 weeks when she has a spinal tap and Vincristine (into port) she will go on Monday's so we can still see Dr. Maloney from time to time, but otherwise when she gets her port flushed once a month this will be done on Fridays now. We do have another clinic visit March 5th (mine and Bry's 10th anniversary WOW) for a check up, labs, and to get her port flushed. after that, I think we will go to monthly Milwaukee trips..
With all of this finally figured out I will be going back to work the beginning of March.. I am excited and anxious about this. We are really missing my income, and Lindsay should continue to do well and go to school, sooooo we decided that I should try to go back... I will still be part time, and only while Lindsay is at school for now.. I will keep you posted on how I handle this with everything else....
Thank you again for all the prayers... Obviously they are working..:0)
Until the 5th of March
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, February 9, 2004 3:31 PM CST Hi Everyone,
Everthing here is going pretty well. Lindsay had labs done on Sunday and they look fine:
WBC: 4.2
HBG: 11.5
PLTS: 291,000
ANC: 3612
These are all within Normal Chemo Kid levels.... Lindsay is feeling good and is going to school... She got to gl sleding with her cousin yesterday and had a ball!!!
Our next clinic appointment is on February 16th for a check-up and labs, and we will go over the next step. I have a plan worked out for the Divided Dose Methotrexate that will allow her to not miss any school and will allow me to return to work... I am planning on going back March 2nd... I would appreciate some "good vibes" that I will be able to juggle everything and that Lindsay continues to do well... We have REALLY missed my income the last 9 months, and have survived only by the generosity of loved ones, but now we need to start getting things back to our "new normal"..
Oh yea, Lindsay got her report card a couple of weeks ago and it was AWESOME!!! Even though she has missed quite a few days of school she has managed to stay with her class and continues to learn... She is becoming quite the reader!!
She is still graded on the "E", "S", and "N" system and she had all "E" and "S"!!
WAY TO GO Lindsay!!!!!
I think that's all for this edition!! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers, and I will update after the 16th....
Lots of Love
Carine
*******NEW PHOTO 2-13-04*******
Sunday, February 1, 2004 10:49 PM CST Hi Everyone,
Everything is going pretty good here. Lindsay's headaches have seemed to stop, and no throwing up since Friday! Now she will be going back to school tomorrow, so we will see how long the headache stays away!LOL We had her counts checked today and they were ok for the most part
WBC: 1.4 (a little low)
HGB: 10.7 (fine)
PLT: 315,000 (fine)
ANC: 476 (a little low)
Now that ANC is lower than we like to see it, and I am suspecting that her clinic will call tomorrow and take her off her at home chemo this week. (with an ANC below 500 that is usually what they do) During our last in-patient stay her NP told us that if her counts continue to fall then they will probably take her off the Bactrim (antibiotic to prevent pneumonia) and she will get breathing treatments once a month instead. Now I know there is a name for these, but it escapes me at the moment. No biggie, but we want to find the right combo for her where her counts will stay stable.
When we go back to clinic on February 16th she will start her next round and her nightly dose of 6MP will go up, and she will start a new home med. Instead of the big yellow bag of Methotrexate she will get this in pill form one day a week, every other week. Now this doesn't sound too bad, but she will have to take a dose in the middle of the night and she shouldn't eat anything 1 hour before and 2 hours after her doses (4 doses- every 6 hours - one day). There will be a quite a bit of figuring on my part. Oh yea, and she also needs labs done to make sure her counts are high enough before she gets this drug. I think I feel my head hurting already LOL!!!
Anyway, please continue to pray for Lindsay and that she stays in remission forever. Even though this is the "good kind of leukemia" there are no guarantees, and even though she is hitting the end of the "intense chemo" we still have 2 more years of this, and many clinic appointments to keep! This gets very tiring for all of us, and the prayers keep us going. Thank you all for checking on us and for the wonderful guest book entries.
love to all
Carine
Saturday, January 31, 2004 11:28 AM CST Hi everyone,
Sorry I didn't update the next day like I said I would... Anyway, Lindsay is starting to feel a little better... At least for now. She did have another bad headache last night and threw up again. I gave her Tylenol and Vistral(anti-nausea) and she felt much better and even ate some Pizza and cookies (I know... not the best, but she ate it!!)
She seems fine so far today, but the headaches aren't constant.. they sometimes come out of nowhere. She is playing her PS2 right now and when I finish this she are I are going to do homework so we can go to Mammy and Papa's tomorrow to watch the Superbowl...
Everything else is going well, and I am hoping to return to work soon... We'll have to see. Thank you once again for all the great guestbook entires.... We love to see our friends, old and new, stopping by to check on us!!
Love to all
Carine
Wednesday, January 28, 2004 10:43 PM CST Hi everyone...
We are home!! YEAAAAAA. it is nice to be home, but Lindsay is still fighting with the headaches. Her Nurse Practicioner thinks that they are most likely from the Spinal that she had on Monday. They did need to poke her twice to get anything, and they think that may be causing the headaches... Add to that vomitting! This we aren't used to as Lindsay in the last 6 months that she has been on her chemo has NEVER vomitted! Her Dr's think this is too also nothing to be condered about..They said the headaches can make you vomit, and since she didn't start that until after her chemo was over they are pretty sure its from the headaches. We can give her Tylenol for them, and that seems to be doing the trick. I am going to keep her home from school tomorrow....just in case and let her sleep in a little since we got home so late... I think that is it.....other than we are now finished with the 3 day IV MTX admissions!!!!! YEAAAAAAA This last trip really stinked, and we are both glad it was our last!!!
I will update tomorrow and let you know how cutie pie is doing!!
love to all
Carine
p.s. Thanks Dad for dropping off the car!!
Thanks Wendy for dropping Sammy off!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2004 2:53 PM CST Hi everyone,
We are doing ok here. Lets see what is new here... Well since my last journal we were asked to move rooms. Not to a different room on the HOT unit, but on the other side of the 5th floor (which isn't the oncology wing). We were told that we weren't the only ones asked, and that Lindsay is one of the healthiest kids on the floor right now. They were going to put us into a different room on a different floor, but thanks to our wonderful nurse, we were put into another private room... The only problem was this room is about 1/3 of the size of the HOT until rooms!! Bummer for us, and we had to pack everything up. (I mean I packed up) For out last in-patient stay it is kind of sucking!! Ok, sorry to start with the downer stuff...
Lindsay is doing pretty good. She is still struggling with a headache now and then... most likely from the LP she had Monday. Her Methotrexate levels were drawn at 12:30pm today, and we just found out they aren't low enough yet for us to go home. They need to be less than .20 and they were .27. They will re-check around 5:30pm tonight and we should know around 7:30 pm if we are good to go home!! We REALLY REALLY don't want to be here another night! I think that is about all for now... I will update hopefully in the morning from HOME!!!
love to all,
Carine
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 2:05 PM CST Hi everyone,
Things are going fine here. Lindsay has had a little trouble with headaches this time around. They think it is probably from the Spinal tap she had yesterday. Her nurses said they can last for a few days. Other than that she is feeling pretty good. She is given Zofran for upset stomach, and that seems to be doing the trick. Her chemo should be done around 4:30 tonight and her NP, Amy said she would draw Lindsay's levels at 1:00 pm tomorrow, but I think that is pushing it a little. She is a quick MTX clearer, but that is a little too quick. If she isn't low enough then they will draw again tomorrow at 6:00 pm. We are usually good by then. She is taking a nap right now. She had Tylenol and now she is resting. I should go check on her... I will update again later...
love to all,
Carine
Monday, January 26, 2004 4:47 PM CST Hi everyone
We made it here at the hospital. It took a little longer with the snow, but we made it. Lindsay's spinal went well and our NP said the fluid looked good. Now that isn't the official work, but it makes me feel better!
We were in our room on the HOT unit around 2:00 pm this afternoon and her chemo went up around 4:35 pm. If all goes well we should be home Wednesday like usual! I was talking to out NP about what is next for Lindsay since this is our LAST in-patient for IV MTX, and she said we will start something called divided dose Methotrexate. This will be given after she has labs done at home to check her platelets and ANC, and if that is all good then she will get pills ever 6 hours for 4 doses (one day every 2 weeks). the good news is because we do labs locally at NIMC that we should only have to go up here to Milwaukee once a month for a check up and to have her port flushed!! That is great news. Now is she get a fever or something comes up we may need to come a little more often, but once a month isn't bad.... Anyway Lindsay now wants to play a game so i'd better go.... I will update tomorrow!!
love to all,
Carine
Sunday, January 25, 2004 8:46 PM CST Hi everyone,
I hope this finds everyone doing well. We are doing fine here. Lindsay feels good. She had blood drawn this morning to see if her counts are good enough to go ahead with her ****LAST**** 3 day in-patient stay for IV Methotrexate. They were fine:
WBC: 2.1
HBG: 9.7
PLT: 357,000
ANC: 1029
To get admitted her platelets need to be above 75,000 and her ANC needs to be above 750.....so we are good to go. Her clinic appointment is at 10:30 am with a Spinal tap at 11:30 am. She hasn't had a spinal for 8 weeks so we have to get that done first then they will hydrate her for the IV MTX, and hopefully that will be up and running sometime in the afternoon. As always, please pray that her spinal fluid is clear and there isn't any Leukemia present. We are not worried, but it really doesn't hurt to pray. :0)
Well I think that is about all going on right now, and I will keep you posted when I am able to get on the computer on the HOT unit. Thank you, as always, for all the prayers you say for us and for all the great guest book entries!!
Love to all,
Carine
Monday, January 19, 2004 9:24 PM CST Hi everyone,
Lindsay is doing well...you can definately tell she just ended her 7 days of steroids!! (they elevate her counts):
WBC: 10.9
HBG: 10.2
PLTS: 190,000
ANC: 10,028
These counts should be back around "normal" range by Sunday when we go in for counts before her LAST 3-day IV MTX stay!!
She is doing well and should be in school the rest of this week! There really isn't anything new here to report so I will close for now!! Have a great week!
love to all,
Carine
Monday, January 12, 2004 9:54 PM CST Hi everyone,
Things are good here. Lindsay had a clinic appointment today. Her counts are great.
WBC: 2200
HBG: 10.5
PLT: 196,000
ANC: 1232
It was a rather quick appointment (at least as quick as our clinic moves)LOL. She had Vincristine pushed into her port and that was it!! Next Monday will be the same. They draw labs from her port and we don't even stick around for the results. Since we have 1 1/2 hour drive home they leave her counts on our machine by the time we get home. Lindsay is feeling good and is back to school. She went 1/2 a day today before we headed to Milwaukee. With her ANC so good she should be able to go all week! Oh yea, did I forget to mention that Lindsay is on steroids for 7 days again!! Well....I better get to the grocery store!LOL
I forgot to let you guys know too that I had another follow up appointment December 23rd, and everything is still going well. All my tests came back normal!!
Well I think that is all the new stuff for now. I would like to ask for some prayers for a Caringbridge family that I have been following. A 7 year old girl Ashley is a relapsed ALL patient in Green Bay, WI. and her family was just told that her Baby brother (21 months) also has ALL! This family has to be devastated! I couldn't imagine! Please keep Ashley and her family in your prayers!
Thank you as always for all the messages in Lindsay's guest book, and for all the prayers you send our way!!
Love to all
Carine
Thursday, January 8, 2004 9:27 PM CST Hi everyone,
We are home... Actually we were home late last night(around 10:00 pm). Since Lindsay finished her chemo earlier than usual her Dr's agreed to draw her blood levels for the 1:00pm run instead of waiting until 6pm!! We were optimistic that we would go home a little earlier, BUT...... we didn't get that lucky. She was close. Her Methotrexate level needed to be .20 or less and at 12:30 it was .28 I think. By 6pm it was down to .09 and we were discharged around 8pm. Anyway, we are glad to be home and Lindsay went to school today!! She was SOOOO excited. She hasn't been to school in about a month! Her teacher e-mailed me and said the class was healthy so off she went!! She had a great time! Lindsay's next appointment is Monday for Vincristine and will start a 7 day pulse of steroids (yeah for us! LOL). I think that is all for now!! Have a great weekend
Lots of love to all
Carine
Tuesday, January 6, 2004 7:00 PM CST Hi everyone
We are doing good. Lindsay's chemo finished right on time today (4:00 pm) and her nurse will draw blood levels just before 6:00 pm tomorrow, and hopefully we should be discharged an hour or so later! Lindsay is a quick clearer so her Nurse Practicioner always has everything filled out and it just needs to be signed by the attending Dr.
I will update again when we are home!!
Much love to all
Carine
Monday, January 5, 2004 7:53 PM CST Hi everyone,
Well we are in-patient for #5 of 6 IV MTX 3 day stays. (do you think we are anxious to get these over with!) Everything went very well today. Despite the snow from Sunday we made it here to Milwaukee without any problems for our 10am clinic appointment, and were admitted to the HOT unit by noon!! That I think is a record! (am I right Jan?) Lindsay's chemo was started around 4:00 this afternoon so we are right on tract to be finished tomorrow and should be discharged Wednesday evening. Lindsay was already given her 24 hour dose of Zofran so they do not have to wake her in the middle of the night this time (this is something new we are trying... the 24 hr not the every 6 hour zofran)
Thank you to Grandma and her 4 wheel drive getting us here safely (he he) ato Mammy for coming along for the ride! Well I better get back to Lindsay... I will update with changes if needed...
much love to all
Carine
Tuesday, December 30, 2003 9:39 PM CST Hi everyone,
Lindsay is doing a little better. She is still very stuffy and has a terrible cough, but she is still fever free, and that is the most important thing for her right now! She had her counts checked today and they looked great!! She has been off her 6MP(chemo) and Bactrim(antibiotic) for a week now because her ANC was too low, but now it is up to 2769 which is almost too high, but we will take it!! She is back on all meds at 100% of the doses. She is scheduled to have her 5th in-patient stay for IV Methotrexate on January 5th thru the 7th. We will have her counts checked again Sunday and go from there.
Thanks for checking on us and if you have a minute.... I have put new photo's in the photo album...check them out.
love to all,
Carine
Monday, December 29, 2003 10:54 AM CST Hi Everyone,
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I would like to start by wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year!
Santa was very good to all of us! We spent the holiday's with a small amount of family to minimise the germs, but we weren't going to avoid the holiday, and it worked out well!
Lindsay is fighting something right now. She started coughing last night and is really stuffy, so I think we may be home for New Years Eve, but that is fine! Lindsay goes in for labs tomorrow as long as she stays fever free. Last week her ANC was only 406, and she was taken off all oral meds until this Tuesday. Hopefully that ANC will be up and she will restart her meds this week. We are scheduled for another 3 day inpatient stay Monday Jan. 5th if her counts are good enough on Sunday (yep another lab draw).
I think that is all for now.... Please say a prayer for Lindsay that she stays fever free and the cough gets better soon! Also one of our dear friends lost his Mother to Cancer early Sunday morning. His dad passed away almost 2 years ago also from Cancer so please pray for strength for him and his family during this difficult time!
Thank you, Love to all
Carine
Tuesday, December 23, 2003 10:12 PM CST Hi Everyone!!! First and Foremost I want to wish everyone reading this a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON! Things are going pretty well here! Lindsay went to get her labs done locally here today, and her ANC is on the low side again (406) so we are back to being very careful who she is around and what she does!! Definately no large crowds! She feels good and is looking forward to Santa's arrival tomorrow night!! Her Chemo (oral 6MP and oral Bactrim) are on hold this week. We will go back in next Tuesday and have her counts re-checked and then she may be put back on them, but I am guessing she won't be at 100% of them.....Maybe 75%. This is pretty common from what I understand to have Chemo held from time to time. The 6MP and Bactrim can lower counts, and they want her ANC to be between 1000 and 1500 so they will adjust the chemo until they get it where they want it! We are off from the Clinic until our next in-pateint stay that is scheduled for January 5th! It has been very nice being home for the holidays!
I also want to send thoughts and prayers to all my friends on my ALL-KIDS Listserve and all the kids in the Caringbridge network. Until Lindsay got sick I had no idea how many kids are out there, in our own back yards, that are fighting for their lives! There are many kids doing very well and some that are struggling, and I pray that they have the strength they need to stay healthy and to get better!! Please keep them in your prayers also!
MUCH LOVE TO ALL!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Carine
Wednesday, December 17, 2003 11:58 PM CST Hi everyone,
If you notice the time you probably think I am crazy to be up so late, but I am waiting until 12:00am to give Lindsay her last Leukevorin dose (I don't know if that is spelled right, but it's close)We got home around 10:30 tonight and Lindsay is soundly sleeping in her bed, and I can't wait to get into mine ;0)! Lindsay did great and cleared the chemo (IV MTX) very quickly, which we are very thankful for....some kids take days after the chemo is done to clear it! We just made it I think with ending so close to 6pm last night, but that is ok with me!
I forgot to mention in my last journal who we met in the HOT unit playroom yesterday. Now there have been Milwaukee Bucs basketball players around the hospital lately cause Lindsay's friend, Colin met a few last week when he was in-patient. I don't really follow basketball, and haven't since the Bulls were winning all those championships, but yesterday in walks TONY KUKOC(OK maybe I spelled that wrong) but he now plays for the Bucs and he played for the Bulls for a few years when they were winning all the championships!! It was pretty darn exciting for us! We got our picture taken with him, and i will post when i get it back... Anyway that was just one of the fun things we did while in-patient! Oh yea, we were also taped for the Channel 6 (Fox, I think) news while we were getting massages and nails painted by the ladies that come to the hot unit and donate their time to do this nice service for us... Of course we won't get to see our TV debuts because we were discharged before the 10:00 news, but it was pretty cool to talk into a camera!!
Ok I think I am done!! Lindsay is doing well, and will be home tomorrow and probably Friday cause Flu and Chicken pox are floating around her class and the 2nd grade classes!! Fun!! We may go in for her X-mass party Friday for 45 minutes so she can see her friends before break.. She was off all last week and will be off from Monday to Jan 8th after our next in-patient stay!
Well, didn't I say I was done??? Well Thank you everyone for the VERY nice guest book entries...Thank you Jan for offering to bring us anything if we needed it!! I hope Colin slept Monday nite for you after his Benedryl wore off!;0)
Love to all,
Carine
Wednesday, December 17, 2003 10:09 AM CST Hi everyone,
Well, Lindsay is at school again! She really likes going down there! She does some homework and then gets to play (school type) games on the computers there! She finished her Chemo last night right at 6pm so we are crossing everything in the hopes that she will be low enough when they draw her blood levels again tonight a little before 6pm....Otherwise they will check again tomorrow morning! I'm just glad that we are here this week and not next :0)! Lindsay is feeling pretty good... She isn't eating much. She says she just isn't hungry...I don't know if she just doesn't want to sit still long enough to eat or she really isn't hungry! I am trying to get her to Drink and she is getting very tired of me following her around with a glass of pop or water, but that will help her levels go down too! Anyway I think that is it for now. I will update when I know more!
Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers for Lindsay! Also thank you for signing her guest book!! she really loves those entries!!
Love to all,
Carine
ps. Please take a minute to check out her smile quilt (link at bottom of page) It is really cute!!
Tuesday, December 16, 2003 10:56 AM CST Hi everyone
I just wanted to add a quick entry. We are inpatient for Lindsay's 3 day IV Methotrexate. She is doing well and went down to the school here at the hospital to do some of her homework and play on the computers down there! They started her treatment around 6:00 pm last night, so we should be finished around 6pm tonight and then they will draw her blood around 6pm Wednesday to see if the MTX is out of her system. If it is, then we get to go home! Please pray that we finish on time and are "sprung" tomorrow. Lindsay really wants to go to school Thurday and Friday before Christmas break. She missed all last week with low ANC and is very antsy to see her friends!! That's all for now.... Thanks for checking on us and please sign Lindsay's guest book, she loves to read the entries!! (she is learning to read and it is great practice for her)
Love to all,
Carine
Sunday, December 14, 2003 2:00 PM CST Hi Everyone,
Well I kind of cheated.... Lindsay went in for her lab work this morning, and normally I wait to hear from the hospital on Monday mornings to see if her counts are good enough to continue with her next round of inpatient stays. Wellllll, I know how to figure our the ANC and that needs to be above 500 to start up again, and it is 748!! WOO HOO!!! Sometimes it takes weeks to recover from a Delayed intensification, but it only took Lindsay one week. Oh, her platelets needed to be above 75,000 and they were 319,000, so they were good too! She also made it through this DI without needing any transfusions! Way to go Lindsay!!!
So what that means is that we should be going up to CHW for a 3 day planned in-patient stay for IV Methotrexate tomorrow, and that also means that we should be home for CHRISTMAS!!! I say "should" because I really don't want to jinx myself! She handles her IV MTX pretty well and hasn't had any side effects other that a tummy ache, and they give her a lot of Zofran to take care of that!
On another note, mom my had her surgery Friday to remove part of her throid and a growth on it. Thank you for all your prayers for her! She did great and they removed everything they needed to and were able to leave 1/2 her throid. She is home and resting, but feels pretty good!!
Thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers for Lindsay and us!! I want to wish all of you a HEALTHY AND HAPPY holiday season!!
Love to all
Carine
p.s. Please look at Lindsay smile quilt (link below), I gave the "quilting angels" information on Lindsay and they made her an awesome smile quilt!
Monday, December 8, 2003 9:25 PM CST Hi everyone,
Well we got Lindsay's counts checked and her ANC (infection fighting ability) is in the toilet!! it is 195. It could be worse and go down to 0, but for now we are homebound for this week! Lindsay can't go to school this week, especailly with this being cold and flu season! She is pretty bummed, but we will try to find lots of fun things to do! Unfortunately we can't have to many visitors either. We will have her counts checked again on Sunday to see if her ANC comes back up to at least 500 to go on with her next in-patient stay for IV Methotrexate on Monday. Please pray that her ANC recovers (we were told "not to hold our breath" by her Dr. Anc doesn't usually recover that fast, and may even go down more) so that we are not pushed off another week (Dec 22nd thru 24th). Otherwise her other counts look fine. Her platelets did recover and are at 220,000. Last week they were at 77,000. They usually do a transfusion around 25-30,000 I think. Her hemoglobin was 9.7 and they don't usually transfuse until around 8.0 or lower and she would have symptoms like fatigue or paleness. none of which we are worried about right now. It isn't uncommon to need blood products after the chemo that Lindsay just had, so she is very lucky so far, and beleive me, we are thankful!
I think that is all that is happening for now.
Thank you for signing Lindsay's guest book and thank you for all the prayers for Lindsay.
love to all,
Carine
PLEASE CHECK OUT LINDSAY'S ***NEW*** SMILE QUILT....
Saturday, December 6, 2003 10:35 AM CST Hi everyone,
Not a whole lot to update. Lindsay is doing pretty well. She was running a low grade fever on and off this week, but not high enough for making the call to her Doctor. She went to school all week except for Monday morning when we went to NIMC for labs. Her counts were good, but we are going again this Monday to check her counts. They are waiting for them to drop because of the ARA-C she had a week ago. Typically they expect counts to drop 2 weeks after the ARA-c is finished. Please pray that she is the exception and we can go on with our planned in-patient stay in the 15th, and not have it pushed back to the 22nd. We really want to spend Christmas week at home! (if we have to be in-patient then so be it, but.....)
I must pat myself on the back....I actually have all my Christmas Cards done AND mailed! I think this is the earliest I have ever had them done!! Now my shopping.... That is a completely different story!
I want to thank everyone again for all the wonderful messages left in Lindsay's guest book. We are very blessed.... I also want to wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy holiday season!!
Love to all
Carine
Friday, November 28, 2003 10:09 PM CST Hi everyone,
WELL..... Lindsay is finished with her Delayed intensification!!! She had her last dose of Ara-c this morning, and I hope I am not jinxing her by saying this, she did great. She didn't run any fevers. That is a big side effect of that drug. Not we are waiting to see if (actually when) her counts will drop. Now we need prayers that when her ANC bottoms out that she will not end up inpatient with a fever. When her ANC is very low and she gets a fever we would be admitted. She is scheduled for a 3 day IV Methotrexate admission for December 15th, and as long as her counts recover we will be inpatient for that from Monday the 15th to the 17th sometime in the evening. If her counts haven't recovered then we will be re-scheduled for the next Monday which is the 22nd of December. As you can probably guess we are hoping for the 15th. We would like to be home for Christmas!!
As always, Thank you to all that sign Lindsay's guest book. We just read some new one's last night... She always enjoys knowing that so many people are thinking of her...
Now a couple of prayer requests:
My mom is having surgery on the 12th of December. She is having a tumor removed from her Throid. It is bening, but is pushing on her wind pipe so they are going to remove it. Not too dangerous, but prayers that it goes well!
One of my dear ALL-Kids families just found out that thier precious son had relapsed after a Bone marrow transplant. His name is Marcus and his mom is Teresa. Please say a prayer for them.. They aren't being given much hope.... They need a miracle!
Ok, Thanks again for checking on us, and for all the thoughts and prayers for Lindsay. Have a wonderful holiday season!!!
love to all,
Carine
Tuesday, November 25, 2003 9:39 PM CST Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to get on and wish everyone a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!We have so much to be thankful for this year, and plan to celebrate this holiday to the fullest!
Lindsay is doing well. She started her 2nd week of Ara-c and is still doing pretty well. No fevers (yet). Our home nurse said if we were going to see them we might have already, so we are keeping everything crossed LOL. She is getting bored already with her break from school(she is off the whole week: confrences, institute day and holiday).
After Ara-c is finished this Friday she Lindsay will have 2 weeks off from clinic, and we will be going for weekly blood work at NIMC here in town. Her nurse practicioner said not to be surprised if we need to throw another lab draw into that, and that she may need blood products (red cells or platelets). This Ara-c along with the other chemo she had received these last couple of months is pretty strong stuff, and they are expecting her counts to bottom out between now and Christmas. Please pray that we will be home for most of the holiday season!!
Thank you for all the messages in our guest book!!! Lindsay loved all the ones for her Birthday especially!! Thank you also for your continued support and prayers for our family....we are forever grateful!!
lots of love,
Carine
Saturday, November 22, 2003 10:27 PM CST HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDSAY !!!!
I can't believe that Lindsay is 7!! She is doing pretty well, and had a great birthday!! She finished her 1st week of Ara-c with NO side effects!! I am still thanking God and hoping I didn't just jinx her!! She did have a couple of tummy aches, but no vomitting and the Zofran really helped! She will have a spinal tap Monday and then Ara-c again Tuesday thru Friday! She felt good enough to go to school yesterday and brought snacks for her Birthday!
Thank you to everyone who signed Lindsay's guestbook and wished her Happy Birthday!!It means a lot to her (and us) to see everyone we know (and just met)checking up on us!
Today we had Grandpa, Grandma, Mammy, Papa, Auntie, Chris, and Uncle over for Lindsay's birthday and she got great presents and I want to thank you all too for making her birthday so special!!!
Much love to all,
Carine
Tuesday, November 18, 2003 8:27 PM CST Hi everyone,
Lindsay is doing pretty well right now. We were in clinic Yesterday for a Spinal Tap, (which went well...fluid looked clear)and then a new drug called Cyclophosphimide (I think I spelled that right). She did well and was pretty understanding about the long day (9 hours at clinic)and all the stuff we made her drink afterwards. I know I would go crazy if everyone told me every 5 minutes to drink something! We had to go to clinic again today for her 1st dose of Ara-C to make sure she didn't have a reaction to it, and she did fine...no reaction. Now this is the drug that can still cause high fevers and low counts, in which case, means an unplanned admission for tests to verify a chemo fever or infection. We have a home health care nurse that will give Lindsay her Ara-C at home. She had her port accessed now and the nurse will un-access her Friday after her last dose this week. She will have another spinal tap next Monday and they will leave her port accessed after that until Friday next week which will be her last dose of that drug. Then we have 2 weeks off to let her recover from this delayed intensification and then on to the next round of 3 day stays (for IV Methotrexate). She will have three more of those starting when her counts recover from this round! I think I have posted what she is in for the next month or so, but I will update before then!! Please keep Lindsay in your prayers that she handles this Ara-C well and will be back to school soon and that this won't make her too sick! (she is out of school this week since her port is accessed... not taking a chance with that)
Thank you again, Oh Lindsay want me to tell you that she is finally going to be 7 on Saturday.....Where does the time go???
love to all, Carine
Tuesday, November 11, 2003 12:09 AM CST Hi everyone,
Not a whole lot to report this week! We had local labs done yesterday. (no trip to clinic for chemo this week!) Lindsay's labs looked great! Her ANC was 5900. She also had her last dose of steroids yesterday morning!(YEAH!!!) They take about a week to be out of her system so she is still VERY hungry, but I can live with that. This was her last long (3 week) dose of the steroids. From time to time now she will have 7 day pulses. We are going to have her local labs done again Sunday to see if we can go on with the second half of her Delayed Intensification. Her ANC I think needs to be above 500 and platelets above 75,000. If they are then Monday she will have a spinal tap with IT MTX, Cyclophosphamide(new drug) and she will start a 14 day pulse of 6-TG (another new drug). We will then have to go back Tuesday for her first dose of Ara-C so they can make sure she does ok with it, then the remaining 7 doses will be done at home with a home nurse. Otherwise we would be driving to the hospital Monday through Friday for 2 weeks!! She will be in clinic for 2 straight Monday's and one Tuesday.
We are going to be doing a lot of parting this month! Lindsay's report card was awesome!! All "S" and above. (in 1st grade they are given actual grades yet) Her effort grades were all "E"'s!! Way to go Lindsay!!! Also, Her Dog, Sammy's birthday was yesterday. He is one (actually 7 I guess!)Lindsay's Dad's birthday is tomorrow! (he is alot older than 1 LOL), and Lindsay's Birthday is the 22nd of this month!! She will be 7! So Like I said we are going to start of the Holiday season with a Bang!!!
I hope you all have a great week and thank you for all you thoughts and prayers, and Oh Yea I want to send out a specail Thank you to Joanna! She is My sister-in-laws best friend and a piano and voice instructor. She held a fundraiser for us in the form of a recital with her students. They all donated their time and invited their families to help us raise funds for Lindsay's treatment and to help us since I haven't returned to work yet! It was a Huge success and all the kids were AMAZING!!! Thank you again to evreyone who helped and donated things for the raffle. It was truly a blessing to our family!!!..
Much Love to all, Carine
Tuesday, November 4, 2003 3:06 PM CST Hi Everyone,
Lindsay's clinic appointment went well yesterday. I made her appointment for the afternoon so she could go to school 1/2 a day. We were trying to make them early in the morning and we never made it back for school. Yesterday worked out very well. Lindsay went until 12:45 and we were home by 5:45 and made dinner! This only works if there is no spinal, but it worked well yesterday!
Lindsay had Vincristine and Daunomycin(last dose). she did well and the Chemo was ready on time! (that doesn't happen often) We now have a week off, (except for labs here at home) and then we start the second half of this Delayed Intensification. She has done really well with the first half, so please pray she does well with the second! She will get the Ara-c the last 2 weeks of this month, which just happens to be the week of her birthday (Nov 22nd) and the week of Thanksgiving. We will have a lot of fun at home this year!
That is all the new news for now.... Thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers for us! We are so very thankful to have so many of you thinking of us!!
lots of love,
Carine
Monday, October 27, 2003 5:02 PM CST Hi everyone,
Not a whole lot to report. Lindsay had a clinic appointment today and it went well aside form the forever waiting around for everything!! She had Vincristine and Daunomycin today. Her ANC (infection fighting ability) was really high due to the fact that she is on Steroids. that will change in a couple of weeks when she is off of them. I think she is feeling pretty good. We are hoping for full days of school the rest of the week. She didn't make it today because we were at the clinic so long plus the drive home (1 1/2 hrs). She is planning on being a baby for Halloween, and just informed me today (after I bought the stuff for the costume) that she wants to wear the princess costume from last year to school and the baby our trick or treating!!! Where does she get this????? Ok I think that is all. I wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween!!
love to all, Carine
p.s. please pray for my cousin-in-law Jodi and her family. Her mom passed away yestersay from another form of Leukemia (myleodysplasia). She was only diagnosed a few weeks ago!! This disease is awful!!! Thank you
Thursday, October 23, 2003 4:00 PM CDT Hi everyone,
We are doing ok. Lindsay was at school 1/2 a day today, then came home with a tummy ache. She is 4 days into delayed intensification and so far so good. She started steroids Monday for 3 weeks now. The short temper is here!!! (lucky us). She hasn't been eating non-stop yet, but that i'm sure will follow. We were at clinic on Wednesday for her PEG L-asp (leg shot). It went well, except that we weren't told to put Emla on BOTH legs as this shot was actually one shot into each leg. That kind of stinked! We waited around for about 1/2 an hour while the 2nd leg went numb. Now this was after we waited 1 1/2 hours after our appointment time for the drugs to be ready from the pharmacy! (ARGHHHHHHH) Lindsay was a real trooper and didn't have any reaction to these shots. These are the ones that can cause a similar reaction to a bee sting (anaphalactic shock I think it is called). Thank you to Grandpa for riding up with us (that 1 1/2 hour car ride can be quite boring!) and buying us lunch after. That is always a nice treat.... Our next appointment is Mondsay for Vincristine and the Daunomycin. If everything is ready it shouldn't be along appointment!! Please pray that Lindsay continues to do well, and that her tummy aches will subside... Thanks to all....
love, Carine
Monday, October 20, 2003 9:21 PM CDT Hi everyone,
We have officially started our Delayed intensification(DI). Things went really well today. Lindsay had her Spinal Tap with IT chemo (injected into spinal fluid). This is done when she is asleep(called propafol) so she does fine with the spinals. Dr Maloney said that the fluid looked great! It takes a couple of days to get the "official results", but clear is always good! She also had her DNR today (one of her new drugs) and she did well. She liked the fact that it turned her pee red! (what a lady huh???) We got another bit of good news, for us anyway. Lindsay was scheduled to have 6 shots into the muscle of her leg (L-Asp for short)which would have been done Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next 2 weeks. Dr. Maloney told us today that Lindsay's protocol was re-opened and some changes were made. She will now just get ONE (yes I said ONE)shot in the leg which will be done this Wednesday. This shot is called PEG L-Asp instead of just L-asp, and Dr. Maloney said it is longer lasting and she thinks it would be better for Lindsay anyway. Lindsay was Very Excited about not having to do 6 shots!!! I wasn't sure at first (thinking..... is one really enough....)but Dr. Maloney is wonderful and we really trust her, and she explained that even with Lindsay's chromosome thing she will still be fine with just one of these shots.
Even though things are "so far so good" please keep Lindsay in your prayers that she is in remission forever and she will do good with the rest of her DI. We still may have low counts and fever to contend with!
Lots of love,
Carine
Saturday, October 18, 2003 11:22 AM CDT Hi everyone,
Things are still going well here!! Unfortunately the Cubs lost the National League Pennant, but there is always next year!!LOL
Lindsay is doing well and will start her Delayed Intensification Monday, and for the next two weeks we will be in Milwaukee for day trips on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I really wish the hospital was closer (1 1/2 hours one way), but Lindsay loves everyone there and they have really been wonderful to us so far!!!
Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers for my appointment with my Oncologist on Wednesday. Besides being there for almost 2 hours for a 15 minute appointment (I'm sure many of your out there can relate to that) it went well. Dr Kamelle said everything looked great, and we just have to wait for the "test results" to come back, but they are confident that they will be fine too! They feel they got all my Cancer with the surgery. Anyway I want to thank everyone for thinking of me too, even with all the praying you are doing for Lindsay!!
I will keep you all posted as to how Lindsay is doing will this new round of treatment. Monday she will have a Spinal Tap with IT Methotrexate, Vincristine, L-asparaginase, and Daunomycin. Wow that is alot for one day. Please pray that she does well with it all. Our nurse practicioner said this will be the time(next 8-10 weeks) that if she was to become neutropenic (ANC lower than 500) she will, and other than our scheduled in-paitent stays, this should be the other time there is a chance she will be admitted for things like low ANC or fever. Anyway I know she is a fighter and I am sure that she will do great (hey the optimist in me is coming out!!)
Take care everyone and I will update soon!!
***CHECK OUT THE PHOTO ALBUM****
it only took me about 2 months to figure out how to get pictures on this site!!!LOL
Love to all,
Carine
Tuesday, October 14, 2003 12:18 AM CDT Hi everyone,
Not a whole lot of news here. We are enjoying a couple of weeks of before we start our Delayed Intensification on the 20th. We will get blood work done on the 19th at NIMC to make sure Lindsay's counts are good enough to start the next phase. We are hopefull that they will be! Please keep Lindsay in your prayers for this next 8 weeks. She will get 2 new drugs that hopefully she will do fine with, but the prayers don't hurt!!!
We had a really nice weekend. Bryan's brother Jeff came home from Kentucky on Thursday night. Lindsay had Friday (institute day) and Monday(Colombus day) off so she had a fun filled weekend. Lets see.... Friday we went to Lake Geneva to see the fall leaves, which were absolutley beautiful. Saturday she has her friend, Alexandria's (Alex for short) bowling birthday party, and then off to Mammy and Papa's for dinner with friends. Sunday we went to Mammy and papa's to have brunch and to see Uncle Jeff before he had to go home. : (.... We don't like when he goes home, then to Alex's house for the "family party" and to watch the Cub's Game ( GO CUBBIES!!!!!) Finally Monday Lindsay's Mammy took her to Brookfield Zoo . We had great weather here all weekend and we really took advantage of it!!!! Bryan is going to the CUBS game tonight, thanks to Mark, and Scott!! With a win tonight........WORLD SERIES HERE WE COME!!! It would be wonderful for Bry to be a part of that!!!
Just wanted to ask for an extra prayer from everyone for me.. I have my 1st appointment with my Oncologist after my release from my Hysterectomy tomorrow... I am feeling good, but the 1st I think is always the scariest!! With an "all clear" at this appointment I go back in 4 months.
Thank you again for all the prayers, cards, gifts, and e-mails from every one of you.... We wouldn't make it through all of this without each of you!!
Love to all
Carine
Wednesday, October 1, 2003 10:20 PM CDT Hi everyone,
We are home from our inpatient stay, and I can't wait to be in my own bed tonight! Lindsay's treatment went well, and we are off for 2 1/2 weeks and then we start our re-induction which I did get a little more information on this time. These three days were pretty eventful though. Lidnsay had a Luau (I think that is how it is spelled) on Tuesday where it was all crafts to make. That was right up her alley, and then today an artist whose art work is displayed on the skywalk into the hospital came and talked to some of the kids and told them about art. Lindsay had a ball. We also were sent today for an echocardiogeam on Lindsay. This is basically an untrasound of her heart, and this one was a baseline to see what her heart looks like when it is completely normal because she will be taking a drug called Daunomycin or DNR that can do heart damage. ( I swear, you need to worry more about the side effects than the leukemia itself)So they wanted to have a starting point for Lindsay so they know in the future if this drug damages her heart! Our Nurse practicioner said it is given in smaller doses than can cause this damage, but they want to cover all the bases and Lindsay will have more echo's in the future after the drug is finished.
Lindsay's Spinal was all clear too! Thank GOD! I don't know why, but those make me more nervous now than they used to .
Anyway Lindsay is doing great and hopefully will finish out the week at school and have and uneventful couple of weeks!
Thank you all for posted messages in Lindsay's guest book we all enjoy reading them, and Thanks you also for all the thoughts and prayers for All of us!
Love to all,
Carine
Sunday, September 28, 2003 9:15 PM CDT Hello to all,
Just wanted to drop a quick not to ask for prayers that Lindsay's Spinal before her 24 IV MTX treatment goes well. As you may remember Lindsay is now put completely asleep for the Spinal taps so she does fine with them, but I want to make sure that the fluid is all clear! As long as Lindsay gets her treatment started by 5 pm tomorrow we will be going home Wednesday. I will update soon...
love to all,
Carine
Wednesday, September 24, 2003 8:17 PM CDT Hi everyone,
Thanks for checking in on us. We are all doing pretty good. We have had a couple of weeks off treatment and are due to go back in-patient on Monday. We will have blood work done Sunday at NIMC to make sure her counts are good enough to head up to CHW for treatment. Her counts should be fine. They were the last time we went, but they do check things like her Liver function because the Methotrexate can mess with that and they want to make sure the counts are normal before the give her more. This will be our last impatient stay for a while. I think they start up again mid-December. We start what I think is called Delayed intensification the 20th of October and that will involve a couple of new drugs, so we aren't sure how things are going to go. One of the drugs she will get is called ARA-c and it is known for causing high fevers, so please keep Lindsay in your prayers and hope she does well with all that she is in for the next couple of months. Thanks!
Lindsay is having a great time in 1st grade. She had a little trouble getting back in after our last inpatient stay. She was calling from the nurses office with things like headaches and tummy aches and then getting home and feeling "much" better. Gee I seem to remember that trick. After a little talk she had been doing much better and hasn't missed any more school! We are going to try to go to the pumpkin farm this weekend depending on the weather..... Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers for Lindsay and I will update while we are in-patient..
Love, Carine
Thursday, September 11, 2003 9:27 AM CDT Hi everyone,
Wow today is September 11th... It has been two years and it still seems like yesterday! Well, Lindsay and I are home. We were discharged around 7:30 last night, which was wonderful because last time Bryan came up and we couldn't go home Wednesday night so he had to go home without us! We were all very thankful to be able to go home together. Lindsay did fine with her treatment and they have determined that she can clear the methotrexate out of her system quickly so we should just have three day stays from now on. Lindsay went back to school today and was very excited about seeing her friends again. All is well here and we now have 2 weeks off treatment so we can relax a little and do some catch-up! Thank you all again for our prayers and thoughts! Love, Carine
Tuesday, September 9, 2003 9:10 PM CDT Hi everyone,
Well it is the end of day 2 and we are doing fine! Lindsay finished her treatment around 4:30 today, and if she is like last time she should have it out of her system by the time they draw blood tomorrow at 5:30. We will probably be able to go home around 7:00 or so. We are then off treatment for 2 1/2 weeks! (yea). Our next trip to the clinic, as long as Lindsay stays healthy, will be the 29th of September for our last in-patient for IV Methotrexate for now. We will have more after the 1st of the next year. Thank you all for signing Lindsay's guest book and for all your thoughts and prayers throughout all this. You are all truly a blessing! Love to all, Carine
Tuesday, September 9, 2003 2:15 PM CDT Hi everyone,
We are into day 2 of our inpatient stay. Lindsay is doing well. Her treatment was started on time and she should be done about 4:15 pm today, and then if she can get it out of her system by tomorrow we should be able to go home tomorrow night. She is sleepy today and is on her 2nd nap right now so I had a minute to update. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers ! love to you all Carine
Friday, September 5, 2003 4:30 PM CDT Hello everyone,
Just wanted to drop a note to let everyone know that Lindsay has sucessfully completed her 1st week of 1st grade.... She loves her teacher, and the fact that she got to pick the desk she wanted in her classroom. She is also thrilled that she is able to sit anywhere on the bus she wants. See, last year for kindergarten she had to sit in the first few rows, and now she had the whole bus to choose from! She also bought her first school lunch today.....Cheese pizza. She was soooo excited and said the pizza at school is awesome. Anyway it has been a great week and we will be in-patient next Monday thru Wednesday so I will update when I can. Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers you send our way.... we sincerely apprecaite them... Love to all, Carine
Tuesday, September 2, 2003 8:59 PM CDT Hi everyone,
Today is a good day! Lindsay was able to start 1st grade today with the rest of her class!! She also did really well with her treatment too! She had to go today because the clinic was closed yesterday for the holiday. Today she had her port accessed and Vincristine injected into it. A 10 minute procedure providing everything went well, and it did. Her nurse had no problem getting blood from her port. Thank God! Last week must have been a fluke! Her counts are good also. The clinic didn't call with all her counts because we had a late appointment, but I called the HOT unit and they said her ANC is over 3000 which is really good! They Clinic is supposed to call with all her counts tomorrow! Our next appointment is Monday for another 3 day inpatient stay. We have to be at the hospital at 9:00 am for her to be put to sleep for her spinal tap. No nore sedation!(yea) I will update next week unless anything comes up. The hospital phone # is on this page... Feel free to call and check on us if you would like. I can't guarantee we will be in the room at all times, but you may catch us!
Monday, August 25, 2003 9:59 PM CDT Hi everyone,
Today was a clinic visit for her Vincristine that gets injected into a line into her port. She did fine with the treatment. Her nurse did have trouble getting a blood draw from her port though. That has never been a problem before, so I am praying it doesn't become one. Thay gave her medicine in to her port that had to sit in the line for about an hour and then they were able to draw blood, but if in the future they have trouble they will have to do a Dye test to see what happens to the stuff they inject into her port. Please pray that there isn't a problem that will be a big deal to fix! Other than that everything went well. Her blood counts were fine. Her ANC is down to 784 which is ok. They said with that she will still be allowed to go to school. Our next clinic visit isn't until next Tuesday because the clinic is closed on Monday for Labor Day. We will go up after Lindsay's first (1/2) day of school. I guess we will find out then if the ANC is back up or has gone down! Ok I will update again if anything changes....Everyone have a great Holiday weekend!
Love to all, Carine
Thursday, August 21, 2003 10:07 PM CDT Hi everyone,
Things are going well, Lindsay and I got home about 3:00 pm today. Her levels were just a little higher that they could be for us to go home last night.(needed to be .20 or less and her's was .28) They checked it at 9:00 am this morning and it was less than .05. We were probably good to go home around 9:00 last night, but they only run this type of test 3 times a day and last night at 6 was the last one for yesterday. She is doing great, plenty of energy and no tummy aches. Her next treatment is Monday the 25th for Vincristine. (injected into line that goes into her port). They will draw labs from her port line and we will call later in the day to get those results. They didn't do much blood work this trip to the hospital. Just to see if the MTX was out of her body. We also found out that she will be able to go to school. She will miss quite a bit in the beginning, but probably the first couple of months next year she should be able to go full time! Right now she will miss for in-patient stays, and clinic visits, and hopefully that is all! Obviously if there is a lot of sick kids in her class then she will be kept home, but we are hoping to get her there as much as possible. I want to thank everyone again from the bottom of our hearts for all the times you all think of us daily and for all they prayers. We are truly blessed with wonderful friends and family and we really don't know what we would do without each and every one of you all! Love, Carine, Bryan, and most of all, Lindsay
Wednesday, August 20, 2003 2:25 PM CDT Hi all,
Lindsay finished her IV chemo last night on schedule! We are just waiting to see how long it takes to get out of her system. They do not check her urine like my last message for the levels....my mistake. They draw blood to see if the drug is out of her system. They are going to do that around 6 p.m. tonight. We will know around 7 or 8 if her levels are low enough to go home tonight. Her nurse practicioner said we will be very luck if we are able to go home tonight because they started her treatemnt so late Monday. If the levels are too high, then they will check them tomorrow morning. I guess the lab work that has to be done to check this is costlya nd time consuming so they only check a couple times a day. Otherwise Lindsay is doing fine. She is laying down right now, but she has been full of energy. I will update when there is more to tell......love to everyone, Carine
Tuesday, August 19, 2003 7:10 PM CDT Hi everyone,
We are here at the childrens hospital for Lindsay's first 24 hour IV chemo. She has done pretty well with it so far. Yesterday was a little rough though. We started at the clinic for a spinal tap and chemo in her back. She was very worked up about this and not very hydrated, so her nurse practicioner and her doctor both tried to do the spinal and neither of them had any luck. They need to get it just right and get spinal fluid to drip and Lindsay's wouldn't. They then scheduled her to be completely asleep for the Spinal, but that wasn't done until after 3. We were at the clinic at 9:30 am, and for spinals Lindsay can't have anything to eat or drink after midnight the night before.......so you can imagine how starving she was when they put her to sleep. Anyway after that the spinal went fine. We are able now to schedule the spinals with her being put to sleep and not just sedated! That is kind of a relief. Her IV chemo should be done at 8:40 p.m. tonight and then ner nurses will hydrate her again, and they will test her urine until the Ph is a certain # and then we can go home. We are hoping this will be sometime Wednesday night. This is her first treatment though, so we really don't know how long the secretion will take! She is full of energy and hasn't stopped playing which is good (no stomaches either.... Yeah!!!) That is the latest for now...
Love to all, Carine
Wednesday, August 13, 2003 10:12 PM CDT Hi all,
This is really cool. I had no idea this was out there! I will eventually get a picture of Lindsay here too! I will update again the beginning of next week when we are in-patient for our first IV MTX. Lindsay did have blood work done last week and it all looked great. Nothing new to report.... we are just enjoying our time off right now. More updates next week! Love to all Carine
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