Great News

I had my appt with Dr. Goff on Monday. All Clear!! All my tests came back negative and she doesn't know why I'm having the pain. Her best guess is my nerves are working double time and driving me crazy. She prescribed an anti-seizure medication that is used to calm nerves. I have to work up to the full dose and have to be really careful coming off the medication as well. Hopefully it will help with the neuropathy in my feet as well. I don't have to have a blood draw for three months and no scans for six months--what a relief!

I had my first hair trim today!! Thanks Wendy for squeezing me in. It feels great, but we have all agreed my hair is strange. I call it "baby puppy fuzz". Wendy thinks maybe it is trying to be curly, but it gets confused. Oh well, at least I have hair to trim :)

I hope many of you can come join us in the Relay for Life. It's going to be great fun, and would be even better if all my loyal readers were to participate. I will try to keep reminding all of you to sign up!! See post below for details.

Relay for Life — Come Walk with Jamie!

Katie Stoll (of Katie and Brian) started a Relay for Life team in Jamie's honor to get Jamie's "team" together to celebrate her success in clobbering cancer. Sign up right here!

Relay for Life is a 24-hour relay fund raiser for the American Cancer Society. You can find more info about it right here. I've participated in the Relay before, and it's a really fun and inspiring event. Team members (walkers) are needed for relay shifts, and at the event you can camp out overnight, or just show up for a walking shift and visit the campers.

The event begins on Friday, June 20 at 6:00pm and will last until Saturday, June 21 at 6:00 pm. It will be in Tacoma at the Franklin Pierce High School Track - 11002 18th Ave. E.
Tacoma, WA 98445-5200. On Friday night there will be a survivor lap at 6:00 pm for cancer survivors, and a Luminaria Ceremony of Hope at 10:00 pm. Walkers who circle the track all night walk by the light of the luminaries.

You can make a Luminaria donation to the event or to Jamie's Team in honor of anyone whose life has been touched by cancer — just click right here.

Join Jamie's Team to participate in the Relay at her Team Page — get there by clicking right here. If you're interested in joining the team to walk, but have yet to sign up, please leave a comment on this post so Katie knows how the team is shaping up. Anyone can join the fun, so mark your calendars, and get ready to lace up your walkin' shoes! We'll see you there!!

Lost Modesty

Today I had my "aspiration" at the UW radiology department. Well that is what it was supposed to be. I ended up having a biopsy instead. After mapping the area on my tush, with many rides in and out of the CT machine, no fluid came out of my "pocket". Instead the Dr had to change strategies and take a core sample from the lump that is pushing on my bum area as it was not a fluid pocket as was suspected. And as you can see I can be very detailed about this, because the anesthesia did not work and I was pretty conscience thru out the entire procedure. Believe me, I wish I wasn't. They actually had to stop in the middle of it to request the use of more drugs, because they had already surpassed the normal dosing for most people. I still hold the staff at the UW in high regard, but today was not the greatest of procedure days.

I had to stay after the procedure in the recovery area for a little bit, where I scared a nurse by dosing off which caused my oxygen levels to set the alarm off on the machine. Once I was somewhat stable, they sent me back down to 4 South, to wait out the after effects of the drugs. I guess I really was a special case today, because the nurse told me to order lunch, which John did only to have the nurse rush back in to tell me they didn't want me to eat until about 5pm and I needed to lay still until that time as well. Mind you I hadn't eaten since 9pm the night before, I was pretty hungry. All this while during the recovery, I had to keep baring my bum, so they could check on it. It's getting to the point, it doesn't bother me to have male nurses. I've lost all my modesty. One day I hope it will return (LOL)

Last Thursday, many of you know I had a PET scan, which came back clear with no indication of activity in the "pocket" in question. We had a bit of a snag when the nurse was trying to put my folic catheter in. In the end, I did the PET without it and found out the Nuke Techs actually prefer to run the PET without one. I'm hoping the good outcome of the PET will be some sort of indication that all is well with whatever they took out today.

I will try to post what I find out soon, but I have my three month check-up with Dr. Goff on Monday, so I may not find anything out until I talk to her. My nurse, Heidi will probably call and give me an update. She is so great about making sure we know all the details as soon as she finds anything out. I love that about her...always thinking about the patient and their state of mind.

I hope all is well with all of you--I will let all of you know any info I get as soon as I get it!!

Lots of Love,

Jamie

Minor Setback--Fast Action

I'm sorry for not posting a picture. I need to get John to take a photo to post. The hair is coming in strong!!

I've had a minor setback this week. I started having some pain this week and the usual drugs were not cutting it, so on Wednesday I called my favorite nurse, Heidi. As usual, she responded very quickly and told me I needed to come up and be seen. The next morning at 10am, I was being examined by Barb Silko, a very competent nurse practitioner, who sees patients during recovery after surgery, so you don't have to see the "boss" every time you go in. Barb did a "thorough" exam, and proclaimed she couldn't "feel" anything, but wanted to discuss the option of having a CT scan with Heidi.

I was on my way out of the office, when I got sidetracked talking to Tina, the team coordinator, regarding a change in my next scheduled blood draw. We were just about to leave, when Heidi caught us. She had wrote the requisition for the CT scan, and had Tina call downstairs to get us in that day! Talk about service. About 20 minutes later, I was chugging down the Lumen (barium smoothie) which was less thick than the regular stuff. At 12:30, I was laying on the table getting ready to start the scan.

Today, I got a call from Heidi with the results. She assured me they didn't see anything suspicious, but that I've had a pocket of fluid by the area where they did the bowel resection. It has always been very small (17mm x 19mm), but that it has grown a little bit (23mm x 24mm) and that it was likely causing the discomfort that I have. Dr. Goff looked at the scans and wants me to have a Pet Scan to make sure nothing "lights up", since my last one in November. She also suggested that the scans be sent down to the interventional radiologists to look at to see if they will be able to surgically drain the pocket. She is somewhat skeptical that they will be able to do it, because of its position, but wanted it to be the first choice. I think she would have to go in surgically if they can't do anything about it.

I am so grateful that I was lucky enough to find Dr. Goff and have her involved in my recovery. She and her team are the most wonderful people out there! I highly recommend the SCCA to everyone I talk to. I don't know where I would get such great and fast care like I receive from the SCCA.

I will keep you all posted about what I find out this next week. Wish me luck!!

Nice Brows!

So here's the best I can do for a recent-ish "close up" from a trip to the ocean the first week of March. You can't see Jamie's hair (it was cold!), but you can see the return of her great eye brows. Yeah!

Just click on the pic to get a closer look.

Lucky Number 8

Hello All!! I thought I would give you all a brief update post chemotherapy. I had my first blood draw (one whole month has gone by!!) and all is "spiffy"! My CA-125 is the lowest it's ever been at a cool low of 8. After starting out well over 4400, I will take an 8 any day.

My hair is coming in pretty strong now. I was worried for a little while because it was falling out again, but that seems to have past. I'm starting to lose the "steroid" puffiness in my face too--thank goodness. My eyebrows and eyelashes are coming in as well, so I'm starting to look more like myself.

I've been doing twice weekly deep water aerobics with my sister, Jennifer and Mom. The Club has just added Tuesday and Thursday to the schedule so I am going to do those classes as well.

I will try to post a picture soon :)

Happy New Year!

Katrina here, with a brief Crase update. Jamie and John spent the weekend with us, and we celebrated Chinese New Year in the International District on Saturday. As usual with any of our joint ventures, big or small, we had a glorious time.

To kick off the weekend, I heard John chopping something in the kitchen Saturday morning. Turned out to be pineapple, and he was making Eggs Benedict for breakfast. It was absolute heaven. We also had an amazing dinner in on Saturday night, and with Jamie as my sous chef, we are unstoppable in the kitchen (and don't end up buried under dishes). The guys had picked up groceries on the way back from a bike ride. Good food, good friends, good conversation, some casual travel discussion—a very nice start to the Lunar New Year.

I think it's very cool that 2008 is "Jamie's Year" so to speak, since her Chinese sign is the Rat. This year promises "Great renewal, success and adventure," for her. Sounds good to me!

Jamie's looking great, feeling fabulous, she's sporting a gorgeous new hat (knit by Ali), and is Madeline's new "best friend". They played together a lot this weekend, and on Sunday M said, "I just want Jamie and John and Shorty to stay with us all the time now, OK? " If only we could all just hang out and have fun all the time... the perpetual holiday. Although with John and I cooking for all of us all the time, we'd all need to invest in some new mountain bikes (and ride them a lot)!

Gong xi fa cai! Wishing you prosperity! (Happy New Year!)

Return Home

Feeling pressure from the impending snow storm, we left for Seattle yesterday a couple hours earlier than normal. I had gone to the office early that morning, finding the side streets with a modest inch or two of snow, but the main streets only wet and the interstate in good condition. On my return trip, my concern increased as the temperature dropped and the traffic on I-5 seemed to thicken.

As we headed north unimpeded a little before 9 AM, we forwent our usual coffee stop in DuPont, still feeling apprehensive about what lie ahead. Tacoma was soon behind us. As we left Federal Way and approached that non descript segment, Mid-way, the skies darkened and I felt the truck slip a bit as we went over a patch of ice.

Then it was over. South Center was bone dry, and our entrance into downtown Seattle revealed only wet streets and the rhythmic metallic percussion of chained up busses.

So we gave into our caffeine cravings and had coffee and treats at the Eastlake Starbucks. Still, there was time to spare so we went for a drive around the neighborhoods to the east of the freeway, eventually looping back through Capitol Hill. On our return route, the winter storm seemed to regain strength, as frozen rain and then snow fell, so we hustled to the SCCA to get parked and make our appointment.

Dr. Goff was her usual enthusiastic self while breezing through Jamie’s exam and giving us the results of the latest CT scan and lab test. All good news. Jamie’s CA-125 score of 10, was followed by an “all clear” account of the CT scan except a minor blemish in her lungs, readily explained by the recent cold. Dr. Goff countered our list of questions with earnest yet concise replies (can she eat Sushi, return to Weight Watchers and Etc.) and soon we were on our way out.

So the next year looks like this; blood draws and port flushes every 6 weeks, consults with Dr. Goff every 90 days and CT scans every six months. Jamie will keep her chest port for about a year, Dr. Goff admitted some time ago that she was a bit superstitious about their removal and tended to leave them be for as long as possible.

Although snow and ice had retracted, we were still left with a cold afternoon which we spent eating pho in the international district followed a ride on the SLUT (South Lake Union Trolley) to a matinee. With Dr. Goff’s approval, dinner of course was Sushi, a treat welcomed by both of us as we had been limited to California rolls since last spring, both for very different reasons. After dinner we took the hotel shuttle for ice cream, where amongst other things, the driver revealed that the acronym SLUT had been officially banned by their corporate policy.

We slept well last night, such that even I was startled awake at 7:30 AM by the alarm clock from a deep slumber. Jamie lounged a bit while I readied myself and snuck off for a bite of breakfast, heading Jamie’s warning not to taunt her by bringing food back to the room.

The three minute commute to the clinic was a breeze as yesterday’s warning of a snow storm were a farce, giving credence to Jamie’s claim that if the Seattle meteorological profession predicts it, it will never come. As we watched the news this morning I chuckled at a reporters attempt to make a live report out of a pile of slush and a cameraman’s attempt to dramatize a street crossing thru slush so thin, a pair of flip flops would have been permissible.

When the nurse called Jamie she stepped up quickly and trotted back to the surgery room without hesitation or looking back. The removal of the abdominal port is a relatively minor procedure and now a veteran, Jamie declined nurse Pat’s suggestion that I might accompany them in the prep area and thus I was left to finish my book.

On the 2nd floor, radiology, there is a very large waiting area that has been recently rearranged with a large variety of couches, chairs and end tables. Unfortunately, this new décor also included the removal of all but one of the coveted recliner chairs. The remaining chair is located in the far corner, where the view of Lake Union is best, but the glass and its remoteness make it a bit chilly. Not minding such conditions, as soon as Jamie was gone I moved towards my favorite spot only to find a women settling into the recliner. As she arranged her things and began to read, it was apparent that she was unaware of what was beneath her behind.

I alerted her to the luxury at hand, and as she gratefully leaned back I made an offhand comment about waiting for her to leave for the restroom and then buried myself in my book.

Engulfed by the author’s tails about capturing pigeons and using them to convert his vegetarian girlfriend to omnivoreism, I barely acknowledged the woman’s comment 90 minutes later, about the temperature in the corner. Being at the end of my reading I delayed my move for a bit, only to hear “Mr. Crase” called out from the front desk.

I found Jamie lying comfortably in the recovery area attended by the familiar Pat. Jamie was smiling and recounting her encounter with Dr. Hickman (he was not today’s surgeon however) and the fact that she discovered that he was now 83 years old. On the second telling of this identical story, I tried to convey that she had already told me that, but on the third, I relinquished and said “oh, how interesting”, as I also did when experiencing some variation of déjà vu in the parking garage 30 minutes later, when the same factoid was once again presented.

The trip home was uneventful, and after some crackers, cheese and carrot sticks, Jamie quickly settled into nap position with her travel neck pillow in proper place. Her sleep must have been light, or her instincts keen, for as we approached Dupont, my interstate daze was broken by instruction to pull off at the Starbucks.

After a quick detour through the drive thru followed by a near collision with a Lincoln Town Car adorned with dozens of beanie babies and handicapped plates, we finished our uneventful journey home.

We arrived home to find the rabbits content and doing what they do best, pooping and tearing their habitat apart. Shorty’s whereabouts popped into my mind as I fed the fish and it was soon discovered that the door to the kennel was shut. Although Jamie could not observe him from the kitchen we were certain this was a sign he was home as well after his sleep over at Katelyn’s. As I approached the kennel he sleepily appeared from his den in typical lazy Shorty style, seeming unconcerned about anything.

Jamie is now resting comfortably, and in good spirits, watching the modern version of Pride and Prejudice for probably the 1,000th time. If it is possible to wear a DVD out, I think she may do it, as this and the BBC series of the same title are perpetual comfort favorites, like mac and cheese or a well worn blanket and fluffy pillow.

It is good to be on the return side of this journey, but I commented to Jamie in the waiting room that I could now comprehend the concept of post traumatic stress or a soldier’s return from war. Despite my glee for Jamie’s recovery, it is a little awkward envisioning a week or a month where this will not be the priority of our lives. This has been so emotionally intense for me, that I feel a great sense of relief, but also fatigue. As for Jamie, she shines brighter than ever, seemingly empowered by the whole experience. As I watch her I try to empathize and support, but find myself always being reinforced by her strength and positive energy.

Hooray Jamie!

Cheers!

Round six was as smooth as any of the first five as the day just sailed by. Jamie, slightly encumbered by tummy ache (attributed to angry gyros) was otherwise in good spirits and took on her tankerload of fluid with the usual gusto. Our nurse today was Christie, significant not only because she has become one of our many friends on 7 SE, but also because she is the same charge nurse who gave us a tour of the wing just before Jamie’s surgery. She deserves a lot of credit for our confidence when we started with the SCCA as her outgoing persona and earnest descriptions of the challenges ahead helped both Jamie and I feel that would be getting the best care possible.

Only Jamie can truly describe the feeling of completing the 6 + 6 rounds of chemo and receiving the continuing positive praise of Dr. Goff. So I will leave further commentary and details on what is to come for Jamie when she is ready to post in a day or two and instead leave you with just a few details of our modest post-chemo celebration.

Although her brief ailment prevented this occasion from being marked by a waterside hotel view of the Space Need Fireworks, tonight was special. We are staying at our usual post hospital abode, the Silver Cloud, where once again the Wood family treated us to an evening of upscale picnicking including some celebratory champagne. Erik dazzled us with his ever improving table manners and Madeline of course was as good as any two year and a half year old could be. After tasty desserts we retired to our room for a little hotel bed gymnastics and playtime. The kids outlasted all of us and Katrina brought things to a close when she proclaimed clean pants and pajamas for all.

Close Encounter

Will tonight be my last night of the familiar roll out sleeper chair? Will there be no more early morning visits from eager young residents looking to poke and prod Jamie for no apparent benefit?

Could be, as we sit her in the first half of Jamie’s 6 of 6 IP chemo sessions.

After a few weeks off over the holidays followed by another weeks delay due to the flu, I questioned Jamie if she was committed to continuing on or if she felt that she had pushed far enough. Her speedy conquest of the flu should have given me a better insight into her resolve, as without a quiver she said she would finish the prescribed 6th round. So with the full support of Heidi, saying that it is this week or never, we prepared for our last IP trip.

I almost got cut from the roster, feeling the threat of the post Christmas bug lurking around the corner. I hastily tried to bolster myself Friday with a concoction of Porter, Wiskey and a full dose of Nyquil before bedtime. This appeared to tip the scales the wrong way as I awoke Saturday feeling weaker and foggy.

Applying my father’s own remedy, a little manual labor, things cleared up and I went to bed Saturday night without the aid of any “medicines”. I awoke to Jamie’s prodding in the morning refreshed and ready for the day, further charged by a long hot shower.

Much to Jamie’s dismay, I was in no particular rush to gather things up and leave, now being a veteran of this routine and having realized that our prompt arrival has often been followed by inordinate amounts of waiting in our room for the process to be initiated.

After a misguided trip to the office to get my laptop chord, then back home again to retrieve it from the front seat of my truck, we were pointed north. Traffic was light and it was just 9:30 as we pulled into the parking garage. Admitting had to work a bit to get us in, the week delay having cause a little confusion. But in the end Jamie left with another set of yellow duplicates giving various levels of consent for everything from being listed in the patient phone directory to whether of not you want a priest present if the call is from St. Peter.

Today moved along at a good pace, with Christine as official day chemo nurse, but familiar Jenni doing the port access while cheerfully gloating over her travel plans to Costa Rica next month. There are few nurses we don’t recognize and tonight’s nurse is Mary. I will disappointed if the shadow like Rodger doesn’t make a late night appearance as well, always acting as my alarm for a mid night snack.

My inaccurate anticipation of foul weather let me leave my bike behind, so today’s adventures were on foot and thus a much smaller radii than I normally roam. I started at Recycled Cycles along the ship canal, making two full laps around the shop ogling the bikes and revising my every increasing want list of gear.

I then headed up the hill towards the “Ave” finding myself standing in front of a Tudor style building marked as the University Inn. As I walked along the storefront and then to the rear corner, I saw an inviting stair to the basement of the building and clearly demarking the entrance to the pub shrewdly hidden below.

Thirsty from my shopping and walking I entered, finding the low ceilings and dark woodwork as authentic as anything in the old world. I ordered a pint and then asked the barkeep the location of the “head”. On my return trip I passed an older gent who as I then walked passed the TV, asked me if I could turn it on to the football game.

I returned from the bar with my glass and the remote, and soon his Gaelic accent had charmed me into joining him. Dr. Sweeney is an 80+ year old Catholic Scotsman who now splits his time between Seattle and his family estate near Glasgow. As conversation progressed another pint was in order as I received lessons on everything from the pay rates of a WWII Captain in the English army ( A mere $2 per day) to the current political state in South Africa and the middle east.

As most of you know my past encounters with his creed have been somewhat tumultuous as many a time have I been charmed by their hospitality only to find myself poisoned by excessive amounts of drink. Now in England I am fine, with their Norman heritage they are people of moderation, but the Gaelic tribes are much more devious. Such perils I have faced amongst the secretive guttural language of the Welsh, the jolly folk music of the Irish or the seemingly sensible charms of the Scot, lured in under friendly terms only to find myself sickened beyond reason by their alluring Whiskey, Scotch and beer.

I can’t say that I wasn’t warned, as the Christian and Muslim worlds were preparing to rip each other apart on September 11th 2001, I sat in the Anchor Inn in the un assuming Welsh village of Ruthin. A lone Englishman told me of the woes of mixing with such a crowd and the deep conspiracy which they heralded. My youthful ignorance and the extreme thrusts of my traveling companion Joel, led us to dismiss such warning and continue on well into the night. On the trip home all seemed jolly as we stumbled to Ms. Ransons’ welcoming inn.

But alas in the morning the Englishman’s prophecy came to be, as breakfast was as difficult to push down as the daylight was to face.

But today, my new acquaintance, allowing his medical ethics to overcome his ancestral instincts released me from his spell, emptying the last of his glass in a single gulp and wishing my wife the best, got up to leave unimpaired and at a reasonable hour of the afternoon.

So off I went fulfilling an earlier request for Starbucks. As I marched along, hot cup in hand, I first smelt and then spied the familiar spindle of meat that marks a gyro café. Sticking my head in the door I inquired as to when they close and got a prompt “1:30 AM”. Marking this as my evening dining spot I quickened my pace back to Jamie.

Enticed by the thought of a gyro, Jamie eagerly shunned the hospital fare and sent me off a few hours later to gather our gyros. Wanting to hasten my return and avoid a possible encounter with an Irishman, I drove the truck, finding parking close enough by on this Sunday eve. As I entered the shop I was reassured by the smell and basic configuration, meat, grill and three middle eastern men vigorously working in a tight space in perfect harmony.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the dark atmosphere of the place, with the political posters, and then gruff reception at the till. These were not the gay Greeks of Kirkland, selling a commercialized version of their local fare while daydreaming of their annual, and ever increasing in duration, winter vacation in their homeland.

No these were embittered men from the other side of the Mediterranean, angrily pushing meat and onions into a dry piece of flatbread only to monotonely call out “two regular gyros to go”. Now they weren’t terrible, as we both ate our gyros in their entirety back at ther room, but they weren’t fabulous either. And thus the truth comes forth, no matter where you are from, happy people make good sandwiches. Anger and bitterness will at best leave you full but unsatisfied.