Totally Random

Trying to catch up. It will have to be in short and often incomplete sentences.

1. Jacob is off the pain meds. He's eating (up a little more than 2 pounds this week) and he's going to school. Most days. Whenever he wakes up. It'll be a little longer before I feel good about forcing him out of bed early to catch the bus.

2. He got a 3/4 dose of Vincristine this last Monday in clinic. His hands and feet weren't any better after the adjustment of the last 3 weeks, but they also weren't worse. I'm watching him closely this week to see if there are changes. Yesterday, he did drop a few things. Hard to know if that's neuropathy or just being 11.

3. Washington D.C. is on! (Barring any last minute problems.) Last fall we set up a week-long trip to D.C. for the whole family this June. We've been holding off deciding what to do about it until we were through radiation. Jake would have chemo on Monday, June 9--be in D.C. from June 10-17--then have chemo again on Wednesday, June 18. The doctor said that's not a problem and they want us to be as normal as possible. So here we come, East Coast!

4. Also Klamath Falls. The kids have a week off for Spring Break starting April 14. Jake will have chemo that Monday and then we'll leave Tuesday to drive to southern Oregon to visit family. I found us a great deal on a 2-bedroom condo at the Running Y ranch resort on Klamath Lake, so we're really looking forward to our trip.

5. How do you cope? is a question I'm asked a lot. My answer? Each family copes according to their own personality type. (Yes, I believe each family has its own personality as a unit.) Ours is matter-of-fact, honest about risks without dwelling on them, and the littlest bit (okay, maybe the largest bit) humorous and even, (gasp!) sarcastic.

Example? When Chris asked Jake what Dr. Million said on Tuesday (after meeting her to see how the side effects were resolving), Jake said without skipping a beat, "That I'm going to die."

And Chris didn't bat an eyelash. It's just the way our family works.

(For the record, what Dr. Million actually said was, "You're an amazing kid. Can I see you back this summer?")