Mommy-Of-Three

Saturday night, we loaded up the family truckster and headed out for some Christmas fa-la-la-la fun at the Christmas Factory.  Apparently, we weren't alone in our desire to celebrate a little Christmas spirit, because I see some of my friends also posted pictures from their evening there as well!! There were photo ops aplenty!  Here's Kennedy and Preston and the Abominable Snowman! The whole family- Christmas sweaters, Christmas jammies and all! Awweee!  Aren't they cute?! And in love?! Lots of displays, Christmas music, lights and sounds! All the "kids"!! We finished the evening with dinner at Hideaway, one of our favorite restaurants for fish.  If you've never eaten there, you're missing out! This was a fun way to spend an evening, especially during my week off of treatment.  I love having all the kids around, and hearing about their lives.    "This Week in Medicine" has labwork and a RN visit on Monday, then treatment at main campus on Tuesday...

Since being hospitalized then in the care center and back to the hospital and now home, my nutrition and exercise suffered severely.   I lost 60 pounds total, along with a lot of muscle mass and strength.  Since I've been home, I've worked with PT and OT therapists trying to regain the ability to simply change positions in bed on my own. My legs have neuropathy, and feel like pins and needles tingling all over all the time, along with having seriously cold feet all the time.  Because of the neuropathy, I've had to start at square one and relearn how to stand and walk. I'm working through all the exercises that the therapists give me, and this week I'm glad to say I'm finally standing and walking pretty confidently with my walker.  Here's video proof: It's definitely a weird sensation walking on legs and feet that you can't feel.  I now need to work on my core strength so I can move from sitting to standing on my own.  Being able to get myself in and ...

This has been a busy week for us. Monday was a day off school, but Sydney had some odds and ends errands to do that included a dentist appointment and referral to get her wisdom teeth removed.  Also replaced the chipped window in the Jeep. Tuesday FINALLY my home nurse got rid of my catheter and had a followup visit with urology to make sure I wasn't retaining urine.  Everything checked out fine, so I've got no strings attached- That's a freedom that couldn't come soon enough.  I also had pre-treatment labs drawn. Wednesday was eventful.  Our first event was Sydney's athletic commitment day at her high school.  She signed her commitment letter to play lacrosse at Capital University in Columbus (separate post coming soon).   It was also treatment day at Main Campus.  The labs were done ahead of time, so we were set for a quick afternoon visit.  A slight change of plans when the labs were reviewed- I needed a blood transfusion as well, so more ...

This weekend is filled with tradition in our house.  The OSU-Xichigan game is front and center on our "can't miss" list.  "The Game" is steeped in tradition, and is the final checkbox for the regular season. Unfortunately, this year's loss, tacked onto the past 3 years' losses, means we have seniors who never beat Xichigan and that's a darn shame! We'll focus on the better tradition for this weekend- decorating for Christmas.   While the college kids are home for the Thanksgiving holiday, we take advantage of their visit and put up our tree and other decorations.  The bins come up from the basement, and while we unpack the physical decorations of Christmas, we also unpack all the stories and memories of Christmases past. Part of our family's tradition is making homemade pizzas.  The kids always shape their pizzas into Christmas shapes and "decorate" them with their toppings- olives, sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, cheese.  Dad goes f...

Holidays were always a special treat at the Norchs' house. The house filled with busy energy as the holiday approached, and the preparation and anticipation of a fun family gathering was palpable in the air. Now, we are faced with celebrating the holidays without Jim and Becky. As the three boys divided up the food responsibilities, the to-do list resembles the one Jim and Becky used to have. Our recipes and ingredients list are hers. Somehow the boys have become the filler of Jim and Becky's shoes- the people that have to continue the traditions without them. It’s an impossible job and an impossible task. But a task they undertake willingly, in order to pass on the times and traditions that Jim and Becky loved. I can still see Becky standing in the kitchen with her apron on, recipe book open. Cooking away, making the kitchen smell of deliciousness- the savory scents of a full turkey dinner and the sweet smells of homemade pies. She made it look so simple. I can see Jim ten...

Today was a day full of appointments and treatment at main campus.   We started our day with Dr. Gupta, my oncologist.  Dr. Gupta reviewed my CT scan and had mostly good news to report.  The bone mets are stable- no new tumor growth on bones, and what is there appears to be healing.  The bladder primary source is stable also, but she would like to review some slides from the biopsy to see if there is any genetic testing that could guide some additional treatment.  Finally, she found two small spots on my liver, which could be densities vs new tumors.  She ordered an MRI and consult to radiation because they could be targeted and treated while they are still small and new. Next appointment was with Dr. Angelini, the hematologist.  She is following my platelet count.  She was involved on my case last week when they went through the pre-approval process for my N-Plate platelet stimulator injections.   The injections seem to be working ...