Happy Halloween

Licensed To Drive

Skylar so smart. When she got her car - there was only one problem, she didn't have a drivers license. I made her one and know she feels she is licensed to drive.

The Beginning Of Halloween

Skylar, Michelle and I went to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin. Skylar would try and pick up a pumpkin and if she couldn't lift it - it wasn't the right pumpkin. She found one she could lift and said perfect. After picking her pumpkin there were a couple little games there.

She actually wrangled a lollipop and won. We Then headed to the party store to pick out this years Halloween costume. I though she would make a great hula girl. We have always called her our Polynesian princess.

She didn't care what we picked she was more fascinating pushing the button where the man was lifting his head up and down.

Then we decided to carve our pumpkin , something she really enjoyed last year. She seemed a little bored when I was cutting it out. When I cut and removed the head she said it was nasty and stinking. No way was she putting her hands in there. We told her it was just seeds and pumpkin still no way. But after we were down she was happy.

I told her when it got dark we would put a candle in it

but, she never made it that far, She passed out in the bed. Hopefully, she'll sleep all night. I don't know if it was from all our festivities today or a sugar crash. I can not wait until Wednesay to go Trick or Teating with her. She's going to drive her pink power wheels escalade she got for her birthday this year.

Poor Scott and Michelle

We have a full schedule at work , Michelle is exhausted from crazy chemo day yesterday and Scott is feeling sick. As far as Michelle she says she just needs a lifetime day. I remember those, those are the best. Scott says, it's chemo brain. So I decided to research chemo brain and there is such a thing. It is the cognitive dysfunction.

Subtle Shifts' People who have chemo-brain may find themselves unable to concentrate on their work, or unable to juggle multiple tasks. Some find they don't remember things as well as they used to. "The impact on the individual really depends to a large extent on what kind of demands they have at work or in life in general," said Ahles, a professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School and director of the school's Center for Psycho-Oncology Research. "People who have very demanding or stressful jobs, or have to multitask and need high cognition, those people are going to notice subtle shifts." Subtle or not, chemo-brain is frustrating to patients, who may suddenly find themselves unable to accomplish tasks they formerly completed with ease. And it's a mystery to doctors, who are still trying to understand what causes it and who is likely to suffer. But researchers are making progress, and new studies have yielded more insights. More Than Anemia or Depression In the past, Ahles said, doctors assumed chemo-brain was merely a byproduct of other chemotherapy side effects like anemia, fatigue, or depression. All of these have the potential to cause problems like memory lapses and concentration difficulties. Treating them, though, can often resolve the problem. The real riddle, Ahles said, is how to help those patients whose chemo-brain isn't caused by one of these factors. As many as 20%-25% of patients fall into this category, but as yet there's no way to predict which patients might be affected. One reason for this uncertainty is the methods used in previous studies of chemo-brain. In most, the patients weren't given tests to measure their mental function before they received chemotherapy. Without this baseline, judging the severity of chemotherapy-related mental decline is difficult. Newer studies, though, are taking measures of mental abilities before treatment and after; those results should help researchers narrow the field of potential chemo-brain sufferers. Researchers are also studying whether certain genetic or hormonal factors may make some people more susceptible to mental effects from chemotherapy. Estrogen and a gene linked to Alzheimer's disease are two targets of investigation. Another pressing issue, Ahles said, is which chemotherapy drugs cause problems, and how. Researchers are using MRI technology to identify what parts of the brain are affected by chemotherapy. "Without knowing what the mechanism is, it's hard to develop a more targeted treatment," said Ahles. "If we knew the path, we could develop ways to prevent [the condition], or at least find ways to treat it if it did occur." Finding Ways to Cope Until such answers are found, what's a patient to do? Talking to a doctor is imperative, Ahles said. A doctor can look for the most obvious causes of chemo-brain and treat them, if possible. If that doesn't work, there are strategies that may help people deal with their chemo-brain. In a workshop held last year, breast cancer survivors described methods that had helped them function more effectively (Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol. 22, No. 11: 2233-2239). Many women decreased their workload and tried to avoid multiple tasks. They made lists to help themselves remember what needed to be done. They got more sleep. And they tried to avoid emergency situations where quick thinking might be required. Patients must also remember that most people do eventually recover fully from the effects of chemotherapy, Ahles said. "Lots of people have cognitive problems during chemotherapy, but there is a recovery process that goes on with time," he said. "A lot happens over 6 months, more over 1 year, and some after 2 years. "For a given individual, chances are that their cognitive function will recover to normal or near-normal levels a year or two after chemo." Additional Resources Coping with Physical and Emotional Changes: Chemotherapy Effects ACS News Center stories are provided as a source of cancer-related news and are not intended to be used as press releases.

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Chemoday

We have always done chemo on Friday's. Dr. Nick's nurse had an emergency in her family and chemo was switched from Dr. Nick's office to the fourth floor at the hospital. So on Friday we drove to Orlando for chemo and was informed his appt. was made for Monday. So Friday was kinda of a waste. Saturday and Sunday Blake had to be in Orlando @ 6:30 am, we left @ 4:45 to pick up on of his friends who needed a ride. We don't know what happened we got to Orlando and it was not drill weekend despite what the paper work had said. Michelle said if I ever needed a break she would take Scott to chemo. so today I took her up on it. Probably, wasn't a good day to ask her. It seems his appt. was @ 9:30 am but for some reason they didn't get started until almost 2:00. Michelle must be exhausted and Scott will sleep good when he get's home. I hope I am as good of a friend to Michelle as she is to me.

Happy 4th Birthday Skylar

This weekend we celebrated Skylar's fourth birthday. This years theme was tinkerbell/peterpan.Scott and I had taken her for pictures in her tinkerbell costume. I had stamps of her as tinkerbell for the invitations. I had a wooden deck built over my pool and we had purchased a kids table set that looked like a boat. We had the girls dress up as tinkerbell and the boys as peterpan. Although, the older girls wanted to be peterpan. Everything turned out nice and our signature cupcake bouquet turned out beautiful. We are still working on our website. Hopefully pictures will be up soon.

An Angel

I spoke with Skylar and she said she didn't even cry when she got her stitches out. I thought she would still be traumatized from her emergency room experience. It is still a little red and looks like it my scar. Her pediatrician called it a wellness visit and made an appt. in November for her shots. I went over and played with her in Monday after her appt. We played tag, she rode her bike and I chased her - she is really fast.

No Way Jose`

Skylar has her stitches out today and needs to be updated on her shots. Tom tried to have me or Scott take her. "No Way" It was hard enough holding her while they stitched her up. After she stopped crying she wanted to know why I held her legs down. Needless to say it's probably still fresh in her mind. I'll rescue her tonight and take her ice cream. Sorry Tom "no dice"

1:40 AM

Scott seems to waking up every morning between 1:30-2:00 AM. He wakes me up and we started talking about atrophy , so I started researching. He falls back to sleep but, I am wide awake knowing I have to get up in a hour and a half. So I start thinking about everthing I need to fit into my day. From Senior picture ads for the yearbook to Skylar's Tinkerbell/PeterPan birthday party. I need to plan my menu , and stick with it. All the invitations went out on Monday. I picked up her "PINK" escalade from Toys R Us a gift from her other grandmother and myself. Thanks "Uncle Matt" for putting it together. I still have to make the party favors, which I've already started. I just picked up Skylars Tinkerbell photos on Tuesday. It's funny how excited everyone gets over Skylar's party especially the adults, It's becoming an annual event. everyone's first question, What's the theme this year? Scott doesn't understand why we don't just have a normal birthday party. Define normal: Cake and ballons...boring....I love to see the kids faces when they walk into Skylar's party. All the hard work...it's all worth it. My kids didn't like parties. Skylar loves parties. After everything is over and she takes a nap she wakes and says that was fun let's do it again. It also gives us a chance to see friends we have not seen in awhile. Scott's busy trying to get our party business website up and running.
I know it's a little early but, I have even began working on the Christmas festivities. I received my ornaments , they are awesome. Now I need to order Christmas stockings. So much to do and so little time.