The Hennessy's

Happy 11th Birthday Callie

2012-01-25T17:20:00.002-07:00

11 Things I love about Callie:
1. Her beautiful smile.
2. Her kind and gentle heart.
3.She cares about others and their feelings.
4. Never forgetting to kiss me goodnight.
5. How she will still snuggle with me when we watch TV.
6. Telling me she loves me 2-3 times a day.
7. Watching her preform gymnastics (she is a natural).
8. Her ability to draw almost anything.
9. Her carefree spirit (even though we disagree sometimes.)
10. Her laugh.
11. I get to be her mom. :)

I start my second round of treatment tomorrow and hoping that this one goes better than the first. Dr.'s and I agreed to change some pre-meds before the Vidaza starts to see if that helps with the nausea. I can only hope!

Vidaza Sucks..need the energy dance.

2012-01-05T17:49:00.006-07:00

Yesterday, Carla completed the first cycle of that Vidaza drug to ratchet up the fight. She says "It SUCKS!" The drug treatment does have some side effects which requires anti-nausea medicine (doesn't always work) and a tough chin. It has no doubt been a tough sucky week on Carla. However, she is done with it for 3 weeks and looking forward to less frequent hospital visits.

We ran into a person we met at Carla's 100 day checkup at the clinic while waiting in the lobby. He had just finished his blood work and remembered us as well. We told him the news and he could tell we were still processing. He didn't miss a beat with his "roll up your sleeves" attitude and said "Half the battle is right up here", pointing to his head. "Keep your chin up, you can do it." Such simple words can empower and energize people...most definitely it did me! Once we got back into the room I was so much energized that I had to provide Carla my "energy dance" and top it off with a "wonder spouse powers activate" fist bump. You may recall the Super Hero - Hall of Justice - Wonder Twins with their "wonder twin powers activate" move. But that was just too Cajun backwoods to say.

Keep all that good coming. We are learning of all the good out there.

We love you all,
The Hennessy's

Relapse....

2012-01-01T18:30:00.002-07:00

I needed a few days before I could post my most recent news. My numbers were continuing to fall and I wasn’t feeling myself. Tuesday's bone biopsy showed that the leukemia has now spread to my marrow. Luckily is a low percentage of cells, but unfortunately more treatment needs to happen. Currently I will be infusing with a drug called Vidaza for 7 days. (Out patient in the clinic with relaxation drugs.) Then I take 3 weeks off and the start the process all over again. I will also be off my immunosuppression drug by the end of January to let my white cells fight at full force. After 3 months we’ll recheck the marrow and see if it is gone. Currently I am devastated by the news since everything was going so well. I am trying to be strong!! Send your good vibes and prayers my way. :)

Small set backs...

2011-12-27T19:59:00.005-07:00

Jeff and his "Rocky" t-shirt

Surprise Ipod from Santa

Surprise iHome from Santa

Girls wanted long jammies

Been feeling so good the last few months. I repainted our bedroom, finished off Christmas, organized some drawers and cabinets that needed it and basically getting things off my "to-do" list. I have recently been getting tired more often and with my weekly doctor visits noticed that some of my numbers were going down. (White, red and platelet numbers to be exact.)

Saturday afternoon spent 6 hours getting platelets and 2 pints of blood. (blood pressure 86/60) Feeling lot less tired now that I have oxygen in my blood. HA! Enjoyed Christmas weekend and was glad I could participate. Another long day at clinic today for more blood to check. Tapering down TACRO and losing some drugs. So far I am doing better but not hitting “normal levels”. Had to do the bone marrow biopsy today but asked for some drugs to relax me. (Yes, they helped and I am tired.) Don’t have to go back until next week so hopefully all stays regular. Let's hope we hear good results.

Hoping you all had a Merry Christmas. Lets bring in 2012 with a BANG.....cuz 2011 has sucked!! :)

One year ago....

2011-12-13T20:37:00.002-07:00

As I type this I am reminded that this Saturday will be my one year date of being diagnosed with (AML) leukemia. It seems at times like the year has been the longest of my life…..then again it has flown by so quickly too. I never in a million years would have thought that I would ever have had to deal with cancer in my 40’s.

This month has been a little tough for me. I’ve met a few people that were in the hospital the same time as me that didn’t get better and pasted away. They made it past transplant but the recovery was just too much. It is so hard not to get connected to those that you know were fighting just as hard as you, meeting their families and hearing their stories. My heart aches for their loved ones.

Just this week we have a very good friend in for chemo and he got his own stem cells transplant today. (He was diagnosed a month after me.) Another good friend had her mother in law admitted Monday for AML as well. I visit them both when I am at clinic and try hard to give positive vibes and hopeful words. It just seems like cancer is everywhere.

This month has also been very inspiring. My case worker called me a few weeks before Thanksgiving and asked me to talk to a lady getting ready to have her stem cell transplant. She had the same leukemia as me and wanted to know what to expect. WOW! She was great to talk to and we’ve now become great friends. She said I was her inspiration and after seeing how well I was doing she knew she would be fine. That put a smile on my face and made me feel great. (I’ve been asked to visit other patients in the New Year.) Maybe I found my new calling? She is doing well and was discharged last week. We still keep in contact and we promise to stay in touch.

My numbers are still looking good. Seems like I am always giving blood at one time or another. HA! My INR and TACRO are right where they need to be. I am starting to taper off some drugs but got another one today to help with infections. As we all know the flu, RSV, colds and other germs are out there and can be deadly to us without our entire immune system. (I just hate that person at the store coughing their lungs out with no respect for those around them. So rude to the rest of us.)

As the holidays approach I am reminded how lucky I am to be around for another Christmas. I hope you all got your Christmas cards with our words of appreciation and gratitude for the help this year. I can’t imagine what we would have done without you.

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday Season and a Healthy 2012. May this next year be better than the last!!

HAPPY GOBBLE DAY!!!!

2011-11-24T11:35:00.003-07:00

“There is always something to thankful for!” I have this sign out each year to remind me that no matter the situation it is true.

My birthday came on 11-11-11. I wanted to get out of town and asked Jeff to take me to Wendover. We had so much fun….and I knew we’d win big. (ha) I learned how to play roulette and even got the hang of craps (even though I made Jeff stand next to me when I got confused). We had a nice lunch, gambled some more and had fun. We haven’t been anywhere since I got sick so it was nice to enjoy ourselves. Of course we didn’t win any money…but it was awesome anyway.

The doctors told me they are very impressed with how well I am doing. I have exceeded their expectations! Tuesday I had another PET (full body) scan and a CT (chest) scan. The doctors said they were great scans just not “perfect”. The test showed some spots on my hips. We could do biopsies on them, but the doctors don’t think it is necessary since the treatment would be the same regardless of what they could be. I have a clinic visit this Monday and the plan is to start decreasing my tacro (immune suppressive drug) and get my stem cells to start working harder and kill anything still there. Usually this works and we’ll rescan me again in January to see if they are gone.

I still feel great and have a positive outcome. I am still having the body aches but my energy is increasing each week. The doctor gave me the go ahead to start doing more (vacuuming, dusting, bathrooms, yard work etc.) and as pathetic as that sounds….I was thrilled to know I wasn’t so limited at home. I am helping Callie’s teacher by grading papers at home and the librarian has asked me to help her recover the books in the library. The boredom isn’t as bad as it once was. (For a month there I thought I was going to lose my mind!!)

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Today I am very thankful for the year of outpouring of support and love we received. Stuff yourselves silly and enjoy the day! “There is always something to thankful for!”

Fun October!

2011-11-01T12:17:00.005-06:00

Lester and McCall as 80's workout girls! "Feel the Burn"

We all know that October (and Halloween) is my favorite time of year. Here are just a few pictures I thought I'd share. It is nice to get out a do the things that I can. My blood pressure is low (88/60) which explains why I am always cold...but nothing the doctors are too concerned about. It does go up occasionally and better to be low than high, right?

Still going to clinic every other week which is nice. They will reduce my tacro (immunized suppressed drug) this month and see how my body handles it. So far I've had no reactions to the last reductions. :) Things are going well and I am trying to recover correctly.

Callie as a Zombie! Yiiiiiiiikes!

The kids first Haunted house.

Callie's "Spooktacular Gymnastics Meet". So proud of her!
(yes, I am finally getting some hair!!!!) :)

Learning more patiences....

2011-10-09T10:55:00.003-06:00

Nothing really new to report. My blood results are coming back "normal" each week and my kidneys are back to functioning better. I only have to go to clinic every other week (still have to give blood every week though) so that is nice. I am not sleeping as much during the day, but some days I do get tired and have to lay down. I am still careful with large crowds and miss my old life. I am learning patience while I heal but it is hard that I still miss out on so much.

I am getting more hair and since I went platinum blond I've gotten lots of positive comments on it. (Some people think it is my natural color. ha) It is nice not being bald anymore.

Girls are busy with soccer and gymnastics. Seems like every day we have something going on. The days fly by once the kids get home from school. I am excited for Halloween (my FAVORITE HOLIDAY) and have about 80% of my decorations up. Going to try and get the outside decorations up this week.

Hope everyone is well. My love to all of you!! :)

Port is gone!!

2011-09-16T18:24:00.002-06:00

My port got infected again so off the blood thinners for a few days and an oral antibiotic. Finally my INR (the rate in which your blood clots) was low enough I was able to get the port taken out. Yipeeeee!!!! I've had it in almost 9 months and was getting pretty tired of taking care of it. Now we wait to see if my infection is in my blood stream (then a new port ...YUCK) or just a temporary pick-line for antibiotics. I'll have another chest CT next week and we'll see where we stand with that.

Still feel good and healthy and have had some pretty good days. A busy weekend with the girls sports and the UTAH/BYU game. GO UTES!!!

Light The Night Walk-Sept 24th

2011-09-13T07:45:00.004-06:00

For those of you who don't get my emails or aren't on facebook I'm raising money for an a very important cause through The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk. Finding better treatments and cures for blood cancers so patients can live better, longer lives. I'm asking you to help by making a tax-deductible contribution! Please use the link to donate online quickly and securely. You will receive an email confirmation of your donation as it is made. I thank you in advance for your support which will make the difference in lives of thousands of patients battling blood cancers.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/dm/saltlake11/CHennessy

Thank you for your generosity!

Carla Hennessy

Life comes at you fast...

2011-08-28T19:45:00.003-06:00

...like a Sonic Burger commercial. (just because it was funny)

Before I lose track of all the events that have been going on I better capture them. It seems just like last week that our doctors said “Your leukemia is in remission, but...” That “but” has sure been a pain in Carla’s buttocks. Let’s break these “buts” into 3 “but” groups; Blood Clot in Lung, Infection in Lungs, Infection in Ports.

“But” 1- Although small, the blood clot is serious stuff. Carla had been taking Coumadin and Lovenox shots (anticoagulants) in the belly for about 2 week to get to a treatment level. After being at a blood clotting INR factor of 1.1, she finally reached 2.8 which will help dissolve the clot and no more shots. BUT, on Monday the next level check was a 6.8, which is seriously too high, so docs said “stop Coumadin”. We thought “cool”, less meds are good, don’t bump into anything and bruise yourself. Then checked this Tuesday afternoon at our home, rose to 8! Nurse was a bit concerned, we called clinic and left message. This was serious enough that a nurse came back 90 minutes later to confirm that it was a correct reading. Still hadn’t heard back from clinic, so I called the nurses desk and Jodi said we will call you back right away. Within a few minutes, Whitney (PA) called us back and said “So Carla being Carla again.” Referring to how Carla seems to be very atypical with reactions to medications and scenic routes she takes with her treatment plan. (I tell Carla that she doesn’t need to try ALL the machines at the hospital.  ) Anyways, she prescribes an antidote to the Coumadin to bring the INR down to normal therapeutic levels. At such high levels, people are susceptible to strokes, heavy bleeding, hematomas, and a bunch of other big words. Vitamin K is the antidote. You think you could go GNC or the vitamin aisle in Smith’s. Hell no, its prescription, and Smith’s doesn’t have it and LDS Hospital Pharmacy is closed. Smith’s understood our situation and made the phone calls to other close pharmacies, called my cell when they found one and sent me to Walgreens in Sugarhouse. By the time I got her the antidote it was about 8:30pm. I still had to go back to Smith’s that night to get McCall a bag for school. In the morning at the hospital the INR level was checked and was at 2.8, relief, disaster avoided. Yes, that is one big “but”.

“But” 2 and “But” 3 – After the docs said we need to watch those spots in the lungs on the CT, they scheduled another CT the following week to see if there would be any change in size of the spots. Sure enough, they doubled in size and new ones appeared, although not symptomatic. Without an actual biopsy of the spot in her lung to determine the specific bacteria or fungus they decided to add anti-fungal meds and take some blood cultures of her 3 lines used for IV medications for bacterial. Before leaving, they gave Carla an IV “loading dose” of anti-fungal then oral stuff for later. Based on the CT, it appeared to be fungal on how it looked. Well…that evening the phone rings at 10pm. “Hi Jeff, this is Shar…uh…” She received notification that the line cultures were growing bacteria, and that Carla needed to come to the hospital for an IV dose of Tigecycline, a heavy antibiotic, to avoid a major staph infection, and what could be causing the lung infection. So…off to the hospital for a “pee” yellow drug, got home at midnight. They followed up the drug with a different antibiotic, Vancomycin, which is some hardcore stuff that fights the type of staph detected in her lines. It really put her down this past weekend. Once again, it’s not the leukemia or the infection that is making her feel like crap…it’s the cure that’s kicking her butt. Because she was reacting so much to the Vanco, fever, red rashes, itchy, headaches, nausea, they reduced the dose and then switched her to the “pee” medication. Tuesday they took another CT, third in the last month, and said that the infection areas had remarkable improvement and should be on the path to clearing up. On Monday, lines cultures were drawn, and have not grown any bacteria since. Appears that these two “buts” have been licked. Did I just type that?!

Keep in mind that these issues have been running at the same time, I just broke them up for your entertainment value.

Kids have started school. Still recovering from her Vanco ordeal, I drove Carla with Callie in the car for the first day of school, and also drove McCall and Leslie for their first day of school as well. Life waits for no one.

Good friends AREN'T hard to find

2011-08-18T16:02:00.002-06:00

My good friend Jay battled cancer in his life and has been an excellent friend to talk to though the whole process. I realized we had the same haircut.

Who's looks better?

Caution: Detours Ahead

2011-08-17T12:19:00.000-06:00

Another CT scan on Monday shows another nodule in my lungs (still small but another), suspecting its fungal. After lots of blood was taken to see what infection it could be we infused me with an antifungal for 2 hours to start fighting off infection. Had an EKG and so far the news is that my heart is strong and healthy. All my numbers look great and all major organs are doing well.

Then last night at 10:30pm we got a call from the BMT clinic. Seems that all 3 of my port lines have some sort of infection. They aren’t sure if it is fugal or some kind of bacteria. Either way we headed up to the clinic for another infusion of a different antibiotic just to get started. (Thanks to Patti our neighbor for sitting with the kids at last minute notice!!)

This morning we got the call that I’ll be starting an in home infusion of antibiotics every 12 hours for all three ports. If the infection does not clear up we’ll remove the port and/or put in a fresh one. This means I’ll be doing 6 hours of infusions (including my daily magnesium) everyday until we figure out what infection it is. I still feel healthy and glad I’m not sick or have to be admitted back into the hospital. I’d rather lie in my own bed and infuse that sit in the hospital bed and do it there.

Two steps forward and one step back is how I feel today. I am cancer free and happy about that…however dealing with the lingering effects of all the cancer fighting drugs gets a lot frustrating. This is curable and easily fixed! I just need to do it.

100 Day (July 29, 2011) Post Bone Marrow Transplant Test results!

2011-08-09T17:47:00.002-06:00

There has been much anxiety over the past few weeks as Carla has been undergoing tests to evaluate her post bone marrow transplant procedure. These results are compared to pre-transplant tests.

Here is the news: Our doctors say her leukemia is in REMISSION. This is really great news! They do not detect any new tumors related to leukemia, but… “always a but”.

Following her CT and PET Scan tests last week, the hospital called the same evening to tell us there was a blood clot in her right lung, and some small nodules detected. Obviously, this news concerned us, and we learned that I had to give her a shot twice daily in her stomach area starting that night. I guess it paid off watching the nurses give her this shot many times over the course of her hospital stays. Although blood clots in the lungs (Pulmonary Embolism – PE for short…go figure) can be life threatening, Carla did not show any symptoms of the PE which is good. This is being treated with anti-coagulants over the next 6 months, and hopefully the shots can stop within the next 7 days.

The nodules seen on the CT did not “light up” on the PET scan so the doctors were not concerned, but would look at them in a few weeks when the PE is checked with a CT.

Other info: Carla now has all donor blood, A+. No longer O-. Bone marrow biopsy test results were good. She will continue to be on immune suppression medication for at least 9 months, but has started the tapering.

There was so much information discussed today and we wanted to relay as much of the important stuff to all of you. We’ve been so fortunate to have the people in our lives to help our family through these challenges.

I added my name to the Marrow Donor list and submitted my DNA to the “Be the Match” program (http://www.marrow.org) so that maybe I can give the gift of life to someone in need. Its so easy, please consider doing the same.

Learning as I go.

2011-08-02T11:12:00.002-06:00

Half my tests are over….nothing too bad until the bone marrow biopsy had to be done again. (A medium size needle is used to numb all layers of the skin in the lower hip…then blood is removed from the bone) OUCH!!!! This was my third one so I knew what to expect…..pain. One of the doctors recommended conscience sedation to relax me so I thought I’d give it a try.

Here is what I learned: I am never doing conscience sedation for my biopsy again. I was still awake, could feel everything and all it did was make me sleepy and nauseated. Guess I learned my lesson. :{

Had my eyes checked and got a 100% perfect rating (in fact the doctor said of all the BMT patients he has seen I was one of his top 3. yeah!!) Did my pulmonary tests and even though my numbers were lower than before the transplant I got a A+ . I’ve completed a chest x-ray and gave more blood. Thursday I will do the full body PET scan. It is very easy to do but just takes hours to complete. (This will determine if the tumors are gone or not.)

Today I meet with the stomach specialist to report how much better I am at eating. What a difference it makes to be able to make a meal, eat it and enjoy it. I still have to continue with the weekly port cleanings and seeing the doctors to go over CBC issues and check my overall health.

Thanks again for the cards, calls and yummy food that has been delivered. We've got the best family, neighbors and friends that anyone could ask for.

Random stuff....

2011-07-26T22:01:00.008-06:00

Random photos that I wanted to share:

Baby Ryan Kelly born July 16th. Most of you know how much I love new babies. He is precious and I hope to watch him grow up.
At this years RMI Reunion a new addition: Victoria Shaw
(3 weeks old) I was in heaven with her.

The best husband in the world.
He has made this experience bearable and I love him soooooo much.

One of my best friends Allison from Seattle stopped by to see me. She is such a good friend and I am so lucky to have her in my life.
________________________________________________
I hit my 100 day mark from the transplant this Friday...yeah! :) I will be starting all the "retests" next week. They are the same tests I took before the transplant so the doctors can compare from before and now. We meet with the doctors on the 16th to discuss the test results. Everyone send out good vibes and get me a good outcome.

I am still feeling well and strong. I am trying to do more but some days I do get more tired than others. I can't wait to have my energy back and stop shaking (a side effect from some drugs which is so frustrating). Feel free to contact me or come see me (no colds, coughs or sickness).

The "UP" House

2011-07-15T11:23:00.002-06:00

Took the girls to the "UP" house that was build in Herriman. It looks so real that it is amazing. You can not get inside, but the house will be open during the Parade of Homes. On the weekends they will have balloons tied to the top. (might have to go back out and see that).

2011-07-02T22:33:00.003-06:00

Where do I start....Carla, Kids, boating?

Ok, let's start with Carla. Recovery from the bone marrow transplant is a work in progress. Carla is doing well, except for one issue. She is unable to eat a normal size meal, gets a full feeling after a few bites. This has been going on for quite some time, so finally an endoscopy was schedule, and occurred yesterday. The doctor peeked into her stomach and could see some inflammation in her stomach and took some biopsies to see what is causing this. We should know the results next week and get this issue resolved and onto some normal meals and improved energy.

Please feel welcome to check in on her by calling, emailing, posting, mailing. I wish I could call each person and answer any and all questions about Carla and us.

Callie is doing so well in her new gymnastics level. So excited about learning a routine instead of just doing drills. She has spent some time with friends and swimming at grandma and grandpa. McCall had a week a soccer conditioning and will be at a soccer camp next week for Skyline. Then a few weeks of hardcore conditioning for high school tryouts. She has such good friends. I took the girls to the drive 2 weeks ago to see The Green Lantern and Thor. Well, they saw the first movie and slept thru the double feature. I took one of our boat tubes and they used as a couch to watch movie.

Boating....we are getting a late jump on that. Carla will not be able to get out this summer for a few reasons. Last weekend was our first attempt to get out boating and tubing. Heavy on the word "attempt". Me, McCall, Callie, Leslie and Debbie (Leslie's mom) took the boat out. We left wakeless and cruised across the lake to find a place to inflate the tube. We stopped and the motor died! The darn thing overheated. Apparently, the impeller shattered. Impellers pull water up and into the engine to cool it. Well, we had to call the marina for a tow and to help load the boat on the trailer and we were done. Since then, its been fixed and ready to try again soon. Dissappointment, but everyone was safe and it was uneventful.

Special thanks to people who have brought us meals and spent some time visiting, Carrie and Rick, Patti and Ruth, Jeff and Kami, Janet and Emma. At work, thank you to the many who ask how Carla is doing and offer all their love and support. We both worked at the same company, so we have many common friends.

School's out, Summer trying to arrive.

2011-06-14T22:35:00.001-06:00

Summer has come and the kids are out of school. The pace hasn't seemed to slow down.

During the Memorial Day weekend McCall played a Soccer Tournament. She and the Red Devil team finally got the monkey off their back and came home Champions after playing in the finals 3 years in a row. Great job!

Callie tried out for Level 4 team gymnastics and made it! Now that she is in level 4 she will be training to compete at locations around the Wasatch front. Her season starts September and ends around Thanksgiving. Now she will start going to the gym 3 days a week for three and a half hours, thats ten and a half hours a week! If I was going to the gym that much each week I would be Mr. Universe!

During the last week of School McCall played in a 3v3 tournament for fun and to keep her active. Last week she had soccer camp at Skyline High where the second year coach Yamil Castillo instructed the athletes. Thursday through Saturday was the Utah Glory soccer tournament. McCall played quite well and her team finished undefeated and Champions of the U14 division.

For many of us watching this last soccer tournament, the best part was having Carla be there to watch two games, including the finals. Her recovery is moving in the right direction.

Last post I wrote about Carla having CMV and a blood transfusion. Since then, the CMV tests have come back negative and she only has to take medicine for that for another week or so, then she can get rid of that pill (She was on IV med for the CMV, but switched her to pill). Ever since the last blood transfusion her counts have been improving. The biggest bummer of all for her on that transfusion day was on the way home and driving by the U2 venue at the University of Utah where people were on their way to the concert. We had tickets to see them since last year when it got canceled. Our friends Sarah and Dave were kind of enough to buy the tickets from us. If I may quote Sarah, "I'm not trying to rub it in or anything, but, it was probably the best concert I've ever been too." No comment. :)

Daily progress is really hard to chart for recovery, but if you look at it weekly, we feel that Carla is making progress. If you count helping with laundry or other chores, which I do, then we have progress. The body takes a bit of time to heal and get used to its new blood. Her 100 day milestone is coming up in July where she gets evaluated and hopefully start the reduction of the immune suppression medication.

Yesterday the kids went swimming for the first time at grandma and grandpa's condo since they relocated last fall. They said the water was warm and the pool deep. We are sure this will be the first of many days at the pool.

Thank you Jensen's, Garn's, Steven's for dinner the past few weeks. Jenny, you have been such a great friend coordinating for us. Everyone is just amazing. We cannot express enough thanks and love to everyone. I continuously think how fortunate we are to have such incredible support. We love you all.

The Hennessy's

Update, ..yes a bit tardy.

2011-05-27T21:27:00.006-06:00

Please forgive me for not updating the blog for 2 weeks!! Let me try to catch up on what is going on.

Carla has been home for 17 days. After the last post, Carla's recovery seemed to take a bit of a pause. One day she would feel well and then the next day quite fatigued and yucky. At the next doctor visit they reassured us that fatigue was quite normal for weeks following the transplant. However, along with her fatigue has been a constant feeling of nausea. This is not uncommon because of the medications and the healing of the body, but could be signs of other issues. Last week was a challenge for Carla to drink and eat.

On the day Carla was discharged, the home care nurse visited us to show us how to administer IV fluids and medicines into her trifusion port that is still part of her body. One of the medications causes the kidneys to excrete extra magnesium which needs to be replaced (electrolytes). Every day we must infuse 1 liter of fluids with magnesium thru her IV line. I guess spending all those hours at the hospital watching the nurses do their job is paying off (hmmm, second career?). The IV uses a pump which is held in a backpack with the IV fluids, so she can be mobile...no "Shelly" the IV pole at home.

At the beginning of this week (Sunday/Monday), Carla had been getting very fatigued and was still having a constant feeling of nausea. We have oral medications to help counter nausea, but it also makes you tired. Trying to battle one challenge makes the other difficult.

We had an appointment on Tuesday, which I thought was on Wednesday (should have written on the calendar, note to self DON'T ASSUME). So, after they called her to ask her where she was, she called me and let me know of the appointment and met Carla and her mom at the hospital. After drawing blood labs they said "No wonder you are tired, your red count is 22." Basically she was anemic and was needing 2 units of blood. The one hour visit turned into a 6+ hour visit. Carla's mom stayed with her while they got the blood ready and I went back to work. I was able to get back to her after the first unit was done and relieved her mom from "duty". They started the next unit and we waited. We finished up about 5:30, appointment started at 11.

While at the appointment, they changed a medication from oral to IV to be kinder on the liver function. The "med-van" came the next day to delivery more stuff. This IV med was new to us, self infusing ball. Just hook it up to the port and it goes in with no pump or gravity. You can put it in your pocket, walk around, go to the store, or whatever.

Because of Carla's symptoms of fatigue and nausea lasting so long, they had done some additional tests to check for other things on Tuesday. During her Thursday appointment, the told us she had tested positive for CMV (cytomegalovirus) and wanted to start treatment same day. CMV is not uncommon for people with suppressed immune systems and can cause nausea because it can grow in the stomach. Many of us have had it, but can be reactivated while on immune suppression drugs. "Beep-Beep", here comes the "med-van". Treatment for CMV is another IV med called Ganciclovir. When the test comes back negative two times she can stop the treatment, hopefully just a week. AND get rid of that nausea. She does four IV infusions a day at home, but sure beats being in the hospital!

Recap - For Carla, the previous week was not a great week. Since this Tuesday, she has felt better and more energy.

We appreciate all the "well-wishes" and continued support, whether it be through a card, visit, meals, offers, carpools, and your love. Thank you Nell, Emma, Grace, Jordan, Isabel for bringing over a plate of treats and seeing Carla this week. She has missed seeing you girls play. Thank you Vahl/Colleen and Anji/Wade for bringing us meals this past week, you kept us strong and healthy. Pam, Jason, Lisa, your flexibility and willingness to be with Carla and support me and the kids is very much appreciated.

We love you all.

Stayed tuned for update on McCall and Callie's activities.

2011-05-13T21:49:00.000-06:00

Things are going well being home. Carla only took one nap today which was quite different from yesterday's restful day. We know this will be a gradual process to recovery and get back to normal daily activities.

This morning we went to the hospital to get a blood workup to see how things are going. While getting out out of the car we saw David, one of the PAs that Carla has a crush on, and Carla walked up to the clinic with men on both arms. After drawing "labs", they said things looked good, modified one medication and sent us on our way. We ran into our friend Jenny, a patient, walking the halls while we were there, and of course stopped by the nurses station to say hello. The people, patients and staff, are incredible people. We love them all.

Although Carla is recovering, she would love to hear from you, visit, email, text, card, call. Call me or Carla to plan a visit. Everyone has been so wonderful.

McCall has been so busy with soccer. She has 5 straight days of practice of games. Her last regular season game is tomorrow, then a few tournaments and summer prep for high school team tryouts. Yes, going to be a 9th grader in the fall, Freshman...YIKES!

Night in your own bed

2011-05-12T21:31:00.001-06:00

Sleeping in your own bed is really a benefit. Carla slept really well last night. The body needs much rest after going through a big ordeal. Today Carla got a lot of rest that she normally doesn't get in the hospital. Very low key day.

Tomorrow we have a clinic visit to check the blood levels, medications and other body chemistrys.

We all are glad to have mom home.

Thank you Robert and Marjeen for dinner. I was watching Callie at gymnastics practice and was unable to thank you in person. Thank you for being great neighbors.

Home

2011-05-11T21:50:00.002-06:00

Is it true? Did this day come? Yes. The goal to going home is not to be fully recovered, but to be well enough to be without 24 hour care and recover in your own home. You get comfortable knowing that you are just a button's push from a professional's care. I could see that little bit of anxiety of not wanting to leave too early and wanting to dash right out the door.

Home feels so good...for all of us. We still had one more thing to learn before going to bed, learn how to infuse IV fluids. A home nurse came over this evening to show us how to use the IV pump for hydration and some magnesium (one of the meds depletes it). Carla was so tired while we were getting instruction...almost feel like a mini-nurse.

Lights out for now. Good, no Great to be Home.

Thank you Debbie and Mike for dinner. Debbie, you are such a wonderful cook. McCall always raves about your food when she has dinner at your house. Also, Thank YOU for the extra car pooling you have done for us. You are such a sweetie.

Coming home

2011-05-10T22:15:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow Carla is coming home! 32 days! Soon to be in her own bed.

The kids and I took dinner to Carla and left around 9:15. Parting was not as hard today for any of us knowing that she would be coming home tomorrow.

Today was not all good news. As I was letting people know she was coming home, one of the recently discharged patients texted me back telling me she was on her way back into the hospital. Dang it. Carla and I went in to see her before the kids and I went home. Hopefully her stay will not be long and can get her issues under control. We will visit her often.

We are very excited about Carla coming home, as is she.

This is one more step in the journey. Thank you everyone for your past, current and future support. We appreciate you all.

IV Tree losing its leaves

2011-05-09T22:22:00.003-06:00

The IV tree is almost bare. There are no required meds hanging on the IV tree. They have been converted to oral. Only nutrition and hydration are hanging, however they are being reduced as well as Carla is eating and drinking more.

She is on the path to being discharged this week. I do not want to speculate on a day because I would get it wrong, but it SHOULD be real soon.

Carla's blood counts and chemistrys are looking good. And she is looking good too.

Thank you Amy and Keith for dinner tonight, we appreciate your kindness and time. Our good friend Sandy and her sons ran a 5k this weekend and ran in honor of Carla. I will post her picture when I get it. Thank you Sandy for the love.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T21:51:00.001-06:00

To all the Mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!

Holidays and special occasion days have been a bit different while we have been working our way through treatments, procedures and recoveries. No matter how you try to keep things as "normal" as you can, they still are different. Routines change, places visited change, the people attending change, but these do not block us from living in the moment and celebrating the event.

This morning we dropped by Grandma Pam's to deliver flowers and cards. Although the visit was short, we enjoyed talking about the recent things they have done to the landscaping of their condo.

Next we went to see Carla at the hospital. She is doing very well. Many of the medications are being taken via pill and the IV tree has been slowing losing its "leaves". Coming home this week is very attainable. She was very happy to see the kids on this special day. After spending some time with Carla, we went home to get ready to go my mom's. While we were gone her parents came to visit, then she also got a visit from her Aunt Sandy, Grandpa Pete, and Uncle Bryce.

My mom thought we were going to grill some hot dogs or something basic, but Billy and I decided to get some Olive Garden soup, salad, bread sticks and some pasta from Pizza Hut. She was delighted to have Olive Garden. I love you mom.

After dinner we went home for a brief amount of time, then went back to the hospital to spend the evening with Carla. We did a walk and wheel chair rides, and then watched Freaky Friday, a mother-daughter type movie. Carla always gets a little emotional when the girls leave her in the evening. On the way out, I asked Daniel the CNA to poke his head in on her and tell its okay.

Although things are different on this Mother's Day, it really was the same, people showing their love to the special women in their lives. We love you moms.

A special shout out to my brother Jimbo in Washinton state, we love and miss you.

Engrafted!

2011-05-05T21:50:00.003-06:00

Carla's bone marrow transplant has engrafted. This means that her neutrofil white count was above 500 for 3 days in a row and is at 1000. In basic terms it means the transplant is working and blood cells are being made. Her platelet count is nearing low normal, reds dropped slightly but typical. It was such good news today.

Our doctor told Carla to take it slow and let the body heal. She still gets quite tired during the day from time to time. He was very encouraged by her blood numbers and how she is not showing signs of Graft vs. Host (GVH)issues. Slowly she will be switching to oral meds and if progress continues could be home early next week!

Carla got out of her room for a few walks and I pushed her in the wheelchair outside...YES, I SAID OUTSIDE! Pushing a person in a wheelchair up a hill, wearing a mask with an IV pole gets a few friendly comments from passer-byers. It was a great feeling to be outside with you honey. I waited for her brother to assist me getting her back. The IV pole was not designed for travel on a bricked sidewalk.

Holli and Dave G. it was nice to visit with you for that short time. Thank you for the Cinco de Mayo dinner, we appreciate it and your kindness!

Blood level break out

2011-05-03T22:09:00.003-06:00

When I arrived at the hospital this morning, Carla told me that her blood numbers were really good and that the nurse was getting me a print out. Indeed they were! Her white counts nearly doubled, her platelets rose 20% and reds about 10%. The neutrofils are what really excites me. They rose above the important low level of .5 (500) to 0.8 (800). We hope these numbers continue to climb at a steady rate and make her feel better all around.

This morning we went for a walk and she was feeling good. While I was at work, she told me she went for another walk and was really tired and was going to take a nap. Well deserved.

Callie had choir practice today. McCall had a soccer game, she scored a goal!

Busy bodies!!

2011-05-02T22:09:00.002-06:00

When Carla first found out about her diagnosis and would have to go through treatment, some people described the physical demand of chemotherapy as running a marathon. Getting to the transplant has also involved a few sprints and some middle distance runs as well.

Carla, and other people going through similar challenges, would have to be classified as all around athletes. Instead of getting the luxury of preparation and planning, they get themselves to the starting line not knowing what race is being ran, and go! She gets the Gold in my book.

Her blood counts continued to rise today. Still waiting for that breakout momemt, but steady as she goes is okay too. Another roller coaster day, starting at the bottom, but feeling better at end of the day. Still having achy legs.

McCall ran in the district track meet today and did really well. Each race had an A, B, and C bracket. She ran in the B bracket, and was 1st place. She would have done very well in the A bracket too with her time. These are the two races she ran, 100 M and 4x100m relay. In the second video, she is the second runner on the back stretch. You can see her bring blaze into first before she hands off to third runner.

Thank you Carrie and Rick for bringing dinner, please come visit. I enjoyed talking to you. Roni, thanks for taking Callie and letting her play with Maya. I knew she wouldn't want to come to the track meet. :)

Counts are rising.

2011-05-01T21:44:00.003-06:00

Wow! 3 weeks has gone by since Carla was admitted into the hospital. It seems like she's been gone much longer, we miss her being home. Based on her numbers, hopefully she will not be gone much longer.

Carla's blood counts have started to recover. As I mentioned yesterday, there were signs of change. Today, Carla's neutrofils (part of the White Blood Count) showed the first increase. These are infection fighter cells. Also, her platelet count increased on its own. This is great news!

We need the blood to keep ramping up. Each day she makes more progress to feeling better too. Yesterday was one walk. Today was two walks and at a faster pace.

After dinner, the kids and I went up to be with Carla. She took her second walk of the day with us. While Carla and I were walking, the girls could not resist the "wheels".

McCall is participating in the district track meet Monday at Cottonwood High. Should be exciting! Go Wasatch Jr.!!

Progression

2011-04-30T23:29:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was the first in 9 days that Carla left her room and went for a walk. Escorted by myself and her brother, we took a slow lap around the "track". Nurses, doctors, PAs, and CNAs showed us there smiles and told Carla it was great to see her out. As usual a little happy banter was exchanged between her and some of them.

Each day within its self can be a mini roller coaster. At times Carla is feeling just great and says lets go, then later she is managing some side effects.

This morning Carla was feeling well, showered, felt like going for a walk. Then she started to feel yucky. She told me her back was aching. Later in the evening when I returned, she was aching in her legs as well. We have been told by some people that there can be aching in the bones when the marrow is working hard. Although not a good thing to be feeling, we hope its hurting for the right reason.

Today we reviewed her blood numbers and there are definitely some note worthy signs. Her red blood count (Hematocrit/RBC) has not dropped in 3 days, remained at 26.1. Platelet levels dropped just five points from 51 to 46, normally drop 15 plus a day. The overall white blood count (WBC) was .1, .2, .4 over the same three day period. WBC is composed of Lymphocytes, Monocytes and Neutrofils(there are seven types of white blood cells, but these three compose a large majority).

Based on these numbers it appears that the new stem cells are beginning to work. I've been fooled before, so I will wait until tomorrow's numbers are gathered before I start getting too excited. No use counting the blood cells before the stem cells hatch. :)

2011-04-28T22:19:00.003-06:00

We are now at Day 8 of the transplant. There is a range of when stem cells engraft and start showing measurable blood cells. This is usually between Day 8 to 21, but most likely somewhere in the middle. We are waiting for this process to take hold which should help improve Carla's overall feeling. Her body has been healing itself from the radiation, chemotherapy and them darn drugs. Hang in there baby, them cells are coming. I thought you looked beautiful tonight when I saw you. Your hands were warm and soft, we miss you.

McCall had a busy day yesterday. From school she went to a track meet, and she ran the fastest 8th Grade 100 Meter dash (13.98 sec) of the day. In fact, it was fast enough for her to qualify for the District track meet this Monday at Cottonwood against 15 schools. Then she went to her soccer game, where they won 2-0. Nice job!

Today is Callie's busy day. She performed with her Jump Team a jump rope routine for her school today. She was great! They all were great! After school she had to spend some time doing homework before she could get to gymnastics. Once she was home, she had to finish homework, shower and read. So proud of both of them.

Thank you Pam for being able to spend time with Carla and assist her as needed and the other little things you and Dennis do for us. Also, a big thank you to the Jensen's and Gleave's for providing us with dinner the past two days.

One more thank you...I was helping Callie do homework at the table yesterday before McCall's soccer game, when I noticed the sound of a lawn mower that was a little loud to be Patti next door. It was my neighbor Vahl from around the corner. He was mowing my lawn. I went out and said thank you so much. He figured I didnt have much time to myself and this was a way for him to give me some time for myself. Wow...thank you Vahl, I will use that time wisely.

2011-04-26T22:42:00.002-06:00

How do mother's or single parents get everything done....? They don't. Today was one of those days where there was no shortage of things to do and not all of them got done.

Visit Carla, work, pick up Callie after choir practice, check homework, dishes, dinner, take kids to visit mom, make lunches, do some laundry (muddy soccer game yesterday), put it away.

My point is not that I miss Carla because of all things she does, but to say how much I appreciate all the things she does for our family.

Carla was a little sleepy this morning and was not feeling super great, but seemed to improved by the end of the day. When the kids and I went to see her around 8pm, she looked more comfortable than I have seen her in 9 days. Keep going on that upward trend.

Thank you Shawnette for the kind words when I saw you today.

"Good day" on the tally sheet

2011-04-25T22:11:00.003-06:00

If I could sum up the past 6 days how Carla has been feeling it would not be pretty. These have been the toughest days. I recall this past Friday one of the nurses telling me that Carla said it feels like the days are running together. That is pretty much what happens when taking medications for pain and naseau are used...a lot of medications. Junkies would kill to have the arsenal of meds available on demand. She asks, they deliver.

I got a big chuckle today from Carla when the CNA needed to do a blood sugar test and asked Carla to give her the finger she wanted to use. You know where this is going.... So, Carla casually cocked the single finger salute, and with her eyes closed was smiling, which made me chuckle and tell Teri that she made the finger selection. All three of us got a kick out of it.

There were three good things happening today. First, Carla got a surprise visit from Lisa (Flash!) and Sandi ("It's going to be okay."). They looked so good, energetic, pretty and courageous. One of the nurses said, "There are three amazing women in this room." The three of them just have this synergy about them.

Second, Carla was looking and feeling better than she has in 6 days. You could just see it when you walked in. She didn't feel like dancing or walking around the halls, but there was a change. Maybe tomorrow we'll start walking around the short track hall.

Third, she had another chest x-ray for the pneumonia that was spotted this past Thursday. The x-ray came back clear.

Not a bad day at all....Friends, feeling good and clear lungs. I'll mark that on the "good day" side of the tally sheet.

Things that always make a good day are our children. Callie had a jump team performance today at another elementary, and she told three little kids told her she was really good. I think that made her day. McCall had a soccer game today and had some excellent cross shots, one which ended up being an assisted goal. Her placement is getting good.

People are so kind to our family. Your conversation is appreciated. Thank you Elaine and Tim for dinner, and also for the hand made paper flower bouquet. Carla will enjoy having that in her room.

Easter

2011-04-24T22:22:00.004-06:00

There is no good time to go through treatment of any malady someone may have. Carla's treatment covers Easter and Mother's Day. These days usually culminate with families visiting and kids having fun.

In keeping with tradition, we had our Easter breakfast with Carla's family and then dinner at my mom's house. The kids and I went to see mom at the hospital between meals. I spoke to Carla before we went up and she sounded better than the previous days, although she still is tired and managing side effects of treatment.

At my mom's we played some basketball games, ate dinner, had Easter egg hunt, and then a confetti egg war. My mom had 52 dozen confetti/bird seed filled eggs that we throw at each other. My family has been doing this since we lived in California in the 70's. Not sure where it came from, maybe some crazy mexican custom.

While we were eating dessert, one of our family friends was talking to my mom about the vinyl lettering over the door, "What happens at grandma's, stays at grandma's." She asked about it and my mom told her that Carla had done that for her for Mother's Day I believe. It was just a reminder to me that Carla was with us even while she was getting better at the hospital.

Once dinner was over, I went back to the hospital to spend a few more hours with Carla before settling home. Kids are bummed that school starts tomorrow.

2011-04-22T23:33:00.003-06:00

By the end of this evening, Carla looked to be feeling a little better. We asked to remove the heart monitor since she had been so stable and they agreed. So many lines and cables. She was sitting up and watching tv with me with less naseau, and catching some sleep when she could.

It was getting late and Carla was getting comfortable for the night, so I went home.

The girls are staying at my brother Brian and Tara's house for a sleepover tonight, playing with their cousins and doing eggs. Thank you for having them over.

It was nice speaking to Barb and Sue at the gymnastic training center today as well. I was shopping for an Easter present for Callie. They let me know they have been praying and thinking about Carla and our family. GO Soccer and Gymnastic Moms!!

Thank you Jason and Patti for tending our dear Bindi when we are away. McCall has been giving Bindi some weird haircuts...oh well its just hair. :)

Patience is a must

2011-04-21T23:07:00.000-06:00

Each day reminds us this process is slow and we must have patience. The doctors have her connected to a machine that monitors her heart and oxygen, keeping a close eye on her since there have been some fluctuations in her levels. They detected some pneumonia in her right lung and watching that as well. The process can be very dynamic at times or can be very slow.

At this point, Carla's body can no longer make blood cells. She receives blood transfusion while the new stem cells take hold and start producing.

After returning from my morning hospital visit, Callie had been playing at a Rachel's house for a few hours. I took McCall to the track to run for about an hour. Once the kids were home and settled I went back to the hospital. Uncle Jason was coming over to be with the kids, watch American Idol and enjoy some dinner from one of our neighbors.

Thank you Childs' for the spaghetti meal. Callie felt pretty special that Skylee called to ask her what she wanted for dinner. You have such a sweet family.

Day 0 - Stem cells on board!

2011-04-20T23:06:00.000-06:00

Today marks a major milestone in the journey. Carla received stem cells from an anonymous donor today. What an incredible thing. They arrived in a big 20x20x20 box which was insulated and cooled.

Once the nurse verified they were for Carla, they set them down on top of Carla who was under the bed covers while they finished the paperwork. Carla reached out to them and held them in her hand, then lifted her head and looked a them. Hard to believe this day has come.

These stem cells will generate new red cells, white cells, and platelets. One of the jobs of the new white cells is to kill existing leukemia cells in the body that her body did not recognize as a threat. Day 0 is the day people get their transplant which helps to mark other milestones and progress. Carla's mom, McCall, myself, and two nurses got to experience this event. We sang Happy Birthday to Carla with the nurses as the stem cells started flowing into her body. It was a great feeling.

While today is a big day, seeing Carla in bed battling the affects of the previous ten days prepartory regimen reminds me that this a journey. Her IV tree, which I named Shelly, is decorated with medications and fluids of all sorts.

Even when she was feeling awful all curled up, Carla teased the doctor by asking him if he wanted to go dancing. Her spirit is strong.

Although I am tired from today's event and know there are hard days ahead, I am full of hope and smiles knowing my honey is on the road to recovery. I love you Carla.

Thank you Webster's for bringing dinner to our family.

We love you all.
The Hennessy's

Wascal Wabbit!!

2011-04-19T19:21:00.002-06:00

You would not believe some of the stuff researchers come up with to put into your body. The past two days, Carla has been pumped with ATG, Anti-Thymocyte Globulin - Rabbit variety and Cytoxin chemotherapy. And let's just say, unlike real rabbits, this ATG stuff does not give a comfortable cozy feeling. Some of the side effects on Carla have been nausea, dizziness, fever, low blood pressure, high heart rate, fatigue, etc. This ATG is to help her body and new blood system work better together and hopefully reduce the affects of GVHD, Graft vs Host Disease (in basic terms, a type of anti-rejection effect). Her nose has been twitching the past hour or so, and has asked for some carrots, so maybe its working well. :)

Today she only had to deal with the ATG, no chemotherapy, and it was a better day than yesterday, but still no picnic.

Tomorrow is the big day. Carla will receive her donor stem cells starting in the morning around 11 and infuse over a few hours. Should be an uneventful process, but a long road getting there. She is excited to get to this point....and then we wait.

We did find some basic information about the donor. 49 year old and Male. Also, a very interesting piece of information, his blood type is A+. Carla's blood type is 0-. Once the new stem cells begin to form, she will change blood type to A+.

Please wish her good luck tomorrow and a new birthday. It is considered Day 0 for transplant patients.

Thank you Grandma Pam and Grandpa Dennis for doing things with the kids like making pies. Patti, thank you for having the kids over for dinner and entertaining them with games and puzzles. Having the time to be with Carla these past two days meant so much to me.

Getting closer to transplant

2011-04-17T22:27:00.005-06:00

Although I have spent many a late night with Carla, last night was the first sleepover for McCall and I. We watched the Hulk, had some snacks, and then went to sleep. Well, did our best to sleep. They check vitals every fours hours, and also since she was scheduled to start chemotherapy, she had to start some other IV medications at 4:30am before the 8am chemotherapy. Sometimes not a very restful place, but thankful we have it.

After "waking up" I drove to Banbury Cross Donut shop to get donuts for the staff. We appreciated them changing Carla's room and moving her belongings yesterday.

Carla will receive chemotherapy drugs for 2 days. Each day for 2 hours starting at 8am. These 2 doses are very strong. She did very well with it today and was able to get some rest in the afternoon. I returned late afternoon and spent most of the evening with her, dinner, 2 movies, leg rub, hugs and kisses. Not sure it qualifies for a date night.

One of our good friends Sandy sent us a picture of herself from the Salt Lake Marathon. Thank you Sandy for running in honor of Carla. That was very special to her.

Thank you Kraig and Tami for bringing dinner. It was good to talk to you the other day.

Nice Surprise!

2011-04-16T19:01:00.002-06:00

Today is Carla's last radiation dose. It was moved to 9am instead of the afternoon. She finished it off like a champ. Although a little dizzy, she did great! People get radiation treatment for different types of reasons, and when you finish your schedule, there is a bell you get to ring. She rang it! Now that radiation is done, chemotherapy begins for 2 days.

We walked back to her room, and when we entered the room it was empty! Her nurse Tony was watching and waiting for her reaction. He was behind us with a big smile, surprise! While she was doing radiation, he moved all her stuff to "the Room". What a guy! This isTony walking Carla from the old room to "her room". These people are just so incredible.

McCall and I are staying overnight with mom in "her room" at the hospital. Callie is staying at her good friend Maya's tonight.

Radiation and "the Room"!

2011-04-15T21:28:00.003-06:00

On Thursday when Carla and I returned to the 8th floor after her 4th radiation dose, her friend Jenny, who has "the Room" she wants, was walking by WITHOUT her IV pole looking for the dietician. She was planning her escape! Jenny has been there about 6 weeks and had progressed enough with her diet intake that she could leave the next day. Carla was more than happy to hear that news, both for Jenny and to eventually get "the Room".

Today comes along, and Carla is checking on Jenny (and "the Room"). Jenny is packed and ready to GO! She looked like someone packing to go on a long vacation, suitcases, bags filled with everything. But she cannot leave until 4 or 5pm because of a study that she is involved in...but she did go home. YAY!! Because it was late in the day, Carla's move to "the Room" would have to wait.

Carla completed her 5th dose of radiation. The normal radiology staff would not be working Saturday for her last dose, so they said their goodbyes to her. They said Carla is the second toughest person to go thru the TBI that they know. I think she is the toughest, she was holding back. Thank you Tarali and Mark, you were awesome.

Thank you Lisa P and family, and the Huntzinger's for dinner. Not only delicious, but helpful in so many ways.

Roasted like a hot dog?

2011-04-14T10:24:00.004-06:00

Today is the 5th day I've been up in the BMT clinic. I've tried to find a routine to make the days go by faster. I do a lot of walking, talking to other patience's or staff, watching movies, needle point and the occasional nap. I am waiting for my friend Jenny to leave her room so I can steal it. She has much better views of the city, large windows with natural light and a walk in shower.

I am on my 4th day of the TBI radiation treatments. I feel like I am being roasted like a hot dog. The first treatment felt like I had a small sunburn and it was hard to sleep. The machine you stand in makes me feel little tired, light headed and sleepy (which is real common). Only 2 more to go then we start chemo on Sunday. (I did pretty well with chemo last time but this is more powerful than before). Wish me luck that I can handle it.

Thanks to all that have stepped up to help Jeff where he needs it.

Cheery Girl

2011-04-12T21:35:00.000-06:00

The nursing staff is so amazed at how Carla is so cheerful and generous with her smiles given the past few months, and most recent stone incident. She has a pretty smile and beautiful blue eyes. No matter what department she goes to, I see the staff light up when they recognize her because they know she is going to make them laugh or do something to take the edge off of their jobs. She completed her second TBI, and the radiology staff just love her.

Her aunt and uncle, Stan and Patsy, stopped in Salt Lake, and visited Carla today. Thank you Patsy for your kind words and inspiration.

McCall had track practice after school, then a soccer game in North Ogden. Thank you Lisa P for driving her up and back. Callie had show choir meeting after school. After she finished her homework we took Carla some soup and breadsticks and watched Kicking and Screaming. I was pretty tired from being up from a long work night, and was camping out on the recliner and then laying on part of Carla's bed.

Tomorrow is a track meet for McCall at Skyline High, then off to another soccer game.

Carla will be at the hospital for 4-6 weeks! Your cards, texts, phone calls, meals, love, have meant so much to Carla and our family. You can send things to the house and we take them up to her. Remember no live flowers or latex balloons. These really mean so much. She loves you all.

It's a "Boy"!

2011-04-11T21:03:00.003-06:00

Well, that's what they are saying at the hospital. Carla passed that kidney stone this morning, and suddenly it seemed the "stone" had its own reality tv show. It was touring the 8th floor, signing autographs, guest appearance lined up on SNL. The entire staff was just amazed with Carla.

Carla was back to feeling well, albeit very tired from her high flow IV water bag, which helped move it out, but kept her up ALL night. Just to be sure, she did another CT to confirm it was truly gone, and it was.

No time was wasted on keeping the bone marrow transplant on schedule. Within 2 hours she headed down to radiology and completed her first of six TBI treatments. She did great, I'm so proud of her strength. Her parents kept her company while I went home to the kids.

After dinner, the kids and I went up to see mom. She was pretty tired, but very happy to see McCall and Callie. They shared how school went, and I told them how well mom did today.

Yesterday, Carla and I spent some time talking with a patient who received a BMT a few weeks ago. She has given both us invaluable insight to the process and has become a friend, with much in common. She and Carla were originally admitted within four days of each other, but Jenny had to spend Christmas at the hospital.

Thank you Meg and Craig for dinner tonight, very appreciated, and enjoyed visiting with you. Jenny G, you are a life saver for coordinating the dinner schedule, thank you.

Bone Marrow Transplant takes a slight detour

2011-04-10T20:17:00.003-06:00

Today was the day Carla had been gearing up for. Her bone marrow transplant process to start. Preparation, packing, physical conditioning, emotional strengthing. Her body had a different plan...

She woke up this morning at about 3:30am with some pain on her right side, then it quickly escalated to excruciating pain.

What could be happening? Just yesterday we spent the entire day together as a family. McCall's soccer game was cancelled, Callie had morning gymnastics, had a Subway lunch, went to see the movie Soul Surfer, ate dinner at Chili's, visited her parents, once we got home Carla took a bath to unwind, we all settled down on the couch to watch a movie (me and Callie stayed awake) until 11ish, and we all went to bed sleeping under the same roof knowing that mom would be going away for some time.

I called the nurse's station at the hospital, coordinated a few calls with the Physician's Assistant and the on-call doctor, and they instructed us to come in...we were supposed to be there at 8am anyways for the big day. We left the house about 6am after our dear neighbor Patti came over to be with the kids when they woke.

Once we got there, they checked her over, drew blood, checked for infections, drew cultures, order a CT, but most important...worked on getting the pain under control. Although not completely gone, they succeeded. Next, she went down for a CT with a handful of possibilities. About 2pm the doctor got the radiology report...Kidney Stone! We were quite relieved that it was not something worse.

Good News, Bad News. Good news, it happened now before the transplant process started, where a possible infection could be very life threatening with no immune system. Bad news, transplant is on hold until the stone passes. She was just 6 hours from starting the process. Carla is in good hands at the hospital right now. We may know more tomorrow about the impact to the transplant schedule.

We thank you all for the hope, love, support.
The Hennessy's

Getting ready!

2011-04-07T07:24:00.004-06:00

With the biggest stay in the hospital coming up I’ve been very busy trying to do as much as I can before. A lot of dinners, visitors, phone calls, all the “chores” I can still do and more. Thanks to all of you that have called, stopped by, taken us out or sent a card. It all helps me so much!! Here are just a few photos that I’ve taken.

Carla and Leslie Leslie-Carla-Beatrice

Me and my brother Jason

Aunt Sandy-me-cousin Casie

Sandy and Carla

Yesterday was the last of the official tests (full body PET scan and another chest CT). I’ve done them before and they are no big deal. All the medicine they pump through my veins to get the scans makes me feel a little gross. Today is a lot of meetings with nurses, pharmacy techs, dietitian and a “family conference” (everyone that might be taking care of me needs is coming) so we all know what to expect in the next coming months. Check in time is still Sunday. I will get my room (hopefully the one I wanted) , start some fluids, antibiotics, anti-nausea medicine and do my first TBI treatment.

Thanks for the extra support!

2011-04-04T20:44:00.003-06:00

Jeff's cousin and husband did a "bowl-a-thon" in my name for cancer awareness (and for their grandma who fought breast cancer). Thanks Alexis and Rich. You guys are awesome!! :) love you!! ♥ Just got a package from Jeff's other cousin and aunt that did a WALK-A-THON in my name. They sent me a shirt, bracelet, photos and a gift bag which I'll use in the hospital. They raised over $4000.00 towards cancer awareness. WOW! I feel so grateful!! My cute friend Anna donated money at her high school to the "crushing cancer tree" in my name. Thanks Anna. :} I am so fortunate to have so many people thinking of me and honoring my name. Thanks everyone for your support!!!!! ♥

"Be the Match"

2011-03-27T14:26:00.004-06:00

We learned on Friday the schedule for Carla’s Bone Marrow Transplant. Before that day arrives she will need to complete a series of tests similar to beginning her first chemotherapy treatment; CT, EKG, PET scan, bone marrow biopsy, and some others. Many of these will happen tomorrow and the others before her admit date.

We are learning so much about how to help other people. We are so fortunate to have a bone marrow donor for Carla, but others are not so fortunate. Due to the diversity of our great nation, genetic matching becomes harder and harder for certain people.

Many of our friends and family have asked about how they can help or what can they do. Donating blood is a great way. Another way is becoming a Bone Marrow Donor. You could “Be the Match” for someone. It truly is a gift of life, as we have found out. Joining the donor registry is easy by requesting a test kit and it mailing back. Minority donors are in high demand, Black and African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, including South Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, Hispanic and Latino, Multiple race.

Marrow can be collected from peripheral blood, meaning from your veins, after stimulating them to produce extra. It’s quite amazing, and mainly an inconvenience for the donor. If you would like to “Be the Match” for someone, you can start at www.marrow.org. The Marrow.org site has so much information about the Bone Marrow Transplant process and donating.

As of right now, Carla will be admitted Sunday, April 10, 2011. And if the schedule remains true, she will receive her donor stem cells (bone marrow cells) on April 19. She plans to enjoy as much of the next 2 weeks as possible before she has to go in for those 4-6 weeks. Your thoughts, prayers, love, assistance are greatly appreciated.

Happy Day!

2011-03-23T17:12:00.005-06:00

Dr. Thompson (the radiologist) checked me again today. He can’t feel any of the tumors at all (Yipeeeeee) and is very impressed with how well I am handling the treatments. I celebrated by run/walking 2+ miles trying to make myself stronger. Only 3 more treatments to go. What a good day!! :)

Had to go to the dentist today for a cleaning and to make sure no cavities. Got a clean bill of health and a big hug from Dr. Woodbury. The whole office was so nice to me and even offered a free cleaning after transplant if I want one (chemo and radiation can be bad on your teeth for some people.) Ewwww. :(

Tomorrow I will get my mapping done for the TBI (Total Body Irradiation) scan which will happen before the bone marrow transplant. We meet with the oncology doctors to discuss everything else I need to do to prepare for. More tests to come...but I am used to those.

So far....a great day with great news!!

MORE GOOD NEWS!!

2011-03-19T17:40:00.001-06:00

Things are going really well this week. Not only are the back and breast tumors shrinking but I got a call from one of the oncology doctors a few days ago. My liver samples were sent to a specialist in Oregon (Dr. Lee) who went over everything. He found that the liver is NOT cancerous (YEAH). :) He thinks it is a benign adenoma. This is obviously great news, but I am still wondering why it took so long to find it out. We’ll watch the liver during the rest of my treatments…but it might be something I might just have to live with. As of now the therasphere is off the table!! (YES…..one less procedure I have to do!)

We are now focusing back on the AML. I will finish out my radiation through the end of the week. I’ll do another CT in about 3 weeks to compare the tumors from the beginning to see actually how much they have shrunk and if they are gone.

They have scheduled me the second week of April to go back into the hospital for more chemo, a full body radiation process and the bone marrow transplant. This of course all depends on getting the donor ready too. Until then I have to do more tests to prep my body for the biggest step(to the dentist, LOTS of blood work, a radiation mapping scan, heart/lung function test and another bone marrow biopsy (not looking forward to that. OUCH!) I will be hospitalized for a minimum of 4 weeks plus the recovery time which can last another 4-8 weeks but hopefully at home. I am going to enjoy being home for another few weeks and then mentally preparing myself for the looooong road ahead.

I know that I say this in almost every post but thanks again to all of you for helping out with dinners and getting the kids to and from their activities while I am gone. Everyday I get a card, letter or inspirational email sent to me. It helps me so much. Getting through this isn’t easy…but having friends and family makes the process that much better.

SHRINKAGE!!

2011-03-16T15:37:00.004-06:00

YES! Finally some good news. Radiologist said after 8 days of treatments the breast and back tumors are shrinking very well. :) yipeeeee! I will continue the next 2 weeks of radiation and then get another CT done to decide if we need more radiation or not.

On my way out I ran into another patient today who has been an inspiration to me since day one. She is always so positive and hopeful about her cancer. She finished her treatments and was headed to her 6th (yuck) bone marrow biopsy (those hurt like an motherf**er) and I hugged her tight. Like me she too may need a bone marrow transplant.

She seems so sad and depressed about the long journey she has taken. She looked beautiful and all I could do was hug her and send positive thoughts. I am thinking a lot about her today and hope that all goes well. I haven't hit that type of depression yet.....but I can understand how it can get to that. Please send prayers and happiness her way.

We are still waiting to hear from the liver radiologist as to when I can have the therasphere done.

It may be another 7-10 days for that!

Another thank you to everyone!

2011-03-13T10:44:00.002-06:00

Last night Jeff’s mom and sister (with her kids) brought us dinner. Later Jeff’s brother showed up with his kids too. It was so great to catch up with them and visit. I feel so thankful for all the friends and family that have rallied around us and wanted to help. Thanks again to all of you!!

I am still doing really well with little side effects. Radiation can make you tired but nothing too bad yet. I have another 2 weeks of daily radiation and then the doctors will decide if I need more or not. The mapping procedure for the Therasphere made me “loopy” for a day or too but I got through it just fine.

My neice Sophia
My nephews Ethan and Sean

My fantasic husband Jeff

My great SIL Janine.

My supportive MIL Rose

A day at IMC

2011-03-10T20:04:00.004-07:00

First, thank you eveyone for everything you are doing for us, whether it be a meal, carpool, phone call, text, a "hang in there"... it means so much to each of us.

We spent the day today at IMC. Carla completed the mapping procedure to determine if the Therasphere treatment would be possible. The doctor told us that the procedure went very well and Carla did very well. This means Carla can move forward with the actual procedure, which we hope will be soon, no solid timeframe yet. I am so proud of her. She keeps moving forward, even when it's tough. I love you honey.

Thank you to the Gorski's, Stevens', Huntzingers, Colleen/Vahl, Steve/Lisa Petersen, Gaykowski's for bringing us dinner.

Love,

The Hennessy's

2011-03-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today we had consultations with Liver and Leukemia radiologists to plan out the next steps. After some idle time, we now have some direction and a few procedures lined up. As Carla discussed, one of the procedures will be to target the liver tumor with radiation beads and see how it responds to therapy. An initial test procedure will be done to make sure the therapy can target the area before the real therapy starts, so she gets two identical procedures; a test and real procedure (not really a bargain). The test may be done this Tuesday, then the real one 7-10 days later.

In addition, Carla will start radiation therapy on Monday for the leukemia masses, 15 treatments over 3 weeks.

Carla is excited to start the next steps in her recovery and get well. We will know more in the next 4-8 weeks what the next treatments will be.

Currently, Carla is not in chemotherapy treatment and is able to live a somewhat normal life. Please feel free to contact us to come visit or get together if you have time. She is still feeling healthy and strong!

Another week of waiting...

2011-02-24T17:30:00.001-07:00

Met with the oncology doctors today. We have appointments next week to meet with the liver specialists to discuss the process of removing the tumor on the liver. (Most likely we’ll implant a device that will not allow blood flow to that part of the liver….killing it and allowing the healthy part of the liver to grow). This takes about 2-3 months before we can do the actually surgery. In the mean time we are also meeting with the radiologist and start radiation on the breast tumors.

It is a balancing act for all the doctors at this point. They want to keep the AML from appearing somewhere else or growing back (I’ll have small doses of chemo to help) but everyone agrees the liver tumor take precedence over anything else.

The bone marrow transplant has been put on hold for now. I need to completely heal from the liver surgery before we can even start talking about that. It is going to be a long spring and summer.

On a good note: I am feeling healthy and great! It is sometimes hard to remember that I actually have cancer and I still need to be careful. I can go out and have a “normal” life for awhile. I’ve been trying to help more around the house, going to the grocery store, picking up kids from school, having lunch with friends etc. I still can’t go places that are enclosed in with large amounts of people and have to stay away from sick friends and family. (common sense stuff!)

Thanks to the Huntzinger’s for dinner last night. It was wonderful!

New hair

2011-02-20T11:41:00.002-07:00

Hair is so overrated until you don’t have it. Going bald is something that is hard to explain to someone unless you’ve done it yourself. I have adapted to my new baldness and tried to embrace the changes in my life. I’ve actually enjoyed wearing scarves, hats and bandana’s to keep my head warm (or to protect my head) and getting ready in the morning is much easier. Who would have known?

However…I wanted to get a wig for special occasions or for those days when I wanted to look and feel “normal”. On Valentines my mom took me to lunch and then out wig shopping. I will admit I was a little nervous to go only because when I think of wigs I picture creepy gross Halloween wigs from the party store or “old lady wigs” that you see in a retirement home that don’t fit right or are sliding off. HA

If you ever need one don’t be scared…wigs have changed A LOT and are really cute now. Here I am with my new wig. I tried to match as close as I could to my original hairstyle and I think I did it.

Chemo has been put on hold next week and we are meeting with the radiologist for the breast tumors and probably a liver specialist to tackle the tumor there. Things change from week to week and I have decided not to make plans and just live in the moment.

Tests, test, tests...

2011-02-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

What a day! Carla and I were all over the town today (IMC and LDSH), starting at 7am and getting home for good at 5pm. Because of the liver concerns, the liver specialists wanted a series of tests, MRI, Bone Scan, CT and removal of a nodule on her side for biopsy. By the way, the biopsy procedure hurt like a "blankety-blank-blank".

There was a bunch of hurry and wait situations all day which allowed me to get work done while she was in tests and between tests...wi-fi is my friend.

Now we are in a quiet period waiting for results and treatment plan, which we should know late next week. Carla can take a break from tests and treatments for a few days and just relax.

Feel free to give her a call, text, email, post on the blog. We love you all and appreciate everything you all have done and are doing.

Thank you mama Pam for getting Callie off to school and doing our laundry. You touched my underwear...ewwwww.

Change never sleeps

2011-02-16T20:16:00.002-07:00

Seems like every turn we make "change" is in our face. We had hoped for more direction and certainty, yet found "change" talking to us instead. Today the oncology doctor gave us an update from the liver board meeting.

As Carla mentioned, the growth must be removed, however, the path is not simply go to surgery. Liver surgery will require some preparation and more information. Carla will be doing tests all day Thursday to scan her for any other potential liver issues in the body, and will have a biopsy on another growth that is on her backside. Once we have the results of these tests, this will set the path for the liver surgery. There are other prepartory things to do which can take 2-3 months, so surgery is not pending at this point.

The liver issue takes precedence over the bone marrow transplant, since the risks of liver surgery are much higher post transplant. However, to keep the leukemia in remission, chemotherapy must continue while preparing for liver surgery. Balancing act for the doctors.

Carla may start chemotherapy next Thursday, pending the results of all the tests being done tomorrow and Friday.

Family update: McCall has a soccer tournament in St. George over this weekend that she is looking forward to. Callie continues to be active in jump team and gymnastics. Today, Callie's Grandma Rosie, my mom, had lunch with her at school, and tomorrow she gets to have lunch with Grandma Pam and Grandpa Dennis, spoiled. :)

Thank you to our neighbors the Kamerath's, Patti and Ruth, and the Garret's/Petersen's for bringing our family dinners over the past week. All of you are such sweet people. We love you all.

A slight change of plans.

2011-02-12T10:04:00.001-07:00

My recovery is going well. All of the tumors have shrunk from the chemo and the doctors are happy about that. However, the tumor in my liver did not shrink and the doctors are concerned. I had a liver biopsy before I left the hospital last time to help the doctors decide what to do. (The tests results came back the tumor could just be a benign growth but we are not 100% sure of that.) Regardless of what it is… it needs to come out. The doctors are meeting Tuesday to discuss my care with a liver surgeon, liver specialist and all oncology doctors. Again, I have stumped them with my prognosis and they are learning from my case. I would assume I will go in for surgery next week sometime.

I am hoping to be in the hospital only a few days and then get some time home to recover. I'll have radiation on the other tumors and zap them free from my body. This should put me into remission and I will start the last treatment of chemo and then have the bone marrow transplant. (aughhh...so much to think about) The next few months are going to be hard but I am willing to fight this battle.

I have enjoyed being home with my family this week. I’ve actually been able to see friends, help with housework, drive to the store, relax and have some normalcy. Jeff and the girls have been awesome to help where I need it.

Thanks to all of you again for the cards, kind words and positive thoughts.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!! :)

2011-02-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

I thought it only appropriate that I add to the blog this week. First let me say thanks to all of you out there that have helped in so many different ways. I can’t name everyone but you know who you are. Picking up kids from school, driving to activities, taking over my PTA responsibilities, bringing dinners, helping with birthday party planning or just bringing us some ice. It is the little things that really have made this process so much easier for us. We are so grateful for the outpour of support we have received!!

Some of you have asked what else you can do to help. The best answer I can give is take the time and go donate blood. The Red Cross is the best place to donate for it to be received at LDS Bone Marrow Clinic. You can also register to be a bone marrow donor (a swipe of the cheek is all that is needed) and you might be a match for someone in the future. For those of you who have already done it…THANKS!!!

When you are going through something like this you really experience personalities in people. You really know who your friends are and you know right away which family members you can lean on. There is no time for negativity or mean spirited thoughts towards past issues or concerns. I can have only positive thoughts during this treatment and that is what I am going to do!!!

I am doing well and trying to adapt to my new “routine”. I am still waiting to wake up and realize it was just a horrible dream. As most of you know the first round of chemo went really well. I handled it better than I thought and was excited to come home so quick. As most of you have read from Jeff’s posts I got a sore throat and headed back into the hospital in real pain. I was admitted immediately and told I had a sever case of Mucocitis (which are growths in the mouth, tongue and throat). I wasn’t able to swallow, talk or eat for a few days so I was frustrated with everyone. Jeff was a life saver translating for me and after a week or so I was starting to feel better. Who would have known that it would have taken 2 weeks to get me home again. (yuck)

This week I am able to do more and maybe even see a few people. My numbers are up and I am looking forward to enjoying the week before I head back for my second round of chemo on Valentines’ Day. (romantic huh?) I am hoping only 5 days and then back home for my “nadar” weeks of getting strong.

Please continue to send your support, good vibes and well wishes to us. I know that they help!!

Home for a week or so

2011-02-05T21:53:00.002-07:00

Let me give you a quick update... Carla came home today. She persuaded our doctor to let her come home today instead of tomorrow if she promised to eat and drink enough. She ate really good today given the fact that she wasn't allowed to eat yesterday because of a biopsy procedure. Her throat and mouth condition has almost completely healed. Next week we have a few appointments and figure out the plan.

Carla will be doing some posting on the blog this week while she is home. Please call her, email, etc to see how she feels for visitors before she has to go back for treatment. As usual, if anyone is sick please know that a phone call will have to suffice.

Also, her blood counts are recovering great now. Her neutraphils were at 1.4L and rising. Now she has some protection and is NOT completely quarantined, but still has to be careful to stay healthy.

Thank you Lund family for bringing dinner Friday. Our Friday night got a bit out of whack with hospital scheduling and children activities. Our neighbor Patti was kind enough to make sure that the food was in a "secure" place until we got home.

Please know you can call, email, text me (Jeff) with any questions. Sometimes it may take me some time to respond, but I will. jhenny2000@comcast.net

2011-02-02T22:11:00.002-07:00

Looking to get of out of this place! The hospital has many conveniences, food, drink, room service, save your life on demand, but nothing compares to home. Every day Carla is improving and getting over this condition. Although there is still pain, she is now drinking more and taking baby steps to eating. Having a sore throat does not really want to make you eat any sort of meal, but she is trying different things. Hopefully Friday or Saturday we will have Carla home. She and I went for a pretty brisk walk around the floor today, I was impressed...that's what it takes to get out of there. "keep movin".

Please keep in touch with Carla through the blog, text her, call her phone and leave a message, email her, send a card. She was really expecting that her treatment recovery period would have been used to visit and communicate with people while she was home, but this condition got in the way.

Meanwhile, Callie had jump team, jump rope, practice today. Last week she slightly twisted her ankle at jump team performance, but shows no signs of it now as she runs and plays. Callie went right from practice to a short hike up Millcreek Canyon with some of her girlfriends. Yesterday, McCall had a Futsal game, soccer practice, and basketball practice, and still gets her homework done!

Right after dinner, we went to the hospital to visit our woman. Carla's demeanor always brightens when she sees her girls walk thru the door. Callie walked with Carla thru the halls holding mom's hand and telling Carla "I love you mommy."

As we finished our walk, McCall was eye-balling the wheelchairs. Being so late, there wasn't much traffic in the halls...I said "wheelchair races" and we picked our "cars" and went for a few laps. After walking mom back, Callie got on my lap for a ride. "Whose kids are those?" Ours and I am damn proud of them. :)

Thank you Phippen's for dinner. Although we have only known your family for a year, your kindness and love makes up for lost time. Aunt Shirley, I owe you a phone call.

2011-01-31T21:38:00.006-07:00

Last night we worked together like a somewhat oiled machine. Callie had a "shoe box" book report due which needed some final touches, and I wanted to get up to see Carla before it got too late.

McCall was done with her homework, so I asked her make lunches and to assist Callie with decorating the box and assembling one of the items Callie was making for the report while I went to the hospital. I was up there earlier in the day and Carla was looking so much better and resting a bit easier.

When I arrived this morning at the hospital, Carla was walking around in her room, and had been for the past 30 minutes! Her voice sounded less muffled. Wow! You have to remember that she has not had any steady sleep for the past 11 days. So, once she was done walking, I put a movie in the DVD player, logged into work, and she fell asleep.

The girls and I arrived later this evening to hang out with Carla and she improved even more from this morning. We bring her cards she gets in the mail, read her the school newsletters, share the kids homework the teacher sends home. Tonight the kids brought their nightly reading and went into the hall and read while I rubbed Carla's feet and legs. The kids are quite comfortable in the halls where they see leukemia patients and their families walking, doctors, nurses. I'm very proud of them with the courage they show. They are learning courage...just like me.

Thank you Colleen and family for bringing us dinner. We had just finished homework, and your meal was perfect timimg...almost anytime is a good time for food. We went right up to the hospital after our meal. Thanks again.

Turning the Corner

2011-01-30T22:13:00.002-07:00

Forget Sigourney Weaver, Carla is one tough woman. She appears to be turning the corner and on the way to getting over this mucositis. Friday seems to have been the peak, and only felt slightly better yesterday. She was telling the doctor on Thursday that they have to fix this because she has her next round of chemotherapy coming up. Talk about looking ahead!

This condition resulted in much swelling from Carla's neck into her face. So much so that Carla was concerned about possible future swelling and breathing. I immediately notified her doctor of her concern and they contacted the pulmonary specialist to evaluate her. After a CT and chest X-ray, he suspected possible parotid gland infections as well as the mucositis and prescribed a special antibiotic. In addition, to alleviate any breathing issues, prescribed two breathing treatments to soothe her throat and also reduce swelling. Everything seems to be going in the right direction now. I hope to sleep a little a better tonight.

Even though she is tough, I know that she has been hurting and it hurts me. Please continue to send your positive thoughts. She is a lucky person to have so many friends and family that care so much. I hope she feels well enough in the next day or so to get online from the hospital and keep in touch with all of you.

Thank you Flitton's for dinner on Wednesday. Theresa and Raphael, thank you for the lasagna. Theresa is quite a cook. She is a gluten free chef! Thank you Casey for dropping off some bread and your dastardly good treats. You and Theresa should open an eatery of some sort.

Difficult day

2011-01-28T22:32:00.001-07:00

Today has been one of the most difficult days. In the past few days the mucositis has advanced from Carla's throat into her mouth and tongue. Its a very painful condition and she has been on pain medications to help alleviate the pain, but only makes it tolerable, not even close to feeling well. After trying to manage it with asking for meds, they moved her to a pain pump. This pump can be programmed to deliver a continuous flow of medicine, push the button, and/or ask nurse for additional dose. This has been adjusted up over the past few days as they are trying to manage the pain for her. She uses all three options.

Carla was given a sign from Jonni which read, "What the Hell!" This is another one of those opportune times to use that phrase.

Many different cultures have been done to determine if this is something other than mucositis. So far nothing has turned up abnormal, and the doctors are administering broad antibiotics to make sure nothing is missed.

Her blood counts have been increasing daily. The doctors are telling us that this condition should clear up quickly when her white blood counts climb even higher. We are hoping the combination of treatment and count improvement brings a quick recovery. She has climbed to .8L neutraphils (800), over the standard neutrapenic level of .5L, but nowhere near normal. We will take any increase. Some of the nurses are willing to do a "Neutraphil Dance" to spark a surge of those cells. I tell them, "Go Shake 'n Bake."

Thank you Gisseman and Swensen family for bringing dinner. Not only are you providing our family dinner, you are also providing a meal for the caregivers that are needed for my children when I am not able to be there at dinner time, like tonight. You all are appreciated so much and I cannot thank you enough for all the support you are providing us.

Happy Birthday Callie!

2011-01-25T22:08:00.002-07:00

Callie had a pool party on Friday January 21 after school. Grandma Pam, Grandpa Dennis, and Lisa Petersen helped out with the day.

Today is Callie's birthday, January 25th! She is 10, a full decade! She is growing into such a smart, loving, beautiful girl.

Even though Carla was feeling VERY uncomfortable, she wanted to see Callie open her presents. Carla was so happy to see the kids. Callie was SOOO excited to get her Hair Straightner. Callie wants straight hair and McCall wants curly hair.

Status: The doctors are calling it Mucocitis. It has gotten a bit worse since yesterday. This can happen to some chemotherapy patients when the body defenses are down, but not so typical this late in the cycle. Learning never stops.

Hospital stay

2011-01-24T22:51:00.002-07:00

Carla was admitted into the hospital today around 12:30pm. She wanted to give me a break from taking her to the clinic and asked that her mom, Pam, take her. When she got there the main doctor immediately admitted her. He knows enough about Carla and could see that her symptoms required additional care. Her mom called me, told me to bring her "go" bag, and then off to the hospital. Not sure how long she will be there.

Over the weekend, Carla had started developing a very sore throat and mouth which prevented her from getting the necessary fluids and food. We called the clinic and followed their instructions. We actually went in at 6:00am on Sunday, hours before her appointment because of the symptoms. Thank you Patti, next door, for coming over until Carla's parents made it to our house.

Pam, thank you for taking Carla to her appointment, being there for her and staying so long. Thank you Dennis, her dad, for coming over the house so that the kids would have someone there when they came home from school. Jason, her brother, thank you for keeping things normal for the kids by taking Callie birthday shopping and helping them with their homework before I could get home. Family and friends working together, thank you.

Thank you Hopkinson family for the dinner today. Besides being delicious, it was a time saver and made sure our family was fed. Jensen family...what can I say? When you showed up this evening, I could feel your strenghth in "numbers". The "fun" bouquet will be more than fun! It was a busy day.

"Heavy" Day

2011-01-21T20:05:00.003-07:00

Looking across the table at the doctor we are listening with deep intent and a bit of disbelief as he explains to us the information of the last test on the tissue and next steps.

Carla will need to have a Bone Marrow Transplant.

There was so much information discussed today, treatment plan, how it works, how its done, etc.

We asked many questions about the transplant and hospital's program, all seemed favorable.

Let's be honest, I had to pull myself together to ask some of the questions. This was not the conversation we were expecting to have.

At the end of the discussion I said to Dr. Petersen, "This is heavy stuff." He acknowledged me and said that if this were his family member, the transplant would be his recommendation.

We will provide additional information.

Thank you Susan, Sandy, Sally, Ray, Janice (work buddies) for bringing us dinner and the extra items.

Is Bone Marrow brewing...?

2011-01-19T22:13:00.005-07:00

You know that feeling when you sense a change is about to occur, the anticipation, but you just don't know when? It's like the first 30 seconds of the Superman Theme song, before the horns blare and takes you to the next level of excitement and you fly out of your living room. We are right at that moment looking for a sign of Carla's blood count recovery.

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/downloadpro/download.php?file=91

Carla and her aunt went to the hospital for typical blood test, while I went to work...not being at the appointment is like watching a made for television show instead of being the people portrayed in the show. After checking her blood, they sent her home! No blood, no platelets! She simply sends me a text "Dont need anything today!! heading home!!". Now, being a numbers guy, that AIN'T good enough information. I asked if she got a print out of the results, and she just texts back "Enjoy your lunch and I will tell you later!! xoxoxo". What a stinker she is being!

Well, to spare all of you the same anxiety, Carla's hematocrit (Red Count) dropped from 29.2 to 29.0 over two days. During bone marrow suppression stage she has been dropping about 1.0 - 1.5 points per day. Although not discussed with any sort of medical professional, this tells me that Carla appears to be making her own Red Blood cells, compensating for the loss, and could be on the cusp of dawning a red cape and flying around the block a time or two (post 30 second mark on the Superman Theme). Without an actual increase in the hematocrit, my cape is over my shoulders but not tied for flight. "I don't dance unless I hear music." - Denzel Washington (Ron Boone) Remember the Titans.

Next 2 hurdles are even more significant; Whites/Neutrafils (infection fighter 0.4L/0.0L) and Platelets (ability to stop bleeding/clot).

Thank you Garn family for delivering dinner to us. We wish Jeff Garn a speedy recovery on his knee surgery from last month. Go Red Devils! Thank you Aunt Sandy for caring so much and taking Carla to her appointment today.

Small world

2011-01-18T21:57:00.003-07:00

Get this! Her aunt Sandy showed up around 5:30pm. Lately, we haven't picked up food for dinner because of the many kind people bringing us dinner, so I order some Tres Hombres and went to pick it up just after 6. Thought it would be a nice change, and I LOVE Mexican food. As I pull into the parking lot I see a familiar looking blonde lady with an elderly woman leaving Tres Hombres. Believing that I recognize her, I zip into a parking stall and quickly walk to the front steps just as they hit the asphalt parking lot. IT WAS NAN! Our "drug pusher" nurse from the hospital with her mother. She just finished her mother's birthday dinner. Nan's mom was full of smiles, I gave her a soft squeeze and told her "happy birthday". Nan got the same squeeze. She told her mother that my wife Carla was a patient, and for me to tell Carla "hello". We had just seen Nan yesterday, and somehow the world felt so much more cozier. I felt like I had just seen a long lost good friend. With a spring in my step, I bounded up the stairs to the restaurant to get my "fix".

Status: Carla was very tired today. One day she's "swiffing" the floor, the next day she's moulded into the chair. Her aunt Sandy from Delta is staying with us for 2 days. She works at an assisted living facility. Sandy will be taking Carla to her appointment tomorrow while I go into work. I plan to go up there after lunch if she is still there.

Kids kept busy with school, soccer, homework. Callie has a birthday swim party coming up this Friday. Callie handed out invitations at school to a few friends. It will be the first birthday party that Carla has not attended, and will be my first solo parent party. Wish me luck!

What can YOU do?

2011-01-17T19:42:00.001-07:00

GIVE BLOOD, GIVE OFTEN!

Many of you and others have asked "What can I do?". Giving blood is truly Giving Life. Of all the hospitals in the state, the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) unit at LDS Hospital uses the most blood. Since it specializes in blood cancers, that makes complete sense. People often need infusion while being treated or sustaining life. Carla has received over 9 units of blood and platelets in the past week, which highlights why donating regularly is so important. You may find out that your blood is really special, and you may be giving someone life.

Each time I look up at that bag of Crimson Life flowing into Carla, I am so thankful that someone was willing to take the time to have their vein tapped. Given the deep, rich color of the blood, most certainly the units of blood Carla received were from the U of U breed or sympathetic Alabama supporters. Even if you bleed a different color, there are other people out there who need YOUR blood.

American Red Cross is where blood can be donated. Follow the American Red Cross link to see where blood drives are occurring. You could be the lucky one to get one month's mortgage paid if you win the drawing this month.

Status: Once again, no increase in Carla's blood levels except for the expected bump from the infusion yesterday. She did receive platelets today to keep her above her threshhold. Rashes head to toe from treatment and infusions are a big nuisance.

McCall and Callie saw Tangled and had lunch with their uncle Jason. Thank you Jason for spending time with them.

Thank you to the Gorski family for their support. It was nice to see you.

Time flys when...

2011-01-16T21:24:00.002-07:00

What a day! You would think that getting to the clinic at 11am in the morning with the possibilty of getting blood and platelets would be plenty of time for Grandma Rosie to take the kids shopping, eat lunch, and play games before we got home. Nope. We didn't get home until almost 7pm. Carla received 2 units of blood and 1 unit of platelets.

My expectation of her blood counts rising was met with an across board deficiency of Red, White and Platelets. Sheesh! Her Hematocrit (red) went from 26.8 to 24.1. Her floor is 24. I really thought we were going to see a rise. Her platelets fell to 15L, her floor is 25-30L. C'mon people, we need to PUMP IT UP! We'll go back tomorrow to check her counts and go from there.

McCall went to a soccer buddy's house last night and watched a scary movie, and ended up falling asleep on the couch after she got home. There she was at 6:30am, TV on, asleep. Callie also went to a friend's house for a few hours and was home by about 9pm.

Thank you Mom for doing the laundry that I had pre-sorted on the floor, and thanks to the kids for putting it away. One less thing to do this evening when we got home.

Inspiration 3

2011-01-15T20:28:00.003-07:00

When we first came to the clinic I noticed a person just walking like she had somewhere to go and get there fast. She was wearing street clothes, not jammies. She had a mask, protective fashion wear, and no hair. I glanced up to see what was approaching so fast...was it a doctor, nurse, patient? Being new to the whole experience, I didn't want to stare, so I looked away for a moment. When my eyes came back up...she was gone! Where did she go, who was it? I don't know, "Flash" maybe? This same scenario happened again that first week.

On the day before Carla's discharge, our case worker Gayle had found someone we could talk to about treatment. This patient was going home that day for a few days of recovery before coming back for another week of treatment. A few hours later, she came into Carla's room; vibrant, determined, with purpose. Her name is Lisa.

It was her! Flash! "I've seen you," I said. She said, "Keep Movin', that's how you get out of here." She went on to say how good Carla looked, her color, her mobility, her health. We exchanged stories.

Sandi, Carla, Lisa

Lisa said "Leukemia was the best thing that every happened to me." She feels now that she has purpose, motivation, needs to make a difference, taking this time now to define who she is and what she wants to be. I never lost eye contact with her. Lisa spoke to my soul which was already on the same wavelength, amplifying my passion 10 fold.

She told Carla, "You are saving lives." Carla's unique presentation of leukemia is giving doctors another look at how to treat people in the future. She not only gave us inspiration, she provided us the means to provide inspiration.

Status: Carla is approaching the timeframe where we should be seeing her bone marrow kick on and to start making her own blood cells. Her next blood test tomorrow should tell if this process has started. She did receive platelets and no blood today, so we have a good baseline for Reds and Whites tomorrow.

Thank you Raines family for bringing soup. Nothing like homemade chicken noodle soup to warm the soul. I think I just plagiarized. And " Thanks" to the Davis family for the bread and gifts to our girls.

Sensitive or Responsive?

2011-01-14T21:53:00.002-07:00

I guess it depends on the side of the fence you are on. Carla is reponding very well to treatment, masses are shinking, blood counts have fallen as expected. Then there are the side effects. Pretty much any side effect they warned could happen is happening, some mild, some extreme. You don't hear any one say, "The patient is very reponsive to side effects." As I have known for many years, our dear Carla is very responsive to any medication; pain relievers, anitbiotics, expresso shots, etc. So it is no surprise that she is sensitive to the side effects, or should we say a "delicate flower".

Let me sum up The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly:

The Good: Because Carla is so sensitive to medication, I believe she is very responsive to treatment.
The Bad: Because of her resposiveness to medication, I believe she is predisposed to the side effects.
The Ugly: Me. That was easy.

Today Carla got to skip a hospital visit because of the previous days visit and infusions. Very tired, but did get up and walk around. C'mon bone marrow...get started!! Maybe in the next day or so.

Many thanks to the Gleaves for bringing over dinner. Carla was feeling very cold today and she appreciated the warm soup and warm bread. In fact, all enjoyed.

Diagnosis?

2011-01-13T22:37:00.003-07:00

Remember the record book discussion about the number of tissue biopsies? Well, we got some information today. The purpose of the last biopsy was to gather Cytogenic and Molecular data to help doctors make a subtype diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. Pathologist are looking for particular Chromosome and/or Gene abnormalities to place patients into risk categories, Most Favorable, Intermediate, and Least Favorable. Typically, a specific DNA marker is found and you are slotted in a group. Carla is not typical. There was not a marker which pointed Most Favorable or Least Favorable, so they placed her in Intermediate. In patients with AML, usually 60% have chromosome abnormality, Carla does not have abnormality. Now a test on me would surely show that I am one DNA translocation from a pre-historic specie. Although she is responding well to treatment, they are unable to specifically subtype Carla and in good conscience must use the Intermediate category.

What does this mean? Normally it means people may have to consider a bone marrow transplant if treatment plans are unsuccessful and higher relapse rates. But for Carla, she does not have the markers or symptoms which normally require transplant and the team of doctors are monitoring her before any other types of treatments are considered other than her scheduled 5 rounds of chemotherapy.

Status: In typical fashion, during her blood infusion today, Carla has more questions about the doctor's pregnancy and trying to "hookup" one of the male PAs with a friend than she has about her own illness.

Jonni - Thank you for the gift shop contraband "What the Hell!" sign. We still wake up in bewilderment with this on our mind.

New "admit"...

2011-01-12T22:51:00.003-07:00

When we first arrived in the hospital to start treatment, there were many conversations going on about existing patients, personal lives, treatments, etc., and none that really meant much to us. But the topic which really caught our ear was the term "new admit", which means a new person being admitted for treatment. That was Carla on December 27. On that day, after her biopsy in the morning, we were directed to the nurses station to be admitted. There was Carla's wrist band and binder. Yes, binder.

Once treatment has started and the cloud starts to clear about you and you stop focusing on your situation, you hear so much more. We heard discussion that 3 people arrived over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Then while out for walks we hear, "we have a new admit coming late tonight". And then there were others.

We ran into a lady whose husband had been admitted that day and very much looked in a state that we could remember, "what are we doing here" look. We remember that day when Sandi reached out to us, and gave us comfort. We reached out to this lady in conversation and she opened up to us about her husband's story. We knew what it meant to be heard, and we listened. She had been talking for 15 mins with her tray of cafeteria dinner in her hands. I walked her to her husband's door and gave her a brief history of Carla and told her that things can get better, and that we were in her situation one week earlier. We have crossed paths twice since, each time exchanging well wishes and hope to each other.

An estimated 43,050 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the US this year, and 12,330 with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. We heard of about 10 people coming into the hospital since we arrived. By the way, there are about 311,000,000 people in the US.

Status: Carla had her first blood infusion today, going back tomorrow for more blood and platelets. Besides being there a long time, the process went smooth, no reactions. Carla felt so good today that I let her do the dishes. Actually, she bullied her way into the dishes. :) Amazing what a unit of blood can do. Give her 3 units, my Honda needs a wash!

Thank you Lisa Petersen and family for dinner. McCall put it in the oven while we were at the hospital and was ready when we got home. We were very thankful to have that dinner. Thank you Susan Garrett for bringing Callie home after jump team. You are terrific.

Jinxed her...

2011-01-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

Let me look back at a sentence in a previous post..."Without these little buggers, her body would not be able to stop a simple nose bleed, have massive bruising from a simple bump, or worse." Those little buggers, platelets, decided to take an early exit and stop doing their job. Today, a simple nose bleed did not stop for 7 hours! Like that noisy faucet in the night, drip, drip, drip, it would not stop. We went to Carla's schedule appointment today, only after the nasal faucet was dripping for over 4 hours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platelet

Once we got in the office, they drew blood labs. While waiting to determine the platelet count, the staff tried everything but voo-doo to slow the flow. Sit forward, ice behind the neck, pinch your nose below the cartilage, pinch your nose across the bridge, pack tissue in your upper lip, self clamping nose clip, expandable nasal balloon on stand by. Blood work came back in 45 mins. Her platelet count dropped from 56000 to 13000 in 3 days(15000 should be the lowest you go). Time for another bag a yellow gold, it flowed full force into her veins. Yes, platelets are yellow. Kerry the nurse had it flowing like a Las Vegas night club free pour of alcohol. Not 5 mins after the bag was empty, the bleeding stopped.

Every day we learn something new. These learning experiences can take an emotional and physical toll on you. When it was over, Carla was her "normal" self, and she stopped in to visit a fellow leukemia patient for quick minute before going home. That patient's name is Lisa H.

Lesson learned: If it flows, we've got to go. Go to the hospital that is.

2011-01-10T21:57:00.006-07:00

Well, it's done. Carla requested that her hair be cut to a short length like mine. She looks beautiful. Hair is not who we are. I know that because I usually don't have much on my head, and I think most of you kind of like me. If I thought I could get more friends by having more hair, then I would be "mullet-man", flaunting my Wayne and Garth locks and a trail of friends.

Lets be honest, for women its a little different, especially when the moment comes to make that decision to move forward. I saw Carla make two decisions. The first was to call her stylist friend Sharon who has experience with this situation, her mother had to make the same decisions for her cancer. Carla agonized after that decision was made, right up until she looked in the handheld mirror with the eyes of McCall, Callie, myself and Bindi looking on at her new "do". She cried, she said she hated it. Deep breath. Sharon, Carla and I discussed going a bit shorter now that shock was over and that it wouldn't look much different than it was and would be better for managing it as the remainder fell out. McCall kept a watchful eye throughout the cut, and at this time chose to say, "Mom, you could totally pull off bald." What a brave statement. She is my rock. And she was totally right. She looks beautiful. As if a switch was flicked, the tears dried, her posture firmed, she engaged in conversation...she made her second decision...she decided to move forward.

Status: Tuesday is a doctor's appointment, check blood levels, maybe find out more about next treatment and additional diagnosis information.

Thank you to the Hoff's, Gaykowski's, Pinnock's for bringing wonderful meals to my family.

A bag of platelets

2011-01-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week we were speaking to one of the doctors and they were telling us that we put some nasty chemicals and medicines into your body that make things not work so well. We know that, so we give you other medications to counteract those side effects, and while fixing those issues those medications will give you different side effects, in which we give you other medications to manage those. Basically a "merry-go-round of meds" to get you through treatment. This process continues even after you leave the hospital, which can be witnessed by the menegerie of bottles on our counter.

Today, Carla and I went to the hospital to get her blood checked and determine if she needed any infusions of blood or platelets. It was determined that here platelet count was getting close to 15000 floor level, 19000, the previous read was 46000. Without these little buggers, her body would not be able to stop a simple nose bleed, have massive bruising from a simple bump, or worse.

We were expecting a 2 hour stay, but ended up being there for close to 5 hours. Good things come to those who wait, maybe if you like hives. Her infusion of platelets was almost done, when she broke out in hives with a bunch of itching. Power in hand, my trusty cell phone, I call the nurses station just beyond a few doors to request the "dude", yes there are a few dudes that work there, to hustle over with some benadryl. He did warn us that this could happen, and Carla promised him not to let it happen. Oh well, $#!T happens. He arrived in less than a minute with a direct dose of benadryl into her port and very quickly had reduced reaction. You got to love medicine, and the people who know how to use it.

After our little jaunt and benadryl push, she was very sleepy and rested for many hours under a fabulous electric blanket from our fabulous friend Roni, never owned one until now. Hopefully I will not be replaced by that wired piece of cotton, it doesn't rub feet or shoulders.

Callie had gymnastics and Ute B-Ball game today. McCall had a basketball game she played in (they won)in and two futsal games (1 win, 1 loss). Thank you Steve, Sro's, Pam and Dennis for getting them there and bringing them home.

Our love to all.

Inspiration 2

2011-01-07T21:18:00.003-07:00

People can be inspired by words, actions, movies, songs...

Our conversation with Sandi was a calming moment which settled us for the tasks of that day. These tasks are not for the weak at heart; head MRI in a claustaphobic "iron mask". Before completing that test, a nurse was requiring Carla to drink a solution for the next test, the body CT, where your hold your breath and breathe on their command in a tunnel. Finally, they save the worst for last...bone marrow biopsy. All I could do was hold her hand and talk about things that made no sense. I never looked at the procedure in progress. When it was over and a little snooze, they said you can go and we'll see you on Wednesday for the results. At this time Carla was a little groggy from the meds and had a sensation that her foot was asleep. She slid off the table, and attempted to walk, she about fell because "butt to toe" she was numb on the left side. We told the nurses, and once again we hear.."that has never happened before." There she goes again, being unique. Well, they figured all the lidocaine to numb the area must have "drifted" to that part of the nerves. She eventually regained full control of her cheek and toes in a few hours. We pretty much lauged it off. After the tests were completed that Monday, December 20, we went home to wait.

As instructed, we showed up to have a round table discussion with the doctors and directed usinto a waiting room, with pictures of cells on the wall. The table was actually oval. Our case worker from the clinic and doctor came in to discuss the news and take notes for us. Dr. Konopa, or Kelly, if you can't remember her name, started giving the news...your Head MRI is clear, your Blood and Marrow are clear...however, we founds some tumors...our hearts sank as we prepared for additional information. She described the locations of the tumors in Carla's body, then a bit of silence as we processed the info and emotion slowly welled from us. From across the table, she leaned slightly toward us and said, "This is curable."

Words of hope inspired us, "This is curable."

Status: Carla has been home since Tuesday evening and is doing very well, although tired. Our Thursday checkup showed that she continued to be "Neutrapenic", having ZERO neutrafils, which are the white cells that fight infection and protect the body. So please understand that visits during this phase are discouraged, if at all, she has not protection. Please call before attempting to come over. We have another appointment Saturday in which we anticipate an infusion of platelets and possibly some blood. She is also preparing for the inevitable, a short term loss of her hair. Her stylist cut her hair, and each of our girls participated in the cut.

Thank you Patricia, Harry, Isabel (Austin's) for the dinner you brought over. You are terrific people.

Inspiration...1

2011-01-05T22:58:00.001-07:00

There are moments when you are hanging by a thread, anticipating that one last straw, then an event changes it and you forever. We've had 3 instances since our journey began.

Diagnosis day sent our world crashing, fearing the worst, fearing the unknown. Going into the Bone Marrow Transplant clinic the next day with a packed bag anticipating a long stay away from home was a lonely feeling. No one was there but us, we were alone. After Carla's blood labs were done, the Physician's Assistant and the Oncologist were in a quandary. She has no symptoms, no recordable levels of leukemia flowing in her blood, yet we have myeloid sarcoma cell in her tissue. Doctor felt there was no reason to strap her to a gurney and roll her away. We went home instead with no answers yet a big worry. We showed up Monday, with Carla's name on a touch screen check-in system...famous already. Still feeling alone, we sat across from a couple, she wearing a mask looking a bit worn, he sitting up straight right beside his wife. They could easily tell we were new (we both had hair, although mine receding), and most likely if they had to pick who was sick would probably pick me. They looked at us and said, "You are new here." Unemotional yes we answered. I am sure out of courtesy they asked "who is sick?". Carla replied, "Me." Noticing our unsettling posture, immediately understanding our state of mind, this kind lady reached out with the words that will ever be part of my soul, "It's going to be okay." She and Carla began a dialog. Carla got up from her seat, unnerved by the appearance of the masked lady and sat right next to her and began sharing her story and how we ended up in the clinic that Monday morning. With the head scan, body CT, and bone marrow still ahead of us that day, we heard inspiration..."It's going to be okay." Her name is Sandi.

Status: Amazing the kind of sleep you can get at home. Carla slept like a rock...me too. Earliest I have been to bed in 3 weeks, 10:30pm lights out. She was quite tired most of the day, as expected. Looking forward to tomorrow for "exercise" and blood tests. Wow, there are a lot of pills to take. Carla also go a little trim, she looks great. She will be posting that soon.

Thank you Jensen family for bringing dinner to us. Your family is so kind ALL the time. We wish that you could stay and visit longer, but given Carla's immune system is basically zero, we'll have to postpone the up close and personal with the "air hugs" and waves for awhile.

I'M HOME!

2011-01-04T19:23:00.003-07:00

(not a good photo-but you get the idea)

Walking is such an important part of fighting off cancer. Keep moving is their motto. We are asked to walk 3-4 times a day for 20-30 min. I’ve been very good about it but “wrapping up your body” is a chore in itself. I have to wear a mask, plastic gown and gloves….plus pulling all my meds can be a little strange. The kids walked with me a few times (as well as some friends, husband, parents and brother). Thanks to all that made the endless circle more fun.

I AM HOME!!! What a feeling to lie in your own bed and smell the familiar smells. I love that I can hug my kids and snuggle next to my husband. First thing I did was get in the tub. Awwwww…felt so nice! It is the little things that make life grand.

I broke the record at LDS Bone Clinic by being discharged the quickest. Only 7 days when the traditional leukemia patient can stay up to 4 weeks. I am currently in “nadar” which means I have no white blood cells to fight infection. I have to be very careful what I do, who visits and keeping up on my medicine. I am tired but feel strong. I am trying to up my calorie intake and drink more water.

Thanks to all that have jumped to help support our whole family during this experience.
We are overwhelmed and feel very fortunate to have you in our lives.

Calling Doctor Jeff...

2011-01-03T21:42:00.001-07:00

Status: As mentioned the other day, Carla will be coming home to recover before the next round of Chemotherapy. And the better news is that she most likely will get discharged TOMORROW, that's right TUESDAY. This might be the fastest chemo induction discharge on record! She is planning to be resting in her own bed tomorrow night. Phenomenal!

Nurse: "BP 110 over 64, crit 28.5 and dropping, neutraphils .9 approaching neutrapenia, platelets 102 trending down."

Doctor Jeff: "Bag her with a Twilight special, hold the platelets, keep the GCSF on stand by should infection be detected as her neutrafils are falling thru 500."

Nurse: "Yes Doctor Jeff.

Doctor Jeff: "Regardless of how she is feeling, prep the patient for a bilateral frontal lobotomy, Epi push, and...bring me a couple 10mg Marinol 'shots', I don't have time for a MaryJane smoke break today. Then send her home.

Being initiated into the Leukemia club requires a rigorous hazing of numbers, drugs, abbreviations, counter treatment drugs, cancer types, sub types, patient stories, telling your story, and a partridge in a pear tree. The first 2 weeks were a blur of unknown, however, as you settle in for the long haul your psyche goes thru a change were information becomes your daily dose of Valium, the more your know, whether good or bad, you have the means to make a decision. We are still waiting for the final diagnosis of the subtype of AML. That information will be deciphered once we get it.

Just a funny note: Callie had a random dream Saturday night. She was sleeping with a loaf of banana bread and McCall came in and took it from her and she started to cry. Then she was magically transported to McDonald's where they both had giant fruit smoothies. Callie then returned the banana bread favor by drinking half of McCall's smoothie when she wasn't looking. McCall says, "Why'd you do that?" "Cuz you took my banana bread!" Then she woke up. Even when they're sleeping they're poking each other. Love them.

Thank you Stevens family for bringing a great dinner over. You made it possible for us to be at the hospital with Carla longer where it gets lonesome.

With love, the Hennessy family.

Thanksgiving, not just a November day anymore.

2011-01-02T22:48:00.007-07:00

Why do we wait to observe or celebrate holidays until the actual day in the year? Some holidays we do observe daily. Freedom, 4th of July: Our ability to speak our minds, choose our faiths, pursue our happiness. As Americans we observe and have the right each day we wake from our sleep and make our personal decision. Love, Valentines: Most people show some sort of love for someone or something daily, to their parents, children, companions, animals.

When it comes to being "thankful", Thanksgiving pops into our minds which quickly turns to steaming turkey, stuffing, football, Black Friday lists, and the triptophan naps on the couch with our pants unbuttoned. Many give thanks for things like the day off, the Friday after off, no Detroit Lions games on Turkey Day. Why not, they're all good things. Now, as I reflect since Diagnosis Day, December 17, 2010, images of peoples faces appear before me. Family members rushing to our house to provide support for each member of the family. Friends offering assistance with food, transportation, child supervision, communication. Doctors using all of their resources to determine the best course of action. Nurses providing an outstanding level of care that I have never seen before. My manager for her support and flexibility knowing that my priorities need to change for awhile. Carla's strength, which makes me stronger. Simple things like bringing me a bag of ice for Carla after a painful biopsy when I was exhausted, meals to our family, understanding, compassion, comfort when I cry, concern for our children, making sure I am well, listening. This list goes on and on.

I surely know we are not going to wait until November to have a Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings and our hearts pointed out to all, and the small and big things for which we are thankful. Everyday I am thankful for something.

Status: Besides some fatigue, Carla is doing well. We learned a bunch more about the blood count numbers from our Physician's Assistant (PA) today.

Kids did their chores, finished schoolwork, made banana bread with grandparents, visited mom, and then chilled while watching Vampires Suck, the Twilight movie parody.

Jenny G, thank you for the wonderful meal tonight. As I told you, it was restaurant worthy. I'm thankful for you.

Love,
The Hennessy's

A little Christmas on New Year's Day

2011-01-01T22:25:00.004-07:00

Let me cut right to the point with the status: Carla has been responding so well to the first half of the chemotherapy that the doctors may allow her to come home as early as THIS WEDNESDAY during the recovery phase of the first treatment! If that is not a late Christmas gift, I don't know what is! Although we still have the same prescribed treatment of 5 cycles of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, we may be able to have shorter stints in the hospital with daily drives for blood count checks.

Additional info that we may not have shared with everyone...During this first round of treatment, she gets 7 full days of chemotherapy, and somewhere around Day 14-18 she will "nadir", pronounced like Ralph Nader. This is where her red, white, and platelet counts are at there lowest for a few days and Carla is most vulnerable to any type of infection and bleeding, even possibly Bindi's or my silent "butt" deadlies. Not really, but I don't know many people who would be impervious to the olfactory irritation it could cause. Anyways, the doctors will have her on antibiotics and monitor her counts daily. We expect to have her home during this most critical phase of recovery, however there is no better place for comfort than your own home and your own bed. I look forward to providing any comfort she needs or desires and the kids will have solace knowing there mother is home and well enough to be here. Day 5 ends tomorrow afternoon.

This great development would not have been possible without her strong will, all your prayers, and your positive mojo. Please continue to push it our way and to others who need a slice hope in challenging time.

Even though we are still early in our diagnosis and treatment, we wanted to share that bit a good news with you all and celebrate a small personal victory on our way to winning the war.

By the way, the word "visitors" should be replaced with "Awesome People", "People who kick ass", "Caring souls", "I love you". So, maybe next time you call a hospital to ask when you can see a loved one, just ask "When are Awesome People hours?" Thank you all, you kick ass!

With all our love,
The Hennessy Family