January 7, 2009, 5:00pm - Holy White-Out Batman, it's snowing like crazy here! I got home at 5 till 5 and it was starting to stick, now 20 minutes later we have an inch already. I'll have to set the alarm and sweep snow off of the canopy roof all night.
Bobbi had a good day. The home health nurses and the physical therapy guy came and she did a bunch of walking. Now she's hungry! I don't know how long we'll be connected- I sprayed PAM on the satelite dish to keep the snow from sticking, but thiss is a heavy snow, so I think we'll get cut off. I'll do my best to keep you posted.
January 7, 2009, 7:00am - We're up! We've been up a while now, and had oatmeal for breakfast (I gotta fix my cholesterol a little). It's raining... still. Going to rain all day and snow tonight. Siding anybody? Oh well. Bobbi feels fair- her legs hurt. I may increase her Lyrica dose. I checked it out on the blogs and most folks complained about weight gain, not suicidal thoughts, and they all said it helped with pain. We're at one a day now and Dr. P prescribed three ...maybe we'll work up to two. She cries sometimes because of the leg pain...

January 6, 2009, 11:00pm - Well, Bobbi had a good day. Her mom said they staid up the whole time and did little projects. We went to bed at 8pm and she slept straight to now, and she's asleep again (after a little ramble). I'll keep you posted.
January 6, 2009, 6:00am - Good Morning. We're up. Actually, I'm making breakfast (soft boiled eggs and toast with bacon). The steroids make Bobbi's appetite "active". She's gained back all the weight she lost. I feel better- 60% at least. It was completely better, but then the Vicodin wore off ;-)
Bobbi and I had a good evening together... a little tearful, but good. Yesterday she slept most of the day so she was awake a lot last night. I'll try and get that flopped back around and have her sleep the night away. I'll keep you posted.

January 5, 2009, 6:00pm - Today was okay. I stayed in bed with hot pads on my back and I feel much better. Donna and Kim and Donna helped with Bobbi, and we made it through the day. Bobbi is fair. She feels okay, but sad.... me too I guess. We'll see what the week brings. We won't do chemo this week- we're going to try every other week for a while. I'll keep you posted.

January 4, 2009, 9:00pm - Well dang, I hurt my back. We had a couple of crashes today and I strained it. It's been a little tender anyway.... I think Bobbi is less able to support her own weight lately. What happens is she get dizzy and sort of stops supporting herself and it takes me by sup rise. We're going to need to rethink the potty chair by the bed (and stop using it as an end table). I thought we were doing so well..... I guess I need to see about Home Health coming more often....
January 4, 2009, 4:00pm - Hmph- Miami lost. Now I remember why I quit watching football. Oh well, there's always golf ;-) The nice thing is Uncle Roy suprised us with a visit, and David came later and we all watched for a while.
January 4, 2009, 12:00pm - Well, go figure- it was supposed to rain all day and now the sun is shining. Bobbi's been sleeping all morning. I'll wake her up now and try to keep her awake so she'll sleep tonight... maybe. It is a beautiful day. Her appetite is good! She's eaten three breakfasts already! Anyway, I guess we're at home alone today. We called the siding off because of weather and Kim called and said the grands are sick. Now I can watch my beloved Dolphin beat the Ravens. I haven't watched a pro football game by my own choice since the 1982 playoffs when the evil and satanic Patriots <sounds of spitting> cheated Miami out of the victory they deserved and I knew the Mafia really did control the NFL (we spit on the New England Patriots- sorry Chip) and allowed an illegal snow-plow on the field <more sounds of spitting>. Y'all come on over and watch the game. Bring potato chips!!!
January 4, 2009, 8:00am - We're awake. Actually, we've been up all night again. Dr. P fussed at me for cutting Bobbi's oxycodone, so I been giving it to her again, but about half of what she was getting. We are now giving her a lot of fiber. Yesterday she felt pretty good for a while, so she wanted to pay bills. When I told her I'd been paying the bills for months she got upset... upset she had lost that much control of her mind. Her leg pain is not much diminished, but her breathing is better. I assume the clots are slowly breaking up.
This morning we had some "lotsa-flax" cereal and listened to our favorite radio show Says You! for the first time in a while. Now we're trying to make up for lost sleep.... and it's raining. I'll keep you posted.

January 3, 2009, 11:30pm - We had a good day. Kim and Kira came over at two and they entertained us for a while. Of course it was raining, so I installed two electrical outlets over the long kitchen counter. These were removed when we tiled the backsplash. Later, Donna and Jordan brought us fresh tamales for supper. Bobbi stayed up till around 5pm, then went to bed for the day. Tomorrow- more rain....
January 3, 2009, 10:00am - Good Morning! Yeah, I was slack- I didn't post anything yesterday. Sorry. Yesterday was Chemo day. It snowed and we had to leave early, but we made it 20 minutes early... THEY were late. Actually, I-40 was closed so Dr. P was late getting out to Sylva, so we decided to go shopping. After an hour we went back and did the procedure. This week we didn't have to go to Asheville, but we also didn't get the private room. Anyway, it went okay. Bobbi did get more nauseous, and we had to stay a little longer. We were also prescribed some new meds, and we've cut down on some old ones (like the steroids). One thing- we got a med to help control her leg pain (it's also used for epilepsy).....but a side effect is thoughts of suicide. Holy Moly!!! We decided to live with leg pain for a while. During the evening Bobbi was a little weird. The chemo seems to cause delusions (once she forgot she was sick and just stood up suddenly and tried to walk to the kitchen- she fall down go boom).
This morning Bobbi feels pretty good! Her mind is working and there are no delusions. Now, I'd planned to work outside until the weather report said 60% chance of rain...except it's beautiful and sunny outside. Unfortunately there's no one to sit with Bobbi (hint hint) so I have to stay inside. She and I have decided to work on the kitchen for today. There is electrical work to do, and some trim to finish. I'll keep you posted.

January 1, 2009, 10am- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! (To those of you who's year starts today that is!).Well, the experiment continues. I think Bobbi is having minor withdrawals from the lack of Oxycodone. I broke down around 4am and gave her a half and she settled right down. Since it's a synthetic it's not suppose to cause dependency, but there has to be some blood chemistry differences going on. Anyway, no "plumbing" action yet, but I feel sure there will be.
We're having a quiet day at home. It was 12 at 7am this morning, so it's an inside day. Since there's nobody to watch lil'gal anyway today I have to stay close, so I'll get to clean the kitchen and rearrange the entertainment center and install the new Home Theater PC (HTPC) I've built. That way Bobbi can be on the couch watching $#@!$#@ HGTV and adding to my ToDo list ;-)
I'll keep ya posted.

December 31, 2008, 3:00pm - Today is a good day. We're trying a medical experiment. A couple of things- Bobbi seems to respond better to Tylenol than to Oxycodone for her leg pain, and one of Oxycodone's main side effects is constipation. We're weaning Bobbi off of Oxycodone and giving her one extra strength Tylenol instead. She is not as pain free as when she gets two of each, but the side effects have been causing no end of discomfort. On the otherhand, a Tylenol overdose put us in the hospital last September, so we're being very careful, and it seems to be working. We've also cut out most dairy products. Not only is she more alert, but "the plumbing" seems to be starting to work again. Since her ear isn't causing any pain these days (knock on wood) this seems like a good test to take.
Right now she's working with Bill the physical therapist. She's doing pretty well. She walks across the room unassisted with a walker, but Bill follows right behind with the wheelchair just in case. She then turns around and walks back. She does this four or five times. This can't hurt the plumbing either. She's asking everyone when her leg nerve is going to start working again. That's a pretty hopeful thing to ask, don't you think?
I don't want you to think we are without hope. We have plenty of hope, we're just not blind to the reality. In some ways this is more like my blog than Bobbi's, and I admit I get a little down sometimes. It must seem like all is doom and gloom. Sometimes I think it is, but I'm wrong. It's been 11 months since we've been diagnosed withg this, but we're still here. In the meantime life goes on, and the day we stop making plans for the future is the day we give up. We ain't there yet. So, I keep asking Bobbi about what color to paint the house and what color the roof should be. We talk to the log cabin guy from time to time, and we talk about when we're going to the beach. Even though the situation is less than ideal some of it is wonderful. I never knew how precious the feeling of the rise and fall of a chest while she breathes could be. I get down and tired and my back hurts and I loose sight of priorities for a while, then I reach out and she's still warm and breathing beside me, or a friend or family member will let me talk for a while and I'm okay again. We're okay right now, and a new year is upon us. We know we are still better off than so many others in the world and we're grateful for that. We love and are loved, and we have an amazing family of kin and friends. We are blessed. May all of you be as blessed. Happy New Years from Bobbi and me (my 5th grade english teacher should excuse me).

December 30, 2008, 7:00am - Second verse, same as the first......
Sorry I didn't post much yesterday. We're sort of in a vicious circle of leg pain and "plumbing" issues. The good news is now that we're home we are controlling her blood sugar- it was 104 before breakfast this morning. The bad news is her legs still hurt, and increasing her pain killer dosage has side effects- mostly irregularity. So we start with prunes and yogurt, move up to pills, and then a sort of doctor-prescribed Metamucil and then things really start happening. The bad thing is I guess the tumors block the nerve signals that say "we did it" or whatever, so Bobbi gets no relief. In the meantime we get up once an hour day and night, and Bobbi is very frustrated by it. However, the blood thinner injections seem to help her blood clots- not the leg pain but the breathing issues. Her breathing is improving slowly.
Donna the sister is here so I'll run off. Matt and Donna-momma will spend the day here with Bobbi before Matt has to fly back to Seattle. Here's more news- our little dog has gone to live on a horse farm. Rikki flew from Charlotte to Seattle where she will help Matt and Alayne keep track of their horses. Now we really have to plan a trip to the NW!

December 29, 2008, 7:00am - It was a good night. Bobbi actually slept one time for five hours straight- that's a blessing. Here shortness of breath seems to be improving. Now it's 7am- time for drugs and oatmeal. Bobbi's brother Matt will come over today along with her mother. That should keep lil'gal entertained. I'll keep you posted.

December 28, 2008, 11:30pm - Tough day. It rained most of it, so no outside work. That was fine- Bobbi needed a lot. Later we went to her mom's house to celebrate two brothers birthdays, but we came home early. The physical debilitation part of this illness is very hard on Bobbi. She hates having to have others do even simple things for her and she especially hates the lack of control over her body she has. It was a long day.
We did have a nice meal at her mom's house. It was nice to see everyone. Kim, Kira and Ethan we there and that's always a treat. Those two kids are Bobbi's greatest therapy.

December 27, 2008, 2:30pm - Hey- the siding is going up and you can see it here! We got to the bottom of the window and realized I forgot to buy the round foam backing that goes around the windows frame. That meant a trip to Lowe's, but we got the trim done. Not bad for one day.
December 27, 2008, 9:30am - Good Morning. It's a slow day here at Casa Lamberto. We were up a lot last night, but we're better this morning. Bobbi is doing pretty well. We had a nice breakfast (soft-boiled eggs and toast), then sat on the couch for a while and watched HGTV (if you remodel your basement 95% of the cost you can hope to recover), then I crashed so we went to bed. We're sitting quietly doing this. I also spent some time loading Bobbi's new LCD photo frame. She loves it- y'all send us photos of yourselves so we can add them to her frame. In the mean time here's some new photos and a video of a 6yr old break dancing.
Today Greg and I will actually start hanging siding. I was going to ask for the day off, but tomorrow's forecast says 70% chance of rain and thunderstorms.... guess we're hanging siding. I'll keep you posted.

December 26, 2008, 3:30pm - Well, we're home from chemo. Chemo went okay. It wasn't great, but it was better than last week and of course better than the first time she got the ITM in her head. Last night was good- Bobbi actually slept for a five hour period, and then for another couple of hours. She was great when she woke up, but as the morning wore on she got more anxious. Chemo started at 11am, and we were headed home by 1pm. She got enough Phenegren to ma ME sleepy, and she slept through the procedure. She got nauseous a few time and very agitated a few times. She was pretty incoherent when we were done. She slowly improved. As promised, I did take her shopping on the way home and her mother joined us. At home she had to wait for me to finish laundry because the sheets were in the wash, but now she's in bed and resting fairly well. I'm whiped out myself, so we'll both take a power nap. I'll keep you posted.

December 25, 2008, 8:30pm - It's a mixed bag of a day here. It started pretty rough. We are still recovering from all our medical adventures this week. Bobbi had a rough night and a rough morning...... but it got better. We talked a lot, and even cried together (not including quite a bit I did on my own when she wasn't looking), and then things started getting better. First Kim, Sonny and "the grands" came over. This raised Bobbi's spirits immensely. A few people also stopped by and that was nice, but mostly we've laid in bet and talked, and put cloves into oranges. We've also done one of our favorite things- watched old episodes of THE WEST WING. A relaxing day is pretty good therapy. I have some great pics I'll post.
Also, we started a full day of her regular drug regiment. I'm getting pretty good at managing Bobbi's care. In the hospital I think they were misled by her low blood glucose numbers to think there was no blood glucose problem. The numbers were good because for weeks we've been giving her a long lasting form of insulin in the morning and then controlling spikes throughout the day with plain insulin. At the hospital they were fooled by her initial low number, but as the stay wore on her number went very high. "Dang- she has an insulin problem" they said (or words to that effect). If it was a movie I'd have turned and stared into the camera. Anyway, high blood sugar makes most folks very agitated- her's is no longer high and she's no longer agitated. Please don't think she didn't get excellent care at St. Joes- she did. Anyway, we control her sugar now and she feels better. As the day wore on she did in fact feel better, and by this afternoon she said her legs were pain free for the first time in several months. Right now she'd sleeping, and I'm on episode 12 of the first season of WEST WING. Tomorrow is a "chemo in the head day". I promised her she could make one stop to shop on the way home IF she felt up to it. I know a lot of you have written and sent little gifts. Thank you all. I appreciate it. I also feel very blessed. You know, this sort of thing has two sides. I think from time to time in the past Bobbi wondered if I really loved her. I don't think she wonders any more. I also have the opportunity to prove to her I do in fact love her as best as I can. I think maybe many people wondered this, and now those people are sure. Maybe I wondered myself. I've also had the chance to prove it, and this is no small thing. I think maybe I've done it better than any other man could. Maybe it makes up for the times I made her unsure. I hope so. It is truly an honor to have served. I'm even a little proud of myself, because it's been tough going at times. This is a horrible disease- a dirty, conniving disease. Still, because of it a family and a community has come together to show one of it's own how much she means to all of us. You've all helped my beloved Bobbi's burden be a little easier to bear. Thank you so much. I'm in your debt. May all of you find yourselves as truly blessed as I am, and may the blessings of our merciful God be with you always on this day and every day. Merry Christmas to us all.

December 25, 2008, 6:30am - Well, that was a pretty rough night. Bobbi is just miserable. Her leg pains and other issues kept us up all night. I finally gave her her pain meds a little early and I gave her the maximum does and she's settling down. Part of it is transitioning back to our home schedule from the hospital meds schedule. Most of it is she's just a sick little gal. Now she on the living room couch on her side (no pressure on her legs) with hot chocolate and bagels with cream cheese and tomato (her favorite meal) and she's settling down. So this is Christmas with Cancer. It's not all bad- we're so happy to be at home. Lynn and Watson brought over my favorite meal, beef jerky and chocolate, and David and Donna made us a wonderful supper. We are alive and we are together, and for that I am truly grateful.
Today will be a quiet day. Bobbi is not supposed to move around so I'll keep her on the couch. We'll spend the morning sipping coco and working on gifts and cards left undone by our recent adventure. We might even watch a little TV. Remember you are all in our hearts. We love you.

December 24, 2008, 3:30pm - We are home! Bobbi is snug in bed and I'm trying to unwind. That was the longest Monday of my life. I haven't slept in days, but tonight I will! The pharmacy in Sylva closed at 12:00noon, but the pharmacist drove in and opened up to give us Bobbi's meds. Wasn't that a great thing to do? We didn't even go to DOLLAR STORE like I promised her- we just zoomed home.
It wasn't bad as far as hospital stays go. The folks at St. Joes were wonderful, especially Ashley, Brittany, Renee and Diana. Another comfort was that our friend Michael has several pieces of his work displayed in the hallway. Bobbi was very agitated the whole time, and restless. The only thing that calmed her down was for me to put her in the wheelchair and roll her around the floor (usually after midnight). Every "lap" we point and say "there's Michael, there's Michael." Anyway, now she's home and we're glad. She's not all better. She still has leg pain and shortness of breath. She'll have to lie still for many days (she'll HATE that), and she's going to need these blood thinner shots. I'll keep you posted.
December 24, 2008, 11:30am - Well, the release orders came up! We're bustin' outta here! They've watched me give her the shots of blood thinner several times and they're trusting us on our own. I know I'm weak, but I agreed to let her stop at a store for last minute shopping . So that's the news. Brother Matt was flying in tomorrow, but changed his flight to Saturday. We'll all have Christmas at her mom's on Sunday. That's about it. What a week. I'll keep you posted.

December 23, 2008, 4:30pm - Okay! I think I got my present . We talked to Dr. Chay, Dr. Pekal's partner. He said that since Bobbi is getting LOVENOX injections and not transitioning to pills (would add 3 days to the stay) then we can probably go home tomorrow afternoon. Bobbi will need to remain resting but she can rest in her own bed. This depends on her not getting any worse, but she seems a little better anyway. Good news, eh? I think so. I have to prove to them I'm capable of giving her these shots (no problemo) and then we're cool.
We really did catch this one in the nick of time. She collapsed this morning on the way back from the bathroom. She could have had a pulmonary embolism or a stroke and that would have been the ball game. Praise be. Now, we're still going to restrict visitors. Bobbi feels bad and doesn't want anyone to see her like this. If y'all need to drop stuff off or pick stuff up please understand that for now you won't get any "face time", okay? Just remember we love you.
December 23, 2008, 2:30pm - Well, I'm keeping you posted. Yesterday we went to see Dr. Quaranta in Asheville. He's the radiation oncologist who used to be on the faculty at Duke, and was recommended by Dr. Jones at Duke. We talked about starting radiation on Bobbi's breasts. He examined her and we all agreed she was probably fine for now and didn't need it. He asked about what else was happening and Bobbi told him she was having trouble breathing. I also told her she had recurring leg pain and seemed to faint from time to time. He thought just as a precaution she should have ultrasound of her legs to check for clots. A clot in the lungs could explain shortness of breath. The long and the short of it is that yes she has clots in both legs which required a trip to the ER at St. Joseph's hospital for a CT Scan to look for clots in her lungs. Yes- she has those too. The good news is we found them before a big one cut loose and killed her. We are now once again in the hospital, and we'll be here for several days, probably through Christmas. The good news is that if she has chemo Friday it's right across the street.
So that's it. We're in St. Joes. Bobbi feels bad and requests no visitors for now. Kimmy- grand kids are medicine- not visitors. Donna (the momma) brought us some clothes and so here we sit, again. Same stuff, different day. Bobbi is getting shots of blood-thinner and resting. We're keeping her inactive to keep clots from breaking loose. It will take days, and there are probably more Ultrasounds and CT Scans in our future. I'll keep you posted. It ain't easy- St. Joes blocks internet uploads (FTP transfers) like Mission does.

December 22, 2008, 8:00am - Brrrrr.... happy first day of winter. It was 7 degrees here at 6am. Today is a mixed bag. Bobbi doesn't seem quite as together, but she feels better, slept well last night and she got up early. Now she's watching HGTV and drinking hot chocolate. Today we go see the radiation oncologist Dr. Q. I'll keep you posted.

December 21, 2008, 7:30pm - Well, it was freezing cold! I have a photo of how cold. I got tired of trying to keep a cup of coffee warm, so I thought Iced Tea would be just the thing. You can see how that worked out. Anyway, Greg and I did get some stuff done. You can check it out on the Siding page. Kim came over with Kira, and when we gave up and Greg and Susan left we all made a gingerbread house!
Bobbi is okay. She isn't as well as yesterday, but she's fairly alert. She's had some trouble breathing (I'm watching that closely) and nearly fainted once. Still, she enjoyed Kim and Kira till they left. Now she's napping on the couch, and I'm doing a little laundry.
December 21, 2008, 11:30am - Well, we're having a sort of slow morning. We didn't sleep well, but now she's sleeping. Yesterday Rick and his daughter Gabby came over. Rick brought cookies! Yummy. We tried to work outside in the rain, but...well, it was raining. We did finish putting up the TYVEK on the whole wall. Then Greg and I went to LOWES to buy lumber. I decided to install a special trim along the bottom of the house called Water Table Boards. It's old fashioned, but I like the look on the house. Today iIt's freezing cold, but the sun is shining, so I'm going outside to hang siding. Wish me luck!

December 20, 2008, 8:30am - Dangit- I need lumber, but do I dare go to LOWES and have it rain on the load on the way home?
We have a project for you. Jill Cooper and Kim have an idea to make Bobbi a Treasure Chest. Actually, Casey will make a small chest out of cedar, but it's Jill and Kim's idea. We'd like you to write a short note to Bobbi telling her why you like her or how she might have inspired you or something like that, and we'll put the notes in her Treasure Chest. That way, when she needs inspiration, she can look at tangible examples of y'all's affection. How's that for a plan? I'll post the address to mail them to soon, and we may also let you email them to me and I can print them in a handwriting font.
December 20, 2008, 7:30am - Okay, anger managed. We had a long talk. I'm sure it did a lot of good. It won't help- she'll do it again, but not for a little while. We got to watch her like a hawk.
We have a project for you. Jill Cooper and Kim have an idea to make Bobbi a Treasure Chest. Actually, Casey will make a small chest out of cedar, but it's Jill and Kim's idea. We'd like you to write a short note to Bobbi telling her why you like her or how she might have inspired you or something like that, and we'll put the notes in her Treasure Chest. That way, when she needs inspiration, she can look at tangible examples of y'all's affection. How's that for a plan? I'll post the address to mail them to soon, and we may also let you email them to me and I can print them in a handwriting font.
December 20, 2008, 5:00am - What tomorrow brings is Bobbi trying to go to the bathroom by herself and falling. I'm afraid I got a little angry. I'm kind of proud of her fighting spirit, but disappointed since she promised she wouldn't try that sort of thing. It's really one of the unkindest cuts of all- she's always been a vibrant independent woman. We've got to find a cure for this disease.

December 19, 2008, 9:30pm - Well, Bobbi had a pretty good day. We're watching TV together right now. We'll see what tomorrow brings. The weather forecast is for rain. Sheesh.
December 19, 2008, 7:30am - Well, we had a pretty good night last night (we only got up twice) and slept very well. Bobbi even ate a good portion of Pepper Steak and all of her dessert! Today is a day off mostly, with the physical therapist coming sometime. It's still rainy. I think this is almost two straight weeks (drought is over). Well, we need it. I hope it clears up enough to work on the house some. That would please Bobbi. If it doesn't were okay, because I have stuff to make a big gingerbread house. I'll keep you posted.

December 18, 2008, 7:00pm - We're home! It went well! Okay, so here's how it went. Last night was another "up every hour and a half" night. We got up for good at 6am. I made oatmeal and got lil'gal dressed. We left on time (7:30am) but hit construction on the way. We got to the clinic in Asheville at 5 till 9am. We got a private chemo room, and then proceeded to do all the prep and have a consultation. We then learned that the steroid IV that goes with the Methatrexate was not here yet, so we waited for it till noon. When it came Dr. P was tied up with someone else, so we got started around 12:20pm. Now Bobbi had gotten Phenagren and Ativan (for nausea and anxiety) at 9:30am, so it might have been wearing off when we started. Still, the chemo push went well. Bobbi was nauseous, but not very. She felt weird, but not like last time. After an hour of recovery we started getting ready, and we had left by 2:30pm. We did a little shopping on the way home (okay- I shopped, she slept). We stopped and got many prescriptions refilled, and made it home at about 5:30pm. I got Bobbi into bed by 6pm and she's there now sound asleep. I'm cooking Pepper Steak for supper (her request). That's it mostly.
Bobbi's breast cancer itself has not been treated since May, and it is now starting to get inflamed again. Next week we consult with Dr. Q about starting radiation on the breast and lymph nodes. We have a chemo drug she can take at the same time she has radiation, so we'll see how it goes. Bobbi is a sick little gal, but quite a fighter. "The Bid C" won't win without a fight. I'll keep you posted.

December 17, 2008, 5:00pm - Well, Bobbi's trip to the neurosurgeon's office went well, and her staples are out and they say she's healing very well. Then she talked to the medical oncology nurse and she sort of got herself upset. I don't know what it was like for her last week while she had the reaction to the chemo. I had hoped she was so out of it she wouldn't remember any of it. I was wrong. She came home, and as soon as we were together and she felt she could let her guard down she burst into tears, and she was terrified of tomorrow's treatment. Now last week I was afraid too. I was afraid that Bobbi was having an allergic reaction to the chemo. If she was then it was to a drug that was surrounding her brain and I was sure she wasn't going to make it. But, my brain told me, this wasn't her first exposure to Methatrexate- it was just concentrated in her brain, and most of what she was feeling was extreme nausea. So, I told Bobbi that we were going to the clinic in Asheville because it has the big chemo facility. There they can give her nausea drugs (and others) before hand, administer the chemo slower, and keep her more comfortable through the whole treatment. I had to talk her down for about twenty minutes, but I had the advantage of actually believing what I told her, and I told her that through the whole experience I was going to be right beside her. So, we feel better now. Tonight we'll have a nice supper with Donna and David and we'll go to bed early. I'm going to give her nausea meds tonight and first thing in the morning, and when we get there they'll hang an IV and give her even more, then we'll see how it goes, and if we have to we'll go back to LPs. I'll keep you posted.
December 17, 2008, 9:00am - Hey, we got a surprise. Donna (the sister) came over and so did Kim and Kira! I'll be leaving Bobbi in the hands of a whole covey of womens. That's a nice change from her being care for by meself. Anyway, the girls will take her today so I have the day off- I can go to work!
By the way- thank you to everyone who remembered us this holiday season with cards and mementos. You are all very much appreciated- more than I can even say.
December 17, 2008, 7:00am - Good Morning! Well, today Bobbi get's her surgical staples out. She's asked that I not post photos of it. Sorry. There's been a change to the chemo schedule this week. Instead of today at Sylva we're going to the main office in Asheville tomorrow. There they have private chemo rooms where we can give her an assortment of meds beforehand to mitigate the side effects. Bobbi's mom will not be going.

December 16, 2008, 7:00am - Sorry, I didn't do an update because I was a little busy. Yesterday was fine. Bobbi was comfortable, but she didn't feel up to going to the Scout troop Christmas Dinner. That was kind of sad. We spent a quiet evening at home while I worked on presents folks requested I work on. This morning we woke up (not for the first time) at 6:30am and had cereal and listened to NPR. Now Donna is here so I'm off. Today is a "day off" as we call it- no medical appointments. We're bracing ourselves for tomorrow- brain chemo number two.......
I got home too late to work on siding. It was too rainy anyway (today too it looks like)

December 14, 2008, 10:00pm - Today was a good day. Last night went okay. Bobbi was up a lot, but she was comfortable. Today we kept her awake to see if that (not sleeping all day) would help her sleep all night. Greg and Susan came over and Susan sat with Bobbi while Greg and I worked outside. Susan brought her out to check on our progress. Dick Olsen joined us later and we did quite a bit to "the project". Becky came over later, and she and Dick visited with us after Greg and Susan went home. Bobbi was pretty tired by this evening, but she staid in fairly good spirits. She remains anxious about her health, but I notice small improvements. She was able to drink out of a glad this weekend without dribbling. She also ate her whole breakfast this morning. She's getting her appetite back. These are admittedly pretty small advances, but it's nice to see any advance these days. I'll keep you posted. By the way, you can see today's progress on the Siding page.

December 13, 2008, 6:00pm - Today was a good day. Yesterday's chemo treatment just exhausted Bobbi, and she mostly slept all night. Today she feels much better. She's still worn out from yesterdays treatment (it was almost a disaster if you haven't read about it yet). Today we were up at 7am, and I was out the door at 8:30 to LOWES to buy all the materials we need for the new siding. Sister Donna and then Sister Susan (Greg's wife not my sister) sat with Bobbi while Greg and I went and loaded up both trucks with materials. I actually only got half of what we need to do the whole job- there was that much stuff. I've made s separate page to view the siding project. You can see it by clicking on the picture to the right or click HERE.
We got home and prepped the area and didn't actually start demolition of the old trim till 2:00pm. At 3pm I got called into work for an hour and had to leave Forest and Greg doing all the work. At 4pm Casey and Crow came over and we really got some production done. I'm leaving the old siding up like sheathing and covering it with foam insulation and then the new siding. Anyway, by dark we were nailing up the insulation, and Bobbi came out to check on our work. Now she's resting while I update y'all.

December 12, 2008, 6:00pm - Well, that was a pretty horrible experience. I went home at 2:30 to take Bobbi to see the doctor. Today Dr. Chay was there- her was the oncologist who visited Bobbi in the hospital last labor day when she was in with her ear infection. He seems to be a great doctor. Anyway, we consulted with him for a while, talked about some of Bobbi's issues and our concerns. He then checked Bobbi's new Ommaya Reservoir and gave her a Methatrexate treatment. When it was over I took her to the bathroom on the way to the chemo recovery room.... and she was just getting seated when she had a reaction to the chemo. It was a typical bad reaction to chemo- nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath (respiratory distress) seizure-like behavior, extreme disorientation, loss of motor control, the works. Man, was I glad I took Bobbi and not her mother. Anyway, I grabbed a trash can (for vomit) and called for help. They brought me oxygen which I gave her, and the chemo nurse gave her a shot of Phenigren in her arm for nausea. She vomited for about five minutes, and then it gradually subsided (all this while on the pot). After about 20 minutes I was able to dress her and get her to the recovery room, where they accessed her chemo port and gave her IV fluids. I have her Ativan under her tongue and she calmed down. After about an hour we disconnected her, took her back to the Lady's Room to finish what we started, and then I just now got her home and into bed. It was so awful watching her in such distress, but I was pretty sure it was a chemo reaction and not an allergic reaction (which might have been really bad). It was very hard on her, and I imagine she's going to sleep for a while. I'm going to eat some leftover turkey and go to sleep too.
Tomorrow we're going to start installing new siding on the house. I was hoping she'd be up to sitting outside and supervising...maybe she will anyway. I'll keep you posted.
December 12, 2008, 8:00am - We had a long night last night. I don't think Bobbi actually got to sleep till around 7am. We had a quiet night. Mostly we sat in bed and watched LOVEJOY on my laptop.... except Bobbi can't see very well so she mostly just listened. This morning Donna/sister is back! She's been a little under the weather and we really missed her, but today it's Donna and Donna (and I do not repeat myself). Today we got to the oncologist office for our first chemo treatment thru her new Ommaya Reservoir- no more Lumbar Punctures! Whoohoo! What a relief. I hate having missed a week of chemo, but now we can really give it to her, and she shouldn't need two days to recover from it. I'll keep you posted.

December 11, 2008, 5:00pm - Sorry about that. I got called to help Bobbi and never finished the update. I just got home. Bobbi is okay, but pretty sad. Given her situation, it's understandable. I guess she spent the whole day in bed. Sister Jill went home today, and to her mind (Bobbi) she's not getting any better. To most of us, we think she is getting better... a little better anyway. She's certainly more aware. She still looses track of time, mostly because with her eyes she can't see very well and can't wear her contacts, so she can't look out a window and see if it's day or night. It's time for me to put on my cruise director routine and cheer her up. I think a open faced hot turkey sandwich is a good start. Grand kids would be better.... I'll spend some more time on chores and let her see me do it. That will help.
I posted some old family photos for Jill to download. Y'all enjoy them.
December 11, 2008, 3:00am - Good morning. We had a <Bobbi calls from the other room>....

December 10, 2008, 8:00am - Wow- it's raining like crazy here. I had a gutter back up I had to go out and clear. We got up around 6:30am and I made Bobbi's breakfast after I checked her blood sugar (189- not too bad) and gave her the 7am meds. Now I need to go clean up after another trip outside in the mud. Bobbi seems a little better. Her head is more together and she actually ate her whole breakfast. She hardly ever does that. Her mom and sister and Donna (the sister) should be here soon to keep her entertained. I hope y'all like cookies. I'll keep you posted.

December 9, 2008, 10:00am - Well, "the girls" have arrived so it's off to work for me. I'll keep you posted.
December 9, 2008, 6:00am - Well, Bobbi seems a little better. She spent the day yesterday with "the girls", and seemed to do pretty well. The physical therapist came by and worked with her a while and she did pretty well. Even Kim and Kira came over. When I got home we spent a little time on the couch eating supper and watching TV, then I worked on cleaning our floor vents. We went to bed at 10pm and she rested a little better than she has been. Today Donna and Jill and Donna (I do not repeat myself) will come over and continue the great cookie cook off. Dang it- why don't we celebrate these holidays with beef jerky (he says while munching holiday brownies)???

December 8, 2008, 8:00am - Good morning! We've been up since 7am. I actually suspect Bobbi didn't sleep much last night, but mostly because she slept all yesterday. She's doing fair or better, though she's a little anxious still. I have uploaded some pictures from this weekend- enjoy. Today "the girls" will spend the day together and go out for a nice lunch in Waynesville. All bobbi's sisters and mom with Donna (the sister) to boot will bundle off together, and maybe Kim and Kira will join them. I'll keep you posted.

December 7, 2008, 7:00pm - Well, we've had a full day. After a nice breakfast (I made a cheese and bacon quiche which she barely ate) I got Bobbi up and into the living room. She sat on the couch while I started on the gas fireplace. Donna and Jill came over and they made a couple of thousand cookies. Soon Kim, Ethan and Kira joined us. Ethan and I played on the computer a while, then I went back to work on the gas logs. I finished that job late in the afternoon, mounted the big gas tank, purged the gas line and lit the fire. It's pretty warm. Everyone left around 5pm, and Bobbi and I sat on the couch and relaxed a while. Now she's gone to bed and I'll go join her. Sarah is driving up from Charlotte and we'll have a huge hen party tomorrow. Thank God I go to work tomorrow! I mean- darn, I'm going to miss it.
Bobbi is doing okay. I don't know what else to say. She's pretty tired, no doubt from having had brain surgery yesterday during what was a very long day. She doesn't feel "the heard of horses" any longer, she doesn't feel anything much unusual except for the agitation the steroids always make her feel. We'll just have to see how it goes. I'll keep you.... well, you know the rest.
December 7, 2008, 6:00am - We're doing okay today, and the horses seem to have gone away......

December 6, 2008, 11:00pm - Holy Moly- we're home! I thought we'd never get here. Okay- the surgery went very well. We got to the hospital at 7:30am, and then shuttled between admitting and preop, and were finally put into a room because it was so long until the surgery (actually started around 12:30pm). Bobbi's mom and sister Jill waited with me. Around 1:30pm the neurosurgeon called and said everything went well, and he would order Bobbi released at 7pm if she continued to do well.... and she did do well, except her BP stayed low for a long time (80 over 40). She got back from post-op around 3:30 just as Michael and Cheryl came to check on her. We all swapped stories for a bit, then everyone went home and I waited with lil'gal as we waited for her BP to come up. Around 8pm they checked it and it was 120 over 80- yahoo, so now we can go home. It took an hour to get all her IVs unplugged and we were finally discharged after 9pm.On the way home I stopped to get yellow squash and milk (Bobbi's request) and we got home just now. Bobbi is tucked into bed with "hot socks" all around, and she seems fine. Here's the thing- she just told me that every now and then she feels like she hears a herd of horses in her head for a few seconds. Anybody know a neurosurgeon we can call at 11:30 on a Saturday night? I'll keep you posted.
December 6, 2008, 5:00am - Okay, we're up and getting ready. I don't think I can update the page from that hospital, so I'll keep you posted when we get home.

December 5, 2008, 4:00pm - Okay, we are scheduled for surgery tomorrow at 11am. We have to be there before 8am, so we'll call it an early night and leave early tomorrow morning. We had a good meeting with Dr. Rhoton. He wanted to be sure we knew the risks. We reckon the risks of this one procedure are outweighed by the risks of frequent LPs, we just need to be aware that Bobbi is pretty weak and we'll need to take great pains to make sure she doesn't pick up an infection (like the one that ate her eardrum). So, we may come home late tomorrow, but it's more likely we'll be spending the night. The procedure takes a little more than an hour, with a while in pre-op and couple hours post-op. I'll keep you posted.
December 5, 2008, 9:00am - We are on our way to Dr. Rhoton's office. He's the same neurosurgeon who removed Bobbi's brain tumor. He's going to perform tomorrow's surgery (assuming this morning's consultation goes as expected). I'll keep you posted.

December 4, 2008, 1:00pm - Okay- I told you I'd keep you posted. Here's the latest. At this point it looks like Bobbi will have brain surgery at Memorial Mission on Saturday. How's that for fast action. If it seems like having brain surgery to install her Ommaya Reservoir the day after a lumbar puncture seems pretty aggressive- it is. Right now her blood numbers look pretty good, so we're going to do it. The only bad thing I see (not counting all the risks) is that it means we have to delay the siding.... Anyway, I'm keeping you posted. We still have to have a pro-op consultation with the neurosurgeon. I'll keep you posted.
Well, let me bring y'all up to date. Bobbi's mental acuity seems to continue to improve. That's the good news. The bad news is that the more together she is the more she's depressed by her condition. We're learning to help her deal with it- the grand kids visiting more seems to be best. The other thing is my chores. She enjoys watching me work, although she's frustrated she can't help. This weekend we start putting on the new siding, and that seems to cheer her up quite a bit. Seeing the trim go up in the kitchen is also a big boost to her mood. I'll also get the new gas line run to the new fireplace and gas logs and that should help. The thing she can actually do is manage the seasonal decorations. We're setting up a little village on the coffee table- she loves that.
Medically, she's improving slightly. Today was the first time her blood sugar was normal. I still had to give her LANTUS (long lasting insulin) which seems to help most, even though she's on a higher dose of steroids. The steroids seem to be what brought her mind back. Dr. Pekal thought her brain was swelling and increased the daily dose. Tomorrow we have the weekly LP/ITM treatment and we anxiously await those numbers. I'll keep you posted.
Yesterday went well. Almost all Bobbi's numbers were way up. Only Hemoglobin has continued to decline slightly (a side effect of chemo). Bobbi has started weekly injections of "PoCrit" to bring that up.All her other numbers are so good we're talking about the Ommaya Reservoir again. We have a consultation with a brain surgeon Friday before her LP. I'll keep you posted.

December 3, 2008, 12:00pm - Well, it's time to take Bobbi to Doctor Pekal's. We're trying something new at home. Bobbi has not been sleeping well at night, but she sleeps fine on the couch.... So last night she slept in the couch, and I slept in the guest room where I could hear her. She says she slept pretty well. We'll see. We rigged her an eye patch to keep her eye from drying out (her unspeakable EN&T doctor said she didn't need one) and that's helped a lot also. Okay, off we go. I'll keep you posted.

December 2, 2008, 6:00pm - I think Bobbi is doing better. Here's why- she's scared. I think she's doing so much better she's now aware of how sick she is. She is more "here" than she has been for weeks, and she is very frustrated by how debilitated she is. Tomorrow we see Dr. P and we'll get the results from the last spinal fluid test, and her sister is coming tomorrow. Today she had physical therapy.

December 1, 2008, 6:00pm - Wow- it's snowing pretty hard now. We have a couple of inches on the ground and more on the decks. I'm working on trim and Bobbi is getting up soon. She was pretty tearful when Matt left, but he'll be back for Christmas. Jill will be here in a couple of days and she cheers Bobbi up plenty. I gotta have a rake around here...
Bobbi seems pretty together, but she fusses with her eye a lot. I'll go get her up now and we'll watch TV a bit. I'll keep you posted.
December 1, 2008, 1:00pm - Can you believe its December all ready? I guess it's kind of hopeful in a way....sometimes I wondered if we'd make it till December. Bobbi is fair. She's a little agitated right now, and her droopy eye bothers her. Still, Matt and her mom are with her and she’s resting well. Matt is flying home today and we’ll miss him, but I understand sister Jill is coming. Sort of a tag team I suppose. It’s snowing a lot at the house. We’d have two inches of snow on the ground if the ground was a little cooler. I’ll keep you posted.

November 30, 2008, 10:00pm - Well, we got a bit done today. Bobbi got started on the next set of cards and I got quite a bit of trim done in the kitchen. I had a problem- rain. It rained so hard I couldn't set up the miter saw, so I did it with a battery saw by hand. Oh well, enough putty and it won't look too bad. It actually look tremendously better than it did. It went so fast I ran out of trim. Here's a tip- each LOWES stocks different stuff. The trim I bought in Waynesville wasn't available in Sylva, and what I bought in Sylva doesn't match. Dang. Bobbi went with my to LOWES in spite of me spending two hours trying to talk her out of it (Hey- it's raining like crazy). We had a good time.
I'm having trouble keeping her glucose numbers low. I have to check it four times a day, and she doesn't like that much. Still, after a little fussing she will relent. All in all, not a bad day together. Now she's in bed and I will be in a minute. Y'all have a good one. I'll keep ya posted.
November 30, 2008, 9:00am - This has been a good morning. We didn't sleep a lot last night, but we got to bed early, and while we lay awake we had a pretty good time enjoying each other's company. In the wee hours, for a few hours, there wasn't any cancer and there wasn't any blood sugar problems and there wasn't any pain. We just had a pretty wonderful time talking quietly and enjoying each other's company. We got up at 7am, took care of our "morning constitutionals" and had a nice breakfast together. Getting her up, giving her the meds, checking her blood sugar (169) and giving her insulin- it all came back....but she's not as blue as she has been, and as we sit and watch HGTV and plan future home improvements Bobbi seems a little more at peace. It is a good morning. I can't believe it's almost December.
It's another rainy day, so I'll keep working indoors. I'm going to do all the kitchen trim and finish the cabinets. We started them one year ago. It was the last project Bobbi's dad helped us with, and now we're almost done. The only left will be to spray them all the same color. I'll wait for warmer weather to do that. I'll keep you posted.