Liz stayed overnight in the PCU so her blood levels could be monitored. Her hemoglobin levels continued to drop overnight, down to 7.1. Now this could partially be because she is receiving IV fluids, which will dilute the red blood cell counts. Regardless of how, if that number drops below 7 they start talking about…

Well, I’d be ok if a day like today never happened again. Here’s the cliff’s notes version… Early afternoon Liz had a BM and there was a lot of blood in her stool. WAY more than usual. But she felt fine so we didn’t necessarily think too much of it…well a couple hours later, she’s…

I was an English Education major in college and every time we had a paper to write (which was almost weekly) I never knew how to start. I would stare at the blinking cursor for a loooong time. Inevitably, I’d just start my paper half way in the introduction and then come back to the…

I’ve been writing this off and on since Friday night and even now that I’m posting it, I still don’t think it sufficiently represents how I feel. These last few weeks as the news of Liz’s diagnosis started to break amongst the communities around us, the amount of love and support sent our direction has…

Just confirming the treatment schedule going forward, since there was some uncertainty with the added scans: 3/14 PET Scan 3/17 MRI of Liver 3/18 Radiation/Chemotherapy begins, every day Monday through Friday for 28 treatment days (so ending 4/24). 3 chemo pills in the morning, 20 minutes of radiation at 1:00 pm, 3 chemo pills at…

Sounds cliche but cliches come from truths. My expectation of moving forward is in the slow lane. The doctors do want to check the spot on my liver. I have a PET CT on Thursday, March 14 and a MRI on Sunday, March 17. This will delay the start of radiation and chemo which was…

So it has been decided that the care team would like to scan the small abnormality on Liz’s liver before beginning the chemo/radiation treatment. PET scan on Thursday 3/14 MRI of Liver on Sunday 3/17 Crossing fingers we can get treatment started quickly thereafter… CCM

A lot of people have reached out and asked about how the kids are doing, so here you go… They have all known something was going on for a while now. They knew mama’s tummy was bugging her, that going to the bathroom was a problem, and as soon as the consistent doctor’s appointments started…

 I became an English teacher not because of my great writing. In fact, I’m a terrible writer: my verb tenses are wrong, my writing is loquacious and my grammar isn’t that stellar. But I love to read. I love gaining knowledge and understanding. I love getting swept up in a story, in the characters and…

Here’s an overview of Liz’s treatment schedule as we know it: Monday March 4 – Simulated Radiation Treatment. This will get her a chance to see how the treatments will go without actually receiving a dose of radiation. Wednesday March 6 – Iron Infusion and meeting with medical oncologist and pharmacist to review chemotherapy medication…