The SCOOP...

Okay, so I know I said I would try and update on a more regular basis, but...well, I'm a procrastinator, so here's the update. While in the hospital, my kidneys started to malfunction. My doctor actually went on vacation so I had another one of the partners treating me. My creatnine level is supposed to be around 0.7 and it was around 3.0. He took me off all my antibiotics and lowered my pain meds to help try and get it back to normal. I was drinking water like it was the last water in the world. I drank around 5 pitchers of water. For those of you who know me, know that this is A LOT for me. I normally will drink around 1- 1 1/2 bottles of water a day. One pitcher is more than that! I also ate two rolls of life savers just to keep my mouth wet. It was quite an interesting few days. I ended up staying in the hospital for 12 days. I missed the Light the Night walk because I was still in the hospital. I was very upset because it is something that Rob and I have worked so hard on and believe so much in. Anyways, back to my kidneys. By the time I left the hospital, my creatnine level had only gone down to 2.3. It was moving so slow. The last round of chemo I had is very hard on the liver and kidneys. Dr. Martins (the partner that treated me) said it would be a difficult decision for Dr. Lee (my doctor) to decide if I should even have my eighth round of chemo because it is the same type of chemo that affects the kidneys. I have now been out of the hospital for almost two weeks and my creatnine level is only down to 1.1. All of my counts are in good range. I am going back into the hospital on Saturday to begin my seventh round of chemo. They are going to decrease it even more and watch my kidneys very closely. Dr. Lee said she is going to have to talk to Dr. Burger down at MD Anderson and figure out about the last round. She doesn't want to do it, but if it is really going to make that much more of a difference in my chance of relapse, then we need to do it. I have put it in God's hands that He will tell Dr. Lee what needs to be done. I don't want to do the last round, seriously, who would? BUT, if it really will help where I won't relapse, then I will go through it. I just want to be done with all of this before all the holidays hit because I want to enjoy something this year. I know there are only two more rounds, and I can see the end of the road, but it still seems so far away. A lot of it has to do with the fact that the time between my rounds is getting longer and longer because it is taking longer for my bone marrow and everything else in my body to rebuild itself. Chemo is absolutely horrible. Oh, and another side effect...my fingernails starting falling out last week...I know...GROSS!! It really is, but it is also the wierdest feeling. I can feel the top of my thumb, because there isn't a nail there. I have also had several days of major headaches. Rob thinks they are all sinus related, but I know that I took pain meds for four days straight and lived in the fog because I was in so much pain. They seem to have left me for now so hopefully it will stay that way.

Okay, well it seems that I have rambled on for quite some time now. Hopefully I gave you all the information. I will try to get better about posting, but I can't promise anything. Thank you all for all your prayers...even still. I still need them just to get through all of the rest of this. Please pray that this next round will not be as bad so I can have a good Thanksgiving with my family. Please pray for wisdom for Dr. Lee and Dr. Burger as they decide about my eighth round. God is so good and I can't wait to see what He has planned for me next!

With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!!