Larry here with another update.....
Florence is sitting over yonder unaware that I'm blogging and I will most surely hear about it next time she logs in to read comments!!!!!
So the news..... We went to OHSU for a little blood sucking, 2 to be exact. We then took a jaunt to 5A to visit with the nursing and support staff. Dave, Keren, and Foxy Brown were there and enjoyed seeing Florence as much as she enjoyed seeing them.
That was followed by a visit with Dr. K. He told Florence that many Leukemia patients relapse during the first year following remission. Since she is now just short of a year since her remission and still showing an increase in her blood cell counts is all very promising. Can not promise that it won't return, but this is all real good.
He asked her if she was still finding she is short of breath at times. Florence said that she did noticed it when she was talking. Dr. K replied something like 'that must be often', then look at me with a grin. Florence never missed and word and continued talking, elaborating on the fact that it is only noticeable when she talks...... RIGHT OVER HER HEAD..... NEVER CAUGHT ON..... Chemo Brain you know......
All in all a good check up. He would like to see her red cell count up higher and tested her for a hormone responsible for increasing those counts. He my prescribe injections if they are low. This may help increase her stamina.
Well I haven't been caught yet so I better sign off before I do get caught......
That's it for now......
Larry
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
First Albany Criterium
Hello!
On Sunday there was an exciting bike race in downtown Albany. We sat and watched it in the morning then went home for lunch then back to see the last race which consisted of professional riders! It was so exciting, some riders reaching speeds over 31mph! I've never seen a live bike race and was surprised at how quiet the bikes are as they woosh past. It was mesmerizing.
Luckily we didn't see either of the 2 crashes that happened and luckily no one was hurt badly, just some road rash.
We were able to stand on one corner downtown and take video of the riders going around multiple turns of the whole 2/3 mile course. I can't share that clip on the blog because it's too long. We overheard one of the second place finishers say that he felt Albany's course could be a championship race course. I hope they make it an annual event. Maybe they will, since it was called The First Albany Criterium.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday weekend.
Love,
Florence
Note: See blog on 5/22 & 23 for Relay for Life information
On Sunday there was an exciting bike race in downtown Albany. We sat and watched it in the morning then went home for lunch then back to see the last race which consisted of professional riders! It was so exciting, some riders reaching speeds over 31mph! I've never seen a live bike race and was surprised at how quiet the bikes are as they woosh past. It was mesmerizing.
Luckily we didn't see either of the 2 crashes that happened and luckily no one was hurt badly, just some road rash.
We were able to stand on one corner downtown and take video of the riders going around multiple turns of the whole 2/3 mile course. I can't share that clip on the blog because it's too long. We overheard one of the second place finishers say that he felt Albany's course could be a championship race course. I hope they make it an annual event. Maybe they will, since it was called The First Albany Criterium.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday weekend.
Love,
Florence
Note: See blog on 5/22 & 23 for Relay for Life information
Friday, May 23, 2008
Relay for Life!
Hello!
If you didn't read my last blog, I'm on a team for Relay for Life. Here is the web address that will help get you to my personal page, (you may have to copy and paste it):
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/FlorenceAllen
On this page you can see how I'm doing on my goal to raise $550.50, in celebration of my 50th birthday. And see a really cool photo of Larry! ;-)
Love, Florence
If you didn't read my last blog, I'm on a team for Relay for Life. Here is the web address that will help get you to my personal page, (you may have to copy and paste it):
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/FlorenceAllen
On this page you can see how I'm doing on my goal to raise $550.50, in celebration of my 50th birthday. And see a really cool photo of Larry! ;-)
Love, Florence
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A Month Since Last Blood Draw
Hello,
I saw my Dr. in Corvallis on Tuesday. We went over my labs and he said, "Looks good!" Here are my numbers:
White Cells 3100 (4500 - 11000)
Red Cells 2.97 (4 - 5.2)
Neutrophil 1.75 (1.8 – 7.7)
Platelets 83 (150 - 400)
We talked about how tired I've been feeling the last couple of weeks and it's probably from just doing too much. So I have to slow down on my socializing. Haha. When I look at my calendar from the last couple of weeks I've had one to two to three things going on each day and I guess it caught up with me! OR it's because I'm Fifty now!!! 5 has always been my favorite number but put that zero behind it and it's not so pretty anymore! :-)
I might have told you this before, but I can't remember. Just after my diagnosis last June, I made it my goal to walk in the "Survivors Walk" at Relay for Life in '08. This is a yearly relay put on by the American Cancer Society. So I'm going to do it! The Survivors Walk is going to be at 6:00PM on Friday, June 27th at the West Albany High School track. If you would like to come and watch I WOULD LOVE IT. And I'm also on a team (City of Albany) and I'm going to walk the Midnight to 1:00AM laps. In 1998 when Albany had it's first Relay and I was involved, I loved walking at night, when it was quiet or there was music playing and all the luminary bags were glowing around the track. Relay for Life is from 4:00PM on Friday, June 27th, until 10:00AM on Saturday, June 28th.
So as a team member my financial goal is to raise $550.50 (notice the "50's") I've gotten two pledges so far! One for $50.50 and one for $15.50!! So my celebration of "50" is catching on! If you would like to pledge an amount to my fund raising effort, it will benefit you by being a tax deductible donation. You can mail a check (made out to ACS) to my home address, or soon you'll be able to donate in my name online. As soon as I'm listed under the team on the website, I'll post the web address.
Mother's Day we took a drive up Mary's Peak for a picnic. We couldn't go all the way to the top because of snow, but we found a parking lot to sit and eat our lunch. It was 39ยบ and the sun would come out and cause steam to rise from the grass and asphalt.
The next weekend we went to the Mennonite Village to watch a "Tractor Parade" with Larry's parents. We set up lawn chairs in the shade and watched about 15 tractors drive by, 3 times! (I think they got lost on their route) hahha This was my favorite painted tractor, it was a Ford, and I think the driver is admiring the OREGON DUCKS! license plate on my Volvo!! :-)
Then this weekend my friend Shannon and I went to the Thyme Garden outside Corvallis for a nice time in the garden. Then we headed back into Corvallis, where we ate at Strega. A new restaurant that is on the 6th floor (there are not too many buildings that tall in Corvallis, probably only on the campus of OSU). This photo shows Mary's Peak on the left hand side.
So my next appointment in Portland at OHSU is on May 29th. I'll have labs taken and I'll see Dr. Kovacsovics. I've thought of more questions since seeing Dr. Neville this week, so I'm keeping them written down so I don't forget them....
Will I get all my childhood immunizations soon? Or in October?
Will I get them all at once or spread out over time? Yikes!
Will I be sensitive to the sun from now on or just while I was on certain drugs?
(I'm only on one drug now and it doesn't cause sensitivity, but I'm too nervous to be in the sun for fear of the swelling-rash, that I got last September when I didn't have a sunscreen of SPF70 on!) Crazy...
Thanks for checking on me through the blog. I love you all so much.
Thank you for considering supporting me in Relay for Life.
Love,
Florence
I saw my Dr. in Corvallis on Tuesday. We went over my labs and he said, "Looks good!" Here are my numbers:
White Cells 3100 (4500 - 11000)
Red Cells 2.97 (4 - 5.2)
Neutrophil 1.75 (1.8 – 7.7)
Platelets 83 (150 - 400)
We talked about how tired I've been feeling the last couple of weeks and it's probably from just doing too much. So I have to slow down on my socializing. Haha. When I look at my calendar from the last couple of weeks I've had one to two to three things going on each day and I guess it caught up with me! OR it's because I'm Fifty now!!! 5 has always been my favorite number but put that zero behind it and it's not so pretty anymore! :-)
I might have told you this before, but I can't remember. Just after my diagnosis last June, I made it my goal to walk in the "Survivors Walk" at Relay for Life in '08. This is a yearly relay put on by the American Cancer Society. So I'm going to do it! The Survivors Walk is going to be at 6:00PM on Friday, June 27th at the West Albany High School track. If you would like to come and watch I WOULD LOVE IT. And I'm also on a team (City of Albany) and I'm going to walk the Midnight to 1:00AM laps. In 1998 when Albany had it's first Relay and I was involved, I loved walking at night, when it was quiet or there was music playing and all the luminary bags were glowing around the track. Relay for Life is from 4:00PM on Friday, June 27th, until 10:00AM on Saturday, June 28th.
So as a team member my financial goal is to raise $550.50 (notice the "50's") I've gotten two pledges so far! One for $50.50 and one for $15.50!! So my celebration of "50" is catching on! If you would like to pledge an amount to my fund raising effort, it will benefit you by being a tax deductible donation. You can mail a check (made out to ACS) to my home address, or soon you'll be able to donate in my name online. As soon as I'm listed under the team on the website, I'll post the web address.
Mother's Day we took a drive up Mary's Peak for a picnic. We couldn't go all the way to the top because of snow, but we found a parking lot to sit and eat our lunch. It was 39ยบ and the sun would come out and cause steam to rise from the grass and asphalt.
The next weekend we went to the Mennonite Village to watch a "Tractor Parade" with Larry's parents. We set up lawn chairs in the shade and watched about 15 tractors drive by, 3 times! (I think they got lost on their route) hahha This was my favorite painted tractor, it was a Ford, and I think the driver is admiring the OREGON DUCKS! license plate on my Volvo!! :-)
Then this weekend my friend Shannon and I went to the Thyme Garden outside Corvallis for a nice time in the garden. Then we headed back into Corvallis, where we ate at Strega. A new restaurant that is on the 6th floor (there are not too many buildings that tall in Corvallis, probably only on the campus of OSU). This photo shows Mary's Peak on the left hand side.
So my next appointment in Portland at OHSU is on May 29th. I'll have labs taken and I'll see Dr. Kovacsovics. I've thought of more questions since seeing Dr. Neville this week, so I'm keeping them written down so I don't forget them....
Will I get all my childhood immunizations soon? Or in October?
Will I get them all at once or spread out over time? Yikes!
Will I be sensitive to the sun from now on or just while I was on certain drugs?
(I'm only on one drug now and it doesn't cause sensitivity, but I'm too nervous to be in the sun for fear of the swelling-rash, that I got last September when I didn't have a sunscreen of SPF70 on!) Crazy...
Thanks for checking on me through the blog. I love you all so much.
Thank you for considering supporting me in Relay for Life.
Love,
Florence
Friday, May 9, 2008
When You Turn 50...
Larry here…..
So, Florence missed her big chance this week. This time it was I on the bed, in the gown, and in a drug induced stupor. Yah, I’m OK and still able to take care of her. Mine was that ‘PROCEDURE’ you get to have when you turn 50… OK, I put it off a couple of years but it finally caught up with me. So anyway, while I was in lala land Florence gathered all her infusion friends (nurses) so they could all be there when I came out of my stupor. I found it isn’t good to have ‘PROCEDURES’ done at a hospital where the people know you.
First thing I heard was, “you should have seen the crop of polyps the Dr. had to take out, it looked like a field of Pansies!” Yah, right. And did she get pictures of all this action….nope, I must be living right. Come to think about it, I should have asked the doc to write Florence a note letting her know he didn’t find my head up there either.
As for Florence, she turned 50 today… she’s next up for the ‘Procedure’ and another opportunity to do silly things while on drugs. We had a small party, that her old Fusion friends threw for her at a local restaurant. It was a good time, with good friends, and good food.
So, Florence missed her big chance this week. This time it was I on the bed, in the gown, and in a drug induced stupor. Yah, I’m OK and still able to take care of her. Mine was that ‘PROCEDURE’ you get to have when you turn 50… OK, I put it off a couple of years but it finally caught up with me. So anyway, while I was in lala land Florence gathered all her infusion friends (nurses) so they could all be there when I came out of my stupor. I found it isn’t good to have ‘PROCEDURES’ done at a hospital where the people know you.
First thing I heard was, “you should have seen the crop of polyps the Dr. had to take out, it looked like a field of Pansies!” Yah, right. And did she get pictures of all this action….nope, I must be living right. Come to think about it, I should have asked the doc to write Florence a note letting her know he didn’t find my head up there either.
As for Florence, she turned 50 today… she’s next up for the ‘Procedure’ and another opportunity to do silly things while on drugs. We had a small party, that her old Fusion friends threw for her at a local restaurant. It was a good time, with good friends, and good food.
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