Happy Anniversary

Today we celebrated our 34th anniversary by walking across the street for a bowl of Duke's Chowderhouse clam chowder, and boy was it good. Dave's appetite is still good, so that's a relief! He had his normal lab draw this morning at 8:15, then we met with his nurse at 1 p.m. They keep real close track of him and he sees a nurse daily. Tomorrow he has lab at 9:00 and nurse appointment at 9:30. He still has to give himself his Neupagen shots for 2 more days, and the neuropathy in his feet hasn't gotten any better.

REST!!

Nice quiet day today! Dave went in for lab at 8:15 and that was it for today. He's beginning to get some mouth sores from the last chemo, but is handling that well. We took a nice walk across the street to check out the yahts in the bay (Lake Union), and really enjoyed that. Weather is perfect, in the mid-70's. I had a chance to catch the shuttle to downtown and roam around - what a nice break that was. Unfortunately, a woman walking across the street got hit by a big bus, but I don't think was hurt too badly. It sure blocked traffic for awhile. Tomorrow and Sunday are just lab draws for Dave, so we should have a relatively "normal" weekend. Oh, almost forgot -- Dave is doing great giving himself two shots a day!! I'll have to take over if he gets too sick to do that himself; hopefully, that doesn't happen.

Better Day

Things went a little smoother today and Dave is doing remarkably well. He had lab at 8:15 a.m. and then he had a chest x-ray at 10:00, a dressing change at 10:15, and then we had a break until 1:15. We then met with one of the transplant physicians and had an hour conference with him. They are just amazing here and we haven't met one of the transplant team that we were uncomfortable with. As it goes right now, they are still planning on using Dave's stem cells. They should start collecting those in a week to 10 days. We had good news just in case Dave's stem cells are not able to be used or they can't retrieve enough of them (5 million). Out of four brothers who have already been tested as a donor - there is a match with Dave's brother, Richard. That's good because they don't have to look for an "universal donor". There are actually six brothers, but because of problems with addresses only four have been able to be tested.

Another good bit of information, Ripley is doing better so we are able to keep him with us. It will take a little getting used to, but I think it will work fine thanks to Whitefish Animal Hospital who is sending us some "doggie downers" to help out for awhile.

Tomorrow should be a relatively quiet day with lab at 8:15 a.m. , an appointment at 9:15 and then we have the weekend to rest up.

WOW!!

Boy, has this been amazing! There is so much a person has to take in, it's near impossible to understand it all on the first day. We started the day with lab work at 9 a.m., multiple meetings, Dave had a physical exam, and we were finally done, or we thought. Good news is that Dave is a great candidate because of his good health. We got back to the hotel and Buzzie and I were ready to get on the shuttle to go to Pike's Market when the phone rang and it was the SCCA (Seattle Cancer Care Alliance). They needed Dave to come back for more lab! We did that and raced back to the hotel so Buzz and I could catch the shuttle. That was a nice break, but it's a whirlwind around here. We will have to send both Ripley (our shitzu), and my laptop back to Whitefish - neither of those worked out. Ripley is a nervous wreck and barks all the time if we aren't in the room with him and my computer has a virus or something!! Anyway I'm using one of the complimentary computers here at the hotel, which is great, but not quite as convenient. Hopefully, D.J. can fix mine and Molly can bring it with her when she comes to visit. Other than that WE ARE FINE! Tomorrow is a huge day full of tests from 8:15 until 3:15. Ric and Buzz will be leaving in the morning and taking Ripley back with them. Dave Weldele and Judy have graciously volunteered to watch him while we are gone. THANKS again everyone - please feel free to comment or e-mail. I'll still be able to add to the blog just about every evening.

Emotional Day

I must admit, today was a tough one! We had lots of phone calls and "best wishes", and also friends and family came by. D.J. has stayed here the last couple of days helping his dad out. He will be staying at the house unless, of course, he gets called to fight fire. It's really hard leaving friends and family (our support system), although we are hoping they come to visit us in Seattle. Molly, Stella and Sully will come in a couple of weeks. That will be great - there is nothing like the grandchildren to brighten our day!

Counting Down

I have finally decided I had better get with it and start packing. It's so hard to know what to take. Dave wasn't feeling very good today, but he did go out and do a little trimming with the weed-eater. This last chemo has left him pretty "worn out". He has been eating good though. Tomorrow will be spent getting things in order and put in the truck as we will be leaving the next morning. Ric and Buzzie are going to follow us to Seattle and help with driving if needed. It's a relief knowing that if something comes up we aren't alone.