Monday, December 21, 2009

We are heading home for Christmas!

On Friday, Karly had to receive platelets after Thursday's lab results showed hers to be low. Today she went in for labs again and her counts are better. Her platelets had gone up but were still a little low so she will have lab work done at home on Wednesday.

Karly is schedule to come back to Houston on January 11 to have her port removed. She wanted it removed before we left here but her platelets did not allow that.

We said our goodbyes today and it was kind of bitter sweet. We are both so EXCITED about going home but we have also created such wonderful bonds with some of the people here it is hard to leave with out shedding some tears.

We have accumulated so much stuff here that I took a HUGE load to the Goodwill today, we took tons of stuff to the hospital and still had to rent a mini storage. We will pick up the rest of our things from the mini storage when we come back in January.

Karly will continue to have lab work done on a regular basis, she is on antibiotics to help keep her from getting an infection of any kind and she will return to Houston every 3 months for scans and check ups.

Thank you for all the love, prayers and support. Please continue to keep Karly in your prayers.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The news is good....

After 2 full days of scans, Karly's results are back and they are good! There is no longer any activity in the mass and the mass has shrunk to half its previous size. The goal is for her body to someday absorb the mass.

Karly's count are low so she will not being having her port removed until January. Tomorrow she will receive platelets and on Monday she will have repeat labs. It looks like we will be HOME for Christmas.

Karly is scheduled to be back January 11 for the removal of her port and then in March for a check up.

Today 2 members of the Houston Astros came to the clinic and handed out bears to the kids. Check out this link to see a GREAT picture of Karly.

www.khou.com/news/slideshows/Houston-Astros-bring-teddy-bears-to-sick-kids--79577332.html

Monday, December 14, 2009

Happy Day....


Today was a happy day here in Houston.

Karly had to go to the clinic this afternoon to receive a shot. While there she rang the bell to celebrate the completion of her treatments.

John and Victoria were there today for Victoria's chemo treatment. John was able to witness Karly ringing the bell, Victoria did not feel up to coming out. Please keep her in your prayers, this is #9 of 12 for her.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/victoria09

We are so glad to report that our neighbor little Sara is in remission! Praise God! Sara HAD Leukemia(ALL) but she is doing great. Sara and her dad, Rick were packing up today and heading back to Oklahoma. PLEASE check out her caringbridge site. She is such a ray of sunshine. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sararobinson

Tomorrow, Karly has lab work and we will see the radiation doctor for a follow up visit. Wednesday and Thursday are packed full of scans and doctor appointments.

Thank you all so much for all the prayers and support.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Chemo is Over!

Karly is finished with chemo!! We have been in Houston for 242 days. Karly has completed 31 radiation treatments and 14 cycles of chemotherapy. I have given her somewhere between 90-100 injections, and she has received blood products at least 14 times.

On Monday, Karly saw Dr. Herzog and she discussed the plans for scans next week. I can’t even begin to tell you how much we miss Heather! Having a different nurse the past couple times has been so frustrating, there is a sense of security when YOUR nurse is the one taking care of you. Karly began chemo Monday morning and she came home last night with her last dose of chemo in her backpack.

Karly woke up today feeling “ick”. When we got to the clinic Sherri at the front desk immediately noticed something was wrong and called in the troops. Karly was taken back to the PACT rather quickly so she could lie day. After a CBC and some other lab work Dr. Wolf decided she needed 2 units of blood. Not long after the blood started going in Karly started feeling much better.

Victoria and her mom, Tammy were in town for Victoria’s scans and they stopped by for a visit while Karly was receiving her blood. It was great to spend time visiting and comparing “war” stories with them.

Karly decided not to ring the bell today. It was 6 pm before we left the clinic, so almost everyone was gone and there are several nurses and child life specialists that she would like to be present when she rings the bells. She also came home with a backpack of fluids and she said she wants to be completely unhooked before she rings the bell.

We have been blessed to have wonderful nurses taking care of Karly in the PATC. Lacy, Sandy, Anna and Kelly have been such a blessing. They KNOW just by looking at Karly how she feels and if something isn’t right. They love what they do and it shows.

This has been a long a difficult journey but we have met so many wonderful people and have created lifelong bonds with many of them. I am so grateful for all the prayers that have been said and continue to be said for Karly.

Karly will have all her scans repeated next week. Scan time is a difficult time, known around here as scanxiety. Please pray that all the treatments have done their job and Karly is cancer free.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Last Round

We got back to soggy Houston last night. We enjoyed our much needed time at home.

Karly started her last round of chemo this morning. This will be a 4 day cycle; she will do chemo for 4 days and the 24 hours of fluids. All of her scans are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of next week.

I will update more at the end of the week.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

WHOA....Our bodies are in shock! When we left Houston the low had been 58 and when we arrived in Seminole it was 28 degrees and it has snowed here the passed 2 days. We love being home no matter what the temperature is!

Karly has got to have her favorite foods: chocolate donuts from the bakery, corn nuggets from Thelma's, lunch from K&S Steak Place, cheddar bites from Sonic and stuffed jalapenos from Bub & Nona's. She has also been able to visit with a few friends. But, more than anything sleeping in our own beds has been wonderful!

Karly had lab work done Friday and yesterday and both days her results came back good. She will have blood drawn again tomorrow just to make sure everything is still at good levels. We will head back to Houston on Sunday and hope to begin her last round of chemo Monday morning.

Thank you again for all the prayers, we KNOW that without them we would not be where we are today.