Happy Thanksgiving

The holidays are finally here. I've been armchair Christmas shopping for a few weeks, trying to get it all done before I go back on the meds. At the higher dose, it's taken me a full week to recover. So that puts me at 2 good weeks, 4 bad weeks. That's not so great. I go back to the oncologist after Thanksgiving to get my blood test results and talk about dosage. Last year we went to the doctor just before Thanksgiving, got horrible news, and just about my whole family cried for 5 days. We'd never gotten along so well before! It was kinda weird. So this year I'm waiting until after Thanksgiving. My last cycle of Sutent we had good results, so that's what I'm expecting this time, too. I think I'm going to have to go to a lesser dose, though. Quality of life is an issue at this higher dose, and there were days I couldn't do anything but lay in bed. That's no good with a 3rd grader at home. And I really don't want to be laying in bed on Christmas. But I'm trying to get all my Christmas stuff done early, just in case.

I've heard of a few more people with malignant paraganglioma going on Sutent with good results, and I love to hear that. I've also heard from a few people who have had traditional chemotherapy whose tumors have gotten smaller. That's also encouraging, in case I have to go that route in the future. But doing that scares me.

So we are going to pick up Kassy in Santa Barbara, and Ken and Cody will get to see her apartment, then we'll drive to Bakersfield. My sister just moved into a brand new house, and we're all excited to see it. I think there's like 23 people coming to dinner on Thanksgiving at my mom's, and that's always interesting. And then we get up at 3:00 a.m. and go to the mall for Black Friday shopping! I know, it sounds crazy, but it's become ritual. First Starbucks, then Victoria's Secret to get their free tote bag, then off to buy things we can't live without. We top it off with breakfast at IHOP or somewhere like that, then go home and sleep. The boys and the kids stay home, and the leftovers are yummy. We always get our Christmas tree that Sunday, too. It will be dead by Christmas, but oh well. It will smell like heaven until then.

So, I'll post again after my doctor's appointment, and with your prayers, it will be good news.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

God is love.