The Downhill Side

I have been putting off making another entry. I suppose I have felt like I needed to have some earth-shattering news or change to share with everyone.

But guess what? Things are just proceeding as they should.

And her hair was growing back. Her body had been healing just the way it should. She is a strong young woman. She knows what little hair has grown in will fall out again over the next couple of weeks. But she can see how strong her body is in recovering and how quickly it will grow back.

After her first round of chemo after the surgery, she really felt the effects of not being admitted in the hospital. It's one less drug being administered, but the effects of the dactinomycin had, in the past, been masked by the fluids and such that Matti had been hooked up to. So she really got sick. More so than we had been used to at home over the past few months.

She was miserable and was also a little taken back by what she was feeling.

She made it through because of how tough she is. She even managed to spend some time with cousins for a couple of days in Provo and then we drove back home. Mostly, she really wanted to be home to go to the choir retreat that was to be the Monday and Tuesday last.

She made it through Monday completely wiped out and didn't go back on Tuesday. She was just so excited to be around friends and peers again that she didn't keep herself in check, even with Nicki constantly reminding her to do so.

On Thursday, she had her next helping of vincristine and then rested the next couple of days in preparation for starting school today.

I wouldn't say she is excited for school. But certainly for the environment. Seeing and talking to people her age. Mom and Dad are only good for so much interesting conversation, you know.

Her schedule is such that she mostly has choir classes all day. She was able to complete her senior English class over the summer, in case I haven't mentioned that before. So, she only has a math class and US government.

We are hoping to get a totally clear picture on the remaining treatments. We are hoping that we can do the rest of them here in Las Vegas. That will make for a super-fun Labor Day for her at home. But, after her radiation in 3 weeks, there should only be a handful of chemo treatments remaining.

That's the scoop. I try not to be overly excited that we are on the downhill side of this, but I am an accountant and I notice these things. I count and add and subtract.