Random Ramblings

For those of you who read here for updates on Alicia, I'll get that out of the way first. She has her final radiation treatment today. She is home with a fanny pack of IV meds so things have been fairly good. A couple weeks from now, she will officially be at the bottom and ready to start climbing back to the top.

Bo will be 6 months on Saturday. He is "crawling", and apparently he is quite innovative 'cause I have never seen a kid take the same approach to mobility that he is using.

Last night I trusted Riley to do her homework in her bedroom with the TV on. And it actually worked out! She had a perfectly completed worksheet. I am very proud.

While making homemade hashbrowns last night I accomplished a lifelong goal, I got the whole skillet crispy and flipped it whole. I was very excited.

Davis is still proving trustworthy with his Legos. Another thing I am super proud of since he can be a bit of a tornado. He has kept the kits together and picks them up after each time he plays with them.

Riley's school had a Chili Supper and Carnival last Friday. The kids had a blast. We really appreciated the school employees and parents who made the event successful. A special shoutout to the boy/cub scouts who were helping in the cafeteria.

Later this week I have meetings in Palymra/Hannibal/Other Rural North East towns. Other people have meetings in cities, we have to find the most country places we can for meetings.

Happy Fall!

Alicia Update

Alicia is back home. They have her refreshed and ready to tackle a few days of fighting through this routine at home. It is expected that she will need to be hospitalized at least once, if not two or three more times. Just all part of the process.

She has twelve radiation treatments left! They way the radiation works, she doesn't walk out of that final appointment and the body starts healing. Rather the radiation continues to "cook" the cells for weeks after the final dose. It will take time, she will still be fighting the pain and other side effects of the treatments up to a month after they are done. But the more they can tear her down now, the stronger she will be rebuilt.

I will say, I knew that she would be in pain. I have done my research and thought I knew what to expect, how to support her, what issues may come up. And some of the process has been worse than I imagined, while others are not so bad. The burns on her neck aren't as bad as I had prepared. Her nausea is much worse. Actual everything is much more wave-like than I previously realized. A wave of feeling good can carry her pretty far. A wave of pain or sickness can really drag her down, and the higher the wave of bad the harder it is for her to swim to the top before the next wave takes her over again. That's when she has learned to ask for help. I still can't believe how mentally and physically strong she is; and that makes seeing her in pain so much worse. There is more I want to say, but I don't have the right words today.

Thanks again to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers.
If you have any questions let me know!
Sarah

Hospital stay 2

Well, I'm typing this update from Alicia's hospital room. She was admitted yesterday morning to try and regain control over the pain and nausea. Alicia is still hanging on knowing that the end is in sight. She did her 20th radiation treatment today and has 15 to go, so that has been a boost.
She wants me to make sure that everyone knows the reason she is in the hospital isn't the cancer getting to her, it is the cancer treatments kicking her butt. And she feels better here than anywhere (the meds are better too).

All of the offers of service and help are more than appreciated, and right now Alicia is most looking forward to hanging out and having some fun once this is all over.

I'll let everyone know when she heads home.
Sarah