4th Chemo

Bonnie had great day today as she got her 4th chemo treatment.


Although she looks a little bit like a smurf today with her blue hat and sweater! She continues to work and take care of things while she is getting her treatment.

We are hoping the side effects aren't too bad although she usually takes it easy for the first week after treatment. I'll keep you informed of how she is doing.

Helen

Chemo Gets Stalled

I know it has been a while since I have blogged, it seems as though time has been flying by between stuff in the store, traveling and of course dealing with cancer.

This morning Bonnie and I arrived right on time for her 4th chemo treatment armed with all of our various snacks and books to help pass the time. They did all the usual vitals and the blood draw and then we went in for Bonnie's appointment with Dr. Inhorn (she sees him before each treatment). He wanted all the details of how things have gone in the last 3 weeks since her last treatment which of course between the two of us we were able to give him an earful of all the little details of Bonnie's health. Dr. Inhorn is very pleased with Bonnie's progress and the tumor has shrunk so that it is no longer palpable. I of course insist if you can't feel it then it must be gone and do we really need 3 more treatments? He explained that there can still be millions of cancer cells there that you can not feel and that all the studies have indicated that 6 treatments is the magic number. He and I have gone over this before but I just like to make sure Bonnie is not having any unnecessary treatments!

Then we were free to go to the infusion room and get all comfy. They have these wonderful comfortable chairs for the patients and the usual straight backed chairs for the care giver. Really I don't mind because I am up and down a lot getting drinks or food and then just my usual wandering around! Bonnie's nurse, Caroline kept walking back and forth saying hang on there is going to be a change. Bonnie is thinking oh something good is going to happen, I am thinking here blood work isn't good enough and we are going home. Well I was right (yes I had had this sense she would not get her treatment all morning) her blood levels were too low which means her immunity is too compromised for her to get the chemotherapy. Bonnie responded with "UGGHHH" and I believe her real thought is this may happen to others but I am strong and healthy and it is not supposed to happen to me. So we packed everything back up and made a new appointment for next Tuesday when her blood levels should be much better.

From there we went to Whole Foods and got some Vitamin D, which they are saying helps boost immunity. Then Bonnie called for an acupuncture appointment and is already going in for her chiropractic appointment tomorrow. She is resting now and as well is admitting that she has been a bit more tired lately. So if you see her in the next few days please know she is not hugging and is keeping her distance from everyone to make sure she doesn't pick up any extra bacteria. Her birthday is tomorrow, Wed Oct 21 and she usually goes away over her birthday but with all the treatments and such we have made no plans to go anywhere except maybe a trip to Freeport!

A few weeks ago Bonnie was on interviewed for a piece on channel 13 that aired on September 30. They were talking about the trial she is in and her excellent prognosis. If you missed the show here is the link http://www.wgme.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wgme_vid_747.shtml.

So what have we been doing in the last month since I blogged?

We went to Napa to her niece's wedding. Bonnie had fun trying on hats! and she enjoyed being with her three sisters too.




Sherry, Pat, Bonnie & Barbara

Then we went to the unveiling of the anchor honoring President Bush.


President Bush invited everyone over to Walker's Point and we all had a great time visiting!

We have been walking at the beach every morning, not only do we love it but the dogs do too!


Everyone is making scarecrows and this is Bonnie's, she calls him 'Storekeeper 41'

And that is my daughter Audrey sitting with them!

And this is what Bonnie is doing now while I am writing this blog.

I am so glad that she is resting and taking care of herself as it is hard for her to do that.

Thanks again for all your kind wishes and prayers, Bonnie is very appreciate of all the well wishers and the love she feels from the entire community.

Helen

So after the second chemo treatment last week it has been a week of ups and downs for Bonnie. A couple of good days but more harder days with stomach issues and just feeling crummy. Saturday was a three dog day.









Greta managed the right side, Lily had the middle and Ali took charge of Bonnie's left side :-)

Fortunately Sunday was better and a little retail therapy helped! Bonnie found a couple of soft fleece hats at Kittery Trading Post which put a smile on her face!

Today we went back to Mercy for the weekly blood draw and as well Bonnie was interviewed by Kim Block from channel 13. They are doing a segment on breast cancer at Mercy that will air on September 30 between 5 and 6:30pm (we will know exactly when it will be on and remind you closer to the date).










Getting wired for sound!











Bonnie with Kim Block after they did the interview.











Bonnie, Kim Block, Mike (the Camera Guy), Dana and Dr Inhorn having a discussion of what they would film next.










They wanted a shot of Bonnie talking with her oncologist, Dr Inhorn

It was a busy day at the hospital and then we hurried back to Kennebunk to meet with the interior decorator for Bonnie's new cafe.........H.B. Cafe 2










That's another story for another day!!

Oh and by the way, the doctor was very happy with Bonnie's blood work today!

Helen

2 treatments down only 4 to go!

Yesterday Bonnie and I headed up to the infusion center at Mercy Hospital for Bonnie's second chemo treatment.

Everything went very smoothly and we were out of there by 4:30pm which was an hour quicker than last time. Bonnie was able to have a massage while she was getting the chemo which was a nice treat for her. They give her a healthy dose of Benadryl which makes her pretty sleepy so
she dosed a lot in the chair and listened to her new ipod









and ate lots of snacks.









When she got home Bonnie went to sleep very quickly and was able to enjoy a good night's sleep. Today she has had a busy day and felt great which is an effect of the steroids they give her for the side effects. She is in her usual great spirits thanks to so many wonderful and kind folks praying for her and cheering her on!

Helen

Shaving

So last week I cut Bonnie's hair with Greta's clippers!









But then there were lots of really short tiny hairs falling out all over the place. So we decided to get the clippers out again and shave away all her hair.

As soon as Greta







saw me getting out the clippers she disappeared!

We went out on the back deck so all the hairs wouldn't get all over the house!









The view from there is beautiful!

This time we set the clippers to the shortest setting and got this










which was just stubbly and now we just had even shorter hairs falling out.

So we got a razor and some shaving cream









and shaved her head!

And this time we got this










Bonnie is really happy with her nice shaped head and doesn't mind being bald except her head is cold. Fortunately wearing a hat helps keep her head warm so we have had some fun shopping for new hats!!

Helen

Going, Going, Going Gone!

This is the morning to get rid of the hair! So much of it is falling out and it is everywhere so Bonnie decided it was time to go!










Before the shearing began, she is excited to get it cut very, very short!










Half of her head was done!










What a beautiful head and Bonnie loves it!










And a great hat to finish the look!

Yesterday Bonnie saw Dr Inhorn again yesterday and he is very pleased with how well she is doing in her treatment. Of course her white blood count is low which is expected and he is confident it will be back at a good level for next weeks chemo treatment.

So in the mean time Bonnie is cautious of germy things and is installing Purell hand sanitizer dispensers in the store for everyone to use. As we all know money is a huge carrier of germs (Bonnie heard on TV that swine flu can live on money for two weeks) so Bonnie is trying to be even more mindful of washing hands/sanitizing after handling.

Bonnie is looking forward to a busy weekend with terrific weather and lots of fun before her next treatment on Tuesday.......until then.

Helen

An update

So it has been 10 days since Bonnie's first chemo treatment last Tuesday. The first couple of days were a breeze and all was going very well until Thursday night when Bonnie began experiencing significant joint pain. She described it as shooting, electrical pain in her elbows, wrists, knees and ankles. Friday was a hard day for her with a lot of pain and difficulty sleeping and just getting comfortable. Saturday started off pretty tough but by the afternoon she was beginning to feel better and we headed down to the beach for a short walk and a little fresh air. Bonnie called the doctor finally on Saturday (I had been away Thursday to Saturday finishing up moving) after a little pressure from me and the recommendation was to take Advil and Tylenol. It was hard to get ahead of the pain but by Saturday night she was feeling a little better. Sunday we went back to the beach and this time walked in the water which was very helpful for her knee and foot pain so we did that again on Monday and Tuesday.

A trip to Mercy for the weekly blood draw was Tuesday's event and she got a thumb's up on the blood work. Her white blood cells are a little low (3.5 down from 5.2) but they said not to worry unless it goes below 3. Dr. Inhorn also said they will give her something more for pain after the next chemo treatment to avoid that much discomfort.

Yesterday we went to Sanford to the Cancer Center for Bonnie's consultation with the radiation doctor, Celine Godin. She was very nice and gave Bonnie lots of information about radiation and the process involved with that part of the treatment which will occur in early February.

So now Bonnie is feeling pretty well, not 100% but good enough to be working and keeping everything running well in the store. This is the time when her white blood cells will be the lowest so she is keeping her distance from many people and is being extra cautious about washing her hands etc. So please ask her about hugging right now because she is very sensitive to all the germs out there and definitely does not want to get sick now.

Bonnie is waiting for her hair to fall out! Dr Inhorn and nurse Caroline have a bet going between 2 weeks and 3 weeks from her first chemo treatment. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Helen