Second Verse...a little bit worse than the first

So, half-way done with chemo at this point. I would love to report that we are doing some sort of tribal dance around the house to celebrate, but the truth is Chris has been feeling pretty sucky. (I don't think that counts as a curse word either--at least not a first-string, Varsity swear word.) I do, however, acknowledge that it lacks sophistication (or at the very least, creativity)...but it DOES seem to sum up how he's actually feeling.

He had round 2 on Thursday. An angel-like oncology nurse, Jenny, saved him from becoming a human VOODOO doll at the hands of another nurse. I won't call out the poor woman who tried to get things started, but I did fear for her life when she told Chris to go to his "happy place". Tutu and I just held our breath and Chris very calmly replied, "Well, it sure isn't here."

After Jenny took over, things went pretty well. The Infusion Center wasn't very crowded, so Chris could keep the "inmate talk" to a minimum. (That's what our friend, Ansley, calls it...you know, "What are you in for? How long have you got?") Back home Thursday afternoon and then he was pretty much in a chemo-coma until Monday. He did come out to enjoy some good eats and to verify the fact that his hair seems to be GROWING! Especially the ear hair-- and that was supposed to be one of the perks...huh.

So, we know that the good stuff far outweighs the bad, but he is just sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I think he was also in need of a break from being upbeat and positive and just wanted permission to be pissed. Permission granted...and he got mad for the first time. In case you were confused about real swear words--he held a seminar at home last night. I mean he really came up with some original and extremely entertaining combinations. Sims, you would have been proud.

He worked yesterday and made it to the kids' music performance last night. Janie had a speaking part and more importantly, her brother did not. I'm still not sure why anyone gave that girl a microphone, but she did well and was most pleased with herself.

So, today seems to be a better day. Chris is done being mad and we are back to being unbelievably thankful for family and friends. Thanks to those who continue: to pray (even when we are whining), to show up with amazing comfort food, to send hilarious cards/meaningful e-mails, to take care of our kids at a moment's notice and to appear at our back door with a carton of eggs, a 6 pack of toilet paper or a new kids' movie (man, did it rain this weekend!)

We are also grateful for a God who is big enough to handle our frustration, our praise, our flashes of understanding and more often, our befuddlement. (Sometimes all of the aforementioned at the same time).

Hope all is well with y'all. Please let us know what is going on with you and yours...after all, you know WAY more about what's happening at 179 Stewart than you probably bargained for.

Much love, Katherine and Chris

And Breakfast Fairy/B'fast Bandit who filled our freezer--THANK YOU and PLEASE identify yourself!!

Buzz

Sorry that I haven't posted, but we have been enjoying a relatively "normal" stretch of time. The Friday-Sunday following chemo were pretty rough, but Chris worked Mon 10-4 and then the rest of the week he was back to a regular work schedule and able to help around the house.  I tend to cry at weird times--the latest being when I saw him taking the garbage to the street last week.  It was great to celebrate something so mundane...or maybe I just really don't like taking out the trash.  

On Wednesday night Chris attended a chemo kick-off party thrown by his partners.  He received a sweet mullet wig and stylish mustache as well...I think that Sean may be the one to thank/blame!  They even wrapped them in vintage Lone Ranger paper--nice touch.  Friday afternoon Miss Sherry gave Chris a buzz cut with the kids looking on and jeering and cheering.  They think that it is hilarious and I think he looks pretty darn good.  I have been asked if I will be shaving my head as a sign of solidarity--but let's be honest, only one person in this relationship is good-looking enough to pull off bald.  I would look like a 6 foot Q-tip.  

We then headed to Janie's first soccer game.  As I was muttering something to myself about the fact that kids shouldn't play sports until they can put on their own &%$# equipment...Janie had her own mantra going, "please let me be on the pink team-please let me be on the pink team."  We searched for the right field and coach and what do you know--the girl is on the pink team.  

We enjoyed the amazing weather over the weekend.  Three more soccer games (make-ups due to the rain last weekend) some real cajun cooking Saturday night, and we even got to see Maclaine (teenage niece) play soccer on Sunday.  Chris had been concerned about his allergies during all of this...Dr. McCoy said that one pleasant side effect of the chemo is that patients usually don't have to deal with allergy issues.  So, for the first time since I have known Chris (15 years...no comments, DT and J)--no sneezing this Spring.  At least not yet.  

Thank you all for prayers, food, laughter, words of encouragement and "the bottle of bourbon at the end of the tunnel" (it has a prominent place on the counter!)

Specific prayer requests right now would be for Chris's grandmother (Gigi) who just had surgery in Memphis and is still in the hospital and for Chris's parents Sue/Tutu and Bob/Chief.  They are taking this "sandwich generation" thing to a whole new level.  In the last month they have--gone to Missouri to help welcome Lindley's precious baby girl (and wear out her 2 older siblings), driven to TX to help Zanna and Jon relocate, been to Memphis to help with Gigi and in their spare time--they have been busy helping us!

**Things at work have really fallen into place (one of Chris's main concerns) as several cases have recently settled.  So, the quote of the week comes from Lee Welborn (one of Chris's partners).

"Chris, when God wants to clear your calendar...GOD WILL CLEAR YOUR CALENDAR!"

 

One Down...

Thursday went.  And thanks to all of you who equipped us with magazines, mints, books, new music, crosswords, the fabulous Chemosabe shirt from Miss Gail (and the "other" shirt from Emmy!), homemade banana bread, and all of the other things that I am sure I am forgetting. Can you get "chemo brain" by proximity?  Dr. McCoy joked that Tutu and I looked like Chris's sherpas as we headed into the Infusion Center, but we wanted to be prepared...or at least not be bored.   

We found a quiet corner and Chris got "hooked up" soon after.  It was a rough start (when Chris turns pale it is always cause for concern) but once things got flowing, he was fine.  I can't tell you exactly how he felt--he was into his book and into his head and dealing with it all as best he could.  

So, I'll bore you with what I was thinking.  When we walked into the room (picture a huge place with lazy boys and attempts at "homey touches" but every other person is having bags of poison pumped into them), I just kept looking down so that I wouldn't throw up on anyone.  (For those that don't know, I am a huge wimp when it comes to anything that is hospital-like...sometimes I can just drive too close to Kennestone and want to hurl).  But at some point during the day, maybe it was that one of the nurses sang a gospel song upon request, maybe it was hearing the grandmother take a break from her treatment to tell her grandchild away at college to "eat right and hit the books" or maybe it was the lovely couple from South Africa who kindly offered words of wisdom and encouragement...my image of all of it changed.  I was able to get over myself and look up and actually see them.  And they were no longer sick people with tubes running into them--they were husbands, wives, mothers, friends, grandparents, one teenager--and they were all fighters.  

We clapped, cheered and teared up as several of the warriors celebrated their last treatment and as weary as they were---they each had a certain bounce to their step on the way out the door.  It was really amazing...not in an "I-want-to-hang-out-there-on-a-regular-basis-way," but very powerful just the same. 

So, back home...Chris had a pretty good night.  His Mom took him back to the doctor this morning for his $5000 booster shot (to keep the white blood cell count up) and his Dad came over to hang out with him this afternoon.  We went for a short family walk after school, had a good dinner, he read to the kids and is now shouting at the UT basketball team as if they can hear him through the TV.  So, things seem somewhat normal--he just feels like he was run over by a bus and the kids are disappointed that his hair hasn't fallen out yet.  

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers (and to the Marietta Mafia for providing childcare!)  

Much love, 

Katherine and Chris (who is nodding as I clear this with him--"yeah, yeah...sounds good...REBOUND!!" So, thanks to March Madness I can post whatever I want!)  

Game on.

A great visit with the oncologist today (what a strange sentence).  

Dr. McCoy spent a lot of time explaining all of the results from last week's tests.  Here's my take (and save your heckling--I realize webMD and mayoclinic.org don't qualify me to explain much of anything). Chris aced them all...bone marrow is clear, PET scan didn't show any additional rotten spots, literally blew them away on his lung test, heart was perfect, LDH was normal and some blood sedimentation test rated him as a 1 (the lower the better).  He's pretty much the picture of health except for this lymphoma thing.  He is officially staged as having 2A Classic Hodgkin's.  Given what we already knew, this was the best possible news he could have gotten today (second only to "Just Kidding").  

So, it's time to get after it.  Chris chose to start chemo this Thursday rather than wait until next week.  He'll have chemo every other week for the next two months with a radiation chaser.  We've gotten some great chemo pointers from Allison and Josh, but any other ideas about how to prepare and/or pass the time in the infusion center are welcome.  We do have a bootleg version of Slumdog Millionaire to watch on the laptop.  (I would thank the neighbor who dropped it off, but it might get her in trouble with the feds).

Janie was very concerned and quiet tonight after I picked her up from MMargaret's.  She asked very sweetly (and to know her is to know that is not her normal tone of voice), "But what are they going to do to Daddy on Thursday?"  I pulled the car over and tried to explain how they would put the chemo into his body to start fighting the cancer.  "Like karate?  Yes, Tate--a lot like karate.  And the chemo will be  hi-yahing so fiercely that it will make Dad pretty tired and probably make his hair fall out."

"HIS HAIR WILL FALL OUT?  HE WILL BE BALD?  Yes, for a while."

I braced myself for tears or at the very least more questions.  And then they started cracking up... I mean we had to race home to avoid people wetting their pants they were laughing so hard.  

Janie even tried out her new joke tonight (taught to her by Maggie, I think).  "Dad, why did the eagle get his hair cut?  Because he wanted to be a BALD eagle!"  Usually our kids' jokes don't even have a punch line--much less one that is topical.  

So, they appear to be tough like their Dad and slightly warped like their Mom.  Both will serve them well.  

Thanks for all of the calls, notes, e-mails and especially your prayers. (We got a very sweet prayer-gram today from Germantown Baptist in TN.)  God is good, life is good and while Hodgkin's was not something that Chris wanted on the '09 calendar--he is ready.  
Good night--K

Tutu's Turn

Katherine asked me a day or so ago if I would want to contribute to the blog since I spent most of Wednesday with Chris.  My first reaction was not concern over the days events but hesitation mainly centered on the fact that Kath is really a great writer!  She's able to convey their prayer concerns, events of their daily lives and the genuine love for all of you who are faithful to hold them up. The support and love and kindnesses are amazing.  I am sure that I speak for all the Harrisons when I say, "Muchas gracias."  See Katherine, I am fluent also!  Hope I don't lose any followers--she will return for the next post.

Wednesday Chris and I (both rule keepers) followed instructions to see a video for all patients at the center.  We searched for the fast forward button, but to no avail.  Thankfully, the nurse came in and rescued us not long afterwards. Lots of details about Chris's specific case were reviewed and we were given a tour of the treatment center.  The most important aspect of the visit was the bone marrow biopsy, the details of which only Chris can reveal.  It's not that I don't want to . . . it's just that I wasn't in there.  They escorted me to the "media" room and kept me occupied with Girl Scout cookies.  We were out of there by 12:30 and, of course, Chris went back to work. Our other companions, Katherine and Chief, had to work all day, so we filled them in at dinner.  Tate was especially impressed with his Dad's tales of the lab. More tests today, and then it's back to see Dr. McCoy on Monday.

To borrow Chris's words, we all sense the presence of prayer warriors and the soldiers who are walking along side and joining him in this battle.  I agree with Katherine; there is no greater gift than your prayers.  Thank you for the earthly signs you have become of our heavenly Father's love and faithfulness.  

"What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms..."

Love, 

Tutu (aka Sue) Harrison

sorry!

I did something (accidentally) to change the settings and some of y'all have been unable to post.  I think that I have now changed it so that anyone can post (blogger member or not/no password needed).  If it still does not work, I will get Bart (techie bro-in-law) to correct the problem over the weekend.  Sorry to Miss Pam, Wendella, Leigh Anne and anyone else affected by the cyber roadblock.  

K

the real McCoy

We had our first visit with the oncologist yesterday.  Chris, Chief, Tutu and I headed over there armed with his bright orange "playbook" and all of our questions.  We met with his PA, Jan, first. A few folks had warned us that the dietary changes we have been making wouldn't necessarily be met with some sort of marching band.  Not true with Jan!  She was ready to break out her trombone (and her wheat grinder) and had lots of good, practical suggestions to add as well.  Dr. McCoy then spent a great deal of time answering all of our questions and asking lots, too.  He ordered a PET scan, a bone marrow biopsy, heart test, and lung test--all of which is to say that Chris's dance card is full for the next couple of days.  Dr. McCoy will meet with us again Monday pm to discuss all results and officially "stage" this thing, but given what he saw on the CAT scan--he was encouraged and encouraging. So, not too much more to report. Chris should start chemo in about 2 weeks.  

(I almost wrote-"we" should start...even more annoying than when a well-meaning husband says "we're pregnant."  Really?  Are you the one turning green over there? Are you the one who has to get this thing out of your body, too?  No.  YOU are the one who caused all the trouble in the first place!)

I am painfully aware that the physical burden is on him.  

A good friend called the other day--insistent that she do something other than "just" pray.  I assured her that we were fine for now and that she should take away the word "just".  (Like it is some sort of consolation prize in place of a casserole).  I cannot think of anything more meaningful, powerful, useful or personal for someone to do than pray.  It means that you have stepped out of your busy life, away from all of the things/people pulling on you, and held that person up to God.  However you do it, wherever you do it and whatever you say--we thank you for lifting Chris up.  We feel covered in prayer.  

Love, 

Katherine and Chris (who has now taken an interest in the blog and likes to dictate to me...you can imagine how well that is going)

*The kids were more than distracted yesterday while we were at the doctor's office.  They drove (almost) to Alabama to pick up 13 new Leghorn chicks for the farm.  They got to see goats, rabbits, turkeys, pigs and a mule.  They told us that they can't wait to go back with T and Veronica to pick out more animals next month??!!??