TWO CHEMO FRIDAYS TO GO. Christmas Tree Lights Up.

Toni only has two chemo Friday's remaining.   Then 6 days of Cytoxan... and she is done on December 17th with Chemo. Even though the Friday sessions have seemed to become routine, she was still quite emotional yesterday.   Her nurse, Eileen, kept the discussion light and cheerful.  And that helped.   I always get her a warm blanket from the nurse's station, and she immediately immersed herself into the blanket, head to toe;  a small reconciliatory benefit while getting poked and drugged.  

On to the Christmas tree.   We put up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day; doesn't everyone these days?   Toni has aluminum tree.  It is a classic; soon to be an antique.   We are not sure how old it is... perhaps 1960's "vintage." It may be even older than that. Toni got it at an antique store.  We'll have to look at the info on the protective sleeves and see if we can pin down the actual age of the tree.  (Since we are 1962 and 1966 "vintage," I am not sure that properly dates this tree).  There is even the stained glass rotating red, green, yellow, blue light thing as well.   What is cool, is that it really is stained glass, instead of plastic (like newer ones).   Mr. Maggie took to the light and tree (he likes the warmth and chasing the prism like light beams.

Mr. Maggie energizes his eyes after looking at the light too long.

Toni hangs the first ornament of 2009.

Mr. Maggie joins Toni in enjoying the moment.

 

There you go... what a fun tree!

See the hands; they are the actual outlines of the Binion family hands: Roger, Barbara, JoAnna, Emily, Beth, Calleen, Toni's Grandma Gladys, as well as Toni and I.

The Christmas Season is Toni's favorite time of year.   All of her creativity comes out, and this year as we celebrate the Holiday with family, she will have the cancer stuff mostly behind her... with better days ahead.

Potpourri Week: A Friend Visit's, Chemo Countdown, and Other Stuff.

We promised pictures from Becky's visit:

A fascinating barn: note the moss on the roof.  I could not resist stopping to get a picture.

It is on the road to Port Townsend on Whidbey Island.

Becky on the deck of the ferry Puyallup on the cross from Edmonds to Kingston.

Becky and Toni: What wonderful friends.

A tug and tows in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Shell and rock hounds on the beach in Port Townsend.

A former lighthouse in Port Townsend.

A hotel in Port Townsend. There is an unbelievable spiral staircase in the front.

Toni and a "vendor" at the Farmer's Market.   The girl was an awesome salesperson and knew her stuff!

One of many churches built in the 1880's.

If I had to guess, a former Tsunami warning bell.

The VWs just struck me as odd, but cute.

This lighthouse is on the Fort Worden grounds at the point of Port Townsend.

One of the most interesting houses in the city that we saw.

Some what eerie, yet beautiful.

Part of the fishing fleet.

The dark colored vessel is named after Sarah Palin (just kidding).

If you remember, there were comments about her going "Rogue."

Bryan in the new Subaru Outback... we had to say "auf wiedersehen" to the BMW.
I would say in general, we really like the car.   There is a real sense of security, it rides nice, and I can hardly wait until it snows!!!

Gotta love the true sailors of the seas.

Onto to Toni news:   Went to chemo with Toni.   Vicki, her nurse, is off the next two weeks :(

Her counts all look ok, and even her iron is back into the normal range.   She has more of an upset stomach than we remember.   She did not feel well during the week, and even left work quite early one day.   We slept alot on Friday night.   She was wiped out. It was one of those in bed by 6:30pm and up the next day around 9am.  (There was a brief visit to the kitchen to feed the cat, and for a bowl of cereal around 6:30am).

Toni has 3 more weekly chemo visits, then 7 days of Cytoxan, and she is done.

The new Savvy Rest Bed:  We like it.   It is a tad firmer than we experienced in the store.   It is a quite "unconventional" bed.   All natural materials.   We are breaking it in by literally "kneeding" it by stomping on it.   It appears to be working.   We put the heated matteress cover under the pillow top... oh...that helped.   Nice and warm.   I think we'll like this bed.   I am resting easier, fewer pressure points.   Toni is still working out the kinks from her arm and all.

Bryan's eyes:   So, Toni took me to see "Where the Wild Things Are" at the theater.  I vaguely remember the book, and the movie was a bit "here" and "there" but interesting.   Best part... it was the first movie I have ever seen without glasses or contacts.   And it was clear.   Wow.   The eyes seem to be healing ok.  Although it has been 2 weeks... I still have a bit o fuzziness.   Everyone tells me to be patient.   GRRR.

Home for the Holidays on December 18th.   A new target to keep us focused.

Becky visits Toni; New Car; Sleeping on our new bed tonight; Only 4 more Chemo weeks to go.

One of Toni's best friends, Becky Trujillo, came to visit with us for a few days this weekend.   We were so very glad to have her here.   She really energized Toni.   It is probably the best I have seen Toni in weeks.  We have a bunch of pictures to upload (coming soon).  So here is the short summary:

• Thursday - Becky flew in to Seattle; Toni and Becky ran around downtown Kirkland.
• Friday - Becky went with Toni to Chemo. (I was looking for a car). She met Vicki, Toni's favorite chemo nurse.  Tears all around.  Becky joined Toni and me on a quest to replace the BMW.   We chose a 2010 Subaru Outback.   A very good replacement car.  Lots of room, and all wheel drive.   Awesome.
• Saturday - Roadtrip to Port Townsend.   It was a bit blustery and cold, but we had a blast. Took the Edmonds ferry to Kingston and then drove up to Port Townsend.  We snapped a bunch of pictures of the wonderful old homes there, strolled the beaches, viewed lighthouses, ate a wonderful lunch at Sweet Lorette's, cruised around at the town's Farmer's Market, and visited Fort Worden (where the movie Officer and a Gentleman was filmed). 
• Sunday - Had to say goodbye.   Tears all around.  Toni and I set up our new bed. Toni and  I will be sleeping on our new Savvy Rest bed tonight.   We'll let everyone know how it goes.

Toni has 4 weeks of chemo to go!!!

Changing focus from Toni to Bryan just for one blog.

Since Toni is off for two weeks enjoying a break from radiation and chemo (and healing very well may we add), what lies ahead is the update on Bryan's LASIK surgery.

Let me set the stage.   47 years old.   Glasses since 11 (probably needed them at 5).  I did wear hard contacts for a while, but tired of the stick your finger in your eye routine... or trying to find the things.   Finally graduated to progressive bi-focals about 1.5 years ago.   Now... before I switched to progressive lenses, my corrected vision was awesome. 20/15 in both eyes.   I could see a fly a mile away and tell you which way he was looking to go.   Progressives took some of that precision away.   Now I had to look pin-point directly at what I want to see.  However, it was a fish bowl effect.   If you turn your head, the world bends a bit with you. But it was one stop shopping (I could get most of my world into focus just cortorting my head and eyes).  

There is one other advantage to staying with glasses.   I was nearsighted.   If I lifted off the glasses, I could still see fairly close up.  I could not see the dashboard of the car.   But I could hold something within 12 to 14 inches in front of me and see things clear as a bell.   Like the back of a camera, or reading the shampoo bottle, or pills, or ok... you get the idea.

LASIK changed that.  LASIK in a nut shell: Options chosen by me... $3400 total tab.

1. Mechanical flap (the risk is if there is any interuption in the process you have to wait to heal then come back (up to 3 months) or Intralase (the laser... for lack of a better term "cuts a flap that is mostly bubbles).   Intralase can be restarted immediately should an interuption in the process take place.  I did Intralase.
2. Standard or Wavefront.  I did Wavefront. The computer is more involved in mapping the eye into finer sections and is more resilient to the different shapes of the eye.   In theory, a better chance of hitting 20/20.   I did Wavefront.
3. About 30 minutes before the procedure you get a sedative (valium).  Lorazapam I think.  Now I barely felt the effects.   Others going through the procedure were either slightly loopy or rather sedate.   The idea is... you need to be really tired when done.   They want the eyes closed (sleeping is good) for  the first 6 hours or so after the surgery.
4. Surgery was mostly "pain free." I can tell you that if you are claustrophobic... it can get a bit dicey.   There a couple of times (when inserting the suction cups onto your eye) that there is a bit of pressure but not "painful."  I could tell when the flap was cut and when the doctor was "cleaning the eye" after the procedure.   When the process is going on... your basically looking at a red light in the center of a white circle.   What was interesting, and what really helped, was a technician or surgical nurse that coached me as the process took place.   She calmly asked me to relax or gave me a countdown as the processes took place.   But all done in what seemed about 10 minutes.   This particular surgical team was kinda yacking it up and joking with each other, but serious in their efforts.  
5. The surgery started at 11:30 or so.  When I walked out... all was foggy.  I could see ok... but the foggy thing is something that took me back a bit.   I really noticed, my close up vision was changed. My first 6 hours were sort of uneasy.   I did get to sleep off and on... but had quite a bit of discomfort (like I had something in both eyes).   I added more eye drops and took some tylenol.  That seemed to help.   By late evening, the discomfort was pretty much gone.
6. Now I am on day "two."   Saturday's visit to the doctor was mixed.   I have a bit more healing to go than average.   Some of this results from when the doctor flushes out the eye.  I am close to 20/20.   And I am "supposed" to get sharper as things heal.  Yet, I am quite fuzzy.   Like looking in a light fog. This was explained by the doctor as resulting from saline and fluid under the flap.   So think "scab." Now that is a bit extreme, but you get the idea.  When that fluid dissapates with time and the flap heals... the fog should minimize.   I hope so.   I am finding I need a lot more light to be able to see detail.  When it is dark... it is hard to see.  And the drops I am using also enhance that "foggy" state.   Just more fluid pile onto the fluid under the flap, and there you go... light refracting everywhere but where it needs to go.  Doctor says... "you need to give it two months."
7. What has changed?!  Weeellll... alot.  Remember I said I could flip off the glasses and see up close.  Now,  I can't see anything closer (in clear detail) within 30 inches (about my arm length). NOTE: Your focal point has changed to "infinite" like a camera.  Close up is gone (unless you are the younger crowd).  Now reading glasses are mandatory equipment.  Like to see the keyboard I am using... although I can see the monitor just fine from 30+ inches away.  I selected 1.50 diopter glasses at Walgreens, (cheap), until I am two months into healing, and then I will see what I can get to fine tune my near vision.   I can now see the dashboard of the car.  So I think driving will be ok.  Thank heavens for hands free phone dialing if I need to make a call.   (I don't like doing that anyway). So to summarize... I had 3 pair of glasses.   Regular progressives, work safety progressive glasses, and prescription sunglasses.  All in all...frames yada yada... about a $1200.   I have broken two sets of glasses over the last year (they are really cool sounding when you accidentally dropped them or fling them), and then you can't see to find them.  So add on another $500.  The work glasses were horrible.  I was getting headaches because the work glasses had to come from another company (midwest somewhere) and were not a good match to my personal glasses.  I won't be buying $500 work glasses anymore. Yet, my driving sunglasses were super... but no bifocal lense.. so I could not see anything up close anyway, unless I took them off... and then the sun would burn my retinas, and then I was still unable to see.  So... no more $500+ sunglasses. Thus, I will now have regular sunglasses. Which, once I get all tuned in... I will look at obtaining a good pair possibly like the type I wore skiing (which enhances shadowy areas). Then I will still need work safety glasses with a reading lense, but cheap (typically provided for by my company free o' charge) compared to my other glasses, and then reading glasses. And if they fall off, I will most likely be able to find all of them.

There you go... So, Bryan, was it worth it?   I tell you in two months.  I am concerned about the fogginess I am experiencing.   I am also not thrilled with being "around" 20/20, when I was spot on 20/15.  I loved to be able to see things from long distances.  Having to have reading glasses is something I will get used to.    I do like the freedom of wandering around without having to reach for glasses., for instance watching TV or looking out a window, or walking in the rain (talk about foggy... how about rain droppy).  And of course in Seattle... that is 60% of the time.  I was 20/400... and it is a big difference.  At 47, I know I need to resign myself to looking like Barney Miller, Ben Franklin, James Kirk, and my dad.  All with wonderful far vision that could not see the book in front of them.   What I hope to gain, is a different perspective on the world (I am lucky enough to see) from a mountain top, or across a valley, or out towards the ocean.   I always saw things from behind a lense.  It was always skewed in some way.  Selfishly, I would like to look at it differently.  Next up... a camera that captures what I now hope to be able to see in a couple of months.

How are Bryan's eyes?

Bryans' LASIK surgery went well. There were lots of thumbs up from the nurses as I watch the procedure. They let you sit outside the room and watch through a large window. You can actually see what is happening on the video monitors in the room. I didn't actually do a lot of watching of the screens. Kind of icky for me.

Bryan is sleeping now. He was supposed to keep his eyes closed for 4 to 6 hours after the surgery to help with the healing and irritation. He has a complicated schedule for his multitude of eye drops.

His follow-up appointment is in the morning so we'll have more updates then.

Love to all...

Toni's Test Extravaganza

This afternoon was the test marathon.   Toni started the race with an MRI.  An hour later, she was off to mammogram and ultrasound -ville.   After quite a bit of waiting... ok a lot of waiting, we finally met with her surgeon, Dr. Calhoun.   A quick physical and 6 month surgical review finally led to the day's test results... and we are happy to announce Toni is clear of any anomolies.  Dr. Calhoun has always been optimistic about Toni's prognosis. We discussed that Toni would be looking back many years from now and would be considering 2009 as a blip. 

So, it was almost 5 hours of waiting to have a 10 minute discussion that sure sounds promising.  Another major milestone checked off.  Next week, she starts 5 final weeks of chemo.   Unless things change, Toni will be done on December 11th.

Yep, Toni is radiant as ever!

Toni and Bry's Oregon "Trail" Vacation

To celebrate Toni completing her radiation therapy, we scooted off down the coast of Oregon. No work phone or email.   (And there was little reception and no internet anyway).

Finding ZZZZZs.

We started out on Wednesday heading for Eugene, Oregon with the goal of going to Eco Sleep Solutions to check out the Savvy Rest Beds.   They are environmentally friendly natural beds.  Both Toni and I are looking to find something a bit more comfortable than what we have today.   Research pointed us to the Savvy Rest beds.  Well, we found the store and stretched out on a few beds... and we think we found the bed.  And oh my... it was comfortable.   So, we headed off to the hotel to get ready to venture to the coast in the morning.  Of course the bed was hard, and yada yada.

Rockaway Beach.

The rain as seen through the glass sunroof of the BMW.  

Wednesday and Thursday it rained.   Steady.  A lot.   So we did not get to venture off the beaten path much.

However, we did get some fun pictures.

Toni took this picture of the forest as we sat in road construction for a few minutes.

Toni took this picture of the Heceta Lighthouse. We stayed there a year ago. Notice the fog and rain.

 

One of the stops on the way along the coast.

The rare one legged seagull.  Ok... just kidding; apparently this is done to conserve body heat and to relax.

Toni on the beach at Rockaway.   Yep, we saw maybe 10 other people in two days. And a couple of dogs.

A picture of Bryan contiplating life.   As you look into in the ocean, you begin to think about what you have done in life.   I reflected on my tours as a Navy Officer; standing on the bridge of the ship, watching 30 foot waves crash down on her bow.  The ocean is powerful, unforgiving, yet plentiful in life. 

OK, OK, OK... enough of the BS... I was trying to see how close I could get to the seagull.  Note the small waves, the water finally hit the seagull and he flew away. 

Looking to the Southwest from our room on the beach.  This was Friday afternoon late after the rain let up.

Oceanside.

We also ventured to Oceanside, about 9 miles (driving) from Tillamook, Oregon.  

Toni points to a spot in the middle of the cliff.   There is a tunnel there and another beach on the other side.   It was a fun place to look for interesting rocks on the beach.   And if we had been there when the tide is lower (read that as we would have to plan our vacation for lowest tides) there are tidal pools that are supposedly pretty cool.  The tide was low... but not that low.

Rockaway Beach seen from the North on the way home via Astoria, Oregon

Astoria.  Simple said... we will be going back.   We'll need a few days.   A beautiful city.

Toni and I at the Cannery Cafe in Astoria.   We had stopped to get gas... I asked the attendant (ooohhh... remember.... you don't pump your own gas in Oregon) where to go eat... and she pointed us to the Cannery Cafe.   OH MY!!!!! Wonderful.   I had Dungeness Crab in a Louie Salad format (fresh large sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, olive and Louis sauce.   OH MY!!!!!! Unbelievable.  Toni's meal was good too (Veggie Sandwich), but did I mention how good my crab was!!!!!  We are moving there, and I am going to work there, just for the crab.

Toni with the Columbia River behind her.

Although we spent a lot of time in the car driving around, we relished the time together.   Toni showed me glimpses of more energy. And she'll need it over the next five weeks of chemo.  We have a short week coming as well.   We are taking Wednesday off following a Tuesday night concert in which we are going to go see Steve Martin (yes, of Saturday Night Live, Roxanne and so forth fame) and his band.

Thursday afternoon this week, Toni will have her follow-up exam with Dr. Calhoun and will have a baseline MRI, mammogram and ultrasound.   Obviously, the results won't be immediate... but "nothing found" will be what we want to hear.