Reality Check

Following Miki’s fourth chemo treatment about 6 weeks ago, we did not realize that it would be her last at the KU Cancer Center in Lee’s Summit.  We also didn’t know that it would be followed by a couple of tries at pneumonia, spending seemingly valuable time on something other than her cancer, and the realization that the cancer in the lung had grown instead of shrunk.  I think we assumed that somehow a Plan B would come along and pick up where our oncologist left off.  Yeah…not so much.  At least with not much speed.

While in the hospital, awaiting her release, with reality presenting no clear and present direction to go, with the support of friends we applied online to get into MD Anderson in Houston.  We also started a parallel plan to visit KU Med Center and see their lung specialist in hopes of an alternative treatment to Plan A.  Tomorrow KU begins their shot, as we meet with Dr. Huang.  We also received good news bad news from MD.  We have been assigned a doctor, but our date to meet with him is not until Dec. second.  More water under the bridge.

I cannot tell you the range of emotions I run through every time I look at Miki.  When we started this journey, being naive wasn’t so bad.  It put us in a fearless state and this was just a speed bump we’d get over.  Nothing like experience.  At this point we have been knocked down a few pegs and respect the journey a bit more, but are determined to keep moving forward and find a plan that will work, be it X, Y, or Z.  Having the wind taken out of your sails when you think you are going in the right direction is a pretty good reality check.

On a related subject and the constant search for “Where’s Miki’s appetite now?   She had the hankering for some cheese popcorn.  Before I heard the “n” on the word popcorn, I was half way to the grocery store.  Among other things, I returned home with 4 bags of cheese flavored popcorn and a blind taste test ensued.  There was an all natural version from the health food section and 3 others from the “normal” food isle where chips seem to be their own food group.  Since cheese flavored popcorn doesn’t grow up with helicopter parents, there can only be one clear winner, followed by 3 losers, or at least a spectrum or scale of likeability.  In any case, the “healthy” one came in LAST!  Love it.  And she did find a favorite that was the generic “store brand.”  Love that even more. 

Let's see...stale, where's the cheddar taste, bad after taste,
and a strong argument not to pay twice as much for
organic than "normal"!

Nothing festive about this taste!

A respectable second place...O-Ke-Doke!

The clear taste winner...Go HyVee!

A roller coaster day of news.  Good news, bad news, tasty news, and tomorrow will assuredly bring more news.

My Zen from Home:  Tomorrow is another day.  As long as you have that, you have a good start.

This is a locket that a number of teacher friends from my
old school went in together to buy Miki.  It is a Living Locket.
It is meant to keep "Home" close to her wherever she goes.