Needed: Spring Cleaners in Winter

I don't know about you, but I love crossing things off to do lists. I have been known to write things on my to do list JUST so I could cross them off at the end of the day that could've been more productive, you know, stuff like "Wake up", "Brush teeth", etc.

One of the things I want to cross of my list before I leave the Inland Empire is "Work on Mom's house". Shiloh (of Lorien, Shiloh and Aliana) has volunteered to tile Mom's floors in the kitchen and bathrooms and her neighbor is going to install the wood laminate throughout the living and bedrooms, but in order to do these things we need to get the floor cleared. While we're at it, we're going to do a deep clean and purge so when Mom comes home she can start anew.

Many hands make light work, so if you're down to help spring clean in winter, we'd be thankful for the company. Just e-mail or call to sign on up! We'll be at the house the day after Christmas all through the first week of January until we get things done.

Happy Holidays!

Oh Happy Day

Right now I'm listening to Mom snoring since she's knocked out on anti-nausea drugs and benadryl. It's the sweetest sound I've ever heard because today was the very last day of chemotherapy!

We still have doctor appointments and maintenance schedules to set up but no more chemotherapy. It's a good day and of course, here are some pictures to celebrate the occasion!

Thank you for all your well wishes, cards and calls. Even if Mom doesn't feel up to answering the phone, she loves checking her messages and being updated on everyone. Hopefully she'll be getting her strength back soon and will back to her old gallivanting self. I'll be keeping up the blog on her progress until I go back to San Jose. You know, where I live. Don't worry, I forget sometimes too!

Hoodie Love

Mom hearts her hoodie. When she has her hoodie on, she looks like this:But if you try to take her hoodie off (perhaps with cold hands although that is an unsubstantiated rumor), she looks like this:

The Home Stretch

Here it is: the very last treatment calendar!
Mom had her last 5-hour chemo session this past Friday. This Monday she had her Neulasta shot to grow her white blood cells and on Tuesday she had her Bleomycin and we're done for this week. We celebrated by watching our favorite show. Next week she has labs Monday, Bleo Tuesday (aka the LAST chemotherapy treatment aka "GRADUATION"), a lung test Wednesday, a meeting with Dr. Bosserman Thursday and finishes up on Friday with Dr. Ahn, the cardiologist. Then after that she'll be scanned and blood tested every 3-6 months for any new signs of cancer but this phase will be all pau.
Eyes on the prize is the name of the game from here on out!

Only in SoCal...

...will you see a palm tree with a snow-capped mountain in the background! Today Mom had her bleomycin treatment so we came straight home after and piled her with blankets. She got a little nauseous and I gave her Ativan which works quickly on the nausea but also makes her very sleepy. She likes to say I knock her out on purpose but that is just Mean Mom talking. You know, the same one who laughed at me this morning and said I've lost all my color and have no tan lines any more. THEN she called me Blanca Nieve all day. Which is so wrong because we all know I'm more like yellow snow anyway...

Papi

A few weeks ago my cousin Vanessa e-mailed me from Puerto Rico to tell me my dad had a heart attack. At the time, Mom was also in hospital so we decided to wait to tell her about Dad until she felt better. Papi called today and he and Mom talked for awhile. He's feeling better and is out of the hospital with a stent in place. He needs to keep on going to his follow-up appointments and also a class on how to eat and exercise. But he should be fine. Muchos gracias y amor to Vanessa for taking care of Dad and also Titi Widy for keeping us updated. The picture today is from a trip to PR Jorge and I took in 2004, you can find lots more pictures here. So if you're sending a thought or prayer for Dre, please add Papi to your list as well!

The Latest in Chemotherapy Fashion

Pieta, one of the shiny, happy people who work at Wilshire's front desk, has a daughter whose mother-in-law lost a friend to cancer. In her friend's memory, she's been knitting/crocheting (I don't know the diff - sorry!) blankets, hats and scarves for a year and yesterday she donated them all to the cancer patients here. Mom got the cutest pink hat with a pua on the side. Well, originally she was wearing it in the center of her forehead but I know on the left means married and on the right means single, so I'm pretty sure in the middle means something too! It goes well with the pink slippers I picked up at my beloved Target the other day. Here are some pics of Mom showing off her new duds...

O Ke Anuenue

Today as we were walked out of the house for Dre's LAST FULL DAY OF CHEMO, we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow instead of the pouring down rain of a few moments before. It's gonna be okay.

The Last Supper

As I've said before, my friend Nassrin has been invaluable to me during my time in the IE. We've kept our Thursday date nights sacred except for a couple of dire emergencies on my part. Doing something normal like having dinner with a friend went a long way in keeping me sane so I could better take care of Dre. On Tuesday she's leaving for her brother's wedding in Lebanon (I only said I was sane, not her...) until January and the Sunday after Christmas I will hopefully be heading back to San Jose with Davidson. So yesterday was our last supper and we went out in style with deep-fried pickle goodness! With extra sides of ranch because we are both germaphobe double-dippers! And that, my loves, is true friendship...

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Last night Auntie Julie got the troops assembled to start decorating for the holidays. It was lots of fun although I am a tad jealous that Keoni can hang the house lights without using a ladder! That's just cool. Click here for a few more photos. The kids were a little pouty because this year was the first with a "simulated" tree instead of the real thing. But it came out so pretty AND it came prestrung with lights so it was good to go.

It was much better than the time Jorge and I were putting together our Christmas tree and found a mummified mouse. It looked like lint with a nose...

Uncle Michael Kinda Update

See, the thing about updating on Uncle Michael is that he is cut from a different cloth than some/most in our fam. On one hand, you have those, such as my beloved Dre, who are basically the pre-Gore version of the internet. Tell-a-friend, telephone, tell-a-Lu. A more efficient form of communication there has yet to be discovered.

On the other hand, Uncle Michael is just as likely to let the answering machine pick up as he is to answer himself. We talked yesterday about the MacBook that would be best for him, how I was bummed to miss seeing the waves at Mavericks this weekend, how he was bummed to miss riding the big swell coming in - but about his medical condition? Not so much.

He is sounding and feeling good. He has his spinal treatment on Friday. Because he's off of work his insurance got cancelled but he's budgeted for COBRA and his living expenses through the money from the fundraiser. He plans to go back to work in July.

Wow, I suppose I got more out of him than I thought. I guess I'm like my mom like that! Here's a photo of Mom chatting with Uncle Michael yesterday.

Almost There!

Knocking on wood that all of her levels stay up and she remains in good health, this is Mom's last full week of chemo. Her entire treatment should be over the week before Christmas, with follow-up and maintenance afterwards. We still have to visit a cardiologist because her heart rate has been high at times (claps to Dr. Gabrillo's office for changing up staff and getting the authorization quickly!) and there are other tasks ahead. But we're almost through the thick of it and the light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter by the day. Thanks to everyone for all of your support - mmmmwaah!

In a New York Weekend

Davidson had business in New York so I decided to tag along. We each left on Friday and met up in New York. It was nice to spend time together and we crammed as much as we could into the short time we had. I hadn't been to NY since I was a kid and Davidson had never been - there was a lot to do! I had planned to be back on Sunday before Mom's Chemo Week started back up, but the snow prevented that. Thank goodness Jorge was able to step up and take Mom to the clinic and he got to see first-hand how everything goes. Dre said the whole port thing freaked him out a little but he brought Chinese for lunch and all was right in the world. I was able to catch a flight yesterday and arrived last night around 11pm. I'm tired as heck but I'm glad to be back!

Here are some pictures of D & I playing tourist this weekend and the one to the left is of us in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center.

Keoni's 1st Home Game

Keoni is a goalie for his high school soccer team and he had his first home game last Thursday. I really appreciated him wearing bright orange so I could pick him out in a crowd. It made it SO much easier to take his picture! Such a thoughtful boy. Here's Uncle John ad Keoni celebrating his three-to-three tie against a team I never quite caught the name of. See how cute they match? And you can find a few more shots here.

She's Home!

I'm happy to report at Dre was able to return home yesterday afternoon and since Uncle John, Auntie Julie, Dora & Keoni are back from Hawaii as of this morning - the gang's all here! Mahalo nui to all the Hawaii folks who sent over presents. I can't believe Cuz Bobbie got a second job working at Starbucks! Can you think of anyone who needs a caffeine energy boost less than that girlfriend? But thank goodness she does because she gave everyone these cool Hawaiian-design thermoses, yay!

The best news is that all of Mom's tests are now normal and her chemotherapy regimen won't be affected. So we're still on schedule. Here's Mom & her nurse Jaime (she was actually the psycho clown nurse from the Halloween photos) and a small glimpse of Wilshire's holiday decorations.

Lu-Lour & Tito Alex too!

New Kids on the Block (Rosary)

Some of Dre's friends from St. Mary's came by after church and their block rosary group. They put the color back into Mom's cheeks and she was glad to see them. Mom's blood counts are up (this is why I didn't bump these nice people at the door...) and hopefully she'll be able to go home tomorrow or soon after so keep on praying!

Oh, by the way, as angelic as Mom is, the glow in this picture is not saintly but from the overhead lights we affectionately refer to as the EZ-Bake Oven Ray.

Mom's Blood Type is B Positive - Fantastic!

Hola from the hospital! We're still here at San Antonio, hanging out and watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Davidson and Maverick went back to San Jose at 4:30 in the morning, trying to beat the holiday traffic.

Mom is going to be in the hospital until her blood counts come back up, and that might be a while. Chemotherapy affects fast-growing cells, like tumors, but also hair, nails, the lining of your mouth, esophagus, stomach, nails and bone marrow, among others. So that's why her blood has been affected.

On a positive note, she doesn't have a fever and her heart's been rhythmic and regular. AND a bunch of church friends sent a card they all signed, so she was happy. AND we've gotten a call from my cousin Vanessa from Puerto Rico AND Mom's on the phone with Uncle Jimmy right now.

In addition to good vibes for Auntie Nita, let's send some over to Auntie Kelley (Uncle Jimmy's wife), whose grandfather passed away yesterday.

Waiting to Exhale (and Inhale too)

Here's a shot of Dre getting her Darth Vader breathing treatment and showing off the puas Mila and Satoshi brought. Mom is currently getting antibiotics and will have a blood transfusion later tonight. Her complete blood count (CBC) revealed all of her cell counts are down - red blood cells (anemia), white blood cells (neutropenia) and platelets (thrombocytopenia). When all of your cell counts are low it is called pancytopemia. Mom's Filipino nurse was telling me this and my FOB self thought she was saying "Fancy Topemia" so I tried to google it for a good 10 minutes before I found the Wikipedia entry that explained everything...

So folks, because Mom's white count is down she is especially susceptible to infection and isn't allowed visitors. I know this is hard because when friends and family call she can't talk for long because of her dry mouth and now Mean Luana is telling you you can't visit her either. But let me assure you isolation is probably harder on her gallivanting soul than anyone. I show her the blog and your messages often during the day and it makes her happy.

Mom would like to send hugs and aloha to Auntie Nita, who's going to the hospital to treat her kidney stones on Monday. MMMWAAAH Auntie Nita - love you!

Friday Farings

We're still at San Antonio Community Hospital. Mom's temperature is back to normal, but her heart rate is still intermittently high. We're on a special cardiac floor of the hospital were she gets her heart monitored 24/7. We're waiting to see a cardiologist since everyone's on vacation and the on-call guy is overwhelmed. Mom is also wheezing and congested - once again, it could be a cold or it could be the chemo affecting her lungs. She'll have another breathing treatment this afternoon.

And that's all the news from Room 358A!

And even more...

If you happen to be wondering about tonight's prolific posts - Mom and I are waiting for Ugly Betty to come on on her hospital TV and I've got time on my hands. Here is a pic of me and the Mav in Uncle John folks' luscious backyard. Oh which reminds me - congrats to Keoni-boy who just got SCUBA certified on the family vacation in Kauai!

Maverick is named after my very first car, the penny-colored 1973 Ford Maverick Grabber that previously belonged to Auntie Julie, and was originally purchased new and driven by Grandma Dawn. Like the car, his beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

From All of Us to All of You

Thank you

Muchos Gracias &

Mahalo Nui Loa!

(oops, almost forgot SALAMAT!)

A New Thxgiving Tradition: The Pupusa

Jorge stayed with Mom at the hospital while Davidson and I went to play husband and wife and have dinner together. Davidson, clearly the chef in our little 'ohana of two, was all set to roast his organic turkey and had his menu all planned out but it was not meant to be. So we had some delicious hole-in-the-wall fare instead. Platanos mas duros, crema, frijoles, tamales (the big-as-your-head Salvadorean kine) and of course, a pupusa. The time spent together and the food were both delicious.

Dre & Dr. Gabrillo

Mom's primary care physician and church friend, Dr. Gabrillo came by to check on Mom today. We heart Dr. Gabrillo and he is amazing for "catching" Mom's cancer and getting her on the right treatment path. He is a good man and empathetic professional. We do not so much heart his front office because they need to learn how to call people back, but that's just Mean Luana talking...

Thankful Things

Yes, it is true that we did not intend to spend the night before Thanksgiving going to the ER and being admitted to the hospital but to look at the bright side - we got to see one of our fav people, Auntie Tessie, who came to visit from the OR. Auntie Tessie is the madre of afore-mentioned Cleng and my Dre is Auntie Tessie's daughter Picca's ninang. We're way-back friends. Even though we are getting used to hanging out at San Antonio Community Hospital by now, it's always so much nicer to see a friendly, familiar face!

Mom had a temperature of 101, her heart rate was 130, she had chest pain and was coughing. We called Dr. Bosserman, loving that she was on call btw, and she told us to go to the ER. Right now they think Mom's symptoms are viral - basically she has a cold and since her immune system is suppressed because of chemo, this cold turned into a bigger deal. Or it might be because her Bleomycin affects her heart and lungs. We have to wait to see a cardiologist but they're in short supply since it's Thanksgiving and all.

Another thing we're thankful for is all the calls and well-wishes we got today. See, even without the blog our fam gets the word out!

Have a Heart (Rate)

Today we got a scare because a normal adult resting heart rate should be 60-90 but Dre's was 130 when we went in for Bleo Day. Armin, our sweetheart of a nurse for the day, gave Mom hydration (4 hours) after her Bleo just in case dehydration was causing the problem. It wasn't.

So we had to go get an EKG. The first one was abnormal. Davidson and I were in the waiting room as a 15 minute test turned into a 45 minute one while the lab folks called Wilshire to see what they wanted to do. Another test was ordered and thank goodness, it was alright. Now we're at home (Well, Uncle John folks' home but same difference these days!) with strict orders to head to the ER if she feels weak, has trouble breathing or her pulse speeds up again. The Bleomycin can affect heart and lung function so any time anything's off we have to act quickly.

The whole ordeal was tough on Mom because Bleo Day is always a challenge with flu-like symptoms and instead of about half an hour at Dr. Bosserman's getting Bleo and then going straight home to bed, we were running around and getting tests done and getting in and out of the car. She had to use a wheelchair because she was so weak and if you could have seen her little bald self looking so small in that chair, oh it was just heart-breaking.

Today's picture is of Dre and my husband Davidson (in case you've forgotten what he looks like because I sometimes feel I have...), who's down with Maverick, our pug/Boston terrier, for Thanksgiving. I'll post a picture of Mav later because, well, he's not the most photogenic of dogs. But, like every woof of a blind date - he's got a great personality!

Working Up to the Turkey

Tomorrow my hub Davidson and my bug Maverick are driving down from San Jose to spend some quality time during Turkey Week. We plan on doing some work over at Mom's house so even you'd like to volunteer to help us clean and fix-it (I think I have folks who will do the tile and wood floors, but if you know how to fix a roof or a fence that would be good!) or would like to Mom-sit for me - please let me know!

Goodnight Sweetheart

Mrs. Dorothy LaDue, Grandma Margie's mother, passed away yesterday morning. I talked to Grandma Margie and being Grandma Margie, she asked if there was anything she could do for MY mom. So, if you're able, make sure to give YOUR mom a hug and kiss and tell her how much she means to you...

Our Fathers

Yesterday after her chemo, Dre and I popped over to the Pacific Eye Institute down the street to visit with Father Bernie before he had his cataract check-up. Father Jerry was his chauffeur that day so I got to chat with him about his time as a priest in Peru and his current "retirement" as the St. Mary's priest. Father Jerry is good times and a scratch golfer. (I can use this term because Papa Koe explained to me what it means.) Mom was happy to visit with her priests and it brightened her day. Things start getting ugly as far as side effects go around Wednesday of Chemo Week so we're thankful for anything that perks her up!

Thoughts & Prayers

Mrs. LaDue, Grandma Margie's mother, is in the San Diego Hospice after suffering a stroke this past weekend. Please join us in sending our warmest thoughts and prayers to Mrs. LaDue and all of our family in San Diego during this difficult time.

A Good Deed Done

We're back at Wilshire for Mom's 5-hours-a-day, 5-days-a-week treatment. Yesterday some super-cute Girl Scouts from Troop 355 out of Chino came by with blankets they had made for cancer patients. The girls used their cookie money to buy the fleece and supplies to make the blankets. Dre was happy because her blanket was purple (her fav color) with pink ribbons. Yay Girl Scouts!

Koa's 7th Birthday

And on Sunday we had the best time at Koa's 7th birthday party! Koa is my mom's youngest brother's (Jimmy) oldest son. Having a Mom who does events for a living is definitely a plus when it comes to cool birthday parties. The theme was Tony Hawk and everybody came with their scooters and skateboards. Above is a short video of Koa catching a quarter after balancing it on his elbow - neat trick. And you can go here to see more photos of the day.

Quest for the Dress

Then on Saturday, Lorien and I went out in search of dresses for Queena's wedding. Her colors are cocoa and whatever color blue Brian's eyes are. QB couldn't make it as planned because of family matters, but since Lor and I are all excited to plan her wedding anyway, we decided to shop for her. She may not let us any where near her wedding after she saw some of the outfits we tried on, but we had fun! I'm the Matron of Honor so I would appreciate someone coming up with a better word than "matron" to describe my duties.

Congratulations to the Carbonnieres!

The last couple of days of her "break", before she starts her 5-day chemo regimen, Dre feels almost back to her old self. So this weekend we did a lot of gallivanting. First up, on Friday, Mom's friend Evelyn came to pick her up for Christine & CJ's wedding. This is Christine, Rusty & Mar's daughter, not Kristine, Lour & Alex's daughter. The wedding was butter yellow, because that is the color all weddings should be, in my opinion! Dre got to wear the cute hat Ma (Davidson's mom) got her. She partied til the wee hours and didn't even need a sleeping pill to fall asleep, so it was a great night.

But because she was out all night, she missed tasty Donohoo's fried chicken night back at home because we were celebrating Keoni making his high school soccer team. WTG Keoni!

November is as November Does

Here's Mom's November schedule. Next week she starts her 5 hours-a-day for 5 days chemo treatment, so send all your best vibes!

Bleo Day

Folks, any medicine that makes you feel like you have the flu doesn't qualify as medicine in my book. I'm just saying. On the 2nd, the 9th and the 16th of each of her cycle, Mom has a bleomycin infusion. It works out that every single Tuesday is Bleomycin day. Bleo makes Mom feel like she has the flu - nausea,bone aches, chills and that awful sensation that you will never be warm again. Grandma Margie made her a lavender pillow that can be heated in the microwave and that helps while we ride out the night. Here's a pic of Mom doing her Yoda impression on today's Bleo day.

My FoHi Bench Girls (minus Cleng)

One of the things I'm most grateful for is the fact that Dre and I have an amazing support system here in the I.E. From Uncle John, Auntie Jule, Dora & Keoni opening up their home to us, to all the St. Mary's folks who keep mom in their hearts and all our friends and fam who call and write and let Dre know they're thinking of her.

Now, if you know me at all, you know of my complete disdain of Fontucky except for the fact that had I never lived there (for only 2 years, let the record show), I would never have met my Bench4Life friends; Nassrin, Kat and Claire. (And of course you two, Ang & Andrea, but ya'll hung out at the Tree, 'member?)

Nassrin and I meet up during the week at the ungodly hour of 5am to go to the gym and we have a date night every Thursday. Kat keeps in touch and drives down from Santa Monica when she can. Without them, I would feel so lost right now and be of no use to Dre. But I have true friends in my life, and I know I'm lucky.

Oh, and Fontana gave me a lifelong love of the ghetto nails. Gold tips with a spangle-y contrast flower AND glitter rhinestones, be still my gangstar heart...

"Sugar in the Morning..."

As I said/typed previously, Dre is tired of being tired. So when she gets all pent up, she likes to do the one thing she can to relieve tension without expending too much energy.

She futs.

Just kidding! She sings. She sings random songs at random times. She remembers songs she hasn't thought of in years. She makes up songs. She warbles along with commercial jingles. She pretends she's asleep until I go to cover her with a blanket and then she scares the beejeezus out of me by bursting into song. She thinks this is hilarious and falls asleep with a little smirk on her face, plotting on how she will get me next.

I think one of chemo's side effects might be evil-ness. I'll have to Google it later.

In any case, enjoy the video...

More Thursday Guest Stars

On Thursdays, Dre's friends from Eucharistic Ministry come and bring her communion. (Mom would be the one in the middle looking like Mother Teresa.) This Thursday, Susan, Tien and Judy along with two of Judy's kids came over. Mom really does enjoying hearing from her friends and family and spending time with people, but sometimes she just doesn't feel up to it. So, don't take it personally if a phone conversation gets cut short or she hands the phone over unexpectedly - normal, everyday things just take a lot out of her.

Mom's hair is still falling out and the little shaved hairs that are hanging on have decided not to grow. She takes most things in stride but she's tired of being tired!

More Halloween

Adam & Roberta stopped by with 5 of their nieces and nephews (well, 1 niece and 4 nephews) to share in the Halloween spirit. Can you believe Roberta made their costumes, sans wigs of course!

Happy Halloween!

One of the things we like about Wilshire is that they keep things lively! This year's Halloween theme was Under the Big Top and they really got into it.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Uncle Jimmy Joins the Team

Bald & Beautiful, Baby!

Mom, her Pillow Maraschino & Ambien

Mom has this perfect pillow that Jorge and I named Maraschino after a totally unrelated Food Network program. Anyone who comes into the room will hear her sing the praises of this admittedly fabulous pillow.

Because she hadn't been sleeping Mom started taking Ambien. Ambien is a sleep aid and she can get a whole seven hours of sleep compared to the three she (we) were getting before.

One of Ambien's side effects is Sleep Eating. However, she's been calling on our Filipino side and has changed up this particular side effect and turned it into something I like to call Sleep Feeding. This is when she is completely asleep, say at 11pm, and she tells me, "Mija, did you eat? If you don't eat you'll be grouchy and have a headache. Go get some guacamole." I ask her if she wants something from the kitchen and she'll say no but insist that I eat something. So I'll get up and open and close the door and she'll go back to sleep.

This will happen a couple more times at about three , at five, before it's time to get up and she's all rested and bright-eyed while I'm completely groggy and sluggish.

If this keeps up I'll have to start borrowing some of that Ambien!

Gracias por las florecitas Papi!