The Pen is mightier than the cancer

In celebration of Kirstin's remission, Terry a friend of ours who hand makes pens, designed her a cancer emblem pen which he hand crafted. Trust me these photos do not do this craftsmanship any justice ... but its the best I could do

The Violet ribbon has been crafted into the wooden grip ... how ... I got no idea!! but it looks awesome.

And ... mother was not left out of the loop here ... mom got her own exquisite pen. Now she cant wait for the next board meeting to really 'step out in style'.

Even the strong have their weak points

The chemo ... we manage that well ... the flu ... well that put a bit of  a strain on things ... but Eishh this one is a problem ...

The good side to her taking the Tamiflu is that it seems to have resolved the insomnia caused by the steroid Prednisone.
So the flu is taking its toll a bit but Kirstin is still fighting on. Its weird how sometimes a sad thing can be a motivating thing! Today at chemo was a 14 year girl with the same cancer and at least it showed Kirstin that she is not alone in this war game.

Chemo - Regimen 3 ... the half way mark

Kirstin is half way and in remission ... so lets make the best of it ...

Get your favourite magazines, Seventeen and Heat, put your feet up and lets ride the remission wave ...

And when you done with the magazine, take time out to have a serious discussion with the 'hair thief'

Just in case you forgot the connotation of the 'hair thief' ... here is a pictorial description ala Kirstin of  what was responsible for her hair loss ...

And then when you really bored ... just engage in a discussion with a new friend who has also suffered hair loss ...

And when its all over and you get home and find that your head is a bit cold ... well just put on a 'live' beenie ...

I have heard the term - Chemo Brain - but today I think I witnessed it first hand !!

PET Scan - Prelim. Results

There are many good doctors but I believe that 'extra mile' personal interaction is what makes an excellent doctor. When its your child that's in need of medical attention then one wants excellent ++ doctors and that we have most definitely got. Dr Sarli, the specialist who removed the tumour, still takes time to chat to Kirstin and has a genuine interest in her progress and well being. The 'birds of a feather flock together' statement holds true here because Dr Sarli informed us that he had chosen Dr Brittain to manage Kirstin as he felt that Dr Brittain was the right doctor to deal with Kirstin on a personal level. I do actually think that he chose Dr Brittain to manage, not only Kirstin, but more the neurotic parents.

The PET Scan results normally take three days before they are sent to the oncologist so we were geared for a three day miserable and stressful wait. The scan was done on Monday and we saw Dr Brittain on Tuesday. We had hardly sat down in the chair when Dr Brittain smiled and said don't worry "I have phoned the radiologist myself". I do not believe that I have any gay tendencies but I could have jumped up and kissed him!! And then he turned to Kirstin and said that little word that has become so sought after by us .... Remission

Remission: Disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer. When this happens, the disease is said to be "in remission." Semper Fi - Hoorah ... we have reached winning step No. 1! 

Obviously our goal is to hear the most important word - cured - but for two months into treatment, the word remission is worth gold. So in layman's terms ... 'its not over till the fat lady sings' but for now the remission tune is doing wonders for the neurotically insane parents. For Kirstin ...well she is happy but like she says she will hold her excitement till she hears the phrase ... No more Chemo ...

So the chemo regimen plan is going ahead and we have entered Regimen 3 now ... yes we have reached the middle - Hoorah!!

PET Scan - Semper Fi ..... Hooraah

Semper Fidelis is the the Motto of the United States Marine Corps. Latin for always faithful. Faithful to God, Country, Family and the Corps. When a marine says Semper Fi, other marines will respond by saying hoorah. I personally have always believed that it is a truly great motto but never took interest in it in any other way. Well not until Jordan starting watching her favourite series; NCIS. The motto is often used in the programme and because of Jordan's love for the programme we have used it within the family whenever something good happens.

PET Scan No. 2 - Monday 2011-05-23

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that uses a radioactive substance (called a tracer) to look for disease in the body. The medical explanation is inserted for those that still may think that a PET Scan is a veterinary science administered by the local animal shelter.

PET Scan 2 was done before Chemo regimen 3 to enable the oncologist to determine whether Kirstin is on the right chemotherapy track. It is a long process but well worth the wait.

Lets go on a walk through into the PET Scan world:

08:00 - The radioactive substance or tracer is injected via the vein. She is then in isolation and the parents are sent to go and keep ourselves busy. The tricky part of this 'tracer' is that she has to lie still and may not move, read or do anything of the sort because any movement affects the tracer spread through the body. And as Kirstin will tell you ....its a long wait!

09:30 - The PET Scan is performed and takes approximately 30 minutes.

10:00 - Kirstin is taken to an isolation room where she must remain for 1 hour because she is 'radioactive'.
11:00 - The medical staff check that all is alright and she is released from isolation.

Work without pleasure would just be plain boring as will medical treatment be without a good laugh every now and again. And yes, Kirstin will find ways to amuse herself in any circumstance!
A huge pregnancy warning signboard is just the opening gap for a 'dash' of amusement.

Sisterly love

When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown

When we as a family decided that we would all shave our heads in support of Kirstin ... the only opposition we encountered was ... Kirstin! According to her we would look like an embarrassing version of some weird Adams family.
Kirstin's sister decided that if keeping her hair makes Kirstin happy then so be it however she, being a strong willed child, still decided that she would show support by cutting short of her beloved 'golden locks'. Once again one sees the strange side of life because we have always been used to Jordan with long hair and one does not realise how stunning she actually looks with short hair.

If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child. ~Linda Sunshine