Saturday, March 12, 2005

Feeling like Hermits.

So, Abby's still doing good, actually really good. We have had to postpone the start of the second part of this phase of treatment again because her blood counts still weren't up high enough of Thursday. On Sunday we will get her blood run again and hopefully she will qualify to start, her ANC has to be around 750 currently it is only 500, good just not good enough.

Lately we really have been feeling like hermits though. A big part of it is that we can't take Abby out in public when her ANC is below 500 (neutropinic). For the first 6 months that is just how it is going to be though her counts will be low, then bounce back then the chemo will take them down again. After the first 6 months though it should be better since they try to keep her counts between 750 and 1000 ANC. I'm looking forward to those years of the treatment just so we can interact with people.

That's what we miss the most, adult interaction with friends. I mean don't get me wrong, I like cutting paper into tiny pieces and putting stickers on construction paper and even on occasion cutting the stickers into little pieces, all great fun but a little monotonous sometimes. Maybe a house will help with that because we will be able to have people over and actually have a place for their kids to sleep other than the bathroom and out bedroom. But really, we just miss people and I think the reality of 2 months of living with out the adult friend interaction in our lives has finally started to wear on us. Maybe also it is the fact that the last two weeks have been relatively easy, no meds, just a couple trips to Denver, and lots of mellow nights at home.

So anyway, things really are going good, I think we just desire true community but we just don't really know how to do it either. So if you know how or have ideas on how to help us stay connected during these immuno-compromised months post a comment, give us a call, email, write us a letter, or just stop by... or all of the above; we'd love to just say "hi" and enjoy some conversation.

I'll post soon as to when Abby is going to go down again to CHOA for her all day chemo session, probably Monday if her counts are good.

Love you all!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Mark and Tiffany,
I am a member of the FC Team in Training, running in the San Diego Marathon in June. I just found out about this website, so I have spent the last couple days "catching up" on all your entries. Even though I have never met or seen Abby, other than a couple pictures, she has provided me with much inspiration and motivation throughout this whole training and fundrasing process. I think about her and her situation often especially while at work and running. Being a fulltime nanny for twin 3 year old girls since they were born, I can't even begin to fathom either one of them having to endure the treatments and side effects that Abby does. What a brave little soul.
I just wanted to say hi, introduce myself, and say that I wish you all nothing but the best throughout the next few years and the many to come. She must be a remarkable little girl, and I hope that sometime in the near future we can meet you all.
Take Care and God Bless,
Sarah Gebhardt