Three ACs done, one more to go...

...then on to 4 Taxols, which I hear is easier.  So far, I am feeling pretty good, just a little tired but not too bad.  Today's bloodwork revealed a nice high white blood count, so I won't be having the Neulasta shot tomorrow.  One less doctor visit, one less needle stick, yippee!!!

Rick had to be in Pittsburgh yesterday and today, so Christine came and spent the night, and then took me to my chemo session.  Allison met up with us last evening and we had a nice "girls night" with some wine and tapas.

 Here we are this morning, totally armed for battle!  Donna, it's definitely cooler without the wig!  Christine found these tshirts online at www.cafepress.com, in case you were wondering.

So, one more AC and then on to Taxol.  I hear that T is easier, but I was also told today that just the chemo infusion, not counting any hydration or premeds, takes 3 hours.   Yikes, that means my visits with Nurse Lisa will probably be even longer.  Today's visit started at 10:15 and we left at 3:00.   The first chemo started at 12:30.  So it will be at least 30 minutes longer.  Oh well, at least I'm not getting weekly T, which is what many patients are doing these days.  I think I would soon tire of that drill.

Enough about chemo, let's talk about The Prouty and how much we enjoyed ourselves Friday and Saturday!  We drove up to White River Junction, VT on Friday night, which is about 10 minutes from Hanover, NH, the site of the event.  We had decided at the last minute that we should drive up the night before, so we left Salem at about 4:15 and stopped at a nice restaurant in New London, NH for dinner.  Before eating, we visited a local art shop and I found a delightful, whimsical little coffee mug.

Sam Wild Pottery   www.wildpottery.com

 

 

Saturday morning I was up early, as usual, and so we drove to Woodstock, about 15 minutes away, and had a fabulous breakfast at the Mountain Creamery, a little place on the main drag that makes use of local farm products, real maple syrup and homemade breads.  It was the best breakfast we've had in years and we were very happy that we had passed on the hotel's "free" breakfast.  

After breakfast we drove around a little, explored this covered bridge, built in the 1830's and one of the oldest in Vermont.  The size of the lumber was very impressive!  We didn't have a whole lot of time to explore but we did enough to wish we had stayed at any one of a number of B&Bs.  What was I thinking when I used Hotwire to get a routine hotel room???  Next time, and there will be a next time!

Our riders, ready to roll!

We made our way back to Hanover and The Prouty.  It was a beautiful day, the event was nicely organized, and six of our family and friends took off for a 35 mile ride at around 11:30.  Alex on his scooter, Rick and I followed a sidewalk path that paralleled the last miles of road bringing the bikers to the finish line.  We didn't go too far, the downhill after 1/2 mile looked nasty and I knew that I would struggle to make it back up if we went further.  And it worked out well because Christine had trouble with her bike and found us as she headed back to the grounds.   We walked around, grabbed some food, took part in a radiation research project involving donating fingernail clippings, and enjoyed the live band.   We worked our way to the Finish line and our team members started coming through around 2:30.  By 3:00, everyone was finished, eating and recovering.  It was a great cancer fundraiser, a spectacular day with mid-70s, lots of fluffy clouds, a breeze and low humidity.  Everyone had a great time!  And thank you, Christine Sweetser, for putting Team Hope together and encouraging everyone to have a good time. 

As we drove home, we promised ourselves that we will go back frequently.  It's less than 2 hours to the VT border, the scenery is spectacular and the choices of restaurants using local farm products and interesting artisan shops are almost endless.  Oh, how we were reminded how much we love the area!

Our Lady of the Snows, Woodstock, VT