gloves are off...

today ginny and i travelled to mayo for ginny's check-up (blood work, a CT scan and a consultation with dr. peethambarum).  a rough go.

i need to back up a little to help make sense of all this...so hang in there with me :)

in june 2010 we were told that ginny's cancer had spread to her lungs...after a summer of tests it was decided that the lung abnormalities were not likely cancer.  BUT just to be sure ginny started taking megase to keep the sleeping cancer in her abdomen snoozing and to treat the cancer in the lungs that likely isn't cancer.

so over the past 6 months gin has been taking megase and for a time was taking prednisone for the "stuff" in her lungs.  the steroids did not seem to make a difference but gin started feeling better...all good it seemed.

well the megase caused blood clots in her legs...the clots have travelled to her lungs...the same lungs that are once again being diagnosed with metastatic cancer...yep that's right cancer.  so all along the first doc was right.

the blows kept coming....the cancer in the abdomen has "woken up"...

so the plan is to first get the clots under control.  gin will have a shot of heparin once a day for 5 days and will also start taking coumadin...in two weeks the cancer treatment will start again...

this is where it all gets tough....there is one other hormone treatment option (like the megase) and there is one more type of chemo to try...both of these have a success rate of less than 25%...so we will start with the hormone treatment (pills) and if it does not do the trick we will take on chemo...

dr. p was very clear that we are entering the ring with a fierce opponent and it is the BIG fight...the fight for my sweet ginny's life...

love
kir and gin

P.S. gin is feeling good...and looks good...and wants you all to know that she has had her curly hair trimmed three times...*this girl smiles*

good news....good good news...

good news today...ginny's cancer is behaving and it is contained in her abdomen...it is quietly sleeping...no cancer in her lungs...we are celebrating!

here is my beautiful ginny...

p.s. house renovating almost done...will have pics and an update soon!

goose down

my beautiful ginny...

defy gravity

this past weekend was our local relay for life event...ginny and i were captains for a team...great friends joined the effort...it was so good to be able to participate and to raise cash for cancer research...

here are a few of the photos from the evening!

what a motley crew...

we raised $9222...that put us in 3rd place...not bad for our first year :)

the team name came from the show WICKED...i feel like ginny has defied gravity this year....

so good to be celebrating with ginny...

thank you to all of those who donated to the team...and thanks to our girls... kate... jess... melissa... kelley... andrea... emily... janet... penny & amy

ginny update

we have had several update requests...i am sorry for the lapse in info...there just has not been anything to share.  we are still waiting to hear the "culture" results for ginny's lung infection. we go to Mayo on monday to meet with dr. peethambaram to hear the results and find out about the treatment plan for the infection.  we are looking forward to this as the infection has gone untreated for the past 4 weeks...we will also be inquiring about the cancer treatment (the shrinking tumors in her abdomen and colon) and the plan there as well.  we will have an update on monday evening!

i do's at the red doored church

two years ago today i met ginny at the red doored church and said i do...she said i do too. 

people came from everywhere...erika and chris and the kids (jayme and dustin) from british columbia...the grandmother and aunt joce from manitoba...ginny's brothers dan and larry (virginia and baltimore)...ginny's old boyfriend dick and friends sarah and sue from california...

candied salmon grilled on cedar planks was the star of the "groom's" dinner...ginny was the "groom"...when we reserved the block of rooms for the event at the hotel...i was not prepared for the questions to be asked and when they asked the name of the bride i quickly responded lindbloom...then they asked for the last name of the groom...and without a beat, i said larsen...

on the day of, we worked to set up for the reception...had a beautiful luncheon with the women in our lives...went home for a massage and then ready for the big event at 7:00 pm...at 6:30 the skies opended up and the rain fell...and continued to fall throughout the evening...c'est la vie

when we arrived at the church, i realized, as i was getting into my wedding outfit, that i still had my turquoise  and hot pink undies on...that would not do, given the linen white pants to be worn...a last minute call to sarah and sue and white undies were on the way...

the ceremony was beautiful...the 140+ people filled the church...friend lisa sang as we entered...it was amazing...sarah and melissa stood with me and millie and jocelyn (friend joce not aunt joce) stood with gin...dear friend kris wee officiated...it was wonderful...

with a final kiss we were off to the reception....great fun...a wonderful day and evening...a little known fact is that after the reception at midnight, a group of us returned to the lindbloom-larsen residence and continued to celebrate until 2 am...what a great night...

the past two years been remarkable...trips to see friends and family...an amazing 17 day tour of france and italy...we have lived a full and fabulous life in our coupleness...

today we are celebrating quietly at ginny's cousin reunion...a mixed crowd (some a little more traditional than others)...all wonderful people...i have enjoyed them a great deal...

the hightlight of the day was a visit to ginny's aunt helen...she is 95...she welcomed me immediately...was tender and sweet...was quick to grab my hand...pat my knee...ask about how long we had been together and affirmed our "us-ness"...thank you aunt helen for letting me know that you were "glad to have me."  I am glad to be gotten :)

i am looking forward to this coming year and all that it will bring...although unknown and certainly of great challenges...we are committed to giving it all we've got...

happy anniversary sweet ginny...

love your kir

postscript...we will travel to mayo thursday morning for a chest x-ray and then an appointment with the good dr. peethambaram at 2:00...we will post again thursday evening...

"F" YOU

the results are in...there is some good news...the chemo has successfully shrunk the original tumors, one in her colon and the other her abdomen.  but this is cancer we are talking about and so today with the good came some bad...the not so good news is that the cancer has spun off on a mutant tangent, flipped the "F YOU" finger at the chemo and has landed in force in ginny's lungs.  there are several tumors.  the doctor smiled with kind eyes...and has decided to pass us back to dr. peethambaram at mayo in rochester.  we are waiting to hear about an appointment with her.  she is the doc that we started with and has been working with gin for years.

ginny has been exhibiting some symptoms in the past week or so that are explainable now...she has been quick to lose breath...and in the past days has developed a persistent cough...

we will be posting more regularly again, as this is a great way to keep you all in the loop...

sunday we will leave for iowa, for ginny's family reunion with her paternal cousins...hopefully we will get in to see dr. peethambaram mid to late week.

ginny wants me to make sure that i tell you that she feels fine (i would argue a little)...she has good energy...she is eating well...and she is in GOOD SPIRITS (no argument there).

we are loving each other with everything we've got these days and are so very thankful for the support of our family and friends....that's YOU!

cat Scans...dog Scans...PET Scans

okay...there are no cat or dog scans in ginny's future, but the date has been set for the PET scan.  on june 22nd we will go to mayo clinic in rochester for ginny's scan and then meet with dr. laurie on the 23rd to get the results.  i am feeling a whole lot better about this schedule...last week it looked like i would miss the test and results...the thought of not being with gin in all this was really distressing.  so good thoughts, vibes and prayers all welcome.

on a different note...la la la la...we have a big week ahead.  on friday night our relay for life team named "defy gravity" is hosting a fundraiser.  we are hosting a wine tasting and an evening of live music at the coffee house on main in austin (7-10 pm).  i will be performing/singing with my friend paul oelfke at 8 pm.  stop by...eat a little...drink a little...mingle a little....give a little...okay give a lot!

click here to visit the Defy Gravity donation page

chemo, jobs and summer

well we have had a roller coaster week...

ginny and chemo:
last friday ginny's counts were less than 500.  i was not feeling very confident that she would have strong enough counts for chemo on wednesday.  the woman is amazing, in 5 days her counts came up 1100 points.  with a count of 1600, ginny completed her 6th round of chemo.  WAY TO GO GINNY!

now that we are through the 6th round, we will wait a few weeks and then ginny will have a pet scan.  this will tell us what is going on and will determine the direction for further treatment.

on the job front:
i did not get the teaching position at Riverland.  they have offered me an adjunct position though.  I look forward to getting into the classroom.  at this point, it looks like I will stay at the high school...teach a little sociology and field those additional projects that come my way.

summer is here:
ginny is working like crazy in the garden.  she has had the help of brady, a great find (he has been helping with the yard and house and dog sitting for us this summer).  a couple of weeks ago, i gave in and purchased a new motorcycle.  i sold my last bike a couple of years ago and have been missing it terribly.  i am so glad that ginny likes to ride along...

yesterday a box arrived with some riding gear...i ordered myself a jacket and chaps and i ordered ginny a jacket...figured we would ease her in to the riding gear...the first thing out of her mouth once her jacket was on..."where are my chaps?"...i promptly went on line and ordered the biker babe a pair of leather chaps!

kirsten and ginny too :)

chemo, family, interview and california

okay...it has been a big couple of weeks...lots happening.

1) I had my interview at Riverland Community College today...I feel like it went well. I am very hopeful.  It will take a few weeks before it is settled...I am hoping to make it to the second round of interviews :)

2) Ginny moved her mother to a full care facility a couple of weeks ago...the transition has been tough for both Ginny and her mother.

3) Ginny's brother Larry is near the end.  Hospice is coming to the house daily.

4) Ginny will have round 5 of chemo in the morning (Wednesday).

5) Thursday is my last day of "official" school activities.  To celebrate the end, Friday morning we fly to California to attend the ordination of our beloved Sarah...(Sarah and I have been friends for 20 years and she stood beside me the day I married my Ginny).

kirsten

time for an update

well it has been a few weeks since our last update...sorry for the delay.

we are working hard and holding our own.  ginny will have her 5th chemo treatment on may 12th.  at the oncology appointment on friday we learned that ginny's counts are low (neutrophils are below 500-and white blood cell count  at 1.5 and this puts her at greater risk for catching junk).  the neutrophil pictured here is NOT ginny's...i was feeling the need for a photo and for your blog reading enjoyment we have included a random neutrophil pic. ginny's   platelets are also low, the lowest they have ever been.  this explains the mild nose bleeds she has been having the past few days (no nose bleed pics) .  on the 12th she will have chemo as scheduled but they will lower the dose.  the doc explained that the chemo treatments are cumulative and that it is normal for the dosage to decrease as the treatments increase.  after her 6th treatment on june 2nd, ginny will have a pet scan to assess the cancer and its "state".  the hope is that the tumors are "dormant"...not giving of living vibes...(it is hard to explain but the pet can can see more than the ct scan...both identify the tumors but the pet has extra special super hero powers to see if the tumors are alive).

ginny has been gravitating to a plant based diet...eating healthy to fight the cancer...this healthy eating is resulting in weight loss...ARGHHHH says kirsten...we are working at some kind of compromise as this shrinking ginny needs to more cushion on her seat bones for the greater fight.  

i am only days away from the last events of the school year and am feeling relief about being about to see the end.  i have applied for a full time sociology faculty position at riverland community college...i have made the first cut and will be interviewing on may 18th.  i am really hopeful about this position.  it is an interesting time for me and work...there are several possibilities.

kirsten and ginny

well there is news and there is news

we saw ginnny's oncologist today...the results from the ct scan are in...the tumors have stopped growing...BUT they are not shrinking as we had hoped...the halted growth is positive...but the follow-up questions asked resulted in some difficult answers...the seriousness of ginny's illness was verbalized again...the tumors are not going away...chemo and cancer will be part of our life as a couple...we are a menage a trois of sorts...chemo will hopefully put the cancer in its place and enter a "dormant" stage...the back side of that is that the tumors will not stay dormant...and additional treatments will be needed to keep it in check...the hard answer is that the chemo will not work for ever...

so...

we sat out on the porch this afternoon and have agreed that our plan of attack is living our life to the fullest...we are focused on next year's season tickets for the opera and another trip over seas next fall...i will say that tears have been close to the surface (me more than gin)...there is a sadness for sure...on the other hand we have something that many do not...time...ginny feels good...she looks good and she has handled the treatment well...

so there it is...we are loving each other fiercely...we are grateful for the love and support of friends and family and we are looking forward to all that is to come...

ginny adds "thank you for your prayers...they have surely helped!"

kirsten

we are clicking our heels

well ginny has been given a the a-okay to lose the brace.  her knee has healed beautifully!  she has been cleared to resume activity as she feels able and has been told that she is okay to drive.  woo hoos and huzzahs from the lindbloom-larsen residence.

chemo update-ginny has experienced more fatigue after this past chemo.  She is still very active, but this last round seemed to zap her energy more than the previous treatments.  next week (wednesday) ginny will have a CT scan.  the hope is that the "super dope" is doing its job and that the tumors are shrinking.  we will have results on friday the 16th.

kirsten update-a faculty position (sociology) is opening up at the local community college.  i will applying for the position.  perhaps a long shot but will give it the old college try...hehehehe

a big thumbs up

woo hoo....ginny's counts were high enough (1600) for chemo...they have lowered the dose a bit so hopefully we are back on track with the every three week schedule...i continue to be amazed at her endurance and her ability to process all of this poison...what an incredible woman (ginny you continue to amaze me with your optimism and outrageous strength)...we are pushing the CT scan forward a week...so instead of the 7th, ginny will have her CT scan on the 14th of april...we are anxious to see if the "super dope" is doing its job...

tomorrow i am off yet again....miss allegra pihlaja (joce & byron's kiddo) is going to be 10...i am participating in the festivities...dinner tomorrow night and then helping joce with a slumber party on friday night...not byron's thing, so auntie kirsten is helping out...

on a side note (although quite a big deal)...ginny's mom is needing to move from assistant living....she is really needing more care...a room has opened up at a memory care facility within 1/2 mile of our house...we will be moving her next week...

busy busy are we...we are loving each other and looking forward...
kirsten and ginny too!