False Alarm for Snail

Valerie's high WBC count is just a "blast", a delayed reaction to that fabulous $4k shot she had last week. Her oncologist ran some tests which showed that her leukemia is not back and as usual her numbers are just higher than they are used to. Go Snail!

The Snail says Happy Halloween to everyone!

The Storm Round 2

Monday: Valerie's WBC's 0.5

Valerie was feeling pretty weak so after she morning check up and afternoon appoinment with her doctor we went home and watched movies. After a fabulous showing of Sex and the City Valerie took a turn for the worst. I have always written this blog/emails with Valerie in mind. What would she want to read later on, what would she mind that I shared with everyone we know. With that in mind I can say honestly the next three days were awful. A horror to watch as Valerie went from perfectly fine to crying out in agony. It is hard to explain what kind of pain it is but she says it is like all of your bones are being crushed at the same time. Her deep bone pain makes her unable to move her limbs by herself and stiff like someone with really really bad arthritis.
Tuesday: Valerie's WBC's 1.1
We had a feeling that the pain was from her making WBC's but it does not make it feel any better. I had to leave for Denver today and honestly can say that leaving her was the hardest thing I can ever remember having to do. I almost changed my ticket but Mom, Dad, Brent and Vanessa are there so she is in good hands. Before I left we met with the social worker and transplant coordinator. I think the meetings went very well, we had already welcomed Ursula our transplant coordinator to Team Snail and it was great to meet Pamela, our social worker and welcome her as well. These two women are a very important part of our team, they coordinate all of the information and move along the process for Valerie from here on out. We were thrilled to learn of the extra help Valerie can receive and different paperwork we needed to complete to make sure she was covered. The time line is looking very long and terribly complicated for all of this but we are confident in Ursula and Pamela to show us the way, Quickly! By the time we were leaving the meetings Valerie was in so much pain that she went straight to the hospital for IV pain killers and a stronger prescription.
Wednesday: Valerie's WBC's 4.3 RBC's 8.4 Platelets 29
(her RBC's must stay above 8 and platelets above 15 or she needs transfusions)
The pain is continuing so much that she spent most of her day in a private room at the hospital. I don't have details but I can imagine. The pain killers make her sick but without them it is intolerable.
Thursday: Valerie's WBC's 29
No, I am not missing a decimal point. Bad news is we don't know what this means. It could mean a lot of things, worse case the leukemia is back again already. This would make the decision about whether or not she needs another consolidation chemo round before the transplant. It could also mean that she is reacting to that $4k shot she got and this is just a spike. Let's pray for that one, only time will tell. Good news is she finally turning a corner today. She had more energy and was making lists of things that need to be done etc. The time line was laid out today and I know we don't understand it all but it seems so far away! Today and tomorrow Valerie has tons of additional tests. They will start tests on Vanessa on the 10th of November because that is how long things take to cook so to speak. After all of the tests Vanessa will be started on the Neupogen to build up the WBC's on the 19th and then they will start harvesting the stem cells on the 23rd and 24th of November and then the mega chemo round starting after that. Then the transplant.
Prayer requests: Valerie's pain remains tolerable and the spike in her WBC's is just that.
The medical group and insurance company approve the transplant asap!

The Calm Before the Snail Storm

My family and I went to San Diego for a long weekend to visit Valerie. No pictures of Valerie but I though I could show you about her weekend with pictures I took of the rest of us.

Friday: Valerie's WBC's 0.5
A quick trip to the bay after an morning of lounging and Battleship in Auntie Valerie's family room.

The pumpkin patch in PB to get Valerie some neutropenic pumpkins! Go Chargers!

Saturday: Valerie's counts WBC's 0.5, RBC's 8 and Platelets 15. Valerie needed both RBC's and Platelets which can take 6-7 hours so we took the boys to Sea World since they cannot hang out in the hospital. We sent Valerie pictures on her phone all day so she saw what we saw.
Pumpkin carving time! Brent and Wilson helped the boys carve pumpkins for Aunt Valerie since she probably should not handle knives right now.
Sunday: Valerie's WBC's 0.5 We took the boys to Valerie's favorite spot in the morning to see the seals while she went in for her daily check-up.
The boys decided they needed a beach with sand so back to the bay we went, Valerie and all. Valerie layed under a tree in the shade and watched the boys play in the sand. Good medicine if you ask me!
We found a few tiny little Snail shells.

Now remember I said the calm before the storm...

Valerie

How do you describe sunshine? Valerie Gail, named after two amazing women she has always embodied their strength and kindness. The baby of three sisters she is the peace keeper and the favorite. No one would argue this point because it is completely justified. She has a sweetness that is unlike any other and her smile lights up any room she is in. A certain peace is felt when Valerie touches your hand reminding you instantly that you are lucky to know one of the few angels God has put on this earth and how truly loved you are. She is a woman of many talents and uses them to light peoples lives through the small things she does for them. Those that know Valerie have surely received a friendly call, card or trinket just because she was thinking of them. Those that live near her have surely been to one of her fabulous dinners or been the recipient of her baked treats. Even for those that Valerie does not know, she is the type of person who would stop and help you on the street if you needed it. She has a childlike side that believes that Disneyland IS the Happiest Place on Earth and that Dreams Do Come True If You Just Believe. She shares favorite movies with her adoring nephews because who could not love movies about dancing and surfing penguins! Normally if you are looking for her; she is on the beach or giggling over girl talk or having a glass of sangria on a girls night out or curling up with the love of her life. She believes in Karma, freedom for all, being good to each other and the environment and above all God. How intelligent she is almost shocks you when her sweet voice and modesty is taken over by the need to make a point for something she is truly passionate about. She is a fantastic sister, aunt, daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend and cousin. Now this sounds like she is perfect but every human has their faults, when I find hers I will let you know. Quite literally she is the sun to her family and friends.

Snail Socks

Our cousin Katie made Valerie the most adorable sticky socks for her next hospital visit. We are so blessed to have such a talented family!
Thank you Katie, they are perfect!

Snack for the Vampire Snail

Valerie got a transfusion today of platelets and RBC's so she is feeling fabulous (well, you know) tonight. She spent 6 hours in the hospital today so she requested homemade GF pizza and Bogurt Yogurt tonight. Vanessa arrived and brought her fabulous stem cells with her!

1st String Team Snail

This picture is sadly without Brent, he has been working a TON and we were loosing our light. I think everyone knows how fabulous he is for our little snail by now. :)