Warning...this is packed full of stuff!

Annie here...
I would normally wait for Andrew but he has been the one waiting for me so I thought I would just get to it and pound an entry out. I am out of the hospital. Let me tell you - it took a while. It felt like nothing was happening and yes, there was a tube coming out of the side of me draining my left pleural sac. (Leah thought this was incredibly cool). I had an x-ray every day and absolutely hated the food. Dietetic students and hospital food don't mix. So depressing. Lucky for me...Andrew came in lots at lunch with veggies and other comfort foods and Des made me smoothies and muffins and every other visitor came bearing something healthy or edible! I was glad to be out. But many thanks to all the visitors I had.
Momma Poz arrived last Thursday (the day I flew the coop) and has been taking great care of me and has given Andrew some much personal time with the Oilers and his friends. I spent Easter weekend at home with the dogs and with Mom and Andrew. It was nice to relax in my own space...and use the internet. I tried to leach it off the campus at the hospital but was successful only once. The public computer was closed as no one remembered the password when they turned it off one day.
The newest update is that the procedure drained most of the fluid from my lungs. It just took a longer than they told me. Unfortunately, I am still feeling pretty lousy from the chemo and from an inactive immune system. I am admitting myself today because my White Blood cell count is very low and I have low hemoglobin counts. They need to isolate me and pump up my immune system. The hospital is the best place for this. I am checkin' out a different hospital this time - St. Boniface . Variety is the spice of life! I figure - why not? It is just as close as the other one too.
As far as chemo symptoms are going...I still have hair but it is short. The last few days it has felt like I have had it in a high ponytail for too long. So I will be G.I Jane soon. Andrew is allowed to play with my hair before he shaves it off for me - he is terribly excited to give his wife a Mohawk or have me sport the Mr. T look!
We will try and keep you up to date better this time. WE just didn't have internet and the timing wasn't good.
Thanks for the time. Thanks for the love and support! Hope you are all well.

Andrew and Annie here...

We're posting this thanks to the communal computer at the hospital. We tried to connect to the internet with Annie's laptop but the open wireless connection just wasn't strong enough. Annie is feeling better after having two litres of fluid removed from her lungs. She's passing her time watching downloaded TV mini series: Big Love... a show about a polygamist family and Gordan Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare... a fowl-mouthed British chef that bails out failing restaurants.

Renee and her new doo just stopped by for a quick visit before heading off to BC.

Shouts out to Angela for picking out the fab boots. They are quite the hit on ward 5.

Pleurodesis and Picc Lines

Andrew and Annie here...

What is with all them "P"s?

Well before we get to that, a quick update on the chemo. The first couple of days are over and so far so good. Annie hasn't felt nauseas; the Kytril and the Maxeran seem to be doing their job. She is just really sleepy. This could also be due to our dogs.
This brings us to our first "P":
Today, the nurses deemed Annie's veins too small for repeated pokes so they opted to insert a picc line for quick and easy blood withdrawal and chemo administration. She now has a semi-permanent i.v. on her right arm. Annie has has one before so knew what to expect. It isn't the most comfortable thing but she sure looks tough.

And what about the other "P"? Well Pleurodesis is what Annie is going into hospital (for the next 4 days) to have done. As you know, Annie has had problems breathing due to a build up of fluids in her lungs. The doctors drained the fluid out last week but it has returned before the chemo really has had a chance to do it's work. We're all positive that the chemo, once it has kicked in, alongside the pleurodesis will clear up Annie's lungs and make it easier for the both of us to chase Turbo after he has peed on the floor.

Does anyone want a puppy with a peeing problem and a bad attitude?

Chemo begins!

Annie here....
Tomorrow morning I start chemotherapy. We spent most of the weekend relaxing and getting ready. Lucky for us, I will have my own entourage at CancerCare tomorrow. Hopefully there isn't a limit. It will be nice because tomorrow will last anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. Paula dropped off some organic minestrone soup, Tracy gave me a massage and I even convinced Andrew to bake me some banana muffins...great night...the dogs were relatively well-behaved.
So that is the latest.
Andrew and I are using this blog to keep everyone up to date and we hope to update it every couple of days.
It is getting late. We don't know what to expect but we are both feeling really positive.
Night.