Just wanted to let people know that I postponed chemo by 2 weeks.
I was really strong heading into the surgery piece of this ordeal, and weathered it very well. But when I went to my strength reserves prior to starting chemo, I found I had very little left.
So, I will be taking the next 2 weeks to enjoy my life, gain some clarity, and build up my inner reserves.
Please forgive me if I seem out of touch during this time. I'm just hunkering down for the next round.
Love,
Susan
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Scheduling Help
Hello all, this is Brett, commandeering Susan't blog for this post. Thank you all for your emails and calls -- it really is a blessing and comfort. That said, we're gearing up for a fight and we're going to need to some help. I'll be heading the charge on arranging and scheduling the next 6 months of the battle. We need help, so if you can help, now is the time. Susan's chemo schedule will probably run from 8/19 to 11/25, every other week, on Thursdays. This means she will get treatment on Thursday, and "recover" Friday through Sunday if all goes well. Right now we are just scheduling through the end of November to cover the chemo treatments. Stay tuned for the radiation schedule in December.
We need help with the following, ESPECIALLY on chemo weekends:
1. Someone to join Susan at chemo treatments. (Probably for 3-4 hours for the first 4 treatments, and less for the last 4. We will know more as things progress.) Dates are Thursdays: August 19, Sept. 2, 16, 30, Oct. 14, 28, Nov. 11 and 24. I would love to be there at each one, but I can't miss more work than I already have.
2. Someone to stay with us and help out during chemo weekends. Susan will probably be sleeping a lot and having flu-like symptoms. This is your time to visit from out-of-town, if you want to do so. We have a guest room with a queen-sized bed, and you are more than welcome to stay with us. Weekends correspond with the chemo dates listed above. Projects would include grocery shopping, child-shuttling, laundry, straightening up, and random other errands.
3. Meals. Susan and Grace eat gluten-free. Too much gluten gives them indigestion, but it's not an allergy, so they can have a little bit here and there. Bread crumbs on a casserole, soy sauce, or cookie dough in ice cream, are small enough amounts not to be a problem. We are trying to steer clear of meat and dairy, but are also realistic and flexible enough to have a little bit every now and then. If you need ideas, we can email you a list. Or give us a call and see what we are in the mood for. If you are an out-of-town friend who wants to help, gift cards to restaurants would be great. We like the Bozeman Bistro, Naked Noodle, I-Ho's, and La Parilla.
4. House care. Recycling, cleaning, yard work, etc. We could use an in-town volunteer to take out the recycling every 2 weeks. And the garden could use a good weeding every week or two as well. We do hire someone to mow the lawn. For out-of-town friends looking to help; we do have a cleaning service that comes every 2 weeks for an hour to hit the high spots. It was a splurge we made when Susan was commuting 300 miles a week for her job, as our budget allowed. We would love it if they could come every week. Contact Leah Bernacascel of the Cleaning Ladies at 360-929-5792 (cell) if you are interested in sponsoring some cleaning times.
5. Visitors. If you want to come over for dinner or a cup of tea, please do. We like the company. You're not a "burden," as long as you can deal with a happy, informal, slightly chaotic family.
6. Carpentry and building skills. We are coming to the end of a 3 year house building project. We've managed to get it this far with a lot of hard work on our part. That work needs to be put on hold during this time, as we can only handle so many things at once. But if you have carpentry, trim, or paint skills that you would like to bless us with, we would welcome you with open arms.
To keep meals and helpers organized, we have set up an on-line calendar at:
Fill out the right-hand side of the form which is a "Request to Join the Community." This is just registering with email and a name. Once you've done this, I will approve you (by that night), and you will be sent instructions for setting a password and signing in.
Check out the calendar and volunteer!
Feel free to drop me a line at any time with any questions: bretttallman@hotmail.com or (406) 600-2571 (cell).
Thank you so much for all of your help. In the spirit of making lemonade from lemons, I'm looking forward to having so much more of our friends and family in our lives...
Sincerely and gratefully yours,
Brett
We need help with the following, ESPECIALLY on chemo weekends:
1. Someone to join Susan at chemo treatments. (Probably for 3-4 hours for the first 4 treatments, and less for the last 4. We will know more as things progress.) Dates are Thursdays: August 19, Sept. 2, 16, 30, Oct. 14, 28, Nov. 11 and 24. I would love to be there at each one, but I can't miss more work than I already have.
2. Someone to stay with us and help out during chemo weekends. Susan will probably be sleeping a lot and having flu-like symptoms. This is your time to visit from out-of-town, if you want to do so. We have a guest room with a queen-sized bed, and you are more than welcome to stay with us. Weekends correspond with the chemo dates listed above. Projects would include grocery shopping, child-shuttling, laundry, straightening up, and random other errands.
3. Meals. Susan and Grace eat gluten-free. Too much gluten gives them indigestion, but it's not an allergy, so they can have a little bit here and there. Bread crumbs on a casserole, soy sauce, or cookie dough in ice cream, are small enough amounts not to be a problem. We are trying to steer clear of meat and dairy, but are also realistic and flexible enough to have a little bit every now and then. If you need ideas, we can email you a list. Or give us a call and see what we are in the mood for. If you are an out-of-town friend who wants to help, gift cards to restaurants would be great. We like the Bozeman Bistro, Naked Noodle, I-Ho's, and La Parilla.
4. House care. Recycling, cleaning, yard work, etc. We could use an in-town volunteer to take out the recycling every 2 weeks. And the garden could use a good weeding every week or two as well. We do hire someone to mow the lawn. For out-of-town friends looking to help; we do have a cleaning service that comes every 2 weeks for an hour to hit the high spots. It was a splurge we made when Susan was commuting 300 miles a week for her job, as our budget allowed. We would love it if they could come every week. Contact Leah Bernacascel of the Cleaning Ladies at 360-929-5792 (cell) if you are interested in sponsoring some cleaning times.
5. Visitors. If you want to come over for dinner or a cup of tea, please do. We like the company. You're not a "burden," as long as you can deal with a happy, informal, slightly chaotic family.
6. Carpentry and building skills. We are coming to the end of a 3 year house building project. We've managed to get it this far with a lot of hard work on our part. That work needs to be put on hold during this time, as we can only handle so many things at once. But if you have carpentry, trim, or paint skills that you would like to bless us with, we would welcome you with open arms.
To keep meals and helpers organized, we have set up an on-line calendar at:
www.lotsahelpinghands.com.
You will need to use the following code to sign in:https://lotsahelpinghands.com/c/629411/
Fill out the right-hand side of the form which is a "Request to Join the Community." This is just registering with email and a name. Once you've done this, I will approve you (by that night), and you will be sent instructions for setting a password and signing in.
Check out the calendar and volunteer!
Feel free to drop me a line at any time with any questions: bretttallman@hotmail.com or (406) 600-2571 (cell).
Thank you so much for all of your help. In the spirit of making lemonade from lemons, I'm looking forward to having so much more of our friends and family in our lives...
Sincerely and gratefully yours,
Brett
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