Back on Chemo...Without Much Ta-doo.

Not much to report right now…so I thought I’d report it anyway. Sandy resumed chemo on Monday without much fanfare (no one showed up!). She really did not get much of a chance to recover from the last cycle because she contracted a pretty wicked cold as the cycle ended. I say “wicked” in the sense that it was wicked to her. Being immunosuppressed to begin with, then having your immune system beaten down even further with chemotherapy, you’re going to catch anything that gets close. We think Haley probably had it first, and then Sandy got it in spades. It forced her into bed for most of three days last week. So, that’s why she didn’t really get a week of R&R during the “off week.” I got it, too…but don’t feel too sorry for me—it was pretty mild.

Oddly, Hannah was the one hit with another ailment, altogether. I pulled a tick off of her back a couple of weeks ago, which ultimately gave her lyme disease. It took about a week to ten days to become symptomatic, showing the classic concentric circles on her back between the shoulder blade and spine. I know, that’s all we need… Fortunately, we spotted the rash as it emerged and got her to the pediatrician that same day. She is taking a three week course of antibiotics and the Dr. is optimistic that will take care of it. To add insult to injury, the antibiotics caused her to burn in the sun during her last tournament. Hannah is pretty diligent about sunscreen (I witnessed her applying it a number of times that day), but she still burned on her cheeks and nose, and on the tops of her hands, of all places. It is a week later as I write this, and she is still very bright red across her face and hands. We later learned that these are the places that antibiotics make more sensitive to the sun.

If you haven’t already, now you must be thinking something along the lines of, “That poor family! What else could possibly go wrong?”

Well, it gets better from here. Comical, even. Consider this: All in a period of just a few weeks—concurrent with Sandy’s cold and Hannah’s lyme disease and subsequent sunburn—our oven stopped working, the refrigerator started making noises, and the washing machine broke. The ice maker and handle on the refrigerator are already broken. This was the second time the washing machine broke in a period of 30 days. The dang thing is only TWO YEARS OLD!!!! It now has a new water pump. The refrigerator and oven were new when we gutted the kitchen 6 years ago. We did not buy cheap appliances...so, I say “aaargh.”

Last week, Sandy got a flat tire in the Volvo. Puncture in the tread. No problem, right? Wrong! There was also some sidewall damage…and because of the All Wheel Drive system, the car required FOUR new tires.

All in just a few weeks.

You just can’t make this stuff up.