A week since the beginning--

So you were probably wondering, where in the world is Kendall? Have no fear, I have been slightly drugged up since I came out of the hospital and therefore not fit to right a proper blog. I tried a couple of times, but every time I would re-read it, I would be so confused by my own ramblings and thought chasing. Tuesday afternoon I was released from the hospital—or rather the looming fortress that controls my every movement. I felt such a sense of freedom, no IV’s, no tubes, no remote control airbed, and no chemo. However, I did feel the toll that the chemo (aka poison) had taken on my body the past 5 days. Those of you who know me, know that I am by no means frail and am actually inclined to contact sports and “horsing-around.” Leaving the hospital, it was all I could do not to pass out while transferring from the wheelchair to the passenger seat of my mom’s minivan. The rest of the day and Wednesday were kind of a whirlwind between light-headedness, nausea and just plain fatigue. Needless to say, it was a hard past couple of days, and yes sadly, there will be more days like those throughout this six month ordeal. I did however have a visit from my Uncle Tim which helped make the day go by faster, and of course, it’s always good to see family.
If you’re starting to feel a little sorry for me, you can stop now because today I woke up feeling great—in good spirits and in good health. I went into MD Anderson at 8 am for some blood work. Then at 10:30 am I had an appointment with my doctor. I feel like I should take a moment here and give Dr. Debbie Thomas a little introduction. Dr. Thomas on first site is a petite woman in her mid 40s, with dark graying hair, and very sharp features from her nose to chin to her small and highly intellectual eyes. You can just tell by meeting this woman that she is “the boss.” She has this aura about her that she knows what she’s doing—not just an aura, I think she actually is the best. This woman is incredible, when nurses ask me who my doctor is, and I say “Dr. Thomas,” they all get this look in their eyes, and they really make sure that they are on top of everything, and I mean everything. One nurse even called her “The Queen.” Anyways, I was at first a little intimidated by her because she is undoubtedly brilliant, but sitting in the office with her also made me feel protected in a way. When she told me that this lymphoma would be “a six month glitch in my life,” I definitely was relieved especially hearing it from her because I don’t think she would sugar-coat anything. She is definitely a demanding presence, but I know that she cares for her patients and I am so so thankful to be under her hawk-eyed care. Back to the actual doctor’s appointment, Dr. Thomas told me my WBC (white blood cell) counts looked good so far. I did have high bilirubin (has to do with the liver) and low potassium levels that will be getting checked again this Saturday. So far, so good. After that, I had a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) with a chemo injection. Sounds pretty horrible, right? Yea, it would seem so, but they give you relaxing medicine and numb up your back with local anesthesia (which is actually the part that hurts) and it only ends up being an uncomfortable 10 minute process. After that they make you lie on your back for a good hour or more so as to avoid excruciating head-aches, which I have not had. I was surprised when my mom entered the room with a good church-friend of ours, Amy Drake. The hour went by quickly, and it was so nice to see a familiar face in a place where everything is so foreign.
My mom and I have been searching for apartments because the place where we are living right now is more of a “temporary” lodging. It’s like a very nice hotel room, but I think for six months we are going to want something a little bigger and with a kitchen for sure.
I am excited to say that I will be going to my grandparents lakehouse for the weekend to relax. Actually, I think it is probably more for the benefit of my mother. Poor thing, she’s a trooper. (I will devote a future blog just to my mom.) I plan on watching lots of college football, eating my grandma’s mashed potatoes, and just spending time with my family, which is hard to come by these days. What with my mom and me in Houston and my dad and Kolby in Waco, but my family is strong, and I know that we’ll be able to stick it out.

I will try to be more diligent in my entries. I promise :)