Weekend of racing

This past weekend we went to Great Bend for the National Open. I was pretty excited to get to race the dragster again. The first pass out just reminded me that someone is telling me I should stick to racing the S-11 instead of a digger. After the run I noticed it was making a funny noise. So at the end of the track I started her back up and the noise was still there. So I waited down there for about 15 minutes until JR and Dad realized I wasn't back at the trailer yet. Once we got back we took the valve covers off to find that the tip of a valve had broken off. So operation motor change was in place. I think we got the motor switched out in record time for being at the track (and we weren't really in a hurry). It was in just in time for the second round of time trials. So I really didn't miss a pass other than one super quick qualifying. Thanks to JR for letting me borrow his motor for the weekend!

Ready to come out

 

 

Dad enjoyed getting to use the motor changer for the first time in the new trailer!

Ready to go again.

Throughtout the whole weekend I ended up making about 21 passes in the digger and the S-11. I raced super comp, where I lost 2nd round due to the throttle stop not coming on because the little green switch wasn't turned back on. Dad, JR and I were the 3 of the 4 dragsters left in the super quick series. I ended up having to race JR and I think he sabotaged my car because she didn't run good when the spray came on. I raced the S-11 in super pro where I lost at 3 cars. JR ended up winning the super street shoot out on Saturday after a lengthy staging duel (which was really entertaining to watch!) and he also won both days of the super quick.

Our workspace for the weekend. I think we need just one more log book.

 It was a good weekend to get away. Even though I didn't feel 100% I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with my family doing what we love to do. I am hoping I will feel well enough to go back out next weekend for the division race. As far as racing, I don't know if I will be able to or not. It just depends on how this round of chemo effects me.

Love,
Jeryka

Hair

I don't want to jinx myself but I haven't last any hair with this round of chemo! It has started to come in strong so I would be pretty upset if I has to start over again. Everyday I wash my hair and none comes out in my hand I get really excited. I just hope this continues so I can maybe have a decent amount of hair by the wedding.

I am finally feeling better, not 100% but I can't complain. A couple of good nights sleep really does a person good.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Love,
Jeryka

Hangover round 2

Round 2 of chemo is over and it has been the worst hangover I have ever had. It started last Thursday while I was still receiving chemo and lasted until at least Monday. I did not leave the house until Sunday when I forced myself to get out and go wash my car and do some yard work. I was so sick of laying around the house feeling like crap.

I met with Dr. Koeneke before the last round to go over my blood work and to get the results from my bone scan. The good news is nothing showed up on the bone scan, so that was a huge relief. My blood counts were low so he wants to do weekly blood work to see how low they actually get and to see if I need to get a booster shot to raise my white blood cell count.

After my blood work on Monday I had to go back to get the booster shot because my counts were 300. They usually want them to be around 1000, so they were extremely low this time around. I will be getting the shot three days in a row to hopefully raise my numbers. I am hoping this is why I have had no energy and why I haven't felt the best this time around. I am actually not suppose to be around too many people with my counts being that low because my body can't fight off infection as good as it could with higher counts. So that makes it real hard to be at work since I am around germ infested children most of the time!! I might as well just start drinking the Germ-X!

We will be heading back to Houston on May 12th. I will get an MRI that day and then see the neurosurgeon and radiologist for my check up after surgery and the Gamma Knife the following day. I will also do another bone scan and CT scan while I am down there and then meet with the oncologist. If everything is clear we will continue with the same chemo I am receiving now.

Hope all my KS friends have enjoyed the weather!

Love,
Jeryka

Wheelies

I went to Tulsa with the family for the XDRL race. I was juhad aa crew this and it drove me crazy. I felt like I spent most of my time in the truck taking naps and eating since those were the two things that made me feel better.

This race was different than our normal races. Dad and JR raced in the top dragster class where you have to dial faster than 4.40 (in the 1/8 mile) and they qualify either 16 or 32 cars depending on car count. Kyle ended up getting in my car and racing because they needed one more entry to make it a 32 car ladder, which made it an all run field instead of cutting it down to 16 and having people (including JR) not qualify. I know it sounds confusing and believe it was even if you were there. Kyle's first run out was interesting. We took the weight out of the nose and turned the nitrous up to try and get it to run at least a 4.40. Needless to say it was moving!

Kyle's wheelie!

Overall the weekend went pretty well. I just wish I would have felt better so I could have enjoyed the weather and the company of good friends. I can't explain how I felt, it was just crappy and all I wanted to do was sleep. There wasn't one thing that fixed it and I think that is what drove me nuts. I would eat and feel better for maybe ten minutes then it was back to crap. I am hoping by tomorrow this hangover will be all over and I can stop eating everything in sight.

 JR has learned to control his wheelies with a wheelie bar.

Side view of Kyle's wheelie. Not too bad!

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Love,

Jeryka

First one done

Yesterday went pretty good. Mom and I got to the office around 9 and the nurses got me started right after that. I actually didn't get the first chemo until noon just because they had to give me so many fluids, steroids and anti nausea medicine. The cisplatin took around 2 hours to finish and the the irinotecan took about an hour and 45 minutes. We finally got out of there around 5 and I went into work after. I hadn't plan on staying the whole practice but I felt alright so I decided I had nothing better to do.

I actually got sleep last night. That was one thing I was worried about since I had a hard time during the last round of treatments. Today has been so-so. I will feel alright for a while and then feel a little suspect. I just feel like laying in bed and getting sleep but I know I would feel better if I did something productive instead of laying around.

Just wanted to let you all know I survived the first round. Just 5 more to go!

Love,
Jeryka

Easter

This last weekend Kyle and I went up to KC on Saturday morning to spend Easter with my family. We went to Garnder and watched all the kids do the Easter egg hunt. We even got our picture taken with the Easter bunny! After that all of us just went back to JR and Lauren's house for some lunch and more egg hunts. It was nice being about to spend time with everyone together. I can't imagine adding two more kids to that group!

Jen, Lauren and I with the bunny!

The kids with the bunny!

Sunday morning I actually got a little time to clean the house. It was such a disaster considering we hadn't been there in the last two weeks. Now getting caught up on laundry is a different story (at least my suitcase is unpacked now!) Sunday afternooon Kyle and I headed over to his parents house for an Easter brunch shrimp broil!

I want to say thanks to Kylie and Wylee for going out to dinner with us Sunday night and for the delicious goodies! It was nice to finally be able to get together since all of us are usually so busy.

On Monday Kyle and I met with Dr. Koeneke to go over the plan. I really like him as a doctor. He takes the time to listen and answer all of our questions (which I had a lot this time). I asked about removing the spots they saw, but he said that since they have already metastasised from another location they usually won't remove them. Removing them could cause more problems, which we don't need right now. I also asked about radiation to the spot in the liver. He said that could be an option but chemo would be the first choice. He made us feel good and confident about the decisions that have been made for this treatment.

I had a repeat bone scan done today just to make sure nothing has started to show up there. We should have those results sometime next week. Just praying they are clear!

It has been nice to be back to some sort of a normal life this week. I haven't had to run around to multiple appointments seeing multiple different doctors. I have been able to sleep in my own bed and spend time in my own home with my pups! I have been back at work all week and that helps keep my mind from wondering too much.

Tomorrow starts another round of treatments and I am honestly not looking forward to it. It will be a 6 hour day but at least I only have to do it one day instead of three days in a row. I don't like not knowing how I am going to feel or how this treatment will go but I am going to suck it up and just get through it.

I will try and update as soon as I get done with this first round. 

Love,
Jeryka