Winter 2004-2005: Smooth Sailing

3/1/05

Spring is breaking out here in the Brazos Valley. After drenching rains all weekend, the sun came out yesterday and reminded us of how great it would be to live the life of a river otter, basking on the bank and soaking up the sun.

The Buengers returned from their road trip, tired and happy. Davis's team played in Waco Friday night and finished the first half of district. They still have only one loss all season (with a couple of ties), and Davis is playing quite well. Last week he scored what may have been the prettiest goal of his life against Temple. He is really bringing energy and direction to the defense.

At the end of the game, we left Waco and headed straight for Dallas for the rest of the weekend and the State Chess Championships. Davis started strong (4-1 in his first five matches) and even took out a player rated 400 points higher than he. That last two matches were a bit rougher, and he ended up with four and a half points--enough for a trophy, but not as high as he thought he might end up when he started the day on Sunday.

Erin enjoyed supporting her brother in his various activities, but the big draw of the trip was seeing her new cousin, Emma (now three weeks old--you can check out a blurry cell phone picture on the photo page). She is as cute as a jelly bean, and Erin can hardly wait until she interacts a little more, so she can be the "big" cousin. Anyway, Erin is a great helper and will be quite a baby sitter when the time comes!

The Knights took the field last night to kick off the last week of the season. It was a rip-roaring, evenly matched game on slippery turf. You could tell how much fun everyone was having by how dirty they all were. I ended up doing something in the second half that I never really thought I would do--I put Erin in the goal as the keeper. Only goalkeeper parents can identify with how difficult a choice that would be. Anyway, Jackson, our regular goalkeeper, was itching to be out on the field, and no one else was willing to put on the jersey and gloves, so Erin stepped up and said she would do it. Now bear in mind that we were behind in a close game, that Erin is neither tall nor heavy, that she plays in a boys league, and that she has never played goalie before in her life. None of that mattered. She ran out on the field, rolled and dived after balls, and stopped everything that came her way. One word comes to mind--FEARLESS. Her team mates put in two quick goals as the clock wound down to secure a tie (for my money, one of the best outcomes for little kid soccer) and thus concluded a sizzling match. I wish you could have been there!

This morning we returned to our routine--jump rope team before school, dancing after school. More grading for me, more paper shuffling for Walter. Davis has a game tonight against Belton. Go Vikings!

For most of you, it probably sounds a little boring. For us, watching our children enjoying what they are doing is more than enough.

Scans begin two weeks from yesterday (March 14-15). We hope that no neuroblastoma shows up and that the tumor site from the fall is settling down, with no sign of whatever it was.

2/16/05

Okay. Time for a confession. I regularly keep track of several children around the world with neuroblastoma. Some, like Erin, have finished treatment and are NED. Some have relapsed, and some are still fighting to rid their bodies of this ugly disease. I check in on their web pages and really like reading what they're up to. It's a joy for me when they reach milestones (even small ones), and I grieve when things aren't going well. What really bothers me is when the web site isn't updated regularly. If a few weeks go by without a new entry, my imagination starts kicking in. Maybe something bad has happened, and the parent doesn't have the time or energy to update. If a month passes with no update, I really start to wonder.

Well, I checked Erin's site today, and I am guilty of neglect. That's right, it's been over a month since I added to Erin's site, and I am sure that there are a couple of you who have dutifully checked and found nothing new. I'm sorry.

Erin and Davis's soccer season are in full swing. Davis's high school team is doing quite well (only one loss so far). He is playing well and even got a goal, which is surprising for someone who plays mostly on the end of the field far from the goal. Erin's team has also done very well, and as always, they know how to have fun. The rain in late January and early February slowed things down considerably, but we have had springlike weather for the past week, so the fields are drying out.

Dance and horse back riding is also in full swing for Erin, and the state chess tournament is coming up week after next for Davis. We love that our children have full lives, but we also take time just to appreciate each other. Davis and Erin had a day off from school on Monday this week. Davis willingly got up way before he would have chosen himself and entertained Erin all day, while Walter and I worked. This included the magnificent chili mac lunch that Davis prepared and a romping game of balloon volleyball in the living room.

Davis and Erin were not always best of buds when she was in treatment and even for a while afterwards, but now they are (mostly) great friends and siblings. Davis has given quite a lot of time to help Erin with soccer and show her neat math tricks, and Erin adores Davis and tries to help him out.

Relay for Life is coming up on April 22. Erin is scheduled to tape a couple of commercials for the local tv station tomorrow with this year's honorary co-chair, Jim Slaughter. I'll let you know how she does.

1/12/05

Happy New Year, almost two weeks late. The Buengers enjoyed the peace of the season to its fullest, but darn that pesky spring semester, which has already begun for the children and which will begin in all haste for Walter and Vickie next week.

Let me catch you up on various fronts. First, medically. Last update I was still waiting to see the actual radiologist reports so that I could make sure there wasn't anything hidden in the report that I had failed to hear when I spoke with Erin's doctor on the phone. Here's what I get from the reports (and confirmed by Erin's doctor by e-mail):

MRI--There is an area that roughly corresponds to the incision area that has soft tissue that is not normal for that area. We don't really know whether that tissue is swelling, scarring, or tumor growing back. But since we expect "noise" after surgery and all the tissue the radiologist mentions is similar, we think the abnormal tissue is probably just in the process of healing. That doesn't preclude the possibility that tumor is there, small and hidden, or that it may return at some point, but right now there is no evidence for that.

CT--No neuroblastoma shows up on the CT scan, and the MRI trumps the CT on showing what is happening on the lower spine incision area.

Bone scan--As expected, incision site shows that something is going on the lower spine (again, mostly likely healing tissue and bone). A spot also shows on Erin's right jaw that coincides with where Erin was cutting a 6-year molar.

Bottom line--although the "noise" on the scans could be masking something, the pesky, unnamed tumor (removed last fall) does not make an obvious appearance in the scans, and blissfully, neuroblastoma hasn't reared it ugly head! We will return to Houston at spring break in March for further (regularly scheduled) tests.

I wish I could fill in the details of our Christmas holidays with breathless tales of high adventure and exotic trips. Then again, maybe I don't really wish that. We certainly recharged our batteries. Walter and I slept in a little more each day, but found that we really enjoyed getting up before Davis and Erin and visiting with each other in the quiet part of the day. Each morning we had coffee (with a chocolate chip cookie balanced on the rim of the cup to warm it and melt the chocolate), read the paper, and communed with the dogs. Erin would join us after a while for some cuddle up time. We'd go down for breakfast, and by about 10:00 the whole family would be ready for a long walk around the lake.

Davis and Erin and whichever of their friends were available worked a number of days behind the dam on their hideout. Ayeesha got to come over from Round Rock and Abby joined them one afternoon. Nico and Adam pitched in a couple of times (though not as many times as they wished for). Spencer and Connor, a couple of Davis's chess buddies helped out, and the twins from Arkansas, Rachel and Mary Beth, came to visit their grandparents who live next door to us and joined in the work party. At one point the girls got into a tickle match. Mary Beth got the better of Rachel, who kicked out in response and knocked Erin's upper front tooth out. It was going to come out (probably in March or April) anyway. Erin was happy to have an offering for the Tooth Fairy.

Last weekend we all (except Walter, who was in Seattle for the AHA) went to Dallas for Aunt Katherine's baby shower. We also got to see Annabelle's first place performance in the cheerleading competition that qualified her team for the national tournament. For those of you who have never seen a cheerleading competition. . .well it is hard to describe. Definitely not my cup of tea. But we are extremely proud of Annabelle and were happy to see her do her stuff!

Erin had a small break from dance and soccer over the holidays. Dance has already resumed and soccer will shortly. She did continue to ride Scamp and Napoleon on all but the coldest, nastiest Thursday right before Christmas. Her posture is pretty good and she is not too heavy-handed with the reins.

High school soccer started as soon as the weather became cold, rainy and windy enough. His team has won its first two games, and Davis scored the winning goal on Tuesday. They head out to a weekend tournament this afternoon.

With Davis occupied, Walter and I found a way to stow Erin at Ayeesha's for the weekend (thanks Nasreen and Marshall) and are getting away to Austin--this in lieu of a 20th anniversary trip that we had hoped for last October. Darn that pesky tumor.

My niece Loren sent an online photo album of Thanksgiving to me. I think if you click here you can view it, although I am not confident about the technology. The first page is Loren and Shannon (Erin and Davis's California cousins), the next couple of pages are big group shots of the family, and then there are several action shots of the Thanksgiving play Erin organized and cajoled the cousins into performing.

I hope this update finds everyone healthy and happy in the new year. Thanks for checking in.

12/22/04

Well, I meant to write back when I had seen the actual radiology reports, but they have not yet arrived, and I may wait to nag the staff until next week.

We have had such a joyful time since hearing Erin's good news. I guess I really was holding my breath for an extended period of time, but we hadn't had a problem-free report since last March and I guess I was waiting for the other shoe to fall. Anyway, we put up a very large (12 feet, maybe) Christmas tree last Friday. My dear friend Phyllis joined us for the decking of the tree. Phyllis lost her mother to relapsed cancer just a couple of weeks ago, and we were so happy that she felt up to sharing some of our "Buenger Christmas traditions." We had traditional Buenger Christmas chili and hung our rather eclectic ornaments on our definitely non-symmetrical yaupon tree. Erin provided the extra energy flow to keep things rolling along, and we all sang carols and danced around between ornaments.

On Saturday, the Mulligan Brass played Christmas tunes at the mall for about an hour. Being at the mall the Saturday before Christmas was not my first choice, but we played well and really did seem to bring some cheer to passersby and others who sat for a moment to give us a listen. That evening, we went to a going away party for our Polish friend Jerzy with loads of good food and singing and conversation. Sunday, Erin's chum Clayton Sue, in from Fort Worth for the weekend to visit her grandparents, got to come out for a good bunch of play. The pair spent most of the afternoon back in their secret hideout behind our dam (thanks to the Bensons for sharing her!).

Monday, Erin and I tested the new, enormous HEB grocery store and found everything on our shopping list except regular Cream of Wheat. I don't know how store managers expect us to make it through the arctic blast that is headed our way without C of W! Oh well. When we got back home Erin's buddy from Round Rock, Ayesha (who used to be our neighbor), had made it to our house. Nonstop playing ensued! Those two get along so well! No grumbling, no "I'm bored," no "will you take us. . ." They played at it hammer and tong--behind the dam, in the fort, under the stairs, and so on. They got together with Abby, from Erin's class and church, on Tuesday, with more playing and a trip to the Children's Museum. Wow, what alot of fun.

Tuesday afternoon, I got my car back out of the shop. I want you all to notice that I have gotten this far in my update without ranting about how my car has been in the shop since last Wednesday. How my car has been in the shop during the height of errand-running season. How my car stopped running within eleven minutes after I turned my final grades in and became a free woman. How the dealer wouldn't tell me what was wrong with my car or how long I would have to wait. How my dealer wouldn't provide me with something else to drive because the problem was warranty work. How my dealer wouldn't do anything to expedite the shipment of the part, so that it was crawling around the country for a week. Oh well, it was a good thing I was so filled with the joy of the season and the thrill of Erin's good health, or no one at my dealer would have skin left intact.

We are all looking forward to the weekend. Elisabeth and Annabelle will arrive Friday and Katherine (with Kitten) on Saturday. I promise, we will all count our blessings. I hope each of you can and will do the same.

12/16/04

Dr. Russell called today (I was in a candle store in the mall at the time) with scan news. She reported that the scans, as expected, showed considerable "noise" around the October surgery location. When we scan again in three months, we would expect this area to light up less, as healing progresses. When she and the surgeons look carefully at the scans, they can't really see anything obvious and noticeable growing back. That's good news. Also good news, there is no sign of neuroblastoma in any of the scans.

I will write again in a couple of days, after I have had a chance to actually read the radiology reports. In the meantime, I hope everyone is enjoying making holiday preparations. Davis finished finals today and has already began relaxing. Erin's last day of school is tomorrow, and she is about to burst waiting for Christmas.

12/14/04

No news yet.

Everyone's semester is winding down. Davis's finals begin tomorrow. He and Erin have three more days of school. My last final was this morning (woohoo). Let the holidays begin.

Hopefully, we will receive scan news from Dr. Russell tomorrow. I'll let you know.

12/08/04

Erin, Nico, and I arrive back in the Microplex around 5:00 this afternoon after completing a whirlwind of clinics, tests, and scans. No results until Monday or Tuesday next week. Erin's doctor has gone to New York for a research presentation. We did hear a preliminary results that Erin's CT scan looked good but needed to be compared with the MRI Erin did today. All three sets of results (CT, MRI, and bone) will need to be corroborated because of the likely relics lingering from Erin's October surgery.

All the docs and nurse and technicians remarked that if they had to base their judgment on how well Erin looked, they would assume she was fine. I hope that holds true when we have the "official" word.

We did get to mix in some fun with the action. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. The children decorated their own little Christmas tree for our room Monday evening and decorated holiday cookies on Tuesday evening. There were also quite afew delicious hoilday meals served by various volunteer groups doing their part to make our tough week a little nicer.

We saw a couple of old, dear friends and fellow NB warriors, Hannah (who is as sweet and pretty as ever) and Razak (who has grown like a weed). We are keeping our fingers crossed for good results for them as well.

I promise I will post results as soon as I know something, but I suspect it will be Tuesday at the earliest. In the meantime, Walter and I will work on putting this semester to bed.

11/30/04

Well, Let's hear it for the best Thanksgiving ever! Walter's sister and brother-in-law, Jan and Hank, opened their home for a feast for eighteen last week. I can't tell which was better, that I only had to bake pies and cookies as my contribution to the meal, or that I didn't have to scurry around with a dust mop and vaccuum trying to salvage my home before guests arrived. Erin and Davis thought it was the least stressed out holiday they had ever had. There was one thing better than limited cooking and cleaning. We had all the cousins together in one place (maybe for the first time ever), plus Uncle Dave and Aunt Norma. Even better, Erin managed to get all the cousins organized into presenting a Thanksgiving play, complete with a four page script and lots of stage direction! It was quite a hoot, considering all the cousins except Erin, Davis, and Annabelle are out of high school. Thanks Matt, Mark, Mike, Loren, and Shannon for being such good sports!

Erin continues to prosper and feel well. Scan week is next week, so keep us in your hearts. Erin's doctor has changed the scan schedule slightly. Erin has to have an MRI to monitor the spinal area where she had surgery this fall, so we are trading the MRI for the MIBG (which is a two day scan specific to neuroblastoma). The doctor has also discontinued the quarterly bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. Here's the explanation in her own words:

We can always add a bone marrow if there is something concerning on the other scans or changes in blood counts. But it is nice to avoid one more sedation if possible. She [Erin] is getting farther and farther from her neuroblastoma and less and less likely to have that tumor come back. I am weaning you off frequent checks. This is a good thing!

So, our usual four-day scan week has turned into a jam-packed scan half-week. Erin will have a CT scan and Bone Scan on Tuesday (12/7), with the usual clinic. On Wenesday (12/8) Erin will have her MRI, plus clinic with a cancer geneticist and with her surgeon. I think we will drive up Monday evening to get a running start.

The semester is winding down for Walter and me. Updating the web site gives me a little respite from grading, but I guess I'd best get back to it. Thanks for stopping in.