New Pictures

I have added some new pictures to the more swabo pictures link to the right.

Hospital Pictures

Check out the link for the pictures taken by hospital.

http://www.bellababyphotography.com/life/login

Password: 0918cavinswabowski

More pics at the more swabo pics link to the right

Cavin Michael Swabowski

6 lbs 14 oz 19 3/4" born at 10:41 am. Here's some pics. More to come later.

Pirates Have Taken Over

CC hasn't been very good with keeping this Blog up-to-date, so I have decided to pirate it from her.

Not too much exciting stuff is going on with us. Here is the quick run down.

1. Cole started at a new school. He adjusted really quickly and enjoys going to his new school. As a bonus it is really close to home, so no more long car rides for him.
2. I think CC has started her third trimester, everything has been a-okay so far, hopefully this one will incubate a longer than Cole did.
3. CC and I have both been crazy busy with work, which is good, I guess, seeing the state the ecomomy is in.
4. We are going to New Mexico this weekend to party it up with Rob and Company now that they are back stateside.

Thats about it. Hopefully I will have more time than CC and will keep up with this thing, but who knows, it may be another 4 months before the next update. I suggest that you check back a few times a day, just to make sure.

Has it really been 3 months?

Since I last updated this thing. Well, here are the high, and lowlights:
1. In late Nov, I had a CT scan that came back clear- Thanks to God.
2. In early Dec, my grandmother in CT passed away. She was 99 and was still living on her own. She is truely an inspiration to me and she will be missed.
3. In mid Dec, Cole, Mike and I went to Jamaica for vacation. We had the best time. Cole still talks about wanting to go back. There are pictures at the Flicker site- click on "More Swabo pictures" to the right.



4. For Christmas we had lots of Mike's familiy down to visit and we had a blast. Cole still doesn't like Christmas or Santa.
5. When I got back to work in Jan, there was a shooting at worka dn we were in lockdown for 4 hours. As it truned out, some dumb lady actually brought a gun to work and shot herself in the foot.
6. The next week, Pfizer announced a bunck of layoffs and, thankfully, our group, Biologics, was safe.
7. Two weeks later, Pfizer announced the merger with Wyeth which has a huge biologics group. About 1000 people vs. our 300. They have had products on the markets for about 15 years which we are just trying to do now. Not good. There is not much optimism in our group about the future. The deal is final at the end of Sept. so we won't know anything until then.
8. We are awaiting , yet another cousin, on 19Feb!! Good luck Jen and Rob!!
9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!

Well, that pretty much gets you up-to-date. Hope all is well with you out there.

I wanted to share some tidbits about Cole's involvement in the political process. Cole really got into the spirit of things. We listen to alot of NPR and whenever they would talk about Obama or McCain (which is always), he would start talking about them. Mike got a McCain bobblehead at a minor league baseball game this summer and Cole sai, " John McCain, I have to change your diaper". And then he told McCain he was "in trouble" and put him in time-out-- IN THE REFRIGERATOR. And still even now, whenever we open the door to get a snack, there is John McCain nodding approvingly at us. Then we took Cole to the polls when we voted and he cried when we left saying he "want to do America again". Check out the video below (I cut it off a little too soon- sorry).

Soupy-Man

Its a bird. Its a plane. Nope, its Colden!. Cole pronouces Superman as Soupy-man (really funny to us). He really got into the spirit of it this year. We are fortunate though that by the next morning he had forgotten all about the candy he had gotten!

Cole is getting really good at counting- up to twenty and can do his ABCs really well. His latest and greatest is to tell us "I'll be back in a minute". Nothin else to report from here- just work, eat, play, sleep. I posted a bunch of pics on the ficker site so check them out if you want (see the link to the right- More Swabo pics). Peace.

Oh yeah- Gas here is $1.93 (if it goes much lower, I think people might bathe in it 8-) and it flurried this morning. Booooo.

Congrats and Best compliment EVER

Congratulations to our friends, Brent and Abby, who tied the knot this past weekend in Chicago. We wish them all the happiness and laughter life has to offer.

We brought Cole with us to the wedding and we had a blast. He wore a little suit and tie which was sooo adorable! After I was finished getting ready, Cole paid me the best compliment of my life. I walked downstairs in my dress and Cole looks at me and said "Mommy looks like a princess." OMG- my heart melted right there. Who would have ever guess that after 36 years the nicest compliment came from my 2 year old. Ah, life is sweet.

All is well in STL. On Saturday we went to the Taste of St. Louis which was like a Hot Dog Stand compared to the Taste of Chicago- although there was a Big Foot truck. I thought I would just share some pics from the Air Show. Hope all is well with everyone!! Enjoy-


PS- GO WHITE SOX!!

HI everyone. Things are fine with us. We went to the Giants game last weekend and had a BLAST!! We went early to watch them warm up down close to the field. Cole wore his Manning jersey and I wore my Shockey jersey (yes, I know it's a little outdated but it's all I had). Surprisingly, there were TONS of Giants fans there. In our section, there was the constants chant of "Let's go Giants". Then after the KILLED the Rams, we saw the team bus and watched the players get on- we saw Brandon Jacobs, Jeff Feagles, ELI. Unfortunatley, we didn't bring a camera. Cole had a great time and cheered loudly for the good guys.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Air Show at Scott Air Force Base which should be pretty cool. The Thunderbirds will be there. Not much else new around here. Just feeling good and LOVING it!! Hope all is well with everyone reading this.

Go Giants!

Apolgies for no posting in a while- but, I guess, no news is good news. I found out last week that the remaining half of my thryoid isn't working and so I have to take hormone for the rest of my life. No problem- tons of people have to take it too. I'm fine.

Cole is a maniac lately. So much energy. Do you ever wonder what happens to us- that we were capable of having so much energy at one point and now.....? He's good at singing his ABCs but I can't get it on tape- the camera is MUCH more interesting than an ABC song.

We got tickets to the Rams v. GIANTS game Sept 14 and we will also see the Bears play. Did you read that Rob? we're going to see the SUPERBOWL champs!!!! On that note, the other day Cole came downstairs after getting dressed in his Manning jersey (thanks, Cavs) and yelled "Go Giants". Mom went nuts. What a good boy!!!

Hope all is well with everyone out there. Thanks for continuing to check our blog!!

Done and Done

I am happy to announce that I am offically finished with my therapy!! I'm sure I won't go through that again for decades, if ever, again. I will have a CT scan in November then see the doctor to make sure I'm okay. So for now life goes back to normal- as if Mike and I can remember a "normal" time. Hope all is well with everyone out there. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers during this time.

BIG BREAKING NEWS

COLE IS FINALLY GOOGER-FREE!! That's right, he has finally given up the pacifier. YIPPIE!! We told him the standard thing- that a fairy came and took them to the babies that need them. Saturday was nuts with many horrendous meltdowns (especially in the car) but as time went by it got better. Now, whenever he asks where they are, we say, "You know where they are, where are they?". He says "with the babies- I'm nice". He even took his naps and slept all night without it. We are very proud of our boy doing such a hard thing. It is amazing how much more he talks to us now. And it is soooo much easier to understand him.

Some cool/funny things to share:

1. We went to Purina Farms this weekend where Cole milked a real cow! How is it he's terrified of a kitten but he will yank on a cow's teat? Poor cow. (we forgot the camera- what kind of parents are we?!?!)

2. Cole put his head through the arm holes of one of Mike's tank tops yesterday and spun around saying he was a "princess". Because the shirt is so long it looked like a dress, I guess. Mike promptly turned the shirt to the back and convinced him he was Superman instead- much better. I have to admit that Cole pretending he was "a princess" made me squirm a bit. Superman is much better.

3. I turned around yesterday and saw Cole singing- into his thumb like it was a microphone - with his eyes closed and dancing around. It was so cute!

I need to apologize for not keeping the blog up to date. I have received several emails asking for updates. As for me, I only have one treatment left on Friday. The oncologist assured me that I would almost certainly been in remission for the next 2 years so if we want to have another kid we should try then. We need to wait at least 4 months so I can get another scan. But then we can start trying. Other than that, no news on that front. I continue to feel great most of the time- the worst is just being REALLY tired the day of and the day after treatment.

Thanks to all who have left comments on the blog- Mike and I love reading them!

Apologies for not updating this in a week. Not much has happened, no new news. I had my second treatment on Thursday which went well. It only took 3 hours and I slept almost the whole time- they load with up with Benedryl to mitigate any allergic reactions.

I am happy to report that I am starting to feel better than I have in years- literally. I have more energy than I've had in a long time. I actually worked 3 whole days this week!!

Thanks to everyone for the cards and treats- especially Nick and Anne, Joanne and Steve. A special shout-out to Andrew and Meg who send me about 5 pounds of strawberry licorice- NICE.

Hope all is well with everyone reading this. Feeling better all the time thanks to your thoughts and prayers. Later...

PS- I have uploaded a bunch of pix on Flicker from our trip to the STL Botanical Gardens with Poppy and Cindy. If interested, click on the "More Swabo Pictures" link to the right.

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!

Yesterday's doctor's appointment went really well. There was "no evident disease" (commonly called NED) in the PET scan which means I'm in remission. We still are going forward with the Rituxin treatments since I am so young and there were more aggressive cells found in the pathology. I asked the doc if this was curable and about the chances of relapse. He said that follicular lymphoma is not curable and the changes of relapse are "100%". Really, 100%, not 99%, who says that? He went on to say that I will DEFINITELY have this again in the future but it could be 10-20 years before it needs to be treatment. I will have PET scans every 3 months for the first year, every 6 months the second year, and annually every year thereafter. Very similar to after the brain tumor, huh?

I had the first treatment yesterday which took 7 hours. We were about 2 hours in when I started to fell my throat swell and get scratchy and I felt like I had the worst flu of my life. They immediately stopped the infusion and gave my more Benadryl- then we had to start all over again. After that things went smoothly with no more side effects. I have 3 more treatments- each Thursday for the next 3 weeks.

Cole just fell down on his face- he look up at Daddy and said, "I need to be more careful". Perfect, he's starting to parent himself- just what we wanted 8-). Everyone go and enjoy the hotdogs, beer, and fireworks. Later...

PET scan

This morning I had a PET scan (positron emission tomography) to detect any small tumors. I find this test so cool because the premise of it is so basic but the technology of the imaging is extremely elaborate. The basis of the test is that cells need sugar to replicate. I got some radioactive sugar by IV then had to sit quietly for about an hour while the cells took up the sugar. Then I went in the scanner for about a half an hour. Since cancer cells replicate quickly compared to normal cells, they absorb more of the radioactive sugar than normal cells. The scanner detects the radioactivity. They scanned from my head to my knee caps- a total of about 3000 images. I wasn't able to see the scans but the doc will have the results for tomorrow's appointment.

Tomorrow I will see the oncologist to discuss the scan and my blood work. I'm sure everything will be fine and the scan will be clean. Then I start the Rituxin (antibody) treatment. This first infusion will take about 6 hours. Good thing my Dad is going with me 'cause it will be BORING!! I hear a knock on the door...... Dad's here!! Later!

Too good to last

Today I am back to feeling super tired. I cannot even begin to explain the exhaustion I feel almost all the time. I feel like I'm moving through molasses and it takes all my energy to do anything. The thought of even having to shower in the morning makes me want to cry. Even though today is back to "normal", I cling to the euphoria of yesterday as a promise of things to come once this is over.

On a more positive note, I would like to tell everyone what a great husband I have. He has picked up all the slack, cooking, taking care of Cole, without a single complaint. He won't let me do anything on the days that I'm tired. Who knew "in sickness and in health" would be so soon applicable to us? But I am glad and blessed to have taken those vows with him. I thank God every day for bringing us together. Thanks, Mike. I love you.

Thanks for today...

God gave me extra blessings today as I felt GREAT- the best in months. Must be all the well wishes and prayers!!! At the recommendation of the oncologist, I started taking folic acid- maybe it took a couple of days to start working. Or maybe my body and thyroid are settling back after surgery.WHO CARES- I feel great! I actually made it through a whole day of work and we went grocery shopping afterward!! Mike thinks it's because we gave a "little extra" in the collection basket at church this week.

Thanks to all who have sent cards: Mitzi & Pops, Jack & Gloria, Brent & Abby, Mandi (my Terre Haute BFF), Wendy Cain, Laura Sofere and family, Joanne and Steve, the Chris Krahulecs, Barb Kelley and the STL Pfizer crew, and Dad and Cindy. I also want to thank everyone for the comments on this blog. I didn't think about it before, but they really cheer me up. I had no idea so many people love me. 8-)

On another note, Cole is regularly using the potty before bath time and will periodically go potty at "school". Mike and I are sure he will be potty trained before he gives up the googer (i.e., pacifier). Yes, he is still suckin on his binky (please no lectures- we know we have to get rid of it!). I included some cute pics below.

Even if tomorrow is rough, I will be grateful for today!!

Oncologist Appointment

Today I meet with Dr. Hu (pronounced Who- countless jokes there, I know), my oncologist. First, let me say how weird it is that I have an oncologist. The good news is that they couldn’t see any other affected areas on the CT scan. However, the doctor pointed out that this is not a real sensitive test so I have to go in for a PET scan next week. The bad news is that they found some cells that have transformed into a more aggressive type of lymphoma (from Follicular to Diffuse Large cell lmphoma). I have to start some treatments with monoclonal antibodies starting on Thursday- which is really ironic becuase that's what I work on (different antibodies than the one I will get) everyday at my new job.

It’s amazing that every time we go to a doctor there is still another test to do which will provide more information. I had some blood work done today which will help further classify the cancer type and the PET will help with the staging. The doctor just seemed concerned about the fact that I’m symptomatic, the more aggressive cells, and my age- usually not seen with younger people. Next Sunday (July 6) is my 36th birthday- I’m glad I’m still considered to be “younger”. Well, happy birthday to me- you get to start cancer treatments!! I honestly don’t care about the cancer but they BETTER be able to do something about the fatigue. I’m sleeping 12 hours a night and taking a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.

My dad and his wife, Cindy, are coming out next week for the 4th so he will be able to go to the treatment with me (about a 6hour infusion). We are very happy to see them (and thankful for the timing)- especially Cole- everyday he reminds us that Poppy is coming.

Thanks for the Swabowski clan who sent a get well cookie arrangement- you know it won't last long in this house. The trick is to eat them before Mike knows they are here!! Well, that's al for now. Take care and have a great weekend.

Oh, by the way- Strawberry Twizzlers makes everything better!!

The latest

For those who haven't heard, we found out recently that I have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I had a mass in my throat that I thought was a goiter. I was feeling incredibly tired all the time so I went to get it checked out. After an ultrasound that was "worrisome for malignancy", they removed half of my thyroid (6-13). The pathology came back as lymphoma. This was totally unexpected. We thought at worst it would be thyroid cancer which is just a treatment of radioactive iodine and you're pretty much done. I had a CT scan of my neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis yesterday to see where else the cancer may be. We meet with the oncologist tomorrow to learn about the treatment which, I guess, depends on the stage of the cancer which they can deduce from the CT scan. We are expecting some chemotherapy and possibly some radiation.

I thought it may be somewhat therapeutic for me to blog about what's going on with me. I am a big believer in being open as someone may learn something from me or someone may have some helpful advice for me. After the initial shock of everything, Mike and I are very optimistic that everything is going to be fine- just getting from point A to B may be a little bumpy. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers of everyone. I will try and keep this updated as things develop.