Settling In at College

Adrienne is doing really well after her second day of classes. I was surprised to hear that she was "trembling with nerves" before her first class but has discovered that it isn't as scary as she thought. So far, her workload is manageable and she's even getting out for events each evening, including a comedy night last evening. She is hoping to have a small job (4-6 hours a week) by the end of next week. She was offered one job tutoring at the Harvey Mudd Upward Bound program but decided to wait a few days to hear if she gets a job as a research assistant, which would be her preference. This afternoon, she sent an e-mail saying "I realize I haven't thought about having cancer for a few days." Cool!

Speaking of which, Adrienne's next checkup is on September 12 at City of Hope. On that day, she will see her new transplant doctor as well as a radiation oncologist to explore the possibility of radiation to the nodes where she relapsed last January. There are some new radiation technologies that are more targeted, allowing larger doses. I will probably fly down for the day so I can meet the new doctor and ask lots of questions. Then, Adrienne will have her third DLI on Friday, September 16 at City of Hope. Her dad will take her and then she'll spend the weekend with him. Unfortunately, she doesn't smell too good for a day or two after the infusion because of the DMSO they use to preserve the cells so she really doesn't want to go back to school.

We are having a bit of car trouble this week. My car was having transmission trouble while we were in southern California and it needs a new transmission. Luckily, I have an extended warranty that covers the parts and labor. Daniel's car also broke down on Monday. We're managing despite the inconvenience.