Monday we met with a counselor who works with Rory's primary care physician, and at her recommendation. We went into the session not really knowing what to expect, or where the discussion would lead. She explained that her role is to provide "short-term" counseling, so if we decide that meeting with her is beneficial long-term we'll have to figure out whether insurance will still cover them. But for now, we'll just see how the go over the next few months. The meeting wound up being lots of questions, discussion, and things to consider. Long-term and ultimate "goals" are something we have to think about and put into place. We do have some of the physical needs issues (insurance, funeral, wills, etc) taken care of, although there may need to be some updates. Probably we'll have another discussion with the family this coming weekend, more focused on the kids and how they are processing things. We left the session feeling like it was beneficial, and plan to continue counseling with her.

Immediately following the counselor's session was Rory's regular check-in with the primary care doctor. She is essentially coordinating with all of the various specialists, but has a special rapport with Rory and always takes the time to REALLY listen, ask questions, and show genuine concern. This time she also clarified that Rory's twice-daily injections of insulin should always be given, even if she's got low sugar numbers at the time. We (ok, I) mistakenly thought those injections should be skipped if her blood sugar numbers were below the minimum threshold, which they have been several times. However, those two specific doses are long-term, and release into her system slowly. So skipping them could be harmful. Instead of skipping a dose, she should give her injection and then make sure to eat something right away to boost her numbers. Good clarification.

The check-in with the psychiatrist was pretty simple. His role is to prescribe some of the medications that help with sleep, mood, etc. Since things are going relatively well right now, his appointments are becoming little more than just getting prescription refills taken care of. But that's important, too.

Rory saved up her energy and attended Colton's next basketball game against Herriman on Friday. That "event" was mostly an exhibition of the high school team (player intros, scrimmage, skills contest, etc) with 12 minutes of play against the Vipers. The boys did really well to help the Vipers players feel good, have fun, and it was another good experience. Probably not worth the effort for Rory to be there for just a few minutes, but now we know for next time. (Jordan's event was much more centered on the Vipers, and definitely more worth our time, energy and effort.)

Saturday Rory was able to get some extra rest. (I took the kids to a hockey game, giving her some quiet time to spend with Kaeli.) The result was that Rory felt good enough to attend church for the first time many months!

It's been interesting to see how Rory is adapting to the new chemo. We were told that Week 1 she should generally feel pretty good, perhaps with some negative symptoms creeping in by the end of the week. Week 2 should be anticipated as "rough" as the medication is in full force. Then, Week 3 is the "rest week" and she should be feeling good while she takes a break from the meds. However, her body doesn't seem to be on the same cycle as what the doctors forecast. I've definitely noticed that Week 2 is by far the BEST week for her! This past week was Week 2, and she participated in all of the events noted above, was more available for the kids' school, and seems to have taken fewer naps and had less down time than normal. Week 3, when she's not on the medication, has been the WORST in each of the past few cycles. It's totally backwards and not expected, but I guess we'll see how things go this week to either verify or break the cycle. With Thanksgiving and movies and parties all coming up this week, we certainly hope her energy is up and she's healthy and able to fully participate!