Okay, I'll update on Brinley first since I already know this will be a long post. That way if you don't have time to read my ramblings you don't have to sift through them for an update! We went to clinic today to try again to find something to explain Brinley's pain, which had actually diminished to the point of not debilitating her, well, until this afternoon. She had been very silly and playful for two days now, with fewer complaints of the pain, but it is definitely still there. Actually I say playful, but if you know Brinley, she is absolutely 100% comedian, and has had me laughing for 2 days now. Oh, she is hilarious! It was nice to have her personality back. I don't know how she will feel tomorrow, what a roller coaster we are on!


Funniest moment: she was fuming mad at me for who knows what reason, so with all her might she stomped her left foot (for a munch-kin like Brinley it didn't make much of a dent in the floor), gave me her furious "I'm going to go toddler on you" face, then let out an outrageously loud scream. Suddenly the furious face (which is a sight to behold in itself) melted into full on laughter, followed by the statement "I just tooted when I screamed!" We all roared and the tantrum was over just like that. That's Brinley for you. See why I miss her demeanor so much when she is hurting?

Anyhow, we went in to clinic today and they tested her blood for an inflammation marker and ran some x-rays. There was no inflammation and I haven't heard on the x-rays yet, however they didn't expect to see anything. So that leaves us with chemo side effects to explain the pain. They said they are going to do some detective work now that we have ruled out all the other options. We need to figure out which of her medicines is causing the pain. The options are the steroids and the vincristine. They both make her very miserable, and are given at the same time each month. So next chemo round they are going to hold off the steroids and see if her pain gets worse, stays the same, or starts to fade. If it gets worse, we know it is the vincristine causing some kind of neuropathy, and we will start her on a medicine to help with that. If it doesn't get worse, we will assume it IS the steroids causing the pain and either cut the dose, or change to prednisone, a different steroid that doesn't cause AVN. We aren't going to image her hips at this point, since the image on her back showed nothing. The good news is we get a break from the dreadful steroids this month, which I will not be complaining about. I am anxious to get to the bottom of this mystery....

Now for the funny stuff. Funny #1. Jade had a program today for Mother's day at Kindergarten. They each had to tell about their mom's. Here's what she had to say about me. I am 20 years old (woooohoooo!), I weigh 21 pounds (Oh yeah!), I DON'T like to clean (ahem, awkwaaaard), and my favorite place to go is Walgreen's. Walgreen's? Can you tell we have way too many trips to the pharmacy? Just to hear Brinley rattle off the medicine name "methotrexate" is hilarious in itself. I really need to get that on video...

Funny story #2, a long one but worth the wait. I have lived in Utah for 2 1/2 years, and still have my Nevada driver's license. There is a reason for that: I HATE THE DMV!! Oh, what I will do to avoid that place!! Well my Nevada license finally expired on my birthday, and I absolutely refused to go on my actual birthday, so I went yesterday, the day after. I had brought everything under the sun so there was no way they could turn me away (I tried this already and didn't have all the 500 items required to renew your driver's license). I had my SS card, my marriage certificate, my birth certificate, my bills with my address on them, my medical records (okay not that one, but I'm surprised they didn't ask for them). I walk in with my 3 kids 5 and under, minus my helper, Taylor, and wait in line #1. I get to the front of line #1 finally, only to find out I have to fill out the application before I wait in the line. Back to fill out the application and to the end of the line again. While walking back to the application I notice the big sign that says "PLEASE FILL OUT APPLICATION BEFORE WAITING IN LINE". Drat, I can't blame them for that one.

Go sit down for line #2, where my number gets called right away. I show them all 500 papers, surprised they don't ask me to give a fingerprint, toe print, tongue print, and do an eye scan to prove it is me. I pass the eye test (PHEW) and am told I have to take the written test. Seriously? You want me to take the written test? I've been driving for almost 20 years and I have to take the written test? Argh!

So I go over to that line, and follow the directions to take the open book test. I sit down and punch in my code, parking my stroller right behind me. Mylee, who is getting tired of the DMV, starts to scream her high pitched scream, since the only granola bar I brought for had been devoured in lines #1 and #2. I ask Jade to play with her, which doesn't work, it only adds a nice loud "PEEK-A-BOO" to the noise, but I try to ignore it and look at question 1. Since it was an open book test, I started looking for the answer, then realize I simply don't have time if the kids are this loud already and I am only on question #1. I take my best guess, pretty sure of the answer and move on. Question number 2 was as follows: "Does the department of driver's license only issue driver's licenses?" Seriously? I didn't see the option for "who gives a rat's", so I start looking in the book for the answer, which is not an easy feat.

As my frustration is building, I feel a gentle tap on the shoulder and turn to face a sweet older woman with a lovely smile. I am certain she is going to say something about how adorable my kids are, and ask if she could take them for a little walk while I take the test, so I flash my best smile back. Much to my surprise, she says through her smile "do you think you could come back another time to do this?" Come again? Did I hear you correctly? I looked around and realized for the first time that everything else in the DMV was pretty much silent. Like cricket silent. Talk about wanting to crawl under a rock!!

What I WANTED to say was "are you insane? I've lived here for 2 years and have FINALLY got up the guts and the paperwork to come in here to get this done. I got my kids up early, drove 30 minutes, and have gone to 3 different counters. I finally sit down to take this stupid test that asks questions that so far have no connection to actually driving and you want me to COME BACK another time? NO, we are doing this, right here, RIGHT NOW lady!"

What I actually said was "well, no, I CAN'T come back another time".

She went on to tell me that there were people who paid a lot of money to take the commercial drivers test and they really needed to be able to concentrate.

What I wanted to say was: "Well I just paid $30 whole dollars to take this test, so unless you have a babysitter back there somewhere or a sign that says 'no screaming children allowed', I'll be taking this test."

What I actually said was "I'm very sorry, I know my kids are disruptive. I can try to hold my baby on my lap while I take the test and hope she doesn't rip your book to shreds and the other two should be fine." Okay, I didn't actually say the ripping to shreds part.

She left and discussed the "situation" with a fellow employee, and came back to tell me they had decided to just auto-pass me and give me the booklet to take home and read if I would just get my kids out of the testing area! Bahahahahaha! I totally got out of taking the whole test!!!!! And I was kicked out of the DMV!!!! Who gets kicked out of the DMV??? In her defense, she was very nice about it, and I really DID feel for the people trying to concentrate. But seriously, I thought the DMV was like the mothership for loud, obnoxious kids. Now I know, always, always take my kids with me to the DMV. You never know what it will get you out of!!

I hope you laughed a little, I have been laughing a lot lately. I love to laugh. It is the best medicine...

Signing off from my absolutely crazy get-through-things-by-laughing-at-the-insanity-of-it-all life! Will update again soon!

Gotta be quick but didn't want to leaving everyone hanging....final results are in and there is NO relapse for sure! Yay!


MRI results gave us a big fat nothing. I don't know if that's good or bad, since it doesn't explain the pain. We will talk with our onc again tomorrow to determine the next step. Brinley has been happy today, but still having pain in her pubic bone and off and on in her back, not bad enough for oxycodone. That's about it for now. Will update more tomorrow!!

The MRI is done, it went just fine. She looked so tiny inside that giant machine. They sedated her and the medicine they used has sure knocked her out. She is sleeping now, so I am going to try and get something done. My parents are here and have the other kids with them. Could it be.....might I actually accomplish something.....off I go to at least try, Hmmm, what to do. Laundry, kids rooms, MY room, clean out the car, balance the checkbook....bathrooms are already clean, I hate dirty bathrooms.


Will post results when we get them, hopefully this afternoon.