PET Scan results

Whoohoo!!!! 

Praise God through whom all blessings flow! 

"No Active Cancer" 

I started on Arimidex this morning - antihormonal therapy - one pill a day. No chemotherapy and no radiation therapy per my oncologist. I am not sure that my surgeon knows this yet but she is not going to be a happy camper.

Be very specific in what you ask for. "If you want specific answers to prayer, then make specific requests. If your prayers consist of general requests, how will you know if they're answered?"

Rollin' the cat

My little girl likes to play on the bed while I am trying to make it, or I should say she used to play on the bed. I am not sure what happened but she kind of quit doing that until just recently. I purchased a new set of sheets and they were a very light color and all of the sudden I could see black cat hair all over the top sheet. Needless to say, "I can't have that." So, I got the lint roller out and was rolling over the sheet when appeared my black cat and she wanted to play. I rolled it over her once thinking that would be all it took and she would be gone. Wrong - she loved it and now it is our daily routine to get rolled when I make the bed. Sometimes I am not fast enough for her and she stands on the bed looking at the night stand where I keep the roller.

Ember is so little (10 lbs) and her hair is very fine. It does little good to comb her or brush her because I am not going to get enough hair out of her to make a difference. The lint roller works great and now my fear is that I might get too much hair out and she will be bald. Do you think that could happen? Hmmmmm!

Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday, July 18th, was my birthday. Why, you ask, is a 67 year old woman so happy about her birthday. The simple answer is - because I had one.

As many of you remember, last year at this time my cancer was spreading and my future (here on earth) looked pretty bleak. In February 2010 things changed and my terminal cancer was no longer active. They don't call it remission but I will take whatever they want to call it. I have had another PET scan on Friday and I do not have the results of it back yet.

I received so many birthday cards, birthday wishes on FaceBook and at church that I was glowing all day. I am not sure how many people actually knew what it meant to me. I plan on celebrating my birthday every day so if you want to send me birthday wishes anytime in the next year I will accept them and be grateful for each new day.

"Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed" (Psalm 139:16 NLT)

No Memory

Last Saturday, a week ago today, I started thinking about my surgery and my short stay in the hospital. I could not remember a thing. I tried all day and nothing was coming back to me. On Sunday morning I told Rebecca that I couldn't remember any of it. She said, "You don't remember the fire." I said, "What fire." There was a huge fire in Denver and I could see it from my window. I do remember that now.

Rebecca and Shirley started telling me different things that happened and I am starting to remember some of it but not all of it. They said that a lady was moved into the room with me and she had both legs amputated. I was very upset and said that she "was so worse of than me." Later in the day lots of people showed up including a baby. I am finally remembering a lady in the room and a baby crying but that is all.

I don't remember nurses coming into the room but they said they were in there all the time and I walked and I sat in the chair and I was constantly going to the bathroom with no results. The only thing I remember about this is that I was so thirsty and I kept drinking lots of water.

Rebecca said that she asked me if my surgeon had come in the night before - and I said yes. The next morning Rebecca asked my surgeon if she was in the night before - and she said no. I don't remember any of this. And, I have no idea what she said to me that morning. The only thing I know for sure is that I was discharged.

It is a really weird feeling not to remember. I do remember pre-op but as soon as I left that room I remember nothing else. I do not remember getting dressed to be discharged. I do remember Rebecca taking me down to get my prescription filled and then picking me up at the emergency entrance.

I think I remember Shirley asking me if I was hungry and said that I needed to eat something. I think she ordered breakfast for me - have no idea what it was or if I even ate it. In St Joseph you have to order your meals or you don't get anything.

Yes, I do remember the fall when I got home. So funny!

The only thing that I can think of is that I was really dreading this surgery and I chose to block it out. There are still so many things I don't remember - maybe with time.

"Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God."

Good news

I received some of my blood test results via email and I was almost afraid to open them for fear that they might show my cancer was active again.

The tumor marker for the endometrial cancer is the CA 125 - it was 12 the lowest that it has ever been. The normal range is <=34- u/mL.

My oncologist ordered a new tumor marker for the breast cancer - CA 27-29 - it was 23.0. The normal range is <=38.0- u/mL. I would like to see it lower but since it is within the normal range I will take it for now.

I don't shed tears often but they were tears of joy and I started thanking God. I know the blood test are only markers and not a sure-fire thing but they are a good indicator at what the cancer is doing. I have my PET scan on July 16th.

One more note on my fall the day I came home from the hospital. It finally dawned on me, just today. that I did not have my contacts in and was wearing my progressive glasses. I don't wear them very often and I don't do well with them on steps or curbs or in general. I guess with all the drugs in me and those silly glasses - well what can I say. Gotta blame it on something.

"We are not exempt from pain in this life, but God is attentive to our heart's cry and leads us beside the still waters of healing, where hope brightly blooms."

"We need to laugh every day - and I do."

I know I put that in my posting right after I got out of the hospital. And often I have said that there is something funny in most situations if you just look for it.

Maybe this wasn't so funny at first and maybe that is why I forgot to mention it. Rebecca brought me home from the hospital. I was so doped up on Morphine, Benadryl and Percocet. I knew they were taking me off the Morphine to discharge me so I made sure I had a couple of shots of it before they disconnected it. When we got to the apartment building I was feeling no pain but I don't think Rebecca realized how far gone I was. She dropped me off at the front door so she could go park the car. When she got back I was sitting in the lobby and she took one look at me and asked what was wrong - she could tell something was not right.

As she pulled away, I turned to go into the building. The only thing that I can figure out was that I did not move my feet and I went down - both knees - both hands. I had a great audience - lots of people waiting for RTD to go someplace. Of course, everyone wanted to help me up and all I could say was don't take a hold of my right arm. Because of this it was a little hard to get up but there was a younger man there and he helped me up.

Rebecca got me settled in bed to sleep for awhile and she left. She came back later with her air mattress and stayed all night with me to make sure there were no more incidents. I don't think there were - I don't really remember.

Only my pride got hurt in the incident but I can not even be embarrassed about the fall because I have no idea who all was standing there watching me, probably a good thing.

I thank God that he truly does give us something to laugh about through all of our trials to help lighten our load.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."
~Proverbs 16:9

Seroma

It is not unusual to develop a seroma after surgery (fluid buildup under the skin). They took the drains out on Friday and by Tuesday, the day of my doctor's appointment, I had a seroma. When I went in I told the nurse that I was "sloshing" so that he could warn the doctor before she came in. She was worried about my coumadin level - as usual. She finally decided to stick a small catheter in the scar tissue, added a tube and bulb and drained 100 cc. She decided to leave the catheter in and really taped it down. I have another appointment next Tuesday if it has quit draining by then. If not, they will leave it in. I have to be more careful with this one, but I will keep it as long as needed so I can start healing on the inside.

I hate to be a baby about this but I really do miss wearing a bra. I am counting the days when I can get fitted.

"I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."   ~Martin Luther

Reason​, Season, or Lifetime

Pe​ople come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

Whe​n someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty;​ to provide you with guidance and support; to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.​ They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenien​t time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationshi​p to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievabl​e amount of joy. Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIF​ETIME relationshi​ps teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.​ Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationshi​ps and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.​

~ Unknown

What comes next?

I had a follow-up appointment on the 17th with my surgeon and she is really pushing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Almost to the point that she is not going to take "no" for an answer if that is my decision. She doesn't know me very well. It is very obvious that she treats breast cancer aggressively.

On the 22nd I had an appointment with my oncologist. My first question was, "What are my options." I was very pleased with the outcome of that visit. He said that I have several options. Chemo which would be four treatments and not quite as aggressive as my last chemo, and/or radiation therapy which he did not feel was necessary unless that is my choice. The third option was anti-hormonal therapy, "Arimidex", a pill that would be taken every day. Number one side effect - "hot flashes" - oh joy!

He was aware that my surgeon was pushing for both chemo and radiation, but as he said, she is not aware of "the elephant in the room", meaning my endometrial cancer which is still first and foremost the cancer that we are most concerned about.

After much discussion he realized that I really wanted to hold off on any decisions until after my next PET scan and CA125 (blood test). I thought that I had to wait until August to get it because that would be six months since the last one. He assured me that we do not have to wait and he wrote the order for it while I was in the office. He did however suggest that we wait about three weeks so I have time to heal. My PET scan is scheduled for July 16th. I will make a decision about treatment after I know the results.

On Wednesday I started driving again. I was off the pain pills except for maybe late in the evening. It was so good to get out without being escorted. I still can't use my right arm for any heavy duty stuff, like changing the sheets on the bed or reaching out to pull the car door shut when I am with someone else. It will come with time. I know I still need to heal on the inside.

On Thursday I went to Idaho Springs with the seniors from church for a picnic. Idaho Springs is one of my favorite, close by, places to go. We sat by the rushing creek and watched the rafters go by one after the other. It was a good day in spite of the fact that they would not let me do anything. Good thing - I was still really tired when I got home.

On Friday I had to get my drains out. This has been a tedious process because I am on Coumadin (blood thinner) and I have to be off of it for four days before they pull the drains. But, they were still draining too much on Tuesday to have them pulled. I cannot keep going on and off my meds to get this done so they went ahead and pulled them on Friday.

This is finally Saturday and I have to admit that I am worn out, so I am hanging low today and Ember is right with me. She is laying on top of the printer as I type. What a blessing she has been - beside me constantly.

This journey has been hard and continues to be a hard journey - so I still take it one day at a time. My attitude is much better than I thought it would be after loosing a breast. It hurts and it looks ugly - and then I think about all the other people suffering from cancer and what they are going through. There are so many, so many. Everyone I know is touched by cancer in some way, family or friend. How can we possibly keep our wits about us except through God Almighty.

"It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day."
~Matthew Henry