Loads of Love

I am such a lucky girl and the outpouring of love has never subsided. People continue to be there for me and Steve to help in anyway possible. These last few weeks have been pretty good and I have tolerated my chemo very well! The biggest side effect is fatigue and to ward it off I take 2-3 hour afternoon naps.

We had a little scare with the tumor markers rising to 120 so we did a scan and the great news is that the scan showed more shrinkage of the tumors in the last 6 weeks and no spreading. Dr Reza was so pleased with these results. He was pretty sure we would have a good scan. He didn’t think it would be as good as it was! Prayers are being answered! Next step is meeting with a Dr here who has clinical trials and so far I am a fit and going for the consult on March 11th. More to come in the next blog post.

As I continue to stay busy, one of the greatest accomplishments is I finished Steve’s needlepoint belt after 4 years and along with one other project. I have now started another project of a foot stool cover and also finishing up a pair of flip flops that I have had in my bag for years. It is amazing that my attention span is terrific with the needlepoint but not with the reading.

I am still working on reading a book and I am having a really tough time with it – they call this chemo brain, ugh so annoying.

I have had some adventures these last few weeks and have some socializing as well. I went uptown twice, once for a meeting and the other time for lunch with my friend Maureen. She is such a joy to be around and she keeps me smiling and laughing. I also had a very successful cabi show at my house and it was so fun to see my friends.

Then my mom was in town while Steve was out of town in Mexico on business. It was so comforting to have her here with me and we had so much fun doing some cooking and other projects together. Then one of my college friends Suzie came into town for a few days and this was such a treat and enjoyable visit.

I will be honest and say I am a little sick and tired of being sick and wish that this was just a bad joke and that one morning I will wake up and it will be gone! I don’t mean to be a downer but sometimes it just overwhelms me and bums me out. So to rise above this and not let it get me down I give myself small projects like organize my pantry or clean out under a sink. When I do these projects I shake my head at some of the things I find – man the money I would save if I checked the pantry before buying – that goes for Steve too. I found 3, not 2, 3 boxes of ziploc bags all the same size in the pantry and then was told there were more in the garage. For the love, they are multiplying like crazy. Not to mention the spices oh my they are a project in and of themselves.

Sweet Millie continues to watch over me even when others are around. This is Millie giving friends space to visit with me while she keeps an eye out from a distance.

We had some friends over from our JDRF Ride team and it was so fun to entertain in our new kitchen! It is so fun to have friends over and to hear the laughter and joy that they bring to our home. Some upcoming events are to continue working through what our next course of action will be for when it’s time to switch up the current treatment. For now we will stay with the current treatment as long as I tolerate it and it is working. Thanks to everyone for all the support and love that is showered on me and on Steve. We are so blessed and fortunate to have the team of friends and family around us whenever we need it even when we don’t realize we need it. As a friend said to me recently – I am not worried about what you say, it is what you are not saying that worries me. This is a very true statement and observation but I try to be upfront and honest with my feelings but keeping a positive attitude is half the battle of beating this beast.

More to come with the clinical trials and our adventures living with cancer and not letting it take over our lives!