My daughter gently (?) reminded me that I really needed to update my blog - so I am. Let's say that I've been busy!
The last couple of weeks have been a real roller coaster - even more so than I would have every guessed. The kids had been helping get the house put back together after our major re-do - so they got the dining room all set up and we have an upstairs guest room that we can even use for a guest room. Well, little did I know that part of the reason they wanted to get things put back together was that they were planning a major surprise for me. They had talked with my bff Marlene and she showed up at the pizza party we had planned with the kids and grandkids on Sunday, August 28 - after Carrie & Justin brought her here from the airport. Well needless to say I was very surprised. Since we weren't going to be able to meet up at Mt. Pleasant, IA we were going to have to miss our yearly get-together. That was also the reason that they had persuaded me NOT to start chemo until after Labor Day - although that really didn't take too much persuasion! Of course no one told me that I needed to take a little time off work cos I was going to have company - so Marlene went with me to work on Monday so I could do paychecks. Tuesday was Dr. Bill's last Staff Meeting with us, so we had a little party at church - and John & Marlene did some running around - seeing Marlene's old houses on H Street and Irving Street, etc. and chasing after some of the black squirrels in our neighborhood so that Marlene could get a picture of one to take home to show her family. Carrie joined the three of us for lunch at Gringo's and then the three of us girls made a couple of stops in Fremont before we took off for Omaha to go to Bravada's to check out wigs. Well that we did, and I found one that the girls thought I looked really good in and that matched the natural color of my hair. (One of the side effects of the chemo that I took from the pump before was hair thinning, and the texture of my hair has gotten real thin - and since I can't do a perm because of the upcoming chemo - Carrie thought we needed to go check out wigs while I was still feeling good and having Marlene here was just an added bonus.) I needed to get a prescription for it from the oncologist, and needed to check with the insurance company too. Wednesday was Dr. Bill's official last day and also John & I's 37th wedding anniversary - and we did a cook out here with our company, and also Pat & Denise came to town to join us too. I got to meet my new boss, Jon Ashley on Thursday morning - the first time in person cos unfortuately I couldn't be at church the day he candidated - we were still trying to figure out the wafer for the ileostomy bag at that point. I really like him - he is very calm and laid back! Thursday we had lunch together at our house with Marlene, Jeff, Carrie, John, me, Pat, Denise, Randy, Brian, Chrissy and Amber (my nephews & nieces) - there's a reason that we were all together, but I'll put that in another post. Then we had to have Marlene back to the airport by about 4:30 p.m. so that she could catch her 5:45 flight. Friday I spent the day at work resting up - I must have done one too many trips up to the balcony that day though, cos I had started down the hallway with some paperwork to put in one of the committee boxes and my legs started feeling weird - so I went back and grabbed the first chair I could find. It went away pretty quickly - I call it "jelly knees" and they show up periodically - sometimes I wake up with them! On Saturday the 3rd I decided I needed to do some work outside on the rosebushes, so with gloves and pruner in hand, I cleaned them all up. Sunday John & I went to modern worship - then in the afternoon Jeff took #13 to US30 Speedway to try the new 6 cylinder out, Jill and the boys went with him too. John took #31 too so Jeff could chase him around the track - and I went too. Because there were only 4 cars - the 2 GOTRA cars, a late model and a modified, we could park real close to the pit grandstand area. I helped Jill try to keep an eye on Brody & Brant. When we got done there, we all went to Pat & Denise's for a cookout - what a good time. I was tired when we got home, but nothing too bad. Then on Monday I decided that I really felt good and wanted to see how much energy I had - so I started mowing the lawn. I didn't mow all of it, but I mowed a big share of it. Once again I went to work on Tuesday to rest up. On Wednesday, John and I went to see Dr. B - she had good results from the test I did at Methodist and so we set the date to reverse (or take down I guess in medical terminology) the ileostomy - that will happen in October. She thought things were coming along very well and was very pleased with how the recup after surgery had gone. For that surgery I will be in the hospital for 2 or 3 days (not counting the day of surgery) and will spend a couple of weeks recuperating. During that time, I will not have chemo either.
Speaking of chemo, I saw Dr. H on Monday, September 12 - my son's 35th birthday. He did an exam and then they sent me off to take some blood and then start the infusion - it takes 2 hours and 15 minutes - we started at 2:00 and got done at 4:15. (The port worked great - this one has been day & night different from the other one.) After that was done, they hooked me up to the pump (this is the same chemo that I had before in the pump but I will only wear it for 46 hours instead of 7 days like before). I went back in on Wednesday afternoon to get the pump taken off. It was "relearning" what to do with the pump - like to remember to take it with me when I get up in the middle of the night. I lay the bag on my sewing chest next to the bed at night - otherwise, I have the strap over my shoulder. It is a lot easier to only wear it for 46 hours as opposed to every day! The weeks that I am doing the chemo treatments are the weeks that John has Monday off, so that he can go with me (at least for the first few) to see how I tolerate things. I picked up the RX for the wig on Monday - and after we got done at the oncologist's office John & I went to Omaha to pick up the wig that I had ordered the week before. Then we went to Fazoli's to eat - my fav Italian restaurant! By that time I was feeling pretty tired so we headed back home. On Tuesday I went and got my hair cut - so now I have straight hair - I haven't had straight hair since I got all the long stuff cut off when Jeff was about 2. So far I have been wearing it like this - don't know when I'll break out the wig. It is certainly different when I look in the mirror! I also thought maybe getting it cut a little shorter will help with putting it up under the wig. Today is Thursday and - knock on wood - so far no side effects from the chemo. I have been spending a little more time resting this week and going to bed early and a couple of days taking a little rest after lunch. Yesterday I spent an hour or so on the phone with my cousin Curt from CO - so that was a little extra rest time too. So . . . I will keep you posted on how the second treatment goes!
