Busy Week!

It's been an eventful week! Monday afternoon I had PT and we started on strengthening exercises for my arms. After I left there I had to have my blood pro-time checked. It's supposed to be between 2 and 3, it was 1.9. It just doesn't want to cooperate! He didn't change my Coumadin though. I was worn out and hit the recliner early. Still having issues with my left hand swelling.

Tuesday I vegged most of the day, then that evening we went to the grand dress rehearsal of TJC's drama dept play "Cotton Patch Gospel". It was great! Just a few people...fewer germs. Mike and Ruth went with us and we had a blast!

Wednesday I vegged some of the day, then we celebrated Ruth's birthday with the family at Villa Montez. YUM!

Thursday I vegged a little bit of the day and we didn't go anywhere that evening! Well, actually Todd and I decided to walk around the block and I almost didn't make it back. Obviously that was too far for my spaghetti legs!

Friday I vegged a little bit, and not only had the swelling in my hand not gone away, but now my feet and legs were swollen. yippee skipee! Todd won us free tickets to see Tim Hawkins, a Christian comedian. I laughed until my stomach was hurting!!! If you've never seen him, look him up on Youtube. Then we had a gift card to On The Border so it was a free evening! (this is good!)

Today I woke up to my hand, feet and ankles swollen worse. As bad as I hated to, I called my dr on a Saturday. Yep, Lasix. We'll be heading to the pharmacy soon! He said it was the Taxotere (chemo drug) and steriods that was causing the swelling and the numbness in my feet. It will eventually go away, but thank the Lord I didn't get the neuropathy in my hands!!!

The steriods had been so kind to give me a voracious appetite, but that is thankfully worn off. I didn't do well Monday, but the rest of the week I have been eating normal again. I am hoping when I get this swelling down I will have lost a few pounds!

I'm stronger every day but it has taken me longer to bounce back. I'm able to do a few more things that I haven't been able to do. I still tire out pretty quickly, but it's all uphill from here. At least for a couple more weeks!

Monday, I go to PT again, then I go back to see my oncologist for a how-did-you-do and where-do-we-go-from-here visit. Then I go see my radiation oncologist to get set up with radiation....or extra sunshine as I'm choosing to see it. It will be a busy day!

I'm now on Long Term Disability....thank the Lord and TJC, I have it! If you don't have it, get some! I don't know what I would've done had I not had this! It only pays 60% of your salary, but that's better than nothing. This is a big hit for us, but we know the Lord will provide as always. I'm praying gas prices stay down during my radiation since I have to drive in every day.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I will update you next week after dr visits. Until then.....Don't Worry! Be Happy! =o)

...I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. Psalm 37:25b

I Would Be True

I WOULD BE TRUE

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;

I would be pure, for there are those who care;

I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;

I would be brave, for there is much to dare;

I would be friend of all—the foe, the friendless;

I would be giving, and forget the gift;

I would be humble, for I know my weakness;

I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift.

I would be faithful through each passing moment;

I would be constantly in touch with God;

I would be strong to follow where He leads me;

I would have faith to keep the path Christ trod;

Who is so low that I am not his brother?

Who is so high that I’ve no path to him?

Who is so poor, that I may not feel his hunger?

Who is so rich I may not pity him?

Who is so hurt I may not know his heartache?

Who sings for joy my heart may never share?

Who in God’s heaven has passed beyond my vision?

Who to Hell’s depths where I may never fare?

May none, then, call on me for understanding,

May none, then, turn to me for help in pain,

And drain alone his bitter cup of sorrow,

Or find he knocks upon my heart in vain.

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~ Howard Arnold Walter, 1906

RayDays and Chocolate Celebrations

Happy Friday and what a beautiful Friday it is! I hope you all have had a great week....I have! Really didn't do much this week, but every day has been better. It's taking me longer to bounce back from the chemo, but each day I'm a little stronger.

My goal is to start working in some exercise into each day. The chemo still has a hold on my leg muscles and I'm still having some neuropathy (numbness) in my feet, making it hard to exercise. When I start thinking about exercise, my body says, "Hey, let's go get a chocolate milkshake and think about it in the recliner!". But my brain says, "If you want to be able to walk around the mall again without sitting on the benches, you better start now!" siiiggghhh

Monday, March 2nd will mark a celebration day for me. I go back to the oncologist for a checkup from my last chemo and to give me a green light on the radiation. My bloodcount should be back up by then and I will be able to start radiation that week. I will also get my PICC line out!!! Which means I can stop taking Coumadin!!! woooo hooo!!! (Chocolate Celebration time!)

HOWEVER, the next week Todd and Zachary will both be on Spring Break. Since they haven't had the same spring break time in a while and we really need to catch up on family time and my body could use another week of recovery and waiting another week isn't going to make a difference negatively but I feel it will positively.... so I've made the executive decision to wait until after the break to start radiation which will be March 16th.

Radiation will be every day Mon-Fri for about 6 weeks, so around 30 treatments. It won't make me sick like chemo, but fatigue is the #1 side effect. By that time I hope to be in the exercise program they have for cancer patients. Hopefully that will help combat the fatigue. Radiation has some other side effects that could be detrimental to my recovery goals....God knows exactly what they are....so I ask your prayers that I avoid them!

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The "every day" thing will be tiring, but I am planning to think of 30 things to make each day good! One is my mindset. I've decided this is just extra sunshine they are shooting into me!

Another thing is I am buying 30 pieces of miniature chocolate and putting them in a glass jar. Every RayDay I will eat one! (and it better just be one if I'm gonna get this weight off!) I feel this will give me a visual representation of time passing! (hahaha yeah whatever excuse to eat chocolate!)

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There is a group of you ladies out there who know about my Chocolate Celebrations.....I'll take this time to give you all and standing invitation! Anytime there is any reason to celebrate, there is always a long distance party to be had. All you have to do is eat chocolate in celebration! So far no one has passed on the invitation and I've rec'd emails and phone pics of my friends eating all kinds of chocolate. Let me say, from the bottom of my heart, how VERY MUCH I appreciate you all making that sacrifice for me!

Okay, back to the 30 RayDays. If any of you Tyler or close-to-Tyler gals want to make a day or half-day of it, let me know! It would be so much easier to get up and get ready knowing I was going to spend some time with my SisterChicks! I don't know when my appointments will be, but I can tell you it won't be before the 9:00 hour!

I will continue this blog until I get the 'all-clear' from my doc. That may be at the year mark, so lots of posting left! I probably won't update as much, but I will post pics of my RayDays with SisterChicks and Chocolate Celebrations, for sure. So don't change that channel! Stay tuned!

Praise ye the LORD! Praise, O ye servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the LORD'S name is to be praised. Psalm 113: 1-3

Norma's Last Chemo Party

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! ROUND 6!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! ROUND 6! Norma 6 Cancer 0 AND THE REF IS COUNTING! ONE! TWO! THREE!!! NORMA IS THE WINNER! Cancer is out cold! As Norma looks around the stands, tears stream down her face as she sees crowds of family and friends who have cheered her on the past 6 months. She walks over to the bell, grabs the rope and rings it with all her strength.

More cheers from those watching, and hugs from the nurses. Hugs from her husband, son and sister-in-law and (cut to slow motion) together they walk out the door..... CUT!

Scene moves to fellowship hall of Tyler Tabernacle where Norma's Last Chemo Party is getting set up thanks to Val. Cake is decorated with balloons and the words "LIVE WELL, LAUGH OFTEN, LOVE MUCH.....PARTY!!" Around 25 to 30 friends and family brave the brewing storm and munch on the delicious chocolate cake (by Michelle).

After the party, an exhausted Norma heads home to her recliner. Ready to face the oncoming weather storm and the impending storm of side effects.

Wednesday, Norma gets up and looks around for Sydney, the dog. Walking outside she notices that the cross fence is lying on the ground and Sydney is happily making laps around both yards. She takes a phone pic and sends it to Todd who was so happy he would have something else to do this week.

Since she is waiting for an important phone call from the fence company, Norma puts her cell phone too close to the tub and a grab of the towel sends it sliding into the tub. Angel Teresa comes to take Norma to get her Nuelasta shot and to the local ATT phone store. Norma decides to wait to replace her phone since her contract isn't up yet, and thanks to Teresa who has an old phone she can borrow.
Thursday brings Angel Louise to the house to sit with a slug-like Norma. Anti-puke meds are still working thankfully. Legs are weak, feet are feeling numb.

Friday dawns on a even worse slug-like Norma who sits in her recliner all day, only getting up when absolutely necessary. Ditto this scene for Saturday.

Sunday Norma gets up feeling a little stronger, but still in Slug mode. Keeps recliner warm all day.

Monday Norma greets the day much stronger and is able to drive herself and Zachary to the dr's office and a few errands. Her blood which was too thick a week ago is still too thick, more recalibrations. Zachary is out of school today, so they spend some mom/son time and go eat at Fazoli's (since Todd isn't a big fan of "noodly-stuff") After a brief Walmart run, they head home to eat supper and chill out. Scene fades to black with pretty music playing in the background.
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CUT! That's a wrap!

Update

Sorry I have not updated in a while! Have lots to tell you, but just don't feel well enough right now to tell it all, so here's a quick update:

- Party was great! Thanks to all who came, and for all who were there in spirit!
- Chemo Tuesday went fine.
- Blood was way too thin Monday, so recalibrating all that. fun fun
- Felt okay yesterday but storm Monday night blew fence down, so I was waiting for important phone call from fence company and knocked cell phone in tub. Teresa was my angel today.
- Felt okayish today. Louise was my angel. Hoping tomorrow is better and I don't have a really bad day this time.
- Trying to post a slideshow of pics, but having trouble with html glitches....anyone know how to fix that?

More to come...

Party Location IN CASE OF RAIN

IN THE (very likely) EVENT OF RAIN:

*

The party will be moved to

the Fellowship hall (enter on west side)

*

TYLER TABERNACLE

3115 E. Fifth St. (just outside the Loop on the right)

*

If you need directions or need my cellphone #, please email me ASAP. (I will NOT be able to check my email after noon on Tuesday)

PLEASE come by, even for just a few minutes, so I can thank you for your support during this time.....and, of course, so you can eat some yummy chocolate cake that Michelle made!

Zachary's 15th Birthday Party

Friday night we had Zachary's 15th birthday party out at the Villages. We had a blast! He is really into duct tape right now, so Michelle Lagrone made him a duct tape cake...yes, really! She is amazing! If you need a yummy beautiful cake, I will give you her number!

I made a slideshow...but grrrrrrr for some unknown reason I can't get it to post. Something is wrong with the html. If you know how to correct this...please let me know. Until then - here is where you can see it: http://www.slide.com/r/OvMA9i8R0T_xcS3zf3cWrfrJxeqFU6HQ?previous_view=lt_embedded_url

Saturday we just hung around the condo and chilled. It was great. Sunday was his birthday and we went to Texas Roadhouse with the family. See the pics here: http://www.slide.com/r/kC8BOCgZ3D88J6xW2DmI8Ir39q54lyBC?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACHARY!

My Darling has the Sweetest Heart!

Our local radio station KVNE is having a contest to see who has the "Sweetest Heart of All". So knowing I am married to the man who does....I entered my darling to win! See my entry here:

http://encouragementfm.blogspot.com/2009/02/is-todd-lawson-sweetest-heart-of-all.html

Hand Hand Fingers Thumb

(remember that kid's book?)

Dr reports no bone injury to my hand....so who knows why it's swelling. Maybe due to the tendons in that area being sore. Just told me to wear my lovely pressure glove and sleeve. (Which I will do when the glove comes in...it's on back order.)

Week in Review

OKAY! OKAY! I'll post again! Some of you are so impatient! LOL No, I haven't posted in a while because: a. that last post was a doozie, and 2. I haven't had much to say! But here goes:

I had a GREAT week last week! My hand swelled again after PT and yes, I told my doctor Monday, and had an xray today. No news yet. My general state is good, with weakness being my main complaint. I just have to be careful and not overdo it, and be conscious of my spaghetti legs. Other than that....I'm great!

Saturday we went to our friends Ricky and Jolene for a fishfry. YUM!! James and Goldie, and Richard, Dede and Hunter came too. It was fun!

Here's Goldie and Dede:

Here we are chowing down:

Me and Z:

Going back in time....On MLK day, we went out to the Villages and played around. We had a great family day!

We played pool, I lost. (If you want a laugh, watch me play!)

We played air hockey, I lost. (I am pretty good at this, but not right now! I'LL BE BACK!!)

We played putt-putt, I came in 2nd. (I won't say who was first or last.)

We played "Fact or Crap", I WON! (Sorry no pictures of this...)

Zachary had a very high score on Galaga! I don't play Galaga....

DON'T FORGET! Party at Rose Rudman Park! Tuesday, Feb 10th, 5:30 - 6:30p. Right behind Capital One Bank on Copeland. EVERYONE is invited! Come eat some cake and help me celebrate my LAST CHEMO TREATMENT!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!