We had such a nice weekend. On Saturday I wore my wig for the first time. It is amazing how much better I feel about myself when I have at least the appearance of hair. We went to Barnes & Nobel and then to Red Lobster for dinner. Yum! On Sunday we went to breakfast and then ran some errands. I felt like a normal person over the weekend, not a cancer patient. :)
But what I really wanted to write about is that I received a message from the oncologist’s office this evening and my CA-125 came back at 20! So after two chemo treatments it went from 53 to 20. The closer to 0 the better. I was REALLY happy to get that call!
Thank you all for your continued support. It is working!!!
Hugs,
Dar
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Saturday 05/21/11
We went to the San Bernardino County Fair last Saturday and I found a 2nd place ribbon on the one quilt I had entered this year. I sure was surprised! We walked through the animal exhibits and I had my yearly funnel cake. Lindsay, Taylor, and her friend Ashley met us there after Taylor’s soccer game. We walked around for a while but it started to get really windy and cold so we left around 5.
Sunday I was still feeling pretty good. Just tired. Lindsay came over on Monday. We went through the stacks of pants in my closet from sizes 10 – 18. She helped me to condense and only keep sizes 12 – 16. Now I can actually get to the pants and know what stack is what size. Later she even did my nails. Although I still had the shooting pains in my legs, especially in my thighs, knees, ankles, and feet, it was nowhere near the extent it was after the last chemo. One gal who has been getting chemo on Friday with me said she was told to take Claritin and that helped. I started taking the Claritin on Saturday so I don’t really know if it was the Claritin that made the pain less or if it was just my body adjusting to the meds the second time. I still needed to take pain medicine but at least I was able to move around and feel productive. I did laundry on Monday while Lindsay was here. On Tuesday I transcribed the participant interview from the previous Thursday for my Ph.D. program. On Wednesday Shannon stayed home from work. He was worried about me and wanted to be home in case I needed anything. I worked on applique patches most of the day. It was such a nice surprise to have him home in my middle of the week. On Thursday Wes came home. I was able to do some housework which always feels better when it is done.
Yesterday Lindsay met me at the oncologist’s office for the blood work. My hemoglobin is still at 9.9 so I don’t have to have a blood transfusion. Yeah! But my white blood count is very low. The low end of normal is 4.1 and mine is 2.1. This means that my immune system does not have the ability to fight infection. The nurse told me to stay away from people with colds and who are sick. There is a shot I can get if the WBC count continues to be low. But the doctor said we will wait until June 3 when I have my next chemo appointment and see if the WBC has come up before doing the shot.
After that we went to lunch and then to Target. Lindsay had brought some recipes for me to try so we made copies of them and then went to the grocery store to get the ingredients. I came home, unloaded the groceries, and put them away. I decided to clean out the top of the pantry and throw away a bunch of stuff that had been accumulating. By the time I was done with that I was really tired. Shannon came home with pizza so I sat down and pretty much stayed in my chair the rest of the evening. I’m going to clean out the bottom of the pantry today. We are also going to run some errands this morning.
Lindsay is going to come over next week on one of her days off and help me with the dish cupboards. I want to take everything out, wipe out the cabinets, and get rid of stuff that we don’t use. It seems like a big job but Lindsay has a way of making even the most distasteful job easy and quick. She is such a great daughter and I thank the Universe several times every day that she chose to go through this life with me. She is truly a guardian angel and I honestly do not know how I would have gotten through this experience without her love, time, and energy. Shannon also has been amazingly supportive. He makes me feel normal and I have times that I forget I have no hair when he is here. He is so confident that this experience will all be over and that I will be whole, healthy, and well again that his confidence brushes off onto me. I am truly a lucky gal.
Sue, Ophelia, Martha, and Heather…thank you for your comments, emails, texts, and cards. They mean so much to me and it is great to know I have such wonderful friends who go over and above to encourage and support me. To my quilt guild sisters…thank you also for the cards and well wishes you send to me personally and in the newsletter. To my Pinky Warrior sisters…thank you for keeping up with the Monday morning check ins even though several of you have finished the Ph.D. program. Your continued personal progress is an inspiration to me to keep plugging along. Cristy…thank you for being such a great quilting mentor and teacher, as well as being a wonderful friend. I am so grateful to you for introducing me to quilting and helping me to tackle different projects. They and you inspire me to get out of the chair and to do something that has a purpose. Betty, thank you for always being there for moral support and even to sit with me and play cards all day while I’m getting a blood transfusion. You have been there for the past 42 years and I’m looking forward to another 30 of them! :)
Thank you to all who send prayers, positive thoughts, and keep me in their hearts and minds.
I have so much to be grateful for.
Hugs,
Dar
Sunday I was still feeling pretty good. Just tired. Lindsay came over on Monday. We went through the stacks of pants in my closet from sizes 10 – 18. She helped me to condense and only keep sizes 12 – 16. Now I can actually get to the pants and know what stack is what size. Later she even did my nails. Although I still had the shooting pains in my legs, especially in my thighs, knees, ankles, and feet, it was nowhere near the extent it was after the last chemo. One gal who has been getting chemo on Friday with me said she was told to take Claritin and that helped. I started taking the Claritin on Saturday so I don’t really know if it was the Claritin that made the pain less or if it was just my body adjusting to the meds the second time. I still needed to take pain medicine but at least I was able to move around and feel productive. I did laundry on Monday while Lindsay was here. On Tuesday I transcribed the participant interview from the previous Thursday for my Ph.D. program. On Wednesday Shannon stayed home from work. He was worried about me and wanted to be home in case I needed anything. I worked on applique patches most of the day. It was such a nice surprise to have him home in my middle of the week. On Thursday Wes came home. I was able to do some housework which always feels better when it is done.
Yesterday Lindsay met me at the oncologist’s office for the blood work. My hemoglobin is still at 9.9 so I don’t have to have a blood transfusion. Yeah! But my white blood count is very low. The low end of normal is 4.1 and mine is 2.1. This means that my immune system does not have the ability to fight infection. The nurse told me to stay away from people with colds and who are sick. There is a shot I can get if the WBC count continues to be low. But the doctor said we will wait until June 3 when I have my next chemo appointment and see if the WBC has come up before doing the shot.
After that we went to lunch and then to Target. Lindsay had brought some recipes for me to try so we made copies of them and then went to the grocery store to get the ingredients. I came home, unloaded the groceries, and put them away. I decided to clean out the top of the pantry and throw away a bunch of stuff that had been accumulating. By the time I was done with that I was really tired. Shannon came home with pizza so I sat down and pretty much stayed in my chair the rest of the evening. I’m going to clean out the bottom of the pantry today. We are also going to run some errands this morning.
Lindsay is going to come over next week on one of her days off and help me with the dish cupboards. I want to take everything out, wipe out the cabinets, and get rid of stuff that we don’t use. It seems like a big job but Lindsay has a way of making even the most distasteful job easy and quick. She is such a great daughter and I thank the Universe several times every day that she chose to go through this life with me. She is truly a guardian angel and I honestly do not know how I would have gotten through this experience without her love, time, and energy. Shannon also has been amazingly supportive. He makes me feel normal and I have times that I forget I have no hair when he is here. He is so confident that this experience will all be over and that I will be whole, healthy, and well again that his confidence brushes off onto me. I am truly a lucky gal.
Sue, Ophelia, Martha, and Heather…thank you for your comments, emails, texts, and cards. They mean so much to me and it is great to know I have such wonderful friends who go over and above to encourage and support me. To my quilt guild sisters…thank you also for the cards and well wishes you send to me personally and in the newsletter. To my Pinky Warrior sisters…thank you for keeping up with the Monday morning check ins even though several of you have finished the Ph.D. program. Your continued personal progress is an inspiration to me to keep plugging along. Cristy…thank you for being such a great quilting mentor and teacher, as well as being a wonderful friend. I am so grateful to you for introducing me to quilting and helping me to tackle different projects. They and you inspire me to get out of the chair and to do something that has a purpose. Betty, thank you for always being there for moral support and even to sit with me and play cards all day while I’m getting a blood transfusion. You have been there for the past 42 years and I’m looking forward to another 30 of them! :)
Thank you to all who send prayers, positive thoughts, and keep me in their hearts and minds.
I have so much to be grateful for.
Hugs,
Dar
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday 05/14/11
I have been completely pain free since Wednesday. It is amazing how such usually small things become so appreciated…being able to get in and out of cars pain free, traveling on the 3+ miles of minimally maintained dirt roads to get back and forth to my house, being able to sew, being able to smile…:)
I had chemo yesterday in the oncologist’s office with the same meds as in the hospital with no adverse effects. As it was started, I had three nurses from the infusion room, plus Lindsay, hovering in case I had a repeat of the first treatment. But I came through uneventfully. Yeah!
I feel good today so Shannon and I will be heading to the San Bernardino County Fair to visit the exhibits. I have one quilt entered this year. Taylor has a soccer game at 1:00 today so we will be meeting Lindsay, Taylor and her friend around 3pm. It is not quite 70 degrees and very windy so we will probably just visit the indoor exhibits. The last couple of years there have not been a lot of animals so we will not be going there. Taylor and her friend will be off riding the rides so Lindsay will be with us as we visit the exhibits.
Since the third day is after chemo is usually the most challenging, Lindsay is going to come over and spend the day with me. Last time I had a lot of lower extremity pain on days 3, 4, and 5, but this time I have the meds to hopefully combat those side effects. Not much Lindsay can do but the moral support is so appreciated.
After chemo yesterday, Lindsay took me to her hair stylist so I could have my hair cut. It is REALLY short now. But I was really getting tired of the constant shedding. When I would brush my hair it looked like a squirrel in my brush with all the hair coming out. And I was constantly picking off strands from my clothes. So it was time. I’m expecting even the little I have now to be gone by the end of the month. I had no emotional reaction to the hair cut. I have had a long time to get used to the idea. And it helps so much that Shannon is incredibly supportive. The stylist, Kelly, at Wolf Whistles in Apple Valley did the cut free of charge. She said it was her gift to me. It constantly amazes me how many wonderful, kind, compassionate, and loving people I have come into contact with since receiving this diagnosis.
When Lindsay brought me home she got out my wig and put some barrettes in it to hold it back so the hair doesn’t fall in my face. But for every day I will probably stick with the hats as they are much cooler. When I go back to work in August I’ll wear the wig.
This upcoming Friday I will have the routine blood tests plus the CA-125. My hemoglobin was 9.3 yesterday. Normal is 12 at the lower end. The PA said that I was getting a pretty high dose of the Taxol so my hemoglobin will probably be down in the range that will require another blood transfusion. I’m guessing that will happen the following Tues/Wed after the referral is approved. By then I should have the results of the CA-125. I’m hoping it will be down significantly from the last result of 53 after these two treatments of the Taxol.
So for now I’m feeling good, physically and emotionally.
Hugs to all of you for your continuing support, encouragement, and love.
Dar
I had chemo yesterday in the oncologist’s office with the same meds as in the hospital with no adverse effects. As it was started, I had three nurses from the infusion room, plus Lindsay, hovering in case I had a repeat of the first treatment. But I came through uneventfully. Yeah!
I feel good today so Shannon and I will be heading to the San Bernardino County Fair to visit the exhibits. I have one quilt entered this year. Taylor has a soccer game at 1:00 today so we will be meeting Lindsay, Taylor and her friend around 3pm. It is not quite 70 degrees and very windy so we will probably just visit the indoor exhibits. The last couple of years there have not been a lot of animals so we will not be going there. Taylor and her friend will be off riding the rides so Lindsay will be with us as we visit the exhibits.
Since the third day is after chemo is usually the most challenging, Lindsay is going to come over and spend the day with me. Last time I had a lot of lower extremity pain on days 3, 4, and 5, but this time I have the meds to hopefully combat those side effects. Not much Lindsay can do but the moral support is so appreciated.
After chemo yesterday, Lindsay took me to her hair stylist so I could have my hair cut. It is REALLY short now. But I was really getting tired of the constant shedding. When I would brush my hair it looked like a squirrel in my brush with all the hair coming out. And I was constantly picking off strands from my clothes. So it was time. I’m expecting even the little I have now to be gone by the end of the month. I had no emotional reaction to the hair cut. I have had a long time to get used to the idea. And it helps so much that Shannon is incredibly supportive. The stylist, Kelly, at Wolf Whistles in Apple Valley did the cut free of charge. She said it was her gift to me. It constantly amazes me how many wonderful, kind, compassionate, and loving people I have come into contact with since receiving this diagnosis.
When Lindsay brought me home she got out my wig and put some barrettes in it to hold it back so the hair doesn’t fall in my face. But for every day I will probably stick with the hats as they are much cooler. When I go back to work in August I’ll wear the wig.
This upcoming Friday I will have the routine blood tests plus the CA-125. My hemoglobin was 9.3 yesterday. Normal is 12 at the lower end. The PA said that I was getting a pretty high dose of the Taxol so my hemoglobin will probably be down in the range that will require another blood transfusion. I’m guessing that will happen the following Tues/Wed after the referral is approved. By then I should have the results of the CA-125. I’m hoping it will be down significantly from the last result of 53 after these two treatments of the Taxol.
So for now I’m feeling good, physically and emotionally.
Hugs to all of you for your continuing support, encouragement, and love.
Dar
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Tuesday 05/10/11
I would be nice to get through one day pain free but it does not appear that is going to happen. At least I have lots of pain meds to dull the abdominal pain that is constant.
Had a really nice Mother’s Day. Wes, Sean, Shannon and I met Lindsay and Taylor at Steer ‘N Stein for an early dinner. Lindsay gave me several sets of summer jammies and some summer flip flop slippers. Sean brought be a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Cristy and I went to the preview of the move “Race to Nowhere” yesterday evening. It was about how a variety of issues are contributing to extreme stress of our students. It identified a lot of problems but did not offer any solutions. I guess that is up to us.
Tonight is quilt guild night. We usually meet the speaker at the Mexican restaurant in WW and then go to the meeting from there. Betty will be picking me up and bringing me home.
I did get confirmation from one parent to interview her son and the green light from the principal to hold the interview there. I will call the parent later today and see if I can do the interview tomorrow or Thursday. That will be two done!
I have really scaled back on my activities to honor the process my body is going through. But I am not willing to give up everything! The few things that I really want to do I push through and do them. I won’t allow this dis-ease or the treatment to take away all of the things I enjoy. I am willing to meet half way. I have chemo on Friday but I have lots of meds to help with the side effects this time. Lindsay will be coming over on Monday to hang out with me. My hair is now coming out in clumps. I’m guessing that by the end of May it will be all gone. But I have had lots of time to come to terms with that part. I have hats and a wig. I just have to get some scarfs to tie them down to my head due to the unrelenting wind we seem to have here in the high desert.
I am so fortunate to have family and friends who support and encourage me through this experience. Thank you all!
Hugs,
Dar
Had a really nice Mother’s Day. Wes, Sean, Shannon and I met Lindsay and Taylor at Steer ‘N Stein for an early dinner. Lindsay gave me several sets of summer jammies and some summer flip flop slippers. Sean brought be a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Cristy and I went to the preview of the move “Race to Nowhere” yesterday evening. It was about how a variety of issues are contributing to extreme stress of our students. It identified a lot of problems but did not offer any solutions. I guess that is up to us.
Tonight is quilt guild night. We usually meet the speaker at the Mexican restaurant in WW and then go to the meeting from there. Betty will be picking me up and bringing me home.
I did get confirmation from one parent to interview her son and the green light from the principal to hold the interview there. I will call the parent later today and see if I can do the interview tomorrow or Thursday. That will be two done!
I have really scaled back on my activities to honor the process my body is going through. But I am not willing to give up everything! The few things that I really want to do I push through and do them. I won’t allow this dis-ease or the treatment to take away all of the things I enjoy. I am willing to meet half way. I have chemo on Friday but I have lots of meds to help with the side effects this time. Lindsay will be coming over on Monday to hang out with me. My hair is now coming out in clumps. I’m guessing that by the end of May it will be all gone. But I have had lots of time to come to terms with that part. I have hats and a wig. I just have to get some scarfs to tie them down to my head due to the unrelenting wind we seem to have here in the high desert.
I am so fortunate to have family and friends who support and encourage me through this experience. Thank you all!
Hugs,
Dar
Monday, May 2, 2011
Monday 05/02/11
Last week was a tough one. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent in a lot of pain after the chemo the previous Friday. All the muscles and joints in my legs and feet felt like they were going to explode. Shannon had to come home early from work on Wed to go to the oncologist’s office to pick up a super duper turbo pain Rx. Thursday was much better. Shannon took the day off from work just in case I was still barely able to hobble around but the pain was severely reduced. I was even able to ride with him up to the quilt shop in Apple Valley to meet Cristy to buy fabric for the quilting class scheduled on Saturday. Friday I met Lindsay at the oncologist’s office to get my blood work done. All my numbers look good. My white blood count is in the normal range and although my hemoglobin is below normal, it is still ok. We went to lunch and then I came home and worked in my sewing studio for a while.
The class on Saturday was fun. I met Cristy at her house at 8:15am and she drove up to Wrightwood. Class started at 9am and ended at 3pm. By the time I got home I was pretty exhausted. I slept for a couple of hours and when I woke up my skin all over my body hurt. This happened last time after chemo. It is like my skin is bruised all over but without the marks. But nothing like the pain at the beginning of the week. Yesterday Shannon and I went to breakfast and then to the grocery store. I really wanted to get into my studio in the afternoon but I just didn’t feel up to it.
I realized I hadn’t received a bill from the propane company for a while so we called on Thursday. We were down to 5%. Somehow we had been left off the route. So a delivery was going to be made on Friday. But the propane guy got in a wreck and couldn’t make it. We are supposed to get a delivery today but until that happens I can’t do laundry, dishes, or cook. Things are really piling up. Once the tank is full I can get house chores going again. I want to make sure we have enough propane for hot showers. Those are a priority!
I am hoping that today will be the start of a better and more productive week. I’m going to get in first thing this morning to my studio and work at least a couple of hours. Wes is supposed to come over today at some point.
Lindsay ran another half marathon yesterday in Orange County. She was pretty sore after and she has to work today. She is amazing.
That’s about all for now.
Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.
Hugs,
Dar
The class on Saturday was fun. I met Cristy at her house at 8:15am and she drove up to Wrightwood. Class started at 9am and ended at 3pm. By the time I got home I was pretty exhausted. I slept for a couple of hours and when I woke up my skin all over my body hurt. This happened last time after chemo. It is like my skin is bruised all over but without the marks. But nothing like the pain at the beginning of the week. Yesterday Shannon and I went to breakfast and then to the grocery store. I really wanted to get into my studio in the afternoon but I just didn’t feel up to it.
I realized I hadn’t received a bill from the propane company for a while so we called on Thursday. We were down to 5%. Somehow we had been left off the route. So a delivery was going to be made on Friday. But the propane guy got in a wreck and couldn’t make it. We are supposed to get a delivery today but until that happens I can’t do laundry, dishes, or cook. Things are really piling up. Once the tank is full I can get house chores going again. I want to make sure we have enough propane for hot showers. Those are a priority!
I am hoping that today will be the start of a better and more productive week. I’m going to get in first thing this morning to my studio and work at least a couple of hours. Wes is supposed to come over today at some point.
Lindsay ran another half marathon yesterday in Orange County. She was pretty sore after and she has to work today. She is amazing.
That’s about all for now.
Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.
Hugs,
Dar
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