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