No Growth!

 

I remember what it use to look like.

I remember what it use to look like.

What a morning Readers! I woke up after a not so great nights sleep and went into The Boy’s room to wake him up and get him ready for school. OMG. What a mess I found!

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He sleeps in there

He sleeps in there

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All cabinet doors open, clean/dirty clothes all over the room, books and toys on the floor, closet stuffed with damp towels and dirty clothes. I lost it. Just lost it. How many times this week have I told him to clean his room? How many times have I told him not to put wet towels on the floor? How many times Readers!!?? So mad. So stressed. The words I have read in my new book about talking to your children left my mind and I lost it. The authors of the book would be shaking their heads at me. He told me maybe I shouldn’t come into his room. What?! I informed him that it was not his room. It was his father and I’s room and we let him use it. And since we do that, he is in charge of keeping it clean.

After the yelling some more at him and hitting the Damit Doll, I took a deep breath and informed The Boy that he was not allowed in my room for “snuggle time” unless his room and closet were clean.

Snuggle Time is when he gets to come in with me while I lay down, get under the covers and watch home improvement or cooking shows with me at night. He loves this time. He is always asking me when we can go up to my room for snuggle time. It is good mom and son time.

So when I told him that he was like “WHAT?”  He was very upset. There were tears. He asked what he was going to do. Clean the dam room.

My Man thought it was a very good punishment and it might actually work. Cross your fingers Readers. Cross your fingers.

 

Doctor Visit

New Pain Killers

New Pain Killers

I was able to meet with Dr. D. yesterday when I went into get my labs drawn. They said she wanted to meet with me and check how I was doing. How cool was that? I didn’t even have to wait. Shocking! We discussed my pain management and some changes in dosage. Next we reviewed my lab report. (FYI at Emory it would have taken an at least an hour to get the report, here it took 10 minutes). Every thing looked good but they are watching my hemoglobin. Mine is a 9.2 and if it drops under 8 they will want to do a blood transfusion. Ok, Readers here is my problem. I asked her if there was anything I could do to help get that number up. I just can not not do something. She told me to eat a steak. A steak? I don’t eat steak. She asked if it was because I didn’t like the taste. No, I like it, I have just stopped eating it. She then mentioned leafy greens, kale, spinach, broccoli. Yeah, I eat a lot of that already. I drank a bottle of that (cold pressed juice) before I had went in to get my blood drawn! Plus I had a spinach salad at dinner the night before. Just how much must I eat for it to actually help?

I had stopped eating red meat because everything I read told me it wasn’t good for you especially when it comes to cancer. However, it is the best (easiest/fastest) way to get iron in your system? We discussed iron pills and those are off the table. Some research shows they had a negative impact on the chemo, so doctors have stopped suggesting them.

From WebMD

To boost the amount of iron in your diet, try these foods:

  • Red meat
  • Egg yolks
  • Dark, leafy greens (spinach, collards)
  • Dried fruit (prunes, raisins)
  • Iron-enriched cereals and grains (check the labels)
  • Mollusks (oysters, clams, scallops)
  • Turkey or chicken giblets
  • Beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans
  • Liver
  • Artichokes

And here’s a tip: If you eat iron-rich foods along with foods that provide plenty of vitamin C, your body can better absorb the iron.

So Readers, what do I do? Should I start eating spinach salads every day, juice even more, have steamed broccoli and beans (which I do already) for my side at dinner every night or just eat a steak once a week (wow, that sounds like a lot)? I eat 5 items on the list on a regular basis already. I do not want to have a blood transfusion. Suggestions please.

The shots.

The shots.

She did say I could stop taking my shots. Woot! Woot! For the past six days my man has been having to give me shots in the evening. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it is for him. I can’t do it myself so it fell to him. I get the injections in my stomach where there is extra “cushion” aka my muffin top. My Man was happy to hear we were done for awhile.

I left the meeting with her feeling pretty good. She thinks I am doing well. She feels that my CT scan on Friday will go well. I sure hope she is right because I am scared shitless right now. I can’t stop thinking abut that dam scan. I would be thrilled/over the moon, if there is no change. No f-ing change. They don’t have to shrink yet, just no growth. NO GROWTH! Say it with me Readers!! No Growth!

 

 

Round 1 Chemo post

Readers, I slept in today till 8:30am. I mean what the hell right? I was going to have a busy day today anyway. I did a little work, spoke to a client about new  a job offer she got and around 11am my parter in crime, Rebecca, showed up.  We made great time and got to the hospital around 11:30am. I was hopping since I was there so early, that I could get the show on the road so that we weren’t at the hospital all day. HA!

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First they accessed my port. I have a duel one so they have to do it twice. The needle looks like a long push-pin needle. It doesn’t hurt that bad if you have a good RN doing it for you.

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Look at all the stuff they use! And that is just half of it.

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Ouch!

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Boob shot

After that was taken care of we went back to the lobby and to another set of elevators to take us the 4th for my Echo Cardio Gram. I have never had one of these done before and had no idea what to expect. Basically it is an ultra sound for your heart. My appointment was at 12:45 and we got there in plenty of time. However I did not get in till 1:15pm and chemo was to start at 1:30! I hate to be late!

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The test took about 30 minutes and it was pretty cool to see my heart up on the screen doing its thing. It looked good to me, pumping away but what do I know about hearts. Not. A. Thing.
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We made it to chemo at 1:45pm to find out that when they accessed my port, they should have taken blood. Instead I had it taken late and now we would have to wait an hour to get the results back! Son of a Pickle!

Got my port all fancy!

Got my port all fancy!

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After the RN took blood Rebecca and I took a walk outside, went into the cafe to get a drink and snack and then sat in the lobby to people watch.

My snack

My snack

At 2:45pm we walked right into the fusion center looking like we were at a restaurant waiting for someone to set us at our table! Soon they found me a chair that had its own tv. Nice. Rebecca and I watched HGTV.
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Chemo is more fun with friends!

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We were next to a woman who was not feeling well at all and had a 103 temperature and the chills. Poor thing. We felt so bad for her. I think she was going to have to be checked into the hospital. She and her husband were watching the World Cup on their TV. I was the youngest one in there by far. After 30 minutes of premeds and a 30 minute break, the chemo began. Rebecca was really into everything and asked all kinds of good questions.

Red Devil

Red Devil

About a minute into the chemo she was like “It’s RED!”. Oh no! I have heard of the chemo that is red. My friend Gerri had it and they call it the RED DEVIL. NOT GOOD. I sure as hell hope it won’t make me as sick as her or lose my hair all over again. Sweet Pickles!

The chemo ran about an hour and then we were all done. It was 5:30pm. Though I hated that we had to wait an extra hour (never agin will that mistake be made) it wasn’t all that bad. I credit this to Rebecca being there. She was able to come into all the rooms with me and watched all what I had to go through. She was really into it. Asking a lot of questions and keeping me company. I am really glad she came. THANK YOU REBECCA!

I will be going back in three weeks for round 2. I hope in a couple of weeks I start to feel the pain in my ribs ease off a bit. That is all I ask. Shrink a little LT. You can do it!

Crazy, Sexy, Cancer

Reader’s! How are ya?!

The other day I was talking to my friend, Judi, and she remind me of a book I had been given last summer when I started chemo treatments. The book is called Crazy, Sexy, Cancer by Kris Carr. Kris kicks ass. She was diagnosed with a type of sarcoma that has no treatment and no cure. She has about 24 tumors in her liver and lungs. She was diagnosed on Valentines Day 2003. Yes, 2003. And yes, she is alive and well.

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Kris also made a documentary about her cancer journey also called Crazy, Sexy, Cancer that Judi told me about. That night I went on iTunes and downloaded the movie to watch. It was so good. First of all she did a great job. Second it is an uplifting documentary. I totally suggest you take a look at it ( I am talking to you my Sarcoma Girls and Mom and Dad). I think you will all get a lot out of it. Sure, I shed some tears but hell, I do that for a good Hallmark commercial! I could really relate to what she went/goes through. There are parts where she is getting her CT scans, the doctors visit, the panic you go through when driving up to the hospital, they “why me” questions, the anger, the “how and when did this happen”, the “what can I do” questions. It is so real. If you have been diagnosed or know anyone who has been (which means all of you!) you need to check it out.

Juice!

Juice!

One thing that Kris does is juice everyday. Everyday. I am in the process of reading her section on juicing right now and thought I would give it a try. I am hoping to do it (juicing/smoothie) 3 to 4 days a week. I would love to do 7 days but I need to start with a goal I may actually meet. This morning I juiced the following: 3 handfuls of Kale, 1/2 of a Cucumber, two organic apples and 1/3 of a lemons juice. It wasn’t bad. I think tomorrow I will add more lemon juice. I ordered a vegan cook box that Kris and Chef Chad Sarno wrote called Crazy, Sexy, Kitchen. I should get it on the 13th…My Birthday! I will let you know what I think.

I have more I want to write…Whatcha Reading? But I have to go take my shower and get my butt into the office. Hopefully I will have some time this weekend. Enjoy your Friday!!

The $75.89 pill…

Reader’s!

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This is what a $75.89 pill looks like. I thought it would be bigger. And Orange. And Glow in the dark. Nope. Looks like an average pill. Let’s hope it doesn’t work like an average pill but like a SUPER pill.

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I got my pills around 11am today and took my four. I am to take them all at once (much easier) and on an empty stomach. So far I feel ok. My head is a bit fuzzy but I forgot to take my allergy pills and even though we have had a lot of rain over the past few days, the pollen is still out there.

Birthday

The Boy’s Birthday is coming up this month. Truth be told, The Boy has too much stuff as it is. I always get him clothes, he needs those but I really don’t want to by him stuff that he will forget about in a months time. So this morning I came up with an idea. The Boy loves animals, especially cute ones (who doesn’t?!). Recently I came across Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary in Australia. They take in hurt and abandoned farm animals and provide them a home and healthcare. In some cases they adopt them out. On the site they have a page where you can “sponsor” an animal on the farm. I took a look and have found the perfect one for The Boy for his birthday. Reader’s! Meet Boots!

Boots!

Boots!

Isn’t he the cutest thing ever?! Make sure you take a look at his video on the website. He jumps around like a jumping bean! I also love his sweater. I wish we could bring him home. Aidan will get a Welcome packet and then will be sent updates on Boots via e-mail for the year. I hope they send some pictures of him in his sweater with his friends! Such a cutie!

If you go checkout the website take a look at Little Miss Sunshine. She is a super smart Chicken. Check out her video.

I am happy that the weekend is almost here. I am planning on adding Zazzles and Terry Pete to the big coop and run permanently. My fingers are crossed. Zazzles and Terry Pete have gotten the hang of roosting and if they need to, they can hop up and get away from Turbo and Poppy. Hopefully they will get use to each other soon.

It was a lovely weekend…

Reader’s!

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good. The weather was so nice. On Saturday I went to Lowes and got some tomato plants, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, okra and peppers to plant in the garden.

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Okra and Bell Peppers

Okra and Bell Peppers

Cucumber and squash

Cucumber and squash

Tomato plants

Tomato plants

Yes, I have three different tomato “cages” that I am using. I have been collecting them over the past few years. I just got the ones with the bamboo sticks. This summer I will see which ones work out best.

I also cleaned out the nesting boxes in the coop. I got rid of all the used hay, sprayed them down with water and then let them dry in the sun. Then I let Zazzles and Terrance Peterson out into the main run. The meeting of the young hens and older hen’s went ok. Poppy and Turbo pecked at them a little bit. They were mainly interested in eating and drinking Zazzles and Terrance Peterson’s food and water. Today Aidan and I once again let them out again and I was able to hold Zazzles and Terrance Peterson for a bit. They are so cute! I then put them both on the highest roosting bar to try out.

Zazzles!

Zazzles!

Such a cutie.

Such a cutie.

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Zazzles roosting for the first time!

Zazzles roosting for the first time!

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Terry Pete!

Terry Pete!

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Hi!

Hi!

They did great! They stayed up there for about 10 minutes or so. Then they both flew off and landed on Poppy and Turbo. They didn’t like that too much. I plan on letting them mix together over the next few days. Hopefully by this weekend they will have gotten use to each other and will be ready to live together.

On Sunday we spent the day with friends and had a wonderful time and dinner. Although I have a lot on my mind, I had a wonderful weekend. I have a wonderful family and wonderful friends. I want to thank you all for your prayers and good vibes. They really mean a lot to me and my family.

Today I filled out an application for co-pay assistance for my medication. The pills cost around $8,500.00 a month. My deductible is around $1,500.00. The special pharmacy suggested we fill out the application so we did. After My Man and I talked about it we decided that if we do get the assistance, we would donate the money we saved to the Winship Cancer Institute. There are a lot of people out there who need co-pay assistance more than we do, so it is the least we can do. Drugs can be $$$!

I just can’t catch a break…

Oh Reader’s!

Sweet Son of a Pickle! Today’s appointment did not go the way My Man and I had thought it would. The stupid little tumor is back!

However, there is some good news. The tumor is in a different place then the last one. In fact it is most likely the cause of my rib pain. It is smaller than the last one, so it doesn’t seem to be growing as fast. Dr. Read has suggested and we have agreed with him, to try a newish drug called Pazopanib that I will take four times a day. During the clinical trails it was found that it worked best on my type of sarcoma :). It is a very $$$ drug but I just found out that my insurance company ok’d it and I should have it sometime next week.

The drug will hopefully stop the tumor from growing. That is the first goal and if that is all that happens then I am a winner and I will take it for the rest of my life. Second goal is for it to start shrinking them so maybe this pain in my ribs would go away (Dr. Read gave me some pain meds to help with the pain). Right now I am focused on the first goal. I am not sure what all the side effects are but I did read that weight loss was one. Right. Knowing my luck I will gain weight just like I did with chemo!

I will go back in to see Dr. Read after I have been on the drug for at least two weeks. They will take blood and make sure my white blood cell count is good. After I have been on the drug for a month they run another CT scan and hopefully there will be no growth on the tumor(s). I am to keep up my healthy eating and exercise.

It could end up that I have a chronic disease (like diabetes) called cancer that I manage by taking a pill four times a day. I would be ok with that.

A Year?!?!?!

Morning Reader’s!

I hope you have been having a good weekend so far. Mine is just really beginning. I had a rare Saturday appointment that went on for about three hours and then we all went out to lunch. It was really nice to see my clients and catch up on what all gads been going on with them. When I got back home around 2:30pm I got on my laptop and did more work. Things have been busy since I am back to working full-time. I am trying to play catch up. Not fun but it has to be done. My Man took care of dinner and then he and I watch the first episode of the last season of Breaking Bad. So good! It was fun being able to watch it with him. Maybe we will tackle another episode later today.

Friday

Carried with me in my pocket. Thanks Heidi!

Carried with me in my pocket. Thanks Heidi!

On Friday morning I woke up super early and got myself all ready. My Man and I headed down to Emory Hospital after dropping off The Boy to school. I went in for a chest, pelvic and abdomen CT scan, blood work and a vista with Dr. Read. I am happy to say the my scan looked great. He said you couldn’t even tell where the tumor was. I have a little burn on my lung from the radiation but it should clear up soon.

He did ask that I find a place to participate in Pulmonary Rehabilitation therapy. He wants to be proactive and do everything that can be done to get my lungs back into tip-top shape. Since…well, who knows if this is my last time at the rodeo. When we got back home I did some searching and was able to find a place near where I live. I go in for a consultation on Wednesday and my first “workout” on Friday, right after my workout with SK! I will be wiped out by the end of the day.

My Man then asked Dr. Read when my port would be taken out. His reply “I like to keep them in for at least a year.”

A YEAR????? —- That was my reply. He said he doesn’t like to test fate. Oh Pickles. Looks like me and porty will be spending more quality time with each other.

Later that night My Man and I put on some music and did some cooking. Don’t you love the my initials in onions? He is so sweet to me!

It must be love.

It must be love.

I hadn’t slept well the night before (nervous about my appointment) and I ended up passing out before Grimm even started. I was beat! This coming week is another busy one.Tomorrow I will be heading up to Northern Georgia for three appointments with longtime clients. It should be a good day.

Shout Out!

Jerry (Uncle Roone to me) G.- My uncle was recently diagnosed with the crappy c-word. At this point he is not sure what his course of action will be but I just want him to know that everyone her at My Hotel Yorba is thinking of him. Stay strong and positive Uncle Roone! It will suck. It will scare the shit out of you. It will be painful. It IS beatable.

Reader’s the sun is out here and it should get up into the 70’s today! Hope it is as beautiful wherever you are! Be Good! Be Safe!