Scan results are . . . . . GOOD!!!

Just wanted to give a quick update. On the 15th, I had my 6-month scan done and I'm still clean and cancer-free. Hallelujah!!! I saw my dr and everything is fine. I go back in 3 months for another office visit and then more scans at the year mark. They're still bugging me about doing a scar revision. Apparently, my scar is pretty hideous. I think I'll consult with a plastic surgeon first, just to see what he could do. I'm thinking liposuction and a tummy tuck would be real nice!!!

Rachel Rose's birthday was on Monday and she turned 4 years old. My baby's not a baby anymore. Gosh, her babyhood went by so quickly it seems. Those poor second children just get swept up in the hustle and bustle, don't they! But I'll never forget that feeling I had when I first saw her . . . "She's here, she's here! She's finally here!" We had so many doubts that we would ever have a second baby. But we did, thanks to Jan! You all know how she was our surrogate for Rachel Rose. We put mine and John's embryo into her uterus since I no longer had one (I did still have ovaries, but now they're gone too!!). Thanks to God, it grew into our beautiful baby girl. Jan gave us the most amazing and selfless gift anyone could ever give. And now she's four years old. She kept asking us all day, "How many am I now?" And we'd tell her she's 4. Then the next morning on Tuesday she asked me if she was still 4 or had she gone back to being 3. I told her no, that she would never be 3 again. She grinned wide, "I'm growing up!" Yes, she is. She starts pre-K this year and then the big KINDERGARTEN next year. Where does the time go?!

Summer update

First of all, mom is doing much better. She is walking with only a cane now, but still has pain in her hip. Of course, with her other pains I think it gets all lumped together :-( We actually went to Fort Walton Beach this past week and she was able to get down to the ocean a couple of times. I even got some pictures of her trying to help the kids make a sandcastle!! Can you believe it?! I'm thinking we can use the photos later during the commitment procedures when we decide to put her away!!!! LOL

And I am doing great! Haven't lost any more weight, but I'll try to get back on that wagon after school starts. Summertime is not the best for dieting and exercise . . . too HOT! My hair is still coming in S . . L . . O . . W . . L . . Y . . .! I've changed the color a couple times because it was coming in so dull and dreary. And I'll probaby change it a couple more before it's over with. I go for my 6-month CT scan in a couple weeks and I'll post those results when I get them. Say a prayer for me!

But the reason I decided to post a message now is TODAY IS CAROLINE'S BIRTHDAY! She is seven years old . . . gosh, when I think back seven years today, I must admit, it's not the happiest day of my life. As many of you know, it was during her birth that I had to have an emergency c-section and then hemorrhaged. They had to remove my uterus to stop the bleeding, but I was able to keep my ovaries. She was a gorgeous baby with perfect skin and jet black hair, but she had the worst cone head you've ever seen! See, she was stuck and I pushed for 2 hours before they called the c-section. So her little head got molded into a point! My little pencil baby! But she's perfect now . . . and every day since then has truly been the happiest day of my life. Happy Birthday, Caroline! I love you!!!

Mom broke her hip . . . WHAT NEXT?!

Mom broke her hip Friday night. We were getting ready for the garage sale on Saturday and she was walking with a couple knick-knacks in her hands. She tripped over a roll of landscape fabric and fell square on her left hip hard against the concrete. I got to her right away, but she could not move at all. The pain was terrible. I helped her support herself and Caroline went to get the phone. I called 911 and they came very quickly. She was taken to Northside Forsyth hospital here next to my neighborhood and was admitted with a broken hip. She had surgery on Saturday (garage sale was cancelled) and is doing better today. They did not have to do an entire hip replacement. They just inserted 3 screws to connect the ball joint. Physical therapy came today, Sunday, and got her up out of bed. She walked a few steps and sat down. I think she's going to be okay, but it was an awful scare! Depending on her recovery, she may go to a sub-acute rehabilitation center or back home. She will need someone with her for a while. Her spirits are good, but she is getting fed up with her bad luck! We think she needs to start playing the lottery because once her luck turns, she's in for a windfall!! I'll update as her recovery progresses. Thanks for all the well wishes!

Hellooo, anybody there?

It's been way too long since I've updated . . . were you about to think I'd forgotten about my blog? Actually, I have kinda put it on the side burner for a while. Hey, no news is good news in my case!! But here's some tidbits for you . . . .

Got back from the oncologist today for a check-up. I have to wait for my CA-125 blood test, but the exam was good (well, as "good" as a gyn exam can be!). I go for a 6-month follow-up CT scan in August. Since the highest chance of recurrence happens in the first year, I'll be getting watched pretty closely for quite a while. Fine by me!!

John found a new place to rent in North Carolina. We went up last weekend to check it out and it is fabulous!!! It actually has bedrooms for all of us (much better than the one bedroom we were all crammed into before), but it is still nice and cozy. Huge windows with gorgeous views, wraparound deck, hardwood floors and log walls . . . we couldn't ask for anything better! There is a creek and a pond nearby. We took the girls out for a walk and we all ended up wading up to our knees in the creek. It really brought back memories for me of spending summers in Blairsville with Mammaw and Pappaw . . . fishing in Boggs Creek, collecting rocks, building toy boats to float in the stream. Of course mine always got loose from it's string and Daddy would have to chase it down, running and splashing after it!! This year will be ten years since Daddy's accident so it was a nice memory to have for Father's Day weekend.

The girls got their hair cut for summer. Cute little angled bobs like Victoria Beckham. Once my hair gets long enough that's the cut I want . . . oh yeah! My hair has come in!!! I'm not wearing a scarf or headwrap anymore. It is really short, like a crew cut, and it pokes up everywhere. But who cares! I've got hair!!! It could be purple and frizzy and I'd still love it!! Let me find a photo and I'll post it . . .

Thanks for still reading. Hope everyone has a great summer!

Still doing good . . .

After a particularly messy playtime, I made the clean-up a game by letting the girls choose "jobs". "Caroline, what can be your job?" I asked. "I'll clean up the Barbie stuff," my eager daughter announced. "Great!" I then asked my second daughter, "Rachel Rose, what is your job?" Without budging from her seat on the couch she announced, "I'm the coach!"
Game over, now get your rear in gear and help clean up!!

I had my one month follow-up appointment with my oncologist on Monday. And things are still looking good. No cysts or lumps felt during the exam, my CA125 was low (but it's never been high, even when I had the cancer, so it's not a reliable test for me), and I lost SEVEN pounds! This dieting thing is actually working . . . who'da thunk!! I won't see him again for two months now - June, then I'll wait 3 months, then 4, then 5. Once I'm up to 6 months that will remain my routine forever, I assume. Once a cancer patient, always a cancer patient is the way it goes. I'm fine with that, better to be monitored than be left guessing.

Better news, though, is mom had some scans done to mark one year since her diagnosis. And even though her lesions/tumors aren't gone, they haven't grown. She can call herself 'stable' which is excellent!!! When you get news that your original cancer has come back and spread, the fear is that it wil continue spreading out of control and take over your body. The fact that her "spread" has been halted is FANTASTIC! Of course we would love to hear that the cancer spots are gone completely, but stable is a huge achievement for metastasized cancer. God is GOOD!

And she and I will be attending a conference in May for "Women Living with Advanced Cancer". It's in Philadelphia and I heard about it from a breast cancer website. Normally, it would be a very expensive trip and completely out of our budgets, but we were both granted scholarships through LLBC (Living Beyond Breast Cancer). Our airfare and hotel are covered in full - WooHoo!!!! We are very excited to meet other women in my mom's situation (and mine and Jan's as caregivers), and learn as much as we can. You can visit the website http://www.lbbc.org and see all the speakers and presentations they will be having. If Mom is feeling up to it, we might be able to do some sightseeing around Philly. Neither of us have ever been before and it would be a great chance to have a "mini-vacay"!!! We deserve it!!!

Meantime, my hair is starting to come back, thank goodness. I had my doubts for a while there! It's my regular color, dark brown, and very, very fine. Like down from a duckling. I can't tell yet if it's going to be "chemo curly" or not, it's still too short. But I'm hoping by my next dr visit in June I'll be able to go without a scarf . . . gosh, that's hard for me to imagine!

Happy Easter!

The itching has gotten some better. I've been taking antihistamines every few days and the flare-ups are fewer and far between. Mom actually is convinced it's not hives, but instead it's shingles. I've never had shingles before and from what I understand shingles begins with a rash that doesn't go away but makes blisters. My episodes begin with itching, then welts, no blisters yet. I'm planning to talk to my doctor about it when I go in a couple of weeks. It's not so bad anymore and definitely manageable. I've read about menopause hives and I really do think it's just a hormone thing.

My diet is going very well and I've actually lost a pound or two. Better than that, my clothes fit looser - woohoo!!! I might even attempt a bikini this summer. My goal is in 3 months when my hair is long enough to go without a hat or scarf, I'll be at my ideal weight. I'd like to plan a day of getting my hair styled in a new short 'do and then go shopping for a tiny new outfit . . . and actually be able to wear it!!!

For Spring Break we'll be in and out of town all week, spending some time with John up in the mountains. He started back the first of March and has had weekends off this month, then beginning in April he'll be back to working six days a week. Now that I am back to my old self, he should be able to work as much as he needs to. And with me staying home this year, he's got more flexibilty. I would like to find something part-time for next year, but Rachel Rose still has one more year of preschool and it's tough to find a job to fit her schedule. Maybe just one more year of staying home . . . it's not like I'm hating it, to tell the truth!!!

Hope you all had a nice Easter!

HIVES!!!

I only thought I was smart! But it took me this long to put two and two together and realize the itching I've been having for months is HIVES! Ever since my surgery when my ovaries were removed and I was thrust into menopause Hades, I've been having itching episodes. Horrible, drive me up the wall, scratch til I bleed itching. All over - my arms, legs, hands, feet, back, stomach. It's awful when it happens. Thankfully, it only lasts from 30-45 minutes. But I just scratch and scratch, sometimes I get in the tub with Aveeno, then slather on lotion til I'm more slippery than soap! I've tried anti-itch cream, but it's no good. It wasn't until today that I noticed the scratching made welts all over the area that I got the idea it might be hives. And when I googled it (don't you just love that expression!), sure enough that's what I've got!!! Now the question is, what am I reacting to? Hives is always from an allergic reaction to something. I took an antihistamine this afternoon after a lovely spell of frantic clawing at my legs and I think it helped. I still think it's from a hormone imbalance because I haven't changed anything I've eaten, done laundry with, or anything I can think of. It all started the moment my ovaries came out and I began hormone replacement. I'm going to start keeping an "itch journal" to see if I can figure out what triggers the episodes. In the meantime, I am going to begin natural hormones that the wonderful hormone doctor gave me today. After 4 weeks, he'll do some blood tests to check my levels and then tweak my dosages if he needs to. Hopefully, I will get everything back to somewhat normal, at least a liveable normal!

And on the topic of "C", did you hear that Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer?! I'm telling you, EVERYone is getting it! I'm convinced it's coming from the environment - there's gotta be something that we're eating, breathing, something is out there that is making it more prevalent. I've heard of all these diets and vegetarian lifestyles that are supposed to prevent cancer, maybe there's something to it all, maybe eating all natural foods is going to prove to be The Cure . . . just in case, I'll be having a salad for dinner! :-)