Plan Nine From Murrells Inlet

Time to meet with the cancer killers to plan my attack on my very own cancer. I will call mine Plan Nine From Murrells Inlet in honor of that great B movie maker, Ed Wood. Richard and I met with this wonderful nurse. She went over all the results of my tests. They were all negative for signs of cancer. GOD is good. However, she did say that we were still attacking this cancer with everything we had - some small cells are undetectable. So, my routine for the next month or so will be - Monday, Chemo - about 3 hours. Tuesday, go back for a shot of white blood cells. Then the next Monday I have to go in for lab work (nice way of saying they are going to take blood from you). Then start all over the next week. That will go on for 4 treatments. Then I start a different chemo. That one will be once every three weeks. Then, radiation. But I don't even want to think of that until I have to - one day at a time.
This was all predicated on the results of my lymph node removal and the healing of the incision.
Richard and I went to see my favorite surgeon to have the tube removed. He told me of the 13 nodes he removed, only 2 tested positive for cancer. AGAIN, GOD IS GOOD. Also, that the incision will be healed and I can in fact start chemo on Monday, Oct 26. HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait. That will be one down and only 7 to go. I am so ready to get all this cancer stuff behind be and get on with my life. I have things to do, and beautiful granddaughters to do them with.
I have missed my BSF for 3 weeks now and that makes me sad. I will be back next week ladies.
Oh, just a postscript - God puts angels in your life when you least expect them. One of my daughter's friends called me. She used to "stay" (live) at our house back when they were in high school. She came by and gave me some money - she said she wanted to help me - after all, she said, you used to take care of me and let me live at your house. It makes me cry still to think of the kindness so many have shown me.
God bless you all.

Juan more surgery please

Even after all the tests, my oncologist (cancer killer dr.) wanted to have some lymph nodes removed. So, my wonderful surgeon, Dr. Epstein, did his magic again. He also installed my "port" for my chemo. What he did not tell me was that I would have a tube left that had to be drained morning and night. My wonderful friend, Richard, took me for my surgery and stayed with me day and night for several days. I had a fever of 101 the first night so we both were a little anxious. Especially since my normal temp is 97.7 Since I was taking mucho pain meds we weren't sure (I was so loopy I was not sure of my name by this time) whether I could take anything for the fever. Richard finally got the dr. on call and he assured him I could take motrin for the fever but to check me every couple of hours. So, Richard was off to Walgreens (which is right at my house) for motrin. Then he faithfully came in and woke me up every 4 hours to take my temperature. HELLO - NURSE CRATTCHIT ANYONE? Imagine if you can, being sound asleep or drugged or whatever, and waking up to someone looming over you with a thermometer aimed at your mouth - and he did this all night. I say that in jest - I really can never repay Richard for all his kindness and attention. Maybe he should be a nurse.
I will tell you that it was more painful than the lumpectomy. I sleep on my left side and that is where all the surgery took place. So, many sleepless nights in Garden City.

Pet Scan anyone?

Well, I have finally had my last (i hope) test before starting the real chore of trying to kill cancer. I knew from past experience I would have to be still for an inordinate amount of time and that is just not possible for me. So, this time I was prepared. I took one of those magnificant pills, xanax. Relax, I did not drive myself. My wonderful friend and confidant, Richard, agreed to drive me - and I had to be there at 8:00 am. This time I was taken into a room and once again given some radioactive stuff in an injection. They had me in a lazy boy recliner (at least their version of it) with a tv. I had to wait an hour - but to be honest, I dozed off because it seemed like no time had passed when they came to get me. The PET scan machine looked like a giant doughnut - and you are put right in the doughnut hole!! They strapped my arms in, thank goodnesss. I mean, can you imagine having to hold your hands on your stomach for 20-25 minutes without moving? Impossible for me. Then I closed my eyes and did not open them again until they removed me from the doughnut hole. Trust me on this, if you find yourself having to have a pet scan, mri or any of those wonderful other tests that involve putting you on a small stretcher and pushing you into a hole, DO NOT OPEN YOUR EYES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!! ASK THEM FOR SOMETHING TO PLACE OVER YOUR EYES SO THAT IF YOU ARE TEMPTED TO OPEN THEM YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING. You will thank me for this advice later.
This test, like all the others, was painless, except for the being still part, and is a wonderful tool for your doctor in determining the treatment to use on your cancer.

At last a normal weekend

This weekend I actually forgot I had cancer. I hosted a baby shower for my beautiful friend, Stacy. She is having a baby boy next month so all the girls from the Chive Blossom got together to celebrate with her. My bff Lisa arranged for another friend, Michelle, to clean my house for me. She knows how I am when I have company and figured I would be cooking and would not have time to clean. especially since I had not been home all week. She was so right. It was such a beautiful weekend. I watered all the plants on the porch (ya'll know I have a jungle out there) and cooked all day. Then off to work.
Sunday the weather was perfect. Everyone sat on the porch. We forced everyone to play stupid baby games - especially Karen. We had such a good time eating and laughing. Tash's daughter, Madison, ended up winning most of the games - and she is 11.; What does that tell you?
Then my sister, Camille, and her husband Ed came to visit. She just went through the breast cancer thing in January. She claims I am just jealous that she got it first. She said I did everything else first, getting hit by a car, appendicitis, broken collar bone, etc. I told her cancer trumps all those so she wins. I thank God that she did not have to deal with the chemo, etc.
She is such a good sister. I am truly blessed to have her and all my friends.

Bones Bones Bones

Today was the bone scan. They really don't take your word for anything. I mean, if I didn't have bones what would hold my skin up?
Guess what? They do this in NUCLEAR MEDICINE. Once again I was injected with something radioactive. This time I had to wait 2 hours for the stuff to travel through my body or bones -not sure which. I was instructed to drink a lot of water and return at 2:30. All I could think of was, am I radioactive - I mean, was it safe for me to be around other people? I guess so if they let me leave. So I went to lunch and tried to drink all the iced tea they had at Zaxbys. When I returned to NUCLEAR MEDICINE once again I had to lie still. This time they wrapped something around my feet. I immediately became claustrophobic. I was not sure if I could make it through this one. I had to lie, immobile, for 30 minutes - with my feet all wrapped up. I was screaming in my head. To be honest, I almost did not make it. I came this close to yelling for them to stop. I don't know why this one bothered me so much. Maybe it was just I decided enough is enough. I can't take this any more. But, of course, I have to. I have no choice. Cancer is in charge of my life right now and I resent the hell out of it. I want to be in charge of my life. I just pray for the strength to get through this because I have to have the muga muga muga test on a regular basis once I start chemo. At least I won't have to shave my legs for a while. When your hair falls out, it falls out all over your body. See, there is a bright side. Think of the money I will save not having to buy Alterna products for my hair, and shaving cream, etc.
CANCER ROCKS!

If I only had a brain

Thursday was the first of my many tests and scans. I had an MRI on my brain. My friends insisted that I provide them with proof that I had one after the test. (They give me no slack) This time, I only had to have my head and part of my chest in the machine. They give you ear plugs because it is REALLY LOUD!! In fact, MRI really means we are going to try and burst your eardrums in the name of medical science. Once they put you in the machine, you can't move. Of course as soon as that happened my nose started to itch. Then I got a cramp in my foot. All the time noise is coming at you in all directions until I wanted to scream LET ME OUT. But if you do that, they have to start over. So if you have to have an MRI, just try and get through it because you don't want to have to do it twice. After it was over, I asked my friend who works there for a signed certificate to present to my friends proving that I have a brain. Her reply was "Sharon, we can't lie". Talk about insult to injury.
Then it was on to NUCLEAR MEDICINE for my muga muga muga test. They really should call it something other than Nuclear medicine. The name conjurs up images of atom bombs with IV's. This test is to check the muscles of your heart. It seems that the chemo is so strong it can damage your heart so they have to make sure you can take it. AGAIN, why can't we use this stuff on Bin Laden and his buddies?
They (really nice people) inject you with some radioactive stuff. Then you have to lie down and once again NOT MOVE while they take images of your heart. At least this one was not noisy. But ya'll know I have a hard time being still - especially for 20 minutes. I think I passed. They did not give me a certificate or anything, but they did let me leave. I have not had this many tests since real estate school.
When I got to work my friends wanted to see proof that they found a brain in the MRI. Since I didn't have any they are still insisting I don't have one. They do not give me any slack and I have cancer and everything!!

My first really bad day

Wednesday was a bad day. Really, the first one since I had my pity party when I was first told I had CANCER. I have Bible study on Wednesdays and got up early because I did not get to finish my lesson. For some reason, I began to cry - I mean really cry. And, I did not know why. I almost did not go to BSF. But, I composed myself and went. I was ok until we began to sing. Then, the tears came and would not stop. The woman beside me reached over and held me and prayed for me. I continued to cry - I still did not know why. I went to my class but could not stop crying. My leader, Mona, a wonderful woman, held me and suggested I go to the sanctuary and pray. I did, still crying - I mean racking sobs. A woman came and put her arms around me and prayed for me. When she left, another woman sat down. It was a friend of mine. I told her I had cancer. Her son was a good friend of mine who died tragically at a young age. She prayed with me and I was finally able to go back to class. I had told Mona she could tell the other members of our class that I had cancer. After our lesson, they all put their hands on me and prayed for me. I was still crying. In fact, I am crying as I write this. I believe that God knew I had to release all the emotions I have held inside. I also believe that He made it happen on my Bible study day. He knew I would get prayers and support from all those wonderful women. God is truly wonderful and really knows what we need even when we don't. I needed to cry and have not until then. I know that I will have bad days in the months ahead. But I also know that He will be right there with me and provide comfort for me.