T.V. I Love

Marnie works with a fellow who's wife (she's the one with the dreads and her name is Mary Beth) is on this show. I have watched the first two episodes and so far I love it. Mom's/women in South Africa out of their element, testing themselves and each other. Sign me up for next season.

The Day After

I am feeling pretty good considering. Yesterday was a very, very long day. No food or drink not even water until after surgery. I was cranky, cranky, cranky, by the time they took me into surgery around 2pm yesterday afternoon. We arrived home last night around 8:30. I don't remember much. Vicodin is a good drug. Marnie was and continues to be a real trouper.

Now, just waiting on the pathology report to come in. Hopefully before the weekend we will know what things look like, hopefully.

Surgery

Tomorrow is surgery day. My family and all the words and energy from all of those folks known and unknown to me are holding me up through this. I feel you all! Thank you.

2 Days and Counting

Surgery on Tuesday. Finally I will be rid of this thing, hopefully all of it and then some.

I talked to my brother earlier today and he kindly tried to talk me out of the tree I am in. He helped a lot, but I am still afraid, really, really afraid.

Tears

It seems that right now I am prone to just bursting into tears. I have no idea when they will come but the do. It's a lot like when you are pregnant. The craziest things make you cry and sometimes nothing at all makes you cry. I just need it to all be alright. All of it.

Roll Tide Grandma!

A few weeks ago just before the college football season started Marnie and I decided to teach Lucy how to say "Roll Tide!". Which for those of you who are college football challenged that is what we University of Alabama fans yell at our football games. You see at some game long ago one of the sports announcers said the team looked like a crimson tide (crimson is the color of our jerseys) rolling down the field. It stuck and from then on we cheer Roll Tide Roll at every game and at ever Auburn fan when ever possible.

As I said a few weeks ago we taught Lucy to say "Roll Tide!". Once
she got it down we called my mom, my dad and my brother and
prompted her to say to each of them "Roll Tide Grandma", "Roll
Tide Grandpa", and "Roll Tide Uncle Richard". The last one was
a little difficult but she did an admirable job. My family need less
to say was delighted. We are huge Alabama football fans. Of course
being from the south it is a requirement. My father being the biggest,
he played there when he was in college in the early 50s'. I on the
other hand was not really into football until I moved far far away
from all the really obnoxious fans.


Now that I live in Callie I miss the crisp fall air that brings football season every year. I miss the excitement of the live game and the smell of bourbon and coke coming form the student section. So every year at this time I sit down in front of the tv whenever a Alabama game is on and yell like a crazy person (see obnoxious fan, above).
I scare the dog and even Marnie. This year I will have to reign it
in a bit because I don't want to scare Lucy.

This morning when Lucy woke up and i was getting dressed in the bedroom I could hear her over the baby monitor saying sweetly to her self over and over again"Roll Tide Grandma". And Marnie thinks she's going to Brown.

It's set

I will be having surgery on Tuesday September 26th. A lumpectomy and 10 or so lymph nodes removed. Now we just have to figure out how to manage Lucy during recovery. I can't lift anything for at least 2 weeks. Someone tell me how the hell you manage that with a 21 month old? The next big hurdle is the pathology report on the tissue and nodes they take out during surgery. We hope and pray for clean margins and no cancer in the nodes. Prayers again please.

Saved!

I just had a brief phone conversation with my surgeon. No mastectomy needed, only a lumpectomy. Once again I feel like I can let out that breath I seemed to have been holding in for oh so long.

Results, sort of!

As I said before I had tests yesterday. While we were having the initial consult with my Radiology Oncologist she got a preliminary report on the PET/CT scan I had. It looks clean. Meaning they thought I had already had surgery to remove the lump. It can't detect anything. That doesn't mean there is nothing there but if there is it's probably smaller than 5mm. As for the MRI we don't know yet and that is the one that will help my surgeon decided what type of surgery I need. We will find that out this coming Monday. But all indications are really really good. Really.

I am feeling stronger since my last chemo. I don't think it has sunk in yet that I am done. I think once the week I would normally have a treatment comes and goes without one I will really know. So we move on to the next phase.

Right now I am rolling in this good news just for a bit before I find out about surgery. Just for a bit

The Next Step

My final round of chemo is done! That's right, stick a fork in me I am done. On Tuesday Marnie and I will spend all day and I mean all day at several testing and doctors offices. I have another full body (PET/CT) scan, then another MRI and then my first consult with my Radiation Oncologist. The 2 tests will help my surgeon decide what kind of surgery I need to have, a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. I have responded so very well to the chemo it is going to be really hard to swallow a mastectomy after all of this. I know I have asked for a lot of prayers and such, but now is the time to send up some more with maybe some different needs and requirements :-).

We are hoping that at some point between surgery and the start of radiation we might get to take a vacation. Maybe to Oregon to see several sets of friends that moved in the past few months, if not that then maybe to Tahoe for a few days. We need a little break, a change. I certainly need something new to look at. While our backyard is lovely something with a little more grandeur and wildness would be nice for a change.

Everyone has been amazing through this phase of my treatment. The meals, the phone calls, the visits, the silent yet ever present support I/we have gotten has been staggering. Again, thank you seems too small to cover how I really feel.