Blessing After Blessing!

The past 7 days have certainly been full of blessings! I felt good all week! No real problems at all. I had a few side effects, such as tiredness and aches and such but nothing that you would probably notice if not having been told to expect them.

I was able to do and plan for Thanksgiving just as any one else would. This in its self was a blessing as it was the first time in 30 years I had had my kids in my home for Thanksgiving. Larry going into the Navy in '76 and then me going on the road in '80 we had never all been in the same place at the same time. It was so wonderful to have them and their families and even 2 great grand kids. Had 12 adults for dinner and also some extended family in and out for the day. The three kids in town all here and heard from the other 3 that are out of state. So neat!

Wonderful food, too much, with others doing the cooking and me just doing the fill ins. So easy!
I did not get the yeast rolls out in time to rise enough and in trying to force them, ran the dryer and then stopped it and put the rolls in the dryer to rise. Granddaughter, age 22, thought Grandma had lost it! She went in telling everyone Grandma was trying to cook the rolls in the dryer. But everything turned out fine.

The Cowboys won! Great!

We even had the biggest and fluffiest snow I have ever seen in Texas. No it didn't stick but was so beautiful. Got pictures of my 3 grandsons, aged 15 to 33, trying to catch the snowflakes on their tongues.

A wonderful and fabulous day.

The Day After The First Chemo

So far, so good. I can say I don't feel one bit different than I did before I got the chemo. They told me I would be extra tired when I got home. The treatment took 4 hours. The power port made it a lot easier. I did rest when I got home, as everyone had stressed how important rest is and that I not get overly tired. They also told me I would not sleep last night as they gave me a steroid to prevent any infection. From what I don't know! I slept good last night. Yes, I would wake up occasionally, but got 8 1/2 hours restful sleep. I am resting most of today and tomorrow, don't really have a lot to do anyway, but feel just fine.

Again, I say, if I have to go through this I am in the very best place I could possibly be. The Infusion Center at the Cancer Center is wonderful! The nurses are helpful, informative, and caring. I have my own nurse who will be with me each time, therefore, she will know everything about me. She is wonderful. The patients that are there for treatment are out of this world. They are very friendly but not prying. They are funny and very upbeat. They put no more than 4 in each room. The 3 that were in the room with me were in much worse stages than I am yet they were so great to me.

I see my oncologist on 11-26 and also do lab so he can see how things are going and how I am tolerating the chemo. I am only praying the rest of this week is going to be like today and I will be up for being with my family for Thanksgiving. They are coming to my home so if I need to rest or what ever I can just get up and be with them. How neat! They are doing all the cooking and I get to just enjoy.

Wishing each and everyone of you a Joyous Thanksgiving with lots of good food, family and remembering the true meaning of the day.

Time for Attack

Well met with the oncologist on Tuesday and he told me what I think we already knew. The tumor is too big to do surgery. It is about the size of a lemon. He said "not a Florida lemon".
Somewhere between a golf ball and a tennis ball. Leo and Lori understand this terminology best! So we are going ahead with the chemo and shrink the tumor and then we will do the surgery.

I had a power port put in Wednesday so we can do the chemo and any dye for xrays and CTs without having to use the veins in my arms. Sure this is a good thing as have already had one vein collapse and one blow. Don't know what the difference is but that was what I was told. I know I am learning a lot about cancer and really more than I ever wanted to know. I will start the chemo on Monday and have a treatment every three weeks. No idea how long it will take to shrink it. Just wait and see. Will see oncologist again on 11-26 so he can see how I am tolerating the chemo.

So Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I have an awful lot to be thankful for at this time. We found this early, it has not spread, I have wonderful doctors, special family, and great friends. And to top it all off, Leo has not had a headache in nearly two months. God has everything going our way. Am having Thanksgiving dinner in our new home with family and friends. Will be thinking of each of you and wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving also.

The Waiting Game

Why does waiting always seem so much longer when you are the one doing the waiting? We still
have not heard anything from the doctor. I called the oncologist on Friday and they still had not heard from the surgeon. Guess the surgeon is a busy man. Hopefully will hear Monday. If not, will call again.

I do appreciate all of the love and support you have been giving me and Leo. Leo has certainly been my rock during all of this. Without all of you and the prayers and God answering them, I know I would not be in the good place that I am in at the present.

Several of you have mentioned ways you have heard of for doing the surgery. The first was Laser Beam and we did ask the doctor about that when we met with him. He explained that as large as the cancer is there would be no way we could do that. Someone else mentioned Robotic surgery. Then another friend mentioned Cyber Knife Surgery. When I looked them up on the computer, they seem to all be the same thing. And fall under the category of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) But since I am not a doctor, I will check it all with him as they do IMRT at the Arlington Cancer Center. I do definitely appreciate all of the suggestions as I know nothing at all about cancer. But sure looks as if I am learning!

Things have certainly been busy around here. We got the result of the biopsy and I have Squamous cell cancer of the left lung. This is the non-small cell type, which is not the worst.
I have had ever test you can imagine. More lab work, more xrays, more CT scans. bone scans, pet scans and MRIs. They now know everything about the inside of my body! The Lord answers prayers, as the cancer has not spread to any other part of my body!

My oncologist does not think the cancer can be surgically removed at this time due to the size of the cancer and where it is located. It is right behind the heart and against the chest wall. However, he said he is not a surgeon and wanted to get a surgeon to look at me. He could not get me in anywhere for two weeks. He said he did not want to waste two weeks, so he has sent all my tests and records to the surgeon to review. Hopefully we will know something by the later part of next week.

If the surgeon says it can be surgically removed, we will have it done and follow up with chemo. If we can not do the surgery, we will do chemo to shrink the cancer and then do the surgery.
This should bring you up to date on where we are at this point. I feel God has already answered prayer. The doctors are wonderful and are not wasting time to get things done. The cancer has not spread to any other part of my body. Just keep us on your prayer list.