Happy Days

The past week has been busy, productive, and positive. I've been playing at the flower shop a bit more. I'm trying to learn our new computer system that was added in June. Believe it or not, up until this week, I couldn't add an order, or post a payment. Talk about useless!!!!! I'm getting a little better at it, but it's taking some time. The daily closeout has me bumfuzzled. I have to start at 4:00 in order to be finished by 5:00, and that doesn't include the time it takes to answer the phone, or say hello to walk-in customers. I never believed that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I'm starting to see the wisdom in that saying. I do think I might have finally figured out how to add pictures to this blog! If so, I'll go back and fill in a few gaps in the last posts!!!!!

Saturday we had two orders going to the hospital. They were both going to the same floor, and one of them was for a lady I have always admired. I volunteered to take them myself so that I could say hello to this wonderful lady. I walked into the hospital with a dozen red roses, that I have to admit were spectacular, and EVERYONE who saw the flowers stopped and commented on how beautiful they were. Needless to say, by the time I got to the nurses station, I was smiling from ear to ear. The recipient was called to the desk (she is a nurse), and the look on her face was complete disbelief. She was speechless for a minute. As I was waiting for the elevator, I overheard her say, "He never sends me flowers!" She couldn't take her eyes off of them. All of her co-workers were admiring them, and congratulating her on her anniversary. On the way down in the elevator, I got to thinking about the many messages flowers can convey, and what a powerful, but mostly overlooked gift they are. I kept thinking about that nurses' reaction and by the time I got to the car I was actually tearing up. I got the second arrangement out, and went back upstairs for a quick visit with my friend. (She's doing fine, by the way, and will be discharged soon). As I left her room, I saw the nurse still looking at her roses. She stopped me and said that in the hustle and bustle of getting ready for work that morning she had only briefly acknowledged that it was their anniversary. She and her husband were both working 12 hour shifts that day, and she had not given it a second thought. They have been married for 22 years. I told her that she had made my day too. Getting to see her reaction, and the thoughts she shared with me were priceless. I think flower delivery people must have the best jobs in the world. In what other profession can you witness every human emotion? From birth to marriage to death, and everything in between. I get to be a part of it all. I am so blessed.

Don spent most of the afternoon campaigning. He likes to say that he gets up every morning 300 votes behind, and goes to bed at night 300 votes up. He is having fun with this campaign. He gets to talk all the time, which is one of the things he does best!

We had some friends over last night for a little visit, then we all went to dinner. Mexican food and Mojitos! It doesn't get any better than that. When we got home I found a Bob Dylan special on PBS. The perfect end to a perfect day.

I'm taking it easy today. Plan on trying a new recipe for crawfish stew. I know it does kind of sound gross, but I try to do "cajun" on Sundays. It's the SouthEast Texas girl coming out in me.

I got good news from Anahuac this week. My cousin Wayne had a biopsy at MD Anderson, and it turns out that he does not have cancer! Elizabeth, his wife, has just finished 33 rounds of radiation for breast cancer, so she has been giving me encouragement and info through this next stage.

Donna from Dr. Saez's office called Friday morning, and I am now off of chemo until at least the end of April, first of May. I have been having a treatment every 3 weeks since my last pet scan. The doctors don't want any Avastin floating around in me during surgery and healing, so I really am chemo free now for the first time since July. Surgery is scheduled for April 9, here at the hospital. We are saying special prayers for the surgeon, Dr. Cuenca. I know I'll be in good hands.

Prayers are going up for D.L., Loy Jean and their families, Hillary Johnson and her family, and many others.

I received the results of my MRI today. Dr. Cuenca could not see any signs of breast cancer. This is a good sign that the nasty disease has lost the battle for now.
I'll be having a little surgery in April, then a follow up of radiation. How much? Don't know yet. The doctors will meet and discuss my case later. The radiation can't start until after April 22, that's when the cancer center opens. I will be getting the radiation here. I still believe that the best therapy is home therapy, as long as it is the same therapy.
Plans are still on for volunteer time at the cancer center. I'll get to be a patient and volunteer at the same time!

I really don't have much to share this week. I've been spending more time at the flower shop, and less at home-which is a good thing!

I'm still waiting for the volunteer liason at the cancer center to send the information I requested. Worthie, Judy, and I plan to be the meeters and greeters there. Don't know what the admin. people have planned for us. We will be having lunch next week, and I had hoped I'd have something to tell them. The center will be opening on April 22., I feel like we are running out of time! I understand we will have to go to a training session, and with our Dr. appointments, scans, etc., it makes time limited.

The election campaigning is going well. Don has really enjoyed the forums, and visiting with the people who live in pct. 1. Just a reminder, the election is on Tuesday, the 4th! Don't forget to vote. I did early voting at Don's insistence. I really prefer to go on the day. It is fun seeing everyone there. I used to make the girls from the flower shop go with me. They always said I'd vote over and over if I could.

Pops is still "hanging in there". He has not been able to go to church the last couple of Sundays, so that makes for long days for him. He has seemed to be much more confused since his bronchial infection in January. He had fallen and broken a rib through all of that, so I know he's probably considerably uncomfortable. Hazel took him to play bingo yesterday. They "bingoed" 3 times! Hazel was thrilled, but Pops was just glad to be there. If he gets to go for drives twice a day, I think he considers it a good day.

I've recently developed a "new" side effect to the cancer drugs. Joint pain has begun. I had hoped I'd be one of the fortunate ones and not have to deal with this. My hands and neck are the worst effected. The Drs. have given me permission to use lots and lots of ibuprofen. It is a temporary help, but I have to remember to take it every 4 hours or so. I've never been a pill taker, so that has been a struggle for me.

I saw Dr. Cuenca this week. She is Mt. Pleasant's new surgical oncologist. She has scheduled me for mammograms, and an MRI this Friday. We are going to find out what the breast cancer has been up to these past 8 months. Lobular breast cancer isn't always shown on PET, or CT scans. I haven't had an MRI through all of this, so it's probably past time. She did a sonogram in her office, and couldn't really see anything other than the clips left at the time of the biopsy. Hopefully we'll have the full picture by my next appointment with her on Tuesday the 11th.

Please keep us in your prayers.