On the road again

It was a fun weekend. Friday night some of my girlfriends and I got together for a quick trip to the winery in Pittsburg. Live jazz, good company, good food, and a glass of wine! It doesn't get any better than that! I didn't remember my camera, but I will next time!

Saturday was Joe's birthday, so, thinking that was a good excuse (and the fact that we had not seen him since Christmas), Don and I drove to Enid. Wait, I drove to Enid. Don worked crossword puzzles, and read the paper the whole way. I love to drive, so we both had a good time. Joe gave us a tour of the base, and downtown. We had dinner at a local Italian restaurant that night. The food was OK, but the service was horrible! I think our waitress and the cook were having a race or something. It was the fastest meal we've ever had out. Joe's glad he knows about the place now, he'll probably never go back.

We went to church on Sunday morning, and enjoyed meeting the people who have been so nice to my baby boy in Enid. Afterwards, we had lunch at Chili's, again a fast one LOL, and headed back to MP.

I basically just stayed in all day on Monday, worn out! We made a quick trip to Dallas today to do a little business, and have lunch. I'm glad we don't have to go over there as often as we did last year. Once in a while is fun, but two-three times a week isn't.

This is Secretary's Week, and the flower shop got a huge shipment of new flowers in today. I'm going to have to go check them out tomorrow.

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather. I do believe that Spring is finally here for good!

Love to all!

Post Surgery

As I said earlier, and I haven't changed my mind, lumpectomies aren't so bad! I'm taking myself off the pain meds, haven't had any since Friday at noon. The "uni-boob" came off yesterday afternoon, and other than being just a little uncomfortable where the bra hits the incisions, I feel like my old self.
Dr. Cuenca called last night with the preliminary reports from the pathologist, (drum roll.........) it looks like I'm all clear. The lymph node tested clear, it's all gone! She had told me that it all looked good just after surgery, but for goodness sakes, I was on morphine! Anyone who knows me knows that Annaleisa+drugs=not a good combo! I do remember Barry & Lana coming to visit this time!!!!!!
I never even took vitamins before all this happened. Don and I have had lots of laughs over our "med" boxes recently. I need one of those that are for 3 times a day pills, but I won't break down and get one. I would feel like the drugs were running me, not me them. My box is a simple Sunday-Saturday box, with just one compartment per day. I have to admit though that those poor little pills are all a bit crowded into their tiny cubby-holes.
Bryan and Roddy came in last night to crash at the house and see a Cory Morrow concert. I know I'm either old or uninformed when I didn't know who Cory Morrow was. Bryan said he played at the gator fest this past fall, I was there but unaware!
I'm not allowed to drive until Tuesday, when I go back to Dr. Cuenca's office. I'm not used to being told I can't do something. I'm trying to stay busy catching up on things around the house, and between naps, and the food network, the days have been going by pretty fast.
Wouldn't you know that our first volunteer training session is set for 9:00 AM on Tuesday, and my dr.s appointment is at 9:30. I'm going to run back and forth, and if I have to make up the hour or so I miss at training, I'll worry about that later. Maybe when the volunteer coordinator sees how I drive, she won't put me in charge of moving patients in wheelchairs-hehe.

Just a quick up date. Lumpectomies aren't so bad! I'm out of the hospital and home. Everything went fine, but we won't know the results until the 15th.

Don won the run off for those of you who haven't heard. The next step is November.

I'll post more later. I'm still a bit light headed!

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.

I'm still in running mode!

I drove Mom back to Anahuac on Wednesday. Had dinner with cousins Wayne, Elizabeth, and Daniel. Elizabeth is going through radiation now for breast cancer. She looks wonderful, and says she's tolerating it. Wayne is going to be tested this AM. It is possible that he has a lymphoma. Please keep them in your prayers.

Thursday morning Mom and I drove out to Uncle Buddy's. I got the Yukon stuck in the ditch at his house. It's funny how soon you forget about the hazards of living in Chambers County. One of the first things I learned during driver's ed., was avoid ditches! In my defense, it wasn't a deep ditch, and it LOOKED dry, but I was in Anahuac for heaven's sake! Everything is always wet down there! Anyway, Mr. Otter, Uncle Buddy's neighbor was nice enough to pull me out. I left Uncle Buddy with a big set of ruts to remember me by!

I got the news on the way home that Pops was sick. Don spent most of the day at the emergency room with him. He is home now, but still really weak. Hazel (his companion) was admitted to the hospital at the same time. She has asthma, and Pop's has a bronchial infection.
Hazel should be out of the hospital today, and Pop's is doing a little better. I think he's probably a little confused because his routine hasn't been normal this weekend. He's had four different people sitting with him, and hasn't been able to have his "drives".

Lunch with the "Sistas" was so much fun. Worthie, Judy and I were scheduled to have lunch out here on Friday, but with Pop's being sick (and probably contagious), we met at Worthie's instead. The girls look absolutely wonderful, so happy just to be here. We laughed and talked for most of the afternoon. I'm so grateful for them both. They pulled me through some really tough times this past year. Everyone needs a support system, and they have been a huge part of mine.

I volunteered at the shop for a little while Friday afternoon. I am really looking forward to getting back up there. Felecia and I attended a sales meeting Friday night, and we had the opportunity to see old friends - Deanna, Shelly, and Carmen. I have learned to really appreciate the people in my life. I loved seeing them, and meeting Deanna's precious red headed grandson!

Bryan came in Friday night. His 27th birthday was Thursday. He is celebrating birthday season! We had dinner out late Friday night. He helped me run errands and take down Christmas decorations Saturday. I'm only taking them down because Don insists. If I had my way we would re-decorate the tree for every holiday. I just love Christmas trees.

Sunday was a lazy day. We just stayed in and caught up on household chores. Don is coming down with whatever it is that's going around right now, so no church for him. I did pause long enough to watch Tom Petty at half time last night. He has been one of my favorites for years, in fact one of his CDs are playing on my computer right now.

I'm going in for my first Avastin treatment today. I don't want to give the "C" word an opportunity to come back! I'm going to attempt to volunteer at the flower shop this afternoon, and then the rest of the week. Valentine's is on us. I've had a nice long break from the shop, now it's time to get back to it!

I hope everyone has a great week. Now, let's get busy!!!!!

I'm still in awe of the scan results. I went to see Dr. Saez today, and he said it is very uncommon for a stage IV patient to be in remission so soon. I'm going to keep doing whatever it is I've been doing to stay on course.

I'll be going into the Mt. Pleasant Oncology center every 3 weeks for 6 months, starting Monday for Avastin infusions. I'll take the Arimedex orally for 5 years, and we'll be praying A LOT!!!!!!!
I'll be meeting with Dr. Cuena (sp) our new breast cancer specialist, and surgeon in the very near future. Many of my friends have been concerned about the breast cancer diagnoses. A mastectomy is not in my future, according to Dr. Saez, but with Dr. Cuena's expertise we'll be even more on top of this. Apparently, the breast cancer was caught very early, so we were lucky in that!

I'm living it up, burning up the roads. I drove down to Beaumont Sunday night to have a visit with Carol. We wound up having a block party in her garage, with all of her fun neighbors. Everyone enjoyed "Tibedeaux Specials". That's shrimp and crawfish etouffe served on top of rare steaks. Dinner was delicious! We didn't get to bed until after 1:00 A.M., it was like the old days. Carol and I had coffee in bed on Monday morning, then I drove to Anahuac to pick up Mom. She was all ready to go--bags were packed and lined up at the door. We went over to Houston and picked up Uncle Bud's slot machine which has been in the shop there since just after Christmas. We had lunch in Lufkin at Ralph and Kakoo's. It turned into a 2 hour lunch. The food was wonderful, but our waitress was a little more than scatter brained.

We got back to Mt. Pleasant, about 6:30 Monday night. We went in to see Dr. Saez this morning, then drove to Rockwall for lunch and on over to the mall for a little light shopping. We got home about 5:30 today--whew!

Mom and I are leaving to go back to Anahuac in the morning. I'm scheduled to have dinner with a high school friend I haven't seen in years. I'm really looking forward to catching up. I'm planning on seeing Uncle Buddy, and all the other relatives and friends I can on Thursday morning, then I'll drive back to Mt. Pleasant.

Lunch is planned for Friday with Worthie and Judy. I haven't seen them since before my surgery in June. We talk on the phone and e-mail, but it isn't like looking them in the eyes.
I just realized it sounds like all I do is eat. That's almost right. My appetite is scary!!!!

I'm feeling well, and stronger than ever. God is good!! I'll post again soon.

Scan Results

As of now the scans show that there is NO Evidence of Residual Disease!!!!
I'm clear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll be seeing my oncologist again on Tuesday to finalize follow up treatment plans.
We want to be sure we've got it all, you know colon cancer is a sneaky little monster.

I sincerely thank you all for your continued prayers. Prayer is what has gotten me through so far, so please keep it up.

Pet Scan

How cute is she!!!! This is Miss Olivia wearing the beginnings of Loretta's new dog jewelry.

We had a nice weekend with Lenice, Jaime, and Olivia. I had forgotten about the energy four year olds have. It was fun watching Olivia play, eat, get kisses from Priscilabel, watch movies, then crash, sound asleep in her mamma's lap. She is like a mini-adult. So sweet, and well mannered. She is truly a young lady to be proud of. Jaime is a wonderful mom. It is so nice to see little girls grow up into wonderful women.

We really had a laid back weekend. Olivia loved the kitty-boys at the shop. She had to have a stuffed kitty to take home with her. I think Siegfried and Roy enjoyed the attention. I know the dogs did!

Don and I went to Dallas yesterday for the pet scan. I have to be honest, I thought about bolting! It was really intimidating for me. I'll get the results on Friday, when I go back to see Dr. Crim. Updates will follow. Prayers are being heard. I'm feeling good, but a little fatigued most of the time. I'm hoping to start walking again asap. I've got to get my stamina back for Valentine's Day. I'll be volunteering at the flower shop.

The nueropathy in my fingers and toes has become constant. It feels like the tips of my fingers are numb. I've been told this could last as long as a year after chemo, or it might be permanent. I'm telling myself it's a small price to pay. Really more annoying than anything.