Tomorrow's CT Scan and Train of Thoughts

Tomorrow is a big day for me.  I have a CT scan to check the cancer's response to the chemotherapy.  My team will be hoping to see no new growth of new tumors or existing tumors.  We would be thrilled to see shrinkage of existing tumors, but because my treatments have been so irregularly timed, it may take longer to see this.

On a completely unrelated side note....
My lovely daughter, who knows how pathetic my gardening skills are, got me a waxed amaryllis plant.  This bulb, encased in wax, needs only indirect sunlight, never needs watered, grows almost an inch every day, and blooms with a bright red flower weekly.  In the Victorian language of flowers,  amaryllis means "love, beauty, and determination", and can also represent hope and achievement.  It's a perfect flower for my lounge!!



I'm prepping for Thanksgiving, ordering my groceries online, and anticipating our dinners with both sides of our family on Sunday and Thursday.  I think the holidays will not only feel different but will take on a different meaning to me and my family now that we look at them through the lens of a health crisis. I'm certainly looking forward to being surrounded by my family.  I'm hoping to soak up every minute I'm able to, and create some meaningful memories with my loved ones.  Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition that makes your holiday memorable?  A favorite recipe, perhaps?

Speaking of holidays, have you started Christmas shopping yet?  I'm in the "idea" phase of gifting, looking for ideas and making a list.  I'm thankful for Amazon, and the ability to online shop....I have a lot of time on my hands these days, and my laptop is geared up to find some deals!  Do you have any can't-miss gift ideas that are a hit with your family?

So, apparently I'm starved for conversation as the "completely unrelated side notes" take up more space than the update, and this post sounds less like a one-sided update and more like a conversation starter.  Feel free to comment on any question, I'll answer back to you and maybe this will soothe my apparent desire for conversation, since visitors have been somewhat limited.

This is day 158.
signature

Comments

Taffy said…
One of my favorite Christmas traditions when I was younger was that every year Mrs.Clause made my sister and I pajamas that were gift wrapped and left under our tree on Christmas eve...when we got home from the annual family Christmas Eve party we got to open them and put them on so we could wake up on Christmas morning wearing them...I loved how my mom made things special and consistent at the same time and gave us something to look forward to and count on.
3:57 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wheel of Unfortune

Image
(Record scratch.) (Scene: Country Lawn Rehab Center) Character: It's ME. Hi! I'm the problem, it's me!... So you're probably wondering how I got here..." Hi guys! I took a little break from my blog because I have just been going through the trenches with this medical stuff. Hard and heavy "stuff" and terrible fatigue. I finished two rounds of radiation and a round of chemo and with it came some very unpleasant side effects that caused me to be readmitted to the hospital, namely diarrhea, dehydration, and loss of appetite. I was severely dehydrated due to persistent and never ending diarrhea and in a lot of pain. I had abdominal cramps that felt like labor pain, and lost my appetite so I was not eating.  The diarrhea and dehydration became severe enough that I needed a lot of replacement IV fluids and more scans on my abdomen to make sure there was no obstructions or other problems. I also developed thrush which made my mouth painful and have no appetite o
Read more

Mommy-of-Three v2.0: Rebooted.

Image
It's been a long time, 10 years or maybe longer since I've dusted off my keyboard warrior skills and put together a tome worthy of sharing across the interwebs. What a walk down memory lane it was as I re-opened my "Mommy-of-Three" archives- stories of raising my three littles, the trials and tribulations I faced as a young mama, the joys, laughter, jokes and fun, and oh the love.  What a time of my life that was. But now I get to reopen my blog for a little different reason. A word I'm not sure I was fully prepared to hear.  A word I definitely was not fully prepared to comprehend or deal with. CANCER. Bladder Cancer with Bone Cancer. Metastatic Cancer. Every time I say it, it still sound surreal.  I'm 48 years old.  I have 2 kids in college and a senior in high school.  I have a career where I enjoy both the challenge and comfort of caring for tiny babies, and have opportunities to teach and mentor students.  My husband, a varsity coach in our hometown, for
Read more

A Treatment Plan

Image
This week's "big moves" involved our initial appointment at The Cleveland Clinic.   Thanks to a quick referral from a close family friend who is the orthopedic oncologist at Johns Hopkins, we were able to speak with the chairperson of oncology at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Abraham.  Dr. Abraham promptly referred us to his expert team.  We were fortunate to get a quick appointment with Dr. Shilpa Gupta, who is the director of genitourinary medical oncology at Taussig Cancer Institute at Cleveland Clinic.  She has been quite involved in research to study and treat bladder cancer.   Dr. Gupta was closely involved in immunotherapy and genomic therapy for bladder cancer, and she seems very optimistic and positive about many new treatments that have improved outcomes in this field. My initial apprehensions about the Cleveland Clinic were quickly put to rest by friendly smiling faces, helpful people, and a clean, healing environment.   Dr. Gupta laid out a very promising plan with tw
Read more