Good Bye 2008

So today is the last day of 2008. I think WOW what a year for Mike and myself!
We had so many ups and downs I feel like I have motion sickness. I have faith, next year will be much better!

Good Bye 2008!

ps 43 down.....101 to go

Christmas Surprise!

Christmas morning was very quiet. Mike and I grabbed some coffee and went out to watch the sunrise on this holy day. We enjoyed being greatful for Gods blessings and the birth of our Savior. It was a beautiful morning.
We came home, Mike made an awesome breakfast. And since the side effects were full blown, I needed to lie down for a while.




As I dozed off I heard the doorbell ring, footsteps coming up the stairs, and a siloutte of someone. As soon as he spoke I realized what was happening. What a perfect surprise, to see my Kale.


42 down......102 to go!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to All of my friends and Family!
As I get older, the love of friends and family are the best gifts one can receive and give! Thank you all for your support!


This is a picture of Teresa from last year. We miss you!


Since Mike and I are spending Christmas at home quietly, I thought I would post some of our pictures from last year. So here is Kale.


Mike and I with our sweet Ethan and Bryton



Cory, Krystal , Ethan and Bryton.

Merry Christmas everyone!
Last night I still had to give myself an injection,it really put a damper on the festivities
By the way ... 41 done 103 to go

#40 over - Happy Birthday Kale!!!!

Happy Birthday Kale!
It seems like only yesterday, you were a little guy. We miss you and hope your Birthday is safe and fun!

40 down.....104 to go

#39 injection done

We went to Mass tonight. It was a beautiful service. Mike and I are so blessed, and thankful for the opportunity to worship freely!
Have a wonderful Sunday!

39 down ....... 105 to go

#38 injection done

Most people these days have a count down for "days till christmas" I always have to be different. My count UP is for a normal life without having to look forward to awful side effects from the interferon. I know 1/4 of my injections are done. But sometimes it feels like the time is just dragging by and the last one will never get here. I do remember how long it would take for Christmas to arrive, when I was a child. This is probabally harder to wait for.
So for all the children waiting for Santa, he will be here soon!

38 done....106 to go

#37 done - visit from Santa

Last night we heard a loud commotion, the dog started barking (very unusual for her) then the sirens began to blare and bright lights came shining in the windows. Yep you guessed it... we had an early visit from Santa courtesy of the Cheswold Fire Department. All the neighbors came out of their homes to wave to the "jolly old elf"

37 down .... 107 to go

#36 over 1/4 of the way done!

Today is a great cause for celebration. After my injection last night Mike pointed out I am one quarter of the way done with my injections! Woo Hoo!!!
I am going to think past the side effects today and savor the thought I am a good portion through my treatment!

I called the insurance company yesterday, they will cover a head wrap or a wig, with a perscription from my oncologist. I still have some hair, but it is going pretty fast. Everytime I think of a wig I laugh and say "no way!" I will probabally just stick with a scarf. I still think I should shave my head and draw 2 eyes on the back of my head, they won't know if I am coming or going. :-)
Have a good weekend!

36 done...... 108 to go

#35 injection over

Today I heard from a good friend, that I thought I might have lost touch with. She has some big things in her future and I wish her tremendous success!!
Today was pretty tough, my side effects are shifting, and not as predictable as they used to be. If they keep shifting, I might try to give myself the injections at work. It seems to be taking a longer time for them to hit. I will have to continue to monitor how long it takes.
The extra hours have been hard but I will continue to push on, and try to be strong.



I know I have published this before, but it is one of my favorites.

35 down ....... 109 to go

#34 injection is over

This morning was pretty rough.
Last night Mike was sick with a terrible stomach virus. Krystal and Cory had the same.
Luckily I am not feeling as bad as them.
Yesterday I went to the Cancer center, it took over an hour for my flush and blood work. Once again we had troubles aspirating me. Finally after a TTP injection it broke loose. I was really embarrassed I shot blood all over both nurses working on me.
After my appointment I went to my Oncologist. My blood work was within the normal spectrum a small bit of anemia but my doctor is happy with the numbers. So we will keep plugging away.

Like I said this morning was rough, I had a very hard time getting going. I will need to step it up and try to work more hours, so I don't loose my health benefits. I know it will be hard, but with Gods help I will find the strength somehow. Since Mike was laid off it has been difficult to stay positive and not worry.


34 down.......110 to go

#33 over and a bit late posting

Friday I came home from work gave myself my injection and Mike and I headed out for the long trip to North Carolina to visit Cory and Krystal and the kids.(Chesapeake Bay Bridge)

The boys are growing too fast! And are so sweet. We had a wonderful time. I wish it didn't take 7 hours to get there. So when we are fortunate enough to spend time with them it is extra special!

33 down .......111 to go

# 32 injection over

The side effects were pretty bad today. I have been so tired it is hard to accomplish anything. I think because at work there is sickness going around, I worry about being exposed to anything contagious. I will see my Oncologist on Monday, hopefully my white cell count will be up.

So today is almost over 32 down......112 to go

# 31 injection done

I don't have anything to say today except.....
31 down...... 113 to go

29 & 30 done - Happy Thanksgiving

The injections are ticking away. Today I wanted to focus on Thanksgiving. Some people look at me with pity in their eyes wondering "what have you to be thankful for?" I have to say, I have so much to be thankful for! I do not believe I have ever been as aware of the great gifts I have, until I faced my own mortality. So on this Thanksgiving weekend I challenge everyone to think, if their mortality was on the line, just how much would you be thankful for!

30 down.....114 to go

#28 injection over

Today was a very hard day. Besides the interferon side effects. Mike and I had to go to Baltimore to meet with another specialist at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. What a terrible trip. We should have tried to postpone the trip for after Thanksgiving. What Traffic. The Medical Center was huge. That was difficult just finding out where to park and which building to go to. We left at 8am and didn't get home till after 5.
The Doctor was great, he explained to us the options we have and the concerns he had. There will probably be another test before we decide on the route to take. He will have another consultation with Dr. V today. So here we are still waiting to decide what to do and the risks involved.

#26 & #27 Injections over

I skipped #26 post. I just didn't feel up to it. This has been very difficult getting back on my feet this time. On the bright side, my oncologist spoke with me about the CT Scan test results. The lump he felt turned out to be a cyst. For now we will just keep an eye on it and decide what to do if it increases in size.
So today I will focus on building up my stamina for work on Monday.


It snowed last night. It was beautiful to look outside and see the dancing flakes falling to the ground.

27 done .....117 to go

#25 injection done - Surgery over

The surgery went as good as can be expected. I still feel like I have been hit by a truck. The recovery time is much longer with my cancer treatment. I get to go back to work next Monday. So that is a good thing. I was not sure how I could handle too much time off. There is only so much idle time anyone can handle.

#24 injection done

Sometimes you just need to smile.
#24 went about the same, but it occurred to me with 24 done I have 40 weeks to go. Woo Hoo!
The hospital called and scheduled my surgery. I will need to be there at 7:00 and the surgery is scheduled for 9:00. So tomorrow I will focus on getting things done. Mike has been wonderful taking care of me. I am lucky to have him.

24 down......120 to go

#23 injection over

Today was very difficult. Not only were the side effects rough, but my CT scans were this morning. They were the scans that required the barium and an IV. The technician wanted to make sure my kidney would handle the barium and contrast so we had to wait until he spoke with my urologist. What normally would have been an easy test turned out to take much longer. I was glad they called the urologist. After speaking with the doctor they did need to adjust the dose.
Since my cancer treatment every procedure is more difficult to recuperate from.

23 down......121 to go

#22 injection over

Today was another side effect day... this afternoon I stopped at the imaging lab and picked up the berium for Thursdays test.
22 down .....122 to go

#21 done - troubling news

Yesterday, Mike and I went to the cancer center for my flush and blood work, thankfully everything went smooth. We stopped at the Urologist for my chart for the new specialist at Johns Hopkins. Then off to the Oncologist. My counts were low, and suffering from anemia. No wonder I have been so tired. The Doctor gave me a pelvic exam and was concerned with the swelling a lump and tenderness still in my lower groin so he is scheduling me for another CT scan (here we go again). I am not sure how concerned I should be, but I can't help but feel nervous, with what they might find. I know I need to have faith that everything will be OK.




Kale is still here but we have not seen a lot of him. He has been having fun with his friends and of course Lisa. I feel bad it has been pretty rainy the whole time he has been home. Today we are planning on spending the day together before he leaves tomorrow.
PS... I really love this picture. Thanks Lisa!

21 down........123 to go

#20 injection done

#20 over I feel like I have a good start on these infernal injections. It is not getting much easier though, I will just keep plugging on!

20 down......124 to go

#19 injection over... VOTE

19 is over ant this is the beginning of week #7.
I have a busy day today. Of course getting out to vote, then I will head off to the urologist, to take care of the paperwork for my surgery, paperwork for the cancer center and disability papers. Then to top things off, I get to call the insurance company to fight with them too. Hopefully my side effects won't be too awful. I really need to get this stuff done.

19 down......125 to go

#18 injection over

Yesterday was Halloween. So we did something very ... scary..........


We bought tickets to see The Glen Miller Orchestra. We went with Mikes Mom and Dad, we had so much fun but.... it was pretty scary .... haha... spending so much time with the "old folks" Mike and I were like teenagers.


But I do have to say when they started playing, a transformation took place. Elderly people miraculously turned into youthful young teens again. Wow if that was not scary I am not sure what is

I went to see the surgeon yesterday, I am scheduled for another surgery on the 17th, this time on my kidney.
Kale is coming home today so I have alot to look forward to!

#17 injection over

#17 is done and I can't talk about the side effects today. William Penns curse is broken. I sense more wins in the future for our Philadelphia Teams!
Hooray Phillies!


17 down.....127 to go

Way to go Phillies!!!

Way to go PHILLIES!!!!!!

#16 injection over

I am not going to talk about my side effects today. I am here to cheer up our Phillies Fans, they must be hurting more than myself. Game 5 Suspended (rain) Argh!!!
Tonight will be the one! with 60 mph wind gusts - how else could it be?






16 down.... 128 to go

#15 injection done

5 weeks into my self injections done. I thought I would be getting used to the side effects by now. .. No such luck.... I just have to remember how lucky I am to be able to have this treatment available

15 down.....129 to go

Well this is an extra post.
I went to my Urologist today. I kept telling myself to be assertive the whole time while I waited. We discussed the troubles I have with this inside me and how it is almost a painful thing all the time,if I do anything physical, It hurts and I pass blood. So I have had to stay pretty much immobile and how it has been getting progressively worse and I want this fixed permanently instead of a temporary fix. He will refer me to a specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, but in the mean time we need to get the old stent out and replace it with a fresh one. He was worried how I would deal with the healing process with my cancer therapy and didn't feel qualified be able to tackle this problem.

#14 injection over

Counting down these infernal injections one at a time. So 14 is over, but I have to say the girl that gave me my flu shot was horrible. I think I should have asked her if I could do it myself. My arm is still sore where she jabbed me.

Today I have a appointment with my Urologist. He will want to schedule another surgery to remove and replace the stent. I have been psyching myself up to be assertive when I see him. I don't understand, if I can have the replacement surgery then why can't I have the surgery to have it fixed the permanent way? Hmmmm could it come down to $$$$ Sometimes I think so. So wish me luck today, I will have more info later.

14 down ... 130 to go

#13 injection over

Today besides fighting "side effects" I got a flu shot. yippee!!!! flu like symptoms, bring em on. I am getting to be a pro at them!

Hey I should get credit for 2 shots.

(lucky) 13 down ..... 131 to go

#12 injection over

I thought I would smile today and share a picture of my sweet Grandboys!


12 down and 132 left to go.....

11 injections done .... World series here they come!

OK, even though I don't follow baseball.... Mike is elated that the Phillies are going to the World Series. (Along with everyone else in the mid-atlantic area). Boo Hoo Dodgers :)



11 injections down 133 to go.

#10 injection

Yesterday was eventful. I went to the cancer center once again, they inserted the tube into my port and tried to aspirate once again. No luck. We walked through the hospital down to radiology with my tube dangling out of my chest. (boy did I get alot of stares).
With all the dye they injected and putting my neck in different positions, they finally got it to aspirate. The tube that is fed into the carotid artery has moved up into my neck (just below my ear).
My blood reports were in line. So all is well.
Mondays, like always seem the worst and Tuesday day is pretty rough. So I am fighting off the side effects. Looking forward to feeling normal again.

#9 over

I am a little late on posting for my #9 injection.
As you know Friday I had an appointment at the Cancer Center for a port flush and blood work. This should have taken 10 minutes. Well not with me......If things can be difficult I always manage to do it that way. I was there over 2 hours and still didn't get the blood work done. The could not get my port to aspirate, They injected TCA to help waited 30 min and gave me a second dose. That did not work. So they were going to send me down to radiology for a dye test. But since it was so late on Friday afternoon, the radiologist had already left. So Monday I will go back up to the hospital and try everything again. And hopefully reschedule my oncologist appointment.
Saturday I had a pretty bad day. But today looks more promising.