I have alot going on in my life, more than just cancer and chemo. Sure it's a big part of my life right now, but it's not the most important part of my life. You will never see me spell it with a capital "c".
I'm a Wife and Mom. I love my Family. I have good Friends. We do fun stuff and dumb stuff and sometimes we argue and then we laugh again. We go to work and to the grocery store and we go swimming and have birthday parties and get ready for the first day of school.
I keep saying that I don't want ovarian cancer to define me, but sometimes I just can't help it.
A good friend put it this way for me "cancer may be defining your life for the moment, but it is not your entire life. You seem to just make time for it." That made me feel better.
If you want to see it from the beginning, my cancer story begins in March.
It has been a while since I updated this, so here is a quick post.
I had my 3rd chemo treatment Wed and things went smoothly, kinda becoming a routine now. I am feeling fine, no nausea. Went to Abby's Field Day today and am finishing up getting things together for my garage sale this weekend.
I have been planning this garage sale for probably a year now. I can't belive how much stuff we have in boxes that we had forgotten about. Baby girl to 4 toddler all going to a new home for someone else to love on.
Good news from my Doctors last week. I was having one of my "Oh, woe is me" days. I told Dr Schmeler at MD Anderson that I wanted to teach my daughter to ski and take her on a cruise on the Big Red Boat and I was worried I was not to going to be around to do either. She told me to go ahead and plan on going skiing next Spring but I should wait until next Summer to take the cruise. And to quit reading the magazines in the waiting room.
Dr Lavalais at the Julie & Ben Rogers Cancer Center here in Beaumont told me that my blood tests were looking good. Especially the CA 125, which is a tumor marker. Normal people who do not have cancer will have a test number of about 30. When I started chemo, my number was 365, now it is 81. That means that the cancer cells are not reproducing as rapidly and are not producing the fluid that was causing problems before. Also, my cysts and other stuff (tech term) are shrinking. Mostly it means that I am having a positive response to the chemo therapy.
Other things keeping me busy - Abby's end of the year school programs and rehearsals for her upcoming dance recital. And we are getting a ton of mail. The bills are coming in and I have to be sure that we keep it straight. I am filling out aps for financial assistance and arranging payment plans.
Keeping my calendar is really important now. Drs appts, rehearsal schedule, payment deadlines, playdates and family visits ...
To add to it, there is a condition called "chemo brain" where you tend to lose focus and forget things. Yes, even more than usual!
That's the quickie version. Thanks again to everyone who has been checking in and keeping in touch. Give me a few days after the garage sale and I will try to have more and include some pics.
Today was an incredibly long day - for me and especially for my little ballerina. I did MNS Max Ap with a couple of ThermoPlus today. I made sure that my daughter took her CorePlex Chewables.
She was really well behaved. I made sure to pack good snacks for us. I knew there would be snacks at the rehearsal, but just as I expected, it was skittles and chips and sodas. I brought water, ReHydrate, Spark and protein snacks like Advocare Snack Barsand Muscle Gain.
I did eat every couple of hours, and got protein in each snack/meal, but I don't think I got enough calories. My Food Diary. I drank all my water - 12 cups!
We were at the Julie Rogers Theater from 11AM til about 230PM. There were a couple of meltdowns, but those little 4 year olds recovered and made it through their final dress rehearsal and then the photographer said, "OK - let's get a group photo"
What? Could we have done that like 3 hours ago?
Life lesson learned - "Honey, when you get married, be sure to take your photos BEFORE the ceremony. When everyone is still fresh."
She was asleep on the drive home, and I joined her for a quick snooze once we got there.
We only had a couple of hours on the turn around. I made sure she got some fish and rice for dinner, and I fixed up a Spark for her sippee cup. I mixed up a Spark/ReHydrate for myself and we were on our way.
The kids had a great program - from Baby Ballet all the way up through High School with a few College kids.
My daughter's first Ballet Recital - and this is just the beginning!
It is interesting how I am learning about my habits during this time of Commit2Fit. I thought it would be pretty easy, - pick up a new habit, keep My Food Diary, exercise ...
Well, life gets in the way and if you don't have a plan to stay on track it can be tough. But I think that has always been me - no plan. These past few weeks really have helped me to realize that and to get more organized.
Now, I haven't reached organizational nirvana, but I am closer. I prefer to think of myself as spontaneous and flexible.
Today, for example, I had to make an unplanned visit to the Eye Doctor. I thought I had scratched my eye and was getting an infection, but the Doctor told me I was wearing my contacts for too long - 2 days is all I will admit to. At least they could get me in right away, but it still took up most of the afternoon.
So now I am wearing my glasses and it is really throwing me off - it feels like I am walking downhill all the time, and my eyes are still scratchy and sensitive to light. I'm not supposed to wear my contacts until they get better, but ...
My daughter's dance recital is tomorrow and this is how vain I am, I know there will be pictures, so ... No - I can't - besides, it's her day - it's not about me.
Still trying to keep my food in order. I seem to have a tendency to get busy and then want to grab a high carb snack like a candy bar or something. But then I remember that I am supposed to be "dieting" so I just skip it. Then I get tired and cranky. This is where it is handy to have something like Advocare Fruit & Fiber Bar or Advocare Snack Baron hand. And they're tasty - I pack them in my daughter's lunch kit to snack on during rehearsal. Even Advocare Muscle Gain, just shake it up and it's ready to go. I can't be sure what they will have for her in the Green Room and it is just as important for her to keep her energy level consistent.
OK, snacks are planned, got extra Spark, camera batteries are charging, costumes and make up bag are ready.
Tomorrow really will be a test for me. I have 2 pages of recital notes to follow and a little ballerina who is counting on me.
Drinking all my water is easy, 12 cups today plus a Rehydrate (my eyes are watering, I thought I might need it)
Want to SEE what we're doing? Just click on"Pictures" in the Tag Cloud.
Every Day's an Adventure
For Friends & Family, here is a look at what our Family is up to. It's what we do for fun and what we do for work and how Advocare fits into everyday life.
The products keep my family healthy, and and the opportunity allows me to be able to stay at home to raise my daughter.
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