Apparently, I confused some dear, lovely, kind, people on this blog last month by writing: "Don't send flowers; send money." Um . . . I was being a smarty pants, which is clearly inappropriate for such a wide readership. I have been relieved of my duties until I shape up (which will likely not happen any time soon). But I was allowed to write to clarify that I was being silly about sending money. What Mom loves bestest is lots of prayers and lovies. You all are doing a superb job with that. Thank you. I'm going to my room now.
Stacey
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Labor Day - 09/01/08
Can anyone tell me where summer went? Here I am in Elmo, bundled up in wool socks with a fire in the parlor furnace downstairs and rain making music on the tin roof. What a perfect time for an update.
Recovery from the surgery took longer than I had expected. It laid me low for about four of the last 6 weeks. However Stacey and Dennis and the kids encouraged me to join them in a cruise to Alaska through the Inland Passage last week and in doing so I got remarkably stronger. Now I am at home in Elmo and feel quite like the old me. Buzzing around preparing for the next trip.
A few days prior to the Alaska voyage I had another Chemotherapy treatment. Now, feeling quite ‘normal’, I’m packing my bags to go on a long planned for trip to the AARP Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. with my good friend Nadine. We are flying out of Billings, M.T. on Wednesday. It’ll be a long weekend.
Dr. Goff tells me the next four chemotherapy treatments will be even bigger and more powerful than the last six. She says I’ll be at the University of Washington Hospital for two days each time and the treatments will be spaced three weeks apart, as usual. I must say, I grit my teeth and clench my fists about this, as I did with the earlier chemo, but when the light of reality shines on the situation it’s never as bad as I expect. I hope this holds true with these super doses. Jimmie says, “Why are you allowing them to poison you with this stuff?” Dr. Goff says, “There’s a 70% chance of ovarian cancer coming back in the first year and if it does you are a goner.” She further tells me that we now have window of opportunity to keep that from happening with chemotherapy. So, what’s a girl to do? Everything!! So far, doing everything that’s been suggested by these two opposite kinds of healers has been working quite well. Jimmie says I’ll survive the chemo. He says I have a lot yet to do and he is optimistic about my survival in any case. My conflict comes with the belief that this chemo does kill healthy cells as well as cancer cells and reduces my body’s ability to heal itself, doing serious harm to my immune system. Amid the confusion, I continue to be grateful that there are ways to treat this disease successfully. I’ve met several survivors of ovarian and other cancers and have heard countless success stories about others. I believe that I am an exceptional cancer patient and mine will be added to the list of success stories in time.
It is my understanding that I’ll be done with chemo around Thanksgiving time. I have a new pair of skis to try out and two grandsons living in Bigfork to ski with…yes. Bonnie, Greg and the boys have moved here for the school year. Excuse me they’ll be snowboarding. I’ll be skiing.
Thanks for your continuing prayers and support, and patience during these long news blackouts. Love, Barbara
Recovery from the surgery took longer than I had expected. It laid me low for about four of the last 6 weeks. However Stacey and Dennis and the kids encouraged me to join them in a cruise to Alaska through the Inland Passage last week and in doing so I got remarkably stronger. Now I am at home in Elmo and feel quite like the old me. Buzzing around preparing for the next trip.
A few days prior to the Alaska voyage I had another Chemotherapy treatment. Now, feeling quite ‘normal’, I’m packing my bags to go on a long planned for trip to the AARP Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. with my good friend Nadine. We are flying out of Billings, M.T. on Wednesday. It’ll be a long weekend.
Dr. Goff tells me the next four chemotherapy treatments will be even bigger and more powerful than the last six. She says I’ll be at the University of Washington Hospital for two days each time and the treatments will be spaced three weeks apart, as usual. I must say, I grit my teeth and clench my fists about this, as I did with the earlier chemo, but when the light of reality shines on the situation it’s never as bad as I expect. I hope this holds true with these super doses. Jimmie says, “Why are you allowing them to poison you with this stuff?” Dr. Goff says, “There’s a 70% chance of ovarian cancer coming back in the first year and if it does you are a goner.” She further tells me that we now have window of opportunity to keep that from happening with chemotherapy. So, what’s a girl to do? Everything!! So far, doing everything that’s been suggested by these two opposite kinds of healers has been working quite well. Jimmie says I’ll survive the chemo. He says I have a lot yet to do and he is optimistic about my survival in any case. My conflict comes with the belief that this chemo does kill healthy cells as well as cancer cells and reduces my body’s ability to heal itself, doing serious harm to my immune system. Amid the confusion, I continue to be grateful that there are ways to treat this disease successfully. I’ve met several survivors of ovarian and other cancers and have heard countless success stories about others. I believe that I am an exceptional cancer patient and mine will be added to the list of success stories in time.
It is my understanding that I’ll be done with chemo around Thanksgiving time. I have a new pair of skis to try out and two grandsons living in Bigfork to ski with…yes. Bonnie, Greg and the boys have moved here for the school year. Excuse me they’ll be snowboarding. I’ll be skiing.
Thanks for your continuing prayers and support, and patience during these long news blackouts. Love, Barbara
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