Can't complain . . .

It's a beautiful fall day with temps in the 60's and lots of sunshine. The trees are changing into their autumn clothes and everything is so beautiful. Tourists are beginning to make their annual color tours and so the roads are getting busy. It's great that we don't have to travel anywhere to see the fall splendor.

My sister and brother-in-law are coming for a visit today and I'm looking forward to their arrival. I think it's been at least a month since we've seen them. I really can't keep track of time these days ~ it's terrible the speed with which days, weeks and months go by. I know time seems to pass more quickly as you get older but I think when you suffer from a terminal illness, it goes at warp speed!

I'm still doing okay with the new chemo drug. No pains, no sickness. The only problem is that my platelets aren't rebounding like they've done in the past or like they're supposed to. I see my oncologist next week and maybe she'll be able to figure out what's going on. I told the nurses they'd managed to ruin my blood with all these poisons and I'm not sure I was kidding. ; ) My white count is also pretty low but that's to be expected ~ I have to go back to the staying away from germs regimen which is a real bore. Chemo has a tendency to turn a normal person into a paranoid hypochondriac! My hands get dried out from using Purell so many times each day. LOL

My birthday was this past week and we had a family dinner at my daughter, Jenn's, to celebrate. She cooked all my favorites . . . chicken and dumplings, fresh asparagus and fresh squash . . . it was yummy and I ate way too much. Of course, there was cake and ice cream too so we had quite a feast! I also had a taste of Guinness beer but it was much too strong for me. I thought maybe the Irish in me would find it appealing but that didn't turn out to be the case. LOL I guess I'm not much of a drinker these days.

So far at least, the chemo I'm on hasn't affected the taste of food. I'm really grateful for that but, at the same time, it's given me a better appetite and now I'm gonna have to worry about gaining weight again. Everything has it's good and bad side. When I really stop to consider it, I guess a few extra pounds at this stage of the game isn't much to be concerned about. I've finally made peace with the fact that I'm never going to have my slender body back again unless it's because of ill effects from the chemo or the cancer. When you look at it that way, being fat has it's advantages! Dr. Mehrotra says I should eat anything I want to eat . . . how many times do you hear that from a health care professional?!? : )

I've been reading a lot ~ and when I say a lot, I mean a lot! My mom gave me two books Tuesday night and I had finished them both by last night. I read so much that's it's getting hard to find something I'm sure I haven't read at the used book store. Even at deep, deep discount prices my habit is becoming expensive so I guess I should start going to the library more . . . but they only let you take out four books at a time! LOL I've always loved to read and now I have all the time I need ~ I don't have to wait until just before bed to indulge myself. Dave is constantly asking, "Did you finish another one?" Right now I'm down to my last book but I think my sister, Sherry, is bringing a couple when she comes today.

I can't imagine what it would be like to not enjoy reading. You learn so many things and can live life vicariously through the characters and their experiences. Some of them become so real, they're almost like friends or family. You can visit places you've never been and, in your mind's eye, enjoy all the beauty they offer. You get new ideas and different ways of looking at things. You learn about the past which helps to understand the present. For me, reading is one of life's greatest pleasures.

I've been having a hard time sleeping lately and so there are many times I'm up until 3 or 4 in the morning. Thank goodness I have my books then! Between reading and playing computer games, I manage to keep myself occupied while the rest of the house sleeps. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter when I sleep as long as I do. So around here, the routine is quite different than most of you probably follow. It's a bit odd but I'm getting used to it. : )

Well, I think I've rambled on about nothing for long enough now. I hope you're all happy and healthy and that life is treating you well.

Thanks for reading!

'til next time . . . make time for the things you enjoy.

So Far, So Good . . .

As you can see, I'm trying to be much more conscientious about making entries here. It's only been a week and I'm back! C'mon guys, let's hear the wild applause! ; )

I had the first treatment of the new drug, Alimta, yesterday and it went just fine. The only problem I had was sleep deprivation. I had to start taking steroids on Wednesday and they kept me up the entire night so that by the time my treatment was finished on Thursday, I was a virtual zombie. The treatment is so short that I didn't even get my usual nap. But I'm sure not complaining!

So far I haven't had any side effects, except from the steroids. I'm very hopeful that what my doctor said is true and that Alimta is a very well tolerated drug. Of course, it will take a few more days to be sure because a few of the effects take time to show up. However, I'm planning on this being a much easier course of treatment. I don't know how many treatments I'll have in this course, I suppose it will depend on the results of my next CT scan which will probably be in three months.

Last time I told you about the classmate who contacted me about our upcoming high school reunion. Since then I've received cards from two of my old school friends with whom I'd lost touch. How wonderful it was to hear from them! So, I'm still getting some of the benefits of the reunion even though I'm not able to attend. I can't be out in crowds again and that's a pain! Oh well, it could be a lot worse, couldn't it?

Our cool weather turned hot and humid again. : ( I was just getting into that fall weather and it disappeared! So we've gone from sweatshirts back to shorts and t-shirts. However, I don't imagine this will last for too long. The trees are changing color and are beginning to look just beautiful. I'll kind of miss the summer but fall is my favorite time of year. I love the change of seasons because there are so many different kinds of beauty to enjoy. No matter if it's summer, fall, winter or spring, we're blessed with something special for each season. I think I'd get very bored if we had the same scenery all the time.

I've decided to start working at my Send Out Cards business again. It doesn't take a lot energy or time and it's fun. So, as long as I'm feeling good, I might as well be doing something productive. I can't manage copywriting now because it's very stressful and demands a lot of high energy and concentration ~ neither of which I have much of right now. So, if you're interested in saving time and money sending your greeting cards (and having a lot of fun in the process), go and check out my site at http://www.SendOutCards.com/5373. Sorry, I had to put a plug in! LOL

Well guys, I really don't have much more news tonight ~ I'm still very tired and not thinking very well so I'm going to keep this short. I'll try to do better next time.

'til then . . . stay safe and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you.

And so it goes . . .

On Wednesday I saw my oncologist. The news was both good and bad. The CT and bone scans I had on the 1st show that the tumors in my lung have started growing again but that there is no new metastases. So . . . it's back to chemo. I'll be taking a drug called Alimpta this time. My doctor said it is usually very well tolerated and doesn't have a lot of the side effects I had before. Best of all, it isn't famous for causing bone pain like the Taxol was. There's also an 80% chance that I won't lose my hair again. With this new drug I have to have a Vitamin B12 injection every 9 weeks and take Folic Acid every day. But that's a small price to pay if it works.The treatments will still be every three weeks but will only take an hour or less, unlike the last regimen which took at least 5 hours. The doctor is confident Alimpta will be effective.

I'm sad that my remission is over but it really was expected. It's been about nine months since the tumors have shown any growth and that's about average. It seems impossible that so much time has passed since my diagnosis ~ about 11 months. Then there were those weeks spent waiting for a definitive diagnosis which seemed to go on for years. ; )

So now we start again . . . at least the tumors are much smaller than they were in the beginning so we aren't starting from scratch. The past few months were a nice break but since my main job is survival, it's time to get back to work. Hopefully, this round of chemo won't be so debilitating and I can go on living a normal life. I know I'll have the same restraints I had before, mainly staying away from large groups of people so I don't catch any bugs, and that can get a little boring . . . especially with winter just around the corner. But, I can deal with it! : )

I got a call from one of my old high school classmates yesterday announcing our upcoming reunion. 45th reunion at that!! I could hardly believe it's been that long. It was a nice conversation and I found out what some of my old cronies are doing now. Sadly, 21 members of our class have died. I won't be able to attend the reunion because of chemo, but I did order a picture and it should be interesting to see how everyone looks now that we've become senior citizens.

After a summer with almost no rain, we've entered into a mini monsoon season. We've gone from hot and humid to cool and wet. Thunder woke me up this morning which I didn't mind at all. It's such a comfy feeling to lie there all cozy under the covers and listen to the booming in the sky and the rain hitting the window. Of course, if you have to get up and go out into it, that's a different story!

With the bad weather, I think today is the perfect time to get my office organized. I've let it go for almost a year and you can imagine what a mess it is. I have so much junk to get rid of and filing to do, it makes my head ache. But maybe I'll come across something interesting that I'd forgotten about . . . you never know! At least when I'm done, I'll feel accomplished and won't have this mess hanging over my head any longer.

Well, guys, that's about all I have to tell you this time. I wish the news had been better but it could have been worse. I hope you're all doing well and having a good day.

'til next time . . . concentrate on the positive aspects of your life.