Deer in Snow

Gorgeous View

Winter Wonderland

November Labs

After school day, went to the cancer center to have labs done and my port flushed. My report I received about 5 minutes later is different from what I got during the past year. I do not understand it as well as the other ones. My white blood count is up to 3.4, Red blood count is 4.06, and my Hemoglobin is at 11.4. They are all low, but to be expected. They will be higher next month. They are close to the normal range.

The nurse asked me what they would be testing. I told her I had no idea, whatever my onc wanted. She said that she hadn't read my chart/orders yet. I go back again December 30.

Interview

A couple of months ago, my dad saw this add for a job about doing hands on science at different schools for a certain organization. I sent off a letter of interest and my resume packet. They sent back to me an application and I forgot all about it. I received a phone call last Saturday about it. I was sent the application via email, filled it out and faxed it back Sunday afternoon. I had an interview for it this evening. Would work 20-35 school days total during the school year at different schools. Plus there is prep time and time to contact schools and selling the program to them and staying in touch with them. Each lesson lasts about 45 minutes. There could be about 6 a day and would be at the same school 2-3 days at a time. These would be booked in advance, so the other days, I would be free to sub. Sounds interesting, would be a stepping stone for what I want to do in about 10-15 years down the road. Will see. Because I am thinking of maybe moving for a teaching job, could be a hindrance for me. Also, because I do not like cold calling, could also be a hindrance for me. Will see. God's will be done. He will provide something for me full-time in his time, not in my time.

Texas, Here is Some Snow!

To all of my wonderful friends in TX here is what I woke up to! I can not stop smiling or praising God for the beauty outside of my house. I do have to drive in it today to work.

Dancin Snowflakes

I didn't go to church yesterday, and my ear and throat felt much better. Since I had called off from ushering the night before, I chose to end up staying home. They both bothered me a tiny bit, but nothing like the previous days.

I worked today. Wasn't a bad day. The coolest part was during lunch duty. It started to snow, which usually puts a smile on my face. At first it didn't look like it would stick to the ground, but then it started to come down pretty hard. The flakes seemed big to me/ Then it looked like they dancing. It was so cool to watch. The kids there were amazed as well. They are hoping for a snow day for tomorrow, but I don't think it will happen. 4-5 kids ended up outside without any coats on, and they were enjoying it. The birds were fun to watch. Seemed like the snow was confusing the birds. Looked like they were diving into the snow. The s now did let up, and by the time school got out, the snow was gone. I truly enjoyed the snow, and thanked our Father for it.

After school, I had an appointment with my family doc. He called me "waxy" for all of the wax that was in my ears. I do have a small ear infection. I was given a prescription and had it filled.

The snow came back late this afternoon, and soon I will be able to take pics of the snow. I so wished I had my phone with me this morning to take pics of the snow.

Not Feeling Well

It has been a month since I ended Interferon. The side effects lasted about three weeks. Off and on during that time, my throat would bother me, and my head felt like it was at the end of a cold. Earlier this week, my throat started to hurt again, this time, on the right side. Wednesday night, my right ear started to hurt. it has been three years, since I've had an earache. I am going to call and see about seeing my family doctor on Monday. Next Friday, I am having labs done and my port will be flushed. Yesterday, I'd thought about waiting until Friday and tell the nurses, but I've changed my mind.

About three weeks, I started ushering at church. I went ahead and called off for tomorrow. Here is the kicker, I don't look sick or really feel sick. Just that my throat and ear hurts. I haven't slept well the last three nights. Thinking about not going to church tomorrow.

Worked everyday this week. When I see my family doctor, will ask if I should call my onc and let him that I'm not feeling well. My counts will be slightly screwed when blood is drawn next Friday, since my body is fighting something. I have been praying about this.

Colors of Fall

Here are pics of many colors that make up autumn. Pictures are great, but it is a wonder to see it in person. Enjoy!

End of Treatment Party PIcs

These are the pics from my nurses to people who came to help me celebrate finishing up my treatment for Melanoma.

They Won!!!!!

This afternoon was the final basketball game before the tournament starts next week. I missed the first half, because where I worked today, I wasn't done till about 3:50 pm. My niece played the fourth quarter. I I took a video of the 4th quarter on my mom's camera. I got there just after the third quarter started. When my sister got to the game the score was 2-0. They scored first and led the whole game.

They did pretty good. I took a few pics of the scoreboard. At one time, they were only 1 basket apart in the score. My niece did have to dribble the ball, shot a couple of times, but missed. She had a chance of shooting a foul shot, but also missed that. Guess what?! She did make a basket. That was so cool! The final score was 31-18. Their record is 1-2.

The other team made two technical fouls in a row.

I have decided now that my scrapbook will be for the whole month of October.

October Onc Visit

I saw my onc this morning. I gained 2 pounds in the past 16 days. My current weight is at 250.7 pounds. Daily, I'm up and down as to how good I am in watching what I eat. I've started eating yogurt again the past three weeks, so I know that will help. With working just about every day, not walking as much, but grad school starts in January, so walking on campus will help.

Labs were not done this morning. It has been three weeks since my port was flushed. My labs were low, but okay this past year. Labs will be done next month, and my onc says my levels should be normal by then. Labs drawn and port will be flushed the Friday before Thanksgiving. The same thing will be done again on December 30. Scans will be January 7. Will change my derm appointment to a different time that week or later in the month. Will next see my onc on January 16 (no school day). I should get my lab reports within a few minutes each time they are done.

Come January, will talk about follow-up and what will be done with my port.

My brother was discharged from the hospital today, and is back at the group home. I'm thinking of seeing him tomorrow. (I checked out a few books at the library to read to him.) My mom did tell someone from the group home that I was very upset to seeing him in restraints while he was in the hospital. Hopefully, that will be discussed and will not happen again.

Went over to AU and filled out the paper requesting to change my advisor. Hopefully, that will be okayed. I am still not sure which classes to take first in January. I need help in deciding that. I need to finish my app for grad assistantship and get my recommendations written, so I can turn them all in.

Going to a Halloween party tomorrow night. I will be going as a domino. Will wear black and safety pin colored circles onto my shirt and pants. The circles will be made from construction paper. Will post pics at a later date.

Still have problems with posting pics, printing pics, and, printing from my email account. Once all of that is fiured out, I will post pics on here.

Basketball and Brother

This afternoon was my niece's second basketball game. She played the third quarter. I had my mom's camera and I recorded the whole quarter, so mom and grandma could watch it this evening. Mom and grandma didn't go to the game. The team did better, and was a little more aggressive. They seemed to pass the ball a lot, and then would loose the ball, because they were making long passes, and the other team would get catch the ball. The point guard would drive the ball to the black line by the basketball and try to make difficult shots, that wouldn't go in. Nobody threw a foul shot today. Jump balls are no longer done. My niece did have to dribble/drive the ball to the basket, and the shot she made didn't go in. This week's score is what I expected for last week. Final score was 12-26. Her team lost again this week. There was minutes of time when nobody scored. I did see improvement in the girls.

I found out this evening, after supper, that my brother was taken to the emergency this morning. They got him up for school, he had a fever, and went back to sleep. They think he has pneumonia. Will see how long he will be in there. Depending on where I am working the next few days, will determine if I can co see him. Hopefully, I will see him before Friday. I will be downtown on Friday, so I can definitely see him then. I thought about seeing him yesterday, but when I called after church he was napping, and sounded like they didn't want me to wake him up. My dad said he went to the hospital because I didn't go see him yesterday.

Party Time

Last night was my party! I will post pictures later this week or next week. It takes time to upload pics to the computer and any websites I might use. We have a working computer now!

Little over 30 people came out last night. 3 couples from my parents church was here. My cousin and her son, my sis, niece, and sis' boyfriend. 12 people from my class, one of those brought her kids, and a few of my nurses showed up. Basically, they all left around 8:30-little after. A couple from my class showed up around 9 pm. Then about 30 minutes later, my nurses showed up at the front door. It was great to see them. They were all gone by 10 pm, a few minutes after. We ate all of the ice cream cake. Taught somebody from my parent's church how to play Phase 10. We never seem to finish playing Phase 10. The first time, we got close. I took pictures, about 40 with both my mom and my camera. I'm glad for all of those who came out.

Lingering Effects

It has been a week since I've finished Interferon. Takes about 30 days for the side effects to be gone. (From reading the mpip board, a few might never stop experiencing a few effects.) I still have had small headaches this week. I 've had low grade fevers start in the middle of the night and last till sometime in the morning. Hair is still thinning. According to my mom, there is new hair growth. ( need a hair cut, hair has been fly away.) Fatigue is up some at various times. Also, been having some brain fog.

Worked 2 1/2 days this week. Party is tomorrow evening.

Fireproof Colors

I had one of my favorite meals for supper on Friday. Lasagna, my mom made it to celebrate that I was done with Interferon. She made two pans, with the second one in the freezer.

On Saturdays, I do not come downstairs until 10 am or later. I listen to the radio from 8:30-9:30 am. Then I do devotions and watch tv. I listen to "Down Gilead Lane" and "Adventures in Odyssey". I love those two shows. I went downstairs around 10:30 or so on Saturday. The backdoor bell rang around 11 am or so. FedEx dropped off a box, which was from me. The box came from ProFlowers out in CA. It was a box of chocolates from my SS class in honor of me finishing my treatment. That was so sweet and thoughtful of them. The chocolate is good. There is a packet of coffee in the box, which my dad is drinking.

Saturday afternoon, both my parents and myself went to the movie theatre to see Fireproof. The movie stars Kirk Cameron, and it is very good movie. Kirk plays a captain in the fire department and has been married about 7 years or so. His marriage is on the rocks. They are always snapping at each other, there is anger and bitterness between them. His wife wants a divorce. Kirk's parents come to see him (they live 4 hours away), and he tells his parents about impending divorce. His father tells him to hold off and that he will send him a book for him to read. The book is called "The Love Dare". Kirk's character reads and follows the directions in the book. The Gospel message is given throughout the movie. There are a couple of nail biter, edge of your seat rescue scenes also in the movie. I will not give the ending away. God see this wonderful movie for yourself.

Yesterday, I spent sometime with my brother. I hadn't seen him in about 3 weeks. It is always good to spend time with him.

When I got home yesterday, I stopped in the driveway to take pics of the trees. I so enjoyed my view walking down the driveway this morning to get the newspaper. The leaves are these gorgeous colors of yellow, gold, red, orange all intermixed within the still green leaves. It is a beautiful picture that God has made for us to enjoy. When people come for my party on Saturday, they sure are going to enjoy the drive up the driveway. Once we have a working computer, I will post pics of this year's fall colors.

I'm Done!

Today was my last day of getting my Interferon treatment for Melanoma! Yeah!!!!!! I showed up about an hour early, I was done subbing early. (I worked every day this week, and I worked in three different school districts.)

My weight was not checked today. But as of two days ago, I have lost 56 pounds, down to 248.5 pounds. Labs were not done, since I received my last Interferon injection today. Labs will be done in two weeks. Will see where I am in two weeks when I see my onc.

They had a little party for me. Two of my nurses weren't there. I got a hug from each one. There was a certificate congratulating me on finishing my treatment. I was given two balloons, they had crepe paper up, and a cake. This was not just any cake, but ice cream cake! They bought an ice cream cake for me.

I in turn had a thank you card and a container of brownies for them. My nurses have been wonderful! While my temp was being taken, the pharmacist came out and did a quick jig for me. I started laughing. It was funny! The nurses are coming to my party next week.

Party is in 8 more days! It is a week from tomorrow. Will be food, fun, and fellowship. Celebrating the end of my treatment.

I see my onc in two weeks, and a week later, a derm to check out a spot on my right thigh. I will have a full body check in January. When I see my onc, will find out more about follow-up and will make a complete decision about my port.

No more injections!!!!!!! No more injections!!!!!!!!!! No more Interferon!!!!!! My car is not going to know what to do on Monday. It is so used to driving over to the hospital three days a week. What will be helpful is seeing my niece play BB Monday afternoon. Let's just praise the Lord!!!!

Met With My Advisor

Yesterday afternoon, I met with my academic advisor (aa). I might get a new one, this one is a reading person, and I am a science person. Will see... I need to talk to the science person to see which science classes I can take for my 15 hours of content, part of my program. I will be getting my Master's in Elementary Ed in curriculum studies. I went through this schedule last night, looking at different classes that are being offered next year. I am thinking of taking two classes in January, and try to take two in both summer sessions. Will see if I can handle that. I am also going to check into scholarships and grad assistantships. I will write more when I get more info.

I only worked 1 1/2 days last week. So far, I have worked 2 1/2 days this week. My White blood count is up to 2.2, and platelets are up to 142. My body is fighting something, my fatigue level has been up, and I see to get a low grade fever sometime in the middle of the night to about mid to late morning. Then it goes away.

I am done on Friday. Yahoo!!!!!! I have a thank you card for my nurses and I am baking them brownies as a gift. When I am done here at the library, I'm thinking of stopping in Wadsworth to order my ice cream cake.

Funny Brother Story

Wednesday was the quarterly IEP meeting for my brother. My mom goes and she told us at supper that night a couple of stories. I was laughing, because my brother is smart.

There is a girl in his class who wheres a helmet. When she is sitting at the table they take it off. They placed the helmet up high above the cabinets. My brother eyed it, and eyed it some more. He went over to the counter and started climbing. He got stuck while he was climbing. The teachers watched him and he got himself unstuck and climbed onto the counter. He reached up and pulled the helmet down. (When my brother was younger, we allowed him to climb onto the furniture.) They couldn't believe that he did it. You have to stay one step ahead of him, because he will figure it out.

They had a jumpsuit made for him. It zips in the back, purposely. My brother likes to pull out his feeding tube. When he gets to the workshop, he takes off his pants, so he can put the jumpsuit on. He likes wearing the jumpsuit.

It is a new policy at the Infusion Center to be weighed every time you go in. My vitals are taken every visit, as well. I was weighed this afternoon, and have lost a couple of pounds. I am down to 249.9 pounds. One more week of injections are left!!!!!! I worked 1 1/2 days this week. Stayed home all day yesterday. Had a fire in the fireplace going the last two nights.

New Cancer Center

4 more injections left!! Today, Summa opened their new Cancer Care Center. It is a really nice building. No more parking in the parking deck. No more walking the bridge and long hallways. Actually, I will miss that.

Go in the building and go up one flight of stairs. My onc is next door to where I go. That will make it easier to see my nurses when I go in for a checkup. The waiting room is much bigger than the old one is. A small coat rack is there. A nice new tv, but none of the tvs are hooked up yet.

Go to the back and there are like about 20 chairs/beds. The beds are enclosed in rooms with a door. The chairs look out the window and have new chairs and tvs. They are both nice. They each have a curtain for privacy. There is a visitor's chair for each chair. Way, way bigger than the old room. Good size nurse's station. Head nurse has her own desk off to the size. The oncology pharmacy is also back there, instead of calling, they can walk over to the window to order what they need. They actually now have their own ice machine. Before they had to walk over to the floor to get ice. (That is important, I get a glove of ice on Fridays to make my port area nice and cold before my port is accessed.) Each nurse has her own phone to use while at work. They can call each other when they need help. Let's just say, Summa did good by them.

I took my camera this morning, so I could have my pic taken with my nurses. Had two pics taken today. One is off on Wednesdays, and another one was busy with a patient. I will take it again on Friday. The nurses have been invited to my party later this month.

Went shopping afterwards and bought three new pairs of pants. Because of the material and how they are made, I got them in 18/20S (small, the other ones I tried on were too long). The 22/24 seem a little big. I am not officially down to a 18/20. I need to start eating yogurt again. Yogurt really does help in weight loss. Had lunch at CiCi's Pizza (my favorite place to eat at.)