Half Way Done with Chemo Treatments

Ken and I took a short walk by the lake near the Cancer Center before my treatment.

Yippee, kayooh, kayay, today was the day that got me half way! Not feeling real hot, but feeling real happy!

Carl Miller, a good friend, stopped by during my treatment to say hello before heading back home for Texas.

After treatment Ken and I went to Logan's for dinner. Nurse Gurty joined us. She was head over heels for the peanuts. We hadn't fed her before going to treatment.

Fourth Chemo Treatment

Well today is the fourth chemo treatment. That means when I get home I will be half way through my chemo. I will have finished the "AC" part of the treatment and the next half will be the "T" or Taxol part. I've been taking two drugs so far and now they will change to another drug for the final treatments. Okay, enough mumbo jumbo! I'll be half way there!

I am missing the Raleigh, North Carolina Convoy of Hope this weekend. That's one of the bummers of this thing; I'm not able to go on the Convoys. This will be a big weekend and I won't be there! Had hoped maybe to be able to do this one but with my change in schedule and missing a treatment it put this right at a bad time, so guys I'll miss you but do good without me ... and I'm expecting lots of souls for the Kingdom.

I'm getting ready for one more garage sale at my folks' house and then I'm putting it on the market. My daddy's been gone now two years this past Monday. Our neighborhood is having a garage sale so it will be easy enough to tag on to that and there's not a lot left at the house, so I am going to try and get energetic for the weekend of May 1-2.

So lot's coming up and my brother is headed our way. Will keep you posted.

Busily eating Hawaiian cookies!

People Have Been Blessing Me

Thank you Danny and Martha for the delicious cookies. They arrived yesterday and yum they are good. You are a blessing.


Another friend Lynda sent me this blessing, "May your pillow always be soft." She also included a beautiful silk pillow. Linda you are the blessing.

Then my precious cousin made this chart for me to mark off my chemo treatments. Inside each pocket is a saying to open after completing a treatment. The first one was about being brave, the second a funny saying about cats, and the third terribly important information about learning three knock, knock jokes so I'd be interesting at events! I look forward to future openings!

I've Been Platinum Before

Ken just scanned this photo a few weeks back. I remember having this wig in the early '70's and didn't know I'd have another one the same color later in my life!



I think I bought the first one for a much "funner" reason but I'm sure I was just as sassy!

Dinner Out Tonight

Tonight I felt good enough to have dinner out at our favorite Mexican restaurant in town. Ken took this shot when we left. Is that taco sauce on my shirt?! Did I use the word "shot?"

Chemo #3

We stayed up late last night watching videos and slept in a little bit this morning so I didn't have to think about what is ahead. We head to the oncology center at noon and hopefully I will get treatment #3. Our fingers are crossed and most importantly everyone's praying that my white cell count is up and my port is working and they will say I'm a go for treatment.

"The moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along ... He knows us far better than we know ourselves ... that's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good" (Romans 8:26-28).

WE'RE HERE


Getting my temperature, blood pressure, and blood count.

Thank you for all you're prayers. My count was way up! I am getting my treatment, sitting in the chair as I type. I even gave blood! So you have really been on the ball and on your knees. Thank you, thank you, thank you....

Sitting in the Cadillac chair for chemo with Nurse Krista.

Had a Great Saturday

We had a great day. Ken took lots of photos so I will try to upload some here later today. We started by leaving the house at 8:45 a.m. I got to bed at 8:30 p.m. Ken pushed me around the park all day in a wheelchair as ordered by the chemo center!

We really did enjoy our day at World Fest. We started by having international foods "Tastes of the World" including Irish stew, Czech meat pies, Greek salads, desserts from baklava to tiramisu and much more. Then on to the Zhejiang Balancing Monks of China with a troupe of two dozen acrobats and head balancing monks doing things you can't even imagine! Then we saw Feet of Fire Irish dancing featuring nearly two dozen step dancers, singers and musicians including two "fire-dancers" twirling flaming fans and more. We also saw Invaders, a steel drum band from Trinidad and Tobago, the Los Pampas Gauchos from Argentina, Jenny Blackadder from New Zealand and her mastery of the banjo. We ended the evening on the balcony of the Culinary & Craft School overlooking the amphi-theatre for the evening show of Great American Country Nights enjoying the music and entertainment with lemonade and refreshments.

A long, good day with great company—my best friend and hubby—Ken.

Silver Dollar City and A Good Day

Shot #3 out of the way, pain better and a good day planned. We are headed for Silver Dollar City in Branson today. We are going for a Media Tour and have special plans so that I won't be around a lot of tight groups. We are taking a wheelchair and Ken plans on pushing me through the park! If I get tired we will leave for a while and Ken will fish nearby while I nap and then we will return for the evening show and lemonade on the veranda! This is the international season and we start with a meal of various items from around the world, then we see a show called the "Balancing Monks", we will see another show called "Irelands Feet of Fire" and much more throughout the day. I am looking forward to spending time with my man and having some fun.

Will fill you in later and add some photos...bye, bye.

Neupogen Shot #2

Today the pain is a little less and I had my second shot of Neupogen. They did a blood sample and my counts are up so it is working. I could have told them that from the men working with sledge hammers in my bones!

My cousins sent me a scripture today: "I know what I am planning for you ... I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future" (Jeremiah 29:11.)

Chemo #3 Doesn't Happen

Today my white blood count (1.3) was too low. As I understand it they won't do treatment if it's anywhere below 1.5 and sometimes not even if it's near that. They gave me the first of a series of shots (Neupogen); I will have these on three consecutive days. This medication stimulates the blood system (bone marrow) to make white blood cells, helping you fight infections.

We sat next to a nice Christian couple from Monet in the treatment area, Ken and Marianne. He had had the shots before and said the pain can make you uncomfortable. When we left we had two new prayer partners. Marianne was knitting dishcloths and I mentioned having tried to learn to knit them but being unsuccessful! She said they were prayer dishcloths. She prays as she knits and then gives them to someone needing prayer. Needless to say I ended up with the one she finished during her husband's treatment today.

After arriving home I began experiencing severe back pain. It is bone pain these shots cause. Pain medicine does seem to help. We will try again next Wednesday for another chemo treatment. Thanks, all, for the many prayers. I am including here a scripture Ken posted in his blog:

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair...." (2 Cor. 4:8, NKJV).