Hot, Hot, Hot

I don't remember it ever being so hot in June, and to stay this hot for such a long time. We can only hope that we are getting August weather now and then in August we will get spring June weather, thinking of the outdoor wedding that is. Things are moving forward with all the wedding plans, it is getting within a few weeks now, time to tie up all loose ends. I still haven't found my dress yet, I have been looking but just haven't found anything yet, there are just not many places around here to look. We are going to run over to Tulsa one day this week to see if I can find something there. I want to have my dress so I don't have that to worry about.

Things with me are going pretty well, I have a lot of swelling some days in my left leg/foot and even toes. They have been watching it and decided to schedule a Doppler to check for blood clots. Having had clots before I knew that this wasn't the same but we would check it out. They found out that I have a chronic blood clot that had probably been there for some time but it should be ok just continue to take am aspirin a day. Nothing acute and that was a good thing.

They had tested my CA-125 a couple of weeks ago and I got the numbers back last week, it was elevated, not good news. This is the tumor marker they go by for ovarian cancer, even though we don't know what my original numbers were 6 years ago, because no one knew that could have been the issue then. Between Dr. Rosenfeld and Dr. Hightower they feel like I needed to have a cat scan ran, so here I am at Highland drinking that yummy drink waiting the hour until its time for my scan. (Tuesday) Hopefully it is just something weird going on and not that they would find cancer again. To not have ovaries and to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer once is bad enough but if they found it again I just don't know what I would think.

(Thursday) I am here at Highland again, had lab work and saw Dr. Rosenfeld to get the results of the scan, Clay met me here because I think in both of our minds we thought we would be getting bad news. We were so relieved Dr. Rosenfeld said the scans were clean, no sign of cancer there, they are going to keep a eye on the tumor marker to stay on top of things. I have been really struggling with this for a couple of weeks just dreading the outcome, but now I can breathe easier. So thankful.....

(Wednesday) To back up a day, made the trip to Tulsa yesterday for dress shopping, it was a 8-8 long day, I was totally worn out by the time we got home. But the main thing is I found my dress for the wedding, this is something I just wanted to be able to mark off my list and know that it was done. I am very pleased with my find.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND & A HAPPY AND SAFE 4 TH OF JULY

Long Time

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I had posted, I'm kinda behind. Doing my usual Thursday routine at HOG right now, getting fluid, getting chemo & today I'm taking the bone strengthening bag as well. We are really having issues with my counts right now, my WBC is always low seems like, but there is a # within the WBC that is so low they have to either call Little Rock or check with Dr. Rosenfeld before they treat me. It is 0.7 and it needs to be at least 1.0 before treatment is given. It would be nice to know how you could get these numbers up but the nurses say there is nothing I can do to raise it up. So we just carry on and hope for the best, it would be nice to have normal blood counts for a change but that's probably not going to happen anytime soon. Been feeling pretty good lately, just issues with the back pain still, think it is time for another massage. It helps for a little while anyway.

Things are deep into the planning and doing stages for the wedding now, it will be here before you know it. It is a busy time trying to get everything done at the right time and trying not to leave something undone. It will be a fun time the next few weeks leading up to the event in August.

Summer is so here even though the calendar says its not yet, it has been so hot lately, we complain when it is raining too much and then when it turns off hot with no rain we complain. We are never happy......

Have a wonderful weekend, enjoy this hot weather, out in the pool, doing something fun or staying inside in the cool which ever you decide to enjoy it.

Mother's Day

Last weekend was really nice, the weather was beautiful for a Mother's Day weekend. Candes and I took our mother to eat lunch at Briar Rose on Saturday, it is such a nice place to eat, so glad it is open. Sunday evening I wanted to go to Tims on mission to eat, so we all met there for dinner, it was so good. After we ate everyone came to the house for awhile. I got some really nice gifts for Mother's Day.

I've been having more low back pain than usual, probably starting Sunday, but not really thinking about it being anything but the normal. Monday it just got worse as the day went on, still not putting it all together. Yesterday morning I ran into HOG lab first thing. Between Monday night and Tuesday morning I had put it all together, having other issues to go along with the back pain. I no more than got back home and they were already calling me, I have a very bad UTI so I had to go back in later to pick up the antibiotic. The nurse said it would probably be a good 24 hours before I felt any better. I can tell this morning I think the antibiotic has kicked in, in a day or two I'm sure I will feel much better.

I still haven't put out any flowers, first it was the cold nights then the wind and now its just doing it. You just hate to go to all the trouble working your beds then have to cover everything or lose it one. I am ready to get started though, Clay usually helps me with the beds, I always like the finished product but its just having the energy and strength to get it done.

Have a good week......

Back to normal

Things are getting back to normal around the home front after the wedding and Easter. Since the wedding was on Easter weekend we didn't have a family meal together, even though we were all together. We did get together Sunday night at the house for ham and all the trimmings along with strawberry shortcake.

I am having a lot of pain in my lower back, hips and shoulders, whether this is the bone pain that they said I might have with the new bone strengthening drug or not I don't know. I had an issue Sunday that was a little scary, the Praise Team was singing at church and at the beginning of the second song I felt like I was going to pass out, I felt very strange. I didn't feel like I could sing, focus, or even function. I thought if I didn't sit down I would fall down so I found a seat till the song was finished. I stayed for preaching then I left very quickly, when I got home Clay had to help me out of the car due to the hip pain I was having, I couldn't turn to get my legs out of the car. I tried to take it a little easy in the afternoon even though we were having all the kids over to eat. Clay is always a great help in the kitchen, the kids pitched in too. Monday was a pretty restful day so it helped me gain some strength back. These are just issues that you don't really know why or what to blame it on, you would just like to know why or what causes things like this. Had to make a trip to Little Rock yesterday for a doctor visit on my thyroid, it was a 6 month checkup. He felt like everything looked good, he did an ultrasound, watching 1 lymph node but he said it was benign. I will have to have some shots in a week or two and then some additional blood work, he wants my thyroid count to be at zero to know the cancer is all gone. I should be able to have this done at HOG, they are checking right now to see if they can do it here. It would sure be better than having to go to Little Rock for a shot one day then at the same time the next day, then blood work three days later. So it would just really stink if I couldn't do it here at HOG.

The wedding was very pretty, Kara had put a lot of thought into what she wanted. Everything turned out and came off without a hitch and they are married. The hit of the night was the Hot Dog man coming in at 9pm, I didn't know she had booked him but it was a nice treat, the hot dogs were awesome.

Count Down

Time has really flown by, the wedding is this weekend. Kara and Andrew will be married this time next week. Things are coming together and final preparations are being made. It's getting very, very close now. I have my list of things to do this week each day, I have to write it down so I won't forget. Call it age or chemo, whatever. This week sounds a little rainy and stormy, we just hope that for Saturday night it will hold off so that everyone can get inside without getting drenched.

As for me, things are going pretty good, I have had alot of new pains that I haven't had before so you ask yourself is it the new medication? I started with the new drug for my bones and they said there could be side effects and bone pain was one of them so who knows. To help with one issue you have to be in pain for another. Never ending.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter!!!!!

Spring Has Sprung

Well it seems like Spring is actually here, the weather has been really nice lately. I am so ready, now if the wind will just calm down a little things will be much better, I guess we can't complain though but we would like to have some rain. Since my last post I think I am finally on the mends, this upper respiratory infection has hung on forever, I still have a little cough but nothing like I had before.

I had a wonderful birthday, one thing about being sick on my birthday it was spaced out over probably a two week period, so it lasted a long time. Our plan was to go out to eat on the Saturday after my birthday, trying to get 8 people together sometimes can be difficult. I really didn't feel like going out to eat so they ordered Catfish Hole and brought it to the house. Everyone enjoyed it, and there was also a cookie dough ice cream cake that was yummy. Then there were gifts, I always like that part, I'm still a kid at heart.

The wedding is getting really close now, all last minute things are being tended to and things are being finalized. It's getting to the excitement stage now, only 16 days to go and there will be another Kara Woody in the family.

I am at Highland taking my treatment right now, we have added something new to my treatment, it is a bone strengthening drug that I will take every two months. Hopefully this will help, it is given to Multiple Myeloma patients. This is given with my fluid through my port, infused over a three hour period. There are some side effects with this drug but hopefully they will be mild. There could be flu like symptoms the next day or two and a few other things I will have to watch for, we will just have to see how it goes.

Have a great weekend, get out and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Birthday Week

The weekend of the 12th I started with a cough, I assumed it was just allergy related so just kinda ignored it. The cough hung on into the week, by Tuesday late afternoon I was feeling pretty rough, went on to bed early. I had plans on Wednesday since it was my birthday, had breakfast plans with my mother in law and sister in law Darcy and then a late lunch was planned with my mom and sister, well all of these things were cancelled due to me being sick and running 102 fever. I was in bed most all day on my birthday as well as the next day too. I didn't take a treatment on Thursday, I just felt too rough, they called me in antibiotic on Wednesday. My fever broke on Thursday but I still just felt bad. I feel a little better one day then the next day I feel really bad again, I'm tired of it, I feel so light headed and woozy most of the time and my sides and stomach are so sore from coughing so much.

Well here I am another week and I'm not over it yet, I saw the APN here at Highland today, it's an upper respiratory infection, I'm still on the antibiotic and she called me in some really good cough syrup (hopefully it helps). I am taking my treatment now and then I will head home to rest. I feel bad that I haven't been able to go to Loving Choices last week or this week, I enjoy volunteering there but I just haven't been able to go. I sure have enjoyed the nice weather we have had lately, I have set out on the porch a couple of days. Now this morning was a little cool for me, we haven't been in the 30's in awhile, we've been in the 50's when morning comes. I am still just ready for Spring to get here and stay.