Pink and Blue

Some pictures of things that have going on lately. Top is of Alyssa at one of her bridal showers; next one is Rachel, Ken and Brennan on Brennan's dedication day, then Shonna's Prom, and a happy Brennan!

TGIF! I'm so glad its Friday! My feet need a break, and so does my bum! Ok, I don't usually talk about that because a lot of family, friends and co-workers read this, but if I'm going to talk about how I'm doing, then I need to talk about unpleasant things. This is a fact of life if you have colon cancer! Let me just say just that the toilet paper at school is the worst I've come across, and it contributes to my pain and tenderness. I'm hoping a week of being at home and being able to keep clean will help heal things up. Yup, its not real fun; actually I'd call it a pain in the a**!! This is why it's a cancer people don't like to talk about. But we shouldn't be afraid to talk about normal body functions and body parts. (ok, if you know me you KNOW I still don't talk about that stuff much--oh well!) Now go get your butt checked!

Now on to the "pleasant" cancer. First I have to say I'm SICK OF PINK!! Its EVERYWHERE! We know breasts are great, but seriously? Can't we just raise money and awareness for ALL cancers? More people die from lung and colon cancer than breast cancer. Thanks for letting me vent. :)

As most of you know, I'm having my lumpectomy on Monday. Yesterday I had my pre-op and had a cbc done. I've been wondering how my blood counts were doing since I've been done with chemo. During chemo you get them checked every 2 weeks, and then all of a sudden you go months without any tests. I guess I got used to knowing what was going on in my body. My hemoglobin is up to 11.7, which is almost normal (normal is 12-14). It hasn't been above 12 since last Feb. ('09). My platelets are ok, but not as high as they used to be, and the white blood cells are good. I'm good to go for my surgery!

I asked the nurse practitioner if swelling of the feet was normal with neuropathy and she said yes. I also asked if being on my feet so much would cause any damage and she said no. That's good to know. Most websites that talk about neuropathy just talk about what it feels like, and don't really say anything about what you should or shouldn't do. I still think the neuropathy is getting slightly worse. I had hoped that by now it would be getting better. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I burnt my fingers on Easter by picking up a hot glass lid (it had been in the oven) . I think because of my numb fingers I didn't feel how hot it was right away. The burn wasn't real bad, but was painful for awhile!

I talked to the nurse navigator at the breast health center about my surgery, and she said most people take 4 or 5 days off work, so I took the whole week. I should be ready to go back to work the following Monday. Then the Friday after that (May 7th) I have my CT scan of my chest, abdomen, and pelvic area. This is to check for colon cancer that may have spread. The Wed. after that (May 12th), I meet with my oncologist. My meeting with Dr. J was supposed to be just for the colon cancer, but now we will also be talking about the next steps for the breast cancer. By then we should know if I need hormone therapy, and he'll probably tell me when I should start radiation. I hope the radiation can wait until school is out. I feel bad about missing so much work. Well, a little bad. Last year I was in tears about having to call in sick all the time from the chemo. I've decided the stress isn't healthy for me and I need to let it go.

Gosh, that seems like such a long time ago, when I started chemo. I was a different person then. I've been through so much...

The people I work with have been great, and I know many of them will be thinking about me Monday, and some will be praying for me. The surgery shouldn't be too bad. I know what pain pills work best for me! I won't even spend a night in the hospital. Sleeping might be difficult; maybe I'll plan on sleeping in the recliner the first night. I'm not worried about radiation either. It should be MUCH easier than the radiation I've already been through. And God will be with me through it all!

My husband is a wonderful man, and is by my side through everything. He goes with me to every appointment. Its sooooo comforting to have him there. I always tell him I can go by myself (and I can if I need to!) but I'm always happy when he can go with me.

My beautiful grandson is getting big and is so much fun to spend time with! Brennan is almost 7 months old! He's smiley, and I'm so impressed with how well he goes down for a nap! The only problem is he doesn't like to fall asleep while being held anymore, so getting him to take a nap when we are out and about is difficult!

Life is good for all 3 of my girls. I am so blessed to have such wonderful daughters! And their husbands aren't too bad either! :)

Please pray that I have a quick and easy surgery, and that I'm not too uncomfortable, or nervous! It may not be major surgery, but its not going to be fun!

I'll try to update you Monday night or Tuesday. I hope everyone has a great weekend! I plan on enjoying every minute!

Blessings,

Tina