Sat.
Sept. 22, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
Marriage Retreat
A little get away
Fri.
Sept. 21, 2012
All the side effects of my chemo and radiation are in
full bloom and I had a pretty rough night. The skin on my chest is on fire and
feels like a bad sunburn. My esophagus is extremely inflamed, uncomfortable and
sore. I didn’t go walking today before my radiation appointment. I think the
smoke in the air is adding to the irritation to my esophagus, so I decided to
sleep in a little and take a day off. I spoke with the nurse at the cancer
clinic and she gave me some cortisone cream to put on my chest several times a
day to help with the discomfort. I told her I just need to know what
discomforts we can fix and what things I just need to learn to deal with for
now. A lot of the radiation discomforts I just need to tough through. Okay
Superman shirt, I think I need to wear you again today! Haha
This afternoon Lincoln and I were invited to stay at our
friends’ cabin with 3 other couples for the Stake Marriage Retreat at the Aspen
Lakes Stake Property. We carpooled up together and went out to dinner. It was
so much fun to hang out with other friends and have fun laughing. The fall
colors are in bloom and it was gorgeous!
A Day at Radiation
Thurs.
Sept. 20, 2012
I accomplished a lot this morning. I went walking
/jogging with Tracy. There are some fires in Idaho and the air has been very
smoky this week. I’ve been sneezing a lot and my eyes are watering like crazy.
I think it’s affecting my esophagus as well. It’s pretty tough to swallow saliva,
let alone drinks and food. But, I’m doing my best to try and drink more
liquids. I decided to buy donuts to take in to the Cancer Center to thank the
doctors and nurses for all they do to care for me and make me feel so loved here.
I also took pictures of the great technicians, Katie and Dana, that help me every day with radiation. I love these ladies. I wore my Superman shirt today to let the cancer not to mess with me!
Katie and Dana, my wonderful radiation technicians!
The radiation machine and me!
Feeling Thirsty
Wed.
Sept. 19, 2012
Today I went in to get an extra 2 liters of fluids to
help me fight off any dehydration. It took 2 1/2 hours and I was chilled to the bone!
I had two blankets on me and I was still cold. Half way through the process, I
had to un-connect from the IV tree and go over to get changed into a gown for
my round of radiation. There they had a ‘blanket warmer’ and they put warm
flannel sheets on my legs and arms while I was doing radiation. It felt sooo
good! When I was done they let me take those with me back to the chemo side of
the office. As I finished up the rest of the fluids, all snuggled under my two
fleece blankets and two warm flannel sheets, the doctor walked by said I looked
like I was ready for a winter campout. Haha I just think my internal thermostat
is broken right now! J
This afternoon I felt much more tired than usual. I think
the radiation fatigue is building up. I was able to meet with Lexy and some of
her teachers for Parent Teacher Conferences. That felt good. It was great to
hear all the awesome things that Lexy’s teachers had to say about her. She’s a
terrific girl.
Boost Time
Tues.
Sept. 18, 2012
I met with my radiation oncologist today. He also told me to try my best to maintain weight until I’m through with
treatment. We scheduled a PET Scan for Dec. At that point the inflammation in my body should be healed and we can see how my body has responded to the treatments.
He says I’m doing
great. I’ll begin the ‘boost’ radiation treatments on Friday for the remainder of my radiation treatments. That's where they target just the large tumor area in an attempt to really shrink it and get rid
of it.
My sister-in-law and mother-in-law drove down to visit with me. We had a
great time. Jenny made a wonderful casserole for us for dinner. I'm so grateful for
family and their love and support. I took a very long nap this afternoon. My chest is beginning to feel like it’s on fire. It's like a bad sunburn. I guess it's just the nature of the beast. I hope the tumor is feeling the heat and dying in the process. Two more weeks to go. A neighbor knocked on the door and had made us some
dinner and just wanted to drop it by. I was grateful I could eat
some of it. I feel surrounded by love.
Chemo Round #11
Mon.
Sept, 17, 2012
Chemo #11 and Radiation #20 out of 30. Dr. Breyer told me
to maintain my weight and not lose any more. The office was very busy with a lot of patients. My friend Tracy took me. We had a good time visiting with all the
other patients. There was a funny conversation with three of us chemo patients that have lost our ability to
taste different foods, especially chocolate. Tracy said she felt so sorry for
all of us and shook her head in disbelief wondering what it would be like to not be able to enjoy chocolate!
Sunday Baking
Sun.
Sept. 16, 2012
I woke up to a beautiful, Fall morning. Regional
Conference was fantastic. Linc called someone in the stake so that I could
watch the 'live feed' over the internet and avoid the crowds at church. The
messages were wonderful and I feel a renewed effort to try a little hard to be
a better person. I’m hoping that last week’s daily shots of neuprogin will be
enough to boost my white blood cell.
Lexy was craving an apple crisp and I told her to help
herself. Since I lost my taste buds about 3 or 4 days ago everything I eat
tastes burnt. YUK! My esophagus is fully engulfed from the inflammation of the
radiation treatment so it hurts to swallow. Thus, I have no real desire to eat
very much. My current favorite foods are ice cold, protein shakes, popsicles,
and vanilla ice cream. I also discovered that I can eat sliced cheddar cheese.
This is such a strange journey that I’m
on. Haha
 |
| Lexy and her amazing apple crisp! |
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