rain rain rain

I love the rain!  It has been raining here non stop for at least 4 days. It looks and smells so clean. I love kickin back with a cup of coffee and just watching it rain. Good time to think about my life. And that's all I have to say about that!

I have 2 new reactions to this new chemo drug. First, I have no appetite because I know that when I eat my stomach hurts and I can't keep it down. This is not good because I need to keep my calories up so I will be strong to fight the cancer. I may go back to protein drinks and anti-nausea pills. The next thing is insomnia. I just lay there at night and "Think about my life".  There are those words again. I am trying to focus on the present, taking it day by day. Things are good,  I have my family and friends. I couldn't adore my grandchildren more! All in all, life is good.  Everyone here is decorating the Christmas tree. The kids here, Thais and Tiago, are so excited.  I watch them and I just have to smile. The things they say and do are great, funny and sometimes shocking. They hold nothing back and say what they mean. It is great.

I received a package from London today.  It was August's school picture. She looks so grown up. There is also a picture of Jessica, Christian, Augi and Emmett. They all look great.  The Christmas card has a drawing of an angel drawn by August. She is quite the artist. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, really! I love those guys!!

I saw a genetics counselor Friday. He took saliva samples from me to get my genes tested. It should take about 2 weeks to get the results. I am doing this mainly for my daughter. If I have the gene for ovarian cancer then she can be tested. It can be helpful for my sisters also, if they want it to be. I may be able to give them some helpful information if they choose to pursue it farther. I talked with him for about an hour. We went over my family tree, as far as I could remember. He also talked about the risks of having this done. Its mainly concerning medical insurance and life insurance and the inability to get it once my results are on file. Marcos, the geneticist, said it was "like finding the needle in the haystack."  He was very nice and I enjoyed our visit. I will see him on January 5th to go over the results and discuss where to go from here.  I am not sure what that means but I am sure he will tell me.It should be interesting. I sincerely hope that this cancer is just a mutated gene on its own. We will see. 

 I want to express my thanks to all of you for your support this last year.  Just talking and laughing with each one of you has helped me through this, both emotionally and physically. Each and every one of you are my heros.  May you all have a fantastic christmas as well a fabulous 2011!!

chemo day

I had my chemo session on Tuesday and it went very well. The drug they are giving me is Doxel. It is suppose to effect my skin. I have 2 pages of things not to do in the first few days after treatment like no hot drinks, no tight fitting clothing, no leaning on my elbows, and my hands and feet are going to get rashes and blisters... what fun!!!  Anyway so far so good. I was very wired after my session and then very tired. I have done nothing for 2 days but sleep. I am feeling much better tonite. I have an appointment with a genetic doctor tomorrow. I am going to find out if I have the gene for ovarian cancer. This is mainly for Jessica. If I do have the gene she can have hers tested, should be interesting.  Still waiting on Home Depot to transfer me from SL to SD. They are really dragging thier feet on this. Ill call tomorrow again.  Maybe I will go down there tomorrow after my appointment. Good Idea.

I talked to my grandchildren today. August has the cutest english accent and Emmett is talking so good. I miss them very much. I sent them "The Night Before Christmas" book. It was one of those that you record your voice reading.  They seemed to enjoy it. It was good to talk to my daughter.  I miss her very much too.

I want to wish all of you a "Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."  I am so thankful for all my family and friends. If not for you guys being there for me through this, I don't know what I would do!  I know, I am getting kinda muushy, but I am very sincere when I say this.

I am in paradise

I am sitting on the front porch enjoying the sun.  It is 10:00 in the morning, December 12Th and it is 82 degrees outside.  I wish I was younger. I would go to the beach and lay in the sun. I will miss the white Christmas though.

I have spoke to the Home Depot here and the one in Utah. The paperwork is in the works for me to transfer here.  I have my first Chemo on Tuesday. I am kinda nervous, but it should go OK.

I received a package from England yesterday. My grandchildren both sent me paintings. They are beautiful. I sure miss them.  I do not know when I will be able to go to England. I miss all of them immensely.

Well, I am otherwise very bored. My stomach hurts but I have pills for that.
Maybe I will go to the beach anyway!!  I miss all of you in Utah!!!

Day at the beach

Linda's twin sister Lydia and thier mom came to San Diego to  visit for a while so we all went to La Jolla Beach today. It was great. No wind, the beach was not crowded, just lots of birds, seals, sand, and good company. Very relaxing day.

I have been to two doctors and had all the tests done. I some spots of cancer that needs chemo so I start December 14th with a new chemo drug. It will only be every 4 weeks and will only take 2 hours.  I am scheduled thru February, then more testing to see how the cancer is reacting.  My tumor count has gone from 17 to 30. My doctor said that is not bad considering I was up above 500 at one time.  I am going to transfer to a home depot here and call san diego home for a while.  Tiago, Heathers son, is having his 4th birthday here this weekend. Should be fun!

here we go again

I have found that in life sometimes one of the hardest things to do is smile. I am so grateful for my family and friends being there and being such a good support system. I guess it takes something like cancer to open your eyes and realize that they have always been there for me.
Cancer  is back and so I am back in SD. Tomorrow is thanks giving.  It is good to see my SD family. I wish It were under better circumstances.
I do not know alot about my health at the moment. My doctor is out of town until Monday. I have seen my Oncologist/OBGYN and he said my cancer is back but he does not know to what extent. They did a physical exam and took about a gallon of blood. Now it is just hurry up and wait. I definitly am going to have chemo again.
My sister in law, Yolanda, passed away last Monday. She has been battling ovarian cancer for around 3 years. She is no longer in pain which is a good thing. I am very proud of my brother and how strong he is. I think it is much harder on your loved ones when this damned desease hits. I love you Dennis.

I will let you all know about my condition as I find out.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL 

goood news!

I AM IN REMISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOHOOOOO!!!.
Now this does not mean I am cancer free, but my tumor count is 20.5 and going down. My lungs are fine and I have an appointment with my regular M.D., Dr. Quach, on wednesday for a overall physical exam and to find out if I will still need coumadin, which they put me on when I developed a blood clot in my lung.  If everything is good Linda and I are going to head for Utah Wednesday afternoon. We will go half way on wednesday and the rest of the trip on Thursday. This is good because my brother Billy is having a procedure on the following Tuesday. He will be in the hospital overnight. I can go with him to the hospital. I will have to wear a mask but that is ok.  Heather, Ze and the kids are in Brazil for a month so Linda is going to spend time with her twin sister in Utah. She is going thru some really strong chemo so linda wants to be there with her and for her.    my last session of chemo is tomorrow. I will need to be very careful in what I do for the first 10 days. That is when I develop Nutropeena which means my white blood count is low which means my immune system is not working well. This is when i have had problems in the past. My Oncologist, Dr Liu said to keep monitoring my temp. if it goes over 100.5 head over to St. Marks Hospital. Hopefully I won't need to. She  gave me a release to go back to work at the end of the month. I need to come back to SD for a ct scan and blood tests and to see my doctor in December before I go to England to visit for Christmas...Oh ya, I didn' tell ya but I am going to England for Christmas to see my daughter and her family. I am so excited!!!
I went to a cancer support group this afternoon and after hearing the stories and watching them talk i realize just how lucky i am. some of these people have been fighting cancer for many years but their spirits are so high and they just appreciate every day one day at a time. I want to go to volunteer at the cancer wellness center with Lydia when I get back to Utah. I just feel the need to give back to others who are going thru this terrible fight. I realize I am not cancer free and that there is a very good chance it will show up again in the future but I am not going to sit around and wait for it. If and when it does come back I have learned, one day at a time. I am so proud of my sister-in-law, Yolanda for being so  strong and not letting cancer define her. I am also proud of my other sister-in-law, Lydia for also being so strong especially now she has started a very strong chemo drug. My thoughts and prayers are with both of them and I plan to visit each one of them when I return to Utah. So you both have been forewarned!

Stand Up To Cancer

 my new phone number is 858-699-9164. My old number is now Alberts phone number/

I am finally home

I am finally home from the hospital. This just goes to show ya how when everything is going good in your life so you let down your guard a little and then...BAM...everything goes to crap. On Saturday I felt a little more fatigued and weak than normal. Sunday I did not get out of bed at all.  I started monitoring my temperature at around 8:00 and it was 99.4. My normal temp usually runs about 97.8. I felt very weak and my muscles were achy.  I started drinking iced drinks and even took a cold shower (brrrrr). By 10:30 I was at 101.4 so I headed for the hospital. When I checked in my temp was 102.8. I felt very weak and drug out, along with cold chills.  They had me in this room that was freezing so I asked for another blanket and the nurse said "no, you have a fever". She smiled and left the room.  To make a long story short, somewhere I had caught a bug. They took blood, took ex rays, started me on fluids and mega amounts of antibiotics. They said my lungs looked and sounded great so the bug was somewhere else. I was finally taken to a room at 4:30. By Monday my potassium levels were very low :<, my INR was very low, my white blood cell count was 1.8, (normal is 10),  my blood pressure was 85 over 47 and I felt fine. Most of this was caused by Chemo. Anyway, they pumped fluids in me for the blood pressure, and gave me meds to raise my white cell count, antibiotics for the bug, a mega amount of potassium, doubled up on coumadin for my INR. By day 3 all my counts were much improved except my blood pressure. They pumped alot more fluids into me and my bp started raising closer to normal. I had to stay one more night just to be monitored. On Thursday I went home.  I am still on antibiotics and I feel kinda drug out and weak but all in all I am doing good.   When I got home Thursday I received a phone call from the pulmonary dept wanting me to pick up their night monitoring equipment so I headed back to the hospital to pick it up. I was very spacey and probably should not of been driving but it did not hit me until I started walking thru the hospital again. After sitting down for about 1/2 hour I felt  much better and headed home.  I slept last night with wires taped to my finger.      

I want to take this time to send my well wishes to my sister-in-law/good friend Lydia who has been fighting colon cancer for at least 3 years. She just found out her tumor count has gone up and she starts a very strong chemo on Tuesday. She has been on this chemo before and it makes her very sick. I want to let her know that she is in my heart and on my mind. She is such a special lady, grandma and friend. She is always doing for others weather it be her grandchildren or someone else, she is always there and does not deserve this cancer crap. Lydia, we love ya and only hope good things for ya. Stay strong and know you are in my thoughts and prayers.

1 more day

Heather again, Valerie was not released today due to finding an infection in her urine. She is feeling great though, they have been pumping her full of antibiotics for 2 days now. She is up and walking around, reading books in the chair, not the bed. All looks well. Hopefully this is my last update : )

Update From Heather

Hi all, it's Heather (again). Im checking in for Valerie because her hospital is lame and has no internet, but yes she was admitted to the hospital last night or early this morning shall I say (4am) when her fever reached 102. No one knows why, she feels great except for the shivers during her fever. She tried everything to stay home with cold showers and such but it didnt work, so to the ER she went.

I went and visited her this morning for a couple hours she is fine, just tired from a long night of being poked and prodded. She has her cell phone so you can still call her. Her white blood cell count was low and as were her potassium levels but they gave her some shots and pills to fix those. Her temperature and oxygen levels were well within normal range when I got to the hospital at 9am this morning but they want to keep her for 48 hours of monitoring and administering more antibiotic's. She is 9 days out of her last chemo session which is a weak point in her chemo recovery, so all of this is pretty standard. Nothing new or scary and unexpected.

Hoping she is home tomorrow and will update then!

Another post

Every thing is looking good. I went to have my oxygen levels checked. They were having me run all over the hospital with this monitor on. My levels were great. No problem, right...wrong. They decided they have to do a night study on me. They were out of the equipment I needed to take home for the evening. ARGH! (I personnaly think they are in cahoots with the oxygen supply company.) Anyway I have not needed oxygen for quit some time but I am being charged rent for all the equipment I have. The Insurance company pays for this, but still! All in all everything is going very well. 1 more chemo session on the 17th and I am done!!! Yea!

feelin good

Just a note to let you know everything is going good. I feel good, just kinda tired. I go to the doctor today to be assesed for oxygen. Hopefully they will say my lungs are good. I have not had any problems for quite a while but I need them to say I do not need oxygen before I can turn in the oxygen equipment for good. Lets keep our fingers crossed. I said "I" 7 times...

Everything going good

Went thru chemo yesterday. No problems, no bad reactions, feel good."Knock on wood!" One more session and I am done. Kinda scary but kinda exciting too. My hair is falling out again, what there is of it, but that is ok. At least I know it will grow back. I am going to kick back and take it easy for a while. Hopefully no surprises! Almost Done!!

New phone

forget to let you know that I have a new phone and phone number. If you have called me or text me I do not have that phone anymore. I will give it to anyone who wants it. Email me if you do at vkimball858@yahoo.com and I will give it to you. bye-bye

Everything looking good!

I went to see my doctor today.She said everything looks good. My tumor count is down to 39 and still going down. Pretty good since it started up around the mid 300's. I have chemo on Friday and then one more on 09/17/10. I asked my doctor today what happens next. She was kinda vague but said I will need to be seen by Dr. Harrison, my OBGYN/Oncologist for x-rays. She said he will be monitoring my insides and she will monitor my outsides. I wanted her to say "Your cured and never have to see a doctor again.) I know, I have 2 chemos to go and my tumor count is still 39 and they are not going to give me a definitive answer until all the chips are in but I can still wish can't I. All in all everything is going better than I could of ever wished. Just a few more weeks...Just a few more weeks...Just a few more weeks.I miss you all!

55... yes I am prehistoric and thats ok

Thanks everyone for the Happy Birthdays!!! It was a good day. I did miss my grandkids call when I was at the movies but I did get their message singing happy birthday. They sounded great! Yes I am 55/Prehistoric. I feel great for an old fart.
My skin irritation is slowly going away. The doctor said my incision is healing nicely, (no more packing.) They don't want to see me for 3 months since everything to do with the surgery is healing great. I am now dealing with the Chemo and letting it do what it does. My Oncologist is monitoring my sessions. I did get somewhat emotional for a few days and then the fatigue set in. My temp hit 100.4 one night but never got any higher. I feel good now. Thais and Tiago decorated my bedroom with balloons and crepe streamers. It was awesome. They are such great kids!
Once again, thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, and the cards! I love you all! Life is good

Car Repaired

Thanks to Albert my car is repaired and I just need to pick it up. It was not cheap so thanks Albert. You saved me again.

I have broke out in a severe case of hives/acne/bumps/chicken pox/measles or something like it. I e-mailed my doctor and am waiting for a response. I look like a 15 year old kid with greasy bumpy skin. Yuck. It probably has something to do with chemo. It is interesting to see how I react to each chemo session. No two have been the same...who knew. I will just lay back and watch to see what my body does next!

another day

I am feeling pretty good today. Went to the doctors yesterday for my weekly visit and I am doing good. Just have to wait for the chemo to do what it does. I have decided I want to live on a farm in Vermont with goats. I will make cheese and soap. Maybe tomorrow...

good morning

Good morning everyone. I am still not 100% but I feel better than yesterday. I must remember even though I feel better I should not jump up and say "lets go traveling" or "i am going to the DMV for the day".(not having a running car helps but that should be hopefully taken care of this week, we will see.)... no bad thoughts...no bad thoughts. I am trying to keep positive thoughts but sometimes it is hard. Please bear with me for a while.

I made it

Well I never did get any sleep on Thursday. Heather went in with me for chemo. Unfortunately, I immediately had a minor reaction to the Benedryl they give me as a pre-med before the chemo drugs. I began shaking and jerking through out my body. They gave me more drugs to counter act the Benedryl which made me high as a kite. The rest of the session I don't remember much of. Heather said I kept saying weird things like I thought I was in VONS grocery store and wanted to know what we needed.??????????? Albert came over later to get Ozzy and I was in pretty much the same condition. I slept the rest of the day. Today is kinda of a low day. I keep crying for no reason at all. I have cried 4 times just since I started writing this. I am crying now, for what I have no idea.Maybe because of the hysterectomy...duhhh! It is a good thing nobody is hear to witness this. They all went to Chargers training camp. I think I am going back to bed. Don't feel bad for me. As soon as I find out what i am crying about I should feel better

Can not sleep

It is 4:41am and I am wide awake. I don't know if it is because of the steroids I started taking today to prepare for chemo or if it the chemo itself. Maybe a combination of both. I am nervous, anxious, and yes a  little scared.
I just watched a spider walk across my rug...did you know spiders crawl in your mouth at night and you swallow them? That's what some guys say that has watched it happen...GET A LIFE!!  LOL
I also watched a cricket cross the bathroom floor. All I know about them is that there suppose to bring good luck.  I am babbling...

Wednesday Heather,Ze, the kids and I went to the Delmare Race Track (where the surf meets the turf.) I have always wanted to go there especially on opening day where all the women wear big gaudy hats. There is a contest for the best hat. It is suppose to be a fun day.  Every Wednesday if you are a Diamond Club Card member (I joined) you get in free, free book, and all the food and drinks are half price. We had a great time. I bet on 3 races and lost all 3. In total I lost 6.00. That's my limit. Heather and Ze played all nine races and came out losing 1.00. The kids were picking the horses they liked and those were the ones bet on. It was alot of fun. I hope to go again now that I am a Diamond Club member.
Yesterday we all went to a BBQ at the Rec.Center. The kids had a great time playing the games set up for them.  I went and gave blood for Chemo in the a.m. so I guess I am ready. I just cant quit thinking about it....
Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..
I am going to try to go to sleep. It is 5:16 a.m. at the sound of the booong..... BOOONNG !!!!!!!!!!
ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...good morning

time for more chemo

I had 2 doctor appointments today both of which were good.  My first was with a wound care nurse. She is  taking care of my incision pocket and said it was looking good. The only problem is the opening is healing faster than the pocket itself. I will have  it looked at this next Tuesday which is my 6 week exam.
The second appointment was with Dr Liu who is the hematologist and takes care of my chemo issues.  She said my lungs sounded good and all-in-all my healing was going very well!!!  YES!!!!!
She asked me when I wanted to start my next 3 session. I said as soon as possible. I want to get this over with and get back to my life. So I go in for blood work this Thursday and first chemo session Friday morning at 10:00.  Hopefully it will go well like the first 3 sessions, knock on wood!  My last session should be around the first part of September.  By the end of September hopefully I will be in remission, no, let me say that again...By the end of September I WILL be in remission. I cannot wait for this all to be over!!! 

Augi's Birthday

Today is my granddaughter August's 5th birthday. She spent the day at the Hardrock Cafe in Edinburg, Scotland. August and her family have been in Europe for the past 6 months. I know this is a great experience for my daughter Jessica and her family but when I found out they may be going I secretly hoped they would not go (for my own selfish reasons.) I miss them very much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL  LITTLE AUGUST. I love you very much!! My daughter Jessica also had a birthday on July 26th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SMART AND BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, JESSICA. I love you very much and miss you!

Alot has happened in the last couple of weeks. My brother David and his 3 daughters Sierra, Cheyenne, and Asia came to SD on vacation, (and of course to see me.) Anyway we had a great time. It was great to see them. The girls are all growing up so fast. They keep David jumping. They were here for a few days and then took off for the Grand Canyon. Fun!  The same day they left I left for SLC.  I know, I probably should not of gone but my doctor said it would be ok. Of course I did not tell him I would be packing and moving all my belongings into a storage shed. I got alot done. It was so hot I spent the nights at my brother Billy's house. He has my dog Toby and it was great to see him. He was glad to see me too. While there I went to a BBQ at Lisa and Steve's. I got to visit with my mom, Luanna and her family, Jon and his family, Lisa and her family and Tammy and Bruce. It was good to see everyone. On Sunday I went to Tammy and Bruces for dinner. It was a good weekend, in the beginning. Jon and his son Scotty decided to drive me back to SD and make a vacation out of it.  We took off on Monday night and by the time we hit Vegas we were all pretty tired so we got a room at Buffalo Bills in Primm, NV. We left the next morning at about 9:00. It was already hot outside. We got just outside of Barstow, NV and my transmission went out.  After about 1 1/2 hours in the desert we were towed into Barstow.  The price was outrageous to get the tranny fixed so I paid another outrageous price to be towed to SD. I was glad to be back. The rest of the week was fun for Jon and Scotty. Scotty had never seen the ocean so we went down to La Jolla Cove and saw the seals on the rocks. The next day I dropped them off at Sea World for the day.  They flew home on Thursday. Good times. (by the way, thanks Billy, Jon and Scotty for helping me get moved.
 
I thought I had an appointment with Dr. Liu (chemo) on the 22nd but I found out it was on the 20th so needless to say I had to reschedule on Aug. 3rd. I think I will be getting a ct scan that day and alot of bloodwork needed before chemo. I am not sure when I will start my chemo sessions but it will be soon. I will know on the 3rd. I have been going in every week to have the draining area on my abdomin checked. It is coming right along.  All-in-all I am doing well. My goal is to keep my blog up to date in the future. We will see.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUGUST LEONA SINGLETON!  I LOVE YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA LYNN SINGLETON!!!  I LOVE YOU!

my suprise

My sister Tammy has 2 sons who I think the world of. Their names are Colton and Jared. They are buying a Town home in which I rented the basement for about a year. They grew up with my daughter who is also very close with them.  Anyway, I haven't seen them for at least a year and I miss them. Yesterday afternoon to my surprise Colton was here.  I guess he had planned this for a while. It was the best surprise and he made my day. He brought a friend with him and they stayed and visited for a couple hours. It was sooo hot. The kids were all in the pool otherwise I would of invited them to take a dip. The pool looks so refreshing. SD has been veerrrrry hot for the past couple days. Unfortunately, I cannot get in the pool until my incision heals so I just dangle my feet. WHAAAA!  Anyway, I will say it again, Colton made my day! Thanks Colton...you guys have a great time in SD! Luv ya!!!!

MY DOCTOR

OK...OK...OK!  My secret is out thanks to someone who shall remain nameless, but I call her Heather.  The truth is...I love my doctor (surgeon.)  His name is Doctor  Harrison.  My heart flutters every time I see him.  My life is in his hands, literally, so I feel we are soul mates.  When I  am in the waiting room and I see  other women smile at him and talk about how much they like him I want to tell them, "he is mine!"  I will just let these old skanks have there fantasies. I do not know if he is married but I am sure he would leave her if I asked him to, but for now I must be satisfied just to have him take care of my incision...Hhmmmmmm... woops, I find myself drifting off  to another dimension alot lately. My love has the most adorable hump forming on the right side of his back...("what hump"). Some like tight abs and gluts on a man.   For me this doctors "hump" melts my butter.  He is everything a woman could want. 

OK now you all know my secret. I am glad I do not have to hide my feelings anymore. I feel I need to rest now so I am going to take some more Pain Pills and drift back to dream land and dream about the HUMP.
LOL

the fuzz on my head

When I got out of the shower today I dried off my head and looked in the mirror and I have creepy little peach fuzz all over my head. Believe me its creepy looking. You can not see it unless you look close but its there. I would be excited that my hair is growing back but chemo will take care of that, so for right now its peach fuzz for me. I thought you all would like to hear about that. It feels better to worry about peach fuzz than cancer, surgery or stomach injections so bear with me.
I went to the doctor with Heather today(did I mention she is pregnant!...yippeee! Is yippee still a word?)  Anyway the doctor said everything looked good as far as my incision, my breathing, blood pressure, etc.  I will get a ct scan before starting chemo to see what is going on inside.  Another one of those "hurry up and wait" situations. My pocket is still there. The doctor said it may be caused because of me being on Coumadin, but it is not uncommon. She flushed it out and said it should heal soon.  The area around my incision feels like it is burning when anything touches it. Even if my shirt just barely brushes against it. The doctor said that when the incision was made alot of small nerves were damaged. Well they are healing and regenerating which causes discomfort.

I hope you can all tell that I do not have alot to complain about.  This is a good thing!  Thanks you guys for just being there for me!!!

Get Up

Boy, you never realize how much you use your muscles in a certain area until you lose the ability. (Did that make sense?)Anyway my stomach muscles are on the fritz. My incision area is getting better every day but I think any muscles I had before surgery are pretty much shot.  Whataya gonna do??  I need to start concentrating more on my nutrition, breathing and walking.  I gotta get up and go, but slowly. Chemo is coming up soon and I want to be ready.  Linda is in Moab. This is a good thing. She needs some getaway time. Everyone else here went to a movie in the park. Sounds fun. I should of gone. Tomorrow I will walk Ozzy a short walk.  I am writing all this so I will up and do something. Bear with me. Not much else happening. I miss you all.

I am back (kinda)

Hi everyone.  Sorry I have not written anything in a week. I have been pretty much bedridden because of my surgery and maybe a little bit because of pain pills. Thank god for pain pills!  Anyway my recovery is going pretty good. I had a few bad days. Last Wednesday I noticed  ozzing from my incision. (Yuck)  Heather took me into the hospital. My doctor said I had a "pocket" just under my skin that is collecting fluid. He took out my staples, drained the pocket and proceeded to teach Heather how to "pack the pocket" To make a long story short, Heather has to repack my pocket every day.  I could not do it if I was her! Gross! I must say I don't know what I would do without her.
I only had to do the shots in the belly for one week. My INR is 2.3. YEA!  It is still uncomfortable to sit up but I am getting better every day.  I start Chemo soon and if all goes well I should be doing good by September. I miss all of you. Thanks again for all your prayers and well wishes. Luv you guys

I am home

hi everyone!  this will be short. i am hurtin but that is to be expected i guess. hopefully it will be a short recovery. chemo starts in a couple weeks. so far everything is going as planned.,\..yea  i miss you all

Another Update

Heather again, just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the thoughts and well wishes, cards, flowers, balloons, calls, texts... all of it. We are planning on Valerie to come home tomorrow from the hospital, she was up and walking around today. She didnt want me to take any photos of her but I did take one. 2 of her sisters are here and we are planning a big welcome home dinner tomorrow. That I will take photos of, even if she says not too, lol! Thanks again everyone!

Surgery Update

Hi its Valerie's Niece Heather again, posting for her.

Valerie had her big surgery today and every thing went great. She was in surgery for about 3 hours and they removed everything they had planned on removing. The doctor says everything looks great, she will be in the hospital till probably Thursday afternoon, and will not be updating till then. If anything new comes up, i will write another update. Please feel free to leave comments, I will read them to her at the hospital. She is so thankful for everyone's well wishes.

PS- I messed around with a few things on her blog, if anything is missing or wrong, please let me know. i  also fixed her blog header to say the correct cancer. Tammy, her sister and I are also doing updates on facebook as well.

Its time to go

It is 7:00 a.m. on Monday morning, June 28th and I am having surgery today. I had a good night. I did have some super wierd dreams though. I want to tell everyone how much I appreciate your love and support these past few months. I am nervous but ready for this to happen.  Wish me luck and I will be talking to you all in a short while.
I love you guys!
Valerie

One more day

Tammy flew in yesterday and we went to La Jolla Cove and saw the Seals on the big rocks. It was way cool. Tammy took pictures.  This morning we went to breakfast and had giant french toast...yummy and filling!! Tammy took more pictures. Then we went to Seaport Village,  took pictures and explored all the cool shops.  We then went across the Coronado Bridge to Coronado (duh) and drove around to see the sights.  We stopped at Hotel Del Coronado,(have I said Coronado enough for ya?)  We had dessert on the deck and went thru the shops. The lobby was awesome.  Oh, I forgot to tell ya about another Chemo Brain Moment.  When we left La Jolla last night I stopped for gas, put the nozzle in the car and went inside to ask directions. I came back outside, got into the car and took off. We hear this loud sound and I said to Tammy, "sounds like someone is shooting at us." Tammy just looked at me and said "did you take the nozzle out of the tank?" ............I guess you had to be there.
Lisa called and said they were stuck in traffic somewhere between Las Vegas and here, 
something to do about a wreck. Anyway, they just pulled over at the town that was closest and found a water park so they are going to spend the day there.  Smart!

If it sounds like I am babbling, I am. I am trying to keep my mind off things, which is working and that's all I got to say about that!

Tammy in town

I am getting ready to pick up my sister at the airport. Yeaa! I am excited!!

another day

My sister-in-law, Lydia who is herself fighting the big C, gave me a book about cancer called "From This Moment On." About half way thru they have you read this poem to make you smile. It did make me smile and I thought you would enjoy it.

Also, some of you might have noticed that on top of my blog is says I have cervical cancer. I have no idea why I wrote that. I have Ovarian Cancer. Oh well...potatoe..pototoe. I do not know how to fix it.

I am so excited that my friends from HD are following my blog. Hi Karma!! and yes to the question you asked me. I miss you all!

I am feeling pretty good. Went shopping and bought alot of soup. I don't know what I will be able to eat but I figure soup is pretty safe.

Tammy, Lisa and her family will be here in San Diego this weekend. It means alot to me that they will be here while I go through surgery next week. I do have to say, my family is awsome.
I have to be at the hospital Monday morning at 8:30 then surgery is at 10:30. It should last at least 3 hours. Did I already write about this?  Oh well - nerves...or chemo brain.
My moms little miniture dauchsune, Daisy, passed away last night. She was old so it was not a surprise. I am sure my mom is really upset. Daisy was her companion for a long time. I love you mom.

my pet

I made myself a snowball

As perfect as could be.

I thought I'd keep it as a pet

And let it sleep with me

I made it some pajamas

And a pillow for its head.

Then last night it ran away,

but first--it wet the bed.

page 2 of 2

I accidentally posted to the blog before I was done. LOL  Anyway, I was saying my daughter will be in Germany next week while I am in the hospital. I am going to miss talking to her on the phone but hopefully Heather or
Tammy will be able to keep in contact with her on Facebook, Skype or Email. I miss you all!

hi everyone

Im back at Linda's again. All her company has gone home. I am doing good all in all. I have stayed on oxygen all the time and doing my lung excercises. I realllly want this surgury to go well.There is some paperwork I need to get done, get my stuff put away, and get my over night bag packed and I will pretty much be ready.  Otherwise I am going to keep the rest of the week low key.
I wanted to say hi to Cousin Lori, and friend Lori Ludeen. It's good to hear from both of you.  Tammy and Lisa will be here this weekend. I am so glad they will be here while I go thru this next week.

Getting ready to go under the knife

Hi everyone, the past week I have been doing absolutely nothing, so there was nothing to tell you about. I do appreciate everyone who is following my blog.Thank you!
Today I went to my pre-surgery exam. They did an EKG, took chest ex rays, took about a million vials of blood, and gave me all the info (good and bad) about the surgery on Monday.  Dr. Harrison (my oncologist) is concerned about my blood clotting and my lung/breathing ability, or lack there of.  He kinda made me nervous, but he must tell me the worst case scenario's. This does not mean they are going to happen...I keep telling myself this.  Any way I quit taking Comedian and I am back on the belly injections until the 26th. I am scheduled for a total abdominal hysterectomy, exploratory laparotomy, bilateral salpingooophorectomy (?) and cancer debulking. Got that?...LOL. Anyway, surgery should take at least 3 hours, and 2 hours recovery time/to wake up.  you guys say a prayer for me. I love all of you, especially my Jessica and my grandchildren, August and Emmett. I am still going to write on my blog thru the week. I know that it keeps everyone informed but it is very therapeutic for me as well. I will talk to ya all later

Hello again

I am out of the hospital again and doing fine. I just haven't felt well enough to open my computer. I miss you all.  I am currently staying at Albert's for a week. It is Dominick's graduation Friday so alot of people are arriving from out of state for his graduation party. Jordan is graduating from middle school on Monday. For those of you who don't know, Jordan and Dominic are Albert's grandchildren so that makes me their step-grandma. Anyway I am at Albert's while there are so many people around, and I must say he is doing an excellent job of taking care of me, considering that he is going thru radiation treatments for Prostate Cancer himself.  He is awsome when he wants to be.
My INR is good again and my white blood cell count is on the rise but the best news yet is my CA-25 Tumor Count started at 355 and is now down to 147... YEA!  If I can just stay healthy until surgery (28th) I will be doing good. No more going to the DMV...duhh!! I know, I know...
I have to admit that the closer to surgery I get the more nervous I get. I suppose that's normal. I have not had surgery like this so I don't know what to expect. I am excited about my sisters Tammy and Lisa coming to San Diego on the 26th. I wish it were under better circumstances though.
I saw that people from work are reading my blog. Thanks you guys!! Tell everyone hi. My doctor says I may be ready to go back to work in September. Let cross our fingers. Well I am gonna go for now. I love and miss you all!

Hospital Stay

Hi this is Heather, checking in for Valerie. She has no internet at her hospital and feels horrible not being able to post on her blog, so here is what she told me to type, give or take.

" I started having a fever Saturday night so Heather drove me to the ER where they admitted me immediately as my fever continued to grow. I have some type of infection and with such a low white blood cell count, they wanted to keep me in the hospital on antibiotics as a precautionary measure till my white blood cell count started to rise again. They say it usually bottoms out 7-10 days after chemo and thats exactly where I am at. So Tuesday is my hopeful release date, i have no fever anymore and am feeling much, much better. I slept great last night, unlike the few previous nights and my white blood cell count is on rise. Things are looking good, Im feeling good, dont worry about me. I will check in when I get out of here. "

Day at the DMV

My drivers license expired so I decided to renew it while I had the time and strength. I woke up early, went to give blood ( which was 2.3..yea!) and headed for the DMV. After about 2 1/2 hours waiting for my number to be called I got a phone call from my doctor. She said my white blood cell count was .08 which means my immune system is not working very well. She said I had to monitor my temperature, stay away from sick people, and avoid large crowds.  I said "I am at the DMV, is this not a good thing?"  She kinda gasped and told me to go home. I was there for another hour and a half.  I did get my drivers license though. 
It was Tammy's 34th birthday on Wednesday... =>  or maybe her 35th...  ;) I lost track.   Anyway Happy Birthday!!  I am excited about her and Lisa and her family coming out to San Diego. I wish it was under better circumstances. I feel better about my surgery knowing they will be here.
I also want to say again how much I appreciate my San Diego family. I don't know what I would have done without their help and support. You are all awsome!!
Oh yea, Becki I got the box you sent. Cute Jamy's!  Thanks!

another good day

I woke up this morning with a icky tummy. I ran out of nausea meds. Albert took me to refill and give blood. After taking my pills we went out to lunch. Its amazing how well  these pills work!  I went to home depot to find a part for the pool that is being refinished in the back yard. I got everything but the correct thing.  I tried.  Anyway results in on blood tests: INR is good at 2.4, but white blood cell count is 1.8 which means my immune system is not working real well.  This is to be expected when going thru chemo. I just need to stay away from germs. Later in the afternoon I went walking with Heather the kids and my dog ozzy. There were alot of dogs at the school and ozzy ran so hard and fast I thought he would pass out, (which he did do when we got home.)  The excercise was good and I must do it more. Next blood draw is thursday. I get a few days off.  YEA!

2.3...YEA!!

My INR is 2.3 today. No more shots in my belly. I was starting to look like I had been shot with buckshot. Now my blood is very thin but that stops blood clots from forming.  I feel good today.

Good News

I received good news today.  My INR (bloods ability to clot) is 2.0....YEAAA!!! It needs to be between 2.0 and 3.0 to be able to stop daily injections. I need to be within these numbers for one more day then I can quit stabbing myself in the belly. Not Fun!  
I started making protein shakes yesterday. I have protein powder that I mix with Ensure and anything else I can put in,( ie. bananas, yogurt, orange juice, milk, strawberries....) I will be healthy for surgery!
Yesterday I had chemo and today I feel very run down and tired. But all in all I feel good. They changed my Thyroid meds again up to 137 mcg.  Because of the cancer and chemo my whole body system is outa whack, so changes are to be expected .
Linda made me a large picture frame that holds many pictures of my grandchildren. It is awsome. It is hanging on the wall at the end of my bed. If I am feeling low I just look at thier little faces  and I instantly grin and feel much better. I miss my daughter and her family very much.
I miss all of you but your always on my mind!!

Chemo day

Today was Chemo Day. Everything went good. I'm a little tired but otherwise I feel fine. Linda went with me. It was probably the most boring 5 hours she has had. My INR count (blood ) is finally going up. It is 1.4, yesterday 1.2, and the day before 1.3. Our goal is 2.0 so I can stop these daily injections. They kinda hurt.
Tammy is booking a flight the day before my surgery, June 27, so she can be with me for the next few days after.  Steve and Lisa are driving out that same weekend. Becky is going to try to come out for a few days after I leave the hospital. I hope you guys know how much I appreciate all your help and support. Though it does make me kinda wonder if I would have so many people come to help me if I lived in Bakersfield instead of San Diego...LOL.

Oh yea, today while I was doing Chemo, I went to the ladies room and discovered my pants were on inside out. Linda and I got a good laugh out of that. Well she is now on here daily walk and just called me to say she just discovered that here shirt is on inside out. LOL. I guess you had to be there.

Well I am still feeling kinda tired, so I am going back to bed.  I love you guys

New Hair

look at me! I grew hair! 

Well the truth is the American Cancer Society gives one free wig to cancer patients.  I like it alot.
The doctor told me that my tumor marker went from 355 down to 168, which  shows the chemo is working? Also my lungs sound good and I have no pain. YEA!! My INR or blood thinning numbers are still low, but I need to get my coumedin level adjusted. I am still giving myself shots in the belly ever day for this but hopefully that is temporary. I started taking steroids today to get ready for Chemo tomorrow.
I also talked to my daughter Jessi and my grandaughter August. YEA!! Today is a good day!

 

Uneventful is good

Not much goin on this weekend. I feel fine. Just kickin back all weekend. Heather,Ze and the kids are back home. I missed them and tea parties. Heather gave me a buzz cut today. All I had was baby fine wisps of hair. Its not a pretty look! When I first looked into the mirror I saw an ugly bald man. It will take time but I will get used to it, or maybe not.

I have a busy next few days. Tomorrow I have blood work done. Tuesday I have a doctors appointment to see what the results of the blood work are. Wednesday is Chemo day. This will be the last Chemo until my Surgery on the 28th, allegedly.
I will keep you all informed. I miss you all!!

False Alarm

I woke up early this morning at about 6:45.  My leg kinda throbbed but not bad. I headed out to get bloodwork and on the way I noticed my leg still hurt.  I started thinking it might be a clot, so I called the nurse. She said I should go  to emergency just to make sure.  To make a long story short, there was no clot. YEA!  I must of slept on it wrong. Anyway they took blood and my INR was down another point.  My new dosage should take care of that. I just cannot do my cheerleading. Oh well.

Tiago, I left Toby in SLC with Billy. I miss him alot. He will be back. Meanwhile him and Billy are bonding.  LOL!

I think Jessi and her family are at Disney Land in Paris. I am sure my grandkids, August and Emmett are having a blast. I miss all of them alot.

my hair, or the lack there of

Oh yea, I forgot to tell ya. My hair started coming out in handfuls. By tomorrow I should be a cone head. Maybe I will post a picture.........Maybe not.

bad/good day

Today I went to talk to Dr. Harrison, my oncology surgeon. While sitting in the waiting room I received a call from the coumadin clinic. They are the ones who are monitoring my coumadin levels. Coumadin is a blood thinner and I do not know how to spell it.  My INR, which is the rate at which my blood clots, is 1.2 which is pretty low. These are the levels they were watching in St Marks and would not let me leave until I was 2.1 which I did reach and was discharged. I feel fine but my inards... not so much. I am now on a higher dosage of coumadin and daily injections until my levels are between 2 and 3.  I will have my blood checked in the morning to check my levels again.....No Problemo!

Once I did see the surgeon he said to plan on surgery on June 28th.. I see him for a pre-surgery consultation on the 22nd.  He said I would be in the hospital for 3-4 days and then 6-8 weeks recovery time.  Sometime in that 6-8 weeks I will start 3 more sessions of chemo.  Its kinda scary but I do feel better knowing more about whats to come. The doctor said I need to get as healthy as I can  for surgery. Looks like I need to go food shopping.  You guys don't worry about me.  I'm gonna get over this and ready to start 2011cancer free!

Lazy Day

Today I had a lazy day. I stayed in bed most of the day and relaxed. Albert brought Ozzy over so  I had company. Ozzy is my dog and Albert is my ex. I did go into the lab and had blood drawn to adjust my Cumedan levels so I will not get another blood clot. I found out today that my blood clot was called a pulmonary embolism. Yuck, not fun. I have a appointment tomorrow with the oncology surgeons. Hopefully I will find out what comes next. All in all I feel pretty good and hope to stay that way.

here we go

On March 15th, 2010 I was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Since then many of my friends and family have shown alot of interest in what I am going thru and how I am feeling. This blog is for them.

I was admitted into St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City on May 18th. I had been in town for 3 days when my lungs felt funny. Fluid had been found in the lining of my right lung 3 times since I was diagnosed, so I new the drill. My plan was that I would go to St. Marks to have the fluid removed and then go home. X-rays and a cat scan showed very little fluid on my right lung, which was good, but also showed a blood clot in my left lung, which was bad. They poked and prodded me for the next 4 days while we waited for blood thinners to kick in. My white blood count was very low so they also filled me with antibiotics. I was finally released on May 22nd. My sister Luanna, her husband Chuck and my brother Jon accompanied me back to San Diego to make sure I was OK during the trip. They stayed overnight and left the next afternoon after a quick trip to the beach. They are awesome! I am home safe and sound and feeling fine. I have appointments tomorrow to do blood work, and on the 27th to talk to the surgeons. I hope they can give me a time frame for my surgery. I then have an appointment on June 2 for my second full treatment of chemo. The first session I had a bad reaction so I don't count that as a full treatment, but thats another story...