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!