Mmmmmm.....

My niece Rachel made these for me for my Birthday.  YUM!!!

 She made these delicious little morsels for my birthday. They were so tasty and so colorful. I think they are just beautiful. She did an amazing job. Even with the blazing sun trying to kiss the frosting off them they still looked amazing ♥

Happy Birthday To Me

I am 46 years old today .... 220 pounds lighter than last year and going through Chemo .... what a life eh?

It has been quite a ride for the past two years.  No one can say I lead a dull life.

First Chemo Treatment

I am just going to copy this from a forum I posted on .. I'm too tired to write it all out again lol ... forgive me.

I'm home ... finally ... I knew the first day was going to be long but holy schmoly!

I had 3 hours of consultation with the team and had to watch a video .... get an EKG or EEG I guess they call it now... had to have a series of blood work and then Chemo finally started about 11:30  That lasted till 4:30.   My sister had to leave to take my brother in law to work so she didn't get back to the hosp until 5:15 so I just hung out watching TV lol

It wasn't too bad ... I can say that now because it takes a few days for the bad stuff to start if it does start.  The only sure things is I will be very very tired and I will loose my hair .. all the other symptoms may or may not happen depending on how my body handles it.

I had a bit of a reaction to straight Benedryl to the blood stream ...my hands and feet started twitching .. that was a site lol.   So then came a shot of Adavan and I was out like a light .. I slept through the whole thing.  They woke me up when it was over.

And yes the Port was awesome.  It was a pretty damn good pinching feeling when the hook needle went in .. but then it was over and didn't hurt through the entire procedure.

I went out so fast I forgot to tell my sis to take a pic of the rigging - I will next time

Now I have to be back tomorrow morning for a Nulasta shot .. that will help keep my white blood cell count up. 

Then I have to have blood tests called NADIR's every thursday through out this treament series so they can keep a close eye on my levels.  The biggest worries are infection and anemia.  Either can drop to fatal levels in a heartbeat .... that was a comforting thought.

But I have my Germ X right beside me and and a purse full of masks ... I will look like Jacko back in the glory days :D

So that's the scoop! ♥

Wig Fitting

I had a wig fitting today at GFH.  It was quite a relief to know that they donate the wig.  They are an all encompassing Cancer Center and gift all initial wigs so you don't have to worry about having no hair.  That came as quite a relief since all wigs I have seen are 75 - 300 dollars depending on what you want and length.   I thought I might have to break out the straw wig from Halloween lol!

The Gal that helped me was very friendly and helpful.  I found a style that isn't too bad.  I thought I would have to wait 2 weeks for it but she let me take it then and there.  She also gave me a few turbans.  Not sure if I will wear them.  I'm not really a turban type gal. 





I have to thank my sister who made the calls and figured this all out for me.  I haven't been dealing so well with everything and the day is looming closer and closer.  So she made a few calls and told me to be ready to go first thing in the morning lol .... she loves me ♥

The Steri Strips are off

The steri strips came off the port itself but they are still stuck pretty good to the vein incision.  It looks like a bottle cap got stuck under my skin.  You can see the bruising below my tattoo ... but a lot of the swelling has gone down and I can move my head around fairly well again.

Getting use to my Port

It's been over a week since my port was installed.  I can finally move my head from side to side.  I felt like I had a stiff neck for quite a few days.  Driving was an adventure, especially if I had to look behind me ... turning ones whole body to look back is not as easy as it sounds.

Here are a couple pics from the day of and recently.

The day of the procedure:



Where the port is located:



With the dressing off:



With the steri strips off the port incision - there is still a good deal of bruising below my tattoo:



The procedure itself wasn't too bad at all.  It was local anesthesia and I fell asleep at one point.  There were a couple tense moments but it only lasted a short time.  When I came around it was all over with and I have my port.  It doesn't really hurt anymore just gives me a bit of an icky feeling when I turn a little to far and I can feel it pull inside.  I imagine I will get used to that though. 

Chemo starts this coming Thursday -  At least my prescription plan came through and I got all the meds I needed to be able to start.   Part of me is ok about it and another part of me is terrified.  

Depending on how I feel I will try to update this as soon as I can.  Wish me luck :) 

Tomorrow is the day.

I have to be at the Hospital at 7 am tomorrow to have my port installed.  I have to say I am a bit anxious.  But having had the filter put in for my bypass I sort of know what to expect. It's the same procedure relatively speaking.  

My sister is going with me. She will  have to drive me home as I will be a little out of it for a few hours after.  I'm not being put completely out but having enough of the good stuff to keep me ga-ga for a few hours. 

I got the call yesterday that my Chemo will start on June 24th.   My Birthday is the 26th .. so Happy Birthday to me lol .... actually I'm glad to get things underway.  Waiting is torture!  ... and not the good kind ;o)