Surprises from Friends Far and Near and One more Treatment in the Past

Christmas cactus blossom

I love the bright colors of this plant's beautiful blossoms! So I picked it from my earlier pictures of the year.  The plant has been blooming a couple of times a year and the loping blossoms are artistically intriguing.  Having the colorful flowers in my yard and in my home are especially pleasing to me.  I am so grateful to my dear friends and neighbors who are making it possible this year by watering, planting, weeding, trimming, mowing, etc. for me.  They remind be of the old childhood story that I loved of "The Elves and the Shoemaker".  They, like the elves in the story, seem to come in the night, do their work, and are gone before I can see them.  I am grateful and richly blessed.
This week was treatment 5-only 7 more to go.  It has gone like most of the others of this round.  I get really sleepy during and after the treatment.  I come home, eat something, and sleep for a couple of hours.  Then I feel pretty good.  This week I went to Walgreen's to get some reading glasses I have been needing.  ( I am pretty sure using my phone so much these last few months has made that necessary.  When my cataract surgery was done, my eyes were 20/20 and I didn't need them.) Then I went to the grocery.  I hadn't been doing those things. I was really tired when I got home and Shawn put things away for me, but it was nice to do them.  I find that what the doctors have told me is true.  They used the term fatigue.  I say weak. What is, is that I can't do very much before the well is dry and I need to rest and very often feel sick if I don't sleep.  However, I am very grateful that I feel so much better than I did during round 1 of the chemo.  I am able to get a number of small tasks done and enjoy family, friends, and life more.
Thanks again for your love, prayers, cards, emails, and acts of kindness.  This week I received two surprises a card from a high school friend I haven't seen for a long time and a call from a friend of about 20 years ago.  What precious gems!

June-The Beginning of Summer, the 2nd part of Chemo Treatments, and Other Changes

Well summer is officially here!  Time seems to march along at a pretty fast pace.  I love the beautiful sunny days and to see the beautiful flowers and green grass,
Since this round of treatment is not as rugged, I am able to enjoy things more too.  I am grateful.  The cycle seems to be a little different.  My treatments are on Tuesdays.  I am really tired when I get home because of the things they give with the chemo.  Sometimes I sleep for awhile.  When I wake up, I feel pretty good.  Some of the weeks I have a hard time sleeping that night.  Wednesdays I feel pretty good.  These days including Thursday mornings I sometimes begin to think I can do all kinds of things.  I'm learning to stop myself, because it is too easy to over do.  Thursdays and Fridays I don't feel as well and rest a kit more.  A key to how I feel seems to be making sure that I rest,  The miracle of sleep!
This month is also different as my kids aren't able to be around.  Shannon and family have been very busy with Andrea graduating and John and Jake finishing up the school year.  Sheila and Lance just got possession of their first home together last weekend.  This week it has been new roof, preparing for new flooring, painting, etc.  Suzanna is just 2 weeks away from the scheduled delivery of Nathan and Leigha-unless they come sooner.  Shawn works each day in SLC, so he leaves about 8 and returns about 7.  I am being blessed with friends and visiting teachers checking in on me these days,  I love the visits and opportunities to see friends and to get to know others better as they help me with things I don't have the strength to do now. It us good.

Now on the Downward Side of 20 Weeks of Chemo Treatments!

Today is a good day!  It was treatment 4 of part 2 of my chemo.  I am over half way in the total chemo process!
Today I visited with my oncologist for the first time since I have been taking them weekly.  One of the first things he asked was, "How are you enjoying these taxol treatments..." I was thinking, "enjoy" is an interesting word to use?" when he continued, "compared to the first?",  These treatments have been much better.  I am very short on energy and tire very easily.  Then I feel pretty bad, so I try to rest when I get tired and to rest when I am going to have visitors or have some place to go.  I love feeling better, feel like I want to do things, and thinking about life in the future. It is exciting.  There are some side effects.  One that has appeared this week has been some pain and sensitivity in my fingertips and toes.  During the last week of the first part of my chemo, the soles of my feet peeled.  I am encouraged about my blood count.  At the beginning it was good.  After some of the treatments, it, as expected, went down,  (From average range 44 to a little anemic 32 to more 29 the first of this month.)  Today it is back to a little anemic 33.  This chemo is not as hard in this way.  Some days I am really tired, don't feel very good, and don't do very much, but each is better than many of days following the first treatment.  One of the things I have gained in this experience is my love and respect for the miraculous body Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I know I have taken if for  granted.  I also pray for it.  It is working exceptionally hard for me right now.

I have been so blessed to have each of my children available to go with me to those first scary doctor's appointments, tests, been there for surgeries and first days following surgeries, the first treatments and those hard days following them, etc.  I so appreciate them and their sacrifices (and their families'). I am richly blessed.  This month they have family responsibilities which require them to be with their families and Shawn in gone long days in SLC working.  However, I am doing so much better and my dear friends, visiting teachers and home teacher from church are coming in the days following my treatments to visit for a short time and/or do little things that I don't have the energy to do. Again in is a testimony and reminder to me of the great love of my Heavenly Father has for me (each of us) and that He is ever mindful of me and my needs.

Thank you for your love, prayers, cards, emails, and friendship.  It means to much to me.

More consistent Posts Coming

I haven't posted very consistently, because it wasn't very easy on my phone or Kindle and I didn't get downstairs to the computer very often.  This weekend I received this laptop. One of the reasons I wanted it is so I cam blog better.  I am confident it will help.

Over Half Way!!!

\Tuesday, June 10th marked the half way mark of my chemo treatments calendar wise.  It had been 10 weeks since the first treatment and there were 10 more weeks til the last scheduled one.
It has been interesting to me to realized how  overwhelming the 12 weeks if weekly treatments has been.  Once they began and I realized the number was getting smaller, I can tell a difference mentally.  Now I have only 8 more weeks if this treatment!!
Thanks for your prayers, love, and support,