Not Much To Report

I saw the other plastic surgeon Monday, and he concurred with the first one's assessment about how reconstruction might not be successful. However, this man did discuss other options and what I would have to do to get into shape for it. At least he gave me some hope. So, I should be seeing him again in March or so.

Fatigue is still a problem when it hits. (Ya wouldn't want to be anywhere near me at those times, cuz I'm just as liable to bite your head off!)

My brother and two of my sisters flew in yesterday. Connie brought some pictures of our cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. One of the pictures shows the eight aunts sitting on chairs or benches with their husbands standing directly behind them. The women are all dressed in their Sunday best dresses, while the men are all wearing suits and ties. You could tell these men were all farmers, though, by the white foreheads. It's a very handsome group. The only one still alive today is Aunt Huldah.

Now for all you cousins out there....Bill used to tell me this, but I just never believed it, that I was Grandma's favorite. Well, Connie brought proof and a picture of her and me that I had never seen before. Grandma had written little notes to her kids and grandkids in a little notebook but had never mailed them: A note dated Nov. 11, 1952, said:
Dear Margret (she never could get the spelling right on my name!...On a crocheted box for me she had written "Margarit" But Grandma came to this country when she was 8 years old after learning how to read and write in German. So her English and handwriting were just beautiful!)

Nov. 11, 1952
Dear Margret My Little
Pal. my sweet little gal
heard you are sick
you better snap out of it
quick
That old Mumps
will soon be a thing of
the past and Grandma
will be so glad
Santa Claus will soon
come here
To look for you Dear
God Bless you All
love G.Ma

Connie had mounted the picture and note like they do in scrapbooking, and of course I was moved to tears.

Medical Appointments

I saw my radiologist Monday. She was pleased with everything, and said I could either see her in 3 months or not--only if I see my oncologist instead. So, it looks like she's signed off on me.

Because I wasn't seeing any real need for it anymore, I thought Monday would also be my last physical therapy session. However, Sarah worked on my scar tissue, and it made such a dramatic noticeable effect, that I will be continuing that for awhile.

Today I got a new nose piece for my CPAP--oh, did I ever mention that I have sleep apnea? Hopefully, this new design will work better for me since I've been breaking out with red blotches on my face where the headgear rests.

Finally, today I saw my oncologist. My WBC's are at 9.1, Platelets are 298, reds are 4.6, and hematocrit is 37.4. All nicely within normal ranges. He said they'd call me if my liver and kidney functions were out of range. Otherwise, I don't have to see the whites of their eyes until December 18th! wooohooo! The protocol now is 3 month checkups up to 2 years, (or maybe one year--I can't remember), then 6 months, etc. They will be checking my CLL at the same time. After the breast cancer checkups, I'll just be seeing them either every 3 or 6 months, depending on how fast my whites go up. Otherwise, he said I need another couple weeks of rest before I go back to work. I'll take it!

Next Monday, I see another plastic surgeon. He's the one everybody here brags about--it's too bad I didn't see him to begin with, and that was because my surgeon was under the impression that this doctor did not accept my insurance plan.

I attended an IA leadership meeting the other night, and I realized I can't be going back to my other civic duties for awhile yet. My body just yells, "NO!" I had tried to do some political picketing awhile back, but even then, I could go only about 1/2 hour before calling it quits. I found that phone calling is also hard for me to do. And here the last election cycle I worked at campaign headquarters at least 3-4 nights a week plus some doorbelling on weekends.

Baby TJ is growing and thriving. My daughter sent some pictures with both him and his daddy in Seahawks jerseys. He's already changed so much. I plan to see him again next week.

Thank you all for being with me through all this--albeit in spirit if not in flesh. I'll report again next week. M

TJ

Our "baby" had her first baby last Monday, August 28th. He was a bit big and wasn't able to come into the world the usual way, so after 19 hours of trying, he came by Caesarean. TJ's daddy and Aunt M were in the room with "Mommy." M was taking pictures. What a big beautiful (yes, I'm using the word beautiful for a boy--get over it!) boy! He was 9 lbs., 3 oz., 21-1/2 inches long, and his footprints were bigger than the cards they put them on. Yes, TJ has huge feet! And he's so perfect.

His mother's hematocrit was at 18 last they checked. Even the doctor couldn't believe that she could walk into her office. They talk about blood transfusions, but are trying iron, first.

I hated to leave yesterday, but I had to get back for my PT appointments. Plus, it's kinda funny watching two anemic women trying to get stuff done. Luckily, there's another set of grandparents and aunts and uncles on the coast to help out.

Today is also the first day of school. Part of me wants to be there, and another part says, "What? Are you nuts?" So I try to make a dent into the backlog of household chores. This ain't no fun at all, folks.