Missing in Action

Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been feeling kind of blah lately. My last treatment kind of stuck with me. I don't know what it is but the nausea seems to be sticking around longer.

Not much has really been going on. Just trying to close some loans which hasn't really been happening. All the changes to the market, the amount of foreclosures and now the California Wildfires is really making lenders take a second look before lending. Fortunately, no one that I know was affected by the wildfires but I feel so sorry for all those people who were affected. The last I heard, 1800 homes were destroyed and 7 people died because of the fires. What a horrible disaster!!

Yesterday, I got A MUGA Scan done. The MUGA scan (MUltiple Gated Acquisition scan) is a noninvasive test that produces a moving image of the heart. From this image, the health of the heart’s major pumping chamber (the left ventricle) can be assessed. Adriamycin (generic name – doxorubicin) is a chemotherapeutic drug that is commonly used, in combination with other drugs, in the treatment of cancer. A serious problem with Adriamycin is that it can be toxic to the heart muscle, and can lead to heart failure.

A MUGA scan is performed by attaching a radioactive substance, Technetium 99, to red blood cells, then injecting the red blood cells into the patient’s bloodstream. (The level of radiation to which a patient is exposed during this test is considered minimal.) The patient is then placed under a special camera (a gamma camera), and with some fancy computer manipulation, a “movie” of the beating heart is made. From this moving image, the MUGA scan gives an accurate and reproducible way to measure the ejection fraction of the left ventricle.

Today, I had my 9th chemo treatment. For some reason, I felt sick half way through. Catherine (my nurse) gave me all my anti-nausea medicine but for some reason it wasn't enough. After treatment, I came home and rested. I'm feeling a little better now but I think I'm hitting the hay early tonight.

I have another PET Scan scheduled for Tuesday. When I met with Dr. Tomita on Tuesday, she said that I am probably going to go for at least a full 7 Cycles or 14 treatments. So with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years in there, I am hoping that I will be done with Chemo by January 15th. I was really hoping to be done by Christmas but chances are I won't be. I would rather be safe than sorry.

I am so tired of cancer and chemotherapy; it is so draining. I have gained about 30 pounds since I was diagnosed with cancer. Between the fact that I quit smoking and also the anti-nausea medicine I take has steroids. Dr. Tomita is okay with the weight gain. She would rather see weight gain than weight loss. I guess I understand, it just sucks. How many of you know about THE BIGGEST LOSER on NBC? I have religiously watched it for the past 4 years and many times thought about applying to be on the show. Anyway, I am going to use everything they do to loose weight once I am done with cancer. I have the Biggest Loser Book, Cookbook, Calorie Counter and Fittness book. I just need to get the workout DVD's that they have and a membership to the gym and I'm set. I'm reading all the books now, so I can be more educated when it comes to dieting. I've tried many diets in the past and I've lost weight, I just don't keep it off. So I'm actually going to get the whole family involved. The girls loved it when we had our membership to the gym before because they have areas for them to go to. The Biggest Loser isn't just a diet, it's a life style change.

Well not much else is going on, so I'm going to go rest for awhile. I hope everyone is doing well. If anyone has some healthy recipes to share I would love to have them.

xoxo

A New Me

Yes, it's me. I finally decided it was time for a wig. I can't handle the way my hair looks anymore. So what does everyone think?

I had Chemo yesterday. I kind of kicked my butt this time. I got some good rest though and was up at 7:00 this morning. Which is very unusual for me. Today, I'm feeling pretty good so I am going to meet up with Arian for lunch. Arian and I use to work at Hidalgo Properties together and we both went our seperate ways from there. So it's been a while since I've seen her. I can't wait.

Besides that last Wednesday we had the carpet replaced throughout the house. It was actually because the carpet that was in the house when Nana purchased this house had dye issues so the mill replaced it at no cost to us. Good thing about buying a new house and having a husband in the business. He noticed the problems with the carpet right away. The thing that we have to do now is put the kids romms back together. They've decided they want to share a room so they can have a play room. So that is my big project.

Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and show everyone my new dew. I hope everyone is well and I hope you have a great weekend.

xoxo

Catching Up

I thought I would do one more post for September. Last Thursday, Debbie and I went and got pedicure's done. OOOHHHH, how relaxing that was. I haven't done that in months. Thanks Deb, I wish we had some more time to hang out though. Sandy and Marcia got me a gift certificate to a spa that I can't wait to use. Thank you Sandy and Marcia.

Josh found out late last week that he didn't end up getting the job at Home Depot. They ended up hiring internally and told him they would hold onto his application. THAT TOTALLY SUCKS!!! I was really hoping that he would get a good job with benefits. This whole Cobra Insurance is KILLING us and of course we are pushed up against a brick wall because I have to have insurance. The only way for me to be covered is to get on group insurance. So hopefully Josh will find something else soon. I am really hoping that the PET Scan comes back clean next time so I can finish up on Chemo early. I need to find a second job and I can't really do that until I'm better. I can't risk getting sick and I need to make sure I'm resting as much as I can.

I am working on getting all my receipts together so I can turn them into the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They will reimburse up to $500 a year. Considering my insurance premium is $900 a month, I pretty sure I will qualify for the full $500. It will probably take a several weeks to get but its better than nothing.

I wanted to thank those of you that have participated in Taylor's fundraiser for Science Camp. It truly means a lot to us. Taylor has even been earning money helping Great Nana with house chores. For those of you that don't know, Josh's Nana bought a house behind ours that she is fixing up and going to turn around and sell once she is done. The house has so much potential and if anyone is going to do it right, its gonna be Nana.

Taylor and Hailey are doing really good in school this year. Taylor came home last week very excited because she got an A on her spelling test and a B on her math test. Hailey is reading really well now. She comes home and grabs a notepad and just starts writing stories. Her spelling isn't perfect but she sure is trying. Both Hailey and Taylor are making tons of friends. Taylor has been exchanging phone numbers with her friends. I've already had to tell one of her friends not to call so late. It was a little after 8:00 but on a school night I like the girls to be in bed no later than about 8:30 and that particular night the girls were acting up and went to bed at 8:00. I can't believe how fast they grow up.

The girls are getting excited for Halloween. Of course they haven't made up their mind on what they want to be this year but I'm sure it will be good. The 10th annual Pumpkin Maze is open. www.pumpkinmaze.com They have a huge pumpkin maze, a pumpkin blaster, haunted house and so much more. They do the maze different each year. The picture I downloaded is from their website.

Not much else has really been going on here. Just trying to keep ourselves in one piece. It's time for some more anti-nausea pills, so I'm gonna go but I will write more soon. Love you all!!! Take care!!

xoxo

PET SCAN RESULTS

GREAT NEWS!!!! THE PET SCAN SHOWED DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT. MY DOCTOR IS VERY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS. SHE SAID WE MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO CUT OFF A TREATMENT OR TWO. SHE HAS SCHEDULED ME TO GET ANOTHER PET SCAN DONE THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER. SO I COULD BE DONE WITH CHEMO BY DECEMBER 7TH. THAT WILL PUT ME AT 6 FULL CYCLES, IF NOT AND WE DECIDE TO GO THE FULL 8, I WILL BE DONE FEBRUARY 1ST. SEEMS LIKE FOREVER BUT I KNOW IT'S REALLY NOT. I'M A LOT CLOSER TO KICKING CANCER'S ASS THAN I WAS 3 MONTHS AGO, SO I CAN'T COMPLAIN.

JOSH SHOULD BE STARTING ORIENTATION AT HOME DEPOT ANYTIME NOW. HE WAS HIRED AS "DEPARTMENT HEAD FOR LUMBER". WE ARE VERY EXCITED BECAUSE THEY OFFER FULL BENEFITS. SO HOPEFULLY, I CAN BE COVERED UNDER HIS INSURANCE IN 90 DAYS. THE COBRA PREMIUM I AM PAYING NOW IS RIDICULOUS.

ANYWAY, NOT MUCH ELSE IS GOING ON. I JUST TALKED TO MY NURSE AND MY BLOODWORK LOOKS GOOD, SO I HAVE CHEMO IN THE MORNING. I HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING WELL.

XOXO

Interesting

I received this email and I thought I would share it with everyone. Have fun and enjoy!!

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%.
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400.
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000.
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
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Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of th huan nid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
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YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.