Keep on Keeping on...

We had a great trip and a wonderful time with friends in Panama City. The weather was great, which provided us with great boating and wave runner days. We had breakfast with the Kleins, our Romanian friends, shopped, ate, had a wonderful dinner with the Proulx's and friends, and had an "old neighborhood" party and dinner with the Brites. It couldn't had been better....and it kept my mind off the reality that RADIATION was waiting at home for me. I am now "8" down and "25" to go. Every week day I have to stop my day and be at Ft. Sanders at 3:40pm. I am very grateful that the time wasn't smack in the middle of the day. So far I feel good, not too tired, and all skin remains intact. I got a prescription yesterday for a cream that is suppose to help my skin and hopefully keep me from burning. Jim is going with me today so that he can see just what this is all about. We both are off from work today. Our son-in-law, Brittany's husband Dave, was deployed with the 844 Engineers Reserves this morning. If anyone reads this before 5 they will be on "LIVE At FIVE" today and Dave and Eva's picture is on the front web page of WBIR.COM. We are SO proud of him and know that he is in GOD'S hands.

Rick and Vickie came over for dinner on Tuesday night. We brought oysters and shrimp from the beach. He is still going to therapy 3 times a day, and doing great. He is using a cane, but says he thinks he's about to get rid of it. His balance is very much improved. Continue to uplift Rick in your prayers. He is a miricle !

On your mark..get set...GO !

It was a breeze !! Not like a summer breeze, or the ocean breeze, but I plugged in the ipod and took myself somewhere else besides that cold room and cold table they make you lie on. I was finally glad to get this "show on the road" and make some steps forward. My time for the daily routine for the next 7 weeks will be 3:40pm, with exceptions as needed. I was just glad they didn't sign me up for an early morning time. I DO NOT do well early in the mornings. It took 10 minutes or so to set the machine up and to line it up with the "markings" they have made around the site. Then it took only about another 10 minutes to finish the radiation. Everyone has been really kind there and compassionate. The biggest complaint is that being that I am a punctual person, and like things done in a timely manner, I waited an hour to get started yesterday and 30 minutes past my appointment today. I understand, being in the medical field, but I vision all the things I could be getting accomplished, while I'm sitting there. I will keep everyone updated ! THANKS !
My friend who had surgery yesterday did great. I stopped by to see her yesterday afternoon and she was awake and in good spirits. She went home today. Thanks for your prayers for her.

Prayer !

This morning my dear friend Martha is having a bilateral mastectomy. Please hold her dear sweet soul in your prayers today. She has a very postive attitude but stated last night the she is apprehensive about today. She is married, has children , step-children and lives in Knoxville.
I go back to the Radiologist Oncologist today to be "marked" for radiation and start therapy tomorrow.

Finally a PLAN !!!

The wait is over and I finally have some direction and a plan. I saw Dr Meyers, the radiologist/oncologist yesterday. It was a very long day. I was there a 10:30a and left at 4:30pm. I had a two hour break and went over to sweet Kay Fillingim's house to visit. She was just what I needed and a strong cup of coffee. Dr. Meyers was an extremely compassionate man and talked with me for over an hour about two different options for treatment. One would take a week, and the other 6 weeks. We discussed all the pros/cons and after having a CT scan (to make the story short) I was not a candidate for the one week treatment. He then explained, step by step the 6 week process and with my "calendar" close at hand we mapped out the plan. I had to have another CT scan to so that they could "mark" me. They actually make marks on my skin that stay until the radiation is over. I will go back on Tuesday the 10th for another CT scan and the radiation will start on Wednesday. I will go once a day for 33 treatments total. He is going to let me skip 3 days so that we can take Isabella and Rachel to Panama City for a few days, and so I can visit with my dear friends, who mean so much to me. I will resume therapy the day after we get back.

Today, I saw Dr. Ibach, the Oncologist. Again, I very, very nice man, who took his time, explained options, the whys and why not's and made the whole process painless. He talked to me about an "experimental study" that Thompson Cancer Center is doing, which I fit the criteria for. After much discussion and again looking at my calendar I decided not to do it. It would be studied up to 15 years and the treatment plan he has is efficient at this time. They took 8 tubes of blood, which is more blood than most of the babies I take care of have in their whole system. He is going to determine from this blood work if I will be able to take the drug TAMOXIFAN, which is indicated for my cancer. I won't know that for a couple of weeks, but I wouldn't start taking it until about the 6 weeks of radiation anyway.

I think for the first time yesterday I felt like something was really wrong. It was the first time that I felt unsure of what decisions to make. I called my buddy Donna as soon as I was presented with options and she helped me to process it all. Thanks for the support WD! When I went to bed last night I was tearful, not boo-hoo, but just tears of "I guess this is real". Wow, who would think that life was smack you in the face with this. I know that I have a lot of living to do, and this is only going to be a temporary thing. I will march on, do what the doctors tell me to do, and maybe for once I will "try" to rely on support from others. Thanks for all your love !!!!

I went to see Rick and he is doing great. He is progressing to a cane for part of the time. He is working on short term memory skills, cognitive thinking, (math problems) and is staying positive. He is very aware of when he can't complete his sentences or when he can't find just the right word. Your prayers are working and the magic and healing is occurring everyday. He thanks you and so does the rest of our family. I will keep you posted.

Love, ANNIE

Update from surgeon and the next plan.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I went back to Dr. Brown last Thursday the 26th. He was very pleased with the way my incision was healing. He said that he took out a little more than "golf ball" size tissue, and that there were actually two spots of cancer removed. Sure hope he's confident that he got it! He certainly seemed confident. He now has referred me to Dr. Myers, who is a radiologist at Thomas Cancer Center. I will see him this Thursday and to Dr. Ibach ( not sure on that spelling) the oncologist, who I will see on Friday. So now it's another week of
"let's wait and see". Dr. Brown says he thinks I will have a total of 33 radiation treatments, but I guess I will know the real answer after I see Dr. Myers. And the rest of the story will come after I see the oncologists. It seems that every thing I see now is about Cancer. Today while at the grocery store the LEAN CU SINE box was pink for cancer, the news paper had a whole article about a lady with the same DCIS cancer and over the weekend I found a piece of jewelry in Maggies jewelry box that was a gold circle with the pink ribbon, and I never ever saw her wear it, nor had I seen it in there before. I guess she was trying to tell me something. That's just how she would do it too. Tomorrow I am going back to work. I worked on Friday, but teaching a class. I am ready to go back, but I have some anxiety, and I'm not sure just why. Just keep praying for me.... It's working!