Radiation...

Tomorrow I will start the first of 35 radiation treatments. I met with Dr. Wilcox last Thursday and she thoroughly explained the process. I really think this will be a breeze- not a lot of side effects like the chemo. She said for me to expect a little tiredness and some skin irritation from the targeted areas. After I met with her, she did a scan of my upper body and decided what fields were going to be radiated. Then, get this...they took "Sharpie markers" (blue and black) and marked all over my body! I even asked if they were using surgical markers, but no- just Sharpie's from their desk drawers! I came out of there looking like Mallory Kate had used my body as her canvas for coloring! They then covered a lot of the marks with clear, circle stickers to prevent fading of the lines. These marks will stay on me for the 7 weeks. (And yes, Sharpie markers do rub off on your clothes if you were wondering!) Dr. Wilcox said that the radiation itself will take 1-2 minutes! It will take me longer to check in, get undressed, and dressed than the treatment itself. Amazing! Since I am going back to work in 1 1/2 weeks, I will have a late appointment each day- so I can go after school. I will be done by Spring Break- what a great time to celebrate!

On Monday, I met with Dr, Gococo for a follow up. I think it finally sunk in that I am done with chemo. That would have been the day that I needed another treatment, but thank God I made it through all 6 treatments! I feel better and better each day. Dr. Gococo did some lab work and things looked pretty good. My tumor markers from my last visit were high, but he seems to think it went to a different lab that uses a different scale or it was a fluke. He said he is keeping a very close eye on me and is not concerned at this point. He also felt a swollen lymph node under my right arm, but he said it wasn't hard which is a good thing. The doctors will continue to monitor every bump, pain, and ache that I feel to make sure I still have a clean bill of health. I will see Dr. Gococo again in 7 weeks, after radiation is completed. So, I am ready to get this ball rolling and to be done, just in time for the warm weather! :) Thanks for the continued prayers! XOXOXO

Here, there, and everywhere...

I haven't updated my blog in a while...maybe because things are starting to return to normalcy and that means going here, there, and everywhere. So what have we been doing? Well, Graham has been involved in Tae Kwon Do and started soccer practice last night. That is all consuming in of itself. We have practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and games on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays. Thank goodness Mallory Kate isn't old enough for all of this yet!

Daryl, my brother, and my nieces brought my grandmother up for this past weekend. We went to the circus and had a ball! Mallory Kate stayed home with "Honey", as we call my grandmother. I really didn't want to walk the halls of the Bi-lo Center with a 2 year old trying to distract her from all of the light-up toys that cost an arm and a leg! Maybe she'll be old enough next year to sit and enjoy it. On Sunday, I took Honey and Mallory Kate to Alabama to visit with my Aunt Mari. We had a great visit, but it is always good to get home and settled back in at your own house!

I have felt great lately! I guess I have forgotten how it feels to feel good. I have a lot of energy now and if it weren't for a constant reminder of my bald head, I wouldn't know that I was in a battle fighting cancer! And speaking of a bald head...I can now say I am growing hair! My head is now covered with blonde "peach fuzz" and you can even see my hair line! This is exciting and I hope it continues to grow this fast. Graham said that my head looks like Grandad's used to look! Haha! And let me tell you, I will be sporting a "new do" as soon as I have enough hair to cover my scalp! My eyelashes and eyebrows never came out, although they thinned a little- thank goodness for good mascara! Anyways, what's next? I meet tomorrow with the radiation oncologist, Dr. Wilcox. She'll have to "map" and "mark" me and see how much radiation I'll need. I believe I'll start radiation next week. I will go every day, Monday through Friday, for 7 weeks. The appointments are short, NOTHING like chemo! I am told I will be in and out in 30 minutes...yeah! The radiation itself takes less than 5 minutes. I am planning on returning to work on March 2nd....I am so ready! I want to return to routines and get back to "normal" as my family once knew it! I have had a wonderful substitute in my class which I'm sure the kids will miss. But hopefully it will be an easy transition back. My school is also doing a Relay for Life team in my name this year. Our team goal is $10,000...which I'm sure we will meet! The theme of our team is "100 Women for 1 Woman." We plan to get 100 people on our team, each raising $100+. You can check out our web page here and even donate through the website. I'd love to have your support, so if you're interested in joining our team, all of the information is located there. I will get to walk the "Survivor Lap"- that just gave me chills as I typed that! That will be a moving experience I'm sure that I am really looking forward to!

Thank you again for all the support and prayers...we still need it! We are getting closer and closer to closing this chapter of our lives in hopes to never have to go here again.