July 14, 2012

• July – The Halfway Point

  Yay!!!

  Xanga is letting me upload a few pictures, today!

  I have lots of news and wanted to wait until I could post pictures at the same time.

  We have reached the halfway mark between homeschool ending and public school beginning.  Within the next 2 weeks, the staff will return to public school and we should be hearing from them.  They need to give academic tests to Annamarie (who will be in special ed classes) and Rissy, so the girls can be placed in the right classes and receive the help they need.

  I still need to teach Rissy how to convert fractions to percents and decimal numbers.  I know she won’t be strong in that area, but at least, when the math part is taught in class, she will have heard about it and recall some of what she was taught.

  Our granddaughter, Jaiden (the youngest), is visiting us for a month.  She lives in Denver and the weather has been a huge adjustment for her.  She has my 3 girls and Angie’s one little girl to play with, and they go round and round playing together and forming different little groups.  Sometimes those become points of arguments, but Angie and I have tried to stay on top of it all. 

  Too many chiefs and not enough Indians!

    

  After reviewing all of my neck to tailbone MRIs, bone scan, CT scan,  and brain MRI a few things will change for me.  My blood work has shown an increase in an area that tells when there are rapidly changing cells (like cancer).  Mine has started to go  up each month – out of the range of normal.  So, they are changing my medicine around AND have seen an area of cancer (very small) in my  sacrum and left hip.  It’s where I have always had pain and the hip area was questioned in 2009 – when they first diagnosed my cancer.  

  However, all of the other areas, that previously had cancer, have shown improvement each time the MRIs are taken and, this time, have shown improvement, once again.  My oncologist thinks it’s possible the hip and sacrum are old cancer that has been reduced by chemo.  I’ve never had a picture of the sacrum taken, so, there is nothing that can be used as a comparison. 

  What does all that mean?  I will have to undergo radiation therapy to my hip and sacrum.   I visit the radiology oncologist next Thursday.

  I’d like to wait until August to begin, because I want to be alert during the girls’ IEP meetings at public school.  I know how fatigued the radiation will make me feel and I will be “out of it” for a couple of months, while I recover.  The girls being properly placed is of huge importance to me.

        

  Also, I STILL haven’t had my front tooth replaced and want that done before I start radiation.  The oncologist seemed to think that was a wise plan.   She and I don’t think putting radiation off a few weeks will make any huge difference.  BUT . . . The sooner I start the treatments, the sooner my low back and  hip pain will be eased.

  The cat, Daniel, continues to grow like a wildfire.  He has also caused me much grief.  He’s a biter and used to claw, too.  The clawing has stopped completely, but he still bites and draws blood.  My arms look like glass shattered and cut me.  

  Several times, I’ve been tempted to get rid of him and each time he behaves better the very next day and doesn’t go backwards in his training.  In his quiet moments, he’s just the sweetest thing. 

  From what I gather (by reading and talking with my vet), he was taken from the litter too soon and wasn’t ready to stop suckling.  He sucks on my knuckle and kneads and sucks the plush bathroom throw rug. 

  Another clue is that he didn’t play with his siblings and wasn’t disciplined by them and the mother cat – so he doesn’t realize how hard he is playing with me.   The disciplining has become my job.  Yeah, well . . .   Anyway, I’m trying to be “patient” with him and he is definitely moving in a positive direction. 

  I’ve never had a kitten as rough as him, and I have found I don’t know as much about cats as I thought!

    
               Annamarie                     Rissy                           Adrienne                Jaiden

  I think that’s most of the important stuff.  I’ve had lots of appointments for the girls and me and I’ve been slowly collecting school clothes, backpacks, and school supplies.   To date, I’ve had a busy summer. 

  Angie and I have had the chance to spend some time together visiting, and I treasure that time with all my heart.

  Jesse continues to work hard, keeping early up & gone and late return to home hours each day, except Sundays.  Angie has also been such a nice pair of extra hands.  We share cooking, but I think she takes more days than me and I’m enjoying someone else’s cooking.  She’s a good cook, but different from me.  And, she makes a killer breakfast menu!!! 

  She also cleans my bathroom floor and spa tub while the girls and I are gone on Tuesdays.  I’m unable to reach (AT ALL, anymore) and my upper back has worsened in that I have Charlie horse spasms between my shoulders when I reach or stretch too far.  That’s not just cancer damage, some is degenerative damage. 

  I’ll try to update here, as my teeth are fixed and my radiation treatments begin.

  If any of you are inclined to pray, I will wholeheartedly accept each of your prayers!

  Be Blessed  ~

  • 2:51 pm
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