It was time for parent teacher conferences on Tuesday and Thursday so I went at my regular time 7 when it was dark and left after conferences a bit past 7and it was dark. I don't like going and leaving work when it is dark. I worked late on Wednesday to make getting ready for Rebecca easier on Friday. It ended up being a very long 4 day week. Oh, and to top it off, on Wednesday one of my girls came to me and asked if she could go to the restroom and I said yes. She went in and came out and over to me and said "the toilet is all blogged up". What good news! Thankfully I was in my best week to handle everything. A side effect of this chemo is joint pain, which has caught up to me this week. I have taken a pain pill each day when I couldn't stand it any longer. I am not sure how effective they were. My sister and Charme' would say to take them earlier, but I hate taking all this medicine.
This week was I was feeling the love. It is so nice to be remembered. I got a prayer shawl in the mail from Carol, I love it. Can you guess the color - yes purple and white! A card came from a couple in Janet's sunday school class, wow my sister is really loved and by association I am too! My sister also sent the most sinful Moose Munch, however I wish you hadn't been on call and could of been here with us. A card also came from Sally, a friend, ,and sorority sister. During conferences several of my parents asked how I was feeling. Ann thank you for the note of encouragement, I saw it Friday morning before chemo. Jane called to check on me. Cleo, Jane, Diana, Jeannie, and I met for dinner and a Movie on Thursday and we laughed. It kind of feels like the last enjoyable time for about a week. All of the above is the most comforting, encouraging medicine for me. I am so blessed. This is all helpful and not hurtful. (Kindergarten hat!)
The 7th round is history. School was out yesterday and I had high hopes of getting a lot done. It didn't happen. I did labs about 8. Met Melissa for breakfast, which I enjoyed, went to school and got my room ready for Monday, which I wish I wasn't going to be off, but I know the kids love Rebecca and she does a great job, picked up meds to take before chemo at wally world, stopped by the vet, and by that time it was chemo time. (Nothing like howdy dowdy time). This is a long day there from 1:00-4:00. I spoke on the phone, read, and when I couldn't keep my eyes open I dozed. Then I came home read and dozed the day away. Ken is continuing to lay the new floor in the kitchen. My job is to haul myself up and go in and tell him how much I like it. It is a lot easier than being the gopher, but not as much fun!

Busy Week

This will be a busy week. This week is parent teacher conferences on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I had one grandparent conference today. One down and 19 to go. I did have 21, but one of my boys moved to Oregon. It is sad that the parents didn't have enough advance notice to let me give them his memory book and all his things from the classroom. He didn't even get to return his library book.
I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday, because I get a treatment this Friday. This will be the 7th of 8 treatments! Yahoo! I am on the downhill slide, it feels great! This to shall pass. I am feeling pretty good except for the joint pain that has started in the last couple of days. My plan is to work in my classroom Friday getting ready for Rebecca on Monday. We are out of school Friday.

Pink Out Walk

Today is the Pink Out walk/run in Pink, OK. It was not looking good when we left for Pink. Some drizzle and lightening. It was pouring on the way there. Well, thankfully the rain eased up. It was a little bit late, but we were able to walk. Our group of girls walked the 5K, while I only walked a mile. I feel good! Pink does a great job with the walk, an auction, and lots of food. It was fun and wet! We are back home and I couldn't wait to get an update with pictures on the blog. Thanks to my daughter and mom I had a new hat and "cancer sucks" socks to wear for the walk.
Now it is time to get on with other projects. Ken has two he is working on. The tile floor and he has an idea for my classroom door. We are having a door decorating contest. I on the other hand have some sewing I ant to do. I hope you have a blessed day and enjoy your loved ones.

Friday

Thursday morning Ken and I started taking up the tile in the kitchen. He bought some power tool that you can put a chisel bit into. So he chiseled and I picked up the tile pieces and swept as we went. The tile is very heavy so the container couldn't get to full. Ken would carry it out and we would start all over again. Then we drove out to the mall and unloaded the tile. So now the tile in the kitchen is no longer. Ken is getting the sub floor ready now. There is dust everywhere. I am not letting that bother me to much. I went to sorority last night and didn't think about it at all!
Today we made a quick trip to OKC. We went by Michael's, Hobby Lobby, The Quilt Store, and Home Depot to get more flooring. We hurried home so I could get to the cancer center by 2:00. I had a herceptin treatment today. I am home now and very tired. I think I will rest a bit. Then who knows what! I still have some sewing to do.
Have a great weekend, I will!

My Week Is Over

I know it is just Wednesday, but my week is over! It is fall break. We usually are heading to War Eagle, but the two did not coincide this year. So now we will be home for fall break. But... we have projects to do. We have been working toward replacing the floor in the kitchen since last July when we bought the new refrigerator. It has actually been sitting in the middle of the dining room because Ken thought we would just wait until we changed out the tile before we slide it in. Let's see it is October. Not to bad. See a good example of patience.
I am feeling tired. It has been a week and a half since I had the taxotere why am I so tired? See a bad example of patience. My voice is almost 100%. My stomach is giving me some issues and I am having a few more headaches than usual, but I am doing okay. I will have herceptin on Friday. I did labs on Monday. I didn't get a call so I guess they were okay.
Ken and I went to see the new movie Red. We both enjoyed it. It was fun.
Thank you for the cards Sally and Mom. Jane and Mary Ann thank you for the calls. I sure appreciate all the support. I am looking forward to walking at the Pink Out in Pink, OK on Saturday. I got some really good news yesterday when my youngest son, Bryn, called from Georgia. I was so glad to hear his voice and know he is stateside instead of in Iraq. Big Yahoo! He sounded so good! Ken and I felt so relieved! We are blessed.

The Deals!

It is still early Mr. Sunshine is not up. (No, that is not a reference to Ken.) We took off yesterday and we got to the first craft show as it was opening. That is such a great feeling to know you haven't wasted anytime! We spent 2 1/2 hours at it. My sister was on a hunt for some pink ribbon hangy down (breast cancer awareness) earrings. It is always good to have a quest! So every jewelry booth we came across we checked it out. I am not certain but most of the booths she stopped at were glad she stopped. We found some cute ideas. I will have to get right on those when we get home. I picked up a few jewelry pieces here and there. Throw in a couple of Christmas presents, the have to get Kettle Corn (fresh and still hot in our bag yummy), and the roasted nuts and we had a full day. The next show was also outside and it was beginning to get warm when we finished up the corn dog and Indian Tacos for lunch. I was very happy that the next two shows were inside. I am not sure what it is, but I am feeling tired and worn out. Surely it isn't my age...the side effect of having chemo, that is what I am telling myself.
At school, I've been talking about the four seasons and how they need to watch the trees to see the leaves turn colors. Well, in Arkansas, the trees are gorgeous usually. We are a week earlier than usual for some reason so the trees aren't as colorful. But I have my camera out and if I see one I am trying to get it. I have the window down my head out the window trying to get a good shot and my sister yells from the backseat "Don't let your hair blow off!" Well, that stopped me and all of us had a good laugh. I never even thought about that possibility. Good to have my sister around to help me with those kinds of possibilities.
We finished the fourth craft show and I was feeling a bit worn out so we headed back to eat dinner. We have eaten at the same place since we started coming on this trip. First we enjoyed the spinach dip, then Janet and I had the best sweet potato fries with the best honey, butter, cinnamony dip to go with them, and chicken fingers to round it out. Oh it was so good!
Then we hit one last craft show, which is the one in our hotel. Eureka! We found the earrings! Janet can wear them each Tuesday at her hospital when they wear pink for breast cancer awareness. I found a purple jacket, but my size was popular.
I think it will be time to get going soon. We will drive to War Eagle and do the two big shows there and when we get done it will be time to drive to Tulsa to put my sister on her plane to TX. Then we will head for home. The yearly craft trip will be history.

Catch Up Time

Each day this week got a little easier. I told Laura on Thursday it has to do with being able to "poop". There is a reason you have to be able to do that before you leave the hospital. When you do that I guess your system is back in balance. I am not a poop everyday kind of girl (I know TMI), so it takes me a few more days to get the stomach cramps to settle down, but they are gone now. So now you know I have pooped since last Friday. (I know again with the TMI) Just as that issue got taken care of I started losing my voice. So I ended up teaching Friday with barely a whisper. I called my regular dr. and she called in a z pack in yesterday around lunch time. My wonderful husband, Ken, was off yesterday so that became one of the many errands he did yesterday as he got ready for our weekend away.
I went at 2:00 to take my herceptin. I will start taking it every three weeks instead of every week in three weeks. Anyway I was concerned that if I started 3 ties as much it would be different as in harder. My drug nurse assured me I wouldn't notice it that nobody did. That has me pumped! Two more rounds of the taxotere! I just have to figure out how to poop sooner!
We picked my sister up in Tulsa and drove to AR last night. We arrived ate dinner and caught 22 minutes of the craft show IN OUR HOTEL! How cool is that? The light from the computer and all the clicking must be waking my other roomies up, so I will close. There are craft shows calling our names. My sister and I are out to get good deals and Ken is coming along to drive. My sister says Hi to all! I just hope everyone will have as an exciting weekend as the three of us will have. I am so blessed to have a sister that I enjoy being around. And I am doubly blessed to have Ken for a husband, because he really knows how to take care of me! Got to go shower! It is time to shop!! YaaHoo

Monday

I went to work. I was there all day long. It was a very long day. Thank you Amy for taking my bus duty. I am tired. I was glad to see all my friend's smiles and get the good wishes from all at school. Again the stomach cramps are getting to me. My back is hurting as well and it is very hard to get comfortable. Sounds like a lot of whining, where is the cheese to go with it? This to shall pass! Tomorrow will be better.
Ken cooked a chicken and pasta meal. I am a sucker for pasta, so I ate. I am sure I will have more strength tomorrow. I just keep thinking if I sleep it will go away and get better faster. So let's get on with getting better!

This Round

Well, I feel like a slug. I am not doing much of anything. I am trying to keep ahead of the headaches and stomach cramping with the meds. I am resting. Ken is gone working on the remodel job with the hopes of finishing today. So the house is quiet. Just took another round of meds so I thought while I was awake I would try to be productive.
One of my neighbors has a little boy that is very fair skinned and has the cutest smile you've ever seen. If I didn't know Snow White was made so many years ago I would swear he was the model for one of the dwarfs. He doesn't talk much, but is usually seen flailing on the floor with unflattering noises emitting from his mouth. Well, he stopped at my door a little confused popped his head in and asked me "Where are my people?" It was all I could do not to laugh, but I didn't I just told him with a big smile "Dear I think your people are on the playground." I chuckle each time I think of that. He will grow up a lot this year.
I will stay home tomorrow to make sure I have all under control. Two more rounds of chemo. The end is in sight. I will survive and come out stronger, because this has not killed me. I am looking forward to Oct. 23rd. That is the date of the Pink Out in Pink, OK. I asked some family members to walk with me, but they had other plans so I will be walking with the girls from school. My mom and Haley, who was out for a visit to Mom's sent me a pink hat and cancer sucks socks to wear in the walk. I bought the Team Jo Anne shirt, so I will be stylin'. I just hope I can make a mile easily. I will be praying for strength and courage that I don't have problems.
My hair is growing in slowly. It looks like gray to me with some dark here and there. Ken ever the diplomat says it looks blondish. One of the many reasons I love him so. He says it is covering up the brain tumor scar. All I know is that my hair is tender and easy to wash and dry. Bonus!
Have a great week!

Saturday Morning

Yesterday was chemo day. I left school about 12:30. Rebecca came and took over my class my Friday and will be there on Monday. I am so happy she is there. My kids love her too. Bonus! It eases my mind knowing she is in charge.
The chemo went as well as could be expected. I came home and relaxed. Ken came home and went to the remodel job and I went to sleep. We had a little excitement then. The sorority girls were leaving for a weekend trip to Dallas, of course I couldn't go. I was sad. Cleo, my sister-in-law was planning to go. So she was packing and doing all that stuff. While shaving her legs she nicked one of those blood vessel that is visible on her shin and she bleed like a stuffed pig. Sorry Cleo, but it was everywhere. Anyway, she got to a phone and called Jane. They were meeting at her house. Jane was afraid to call me because she knew I might be sleeping (and I was), so she called Kevin, Our son, who has done some work foe Jane. So Kevin called his dad who called me. So he picked me up on the way to Cleo's. By the time we got there she had the bleeding stopped. Ken cleaned up the bathroom and I got the rug and lid cover soaking in water. She had done this before and was very cool and knew what to do. We decided it looked like a little boy with a bad aim having fun in her bathroom. Lots of blood was everywhere.
I woke up around 4ish with stomach cramps and a headache. I tried to stay in bed so I didn't bother Ken or Rusty. I turned on the light made a couple of lists, wrote a note to my aunt, and read til daylight. Then Rusty and I came downstairs in search of pills. I can feel the diarrhea coming on. This might not be my favorite day of the week. I think I might doze off for a while. First I want to thank Ann for the encouraging note. She is on top of things always. My neighbors a school are so supportive, I appreciate them so much. I am so lucky too have the support and prayers! I feel blessed - oops gotta go the stomach is moving!

Wednesday's Oncology Visit

Today I went to the oncologist. Thanks to my neighbors Charme' and Amy for helping out with my class and duties at the end of the day. Ken met me there. My labs from this morning were good. We discussed the side effects from the last chemo and the meds and changes to make in my meds. It was a good appointment.
My sister called and she has other obligations this weekend, so I will be on my own again. Ken is MOD Saturday, which is fine since I will most likely be asleep the best part of the day. We are hoping I won't have stomach cramps. If I do I am armed with meds for it! This to shall pass.
I have a little boy that my heart is going out to in my class. He has missed more days than he has been present. He can't recognize his name. My kids trace their name once and write their name twice each day. Yesterday he made little circles for each letter. He was so proud of himself that he wrote his name. All I could do is tell him what good circles he drew. Today we wrote his name one letter at a time and he is starting to pick it up. Later this afternoon he wrote a c and something that I saw an h in it! Those are actually 2 letters in his name. Woo Hoo! I am living my dream!

Sunday Night

I had the herceptin on Friday. I was tired, but no other side effects. On Saturday my sinuses were acting up. My nose was running, eyes watery, and sneezing. I have rubbed my eye so much it feels bruised.
We had a good day today. We went to church. My sinuses are not bothering me so much. Then this afternoon we went to a baby shower for one of Ken's cousins son. Jesse and his wife Katie are expecting twins. They are very excited. It was fun to see so much family. I did some sewing to finish up a custom quilt and matching pillow.
The weekend came and went and I didn't go in to school. That doesn't happen often! I did lots of planning this summer so I could be better prepared.
I love the cooler weather. I guess I will have to bring in the plants. We will need to fill the wood box. I just know it is almost time for a fire in the fireplace. Yeah!
I am looking forward to a good productive week. I hope you have one too.