So this happened on Tuesday, my first free day without chemo or radiation!  A fabulous facial!  Thank you Deanna Peterson for taking me along on this adventure.  This is definitely one worth repeating!!  I had to laugh because the spa, Message Envy, required me to get a doctors note?!  I remember getting the note, I could hear my 1 neurologist, ask the head nurse, “what is a facial?”  I had to laugh, he is such a brilliant man, with an unbelievably head of thick hair (just like my son’s hair), but utterly clueless of some necessities in life. Women definitely need facials!  I can swear to that fact.  Maybe it’s because English is his 2nd language?  I believe he’s from China.  Absolutely, women need facials!![...]

So here is my mask UNMC used to anchor my head to the radiation table.  .  The taped Xs are markers for the technician to align the radiation to.  Plus, I found out that every day I’m getting radiation, I’m also getting an X-ray of my skull so they can line up specific points on my brain.  Glad someone isn’t just radiating me wily-nilly, oh here’s an X, let’s shoot there!  The mask is made of hard plastic, but it is somewhat flexible.  I’m so lucky the mask only goes below my chin!  The guy after me, his face mask comes down to the elbows!  That would be creepy, most likely throat cancer.[...]

I Want my sense of taste back!  Every once in a while I get a craving for some type of food. Senses build up in my mouth, I can imagine how it feels on my tongue, the taste, texture, temperature. hmmmmm.  Things like watermelon! I ate a huge amount of watermelon on Sunday, oh it was soooo goood!  Right now, if I saw the melon i’d probably choke,   Or a A Chick-fil-A sandwich with honey mustard.  I was able to get most of that down. I force myself to eat some type of protein every day, imaging chewing a bland cotton ball?  Yuck![...]

I could be a bell ringer in front of Walmart!![...]

Today was my last day of radiation!!   With a slight hiccup around week 4/5.  I’m actually off by 1 extra day.  During week 4 my doctor suspected I had COVID due to vomiting the night before (ah, I’m taking chemo!?), my loss of taste ( hello, radiation and chemo together!) an “elevated” temperature (I usually run 1 full degree lower 97.Something?, but my temp was actually normal, at 98.6.  They called that elevated!   So I was asked to get a covid test (it was negative, no surprise there!).   Just a wonderful waste of my time, but I actually missed a day of radiation through all that rigamarole![...]

Our Halloween hosts at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch was Erin and Gerard Daly plenty of food, friends, and much needed laughter was served up.  Because of the enormous size of Vala’s I used Bryant’s scooter to get around. I’m sure glad I did.  At the end of the evening I was pleasantly tired, not eternally exhausted.  The kids had a great time running all over the area, all of them beyond the trick or treating age.    I got to catch up with my road tripping bestie, Ann.  she thinks my husband has the most beautiful blue eyes!   And he’s already ‘taken’!!!   FYI- in the group photo of 5 people all of had our heads shaved[...]

My doctors keep adding more and more drugs.  I’ve had to begin a radical pill tracking or sorting system!  To keep everything straight.  There are morning pills, anti-nausea pills, more nausea pills because the 1st pill doesn’t last 8 hours as it may suggest, anxiety pills, diabetes pills, depression pills, chemotherapy pills, pain pills, pills to counter act other pills.  My doctor just added two more pills this Monday, some type of steroid pill and a muscle relaxer to help me sleep. I guess I’m parr for the course here in the medication department my friend from our church was on just about as many pills too. As of this Monday , nov. 1st, puts me on week 6 I’m just about down to the final stretch and I can’t wait to see the end of week 6!! 3 weeks off of chemo and radiation! Whoot-Whoot!! The end of that 3rd week off falls on thanksgiving.  I’m hoping my sense of taste has returned by then,  I want to taste food not cardboard !!! So far I’ve lost 22 pounds, I believe, butI I don’t recommend this method of weight loss![...]

It feels like a whole month has passed since I last posted!  WOW!!  My husband, Bryant went back to the ER on Monday just after my radiation treatment. I got him all checked in and settled, called for a ride for myself, went home,  and too a 4 hour nap. The Dr said he could drive home later.  The kids came home from school and they we’re wondering; where’s dad and when’s he coming home?  He did not get home until 530 that afternoon.   Instructions for him were to drink more water!? If the stone hasn’t passed by Wednesday they will do surgery.  Tuesday night the stone finally passed, just in the nick of time.  Bryant was so happy his pain and discomfort was finally gone, but after his CAT scan doctors could see his lymph nodes were swollen, all on one side of his body they will have to repeat the CAT scan again in about 2 weeks once the swelling has gone down. [...]

Early, early Wednesday morning a little after 3am. I drove bryant to the hospital.  I had to convinced him it wasn’t too far for me to drive, just 2 miles up the road to Midlands Hospital.  He was in so much pain I know when his pain level gets too high he will begin to vomit.  Vomiting leads to dehydration which then kickstarts the cycle and with a suspected kidney stone, it’s all down hill from there.  After an IV bag of fluids, a shot for pain, a CT scan, the culprit was found a 4mm kidney stone!  We got home just in time to wake up the kids for school.  Tony was already up and looked shocked to see us stroll in from the garage together!  He asked, “where’d you guys go?”  When I said the ER. His eyes looked me over for obvious signs of injury. I had to follow up with, “not for me, for your dad. He has a kidney stone.”  His response was classic, “Well, dad’s broken!” [...]

So I need to talk about personal care.  I am the caregiver in the family.  My kids described me as ‘harsh’; I on the other hand would describe myself as the mom who doesn’t let nuttin’ slide!  Do that once and I’ll give you a warning and outline the consequences of your actions, do it again and here come the consequences.  I don’t play games.  There’s a reason my niece and nephew called my husband and I, uncle Sue and aunt Bryant!  He’s been known as the ‘weakest link’.  But I digress, back to the personal care topic.  It’s hard for me to accept pampering from others, to me, my kids are special and so is my husband.  My good friend came over last week and we cried and laughed together for several hours.  A couple days later we had a ‘date’ set for a mani and pedi.  I only indulge my toes a couple times in the summer months.  I haven’t had a manicure in 30 years!!  I had so much fun!  We did lunch then moved over to a nail salon.  I got a sparkly blue gel on both hands and feet.  It looks great.  I haven’t been so pampered in forever! So here’s a big thank you to Deanna Peterson, Mentor, Master Teacher, and most of all, someone I can truly call FRIEND.[...]