Here we go again

Round 3, done and dusted!

Yesterday was just a complete emotional roller coaster, mainly due to the 3ish hours of sleep I got Tuesday night. My body just will not shut down the night before treatment. My Grandma took me to chemo for the first time, and we stopped for breakfast before the appointment. Guess where the steroids decided to kick in...right there in Burger King (yes, I know, what a good nutritious breakfast). There were a few people in there and of course they all got a good look at the tears running down my face, and Grandma's. Got to love the weepies. At least it gives me a cop-out if I'm having a bad day and want to get it out! The trip went well, had my treatment, plus a flu shot. Then lunch and home.

I managed to catch about an hour of zzz's then had to get ready for a funeral. One of our neighbors battled with cancer for the past few years and it finally wore him down. And it is a damn shame, because Jerald really was one of the good guys.

There is a lot I want to say about this - about him, his family, and his passing - but I really don't think I have it in me at this point. There was a lot of selfish inner reflection that took place yesterday, and I just don't think I'm ready to open that can of worms for the world just yet.

So, for the past few weeks I've been wanting to get out, and karaoke has always been my favorite kind of night out! I dragged my best friend, Tonyea, out to a little bar here in ELO. It was COMPLETELY...empty. Seriously, there were 8 people in the place when we walked in! So we had a good chat (I did most of the talking, as the infused steroids had taken over my mind and make me talk at roughly 500 words per minute). And I got up and attempted 3 songs, which with no breath was, well...interesting. And embarrassing, and infuriating. Singing has always been a part of who I am - not that I'm a great singer or anything, but music is a big part of life. It can get me moving, cheer me up, mellow me out. It is my therapist, my friend, and one of my greatest releases. And my voice is beyond ragged at the minute. My range has gone to shit, and I can't blast any notes because of the collapsed lung. Yay...at least I still have YouTube and Spotify! And Mom is really good at ignoring the dog howling in the background when I start singing in my bedroom! LOL
So, while this hasn't been the fun and fancy free posts of earlier, it is an update. I'm sure I'll be back to normal in a few days, after some good sleep and lots of anti-nausea meds!

Catch y'all later!

Mandy, Goober & the gang

Flexing the Designing Muscles

This came out in a moment of reflection and I thought it deserved to be shared.

Long Overdue...

Howdy!

I've had a great couple of weeks!

My blood counts were good...no neulasta! AND! I got to go home for a few days! I love hanging out with my in-laws, not that we did a whole lot. Dad-in-law was very worried about me over-doing it, and he was probably right, I am as stubborn as an old donkey and try to do too much. But it was great to see them!! And I got to do more cooking! Mom has me watching The Chew most days, and I'm getting a lot of recipe ideas. I inflicted a new one on my in-laws: Mushroom Stew with Dumplings. I made a full batch - which could have served about 15 people - and in the following 3 days we finished off the lot! I've discovered, though, that I'm really not too keen on dumplings...they are a little squidgy and chewy...not my thing.

Oh, and I tried out another idea here at mom and dad's. Pepperoni rolls, sausage rolls (not the English version), and Steak-ummm rolls. The first two are really good (made enough to freeze lots!) but the steak-ummm rolls are just OK. They're not horrible, but they aren't great either. But, they are a quick and easy lunch or dinner as they're already made up and just need to be nuked! Just wish they didn't take 3 hours to make in the first place! LOL

Well, what else...

I dragged my parents out on to Wellsville, Ohio (a whole 10 minutes down the road) for a charity walk. It's called "The Dash for Mat's Bash" honoring Mathugh Johnston, who's life was cut short by Leukemia in 2007. He was only 15 years old. Every year the Wellsville Fire Dept hosts the Dash and honors another member of the community who has lost their battle with cancer. The turnout was great, over 300 people participated in the 1.5 mile run/walk. I'm happy we decided to join in, it showed me that there are a lot of people that really care.

Wish me luck for Wednesday, I have my third round of chemo and I get to see Dr Lancaster again, I have sooooooo many questions! I must write them down this time or I'll forget to ask them! I think I'll be having another PET scan soon to see how the treatments are doing and if we'll be carrying on with this cocktail or changing drinks.  Fingers crossed that at least some of the "minute lesions" are gone! But I'm not even sure when the scan is going to be, so I think I may be putting the cart in front of the horse!

I guess that's about it for now. Everything else has been all the day-to-day stuff that gets boring to read about in every post! So I'm gonna leave it at that for now.

Catch ya on the flip-side!

Mandy, Goober & The pains in my butt!

Back....I'm back in the saddle again!

Monday morning...woke up...sat straight up in bed...No nausea, no dizziness, no icky-sicky taste in my mouth - it was the start of the uphill climb!

I absolutely LOVE that feeling!

I didn't DO a whole lot on Monday, but it was the first day of Round 2 that I managed to stay awake all day - no nap! And Today? No nap! But I haven't done anything today either...it's been yucky out all day, and no one felt like going out anywhere.

Tomorrow, however, the Ohio River couldn't hold me back! Well, I suppose it could, but only if it floods in the next few hours! I'm off to Beaver again, I have a check-up at the Cancer Center - blood draw and calcium shot. I am really hoping that my blood counts are high enough that I don't have to have a second shot...the dreaded Neulasta. I have heard some nasty stories about this one. It makes bone marrow work overtime to create new blood cells to replace the ones that the chemo destroys. And it is supposed to hurt pretty badly - at the time of the injection and beyond...the overproduction in the bone marrow makes bones hurt. Sounds fun, right? I'll have a double...
But, I am feeling really good, so I'm hoping that is a sign that my levels are pretty normal. Of course, I could be way wrong! Plus, if my counts are really low, I could be ordered to go home and stay there for a few days with as little contact with the outside world as possible.

Now this would REALLY suck, and I'll tell you why. My mother- and father-in-law have travelled 3500 miles from England for a vacation. They got here last weekend, and I have yet to even speak to them on the phone! They are coming up tomorrow with my Hubby for a visit, and if I get the OK, I'm going home with them (to Pittsburgh, not England) until Sunday! That's 4 whole nights at home! With Hubby! And my in-laws! BTW, yes I am one of those strange people who loves her in-laws. Don't ask me how it happened, but I'm am SOOOOO not complaining!

I seriously want to go pack right now (that sounds so weird, gotta pack to go home where all my stuff should be) but I don't want to get my hopes up too high just yet...oh wait, it's too late for that! LOL

On a completely different note.

Why is it, that in those first few days after chemo, when I would kill for just a pinch of energy, I cannot seem to get my tired ass out of bed and I sleep 14-18 hours a day - but now that I KNOW I should be in it sleeping, I have all the freaking energy in the world??? Can someone answer that for me, please ?!?!?

Maybe I am working off all that sleep...and the not doing anything for a week.

By the way, lost some more weight. I'm down by just over 22lbs. Dr Dutta will not be pleased - but I am!! It's amazing how much you can lose by not eating much more than a few slices of bread and cheese for 4-5 days.

OK, time to *try* to sleep. I'm just too excited about tomorrow!! I get visitors, get out of the house for a couple of hours, and possibly get to go home for a long weekend! Who wouldn't be excited??

OK, really going now! Just try an stop me! *GRIN*

Mandy & Goober...and the little b@3t@rd3