Update….

Getting everyone caught up.  I had the Pet Scan on Monday.  I saw my oncologist and got the results yesterday.  I was really scared to get the results as I have been having  a lot of pain in the area in my neck where the cancer was.  A large area did show up on the Pet Scan.  The oncologist said that he personally thought it was inflammation.  Whatever it is the pain is excruciating.  I am waiting for some word from my kidney doctor to see if there is a med that is safe for me to take.  I am being set up for a series of hyperbaric oxygen treatments.

I will give another update later as I feel pretty tough this morning.

Thank you for all of your kind thoughts and prayer.

Love,

Beth

Update….

I met my new ENT doctor yesterday.  I like him.  He was very thorough and gave me some answers I didn’t want to hear but I like him anyway. I was told that the progress for recovery from the type of radiation I had is very slow, taking as long as months, perhaps years and in some cases never. Discouraging news for me as I am still existing on Boost and the Blender.  I could use 2 or 3 blenders right now as washing my lone Blender is getting to be tedious.  lol

I am going to start seeing a speech therapist who will work with me on being able to swallow better.  Looks like my date at Red Lobster is still way off in the future. But I feel  sure that time will come eventually.

I am still in line to see my kidney/BP specialist on 3 February, the dentist on the 17th, the Pet Scan on the 23rd and my oncologist on the 26th.  Plus my daughter’s birthday is the 14th so February will be a busy short month.  However we will be closer to spring when March comes. Thank you all for remembering me in your thoughts and prayers.

Year 2015 Countdowns

First Day of Spring

Days until Friday, March 20th, 2015 54

Countdown to Easter

Days until Sunday, April 5th, 2015 70

Beth

Time for an update….

I can’t believe that today marks the 6 week anniversary of when I finished the radiation treatments.  I am improving although much too slowly for my liking.  I started therapy for the winged scapula right after I finished radiation.  I have 2 more of those treatments left.

I am still having difficulty eating.  I can manage a few things like soft scrambled eggs and soups in the blender plus Jell-O and pudding.  My mouth is still very sore.  I have dreams of sitting down at Red Lobster and having a gigantic serving of breaded shrimp with red sauce and ranch dressing.  I am also longing for some French fries with cheese sauce.  I keep trying and trying but the chewing and swallowing is still difficult.

My ENT surgeon retired at age 60 in December.  Imagine being able to retire at age 60 with no financial worries.  I really liked him, he was a great guy and I had a lot of faith in him.  I will be seeing his replacement on 23 January.  I think I will like him too.  He is young and good looking so that always helps.  LOL!!

I have a Pet Scan scheduled for 23 February and I see my oncologist on 26 February for the results.

I keep wanting to start blogging again, I just don’t have the energy or the want to yet, but the time will come.  Thank you to all of you that have sent me emails and keep me in your thoughts and prayers.  Bless you all!

Beth

Update….

Sorry to be so late with another update.  I had this silly notion that when I finished the 30 radiation treatments that I would magically feel wonderful.  I tell you, it just isn’t so.  I am improving slowly; I can swallow better and talk better.  My tongue is still extremely painful and so I am not magically able to eat solid food.  I can manage cream of wheat and cottage cheese by eating slowing and drinking a lot of water while eating.  I fix soups with a lot of fiber and calories in the blender to supplement the Boost and Ensure I am drinking.  I am managing about 1100 – 1200 calories a day.  Since I had my surgery on September 4th to today I have lost about 22 lbs.  These were not pounds that I needed to lose.

The 27th is my family Christmas gathering and I am so wanting to be able to eat something good.  I have no taste buds so everything tastes the same.  My daughter is graciously cooking our meal.  I am fixing a spiral cut glazed ham. 

I missed the cookie exchange this year and I haven’t had the energy to do any baking so my son will have some goodies to take home.  I will try and fix a few things next week.

I ended up with a ‘winged scapula’ and I am undergoing physical therapy for that.  I finished my sixth session today.

I saw my oncologist yesterday.  I have been scheduled for a Pet Scan for 23 February to find out if there is still cancer in my body.  I am praying that there is not.

I sent only a few cards this year.  I apologize to the ones of you who sent me cards and I promise to catch you next year.  Thank you all for remembering me in prayer and with kind thoughts.  I love you all!

Have a truly blessed Christmas.

Beth

Thanksgiving Update…

This morning I had my 30th and final radiation.  It has been a long tough road and I couldn’t have made it without the love and prayers from all of you.  Thank you. The good Lord held my hand  and helped me to be strong.

Now begins the healing process.  My body is still filled with radiation and will be for the next week or so.  My  neck is fried deep purple and is extremely painful.  The  whole inside of my mouth is burned including my tongue which is very painful.  It is very hard to swallow and it is like I have a very severe sore throat.  And of course I have the Bride of Frankenstein hair.

I have a follow-up next week to have my skin checked.  I have a foul smelling cream that I was given to put on my neck.  I have been reduced to drinking the Ensure type drinks.  Since I have no taste buds they all taste the same.  It is still very difficult to swallow my pills.

I am thankful to still be alive and writing this post. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Love,

Beth

One year ago today, 17 November 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onDlCCPalT4

My son and a friend from Chicago had come to visit me for the weekend.  It was a very warm stormy morning and I was glad to see them leave for home that Sunday morning because the weather forecast was not good.  They had only been gone an hour when they came back.  My son’s friend had a terrible headache and so they returned. As time passed my son mentioned going to the Red Lobster in Peoria for lunch.  I really didn’t want to go as the weather was beginning to frighten me a bit. No tornado watches or warnings had been issued for our area so finally we left for Red Lobster.

This was divine intervention.  We had just been seated at Red Lobster when our waitress told us there had been a tornado in Pekin.  The rest of the day and the weeks to come were chaotic.

So many homes on my street were damaged.  They have all finally been rebuilt.  My kitchen window was blown out and for weeks after I found shards of glass in my kitchen and living room.

If my son and his friend hadn’t returned that Sunday morning I would have been in the kitchen preparing my lunch at the time the tornado struck.

Today, one year later I am getting ready to leave for my radiation treatment.  After this morning I will have 7 treatments left.  I appreciate all of your kind thoughts and prayer.

Love,

Beth

 

What it is like for me….

I get up each morning at 5AM.  I have the first morning appointment in radiation  each week day morning.  Most days I am taken in on time but some days like this morning I am taken in a bit early.  Today was my 18th appointment, I have 12 treatments left.

The reason I get up early is so  we can leave home by 7AM.  This enables us to  get a parking spot in front of the building where the radiation is done.  First thing when I get up each morning I take a tablespoon of a compound prescription and swish it around in my mouth and then swallow it.  This is to coat my tongue and throat that has been burned by the radiation,  I have to wait 15 minutes for the numbing to start.  I then can swallow my meds which feel like rocks that I am swallowing.  In the interim I make my bed and get dressed.  By this time the 15 minutes are up I take my meds and eat a bowl of cream of wheat.

I have lost some more weight (3 lbs last week) but I am not in the danger zone yet. I am forcing myself to eat as I declined the feeding tube.  It takes a long time to get a cup of soup down.  The blender has been a blessing.  Bean with bacon soup has been a staple as is cream of chicken and mashed potatoes.

Yesterday I saw an associate of my beloved Dr. McGee (my radiation oncologist).  Very nice looking young man but not nearly as nice as Dr. McGee.  I finally asked the question that I have been afraid to ask, what is my prognosis?  This Dr. M said Dr. McGee  would have to tell me but he did say my radiation has been very aggressive and they do have good results with it.

My daughter has cheerfully taken  me each day and missing part of her work day on Wednesday.  Thank you Marcia.

Thank you to Nana Diana for the prayer blog she did for me.  Such a wonderful caring lady.

I am not intending this blog to be a complaint.  I am just saying what my day is like now.  God has been good to me and I am ever thankful.

Love,

Beth

Update….

I have finished 10 of the 30 radiation treatments.  The radiation is directed to my neck and head so they are pretty tough.  The worst side effects are to my mouth.  It is raw inside.  I have been given a compound prescription that is helping a bit, numbing my mouth  and throat so that it is easier for me to swallow meds.  Eating is difficult but I have resisted having a feeding tube inserted.  So far I haven’t lost a disastrous amount of weight.  Sadly I don’t have any extra weight to fall back on.

The radiation frizzes (burns) my hair so I look like the bride of Frankenstein. I can live with these side effects if it kills the cancer.  I will not choose to go through treatment a 3rd time though.

I think about all of you often.  I just don’t have the energy to visit you all.  Most of my time is spent just getting through  each day.  I have the good Lord to thank for helping me to do that.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Until later….

I have been trying to keep up with you all but it has been difficult.  I am not getting the energy back like I did before.  I am getting ready to start the radiation (on the 13th I think).   The radiation will be on my neck and throat and I have been told by the doctor that there are a lot of bad side effects.

I have decided not to blog at all for the next few months.  I am praying that I will feel better when this is all done.  I won’t forget any of you.  I am so grateful for the prayers and kind thoughts you have sent my way since 2005.  May God Bless you all!

Love,

Beth

Cardinals clinch National League Central championship….

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24728748/cardinals-clinch-nl-central-championship

Photo from CBS sports

Most of you know that I am a St. Louis Cardinal fan and I have been for many years.  One of my favorite memories is of my dad sitting in the front yard listening to the Cardinal ball game on his little transistor radio. 

I really hated to make mention of the Cardinals winning because I seem to jinx them when I get carried away.  So I will just say ‘Go Cards’ and leave it at that.

I just received a call from my oncologists office and my appointment has been changed till late afternoon.  I am not very happy about that as I hate a late afternoon appointment.  If I would have rescheduled I would have been looking at an appointment several weeks down the road and that just wouldn’t do.

I hope you all have a good week.  It is hot and summery here with the temp to reach the upper 80s today.

Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Another birthday come and gone…

and I marvel at the fact that the good Lord saw fit to let me have another birthday.  It was a lovely day too, in the 80s with sunshine.  Lunch at the Red Lobster was great.  I had the never ending shrimp special.  I had the parmesan shrimp and breaded shrimp with salad and baked potato and of course the cheddar bay biscuits.  So good!

It has been 3 weeks now since I had the surgery. On the day I was having surgery I sat in the waiting area with a young father.  He had cancer in the throat, tonsils, on the tongue and the lymph nodes in his neck.  He was having the same surgeon as I, Dr. Parrish.  We had a conversation and he told me that he had just recovered from an illness that he had been told would be terminal.  He didn’t tell me what it was and I didn’t ask.  I remember thinking at the time what a courageous guy he was and I told him that I would pray that he would be OK. 

When I first went in to my assigned room the patient there was getting ready to leave.  She and her husband/boyfriend? were causing quite a disturbance and flounced out of the room in a huff.  After they were gone I watched the cleaning lady go through the drawers in the stand next to the bed.  She filled a garbage sack with bags of chips and other snacks. The windowsill also was loaded with cans of pop, etc.  The nurse later told me that this couple had almost cleaned their kitchen out.  Then the next morning I had a woman roommate who kept the bright lights on and the TV on 24/7.  I could hear her talking to her mother and she was sobbing.  By the 3rd day I told the doctor that I was ready to go home. 

I see the oncologist on Monday and I will find out about the radiation.  That comes next and I will be glad when that is done.

My birthday flowers.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Doing nothing today….

Today is my birthday so I am doing nothing.  My daughter is taking me to my favorite place for lunch, Red Lobster in Peoria.  I am hoping that the all you can eat shrimp special is still going on.

Happy Birthday to my Twin in Tennessee!

Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Thank you!

I can’t find words to say how much I appreciate all of you, my blogging family.  So many of you have been with me since before my husband died in 2006 and not once have you left me to fight a battle alone.  I have made so many new friends through my 9 blogging years.  You are all special to me.  Thank you! 

My daughter has been a God send to me, always stepping in to help and my son has given me such comfort with his telephone calls.  My sister in her time of grieving has also called me several times a day. My Twin has comforted me with her telephone calls.  I am truly blessed.

I am trying to get back in my normal routine which includes laundry, cleaning and all of that good stuff.  I will be by to visit today, the Good Lord willing.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Time to move forward….

It is time for me to pick up the pieces of my life and move forward. The past can’t be changed so I am hopeful for a brighter future.

Many of you know that my niece in WV passed away.  Her funeral was held Sunday at the same time as her ‘daddy’s’ memorial was held.  Two new guardian angels looking down on us below.

I see my oncologist on the 27th and I will find out when the radiation will start and how long that it will take.  I realize now that a finish date by Thanksgiving is not possible but  definitely in time to do some Christmas shopping.

I am finally starting to feel better pain wise.  I have been able to cut back on the pain meds and yesterday was the first full day I didn’t take any.  That is good as I take so many meds anyway.  My swallowing is better although my speech leaves a lot to be desired.

I have set a goal to visit as many of you as I can this week, a few a day to begin with.

Thank you for all of the kind thoughts and prayers for my sister’s family and for me.

Love,

Beth

 

Update….

A few weeks ago I asked for prayer for my niece in WV and her dad.  My niece had undergone emergency surgery on Aug 11 and her dad had been admitted to the same hospital because of pneumonia. Sadly my brother in law passed away on September 1st.  His daughter still remains hospitalized.  Today the family asked that all life support measures be removed and family and friends are gathered around her.  I am heartbroken that because I am undergoing treatment for cancer that I can’t be with them all.

I am so very appreciative for all of the prayers and kind thoughts that you all have given the past couple of months.  Thank you to Diana for the prayer blog she did for me.  I love you all!

Beth

Update…

Sorry to be so late with an update.  I saw the ENT surgeon on Friday.  The drain was removed and the doctor told me that the stitches looked good, etc.  I am still having pain and trying to pace out the pain meds.  I don’t have any energy yet and I have depended on my daughter a lot.  She has been really good as a backup and I am so thankful for her.

An appointment was made with the oncologist for Sep 29.  My goal is to get all 35 radiation treatments done by Thanksgiving.

I do have lots of tales to tell from my hospital stay and I will get to those when I feel like posting again.  I was given a choice on whether to be discharged on the 3rd day.  Things were so hectic in my hospital room that I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Looking  down my street last October.

Beth

I am home..

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.  I will be back online in few days to let you know how things are going.  I will try to come visiting you all in a few days.

Love

Beth

Sad news….

My brother in law, Hugh, passed away peacefully in his sleep last night.  My niece Dee shows some improvement.  Rae asked me to let you all know how much she appreciates your prayers and asks that you continue to pray for her family.

My surgery is scheduled for Thursday. Thanks for remembering me.

Love
Beth

update….

I had an EKG and lab on Tuesday at the hospital.  On Wednesday I was to have the needle biopsy.  It turned out that the PET Scan had shown a false hot spot.  I had another CT Scan while I was in the hospital and  it showed that the right side of my neck was clear.  My doctor called me Thursday and confirmed that the surgery would only be on the left side of my neck.  I have had some emails asking what kind of cancer this is.  I guess you would call it neck cancer, I can’t think of anything else to call it.  My surgery is scheduled for 4 September and 6 weeks later I will begin radiation treatments.

I am so very thankful to you all for the prayers, cards and emails! 

My niece remains in very serious condition.  Her dad was rushed to the hospital with pneumonia on Thursday morning and is not doing well.  My sister has her daughter on one floor at the hospital and her husband on another floor.  Please continue to pray for all of us.  Thank you!

Love you all.

Beth

Update….

The PET Scan showed something else on the other side of my neck.  I am having another needle biopsy on Aug 20th.  I am having surgery on September the 4th.  Then about 6 weeks after the surgery I will begin radiation.  I have the same two doctors that I had before, Dr. Parrish and Dr. McGee.  I have great faith in both of them.  I do appreciate all of your prayers.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Also at this time my niece Dee, in WV is in the hospital fighting for her life.  She had emergency surgery on Monday and is greatly in need of prayer.  Thank you so much for including Dee in your prayers.

Love you all.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth