Spring, Oh Glorious Spring!

It has been quite of week up here in ther right hand corner of the USA.
More snow (it's snowing while I type this) and more cold weather means out pellet stove is working 24/7 to keep me warm and I am very tired of wearing layers of clothing.  So Spring had better be getting here soon and it will be Glorious!!

I know that you are waiting for the report from the transplant doctor.  We had a beautiful day to drive up north to the Hospital.  The 1 1/2 hour drive was just lovely.  A nurse took several tubes of blood and then we hung around to see the doctor.

He told us that my proteins were climbing and that was not good.  It looked like the ratio of cancer drugs to normal cells was 340/1.  My heart sunk.  He was going to do a test where each protein was counted by hand  to see which protein was off.  If it was only 1 protein, then we perhaps could change drugs and hit that one protein with a different chemo protocol and force it back to where it belongs.

If several proteins were out of wack, then he would want a bone marrow biopsy to see how much of my blood was cancerous.  If that was between 40-50% then I get moved up the transplant list and start preparinging for that procedure.  All I could think of was that my calendar was too full and that I didn't have time for this.  The transplant requires me to stay up in the hospital for several weeks in isolation while my body heals.  I don't want to do that!!

We agreed that we surely needed more tests to see what was going on.  We left the hosptial discouraged and depressed. One thing we both agreed on was to let our prayer warriors know what was going on and to ask them to pray.  So once we got home and told our daughter the news, we got our prayers warriors praying.

One told me that I was a miracle waiting to happen.  Another told us that the test done down here would be wrong.  As it turned out, they were both right.

Six days went by before we got the results of the latest test.  Sure enough, he felt that since the test down here was calulated by a machine, the machine was wrong and the ratio is NOT 340/1 by in fact is 27/1.  The bone marrow biopsy is off, and the stem cell transplant is off, well for at least 2 months.  We head up there again at the end of April and retest.

So for now, we change nothing, we continue with our lives and love each other and those around us.  We laugh and smile and work and live.  We are grateful to all who have prayed for us, and held us up before God.  We are even more greatful that God granted the desire of my heart to stay outside of the hospital for a bit longer.

So after a few short wild weeks, we are relaxing while it snows outside again.

Another trip up North to Check in

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 18th we travel up north to Darthmouth Hitchcock Hospital to check in with the Transplant doctor.

One of the issues with living with cancer, is the fact that I have to check in with doctors every so often to find out how I'm doing.  I see a lot of doctors and they all want blood, I just show up and roll up my sleeve and give them blood.   Wednesday, we have to be there for 9 am.  In good weather, it's an hour and a half drive.  In bad, a good 2 1/2 hours. So we leave early, get there for a bunch of blood work then wait a while to get the results, then talk and talk to the doctor's and parts of his team to see where I am and how I'm doing.

At the moment, we go up 4 times a year, I'm hopping I'm doing so well that he tells us we can drop that to 3 times a year.  That would be nice.  

In the meantime, we reflect on what the past year has given us.  A lot of laughter, a lot of love, a lot of dotors, good friends, good food, good prayers and a lot of leaning on God to keep us going.

If you would, please, pray for us to have a good drive up, good results and a good drive back home after a long, emotional day up north.

Thank you

 

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE!

Joyce had a good time coming up with these questions by the look of them.  She has a funny sense of humor.  Join the fun.

1. American Idol is back for a 14th season. Are you watching? Have you ever watched? If you were to audition for the show (or were made to audition), what song would you sing?
I'm not sure I ever watched American Idol from start to finish, ever, in the 14 years they have been on.  I know that I've watched as they got to the final 4 or close to the end.  I'm not a huge fan of the show.  There was a time when the contestants were not very good and were still put on TV to show just how bad they were and for the judges to tell them that they were not very good and I didn't like that.  
If I was were ever forced to audition for the show, I would most likely sing something from Whitney Houston.  I loved her voice and her songs. 

2.  Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first." 

So when did you last have to 'eat a frog'? Or two? How'd that work out? 

So I'm guessing  this means to do something that you don't like to do and do it first thing in the morning.  That I do agree with.  Get it over with as fast as you can.  The last time I ate a frog?  Last Saturday, the house really needed cleaning.  I got up and got right at it instead of sleeping in.

3. If you were going on safari, what is the number one animal you'd want to see?

Giraffe. I would love to see one up close.  

4. January 21st is National Granola Bar Day. I know. Do you like granola bars? Chewy or crunchy? Your favorite flavor? How about regular granola? Let's exhaust this topic in honor of the holiday okay?
I don't eat granola bars too often but I do like the chewy ones and ones with raisins and dried fruit.  I do like regular granola on yogurt and cereal.

5. If only_Life was as simple now and it was when I was a kid.  

6. You can add one item to your bedroom. What will it be? Keep it family friendly please.

A Fireplace.  I would like a fireplace in our bedroom. It doesn't have to be big, but just having one would be so nice. 

7. What is one thing you've enjoyed about winter thus far? If it's not winter in your corner of the globe, what season is it, and what is something you've enjoyed about whatever season it happens to be?

Lack of snow!  I can handle the rain, the cold and even the icy roads but oh how I hate a ton of snow.  We have about maybe 3 inches of the stuff that has frozen to the ground by now.  I like not having a lot of snow!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
It's been just about a year ago that I had my stem cells harvested and frozen for future use.  At that time, we were thinking we were getting them back in the fall of 2014.  Well the fall has come and gone and stem cells are still in the freezer.  I hope they stay there for 30 years.  I hope I continue to do so well, that I don't need them back.  No one fights Cancer alone.  I have Hubby who takes over and runs the house and everything that goes along with it when I can't.  I work for a Company that allows me to do whatever I need to do to allow me to continue to earn a pay check. I have friends who keep me laughing and keep me sane and on top of it all I have a God who has given me all of the others who keep me going.  I feel blessed.  

New Year, New Me

Have you heard of the Seven Challenge?  Have you taken it? How are you doing?

For those who may not know the challenge is to do one of the workouts for 7 minutes just once a day.  In all there are several different challenges.  The app is free and it comes with one challenge.  Every other month another challenge opens up for free or you can buy them for $1.99.

So the idea is to move just 7 minutes every day.  If you do more, great!  If you do a lot more, fantastic! But for now, just move 7 minutes.  I'm doing the 7 minute stretch and some days I will do it twice, but the goal is to do as many as you can can. So Far I've done it every day for a week!  Go ME!

What are you doing to move more this new year?

CONCRETE FACE PLANT HODGEPODGE!

Joyce has been coming up with the questions for a very long time and I wonder just how many more questions she has for us. She really wants to know a lot about us don't you think???? Good thing it's all in fun and you too can play along.  

1. What is something you'll never forget about the age you are right now?

This is a good age.  Any time on this side of the ground, with those I love is a good age.  This is the age I found out just how strong I am and just how great my friends are.

2. What's a household chore you've never done? How have you managed that???

WOW if there is a house hold chore that I've not done by now, I'm not about to tell anyone as I've done them all I'm sure and if I haven't done them by now, I'm not going to start now!!

3. Does nature shape our personalities more than nurture? Explain? 

Both have a hand in shaping our personalities.  Nature hands us things to conquer and personalities help us conquer those things.

4. Friday (February 28th) is 'Something on a Stick Day'...funny because Zoanna over at A Penchant for Pens recently sent me an idea for a question relating to this topic. What's your favorite food eaten on a stick? 

I don't eat a lot of foods on a stick so I would have to say either corn dogs or ice cream.

         

5. Which of your five senses do you treasure most, and why?

WOW that is a hard one, I guess it would be hearing.  I love to hear my Hubby call my name and tell me that he loves me. I love to hear him preach or tell stories or just the sound of his voice in general. I absolutely love to listen to him breath - it's so relaxing and reassuring that all is right with the world.  I love to hear my grand daughters tell me I'm the best Grannie EVER!! I love to hear my dogs talk (or sing in the case of August). I love to listen to music.

6. What's the best music, theatre, or sporting venue you've been to? What made it great?

Anywhere with Hubby becomes the best place, event ever.  A few summers back we went to a local baseball game in Manchester and it was really fun.  The sunshine, the laughter, the game and of course Hubby to share it with.

7. It's the last week of the month...in five words or less bid adieu to your February.

I don't need 5 words!  Good Riddance.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

In order to have something to blog about, I broke my nose on Tuesday in 2 places.  My lip is split and my hand is tingly.  See, I needed something to blog about and the weather is just plain boring and cold. I'm fine and will return to work Thursday night to teach and then Friday back to the office.  I will have my cane and bubble wrap to keep me from falling again but I will not see the Nose doctor until Monday (they need to be able to touch me and right now no one can touch it). I hope he can fix it so I can breath through my nose again.

Well That Was Short Lived!

Well, in just a few day out in the sun with temps in the 40's; the house went from this

To this 

But we are back in the deep freeze with temps back in the 20's with wind chills bringing it down into the teens.  But the house inside is ready for Summer!

I went to work for 4 1/2 hours yesterday and Becke was with me, she was so happy to be back there and with the people she loves.  She wagged and wiggled all the time we were there. Right up to moment I fell down and went BANG.

Yup, after 3 hours at work I fell and my fall was stopped by the hard, poured-concrete floor of the office where I ended up looking like this. There was a fair amount of blood as well coming from my nose and mouth but we got it cleaned up before we took the photo. You're welcome.

Photo taken by Hubby at urgent care so it's blurry but you get the idea.

My boss called Hubby to come get me and take me to the hospital. He was close by and showed up right away.  Becke was trying to get close to me after the fall but co-workers were caring for me and she just couldn't get very close to me but I could see her and she was standing as close as she could.

People thought it was funny that Hubby was so close by but it didn't surprise me at all. We have been married for over 41 years. He stays close, he always has.  He was right there caring for me…again!

We went to urgent care and they took x-ray pictures.  Turned out I have a double fracture of my nose, a split lip on the inside of my upper lip, and somehow I hurt my right hand.  I can type and open and close my hand just fine but I can't put weight on it and I have a hard time holding coffee or other things.  I'm right handed.

So I'm back home for a few days, wearing ice and trying to get the swelling down.  I breath through my mouth for a while and see the ENT doctor on Monday, March 3rd.  I need time for the swelling to go down  so the doctor can touch me but not so much time that my nose heals wrong.

I guess I'm better at receiving care instead of giving care. Hubby is back on "Take Care Of SWMBO Duty".  Oh SWMBO is my nick name and it stands for "She Who Must Be Obeyed."

Oh for those of you who want to know what happened? My knee (the one with the Baker's Cyst) gave out and down I went.  No I was not walking with my cane, because I have been doing so well on flat surfaces. I was taking Becke out for a quick potty walk.

Becke is depressed when I told her she was staying home again.

Poor Baby, we will be back!! A broken nose cannot stop me from getting back into the office!! Although I might show up in bubble wrap next time...
And with a walking cane!!

So how am I doing 2 1/2 weeks later???

It's been 2 1/2 weeks since Harvesting my own stem cells and some have been asking how I was doing. I'm still in remission, I still smile at that fact!

For a 2 1/2 week old, I'm doing well. I say that because my immune system is only 21/2 weeks old since I had to grow it from scratch for Harvesting.  I try to rest a lot and am working part time (mostly from home).  I enjoy working but I find that it takes a lot to get ready to leave the house so working from home allows me to stay in my pj's and not worry about make up. That saves me time and energy that I can then use sitting at the computer working.

My RSV (baby cold) is better but I do have a "Baker's Cyst" behind my left knee so my left leg is swollen and often hurts like mad.  Tylenol is my new friend and I have a cane that helps me walk.  Working with dogs is fun because they have a new thing to get use to.  They adapt to the cane easily.

Here is a photo of me as a baby about a few months old.  I am more bald now as I was back then!! It was cute then, not so much now. These photos are really old and not very well cared for but they are still photos of me.

Here I am with my mother a young bald baby!

And one more of me in the high chair at one year old, see, still not much hair!! I hope it doesn't take as long as back then to grow hair this time around. I was told once that I was about 2 1/2 before I got my first hair cut.

In the mean time if we go out, I wear my hot red hair.

Around the house I wear a hat to keep my head warm (plus you can't sleep in a wig)

But I have as much hair now as I did at 2 weeks of age.  It's a reminder to myself that I am very much starting over again.

I debated over posting this photo for a long time. It's not easy for me to look at myself in the mirror or take a photo of myself and then post it.  But I do post it.

I post this photo for 2 reasons,.
(1)  I want to show Cancer that it didn't win! I did. It may knock me down but I will stand up again and carry on. God has given me the strenght to stand up and carry on.
And
(2) For anyone that has to have this happen to them, I want you to know - it's OK. You are more than what is on your head.  You will find out just how strong you are and you will learn that Cancer is not for wimps.   Stand in the mirror and remind yourself that you are more than your hair and you are stronger than you believe you are.  You Are A Winner.

So How Am I??   I Am Perfect!! I am just what God wants me to be!! How Are You?

SWAT TEAM RESCUE FROM WORK HODGEPODGE

WOW more questions from Joyce!  She sure does have a lot of questions for us, I wonder where she comes up with them all.  Come join the fun. By way of explanation for the name of this post, I went in to work for two hours today. At two hours and five minutes some big guy came in and took me away!

1. Are we always responsible for our actions? Are there any exceptions?
I do believe that we are responsible for our actions but sometimes we are backed into a corner and so our choices may be limited.

2.  Has anyone from your home town become famous?
No not from the home town, but a few from the State of NH. Here are just a few of the huge list that I found.
Christa McAuliffe first teacher in space (Challenger)
Alan Shepard Astronaut, one of the first Mercury Astronauts
Franklin Pierce 14th U.S. President
Mandy Moore singer, songwriter, actress
Bode Miller olympic medalist in Skiing

3. January was National Slow Cooker month. Do you own a slow cooker/crock pot? Did you use it last month? What's a favorite dish you make using a slow cooker or crock pot?
I own 3 crock pots of different sizes and I did use them all a few weeks back.  I love beef stew in the crock pot.

4. How do you feel about private companies collecting data about you?
I really do not  like the idea of any company, private or public, collecting data about me. My business!! Leave me alone!

5. The Games of the 2014 Winter Olympics kick off with their opening ceremony this coming Friday....will you be watching? Which Winter Olympic event would you most like to see in person? Have you ever been to Russia? Any desire to go, Olympics or otherwise?
I will most likely not be watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics live but will watch it on the news or some other cable channel later on in the day.  I would like to see the figure skating in person, drinking hot cocoa, covered in a blanket. No, I've never been to Russia and have no desire to go see it.

6. Share a good or bad sports related memory from your childhood or teen years.
My mother made me take skating lessons when I was little. I tried to tell her that I didn't like it because it was too cold in the building, she didn't care so finally the class had a recital to show off our skills. My parents came to watch me.  All the other girls were in cute tights and little dresses while they skated but I was in sweats pants, sweat shirt, gloves, coat, hat and scarf.  They finally got the idea that I was way too cold to look good on the ice.  I got to quit..

7. What's a must have song for you on a work out play list? If you don't work out, run, swim, bike, walk, or anything else that could be construed as 'exercise', then what's a song that motivates you?
High School Musical "Bet on It"  I like the fast beat of the music and the message that we sometimes find ourselves in a place we don't want to be, but we can bet on ourselves to get out and do what is right.  When I'm trying to work out, or walk or lose weight I find that I have become lazy at times and need a kick to get going.  This song does it for me.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Well the news around here is SNOW and lots of it!  As of 4:57pm on Tuesday evening this was what we were told we would get.

We are in that 7-14 inches section!  Not fun since we still have snow on the ground and we are suppose to drive up north to Lebanon for a follow up on my stem cell Harvesting.  Don't think we are going to risk it....Can we have a phone consult please?  I so want Spring to show up soon. I'm so tired of winter.

The Night Shift!

If you have ever been in the hospital overnight you will know that sleeping in a hospital is hard because there is the wonderful night nurse who comes by to check on you.  Sometimes waking you up to take your temp or BP.  Sometimes they wake you up to ask how well you feel or how well you are sleeping.  We all growl at the night nurse, the hall lights are still on and so the light is in your room too. You may even have a room mate who keeps the TV on at all hours! 

I have been blessed with 2 --3rd shifts nurses, Becke and August.  They each take turns to check on me during the night when I would love to be dreaming of laying on the waters edge by a lake or laying in the sun working on my tan (not really, I don't tan I burn but you get the idea).  Instead Becke walks over to me and nudges my elbow until I open my eyes and say "I'm good darling, go back to bed" she then walks back to her bed and lays down. 2 hours later she's back doing it again!  In between August kisses my cheek or nose until I pet him and say "I'm good, go to sleep". He then curls up on the small spot on the bed and sleeps.  He will be back!! And so my evening goes.  Finally I'm up, I make them their breakfast, I let them out to "go", and I turn on the morning news. The night shift over, my nurses can now relax, no problems on their watch.

The Story of the 3 Bears

   In anticipation of stem cell harvesting I took the Saturday before to cook for my family. I wanted enough for Hubby and I for 2 full weeks and also for our dogs, as I cook for them as well.

   I gathered my list, went shopping, gathered the supplies and got to cooking. I had both racks in the oven going, all 4 burners on the stove, and my 3 Bears.

Meet Papa Bear - Momma Bear - Baby Bear and Pee Wee (not a real crock pot)

I used one of the gifts we got for Christmas, an absolutely beautiful cutting board pictured above.  I didn't want to cut on it at all, but the man who made it for us made me promise that I would use it so I did.

I chopped, I diced, I cut and I made food for all of us for the next two weeks.

In Papa Bear was beef stew

In Mama Bear was Veggie Barley soup with kielbasa

In Baby Bear was a depression favorite soup called Giblot (hot dog stew)

In the Pee Wee Bear was a stew for the dogs (without the onions, and many of the seasonings) Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of that one, plus it was just one meal and gone in no time!

In the oven was meat loaf

sweet potatoes fries

pork loin

pizza

On the stove top I make tater tot casserole

Suet cakes for the birds and the food for the dogs.

Once it was all cooked and had time to cool, I put it all in containers and put all of them in the freezer.

   It took me hours and we got a lot of food and the freezers were both full.

   We were set for hunkering down and eating well while I went through this ordeal.

   Ironically, I couldn't eat any of it!!  My diet after chemo and before harvesting consisted of Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast, Egg - known as the BRATE diet.

With all the wonderful food I had made, this is what I got for breakfast.

The weak tea was replaced with Ginger ale.

In place of toast, I could substitute 4 unsalted crackers.

YUM right!  

   So Hubby got a lot of good cooking!  He is one happy hubby and willing to make the sacrifice. As i was eating my BRATE diet and he was eating real food he would gag and tell me how horrible his food tasted. He's such a bad liar!
   So the dogs and the bids are happy and well fed, too.

   Some days all I can do is laugh!!!!

Battle Scars

Thank you all for the well wishes, emails, cards, calls and concern, but thank you most of all for prayers, healing energy and thoughts to our Father in heaven who showered me in grace and got me through this.

It has been AS hard as we were told it was going to be.  I'm so thankful for all the tests that were done on me before I started this process and for the care that I have received from the wonderful staff at Norris Cotton Cancer Center both in Manchester and Lebanon NH. What a huge team and they are all so very nice.

    

Manchester, NH                          Lebanon NH      

The Chemo I received back on the 13th was 6 times stronger than anyone gets at one time.  I held up really well for the first 4 bags of drugs but in all there were 9 bags of drugs and hydration (I'll not go into detail about how I held up with the other 5 bags).  It required that I return on Tuesday for help with dealing with side effects.

Daily shots of  stem cell growth drugs and every other day blood draws filled up most of my week.  What I was told would happen or even could happen DID happen. Dealing with side effects was no fun either and I will not share that with you.

You're Welcome!

Through it all, we had God on our side. We knew it and we felt it. We saw Him use other people to let us know that we were not alone.  We have a God that Hubby and I have a history with. A history where He is there to comfort, to care, to listen to our tears, to give us strength and to cheer us on and laugh with us. He is not someone "Up there Somewhere", He is personal, He is our savior.  It's a long history and long histories are good.  We would remember other times when He was holding our hand.  We reminded each other about that.  Through it all we had HIM, God, Jehovah, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Yahweh.

We also had each other.  We have a 42 plus year history honoring our vows. For Better for Worst, in Sickness and in Health.  We knew together - all 3 of us- that no matter the physical outcome, We Were OK

We also had family members and friends who checked on us, kept sick family members away from us, checked our house, took in our mail, and started our pellet stove to warm up the house. Some friends sent IM's to check on me, sent out mass emails to spread the word on us and in so many ways  reminded us that we were not fighting this alone.

Battle Scars? Yes, but instead of dwelling on them, I will dwell on the joys and the fun of being alive. I am not the same person.

Before - Before the After

Here is my BEFORE photo.  This is my real hair. It's grown a lot over the last few months and this is my real color. I can't color my hair for a while so this is my real color. Still deciding if it's blond with lots of gray or gray with a bit of blond.  Or Brown with gray, maybe gray with brown???Anyhow, this is it.

SPOILER ALERT - This is a medical post, I know that some of you don't really like the idea of medical posts and I fully understand. So run to another blog and my feelings are not hurt at all. In fact, I would love to run away from this as well but unfortunately I have to live it. 

Just to remind you I have a blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. It's not curable but treatable.  So far I've had 16 weeks of chemo (35 pills once a week, and a shot in the stomach once a week).  Then I had  8 more weeks of chemo again (shot in the stomach once a week, and a different chemo pill every day) and lots and lots of steroid drugs. I've gained a lot of weight!   My hair got very thin, and some parts fell out so I was wearing a wig for a bit, then I had super short hair that felt like straw and looked like it too.

Then I rested and tested to see where I was.  I am in remission!  

I call it my before photo because in a few weeks I will have an AFTER look.

You see we are moving forward with Stem Cells Harvesting.  It's a bit complicated but it involves a lot of steps for me.

I had a lot of tests to make sure that there is no issue with past chemo and that I am healthy enough for Harvesting.

Soon I will begin the process of Harvesting my own Stem Cells.  Each case and each person's walk is different.

 For me that includes:

More Chemo

  I will loose all the hair you see in the above photo. It's only one day of Chemo but I've been told it is very strong and that I WILL lose my hair.  

Then I will have 2 days of rest, followed by a shot a day of a growth hormone for between 9-13 days that will force my body to grow more stem cells than it needs, forcing those cells to spill out of the bones and into my blood stream. I will also have blood tests every other day to see if they can figure out how many stem cells I am growing.

I will then have surgery to put 2 new ports in my chest that will be used instead of the veins in my arms which are not good for this procedure.

Then I'll be hooked up to a machine and the stems cells will be pulled out of my blood and the blood returned to me.  5 hours a day for maybe 2 days (but it could be 3 days)

Finally, surgery to get the 2 new ports out of my chest and then it's done!! Then I rest up, recover, take a maintenance dose of chemo drugs and live my life normally.  

 In all it's about 14 days from Chemo to the end of Harvesting. Sounds scary doesn't it? Yes it does but I'm the girl that has had 4 Bone Marrow Biopsys so I am not scared.  I 've been working on building up my stamina, staying healthy, and strong. More Importantly, I've Got God On My Side.  I've done all I can do, now it's in His Hands. And His Hands are Gentle, Loving, Trusting, and He only Wants the Best for me.   It's going to be a gruelling couple of weeks so if you don't see me much, this is why.

I start with the Chemo on Monday 1/13/14 and the Harvesting will be sometimes between 1/22/14 and 1/24/14. In between, I'm pretty much stuck at home and can only go out for doctor's appointments. 

  I'll post an AFTER photo when I feel strong about that.  

Keep us in your prayers, OK?

No Lines, No Waiting

I didn't make the title "Living with Cancer" because I have NOT yet learned to live with it. I am in the very early stages of learning to live with it.

I’ve been learning a few things along this path that we are on at the moment.  I Thought that I would share with you some of it. My warped sense of humor really has me laughing at these. I know that Cancer is not funny, but life sure is!!

1. There are no more lines at the doctor’s office. 

NONE! If I call in because I don’t feel well, I get right in… As in “Mrs. Millette, how long would it take for you to drive here?  OK, then we will see you as soon as you get here.”   Once I show up, I’m whisked down the hall and into an exam room.  I may not even have to sign in at the front desk to collect my labels, someone has them waiting for me when I show up. I'm moved along so fast it makes my head spin!  I'm in, out, and sent on my way at warp speed!  Now we all know why we wait at the doctor's office now don't we....

2. I no longer wait at the lab either. 

As soon as I show up at a lab, they move me to a room in the back so they can take my blood or some other fluid!  There are lots of fluid that labs want to look at.  I have a large collection of "Hats" to collect body fluids in and then move to some larger collecting receptacle for the lab to have. Trust me, no one person needs that many "Hats for fluids". I'm all set thank you very much.

3. Every time I show up some doctor wants my blood.
I walk into a room and roll up my sleeve so that they can have some before they even say anything.  Sometimes I start to unbutton my shirt because they want blood from the Chemo Port (AKA Pebbles). You know people, I wouldn’t feel so tired if you left me some of my own blood! 

4. I have a new meaning to the phrase “Washing my hair”.
 Since it now sits on a towel inside out drying while I do something else.  That one really cracks me up. You have to dry it inside out because you really want the cap to be dry when you put it back on so it looks really funny and don’t use the blow dryer or the curling iron any longer. 

So these are just a few of the things that we deal with every week and how they make us laugh at what is happening to us.   Having Cancer is not fun, dealing with cancer sure can be……