April has gone...

Holy. Smokes. March flew by faster than I thought. And April was a blink in time. So much has happened.

Here's a recap of events since February:

My annual liver check with my gastroenterologist resulted in me getting a baseline test with new technology that was non-invasive. The results of this test indicated that I have severe fatty liver infiltration, and severe scarring on my liver. These indicate that I'm at risk for more damage and liver cancer to occur. (Don't fret, it's worse than it sounds...laugh. It's OK. I know things will be OK.)

When I got the results from my gastroenterologist, I was told he wanted to put me in a study in San Antonio. Well, that was a flop. I was not accepted because I'm still on Tamoxifen (the medicine I take daily to help keep cancer away). The nurse at the study center had the nerve to tell me when I'm off of Tamoxifen for a year, I can come back to see if there is a study that fits with my situation. (I call my situation, Medical Unicorn Goddess, or MUG.)

After mulling over this fantastic news (sarcasm), I took a step back and reached out to the doctors at MD Anderson. I explained my medical history and the recent result of this test. While cancer is not active in me, thank goodness, I was determined to get a second look from a group of doctors that took care of many that I know/knew. 

The team there was/is fantastic. They got me to the right group. Set up an appointment and at the end of March, I was on my way, with Jeff. When we arrived, I felt cared for from the minute we checked in at the Rotary House (hotel attached to the hospital). I'm so blessed we could stay there and was able to get my lab work done in the hotel. I had a great meeting (about 2 hours) with the physician assistant and the doctor. They asked questions, I asked questions and many things were revealed that helped me know that my gastroenterologist was fired. The test results didn't feel right and I was glad I went to get another point of view on my MUG. Being there, I had a lot of information to process. 

The doctor ordered lab work looking at specific markers and said he would call me with results. When he said he would call me, I expected to hear from the physician assistant. Not the case. He called me himself and gave me the news that I'm on the high end of normal - basically the razor's edge of tipping into the danger zone.

Even when we returned home, I was still trying to decide what next step I was going to take.

I mulled over what to do and then here comes May 1st. My appointment with my primary care physician for my 3 month diabetes check up. I shared the information with her about my visit at MD Anderson. She had not received the lab results and asked me to reach out to get them.

May 2nd - I was able to get the files from my MD Anderson portal and send to my primary care physician to review. While going through my day, the nurse called with my lab results and said that I'm on track and met all my goals - A1C is in line (which was MOST important). Hopefully in another 3 months, she will reduce the number of meds I'm taking.

May 3rd - The nurse at my primary care's office called to say that my doctor would like me to go to see a specialist at the Texas Liver Institute, which now has an office in Austin. Now we are getting somewhere. Appointment to be scheduled soon.

Whew! That was a lot of information. I hope all of this makes sense. 

 

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I'm hopeful that the next specialist will be able to bring me answers.

 

Item #9393: Be better than you were yesterday. Even if this means picking up your socks or washing your dishes.

 

I love your guts!

March is here and we never had a winter

December through the end of February never brought us a cold snap here in Texas. Or most places across the country. Good grief. 

We are at the beginning of March and walking on sunshine, between the storms. Metaphorically and in reality. Blessings to my cancer sister that is fighting pneumonia and in the hospital. She's one tough cookie that I dearly love and is loved by so many more. I think about the brief time we spent together last fall when we sat in the oncology office while she was doing a chemo treatment. We laughed so hard and the nurses just smiled at us and shook their heads. People doing treatment around us tried to ignore us but we didn't care. Laughing is necessary. 

Today, I'm working on wrapping up work stuff so I can be off with my kids and husband next week for spring break. Since our younger kids have been in school, I don't remember being home during spring break. This one should be fun...or memorable at best. We are going to put ideas in a hat and choose one or two for the day. I cannot wait to see how things turn out.

Item #568: Smile at someone. Say hello to another person. Being kind is free. Do it sometime, you will feel good and someone will get something unexpected. 

I love your guts!

Flash forward five months

A lot of things have happened since my last post. 

Another wonderful lady gained her wings in October. 

On the same day that Kendra Scott held an event in honor of Holley Kitchen, raising 100,000 USD for metastatic breast cancer research. 

Then, another #lifer friend went to Dallas to get a platelet transfusion. She was there for a few months and was home by the end of the year. Everything was a success and I'm happy to say she is back home. 

The holidays were rough on so many but we worked to focus on the good.

The new year did not heed my warning to act right and leave my friends alone. One of my cancer sister's mother passed away from cancer after almost a year fighting. Sweet Adrienne gained her wings. She left behind a daughter, parents, extended family and countless friends. We are all here for Sarah Ann and will gladly lift her spirits up.

Earlier this month, I went to my oncology appointment, after my mammogram appointment. The mammogram was clear. Thank God. The platelet levels went up to 84,000 (which had been hovering in the low 70,000s since January 2016). I had been a bit under the weather with cedar fever and allergies. My doctor and I joked that maybe that was what I needed to kick these platelets into action. I hope this is the case. We talked about me stopping Tamoxifen in May/June. She furrowed her brow and said we can talk about it but she strongly recommends that I stay on it for TEN years. Uhmmmm, I will bring my Hulk hands with me to my next appointment in May to discuss Tamoxifen again. My husband will be with me, so I'm not sure the conversation will go in my favor. Stay tuned :)

This new year has me more in tune with my little ones because these are their "good ol' days". I want to make sure they have solid, happy memories, when possible. Like embarrassing them by yelling, "I love you!" out the window to them in front of their friends. Well, ok, this would only work for Brett because he walks away slowly from the car. Madison darts off and her friends aren't out there, but I could yell at her when I pick her up. Letting them cook dinner, do laundry and mow the lawn. These are chores they ask to do and of course I say yes. Why not? They will have to learn to do these things later in life, even if they have enough money to pay someone to do this for them. And so many more things.

Item #921722: Love yourself and be secure with yourself to have coffee or lunch alone. Soak in the sounds, sights and smells around you. (I hope the smells are pleasing) The simple pleasure of enjoying the moment is glorious and we should take time to slow down or stop. 

I love your guts!