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!

Update - platelets

Since my last entry, I saw my oncologist after the two weeks of steroids to help boost the platelet count.Unfortunately, this did not work. The opposite happened - my count dropped 5K total. This was not the news we expected. Jeff was there to hold me together as I got a little sassy with my oncologist to ask if we could try it again. The answer was no, because most likely nothing would be different. Then she said a bone marrow biopsy needed to be scheduled. Ugh! 

This put me in a focused mode. When I got to the scheduler, she asked what day worked for me and of course I wanted the earliest date possible. Getting this procedure done sooner rather than later was preferred. I was able to get the appointment within 3 business days. Early this morning, we went to the hospital to get the procedure done and we were in an out in four hours. There was minimal pain. I'm more sore than in pain, which works for me. 

Thank you all for the out pouring of love, support and prayers. I could feel the love and cannot wait until we get the results. Expect the results by August 24.

Item #2929: Be the example of goodness you want to see in the world. Smile at a stranger. Hold a door open. Call that family member or friend you miss.

I love your guts!

Week 1 meds done

Here is the game plan for "Platelet Levels Get Back to Normal". 

I am on two weeks of medication to help "lift" the levels to normal range. Lab work 1 done after first week and then finish week 2 medication. I won't know the effects of the medication on my platelet levels until I go to the follow-up appointment with lab + office visit with doctor to review the performance of my platelets. My doctor wants to see the platelet count increase, as much as I do. If she does not see the results we anticipate (positive news), then I will need to get a bone marrow biopsy done to take a closer look at what these pesky platelets are doing. 

Come on platelets, do your job! I am feeling a bit feisty, like Si and shake my fist at these lab results. I am doing my part by staying positive. You do your job and multiply.

In the larger picture of the universe, this is like a rock in your shoe. You shake your foot to get it to roll out. When things do not go your way, you finally stop to pull the shoe off and shake the shoe like a fool. Right now I'm shaking the shoe like a fool and praying that the rock falls out so I can keep going forward. I have kids to get back into a school routine, work, coach boys' soccer and enjoy time with family and friends. 

Item #3994: When life feels like you have a rock in your shoe, stop and shake things up. Wave or smile at a stranger. Give a genuine greeting. Connect with yourself, even if you sit in the car for an extra couple of minutes after the crew goes inside. 

I love your guts!

Positive vibes for good news on August 3! Please and thank you. 

More tests

I am making a few more trips back and forth to my oncologist lately to find out what's going on with my platelet levels (because they had dropped over the last six months). My oncologist was also concerned about my glucose. 

My primary care physician confirmed last week that I have type 2 diabetes. My primary care physician has made sure I have the medication, meal and exercise plans I need to get my glucose under control. The meal plan is not much of a stretch from how we eat today. The exercise plan has increased what I am doing now. I have been asked to do 45 minutes of cardio per day for six of the seven days of the week. [Yes, read that sentence again.] It's not going to be that difficult for me to build back up to the 45 minutes of cardio because I can do this by jogging/running on the treadmill or trails. 

Tracking the medication and glucose readings will take a little bit of adjustments but I created my own spreadsheet to help me with this and will have a booklet of readings and results to share with my doctor. She has no idea what a spreadsheet wizard I am when it comes to tracking progress and results. Those of you that know me can understand why spreadsheets are my thing...I live and work in them every day.

I digress. 

Here is another nugget of data: There is no connection between the low platelets and high glucose. My oncologist is not sure why they dropped and has me on medication over the next couple of weeks to see if the platelet levels can come up to the normal range. We will know the results of the medication the first week of August. I pray for higher levels and know that this is one thing I cannot control. In the mean time, I focus on what I can control - positive attitude, putting laundry in the dryer when it is finished and how much ice goes in my cup.

Item #0722: Remember that there is very little in this world you can control. Pick one thing a day and do it knowing that there is power in the universe that will take care of the rest. 

We often forget the bigger picture of life and focus on the little things that mean nothing. Be the ripple in the ocean of life and leave everyone and everything better when it is your time to walk away.

I love your guts!