I had NO idea!

Good morning! It is Tuesday, June 1st, and I am at my townhouse catching up on some stuff. It's been a week since I was here, so I have a lot of mail, emails, etc to go thru. According to my work schedule, I am working today thru Friday from 7a to 4p; but when I arrived at my patient's house this morning, I discovered that I was not supposed to work today. Go figure..........but anyway, it has given me some much needed time to get some things done. Sometimes, while I'm staying at Mama and Daddy's house, I don't stay disciplined like I should with my time. I have the tendency to get on the golfcart and see how many geese I can spot on the duck impoundment, or how many turtles I can spot sunning themselves in the canal; and, of course, there's always the chance that I'll sneak up on that muskrat and see him before he sees me. Then there's that swing on the patio that calls my name every time I walk by it. Not to mention the baby swallows on the front porch that I've been videoing thru the front door.

Staying with my parents has been great. I'm getting lots of fresh air, sunshine and homecooking. Last night, we had grilled bbq'd porkchops, squash casserole, field peas, and fruit salad. Aunt Rose and Uncle Danny came and ate with us too. A big thank you to Aunt Rose for coming to my rescue this weekend with three boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese! Going thru chemo is a lot like being pregnant. You can't eat just anything, and when you think of something good that you can tolerate, you just have to have it! A big thank you to Aunt Barbara as well for making one of her famous carrot cakes this weekend, and making sure that I got a chunk of it to eat.

I just read my last update. I really was not feeling well when I wrote it, and the chemo kicked in within about two hours of writing it. I received my second chemo treatment last Friday, and the nausea started Monday evening. I took Zofran and Phenergan until I knocked myself out. I woke up on the couch about midnight to find my daddy sleeping on the floor beside me in case I needed him. Now how many girls can say they have a daddy who would do that for them?

I slept all day Tuesday, and finally got up around 3pm. That's the first time that I've done that. With the first treatment, I had a lot of gi upset, but this time, it was just complete exhaustion. I've had just a touch of nausea, with a little gi upset now and then. I think I was much better prepared for the side effects this time. I have stopped drinking Mountain Dew, I don't eat greasy or spicy food anymore, and I eat smaller amounts more frequently. There's been a few days that I only eat a few mouthfuls. Believe me though, I make up for that when I start feeling better! Despite that, I've still managed to lose 14 pounds though.

I saw a lot of relatives this weekend that I don't usually get to see. It was so good to spend some time with everybody and catch up a little bit. I was amazed at the number of people who told me that they were reading this blog. I had no idea. I continue to be amazed at the number of people who care enough to want to stay updated about my progress. I have always said, you find out who really cares about you when you're in a storm. And one thing that I have learned..............everybody has their own storm. I am learning to not stay so focused on my own local weather, that I don't realize the storms that are taking place in the lives of others.

Well, that's all for now. I need to pay some bills and get them in the mail this morning. My next chemo treatment is Friday, June 11th. I don't have any other appointments before then. As always, thank you so much for your support. You have blessed me in so many different ways. I am almost caught up writing my thank you notes. If I have forgotten to send you one, please forgive me. Sometimes it's hard to remember everybody, especially after my treatments when I'm not feeling well. Please know I appreciate every gesture that is made on my behalf, and I can never thank you enough. Please continue to pray that God will continue to bless me throughout this ordeal; and please don't forget to pray for my family members as well.

Thank you so very much,
Cindy