Happy Valentine's Day Everyone

After months of low energy and fatigued muscles, I am finally starting to get some energy back and start to get back into some kind of shape. My hair is starting to grow back so hopefully I will have enough hair by the beginning of May for our trip to Italy.

We are planning on a late spring week long vacation to Rome, Italy. We can't wait to go - at least I can't. I was diagnosed just before our yearly vacation last year to go scuba diving in the Cayman Islands and we had to cancel the trip. I'm ready to a change in scenery.

Kyle is traveling quite a bit in the next couple of months with work and I hope to start looking for a job in the next month or so - we'll see.

Abby is doing great - she is now 14 months old and still a bundle of never ending energy.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

"And this too shall pass....."

Cindy

Two Weeks have gone by

Well, its been 2 weeks now since my final chemo treatment and I'm starting to feel good. Still don't have much endurance though as my blood counts still have several weeks until they recover. I'm getting a little restless around the house just not enough energy to go out and do too many things. Just laundry, sweeping floors etc.... until I go back to work.

Abby is still wonderful .... loves to play in all this mud we are having from the rain. Kyle is starting to travel a little more now that the new year has started.

I am soooo ready for life to get back to normal with me going back to work, etc....

I want to thank everyone for all their thoughts and prayers throughout these past 7 months. Just knowing that God has been by my side throughout everything has been such a comfort to me.

YEAH!!!!!!

OK - supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow (1/7) but I'm not going to let that stop me from getting to my last treatment .... even if I have to leave 3 hours in advance to make a 15 minute drive normally.

"And this too shall pass....."

Wishing everyone a wonderful and prosperous 2010.

Cindy

Merry Christmas Everyone

We just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

Cindy and Kyle

Last Treatment Scheduled - Yeah!!

Well - my last of 8 chemo treatments is scheduled for January 7, 2010 - YEAH!! I will begin follow-up appts. & CT scans after that on February 25, 2010. My doctor told us today that my blood work has shown that the cancer cells should be long gone by now and all should be well. I will have to follow-up and closely monitor things for the next several years as well (that includes blood work for monitoring any future blood clots).

Kyle and I received a wonderful Christmas present today with this news. The power of prayer is an extraordinary thing.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers ... you have helped us more than you know.

God Bless and Merry Christmas.

Cindy

#7 - DONE

Yeah - white blood count was up enough today so that I could go ahead and get treatment #7 done and out of the way. I haven't scheduled my 8th and final treatment yet since everything got postponed from last week. Should find out more on Dec. 17th at my next doctor's appt.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Christamas.

"And this too shall pass....."

Cindy

Only on a Monday

Well folks my 7th treatment has been delayed and messed up my schedule for the holidays. My white blood counts were a little low, so my treatment has been delayed for a week. My 7th treatment is now scheduled for Dec. 7th.

The best laid plans always go awry!

"And this too shall pass......"

Cindy

Holidays are over and back to reality

Hi All - well it's back to reality tomorrow. The Thanksgiving holiday is now over. I am feeling pretty good and was able to go all the way to East TN to visit with my parents and my siblings (along with their spouses and all my nieces and nephew). We had a wonderful and busy visit - always seems to happen when 16 people are all in one house. Abby had a wonderful time roaming free in the fields at my parents - she roused a rabbit from its morning slumber and saw two deer running in the back woods. She slept the entire 7.5 hour trip home and will most likely sleep all of tomorrow as well.

Now we are back in Memphis and have to return to our "normal" life. My 7th treatment is scheduled for just after 8 AM tomorrow and I'm not really looking forward to this week as I will feel under the weather until around Friday or Saturday.

Have a wonderful and safe week.

Cindy

Another one bites the dust

To all my friends and family,

My 6th treatment was yesterday (Wed. Nov. 11th) and I only have 2 more to go.

I was able to have my port-a-cath (2nd one - other one had to be removed because it never healed correctly) put in yesterday as well and have the Hickman line removed - Yeah!!

I have also qualified for a drup called Aranesp which helps with the production of red blood cells - this will help eliminate some of the fatigue and light-headedness as well as help me become more ready for my next treatment. My next treatments are scheduled for Monday, November 30th and Thursday December 17th. I moved them so I wouldn't feel quite so bad for Christmas and New Year's.

We are having beautiful, sunny and warm days here in Memphis which lets me get out and move around with Abby as well as run errands without having to wear duck shoes. No rain for at least the last week - yeah our yard has finally dried out and Abby isn't constantly covering my kitchen floor with mud.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and safe to all those that are traveling.

"And this too shall pass......"

Cindy

Week 17 & Alls Well

We are off to Knoxville for the weekend. I'm feeling pretty good, just a
little tired. My hematocrit is a little low but not low enough for a
transfusion.

We heard back from the geneticist this week. The good news is that I
do not have the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutation (breast cancer genes). We
are now waiting to hear from the insurance to see if they will cover
one other test - looking for Lynch Syndrome. I should hear more in
another week or so.

My 6th chemo treatment is next Wednesday.

"And this too shall pass......"

Cindy