Battling Colds But So Thankful

As I sat in the study hall at our Monday co-op today, I realized one year ago today I couldn't be here. I was at the hospital on the Monday following my last treatment, getting fluids to try to ward off some of the nausea. Walt took the kids to their classes and my neighbor took me to the cancer center. Back then, we survived because of so many people who stepped into the gap for us. All my muscles were sore, my potassium was so low my oncologist prescribed a supplement. I tried to eat foods high in iron because I was anemic. My doctor told me I needed time for my red blood cells to bounce back. I missed all the soccer games that weekend.

 This was a picture I shot last fall, never in public without my hat  

This was my hair about a month out of chemo...

...but I usually looked more like this (with two of my favorite people!)

This is what I look like tonight, tired, a bit sick, but with  a full head of crazy, curly hair

This weekend I sat through the rain and the cold and enjoyed every second of my boys' games. I love being able to see them play, even though it didn't help my cold any. I enjoy taking my kids to classes, helping them with their school, being involved in their lives. Today, we finished a book we had been reading together, A Ravenmaster's Secret. We loved it! I cried so hard I could barely read. There was a point in the book where everything looked dire, their best plan was foiled. At the end, all the things that looked terrible actually were needed for the ending to work out the way it did. I mentioned to the kids that when we are in the middle of our stories, we might not be able to see what God is doing with the circumstances in our life, but we can trust God who knows how it all will work out. I love how great books open up great discussions.

 After finishing this book, Ben and I continued to read together and finished Kensuke's Kingdom. Another amazing book!! Ben loved it. Throughout the day, he told me that he couldn't stop thinking about the book. I love that he might have found that special book which unlocked the joy of reading for him.

 We have been fighting colds (all except Ben, that is), so we took some extra time to be at home today. Becca stayed home from her class today, and Nathan was still so stuffed up, he didn't think it would be worth it to go to band. That meant only one trip to our co-op today, and I was thankful for the afternoon at home. I managed a short walk (couldn't skip again since I missed yesterday) and then made a huge pot of lentil soup. The kids didn't care for the soup, but I enjoyed it. They liked the cheesy garlic bread I made to go with the soup, and lots of fruit and broccoli. Walt had a meeting, so he wasn't home. I'm not sure he likes lentil soup, either. I'll freeze several containers to warm up when I'm in the mood for the savory soup again. It's so much better than anything I can get from a can.

Becca spent most of the day in her room, trying to stay on top of school as best as she could, while getting rest. After dinner, we went through an Algebra II lesson and she went back up to bed. I still have dishes to finish, but I wanted to make sure I finished this while it was still current in my mind. Even with a cold, I feel thankful for my health today. As the great hymn says, God's mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness, O Lord, our Father. When I look at how far I've come in the past year, I am grateful for the hand of God who led me every step of the way.

Busy Monday

Another busy week has started. I realized last week that taking the kids to Connections (our homeschool co-op) twice in a day, helping the kids with school before and after my trips, and then going to Scouts with Nathan in the evening was too much for me. Although I am feeling strong and in some ways even healthier than before my diagnosis, I still run out of gas quickly. I need to be careful how much I put on my plate each day.

Tonight was Nathan's Court of Honor at Scouts, and as much as I would have liked  to be there to encourage him, I had to say no. Walt didn't have an elder board meeting tonight, so he was able to go. I plan on going to the next one, when he'll hopefully have put together the final requirements for his next rank.  So I just drove Nathan down to the school and returned home while it was still light out.  I helped Becca a bit on her history essay, ate a huge salad and brussels sprouts (instead of the hamburger and hot dog meal for the Court of Honor), and in a few minutes, will spend the rest of my evening reading a book, Kensuke's Kindom, with Ben. He could easily read this book by himself, but we look forward to sharing this great story each day.

This coming Thursday will be my one-year anniversary of my last chemo treatment. I think back at how I felt last year at this time, not quite recovering from my previous treatment, very anemic and tired. Yes, I feel very strong compared to how I felt then. One blogger I read said she had heard that it takes about 13 months after the end of chemo to fully recover. It's easy to forget how sick I was, how much damage the chemo did, and how important it is to take care of myself when I feel pretty good. Thirteen months puts m around Halloween. I'm looking forward to seeing if I feel stronger, able to extend out my day a bit longer, by then.n.

For now, I'll head upstairs for some reading and then hit the hay. Tomorrow will come way too fast otherwise.

Thyroid Update

I've written a ton of posts in my head, but with the start of fall schedules, I haven't been able to write down anything. Our days fly by, and by 9:30, I'm done. My brain is tired and the last thing I want to do is to try to remember what I wanted to write. Tonight, even though it's now almost ten, I'm going to attempt to write at least a few words.

Last week, I met with my endocrinologist for a followup on my thyroid.  I thought my thyroid was shrinking during chemo, but both of my doctors (GP and oncologist)  recently mentioned to me that it looked bigger. So, I make an appointment with Dr. Moore. He mentioned that tamoxifen, with it's role in suppressing estrogen, could also send my thyroid into hypothyroidism. At least that's what I think he said. The other option is hyperthyroidism. Hypo is when the thyroid doesn't make enough thyroid hormones, and hyper means my thyroid is over-producing. He took pictures with an ultrasound and afterwards showed me the pictures. My nodules decreased on one side, but increased on the other. He said I didn't need a biopsy, but he wanted to check my thyroid levels with a blood test. This was my first post-port blood test. The tech was able to access a vein in my arm and filled up the tube quickly. Today I got the results and all my levels are in the normal range. That is good news. Of course I didn't want to take another prescription drug. Thyroids are a bit touchy, and getting the levels right in combination with Tamoxifen could be a challenge. Thankfully, it's not an issue for me now. Hopefully that's the last I need to think about my thyroid until next year when I'll have another follow up appointment.

Since it's after 10 now, I think I'll stop here. This morning I had all sorts of ideas for things to write, but tonight I'm coming up blank. Clearly, it's too late for my brain to be fully functioning. So, time to head to bed. Maybe I'll find a few minutes during the day when I can actually write something interesting.

Just a Normal Fall Weekend

I know it's not technically fall yet, but once school starts, no matter what the official calendar says, it's fall in my book. The lazy days of summer have been replaced with busy days full of school books, co-ops, soccer and lots of activities.

Yesterday, I enjoyed watching Nathan's soccer game. He's on a new team this year, and it should be a fun season. Ben's game got over before we could make it there, but there will be more games I'll be able to see this fall. So much fun! When I got home, I made sure I took time to do little chores around the house, just to stay on top of the clutter that comes out when school starts.

In some ways, it feels like we didn't have a summer, how quickly we jumped back into the school routine. We had a great summer, even though it flew by. I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked during the summer months, but I expected that. I told myself it was okay to kick back and read books, that going to the beach or walking with friends was more important than cleaning my closet, that, even though I know I will wish I had completed more projects this summer, I will be glad that I soaked up the sun and felt the breeze through my new-grown hair, listened to the birds and my kids chatter, and simply enjoyed life. Enjoyed being healthy, going to very few doctors appointments, not feeling sick.

So, almost seamlessly, we flipped into our busy fall schedules. The kids, resistant to hitting the books at first, adapted quite nicely to the challenges of their new courses. This week we'll start our co-ops, too. Often this week, I remembered how difficult this time of year was for us last year. I would have just had my 5th chemo treatment, one more to go. On Monday, Walt would take the kids to their first day of Connections classes because it would be one of my hard days. I had very little energy to plan or help the kids when they struggled with a subject. Maybe that's why things feel easier this year. I'm sure it's also because we are all stronger because of what we went through last year.

After finishing my chores around the house yesterday, I played tennis with Walt. Becca called during our second set to say she was finished at the barn where she works most Saturdays. We then found some salmon in the freezer and roasted it in the oven. We added some potatoes, lots of veggies and fruit and had a great dinner. Today, we watched the Seahawks beat the Panthers, went for a walk, and relaxed. I think I am ready for the week ahead. I know, that even if I don't feel up to it, I can rely on God who offers grace enough.

I am blessed to be able to spend another year with my kids, to be active and involved. I am thankful for no signs of cancer in my body. While I regret that summer is over, I look with anticipation on what God has planned for this new school year. So many things to be joyful about. On this normal fall weekend, I am grateful.