Good News and Bad News

I realize that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is just about over but perhaps every month should be Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I just found out the other day that a friend of mine has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I have known Lori since she was in high school and worked as an aide in my classroom. Then some years later, I team taught with her. I had her kids in school. And to hear this was pretty upsetting. The same day another close friend disclosed that she had a suspicious lump in her breast and had to have a diagnostic mammogram and an ultra sound. I totally understood her panic as this is exactly what I went through last spring. I found out yesterday that her outcome was like mine--negative. Thank goodness!! And I totally understood her elation and relief at hearing the news. But it got me thinking that maybe I needed to put my pink bracelet back on again. I wore it for 9 months when my friend, Jan, was going through chemo and recovery. She has been cancer free for 2 years now--thank goodness. We were able to share our trip to Ireland together this past summer. I also have a bracelet which reminds me often of my friend, Tootie's daughter Becky. Becky has been suffering from this horrible disease for several years now.

Ladies--and yes, guys too!! Do those monthly self exams. Get yearly mammograms. Do whatever you can to protect yourself. Wouldn't it be wonderful if for once and for all, they could eradicate this disease? And let's make every month Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Back in the World of the Living

I would like to announce that I THINK I am finally over whatever it was that had me in it's grips for a couple of weeks. When last we met, I was getting over a UTI and was down with the flu. Finally, about 1:00 am Sunday morning, I woke up drenched. My fever had broken and has stayed that way ever since. I began to feel better immediately and am improving everyday. However, on Monday my doctor called and said that the urine test they had taken about 10 days previously showed a bacterial infection and he was putting me on a new antibiotic. OK!! So did I have the flu or was that just the nasty little bacteria bug at work. Anyway, the new antibiotics came with a 2 page warning about the side effects--the major one being the very good possibility of ruptured tendons. So--no playing tennis or golfing (which I don't do anyway) and not a lot of long distance walking. So any little ache or pain has me wondering now. Oh, and not a lot of exposure to the sun. (Oh come on, I live in Florida!) But, the upside is I FEEL GREAT! Finally.

Aloha Friday #2

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that everyone takes it easy (kind of like it is here on Sanibel). I found this great meme on several blogs that I read and it looked like fun--so here goes. I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. Then when you've answered my question, go on over to An Island Life for other fun Aloha Friday questions and to play along!

Since this is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I'm going to steal my question from Deb over at Mom of 3 Girls. Have you had a mammogram yet?

I get one once a year. My last one was in June and I blogged about it here. Yeah, a mammogram does tend to hurt but it doesn't last very long--and ladies, it is a lot less painful that having your breast removed and months of radiation and chemo after that. So, after you've answered my question, get on the phone and make your appointment, ok?

The Longest Night and Other Stuff

So, it would seem that my body has finally recovered from whatever had me sidelined. Or at least I am about 98% back to "normal"--whatever that is. I had been sleeping about 18-20 hours a day since last Thursday. Yesterday was the first day that I got up at 8:30 and stayed awake the entire day. I did a LOT of genealogy work on the computer (I'm putting my data online at Ancestry.com), watched some TV, played around on Second Life (yeah, I do that too), and read some. So, when I discovered that it was midnight I figured that maybe I should go to bed. So I did. My body was ready for sleep but apparently my mind had gotten it's fill of sleep the past few days and refused to shut down. It got to be 1:00, 2:00 3:00 etc. I got up and had some comfort food (a glass of milk, crackers and peanut butter and grapes--yeah, weird, I know) but that didn't do any good. I took a Tylenol which usually works. Nothing! The last time I remember seeing the clock was 4:00. Then it was 5:30 and nature called. Back to bed and of course my RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) kicked in. Nothing worse than crawly, twitchy legs at 5:30 AM when you have only slept for about an hour and a half. So up for more Tylenol! I did sleep, though somewhat fitfully, until 8:30. I looked out the window and saw that Concrete Guy was here to take out our back porch and part of the sidewalk. Good thing I was up because the huge pneumatic drill was enough to wake the dead! So, anyway, I feel like new again! Except for the fact that I only had about 3-4 hours of sleep. Oh well. I guess the old bod just decided it had better things to do than sleep.
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Bob the Builder and friend put in the 4 new windows in the barn yesterday. Whoopie! Also went out and bought the new door for the side of the barn. Didn't install it--just bought it. Can anyone explain why a door costs $150 and the installation costs $250? Mr. Snowbird did say it's because they have to put a new frame in. He is a whole lot more lenient on this whole construction thing than I am. Of course, I'm still looking at a living room where the paint job hasn't even been started yet. Oh, and the bedroom where the kid painted the walls and part of the baseboard but left a strip around the bottom near the floor. I guess he thought the new carpeting would cover it. Bob the Builder did admit that he has a lot of other jobs going right now. Well, excuse me, but I think we were first in line before these other jobs came in!
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Ok, I don't usually go nuts over People Magazine pictures or celebrity babies etc. but did anyone see the latest People with the pictures of Brad and Angelina's kids? Not just the twins but all of the kids. What a fantastic, happy, marvelous family these two have assembled. Just to see the pictures of the older kids with the twins and with each other just brought a smile to my face. Way to go Brad and Angie.
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Oo, oo, oo, I just looked out the window and Bob the Builder is actually putting the new door in. I wonder how long it will be before we see him again?
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I'm sure that unless you live in West (By God) Virginia or were on Interstate 77 in that state yesterday, you didn't hear a word about this. My son and his family have been vacationing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee since last Thursday. They were headed home yesterday as Ann had to work today. He called about 5:00 and said they were stuck in traffic on I77 and would I google it and see what I could find. Sure enough, I found out about these accidents. Two semis had collided and later a semi and car had collided--both close to the same location. From what I could figure out, Dave et al were about 2 miles from where it happened. He said they were moving a bit and hoping to make it to the exit where they could get off. He then called about 9:00 saying they got fairly close to the exit at which point they were turned around and sent back the other way and were now in a traffic jam waiting to get off on the other side. People were running out of gas etc. I asked if they had anything to eat. He said he had beer and the kids had flaming Doritoes. I assume, since they had been camping, they had a wee bit more than that. Ann started a 1200 page novel and the kids were watching DVD's. They seemed to be in a fairly good mood. That was the last I heard from them so for all I know, they are still on I77 in the hills of West (By God) Virginia.
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OK, that's enough stuff for now. Just know, that I am sooooooo glad to be well again. There were times when I really doubted it would happen!

Still Sidelined

OK, I think I've turned the corner but I'm still a long way from back to "normal". I can at least swallow today without having to think about how much it is going to hurt. I don't have a baseball in my throat anymore, just a golf ball. I still don't have much of an appetite and I now have a low grade temperature. It runs about 99 or 100 but for me that is a temp since I normally run a subnormal temp. I am still wiped out. I get up, eat some breakfast then go back to bed for an hour. Then I get up, fool around on the computer for an hour, then go back to bed. Etc etc etc. And of course, now I have this nagging cough. I hate to complain, but hey, it's my blog, right? Tomorrow is the last day of my antiobiotics. I was hoping that by the time I was finished with them, I would be all well and ready to take on the world. Nope. Man, it's a good thing I don't have little ones to take care of anymore. Oh, and guess what, the contractors come back tomorrow. Ugh! Hey, can people my age get mono??

Get Those Mammograms Girls

Last November I wrote a post about Pink Bracelets. I was wearing one for a friend of mine who was going through Chemo for breast cancer.

I have faithfully gotten a yearly Mammogram for as long as I can remember. Once, a long time ago, I had to return for an additional visit because of a suspicious shadow on the film. It turned out to be nothing.

A couple of weeks ago, I had my yearly mammogram. Two days later, I got a call from my doctor's office saying that I needed to return for another mammogram and an ultrasound. Even though I have had cancer twice now, Uterine and Melanoma--both Stage 1, I wasn't too concerned. I had felt nothing during breast exams and I have scar tissue under my arm from where lymph nodes were removed during my Melanoma surgery. I thought maybe that was the problem.

Since I was going on vacation, I made the appointment for this morning. I, of course, was a wee bit apprehensive when I arrived this morning especially when the technician said that the suspicious area was near my nipple, not under my arm as I had expected. So, again, I endured about 4 different views. She said that she would develop the films and immediately take them across the hall to the doctor and then return to give me the results. No waiting for several days. And, if needs be, then I would have an Ultra Sound. So, I waited--only about 10 minutes. She came back and had me come back into the room. She looked very serious and I of course, thought the worse. BUT---she said that the doctor found nothing suspicious and I was to return in a year. Whew!! All the way home, I uttered a lot of thank you prayers.

So, gals, if you don't get a mammogram yearly, get at it. Yeah, I know, it pinches and hurts a bit, but that's nothing compared to what my friend went through with the Mastectomy and the 4 months of chemo. And, I don't want to have to wear a Pink Bracelet again for any of you gals.