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today’s good word is “stable”

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stable

I’m loving the sound of it.

This is the first time since June of 2016 that I’ve had that particular word spoken to me in the context of MRIs.

Nothing’s bigger, nothing’s new.

And nothing is quite like hearing my radiation oncologist talking about “in a year from now when you’ve been stable for that time, we can start spacing out your scans from every two months to four or more.”

In a year.

Someone’s talking about me and the future in the same sentence.

Nothing like it.

And there was nothing like laughing with my primary oncologist this past Friday when she smiled and joked, “So, you must be here for a well baby visit.” Have to admit she took me off guard and it took a moment – I’m certainly not with child – then I got it. We didn’t have any cancer concerns to discuss so I must be there for some other reason. :o)

Nope, nothing like it.

And there’s nothing like having this new reason to be carrying around the beautiful words, “thank you,” in my heart and on my lips.

continuing the journey

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I recently updated my GoFundMe campaign and thought I’d share it here as well.

My continued thanks to all of you who have donated and shared the link to my GoFundMe campaign! Because of you, I’ll be able to cover the deductible for my recent ambulance trip/hospital stay/treatments, and subsequent home nursing care.

As I’ve written before, I believed that the numbness I was experiencing in my right leg was being caused by sciatica. Apparently not. During January, I started having spasms in my left leg and lower torso. They were becoming stronger, so I went to the ER. They did a CT scan, but all it showed was the compression fracture. They sent me home with some pain meds. By the wee hours of Sunday morning (1/28), though, the spasms became so intense, excruciating, that I could not move. My husband called for an ambulance.

They got me up and into a special chair that can roll down a flight of stairs without much bumping. Sooo thankful for that! The staff at the Dignity French Hospital in San Luis Obispo is awesome. They got me settled right away, started an IV with a strong dose of Dilaudid, followed two hours later by a dose of Percocet, and scheduled for an MRI.

The MRI showed there were three cancerous tumours in my spinal cord itself, the largest in the lumbar, one in the thoracic, and one in the cervical. It took four days to get the pain under control and the spasms to stop. On Wednesday, apparently, I was transported via ambulance to my Radiation Oncologist’s office, measured for treatment, and returned to the hospital. He looked at me in amazement that I hadn’t been experiencing pain long before. On Thursday, I was released and Kevin took me over to receive my first of a total of twelve radiation treatments. I was a little puzzled why my doctor told me I could take up to three Zofran/day for nausea.

I found out about a week after my last treatment. During the following week or so, I lost ten pounds. Couldn’t hold much of anything down. Even sipping water when I was taking my meds was a challenge. Thankfully, that has subsided almost completely. Now, I need to build my strength back up, find solid foods that sit okay (still mostly having juice drinks), and continue the healing process.

So, again, thank you for all your support, encouragement, and prayers.

God bless!

you still grow

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You are so hard on yourself.

Take a moment.

Sit back.

Marvel at your life:

at the grief that softened you,

at the heartache that wisened you.

Despite everything,

you still grow.

Be proud of this.

~ unknown

(Source: My yoga instructor closed class today with this quote. Then, I came home and found it online at Positivity Note, Pinterest)

 

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