Chemo Round 2 - #5

Hi All, had chemo all day today, was in the recliner for 7 1/2 hrs. They took it slow to avoid any reactions and it worked!! Thank goodness. The good news for today is my CA-125 count is down to 43!! It was 52 last time. My Dr. thinks it might be below 35 next time which is in the normal range. So if you want to pray specifically, please pray for that. That would mean I would only need two more chemo treatments after that and, then only 8 wks to wait until I can have the surgery to reverse the ileostomy. So by my calculations, that would be around the last week of November. After Thanksgiving. I think that is a perfect time for more surgery, don't you?? I will be home and almost recovered by Christmas. The Dr. said, now don't plan on that date yet, I said, I know, just want to plan a little. I am really ready to get rid of my "bag". I don't like it at all!! So, the sooner, the better. I know many of my family members, are not so sure I should go "under the knife again", after what happened last time, but I can't be afraid like that. I need to have faith that with God's help, things will go well. (You can pray for that too, please.)

I had a great weekend up north. I felt pretty good. I am in less pain, and no longer needing to take the Vicodin, so happy for that. Doesn't mean I don't have discomfort, but I can bear it. They thing adhesion, or scar tissue causing that. Guess what, the Dr. really thinks it would be good for mean to try and go back to work. It scares me a a bit, but I will try. I need to start "conditioning" again. Will start walking around the block tomorrow.

I had the med that makes me hyper, so that is why I am still up at 12:30am writing this, not feeling at all tired. I will need to take an Ambien again tonight for sleep. Went to the Hope Play tonight, "An Inspector Calls" a British play set in 1912, very thought provoking and enjoyable.

Thanks to my grade school friend Helene, who came and sat with me today, bringing me soup, from "Zoups" and homemade chocolate cookies. We had fun talking and we are looking forward to next week getting together at their new summer cottage in Montague, MI.

Tomorrow is a busy day, I have an appt. with the ostomy nurse at Holland Hospital. I have been having some problems in that area, and thought I should spend some time with her and make sure I am doing everything I can to make this thing not such a PAIN, literally. Then, I need to race over to the dentist office for a teeth cleaning. Can't wait for that, something about chemo makes me very sensitive about my teeth bugging me, if they don't feel clean. Weird I know.
Then at night it is time for LNO, Ladies Night Out with the neighborhood girlfriends at Boatwerks, can't wait. Two more kids weddings in the group, Aug. and Oct., so we need to hear how the plans are going.

Plans have been underway for a while now for a big weekend coming up. We are celebrating my parents 60th wedding anniversary and my Mom's 80th birthday. We are having approx. 40-50 people up north at our two cabins for the weekend. We are having a Detroit Tiger Party for Mom on Sat. night, and on Sunday a Pig Roast with all the fixings and a special around a bonfire Tribute to Mom and Dad, devotions, campsongs, stories, skits,and who knows what else, led by Jim, an old friend of ours who plays the guitar and does this kind of thing all the time.  If it is really hot, we may have it in the log home in the AC, we will play that by ear. So we are really looking forward to this special gathering. We pray for safe travels for family and friends coming from OK, VA, KY, and all over MI.

Alden and Mary are hiking and camping in Yellowstone, so they will not be able to be at our gathering. I pray they have a fun, safe time and don't get eaten by any bears.

Wedding pictures are here! There are lots of fun shots (please ignore Aaron in his boxers for some =] ). If you go to his website (use the link below) or mironphotography.com, go to clients, wedding, Aaron and Mieke. You can use any email and then our password is "mutschler". This site is just for viewing pictures, he will send the DVD with all the pictures on them so we can upload them onto our computer and print whichever ones we would like. There are a ton of pictures so my advice would be to scroll through using the page numbers at the bottom and click on the ones you would like to see closer.

Wed. Aug. 1 is the official 1 year anniversary of me finding out my diagnosis. I am really happy to still be here and doing so well. I thank all of you again for all the support, prayers, cards, meals and soooo many more forms of caring that I can't even mention them all. I truly hope and pray that I am around for many more years, and I can treat this cancer like a chronic illness instead of a death sentence.  How does one celebrate such an anniversary??? Not sure, any suggestions?

I better hit the hay.......