Just like old times....almost

What a weekend! I ususally start out early on Saturday morning (pre-cancer) playing tennis at 830 0r 9 and go all day on errands, appmts, etc. Then I have ALTA tennis all Sunday afternoon. This weekend was almost like that... almost normal!

About 11 on Saturday Susan took me to watch Bob's tennis match in Alpharetta. He was playing with Stephen, Susan's son. While they played great, as Bob says, "They came in second". It was an almost cool breezy morning, and it was great to be out amongst the living! We were there maybe an hour to an hour and a half. After that, Susan and I went to Publix just to pick up a few things we both needed. I came home and rested for a little more than an hour, and Loree picked me up to go to Rita Ellen's Boutique. We both did some damage there! I bought a couple of skirts and tops so I am ready to go back to work for fall and winter. One skirt I bought, the gray one, I really loved. But more than the skirt, I loved the size----SMALL. I think I would have bought it even if it were ugly as long as it says "small". I can't ever remember wearing a small! Bob is lucky I got out there with so few things -- only cause I got tired and with this wound vac I can't try pants on easily. I will return.

I got to rest for a couple more hours. Trying on clothes is exhausting! Then we went and have a lovely dinner at the Tousets. We had the Alabama game on with no volume. The salmon was delicious, but the game made me a nervous wreck. If you watched it you know why. We left there about 10 pm (from about 6:45 - a very long outting for me). I could not turn the Alabama game on when I first got home as they had been winning and started making some horrible turnovers. Finally after I changed clothes and got in the bed I turned it on and we were losing 38 -31. It was an exciting white knuckle ride till the end, but Bama finally did prevail. It took me about an hour to get my heart rate to an acceptable level.

I thought I would be exhausted all day on Sunday, but I got dressed and watched my tennis team play from 1:30 till about 5:45. Another long day but a fun one. Susan brought me a comfortable chair to sit in and the weather was glorious. There were even a few minutes I thought I needed a blanket.

Today, I started chemo. Before it started they drew labs and told me I was not scheduled to see the Doc (Saba) until next week. Somebody goofed. You always see the Doc before chemo. Besides, he and I had some ground rules I needed to clear up before next week. My chemo nurses got it straightened out, and I got in to see him. We had a long talk about how we could avoid me going back to the ER. I am okay being admitted to the hospital, just not through the ER. So we are starting me on anitbiotics Thursday as a precautionary. Normally I see him for labs the Monday after chemo and that is before my white count gets low. Next week I am going to see him on Wednesday instead. If past history means anything, that is about the time my white count is low and my fever is up. Since he will be in the office and have seen me, he can direct admit me if necessary. So next Wednesday, I am coming with bags packed but praying I do not need them. He says as long as he is here or on call we can do a direct admit. Or I can try telling the on call doc that he said to admit me, not send me to the ER. At any rate, I got my point across, and I believe he will do everything he can to keep me out of the ER.

I wish I had not asked him this but I did. I asked with my history (me thinking clear surgical margins, 100% nacrotic tumor) what my chances of reoccurance were. He said 50% which was shocking to me. Every thing I had seen said if it was not in the lung then chances of it NOT coming back were about 76%. The size of this one dropped it to 50%. He said we are going to be watching it all the time via CT scans with the surgeon and with him every 3 months. I did not realize I would be seeing him that often as well. I asked him if I should be feeling my arms etc for knots and he assured me it would be lungs or the leg and we would watch those areas regularly. It did upset me but he told me not to get hung up on the numbers. The treatment worked well the first time, and if we ever have to, we'll just take it out and do it again. I can't really get hung up on what is going to happen next cause you can worry yourself to death but it is in the back of my mind. I am trying to focus on this week, getting chemo over and seeing if I can manage to end this without being back in the hospital.

In the meantime, I had a wonderful, normal weekend and I cannot wait to have multitudes of them back to back!

Nurse Kathy came at 7 so I had to take a shower (yea) at 630. She had to cut the sponge even smaller which means the wound is continuing to heal. She says it needs to do some sloughing off (or something like that) which is normal. She is contacting the Doc to see about putting a gel pack in for a few days so that can happen. The wound vac would be off during that time (yea) but come back will come back after that but it may give me a little break. I am hoping by the end of the month the wound vac, PICC line, and any major chemo side effects will be almost gone. We are really getting close now!