Can I still post in here?

The Battle is Over and We Won the War!

It's been about 7 and 1/2 years when started I this blog to not only keep my family and friends up to date on my battle with the Big C, but also to serve as a journal, a diary and therapy for me.  Going back and reading this has been very difficult in places, but it has also been an huge reminder of all the wonderful things my friends, family, business associates, even strangers, and especially my husband, Bob, did for me during a very dark part of my life.

Early on in the blog,  I stated that not everything about cancer is "bad".  I was shocked at all the love and support I got from everyone around me, and a lot of people I never even knew who were checking my blog everyday, putting me on prayer lists, and sending me cards, comments, and good wishes. And I learned a lot about myself. I never thought I'd quote anyone on Real Housewives of New Jersey,  but it really says it all- "You never know how strong you are until it's the only choice you have."  Having a whole army of support from all of you was the key to keeping me going. I could not have made alone.  Along the way, I made some great friends, my "Sarcoma Sisters", and I will do whatever I can to be part of their army, until they get  the "cured" message too.

Now it's time to write the end of the story and not blog on this site again. I have not posted on this site for a few years, so likely no one will even read the ending here. You may hear me shouting it from the rooftops, however. According to the American Cancer Society, I am "cured", and there is a less than 5% chance my Sarcoma will come back. I will have CTs and MRI annually, for the next 5 years, just to be sure. There were many times I was certain this day would never come. I truly lost all the battles but somehow won the war. The details and series of events are all chronicled here, since early 2007. Everything you never really wanted to know about the "day to day" true battle with cancer. But thank G-d, and all of you, the story has a happy ending. And maybe, it will give some one else some hope too.
Many thanks and much love,
Geri

Six more month free!

Today, Dec 2, 2011 is the longest I've gone since my first Sarcoma diagnosis in Jan of 2007 without seeing a doc or have a test of some sort. It had been six months, and I was used to every three since the beginning. But good news for me. My chest CT is clear and we will not do another until June 2012' along with an MRI on my leg, as a yearly precaution. I had some big concerns this time that turned out to be nothing. There was a lump above my right thigh, Doc O deemed nothing He believes much of my pain in my leg is "his fault" from all the vascular stuff he had to cut out to take out the tumor and vein reflux is just part of it. There are simple enough procedures to handle this. When the cardio vascular surgeon learned I'd had two thorochotomies he and a new found respect for me like I was a war hero I will deal with this vein thing in a few weeks. Another concern i had was this upper respiratory infection I am fighting and how that might present some "spots" on my lungs. My first thorochotomy turned out to be an infection and not sarcoma, and I am determined to never be cut like that again if I don't have to be.

It was all a great relief and we are both so pleased! Boy, will I sleep good tonight! Our Xmas trip to England is stil up in the air as Bob has jury duty and we don't know how long he will be tied up with that and I have lots of work to do before year end. Bob!a going to be a grandpa in mid Jan so he may need to schedule his trip then instead. We will know more next week.

We hope you enjoy your weekend I know I am cherishing every moment of mine! By the way, as a early holiday gift, Bob made the first two years of this blog as a hard back book so I guess I am published now. I am hoping either Angelina Jolee or Halle Berry plans me in the movie!

Take care, and have a wonderful holiday,
Love,
Geri

Super news!

I had CTs on chest, abdomin and pelvic area as well as leg MRI and all is good. In fact,I sort of got promoted. I don't have to have chest CT for 6 months (had been every 3) and others for another year (vs 6 months). Doc O felt I'd been clear a long enough and did not want me to have so much radiation from Cts. Also, he'd consulted with other docs at a conference and their frequency for cases like mine was all over the place, so he felt sure this would be ferquent and not put me at risk. He said if I started feeling insecure about it or felt something was not right to call and come in sooner. As long as he is comfortable with this, so am I! We did talk about the fact I've seen him every 90 days for 4 years, so if I start missing him I should drop by for a visit and bring a 6 pack of beer. Very upbeat and positive vist and great way to start a wonderful holiday weekend.

Next scans not till Dec so we can make vacation plans probably through year end with out fear of any changes or surprise treatments! It is very weird being this "free" but a weird I really want to get used to feeling!

Assuming no problems that pop up before, I probably won't blog again till mid December. All is good, and we are attempting to live a very normal, and boring life! Yea!

Good news!

I got another "lungs all clear" report from Doc O today. It took so long to see him again that he had already gotten the written report from Radiology confirming what he saw-- or what he did not see, so it is official. We will do it all over again on May 20, including leg MRI, abdomin and pelvic area this time. The only change is I no longer have to have contrast. It is yucky stuff to drink, but the worse part is what they shoot up Your veins. It sends this warm sensation throughout your body. I always feel like I wet my pants! Then you kinds of feel yucky for a couple of hours; it is not awful, but just a pain!

Speaking of 'pain" - Doc O and I did discuss my leg/hip discomfort. He pretty much just said "it was just going to hurt" - all the radiation, surgery, scar tissue, disconnected and reconnection etc. So it is what it is and is nothing that I should be scared of - just something I live with! I get massages every two weeks, take some non narcotic pain medicine, stretch a lot and get on with life. And now I am going to get dressed for my tennis lesson! There were so many times, I thought I'd never get to say that again! I am a lucky girl!

Scan date changed!

Just wanted to let you know my doctor's plans changed, so my appointment changed, and I am not having my CT scan (was scheduled for today) until next Wednesday late afternoon. I promise to update as soon as I can next Wednesday night. Thanks so much for keeping up with me!

Another good report

I am so sorry I worried some of you by not blogging after my scans yesterday. It was all good news but everything ran late, and I rushed home just in time to head back to Emory for my sarcoma suport group last night. It was an exhausting day with full CT scans (chest, abdomin and pelvic area) and MRI on my leg. Then we had a long wait to see DocO. Often, when he sees me the full radiology written report is not in, but he has reviewed the scans and can generally tell what they are revealing. He always emphasizes there is a lot of scar tissue so there could be something he is not seeing, that the radiologist will pick up, but he has not been wrong yet. While our long wait to see him yesterday produced a lot of panic on my part, it was enough time to get the full written radiology report which was great news that showed nothing new and all clear!


DocO was a little concerned that I looked a little tired. I told him that since there was NED (no evidence of diease) meaning no cancer, that my being tired was not his problem but one I would take up with my family practice doc. I have been pretty stressed about these scans for the last couple of months so I think that is probably why I am tired all the time. Funny - I feel alot better today! But I will go get some blood run and see if there is more to it. But one thing for sure-- it is not sarcoma! The do a CT on my chest every 3 months but only look at pelvic, abdomin and leg every 6 months. That makes me more nervous about these scans as it seems like some bad stuff could grow in that time frame. I keep forgetting that if the docs thought that was an issue they would run the tests more frequently, but logic really does not come into play for me around scan time. I just get in panic mode and can't focus on much else!

I went to my Sarcoma support group and we talked alot about scan anxiety, and we all felt the same way. It is a great "rush" when the doc tells you all "looks good" and then about 20 minutes later you start sinking because you know that good report is only "good" for the next 90 days till the next time. You don't have a lot of time to celebrate the good news. Fortunately, the sinking feeling only last a few days and then you get on with life. Sharing all that at support group last night really helped me get past that alot quicker so I am already on the upside now!

We have been taking a lot of long weekend vacations the last couple of months so that and work has kept me occupied and not thinking so much lately. We have been visiting friends in Navarre Beach, Sarasota, Denver and Steamboat Springs, CO and it has been great. They have been good relazing vacations and gotten to spend wonderful time with good friends. This weekend we have a friend Debbie visiting us from St. Louis that we have not see in about 10 years. We go to Birmingham for Thanksgiving next Thursday, and then Bob is off to England on Dec 7 for Christmas. I will join him on the 21st, and we are both really looking forward to that.

Next scans are Feb 16 and I don't even see the DocO till 3:30 which really means about 5pm. So I will promise to blog that night but know it will be later since we will be coming back in Atlanta rush hour so who knows how long that will take.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season. Again, we have an awful lot to be thankful for. All of you and your support are a major part of that!

A good Friday the 13th

What a good day! I had a chest CT today and DocO gave me an "all clear", so once again it is a big relief. For the last year, my CTs have not just been chest but also abdomen and pelvic area and I had to drink a contrast the night before and day of as well as have an IV during the CT. I did not realize the order for today's scans had changed, so I drank the yucky contrast last night. As I was downing the last bit in the waiting area today, Terri, the CT Tech saw me gulping it, and told me I wasn't having contrast today. I have sort of been "promoted" and only have contrast every 6 months, still scans every 3 months. When you have contrast, you can't have anything to eat from midnight the night before until after the scan. So I drank the stuff and starved myself until 11am (when I had the scans) for no apparent reason. But the good news made it all worthwhile.

I now have now been "clean" or NED (no evidence of diease) for a year (since my thorochotomy last August). It is hard to believe, it has now been 3 years since my leg surgery and about 3 1/2 since I started chemo. Sometimes it seems like yesterday and others it seems like a lifetime ago and that it really happened to someone else, not me. I am going to do my best to put is all behind me and forget about it for about 11 weeks. My next tests are Nov 17, so I am not going to start freaking out about them until Nov 10. That is a pretty good break!

Bob and I got back from England last Friday. He was there for a month and me a little over two weeks. We went a few weeks later in the summer than we usually do, hoping for better weather, and we got it. The temperature was about 65 to 68 degrees during the day (when all of you were in the high 90's) , and we had very little rain, so we got to spend a lot of time outside. I got to do a few walks with Bob and his sister Jackie, and others, but I did have a hard time on some of the steeper walks. My leg just does not lift up that well, and I am not so steady on my feet --but lets face it- I have always lacked coordination! But also I could really feel my lungs a little bit more, felt breathless, which kind of scared me and made me suspect my scan might not be so good this time. Maybe I just need to be in better shape and get back to the gym! So that is the plan. We had a lovely trip, and it was great to see family and friends. I could not help but be a bit anxious knowing I was coming back to CT's, so I was a little distracted some of the time. We will probably go back to England for Christmas. Our big decision is whether we wait until after my Nov 17 scans to book our trip, or take a leap of faith all will be well and set it up before hand.

I know so many of you bought Atlanta Sarcoma Walk tee shirts or made donations to the Southeastern Sarcoma Group, and I am so appreciative. They have not provided me a list of contributors yet, so if I have not thanked you, please forgive me. I just have not been told yet. We have a meeting next Wednesday night, so I am sure I will get all the updates then. We have 180 attendees up from 140 last year, which is great. I was a little worried about attendance since it was so hot and also because so many of you came last year, and would not be coming since we would be in England. But as I've learned, the world does not stop turning because I am not there, and I am so glad it was so successful.

We are finally back in the swing of things, over jet lag and now that I am not worried about my scans, it is time for me to get back to "normal" whatever that is! No more excuses! We need to both hit the ground running Monday morning. We have a low key weekend planned, so we will be ready to go. I have a long "honey do" list for Bob, and lots of work planned for me, so life is good!

Thanks for checking in on me!

Atlanta Sarcoma Walk 2010 - Helping Save Our Lives

Dear Family and Friends,

This time last year, as I was preparing to go to the Atlanta Sarcoma Walk, I was also preparing for my second major lung surgery only 10 days later. I am lucky this year that so far I am clean and healthy – and NED (no evidence of disease). Unfortunately, that is not the case for the two members of our little group in Atlanta we lost this year, nor at least two other friends of mine going through current treatment at Emory’s Winship Cancer Center.

The “good news” is that Sarcoma only affects 12,000 new patients in the US each year. But that is also the “bad news” too. It means most people are not aware of Sarcoma, so the disease awareness and funding for programs, research, and clinical trials doesn’t receive the attention of more “popular” widespread illnesses. I am so lucky that Atlanta does have a top notch Sarcoma center at Emory, and our patient support group is very active in helping each other and bringing awareness to our community. The contributions we’ve raised have gone directly to programs created for our members and future Sarcoma survivors. It is amazing to think that donations to the Southeastern Sarcoma Foundation are helping to fund our Peer Partner program (where Sarcoma survivors like me can work with new patients as they go through our pretty torturous treatment regimen), or it will help fund research right at Emory to create clinical trials that might actually save my life.

Bob and I are devastated that we are unable to attend the Atlanta Sarcoma Walk this Saturday at 10am Piedmont Park. So many of you were there with us to walk last year, or bought tee shirts or made donations, and we are so appreciative. We hope you will consider doing the same this time.

I am attaching some info and links that will either give you tee shirt ordering and/or Walk registration site or direct contribution information. I know they have a limited quantity of tee shirts, but the donation site should always be up and available, even after the Walk is complete.

Many thanks to all of you for your continued support – emotional and as well as financial. Please feel free to pass this email on to anyone you think would be interested in attending the Atlanta Sarcoma Walk, learning more about Sarcoma or making a donation to assist our program. If any of you have Facebook sites or other social networking locations you’d like to post this on, please feel free to do so. Thank you so much for helping us fight this awful disease!



Fondly,
Geri


Greetings Sarcoma Supporter!

We are one week away from the 3rd Walk for Sarcoma Awareness to be held at Piedmont Park Saturday morning July 24, 2010 at 10am. After some delays and many long hours we are excited to release the website www.sarcomaawareness.org which is run by the Southeastern Sarcoma Foundation. This site is still very much in its infancy but will guide you with the information regarding the walk. Please click on the link http://www.sarcomaawareness.org/Sarcoma_Walk_2010.html for all the details regarding the walk as well as if you would like to pre-order a t-shirt (limited quantities, see attached design) and we will ship the shirt to you in advance so that you can wear it at the walk.

We are excited to also announce that we will be celebrating the day at 12pm after the walk at the Park Tavern. This wonderful restaurant is located on the corner of 10th Street and Monroe Drive and its patio will be our staging area. They have generously (through Matt Spelich) provided a large area with tables for post walk dinging or hanging out. We will have a short program after the walk (15 mins) to celebrate the day. Please contact me with any questions prior to the walk. Free parking is available on 10th Street and there is a $5.00 fee for parking in the gravel lot next to Park Tavern located off Monroe Drive.

We are expecting over 200 people this year to make this the biggest and best Walk ever!

Sincerely,

Ned Crystal
678-779-8572 Mobile/Direct
678-233-3201 Fax

Southeastern Sarcoma Foundation – Founder & 2 Time Sarcoma Survivor
www.sarcomaawareness.org
Emory Winship Cancer Institute - Survivorship Steering Committee Member, Peer Partner Committee Member, Sarcoma Support Group Facilitator
YACS (Young Adult Cancer Survivors of Atlanta) - Board Member

Another good report!

I probably say this every time but, I really thought this set of scans was going to not go so well. Seems like my leg hurts more than normal, so I was braced for some bad news. It feels sooo good to be sooo wrong. Doc O said every thing looked fine. He did not have the final written report but had no concerns. He keeps reminding me there is a lot of scar tissue on the leg which accounts for a lot of the discomfort, among other things (like radiation etc). The anxiety a week or so before scans is probably more evident to me that anyone else, but I bet f few folks could tell I getting irritable over stupid little things. There is all this build upin my head for days before the scans, and then the doc comes in and with one smile and two words "all clear" it melts away immediately. I have my next set of CT's August 13, and they won't do another leg MRI for 6 months. Bob and I hope to get a trip to England planned before Aut 13, and unlike last year, we will get to go without the gloom of an upcoming lung surgery upon our return! Many thanks for all your prayers and good wishes getting me through all of this.

Usually I just use this blog to update my medical stuff. But I am such a proud aunt and sister I can't miss this opportunity to brag! Today, my sister Sydney, an elementary school counselor, was honored by her school with the dedication of they yearbook to her. She not only just received a national certification (RAMP) for school counselors (I think only about 300 this year countrywide - and the first ever in Hall County, GA) but the yearbook honor (made by the graduating 5th graders) for her commitment to the students, helping them deal with the past and prepare for the future. Her daughter, my neice Zola, also just won an essay contest about "What My Mother Means to Me" too. It was a lovely tribute to her mother. It is great to see such an incredible person appreciated all the way around!

My neice Erin, 19, (brother Michael's daughter) who has Downs Syndrome, graduates May 27 from Mountain Brook High School on Birmingham. Erin loves school and will get to stay on there till she is 21 but is so happy to be able to "walk" with her class. Erin has an incredible memory, great sense of humor, and much to her Uncle Bob's delight, a great love for English history.
Another of my niece's also graduating this year is, Jesslyn, sister Lisa's daughter. At her Honors Day today, she won several academic awards and scholarships (going to Bama of course) and among them she got a really special tribute. Jesslyn, on her own accord, got bands to donate their time, and held a concert to raise money to help with Haitian earthquake victims. This was a huge undertaking, especially for an 18 year old, ready to move on to her new life as a college freshman. In her honor, her high school, created the "Iris Jesslyn Whitehead Humanitarin Award" as a permanent part of her school, and it will be given when deserved to other students going forward, in her name. Pretty cool. I am always so proud of all our family, but today especially!

So with all these honors, and good, clean scans for me, it has been a pretty good week for the Rosemore-Tape family! We are so blessed!

Moving to 90 day recall

Great news on my chest, pelvic and abdomin CT today. All clear, and now I move to 90 days for the next scan vs 60. I went to Doc O for these since Dr. D'Amato is gone. He did not like me being on 60 day cycle anyway as he felt it may be too much radiation. With all the scans I have had I am surely glowing in the dark anyway, and it is not my shining personality. My next scans are May 14. I was scheduled for an MRI on my leg in June so now I can have them all at once. And I got them to move me to Fridays so it does not mess up my work travel week so much.

I am working at home this afternoon. I've tried setting appointments later in the day after my scans. but I get so anxious a couple of days before, not sleeping well, that I think I am better off working at home after. I am now drinking some barium thing the day before and morning of the scan and getting an IV contrast, and it makes me feel a little yucky anyway. I am soooo relieved. I was certain this time (I probably say this every time) there was going to be something wrong. My lungs still kind of hurt when I yawn so I just knew that was a problem. This is the one time I just love being wrong!

My sister-in-law Jackie, Bob's sister, starts chemo in England tomorrow so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers for an easy and successful journey. Fortunately, this is a preventative measure for her, but chemo of any sort is no picnic. She will not loose her hair so that is great news. We talked to her today, and like always, she is in great spirits and staying positive.

All is well with us otherwise. Bob has just about finished remodeling our guest bath (except putting up the new door ) and so now I am ready to move him on to other projects. He can always tell when I am "thinking", and I know that must just scare him to death about the work it might create for him!

Hopefully there will be nothing new to report until next scans May 14 . Lots of people keep trying to get me to go onto Facebook, but I would not do that unless I gave up the blog and moved it there. I just don't think enough of you use Facebook - and quite honestly, my life is not interesting enough to post much on FB anyway - thank heavens. I love it when things are dull around here!

Thanks for checking in on me!

Starting the new year

We had a wonderful trip to England at Christmas. Bob went a week before me, so my trip was quick as I was only there about a week. At Christmas, our trip is totally about spending time with family, and not sight seeing or side trips. We got to spend time with Bob's kids (grown ups really) his Mom, sister and family, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. We packed a lot of folks in a short period of time, and the trip was over before we knew it. The weather was just a little colder and damper than it was here, but does not vary that much from us this time of year.
Bob's Mom (aka "Nanny") had a minor stroke just before he got to England but she is doing great. It is nice we got to be there with her when she first got home from the hospital, but she was up to her usual baking ( cheese bisquits for me), cleaning, gardening, and we enjoyed our afternoon sherry and midnight Bailey's like always!

My scan dates have changed. I mentioned before that sadly, Dr. D'Amato, my chemo Oncologist is leaving Emory to do research. They set my scans for Feb 9, and called to set me up to see Dr. Saba, my former Oncologist, a week later. I guess I am spoiled, and that just does not work for me. I like Dr. Saba, but I cannot have scans and not know results for another week. I am used to knowing them the same day and would be a basket case if I had to wait a week. My orthopedic oncologist (aka DocO) told me I could have my scans in his building from now own, and he would see me with results just after. If scans give me a reason to need further treatment, he can then refer me back to oncology or Dr. Miller (heaven forbid) my lung surgeon. But we are going for good clean scans and happy visits with Dr. Oskouei. I am set up for my CT on Feb 10, and don't need an MRI until June. There is this nasty drink I have to take the night before and morning of the scans. Before, after my last scan, they sent it home with me so I would have it for the next time. They forgot this time, and I am so afraid I will forget to go by and pick it up. I have that "to do" on my calendar now and hopefully will get that taken care of in the next week or two so I can quit worrying about it.

Bob is going back to England for a couple of weeks so he can help out a bit while his sister has some surgery. I have some work trips planned during part of that time - Boston, North Carolina, and may even sneak over to Birmingham to see how new baby nephew Grayson is growing and changing. I have been getting new pictures about once a week, and it is so amazing to see how quickly he is changing.

Thursday is the big game - Bama vs Texas for the BCS national championship. Now I really wish we had planned on going. Sister Cindy and Clyde are heading to Pasedena tomorrow for the game, and I am pretty jealous. I hope they have a blast and bring home a 13th national championship for the Crimson Tide. We will be watching ( I am usually pacing back and forth) and cheering them on!

I will update again Feb 10, at the latest, just after my scans.

I hope you had a great holiday! Thanks for checking in on ours!

More good news - and a little hilarity too!

First of all I got good news from DocO today. My MRI on my leg came back all clear, and I do not need to have another for 6 months, which I think is the 2nd Friday in June. I don't even remember the date, so that is a good thing. Usually those dates are forever imprinted on my brain, so I must not be too worried and am enjoying the hiatus!
As I mentioned on Tuesday, I have lung scans in 60 days. If they are clear, then I will go back on a 90 day cycle. One sad thing - I learned from DocO that my chemo doc, Gina D'Amato just annouced that she is leaving Emory so I will be seeing the new Sarcoma specialist they are hiring. I don't have a name or know anything about the new doc. If the new one has not started by Feb, DocO said I could come back to him and he could order my CT's, which is what I prefer, as long as I am clean. I may have the next set there, and if I get moved to the 90 days cycle move back to DocO for the CT's.
Actually, I should be too embarressed to walk in DocO's building ever again. When preping for my MRI today, they had me put on some green scrubs with a tie around the waist. Since I was just laying down I did not tie the tightly. After the MRI, I walked back into the small waiting area where patients who have already been marked for scans and have changed sit to wait to be called in for their scans. They allowed Bob to be in there while waiting for me and there were two other male patients in there as well. I sat down by Bob to go through my messy purse to find the locker key where I'd put my own clothing. After getting the key I took about 3 steps away from Bob in the center of the room, and my overly sized scrub pants dropped to my ankles. There I was in the waiting area with my top and panties on, and pants at my feet. It was like a cartoon or bad sitcom. It was definitely an "I Love Lucy" moment. I grabbed my pants and quickly pulled them up looking around the room to see who was watching. The other two men had their eyes fixed on whatever they were readying (at that second anyway) and Bob was just in shock. We both just busted out laughing and had tears streaming down our faces. I got to the dressing room as quickly as I could to change cracking up the whole way. One nurse stopped me to see if I was ok - guess she though I was crying. I was still giggling by the time I got back to Bob, and had cleared that room and he was in there alone. I was a riot, and I still can't stop laughing about it. All I could think of was that DocO better give me a good report, because I was in too silly of a mood, to acccept any bad news! I am a bit afraid it will be on U Tube tonight from one of those other patients cell phones!
Bob leaves for England Sunday and I will join him on the 21st. We hope you have a wonder holiday. We will be back before the new year and check in with you then! Many thanks for watching out for me and following the blog! It is so great to be able to report good news - I don't care who sees me in my underwear!
Geri

Good scans!

It seemed to take all day but the results were worth waiting for! Nothing new in my lungs, and it appears other spots I have (a couple on my liver and fibroid tumor on my uterous) have not changed and have been there a long time. We got there at 9:45 for scans and they were an hour late. I did not get in to see the doctor until 130 but had an 1130 appointment. I think they were working me in in both cases as my original appmt was in the afternoon and they changed to "morning". Dr. D'Amato is very thorough and shows the patient a lot of detail. Unlike other docs I have had, she is not trying to rush you in and out, which is probably why she runs late. That is fine with me. I will wait all day for good news. The problem is that I always think it is bad news and she is doing more research to give me a plan. Now that I have had my second set of scans with her, hopefully I will just remember that the time is not an indicator. The patient room we have been in the last two visits has a mirror that is positioned perfectly to see her desk in the outer office from one of the chairs in the patient room. This time Bob was in the "right" chair, so he could see her looking at the computer reviewing scans, biting her sandwich between screens. Of course I thought if I had good news she would be leaping into the room and not sitting there calmly so I read alot into nothing! One day I will learn!
For some reason, I am not nearly as worried about my leg, and I probably should be since it has been 6 months since its been looked at. But we will have news of that on Friday, after my MRI and visit with DocO. So look for a blog update Friday night.
I must have been feeling somewhat confident today because I scheduled a 3pm work appmt today in Macon, thinking I would be out of the hospital by 1:30. I was an hour late, stayed there till 5pm and drove on to Vidalia where I am until Thursday. Typically I am too scared to schedule anything after a scan because I am afraid it will be bad news, and I won't feel like going. But it is not a problem today!
We've spent the last two weekends in Birmingham for family event, and especially visiting my new nephew Grayson. At just over a week old, he was turning himself over already. I am sure he will be doing crunches and yelling "Roll Tide" by January!
Bob leaves Sunday for England, and I will follow him there on the 21st. We both have a lot to do before we go, and I am really hoping when we get there we really can relax and let go of everything else. Last trip there this summer we knew we were coming back to my lung surgery, so it was more stressful, and I was really distracted. Not so this trip!
Thanks for looking in on me. I will blog again on Friday night after my MRI. I have scheduled afternoon work appointments for me so I am feeling postive!

New baby!

Quick update! I have a new nephew thanks to Michelle and Michael! Born 3 weeks early tonight - Grayson Thomas Rosemore 7lbs 14 oz. Mom and baby doing great. We get to meet him later this week when we go to Birmingham for Thanksgiving. Grayson was born on his sister Erin's 19th birthday today! Aunthood is a wonderful thing!

All is well

I just wanted to check in to tell you things continue to go well. I have not started getting anxious about my Dec 8 and 11 scans yet. I think keeping busy really helps. I feel pretty good. I actually put on a regular bra for a few hours twice this week. You may remember that both my lung surgery incision are right long the line where my bra hits. Since I had both lungs cut on, I have the scars to match on both sides. It was not too terribly uncomfortable wearing a real bra (underwire and all) although I am not up for 12 hours of it yet as the area is still tender. On my right side the surgery was two years abo - almost to the date- and it still can be uncomfortable too but I am making progress.
We had an incredible weekend driving topless (don't get too excited - just top down on the convertible) in our glorious Atlanta weather. We are busy trying to get things done before Thanksgiving vacation since Bob leaves for England just a couple of weeks later. He still busy renovating our bath and poweder room, and it is a very time for me at work trying to wrap up things before year end. Before my last trip to England, I had just learned I was going to have lung surgery again, so that overshadowed our vacation a bit. Hopefully, we won't have that news this time around.
If you have been reading this blog since the beginning, you may remember me mentioning Carol Lynn, another Sarcoma patient I met during chemo. She started chemo just after me and the nurses suggested I talk with her and give her some ideas of what to expect. We became friendly and stay in touch, and have even ridden to the Sarcoma support group together. Carol Lynn had another Sarcoma spot in her leg and had to have it removed recently. I just learned tonight she has an infection and will have to have several weeks of IV anti-biotics and a wound vac to keep her incision tight and heal from the inside out. I went through all this same stuff you probably remember - 4 weeks of IV's four times a day and about 3 months of that crazy wound vac. It is a long process and seems like it goes on forever. Please say a prayer for her! She has a great positive attitude and sense of humor and that will serve her well through all this. Mainly it is an inconvenience - for the patient and the caregivers - husbands in both our cases. I remember during that time I became so dependent on Bob. He was keeping me "plugged in" and managing my IV's and wound vac. Just getting up to go to the bathroom was an ordeal because I had to unplug the wound vac and IV and roll the IV cart with me. The IV flushes so much fluid through you that you are always havnig to go to the bathroom. Af ter it was over and I went out of town on my first business trip I cried till I got past the airport - about 40 miles. I was so dependent upon him that I was really scared to be alone. And this was the same woman who was single and lived by herself till she was 44 years old! Carol Lynn's husband seems like a great guy and was always by her side whenever I would see her at chemo (just like Bob) so she is as lucky as I am. It is just going to be a long 6 weeks for her.

And while we are giving out prayers, my friend Karen is having surgery on her heart valve on Tuesday. Karen was part of my "Department of Transportation' that transported me home from chemo. Please put Karen on your list too. There was hardly a week that went by during 2007 when I did not get something from Karen - a card, baked goods, email and like you, she still is out there checking the blog regularly.

We are off to be with family for Thanksgiving in Birmingham and Uncle Charles and Aunt Jan's and will stay with Michael and Michelle. Although it will be a couple of weeks early, I am really hoping their baby boy will arrive that weekend! I keep kidding them that a real Rosemore would not miss both the Alabama-Auburn game and the SEC championship with Bama playing, so I am betting he will arrive soon.

We have an awful lot to be thankful for this year, so once again, Thanksgiving will be important to us. We hope you have a great holiday and will get back with you after scan on Dec 8 (chest, pelvic and abdomin) and Mri on leg Dec 11.

Doing well, enjoying life

I have not updated in a while, and as usual, that is good news. I am feeling pretty good and working on getting my stamina back. But mainly, I am just working and watching a little tennis and football. Until this week, we have had wet weather and I have used that as an excuse to not go for a walk. No excuses now because it is just beautiful here, and I really need to get my energy level up so I can get back on the tennis court.

My chest CT date changed to Dec 8, and I have my leg MRI on Dec 11. I am really busy at work so hopefully I will not have time to worry about the scans for a while! Bob leaves for England on Dec 13, and I will leave to meet him there for Christmas Dec 21. My new nephew should arrive a couple of weeks before I leave, and I cannot wait to meet him!

Bob is in the process of remodeling our guest bathroom. It is going to be very pretty, and I am very excited. You cannot imagine how much a mess one small room can make. He's promised to have it finished by Thanksgiving, and he is making good progress. In the meantime, there seems to be a fine layer dust in every room in the house, and we have tools, fixtures, and "things" all over the house and that just drives me crazy! I am really ready for this project to be done!

I am still going to my Sarcoma support group each month and enjoying that very much. Until today, I was also on this Sarcoma "list serve" thing from ACOR (American Cancer thing). Mainly information about Sarcoma is funnelled through there and others with Sarcoma email back and forth. Everyone is very helpful, and you can learn about clinical trials, new technology, communicate with people who have your same illness or are sarcoma caregivers, and know what your are going through. There were a few people I emailed "off line" for a while, where our emails were just sent to each other and not to the whole group. Unfortunately, many of these folks are very, very sick. It is always great to read when someone had good scans and is having a good day. There are a lot more emails about really bad days or from caregivers telling us their loved one is in hopsice or has passed away. There are many sad stories, and the ones about children with Sarcoma are especially heartbreaking. Today, I realized this was hurting me too much, and I am not helping anyone at all. It is very painful and scary reading about the state the patients are in. I do my best to send them all my best wishes and prayers and be supportive, but, I need to leave the group for a while. It is so depressing and frightening. I "signed off" the list tonight so I will no longer see the emails each day. I feel guilty for leaving, but it is something I have to do right now for me. I am sure at some point I will sign back on, but I am just not able to do it right now.

Otherwise, life is good, and we are enjoying every minute. I am so lucky to be feeling good and am able to work and spend time with family and friends. Nothing makes me happier!

Breathing deeper and easier

Finally, today I feel much better. I can breath deeper without it hurting and say more than two sentences with having to stop and rest and catch my breath. I really took it easy this weekend only leaving home to run a couple of errands on Saturday. I thought I would feel great as soon as they drained the litre of fluid off my lung Wednesday, but it really took me a few days to bounce back. I think I am there now!

I have not heard anything about lab work on the fluid they drained. If I do not hear anything by Wednesday, I will call. Unless there is something unusual there, I do not see the doctor again until my next scans Dec 1. I do have several more days of antibiotics to take in case there is an infection.

Whew! So now Bob and I are just getting on life. I am hoping to try to hit some tennis balls soon and hope to play on my team this spring. One day at a time!

Procedure OK

I thought I had blogged last night, but either I forgot to save it or the anti-anxiety medicine made me a little loopier than I thought. The procedure went fine and really did not hurt. They deadened the area and with a needle and tube drained out over a liter of fluid which was close to 2 lbs. I actually lost 3 lbs yesterday, most of it lung fluid I have been carrying around for a while. I think my back and chest do feel better, but and I am tired and my breathlessness seems worse. I could breath a little deeper without pain before, and if I hiccup or belch it hurts. We believe the procedure just probably irrated everything. If I still have problems tomorrow I will give the doc a call. At this point, I am just thrilled there were no tumors to be seen. I will have scans in the same areas on Dec 1, and MRI on my leg Dec 11.

Yesterday the whole process seemed to take forever. They took an xray about 20 minutes after they drained my lung. Then I had to wait 2 hours so they could xray again. I assume they were waiting to see if the lung filled back up again. Both xrays looked identical so that was good news, and they let me go home. We were there from 845 till about 230 and were there even longer the day before. But it is over now, and I hope this will help me heal faster!

Hopefully, we will head over to England for Christmas my scans, with Bob probably going a week or so earlier. Michael and Michelle are having a baby boy no later than Dec 10, and I am not going to miss that. I don't get the chance to be an aunt again every day! I will fly over a few days before Christmas.

I will check in with you in a few days and let you know how this lung thing is doing. I am ready for it to be over so I can start playing tennis before it gets too cold!

Good news with a little hiccup

Scans today free of tumors in my chest, abdomin and pelvic are so thta is great news. I do have a lot of fluid in my left lung. It is probably a post surgery infection. I was running fever at night after surgery but this fluid did not show up in xrays when I saw Dr. Miller earlier in the month. I will have a simple procedure in the morning to drain the fluid off. They will not even need to put me to sleep, but they did give me a little anti anxiety medicine to take the edge off. Something about someone putting a needle and chest tube in your lung to drain fluid cause my heart to flutter a little. Sister Cindy has had this done to her before and she and Michael assure me it is not a big deal. The doctor promises I will feel a 1000 times better after. I have been very tired and not comfortable, but I thought was just normal post surgical pain to be expected. I think that is a problem with many of us. We are used to dealing with some amount of discomfort and it is hard to tell when it is something else Now that this has been discovered I am sure they will check me to make sure I am all taken care off. They have given me an antibiotic to take for 2 weeks - Cipro. I think that is what they give for Anthrax too so if we have a problem with that I am covered. They will send the fluid to the lab to make sure they have the right antibiotic to treat me, and to check for cancerous cells. However, no tumors so I am pretty certain it will be an infection.
I had a few spot on my liver but at least one of them I have had for years and it has not changed. This is the first time in a long time they have scanned me with contrast, so they are probably seeing things that have always been there. Both Cindy and Michael have these spots so I think it is just a genetic thing.
I really feel good about all this and am not worried. In fact, I am elated there is no sign of additional tumors, so please don't let this worry you either. I will blog tomorrow after it is over and I am not too loopy.
I had myself scheduled out the rest of the week for a business trip. In fact, I was to leave just after my doctor's appmt and head to Milledgeville for the night and then to the Vidalia area until Friday. I tried to get them to at least schedule the procedure for Thursday, so I could go to Milledgeville today and come back tomorrow but they would not do it. Funny, I feel a lot worse now that I know something is wrong, so I guess I am glad I did not go! I am sure it will be a more fun and productive trip when I get this fluid out of my lung.
All in all, pretty good news with a very minor setback. I should be fine and feeling good on Thursday!