May 30, 2008 - Update, and Being Thankful

Hi friends and family. I am having a pretty good day today. (Maybe it's because I took a vacation day today!!!) I saw Dr. Vandermolen on Tuesday, and he FINALLY gave me something for this cold that has been hanging on since mid-April (pre-chemo). Perhaps it's because I nearly coughed up a lung while in his office, or perhaps it was the whining. Either way, I've had 4 days of anitbiotics now, and I hope to be symptom-free within the next couple of days. Yay!

I've had a lot of bumps show up all over my skin, but mostly on my neck. Some are red; some are dry patches; some are just raised skin. Doc says that's expected and that it will go away after my chemotherapy treatments are finished. I also have a lot of tenderness on the bottom of my feet - like I'm healing from a burn. He says that will go away also. None of these are too bad, just annoying.

I really appreciate all that my friends and family are doing to help me through my treatments. I'm thankful to God for all of you, and while I'm going through my treatments, I'm especially thankful for the:

• emails, cards, and gifts
• meals
• phone calls and visits
• hugs
• offers of help
• ability to work from home
• relief from cooking
• as-needed relief from commuting to Parker's school
• minimal side effects of chemo

I'll have my fourth and final dose of Adriamycin and Cytoxin on Monday. Thankfully the Adriamycin will be over. I hear it's the worst. I'll do 4 cycles of Taxotere after that, and I should be finished with chemo by July28. I'm not sure what my radiation treatment schedule will be, but I'm going to guess it will be about 7 weeks of treatment (5 days per week). Hopefully I'll have it all behind me by the end of September.

My daughter Jennifer graduated from nursing school yesterday. We are SO PROUD of her. She got a job in the ICU at a great hospital in Valencia. She'll be the BEST nurse ever. We're off to celebrate with her for the weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Sandy