Hi All -
Sorry - It's been a while since I posted. The past two weeks seem like two months! More on that later!
First, cancer update. After my off week, my white blood cell counts went from 3 (low normal is 4.8) to 3.8. Alarming to me but not my medical team. They are very happy. I met with Dr. Kocs and discussed monitoring options. There are none, other than what we are doing. Great - It's on me to monitor my cancer the only way I can - by feel. I can feel a tumor on the left side of my neck, the thickness on the left side of my chest, and the lump under my arm. Today, Friday the 27th, the tumor on my neck appears to be going down, the thickness on my chest seems to be less, and no change on the lump under my arm; if there is change there it is minimal. As with Taxol, I am handling this chemo well, with little to no side effects. I think the hormone suppressant they shoot me up with is giving me hot flashes again, but it is tolerable. The PET results were unremarkable; we are stable. Better than the alternative but I want more than "stable".
I am now on a monthly schedule. My next visit is on April 10. I get blood work done, get a double shot in my bum, refill my meds, and chat with the PA. The visit after that is in Wednesday, May 6 (Dr. Kocs is on vacation on the 8th). Somewhere in there, I will get scanned again. Hopefully a PET scan. That's what he ordered but it may not be what we get. We'll see.
Now to address the elephant in the room. Is this virus thing crazy or what?! Sadly, I am in the high risk category. I haven't been to the office since early March, initially because of blood levels. Hubby has since put me on house arrest. I only go out to walk Sam or mow the yard. For a real treat, I ride along when he goes to get gas. Date Night! I am so easy to please.
We are being very, very careful. Hubby used gloves when getting gas earlier this week, we use gloves when getting the mail, we wipe down any packages we get with our Clorox wipes, but still wait 24-hours before opening anything. I wipe down everything, including groceries! So far so good. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
It sounds morbid, but Hubby and I are making sure our affairs are in order this weekend (medical power of attorney, will updated, insurance beneficiaries notarized, etc.). Kids, be nice to your mama! Just kidding. It needs to be done and now is as good a time as any.
So, what have we been doing during self isolation? Well, since both of us are working from home now, that was a minor adjustment. I need to talk softer so his co-workers can't hear me when I am in a meeting. No, I am not talking loud, I happen to have a voice that carries. I've been accused of "yelling" when I get excited about something; trust me, that isn't me "yelling". There will be no question when the yelling happens. Windows shake!
Hubby and I have been supporting our local eateries by ordering take out occassionally. Last night we ordered from Green House. They have daily specials. Last night was barbeque, macaroni and cheese, broccoli/cheese casserole, and apple cobbler for dessert. It was good and the price was reasonable. Tonight we ordered from Downtown Hall of Fame. Hubby had a bacon cheeseburger and I had a club sandwich. We both had their signature drink, the Dizzy Hippo (in Hutto, can you guess with the hippo reference?). That's why we wanted to try the place …. cuz we can order mixed drinks with our meal. The food was fine and reasonably priced. The Dizzy Hippo was really good. They gave you all the ingredients to mix the drink, along with instructions. We didn't pay any more per drink than we would have had we dined in. Green House won this battle, but I will hit up the Hall of Fame again when the mood strikes.
We pick up our first curbside grocery order tomorrow. My original pick-up time was 4:30; I canceled that order and re-ordered when I saw an opening for a 9:30 AM pick up. Score! I hope we get everything on our list but I know odds are we won't. Such is life. Of course, we will need to wipe everything down before we put it up.
Another first was a video conference with my primary doctor. I needed to "see" him to renew some of my prescriptions. I love my primary doctor so it was great to see his face and talk to him, even if by video chat. I have another video chat appointment scheduled with my bone doctor Monday afternoon (unless they determine I need to come in - I hope that isn't the case). I DO have to go to the clinic tomorrow morning for blood work. Hoping other patrons exercise social distancing. I know I will be!
There are so many things about this virus that are upsetting me to no end, including our slow government response and the needless death it has caused. That is all I am going to say about that. Don't even comment about this because I will delete it and will not respond. But there has been so many inspirational things going on too:
- If anyone in our "hood" needs something, they post it on our neighborhood facebook page. Someone comes through …. every time.
- People are stepping up to help the elderly with anything they need.
- People in the store are giving up items (such as TP) that they feel others in line need more.
- Entertainers across all genres are holding free video concerts.
- My yoga class is teaching everything online and adding more classes every day.
- The creative things people across the world are doing to stay connected to other humans: singing to each other from balconies, calling bingo with a bullhorn so you can play with all the neighbors, holding Zumba classes from the patios or porches for surrounding neighbors, and more.
- Those that sew across the nation are working feverishly to make masks for our front line medical personnel, including a couple of groups in the "hood". I need to get in the game on this one, but with house arrest, I need to order my supplies online and wait for them to arrive.
- Some of the very wealthy (I'd like to say all, but let's be real) are donating a ton of money to hospitals across the country, without a lot of publicity or fanfare.
Bottom line, this global emergency is bringing out the best in most of us. Be sure to thank those putting themselves at risk every day to serve us - hospital staff, grocery staff, truckers, take out restaurants, fire fighters, police officers, etc. I pray everyday for these people and their families.
Stay safe. Practice common sense hygiene (wash hands!).
Practice social distancing. Be kind. Be respectful, Be helpful. Find the silver lining.
Love to all!!
