Home Sweet Home

So they sent me home on Thursay with a hospital bed,wheel chair and lift. We're still working on using the lift to get me from chair to bed and visa versa but we''ll get there. This week they'll be building a ramp so I can get in and out of the house. It is good to be home although I must say I do miss the awesome people at the hospital. Every single one of them was truly kind,understanding and patient.

When I left the hospital on Thursday all I had was my cell phone so I could call the rental place to drop off the bed and wheel chair, Larry had everything else ( a month's worth of stuff) in the van. So, I get home, they get me in the house, Larry unolads the van stuff and then he had to leave for awhile. Well after about an hour my phone starts to ring but I can't find it. I knew it was all I had when I came into the house but I couldn't find it. I dumped my purse out, went through the bags from the hospital room,,,,nothing. Finally Larry got here and called my # and when he did my shirt lit up! I had put it in my bra so I could hold onto the wheelchair arms and forgtten all about it. Glad my phone lights up or I'd have been crazy by last night!

So here I am still not walking but I have faith that things will get better over the next months, especially with all of your hope and prayers. Glad to be home!!

Ok So I'm Bored

They wake you up really early here in physical therapy land Everyday they come in at 7:00 for the bed bath and meds adn then they're gone until therapy time. That's when I work hard trying to figure out how to get in and out of a wheelchair , not easy when your legs are basically made out of jello. So anyway by then I've had lunch. So now what? usally I do some paperwork ,(still have to pay the bills) , maybe read a book,maybe a little cat nap. But I feel like I should be doing something. I can't crochet because my hands shake from one of the drugs, word puzzles are starting to make me crazy, I wish I had Chris old GameBoy, I remember playing tetrus and Dr. MArio for hours, it's not the same on the laptop. It's funny because how many of us wish we could have nothing to do for least a day or two, I know I did. Now it's here and trust me, after a day or two...boring. Guys, be grateful you have things to so because after awhile nothing to do is a huge drag.Thank goodness I have the computer or I'd totally be batshit crazy, at least this way I can keep in touch with the world and you folks and not go too crazy. Anyway, have a nice Saturday, relax and don't over do it :)

Happy May!

So it's Cinco de Mayo, given the choice, I'd rather be sitting someplace having a

corona and lime and some gooey cheesey warm dip, but alas Samaritan Health center is where I am. Not that this is a bad thing all things considered, I'm now in the Physical Therapy unit. I'll probably be here a month or so but I'm ok with that,I have to do what I need to so this is it. Yesterday was a big day because I got into a wheelchair. After a week in bed it was awesome to just sit up and cruise the hall. I think I've finally gotten over my little pity parade from last week and I'm ready to get this therapy moving. Have I mentioned how great the people who work here are? From radiation to the nurses and aids all of who have been nothing but kind and understanding and willing to take the time to have a chat or give me a kick in the butt when I need it. Well I just wanted to pop in and le you know what's up i have stories to tell but I HATE the latop to type on so it''ll hav to wait til I get home :)

I'm Still Here

So here I still am and probably will be for several weeks while I get physical therapy so I can hopefully walk again as the inflamation along my spine calms down. While i've been here my room has been across from the nurses station. Great access to nurses but NOISY. Apparently, they have several sr. citizens who tend to wander away so they have alarms on them, most of them are loud, my least favorite is the one that goes weeyou, weeyou,weeyou...this person needs to go home soon or stay put. The staff here is a great mix of folks, I even have one RN from Jersey who actually brought me a Taylor Ham sandwich today. For those of you not from Metro NY/NY taylor ham is really good and you can't get it up here. She had just happenened to have made a "jersey run" and she shared with me! Also this is a teaching hospital and especially on the weekend the place is overrun by students. I bet I had my blood pressure taken manually and by machine at least 10 times. Not to mention, temperature, pulse taken and heart listenened to and some neuro tests as well. I don't know how the students are doing but I'm exhausted. Tomorrow, if all goes as I pray it will they'll move me to the therapy unit where I'll have therapy 3 hrs a day to get me moving, we still have no way of knowing how much or how long it will take but I'm ready to get going. So keep good thoughts about my getting the therapy I need because we're still a bit iffy about them letting me go. I'll keep you posted. Happy May 1, wow time flies, it was May when they diagnosed me last year, amazing.

Hospital? You're Kidding!

Nope no kidding kids I'm in the hospital, have been since Monday. I was trying to leave the house to get to radiation and took a nasty fall. I got my first ambulance ride! If you've been following the blog you know my legs were getting worse as a result of the radiation ( seems they never know if you'll go from bad to worse to good again or in what order.) So, right now my legs from the knees down are basically just there for looks because it's like trying to stand on a vat of marshmellows ya just sort of sink. So,in a effort to try and help me walk again I'll be here doing rehab. I haven't been in the hospital since Chris was born, things have changed. Well you still have to pay by the day for TV but you get more channels. Food is ineresting, you get this menu and you call them up and telll them what you want and they deliver it. Not too awful either. I'm not sure when they decided to hire the youngest and skinniest young ladies to work here but sometimes I feel like I'm treated by the Justin Bieber fan club. They are a great bunch of people but I have to say they make me feel OLD. It's not clear why I'm having the trouble I'm having, I think it's sort of tumor pressure on my spine, some lumbar problems and a list of other things that made my eyes glaze over and stop lstening ( i know not clever). I just want rebhab to kick my butt so I can get going again ( btw yes they still make bed pans although plastic now)) ( i know TMI). Also,nurses don't wear white anymore, it seems ( i think a very bright srubs company has taken over the "cheery medicalwear" market up here, every day it's like Carnivale in the halls.......someone needs to address the color combinations though. It's like being in that parrot house in Disney world. Nevertheless, bright or dull colors the staff are all awesome folks who sincerely care. (nope not pain meds talking but they're awesome.) just some shout outs to good people. Anyway I will keep you up to date best I can, you can also talk to Mom (*disclaimer: she may not understand the whole story so it mght be confusing, then try Chris or just ask me. ) Right now I could use some, prayer, positive thought power to get me to the right rehab facility, the insurance co is being a pain..so any help is appreciated.So I kicked cancer once lets get get me some feet so I can do it again!

Easter, Passover, Spring, Healing

So I have completed a week of radiation to my spine. No changes yet but no more deterioration either so we're holding steady. Basically I can just get around the house with the walker ( slowly) and then take what's in my mind the death defying trip to the car so I can get to the hospital every day. Needless to say I'm frustrated and scared ( what if it dosen't work?) but i need to just keep going and having faith that all will be well and I'll be back on my feet soon. They've also given me steroids that make me cry for no apparent reason...good release but annoying too.
Also this week, Rex caught chicken pox and it was recomended that we not be together because I could get shingles because of my lowered immune system....so no family Easter celebration for awhile.
Anyway that's the latest update, now i get a couple of days off adn go back to radiation on Monday.
I wish you all a Happy Easter, Happy Passover, joyous spring and ask that you keep me in your thoughts so I can do the happy dance that i've beaten this crazy thing once more with feeling.

Joy to All
Sue

Round 2 in the Cancer Fight Begins

So those of you who follow my ramblings ( thank you) will have noticed that I've had trouble with my legs lately so I had some tests done to see what was going on and the answer I got wasn't a great one. OK well the good news there is no cancer in my brain, the not so good news is there is a spot near my spine which is what thas been causing my walking problems.

I found this out wheen my oncologist's office called at 9 am yesterday morning and gave me the news. Karen the PA seemed concerned but also very positive about this being something that we can get rid of and get me walking again. I frankly was just relieved to find out what was going on. She told me that I would need radiation again and that the radiation oncologist would meet me at his office at 10am even though it was his day off. So off I went to see Dr. Deblasio and my buddies at the cancer center. He told me pretty much the same thing Karen had and told me I have to take prednisone for the swelling and I'll be having radiation evey day for at leaast 3 weeks and we were starting it right then and he wanted me to come in today even though they usually dont't do treatments on Saturday. This time I get to lay on my stomach, this is a new experience,to have my butt radiated :).I have to comment on these folks at the center they are always helpful never condescending and with a sense of humor too.

So the other problem that needed to be resolved is that I can't climb stairs right now. Those of you who've been here know all the bedrooms are on the second floor and there is very little privacy. But we do have a back porch/ mudd room kind of thing at the back of the house which is now my world. Chris came up yesterday and he and Larry made me a nice little world. Only thng is all my sewing things are upstairs all my eBay stuff is upstairs etc so it's goin to be interesting. Right now I'm looking for a room divider screen so folks coming in the back door don't catch me taking a nap or just getting up( even though radiation is every morning). So if anyone out there knows of one I can borrow or buy let me know, apparently there isn't one to be purchased up here.

And so we begin round 2 in my fight with this disease, I'm ready, here we go again, I won before and I will win again. the PET scan for my adrenal gland will be delayed a month or more while we deal with this .

This may sounds strange but I'm grateful that I've been going to the oncologist and they ordered this test. If I had just been going to my regular Dr. he probably would have sent me to a neurologist or orthopedist and the last thing they would have thought of would be cancer which means it could have been weeks before this was identified. So even thoug it's not good news it is timely and it gives me a better chance of beating this too.

So off I go to but on my cancer fighting uniform and I will keep you all informed. All good thoughts are greatly appreciated and in my opinion have brought me miracles in the past.

It was almost this time of year i was diagnosed the first timee....maybe spring and I don't like each other.