Where to begin? I know...Last Monday!!
My Mother always had a saying, and today I learned it was from her Mother... "So goes Monday, So goes the week". Well if my life is anything noteworthy, it is a testament to that statement!! Last Monday was THE PITS!! And the rest of the week went downhill from there. I won't bore you with any details, lets just say, it's in the past now, and nearly forgotten. Because THIS Monday, was GREAT!!
I got the phone call I've been waiting to hear! The pathology report was back late on Friday so decided to wait until today to call. I'm glad they did, because it was NEGATIVE for cancer cells! I've never been so thrilled to hear something so negative in my whole life! I've been doing the happy dance ever since!
I also decided to show you a few finishes I've had since I got home from the hospital the first time. I have started AND finished each of these since my first hospital stay...
This is from Little House Needleworks, the first in a series of Christmas Ornaments, and is called Fa La La. Stitched on 30 ct. cappuccino over two. It's bigger than I expected and have been thinking I may stitch it over one to see what it looks like before I go any further.
This is a Button and Beads kit that I found. While working I saw someone bring in Peace On Earth, button and bead kit. I went looking for it and didn't find it, but found this one instead. One day I'll have to share pictures of my Nativity collection, but I thought this one would fit in nicely, so here is Silent Night, Holy Night finished.
Last is a Mill Hills Kit I just finished called Coin Purse. I started it yesterday and finished it today! I put sticky felt behind it and fastened a magnet to it so it is ready to hang as soon as it dries!
I've been working on Rose Quaker too, and here's a picture of my progress...
I had a wonderful surprise a few weeks ago when flowers began growing in the front yard that I thought had died over the winter. DH finally went out to take a picture of these lovelies that are blooming in the front yard. We purchased them through a fund raiser the school was having, and didn't really expect much from them as they arrived in pretty poor shape. What a surprise to see them blossoming now, a promise that good things come from seemingly bad.
I received something a few weeks ago I should have shared before now. This has a lot of meaning in it. I've said before that when I stitch something for someone, I think of them while stitching, I take my time thinking of what I will stitch, then pray for them while stitching it. A lot of my heart and soul go into the pieces I stitch for someone. Well, this particular item was made for me by a friend of mine. It's called a prayer shawl. She crocheted it for me and prayed for me while doing so. I've covered myself many times with it, and maybe it's my imagination, or maybe it's the prayers that went into it while being made, but it has warmed me from the inside out. Thank you from the bottom of my heard, Debbie. I will continue to use it, I love it very much!! It's soft as velvet and such a beautiful color!
I had a wonderful surprise in the mail today. My stitching pal from across the big pond sent me a lovely humbug. She shared in her letter that she filled it with orts. When life begins to unravel, I can find strings in here to tie things together and carry on! What a wonderful thought, and I'll think about that every time I look at it, Mouse!! Her stitching is flawless, and I love the colors she used! It's hanging in my "dining room" so I'll see it often and it's where I sometimes sit to stitch. I adore it Mouse! Thank you!!
That's all I have to share today. I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday and that the rest of your week goes as well as today! Thanks for reading!
*Hugs*
Hi, My name is DJ and I'm a boxoholic.
Isn't that the first step to rehab? When you can admit your addiction? If only there were such a thing as boxoholics anonymous. I think there are a lot of us out there (including my cat) who have the inability to "just say NO" to a good box! LOL
Well I realized I had an addiction when my friend came over last Monday to stitch and I pulled out my most recent acquisition. Yes, it was another new box, with an interesting lid and a cool way to attach the lid!! What can I say? I NEED them, and they NEED a good home! So they often fall off the shelf into my shopping cart and I carry them home to make use of them. I'm getting pretty good at finding good homes for these boxes! LOL Here are only a very FEW of my pretties...now tell me, don't you feel the need to have a few of them yourself? Let me ask you something....can you guess what my favorite color is? LOL
And when I finally acknowledged I had this addiction, of course you begin to see it in others too. Like my little friend, Thomas. He LOVES a new box! Another friend came over last Thurs to stitch and she brought along a box of goodies for us to eat (and I have to say, I couldn't wait until this week, I had to eat the wonderful dinner she brought the next night!) And in doing so, Thomas got a new box! We had to laugh, because I emptied it, and set it on a chair. When DH came home and saw it sitting there, he said "Watch this"... and he dropped the box about a foot from Thomas' previous box, and counted to three. Before he got th...out of his mouth, Thomas had woken from a sound sleep, sniffed in the direction of the new box, hopped out of his old box, 
and stepped into his new box. It was almost as if he did it in his sleep! We laughed our heads off! Hm...this addiction...either it runs in the family (more like gallops) or there's something in the water around here!!
He looks comfy doesn't he? Wish I could sleep like that in a new bed!!
With surgery looming tomorrow (did I say TOMORROW??) I had some last minute business I had to take care of. I am ashamed to admit it, I had my Mother's Day gift to my Mom hanging around here (as well as to DH's Mom too), my Mother's Birthday gift, a friend's birthday gift (a purse mirror for her 50th Birthday!)(pictured below), 
and tons of thank you cards to get mailed. I was busy over the weekend getting things wrapped, boxed and signed. They were all mailed yesterday so if you've been waiting, you can actually start looking for them to arrive. I'm behind in letter writing still though, so you'll have to wait on that...sorry folks. I can only be productive in little spurts these days, and even that takes the stuffing out of me! LOL I'm afraid it may take a little while longer to get those letters written, nothing to write about except how many holes are in the ceiling both in my bedroom and the one at the hospital...LOL
I mentioned last post that I had gotten more flowers. I don't think Bob and Peggy had gotten to see pictures...so here are a few. Every day they look prettier!! Thanks again!
Today was DS's last day of school! Just in time for him to be my constant companion for the next round of surgery! Lucky him! LOL He brought home his tech ed project today, and I just had to show it off! What a great job he did, don't you think? Anyone for a gumball? He better hide this beauty, gum is one of my weaknesses, and they'll be gone in a heartbeat if they stay on the kitchen counter! YUMMY!
Yesterday was a full day of poking and prodding. I had two tests. One I had to drink this awful stuff (Barium that was apple flavored...YUCK!) Then I had to put my arms up over my head (not easy to do after a mastectomy...let me tell you!!! OUCH!) while they took pictures and injected contrasting dye into my veins. I ran from there to a heart test where they took some blood, inserted a radioactive isotope into it, then re-injected it back into my bloodstream. I mentioned to the lady, that was the first time I'd had blood drawn and they had given it back, it was about time, as the well was running dry! LOL Then I spent some time holding my arms over my head again, this time for 30 minutes! I have to say, I was pretty sore after that! I was afraid the room would glow when I turned out the lights last night, with all that radioactive/chemical stuff they filled me with yesterday. *shaking head* The stuff they do to you to make you better....it's a puzzlement!!
Well, off to take a snooze. I have to rest up for tomorrow. Let's say a prayer that they don't find anymore cancer in anymore lymph nodes! I'm sure that will put my mind at ease (not to mention the doctor's too!). See you after surgery! *Hugs*
You cannot see me, but I'm plucking my lips making a babbling sound. I had another round of the "yes you do, no you don't" game.
I didn't write about this before, but this isn't the first time I've played this game. I'm laughing my head off, so thought maybe you would enjoy the round of this game I played today.
Last Wed the Medical Oncologist ordered two tests, they were scheduled for Monday morning, 1/2 hour apart from one another in two separate buildings across the street from one another at the same medical center. One a CT scan is considered a radiological test, the other a MUGA scan (at first I thought I was going to have another mugging...(mammogram) but no, this one is a scan for the heart) is considered a nuclear medicine test...I think. Anyway, they are both going to be performed by diagnostic imaging. My DH, being the forward thinking man that he is (when it comes to dollars) wanted to make sure the insurance was going to cover everything...so he called the insurance company. They wouldn't give him any information because the test was for me, privacy act and all that, but they did say "hypothetically" that they would cover the CT scan with only the doctor's orders, but I would need pre-approval for the MUGA. DH called me. I then called my buddy who handles referrals at our local clinic where our primary care physician (PCP) is. My PCP only works Tuesdays and Thursdays so she would be NO help with a referral as I would have to go in for the tests before her next working day. My buddy has helped me in the past and since the appointments are EARLY Monday morning, I knew we wouldn't have much time if I did need a referral. She didn't answer her phone, so I left a message then called the insurance company. Now mind you, it's 3:30 on Friday afternoon. The clinic closes at 5:00.
The insurance company had one of those automated menus and I listened and punched numbers through 5 (yes 5!!) different menus before I got a lady who told me I had reached the wrong department, gave me the number for the person I needed to talk to and then forwarded the call. That lady was very nice, looked in her files for me, I have my own e-file in the insurance company computer/ether. Told me I didn't have authorization yet, but that I didn't need it beforehand, and I would have 90 days to file any necessary forms if I went ahead with the tests before I had approval. Hm....doesn't sound right, but hey, that sounds easy. I'll take her word for it! I thanked her and got off the phone.
Before I could walk away from the phone, it rang. It was my buddy at the clinic. She asked me about the tests, told me one would have automatically been pre-approved, but the other would need pre-approval or I would be responsible for payment, and looking in HER computer, it was an expensive test. She told me SHE would call the insurance company and call me back. I thanked her and got off the phone.
Before I could walk away, the phone rang again. It was DH asking what I had learned. So I told him of the conflicting report. He told me to call the medical oncologist office and ask them to request pre-approval. So, I got off the phone with him and called them. I got an automated voice message that asked me to leave a message and they would get back to me. By now it was 3:45.
Before I could walk away, the phone rang and it was my buddy at the clinic again. She asked if I had a copy of the doctor's orders. I did!! She said she would fax it in and get pre-approval because she had called the insurance company and they definitely needed pre-approval. She had then called the medical oncologist to request a copy of the doctor's orders but she got an automated message to leave a message and they would get back to her. She didn't want to wait, because it was getting late, so wanted me to drive over and give her a copy of the doctor's orders...only problem is, I'm not supposed to drive. I told her I would call DH and I would call her back.
I called DH, he said he would leave work early, come and get the orders, take it to the clinic and let my buddy fax it in but while I was talking to him, the call waiting beeped, it was the medical oncologist office. They wanted more information about what I was asking about. I told them what they wanted to know, they told me they would call me back. I thanked them and got off the phone.
Before I could walk away from the phone, my buddy from the clinic called, said she had talked to the medical oncologist and they had told her THEY had contacted insurance and I no pre-approval was needed for either test but she was sure that was wrong, then she said she had an idea could she put me on hold. I said yes, but as soon as she put me on hold, the call waiting beeped and it was the medical oncologist office. I debated whether to answer or not, I would lose the connection with my buddy...but decided to see what the other office wanted. They again told me no pre-approval was needed, that they had told my buddy the same thing. I thanked them and got off the phone.
Before I could walk away, the phone rang again, it was my buddy at the clinic who had found a doctor to write a referral (which is in essence a pre-approval) for the procedure we were questioning and she had already faxed it into the insurance company. Bases covered!! It doesn't matter who was right about needing pre-approval, I have it now and so I'm set to go. Whew!! A few minutes later poor DH, who had probably driven like a bat out of H E double hockey sticks to get home in time to pick up the doctors orders to hand carry them to the clinic, arrived. He took the orders and drove over to the clinic and picked up the referral. DONE!! He walked through the door at 5:00, just as all the offices were closing. Talk about a close call. That's 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back...LOL I'm going to have to send my buddy a thank you card and flowers, don't you think? What would I do without her?
The scary thing is, I've been getting statements on a regular basis from the insurance company about how much they'll pay for each procedure...but today I got a bill from my medical center for the procedure (the biopsies) on March 29th (nearly 90 days later...remember the cut off date for submitting claims after the fact???) that they claim the insurance company hasn't paid. It was for over $1100.00!!!!! The offices are closed until Monday morning *sigh* I wonder what kind of phone tag I'll be playing Monday over this?!?! I'm afraid after the tests Monday I'll be reduced to a babbling idiot again. Oh well, it's FRIDAY...I can't do anything about it until after the weekend...so I'm going to take a few Valiums and kick back and pluck my lips in a babbling manner until then. Life is good! LOL!!
Yes, I said Drainless, not brainless...LOL
I had the last of my remaining drains pulled today. Ahhhhhh... Can you hear the relief? How do you spell relief? For me, it's D-R-A-I-N-L-E-S-S!! That means tomorrow I can take a long, warm, luxurious shower...I'll have one week of heavenly showers until the next surgery. I plan on staying in there a long, LONG, L-O-N-G time!!! No more weird sensations under my skin, no more emptying these silly things twice a day (I'm sure my live-in nurse, DH, is happy about this too!!), no more cleaning around the entry site, no more bandages under my clothing, no more sponge baths!!! Amazing what a little thing like taking a shower means when you've been without one for two full weeks!! *Doing the happy dance*!!
I visited my Plastic Surgeon today, he pulled the two remaining drains, then TRIED to set up an appointment next week to start filling the tissue expanders....and then I told him about my next surgery. I guess he hadn't gotten the pathology report, and I think he was as shocked as everyone else was, that they had found cancer in the sentinel nodes, three of the five removed had metastatic cancer cells. *sigh* So....he postponed that appointment for three weeks.
DH and I then went for a heavenly lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Am I spoiled or what? I was sooooo good, I had the soup and salad lunch....and then I was sooooooooo bad, I had the Kaluah cocoa coffee cheesecake! Well I was partially good, I scraped off all the whipped cream LOL That counts for something doesn't it? Oh it was sinfully good!!!
Next we toddled around the Westfield Mall until it was time for the Medical Oncologist appointment, and then my day got really interesting. *HEAVY SIGH* I learned that because the cancer had spread to the sentinel nodes that not only would I have to have chemotherapy....and THEN radiation....I would have to have hormone therapy for possibly 10 years. 10 years...that keeps echoing around in my head. That's not 10 years from this moment, it's 10 years from the time radiation ends. Radiation doesn't begin until chemotherapy ends. *pregnant pause* What began as a simple operation and a few cosmetic perks, has turned into a marathon session that I wasn't expecting. Each day brings a few more months and now a few more years to the treatment process. All I can say is this... The Lord does not give you more than you can handle, and He knew that I would not be able to handle all this news at the very beginning. He has been giving me little bits here and there, giving me moments to catch my breath and internalize each bit of information. He's been holding my hand, helping me to catch my breath, and walking me through this whole process. Whether I make it to the end of all this with my mind and what's left of my body intact or not, I feel well cared for and loved by my Master. Am I scared? You bet! Who wouldn't be?!?! Am I ready to fight? Absolutely! Can I sleep tonight with all this rattling around in my head? Absolutely NOT! LOL Ah well, tomorrow is another day. I'm having an appointment with the home health nurse at 11 and then a friend is coming over to cross stitch at 12. I'm blessed with good friends!
I came home again today to find flowers at my doorstep...LOL I laugh because I've only received flowers a few times in my lifetime, and I think I've had more flowers in the past couple of months than I have had in the previous 49 years! Thank you Peggy and Bob, they are absolutely gorgeous! Pink and Purple, two of my favorite colors! It's been amazing how they've been scattered at such a rate, that as soon as one bouquet has to be removed, another one takes it's place! Just knowing I have all these people praying for me and supporting me is helping me to keep things in prospective and to keep moving confidently forward to face whatever needs facing at the moment. I'm truly blessed!! Thank you all so very much!
Off to see if I can catch some zzzz's. I have to be up early to take my shower before DH leaves for work (and he leaves VERY early in the morning). Wish me luck in the sleep department! LOL Good night! *Hugs*
Tired of me yet? LOL
Well I have a few things to share about! I went out last night to what our church calls Ovations. It was a "black tie" affair, or is supposed to be compared to the Academy Awards. What fun! Everyone was supposed to get dressed up like they do for the Oscars. There was a carpet trip, a place to have our pictures taken, and an award ceremony like no other. This was a "Thank you" to all the children's workers in the church. Both DH and DS work with the kids at the church week after week and for a week during the summer for VBS. I'm proud to tell you that my son won an award for Upstreet Student Volunteer. And here's his golden statue to prove it! He loves working with the kids, and has been helping for a few years now. This was his first time "awarded" for his efforts. What a moment!! I can't tell you how proud I am of my son!! I know I complain about his teenage "attitude", but where the rubber meets the road, he's really a good kid, and it is humbling and sweet to have others tell me that. I keep praying that he'll always stay this way.
Can I just share, that a woman that helps with getting materials ready for my husbands classes came up to me last night and expressed how nice it was to see me there, only a week after I got home from the hospital. She said I was an inspiration and it meant a lot to those who had been praying to see me there. I was hoping no one would notice me, I wasn't dressed up like the others, and let's just say, I don't fill out my clothes the way I once did. She said if she hadn't known the type of surgery I'd had, she would never have known. I always wished I'd been the type of person that knew the right thing to say at the right moment. I can't tell you how much her words meant to me. I hope someday I can acquire that gift, because her few words lifted my spirits in ways I can't express in words. DH looked at her and said, "Doesn't she look good?" That felt great too!!
How did I get so lucky? DH has been a rock through this whole thing, and if you think I have a good attitude, it's because he's been behind me all the way with humor and comfort.
I love this time of year. My backyard explodes with color! I have a row of roses in my back yard. They have the longest thorns of any plant I've ever seen, but when they bloom, they knock my socks off. Here are a few pictures of the blooms exploding in my back yard. I wish there were smell-o-vision because they smell as pretty as they look. The day after I got home DH filled three vases with these roses and placed them throughout the house. Our whole house smelled soooooo good!
Ok, back to bed for me, last night wiped me out, that is if Thomas left room for me!
Hope you are having a great weekend!
*Hugs*
Hi! You're probably sick of all the posts today but I promise this will be the last, I have to get off this silly machine and get something productive done.
One of the ladies in the Breast Cancer Support Group meetings that I attend on the first Wed. of the month just sent me this e-mail with this adorable picture and I just had to share. I burst out laughing when I saw it, and hopefully it will make you giggle too!!
On a down note...just to let you know, the pathology report came back and they've found cancer in a few of the sentinel nodes they checked. So....more surgery in the future. I have a date of June 16th.
Now, I don't want you feeling badly for me, it's just one more step in the process. To be honest, I was ready for this announcement. I was hoping they wouldn't find anything, but I'm ready for this and it's just going to be another notch on my belt. When I was being prepped for surgery and they were asking me this and that about illnesses and things, I haven't had anything really seriously wrong in my entire life. The only other surgery I've ever had was a dental implant and the only medication I take on a regular basis is a vitamin B-12 shot once a month for pernicious anemia. I'm healthy as a horse otherwise and they kept telling me how rare I was...but we knew that all along didn't we? LOL!!! So, I know that I'm not in this alone, God is holding my hand every step of the way. All I'm worried about is that I forget to glorify Him and thank Him on every step of this journey. Thanks again for those of you who have been praying. I'll keep you posted!
*Hugs*
