by Jennifer | Nov 30, 2015 | Blog |
I don’t deserve any of this. It’s just cancer. Yet all of this happened this weekend because of the cancer.
What a weekend. Well really 4 days, Thursday – Sunday.
Let’s start with Thanksgiving . . .
I have so much to be thankful for.
God’s grace and what He did for me (us) on the cross.
A beautiful family who loves me, with or without hair, in good times and hard times.
A warm home.
Food on the table (currently being prepared by a very talented chef).
Friends and neighbors who go above and beyond anything I could ever ask or even dream of.
This leads me to the rest of the weekend . . . Friday . . .
I love where we live. However, each year at this time, leaves cover our entire yard and are a few inches thick. It’s a big task to get them all picked up and a task that we can’t do ourselves this year. When Tom broke his back 4 years ago, a family from our church showed up unannounced one morning and took care of all the leaves for us. They didn’t ask. They just saw the need and showed up.
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by Jennifer | Dec 2, 2015 | Blog |
Yesterday I went in for my labs and my port worked on the first try! Woohoo!! So thankful for that!
After my labs were drawn, we (Tom, my Dad and I) went over to see Dr. Leung, my oncologist. He feels the tumors are softening around the edges still, but they have not decreased in size yet.
He asked about new side effects and I told him about the peripheral neuropathy (tingling in my fingers and toes and one day in my right arm). He is concerned about this, as it is not a very common side effect for the meds I’m on right now, but when we switch meds in a few weeks, it is a very common side effect. So he mentioned the possibility of slowing down those treatments/doses (once a week for 12 weeks instead of every other week for 8 weeks). He said that could lessen the chance of permanent nerve damage from the medicine. So we are waiting to see what my body does this round of treatment and then will decide in the next two weeks which route to go.
That’s about it from yesterday . . .
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by Jennifer | Dec 6, 2015 | Blog |
That past few days have gone by fast. Thursday, I was feeling very tired and nauseous, but I just decided to push through as long as I could and get stuff done around the house and enjoy the last day we had with my Dad. (He’s now on a train heading home.)
Friday, I woke up very fatigued and achy and ended up taking Tylenol PM in the early afternoon and slept most of the afternoon/evening and then all night. It was much nicer to just sleep it off than lay in bed uncomfortable all day. I was also a bit off balance and was moving very slowly when I was up (which was not much).
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by Jennifer | Dec 11, 2015 | Blog |
What does it really mean to take our thoughts captive? I have a lot of time on my hands these days as there are many days I don’t have a lot of energy to do much. It’s so easy to let my mind wander . . .
2 Corinthians 10:5 talks about taking our thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ. This verse comes up every few months in Bible Study, usually when my friend Amy is teaching. (I can hear her voice in my head saying the verse and picture her speaking.) 🙂 When it came up again earlier this week as I was doing my devotions one morning, it hit me differently. It had been a hard few days, as the days after chemo usually are.
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by Jennifer | Dec 15, 2015 | Blog |
It has been pretty uneventful, health wise, since my last post. I was feeling really good on Saturday morning, so we booked a hotel in Portland last minute and drove down for the weekend. We had fun looking around at some Christmas decorations and enjoyed eating at one of Tom’s restaurants. The girls’ behavior was GREAT, which made it a vacation for all of us! Woohoo!
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by Jennifer | Dec 16, 2015 | Blog |
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If you have to get poison pumped into you each week, you might as well dress cute and comfy for it, right?
Last month I went on line and was going to reschedule my 8th Stitch Fix, which was set to come in December. (More details from my past fixes can be found here.) I don’t go out of the house much and just wear comfy clothes around the house most of the time. Because of that, I really didn’t need anything new. But instead of canceling, I decided to write a note to my stylist, letting her know I was going through chemo and asking her to select really comfy and soft clothes for this next fix.
I’m so glad I did!
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by Jennifer | Dec 18, 2015 | Blog |
Well, it’s day 3 of my new meds and I’m feeling pretty good. It’s nice to not feel nauseous or take nausea medicine with this new drug. 🙂 As of now, I don’t feel sick, I am just fatigued. I used to say tired, which is what I would describe from the last meds I was on, but this is different. Right now it feels like work just to sit up on the bed. I’m not complaining. I’ll take this over having my skin hurt all over like this time two weeks ago. It’s just a strange feeling. Even typing is hard work. 🙂 Guess that means this will be a short post!
Last night I was feeling good enough to go to hear the girls sing at church and also to hear our 11 year old’s honor choir concert at school. Yay! I’m so glad I didn’t miss those!
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by Jennifer | Dec 23, 2015 | Blog |
I’m sitting here in the Infusion Center, waiting for my pre-chemo drugs. My port was stubborn this morning, so instead of starting at 9, we’ll be starting around 11:45 (hopefully). I’ve been able to spend time praying for people as I scroll through prayer needs on my computer. My friend Kim stopped by and we chatted for a bit. And of course, my handsome husband is here and as I speak is getting me lunch from Baja Fresh.
As I chatted with Kim this morning, instead of asking how I was doing today, she asked me what had brought me joy this week. What a great thing to think about as I sit here waiting to be poisoned. It’s so easy to let circumstances rob me of my joy. But that’s really a choice, and honestly, not a good one.
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by Jennifer | Dec 24, 2015 | Blog |
It’s Christmas Eve! The girls slept late (which I’m sure will not happen tomorrow morning) and we are enjoying a lazy morning/day around the house. There is a light dusting of snow on the ground which makes everything look beautiful!
Tonight we’ll go to the Christmas Eve service at church and grab some hot chocolate from Starbucks as we drive around and look at Christmas lights.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours. I pray it will be a wonderful couple days as you spend time with family and friends and as you celebrate the birth of our Savior.
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by Jennifer | Dec 28, 2015 | Blog
What a year!
As I look back over the year, I’ll admit I’m overwhelmed just at the thought of it. It’s been a hard year. One full of severe physical pain (for Tom), surgeries for Tom and I, problems with the kids and parenting (which led to our home being a miserable place to be), a cancer diagnosis, a change in jobs, etc. I’m glad I didn’t know what was coming when the year started or I might have tried to find a rock to hide under. (Well not really, but you know what I mean.)
I know it’s not a surprise to you, since you’ve been reading my blog, I but tend to look at the negative side of things and worry. Fortunately, I can look back at pictures from this past year and remind myself that it’s been full of joy as well. (And that we’ve taken lots of last minute trips out of town. I love that!)
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