Tuesday, June 23, 2009

To The Edge And Back....

I've been meaning to post for weeks now and just as soon as I decided to do it, I got sick again. So here is what's been happening in my special corner of the world!

A week after my spa day with Sami, I developed a wicked case of lyphedema (basically, lymph fluid accumulating in my right arm) and my arm puffed up to twice its size in some places. That kept me off the keyboard for a couple weeks! That was followed by the worst itcy rash I have ever had in my life, and nothing would relief it. That has come and gone over the past couple of months and we're not really sure what it is. It doesn't appear to be anything dangerous but it is extremely uncomfortable and at its worst I have to resort to pain pills. So that finished up April.

Moving into May, I came down with a cough that was starting to keep me up at night. I started chemo on 5/5 so I mentioned it to the doctor then but he didn't seem to think it was much of anything. So I had chemo and went home to bed. The following week I went in for chemo but was so sick I could hardly get out of bed. This time the doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics, skipped chemo, and sent me home again. One more week and I was back for chemo, cough was better but I was dehydrated. At least I thought that was all that was wrong....turns out I had a bacterial lung infection that turned into pneumonia. Off to the hospital I went, right then and there. I ended up taking in 7 bags of fluid over 24 hours, 3 bags of potassium, and a couple of bags of magnesium. I stayed in the hospital for 3 days until I felt safe going home without fear of relapse. Then I celebrated my birthday with my beautiful children. That takes care of May and the closest I've ever felt to death.

I started this update back on June 23 so I think it's about time I posted it now that I'm at a good stopping point! My many escapades in June and July will be coming up after this brief message from our sponsors....

3 comments:

Carolee Hollenback said...

Oh my gosh, it's great to see you back.

I'm so sorry for all the crap you've been going through.

You take care of yourself and hope to see you here (regularly) soon!

Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation said...

Today, Glamour Magazine joins forces with the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation’s Love/Avon Army of Women to host a PSA video contest to help recruit one million women volunteers for breast cancer research.

Film students were asked to create Public Service Announcements for the “Army of Women” cause. The Army of Women’s goal is to eliminate breast cancer by identifying what causes this disease and stopping it before it starts. This unique initiative teams scientists with women who may be interested in participating in breast cancer research projects– healthy women as well as breast cancer survivors. So far, more than 305,000 women have signed up since the Army launched last October.

We encourage your readers to vote for their favorite PSA at http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/09/vote-now-and-help-find-a-cure.html. Voting starts today (Friday, September 25), ending Sunday October, 4, and the winner will be announced on October 5th. Your vote will help the organization pick the video that will motivate millions of women to take the next step and sign up to join the Army of Women.
Get more information, and take the next step yourself by signing up at armyofwomen.org.
Below are screen shots from the four finalists. If you need additional information or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (310) 828-0060.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Hedi Jalon
Community Outreach Specialist

Remember: Finding the cause of breast cancer and preventing it starts with one--YOU.

The four “Army of Women” finalists are from USC & NYU and include:



“One Million Strong”
Finalists: Brent McHenry & Nick Wenger – University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts










“Walk in the Park”
Finalist: Courtney Thomas – University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts










“Million in the Mirror”
Finalists: Marc Parees & Ryan Silbert – New York University's Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television











“One Voice”
Finalist: Felix Thompson – New York University's Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television

Frenzied Texas Momma said...

How are you doing? Havent heard from you on your blog for about 5 months. Is everything ok?