Just Checking In

It's been a minute since I checked in.  Perhaps, I was giving you time to recover from the whole "underpants in the street" debacle.  Or, maybe......I've needed a minute to process some stuff on my own.

Whichever reason works for you, works for me.  However, I was pretty busy last week as I was able to work all 5 work days.  Challenging because the feeling has still not returned to my fingertips which means my keyboarding skills resemble a chicken wearing boxing gloves....but I managed....maybe not as speedy as I'd like but I will take even the tiny little wins.

I thought I was having a mid-treatment PET scan last week which turned out to be a CT scan.  And.....they discovered a small blood clot in one of my lungs so now I have to make friends with blood thinners to hopefully get that little booger put to bed.  They also discovered a "nodule" (they called it) in my upper abdomen.  This is the most concerning to me as prior to surgery one of those masses had migrated upward into that area.  We thought everything had been addressed during surgery, now I think I need more answers.  Those answers will hopefully come Thursday when I present myself for my 4th round of chemo.

I never look forward to chemo but this round fills me with a bit of dread since the last one proved to be pretty daunting.  Delayed reactions that were worse than ever before were pretty hard to endure and no one can really help you with those....you just have to grin and bear it.....or stick your face in a pillow and screams oilfield profanity (which seems to work best for me.)  I do pray a lot as well.  Today, my feet are quite a bit better, the pain in my joints has subsided but my hands and fingers are problematic and make me wonder if all of my hobbies will need to be rehomed at the end of this journey.  I'm not sure I will ever be able to do needle work of any kind again.

Now for some products that have helped me (pictures included).  But first, if you plan on ordering a wig and there are some really good ones out there.  Please measure your head.  Honestly, I never knew that I have such a tiny head until I got the wig I ordered and apparently it was ordered from a site that caters to drag queens or there are some women out there with some big old thinking melons.  That thing is huge....it's very pretty....but I cannot wear it.  Soooooo, I'll be renting that one out for Halloween parties this year.

This has become my "go to" head cover.  I got it from Amazon and it comes in several hair colors and limited cap colors, but the cap part is adjustable.  The hair is fixed in the cap (not removable).

These are life saving for Neuropathy.  Put them on, elevate your feet and knees and find some relief.  They don't stay cold very long so having more than one pair is a good idea.  I got mine through my OTC credits with my Medicare plan but you can also get them from Amazon.  (cold therapy socks)

Compression socks can also help and neuropathy socks do to some degree as well.  

And....if hydration seems to be your nemesis, these little packets are really good for that issue.  Both of these flavors are great but the Golden Cherry is my personal favorite.  I have been told it's best to not do too many of them in a day as they can cause kidney stones.  Everything has a parting gift you know and it's never a new car or $50k.  It's always a nasty little present we don't want to unwrap.

So, as we enter into next week please continue to pray for those previously mentioned and I've added a few others to the list  J and J I am praying for you and asking others to do so as well.  We are all running a marathon which isn't great for me....I was always more of a sprinter.  But, with God's help, the prayers of all our friends and the ability to find funny moments to lift our spirits along the way....we can win the race.  We may come out the other side looking different than we went in, but the essence of who we are will still remain.  We can and will grow new hair, we can buy new clothes that fit, we can learn to navigate more safely in our changed bodies but who we are can be a testament to what we believe and the One that formed us.  I fully have faith, God did not form us to suffer and lose....He formed us to triumph and give Him the glory and praise for bringing us through the battle.  We are an army of sorts and we don't have to be quiet about it.  This disgnosis sucks but it doesn't have to suck the spirit out of us.  Let us strive to be overcomers with grit....if we stumble along the way, may we pick ourselves up and go again.  

Love and Light Always from me to you.