Hi All!
I have to be at the hospital at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow. I am the first surgery of the day. That is very great. Tonight I feel very scared, stressed-out, shaky, emotional, teary-eyed.....but I know the Lord has me in His hands and is in total control!
Love to you all! I will get through this because of all of you!
Hugs! And say goodbye to "the girls!"
XO ~ Annie
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
After Chemo...
Hey All,
I hope you are all doing great! I am still planning to have my surgery on Wednesday, February 26th at H.U.P. Not sure what the time of my surgery will be yet. They don't tell you until the day before. (!!!!) My sisters Lisa, Trudy, & Gretchen will be there as well as my niece Kat and my friend Shay....and Chip, most likely. Not sure what we're doing with Eli yet....I'll be getting that double-whopper double mastectomy w/reconstruction (saline implants) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (both ovaries and both Fallopian tubes will be removed.) I have an 85% chance of developing breast cancer again and a 20% chance of developing ovarian cancer, so even though I just finished chemo, I want to get this done a.s.a.p. I'm sure I'll be fine but I am scared, scared, scared.
I have been soooo crabby and depressed lately, very on edge, cranky, and still very tired! I thought after chemo I would bounce right back but no....my body is still getting over that chemical shock, that was needed to kill the evil cancer cells. On good days I take a shower and brush my teeth. On really good days I read to Eli and do the dishes too. On really, really good days I do all that plus teach kindergarten and maybe write a thank you note or a thank you text. The stress has been getting to me, thought I'm trying to fight that. Watching the news and what's going on in the world helps me to be so grateful for being who I am and where I am in time...everything I am or have is a blessing....a gift from God...please forgive me if I am crabby towards you. I just have so much on my mind and it gets to me, especially with all the s!@#$%^ snowstorms we've been having. Not being able to see the sun is hard....Don't we all need the sun? But thank you for your patience with me, everyone, you have all been so good to me! Sometimes I have to just take it one hour to the next.
Anyway of course snow's predicted for my day of surgery so we're gonna have to do some creative planning!
Here's my surgical team. Tchou/Wu/Burger:
These doctors are amazing. I am so privileged they will be taking care of me.
I hope you are all doing great! I am still planning to have my surgery on Wednesday, February 26th at H.U.P. Not sure what the time of my surgery will be yet. They don't tell you until the day before. (!!!!) My sisters Lisa, Trudy, & Gretchen will be there as well as my niece Kat and my friend Shay....and Chip, most likely. Not sure what we're doing with Eli yet....I'll be getting that double-whopper double mastectomy w/reconstruction (saline implants) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (both ovaries and both Fallopian tubes will be removed.) I have an 85% chance of developing breast cancer again and a 20% chance of developing ovarian cancer, so even though I just finished chemo, I want to get this done a.s.a.p. I'm sure I'll be fine but I am scared, scared, scared.
I have been soooo crabby and depressed lately, very on edge, cranky, and still very tired! I thought after chemo I would bounce right back but no....my body is still getting over that chemical shock, that was needed to kill the evil cancer cells. On good days I take a shower and brush my teeth. On really good days I read to Eli and do the dishes too. On really, really good days I do all that plus teach kindergarten and maybe write a thank you note or a thank you text. The stress has been getting to me, thought I'm trying to fight that. Watching the news and what's going on in the world helps me to be so grateful for being who I am and where I am in time...everything I am or have is a blessing....a gift from God...please forgive me if I am crabby towards you. I just have so much on my mind and it gets to me, especially with all the s!@#$%^ snowstorms we've been having. Not being able to see the sun is hard....Don't we all need the sun? But thank you for your patience with me, everyone, you have all been so good to me! Sometimes I have to just take it one hour to the next.
Anyway of course snow's predicted for my day of surgery so we're gonna have to do some creative planning!
Here's my surgical team. Tchou/Wu/Burger:
These doctors are amazing. I am so privileged they will be taking care of me.
"Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion." Psalm 103:2-4
Okay Good Buddy, 10-4 - Over and out......Love, Annie
Monday, February 10, 2014
My Next Step....
Hi, Everyone!
I just wanted to let you know that I have my surgery
schedule for Wednesday, February 26th at H.U.P. I'll be getting a double
mastectomy w/reconstruction (saline implants) and bilateral
salpingo-oophorectomy (both ovaries and both Fallopian tubes will be removed.) I
have an 85% chance of developing breast cancer again and a 20% chance of
developing ovarian cancer, so even though I just finished chemo, I want to get
this done a.s.a.p.
My sis Gretchen & her daughter Katrina are coming a day or two before the operation and will be staying at a Philly hotel while I'm in the hospital, then coming to stay with us in Point Pleasant for about 10 days after my surgery. I'm really looking forward to their visit! Sis Trudy will also be helping out and I'm hoping sis Lisa can too. It was great to have Lisa & Trudy (& of course Chip) at the hospital when I had my last surgery, so maybe they can be there again. :) I think this is kind of a sister's thing.
The surgery is a long one (I think about 8 hrs.)
and I'm expecting the recovery to be hard. I will stay in the hospital for
three nights. I'm so blessed to have so much support and to have a great job
with excellent health insurance as well as disability insurance.
I'm glad chemo is over. I'm feeling more like myself
each day, and am back at school teaching for a few weeks. I plan to take the
month of March off from school. But I am more tired than usual. Plus I've put on
about 8 pounds and have no eyelashes or brows, so I kind of feel like crap about
myself. My toes and fingertips are numb and tingle much of the time, and are
painful. Some of my nails are dark yellow and I'm told will fall off eventually.
Plus I'm achy but maybe that's just old age/winter. Also, I'm pretty sure chemo
burned a few of my brain cells because I'm way more forgetful and spacey than
before. I hope my brain cells regenerate and my fingers/toes get back to normal!
But hey I'm alive!
God has been so good to us! We never lost power in the
last storm, even though many right around us did! We stayed warm & cozy
together. Also, so many people from our church family, my school, our music
community, and our neighbors and friends have helped us. I also have amazing
doctors and nurses. I especially love my oncologist, Harvard-trained Dr.
Domcheck. Anyway like I said we are very blessed in so many ways.
Chip & Eli are doing good. We've spent a lot of quality time together these past 4 months, and we've gotten closer. Eli & I have had A LOT of snow days lately! Somehow - well actually I know how - with God's help - we all get through our days and we actually laugh a whole, whole lot!
AND..............MY HAIR IS GROWING BACK IN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lotsa Love to you all...........Annie
Chemo #8 and My Apologies to Chemo...
Hi, Everyone! I think I owe a little apology to chemo. I've come to realize that "Chemo" is my friend. Chemo is fighting the cancer. Chemo is not out to get me, it's out to get the cancer. So, Chemo, I am sorry I was so hard on you. You showed me what "Tough Love" is....
Thus said, Chemo 8 was THE WORST YET! That's why I am getting this blog out so late! Not to complain, but it was pretty difficult. I was exhausted and sooooo very achy. I had to take a week+ off school. I kept thinking I could go in, but as each day came, I was like "NO WAY!" I am feeling better though each day, and getting back to normal. Whatever that is for lil' ole moi!
Here are some pics. from Chemo 8..........
Sis Lisa & Pal Sue
The girls get silly!
Quality time with Daddy & Eli
Eli Snoozin' - his bed is his comfort zone!
Chip in the snow.........
Thus said, Chemo 8 was THE WORST YET! That's why I am getting this blog out so late! Not to complain, but it was pretty difficult. I was exhausted and sooooo very achy. I had to take a week+ off school. I kept thinking I could go in, but as each day came, I was like "NO WAY!" I am feeling better though each day, and getting back to normal. Whatever that is for lil' ole moi!
Here are some pics. from Chemo 8..........
Pal Sue
Yummy dinner made by the girls
Eli & Fluffy
Lovely Penn Nurse
Dr. Burger my OBGYN Surgeon!
LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Annie
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