Midnight Mayhem!

I am enjoying the moments with the kids even though I'm going crazy. I can't believe how fast they are all growing up. The only one who still has that baby softness is Sam, and he's such a whirling dervish most of the time!

Last night at midnight, he came in to say he didn't feel so good. Then, of course....BARF!!! All over the floor and splattered on the bed. Then he stepped in it and slipped and I went to help him and I slipped too. So Tom lifted Sam out over the mess and deposited him in the tub. By then I had extricated myself and headed to the bathroom to clean up Sam and myself. So we spent the next 1/2 hour cleaning up and comforting Sam, mopping up, pulling the bedding off, starting a load of laundry, all with the back doors flung wide open and the fan on high to get rid of the smell.

Then I covered the bed with soft towels, brought Sam into my bed with the bucket nearby, crawled in and collapsed. Luckily he fell right asleep and slept right through. He woke up this morning feeling fine, full of sunshine, thank goodness.

One of the things that battling cancer has given me is a bit of perspective. I won't say that slipping barefoot in vomit is fun, (and don't let anyone else tell that to you that either :), but simply being well enough to take care of a midnight emergency like that is something that I'm eternally thankful for. I hope to keep that kind of appreciation forever and make it a part of who I am.

Until next time. . . Ema

No News is Good News

No news is good news! Sorry I haven’t had time to post any entries lately – things have somewhat hectic here, and I’ve had to put off all but the most crucial tasks. No bad news at all, so there’s good news, and more good news. First and foremost, my last scans came back clear. Two weeks ago I had an MRI and a full, head-to-toe PET scan looking for metastasis, and both came back fine. There’s still residual “activity” in my leg, the site of the tumor, but nothing unusual considering the fact that it’s still trying to heal. The MRI results came back in three days, but the PET scan took a full week, and Tom and I were incredibly anxious. Anyone who’s waited for test results knows just how nerve-wracking it can be, especially if the results are taking longer than you expect. We were convinced that they had to send the PET scans to twelve hospitals to get more opinions, or simply ran out of pens as all their ink was used up circling “suspicious” areas! I think there’s a point where hoping for the best, preparing for the worst works fine, then once the preparing for the worst starts to occupy all your thoughts – not good.

I just finished my 27th “dive” in a hyperbaric chamber as part of my wound care regimen. These dives were daily – five per week, at two hours each. When you factor in driving in traffic, that was more than three hours each day for five weeks. . .did I mention that I’m glad those are done??? Anyway, the increased air pressure in these chambers forces oxygen into your body, thus promoting healing. The wound responded well, and is almost healed. There’s still a hole, about the diameter of a pencil, that hasn’t closed up yet, but they tell me it will in time. I hope so, as it’s been 13 months now since the surgery that caused the wound in the first place. Yes, I’ve had an open wound for 13 months now. . .Wow. . .That’s the first time I looked at it that way.

BUT – All this complaining must be leading to something – right? Right. I’m alive, and as crazy as life has been lately, it’s also been full, vivid, and rich. We just celebrated my oldest son’s 12th birthday yesterday and it was great. We have two summer vacations planned including an Alaska cruise that we all can enjoy knowing I am, for the time-being and God-willing forever, cancer-free!

Until next time. . .