Had my final Nadir labs and check-in my with my PA today. Blood work was good, including the white cell count. Hemoglobin is still lower than they want, but not in transfusion range. I shouldn’t have any issues with chemo next week. It was a rather bittersweet visit with the PA, especially when I think back […]

Today marks the six-month anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. You know, I probably could have survived these past six months without my mom’s help…but I’m so incredibly grateful that I didn’t have to. As I understand it, when you become a mom, you “sign up for” lots of hassles — teething, potty training, the Terrible […]

So this is something I’ve learned about having cancer: It’s kinda like being pregnant. Let me explain. When you are pregnant, at least into the second and third trimester, it’s pretty obvious that there is something going on. That baby bump is a dead giveaway. Same with cancer; the bald head and lack of facial […]

It’s official: I have five eyelashes left. Total. Both eyes, all four lids. I knew this would happen. There are probably 75 hairs left on my head, and the eyebrows which were always — let’s face it — on the skimpy side have all but disappeared. But I was hoping to keep my eyelashes. Sure, […]

Want to lower your blood pressure? Try spending a weekend on top of the Blue Ridge, surrounded by these views. Magical. Thanks to my very accommodating oncologist, I was able to delay Round 5 a week so I could attend my quilt guild’s annual retreat weekend, held at the Wildacres artist retreat near Little Switzerland, […]

Somehow, this birthday seemed to have more significance than past years…wonder why… Mom and I traveled to Savannah, Ga. last weekend to celebrate a milestone birthday. We had a blast! It was my first visit to this beautiful city (I had attended a quilt show at the convention center a year ago February, but didn’t […]

Well, this round of chemo was an unusual one… As you may remember, I had to delay Round #4 one week because my pre-chemo labs indicated a very low platelet count. Plus, my red cell count was still below the acceptable range. Went back a week later (last Wednesday) for another set of labs and […]

Good news: The platelet count is back up, and I’m cleared for chemo #4 tomorrow (April 5). YAY!!!! But my red cell count hasn’t budged, despite my best spinach-and-beef-eating efforts, so I have agreed to a blood transfusion, which I will get on Saturday. Hopefully, that will get me back to the acceptable range for […]

Went in for my pre-chemo blood tests this morning. The good news is that my white cell count was very good and my red cell count was “low, but acceptable.” Apparently all that spinach and red meat I’ve been eating has done the job. But here’s the bad news: My platelet count was low, which […]

I have a “beautifully shaped head.” I have this on very good authority — my mom (who, I have to acknowledge, is most likely biased, since she had a hand in creating that head), my stylist, and a few of my quilting buddies have all told me that my bald head is a lovely shape. […]