Happy First Day of Summer! I just love summer, long days, warm weather, and no school for the grandkids…or me either! Gotta love it!

Sooo…yesterday I felt great. I haven’t felt that good since I was diagnosed with cancer in January. I wasn’t nauseated, weak, tired and I could feel my hands and feet. I was busting with energy. I was able to ‘spring clean’ my bedroom. I set out to clean our house windows inside and out. Joe nearly had a stroke when he came into the front yard and saw I had climbed the ladder to wash the second story windows. He insisted on helping me which meant I could do the windows on the lower level. Afterwards, I did a little yard work. I would have continued cleaning, but Joe put his foot down about 10 p.m. actually, he was dead dog tired trying to keep up with me all day. Just before falling asleep, I mentally made a list of all the things I was going to accomplish the next day. Yeah, right!

I should have known…the next morning I woke up nauseated and weak, by the end of the day I was throwing up and barely able to walk. Joe thinks I over did it the day before, I disagree because I didn’t feeling worn-out or exhausted by the end of the day. Anyway, I’m hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Next Thursday is round five of chemotherapy. I hope I feel well for the fourth of July. This is one of our family’s favorite holidays. We start the day going to West Point’s parade. After that, Joe cooks breakfast. Later the kids swim and play games; afterwards, we all take a nap then begin the second round of fun…barbecue and fireworks!

After treatment six, I’ll have a CT scan to see if the chemo is working. Of course, we are praying for good news that this horrible nightmare will end, but if not, it will mean more chemotherapy. I don’t even want to think of going through more treatments. I am worn out…emotionally. I want my life back. I want to feel good, no more medicines, shots, nausea, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, no more trips to the hospital. I know Joe and my family want this as much as I do. We are praying this will be the outcome. We should know by the end of July.

It’s hard to believe it has been four weeks since my surgery. The surgery went well. I spent nine days in the hospital…nine  l o n g  days. The surgery was radical, but the doctors felt they had achieved optimal results. Two weeks after being discharged from the hospital, I had a follow up appointment with my surgeon. I asked him to explain the details of the surgery. (I really don’t remember much during my hospital stay due to heavy pain medication).  Joe and I didn’t realize how large the tumors were and how much cancer there was. The doctor removed my omentum, which was most diseased. He said if I hadn’t had it removed, I would have gone within 12 months. He removed tumors from my peritoneal and liver. A section of my colon and right diaphragm was removed also. He was unable to remove another tumor on my liver due to the size and thickness of the tumor. We are hoping this tumor responds to chemotherapy. I had chemotherapy on Thursday. We are praying I will only have to have two more treatments completing the 6 cycles.

My recovery has gone well with only a couple minor complications. The days are long and boring, but I’m comfortable and have had minimal pain. Thanks to medication, of course.

We have been blessed in so many ways. Joe’s work offered him the option to work from home. His manager, supervisor and coworkers have been incredible supportive. They felt Joe needed to be home to help me as much as possible. His out of town trips have been reduced also. We are so grateful for this blessing.

Joe did go on a trip this past week. Two of my dear friends drove me to the hospital for my chemo treatment and sat with me all day. The next day, they both spent the day at my house while I slept making sure I was ok. How loving is that?

It has been said that the greatest gift that can be given is to lay down one’s own life for another. Many of our loved one’s lives have been laid down, put on hold, and set aside as we fight for ours. It is truly a gift beyond measure.