JAMs Jams. Pure. Real. Fresh.

 Work started on the kitchen today - here is a morning & an afternoon shot. You can see Mike, the contractor, working outside the window.  By this afternoon the window is gone & drywall is in.   In case it doesn't make much sense, we are adding a wall of kitchen along the right side of these pictures.  The corner will hold a big pantry cabinet.  In the middle will be a built in ice machine & next to that integrated SubZero fridge & freezer columns.  Where our fridge is now will be turned into another pantry cabinet.  So step 1 is to remove the window.  You can see that he drywalled it today.  Tomorrow they will brick over the exterior.  Amazing how fast a window can disappear.  Next week they will move the air vent, do the electric & plumbing I suspect.  Hopefully the week after that the appliances...Fingers crossed. As for me, I'm doing fine.  I'm pretty tired this time around - out...

So today marked past halfway for me - 25 treatments done & 24 to go! Tomorrow is hump day & this week will be on the down slide too! I appreciate all the notes & texts this week. They definitely help me. Been very tired & a bit nauseous although I did manage a bowl of chicken noodle soup & peach cobbler for dinner. Going to bed early again... Right now I'm listening to EB help Eri clean out her toys. Women after my own heart. I'm excited to have this week well underway & looking forward to a 5 day weekend! Tomorrow is our preconstruction meeting for our kitchen project. They are starting the work Thursday! I will document with pictures of course. Pretty excited for our new fridge, freezer & ice machine! Will write again later in the week!

This morning I was surprised to turn on my phone and have a message from Vanderbilt.  I just saw all the docs & I haven't communicated with any of them, all systems are go for restarting chemo Monday so I really wasn't expecting any communication with them this week. When I opened up the message, which was sent after 10 pm last night, it was from Dr Linn, my primary care doctor - the one who initially made me get the lump in my groin biopsied.  She didn't need or want anything, didn't have any medical results to share with me, didn't want to schedule another test or procedure or infusion, just wanted to tell me she is following my progress & wish me well in my appendectomy recovery.  This message really struck me.  Dr Linn has 3 little kids - and gosh only knows how many patients (she doesn't take new patients).  Here she was at 10 pm thinking about me.  And letting me know it. This got me to thinking about the power of not only thinking about p...

Today & yesterday were busy with doctors appointments & labs. I'm so used to going to Vanderbilt for chemo & being there for hours it's a weird feeling to just go to see a doctor. Yesterday was my final visit with Dr Johnson, the radiation oncologist. Yep, I have my first official release from an oncologist. I hope it's a sign of things to come! I dont have anymore appointments in the basement, where radiation oncology hides. Hooray. Today I had labs, then I saw Dr Keedy. She is so wonderful. She said it was quite the accomplishment to undergo a major surgery being so nutropenic (low white blood cells) & anemic (low red blood cells). We thoroughly reviewed everything & agreed to start chemo again with the 5 day Ifosfamide Etopocide regimen Monday followed by Cyclophosphamide Adriamycin & vincristine the week of july 9. She is pleased its only a 2 week break & was thrilled with how quickly my white count has stabilized as well as how well the ane...

Early on in my trips to Vanderbilt Cancer Center I found a flyer for an art & photography contest sponsored by Lilly.  Entries are due June 29th & I wanted to share what we submitted.  Many of you have seen this on Facebook - I apologize for the repeat if you have but a lot of my readers aren't Facebookers for one reason or another. We are entered in the cancer patient - photography contest.  I don't know when results will be announced but I will keep you posted.  Even if we don't win a thing (the prizes are funds donated to a cancer charity of your choice), it was fun to enter! Entries consist of a 9x12 photograph & a 125 word narrative.  Here you go.... By My Side. Cancer is a very personal illness but one that cannot be endured alone. This image depicts unconditional love and support – a mother with cancer watching the natural beauty of a perfect Florida sunset side by side with one of h er beloved daughters. Captured by a loving a...

So one thing I haven't written much about cancer is the financial impact it can have.  We have been truly blessed with an outstanding health insurance plan provided by LP so the impact on us has been relatively minimal.  Our particular plan has a $2,000 out of pocket maximum which we hit about 15 minutes after the doctors first said the word cancer.  Vanderbilt has a really great web platform that enables me to keep track of my labs, communicate with my providers, etc. but it also has a billing interface.  So, just for grins, I took a look at what my illness has cost so far.  If I just typed the numbers in nobody would believe it so I copied them off the website. The first number there - $312,978 is how much Vanderbilt has billed our insurance company this year.  Keep in mind this is before the latest appendix event.  And it doesn't include prescriptions or the physical therapy I had.  Each cycle of chemo costs about $50,000.  The surger...

Thought you would enjoy some non-medical, non-cancer photos.  We took the dogs to Percy Priest Lake a couple weekends ago to let them swim.  Thats probably the one thing (aside from our friends) that we miss about Hendersonville - proximity to the lake for the doggies.  Kendall thought maybe Jessie wouldn't remember how to retrieve her buoy - no worries there. Emilia's ready to throw the ball (but Jessie doeesn't care about the ball) She is just trouble no matter how you look at it Forget how to do this?  No way I can't tell what Cedar is thinking - probably thinking back to the good old days when she was so athletic Trouble is turning into a good buoy thrower The supervisor I know, we are in trouble here too That splash you see is Jessie! When we were in the Keys we pledged to take them more often - we have been pretty bad about it since we moved.  I guess maybe we have been busy with other stuff?  Anyway for once I...