Sunday, January 15, 2012

I haven't blogged since Maple?

Wow it has been a long time. We still miss our Maple. She was such an awesome dog and I don't think we will ever not think about her.

We did however bite the bullet and rescued a dog from a local shelter. She is a beagle/lab mix and is so cute. Sundrop. She acts like a cat and insists on lying in sunbeams. She acts like a lab and loves the water. The beagle???? she can't smell worth a crap but has those cute beagle ears.

The kids are great. Alex is 5, Char is 8, and Lee turned 10. I am back in therapy learning how to brace walk and doing a lot of core work in the pool. A fellow cancer blogger asked me to post an article about exercise. It is below. I remember back during cancer treatments I walked a great deal. When I was inpatient I would do laps around the hospital wards and when I was home I would walk Maple. God I miss her! I am a big believer that exercise helps beat stress. I also think it helps lift your spirits. It is hard to stay down in a funk while you are moving.

Exercise and Beat Cancer

Being diagnosed with cancer of any form, whether it is a common form of cancer like breast cancer or a rare disease like mesothelioma, automatically increases your stress level a thousand fold. Unfortunately, there is little you can do to relieve the stress you feel when you hear your doctors tell you that you have cancer and will need to undergo treatment that could include chemotherapy or radiation. Your stress level will be continuously higher for the rest of your life once you learn you have cancer.

You will stress about money, treatment, your family, your future and everything in between. While there isn’t much you can do to alleviate the extreme emotions that will encompass your body and mind for the duration of your cancer treatment, there are ways you can reduce your stress temporarily and boost your immune system so that your body is more receptive to treatment.

Exercise is the easiest way to reduce your stress level. The endorphins released into your body during exercise fight the hormones that cause stress, giving you a feeling of relief during and afterward. The reduction of stress on your body helps your immune system to become stronger, which gives you more strength to fight your cancer, which is imperative.

Regular exercise will not only make you look and feel better about yourself, it will actually make you better. A healthy immune system is better able to fight off your cancer, which makes your prognosis more promising and your treatments more effective. It is not uncommon for cancer patients to experience extreme fatigue and exhaustion during the course of treatment, but exercise will help you fight some of the fatigue and exhaustion you will experience.

Overall, the benefits of exercise during and after cancer treatments are worth more than just a better body image – though that is great, too. The improvement in the quality of your life is paramount to the success of your treatment. Feeling better about yourself and being better on the inside will give you the strength you need to handle the days that your treatment makes you feel worse than ever and to keep on fighting.

In addition to regular exercise, there are also other ways to improve your quality of life. However, exercise is the most beneficial because it helps you in more than just one area. Healthier living, even with cancer, is better than unhealthy living without cancer because at least you are fighting it.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Maple


We lost Maple on Wednesday, April 6. This is her on her final day. Maple was the best dog I could have ever wished for. She was an awesome companion and she is missed beyond words. We will plant a maple tree in her honor.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Not since November!

Man have I been remiss in posting! What has happened since November? We had a great Christmas, Lee turned 9 (can you believe it?) my mom is done with chemotherapy treatments, and Dave and I went to Puerto Rico for Valentines Day.

More specifically my mom got her test results back and there is no evidence of disease - dancing with NED is what I learned along my cancer journey. It is pretty spectacular and we went out celebrating last week when she got the great news. Maybe we will be able to put the cancer crap behind us once and for all.

Also, I decided to go back to school and get my teaching certificate. Some days when I am balancing school, kids, keeping up with my home program, not to forget Dave always being away I wonder what was I thinking! But little man will be in school full time next year and sitting around the house just isn't an option. I will post and let you know how school goes. It is defiantly a lot different then my WVU days.

My mom's recent battle with cancer keeps reminding me that I am lucky to even be sitting here and watching the little z's grow up. Probably good to remember how close I was to losing it all - keeps things in perspective.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Halloween


Only got one picture at Halloween - I am definitely dropping the ball with taking pictures these days.
Alex was something star wars - of course! Charlotte was silver mist (Tinkerbell's friend) and Lee is a scary dude. They got a load of candy and I need it out of my house ASAP.


Monday, August 23, 2010

Time for school!

Wow summer went FAST! Yes I had my moments with the kids when I thought school would never be near but now that they go back next week I can't believe how fast the summer went by. Lee will be in the third grade, Charlotte the second, and Alex is starting pre-K. He will ride the school bus and go for a half day - sort of what kindergarten was like when I was a kid.

Alex's birthday is this weekend and he is turning 4. He LOVES star wars and is super excited to have his own party so he can uninvite his sister when she gets on his nerves. Some days they all get along so well and then others it is WWIII in my house.

I have my big cancer check and next MRI this September. Thinking only positive thoughts that these scans will be easy and free and clear of anything.

Unfortunately this summer my mom was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). A lot of you might remember that she had breast cancer about 13 years ago so this was a big shock. IBC is not an easy diagnosis and she has a long tough road ahead of her to beat this disease. However she went to MD Anderson in TX for consultation with some of the best IBC doctors in the world and we are very positive that she will prevail. She has a great treatment plan and is able to do all the chemo near her house.
Keep my mom in your prayers!

Here are some pictures of the kids.









Thursday, July 8, 2010

Summer

School is out and the kids and I are home for the summer.

Summer consists of .......
pool
bike riding
cheer
football
cabin
video games
arts/crafts
annoying mom



























Friday, April 23, 2010

Spring


Long time since my last post and we have been busy. I completed my latest round of therapy up in Baltimore and am doing my home program. It is pretty intense and takes up to 3 hours a day to complete.


I accomplished a big goal for me and our family - we flew to CA for spring break with the kids. One of the only perks of Dave's crazy travel schedule is free hotel rooms and plane tickets.....so we cashed in and took the kids to Disneyland, Palm Desert, and San Diego for spring break. We hooked up with my dad and stepmom at Disney and in the desert. Flying was a lot easier than I thought and now Dave and I feel confident that we can travel anywhere again.


I just had my neuro follow up this week and the damage/inflammation to my spinal cord looks better. My doctor doesn't want to get too optimistic since I guess MRI's are very subjective but she can say without a doubt it is no longer getting worse. Thank God. That news in itself has taken so long to get that I was losing hope there for a little while. She also said my spinal cord looks good and she can see the fibers. So there is still a lot of hope that my therapy can retrain my spinal cord to move my legs again one day.


I am happy spring has sprung, the kids are healthy, Miss Maple is still kicking, and Dave is gainfully employed.