Snow Days

Along with the rest of the mid-Atlantic we got more snow than we know what to do with. The kids we home all last week and finally got back on the bus this Monday. Three kids + 3 ft. of snow + a wheelchair = a crazy Heather. Dave managed to find his way to work and I would have too if it was an option but of course someone had to take care of the children.

Pneumonia

I have been dealing with pneumonia a lot lately. I was in the hospital sick with pneumonia in Nov., diagnosed again in Dec., and yet again this Jan. Being sick and some snow days has totally messed with therapy - hopefully I can get into the swing of things again soon.

Since my lungs are having such a hard time getting well I made an appointment with the lung doc to hopefully clear them up once and for all.

I was reading the pregnant with cancer site and found this awesome free cleaning service for women undergoing chemo... pass it along

cleaningforareason.com

Long overdue again

Things have been busy since my post yet another month ago - time flys. I short order I got pneumonia again and was hospitalized, my sister got married, I turned 35, and finally got the Internet going in the new house.

Medically speaking I have several doctor appointments coming up to deal with my worsening paralysis and get a handle on a new problem - uncontrollable shakes/chills. Hopefully the later is nothing serious and not related to the radiation side effects or cancer crap.

I have dusted off my camera again and have some pictures of the little z's to share. The kids are doing great. Alex is still working on potty training and getting into everything that isn't his. Lee has begun basketball and Dave is helping coach his team. Charlotte finished cheerleading and her squad won 1st place in a competition at the University of MD.

My little z's are not so little anymore.

I apologize for the delay in updating. We moved into the new house and I still don't have Internet. I hijacked Dave's computer to do this quick update.

I had my check up for the cancer and good news is I am still cancer free and in the clear until next year.

My radiation myelitis check wasn't as positive and the disease has progressed. I am now a T2 instead of a T3. I want to be going the opposite direction. I will be starting therapy again soon paying out of pocket until insurance kicks in this January. Just trying to make sure this crap doesn't spread too far and affect my upper extremities.

Dave, the little z's and Maple are all happy and healthy. Once I get the Internet up an running again I will update more frequently.

Next steps

We have a plan to get me back into therapy and hopefully on the path to walking again one day. I will have my cancer check up on September 19 - please pray with me that it is all good news and the cancer is still gone. After the green light is given from the cancer docs I will have an MRI to see the state of the radiation damage then a dose of Avastin. All this should get wrapped up in September and then I will begin therapy in October. My parents are helping us foot the bill until we get more visits from insurance in the new year. Don't even ask how much paying for therapy costs out of pocket - it is outrageous.

If Dave and I were not blessed with such supportive family continuing therapy would not be an option. I am so thankful and pissed off at the same time........I began to type the laundry list of things that upsets me about my current situation and it just went on for too long. I stopped and deleted. I cannot live my life being upset about my current situation. Dave and I always talk about how we have to try to stay positive and focus on moving forward. When the bad news comes it is hard to remember the positive and then when you least expect it the kids put everything in perspective -

Driving home today I told the kids how happy I was when we are all together and how much I miss them when we are apart. Lee chimed in mom you are never alone. I responded yes I am when I am stuck in the yucky hospital without all of you. He said no mom god is always with you so you are never alone.

He is so right and I feel better already.

Dad's visit

My dad came to visit us last week. He took some pictures of the new house and kids. We should be in the new place after Labor Day.

Long overdue - bad news

I have been sitting on this bad news for awhile since it just sucks and I didn't even want to post. I got the results back from my June MRI. There is a new signal at my T2 level in my spine. My neurologist is not sure why and will need to rescan again this September. However, despite the risks of Avastin my neurologist has put it back on the table as an option to stop the spread of my symptoms. In addition, my sensory and motor exams were worse with my therapy doctor up at KKI.

All doctors involved want me back in therapy ASAP. Dave and I did one last ditch effort to appeal to his company for more physical therapy visits. They officially denied our request (again) last week leaving us to pick up the cost for therapy. Our disappointment towards this decision cannot even be expressed in words. If anyone would like to discuss with me why health care in our country needs to be overhauled drop me a line and I could argue my point for hours. It is horrifying that our health care system is based on employers and in the end Dave's employer decided what was best for me medically - and not doctors.

At this point we just need to move forward. My doctors and therapists are hopefully getting together to discuss the next steps, figuring out how much therapy will cost out of pocket, and if Avastin is needed.

Some more bad news I have seriously delayed telling everyone is that we discovered a cancerous lump on Miss Maple. The vet removed it and we decided against chemo. I emailed her pathology report to my old oncologist and he agreed that chemo wasn't a good course of action. The lump hasn't grown back so it is a good sign that they got it all with the surgery. She is in good spirits and health so pray to God this is behind us.

Enough of the bad news. I can be thankful that my cancer is still gone, the kids are healthy, and Dave has a job in this crappy economy.