Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Well, my day started out as usual, but a little earlier than I’d like. Went to bed last night at about 11:30pm, taking 2, count’ em 2, Simply Sleeps to help me sleep all the way through the night for once. Didn’t happen. I awoke at 1:30am in a complete sweat and then got chilled. Don’t know what’s up with that but it does make it hard to go back to sleep, especially when your mind flips 'on' at the drop of a hat. I tossed for about an hour and then got up to research some more and have some chocolate milk. I think the weight that I’m putting on is directly related to my sleeplessness….Chocolate milk, even skim milk, adds on calories! =) Back to sleep at 5:30am to arise for real at 9. I’m going to ask Jeff to knock me over the head with a rubber mallet tonight!! Aprils get weepy and weird when they don’t gets enough sleeps!
Part of the problem is this: A friend of mine in Houston was attacked by 4 dogs 2 days ago and is in the hospital on heavy sedation. I’m so worried for her and am praying like crazy. I just cannot imagine how she feels and want to go down there to visit TODAY, but 2 of my other friends are going to see her this afternoon and will give her hugs and kisses for me. They’ll keep me updated on her progress. I have to stay in Austin for now but I’ll send her flowers and Love from afar. Her name is Tammy D. and she's at Memorial Hermann on Fannin in Houston if you’re keeping up with this daily and would like to add her to your prayer list.
Yoga time, business, catching up on thank you notes in what’s left of the am. So much to catch up with but I’ll get there!
(An aside: The following is what I posted on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I jumped the gun and misunderstood some of the information given to me by Nurse Alice. I'm only allowing the post from Wednesday to remain because I think it illustrates the danger of jumping to conclusions. Don't get your hopes up until you get news directly from the doctor. I think I heard what I wanted to hear but the news sounded fantastic to me when I heard it and I really wanted to believe that I was cancer free.)
I’m doing the bills when a call comes in from Nurse Alice. She tells me to hold onto my hat ‘cause she has the results of my Octreoscans. Good news. Amazing news. An Octreoscan is 85% accurate. My scans show no sign of cancer anymore. It appears as if, when she went in to clip off that suspicious, rubbery section of colon, Doc Basa might’ve removed the last bit of the Oid. Might’ve. We’ll know more on Friday when I get to speak with Doc Bala and then Monday at MD Anderson w/ Doc Lambert. I have to get off the phone with Alice ‘cause I’m starting to choke up, I’m so relieved….
Oh, my GOSH!! Words cannot describe how I feel about this news!! The choir sings “Hallelujah!” and I’m thanking God and all who prayed and crying like crazy, hopping around my rental house kitchen, yelling, "THANK YOU!!!" over and over!! I feel like doing handsprings! Sleep deprivation makes me cry harder, still. (Didn't I tell you sleep deprivation makes me weird and weepy?) Jeff was off at his physical therapy session and I waited until he got back so I could tell him before I started calling folks. He’s at first a bit shell shocked and then the news settles in and we BOTH feel like doing handsprings. But, we’re cautious not to get TOO optimistic ‘cause we haven’t gotten the news from any doctors yet, just a beautiful lady named Alice who couldn’t wait to tell me the good news. I’m only calling my best friend and family about this because the information MAY be inaccurate but I can’t help but rejoice at the thought of this, for SURE, not being a stage III cancer. And now, I’m supposed to go back and finish doing the bills? =) =) =)