Blessings! Blessings! Blessings!

Hey all, I'm back from my 2nd treatment at Duke and wanted to give a small report.



When I go to Duke for medical treatment, the schedule runs something like this: We drive in Tuesday night, get some sleep, get up and get blood work, meet with my oncologist and then get chemo. On the second morning, I can walk in to the infusion area and get my Neulasta shot at my convenience. Then we go home.


However, this particular trip to Duke turned out a little differently. When I went for my blood work, the techs noticed something wrong with the port that was installed during my last trip. This port can be used to draw blood or administer chemo fluids.


However, my port wasn't presenting the soft, permeable area where needles are inserted; it seemed for all the world to have gotten flipped over.  But how does that happen? They didn't want me to have it repaired on the same day as my chemo infusion (1st day), so I had to wait until the next day (Thursday) before my Neulasta shot. 

Here's a link to the exact port I'm using. Doesn't it look like a little purple heart?

http://www.bardaccess.com/port-powerport.php


So, on Wednesday, my chemo ran long because of all extra appointments and blood work I had to have done before the port repositioning. Last time chemo ran about five hours, but because I was made late getting in there, we didn't get out of the infusion room until 7:30 p.m. I was really drained. 


But I still had a something wonderful to look forward to, something I was excited to do. As soon as we got back to the hotel, I fluffed what was left of my hair and went directly to another room in the hotel to see my friend Michelle Dressler, who had come down to visit with me from Charlotte, NC, and was also spending the night in the hotel.


I am so very glad I got to spend some time with my Mi-shoo (my name for her). She looked simply wonderful and we got caught up on a lot of what was going on in her life (a nine-month old baby girl I haven't even held yet, and a brilliant, gorgeous seven-year old boy I've truly grown to love.)  We talked about half an hour and then went out to get dinner. It was a lovely evening altogether. 


The next morning we met for breakfast, but she is a working lawyer and had to be up and on her way all too soon. She insisted on paying for our room for two nights because that's just the kind of friend she is. She's asked me time and time again what she can do to help me, but I've already been so blessed, there was nothing specifically I could ask her to do. But I'm confident that whatever I had asked, she would have tried to help me with it. 


I have to say I've just been blown away by all the kindness and love God has sent our way. Michelle's visit was a special treat for me. I've missed seeing her and I know that we're not going to let as much time pass between visits. Good friends are blessings in life. Best friends are downright sacred!


So, after breakfast, Pat and I had to report to the hospital to get geared up for the port repositioning.  The docs said that this port flip-flop almost never happens and apologized profusely--to Pat. What is it with male doctors talking to Pat but ignoring me! As for the port flip-a-doo, Inza, my cousin, says she thinks it is from all the hugging I did last Friday at my benefit. Sounds plausible, right? The doctor actually surmised that the notch they cut out for the port was just a little too large and that the scar tissue that was supposed to form around it failed to hold it in place. So they gave me some sutures to hold my McDerment-power port into place. I can hug with impunity.


Oh and some of you might laugh to know that I gave away my favorite Premier jewelry set that I was wearing to this nice young male resident who was prepping me for the port re-set. He admired my necklace and earrings, then jokingly asked me if he could have it as a present for his first anniversary to his wife. She'd just sent him an Edible Arrangement and he was fretting about what to give her that evening. (I did wonder why he had waited until the last minute to get her something and figured he must be pulling my leg.)
 

Somehow, in all of my travels, I had ended up with this perfect little piece of tissue paper left in a bag I was carrying with me, so when I changed clothes, I fixed it all up for him to give to her. He was so surprised! Then I gave him my card and advised him should call me to order some more great stuff for her. To be honest, I don't know whether I was workin' it for the business or paying it forward. Either way, it left me with a smile in my heart.


 While running around the hospital for different procedures, I kept passing this support group area that mentioned wigs, "Come check out our wigs!" I went in just prepared to try on a few, then maybe come home and look through a larger selection to make a purchase. But as it turns out, they gave me a wig, a longer "hat hair," and two very cute caps. I kept asking, "You're giving this to me?" But they kept saying, "Yes we are!" It was a blessing. And Inza, you will laugh to know that the wig I picked out is just a little bit lighter than the hair you're sporting now! It was my favorite of all that they offered me. I think Mom secretly covets it . . . . .

Just kidding, Inza.

This wig couldn't have come at a better time, because my head rest in the car was starting to look like a mad, blonde hen had tried to nest there.  (Um, maybe that is what happened?)  So, Friday morning, Mom and I got up and she took my trusty Oster Golden to my head. It wasn't bad. I wasn't emotional. I was glad to be moving on. The more of these milestones that pass, the sooner I can be well! Sinead O'Connor I'm not, neither am I Quasimodo. As my friend Teresa O'Cassidy predicted, I had the best night's sleep I'd had in years.


The whole process of going under for the port repair and then having to get the Neulasta shot (which makes you extra tired) made for a really long drive home. We ran into an accident, but even without our GPS, we managed to find an alternate route and in no time were traveling at a happy speed heading toward home.


We didn't get back until about 11:30 p.m. Thursday and of course, we were tired and ready to go straight to bed. But there were dogs to be petted and talked to and hugged. And I gave Mom a few little presents I found for her along the way. I always have to find some little something for Mom when we are out and about. They're usually just little things to let her know we appreciate all that she does for us. She's doing good keeping everything running well for us.


Now, this isn't in chronological order, but I wanted to save the best news for last. I am responding to the HERCEPTIN! Herceptin is the drug that helps women with HER2 positive tumors. Doesn't work on everyone, but for some people, it can be a magic bullet.


Am I one of those people? I think I am, I think I am, I think I am!


On my first day at Duke (Wednesday) I met with my oncologist Dr. Kimmick and she reported that the margins that so clearly defined my large tumors are gone. I'll leave the details out of this and just say that this means that the two tumors I had are responding to the drug therapy. They're not gone, but they are lessened.  I asked the doc if she was gonna put a smiley face beside her clinical notes for that one and she hugged me instead and said it was really good news! She told me whatever we or I was doing, it was working.


I am Thanking God for All These Good Things! Another day He did something wonderful for us. Another day of blessings, blessings, blessings!



I'll try to keep up blogging as the days go by, but I'm just about at that time when I get really tired and don't want to do much.  So, for now, I'm thankful for comfortable pajamas and the ability to GO BACK TO BED!