Monday February 27

Thursday - Thursday afternoon Colin's dad, Tom came to visit me and took me to lunch.  We went to Isaacs.  I had tomato soup and a salty eagle.  A salty eagle is ham and cheese on a pretzel bun with honey mustard.  It was delicious!  We sat and talked for a while and caught up.  After lunch he dropped me off at Cyndee's so I could hang out with the dogs for a little while.  They are being fostered for a few weeks by a friend.  She is a lifesaver and the most selfless person you will ever meet.  Jessica met me around 2 and picked up the dogs.  They were happy to see her.  After that mom picked me up and took me back to her house.  I went back and relaxed.  We had dinner and went to Carter and Caden's basketball practice.  After practice Amber stopped and we hung out for a little bit.  The boys ate dinner and they left around 8.  I went to bed.

 

Friday- I woke up and Dana picked me up and took me to breakfast.  We sat and talked for a while.  After breakfast she took me to Columbia river trail where there are a bunch of hiking trails and biking trails.  They have a beautiful lookout and a really nice visitors center.  We sat and watched the birds for a little bit and walked through the visitors center.  They had a bunch of art work from local artists so we walked through and checked it out.  She took me home around lunch time.  She stayed and hung out with me at my parents for about an hour.  She left and I relaxed.  

 

I had dinner plans with Cyndee, Quinn and Phenix.  Cyndee picked me up at my parents and we went to BJ's Restaurant.  I had never been there before.  It's bar type food.  I had a pork BBQ sandwich and broccoli cheddar soup.  It was pretty good.   We had a nice time visiting and I got to see Ireland.   She's the most adorable little girl ever.  She started to get a little antsy but that's what happens when you are one.  I gave her her birthday present at dinner.  It was a cute little book about dancing.  It kept her occupied for a little while at least.  After dinner Cyndee dropped me back off at home and I went to bed.  It was a nice relaxing day for the most part.

Saturday - woke up early and got dressed.  My cousin Melissa and her daughters Mia and Madison were in Lancaster for a dance competition.  Amber, mom and I went to watch their solos.   They looked so beautiful and were so good.  They both won scholarships!!!  It was awesome to watch.   

After dance we headed to the soccer field.  Carter and Caden started indoor soccer and it was their first practice.  We stayed and watched the whole time.   They are very good at sports.  It was nice to be able to spend time with them and watch them play.  After practice mom and I stopped and grabbed lunch at Two Cpusins and got some cupcakes from Lancaster Cupcakes.   We took them home and met Dad, Shawn and Courtney.   We ate lunch and then Mehgan came over with baby Ellie!!   She's such a good baby and so adorable.  It was awesome getting to spend time with them.   I miss Mehgan a lot.  It's hard to catch up with them living in West Chester and me in Pittsburgh.  I can't wait until I'll be home to spend more time with her.  She stayed a couple of hours and we all hung out and chatted.   Amber stopped to see the baby too.  

 

 

While we were visiting all of our phones started beeping and sending warnings because there was a really bad storm and a tornado warning.  Mehgan packed up quickly and left so she could beat it.  Luckily she made it home before the storm hit.  It was pretty bad.   There was a lot of hail and really strong winds.   Amber made me go in the bathroom and hide. We were joking that I have cheated death several times and am finally on the upswing.   Wouldn't it be something if after all I've been through I would die in a tornado.   At least we can try to find the humor in those type of situations.   

Colin came over around 5 and took me to Jeremy and Janel's house for dinner.   They invited us over for fajitas.  We had dinner with them, Mason, Bernadette, Justin and Grant.  It was my first time meeting Grant.  He's a big boy.  He and Mason are a couple of days apart and they are so adorable!!  Both of them are happy babies.  They ate their dinner with us and played for a little bit.  Dinner was delicious.   Janel is a very good cook.   We had a nice time and were able to relax and visit.  Colin took me back to my parents after dinner and I sat with mom for a little bit and then went to bed.

Sunday morning I woke up early.  Got all of my stuff together to come back to Pittsburgh.  Amber came over with the boys to say goodbye.  Colin picked me up and we headed to Gus's for breakfast with Sean and Jamie and the girls.  It was a nice breakfast.   We stayed a little while and talked and visited.  On the way out, we saw my friend Kelly and her daughter Emma.  They were selling Girl Scout cookies in the lobby.  We bought three boxes of cookies and left to head back to lovely Pittsburgh.  We were on the road by 10.  The drive was easy.  Uneventful and not many cars.  We made it back to the apartment around 1:30.  We unpacked and I layed down.  My back, leg and hip are killing me.  I relaxed for the evening, packed up my stuff for something to do when I'm at chemo and went to bed.

Monday- today is chemo day.  I'm going to be here all day!  We met with Dr. Redner this morning and he said that I will have this session of chemo and then one more the third week in march.  After the 6th treatment they will do another Pet Scan and we will go from there to see what the next step is.  I will post more later and update.  Have a good day. 

Thursday February 23

Wednesday was a normal hospital day.  Not too much to report.  They gave me over meds to stay on top of the my pain and I colored.  I took a couple of walks down around the nurses station.  That's about it.  

Thursday was the same.  Woke up after a night of trying to get comfortable.  The docs made their rounds.  All my labs were good again and they said I could go home.  Just have to try and get this pain managed and under control.  We were discharged and headed home. As soon as we got there I went to bed and relaxed.  Colin made dinner.  We just hung out and went to bed.

Friday was a lazy day as well.  We went to the store and picked up a few things and spent the rest of the time hanging out.  I colored a little and we watched a movie.  I made lunch and then dinner and went to bed fairly early.

Saturday we went to Dicks and walked around a little for some exercise.   We ran to Gander Mountain for something to do as well.  We grabbed a quick lunch and went home.   We made dinner and watched tv.   Again.....nothing too eventful.  I went to bed fairly early.

Sunday we woke up, showered and got dressed.   We met our friend Matt at Target.  We stopped and grabbed a quick lunch at a sandwich shop across the street from target and then headed to the Ross Park Mall.  It's kind of like King of Prussia but not as big.   They have a lot of high end stores.  Matt and Colin took turns pushing me in my transporter.  Matt was shopping for stuff for his apartment.  Colin and I just went along for company.  It was nice to get out and have a change of scenery.  We didn't buy anything just browsed.  After we were done we went home, made dinner and watched tv.  I went to bed fairly early and just relaxed.  It was a pretty nice day.

Monday was a holiday.  We didn't do much.  My hip and leg were really bothering me so I stayed home and relaxed.  I paid some bills and straightened up the desk.  I cleaned out the fridge and went through some of my clothes.  Colin went golfing in the afternoon because it was so nice.  It was good for him to get out of the house.  I made Salisbury steak for dinner and when he got home we ate and watched tv.  We went to bed early because we had clinic in the morning.

Tuesday we got up bright and early and headed in to clinic.  They drew labs and did my blood work.  Everything looks good.  I didn't need any replacements and Dr. Cruz was happy with the way everything looks.  The pain in my hip and spine is excruciating at times.  He is thinking of doing another MRI to check and see if the fracture has gotten worse or what's going on in there causing so much pain.  He told me not to be a hero and to use my walker again if I need it.  So.....I'm back to using the walker.  It's helping a little with stability when I'm walking.  The pain just hits me out of nowhere at times and it's really frustrating.  I'll get through it though!

While at clinic we asked if we could travel to Lancaster for the weekend since I have chemo Monday and we won't be able to go home for a couple of weeks and he said that we should and it will be good to get away.  After clinic we went back to the apartment, cleaned up, packed and hit the road to head to Lancaster!!  We were on the road by 2 and made it to Lancaster in just a little over three hours.  We made really good time and only stopped once.  Colin dropped me off at my parents and I met Amber, Bobby and the twins for dinner.  After dinner she dropped me off and I went to bed.

Wednesday morning I met Amanda for breakfast.  We sat and talked for a while.  It was great catching up.  After breakfast she dropped me off at Kelly's so I could visit and see the baby.  We went to the park for about an hour to run some energy off of Thomas.  He's such a good big brother.  He's getting so big.  Baby Andrew makes him look like a giant😀.  We went back to Kelly's house and Matt's parents came over to visit.  Janet and Joe are amazing parents, grandparents and wonderful people in general.  They are always checking in on me and are always keeping me in their prayers.  I love them to death!!   They left and my mom picked me up.  We ran a couple of errands and then got Sonic for dinner.  Everyone is taking me out to eat while I'm home!!  It's been nice because I'm going to restaurants that we don't have in Pittsburgh that I miss!  Shawn came over and we ate dinner.  After dinner we went to the boy's basketball practice at the school.  It's fun watching them play.  They are really good for being so young.  We got home and Amber came over with the twins.  We hung out for about an hour and they went home to get their homework done and get ready for school.

 

 

 

Today is Thursday.  I was up early and am waiting for Tom to pick me up.  He's taking me to lunch today so we can catch up.  I haven't seen him since Christmas so it will be nice to catch up.  I will post more later.  I hope you have a good day!!  I'm happy to be home!!

Tuesday February 14

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

 

I can't believe it!!!   Colin proposed to me 10 years ago today!!!  10 YEARS!!  It has been a roller coaster but we always seem to figure it out.  The past few years have been stressful and have put a huge strain on our relationship.   It has made us stronger as a couple and our love for each other has grown and blossomed more than I could ever have imagined.   Colin Carlock- you are the love of my life and I couldn't imagine sharing it with anyone else.   I love you with all my heart!

So....for my update:

Saturday- we woke up and went to the grocery store.  After the store we went to Golf Galaxy.  Small field trip.  We got home and I had leftovers for lunch.  After lunch I layed down and watched tv.  Our friend Josh was stopping to visit on his way to a work trip in Kentucky.   He got to the house around 1:30.  When he got to the apartment, he and Colin left to go grab lunch and hang out for a little bit.  I stayed home and watched tv.  They called me around 5:30 and said they were on their way to get me and we were going to dinner.  I got dressed and we headed to dinner.  They were on a 1 1/2 hour wait.  We walked over to REI and browsed.   It killed about 45 mins of our wait.  Then we walked across the street to Hofbraus, a brewery.  We watched the guy playing the accordion and some dancers.  It was a pretty cool place.  We stayed about a half hour and went back to Cheesecake Factory.  We got there and only waited 5 minutes and our table was ready.  We had a nice dinner and even got some cheesecake to go.  (Dinner and Cheesecake were free thanks to the gift cards I got for Christmas). We went home and I went to bed.  The guys stayed up and hung out for a little while.  Throughout the day I was starting to get hip pains and my body was aching.  

Sunday- we woke up and got ready.  Josh wanted to get an early start on his drive so we went to Waffles Incaffinated for breakfast before he left.  It was really good.  After breakfast we went back to the apartment and Josh headed out.  My pains were starting to act up more and I was having a little trouble getting around.  I  decided to make potato soup to keep me busy and out of bed.  I also cleaned and cut up the fruit we got at the store.  I like to do it that way so you can grab and go as apposed to cleaning and cutting it up as you are hungry.  We ate leftovers for lunch and I layed down because I was in pain.  I buried myself in my heated blanket with the hope that the heat would help.  I got out of bed around 5.  We had more leftovers for dinner.  After I ate I went back to bed.  Around 8 or so I was really in a lot of pain.  By 10, I could hardly walk to the bathroom.  I was in tears.   Around midnight Colin came to check on me and I was still in tears.  He told me to call the coordinator so I did.  She sent me straight to the er.  We headed to the hospital.  We got there and were taken to a room right away.  The nurse and doctor came in right away.  They gave me pain medicine and told me I was being admitted.  They were just waiting on a bed.  

Monday- We waited until about 12 on Monday until a bed became available.  I was taken to my room and got

settled.  My day was pretty boring.  I took a bunch of little cat naps.  Bill came in to see me and put in the orders for pain meds and my daily regimen of pills.  Colin left after Bill came in because he hadn't slept at all because he was up with me in the er all night.  I just stayed in my bed and watched tv.  

Tuesday- Woke up and was still having a lot of pain.  Bill and Bonnie came in around 7 to check on me.  They said my white blood cell count was trending up on its own and as long as it stays on that trend I won't need a blood transfusion.  So that's positive.  They think the pain is from the neulesta shot I got after chemo.  It is a common side effect.  I just hung out in my room for the day and pretty much did nothing.  We had lunch and I got "showered".  Colin left around 3 to beat the traffic and do some laundry.  I am in bed watching tv and playing on my phone.  So exciting!!  Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I can get a little bit of sleep tonight.  I will post more on my progress later.  Have a good night!!

Friday February 10

Got up early and went in to clinic.  Stopped on our way in and grabbed donuts for the nurses.  Got to clinic and they drew my labs and did blood work.  Dr Cruz made his rounds around 8.  He said everything looks good.  My white blood cell count is still in the positive.  My G Tube still hasn't healed over yet.  It's leaking a lot.  I have to have lots of gauze and a bath towel folded over under a binder to hold it all in place. It's been four weeks since they removed it and it should be healed over by now but it's not.  He's going to contact a gastro doctor to do an endoscopy and go it and surgically insert a clip to help it close up.  They think it isn't closing because of the chemo and the steroids.  They both make it harder for your body to heal.  He wants to see us back on Monday.  

After clinic we stopped at target to get my prescriptions and headed home.  We had leftovers for lunch and watched Ghostbusters.  After lunch I did some laundry and Colin scrubbed the floors and the bathroom.  I layed down until dinner and chilled out.  My body is aching today.  Not too bad but enough to be uncomfortable.  I'm also feeling pretty weak.  We cleaned out the fridge and had leftovers for dinner.  After dinner I went in to the bedroom again and layed down.  

I'm hoping to get some sleep tonight.   I didn't sleep well last night so hopefully it will all work out.  I will post more later.  Have a good night!!!  

Thursday February 9

Wednesday we got up early and headed in to clinic.  They drew labs and did my blood work.  Everything on my labs were good.  My white blood cell count was in the positive.  Dr Cruz was very happy with the progress.  We were done at clinic by 11.   We went and visited a friend I met in clinic who got her small bowel transplant last Friday.   She is doing really well and looks amazing.  We left the hospital and headed towards the apartment.  We stopped at Panera and grabbed lunch then we went to the grocery store.

We came home and watched tv and relaxed.  I made stuffed cabbage for dinner and weight watchers cookies that were delicious!!  After that I layed down and went to bed.  

Today was a lazy day.  I woke up feeling really exhausted.   We also woke up to about 4 inches of snow.  Colin left the house a little after 6 and went to the gym.   Then he came back to the apartment, bundled up and went out and cleaned off the cars.  We watched a movie and ate leftovers for lunch.  After lunch we ran to Golf Galaxy for something to do and to get out of the house.   We came home and watched tv.  I made dinner.  We had weight watchers turkey enchilada casserole.  It was pretty darn good.  After dinner I cleaned up.  I'm heading off to bed so I can get some sleep.  We have an appointment in clinic tomorrow so I'll be up bright and early.  I'll post more later.  Sweet dreams!!!

Tuesday February 7

Friday we really didn't do much.  I made coleslaw with the leftover cabbage from the spring rolls I made on Thursday. We watched tv and I colored.  We also went to Verizon so I could get my phone fixed.  It was cutting out and the other person on the line couldn't hear me half the time.  They couldn't fix it so they said they would send me another one.  We had leftovers for dinner and I went to bed.  

Around 7 Colin came in and said he wanted to go to Lancaster.  We hurried and packed and got ready and hit the road.  A pipe burst in the house and he wanted to check on the damage since we won't be able to go home for a while because of my chemo.  The engine light had also come on in my Jeep so we had to take it to get looked at by our wonderful neighbor and mechanic Sean.  There was no traffic at all!!   The ride was really nice.  We stopped twice and made it home in 3 1/2 hours.  We were there around 11:30.  I stayed at my parents and Colin stayed with his mom.  Mom and Dad waited up for me to get there.  I had a little snack of homemade blueberry bread and went to bed.

Saturday I was up early to take all my mess and couldn't go back to sleep.  Dad made bacon and eggs for breakfast.  I hung out with my dad in the morning.  We didn't do much.  Then I went to lunch with Shawn and Dana.  It was really nice to catch up with them.  After lunch Jamie came over for a visit.   She stayed for a little bit and we caught up.  After she left I got dressed and ready for a surprise party.   Amanda was throwing it for her mom Georgette.  My dad dropped me off and I hung out for a couple hours.   Georgette was so surprised.  I apparently was the biggest surprise of all.  It was nice catching up with her family.  I haven't seen them in so long.  My mom came to the party for a little bit.  She ate and we stayed for cake and presents.  She took me home about 7:30.   I put on my pjs right away and Shawn came over with Courtney for a few minutes so I could see her.   They left and I went to bed.

 

 

 

 

Sunday morning I went over to Cyndee's to visit for a few hours.  I got to see my puppies.  It's heartbreaking leaving them 😓.   They run to the door because they want to come with us.  We got in the car and headed to Gus's to meet the Mauger family for breakfast.  We had delicious food and great company.  It was good to see them and catch up.  They have been so amazing and wonderful to us throughout my whole ordeal.  I really miss them!!

 

We headed straight back to Pittsburgh after breakfast.  We made it home around 2.  Colin unloaded the car and went and got the mail.  I got this awesome package from JM Wood Turning (Josh Mauger).  He does amazing work and I love my gift!!  Check it out!

 

Isn't it beautiful!!

We ordered dinner from UNO for takeout.  Colin watched the Super Bowl and I went in the bedroom and watched random television.  I wasn't into the game at all.  I fell asleep around 10.  

Monday we woke up early.  We had to be at the hospital at 7 for my chemo.  We were there until after 3.  It was a really long day.  The people at the cancer center were so nice.  The nurses were amazing as well.  It made the day go a little faster.  They even brought us soup and sandwiches for lunch.  After we left we headed home.  Colin grabbed the mail and unloaded the car.  I headed to the apartment.  There was a package at the door and my cell phone had arrived.  I couldn't get out the SIM card to activate it so I just put it back in the box.  Colin came in with the mail and I had another package.  I opened it and it was this adorable hat and a tumbler from the Klugh family.  The hat fits perfect and is adorable!!  

 

We heated up leftovers for dinner.  I took my meds and layed down.  I was exhausted.  It was a long day.

Today I slept in.  I didn't get out of bed until around 11.  I got up and heated up leftovers again for lunch.  After lunch I colored for a little bit and watched tv.  I pinned some recipes on Pinterest.  Pretty uneventful.  Colin made chicken for dinner so I ate a little bit.  After dinner we set out my meds for the week and now I'm laying in bed.  We have clinic tomorrow bright and early so I will update you later.  Hopefully everything is good with my blood work.

Have a good night!!

Thursday February 2

Sunday was a lazy day.  We hung out and watched tv.  Nothing special.  

Monday we decided to take a field trip to cabelas.  We have a bunch of gift cards and thought it would be something to do to get out of the house.  It's only about a 40 minute drive from the house.   We got there and looked around.   I found a nice sweatshirt on clearance for $15 and a Carhart beanie for $4.   I was super excited with my finds.   Colin found some really nice pants on clearance for $20.   We grabbed lunch while we were there.   I had pork BBQ and Colin got a prime rib sandwich.   Neither of us were impressed with our meals.  We were disappointed.   After lunch we looked around a little more.  We checked out and headed home.   We had leftovers for dinner.  I colored and went to bed.

 

 

Tuesday morning we had clinic.  We got there at 6.  They drew my labs and did bloodwork.  Dr. Cruz came around 8:30.  He was really early.   He looked at the hole in my abdomen where they removed the g Tube.  He said its healing pretty well.  He also said all my labs were good.   He told me I could stop two of the antibiotics.  Both of which I was taking iv.  That was good to hear because they really upset my stomach.  We were discharged and out the door by 9.   He said to come back next Wednesday.   I have chemo on Monday so Wednesday I'll go in for labs and find out if I need to be admitted or not.  After clinic we went to Dollar Tree so I could get some valentines cards.  We went home, had leftovers for lunch and I layed down and colored for a little bit.  I got motivated and got out of bed around 4.   I made taco casserole in my NuWave.  It turned out ok.  After dinner I went back to coloring and then went to bed.  

Wednesday Colin went to the gym early.  While he was there I got showered and dressed.  We went to vision works and got eye exams.  They are running a $10 eye exam special.  After the exam we stopped at the store and grabbed a few things.  We got home and ate lunch.  I made quiche cupcakes to freeze and have on hand for quick breakfasts.   I also made cauliflour and potatoes.   Both were made in the Nuwave.  They turned out great.   After I was done it was dinner time. I made ravioli with a cream, mushroom and tomato sauce.  The sauce was a little bland but dinner was ok overall.  After dinner I colored and went to bed.  

Today I woke up and got ready.  We went to the Strip District and walked.  I walked six blocks.  I got my exercise in for the day.  I was exhausted when we were done.  I got some fresh bread and cheese at the Italian deli.  I also got some blood oranges and some apples at the produce stand.  We left the Strip District and headed towards the house.  On the way home I got really hungry so we stopped at this little cafe we have never been to called Aladdins.  They had a lot of pita sandwiches and dinners.  We each got pita wraps.  It was ok.  Not what I thought it was going to be but it was something different.  After lunch we stopped at target and picked up my prescriptions.  We came home, I layed down and took about a half hour nap.  I just layed around until close to dinner.  I got out of bed and made dinner.  We had meatloaf in the Nuwave oven.  It was pretty good.  After dinner I layed back down.  It's midnight and I'm still not asleep yet.  Hopefully I'll fall asleep soon and get some rest.  I'll post more later.