Mass in Gallbladder

 Not a great update. It’s not diverticulitis but they found a mass in my gall bladder and want me to go back to the hospital for more testing. I’m more then a little scared. I am just so weak and tired I’m not sure how much I can take. Keep the prayers coming will update once I am in and get results. Hugs

More tests

 Had my appointment with gastroenterology, and I have to be up first thing in the morning to have a catscan done. They did order antibiotics. Setting up the catscan my insurance company was trying to get an ultrasound instead and the office was like no we need a catscan, the insurance company says oh that will have to go into clinical review, the office says we have it for stat we can't wait that long. Mind you this call took about an hour of this. You'd think I was trying to get a Disney Vacation or Cruise out of them instead of medical care for a health problem. Anyways as soon as I know I will update all of you. Just uncomfortable and my next chemotherapy treatment is creeping up. Keep those prayers coming everyone. Hugs

Have appointment with Gastroenterologist

 Update, they have me going to an appointment tomorrow afternoon right at the office for gastroenterology. I am so glad they could fit me in so quickly.

Prayers please

 Prayers please have to call the gastroenterologist tomorrow I am pretty sure I have an infection from diverticulitis.

Labs and Night before treatment

 Had my labs and Dr. appointment yesterday. My numbers are good so we will do a full chemotherapy treatment. My insurance approved the use of the medication to help my bone marrow to produce more white blood cells so we have that in case my numbers fall again.

I was approved to start up my vitamins again as well. They want me to start with one iron and hopefully work up to 3 a day depending on my colon's response, as well as my multivitamin and vitamin D. I told her about my head feeling like it is bruised as well as my hair loss and she said what I am feeling is my hair follicles responding to the chemotherapy, and hair loss is anywhere from none to all with all being on the low side so time will tell with what my response will be.

The Dr. was really surprised with how well my skin is doing. My daughter and husband try to keep me well moisturized. She also asked about mouth sores and none yet another area she was surprised to see doing so well. Like I said I have side effects and I still have 10 more therapy sessions to go so anything could pop up, but I am thankful every day for Jesus giving me grace through all of this and always making sure I am not alone during this journey. Keep those prayers coming! Hugs.

The night before Chemotherapy is the night my family makes sure I get a good meal in and also a good breakfast before I leave for treatment because I lose my appetite for several days while getting therapy. Tonight my daughter is making stuffed shells, and salad, the girls requested ice cream. My neuropathy is gone right now so I will have a little of the ice cream too.

Breakfast we usually pick up on the way to my treatment depending on time. Last treatment with the modified chemotherapy I didn't lose my appetite as long and I only lost a pound and a half. The Dr. wants to know how I do this week with a full treatment plan again. Like I said I can deal with the weight loss I am a big girl, and our family Dr. is ok with the weight loss if I am still eating. I still have my food struggles but we are finding more foods that work around my fears which has helped me a lot. Again thank you for the support and keep those prayers coming.

Losing my hair

I am losing more and more hair each time I brush, the first time seeing full-length size strands though. Oh, the effects of chemotherapy.

 

Time to go

The surgery team was here they should be coming soon to start my bleeding disorder medication and get me ready.

Health Update

 Between homeschooling, family day, Narnia Night, and having my granddaughter over for the weekend, we have been super busy. Also, we were hit with a lot of information and are still sorting things out. First of all, when they find cancer they like to come up with a plan within the first 30 days. Because of my other health issues, it will take a bit more time to sort out.

I have to get my Gynecologist to contact my Surgeon to see what his plan for the growth on my ovaries will be. When and if they cut me they want it to be once. My biopsies have been sent to a second pathologist for more testing. Also, I have to have more tests to make sure my cancer has not spread. They don't want to do anything with my diverticulitis right now unless it is an emergency and I was told I could eat anything as the seeds, nuts, etc are only a myth (so many Dr.'s and patients disagree with this).

We talked about weight loss surgery but we have kept food diaries in the past and I eat less than most people so my weight gain doesn't match my intake, so maybe more movement is needed which has gotten seriously less over the last 13 years due to pain from my fibromyalgia, back, and of course more weight gain from not moving as much. There just isn't an easy answer to all of this. To be quite honest it seems like we don't have all of the information we need yet. So until the Dr.'s talk, the results from the pathology come back, and I get more testing we are at a standstill.

I am sorry I don't have any better news, my health issues just make it extremely hard for the Dr.'s to come up with a plan to treat or medicate me. I hope to have more of an update in the coming weeks. I am scared, this isn't easy on me or my family. We are just praying and taking one day at a time, enjoying the time we have together, and finding joy in each day, until we can take the next step. Thank you to everyone who keeps asking how we are doing and for updates. Keep the prayers coming. Hugs.

5:16 8-19-2021

The call wasn't really that long and I am not quite sure when it started but once I heard it my eyes went right to the clock on my phone like I could freeze time in place. See I have been sick lately although, I guess you can say I have been sick all of my life with one thing or another.

I had a double procedure on 8/17/2021  that was more than what they had expected to find. They removed pieces and resected me, then sent the pieces off to be tested. 

I thought I wouldn't hear anything till I saw the Surgeon. on Friday but Thursday night at around five in the evening the call came in. It was the Dr. I know a Dr. doesn't call unless it is something, but not that late, good news can always wait. I have had these calls before up to 10:30 pm. 

This time it would be the word I thought I would never hear. The C word, The Big C,  CANCER, they found cancer and they aren't sure they got it all because they had to cut it out of me in little pieces. 

The first thing we did was call our children and branch out from there. Today after two more calls I will be posting on my social media. There are just too many people to contact with the news. Social Media is quicker besides telling everyone the same thing over and over just tires me out more than I already am. 

Of course, almost everyone so far is asking how I am taking it, and how is my husband, and the kids. Well, I don't know we are still processing it. My husband went to bed early, I can't sleep, and the kids are being supportive. 

People ask what the next steps are. Well, the Surgeon tomorrow and then a call to oncology for an appointment to see just what those next steps will be. Of course, I have to call my Primary Doctor as well as my Gynecologist. You see they found a growth on my left ovary right before Covid-19 changed up everything, that they had been watching. Since they will be going in for the Cancer they might do that too.

I suppose I am writing here for myself more than for my readers but hey who knows, something I might say might save someone's life. 

Some people asked did I know? or did I think something was up. When has something not been up with my health? The answer is yes. Even when I am not having Diverticulitis pain I feel something in my stomach which is actually my intestines. It feels like something is eating me alive, gnawing at my insides. It took a while for it happening to say anything to my husband, he even ordered a pregnancy test hoping I was just pregnant. When it came back negative that is when he started to really worry.

Then in June, I had blood tests. I saw the results. It showed my bone marrow had kicked in and my red and white cell counts were all in the wrong places. I am not dumb. I was just hoping it was the infections I kept getting over and over and that the numbers would get better. So did I have an idea I sure did.

My appointments were already set so things couldn't go any quicker. I was supposed to have my procedure back in 2018, but between Dr.'s retiring, cases being shifted, busy schedules with kids, and then Covid-19 we kept putting things off, there is always tomorrow (Isn't that what we tell ourselves?). Last year things began to get worse with infection after infection which is what put my procedures further out finally after being infection free for 8 weeks I had my procedures. So here I am. 

Home resting

 I am home in a bit of discomfort but resting. God moved in the situation. Thankfully the Dr. who was there was able to finish if he hadn’t been there they wouldn’t have been able to. He is the one called when something like what was in me is found. They didn’t see it on the scans. I have special surgical clips working with my bleeding medication to keep me from bleeding while I heal.

This is not over yet they sent my biopsies and removals to pathology stat to have them tested. I have damage in both my esophagus and colon as well as what they call a torturous sigmoid. The biggest removal was precancerous 100% but it could also be cancerous which is why they have the stat testing on it.

While in there the Dr. had to cut and resection different parts of me together. I see the other surgeon on Friday, my gastroenterologist in two weeks, and have to go through this all again in 3 months depending on the pathology report. Keep me and my family in your prayers, please.

All ready for my procedures

 I wanted to be more clear about my operation/procedures tomorrow. I am having a colonoscopy and endoscopy. They want to rule out cancer, as well as check things to make sure they have a clear picture to know just how much of my colon will need to be removed. I see a Surgeon on Friday to talk about my Sigmoid removal to hopefully get rid of the diverticulitis. This is something they found back when they did my emergency appendectomy back in 2018, it has just taken time, compounded diagnosis, and then finally infection on top of infection to get the doctors all on the same page. It has just become dangerous to my life for this to continue so it is time to take care of things. Please keep me in your thoughts as you go about your day tomorrow.

My first Telehealth call

 Just had my telehealth call with my Hematologist and I will be going for more tests next week and a possible iron infusion based on those test results. She gave me a rundown of what I will be given for my operations and that there will be an extra med on board to help me, as well as making sure they have enough of my blood on hand. In our family, my 4th biological child is the only one who can give me blood as she hasn't tested positive for any of my blood diseases and has the same blood type as me, so we always have her on call when I need to go to the hospital just in case. We have other children with the same blood type as me but can't give blood or donate organs because of our blood disorders. Those who don't have my blood disorders all give blood as often as they can, I just can't have their blood. Getting closer to having my procedures done so we can find out what needs to come out so I don't have all of these infections from diverticulitis.

Going Back a bit

I went back before my diagnosis and found an update on my Facebook page for June 22,2021. I am sure there are more but I will go from this date. This was before my cancer diagnosis when we thought it was just plain diverticulitis we were dealing with even though my blood results were saying a bit more. 

 "An update on my health for those interested. I had been having multiple issues since my Emergency Appendectomy/Diverticulitis infection on April 1st, 2018. About a year later they found a growth on my ovaries which has been being monitored, but they would like to remove. Infections in my bowel started slowly and now I am getting them one on top of the other. I just got done with my antibiotics on June 13th, 2021 had my cat scan on June 17th, 2021 there was already an infection again so I am going to be starting Antibiotics again today. Now my operations, endoscopy, colonoscopy, colon removal, and whatever else they decide to take while in there have been moved back because they want me to be infection free for at least 8 weeks. Please pray for these Antibiotics to work and that my body will stay infection free so they can do these operations. I am trying to stay optimistic about everything but I am just plain tired and it is taking its toll on the family as well."

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 2015

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

How can you show your support? 

How about with Charm? 

For every limited edition charm that is sold 50% of the sales will go to charities that support breast cancer. 

Check out the charms available on Glamulet here.

Our family has not been devastated by breast cancer other than my uncles wife. Ultimately it was cancer that took her life but not sure if it was just breast cancer or not. Cancer took my mother away as well. Hers was not breast cancer but it was still a cancer only women can get. Cancer is a big thing in this world and a killer that can sometimes be silent until it is too late. 

This is why we need tests, research, and awareness about all kinds of Cancer. This month, October 2015 is the month for Breast Cancer Awareness. Join me and others in showing our support while bringing awareness for this disease to all those we come across.  

One way to do this is by wearing a Limited Edition Charm and every time someone asks where you got it tell them about what it supports and how to help out themselves. Also remind the women and men in your life to do breast self exams at least once a month, get mammograms as needed, and reach out to a Dr. with any questions or concerns in between.

Working together will support those in need, bringing awareness to those who don't or might, while funding research, which brings us a step closer to a CURE. 

About Glamulet

Glamulet is a jewelry brand that specializes in Charms. Glamulet designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of modern and quality Charms that make possible to create a unique Bracelet. Most of these Charms are made of 925 sterling Silver, Swarovski crystals, Murano glass and various kinds of manmade & natural stones. We wish to allow every woman to express herself thanks to an affordable collection of high quality jewelry : that’s why our priority is to propose our collections at an affordable price.

Launched in 2014, Glamulet has already satisfied shoppers from Europe, USA, Canada, South Africa and Asia and is still willing to expand. Glamulet is also aware of its social responsibility. The brand's engagement in the breast cancer support campaign Pink October shows that they aim to bring to women the welfare they deserve.

You can find out more about Glamulet on:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Pinterest

Tumblr

Instagram

Google+

#BreastCancer

#Savethetatas

#GlamuletPinkOctober

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson, Glamulet, and Brandbacker. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.