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.

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."

Dancing & Life

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

What is Dancing & Life? 

Dancing and Life is a company that provides free and premium training and coaching to help you overcome crises and live your best life. It will teach you the power of movement and dance to help you feel better now.

Dancing and Life is for everyone. You don’t have to be a dancer or even have rhythm or dancing skills; what matters is the movement and the intent behind it.*

I am currently working with Dancing and Life to let my readers know about a free program yes it's FREE to help you Dance through Crisis. I was sceptic at first but now that I have done a whole week of the challenges I am sold. I think it is great for people and companies to help others get through those times in life that are hard, or maybe even have been lifelong battles we just never quite got over. I will share a few of these over the next few days but be sure to sign up for your Seven Day Challenge with Dancing through Crisis to see all of the videos and advice to help you on your journey. 

The first challenge was Share your experience in spinning the gratitude wheel. Draw a big circle on a piece of paper; divide it into 4 sections; in each section write what brings you joy; spin a pen and share your experience with whatever joy it lands on.

Remember this is just a small bit of the challenge, for the whole Challenge sign up for free at Seven Day Challenge with Dancing through Crisis to get started on your journey. 

* source from https://dancingandlife.com/

My husband spoiled me

 Way before Christmas even before our anniversary he ordered me a new recliner so that I could sit in the living room with comfort. It took about 8 weeks to get here but came just days before Thanksgiving. He also ordered me new L.L. Bean slippers. My last pair lasted over 20 years and my slippers went missing during one of our moves so he asked which ones I wanted and ordered them for me. Christmas time was coming so I didn't really expect anything much if anything for Christmas. 

My computer has been chugging along like a old decrepit dinosaur hardly ever merging with our internet even with update, rolling it back, emptying cache, getting rid of cookies etc. We tried everything except for resetting to factory settings. I just have so much that we would have to save and his computer just does not have the room to hold my information and his while he could do this. 

I kept just using my computer and having things take twice as long, sites crashing, and my screen blinking. Zoom meeting were no longer working well, and my computer had to be restarted many times to get things accomplished, many times losing what I was working on and having to start all over again from scratch. I ended up scrapping most with frustration. 

Christmas morning came and I sat down and was about to tell the girls to take my computer into the bedroom when I noticed my black computer had turned silver. He had ordered a computer for me after asking me what I needed and he said it had came much earlier then expected so he had time to covertly copy my old computer files and transfer them to my new one. He had been saving money up and spent it on me. 

I wondered how he got it past me and he said it actually came one day when I was taking a nap so he didn't have to do anything too much out of the way. With the prices of computers going sky rocket he was waiting for a sale and ended up buying one right from HP themselves and was able to find exactly what I needed at a much lower price then others were asking for computers with less capabilities. 

I feel both loved and blessed for the gifts he bought me. Now I can breeze through sites, responding and posting things with little effort. Life is so much easier and to think I have only had my computer in my hands for a little over 24 hours. Now I can post more often and get back to reviewing products without fighting to get things posted. 

It Happened

I know I don't always make posts about what is going on with our family and I apologize. I  will try to post more often, not only to keep my readers, family, and friends up to date but also a place to collect my thoughts, think things out, rant, or even cry. We are going through quite a lot. I will start with today. 

Deanna and Dennis ventured out early this morning with medical transportation, to the Oral Surgeon where they did her evaluation and pulled her wisdom teeth all in the same visit. So she is being more quite then normal, giving us a break for a few days till she is back to herself. 

While they were gone Dorothy's worker did two drop offs for us. One from Walmart and the other the medication that Deanna needed for after her Surgery. Medical transportation doesn't take you to pick up medication so we have to depend on others to do this for us till we can either get our van fixed or buy a new one (which won't be anytime soon). 

I also made the girls appointments for their other appointments coming up. I have important tests to get done myself but have put them aside while we are dealing with other things going on. Will try to explain it all in another post soon. 

I ended up taking a nap ( I usually take one every day) Later in the day we had a visit from our oldest daughter as she had to travel all the way down here for her Doctor's appointment and get some tests as well. For a reminder Samantha deals with anorexia and bulimia  She is down to 93 from her last weigh in here and that was up from what it was before she said. It was also done with clothes on and she wears double of almost everything. 

We ended the day with dinner with easy to eat items for Deanna, a Disney+ movie called Clouds in which I cried. Then game time with my husband on Apex , a game we like to play together, while Deanna decorated the Christmas tree and wrapped a few presents we had gotten throughout the year. She also placed them under the tree since we are doing Christmas very different his year.

So far we have Christmas with Nesie, Jake, and Bean on Deanna's Birthday, then our Christmas, and then Christmas with my son and his family in January. Samantha and Shawn will try to do one of the two first choices or even another day all together depending on their schedule. 

Menopause or Pregnancy

Menopause or Pregnancy that is the question. With my current age it seems to lean more towards Menopause but I have never missed a menstrual cycle other then when I was pregnant or breastfeeding so our next move it to visit the Dr. for a prognosis. I am currently 3 weeks and counting late. Just the odds of getting pregnant naturally at my age is huge.

Being a born learner I wanted to become aware of all of the good and bad for either. The similarities between Menopause and Pregnancy are so close. Leave it up to God to make it so hard to tell the difference. Now I know why older women go into labor and never knew they were pregnant, they probably just thought they were going through Menopause. 

Pregnancy at my age will be hard.  The medication I am on has to come to stop for the healthiest pregnancy. Since I vomit everything up lets just say my body is rejecting the medication anyways. The chances of going full term or even better getting past the first trimester will be a miracle, but I have seen more then one in my day so I will go with whatever God has planned for us. 

Have we been trying to have another child? We were but gave up as we grew older and my weight went through the roof. We have posed the question to most of our children about having another sibling. Remember we now have 4 grand children of our own. Most of them are supportive but worry about our health and growing age which is understandable. My husband and I have been through all of these questions ourselves, knowing the risks, but also know that if we are blessed with another child it will be the will of God. 

Update soon. Let me know what you think below. If you have been through Menopause or have been pregnant at age 45 or above please give me some advice below. 

How to Walk Away

As a member of SheSpeaks I am able to try out products sometimes before others like this book that came out on May 15th. How to Walk Away by Katherine Center.

It took me a few days to open it but even with our busy schedule I finished it in three reading sessions. While reading How to Walk Away I was on a roller coaster of emotions. This book has it all from the at the edge of your seat, to crying, and then cheering.

Every thing that happens to the character in this book can help those who are having a hard time to look ahead and know there is hope, there is a future. Don't take my word for it pick up a copy for yourself, make sure you are comfortable, and hunker down for a read that just might change your life.




You can find How to Walk Away by Kathering Center here.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. 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 or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

LG Twin Wash System with LG SideKick pedestal

We are personally in the market for a new washer and dryer. While shopping we stopped to look at the LG Twin Wash System. My husband has had a love for LG products ever since our cell phones of years past to current. He fell in love with the tiny wash machine as he said it or the LG SideKick pedestal washer as it is formally known at first site and I didn't even tell him this is the one I would be writing about. He instantly came up with tons of things it would be useful for.  

Having a family there is always something happening. Yucky, nasty, stinky things. Things you don't always want to wash with the rest of your laundry. This little washer is perfect for these sorts of things. Other uses which we came up with and always seems to happen is needing an outfit, or uniform that needs to be ready for later in the day or in the morning. This is perfect and you don't have to search the house to make a full load or waste water on a full load if all the wash is done. 

Not only do these washers have mega capacity to tackle any size load, they are energy efficient which we love, while giving you the best cleaning performance. No wonder more households have chosen LG laundry over any other brand!

We love that it can be used independently or at the same time as the larger washer over top.  Alas we didn't settle on a washer and dryer because my husband wants to save a bit more to get this set. Am I excited? I sure am. My husband is the one who usually goes with the middle model but with us aging, down from six to, two children at home with grand children already sprouting he wants me to have a great set. Hoping to catch the sale for an extra $500 off with the deal below.

From 1/11-4/25 receive up to $500 off a LG laundry solution for your home.Check out this special offer here.  

You can find out more about Best Buy on:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free as part of a promotion with Best Buy and LG. 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 or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

MarksvilleandMe would like to thank my readers

Over four years ago I took the plunge and went from regular blogging to purchasing my own domain. I have grown so much since then and want to thank my many readers for their support. 

As always I write about everyday life and even within my product reviews you can read about things we are going through or have planned for the future. For a little over a year our family was homeless due to circumstances beyond our control, but we are now in an apartment and getting settled. 

During the time of homelessness I did my best to keep my blog up to date. Now that things are getting settled other parts that were neglected will have updates very soon. 

As always I love to hear feedback about what my readers what to see or hear about so please comment below with some ideas of what I can do here for you. I can't promise to do them all but I will listen and try to bring the very best I can to you from MarksvilleandMe. 

How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed by Life

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe may have received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Crystal Paine. 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 or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.