WHAT A HEADACHE!

I woke up yesterday with a very bad headache that started in my shoulder blade and went up my head. I don't have very many headaches so this was unusual. My mother had migraines and would be down in bed in a dark room and often would be sick to her stomach. I have always been grateful that I didn't inherit these kind of headaches.

I put some heat on my neck as well as a vibrator. This helped me a little. I left for the Oncologist Center to get my pump off and told the nurse about the pain in my head. She said to go ahead and take some tylenol for the pain.

The taste in my mouth was very metallic so I had no appetite. I forced myself to eat some protein and drink liquids. Then I went to bed and slept all afternoon.

I was able to go out with Tami that evening. We ate at the Mall and did a little shopping. It felt good to get out and about. When I got home, I was again very tired and went right to bed. I slept on the couch with pillows propping me up since the headache had returned and was all over the place in my shoulders and head. It was a hard night but I got through it. This morning I woke up at 9:30 a.m. and wanted to take a shower. Teresa came over to be with me while I did this just in case I needed her. The shower felt so good and I was able to fix myself up which made me feel better.

By the time Don got home from work I was feeling better again. The pain was gone from my head. I still didn't have a very good appetite. Don went to Bocaza and bought supper for us. I was able to eat some food and drink some liquids.

I think I will have a better night. I'm doing better and I feel like I'm on top of this headache. I hope to have a few good days now. You never know what chemotherapy will bring in your life.

I appreciate any good day that I have!

CHEMO UPDATE........

Three Chemo treatments down and 5 to go!! Teresa was able to go with me this time. She took a little time off work and will make it up later. We got to the Oncologists Center at 9:30 a.m and we got home at 2:00 p.m The time went fast since we visited and kept busy.

One thing that was really nice was going out into the garden that's right off the chemo area. It was such a wonderful day and it was really lovely to be outside for awhile.

There's seating, statues, flowers and lots of folliage. We enjoyed taking some pictures since it was so beautiful.

I'm now wearing my pump until Thursday. I will see how my body reacts this time. I got to see the doctor yesterday after my blood draw and I told him about the pain in my abdomen last week. He told me to take Gas X if this happens again.

Speaking of the blood draw.......they couldn't get my port to give my blood so I had to have them take it out of my arm again. They want to see what the problem is so I will be having my port checked next week. They do give my port some kind of treament so that the next day I'm able to draw blood from the port. They wouldn't be able to give me my Chemo if they couldn't draw blood first. Thank goodness they were able to do this.

I felt good enough to go Visiting Teaching tonight as well as go to Walgreen's. I figure I will have a few good days before a few bad ones.

The Sparks came over with a wonderful meal tonight. It was nice to not have to worry about cooking. We also have another casserole in the freezer that Jeff cooked for us. As you can see, we are being taken good care of.

I will keep you all posted....thanks for caring!

WHAT IS CHEMOTHERAPY LIKE SO FAR?

The day that Lara and our grandchildren left I began feeling very tired. It was August l6, Jeff's

51st birthday and we were looking forward to taking Jeff and Tami out to dinner and celebrate his special day. I took a good nap that afternoon but when I got up I had no appetite. Food tasted awful because of the taste of metal in my mouth. Jeff decided on Pizza Hut for his birthday meal and I figured I would enjoy the salad there. I could hardly eat anything at all and Don, Tami and Jeff were concerned. This didn't stop us from enjoying the evening and having a great time together. So glad that Tami and Jeff live close to us so that we have these times together.

For the next few days I could hardly eat. The doctor told me that even though I wouldn't have an appetite to eat some protein. Also, I was to eat small amounts several times a day. I also needed to drink at least 8 glasses of liquid to help wash out the chemo in my body. I forced myself to do this. I also had pain in my abdomen for 2 days. This wasn't fun. What I found in my first 2 treatments is that out of the 14 days between treatments, I have about 4 days that I am feeling bad. When I think about this, that gives me 10 good days. I can handle this.

I was so glad that my good days were while Lara and my grandchildren were here because I enjoyed them so much.

There are other side effects such as the following:

...Pain in my jaws when I first take a bite of food or drink juice.

...When I tear up my eyeballs really hurt.

...I feel a little wobbly on my feet when I walk.

...I have what is called "chemo brain" when I can't express my thoughts clearly.

...Sensitive fingers.

...Visions a little blurry at times.

...Food doesn't taste as good as it usually does because of the bad taste in my mouth.

So far I haven't lost any hair but this is a possibility. I'm given 3 very strong medications in my chemotherapy. These drugs kill cancer cells that might be left over from my tumor. They took out 24 lymph nodes and found 10 of them had cancer in them. The cancer was ready to go though out my body. It didn't go to any other organs and I'm so grateful for this. Anyway, this is why I'm having both radiation and chemotherapy. It's a very aggressive treatment but the doctors told me that it will give me a good chance of living a long life so it is worth it.

I'm truly grateful that I live in this day and age when all these miracle drugs are available. I also feel blessed that we have such wonderful Oncology facilities here in Grand Junction only 5 minutes away. Some people travel hundreds of miles to Grand Junction to get these same treatments.

My poor body has gone through so much these past few months and I'm so grateful for living the WORD OF WISDOM that has helped my body be as strong and healthy as possible. You can imagine all my deep thinking about life, the Gospel, and my mortality lately. I talk to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ a great deal. I truly feel their help in all that I'm going through.

All these side affects will go away after my chemotherapy is over.....something to look forward to!! I'm really looking forward to going back to the pool again in November!

This morning I feel good again. I have my appetite back, the pain is gone and my energy is back. I feel like I will be ready for another round of chemo next Tuesday Aug. 24. Keep you posted!

FOR EVERY HELLO.....THERE'S A GOODBY!

What a great 9 days we have had together. So much to do.....I really didn't have time for cancer.
Looking back we did lots of things such as scrapbooking, looking at keepsakes, going out to dinner a few times,
going to the Mall, visiting the Summers, make cookies, watch movies, go to Church meetings, swim at Lincoln Park,
going to Kids Plex to play, F.H.E., visiting, and oh yes, we did fit a Chemotherapy session in there some where.

I'm so grateful that I felt good enough to participate in everything and be a part of such a fun visit with Lara and our grandchildren.

I know that you might be getting tired of how I feel about my family, but I truly love them all and Don and I
love to be with them as much as possible. It's always hard to say goodbys but the memories will always be there. Thanks Ben for sharing your family with us!

WHAT A TRIBUTE!

I got a phone call from Dadra yesterday morning and she said to check out her FITNESS BLOG. I checked it out and there was the most beautiful tribute to me. I literally bawled all the way through it. In fact, if I want a good cry, I just turn in on and watch it again.

I have shared it on my blog for those that are interested in it.

I have been so blessed to have such wonderful daughters. Dadra was our youngest and she came into our lives after our little still born baby, so we all loved her as soon as we saw her. We called her SPECIAL
for years because that is what she was to all of us.

What a great Mom she is to two of our grandchildren Abby and Landon. We were delighted when she picked Jason for her eternal companion. We really enjoy his family too.

Dadra is the Primary President in her Ward and does such a great job.
Of course, Abby loves having her Mom in Primary.

Dadra has also gotten into a good health and fitness mode. When she was here during my surgery in April, she gave her Dad and I some good eating instructions that we follow today. I'ts never too late to learn these kind of things. She really enjoys sharing the things she has learned on her new FITNESS BLOG. Let me know if you would like to check it out.

Dadra has run several marathons and really enjoys running. It's amazing how Don has influenced all our girls in taking such good care of their bodies. He is such a good example for them and always has been.

I truly am blessed and feel these blessings every day.

FUN AT THE MALL!

The last time we went to the Mall Chloe had a great time trying on some wigs. She really
liked the orange one but Grandma Julie said "NO" to that one. When we got home we talked
about how the white one would be cute on school spirit day, halloween, etc. Then Grandpa Don
said that if Chloe wanted to get the white one he would buy it for her.

Tonight was the big night of trying on the white wig and seeing if Chloe liked it enough to
buy it. SHE DID!

t When we got home everyone got to try it on. The white wig was a big hit!

We decided Tyler looked the cutest in it.

Grandpa was voted the worst looking woman of the year. SUCH FUN!!

SECOND TREATMENT OF CHEMO!

Lara was able to go with me to the Oncology Dept. to have my Chemo

treatment today. It's so wonderful to have such a great and supportive family. Two treatments down and
6 to go!

After having a nap today, we took the children to the new Rocket Park to play. It is so neat the way they have
redone the Park. The new equipment is really fun for kids. I felt good enough to sit and watch and even take
a few pictures. Then Lara and Tami made a delicious baked potatoe bar for supper and cleaned

up afterwards. They wouldn't let me help at all.

What a great day.....I'm sure I will share more of our fun times together soon. Until then, know I'm doing
really good and my spirits high. Thanks for caring and keeping in touch........

LARA AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN'S VISIT TO GRAND JUNCTION

It was wonderful to have Lara, Chloe, Paige and Tyler come into Grand Junction on August 7th.
Lara wanted to be here for my second Chemotherapy treatment. It was so special to see Lara, Chloe,
Paige and Tyler. Of course we were with Lara and Chloe on the cruise but it had been a year since seeing
our other 2 grandchildren. It seems like I can't take much longer than 6 months without seeing
my grandchildren before I start getting depressed. Since I'm not able to travel right now, Lara
understood this so she brought the children to us. I really appreciated Lara for realizing this!

Making traditional cookies is always fun. We made some very colorful ones to take out

to Clarissa and Kelly's on Sunday night. They had invited us out for desserts. Kenny and

his family were there and so were Connie, Carol and Kimberly. It was a house full and

it was fun seeing everyone.

Teresa is enjoying the Torgesen's visit too. We took everyone out to IHOP for dinner last night and had such a good time.
Of course, Tami and Jeff were with us. Tami comes over every night to be with all of us and she loves being with
her family so much!

As you can tell, we are making the most of our time together!!

SPOTLIGHT FOR AUGUST

We all love apples.....especially the cold crispy sweet ones. When we cut open an apple or just eat one down to
the core, we see the apple seeds.

This always reminds me of the saying....YOU CAN COUNT THE SEEDS IN THE APPLE, BUT YOU CAN'T
COUNT THE APPLES IN A SEED!

I then asked the sisters what this saying meant to them? We descussed what seeds we sow when we do our
Visiting Teaching.

Third Ward sisters are very bright and came up with the 3 apples I wanted to hang on my tree.

l. Seeds of FRIENDSHIP
2. Seeds of LOVE.
3. Seeds of the GOSPEL



Even though I was very tired from my first Chemo treatment, I felt good that I was still able to do my
spotlight this month.