Stanford here we come!

My appointment is on Tuesday, 9/1 @ 9 AM. They have been sent all my records and will give us their thoughts on what I should do. We are going down on Monday for a little R&R. I am so thankful for good insurance and the ability to get a second opinion.

Hopefully, we can get in a little trip before I start my chemo. Where should we go? Somewhere cooler! We have had too many days over 100 in Redding.

Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA)

Well, the good news is that I am almost totally healed from my surgery. The bad news is that I will have to do chemo. We will be heading to Stanford within 2 to 3 weeks for their input on what to do. Dr. Carter says he has already given me the "big guns" (my term, not his) but it came back anyway, so they will have to come up with a plan B. He did promise that these drugs won't be as hard on me as the first ones. It is funny how you can psych yourself up to expect to hear the words you want to hear. And when they don't come it is harder to hear the words that are coming!

When I was in the hospital they had me hooked up to a "PCA". It was pretty neat...when I felt pain I just hit this button and I got a shot of pain killer. It was set so you couldn't get a "hit" in less than 8 minutes, so you couldn't OD. In the beginning, whenever I felt any pain, I would hit the button. After a few shots of meds, I noticed that the wallpaper was "sliding" down the wall! All the things attached to the wall were stationary, but the wall paper was moving. Yipes! You might not OD, but you can still get spaced-out. I had hit the button too many times!!! I do not like the feeling of being spaced-out....I don't think I could be a druggie. I like being in control.

I think that is why it is so hard for me to let God take control of every aspect of my life. Sometimes He does things that seem so far out that we wonder if He knows what He is doing. Or He sends us on an adventure that we Don't want to go on. Or sending us somewhere that we Don't want to go.

If God gave us a "button", to kill the pain, it could keep us from learning the lesson He wanted us to learn. The main one being to TRUST HIM!!!

Pictures of my Surprise Party

Here are some pictures of my surprise party. I still don't know how they pulled it off. They were pretty sneaky. I was totally surprised, and Ron too!






These two are the instigators! Don't they look like siblings? (sneaky instigators!)












Steve & Jill, Ron & Judy, Sarah & Shane










My nephew was on leave from North Carolina.
Boy was I surprised to see his family.












Shane and Judy













Sarah & Jill (sister-in-laws)











Steve, Mom, Brother Don, and Fritz (Mom's dog-but don't tell him he's a dog :0))












Ron, you are so funny!












Judy and brother Don (no, we are not praying)












Suzie (Shane's Mom), Cindy (Shane's Aunt), Queen Judy, and Ron










Long time friends. Jim, Janet, Pat, Dave, Ruth, Jerry, and Alice












Mom, Sherry, Carol (on couch), and Dee













Watching my "movie" Steve made.









Dee drove us to Sarah's. I thought she went crazy when she wouldn't park in the driveway like I asked her, and then she took a sharp right turn and went over the curb. I later learned she did that so that we wouldn't see the cars parked next door.










Very funny!










Sarah "stole" pictures from our house to make posters for the party.














Big hug for such a great party!!!
60 ain't so bad!!!!!

Laughter is GOOD medicine!

We were going over to our daughter Sarah's house with one other couple to celebrate my 60th birthday. The last person I thought would open the door was our son Steve! He lives in San Diego, over 700 miles away. So I did what any Mom would do, started to cry!!!

A Big Birthday! I am now a "presenior"!!!

Ron and I have been SO blessed by all the calls, cards, prayers and meals we have received. We feel bad about that not sending each one a thank you note! We appreciate all the time and thought that you put into each expression of love, so much. God is truly working through His family to minister to us.

Because of all the kindness we have already been shown, I have hesitated writing about this because I did not want to appear to be "fishing" for more wishes! But, on Tuesday, the 10th, I will turn 60! I think that because of the adventures of the last few months (years!), I have a different perspective on turning the age of 60. Check out this survey to see what some people think constitutes being old:

Few see themselves as 'old,' no matter what their age - USATODAY.com: "WHAT AGE IS OLD?

The age that survey respondents say markes the beginning of old age for the average person:
Age of respondents When they say old age starts
18-29 60
30-49 69
50-64 72
65+ 74

Source: Pew Research Center survey of 2,969 adults; margin of error +/- 2.6 percentage points. (Responses were averaged for each age group.)


I think most people will agree that 60 is "old". I have a theory that being this age is like being an adolescent! As a teenager, you are too old to be a child and too young to be an adult. At 60, I am too young to get all the perks of being a senior citizen, but am too old to be young. I think we should call it "presenior" :0)

There is a song I love, and often sing when I am tempted to put my focus on myself instead of God. The chorus goes like this:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Kinda helps me to put it all in perspective!

Hooray! The tube is gone!

It is amazing how much better you feel when you don't have tubes sticking in your belly! Or staples on your chest!! And you can use both arms!!! (did you ever try to pull up your underwear without both hands? I cheated) I can't tell you how much better I feel!

Dr. P says all looks good and I don't have to see her for a week. In my opinion, a 22½ cm scar that is black and blue and swollen can't look "good". But, she has seen this surgery many times, and knows how it should look at this stage in the game. I receive comfort when she tells me it looks good.

What is next, you might ask? We don't know! Do any of us know what tomorrow will bring? Nope, we have to trust God for the grace to get through whatever comes our way.

Will His grace be sufficient? YES! How do I know? Because it always has!!!

Pain is the pits!

Ron tells me that I will have to take some of my cards down, because there won't be anymore room on my counter. I tell him that we can push them closer together. I love seeing the cards and reading about all the good wishes and prayers that people are sending up for me!!!

This has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I can't seem to go without taking the pain pills. Between being on codeine, being in pain, and not being able to use my left arm, all I can do is veg. I am sure that when I get the last drain removed, and the rest of the staples out, I will feel better. Hopefully, that will be on Monday.

I can't imagine having a double mastectomy. My heart goes out to those who have gone through that. I am so thankful for a loving husband, and friends who care. And a God who knows exactly how much I can take!!!