Skip to main content

Fantastic

The past few days have been absolutely fantastic. Matt took me to Half Moon Bay for an overnight getaway to celebrate the halfway point on Thursday. We stayed at this nice little Inn right on the beach. I've always loved everything about the ocean, especially falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing, so it was just what I needed to relax and rejuvenate. We had a delicious dinner out (basil pesto risotto with scallops - thank GOD the chemo didn't mess with those flavors!!) and I even had a glass of wine! I wasn't planning on drinking until I finished treatment in June..but I decided I deserved one glass. Apparently wine is one of those things that can taste bad while on Cytoxin. And seeing how my taste buds have been all crazy lately I was scared to ruin one of my favorite drinks. But lucky for me, wine still tastes great!

On Friday we had the best surprise - a visit from my cousin Justin and his wife Annie. They live in NY and are out here for the weekend for the Big Sur marathon. Justin knows first hand what I am going through. Not only did my Aunt Maria battle breast cancer, but Justin also had lymphoma years ago. When I was first diagnosed he sent me an email that I still read occasionally. It's exceptionally inspirational and motivating, and helped me get in the right frame of mind from the get go. I know this may be reaching, but as I was falling asleep last night it occurred to me how odd it is that they happened to be out in California right at this point in my treatment. Right at the halfway point. Right at the point that I was starting to have massive anxiety about my upcoming infusion and was getting that hopeless, scared, "I can't do it anymore" feeling. We only saw them for a little over an hour, but it was so uplifting and wonderful. It was something I never expected, yet did so much for me.

And then there's today...nothing exceptional happened today. Just an awesome day with my little ladies. A park playdate with good friends over lunch and baking homemade chocolate chip cookies afterward equals a great Saturday in my book.

The past few days have been perfect. After a rough round 4, these days were what I needed to not only feel normal, but to remind me why I am doing this. I love my life!

Comments

  1. Things happen for a purpose and Justin and Annie being in California with you at just that moment in time is one of them. They are wonderful people and just what the dr. ordered for you to get through the next part of the treatments. Yes, the girls and your wonderful husband are what you are fighting for. Life is wonderful after cancer and you must remember that. Love Mama

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beauty in Life and Death

This is Matt unfortunately Melissa did not get finish her last entry so I will take it from here.  I will try not to have any typos or grammatical errors.  Melissa would really not like that, but she was my official proof reader for all important documents. Melissa and I always strived to look for beauty even in the darkest of times.  It is not always easy but it is always there when you look hard enough.  Our situation the last year and half have not been ideal there were lots of tears and dark times, but the beauty was overwhelming. Whether it was a note, meal, flowers, or text a a low point or just the love we felt from family or friends.  The beauty was there.  We had so many people praying for us and for Melissa to beat cancer once and for all, but I also prayed that Melissa would be pain free and if it was God's will that she passed peacefully.  Melissa was in so much pain last year.  She did not let her slow her down but she was hurting...

It's Baaaaaaccccckkkkk.......

6 years.... that's how long it's been since I finished with active treatment. However, I took Tamoxifen for 5 years to squash any estrogen left in my body. I recently switched over to a "tougher" aromatase inhibitor call arimidex. These drugs provided comfort and faith that I was doing everything in my power to prevent a recurrence. Guess what?! They failed me. Big time. It's back, and it's back all over. After months of hip pain that my NP chalked up repeatedly to muscle pain, she finally sent me to an orthopedist. He took X-rays and did NOT like what he saw. Additional blood work and bone scans have led to the diagnosis of cancer pretty much throughout my skeletal system. Metastases were found in the skull, scapula, multiple ribs, pelvis, both hips, and spine. Definitely NOT the news I was expecting nor wanting to hear. After an afternoon of crying and occasionally feeling like I was going to throw up, Matt and I met with Dr. Adler, my oncologist. He was...

Through Grief comes Love

What a bittersweet summer this has been. I'm dying. There's no denying that. I get weaker every day, I rely more and more on Matt and others. I sleep in the hospice bed in the living room, and yet I am loving every minute I have with Matt, the girls, my incredible family that is traveling in from all over the country to care for me, and my super close and amazing friends here. I definitely feel LOVED. All this grief that is surrounding us seems to have a forcefield of love that is keeping it somewhat at bay. Don't get me wrong, I have a witching hour every day from about 3-6. It reminds me of when the girls were babies and they would cry every day from 5-7. Then it passes and life moves on.  From 3-6 every day I need an Ativan and a nap and to reframe my head and my soul. The reality is I really do not want this happening. For as bittersweet and as much fun and love as we are sharing, I DO NO WANT TO DIE. IT'S NOT FAIR! This week has been emotional in other ways too...