Saying Thank You in Everyway

HAIR – EVERYWHERE!

Hair is still be on my mind, if not on my head! On Tuesday, August 18, Dianne (bless her heart!) had the ominous duty of giving me the ‘buzz’ cut. It just made sense to get it all cut off rather than wake up on a fuzzy pillow. I cried. I gagged. I cried more. But, when all was said and done, I felt empowered. It was MY choice on when all the hair came out; the THING did not get to decide! The following day, I opted for a scarf to cover my very shiny head. It was well received by my co-workers. Sara Schindler told me I looked ‘avant-garde’ in my scarf. I like that—even though my head itches constantly. On Thursday, I wore my “Sharon” wig—the one that reminds me of Sharon Osborne’s haircut. The wig drove me to distraction. I tugged and pulled on it all day—and my head itched like crazy. I want to scratch like a dog with fleas!!



ADVENTURES

This week, my friend J. B. Morris surprised me with a visit on his Harley. He even wore his famous chaps! The chaps are only famous to that group of gals he took to dinner in San Antonio, but they are VERY FAMOUS in this select group. Here we are on his Harley in the AFCA parking lot. I did not ride, as that was ‘wig’ day and there is no way the wig could have lasted for a ride around town! Over the weekend, I felt great and was able to attend “the” wedding. Vince Thompson (seen in photos elsewhere in a black wig looking like Elvis) married Lisa Graves in Goldthwaite, Texas. I rode to the ceremony with Coach and Mrs. Teaff and had a good time. By the time we got in the car to leave, I was pretty exhausted and snoozed most of the way home. Congratulations Vince and Lisa. It was great to be there and share all the joy (and fun) of your wedding day. Vince and Lisa are currently on an Alaskan cruise for their honeymoon!

THANK YOU – MERCI – GRACIAS – 谢谢 - DANKE - ありがとう

No matter how you say it--I thank you all so much for your continuing support. I’ve started a scrapbook with all the cards and notes I’ve received. Looking through them over and over continues to bring a smile to my face. The overwhelming support I am receiving is so gratefully accepted. My thank you notes are late coming, but they are no less sincere in my appreciation of your kindnesses.

WEEKLY CHUCKLE



One of my favorite convention pals, who is also follicley challenged sent me this picture of himself with an unruly mullet wig. Thanks, Barry!!!

Dancing in the Rain

THE FUTURE – After my fourth cycle of chemo, I’ll have another mammogram or ultrasound. Then, I will see the surgeon (Dr. T) to evaluate the result and decide on the course of action (lumpectomy or mastectomy). If the lumps in my right breast (the good one) have changed, it will indicate the possibility of some cancer and a double mastectomy will probably be my best option. Radiation will be necessary after my surgery and will consist of 24-35 treatments.

CHEMO PLUS 10 DAYS - I feel much better. The second week my energy level increased and I almost felt like my old self again. There were a few times when I would experience a sudden pain, but it was only for a minute and I reminded myself that it was the chemo blasting at The Thing. Everyone has been so supportive. I have beautiful flowers and plants in my office and home to keep me smiling and I receive cards and emails daily. Thank you all for your concern and support and prayers. These acts of kindness are received with tremendous gratitude. I feel so fortunate that I was diagnosed in this day and age when the advances in medical diagnostics and treatments are so advanced. My treatments have been virtually painless. That makes the ‘cry baby’ in me very happy. I’m not about having pain! Cheri Shrader shared a quote with me that is all about where I am right now: “Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass, but it's learning how to dance in the rain". Happy dancing!”

CHEMO #1 PLUS ONE WEEK - Dr. P and I had a great discussion. Regarding diet, he said ‘use common sense’ but be careful with lettuce. Soak it for 30-40 minutes in vinegar before eating. About the hot flashes, he said the chemo put me into menopause and, even though my ovaries were removed years ago, I still produce some estrogen. He thinks the flashes will get better. I HOPE SO! Dr. Patel said manicures and pedicures (I love them!) are okay long as it is just a ‘massaging procedure’ with no clipping or cutting of the skin. The soreness of my gums is caused by the Nulasta shot and that’s that. In other words, “Deal with it, Janet!” I am okay to travel as long as I feel strong enough and it does not interfere with my chemo routine.

CHEMO 2 - Eek! I started to lose my hair--and I do not like it one bit. I don't want to advertise what it looks like now, but I am heading for the buzz cut very soon. Then I will share a picture of me with a wig.

CHEMO PLUS ONE, TWO, AND THREE DAYS

On Saturday, Kathy and I went to the hospital for an injection of an anti-nausea medication called ‘Nevlasta’ – as in nausea ‘neva’ lasts! I like that idea—but it is only a theory. I accidentally invented a new word last week when sending notes to Sandi for the blog. A typo created ‘MAUSEA’ which I actually experienced on Monday after my first chemo treatment. I think it is a combination of “massive” and “nausea.” While at the hospital, I met the other oncologist, Dr. O. I really like him a lot. He has beautiful long eyelashes. I hope I do, too, when the chemo is all out of my system!

Sunday I didn’t feel too badly, just very tired. Nothing that I have not been told to expect, but I never realized how really tired a person can get! So, I sacked out in my new ‘jungle themed’ bed and stayed cozy. I hear…"In the jungle the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight" every time I cover up!

Monday, I made it to work fairly easily, but did nap with my head on my desk during lunch. The “mausea” is a bit stronger today than yesterday.

Tuesday was the worst day. My bones ached so much and it took all my effort to get ready and get to work. Emotions ran high early in the day, but I ‘got a grip’ and made it until 5. Work is good for me, even though my thought processes seem to get jumbled. My co-workers sarcastically say I seem like my normal self.

CHEMO BEGINS

Friday, July 31 – 1:00 pm – Time for my first chemotherapy treatment. My sister-in-law (and dear, dear friend), Kathy Thompson, is accompanying me to the Cancer Clinic. There are no gorgeous men to fall in love with, but that really isn’t the purpose, now is it? The room has a bunch of lounge chairs and one other lady there for treatment. She is a bit of a baby about needles. Not me! I’m psyched and ready to get the show on the road. (Anyone buy that?)

The nurse inserts a needle shaped like a ‘7’ into my port-a-cath and connects me to a bag of saline solution to flush the vein. Two more bags of solution marked “A” and “C” are attached. According to (the adorable) Dr. Patel, the “A” bag contains Adriamycin (Adria-my-cin--wasn’t that a 1950s perfume) or Doxorubicin (which my friends call dox-oh-roo-bi-sin-da-da-do-wah-diddy-diddy-do). The “C” bag contains cyclophoshamide (sye-kloe-FOSS-fa-mide) or Cytoxan (sye-Tox-an). Big words for big chemicals to whack the The Thing! A fourth bag of solution is added that contains anti-nausea medicine. The entire process takes about 90 minutes, during which Kathy and I play “Go Fish with this over-sized deck of cards.

Drip, Drip, Drip Kathy and the big cards













HAIR AFFAIR – THE SEQUEL
It’s a given that the chemo will push all my hair out by the roots, but I am not letting The Thing dictate my hair either! I am taking the high road and starting the process myself. Once again, Dianne Balderrama comes to the rescue by snipping away my tresses. I don’t know if I will get used to having short hair (of if I will have time to get used to it!) but everyone seems to like it. It sure has a lot of curl when it is short! The upside is that I can go from shower to office in a much shorter time. Less hair, less shampoo, less mousse, less…well, you get the picture! When the first tresses start falling out, Dianne is going to get the clippers and we’re going to buzz me and pull out the wigs! (Do not wait for photos of the buzz cut—not happening!)

THE THING REMAINS

The Thing remains, but we now have a plan that has been formulated. I visited the oncologist last Friday. I liked him VERY much. He was very caring and spent a long time with me and Linda (my other set of ears) to make me understand where I am and where I am going. The March report from the ultrasound showed a tumor around 4cm in size, which is Stage II. After he examined me he said he feels it is now approximately 5-6 cm in size, which is Stage III. He said we need to get started immediately.

I have been learning toward a mastectomy, or possibly a double mastectomy. I DON’T want to go through this again. And, I also wanted to have reconstruction immediately following the surgery. The doctor informed me that he will be recommending radiation after the surgery. I didn’t think I would have to have radiation after a total mastectomy, but he said I will be having chemo before surgery, maybe after surgery, and I will definitely have radiation. So the reconstruction will have to wait. This also gives me another eight weeks or so to gather more information about a lumpectomy versus a mastectomy.

THE NEW GUY IN MY LIFE

Meet “Phillip,” the new guy in my life! He’s not much fun on dates as we never go ‘out.’ He just sits around (the hospital) all day. He’s really into photography and takes tons of photos of me! I have not seen any of the photos, but I know he’s shared them with my doctors! Phillip is my new best friend because he’s great at assisting with diagnoses! Many thanks to Phillips and Toshiba for their state-of-the art diagnostic equipment.

ANOTHER ‘HAIR RAISING’ OCCASION

I start chemo tomorrow (Friday, July 31). Today, I brought my new wigs to the office and everyone (almost—everyone) tried them on! This was great and provided me with a lot of laughs. Vince Thompson looked like the 40-ish Elvis and Kevin Morgan—well, we’d never seen Kevin with hair! Todd Bell did his impersonation of “Cousin It” from The Addams Family movie and Renee Clayton went RED. It was great to have a good laugh and relax for a few minutes before having to think about chemo tomorrow. I dread the ‘unknown’ of it all!

(Below Vince, Kevin, Todd, and Renee, in that order.)

LAUGHING ALL THE WAY!

I’ve heard that laughter is the best medicine, so I have directed all my family and friends to keep me laughing…and they have!

· Amy Gilstrap, a long time friend and my former assistant, told me that if I have reconstructive surgery with implants that I will float if I fall out of a boat. True. You never know when you might fall out of a boat—and I like to be prepared!

· All too many “friends” tell me that when I start chemo I won’t have to worry about ‘bad hair days!’ Only a friend with a head full of hair would say that, of course!

· My son John called me one day to say, “Hey, Mom. Is there anything you want to get off your chest?” Did I ever raise a smart ass kid!

· My co-workers at the AFCA all showed up one day wearing buttons they purchased from a breast cancer awareness website that read “Save the Ta-Tas!” Never a dull moment at the office, that’s for sure!

THE HAIR AFFAIR

The thought of losing my hair because of the chemotherapy is not making me happy, but I don’t have a choice. Once again, my friends come to my rescue! Long-time friend and hairdresser, Dianne Balderrama, cut my hair shorter so I can ‘ease’ into the no-hair stage. The cry-baby came out for a minute or two. Everyone was very complimentary when I showed up at work with my new short-term do. I’ll get through this!!
A few days later, it was off to the wig shop. I picked out a couple but wanted some opinions. Enter friends Linda Pulliam, Donnis Cowan, and Dianne (with two bottles of wine in hand!). This wig shop will never be the same!

We all tried on wigs and had lots of laughs. I picked up a gray wig (to try the style…not the color) and an elderly lady sitting at another mirror got up out of her chair, leaned on her walker to get a better look then said (very loudly), “No way, girl. That gray hair ain’t for you!” Yes, but is NO HAIR better than gray?

Dianne, Linda, Donnis and me…we all go blonde!