To tell you the truth, Cliff and I aren't worried about Rachel having cancer. We were at first, very much; but then we started getting positive news. This seems to us like a battle she will win. She feels very positive about the outcome too. Of course we are sorry she has to go through surgery and recuperation; that's never fun. We will breathe much easier after surgery has been performed, because that's when they "stage" the cancer, but they seem confident so far that it is not in the lymph glands.
I was amazed to learn that insurance will pay for her new breast, which will be an implant. The plastic surgeon will be right there in the operating room to begin that work. It's a process, and will take some time and lots of doctor visits. When that breast is the size she likes, they will stop. Then they will make her other breast match it. Is that not amazing? I wonder when this sort of treatment was invented, because I know women who had breast surgery twenty years ago that didn't get the benefit of this sort of treatment.
I hope I got all this information correct. My daughter was reluctant to blog about boobies, so I thought I'd share just a tiny bit of information. Remember, I'm the woman who had a breast reduction and told my readers all about it. I don't consider breasts a naughty subject.
I hope one of these days, perhaps at some time after surgery, Rachel will share some of the details using her unique brand of humor... which of course is a family trait she inherited from both sides, but especially from her father.
Among other news, it makes a person think when she hears that a former neighbor stabbed his drug dealer with a screwdriver because the guy gave him baking powder instead of the drug he paid for. Yeah. This idiot lived right next door.
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Keeping a positive outlook
When our daughter first informed us she had invasive ductal carcinoma, it really knocked the wind out of our sails.
I immediately went on a Google search, because that's how I roll. Rachel told me she had already done the same thing, as soon as she got the news.
This isn't the worst form of cancer one could have. The survival rate seems to be good, depending of course on what stage cancer we are talking about; we don't know that as yet.
Until we hear different, we are assuming she is at stage 1. This morning I found out there is a stage zero, but since the word "invasive" is involved, we can't claim that one for her.
I am thinking of all the breast cancer survivors I've met over the years. Since I've lived a lot of years, there are many. One, a lady named Helen who used to work at the butcher shop with Cliff, is in her nineties now. We visit her from time to time.
For now, we are staying optimistic.
I immediately went on a Google search, because that's how I roll. Rachel told me she had already done the same thing, as soon as she got the news.
This isn't the worst form of cancer one could have. The survival rate seems to be good, depending of course on what stage cancer we are talking about; we don't know that as yet.
Until we hear different, we are assuming she is at stage 1. This morning I found out there is a stage zero, but since the word "invasive" is involved, we can't claim that one for her.
I am thinking of all the breast cancer survivors I've met over the years. Since I've lived a lot of years, there are many. One, a lady named Helen who used to work at the butcher shop with Cliff, is in her nineties now. We visit her from time to time.
For now, we are staying optimistic.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Zoom in on Gratitude: 30 day challenge
INSPIRING PERSON
Meet Susan Niebur. Her blog is called Toddler Planet.
Since discovering the Internet in 1998, and the wonderful blogosphere a few years later, I have rubbed shoulders with some admirable people. I've watched several bloggers tell about their struggles with cancer and I've watched some of them finally lose the battle. I sometimes wonder if people in such a circumstance get tired of being called brave, since they really have no choice but to face the demon and trudge forward.
But I'm telling you, Susan is brave. She's been fighting the beast for several years, using every trick she knows to see that others don't have to travel that same road. She has stressed the positive with each word she enters into her blog. Whenever I visit her little home on cyberspace, I come away a better person. This woman gives me reason to be thankful... not because she has cancer and I don't, but because she has found some way to count her blessings throughout this whole terrible ordeal.
Hospice has been called in. We all know what that means. I don't know if Susan will be able to do any more entries in her blog.
I just want you to know that she is a hero. She fights the good fight with grace and courage. I'm pretty sure she won't mind my passing along a snippet of her wisdom:
"All that survives after our death are publications and people.
So look carefully after the words you write, the thoughts and publications you create, and how you love others. For these are the only things that will remain."
That's it for my daily entry as I participate in the Thirty day challenge.
My daughter is doing this little exercise too; my readers will be very familiar with her inspiring person.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Snow
Yesterday the temperatures barely got above freezing, but Cliff and I went to a friend's house and brought home his tiller... the kind of tiller you pull behind a tractor. Cliff hooked up to it to the John Deere, and within a half-hour, each garden plot was a perfect seed-bed; we returned the tiller to its home and waited for snow.
Yes, you read that right. Snow. This morning the ground is white, and there's a mix of snow and sleet coming down. It won't last long, because the weather-guessers are forecasting temperatures in the seventies for Thursday.
Meanwhile, the most exciting news around is that seeds are sprouting in the mini-greenhouses placed all over my bedroom. I've learned over the past few days that different varieties of tomato seeds germinate at different speeds. The Legend tomatoes showed themselves three days ago, but the other varieties are just now beginning to come up. None of the several varieties of pepper seeds I planted have sprouted. Saturday I took my cabbage plants out to get them used to sun, wind, and cooler temperatures; Sunday morning I started out with them and decided to check the temperature first. They stayed inside all day because it was cold, even for hardy little cabbages.
Cliff has a dentist appointment this morning, so while we're out, I'll probably pick up some seed potatoes. Who knows, I may yet plant a token few potatoes on St. Patrick's Day. I usually plant most of my potatoes on Good Friday, which is late this year, April 22.
I love my morning Eight O'clock Columbian coffee, which you can get as whole-bean or ground. That first cup of the day is heavenly, and I always think perhaps I should have made more than three cups. By the time I've drunk all three cups, though, I don't want any more. I've seen people who could drink coffee from morning til night, but once I reach my limit I don't want more unless I have a cup after dinner (the noon-day meal).
Here's something that strikes me as funny: Cliff has picked up the habit of calling guys "Hon" in the course of conversation. Now, he's called women "Hon" for years, but not guys. Here's what I think happened:
When I went to work in the year 2000, the twins next door gravitated over here and practically lived with Cliff every day until he left for work at 2:30. They'd been pulled out of school and were allowed to spend time however, and wherever, they wished. It worked out well for Cliff, because he isn't a loner; and as much as he liked me bringing in some money, he missed my presence.
The twins loved all things mechanical, and picked up a wealth of information from Cliff. Not only that, but they were excellent helpers, willing to jump in and assist him with any task, no matter how unpleasant.
I believe they were eight or nine years old when they first showed up, and being cute little boys, Cliff called them "Hon" a lot; back then he wasn't sure which boy was which anyhow, so this worked. Once the boys discovered girls, they stopped showing up regularly, but they still keep in touch with Cliff by phone, and they'll stop by the shop once in awhile to bend his ear. Travis has often confided in Cliff, saying, "You're like another grandpa to me."
They're probably twenty years old now, but when Cliff is talking to one or the other on the phone, I'll hear him calling them Hon. And now, any man on the street is liable to be addressed as Hon. I've seen Cliff get some strange looks, believe me. He said one of his co-workers asked him the other day, "Did you just call me Hon?"
One of the twins now has an aggressive form of cancer and will soon be undergoing surgery followed by months of chemo. Now, those of you who think it's nuts to pray for people, just go on your merry way, because this isn't a laughing matter; but Cliff and I, and more importantly, Tyler and his family, would really appreciate all the prayers anyone can send in this young man's direction. Any brand of prayers. This is a serious situation.
Yes, you read that right. Snow. This morning the ground is white, and there's a mix of snow and sleet coming down. It won't last long, because the weather-guessers are forecasting temperatures in the seventies for Thursday.
Meanwhile, the most exciting news around is that seeds are sprouting in the mini-greenhouses placed all over my bedroom. I've learned over the past few days that different varieties of tomato seeds germinate at different speeds. The Legend tomatoes showed themselves three days ago, but the other varieties are just now beginning to come up. None of the several varieties of pepper seeds I planted have sprouted. Saturday I took my cabbage plants out to get them used to sun, wind, and cooler temperatures; Sunday morning I started out with them and decided to check the temperature first. They stayed inside all day because it was cold, even for hardy little cabbages.
Cliff has a dentist appointment this morning, so while we're out, I'll probably pick up some seed potatoes. Who knows, I may yet plant a token few potatoes on St. Patrick's Day. I usually plant most of my potatoes on Good Friday, which is late this year, April 22.
I love my morning Eight O'clock Columbian coffee, which you can get as whole-bean or ground. That first cup of the day is heavenly, and I always think perhaps I should have made more than three cups. By the time I've drunk all three cups, though, I don't want any more. I've seen people who could drink coffee from morning til night, but once I reach my limit I don't want more unless I have a cup after dinner (the noon-day meal).
Here's something that strikes me as funny: Cliff has picked up the habit of calling guys "Hon" in the course of conversation. Now, he's called women "Hon" for years, but not guys. Here's what I think happened:
The twins loved all things mechanical, and picked up a wealth of information from Cliff. Not only that, but they were excellent helpers, willing to jump in and assist him with any task, no matter how unpleasant.
I believe they were eight or nine years old when they first showed up, and being cute little boys, Cliff called them "Hon" a lot; back then he wasn't sure which boy was which anyhow, so this worked. Once the boys discovered girls, they stopped showing up regularly, but they still keep in touch with Cliff by phone, and they'll stop by the shop once in awhile to bend his ear. Travis has often confided in Cliff, saying, "You're like another grandpa to me."
They're probably twenty years old now, but when Cliff is talking to one or the other on the phone, I'll hear him calling them Hon. And now, any man on the street is liable to be addressed as Hon. I've seen Cliff get some strange looks, believe me. He said one of his co-workers asked him the other day, "Did you just call me Hon?"
One of the twins now has an aggressive form of cancer and will soon be undergoing surgery followed by months of chemo. Now, those of you who think it's nuts to pray for people, just go on your merry way, because this isn't a laughing matter; but Cliff and I, and more importantly, Tyler and his family, would really appreciate all the prayers anyone can send in this young man's direction. Any brand of prayers. This is a serious situation.
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