Tomorrow is my last chemo session.
I've gotten some typical responses to people when I tell them I'm on chemo, 'what, how, when, where' and 'are you clear?'.
That last one is one that I could have answered months ago. They got all the cancer where it was, that was the good news. I have to explain that going through chemo for me was a precautionary measure in case one cell got loose.
Man I hope that any did got so whacked that it doesn't dare try and resurface! You never know though, it's happened.
I was trying to recount when all this started last year and realized that it has been almost a year since I first went into the doctor to talk about my gall bladder and he asked me if I wanted to do a mammogram since I missed it the previous year.
Life changing decision there. Quite possibly life saving.
Thinking back to that first reaction to being told I have breast cancer, crying on the shoulder of my manager at the nursery, getting hugs and feeling scared but supported. I remember thinking of the future of what I might go through, the surgery and whatever chemo they would have to put me on.
All journeys begin with one step.
I've taken a lot of steps since then. Have felt a few people walk beside me for several of them, and for every person that has supported me and have been reading this blog, you have been walking alongside me as well. Thank you for coming along this walkabout with me.
Okay enough of the sappy stuff! Time to move on!
Toes and fingers have that kind of numb feeling you get when you bend a fingernail back too far, but walking and typing helps keep the nerves firing. Been doing a lot of keyboarding so the fingers are doing better than the toes. I've been getting out and taking at least one twenty to forty minute walk every day. Found out my car needs daily exercise as well or the batter goes dead. Had to call AAA last week because I hadn't driven it in two or three days and the battery was dead. Must be a loose wire or a short somewhere which doesn't surprise me. The sensors in the front panel have been on the fritz for almost a year but haven't had the time or money to pay a mechanic to find out what's wrong.
Remember that bouncy ball I mentioned way back? BOINGY BOINGY!!!
Going to try and get over to Amber's this weekend to have a bbq to celebrate the end of my chemo and end of school for Ava. Since I know the signs of side effects and know what to take, I should be okay.
I want to plan a road trip before September but don't think I'm going to have time to do it. I have to schedule an appointment to see my reconstruction surgeon soon, then figure out the timing on that surgery, no less then two months after my last chemo, that puts it into August between those two times I should be going back to work which means change in my income....
The road trip would likely take about a week, drive up to see everyone in NCal and then maybe continue on to see someone up in Seattle. That's a big trip. I don't like to fly but then I don't know if my car will make it either. Oh yeah and the DMV still hasn't sent me my ID card nor have I gotten my registration that's due this month.
I hate dealing with them.
They must be holding it ransom for some unpaid tickets or something. They have my current address which I gave them when I filled out the form for the ID card. IF they would tell me that it doesn't guarantee me getting it, or that the unpaid fines would put a hold on it... I'll have to try and find out next week since I'm broke this week. Last of my money went to fixings for dinner day before yesterday.
Near homemade spaghetti sauce and garlic bread. YUM!
Recipe for Close to Mom's Spaghetti Sauce :
Start with Prego spaghetti sauce (used Traditional but sometimes I use it with mushrooms), dice up some bell pepper and onion, get some fresh garlic and hamburger. Saute the bell pepper in some oil, add in the onion and garlic then when that's all kind of translucent put it in the pot for the sauce, cook the hamburger with some salt and pepper and whatever else you want to flavor it with (or use italian sausage) then dump that in the pot, throw the sauce in on top of it and simmer for about a half hour or so. Add a pinch of baking soda to sweeten it a bit, and simmer for a little while longer, maybe ten minutes, then it's done.
For my brothers, Amber has mom's recipe box and my cookbooks all safe in her cupboards. When I go over there I'm going to reorganize it again so if you want any recipes that might be in there let me know. I pulled out dad's salsa recipe the other day and did a pretty good job of it. Except it called for basil and oregano and ... we don't have any. My roommate doesn't do a lot of fresh cooking so she has very little in the way of 'real' spices. I made do with what I had and it turned out pretty good.
And yes, that old wooden recipe box with the roosters on the top is still intact. The lid had cracked in half longways years ago and I got some glue and put it back together so well you can't even tell it was broken. I even fixed the hinges somewhat so they aren't as loose. Oh and Amber has the spice rack too so that little bit of family is still being passed on.
Okay going to finish up here. Weather is clearing off from being cloudy this morning which is good, wanted to take my daily walk near the water today instead of the canyon. I was foolish yesterday and thought that I could find a parking spot along the cliffs in La Jolla . Riiiight, about that... it's tourist season already. At 1 pm there were more people out there than I've seen on a Saturday in off season! Went and headed to my favorite canyon for my hike and got to see some tadpoles in the creek. yay! Simple pleasures.
Now...'the quote'
"When ideas fail, words come in very handy." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Really? He said that? 'very handy' was a common phrasing in his time..who'd have thought? Oh well. I think I must have fewer ideas than I thought.
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