Getting Ready

for a busy week. I suspect I'm getting pleurisy, but not sure. Whatever is causing the pain in my right chest (an 8 on a scale of 1 - 10) needs to be taken care of ASAP. I don't want anything to interfere with my treatments this week. I am praying very hard for healing. I'm looking forward to the "doing" as opposed to waiting. I'm looking forward to the "knowing;" knowing how I am going to react and respond to chemo...the side effects etc., and knowing how I am going to react to the Neulasta shots that I will be receiving the day following chemo. I have heard that the staff in the Infusion Center (the actual place where chemo is administered) are amazingly kind and supportive. One of the nurses at the Vet's Home where David works, actually used to work there. We had a really great conversation about what I can expect etc., such as how things will actually be hooked up to my Power Port. The more you know the less you have to fear, right?

We had a family meeting today, to make sure the kids had all of the information they needed, to answer any questions they had, to address their fears, and to hopefully re-establish a sense of order in the family. Kirstin seemed "cool" with everything. Chelsea wanted to know how long I would have to have chemo, Ben needed his boundaries more clearly defined, and Becca needed to know that I'm not planning on dying. That is her big fear at this point. David told her that he's afraid of that, too, and that it was okay for her to be afraid; that it was normal. I assured Becca that everyone I've heard of that has had my type and stage of cancer, has survived for many years afterwards. We also impressed upon them the need to do their chores, and to do them properly; a clean house is a healthy house, and that once I start chemo, I will be especially vulnerable to contagion...that I will get sick a lot easier than I do right now. We also talked about the effect this all has had on David so that the kids realized that All of us are in the same boat, and share many if not all of the same fears, concerns, dreams, and hopes. It's good to get everything out and the kids are all old enough to understand most of what we had to say.

In other, happy, and non-cancer news? Last Friday was our kids' Homecoming. Chelsea attended with her friend, and Kirstin went with Steve. These photos make me happy:

Blessings!