This past weekend Joel went to Miami for a photography workshop; he returned energized and appeared to have a productive and fun experience. While he was gone, Mommy, Jacob, and Grandma played. I left Joshua out because unfortunately he was pretty fussy all weekend. He had drainage issue (probably due to allegeries) and cried quite a bit. It wasn’t that bad, but he wasn’t the most fun child to be around. Jacob…. he got spoiled. I got him McDonald’s Saturday for lunch and even I partook for the first time in months. They were so busy; it had to be fresh. The fries were pretty good, but I can’t say it’s the greatest food. I think it tasted better in my fantasies. We also watched movies, did a craft, worked on his Bible verses and speech exercises, had pizza, ate ice cream… we did fun stuff. Jacob was good for most of the weekend, and only really frustrated me once when he wouldn’t do anything but was “bored.” In the end, it was a fun weekend but exhausting!
Tags: Jacob, Jamie, Joel, Joshua, Photography
It was nice to be home for Mother’s Day. The day didn’t start beautifully. Josh’s morning screams triggered a headache that required me to take an oxycontin and take a nap. Luckily, it worked and by 11AM I was feeling groggy but better.
For my gift, Joel and the boys gave me stackable mother’s rings. I love them! One ring is for Jacob with his birthstone and birth date, and the other is for Joshua.
I gave mom a mother’s ring too. I gave her one years ago with birthstones for me, Paul, and Reg. With this ring, I wanted to add all the grandchildren. It was difficult to find one that would accommodate everyone, but I finally found one. The large stone is for mom, and I put everyone else in order based on birth date. So it goes: me, Paul, Reg, Casey, Jacob, Scarlett, Joshua. I put the ring in the plastic canvas box that I made in Tampa. Oh, and for fun, I got mom a flying pig with actual battery-powered wings.
Joel and Jake took me out to lunch at Duffy’s. It was my idea because I got an email that said mothers eat free on Mother’s Day. I had some yummy beer-battered shrimp. Jake was really good; the placemat was a huge asset. He colored, played tic-tac-toe, and did the maze on his matt and mine.
We went to Lidia’s later that afternoon to celebrate. Angel grilled. Mami made black beans. I handled dessert. It was a pretty good evening until Joshua decided that it was time to leave. We did leave after his normal bedtime, so his fussiness wasn’t unexpected. We got him home, bathed him, and he went down without a problem.
Tags: Jamie, Mother's day
This was another busy week of appointments. I had physical therapy on Monday and Thursday. On Tuesday, I attended the cancer support group meeting for the second month in a row at the Christ Fellowship Royal Palm campus. On Wed., I saw my primary doctor. She said I looked good. I talked to her about temporary menopause. I had looked it up prior and it’s pretty much what it says. For me, it could be caused by chemo, the BMT, and all the medications I’m on. The reason I wanted to talk about it with my primary is due to the fact that last week I had my first “hot flash.” At first, I didn’t know what it was. I just felt hot for 30 seconds or less. Then, I was having that same feeling every evening at least once. In fact, I was at dinner one night last week and mom said my face looked flushed and my ears were red. I read about hot flashes and that seems to be what I’m experiencing. However, it’s’ not a bother. It’s short-lived, and I’ve been through SO much worse. Basically, my primary doctor said we should just wait and see. She agreed with my oncologist that it is unnecessary to put me on anything else right now. Like him, she sees me going on some drugs in future years – hormones and possibly the Fosamex. As for my blood work, I need to watch my intake of carbs because it makes my pancreas work harder and makes sugars. My blood sugar and triglycerides are on a high side, and she wants me to just watch myself so I don’t end up with diabetes. Not to worry at this point. She doesn’t want me to change my diet; I just need to avoid sitting and eating giant pasta bowls or big cups of fruit, etc. I’m not concerned, but I’ll be diligent.
Friday was the worst. Joel and I went to Miami in order to see my oral surgeon. Our appointment was for 2:30PM and we weren’t even called to the back until after 5PM. We just sat and waited and waited and waited. We ran out of things to do to pass the time. I read three magazines, wrote in my notebook, checked my email on my phone, surfed on my phone, watched some news on the TV they had running… We usually have to wait – an hour or so, but three hours is a bit much. Then, we had to wait in the back. Finally, we saw my oral surgeon and honestly, it wasn’t a very long visit because I’m good. Good news is that I’m done having PET/CT scans for my first cancer. I believe I stated in a previous post that I canceled this year’s after my oncologist told me not to get it, saying that my body’s been through enough and does not need more radiation. My oral surgeon did have me make an appointment to see him for a follow-up in a year, but we’ll see when the time comes. Most likely, he’s just going to want to talk about reconstruction. We’ve discussed it several times in the past, but right now, that’s not even “on the table.” Surgery is not something I should be undergoing during my recovery; it would just set me back; plus, I would definitely need a higher platelet count. Besides, my mouth piece is working just fine at the moment. So, we didn’t get to leave Miami until around 6PM – rush hour time. It was not pretty, but fortunately, it was much better once we got on the Turnpike. By the time we got back to West Palm, we were hungry, tired, cranky, and it was late. We were supposed to go to a cancer celebration for all the Christ Fellowship cancer groups. They made it sound like fun and fellowship, but we didn’t go. It was just so late. I emailed those in charge to apologize; I had RSVPed and made cookies for the event. I have to say I’m still bummed I wasn’t able to go, but I received very nice return emails telling me not to fret and that God put me exactly where I needed to be. So I guess that’s it.
Thankfully, this upcoming week looks pretty good. I’m finally done with catching up on doctor’s appointments. Now, it’s my oncologist, physical therapy, and once a month at Moffitt. May be that still seems like a lot, but it’s a relief after playing “catch up” with my OB-GYN, primary, oral surgeon, scans, tests, etc. I can just focus on my main day-to-day recovery, and perhaps, I will finally get a real routine going. I feel it coming…
Hugs to everyone!
If you’ve ever seen Office Space, you know what “flare” is, but just in case, “flare” is basically decoration. For the movie, it was a collection of buttons that Jennifer Aniston’s character was required to wear as part of her uniform for her waitress job. It’s kinda cheesy, but fun if you like it. Since I first saw a nurse at Moffitt wearing a button that said “Cancer Sucks,” I’ve been fascinated by buttons. I bought an orange (the color of leukemia awareness) “Cancer Sucks” button at the Moffitt gift shop; I got a “Survivor” button from the choosehope.com website, and a button with Jack from the Nightmare Before Christmas on it. I put them on my purse. I kept my eyes peeled for others I might like each time mom and I went out, but I didn’t find any more in Tampa.
I went on-line last week and found several cool buttons; I just couldn’t help myself. They arrived in the mail this week, and I added several to my purse.
On the left, several women in my cancer support group commented about how they love the button that says “Retail Therapy Beats Chemotherapy.” For me, it’s too true. I have enjoyed being able to go out to stores since my BMT doctor said I could. I didn’t even care back then that I had to wear a mask out. Now, I don’t have to, but I always carry one with me just in case. The “Never place a period where God has placed a comma” button reminds me of how God is in control, and even though there are times when I want to fight for control, ultimately He is undoubtedly the one who rules over my life.
On the right side is my “Cancer Sucks” button that I bought in the Moffitt gift shop ages ago. I also have a funny button about germs and a truthful one about attitude.
Thinking about myself, I think I cared too much about what other people thought, and thus, I supressed doing things – even if it would make me smile. In the past, having the buttons so prominently displayed on my purse (something I take everywhere) might have made me self-conscious. I’ve been through too much to live that way anymore, so I say again “I love my flare.” Maybe it is a little childish, but why not? I think several of my buttons are inspirational; others are just funny, but overall, they are there to bring joy – and what more could you want?
I can’t fit all my “flare” on my purse without my purse becoming crowded. I think I’ll rotate. On the left are more buttons with sayings. On the right are mostly my holiday buttons, and I’ve had most of these for years.
My message? Do what makes you happy (as long as you’re not hurting someone else).
Wear Flare!
This passed weekend I had Jacob go through his stuffed animals with me. We made three piles: Jacob’s, Joshua’s, and donate. Jacob was actually pretty good, giving many of his stuffed animals to Joshua. Many were obviously for a baby while others surprised me. He definitely did not want to part with certain ones. I helped with the donate pile because most were stuffed animals that Jacob said were for Joshua, so I made the decision that this one or that one should be donated. We filled a small garbage bag and when mom saw it, she suggested that I find a local group that could really use them. I liked the idea and went looking on-line. It was more difficult than I thought. Most places want items that are new; however, I found a couple that accepted “gently used” stuffed animals. Several were out of state, but I found two relatively nearby. Mushy Mates in Ft. Lauderdale, which didn’t have too much on-line information, and Project Night Night that has a location in Boca Raton. I decided to go with Project Night Night, and after I talked to Joel about it, he said that he’d help out and drive me there in order to donate.
Project Night Night helps homeless children. Their goal is to provide comfort and sweet dreams. When a child leaves a shelter, Project Night Night gives the child a tote bag with a book, a cozy blanket and a comforting stuffed animal. They believe that items such as these help with emotional trauma and overall well-being.
I’m posting this because Joel and I won’t be making our donation trip for a little while (end of the month or may even June) and I wanted to offer to take stuffed animals, blankets, and/or children’s books with ours. To find out more details, go to www.projectnightnight.org. I would love to bring a large donation. In fact, I went through the boys’ books and found a few, and I thought that maybe I might make a blanket. The website has the type of items that can be donated, including details about how the stuffed animals can’t make noises or have battery compartments, etc. You can bring your donation to me or may be we can work something out where I come to you.
Tags: Charity, Jacob, Joshua, Project Night Night
I’ve been working on special door signs for Jacob and Joshua’s rooms since my time in the Tampa apartment. I had hoped to finish them before leaving – nope. Then, I wanted to get them done by Easter – nope. But this last Friday, completion and I think they look great. They’re the most detailed items that I’ve made out of plastic canvas. I think my characters and animals look really good. It was incredibly time consuming, but I am definitely pleased. Plus, I think they mounted well on the doors. It’s a great personal touch to their rooms, and I made it so I can change out the pictures and because the main characters hang, I can change them by making new ones as the boys get older.
As a bonus, Jacob seemed to like his sign when he got home from school. That made me a proud mommy.
It wasn’t that long ago that our beloved Whiskers sadly passed away, and now her “brother” (in spirit, not blood) has gone to join her. Tigger has had problems for a while. Shortly after I ended up in the hospital this passed June, Tigger had a life and death episode involving his bladder and urinary tract. We shelled out a small fortune to save him and since then, we’ve had him on a special diet and had to monitor him closely for urinary problems. He spent tons of time sleeping in his cat bed. He would still occasionally crawl into Joel’s lap for some love, but he kept mostly to himself.
A little over a week ago, Joel noticed that Tigger was acting lethargic and called me over after putting Jacob to bed. Tigger was acting slow and not walking very well. Joel had also noticed that he looked large and bloated on his sides, and we automatically presumed he was once again experiencing the urinary problem(which we were told could return). Cats are really good at hiding pain and usually by the time you notice a change in behavior, it’s very late.
Joel called our vet, but he said he was too far away and that Joel should take Tigger to an emergency clinic in Boynton. However, Joel went online and found an emergency clinic closer to home, so he took Tigger there. Before they left, I sat down next him, petted him, and told him that I loved him and that he was a good cat. He still had the same baby face from his youth; somehow his head always seemed to stay the same – even while his body went through a Garfield phase. It truly was sad. I think both Joel and I knew that he probably wouldn’t be coming home.
We were right about Tigger not coming home, but we were wrong about why. At the clinic, Joel agreed to do an x-ray and the results were unexpected. Tigger had just been to the vet in March and nothing like this was detected. What the vet found were masses in Tigger’s liver, pancreas, and possibly his lungs, not a blockage in his urinary tract. The vet told Joel that it was most likely an acute cancer, probably lymphoma. Shock. They didn’t do blood tests; it just seemed unnecessary. There was nothing really to be done except say good-bye. Joel told me that he held Tigger in his lap and watched him go to sleep from the injection that ended his life. I know that must have been so hard. It was definitely a sad homecoming for Joel as he had to tell me what occurred. We cried for the loss, but we both knew if was for the best.
In fact, we really know it was for the best. Joel dropped the x-rays off at our vet’s office and he called Joel back later and apologized for our loss and for not noticing anything wrong with Tigger in March (but who knows, there may not have been anything to really detect). He also said that the masses were too much and there truly was nothing to be done for him except what we did. I think that made Joel feel at least a little better.
I had to leave for Tampa the next day, but that Saturday, I worked on making something to remember Tigger.
When Whisker died, it was at home, so Joel made her a wooden box, and Jake and I made a collage of pictures and words that we placed on the inside cover. We buried her in our back yard and planted a plant above the grave. Since Tigger passed at the vet’s, there wasn’t a body to build a box for so instead, we got a little box that I decorated and put pictures of Tigger in. Today we buried it next to Whiskers.
For me, it was very appropriate. Tigger and Whiskers grew up together; Joel and I adopted Whiskers in 1996 and Tigger in 1998 after we lost Jasmine to an unfortunate detergent accident, and they passed on in 2009 and 2010. I think they had a special bond even though they fought at times; it was all in love. I always smiled when I would catch them cleaning each other; it was such an intimate and loving act — and then Tigger would hit Whiskers in the face with his paw! He was super mischievous in his youth.
So now, we’re left with Oslo. We adopted him on a whim and had learned that having three cats was more than what we bargained for, but both Joel and I are now glad we got him. The boys love him. He’s really their cat. Os lets the boys rough house with him and does nothing. Joshua will pull his whiskers; Jacob, his tail, and Oslo just stares at them pleased with the attention. Joel even taught him how to shake hands. Sometimes he’s more like a loyal dog than the usual, independent cat.
We won’t be getting another cat, at least not for now. First, Joel and I really aren’t ready for another pet. Plus, my BMT doctor told me that I could keep the pets I already had, but that I shouldn’t get any new ones.
For now, Jacob knows that both Whiskers and Tigger are in heaven and that Oslo is still here to play with him. Time will heal, and we’ll always have our memories.
Rest in Peace, Tigger. We will always love you.
Photography has become a hobby for Joel, and he’s really gotten into it. I’m not talking about taking some pictures; I’m talking different lenses and lighting and framing and other stuff I know nothing about. Joel does a lot of nature and scenery photographs, but he had this idea to do a portrait session with me. It took weeks to get everything together: lighting, a black backdrop, the right lens, a red drape… We did the session Sunday night. It was a little torturous. The lighting was hot; the wooden floor was hard; Joel had issues, and I felt that I really looked big/fat. However, in the end, I think Joel selected some really tasteful photographs that reflect this point in time. I have survived, but I’m still recovering and my appearance reflects this fact.
Joel put the photos together in a collection that tell our story. I would definitely recommend viewing it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24856421@N00/sets/72157623940338340/
Let us know what you think.
Tags: Jamie, Joel, Leukemia, Photography
Today I saw my oncologist, and I think it was a good visit. At the very least, I liked what he had to say. He thinks that my BMT doctor is micromanaging me and going into overkill with certain things. First, he does not think I should have the PET/CT follow-up for my previous oral cancer. He said that a physical examination should be more than sufficient, and that my body has already been through enough. The radiation from a PET is really high and I simply do not need that kind of exposure. I was going to have the test this Friday, but now I’m not. I can’t say I’m sad about it; I never looked forward to the IV, scary radioactive fluid in the lead box and syringe, or the long scan. I am, however, keeping my appointment to see my oral surgeon a week from this Friday. I called and left a message about what my oncologist said; hopefully, my they will understand.
My oncologist also does not think I should go on Fosamax (osteoporosis medication). He says that the calcium I’m taking should be enough for now because the bone density test only showed me to be slightly over (1.1 when 1.0 is normal). It’s overkill and early. He said that it would make more sense to take it a few years down the line when I’m on fewer drugs and after having other bone density tests to compare to the first one. He told me that Fosamax is a pain of a drug to take. You can’t eat; you have to sit up or stand for at least an hour afterwards, and apparently only 2% of the drug is absorbed by the body; thus, it would be difficult to take with all of my other drugs and it wouldn’t necessarily give me much benefit. Interestingly, he gave the same impression about the Gleevac I’m taking. He thinks that since I’m on such a low dose that it may basically be doing little more than a placebo. He’s going to check the levels in the blood soon to see if that’s the case, and I get the feeling if it’s doing nothing, he’s going to take me off of it.
My oncologist also decided that I don’t need to come in for blood work every week; he thinks every 2 weeks is enough. This is awesome because now I’ll have fewer appointments, and a little more freedom. In fact, today I drove my car by myself and went to CVS to pick up my prescriptions. I felt very independent. Tomorrow, I’m going to take some food to my niece before taking Jake to his speech therapy session, and mom’s going to stay home with Josh because he’s having OT tomorrow instead of Friday. I will eventually have to take Jacob by myself anyway, but I was surprised when mom suggested it; it didn’t think she’d let me. I’m glad to see that she’s really starting to let go. We both need to return to our lives, and try to find a “new normal.”
For all of you who continue to follow my journey, let me thank you for your continued support. I appreciate it more than you can know.
I’m not really sure where to start because there’s so much since that has happened since I blogged on Tuesday. I guess I’ll just start and see where it leads. Hopefully, I’ll make sense and not go off on too many tangents.
Wednesday
I made tons of phone calls, and got some good test results. My mammogram, and ultrasound came back clear. My ovaries are intact and it does not appear that I’m going through early menopause. Apparently, my lack of the female monthly visit is most likely due to my cocktail of drugs, especially the prednisone (steroid), which may be suppressing me. Prednisone is really odd. I’m told I have to have it, yet it causes plenty of issues as well. Drugs are weird in the sense that they’re both good and bad for you.
With my good test results, came some bad ones as well. However, they weren’t my results. Wednesday evening, Joel noticed a change in Tigger’s behavior (our cat). He was acting lethargic and slow; then upon closer examination, he noticed that Tigger looked severely bloated. Joel called me over to look as well and Tigger’s sides were definitely large and sticking out. Our thought was that his urinary track was blocked again. That’s what happened to him in June practically days after I ended up in the hospital with my cancer diagnosis. He had to have emergency surgery and was in the hospital for a week, costing us a small fortune. Being realistic, our main concern this time around was Tigger’s comfort and that he not be in pain even if that meant putting him to sleep. We did not want him to suffer through the night, so Joel called our vet. Getting to the point, our vet told us to take him to an emergency clinic. I petted Tigger and basically said good-bye prior to Joel taking him, and I’m glad I did because he didn’t come back. Skipping the details and Joel’s wait, an x-ray showed masses in his liver and pancreas, and possibly the lungs. Although we didn’t have it 100% confirmed with blood tests, the vet said the results appeared consistent with cancer, possibly lymphoma and at its advanced stage, there was really very little that could have been done. It was a shock, especially for Joel who was ready to put our beloved 12 year old cat to sleep, but certainly not prepared to hear that he needed to be euthanized due to cancer. It was an emotional night. We lost Whiskers not that long ago and now Tigger. We still have Oslo and he’s a great cat, especially with the boys. I mean Josh has even grabbed his whiskers, pulled hard, and Oslo just sits there and stares lovingly. As for Joel and I we can’t help but be sad because the cats we’ve had for pretty much our entire relationship have now both passed on. With this happening Wednesday night, I really didn’t want to have to leave the next morning for Tampa, but I had little choice.
Thursday
Mom and I left in the morning for our 4 hour trip to Moffitt in Tampa. We were expecting an uneventful trip as this was merely my first monthly visit back and I’ve been doing fine so far. The drive is so dull with nothing to look at, but we made it there safely. We had lunch and went to our favorite used book store, Mojos. The rest of the day was uneventful since my appointment wasn’t until Friday at 9:30AM.
Friday
Arriving in Tampa was more emotionally difficult than I thought it would be. Seeing the familiar buildings and roads in Tampa brought back a flood of memories, and unfortunately, I can’t say they’re exactly good. Friday was the hardest as we pulled up to the hospital. Walking into Moffitt, I grew quiet watching patients in wheelchairs, wearing masks, and looking sick. I really didn’t want to be there. I think it was easier when I living in Tampa; the hospital was routine. Friday was just not the same.
As we entered the BMT clinic, we saw the familiar face of a patient we hadn’t seen in ages. She had been on the BMT floor at same time as me. We didn’t know what had happened to her because we hadn’t seen her for weeks before I left in mid-March. Mom talked to her while I checked in. She was called shortly thereafter and a few minutes later her husband, showed up. Apparently, she had called him to let him know that we were in the clinic so he came to see us. It turns out that they were worried that something had happened to me. Mom talked to him and we learned that they still didn’t know when they would get to leave Moffitt. Crazy. His wife had her transplant in October. The reason she was on the floor at the same time as me was because she got sick and had to be readmitted to the hospital. She eventually got to leave the floor about the week or two before I did, but then ended up back a couple of weeks later. She’s doing better than before, but she’s having some issues that her doctors are still trying to understand. Her husband said they have to come to the hospital every day for infusions and/or transfusions, including weekends. Mom said that he looked like he’s at his wits end; one can’t help but feel bad.
News got even worse when mom asked whether he had heard any news about the other people who were on our floor. He revealed that another patient had died and I found myself deeply affected. The 22 year old college student, the youngest on our floor, passed away some time between my departure and return. His mother was literally the last familiar person we saw before leaving Moffitt. She explained that her son had some sort of respiratory infection that the doctor’s hadn’t yet been able to figure out. He died due to some kind of head issue – cranial pressure or something – perhaps a tumor.
Why was I so affected? He and I both arrived on the floor the same day. We were both the youngest people on the floor. We both had our transplants at the same time, and we both received cells from German donors. He was so young with his whole life ahead of him. We didn’t have the same cancer. Tyler had non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He also didn’t listen well – not always doing what the doctors said, not walking much, not really taking care of himself like he should have. He’s also the once who cut his Hickman line (chest IV), which is incredibly dangerous in terms of possible infection. I’m just bummed by the news and can’t help but feel guilty. Now, out of approximately 12 patients on my floor, 5 have passed. That’s more than the 1 out of 4 – 25% transplant mortality statistic. Scary.
When I finally had my appointment. My PA examined my finger nails because they’ve been really brittle lately, breaking super easy. Plus, they have a bump/wave-like texture going on. The PA says that it’s the chemo coming out and that with time my nails will grow back normal so no worries. I also told him about how I’m bruising easily. I’m a black and blue mess. Mom jokes that the authorities will come get her on charges of adult abuse. The PA explained that the drugs – especially prednisone (what a shock) – causes the skin to thin and vessels to become sensitive, making them easy to bruise. We also talked about the importance of sunscreen and being careful outdoors. If I’m outside, protective clothing like a floppy hat in conjunction with sunscreen is a must. I learned that generally sunscreen protection fades after about 2 hours and should be reapplied at that time regardless of what the sunscreen instructions state. I also learned that getting a sunburn is the last thing I ever want to get because for me I would really be in a lot of pain. The PA explained that the immune system is responsible for repairing damaged skin cells and since my new immune system is still getting acclimated to my body, a sunburn could cause the donor cells to go “overboard” trying to repair the burn resulting in effects similar to sun poisoning.
When we finally got to see my doctor, I learned my last bone marrow biopsy test results were good. My bone marrow remains 100% donor and my blood is now 95% donor. My blood level was at 93% donor at my last biopsy, and my doctor said that 95 is pretty much 100% because the values are measured in ranges and the range is 95-100. She also told us that they normally give patients a year to reach these numbers and it’s excellent news that I’ve achieved them during my first 3 months post transplant – a very good sign. Also, as with my last biopsy, there are still no signs of the Philadelphia chromosome, which was basically the reason why I had to have the transplant in the first place. The doctor showed us the line in the results paperwork that states that there is no evidence – both major and minor – of the chromosome. This is still excellent news because even after going into remission, it was the Philly chromosome that placed me at high risk for relaspe.
My transplant doctor made very few changes to my drugs. Basically since I’m doing well, she doesn’t want to mess with my cocktail. Drugs are one of those unpredictable things since different individuals can react differently; thus, my doctor is not going to fix what isn’t broken even though I would love to take fewer pills. She did lower my prednisone a tiny bit (YAY!) from 10 to 7.5. She also gave me a prescription for a drug called Fosamax. She wants me to take it because my bone density test showed the signs of slight osteoporosis in my left hip. I have to take the drug once a week and I can’t lie down afterward because it can cause some nasty heartburn. Before I start, though, she wanted me to call my OB and make sure she’s okay with it because as my “female doctor,” she should be the one to monitor my usage.
The doctor also said she wanted me to see my primary care physician. My blood results show that both my good and bad cholestorol are on target but she said that my primary might want to do something about my triglycerides because they’re a bit high. She didn’t prescribe anything, thinking it unnecessary; however, she admitted that my primary might see things differently.
After finishing at Moffitt, we had lunch and hit the road. We got home safely, and it was great to return. I don’t have to go back until May 21st. I’m not sure if it will be mom or Joel who takes me; it’ll depend on when mom goes home. Next Friday I have an appointment in Miami to have my annual PET/CT scan that I missed last year and then I meet with my oral surgeon on the following Friday for my annual checkup, which I also missed last year. Those appointments are follow-ups from my oral cancer 5 years ago. Please pray they go well.
That’s all for now. Thank you for all the prayers. My news was good; my health is pretty good; and as long as this continues, I’m good 