January 20, 2007

I left for Missouri on a very good note - I received results from lab tests during my checkup with the oncologist on the 2nd and the results were that everything is looking good. For now it appears as though surgery, chemo, and radiation have done their job. With continued Herceptin infusions I hope to continue doing well.

The burns have grown a lot of new skin, are smaller, and I have only a little discomfort. I have a one month checkup with the radiation oncologist next week.

It was great to see my father and family and I enjoyed our time together very much. The days passed by too quickly as it always does. We spent most of the last few days at my brother and sister-in-law's home without power due to the ice storm. Below is a picture I took of a tree laden with ice and if you are interested in viewing more pictures of the ice storm I have them posted at http://jrenays.photoblog.com/. Fortunately Holland and Nancy have a natural gas hot water heater and fireplace so we were all comfortable. It changed our plans but we had a lot of time together so I cannot complain. In fact, I feel guilty that I had such a good time because the storm was devastating for so many.

My new friend John is having a bone marrow transplant next week so please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. My friend Margaret, who was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after I was, has also finished chemo and radiation and she is doing well. And, another friend Lisa is getting closer to being completed with chemo. There are a lot of us around ... the only good thing about that fact is that we have an instant connection. We can look into each other's eyes and know instantly that we are connected ... words are not necessary.

My medical disability will end in about three weeks so it is time for me to start thinking about finding a job. At this point what I know for sure is that I want to keep Kaiser insurance, I want a job with fewer responsibilities than I had, and I want to work with happy and positive people. Hmm, I wonder what insurance Starbucks offers?

In the meantime, next week I will be volunteering for the Homeless Census Count and I am looking forward to being with my colleagues again. I also have a lot of things I want to accomplish around home since I am feeling better. I plan on enjoying the last few weeks of disability and practicing the many lessons I have learned.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.
Only through experience of trial and suffering
can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired,
and success achieved.

~ Helen Keller ~

Happy New Year

I learned how to take better care of my burns and they are well on their way to being healed thanks in part to my dear friend Dana who is a nurse. Each week the two larger burns become smaller and feel better. Medically speaking, the largest and most painful burn was probably not a real “wound” but it felt like that to me and so I called it as I felt it.

Some people who read this blog are, or will be, receiving radiation so I want to briefly provide some information for them – the rest of you may wish to skip this paragraph. First of all, use the Radia Gel or 100 percent Aloe Vera Gel with a drop of lavender oil every day beginning on the first day of radiation. If burns develop and you are told to use a lot of triple antibiotic, the translation of “a lot” is gobs and gobs because you must keep the burns moist - you do not want the burns to develop scabs. I am fairly sure my burns would have been less painful if I had understood earlier how to care for them. After applying gobs and gobs of the antibiotic ointment cover the burns with non-stick pads (I like Curad brand the best). (A couple more notes about the ointment – unless you use gobs and gobs of the ointment even the non-stick pads will stick and pull when you change the dressing. Save yourself some money and buy the store brand of triple antibiotic.) Use plastic wrap (yes, plastic wrap from the kitchen) to just cover the non-stick pads in order to protect your clothing from the ointment that will squish out – I learned the hard way that the ointment will not wash out of every type of fabric. I also found that the bandages were further held in place by wearing a small t-shirt or camisole. Change the bandages twice a day and bathe the burns once a day. When you bathe daily, place a drop of liquid soap (something gentle like Dove or Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Wash) in a clean glass from the dishwasher and fill it with tepid water. Gently drizzle the soapy water over the burns then rinse the cup and fill it with clean water to drizzle over the burns as a rinse. One final note, if you can take ibuprofen do so as it will help to minimize the inflammation and keep you more comfortable.

Now on to other thoughts – our holidays were wonderful and I hope yours were also. I could not help but to feel very blessed because if I had not been in treatment for cancer I would not have been disabled and instead would have been working and preparing for the holidays. Instead, I was able to enjoy every moment spent baking and shopping and for the first time in years I was not the last in line at the Post Office sending off packages to my family in Missouri.

As I reflect back on 2006 I do see it as a difficult year but mostly I see it as a year of more blessings than I have ever known. Cancer has given my family and me grief but at the same time we have by far received more blessings among which has been the opportunity to learn and grow. Just in case you are wondering, yes I am very much human and I do very, very much wish I had received these blessings and learned the lessons in a much easier way – but it happened as it happened and it is my job to make the best of it and carry on in a manner that brings glory to God. Therefore, my one resolution for 2007 is to keep it simple - remember and apply what I learned in 2006.

Last Friday I received a Herceptin infusion and am happy to report that there were no side effects. Tomorrow I see the oncologist for a check up and the result of blood tests that I had last week. I am leaving on Thursday to spend a couple of weeks with my family in Missouri – it has been a year since I have seen most of them and I am looking forward to our time together. I will return home on the seventeenth - in time for another Herceptin infusion on the nineteenth of January.

Thank you for once again checking in on me and I wish each of you a happy and healthy 2007. Philippians 4:8 “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”