Not Nice

Today was going to be a very relaxing day. I was going to go to my support group meeting and then just look around some stores. Our electric blanket stopped working last night so I was going to look for another one. WELL, when I stopped to get gas after my meeting, I did not have my credit card. NOT GOOD! Luckily, I had some cash. I never use cash to buy gas.....we like those air miles. I had used it at Joe's on my way to class so that would have to be where I lost or left it. So instead of shopping, I frantically drove to Joe's and they didn't have it. Then I had to get home fast to check the computer for any unauthorized activity on our account. There wasn't any. Thank God. So I spent the entire afternoon talking to the credit card company and businesses that we pay using our credit card. Very stressful afternoon and it was supposed to be such a nice day!


Then when I looked on the computer at our bills, I noticed that Dish Network had been overcharging us $13 a month for three months. We were supposed to be receiving free Cinemax for a year and we were being charged for it. When I called, of course I couldn't understand the guy, and he was no help, so I told him I wanted to talk to his supervisor. That guy wasn't much better and he didn't have the right answers for me so he put me on hold.......for 15 minutes! I hung up and by the time I got a hold of someone else, I was fuming. I told him right from the start I was pissed and he better get me to someone that was going to be able to help me. He assured me he could. It ended up that there had been an agent error and he assured me it would all be taken care of. He was so apologetic and nice. The funny thing about this whole situation is that at class today the ladies were talking about how they are now saying "no" more often to people and not always being as "nice" to people as they used to be. Having metastatic cancer makes them feel like life is short - do what you want to. I've always tried to be nice to everyone so I felt like I couldn't really relate to what they were saying. I started laughing as I hung up the phone after talking to the Dish Network guys because there I was, not being "nice." I hope this isn't going to become a habit for me!

Hope all of you are having a better day.

Love to you all,

JO

Happy Birthday Leslie

I am thinking about Leslie today because it is her birthday. She passed away a couple of years ago . She and her sister (Lynne), her cousin (Jan) and myself go to Reno each fall and "play." We gamble, eat, shop, eat, laugh, and eat! I hope to be able to go on many more Reno trips with the two of them. Lynne, Jan, Leslie, Jo

Leslie's daughter Tera, organizes a team in Leslie's honor, for the Race for the Cure. Julie (my daughter), Tori (my 6 year old granddaughter) and myself always walk with them. We wear hats and our team is called the "Boo-Bee's." (with a picture of a bee)

Happy Birthday, Leslie. I miss you!

Love to you all,

JO

Hip, Hip, Horray

I had an appointment with my oncologist today to find out the results of my recent CAT scan. The scan stated, "No evidence of metastatic disease." I am feeling very blessed and know how lucky I am. I will have another scan in three months and plan on living each day to the fullest. Denny asked her if it was unusual for me to be doing so well since my cancer is considered the fast growing and aggressive type (triple negative) and she admitted that it was. She is very pleased with how I am doing and said sometimes diseases doesn't always work the way they usually do.............which in my case, is a very good thing! I just can't thank all of you enough for all your prayers, healing thoughts and support.

Usually after I get good results from my scan, we plan some trips. But because of summer, we will stay around home and enjoy our lives here. We plan on riding our Harley, boating, camping, Denny's boat racing, attending the grandkid's activities, getting together with family and friends, etc. Hopefully, in the fall, we can go on another trip somewhere.

While I was at Kaiser today, I ran into Janii's husband. He was taking her home! He said she felt great and was so pleased with the way she bounced back so quickly during her stay in the hospital. They even gave her a chemo treatment so they must have felt she was strong enough to handle it. Good going, Janii.

I also ran into Ken Wolfe while I was there. Some of you know him because he was a business teacher for Hilhi for many years. He has colon/liver cancer and was having a chemo treatment. He is doing good and may have to have another surgery to remove some tumors in his liver. He has chemo every week but tolerates it well. He looked good and was happy to see me. He had just asked the oncology nurses if they could tell him how I was doing but, of course, they aren't allowed to do that, so he was really surprised when I walked into the oncology office.

I am glad today's appointment is over. I always get just a little bit anxious when it is time to find out the CAT scan results. I am feeling so very blessed and down right lucky! Think I'll go buy a lottery ticket!

Love to you all,

JO

Janii, You Go Girl.........home!

Today Denny and I went to visit my friend, Janii. She is in the Kaiser Sunnyside Hospital. She was diagnosed with lung cancer about a year ago and had surgery, chemo, and radiation. She was doing well and continued to work part-time at the District Office for the Hillsboro School District. But her cancer metastasized to her brain and she again had radiation and did very well after it. But a recent CAT scan showed her new chemo drug wasn't working so she was put on a different one. A few days after her treatment, she became ill and was admitted to the hospital with pancreas and liver problems. She then developed pneumonia. So when we went to see her today, I wasn't sure how she would be and I was so pleased to see how wonderful she looked. Her coloring was great and she is feeling good and she might even get to go home tomorrow. Her oncologist was coming in as we were leaving, so I don't know what he told her, but my guess is that he is very pleased with her progress. I am so happy to see how well she is doing. She is a real fighter and was able to bounce back quickly from this "bump in the road." She will probably have to wait a while before resuming her chemo. So all you people who know Janii, please send good healing thoughts her way.

Hope all of you are enjoying our nice weather.

Love to you all,

JO

Our Cruise

We just returned from a cruise to Mexico. It was very relaxing and enjoyable. We went on the Holland America cruise line. We hadn't been on it before and I was hesitant because I thought it catered to "old" people. But as Denny pointed out, we are "old" people! It worked out great because we never had to wait for a treadmill in the exercise room and were always able to get lounge chairs by the pool. In fact, we always had chairs in the shade and sun! The food and service were probably the best we have ever had on a cruise. The entertainment was super and we enjoyed watching the Holland America Idol contest and the Newlywed Game. The weather was perfect except for the last day, when we got off the ship and walked around San Diego. It was cold...........but not as cold as it was when we arrived home!

Notice how my hair grew over night!

I had a CAT scan today and will get the results next Tuesday when I meet with my oncologist. I am feeling good so I am planning on getting a good report.


Hope all is well with all of you.

Love to you all,


JO

Duck and Pheasant Hunting

I was looking through my pictures and I absolutley love this picture. It is of Justin (our son) and Dakota (Justin's son). We went duck and pheasant hunting a few months ago. They live in Hermiston and can get to this hunting spot in about 10 minutes. That is one of the reasons they like living in that area. They love to hunt.

I look like I am a real hunter but actually I only went along to watch them hunt and to take pictures.

This is our dog, Sara. She is a springer spanial and loves to hunt. She hadn't been hunting for a few years and did an awesome job. On the left, she has a pheasant and on the right, she jumped into the water to retrieve a duck.

Had a great day, even though it was super cold.

Love to you all,

JO

Race for the Roses

Today I got up at 5:15 AM and headed to the Oregon Convention Center to run/walk in the Race for the Roses half marathon. It benefits the Albertina Kerr Center which fills the needs of Oregon children and families in crisis. Ninety-three cents of every dollar goes to the center. The Convention Center was a fantastic place for a base since we could go inside to stay warm and use the indoor restrooms. They even had coffee for us. All the marathon participants had to wear a timing chip on their shoe so they could be timed. There were several divisions for males and females. I signed up for the 60-64 female age group, however, don't tell anyone, but I was eligible for the Athenas (females over 150 lbs.) division. There was no way I was signing up for that one! We started at 7:00AM and ran and walked through some scenic parts of Portland. I had never been in the Pearl District so it was interesting seeing that area. I was planning on just walking and not running. But I am just too competitive and found myself running as much I could. When I was 50, Julie (daughter) and I ran the Portland Marathon. So I always wanted to walk it when I was 60. Well, I was heavy into chemo at that time. So this half marathon was perfect for me. And after finishing it, there is no way that I could ever walk a full marathon. For one thing, I don't do a good job of training. Denny and I usually walk each day and we walk hills. But I really don't do much running. Plus, I went shopping at Lloyd Center yesterday for about five hours. I wouldn't recommend doing that the day before a race! I ran the first three miles which was slightly downhill. I thought downhill would be a "piece of cake." But it killed my knees. The fourth mile was uphill so I started walking and running when I felt like I could. It felt like it took forever before I saw the six mile sign. I figured I was almost half done and it wasn't too bad so far. But then, my toes started hurting. Guess I should have taken off my toe ring and cut my toenails. But I am having a pedicure this week so I didn't want to waste MY time doing that! But I forgot about my toes when I became aware of a blister on my left foot. I decided I couldn't be thinking about these distractions, turned up the volume on my iPod, and just kept walking and running. There was another sign at the ten mile mark and then I knew I was going to be able to finish the race. My goal was to finish it in less than three hours. That is about a 13 minute mile. When Julie and I ran the Portland Marathon, we did it in 5 hrs. 38 min., so I thought three hours was about the right amount of time. I was walking quite a bit during the last 3 miles, but when I saw the finish line, away I ran. I even sprinted at the end. (Whenever I find myself sprinting, I am reminded of my high school days when I used to run in track meets.One of my friends, Sara Hill, would always beat me in the 100 yard dash. I could beat her in the 50 yard dash. But no matter how hard I tried, she always won in the 100. She is now working in the medical field and I don't think she would care if I won this time, my battle with cancer.) Each finisher received a rose and medal. They even announced your name as you crossed the finish line. There was food but I didn't want to wait in line, so I grabbed a couple of cookies. So much for the calories I had just burned! I wish I knew how many people participated in the run but they didn't announce it. I will be interested to read their website later to find out. Maybe they will have it on the news tonight since I saw a channel 2 news van there. I was pleased with myself for finishing the race. Now I, " have been there, done that." I really don't care if I ever do it again! I found myself saying that several times to myself during the race!

In my last blog, I mentioned that I was concerned about two of the gals in our support group. Unfortunately, Jackie passed away. What a terrific lady she was. I always felt a bond with her because she sat by me the first day she attended the class. It seemed like we always ended up sitting by each other. We had look-a-like wigs. Mine was dark and hers was light. At one of the last meetings she attended, as we walked into the restroom together, she said, "Do you want to see my hair? It is coming in gray." So I took off my wig too, and we compared hair. We had about the same amount.......not much! I also felt a connection with her because she was in education for about 30 years and has a loving/caring husband, family and friends. We talked about how lucky we were to have so much love and support. She had a strong faith and I know that helped her tremendously near the end of her life. I will miss her terribly but feel so fortunate to have had her in my life, even if it was for a short time.

The other gal, Penny, is out of ICU and it sounds like she is doing good. She will be in the hospital for several more days so I hope to visit her this week. Carolyn, another gal in the group, has offered to have Penny stay with her so she can take care of her while she is recovering. I just can't believe how wonderful the women are in our support group.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend.

Love to you all,

JO