Di's Breast Cancer Awareness Benifit!!

New challenges

Everyday brings new challenges for many. Ours our not any more important or less important then anyone else's. We make due with what we have. We strive to make it better then before. We don't know where we will end up but I do know when I lie in rest I will have a beautiful person sitting beside me. If we could all be so lucky...

Di started radiation on Monday. No biggie.

It seems that we will not be able to have children..That's what the doctors have told us. It's not a huge surprise....we were expecting it. Just not completely ready for it. We have begun the process of locating a "carrier". We'll see how that works out....If that doesn't work out then we will adopt. If that doesn't work then we can always steal one. They have a ton of them at this building down the street...I think it's called an elementary school...or Mexico...I hear they have a crap load running around there. Sounds like heaven, this Mexico place. I bet its beautiful. I'll try and keep this blog updated on the rest of our "adventures";) but will need to consult with my Rep (Di) on what is appropriate to tell all. I'm pretty much an open book so if I leave something out you can blame Di for it. She's an only child...you understand.

Have a safe Holiday people, and spend time with those you love.

clay

1 week ago

1 week ago was Diana's last chemo.. It's like losing something...like there is a void...So, that was it?? No more?? Maybe? What's next? Can we go on with our lives??

The bottom line is we are still fighting the after effects of this. Radiation hasn't started yet. That is 6 weeks, everyday, for about 30min a day. That won't even start until this past round of chemo has exited her body..about a month. Guess we won't be heading out of town anytime soon. Oh well. Small price to pay.

Di is feeling good again. She felt a little week physically but mentally she was raring to go! So "Yaaaa!" me. Her strength should be back up here in the next few days.

Last Round folks!

Di and I are sitting in the infusion room getting her last round of chemo!! Where has the time gone? The days went by slow but the weeks flew by. (that doesn't make any sense)
Well, Di's Benefit was a great success! We raised plenty of money and had a good time doing it. About 175 of our closest friends attended. Erin did a fabulous job with the planning and it appeared that all had a good time. Thank you all for coming!! Di was overwhelmed with the great turn out. I personally think she deserved it. Di is such a thought full, caring, giving person. She always gives, so it's very heartwarming that people gave back. I think she was a little worried about attendance...We did well.
Sitting here in the Infusion Room...so this is it??...really?? wow....I wish I could say I would miss it...but who in the hell would miss this? Sicko people I guess.. I hope that the people who come after us have the same great treatment that they gave us...I'm sure that the girls working here will continue their great care for others.
We come back in a month to talk about the future with Dr,McIntyre. We will discuss having kids...or not having kids I suspect. Maybe adopting or surrogacy... We'll see. I'm just glad we made it this far. Really, we are blessed. Life doesn't guarantee anything...just that you will die...Hopefully the time we, or you, spend here is spent with people you love and people that love you. Life can throw you a curve ball. Some people learn to hit curve balls....I was someone that could hit a curve ball...but just because you hit it doesn't mean it will be a home run or even a base hit for that matter. Sometimes you get out. Some wait...they wait until they get a ball that they can hit. Then they drive it to the opposite field for a base hit. Whether you are someone that can hit or someone that walks..you still have to get to first before you get home.. And home....home is were you should want to be. Home is were the people you love are. Sometimes it's not an physical place. Sometimes it's a mental or spiritual place. Either way it's nice to have a home.
I felt like Di and I were home Saturday night at the party. I thank each and everyone of you for being there with us.
(I don't know why I'm making baseball analogies, it's football season)

So.....next step is radiation. That's in about a month. I'll have to update again before then though.

So thanks again people. You helped make an important event very special for Di. That makes me happy. So thanks for making me happy people!!

be kind folks!

Round 5 done!!!

Di is home recovering from Fridays' round 5 of chemo. It doesn't seem as bad as round 4. Maybe jet lag had something to do with that...??

I can't believe how quickly this whole process is going. A buddy called me today to check in on us. He asked what round and how many more rounds Di had to do. I thought about it and told him that she just finished round 5! He then asked knowingly, if we were only doing 6... I said yes. Then he said how quickly it has been moving. I responded Ya, If you're not Di.. Can't imagine she thinks its going fast enough.

Di got her second "fill" this past week. Her boobs are bigger:) Not that it matters... Only to superficial people.. Me personally, I don't care one bit about nice, round, perfectly per portion breastsssssss...ahhhh... ohhh. sorry.
So the crew is working hard to make her Nov 7th benefit a huge success. It appears that it will be a well attended party! Can't wait.

Fantasy Football Update: Di is tied for 3rd with 3 other teams. I am 1-5...pulling up the rear. Last freakin place!! I suck..

Big Day Today!!

Today was a Big Day in our Breast Cancer realm....(that doesn't make any sense) Di had her implants filled for the first time!! Whoooowooooo!! Is that wrong? She has finally healed sufficiently to add saline to the temporary implants. I guess you could say she is an A cup now.

It seems that we are on the back end of this journey...wow....it can go by pretty quickly. Don't misunderstand, some days lasted forever. But all in all...she only has 2 more rounds of chemo...The State Fair of Texas is here.. I bought season passes. Halloween will be here before ya now it! Nov 7 is right after that...and that will be a blast. By then Di will only have 1 more round!!! Then Christmas will be here...New Years too!!

Hell it will be 2011 before ya know it.

A Benefit Honoring Diana Drury & Breast Cancer

CHECK OUT THE EVITE:


http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?event=HDGNFHDNBTPUICZKQUQC&inviteId=UHRPQOWXFWQPQNYUTMUT&showPreview=false&x=833315123

wow...time flyes!

jeezz.. where to start?? Just finished Round 4! By "finished" I mean the actual chemo session is done. Di would argue that she hasn't finished shi* this round. If she actually had the energy to "argue", that is. She has been asleep most of the time. I got home from work yesterday, her birthday, about 6pm. The first time she and I talked was at 3am. That's when she woke for the first time. She said she was hungry. Go figure.. Had some cantaloupe.. and toast I think. She says she's doing better today, but still dozing in and out of sleep on the couch with Dexter(dog). It's day 4 after chemo. Day 5 is usually the turn around day. Hopefully things will go as usual and she'll be up and around soon.

Went to England....in case you have been under a rock and didn't hear. Eric and Riam got married in Cambridge. GREAT TIME!! GREAT WEDDING!! We arrived in Cambridge on Eric's birthday, Sept 10th. Lots of good people and good times. Had a few pints. Visited some really old churches. But mostly got to hang with our family's and Eric & Riam's close friends.

Mom, Erin & Brent, Gail, Danielle and her kids Garrett & Sinclaire, Merritt & wife Carissa, Joshua & cousin Emma went to London Monday the 14th. We immediately got on a double decker tour bus. It rained... Got cold... Had fun though. The bus tour ended...at a place that was practically impossible to get back to the hotel. We took a cab back if I remember correctly. Or maybe we took the underground...I've slept since then. Emma, Merritt, Carissa and Josh left that day to spend a few days in Paris at Emma's place. They seemed to have a good time.
Mom, Gail and Brent & Erin left on Wednesday...I think. Danielle and the kids stayed until Friday...I think. We went with them to the London Dungeon...I guess it was worth it. Hanging with the kids was fun. During the times the family was gone we did a lot of walking!! TONS of walking. Walked every where. Had dinner with Caye & Dan Pierce a couple of nights. Watched the Eagles New Orleans game Sunday at their place. Visited all the places on would expect to visit in London. Took a train to see Hampton Court. Probably Di's favorite day of the trip.

All in all Di's health was great. Not a problem arose. Well, I got a nasty spider bite on my leg that looked pretty bad...but it's OK now. In case you were wondering.

I guess there are a lot of things to be thankful for! And I'm thankful for that!

Stay tuned for more info on a November 7th Party in honor of Di! Food, Drinks and Boys Named Sue will be playing!! Everyone is welcome to come!

Round 3 on Friday

Di has been feeling really well the last week or so. She actually commented to me last night that it sucks that she feels so good right now knowing that she goes in on Friday. I told her to try and not think about it until then. No use worrying for a week then feeling bad a week after that...kinda screws up 2 weeks instead of just the week of feeling bad after chemo. She said that it was the first time she had thought about it and that she would try not to think about it. Good, I said.

She and I are both looking forward to the NFL! Because with that comes Fantasy Football. No, really she loves it. Seriously.. We started a Coed Fantasy Football League last year. Brotha Merritt and wife Carissa along with some good friends play. The draft is tomorrow night. She was looking at her cheat sheets last night getting ready. Saying she was going to "target" Jason Whitten, Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson, Fitzgerald.....you know, all the good ones. I just kinda of chuckled and said good luck with that. (she and everyone else in the league will "target" the best players..duhh.) I told her you win in Fantasy football with the guys you pick in the mid to late rounds...(I know because I win) She said "whatever, I want them". Cool, so do I.
So at least tomorrow night she won't be thinking of chemo. She'll be knee deep in our FFL Draft!!! and so will I.

We got to go to Cowboys Stadium last Friday night for the preseason game against Tennessee. Freakin awesome!! The place was crazy cool. The players come out of the tunnel at the 50yard line. But the coolest was that a camera follows them, on the huge Jumbo Screen, from the locker room through the "guts' of the stadium. Then the players go through a section where fans are lined up screaming and cheering at what is a bar type area, before they head out into the playing field. I can imagine how pumped up the fans will be for big games!! I think it will be really loud in the stadium too. Unlike Texas Stadium where it didn't seem loud except for really big games. i guess the dome being closed has something to do with it. That and the million trillion fans that fit into it. Oh ya, we had sweet tickets. Ya, We are big time but we try and play it cool.;)

So here's to Di feeling well today and tomorrow. Having a good draft and getting over chemo as soon as she can, cause we're outa here Sept 9th!!! here we come England!!

be kind to one another my friends.

Moving along

All is well at the moment. Di feels pretty good. Looks good too..well, looks good for a "baldy" I guess. Usually she wears a scarf, bandana thingy but every once in a while she bust out the wigs. But she usually asks the whole time its on if it looks OK. So that's kinda annoying.. It looks fine, really it does. of course she never believes me so if you guys run into her make sure you tell her how good she looks! K?

(Does anyone read this anymore?)

Her next round of chemo is Friday, August 28. 8:30. We go to London/Cambridge on Sept 9th. Get back on Sept 21 and have round 4 Sept 22nd. Round 5 is Oct 14. Then only one more left in Nov...that date hasn't been set yet.

The picture is a tribute to Riam & Eric. We're stoked to be heading to you wedding with the Drury Clan!

Back at em!

It appears that 5/6 days is the amount of time it takes Di to recoup after a round of chemo. The day of is OK. Not to bad. The next morning is not to bad but by noon time she feels awful. That lasts for 3/4 days. The fifth day she kinda gets out of the funk but still is really tired. The sixth day is good. She wants to get out of the house and eat. Not necessarily in that order. The next round is August 28th. That will give her plenty of time to recoup and get to Cambridge England for Eric (brother)& Riam's wedding! Of course she goes in the next day when we get back for chemo but hey, at least she will feel good for the trip! This trip is something that Di has really looking forward to. She can't wait to see all the British Royalty crap. Me, I could care less. But as I've come to find out the last few years, It's not always about me....who would have thunk it?

Dexter wanted to say Hi!

Thursday was Di's worse day this round. Felt horrible all day. She did eat a little but nothing of any substance. She said she feels better today and went for a walk down the block with her mom and Dexter. So that's good.
Today is Merritt's (my brother)B-Day. I was hoping she would feel good enough to go to dinner with he and Carissa. Don't think that will happen. Oh well. She should be back at it be Saturday....hopefully.

2 Days after Chemo 2

It seems the medication Di got this round helped her a great deal with her nausea and queasy feelings. Awesome news. That was what made her miserable after the first round. She isn't feeling great but it is definitely more manageable this time. She actually has an appetite. That's huge! She didn't eat for a few days with out a big fuss last time.
We are still getting used to her hair loss. Just weird.

peace & love

clay

GI Jane??

Well, Di officially looks like a cancer patient. It's the hair. It's gone. Bye bye vanity. Di & I had a great weekend. We had brunch on Saturday with friends Anna & Brian Monroe and kids. They are in visiting from Washington DC. After brunch Di, Dexter and I took an hour walk around White Rock Lake. It was really nice. But the really nice part came about 8pm. We were to meet Brian, Anna and Troy and Licia, Dave C., Ashley & Colin, and whoever else decided to show up at 1st & 10. So Di got in the shower...she was a little musty after a long active day. About the time we were to leave she called out for me from the shower. Apparently she couldn't get the knot out of her hair. I took a look and knew that we would only be able to cut her knot out. And that would mean cutting pretty much all of it off. Unfortunately I was right. It all had to come off. It was a day that Di wasn't looking forward to. Why would you? The only good break was the fact that we had people waiting for us. She "had " to pull herself together and get out of the shower so that we could meet everyone. She didn't have much time to dwell on the hair loss. And I mean "loss"! No mas. So having friends, in this instance, comes in handy. You know, It's weird. They cut the cancer out. She doesn't have it anymore, per say. But she looks like it know.
Today is round 2 of chemo. That's were we are right now. Pretty busy day here in the Infusion Room. Packed. Lots of sick people. Lots of sick looking people. Mostly older. Di's the youngest by a decade at least. She is also the prettiest...but that's not hard to do:)

House Arrest

Di has been feeling pretty good the last week or so. The problem is her body is fooling her. her blood count is REALLY low. Makes her susceptible to infections...hard to fight off illnesses. So, we have been on "House Arrest" for the last week or so. So far we have watched Americas Funniest Home Videos for 1 million hours! Just can't get enough of people falling, guys getting hit in the nuts and people hitting others with the bat from a Pinata. Makes me laugh every time.

If it wasn't for the low blood count everything would be great. Di is on steroids so her voice is getting deeper and i think I saw her balls drop. Oh wait, that's not how it works. Actually the steroids kinda ramps her up. makes her just a little fidgety. Well, a little more then usual I would say. Makes her feel pretty good.....that is until it's time to go to bed. She is getting her pill cocktail down where she can sleep now. So that's better too.

Her surgery wounds are healing well too. Hopefully they will be completely healed really soon. Then we can work on Full C's!

Special shout out to Michele Berube. Thanks again for all you have done. Also to Charlotte for the cakes balls! (guess she wants to fatten me up). And to Grace Ann for stopping in with the ginger sweets. Y'all are awesome.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Plato

Marathon

Harry Potter Marathon that is! Di and I have been catching up on our Harry Potter so we can be all up to speed for the new one. 4 movies in 3 days. Hopefully we will go see the new one this week.

Lets move on to more important things. Me. Just kidding. Di is slowly getting her appetite back. We went to Lakewood Dixie for lunch yesterday and she ate a baked potato. Then she had a Strawberry Shake from Jack In The Box. I had to have an Oreo Cookie Shake. I'm seriously getting fat.:( Must run today. Joe Jackson is my work out partner and he has been in the Canary Islands for Dan Pierce's wedding for over a week. So I, of course, haven't been to the gym since his departure. He's back now so I guess i will get back to my regular routine. Weeeeee.

There has been a noticeable improvement in Di's surgery wounds. They are pretty damn close to being completely healed. when they do heal completely Dr. Meade will begin to fill them with saline. (come on full C!)

The first few days after chemo was not pretty. We were warned about it. It is true. The physical feelings of nausea and a complete body ache is true to typical chemo effects. However she has improved daily on the physical part. The mental mind trip is another thing. Mentally telling yourself to "get up" has got to be draining for her. You just don't want to do anything. Don't want to get out of bed in the morning, don't want to go to the store, don't want to keep telling me to "leave me alone" about getting out of the freaking recliner!
I expect this week to be much better. So does Di.

peace & love

Day 2 post chemo

I'm not sure what to say... Di hasn't been feeling to good. It's been a struggle to get her out of bed in the morning. I get up and make a few things for her to eat...hoping she will look at it and say, "that looks good, I'll eat this". but that really hasn't happened yet. She had a banana and some toast for breakfast.

There are many things in this world to be grateful for. I am grateful for my wife. She has helped me become a man. She makes me a better person. Without her I would be lost. I am grateful for my friends. They show themselves in times of need. I am grateful for my family, both immediate and distant. They helped shape my life.

"Chemo Day"

The day Di has been dreading. The beginning of 6 rounds, 1 every 21 days. The next few days will probably tell us a lot of how Di will react to the chemo. In 2 to 4 days she may experience more nasua. In 7 to 10 days she may feel her weekest. In 10 to 14 days they say she will start to lose her hair. She was chosen to be in the TC group. You may, or may not, recall that she is part of a study that has 3 different rounds of chemo. TAC, TC or TCB. We both feel that this is Di's first "break" in this ordeal. TC will be 6 months and is without the A drug. Which apparently has bad nausea as a side effect. Don't misunderstand. They all will make you sick. It's just that the TCB is a year long study. That's 6 months longer folks. So TC is good. "mmmkayyy"

Any who. We are winding down for the night. Di is in her thrown, AKA the recliner, nodding in and out of sleep. She's pretty tired. It's been a long day. It started at 8am at Presby. Checked in for the round. Dr. McIntyre met with us and went over tons of info about the drugs, side effects, what to expect in the next several months, diet, exercise, etc. We finished all the chemo just after one. Then I went with Di to her physical therapist. Nice little lady...Di's asleep so I can't get you her name. She went over how to message her neck, back, arms chest. Areas where her lymph nodes are to help her swelling and help prevent lymphedema, lymphoma...that kind of stuff. Actually I just watched as this lady rubbed on Di...and rubbed, and rubbed....mmmm...
After that we picked up lunch, went to Tom Thumb for a few things. Tried to leave the store...car wouldn't work..100+ deegres outside....hot...Di panicking....Di trying to turn on the AC even though I told her 2 seconds earlier that turning the AC on would making the car worse. Her telling me off. Me trying not to be normal...cause then I would be an ass.... car finally started. Went strait home. Blockbuster can wait. Got home and ate...finally.
Talked to Ma Daisy, my mom's mom. She turned 93 today!! Put me in a good mood talking to her. Happy Birthday Ma Ma Daisy. Love ya. Thanks everyone for the thought and prayers. That reminds me. Ma Daisy told me that she is praying for us. Me being me said "I hope praying works". She said eventually she would be gone and that she would come back to assure me there is "someone" to pray to. Then I would be able to tell if praying for someone works.

Moving Forward

Today Di and I...and Terry.... went to see Dr. McIntyre, the oncologist, to get info for when chemo starts. She will start July 15th. I think the reality has hit Di. She was a little upset today. Not bad. Just not good. And I want good. She has decided to join in a research drug that they hope is the "New Wave" of curing breast cancer. Basically Di will get 1 of the 3 different types of chemo. It will be randomly picked. T.A.C, T.C. or T.C.B. are the drugs. TAC is kinda the old standard. TC is without the "A" drug and seems to have less Nassau with the patients. Both TAC & TC would be 6 months of treatment. TCB is a year long. The introduction of the B drug is what is believed to be the new wave. It's been tested on other cancers just not breast cancer. Or something like that. I'm basically still processing the information that was thrown at us this morning.

It took almost 30minutes to go over all the side effects of the drugs. Jeezz. I mean rectal bleeding?? WTF? Of course the cancer patients that "B" has treated were originally colon cancer. So it kinda makes sense.

Anywho. Must get back to work!

cd

So you're saying I don't have to sleep on the couch anymore?

Ya, that's right. I've been sleeping on the couch for about 10 days. And I didn't even do anything wrong! It started because Di was sleeping on the recliner my mom let us barrow because it was much more comfortable to sleep on with the 4 drains under her arm pits. If she needed me during the night I was right there. As you all know 2 drains were taking out this Monday. So, are you ready?? The last 2 were taking out this morning with the strict stipulation that she is NOT to do anything active for awhile. When Dr Meade asked her how she was doing she replied with her awesome smile and said "GREAT, I've been doing stuff..vacuuming, cleaning the bathtubs, mopping...yaa, I feel pretty good." Of course Dr. Meade responded with the "are you crazy lady?" look. He told her that he wouldn't take out 1 of the 2 if she was going to do those kind of things. She gave him the sad eyes, yes the same one she gave me 5 days ago when I broached the subject of me moving back to MY BED! He couldn't resist either. So he made her promise she would take it easy. Di would have promised him a ride on "The Di Train" if it got that last drain out! That's right, you read it correctly "The Di Train". Not sure what it is exactly..not even sure I've been on that ride to tell ya the truth. But I digress. (Oh...sorry Terry)
We are to go back in two weeks to start the "expansion" process. Basically filling the artificial boobs up with saline until the desired size is reached. (COME ON FULL C!!)
We meet with Dr. Killbride tomorrow morning. I think we will discuss chemo and all that that entails.

I'll leave you smiling with a picture of Nephew Luke. (sorry Brent)
take care people

cd

1 week post operation

Well, the weekend came and went. Di has felt a little better every day. We were able to visit with many of you, and speaking for Di, I know it lifted her spirits. Thanks to all of you.
Di is been weening herself off of most her meds. She doesn't take the pain killers or Valium except when she is about to sleep. I personally don't know how she does it. Me...I would be looking to have them refilled by now. Well, maybe just the pain killers. Maybe not.
We went to Dr.Mead's office today to get, what we hoped would be her drains removed. She had to settle with having 2 removed. Looks like another week with those punk a** drains #2 & #4. No one likes drain #2 & #4, no one. I got to watch them pull the two out..man, those things are long. I had no idea. Like maybe 10inches long! IN HER BODY....4 of them...well 2 now. Hopefully the other 2 will come out later this week.

I made it to work for a few hours today. That was fun.

Oh, I brought Di's car to the shop to do a full maintenance work over while Di is all drugged up and can't drive. Please Dear Lord Almighty. Let this hold Di's " I want a new car" stage go away! At least for another year...or 2.

Nobody came to mow my yard this weekend. What's up with that? ;)

Di and I might try and see a movie tonight. She wants to get out of the house some more. Maybe go to The Studio Movie Grill to see The Hangover and eat dinner. We could both use a good laugh...and they sell beer there too. (don't tell Di that I agreed to go today because there are no games on tv)

thanks again for all the support.

cd

2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

As well as Di has been handling all that has come, she did wobble a little today. Not her best day. But I want her best day to be everyday. The pain reliever she was taking was making her feel nauseous. So most of the day she wasn't feeling to good. We got another pill that put her right out! We'll see if this makes her nauseous when she awakes. It shouldn't. So hopefully when she gets up from her nap she will turn her day around. She kept telling me that the 3rd day was hump day. I kept saying "sure baby... sure" in my sarcastic tone. She has no energy so I'm kicking her ass in the "arguments" category. It's a game we play.

I actually got to go to work for a few hours today........that was fun.

I really need to mow the yard. Where are all these people that say "we'll do anything for you" now?

Seriously kidding folks. DO NOT COME MOW MY YARD! I actually enjoy mowing my own yard. So don't piss me off.

Some of the things that Di got today were awesome. Really nice. Too nice. Almost. You will all be glad to know that I have gained 5 pounds in the last week. Crazy jealous aren't ya? No more cookies people!!! Jeez..

I think Di is healing pretty well. She hasn't had a ton of fluid coming from her 4 drains under her arm pits. Not much swelling either. Her left hurts more then the right, because she had her lymph nodes removed on that side. The cancer didn't spread to the right side, so no need to scoop a bunch out of there. Now I'm starting to feel nauseous thinking about it. I help Di with her drains and have to leave when she squirts it into the cup...It makes this horrible noise. Grosses the S out of me.

Di basically eat crackers, mind you we have like 100 different kinds, and strawberries today. Picked up some chicken. She ate a little the other night, maybe when she gets up I can get her to eat some more. If not we have more strawberries and other fruits. We will all just have to wait and see. I'm going to get some chores done and get dinner ready....so I can sit down and watch the Rangers game! Blog ya later

cd

Easy Breezy

I tell you guys, if this is the tough part then Di has already beat it! She is great. It's about 10:30pm, 6-16-09. I am blogging(never thought that would come out of me) and Di is up reading. Status Quo around here. Well, except for the minor detail of being in a hospital room. All else is good. Di even had me tighty up the sink and pick up some. Ya, she back. But it's no problem. I need direction. Not from you guys though. So no ideas.
She will be going home tomorrow. Not sure when. It's been nice having the RN's empty her drains. She has 4 of them. 2 under each arm. They will probably be there for 7/10 days so I am not looking forward to emptying those..yuukk. Que Erin. Enter stage left.

All of the nurses have been excellent. Every single one has giving Di high marks on her recovery. It's funny to see the facial expressions of the nurses from last night that are back tonight. They are amazed at how quickly she is progressing. It's been night and day folks. Really cool to see. Not that I doubted how quick it would be. Hell, I told her we should have left earlier today. Then she reminded me that the room was paid through the night.....So ya, I'm staying with or without her. Might as well let someone else change those 4 drains. You know what I'm talking about. You know.

Di was happy to get all the flowers, sweets, cookies..<-damn you Michelle!-and fruit basket(was actually pretty cool looking & tasty), emails, calls and visits. Thanks, GraceAnne for coming by. My sisters and both our parents and Roberta thank ya'll too. Thank you Mrs. Billy and Sherrie(Nurses)for all they did. Especially the first night. We are looking forward to tomorrow! Looking forward to the next challenge. Looking forward to chemo & wigs. Looking forward to London for Riam & Eric's wedding. Looking forward to radiation. And looking forward to kicking cancers ass. So jump on folks, Di and I are going for a ride. Plenty of room for "Band Wagoners". So come on.
blog ya later,
cd

All is well. Resting up.

Last night was pretty uneventful. Nothing cool to report. The hospital had a cot I slept on so I was happy about that. Not so happy about the every 2 hour wake ups by the RN's. Not that I would complain. No really, it was fine. I got my sleep. Di has been in and out of it all day. She is pretty jacked up on some heavy duty narcotics. Thankfully. She did get up this morning to go to the rest room. A good sign. She needs to get up and move around as much as she can. So maybe after lunch Terry and I can coax her into walking around. She loves cheese and crackers so we ordered some for her in hopes that it would give her some type of energy. Enough to get her up.
I plan on sleeping here again tonight to keep an eye on her. I guess Terry will stay for the day. Don't think I could pry her away even if I wanted to. Not that I want to. It's about noon and Di has had a few Animal Crackers and some water....oh and ice. The patch she has behind her ear helps with nausea but makes her mouth dry. Better dry mouth then mouth projectile! Dr. Killbride seems to have done a great job on the surgery. That's what Dr. Mead said anyway. He said she made great incisions and it made his reconstructive job easy. All the RN's that have cleaned her wounds have commented on the "new technique" he used. Apparently none had seen the technique before. We were told that he is on the cutting edge of reconstructive surgery. From what i saw the wounds looked great. I thought it was going to be pretty nasty. It wasn't. I don't like "nasty", and it wasn't "nasty"..thankfully.

They just dropped off lunch. Chicken was pretty good. Di ate 4 or 5 bites. Not bad for Di and meat...some of you know what I'm talking about. Not a big meat eater.I made her eat some veggies too. Of course she started with the ice cream cup. That was no problem. Went down quick. She's up now. Sitting in a chair. Time for me to talk to my wife. I'll catch you up later.

thanks again folks. for the flowers, calls, emails, thoughts and prayers.

cd

Surgery is DONE!

All went well. No surprises. Actually the doctors all said that it was uneventful. That is good news. Didn't want any "events" happening. Not on my wife. Not today. She is recovering in the recovery room. Hopefully I will be able to see her soon. real soon..

So. We have won the first round. I feel good. I can hold her up long enough to get to her next round. With every ones help she will be done before she knows it.

They haven't given her a room yet so I don't know the room number. Dr. Mead seems to think it possible to leave tomorrow... we'll see. No rush here. Whenever she is ready I'll be ready.

Props to Terry for being here the whole time. Alan and Erin are here too. My mom was here this morning. that was nice. Thanks again to all who have sent there well wishes and good thoughts. It is comforting..

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Here we are waiting, waiting, waiting...there she is sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. Hope she wakes up and asks,"Am I done yet?" All good in the neighborhood, we are almoat done with the Surgery. Any time now the Plastic Surgeon should be walking through the door to say, "All done. Everything went well. she is doing great. She'll be in recovery for about an hour or so then to her room!"
Let's see if that's what happens....that better be what happens...or an "Elective Surgery" will be done on the Surgeon himself by me, Erin. And I only know how to insert pacemakers :)

We'll keep you posted. May be a late night, but hopefully not long before she makes it to her room. Until next update, over and out....

Guest Blogger: Erin Shreiner, sister-in-law, sister, friend

Surgery Day.

So far so good!!! In surgery as I type. Went home to let out Dexter The Dog, he's our dog;) & get some freaking pants on. Terry and I are freezing in the waiting room.
Good news on the Rt side, lymph nodes came back negative. It means less pain on that side and less time to recover....on that side. So that's awesome. Finished the right breast about 4. They called us to tell us the right was done and they were headed to the left breast. It's 4:45 so I'm headed back to the hospital. Thanks for EVERY ONE'S kind words and prayers. I know Di appreciates it. She always "gives". It's nice to see others pulling for her and "giving" back to her. So guys, thanks. thank you from Di and me.

kick it.

Mapping her chest for surgery

Di is at Dr Mead's (reconstructive doctor) now so that he can "map out" her chest. He literally will draw lines and mark up her body so he can photograph it to send to her breast doctor, Dr Kilbride. So when she arrives Monday for surgery Dr. Kilbride will know what Dr. Head wants to do. Got it? Can't wait to get home and see what it looks like. Maybe she will let me color it in! Maybe it looks like a connect-the-dot thingy! I'm waiting for her call right now. Guess I'll have to wait until after work. She said she could do this Dr's visit alone. Not sure if Terry (her mother) went. She has been able to make almost all her doctor visits. It's hard enough running a business so having her parents around has been a blessing for when I haven't been able to go.

I know she is looking forward to "Girls Night Out" on Friday. It will be her last Hurrah for a while. So, thanks lady friends, for taking care of her.

April 29..So it's Breast Cancer!.?.?.?

April 29 is a day Di & I will never forget. What we thought, and the doctors thought, was probably a calcium deposit turned out to be Breast Cancer. That was a sobering call. The next few days were pretty hard on her...and me...and her mom....dad...my mom, sisters, brothers....you get the point. She is loved by many and no one wants this thrust upon someone they love. No one.
Stage 3, spread to the Lymph Nodes, left breast. Stage 0 non invasive right breast, has not spread. Double mastectomy it is. Followed by chemo, then radiation. Then chemo pills. We're told.
Surgery is June 15. Followed by a month of recovery, then off to chemo once a month..or so for about 6 months.
June 1, we went to our fertility doctor to "Harvest Eggs". We were able to freeze 3 fertilised eggs that we hope we can turn into kids when this is all over...whenever that may be. If anyone wants to know about "The Room" I had the pleasure of visiting to "give" my "deposit" you will have to get me liquored up first.

There is no doubt in my mind that Di will beat this. She is young, mentally & physically strong, and has the support of many. All which will be key in her recovery.

I will do my best to update this blog as often as time allows so that all of you can follow her on her road to recovery. I thank all of you who have allready called, written, sent cards and sent there prayers our way. It is important that Di feels our love. Some days will be better then others. So remember, the day your card, or whatever, gets to her may be the day it is needed most! Don't hesitate to get in touch with me if there is something you want. We will do our best to keep our life as normal as possible..when possible. With our family and friends we will soon look back at this as the year we beat cancer...as a family...as friends.