I am so sorry that so much time has passed since my last entry. Life has been so crazy! It's travel season for Hubby. He's been gone just about all of April. He was home for about 3.5 days a few weeks ago, and that was pretty much it for April. It's going to be like this for a while. Funny thing is that this means that work is going good. He didn't travel this much last year, and as we all know the last 1.5 years has been really tough on the business, which in turn is tough on our bank account. It's been a long road to get back to this point, and now I remember how much travel season really does suck.
On the other hand I have gotten really good just in the last month of dealing with things that typically I would make Hubby deal with. I set up new lawn service, got the sprinkler system fixed (had to have a valve replaced and line repaired, I hired the new lawn service to do this too). Dealt with a leaking regulator to our water heater. Figured out how to reprogram our sprinkler system box (the sprinklers just would not come on, Hubby couldn't figure out why, our neighbor couldn't figure out why, but I finally did it!) Plus many other things that have come up that I have figured out how to handle. Usually I find myself dealing with sick kids. This time it was house items plus being on a weight lifting restriction. I am amazing myself with the things that I am handling, learning, and dealing with!
I have been spending my time working part time at the office, doing MOPS and Ministry Team, driving Courtney to and from school, working out, and trying to take care of the girls, 2 dogs, 2 birds and one hedgehog. It may not sound like much, but it really keeps me busy.
Last weekend Courtney had her first performance ever. She was Tigger in a little Winnie the Pooh play at her musical theater school. It was very cute. We are waiting for the performance that was filmed to come in the mail. Plus the photos. Once we get it, I will try to post it on YouTube for everyone to be able to watch. It was very cute and I am sure there are many more performances to come. In fact I already have her signed up for a summer camp there, and they are going to be doing 101 Dalmations.
I also have her signed up for VBS and another camp at church, plus an art class with Bemis Art School here in town. I also am going to get the girls back in swimming lessons. Kasey is finally of the age that I don't have to be in the pool with her! I need to get Courtney tested to see what level of lesson to put her in and then I can get them signed up! I am hoping to keep the girls busy this summer.
I am waiting to hear if Kasey will get into the preschool program at the same place Courtney went, which is at the elementary school just down the street. The school that Courtney is attending currently does not have a preschool or a feeder preschool, so we have to find somewhere we are happy with. We know we like the teachers there, so we are hoping we get in! We should know in about a month. If she doesn't get in there, well then, I am not quite sure where we are going to send her to preschool...
Gosh, that's about all the highlights I can think of currently. I really need to get off the computer and work on cleaning. Somehow the house has turned into quite a disaster area!!!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 01, 2012
The Secret is Out
So, the last few months have been a bit insane for us. I have been laying low and staying quiet as we have been dealing with some heavy issues here. I guess I will back up a bit.
I had a medical procedure in early February where about half of my cervix was removed. Its a long road on how we got to that point, but basically it started with an abnormal pap smear about 2 years ago. And after watching me closely for the past 2 years, things progressed to the point that I needed to have that done.
After that was done they biopsied the parts they removed to ensure they got all the bad cells. But the bad news was that they found cancer cells on the pieces they removed, and it was the type of cells that were going to move up the glands into my uterus. Therefore next step was a hysterectomy.
I had to wait 6 weeks due to the risk of infection being higher than the risk of the cancer spreading outside the area. So, on Wednesday March 21 I had a hysterectomy. Wow, only 37 years old and having a hysterectomy. Good thing we are done having kids! We got the exceptional news 2 days after surgery that they got all the cells!!! I had clean margins all around! Couldn't ask for better news.
But backing up, from the moment the doctor called with the bad news in February, life has been so very different. My emotions went so many places I have never been before. I think I was on auto-pilot until we got the results last Friday. Looking back I feel like I wasn't able to think clearly for the last 6 weeks. Its so hard to put into words what the last 6 weeks were like.
One of the emotions that I was feeling was that I really didn't want many people to know. It was so odd. I am usually one of those people who live like an open book, especially with big issues because I feel that if I can help just one person with the things I have learned or gone through, then it's worth it. But this time I felt like keeping it private. I told those close to us, and I told my Sunday school class and ministry team for prayers.
But here I am after the event, healing, and I am okay being an open book again. Especially because it shows the importance of women getting yearly pap smears!!! My cancer was caught early and removed because my doctor and I stayed on top of it! And I do not have to have any more treatment (cancer wise) due to catching it early!!
How am I doing? Well, the hysterectomy was tougher than I thought. I mean the recovery has been harder than I expected for some reason. Everyone kept saying before that if I had already had a C-section that this would be easier than that. But for some reason, for me, this was worse. Maybe it's due to the fact that I don't have an adorable new baby afterwards, who knows.
So I have been taking it very slow. I learned a few days after surgery that I really have to be careful how many times I go up and down the stairs in a day. Of course the further away I get from the surgery the better I am. I am on lots of restrictions for a while. I am not supposed to lift anything over 10 lbs for 4 weeks!! That's a tough one. And I just have to take it easy for 8 weeks. This is all pretty tough stuff to do with a 2 year old and a 5 year old!
Thankfully this first week has worked out really well. It was already planned that Hubby was taking Courtney on a work trip to Florida with him for Spring Break. He dropped her at Grammy and Granddad's house for the week while he worked in Tampa. So Courtney has been gone most of my recovery time. It has helped immensely to keep me quiet.
My mom and my sister have been here taking care of me and Kasey. I am so thankful! And many friends have been bringing meals for us! I am so blessed! Soon this will all be a memory. I am looking forward to that day.
So to all of you who have sent cards, brought meals, visited, cleaned, called, etc, I can't thank you enough! I feel so very loved. And so very blessed.
I had a medical procedure in early February where about half of my cervix was removed. Its a long road on how we got to that point, but basically it started with an abnormal pap smear about 2 years ago. And after watching me closely for the past 2 years, things progressed to the point that I needed to have that done.
After that was done they biopsied the parts they removed to ensure they got all the bad cells. But the bad news was that they found cancer cells on the pieces they removed, and it was the type of cells that were going to move up the glands into my uterus. Therefore next step was a hysterectomy.
I had to wait 6 weeks due to the risk of infection being higher than the risk of the cancer spreading outside the area. So, on Wednesday March 21 I had a hysterectomy. Wow, only 37 years old and having a hysterectomy. Good thing we are done having kids! We got the exceptional news 2 days after surgery that they got all the cells!!! I had clean margins all around! Couldn't ask for better news.
But backing up, from the moment the doctor called with the bad news in February, life has been so very different. My emotions went so many places I have never been before. I think I was on auto-pilot until we got the results last Friday. Looking back I feel like I wasn't able to think clearly for the last 6 weeks. Its so hard to put into words what the last 6 weeks were like.
One of the emotions that I was feeling was that I really didn't want many people to know. It was so odd. I am usually one of those people who live like an open book, especially with big issues because I feel that if I can help just one person with the things I have learned or gone through, then it's worth it. But this time I felt like keeping it private. I told those close to us, and I told my Sunday school class and ministry team for prayers.
But here I am after the event, healing, and I am okay being an open book again. Especially because it shows the importance of women getting yearly pap smears!!! My cancer was caught early and removed because my doctor and I stayed on top of it! And I do not have to have any more treatment (cancer wise) due to catching it early!!
How am I doing? Well, the hysterectomy was tougher than I thought. I mean the recovery has been harder than I expected for some reason. Everyone kept saying before that if I had already had a C-section that this would be easier than that. But for some reason, for me, this was worse. Maybe it's due to the fact that I don't have an adorable new baby afterwards, who knows.
So I have been taking it very slow. I learned a few days after surgery that I really have to be careful how many times I go up and down the stairs in a day. Of course the further away I get from the surgery the better I am. I am on lots of restrictions for a while. I am not supposed to lift anything over 10 lbs for 4 weeks!! That's a tough one. And I just have to take it easy for 8 weeks. This is all pretty tough stuff to do with a 2 year old and a 5 year old!
Thankfully this first week has worked out really well. It was already planned that Hubby was taking Courtney on a work trip to Florida with him for Spring Break. He dropped her at Grammy and Granddad's house for the week while he worked in Tampa. So Courtney has been gone most of my recovery time. It has helped immensely to keep me quiet.
My mom and my sister have been here taking care of me and Kasey. I am so thankful! And many friends have been bringing meals for us! I am so blessed! Soon this will all be a memory. I am looking forward to that day.
So to all of you who have sent cards, brought meals, visited, cleaned, called, etc, I can't thank you enough! I feel so very loved. And so very blessed.
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