Hi all!
As I start a fresh new year it reminds me of the first day of school. Fresh notebooks, pens, pencils and new covers on text books. I was one of those kids that loved school and always felt that each September was the beginning of a new chapter.
January, 2012 is a fresh new chapter filled with blank pages. We can write our days to be anything we want them to be. For me personally, I will try to pace myself and not get crazy busy. I will try to stay in the moment and not take stuff to serious. I will try to be grateful and not complain. I will try to keep my crazy sense of humor with me at all times.
May we all keep a fresh perspective (in the big picture of our mother earth) of how easy we have it and may we celebrate life each day. Remember, "sweateth not the small stuff", and most of it is small stuff.
Luv U All ~
Jude
Monday, January 2, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2012
Hi all,
It has been 3 weeks since my last chemo!!! I am feeling sooooooooooo much better!!!! It is pretty amazing. Dr. Hudhud (my oncologist) and his nurse, Lisa, said that 4-6 weeks after the last chemo I would "be back" to my normal self. Whatever that is! I have gotten used to my "new" normal. Being extremely exhausted all the time.
But, I have to say... I am feeling so much better... I am getting a glimmer of the old Judy. And if you all thought I was perky before? Get ready because I am soooooooooo grateful to be DONE with chemo that I will be even more perky. This feels so fantasticly good.
I will get a CT scan in February. And each month I will have bloodwork done. The bloodwork includes measuring the CA125 level. CA125 is the test for ovarian cancer. The good range is between 0 and 30. Pre surgery in June my level was 984. Post surgery it was 44. NOW... it is 16!!! Woo! hoo! Can I get an AMEN!
So please have a wonderful Christmas, celebrate the birth of our Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Merry, merry Christmas and pray for healthy days ahead for ALL of us,
Luv & hugs,
Jude
It has been 3 weeks since my last chemo!!! I am feeling sooooooooooo much better!!!! It is pretty amazing. Dr. Hudhud (my oncologist) and his nurse, Lisa, said that 4-6 weeks after the last chemo I would "be back" to my normal self. Whatever that is! I have gotten used to my "new" normal. Being extremely exhausted all the time.
But, I have to say... I am feeling so much better... I am getting a glimmer of the old Judy. And if you all thought I was perky before? Get ready because I am soooooooooo grateful to be DONE with chemo that I will be even more perky. This feels so fantasticly good.
I will get a CT scan in February. And each month I will have bloodwork done. The bloodwork includes measuring the CA125 level. CA125 is the test for ovarian cancer. The good range is between 0 and 30. Pre surgery in June my level was 984. Post surgery it was 44. NOW... it is 16!!! Woo! hoo! Can I get an AMEN!
So please have a wonderful Christmas, celebrate the birth of our Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Merry, merry Christmas and pray for healthy days ahead for ALL of us,
Luv & hugs,
Jude
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Last Chemo Treatment - Dec 1st at 9:30
Hi to all my bloggers!
Tomorrow is my last chemo treatment. Wow... tomorrow is my last chemo. Please pray for me. For some reason I am very teary eyed. I am finally to the last... heavy sigh. I have such mixed emotions. I am very emotional, nervous, utterly exhausted, utterly tired, sometimes I must remind myself to breath and happy all at the same time. But at the same time I know that I am: getting rid of the ovarian cancer cells, alive, getting back to my old self very soon, beautiful, faithful, smart, a good friend, funny, afraid of birds (that get in my house!), resourceful, looking forward to a VERY bright future, loving and a bright light!
Let's all focus on the positive "I am's". Do that for me, please.
I know my path has a purpose. I will follow.
I want to share a scripture with you all that Pastor Dan shared with me today. Thanks Dan.
"Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint"
Isaiah 40:28-31
Notes: Even the strongest people get tired, but God's power and strength never diminish. He is never too tired or too busy to help and listen. His strength is our source of strength. When you feel all of life crushing you and you cannot go another step. remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength. (NLT version notes)
I <3 U all and miss you even more,
Jude
Tomorrow is my last chemo treatment. Wow... tomorrow is my last chemo. Please pray for me. For some reason I am very teary eyed. I am finally to the last... heavy sigh. I have such mixed emotions. I am very emotional, nervous, utterly exhausted, utterly tired, sometimes I must remind myself to breath and happy all at the same time. But at the same time I know that I am: getting rid of the ovarian cancer cells, alive, getting back to my old self very soon, beautiful, faithful, smart, a good friend, funny, afraid of birds (that get in my house!), resourceful, looking forward to a VERY bright future, loving and a bright light!
Let's all focus on the positive "I am's". Do that for me, please.
I know my path has a purpose. I will follow.
I want to share a scripture with you all that Pastor Dan shared with me today. Thanks Dan.
"Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint"
Isaiah 40:28-31
Notes: Even the strongest people get tired, but God's power and strength never diminish. He is never too tired or too busy to help and listen. His strength is our source of strength. When you feel all of life crushing you and you cannot go another step. remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength. (NLT version notes)
I <3 U all and miss you even more,
Jude
Monday, November 21, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dear friends~
I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are spending the day at my sister Lisa's. I hope everyone has a peaceful, fun day filled with great food, friends and family.
I am on the downhill y'all and I can hardly wait to be done with the chemo. My last round is a week from Thanksgiving on Dec 1st. I'm almost there!
Thank you, thank you, thank you... from the bottom of my heart, for all the prayers, supportive emails, text messages, phone calls, flowers, gifts, meals, cards, care packages and positive thoughts.
All my <3,
Jude
I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are spending the day at my sister Lisa's. I hope everyone has a peaceful, fun day filled with great food, friends and family.
I am on the downhill y'all and I can hardly wait to be done with the chemo. My last round is a week from Thanksgiving on Dec 1st. I'm almost there!
Thank you, thank you, thank you... from the bottom of my heart, for all the prayers, supportive emails, text messages, phone calls, flowers, gifts, meals, cards, care packages and positive thoughts.
All my <3,
Jude
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Nearing the finish line...
Hi everyone,
It's been 9 days since round #5 of chemo. I'm getting near the finish line and the chemo is making certain that I will never forget how tough this has been. I spend my days at the oncologist getting fluids and iron or home on the couch watching TV or sleeping. Round #5 has all my blood levels low, I am anemic and food tastes like sand. On the upside, I found a cherry tootsie pop in my tote bag and it tasted fantastic! (Margaret I think that was from Nolan's treat bag you gave me)
I am so looking forward to post chemo days. I know this is starting to wear on Mark too. He's always tired and that is stress. Matt starts the wrestling season next week so that will be a good diversion. We will try to make the upcoming holiday season as less stressful as possible. My nieces, Linz and Carly, are coming over the Thanksgiving weekend to put up a few Christmas decorations. I treasure the time I get with them. As they get older I see them less and less.
The count down to my last round of chemo is 20 days to Dec 1st. After the last round my body will be able to start healing. Within 3-4 weeks I should start feeling better because I won't be slammed with another round of drugs! I am soooooooooooooooo looking forward to 2012. I hope that damn Mayan calendar isn't right!
Thank you all for the prayers, postive thoughts, uplifting cards, emails and text messages. Please keep a young woman, Rachel, in your prayers. In her short life of 19 years she has had 3 types of cancer. At 15 she had her entire right leg amputated, then a few yrs later she had groin cancer, then this past February she had part of her lung removed that was cancerous. Rachel is a kind spirit and is very upbeat. NUFF said, what do we have to complain about?
I luv you all,
Jude
It's been 9 days since round #5 of chemo. I'm getting near the finish line and the chemo is making certain that I will never forget how tough this has been. I spend my days at the oncologist getting fluids and iron or home on the couch watching TV or sleeping. Round #5 has all my blood levels low, I am anemic and food tastes like sand. On the upside, I found a cherry tootsie pop in my tote bag and it tasted fantastic! (Margaret I think that was from Nolan's treat bag you gave me)
I am so looking forward to post chemo days. I know this is starting to wear on Mark too. He's always tired and that is stress. Matt starts the wrestling season next week so that will be a good diversion. We will try to make the upcoming holiday season as less stressful as possible. My nieces, Linz and Carly, are coming over the Thanksgiving weekend to put up a few Christmas decorations. I treasure the time I get with them. As they get older I see them less and less.
The count down to my last round of chemo is 20 days to Dec 1st. After the last round my body will be able to start healing. Within 3-4 weeks I should start feeling better because I won't be slammed with another round of drugs! I am soooooooooooooooo looking forward to 2012. I hope that damn Mayan calendar isn't right!
Thank you all for the prayers, postive thoughts, uplifting cards, emails and text messages. Please keep a young woman, Rachel, in your prayers. In her short life of 19 years she has had 3 types of cancer. At 15 she had her entire right leg amputated, then a few yrs later she had groin cancer, then this past February she had part of her lung removed that was cancerous. Rachel is a kind spirit and is very upbeat. NUFF said, what do we have to complain about?
I luv you all,
Jude
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween
I hope everyone has a great Halloween. I am getting ready for round 5 of chemo, Thursday 11/3. Please keep me in your prayers. I have not recovered from round 4. I am getting through this by focusing on the fact that my last round of chemo is on December 1st!! The nurses and my oncologist have promised that I will bounce back quickly once chemo is complete.
On the positive side... I am able to be home every day when Matt gets home from school! This is the silver lining. I am home with my favorite teenager. Anddddd.... Matt will get his drivers permit on December 7th and I know I will be in demand!! He won't be able to drive without me in the car!! Woo! Hoo!
Luv U all and miss U,
Jude
On the positive side... I am able to be home every day when Matt gets home from school! This is the silver lining. I am home with my favorite teenager. Anddddd.... Matt will get his drivers permit on December 7th and I know I will be in demand!! He won't be able to drive without me in the car!! Woo! Hoo!
Luv U all and miss U,
Jude
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Homecoming
Hi all!
I am 10 days past treatment #4. This recovery is different from all the others. My body, especially my legs and feet, feel like they are made of lead. I shuffle like an old person when I walk and my feet hurt all the time. I am having quite a few migraine headaches too. I normally get about 4-5 migraines a year and I am getting 4-5 a month now.
Anytime I talk to the nurses or oncologist about my symptoms, of course everything is caused by the chemo! There is really no way to know what will come next. So.... I continue my journey... one day at a time.
We had quite an eventful and wonderful week. Of course our 25th anniversary was on Tuesday. Urbana's Homecoming was this weekend. I hosted Matt and 9 of his friends here for pictures. Then Kate and Becca's moms took them to Laurienzo's in Mt Airy for dinner and then to the dance.
Matt said they had a great time. Lots of food, music, friends and dancing. Thank goodness for the normal "stuff" for Matt to join in for the a diversion from my days. I am resting and hanging out on the couch reading and watching TV. Working on getting my evergy back. I was able to get to the pumpkin patch to get some outside fall decorations and a pumpkin of course. Now... whether or not the pumpkin will get carved that is another question. I'll let you know!
Happy Fall... isn't it beautiful?!? My favorite season.
Luv,
Jude
I am 10 days past treatment #4. This recovery is different from all the others. My body, especially my legs and feet, feel like they are made of lead. I shuffle like an old person when I walk and my feet hurt all the time. I am having quite a few migraine headaches too. I normally get about 4-5 migraines a year and I am getting 4-5 a month now.
Anytime I talk to the nurses or oncologist about my symptoms, of course everything is caused by the chemo! There is really no way to know what will come next. So.... I continue my journey... one day at a time.
We had quite an eventful and wonderful week. Of course our 25th anniversary was on Tuesday. Urbana's Homecoming was this weekend. I hosted Matt and 9 of his friends here for pictures. Then Kate and Becca's moms took them to Laurienzo's in Mt Airy for dinner and then to the dance.
Matt said they had a great time. Lots of food, music, friends and dancing. Thank goodness for the normal "stuff" for Matt to join in for the a diversion from my days. I am resting and hanging out on the couch reading and watching TV. Working on getting my evergy back. I was able to get to the pumpkin patch to get some outside fall decorations and a pumpkin of course. Now... whether or not the pumpkin will get carved that is another question. I'll let you know!
Happy Fall... isn't it beautiful?!? My favorite season.
Luv,
Jude
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