Week 6 - Back to Reality

Vacation was over and it was back to reality. First stop was an MRI to make sure there really was only the one spot of cancer. Of everything so far, I was most nervous about this.

My appointment was at 12:30 on Monday in Lincoln but I left early and ran all my errands beforehand. I ate a wrap in the parking lot for lunch and then did the MRI. I was told I would get a call with results and I went home to wait. I had had thoughts of baking to take to knitting but couldn't get motivated so didn't. Something on my mind maybe?

Luckily I checked the patient portal first thing on Tuesday, which showed the results and had an understandable summary that said that no additional cancer was found. Big relief to say the least. Unfortunately I never got a call from any of the 3 doctors I'd shared the results with but at least I knew. I spent the next couple of days knitting in the sun and trying to stop thinking about cancer. I even went to a mental health program at the medical center but that was more for the free dinner and goodies. : )

I had an appointment at 12:15 Thursday to meet the surgeon. I met with the nurse first and she went through a big notebook of information, which of course was pink. I then met with the surgeon who gave me all the details. They'd be taking out the tiny tumor and would inject me with radioactive stuff to identify which lymph nodes were draining the tumor area and so would be removed for testing. It would be outpatient and I'd have to wear a post-surgery bra 24/7 for a week after surgery. Biopsies on the lymph nodes would determine how many radiation sessions I'd need. They'd call me soon to schedule my surgery. I went home and spent the afternoon on the phone, teams and messenger giving friends and family an update then had another comfort meal of breakfast for supper (not my first this week).

On Saturday, Andrea and Lori took me to the Woodcliff Restaurant, which is on the fake lakes off the Platte south of Fremont. It's an interesting place where you can get anything from a burger to Faroes salmon on a bed of carrot puree with beet coulis - so from mom and pop cafe food to Gordon Ramsey style. We started with a huge plate of delicious onion rings and then I had the salmon. Since it was my birthday dinner, we got a free yummy dessert to share. I was showered with fun presents and we chatted for ages so it was a great night.

Otherwise, the rest of the week was getting things done, running errands and relaxing. I got a long overdue haircut, did laundry and hung it out on the line, went to a fun sale at the fairgrounds to benefit post-prom (that's where I found this embroidered pic, which is perfect for me), finished some socks and did some reading in the sun. 

It was another stressful week on my cancer journey but them not finding more cancer with the MRI took a big load off my mind. Everyone involved was lovely and I had great support from friends and more birthday fun. I'll get through this! Just keep swimming.

Week 5 - Palm Springs Time

It was the week for our annual (hopefully going forward) trip to somewhere warm during our cold Nebraska winters. Anne, Rene and I were heading to Palm Springs, which was my idea because I didn't want to give Florida any of my tourist dollars and I wanted to go to the Salton Sea again, which my good friends were OK with.

Despite checking in exactly 24 hours before our flights, we all had C boarding passes. Luckily the flights weren't full so Anne and I had an empty seat between us and Rene did too a few rows away. We flew via Denver and got to Palm Springs at 3:30. We picked up the car, which they upgraded to what felt like a tank to me - a Santa Fe - and I was the only driver to save money so Yikes! After picking up some groceries, we went to our VRBO, which was a 3 bedroom house with a hot tub. We turned it on and Anne suggested In 'n Out for supper since she'd never been. Double double animal style - yum! We soaked in the hot tub until we were pruney then I bought Plagues & Pleasures at the Salton Sea to watch in preparation for the next day. It was a great start to our trip and we'd only been there a few hours.

We ate breakfast and headed out to our first stop - Desert Shores. I knew that the water had receded but was shocked by how far out we had to walk from what used to be the water's edge. Next stop was Salton Sea Beach then Salton City. We took lots of pictures and Anne and Rene seemed to be having fun. We drove completely around the southern end, which is all ag land, stopping at the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge where we didn't see much. By the time we we heading north up the east side of the sea, we were hungry and I was thrilled that the Ski Inn in Bombay Beach was open. We had great burgers and my favorite tots before exploring the art instillations on the sea side of the berm. The end of a fun Salton Sea day found us at North Shore, where the community center was closed but the director saw us looking in the windows and gave us a private tour, telling us all kinds of history along the way. What a fabulous day! Since lunch was so late, we ended with cheese and crackers for supper, a soak in the hot tub and working on the puzzle we'd brought.

The next day was Shield's Date Garden. Their movie was down but we walked the gardens and had a nice lunch in their restaurant before buying some treats in the gift shop. Next stop was the only yarn shop in the Palm Springs metro, which was small but we all still managed to find yarn to buy. We had been in search of a lemon tree to pick some from and found one on our street. The nice man who lived there let us pick some so we'd have those to take home. At home, we had more cheese and crackers and got so busy finishing our puzzle that we never went in the hot tub.

Thursday was our last full day and we were taking the aerial tramway up Mount Jacinto. There was snow on the ground up there and we did the long version of the nature walk. It started out on a clear, wide path but the higher we got, it became picking each step between ice, snow, tree roots and rocks. The ranger had told us to go from view point 5 to 1 so we'd be going uphill on the worst part but the signs weren't helpful so we ended up doing it in the other direction. Between points 4 and 5, Anne and I both fell. My knee bent more than it has since it was installed and there was some swelling but I lived to tell. We were up there a LONG time considering the hike was only 1.5 miles so got back down late afternoon. We went to Sherman's Deli for a very late lunch (I think it was 4:00). My knish was delish (ha!) and we all got a dessert to go. We had our last soak in the hot tub, snacked and watched the date garden movie before heading to bed.

Our flight wasn't leaving until mid-afternoon so we had the morning yet to go on Friday. I had wanted to do a mid-century modern architecture tour but at $125 each, I had explored for other options. I found a self-guided car tour that was only $17 so we checked out of the house early and started that. I wasn't very good with lots of stops like "between those gates you can see a sliver of a house through was (fill in old celebrity name)'s house" kind of things. We gave up after doing most of it and went downtown for the Birkenstock store (Anne and Rene bought shoes) and a slice of pizza for lunch. Rene googled an MCM neighborhood and we spent our last hours going up and down streets were regular people live in MCM houses, critiquing each one as we went by. We returned the car and were ready for our uneventful trip home. We got to Omaha late and were still driving at midnight so Anne and Rene sang happy birthday to me. I unpacked, showered and got to bed around 1:00 am. It was a great trip!

I had never really acclimated to Pacific time so was awake every morning at 4:30 despite staying up late each night so was a zombie on Saturday. I happily sat in my chair with my cats, chatting with friends and streaming/knitting the day away. I felt much better on Sunday and got some laundry done, scooped boxes and got back on track.

It was a wonderful winter break and I'd happily go back to Palm Springs. As always, even with such a short trip, it was good to be home. I also was able to forget about my diagnosis for awhile but would be right back on my cancer journey with an MRI Monday. At least I got the break to forget about it for awhile.

P.S. Photo credits to Anne and Rene since a few of these pics are theirs. : )

Week 4 - It's Breast Cancer

Yes, breast cancer but stage 1 and just a 3mm (1/12 of an inch) cluster of cells. After a bit of surgery and radiation, the oncologist says I'll be 100% cured. I'm going to hold her to that.

The start of the week was lovely with and I spent time avoiding TV, which meant lot of knitting, streaming and yarny things. Wednesday was a Lincoln day and I had a nice lunch with my work peeps, thrifted and ran errands but was home in time for tea and reading in the sun. Then the phone rang Thursday morning at 8:10.

It was my doctor, who has never called me in all the years I've been her patient so I know it was bad. They'd found cancer in the biopsied samples and within hours I had an appointment for the next day with an oncologist in Lincoln. Helen went with me and the doctor was lovely. She explained that they'd take out the cells and a few lymph nodes then a month after that I'd start radiation and would take hormone blockers. She really did use the words "100% cured" so I left feeling pretty positive. They set up an MRI and an appointment with a surgeon then Helen and I left for a yummy lunch at Copal. After a quick stop for kitty litter, I headed home so I could get busy.

Anne, Rene and I were leaving for Palm Springs first thing Monday so I had things to do. I ran errands in Wahoo on Saturday then got busy with laundry, packing and changing litter boxes, interspersed with lots of reading and talking to friends and family to tell them my news. I did some knitting and crocheting (!) too, finishing my January challenge socks too. Aren't they fun? The bright colors were a new year's gift from my friend Lori at the start of 2024.

By the end of the day Sunday, I was ready to go and was looking forward to a week in the sun not focused on cancer. I was bolstered by my oncologist's words (there's something I never thought I'd say - "my oncologist") and would deal with next steps after enjoying a week of fun with friends.

Week 3 - Fun vs. Biopsy

It started out as a quiet winter week, which works for me, but got busy later. I got some stuff done in the house and got out of town 3 days before the cold set in on Sunday. And a biopsy - no biggie.

I made some progress in the laundry room, finally getting the culled Christmas stuff back under the stairs where it belongs rather than in middle of the room where it's been for years. With all that put away, I went through the totes that weren't Christmas related, which were mostly ebay linens that I moved into the the ebay room. There was a tote of pictures from my mother's trips with the church group over the years. Since she took the pictures and so isn't in them, can I throw them out? Time to check in with my sisters.

In clearing out the laundry room mode, I brought up all my amaryllis bulbs that I'd put down there in the fall. I gave them a little love and put them in front of my slider so hopefully will have some flowers soon.

Between all this laundry room work, I did a bunch of cooking. I made my cousin's apricot jello mold (took that to knitting), Lacey's sausage/potato soup and cheddar biscuits. Most of these last 2 and a small container of the jello mold went to Darla, whose husband broke his leg and is awaiting surgery. 

Darla's office was my first stop on Wednesday when I went to Lincoln for lunch with Dodie. Afterwards I went into the office to visit but the accountants were leaving so I had a long catch up with Layton, which was nice and killed time until meeting Rene and Anne at Granite City for Rene's birthday dinner, which was my 2nd yummy meal of the day. I had a nutrition program at the hospital at 6:00 and when I realized I'd be there super early, I opted to park at the Danish cemetery that's on my way home and knit while the sun set. How pretty is this! I can't say I learned much that I didn't know about nutrition and I took the boxed lunch they provided home to eat later. It was a long but fun day.

There was more fun in store on Thursday. Anne is a big fan of cone yarn and after both of us having failed to hear back repeatedly from a woman in Fremont who had some, I'd found someone else and we were meeting her in way north Omaha to buy some. We started with breakfast at a new to me place I'd seen on Facebook - AJ's Cafe. They're known for their pancakes and they were huge and delish. We then met the woman only to find out that she'd bought all the yarn from the woman in Fremont, who had repeatedly not responded to her too but finally did. What are the chances? Anne bought a bunch and I bought a few too (why?) plus some non-cone acrylic for my sister. I was back home in time to eat my boxed lunch from the hospital program and be back there for a biopsy at 2:00.

I've had  calcifications they've been keeping their eye on for years and have had to go back for extra mammograms a few times. Now it was biopsy time. It was ultrasound guided and I felt nothing. I was home in time for tea and reading on the bench outside because it was in the 50's. I'd finished A Gentleman in Moscow, which I loved, earlier in the week so was back to Atomic Habits, which is a slog. I really want fiction for my reading. Oh well. The sun was gorgeous. When I went back inside, I start Nr. 24 about the Norwegian resistance in WW2. It's worth the watch.

The gorgeous weather held for one more day so I did my laundry and hung it on the line on Friday. I then pulled all the shelves out of my fridge and cleaned it all. Stupidly, I didn't mark where the shelves were and so struggled mightily to get them back in the right places. The back wall of my fridge had iced up and bulged in and there was no pushing it back even after the ice melted so the shelves are wonky. It took many tries to get it all back in correctly and I threw out lots of old food but it's all shiny and clean so it was worth the effort. Cross that off my to do list, where it's been for a long time.

After spending Saturday morning chatting on the phone, it was my 3rd time getting out of town in one week. It was spinning week so we did our regular Fremont run before and after our meeting, which is always fun. The temps plummeted on Sunday so I hunkered down, doing one of my favorite winter things - making homemade Boston baked beans. Unfortunately I over salted the water so they were salty but still better than canned. I had some yarn sorting fun that afternoon and made a delicious dinner of pumpkin ravioli with cream sauce.

That's a busy week for a retiree! Three trips out of town, making a big dent in my project list (I'm calling the laundry room done but there are some book shelves in there yet to go through) and some cooking, reading and streaming. I'm not worried about the biopsy and am hoping for an all clear next week. Cup half full you know.