Hair

My hair started falling out this past Tuesday. I was ready to shave it off on Thursday night, but I just couldn't do it! Instead I took a scissors to it. LOL I cut it about 2 inches long. I am sure my hairdresser is cringing right now. I just can't seem to leave my hair behind. I went to work on Friday with my new wig on. It was kind of like wearing a hat. The UPS lady came in.... oh no....the first person to see me in my wig. Will she notice? I became nervous. "Wow, I love your new cut and color" she said. LOLOL I love you Miss UPS. I laughed nervously and said "gee thanks, it is a wig." She was shocked. I told her I was having chemotherapy for breast cancer, and she said "well I never would have known." It was a nice ego booster that's for sure.
Today I ventured out in public for the first time with the wig on. I did some grocery shopping at Pick N'Save. It was 8 am, so I figured there wouldn't be many people there. Did you ever feel like EVERYONE is looking at you?? Thankfully there were only elderly people there, but I felt like they were looking at me saying "oh my look at that woman with the wig on." LOL I couldn't wait to get out of there I was so self conscious. I suppose it will take some getting used to.

It is a gloomy day and cold. I am craving some pumpkin bars, and I actually feel like baking, so that is on to to-do list this morning. The house is empty right now, so I am enjoying the alone time.
Enjoy the weekend!

Quote of the Day

~From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health.~
~Catalan Proverb~

Swimming

The Wisconsin Girls High School State meet is approaching this weekend. This year our school is sending 10 girls who have qualified. This is the largest group ever! I am proud to say that Natalie is among this group. This will be her third trip to High School State. Not only did they win the Greater Metro Conference, they were also picked for team of the week by Preps Plus and were featured in a brief segment on TV. Tonight, we have the pleasure of a state team dinner at one of the parent's homes. I am soooo looking forward to dinner! LOL It is a tradition that Julie makes her famous glazed salmon and steak dinner, and it is to die for!!!! Can you tell I have been food deprived for awhile!?? It is a great evening with parents and swimmers as they gear up for the weekend. I am looking forward to getting out and ridding my mind of all of my troubles over the past week and half. The girls have worked very hard to get where they are today. Way to go Lady Lancers!
And yes, that is an actual photo of Natalie that was in the Brookfield News a few weeks ago.

Graphics & Myspace layouts

Today I had a followup visit with my oncologist since my hospitalization. My blood work looked great. Everything is back on track. We discussed in detail what happened and how,hopefully, to prevent another huge setback like what occurred. I am going to be on another extra week of antibiotics right now for precaution and my next treatment is tentatively planned for the day after Thanksgiving (I won't be out shopping anyways.....hate that day after crap!). I will have to give myself a Neupogen shot for 7 days after chemo to stimulate my bone marrow to generate white blood cells. He is pretty positive if my blood cells dropped the first time, it will happen again. The Neupogen shots will help prevent my white blood cells from bottoming out again. He then suggested possibly another week of antibiotics to be super safe. He is going to do everything possible to keep me out of the hospital the second time around. For now, I have a few weeks of getting back to "normal." I also gained 30 pounds in the hospital due to fluid retention and all the fluids they were pumping into me. As of today, I am back to prehospital weight. (why can't normal weight come off that easy when you want it to??? LOL) I left the hospital today feeling even just a little bit lighter.

good day/bad day

I was sitting having my morning coffee trying to wake up when I ran my hands through my mop of hair and lo and behold handfuls of hair came out. I knew this day would eventually come! I knew I would not be ready for it though. Is any woman ever ready to lose their hair???? I can walk around in public and no one will know that I have breast cancer, but when you walk out in public bald you wear your diagnosis on your head. Thankfully, I had an appointment with Lisa to get my wig trimmed and fitted. Perfect timing! I met her at Small Stones at Froedert mid morning. She asked me if she should shave my head. I most definitely am not quite ready for that. She trimmed the wig and showed me how to care for it. The time spent in the morning getting ready will definitely be cut down. This might be a nice thing. I left feeling a bit better with the wig in my hands. I had two more stops to make, a quick stop at the vet to pick up some x-rays and to drop off some movies, home by 1:30, made a few insurance phone calls,and I was exhausted!! I slept for several hours and probably would have slept longer but I heard the doorbell ring. Unfortunately I just could not wake up enough to get out of bed. I am not one of those that just jumps out of bed in the morning. When I did get up, I checked the front door and found a beautiful bouquet of flowers, some still warm banana bread and some scented candles. What a nice surprise. Thank you Lisa!!!!!!!

Tomorrow is my appointment with my oncologist, and I have a list of questions for him as I head into the next chemo treatment.

Today was a good day! Uneventful! And uneventful feels really good to me right now. I did some things around the house and relaxed most of the day.

My brother, Gary, took this photo in northern Wisconsin. I don't think he would mind that I share it with you.

It is beautiful!