Friday, November 17, 2006

11-17-06 12 out of 30 radiations treatments done!

11-17-06
Dear friends,
It is Friday morning and I just got back from picking up Allison at the airport. She is home until the 27th. Laura left Pittsburgh this morning for the same amount of days in Turkey. She will be in 3 cities and in the 3rd one, she will celebrate Thanksgiving with the folks there she’ll be visiting. Greg is on a short trip to Ft. Wayne, IN and gets home tonight. He is visiting some of our staff who are based there.
We found out on Wednesday that Jenni made it into All State choir. I think 4-5000 tried out and 600 made it. She is excited. She still has to finish up several college applications by the end of the month, so please keep praying for her to get that done. She is trying to keep up with her current AP classes while getting that done as well.
I have finished 12 radiation treatments out of 30. I am beginning to turn a little red at the radiation site, and it is itching some. I use a special cream right after my treatment and when it itches I am NOT to scratch. I am to use cortisone cream on it. Irritating the skin will do more damage in the long run. I am going to get some caster oil to put on that area at night. I have testimonies from others who have gone before me and permission from my radiation oncologist.
Yesterday I left home at 1:20 p.m. for my 2:00 treatment and ended up going in for my 15 minute treatment at 3:20. There was an emergency new patient in room #3-my treatment room, so we all waited. I got to meet the folks who had the time slots after mine. When they finally called my name, everyone waiting applauded. We knew that meant things would start moving again. I got home at 4:30. That is the first time I have had to wait more than 10 minutes. I had nice visits with 3 different women. We shared our lives.
I am tired and think I need to pile up some sleep in the next few days. I have been able to drive myself this week just fine as long as I sleep in in the morning and go to bed early. Our friend visited from CA and we had a nice couple of days with her. She went with me to radiation on Wednesday and even got to see the room and machine. Anyway, I think the tiredness in increasing but is still manageable for now. I have a sore throat today. I am still having lots of hot flashes, but am sleeping a lot better.
I asked you to pray for my hurting tooth/jaw. My dentist took a look and sees a swollen area on my bottom right jawbone near that tooth. I need to go back to where I had my jaw surgery last year to see what he thinks is going on. The tooth seems OK, but something is swollen and sore. I’d appreciate your prayers for wisdom in how to deal with this. It is possible for insurance to cover this if it is jawbone and not tooth related. That will take some effort to figure out. My CA friend asked me how I am coping with all of this cancer stuff. I am feeling confident that although the treatment itself is a lot of work, I do believe that all the cancer is gone. I expect tests early next year will confirm that. God was truly authoring the situation that allowed me to find it so early. He continues to be good. I am continuing to meet lots of amazing folks I would never have met otherwise and I have amazing friends and family who are standing by me every step of the way. Life is good and we have much to thank God for on Thanksgiving! Thanks for your love and interest! God bless you!Nancy

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