Sr. High Art

Radiation is over and now I am waiting for what the docs say to do next.  I am hopeful but not over optimistic just in case I need more treatment after I have more scans.   It is really nice not to have to drive to Syracuse everyday after work!  Looking forward to getting back to normal, working out again and starting tennis!

Back to school and loving it!  Now it's almost Christmas break, but right after break is the art teachers craziest time of the year......preparing for Scholastics!  Good luck to everyone who is entering! Have a great holiday!

I have established all of my "return to school goals" such as; being able to get dressed on my own and being able to drive myself (both big +++).  So, I will be coming back to school on Monday!  Exactly 4 weeks and 4 days from surgery, not like I was counting!  I can't wait to see everyone and get back to Art and tennis stories!

I'm home now recovering with the boys and the hubby!  It feels so much better just to get out of the hospital and be comfortable on my own couch and in my own bed!  I have a few doctors appointments next week to see how everything is progressing and to see if I can have my drainage tubes taken out.  Once I can move my arm more freely (from where they took out lymph nodes) I will be back to school.  I hope this won't be long after thanksgiving break, but it depends on what my doctors say! Thanks to everyone that have been sending me positive thoughts, I really appreciate it!

Chemo is over, Surgery is 11-12 so I will be out of school for probably about 4 weeks.  I'm not looking forward to surgery (nobody does) but it is one step closer to recovery.  I am glad that it is a month before Christmas to hopefully be recovered in time to enjoy the holiday with my family and my wieners!  After surgery I will go through radiation every day for 7 weeks then have a 3 month break then reconstruction.  This time line is going to allow me to coach the guys in the spring which I will be looking forward to all winter! Thanks again to everyone that has been reading this and supporting me through my story.

I can't express enough how great it has been being back to school.  My classes this year are fantastic and the students and staff have been so supportive.  I have one treatment left then a couple of checkups before I have the first surgery then radiation.  After my last treatment I will have about a month of freedom for my counts and my body to recover from the chemo.  I can't wait to feel "normal" again.  The students will be putting on a big art show the first week of November and I may be out right after that, but no date is set yet.

After receiving the second round of taxol, I am going to start school on time!  I will have 2 more taxol treatments during school then I will have about a month of freedom for my body to recover before I have surgery. I will have surgery and radiation but I am not sure in what order (my docs are discussing it).  Right now I am just glad that I can go back to school!

On Fri.  I had my first round of Taxol. I will have 3 more of these treatments every 2 weeks then I wait for recovery then surgery.  The nurse staff where I receive my infusions are so on top of things.  They knew that I was a little nervous because of the reactions that you can get while being infused but they were all great.  It is nerve racking to see the de-fib cart and your emergency crash pack right next to you for when you go into a shock.  I was one of the lucky ones that had no reaction this time, but I have watched others not as lucky get rushed to the hospital.  They will now keep checking my blood this week and see me next week to give me a gage on if I can start in the fall.  I am keeping my fingers crossed!

We are camping near the southern boarder of NY.  Enjoying our new RV and it's perks (A/C). On Thurs. I met Brent Aguilar (& his mom), Ulyana N.(not going to try and spell it wrong), and Courtney O'Neil (& her mom) for breakfast and then to present their painted ceiling tiles to the Medical Imaging Office.  That is in the Hem-Oc. building where I get my treatments.  This has been a tradition for 8 years. I will put up a picture once I figure out how to with the changes made to teacher web!  I will have pics on facebook soon!  Thanks to all of you that have "friended" me on facebook. It is a lot easier to keep in touch on there!