Tuesday, August 18, 2009

chemo vacations

I have been remiss about writing. Not much to say…
I am starting another chemo vacation tomorrow (my birthday. 41!) that is going on for 3 weeks. J During the time that I was on the last one, my tumor marker went from 55 to 63. The doctor was not concerned about it. He wants me to take this next vacation and enjoy the summer with the family. I have had 2 weeks of chemo between vacations. I am going to get my markers checked before the vacation, so I know what happens during it compared to during chemo.

I have up days and down days. I am always surprised that I get wiped out. Maybe it is my spaciness that makes me forget, maybe I am optimistic. I wish I could control them so I could chose which days to lay around and which I can do my projects, but I cant. The up days come at unknown times. The doc has changed my benedryl to something that does not have as many side effects, so after chemo last week I was full of vim and vigor. Now I am wiped even though it has been almost a week since the last chemo. Maybe coming off of the steroids. Maybe the chemo stays in my body longer than one would think. I don’t know.

There is a bunny in the neighborhood. We caught it once and gave it back to the little girl who got it from an aunt, but she did not keep it for more than a week. We are trying to catch it again so we can give it/find it a home. We don’t know if we will keep it, but who knows…. It is a baby, white and black. Very very cute.

The kids just went on their last week away for the summer. Camp Kesem is for kids who have a cancerous parent. That’s me. I hope they are having fun. I thought I would be glad to have more down time, but it is the first morning and I miss them terribly. Ya never know how something is going to make you feel till it gets here.

The chickens are all laying. The one that we were told was a boy, isn’t. So we have 9 laying hens and about 7-8 eggs a day. They are little, but very yummy. Some of the hens lay in the boxes they are supposed to, but most lay in one spot under the blackberries. Oy! They are very friendly. We have started watering the lawn so the chickens have greens to eat. The garden is good. We are trying to get the next round of patches planted with winter squash, spinach and turnips. Maybe we will plant favas again somewhere. That went well. The tomatoes are just coming in. The cukes are just finishing. Beans are slow producers…etc…

We seem to be all about the food and the yard and the projects in the yard these days. It is fun.

1 comment:

jeffnhelen@talktalk.net said...

Hi Rebecca
We were going to e mail a birthday card but found we didn't have your e mail, but Happy Birthday anyway!
Do hope the 'vacation' goes well.
Thinking of you with love
Helen and Jeff