Chrysalis

Relay

Here's what all the cool kids were wearing Friday night at New Hanover County's Relay for Life as we took our places to walk the first lap of the relay, the Survivor's Lap.  Thousands of people lined the track, clapping and cheering for all of us as we walked.  Liam walked with me (I let him wear the medal) and we waved at folks we knew, stopping every now and then for a hug.  It was awesome in the very truest sense of that word, and very, very moving.  If you've never been applauded simply for showing up, I can tell you it's pretty fun! 

Once the initial lap was completed, we found the team from Liam's school and joined them to walk several more laps around the track.  A band was playing oldies, people were dancing around the track and it was chaotic and happy and wonderful.  Many teams went all out, with crazy headgear (I wish I had a picture of the team wearing flamingo hats), big banners, team shirts and the like.  It was the perfect way to spend an early spring evening, and I'm so glad we went, and naturally, I've already started thinking about ways to make it even more fun (and to raise more money) next year.

The best thing, I think, was seeing hundreds of people in purple survivor shirts.  Obviously, it's impossible to tell the state of many folks' health just by looking at them -- I don't "look sick," for instance -- but there were many, many people in purple who looked robust and healthy, and that was such a hopeful thing for me as I go into the next phase of my journey, and a great way to set my sights on the next milestone in my recovery.

Thanks so much to those of you who donated to our effort.  The preliminary count for the county says that there were over 4000 registered walkers who raised $542,000 for cancer research, and money is still being counted.   I'm grateful to have had a small part in this year's event.

Progress

Things are looking up!  Since my last chemo appointment I have felt pretty good.  My stamina is still not what it could be, but I'm trying to push through the fatigue as best I can.  Having Liam at home on spring break for three weeks meant that I needed to be able to be up and doing, and I was able to do just that, with a lot of rest periods in between.

The calcium/magnesium infusion is doing its job, and I've had almost no neuropathy to deal with.  I still have to be careful of the cold (I wear a glove if I have to stick my hand in the freezer, for instance), but there has been almost no random tingling in my hands, and none in my feet.  I was not too thrilled about the extra hour that the infusion tacked onto my chemo treatment, but it has been well worth it.

Yesterday I had a CT scan to see what kind of progress had been made in the last six weeks.  I was hoping for shrinkage like last time, but that didn't happen.  Dr. Big Dog said that there hadn't been much change in the size of the spots, but that they were showing up really dark on the scan, which means dead cells.  I'll take it!

The most beautiful words out of Dr. Big Dog's mouth were I think it's time to introduce you to a liver surgeon.  I nearly cried to hear that, I was so happy.  I have to give big, big props to Dr. Big Dog and his nurse, who moved heaven and earth for me to be able to meet with the surgeon yesterday.  He came over and consulted with Dr. Big Dog, looked at my scans and said that it's time to do my liver resection! 

I really like Dr. K.  He's smart, he has a sense of humor and he tells it to me straight without talking to me like I'm an idiot.  He seems to believe that he can go in through my original incision, so I won't have two big scars on my belly.  He is also cautiously optimistic that he can take down the ostomy, which makes me so happy I could scream.  He was very clear that if the surgery gets complicated, he won't do the take-down, but at least I know that it can be done; if not now, at a later time.  That is an unbelievable relief to me.

The surgery is scheduled for May 4th in Chapel Hill.  It's pretty major surgery, and Dr. K was clear that the first few days afterwards would not be much fun.  I can expect to stay anywhere from a week to ten days, and the recovery period is somewhere in the 4-6 week time frame.  Right now I'm so happy to have it scheduled that I'm not nervous, but I'm sure that will change as I get closer to the time.  As always, the logistics of having everything taken care of (ie, Liam) is more daunting than anything, but between my mama and my girlfriends, it somehow always manages to come together.

Next weekend is the New Hanover County Relay for Life and Liam and I are walking with the team from his school.  Although we have a lot of experience with the Walk to Cure Diabetes, this will be our first Relay.  My cousin, who is a cancer survivor herself, says that it's very emotional, and I expect that I'll walk with a big smile and tears running down my face.  If you feel so inclined, you can go to our fundraising page and make an online donation.  The Codington Cougars Relay Team has raised $6000 so far, and over $3000 of that was raised by the Codington students, who raided their piggy banks and brought in all their change.  I hope the adults can do at least as well!