WOW! I'VE REALLY BEEN SLACKING!

IT'S BEEN A WEEK! LET'S CATCH UP!

 

FRIDAY THE 10TH:
So last Friday I don't really remember doing much of anything. I laid in the bed all day and it was kinda rainy out. Hence the reason for no blog. I was tired from low blood and I didn't really have much to talk about unless you guys wanted to hear about what I watched on TV.  Lol!

SATURDAY THE 11TH:
Saturday came around and I spent most of the day in bed again. My blood was low, so it makes you really tired. Mom and Gran needed to head to the store for some groceries for our Mother's day cookout. Shortly after they left, my brother and his family arrived! The rest of my evening was spent playing with my niece and catching up with him and his girlfriend. 

SUNDAY: MOTHER'S DAY:
I had a little more energy. After Mom took Gran to church, I got dressed and ready to head out to Cheat Lake to pick up Aunt Donna. I gave Mom her gift before we left. A gazing ball and pedestal for her yard and a solar light that went with it. She likes stuff for her yard. Plus I had gotten cards for all the Mom's-my grandmother and my aunt and my niece's mom. So we enjoyed BBQ steak, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, baked beans and macaroni salad. It was pretty brisk out from what it had been--only reaching 59 degrees. 

MONDAY THE 13TH:
I had another day of just relaxing. Gran stayed home from her usual early morning trip to Christian Help. We spent much of the day being entertained by the ball full of energy known as my niece, Tegan! She will keep you busy! Running from room to room. Reading stories, scribbling with crayons, tossing balloons, jumping on the bed, eating chocolate, playing monsters, tickling, watching five minutes of a dvd, playing games on Mommy's phone and whatever else she makes up as we go along. She keeps you entertained though. That is one certainty. 

TUESDAY THE 14TH: 
Another day of hanging with Tegan! I found out at the last minute that I had my lab work at 8am the next morning. They are really bad about letting you know about your appointments or changing them at the last minute. Whatever though. So that meant taking a bath that night, having my clothes laid out and going to bed a little earlier. 

Toddler Angst! She's so silly!

 WEDNESDAY THE 15TH:
Early morning. We had to be at the hospital at 8:00am and it was of course a day where it just had to be crowded. I had to wait forever before they were able to get me back for my blood work. Then the poor nurse couldn't get my port to work. She had to ask someone else for help and she got it immediately! I think the other lady may not of had a lot of experience with ports. So then we go back to the exam room to meet with my doctor. He already knew that I was going to be tired because my blood was low and they were going to give me some more blood again! I had also been having some problems with a lot of mucus and I told him it has been kinda green and yellow. So he said it may be pneumonia and they sent me down immediately to have an x-ray. I had a little touch of it when I first got diagnosed. So my favorite nurses aid, Celeste walked me down to the x-ray center and they got me right in. It apparently didn't look bad, but to be on the safe side, he decided to prescribe an antibiotic. Then I went upstairs to get my blood. We had to wait for about 2 hours before it finally came. They mentioned that my blood work showed that my potassium and phosphorous were low and they were sending a prescription for that over to my pharmacy at WalMart. She also gave me some pamphlets on what to eat to increase my potassium and phosphorous levels. I got my blood finally, but that itself takes about 2 hours. They brought my next appointments to me, so I didn't need to check out when I left. We headed to Panera for lunch because by that time I was starving and I had forgotten to bring any snacks with me. Then we headed to Walmart to fill the prescription. The other one that was faxed over had to be ordered and wouldn't be in until the next day. I also grabbed a couple of groceries while there. Headed home expecting to see my niece, but they had went to her Grammie's house to go fishing in their pond. We hung out on our new porch most of the night with the citronella candles lit and just the quiet of the evening. 

THURSDAY THE 16TH:
So I should be feeling spry and ready to dance around the world since I've gotten some blood. Not exactly, but I do start feeling much better. Mom took Gran to her women's luncheon while I stayed home. I'd slept in since we had gotten up so early on Wednesday. I got showered and dressed. The pharmacy called to let me know that my prescription was ready. I had gotten sucked into a marathon of ANTM on the Style network and by the time I was getting ready to eat a little something, they returned. After eating some lunch, me and Mom headed back to WalMart, so I could get my prescription and pick up some gingerale--my current soda addiction. We got back and played with Tegan for a few before they got on the road headed back to North Carolina. Then we watched the season finale of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal later that night. Good TV!!!

FRIDAY THE 17TH:
Today hasn't been very exciting. I ended up taking some benadryl last night at like 2 am, so I slept until almost 10 this morning. I just couldn't get up. I laid in bed most of the day. This time Million Dollar Listing NY sucked me into the TV. I finally broke free and took a shower. I ate some lunch and watched Days. Now I'm sitting on the new porch typing this up. I'm contemplating what color to paint my toe nails. It's such a beautiful day. It's 80 degrees and plenty of sunshine. I actually have on a skirt and tank top. I so appreciate the nice weather. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening out here enjoying the weather and reading a book. 

CANCER CUTIE OUTFITS:

This is actually a dress, but I just rouched up the bottom. I wore a darker purple tank underneath it. It came with the teal belt, so I added my teal beanie cap. I rarely feel like wearing the wigs anymore. I had a caramel colored bad with shoes to match. I wore skinny jeans with it and of course threw on some shades.

My $4 outfit from Gabes. Both the skirt and the tank were only $2 a piece. It's comfy and colorful. No wig and no hat today. I just put a pair of shades on top of my head and some flip flops on my feet.

 

TOUR OUR NEW PORCH:

Isn't it so much brighter with the all white!

These bright cushions really liven up the first corner as you walk in. Plants give it a little more life and the bamboo shade shields us from too much sunshine.

Ready to eat, well have a seat. I painted this table black. It was previously a funky off white color, which would have just looked dirty next to our new white walls.

This is the other end of the porch with plenty of seating and a coffee table. We painted the table green from the grayish look it was before. the little sofa was originally green and we painted it black to coordinate with all the other furniture. My green shelf is in the corner and we have more of the brightly colored cushions on this end as well.

This rug is so comfy. Not really meant for outdoors, but this is a covered porch and it was only twenty bucks.

This rug was also $20 but it's more of a utilitarian feel to it. It's closer to the entrance so that dirty feet wouldn't ruin the other one. It's a slightly darker gray than the floor that we patched and painted.

This is the gardening shelf I painted green and next to it we have our recyclables in the separate black bins. 

 

HOW I'M FEELING?

Pretty darn good! I'm getting excited that chemo will be over soon! Next session will be the end of this month! Woo! Hoo! The weather right now is great and I'm ready to enjoy it. I'm anxious to see what lies ahead for me. I'm gonna have to find a job eventually and start living a normal life again. It feels good. You just never know what may be in store for you and you always have to embrace it with enthusiasm and positivity. Think of it as a new opportunity filled with possibility. What's possible for you? Remember not to limit yourself and dream big!

DEUTERONOMY 32:4

 The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

CANCER CUTIE

Tina Bina

 

 

 T

ONE MORE CHEMO TO GO! 5-9-13

WE'RE GETTING TO THE END!

 I've been busy with the porch project and we're basically done, but I have to finish touching up the spray paint on our wicker coffee table.

Sunday was all about arranging and rearranging the furniture until we got it just right. It was also Cinco De Mayo so in tribute, I made enchiladas with re-fried beans and chips and salsa. No margaritas! Hope someone had one for me!

Monday I had to go pick up my prescription from the hospital because silly Walmart doesn't carry it. And I actually had to pay full price because my insurance doesn't cover it because it's considered an over the counter medication.Whatever! Then we finished getting our final needs for the porch. We exchanged the thin cushions for the thicker ones. We purchased spray paint in green for the coffee table. We purchased some blue spray paint for a white metal plant shelf that we were given. It's going to end up in the yard somewhere. No more room on the porch. We also purchased two rugs for the floor--one in a fluffy green by the little sofa and the other is a gray one that's more of an outdoor rug. We also purchased some hook screws so I could finish re-hanging Gran's wind chimes. I also added 4 green citronella candles to the room. When we got home, I gave one coat of paint to our wicker coffee table, but it needs another. It started raining and I had to bring it inside before the first coat even dried.

Tuesday was a lazy day. I pretty much laid in bed watching television all day. It was raining out and I just felt tired so I took a few naps and just relaxed in the bed.

Wednesday was chemo day! We were up at the crack of dawn! 8:00 am for my lab and we didn't get out of there until about 4pm. Not too bad of a day, but they were concerned about my blood counts and think that they are going to have to give me more blood next week. It was just where it needed to be, so that I could go ahead and have the chemo, but since the chemo depletes your blood counts even more, they think I will need more blood next week. I slept through most of my chemo session And after we left we had to wait around for my prescription. We ended up at Walmart and I grabbed a few things while we were there.

This morning, I had to get up early again. I had to get my follow up shot at 9:00 am. They were pretty quick today and we were out of there in about 40 minutes. It was raining while were drove home and I was in dire need of clean clothes, so when we got back I headed to the basement with my laundry. That's what I've been doing since getting home. I will probably work on finishing up my porch project tomorrow if it finally stops raining. I will show you guys the pictures of the final product. It's already so much more comfortable. It's got a fresh look! Oh and looking forward to seeing my niece this weekend. They'll be here for Mother's day because my brother is going to an auction on the 14th to buy some land up here so they decided that they would come up a few days early.

CANCER CUTIE OUTFITS:

Looking cute during chemo isn't easy, but I at least make my clothes match. No make-up and no wig. I wore the hat because it matched and threw on the scarf. Red white and blue--such a patriot! LOL!

 

HOW I'M FEELING...

I'm feeling good, but just a little bit tired. I napped a lot the past few days including today. I'm going to stay positive and just relax for a few days. I hopefully won't feel too bad, but if I take it easy then I should be fine. I'm feeling very good about my progress and I'm ready to get back to regular life. I guess I'll be back to working soon enough. Fun! Just gotta find something. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm very thankful for all my blessings and I'm just going to share an email I received about being thankful. Some of you may have already seen it, but that's how I'm feeling right now:

 

WOW!!! What a wonderful reminder of how much we have to be thankful for.

Absolutely beautiful! ENJOY!

 

 

 
 
 
 

Look back and thank God.
Look forward and trust God.
Look around and serve God.
Look within and find God!

God closes doors no man can open and
God opens doors no man can close.
If you need God to open some doors for you,

Send this to people you like, and if you don't
Need God to open some doors for you, just delete it.

God bless you as you pass on this message.

  

 

ISIAH 55: 11

So is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 

CANCER CUTIE

Tina Bina

 

SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG GUYS!

TRYING TO STAY BUSY, BUSY, BUSY...

Hey! It's me! I've been seriously slacking on writing this blog!I've been busy working on the redo Gran's porch project.  Let me catch you up!

So last Sunday wasn't the best day for painting. My porch painting was going to have to wait. Mom on the other hand decided to finish the wall on the side of the porch where the entrance is. I guess they had run out of material for the wall when they put up some new walls a couple of years ago and they just left it open. So my Mom decided to grab some scrap wood she had and pieced it together to fill in the wall. I on the other hand cooked dinner--chicken and broccoli alfredo with garlic toast. Then we went to pick up Gran from church. They were having some special ceremony that was a memorial for miners that had died in the mines in Everttsville. So she was there a lot later than usual but came home with leftovers from their meal--sandwiches, chips and dessert.

On Monday Mom finished up the trim work on her new wall. I was supposed to be meeting up with my friend Nicole later that day. She was in Waynesburg, PA to visit her family for a week. She had arrived on either Tuesday or Wednesday and we were going to make plans to hang out while she was in town. She lives all the way in California and only comes back to the East Coast every so often. She had to cancel on Monday and Tuesday but we ended up hanging out on Wednesday before she flew back home. I was waiting around for my prescription that the pharmacy had to order. They finally called late that evening that it had come in. I had been waiting since Thursday. The weather was supposed to be really good on Tuesday, but it ended up being just as nice on Monday so I started painting the porch in all white. 

This was our first coat of paint. Some of the walls were a faux red brick color with this lovely mint green ceiling! The white is so much better! So much brighter and an easy neutral to match everything.

Tuesday arrived and we had put one whole coat on the walls minus the ones that were already white and the ceiling, so we knew that we would need another bucket of paint. So we headed out to WalMart for my prescription, some more paint, more caulk, smaller rollers for cutting in and I also purchased little solar lights to line the pathway down to the house. When we got back it was time to go to work again. I also started my spray painting projects. I painted two wire shelves that Gran uses for plants and other little knick-knacks a nice bright green color. Mom rolled the ceiling with one coat of white paint to somewhat cover the mint green color it was painted.

Painting is so much fun!

Wednesday came and it was time to see the doctor again. We had a 8:30 appointment for lab work and then my bone hardener shot at 9:30. Of course my shot took twenty years to get going when it only takes but 5 minutes for them to give it to me. This time they had to track down my doctor to authorize my shot before they gave it to me. You would think that they would already have this taken care of, but they didn't even let me know that I  had any appointments. I had to call on Tuesday to double check. My last visit, the nurse stated that she was going to send my appointments out to me and that they were going to send my prescriptions over for their refill. She forgot to do both. I had to call about the prescriptions and I had to call to check when my next appointments were. I guess they just get too busy. So we stopped and grabbed some black spray paint that I needed for the patio table and the rocking sofa on the porch. I did a little bit of spray painting before Nicole arrived. We went to Gabes and met up with her friend Blue for lunch at Kegler's Sports Bar over near the hospital. It was good to see her because it had been about a year. 

This bright green is our accent color!

This was the first time I ever went to Kegler's and I'm from here and I went to college here. It was decent but they forgot to put cheese on my sandwich and I had to send it back. But whatever it still tasted good and I was able to eat the second half for lunch the next day!

Thursdsay Gran went to the doctor and when she got back me and Mom worked on patching the concrete floor of the porch and let it dry overnight. It was a patching product that comes in a big bucket and you just mix it with water. That was the biggest thing happening that day--oh and of course we had to watch Scandal. Crazy stuff going on there!

Sleeping with the President! Isn't Ms. Pope a naughty girl!

Friday was a full day too. We went to run errands early. Before we left, Mom said she some cows roaming up towards the woods by her house! She said that she thought it was a bear at first. It was big and black and some of our neighbors claimed that they had seen a black bear out here. (The black bear is our state animal, but I've never seen one. Thank God.) Turns out that it was just a couple of cows--one black and one brown. We don't know who they belonged to or how they ended up over here.  Craziness! So we headed to town so Gran could go to the bank and the post office. Then we headed to the grocery store. We went to WalMart for new patio chair cushions and I also filled a couple of prescriptions. I also found a storage bin solution for our recyclables. I needed more black spray paint and we got some stuff to try and rid ourselves of the carpenter bees outside the porch door. We went to the Dollar Tree too. When we got back we ate and watched  a little bit of Days before getting back to work. Mom actually headed to go clean the church and I finished painting the rocking sofa and was going to start the patio table, but couldn't figure out how to remove the glass. So instead of working on that, I moved all the stuff off the porch except for a chair and a box of books that would have been way too heavy for me to lift. Besides most of the heavy stuff was outside where I had been spray painting anyway. When Mom returned, we ended up having to take apart the table to get the glass out. I started painting the pieces and realized that I would need some more spray paint. Then we started painting the floor a light gray color. We left a pathway unpainted, but Mom finished it and then laid some boards on top for us to walk on if we needed to get out. I got reprimanded for doing too much and was told that I needed to rest--so I did.

The brightly colored new cushions for our rocking sofa and two of the patio chairs.

The rocking sofa is all black after three cans of spray paint!

The deconstructed table painted in black. Still gotta touch up the opposite side.

Our path in and out of the house. Thanks to these boards. We've got a nice neutral color palette with the gray and white. So she can always change up the cushions on her chairs to change the look without a lot of work.

 

We were keeping out recyclables in cardboard boxes but that wasn't really cutting it, so we found these bins on clearance at WalMart to solve the disorganization.

This morning, I headed back out for more spray paint. I went all by myself today!!!! Mom was down at the church doing a favor for Gran. It was nice to get out on my own today. I went to Big Lots, WalMart and the Dollar Tree. I also bought my Mom her Mother's day gift since she wasn't with me. So I got back and ate some lunch and started spray painting again. Mom says the porch floor is almost dry, so we should be able to set things back up tonight. I'll have to show you guys the pictures of the final product soon!

CANCER CUTIE OUTFIT FROM YESTERDAY:

 I haven't exactly been getting dolled up-been busy painting, but I actually had on clothes that matched and didn't  have paint dripped all over them yesterday. I've been bad about remembering to snap a photo when I do actually look nice, but anyways here's a video of my outfit from yesterday:

HOW I'M FEELING...

Great! I'm excited that chemo is almost over. I feel really good physically. I'm glad to see that we're having nicer weather. I'm excited that my brother, Candace and my niece are coming to visit for Mother's day. I'm glad that I had a chance to see my old friend Nicole this past week. Glad that I got to talk to Nekima and hear that she has good things going on for her. It was good to see my Grandmother get some new medicine to help ease some of her arthritis pain. It feels good to have the porch to work on and just gets me excited for when I get involved in my own renovations. I'm feeling great! I hope that everyone else is catching Spring Fever and feeling great too. Soak up some sunshine and get outside! Enjoy all the beauty that nature has to offer. God made such a beautiful world and we seem to take it for granted sometimes. Flowers, sunsets, birds or even the deer can be the just the beauty that you needed to see. Even if you have no plans on going outdoors--just not your thing--get some fresh flowers and put them in the room you spend the majority of your time in. They're gonna make you feel great every time you see them. A bright reminder that life is beautiful and you have to take a moment to truly enjoy it and all it has to offer. So here's a bouquet for you:

Enjoy!

MARK 13:31

Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

CANCER CUTIE

Tina Bina

 

WEEKEND FUN 4-27-13

SO WE'RE BACK TO WARM WEATHER!

So Thursday came and  it was pretty uneventful. To the point where I couldn't remember what I had done all day. I just asked Mom and Gran and they couldn't remember at first either. We pieced it together though!
Mom was doing yard work most of the day and Gran was baking cakes and pies. I laid around watching TV and then later that evening we went to get some gas for Mom's truck and we went to Walmart for a few grocery items that Gran needed. We would have left earlier,  but we were waiting on my prescriptions to be ready and of course they didn't call until after we got home. 

So Friday came and I knew I would have to pick up my prescription and possibly meet up with my friend Nicole, but we decided to get together on Monday instead. She's in town for a week to visit her family and is going stop through Morgantown on her way back from Maryland to PA. Someone my own age!!! Love Mom and Gran but it would be nice to hang with some of my peers.  So I did a cancer cutie outfit finally! Complete with wig and makeup! Then me and Mom headed to WalMart for my medicine and of course they only had one ready and said they had to order the other one. They said that they expected it to be in today and of course it didn't come in! Maybe tomorrow. While we were there, we picked up some stuff to make dinner for Sunday. I decided on chicken and broccoli alfredo with garlic toast. We will see how it turns out. I haven't made it in a while.

So Saturday is here! I laid around till late as usual. When I decided to venture out the house, Mom and Gran were engrossed in cleaning up the porch and rearranging the furniture. I was looking at the walls and thought that they could use some more paint, so as we began discussing painting and rearranging things, a project emerged! We're going to paint all the walls on the porch white. We're going to patch the cracks in the concrete floor and then paint it a gray color. I'm going to give some of our shelving a fresh look with a coat of green spray paint. I'll have to take some before and after pictures and show you the difference once it's done. So we took a trip to Lowe's and picked up the supplies we-roller and paint tray paints and patching material. When we got back I was ready to get started, but decided it was a little too late in the day and I just moved things off the walls so that I won't have to worry about it tomorrow. (Gran has an extensive collection of wind chimes that hang on the porch.)

So tomorrow I will be a painting machine!--Plus I guess I have to take some time out of that to cook dinner!
Busy busy day coming up!

CANCER CUTIE OUTFIT FROM YESTERDAY!

I actually put on make-up! I didn't do any eye shadow. I had on foundation, blush, mascara and liner. I defined my brows and put on my chap stick. Then I threw on my longer wig and pulled it back into a ponytail.

Dark skinny jeans with my $3 clearance glitter sweater! I wore a black tank underneath. We were headed out the door, so I threw on a black jacket and my favorite black scarf. Then I put on my bargain shade--silver aviators that I got from Gabes for a $1! 

 

HOW I'M FEELING...

I'm happy! I'm feeling great! I literally feel good. I've got energy and I'm eating much better too. Sometimes you just have to take it day by day. I feel like if you just trust and believe that everything is going to be okay, then eventually it will be. Faith--you have to have it. So when things seem awful keep, telling yourself that everything is going to be okay. Keep saying it even when you don't believe it, Everything keeps showing up that points to everything staying awful, but you keep the faith and keep telling yourself that it's going to turn around. Don't dwell on it. Distract yourself with something and just keep believing that everything is going to work out. It eventually will. God works on his own time. We just have to develop the kind of Faith that involves infinite patience. We need to trust that we are loved and God wants nothing but the best for us and will bring us to whatever it is that we truly need. So what have you been worrying about? Stop give it to God and trust that he's going to handle the situation so that you get the best outcome. Trust Him. Keep Faith! Hope your happy shows up soon.

JEREMIAH 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

CANCER CUTIE

Tina Bina

LONG TIME NO SEE...4/24/13

LET ME CATCH YOU UP AND GIVE YOU THE GOOD NEWS!

Looks like Friday was the last time I posted anything. Well I have to say, the weekend was pretty uneventful. I didn't leave the house at all. Saturday I wasn't feeling too hot and had a throwing up incident, so I spend  most of the day laying around watching TV.  I didn't even leave my bed for the living room. So my Mom sat a chair in the room with me and kept me company while we watched TV-- a marathon of Love it or List it on HGTV.

Sunday came and I was anticipating a more active day, but still one that I spent in the house. I was thinking about taking a shower, when my cousin Neisa knocked at the door with her little baby. She had come to visit because she is moving to Louisiana with her boyfriend this coming weekend. Her mother moved down there earlier this year, so she's going to have a new start and better job opportunities for her boyfriend. It was good to see her and her son, Nikor? I'm pretty sure that I spelled his name incorrectly--so if anyone knows the correct spelling forgive me and correct me! She spent the day with us and he was so cute. We were trying to get him to walk. He's so strong and boy is he a little squealer. If he doesn't get his way, then he sure does go to squealing. Babies are too cute.Best of luck to Neisa and her new little family as they embark on their journe I had hoped to see my other cousin, her brother this past weekend too, but he wasn't able to make it out to the house before he had to head back to college.

So Monday rolls around and it's the day before my Grandma's birthday. We needed to get the present shopping done and pick up groceries for the cookout. Me and Mom made our list and called Aunt Donna to check on what time to pick her up on Tuesday. Gran got home from her church event and we headed out to shop.We accomplished everything with 3 stores. Jcpenney's for Gran's favorite sneakers--white Reebok classic Princess sneakers. I had found them online first, so I knew they had them. Easy breezy and I even resisted the $2 clearance rack right by the checkout. Then we headed to the Dollar tree for inexpensive decorations and plates. Lots of balloons, streamers, two signs and these fun seat covers for Uncle Jeff and Gran since we were technically celebrating both b-days. The seat covers didn't fit! Boo hoo! Then onto Walmart for the groceries.

Not only was Monday our shopping day, but it was the day the Dog went back Home! Uncle Jeff had received a dog from one of his buddies after celebrating his bday with them this weekend. I hadn't left the house so I didn't see it until Monday, but he called Gran about it and for some reason she thought it was a poodle. It was apparently small and kept yapping. Well he was barricaded on the porch, but on Monday he found a way to break free and decided he was going after my Mom. She discovered that he was no poodle, but was in fact an obnoxious chihuaha who decided that he was going to eat my Mom for breakfast. He wouldn't let her out the yard with his snarling and trying to nip at her feet. She had to hop in her truck and drive down to avoid further contact. When she went back home, he tried for her again and attempted a sneak attack from behind. She had to kick him away from her.I'm having a good time laughing at her when she tells me all this because I figure she's scared and this little dog is just picking up on it and they're already aggressive. Wrong!!! When we left to go shopping, that crazy little dog was outside with my Uncle as he was mowing the lawn on his riding mower. As soon as he saw me come out the door he looked our way and started barking and immediately charged across the road. My uncle's screaming at him to come back and my Mom's yelling and I'm just trying to get up the pathway to the car. My Mom shakes the shovel out at him as he's about to pass the porch and scares the crap out of him. So he retreats, but keeps barking the whole time. Uncle Jeff declares that he's taking the dog home as soon as he finishes with the yard. Crazy little dog. One of those stupid chihuaha's bit me on the butt when I was a little kid, so I've never really been a fan ever since. I think they have the short man complex.

So Tuesday came and it was party time. Gran went to do her usual volunteer day at Christian Help which gave us just enough time to go pick up Donna decorate and cook everything but the meats, which Mom would throw on the grill once Gran got home. She was surprised at the decorations and she enjoyed her gifts. She received at least 10 cards in the mail. She had gotten gifts from people she rides the bus with and her friends at Christian Help. Then Linda came by and ate and celebrated with us too. Uncle Jeff came down and ate a plate as well. Then we took Aunt Donna home and ran into some old neighbors. But last night we had to get to bed early because today started early!

As soon as you walk in the decorations hit you!

More festive decorations!

The chair covers that didn't fit any of the chairs! Lol!

Gran's Birthday cards on display!

So today was my PET scan so that we could determine the progress of my chemo treatments! We arrived a half hour before the appointment like we were asked to.7:00 am! So I had to get up at 6:00. Plus, I couldn't eat or drink anything for at least 4 hours before hand.First they checked my blood sugar level and then she put in an IV instead of using my port. I was injected with the radioactive materials and left in the room to rest for 30 minutes while it worked through my system. Then I had to drink 3 jello drinks over the next 30 minutes. Then they send you to the bathroom and then scan you. Nothing too major for me and then we had an hour to kill before my lab work and my meeting with Dr. Monga to get the results of the scan. So we went to the McDonald's around the corner and I ate breakfast--food and drink! Yay!!!! The cancer center is crazy crowded when we get back and it takes for ever to get my blood drawn, but they don't really have any problems getting it today. She used the IV they had put in from the scan instead of accessing my port. I had to wait on a room to see Dr. Monga, but they came by pretty quick after we got back there. And they came with great news!

The chemo has been working and they think I only need 2 more sessions!!!!!
Every area has improved--aside from my bones going to see about doing that other treatment for this issue.
Some areas are not even active, but the lung area warrants the need for a little more treatment.
They had originally thought I was going to need 4 more, so this is awesome! I can get back to normal sooner!

I had to grab some milk after we left and Mom decided to snap a photo! Happy!

HOW I'M FEELING!

So I am very, very thankful! Jesus is a healer and a miracle worker! I'm thankful to everyone who has prayed for me and sent kind thoughts or words my way! I'm thankful for every doctor and nurse I've encountered over there! I'm so happy! See maybe that positive thinking stuff really works, huh? I know it does and if you didn't-- believe it now!

Sorry we didn't take more pictures and I haven't really been keeping things as up to date as I would like, but hopefully that will be changing soon.

PSALM 85:2

You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah...

CANCER CUTIE

Tina Bina

 

THE WEEKEND IS HERE! 4-19-13

WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON?

It's been a few days since I checked in. So Wednesday I had chemo and oddly enough they didn't schedule it for the crack of dawn. We didn't have to be there until 11:00 am. They were quick with getting me in for my blood work and my port actually cooperated with no problems. Then we met with my doctor and he said my blood work looked good and they were ready to send me up for my chemo session. I had been feeling a little nauseous so I sucked down some gingerale and felt much better. I drink it everyday pretty much all throughout the day. So we got started and the benadryl put me to sleep like always. Mom took some pictures of me in my sleeping state:

Bundled up and sleeping away.

Taking  trip to the bathroom. Gotta bring this big contraption with me.

At the end of the day I checked with the nurses for my follow up appointment, but they hadn't set it yet. I always have a shot the day after chemo that does something for my white blood cell counts.They said to just call in the morning and when I did, they still hadn't scheduled it. I had to call three different times before I finally got an appointment for 1:00pm. They were relatively quick with getting me in and out. It was only about 30 minutes I spent there. Then we went to Walmart and grabbed a few things, plus we had to figure out some stuff with Gran's b-day gift.When we get back we eat and then take Gran down to church for choir practice. I was tired and Mom was tired. I hopped into bed around 9:30 and was ready to go with the sandman, but I watched project runway first.

Now it's Friday--my uncle Jeffery's birthday! Happy B-day!
I've gotten dressed, had breakfast and watched the coverage of the craziness going on in Boston.
It's supposed to be a rainy day and much cooler than it has been, so I'll probably be inside most of the day.

CANCER CUTIE OUTFIT

I don't really have one. I forgot to take pictures yesterday and you get a feel for my outfit from Wednesday. It was gray and black. We've been having gorgeous weather, but they really had the ac cranked up in there, so bundling up was necessary.

HOW I'M FEELING!

Not too shabby! I'm relaxing and just taking it day by day. I get tired sometimes and I have bouts of being queasy, but nothing too intense. I'm feeling pretty good. Staying positive. Thinking good thoughts. Speaking good thoughts and living good things. Expecting good things all the time. I suggest you do the same! And have an awesome weekend! Do something fun! Go have a beer for me!

ISAIAH 55:6-7

Seek the Lord while he my be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him. and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

CANCER CUTIE

Tina Bina

  

RAINY NIGHT! 4-16-13

LAZY PAST COUPLE OF DAYS!

 Monday we went shopping for a missing piece of our birthday gift to Gran with no success. Now we're going to change the idea slightly because of something she mentioned. We're going to get it together soon though. Tuesday will be here before you know it.

Today started out with me staying in bed half the day, but once I got up and dressed--I decided to wash clothes. So that was a productive aspect of my day. I also picked some daffodils that sprouted up and put together two bouquets

Watched some tv and the rain started up with lots of thunder and a little lightning. We're under a severe thunderstorm watch until 11:30 tonight and we could get some hail. Hopefully that won't happen. I haven't seen any! I actually enjoy the sound of the rain when it's time to go to sleep. It has a soothing effect. Water always seems to provide that calm and relaxed feeling. The sound of trickling water, a hot bath or shower, all make me think soothing and relaxing.

I had to get my clothes and my activity bag together for tomorrow. We're going to try the chemo again tomorrow. Hopefully my blood is where it needs to be and we can get this next session over with so that we can get to my scan to see how much of the cancer we've melted away! I got a letter in the mail about how to prep for it. No food or drink 4 hrs beforehand. I have to be there at 7:00 am. I need to eat a light protein meal the evening before and I can't engage in exercise or any strenuous activity the day before or the day of. I have Gran's bday to celebrate the day before. I told her that we can't stay out late drinking since I have this early morning appointment! She was cool with that...LOL!

BRINGING A LIL LIFE TO MY ROOM...

Small white daffodils that I found at the edge of Gran's yard!

 

CANCER CUTIE OUTFIT OF THE DAY:

No frills what so ever today! No wig or any kind of headwrap or hat today. No makeup and just my glasses.I felt free today! It was quiet warm out today--I think it hit the upper 70's so it was too hot to be dealing with all that mess on me, when I'm just gonna be at the house all day.

I still wore something that I thought was cute. I had on some sparkles! The silver and black sweater was very loose knit and then so I thought it was perfect to throw on over the white tank top. I wore dark jeans with bleached out patches and because it had been hot in the house, I rolled up the bottoms. I had on my silver slipper shoes to add to the sparkle.

 

HOW I'M FEELING...

I feel good. So much better than I had in the past few weeks. I've had more energy to do things. I still have moments with the nausea, but I've been staying on top of my medicine for that and it seems to be working. I'm excited about coming up with Gran's birthday gift and trying to give her something that will be a fun surprise. It's always rewarding to give to someone else.  When you focus on someone else, you have the opportunity to forget about your own problems. That's one of the best ways to get yourself out of your personal pity party. Go do something good for someone else. I'm not doing any charity work--like my Grandmother does. By putting my energy into her birthday and focusing on what might make her happy, not only makes me feel good, but it's a great way to distract myself from worrying about my own problems. So the next time you're feeling like my life sucks or woe is me, take a moment and do something for someone else. It doesn't even have to involve money. You can spend some time with them. Maybe run an errand for a busy single mom. Call your Grandma who's lives alone and always says she misses everyone--she'd love to hear your voice I'm sure. Hand out food at a soup kitchen. Pay for the person behind you at the drive thru. Tell someone you love them--sometimes it's nice to be reminded that you care. Take a moment away from whatever is pulling you down and go lift someone else up because it's going to make a world of difference in not only how they feel, but how you feel!

MATTHEW 6:1

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in Heaven.

CANCER CUTIE

Tina Bina