February 17, 2009
LuLu
Lu Lu, our cat, remains her self- centered life. She is happy when we come home but just as happy when we leave her as long as she has had her food. She gets a little upset when we sleep in and her breakfast is delayed. She lets us know of her displeasure by making a deposit outside the box.
Taking care of yourself
I had my surgery-lumpectomy on February 11. We heard today that additional surgery needs to be done since they did not get a clean edge. The entire tumor was removed but there were some cells outside the tumor. I will have surgery again on March 16 and then I will proceed with the radiation. I am not scheduled for Chemo since my limp nodes were clear,
I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from my family and friends since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My church, All Saints Episcopal, has been particularly caring. My daughters‘s friends who live all over the county have sent wonderful notes.
Exploring
We went to Rain, a celebration of the Beatles. It was a wonderful production and brought back memories of the 60’s and 70’s. My church, All Saints, bought a block of tickets.
I am reading the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peal Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows, a great fictional tale of the occupation of the Guernsey Island (part of the Channel Islands off of Great Brittan). Although this subject is rather dark, the book is a delightful chronicle of how the islanders outwitted their Nazi occccupiers.
Giving Back
I agreed to be part of an MSU study of Breast Cancer Patients. As part of this study, I filled out multiple questionnaires, had blood drawn and performed some cogitative tests.
February 7, 2009
A club, I did not wish to join, one with high admission requirements. I was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer on February 4. This diagnosis was made based on a needle biopsy done the previous week. My blogs will chronicle the journey that I did not want to take.
LuLu
LuLu will be my faithful companion throughout this process, running to meet me when I get home from treatments, livening up my day with her activities, showing me that life goes on.
Taking Care of Myself
Upon receiving this diagnosis my main concern was the effect on my family. However, I have tried to educate myself about my particular kind of disease and to keep track of my appointments and my instructions. Alan, my husband, and I attended a breast clinic where my pathology report was reviewed, and treatment options were presented.
My observations on the breast clinic and hospital showed that there appears to be some duplicate functions. I had to fill out forms on my history for the third time. First time was with my surgeon, second time with the Sparrow Diagnosis center and third time for the clinic. (I had to do it a fourth time via phone for my admission for a lumpectomy. I really think we need to share these records. I also would prefer doing them on a computer. I also thought that the staff was very caring and through.
The food in the cafeteria needs improvement. There were no whole wheat bagels; fresh fruit was scarce and no whole wheat crackers. The soup was good but contained white flour pasta. Need whole wheat pasta.
Exploring
Our Netflick movie is Rebecca based on a novel by British author Daphne du Maurier, a classic English tale showing lush estates, angry seacoasts and strange going on with the characters... My movie buddy and I attended He is Really Not Into You. Great chick flick staring many of Hollywood golden young men and women such as Jennifer Aniston, Ben Afflect, and Scarlett Johansson.
Giving Back
I have taken a medical leave from most of my volunteer activities. I will be putting more contributions toward the food bank during these times
January 21
LuLu
LuLu, our cat, sat with me watching the Inauguration. She is not thrilled with the Obamas since they are going to get a dog. She has no compassion for homeless cats and she will not share her Pounce --cat treats with them. However, she was happy that I was happy -- more Pounce for her.
Taking Care of Yourself
We have had a terrible winter. But, ice was more of a problems then snow. I missed work at Williams Sonoma a number of times and we could not attend our exercise classes. We did use our exercise tapes and tried to make healthy comfort food.
Exploring
I was thrilled by the reaction of the county to the Inauguration of Barak Obama. The crowds were spirited and celebratory. The day was long in coming but lived up to the promise. Washington knows how to put on a celebration. People who say the government cannot ever do anything right should take note of the pulling off of the task of the inauguration. (People who visit Washington should also note of the cleanliness of the city, the efficiency of the subway and the fact that the government owned facilities is free for visitors.) I was really proud to be an “American”. I had recently finished Obama’s book Dreams of my Father and I feel he is the proper leader for our times.
Our Netflick movie was Antz with the voice of Woody Allen. It was a great movie. Our book for the book club was Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson -- a terrific book about the journey of a young man who comes to Afghanistan to climb a mountain but finds his fulfillment in building schools for its people.
Giving Back
My giving back this month included a lot of cooking. I cooked for the 15 residents plus volunteer staff of Loaves and Fishes, a Lansing Homeless shelter. Since many people bring ground meat items I usually do a whole meat item such as chicken or a pork roast. I also did coleslaw, homemade biscuits and a fruit cobbler. This is part of All Saints Outreach mission. I also provided a breakfast casserole for the All Saints Brunch and a casserole for the Williams-Sonoma inventory day. I did end up purchasing a 5-grain salad for the Governor’s staff party to view the inauguration. I enjoy cooking especially in large quanties so it was fun.
I continued my work as a constituent office volunteer at Governor Granholm’s office. We have so many calls from people who are unemployed. People are hurting.
We are also trying to put together a roster of candidates for the East Laning Women’s Club.
