THE WEEK IN REVIEW!!!

Hi Friends!

I guess I haven't blogged for a really long time. It's been a fun, but busy week. On Monday, I spent the morning visiting my gynecologist. I had been avoiding it for as long as possible. They did some bloodwork, which confirmed that I am in perimenopause. Not a big surprise for me! I knew Cytoxin would most likely bring on menopause, but I didn't have a chance to research it much yet -- so I was caught a a bit off-guard. I can start hormone treatment (maybe -- in small doses) to relieve the symptoms, but first the gynecologist and rheumatologist need to confer about it today. Dr. Cohen wants to make sure I'm not prescribed too high a dose or it could make the lupus worse. I also get to have a mammogram and a pelvic ultrasound later this month. We will repeat all female testing every 6 months (Fun, fun!!!). Because of the Cytoxin, I am at increased risk for ovarian, cervical, and breast cancer -- so they will monitor me closely and try to catch the highly curable stuff early!

Also, on Monday -- we had a sad day because Judi's dog, Brandy, died. She had a collapsed lung and the vet tried to save her, but they couldn't. So, I ended up home-schooling my kids and watching Judi's kids all Monday afternoon while she was at the animal hospital. We are all very sad for the Malone Family. But they may be getting a new Golden puppy this weekend, so hopefully that will cheer the kids up!

Tuesday was the calmest day this week. We just did homeschooling and a regular day. Cameron and Bill had Boy Scouts and we got ready for our BIG DAY ...

On Wednesday, Annie and I took Cameron on a special outing to DisneyLand to celebrate his 16th Birthday! We left at 8 a.m. and didn't get home until after midnight. We had so much fun! Cameron said it was the best birthday ever. Because we didn't bring any siblings along, the day was all about him and he got to do whatever he wanted! We took a bunch of pictures using Annie's camera, so I'll post them later after she downloads them to my computer.

On Thursday, it would have been nice to rest and recover after the big Disneyland day, but it was a big day for Molly. She got her braces off. So, we had 2 appointments with her orthodontist -- 1st to remove the braces and make a mold for the retainer. Then later we had to come back to get the retainer. She is thrilled with her beautiful white, straight teeth and can't stop staring at herself in the mirror. She also got new glasses on Thursday, so it's like she's had a whole make-over!

We also had a huge BoyScout meeting at our house on Thursday night, so we had to clean it up. It was a tad trashed after my absence on Wednesday. Let's just say, Bill and the boys and Molly had a lot of fun, but they weren't very tidy.

This morning, I had an 8:00 a.m. appointment with Dr. Cohen. I dropped off Cam and Molly at school on the way to Thousand Oaks and made it in the nick of time. First for the good news -- No more chemo for me !!! I am done!!! At least until May. I can't get into UCLA until May now. They called and cancelled my March appointment with Dr. Karpouzas (the chief there), so that forced Dr. Cohen to make the decision. He says since I'm doing so well with the lupus now, he'd like to stop the chemo after 6 rounds. This is largely due to the side effects of it -- I've lost bone density, started menopause, and am having more urinary issues. (next visit -- a urologist, fun, fun!!) So, he and I both feel comfortable with stopping the chemo now and we can start again if I tank again. Dr. Cohen even gave me his cell phone number so that I can stalk him at all times of the day and night in emergency situations!

Nate and Isaac are finished with school for the day, and they are waiting for Shirlene to come and pick them up for the weekend. And then it will be time for me to pick up Cam and Molly from school. I'm looking forward to getting a little bit of sleep this weekend!

Much Love,
Michele