DAY ONE OF TREATMENT #10

Hi Friends!

I take no responsibility for the content of today's blog as I am as of today the "crazy steroid lady" I got up at 8 a.m. crying because my headache was so bad. Bill, of course, always tells me matter-0f-factly that crying will only make it worse. But it just hurt so badly that I felt like I could only lay in bed and try not to throw up. So, I took 2 narcotics and 2 anti-nausea drugs and it took the pain down a couple notches -- like from a 10 to an 8. So, I was able to bathe, take my regular meds, drink lots of water ( in hopes of a good IV stick) and then leave with Annie at 9:45 for my 10:15 appointment. Bill took Cameron to school and then came home to work and homeschool the kids. He had high hopes of making it back to work, but that never happened --

Good news, they got my vein on the first stick, but because of my uncooperative veins and because it was my first steroid treatment in a while they ran the drip super slow, and I didn't make it home until almost 3 p.m. By that time Bill was gone picking up Cameron from school. (Praise God, he got a locker today. He ran really fast to beat the mob and was 5th in line. Now that's my boy:-) Molly was babysitting the little boys when we got home.

Annie took good care of me at my treatment. She brought me Jamba Juice for breakfast and Subway for lunch. And she even picked up donuts for the kids for an after-school treat and breakfast tomorrow. What a sweetie!

When we got home, I sent Molly off with the boys to the park and they stayed and played for several hours. By this time the steroids had really kicked in and I was jazzed. So, I went on a cleaning frenzy -- swept all my floors, emptied garbages, tidied up, did all the laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, watered flower, etc. I even made (with Annie's help) pork chops, seasoned potatoes, and corn for dinner. It was our first real dinner here in a long time. With all the moving, we've been eating out too much!

Bill was wiped out due to all his moving. He's been at the Simi house every night after work until about midnight. So, we didn't let him go tonight. Instead, we made him take a nap, and he slept from 4-9 p.m. We sign the escrow papers on the Fletcher house tomorrow afternoon, but the closing -- when they take possession, as it turns out, isn't officially until Monday. So, he's almost done and has a few more days to finish up.

I'm going to go now. All the little ones are tucked into bed. I need to go plan out Thursday and Friday with Annie and Bill. Tomorrow I have treatment at 9:30 a.m, and we sign the escrow papers at 1 p.m. Friday I have treatment at 2 p.m. I'm not sure if I'll have Solumedrol (the steroid) and Cytoxan (the chemo) on that day or not. Two of my doctors (Cohen and Karpouzas) are still in conflict. But, they promise to come to a consensus by Friday and let me and the oncologist know. And at this point, I figure they are WAY more qualified than me to make the decisions.

On a good note -- the steroid today took my pain way down -- like to a 2 or 3 (that's good enough as it never ever goes away), and the relief lasted until about 8:30 p.m. At that point, I had to take more Darvocet to at least numb it to a tolerable level. Tomorrow and Friday should get better as far as pain levels. Only problem is I'll become diabetic and have to do insulin for the rest of the week. Also, as previously mentioned -- I get very emotional and cry a lot on steroids. It's a real roller coaster. But it's the journey that God is using to refine my character. The kids and I decided today -- I'm a fragile butterfly struggling to come out of my lupus cocoon. So treat me with love and care.

Much Love to all of you, too.
Your Prayers Mean So Much to me.

Love,
Michele