I’m Not Dead Yet (I.N.D.Y.)

I guess it’s a good thing, but I have been preoccupied with other issues to freak out about the fact that I’m getting my latest set of scans today.  I’m waiting in the radiology department for my CT and MRI scans.  I’m not sure how this is going to work.  I’ve only ever had EITHER a CT or an MRI; each procedure has it’s own prep.  Both (I believe) will use injected dye.  It’s freezing here and I will need to change out of my clothes into a hospital gown (while I can wear my street clothes for the CT).  Why should I take the easy way, huh?

Thanksgiving with MB’s family was nice.  The largest downside is the 8+ hour drive.  Nevertheless, it was great seeing and hanging out with everyone.  The boys loved the fact that my sister-in-law and her husband had a Wii with some of the Raving Rabids video games.  My daughter loved playing with her little (she just turned 1) cousin and MaryBeth enjoyed having time with her brother and sister.

You know Thanksgiving is a holiday focused on eating lots of yummy food, and there was plenty of that at in Indy.  Unfortunately, my appetite was still iffy over the weekend and I was only able to eat a relatively small T-day meal.  On the other hand, I was able to eat enough to maintain my weight.

So no stress leading up to today, but I still have to wait until Thursday to get the results, which I’m expecting to be nerve wracking.  Calming energy appreciated.

More later.

Merle

Tags: Family, Main by Merle
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You would think after a week, things would be back to normal, but it turns out that the chemo I am on has an unpleasant side effect: It dries out my skin, particularly on my hands and feet. In fact, walking during the last couple of days has been pretty uncomfortable. I am putting on “Udderly Smooth” (code name: moo goo) on my feet several times a day and they still hurt. I am just hoping this will dissipate next week during my off chemo off week.

Beyond the foot pain, I have been feeling pretty “bleh” the last couple of days (again, likely because of the chemo). My family and I did something yesterday that I swore I would never do: We went to a movie on opening night. We went to see the new Harry Potter movie; well, I should say THEY saw the new Harry Potter movie. At the risk of being gross, I was in the bathroom experiencing yet another of the fun symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

Symptoms not withstanding, other things seem to be going well. Work continues to be understanding of my health needs and my family and friends have been wonderfully supportive. Thanks to everyone.

Scans coming up a week from this coming Monday and I’ll get the results the following Thursday. Please feel free to send your positive energy.

Merle

Tags: Main, Treatment by Merle
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As I have mentioned, my brother (Sid) and his daughters came to visit this weekend and I cannot even begin to describe how great it was.  Sid and I got to talk about stuff that is often too deep to discuss on the phone and my kids LOVED having their cousins visit.

While here we participated in the Altanta PurpleStride Walk, a fund raiser for PanCan. It was a beautiful day for the walk and it was great to see so many survivors there — at least a dozen, some who have lived over 10 years from diagnosis. It is also wonderful how many people turned out to support me and walk with me. I feel truly loved by my friends and family.

Tags: Family, Main, PanCan by Merle
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Just a quick update: the purple stride event tomorrow begins at 8a (I thought it was later). See you all tomorrow, though.

Merle

Tags: Main, PanCan by Merle
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As I think I have mentioned once or twice, next week is the Atlanta Purple Stride event in Atlanta.  My brother and nieces are coming down to walk with me, but not all of my family is able to make the trek.  This morning, my mother called me to tell me that she (and my sister and another niece) had just finished the Purple Stride event in Philadelphia.  It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know that my family (even those who cannot join me in Atlanta) care enough to take the extra step (pun intended) to do their part to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer.

From the bottom of my heart; THANK YOU!

Regarding my health, I continue to do fairly well.  The biggest issue I am dealing with is keeping my weight up (for those who’ve known me since before 2001, did you ever think THAT would be a problem for me??) and getting fatigued easily.  Hey, if that’s the worst I have to deal with, I’m okay with that!!

BTW, if you are wondering if there is still time to donate to my fund raising efforts for next week’s walk, the answer is yes.  Just go to: http://pancan.kintera.org/purplestrideatlanta10/merle to do so.

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Merle

Tags: Family, Main, PanCan by Merle
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