Busy Busy Busy

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I have been swamped.

Relay for Life was wonderful but a long night. I worked the advocacy booth until 10:30 and walked during the luminaria ceremony. Then I had to walk the track from 1:00 am to 2:00 am. Then I slept for a few hours. Back up at 6:00 to help with the pancake breakfast etc. Walk again from 9-10 and then start cleaning up. I was home and napping by 1:30 or so. It has taken me all week to get my energy back.

The Beach Party at the Reef was also a great success. My "sister" and her siblings did a wonderful job and there was a great turn out.

I am trying to get through reading my 8 grants for the peer review in Washington, DC in a few weeks. I still have to do my write-ups and scoring on them as well. They are very interesting but very technical so it can be difficult to absorb it all.

In addition to all the advocacy activities I have been doing, the rest of my life it also crazy.

Our agency is moving into a new building this weekend and there have been a few bumps in the process for our department. (Our files will have to stay in the old building for several more weeks while we wait for the new filing system to arrive and be installed in the new building. We will have to travel back and forth to get files. At least it is only a few miles away.) I will be glad to get settled into the new building. Of course they tell me my new desk won't be there until Thursday so I won't be able to unpack for awhile.

My youngest son has left on a trip with his grandparents. He is such a great helper around the house so we end up having to take care of things he normally might do. Taking care of the dog is the biggest thing. Demanding little dustmop!!!! At least our little girl is helping out with dog as much as she can.

And finally my biggest stressor right now. My son is getting baptized into the Mormon church today in Salt Lake (where is father is.) Although I knew he was going to get baptized this summer I was only given 6 days notice of the date. I couldn't arrange to get there. I have to work this weekend for the move, I couldn't find a family member to stay with on such short notice, arrange travel etc. They refused to move the date. I am just crushed. My ex-husband says it is the missionaries and the bishops saying it has to be RIGHT NOW! They have already waited a year to see how he would do being up here with a nonLDS household and they waited so I would be healthy enough to attend etc. Now they are totally blowing me off. I would never try to stop his baptism. This is his choice but I think I have a right to be there. I would like to have a way to make them reset the date so I can be there. I can say what little respect I had for my ex is gone. Who knows what he is telling his family and the church about why I am not there. I have also lost my respect for the church. I am not LDS but most of my family is. It is not for me, but I would never stop my son if he feels it is right for him. But any church that would force a child to get baptized when his parents aren't there are not looking out for his best interests - in my opinion. Sorry to rant but this has been very hurtful to me and I feel like I am being swept under the carpet and the fact that I am his mother doesn't matter! Sigh...

Beach Bash fundraiser

This Cancer Society Fundraiser is also in memory of my "adopted" sister's mom. She passed away from breast cancer when her daughter, Kelcy, was 15 and left a husband and several children. My younger sister was best friends with Kelcy at the time. My mom gladly offered to be there for any mom roles Kelcy would need and that continues to be the case 15 years later. She is truly like a sister to me and is a daughter to my parents. It was fate that I am the co-chair of the advocacy committee of ACS-CAN and would be promoting this event at Relay for Life. Just yesterday my adopted sister called and told me about her involvement in the Reef fundraiser with her sisters to help start a foundation in her mother's name. She asked for my help in getting the word out but I have already been doing that. Now I pass it on to you and ask you to pass it on to others as well.

Cough! Hack!

Well I am very slowly getting better. I am still coughing a lot but it seems to be loosening up and I am not coughing as much at night. As for my skin graft that is a slow process too. It is starting to heal but taking it's time. I am still nervous about it but the doc is still confident that it will be just fine. The left side is doing great so it is nice to see what it should look like. The docs hope by Monday that the right side will be healed up enough to not have to cover it with strong antibotic creams and just be able to use over the counter cream like I am already doing on the better side.

I have little to no energy. Just walking up one flight of stairs causes me to be out of breath and coughing. Surgery zaps enough of your energy without having to have a virus on top of it. I have to lecture a few days next week so I am trying to take it easy over the weekend. I don't want to go into coughing fits all day while trying to teach!!!

Most of the rest of my household now has the virus too. My poor boys had to cough their way through their finals this week. Can't miss those. One of them was even getting sick in the restroom between tests. Poor guys! But they still rocked their tests so that is good.

It is merely a flesh wound.

Okay you have to know Holy Grail to get that title but it is a great line.

One of my grafts seems to be struggling a bit. Some of the skin (flesh) graft has gotten a bit raw and peeled. My doc isn't concerned because it is a very small amount and skin heals itself so quickly. He did say it will take longer to recover though. I am okay with that has long as it heals. I don't want this to fail and have to consider going through this again! Every time I see it I think it looks like it is dissolving but I trust my docs and if they are saying it isn't anything major then I will (try to) not worry about it. We will see what tomorrows check up reveals.

I am still coughing a lot and finally got some meds from the doc in the box to help with that. It has really knocked me down. I am not getting a lot of sleep because of coughing fits etc but it is getting better. Nothing like having a virus while recovering from surgery!

Going to Washington DC

I have been selected to sit on a peer review panel for breast cancer research grants through the Department of Defense. Panels mainly consist of doctors and scientists but they do have at least two breast cancer survivors or caregivers on each panel.

I will have to review and score 8 grant proposals before I go in July. Then we basically lock ourselves in a room for two days, debate our opinions and decide who gets the monies. It is going to be a lot of work but I am so thrilled to have been selected and it is a wonderful opportunity!

7 is not my lucky number

Well apparently the seventh surgery, which is also the final surgery, was the one to have complications. Nothing major but I have developed some flu like problems. Doc is pretty confident it isn't pneumonia. He thinks I have been struggling to get my lungs full of air etc since I am tightly bandaged up from chest to hips. My ribs and hips are tender from being bound up so tight. So today we released some of that mummy wrapping and it helped. It also seemed to help to get out of the house.

Recovery

My recovery this time as been a bit different. My chest is tender not painful but it is under wraps to let the grafts have time to "take". We will remove the gauze on Wednesday. Now my incision sight is a bit different. I can't stand up straight since it is along my stomach/pubic area and they cut skin out for the grafts. So it is a bit tight and I can feel it pull if I move too much or too fast. It is going to keep me down a bit longer than I wanted. The doc doesn't want me sitting up straight for long hours etc so I will not be able to work the primary election this coming Tuesday. :-( Oh well, getting this done was more important to me than working the polls. It will be weeks before I will be able to work out my core but I should be able to start arm and leg exercises in a week or so. For now, it is back to the recliner I go!