Happy December!
It doesn't feel like December. I know I live in Texas, but a little bit of winter weather would be nice. Hubby and I went to a high school football playoff game last night and we didn't even need jackets!
Our beloved Wylie Bulldogs were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, so we went to cheer on another local team - the Cooper Cougars. It just so happens that the Cooper head coach is part of our Lady Diamonds family. His daughter is our catcher. We had dinner with Sheri and another Lady Diamonds family and then we all went to the game. Fun times, even though it was a heartbreaker of a loss for the Coogs.
In more happy news, I have to confess that I've been stepping out on Hubby.
I'm in love with NED...... a.k.a. "No Evidence of Disease"
I had my six month checkup this week with Dr. H and everything looks good. My weight is steady (not going down, but at least it's not going up!), blood pressure was fantastic, and other than a few pesky low numbers on my blood counts, I got the "all clear, see you in six months". My white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, calcium and albumen have all been low since I finished chemo, and this time was no different. Those numbers were low enough to get flagged, but not low enough to worry or do anything about.
So.... no news is great news!
In some unhappy news...
I'm still dealing with lymphedema in my left hand and arm. I know once you have it, it's something that never goes away, but sometimes it can get better. So far mine hasn't.
This is my normal hand:
Notice my wedding rings.... on my RIGHT hand..... because they don't fit on the left.
Here's why:
Looks awful and uncomfortable, right? It is. Wearing my compression garments seems to make it worse, which sucks in a lot of ways. There aren't a whole lot of treatment options for lymphedema... compression, massage, more compression, exercises. I'm doing all of that. In fact, that pic of my swollen hand was AFTER I'd had my custom sleeve and glove on for six hours.
I've spent a lot of money (A LOT) on treatments for this. My pump that I use daily (60 min at a time) was almost a grand. I have several off the rack compression sleeves and gloves that were over one hundred each. My custom sleeve and glove (which oddly enough make everything the worst) were $300. Not to mention doctor appointments, physical therapy and even a CT scan. All of that money with NO results.
Very frustrating.
But, in the grand scheme of things, it's just something to deal with. It's uncomfortable and painful and increases my risk of infection (hence the standby antibiotics in my medicine cabinet), but it's not life-threatening. It's a result of cancer, but it's NOT cancer, and I'll take that.
Today Hubby and I put up Christmas lights outside. We are being very eco-conscious and using solar powered LEDs. They aren't as bright as regular ones, but they don't use any electricity... and we don't have to remember to turn them on and off!
We also went and picked out our Christmas tree. K was at a friend's house and J has apparently outgrown the novelty of it all, so Hubby and I went by ourselves. A pizza lunch date, a trip to Lowe's and a visit to the garden center made for a wonderful afternoon.
It may not feel like December, but the calendar doesn't lie, and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
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