Chemo Vacation

After a great Wednesday and good Thursday, it was time for my chemo vacation. A trip no one wants to book, but a must for survival! The weekend starts with flu like symptoms that get progressively worse as the weekend moves on. The trip includes a cocktail of poison to kill off good and bad cells, and if you think that sucks, add a bonus boat ride for a dash of nausea that feels like sea sickness, and a couple other bonus amenities. So far as I know I have booked 4 more weekends. The very good thing is I get 18 days to catch up on life and work. Unfortunately I had to miss my brother Gary's wedding to his college sweetheart Carol. I hate to miss any family time!
  

Thanks for all the love and prayers. xoxo

Thanks you Lord for having a strong grip on me no matter what the size of wave!

This bug is not going to keep me down!

Today chemo 4hours, and then new furniture shipment at Topiaries....

This bug is not going to keep me down:)

Kudos !

Thank you to my good friend Bernie for sending me a beautiful Gift box filled with goodies on the day I found out I had the Bug. xoxo

Thanks my friend Judy for bringing over so many homemade goodies to the house, you are so thoughtful and kind.

Thank you Mary Paul for bringing me alkaline water supplies to me every three days to keep me hydrated, I believe it has made a huge difference in my treatment success.

Still enjoying the kiwis that Mary Reid was so kind to bring me.

Carolyn, thanks for my special gift and being there on my first day at chemo, so thoughtful. xoxo


Thank you so much Suzanne for all the great books and flowers you brought over, that lasted 2weeks!!

A huge thank you to Kate for bringing my whole family prepared dinner for 10  Christmas Eve from Cuisine and Company including dessert tray!!! Amazing.
Thank you Kate!

Erica thanks for taking Layla all day yesterday to play....the dogs didn't care that it was raining...:)

Megan thanks again and again for setting up my blog! xoxo

Thanks for all the cards. I have them on display to remind me of all your love and support. xoxo

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Sent to me by my awesome brother Greg

Name that bug

The latest on living with the bug..

..thinking about giving it a name..what do you think?

    I went to get my blood work checked yesterday for a check of my last x-ray and general meeting to talk over things. My x-ray was good and he said my blood work was GREAT.

Which means my body is handling the effects from the chemo well.

All the doctors though this have said, you will do well you are healthy and young!!! I haven't heard young so many times, since I am 54...(another upside to the bug)

My next chemo is Wed. and we will be adding calcium shots to help keep my bones strong. I am feeling very positive and pretty well now that my cough is much less often.

I am thinking..young, healthy,  I can fight this with all my strength, and yet go through my days as if The bug does not exist.

Please add to your prayers a new special friend I met in the chemo lounge, her name is Liz she has a tough fight and needs lots of prayers to stand strong against her bug.

xoxo love from Gail

The Relic

The Relic

( http://www.stjohnneumann.org/) 

One day at work, Maureen's husband, Mike pulled me aside and gave me this beautiful relic

( small piece of bone of St. John).  Not only is it beautiful, I was touched to tears that he would give me some thing that was so important to him and he had held for so long.  Along with it, he told me amazing stories of healing that had taken place in his life involving the relic.  I will always wear it and believe in it.  One great thing about the bug is I had no idea how many people have come to my side to help me fight the bug.

Funny thing about John's relics.

Everytime I give one away another finds its way to me.  When I got home the day I gave it to you, I received one from my best friend, Joe.  He got it when his uncle passed away (very Catholic family, very).  This one is a class one relic with a wax seal.  Meaning, it is actually a very small piece of his body.  Joe is the same person whose house I was leaving in the rain the night I found the relic two weeks before my uncle had his accident.  If you ask Maureen, she will tell you Joe is the nicest human walking the earth.  Some things just can't be explained.  Try to remember when things really suck, something CSN&Y said in a song, "REJOICE, REJOICE YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO CARRY ON".  Happy Thoughts, Mike

Great day at work, it sure feels good to feel good!

Today I went back to work at the shop, it felt great!!  It was as if I never had the bug.  I had to stop myself from working all day. Sooo much to do, but really displaying is what I really enjoy.  Topiaries and all that comes with it is truly a big joy in my life, from the wonderful people I have met, the buying, the florals etc..  The shop is going on 19yrs.  I truly believe today was such a dramatic change for the good, it must be all those prayers.  I mean dramatic. I have not felt this good since September. It sure feels good to feel good!

Thanks so much for all the cards and prayers. xoxo

Update after Jan. 12 blood work

Courage is not the towering oak that

sees storms come and go;

            It is the fragile blossom

                        that opens in the snow.

                                                                                                                        a card sent by my friend Maddy..

Ok here is where I am....

I have not been working do to the constant coughing I have endured since Sept.. I have been resting and eating. Some very small good things due to the bug are, I have lost weight so I now must gain weight, REALLY who would have thought....and I am working on my 6 pack due to coughing its like doing a hundred sit ups a day and no fat to cover the muscle. 

I went in for my blood work yesterday, which needs to be checked between treatments to make all of your blood counts are good. All of mine checked out good. While I was there I talked to the nurse about my coughing and breathing problems, (which all along everyone had said I would have to live with until there is some shrinkage of the tumor) they prescribed a new cough medicine which knocked me out for about 15 hours but gave my lungs a rest. I also went for a chest x-ray to check for anything that might be brewing in there. I am hoping to work for a bit tomorrow.

P.S. Please try posting again, Megan has made it easier to leave comments.

Thanks for your love and prayers! xoxo

Kudos!

Thanks so much to everyone for your prayers, gifts, cards, and food!

A Special Thanks goes out to Gary and Frank from S. Carolina

(incredible designers and the best friends any girl could ask for)

They heard I was sick, not yet diagnosed with the bug and wanted to help, I was too sick and having so many tests at that time to go into work.  I usually refill the store as it sells thin throughout the season.  I was wondering what was going to happen to all the inventory that would not be made up or put out or made up into wreaths or arrangements in time.  Well they got in their car, loaded up for three days, got a hotel and took over the shop!!!  Amazing!!!

They not only refilled and refilled but redisplayed like a beautiful showroom, and did I mention how much fun they are. I never really came in, I was able to rest and take in the news of what my near future would hold. 

They ended up staying 8 DAYS!!

They saved Christmas!

4th day after Chemo

Thanks so much for all the well wishes and love....

4th day after Chemo: I am starting to come out of the flu like symptoms.

I am still coughing a ton and tired but, I had a nice visit from My nephew Keith and his wife Jessica that perked me up. They have been living in Africa for the past year, also announcing they are expecting twins...very exciting since they will be settling in DC and I (being the cool Aunt that babysit Keith for years) will be close enough to help out:) My next treatment is in 2.5 weeks, and hopefully I will be building my good cells up this week for the next punch. xo

Please keep me in your prayers.

Faith

The first sign I was being lead along a path that was watching from above.

I was called by my doctor out of the blue to go to the hospital at some point that day to get an x-ray on my right side since the scan was unusual.  I headed right up there (note I was not scheduled for any time... it was a walk in).  I am sitting in a small waiting room in the back area and Carolyn walks by and glances, then back steps and said, "Gail?"  The way I know Carolyn, is our awesome Fathers were best friends when they were alive.  We are both Daddy's girls.  We have only know each other very briefly through our Fathers deaths and a stop at the shop once in a while to reminisce about our dads. Carolyn, being a nurse was not working that day, she also was there just by chance to check on something for herself in another area in the hospital.  Since then, she being a nurse herself in Virginia Beach, she has been the biggest blessing, not only peace of mind of answering all my questions,  but going with me to doctors appointments, showing up at my procedures and so much more, including peace of mind that she has my back and knows most of the doctors and nurses and is there at all hours for me.

Our Fathers put us both in the same place that day!!
They are smiling up there and helping me through...

Thanks for the Blog!!!

Thank you sooooo much Megan for setting up this awesome blog for me!!!! Xoxo

My First Treatment, January 4th

I had my first Chemo treatment yesterday, lasted 4 hours.  As most of you know,  I don't sit for more than 10 minutes.  I brought tons catalogs to order from since I had to move my buying trip down the road until March, instead of next week.  Turns out the lady next to me and her friends love Topiaries and have a couple mutual friends.  It was her first time too...newbies.  So I handed out catalogs.  We talked about how the room we are in with 20 lazy boys filled patients all hooked up to IVs, the atmosphere could use some Topiaries touches etc..  

Not a bad experience for my first time.  Not sick or tired yet, they say that comes in three or four days.  My next treatment is in 3 weeks.  I am going to fill in some of the other tabs too..

The Bug

The "bug" as I call it, is Cancer,

which I like to refer to as the little "c"

that will be squashed by love, support, courage, prayers,

 great medicine and the big "C" known as Christ!

Lets do this!!

The beginning

It all started back in September 2011. I was coughing a lot but thinking it was just my asthma and lots of extra shipments at the shop. It started getting worse, and we all know I had to get that shop ready for the Holidays!!!  I went to the doctors and got on some antibiotics and Prednisone.  I had some good days to work and rest in between, and in the mix I got a new puppy two months before!!  Hello.... not enough going on?  After I was off the 1st round of antibiotics, I was still sick again, more x-rays and stronger pills.