a family weekend

So I'm still catching up on February events and wanted to post about our visit from Kristin and Nathan in February. Since he was born last May, we have been very fortunate to see them every month since! I miss having them nearby and love seeing my little bub whenever we can!

my wonderful family... this is why I will never give up the fight!

Sarcoma status from February Dr. visits

Mid month it was time to be scanned to see if December's chest radiation had any effect. I met with my Radiologist to discuss the results on the Thursday after Monday's CT scan. He was pleased with his work and said it looked as though the 2 lymph nodes we had targeted showed signs of "necrosis". Friday I met with my Oncologist and he wasn't so sure the radiation had worked. He said our next step would be chemo, but not sure yet what drug. I then met with Dr. Force the following Friday to discuss what he could do for me. He didn't think the lymph nodes had been effected either and we still needed to deal with the 4 lung nodules. We reviewed the CT scan with him and he pointed out that the lymph nodes were inoperable and 2 of the lung nodules would be difficult to get and most likely not yield clean margins. He couldn't help me this time. This was quite a blow to me... he had always been my go-to guy, my surgery-savior, to rid my lungs of the metastases. That option was gone. I cried all day long.
To take charge of my options for chemo I decided to see a new Oncologist at Emory, Dr. Movva. She had been on staff for ~2 years and was their Sarcoma Oncologist-Guru. She presented me with a research paper, a study done at MD Anderson, of 15 patients with my exact Sarcoma, Hemangiopericytoma. The study was for 2 drugs, Temodar plus Avastin. We talked about my cancer and she was so educated and smart, and had reasons for what she wanted to do. She gave me hope, I signed her up as my new Onc! 
I started the Temodar on March 8th, I take 200mg per night for 7 days, then on the eighth day do a 2 hour infusion of Avastin. I'm on Ativan and Compazine as pre-meds for nausea. Except for the first night where I was sick for 3 hours, so far so good. We'll see what side effect if any the Avastin adds this week. 


I'm grateful for my new doctor. I'm grateful for medical research, although rare in the Sarcoma world, that there is some new drug protocol available to try. I'll do a 2 month cycle and re-scan. 
Praying for great results!!!

Catching up on February, it was a busy month!

Our February started with a trip to St Thomas and St John! It was great to get away and soak up the sunny sunshine and warm temperatures. We had not had a vacation in 2011 due to health reasons, so this time away was very much appreciated! My brother and SIL from CT joined us and we're so glad they did!

We arrived at the Ritz Carlton, checked in, and then headed over to Red Hook to reserve a table at the Caribbean Cafe for the Super Bowl the next night. There was a fun mix of locals and tourists cheering on their teams in a close and exciting game! Fun for all, especially Giants fans as our team won!

The Ritz has a lot to offer and we indulged in it all, snorkeling, paddle boats for 4, too funny!, Hobie Cat sailing, walking the beach, rafting in the pool, and of course dining on all their delicious food and drink!

We took a couple of days to venture over to St John. We hopped the ferry in Red Hook and w/in 20 minutes we were on St John for a little shopping and dining at Mongoose Junction, and swimming at their beautiful private aqua-blue beaches. 

It was a much needed, enjoyable and relaxing time! 

A storm rolled in that night, so we waited it out with a few cocktails!

Do I look relaxed yet?

We had a wonderful time!

affordable drama... a wall of white plates

Two weekends ago, my daughter and I painted her dining room walls "Amazing Gray" by Sherwin Williams. To add some pizzazz to the long undecorated wall we hung plain white plates that we'd been collecting for a couple months. Most of them came from HG, my fave store of course, and were so inexpensive, like $3.99 on average. I picked up several sizes of plate hangers at JoAnn's, white so they wouldn't show up too much. It makes such a clean and dramatic display for such a low cost. We both love the way it turned out... we even left it a bit uneven so we could add more!

simple and so chic!

I'm addicted to Home Goods

 Yesterday's find... this Drexel Hertitage chest from their Shelter and Shore Collection in antique white. Once I opened the drawer and saw the name plaque on the inside I knew I had to have it. It's good quality finished real wood furniture at a steal of a price!

I put it in my Keeping Room. I love it and I loooove HG!

2 days at the Ritz followed by 2 nights in the hospital

It's never dull around my house. I like to be always doing something, but somethings you just don't plan for. We got home from the Ritz at Lake Oconee on Thursday evening. Friday I had made plans but had to cancel them when I started suffering from intense stomach pain. I ended up throwing up and feeling better, but then that only added to my "acid esophagus" I still have from the chest radiation. Saturday I went shopping with Alex for a bit, but never quite felt like eating anything, so by dinnertime I was hungry. I made chicken and dumplings and it was sooo good. Sunday morning  we had pancakes, no coffee though, and by mid morning I was in pain again. Bad #10 pain. It lasted all day with no reprieve, so by the evening I emailed my Oncologist to ask what to do. The chemo drug I had taken for the past month can cause severe stomach pain so I thought it could be a side effect. He said to be safe and head to the hospital for a scan. So off we went... checked in, drank the contrast, had a CT scan, got the results: partial small bowel obstruction from adhesion's. Adhesion's is a side effect of the abdominal radiation I had in August to September. They had already started me on IV fluids and now wanted to admit me to stay on the IV and see if that would relieve the blockage without having to do surgery. I stayed there, on IV fluids for ~ 36 hours, adding a liquid only diet the 2nd day. I wasn't in pain anymore and it seemed to be working. Thank goodness! I did not want to go through another abdominal surgery! I'm being a good patient and eating only soft foods and liquids for this whole next week. I want to make sure it doesn't happen again. Cancer has so many negative effects on your body, little by little the treatments wear you down. I'm still feeling the effects of my recent chest radiation and have heartburn daily. I'm just not feeling good right now. But I will! I need to build myself back up! Protein drinks are my new best friend. Working my way back to health.

two winter days at the Ritz Lake Oconee

We arrived home from Florida on Monday, and on Tuesday afternoon I was on my way to the Ritz Carlton Lake Oconee with Drew for a business trip. I was tagging along for a little R&R. The weather was mild and a little rainy, but still couldn't take away from the beauty of this place.

the cozy fireplace on a winter's night

We had dinner the first night in the dining room and were the only ones there. Our own very private dining room! The food was scrumptious. I had Sole with fingerling potatoes and peaches, and it was perfect!

The next morning started out rainy, so after my room service breakfast of blueberry pancakes, yummmmy! I decided to take the car out and see the area. I hadn't been out to the lake in a long tome. The few shops that are still in business were having some great sales, I got a cute top for 50% off and 2 pairs of designer shoes for 75% off! 

Drew and I hit a local restaurant for dinner that night, The Silver Moon. When we're out at the lake we tend to stay home and cook since it's a long drive to any restaurant. The place we frequent the most is Gaby's at the Ritz because we can go by boat. When we got back from the SM, we walked the grounds and roasted a few marshmallows by the fire outside. They have everything right there to make s'mores. 

The next morning was a beautiful day so after breakfast, I walked around and took some pics.

Chiminea dinner for two, 3 course meal only $125 pp!

The view from our room

It was a great two day break for a bit of rest and reading, and eating their delicious food. I'm so glad I tagged along!