She's Back!

How is Kathy? In case you didn't see her yesterday, she was back!! Her voice isn't...quite. I didn't get a chance to stop by so I can't tell you if it is more of a sultry, sexy sound or a gravelly, cigarette smoker sound, but it is back and she was teaching her classes yesterday. Hurray! When she first started to recover from the flu the last time she said it was good to feel like a person with cancer again, rather than a person with cancer and the flu! So, although it sounds weird, I will say, "Kathy, I hope you are feeling like a person with cancer again! " ;-)

Still fighting the flu...

How did the week go by so fast?

Shortly after I posted last week, Kathy got sick again (same version of cold/flu again? new bug? who knows, but it really sucks!). She lost her voice, felt weak, tired and generally terrible and is on another round of antibiotics. She stayed home from work all this week to rest and recuperate. Good plan. I know it is really hard for her to stay home. I don't think she has ever missed more than a day or two (if that) during a year, so the decision to stay home and rest has been hard for her. I think in some ways it feels like losing or giving in. But it is a tactical loss (if it is a loss at all). Give this up in order to save strength for the real battle. (On the positive side, only three more kemo's to go!)

So keep sending Kathy your "get well" thoughts, either privately or through the comments here. You may not get a response from her since she is concentrating on getting well, rather than answering emails. But just know that she and her family really appreciate all the support she is getting from everyone. Thanks, all of you!

The Second Half....

...of the Kemo started off without a hitch!

Thursday was the first kemo of the round of four Taxol infusions. This phase of kemo requires some measures to prevent reaction to the drugs. The time at the center is longer because there first has to be a Benedryl infusion to prevent potential allergic reaction. Also there are some drugs Kathy is required to take the night before.

Some of us were worried that she might not get to have it (it was a week late already since she had that bad cold/flu). Others of us were worried that she might be one of those few who have a reaction. Good news! The worries were unfounded! Kathy did fine and she was feeling ok as of her last text. I'm guessing the cold/flu bug must be on the run, too, or they wouldn't have let her have the kemo.

No one said kicking the !@#$%&* cancer was going to be easy. Weeks like the last two test Kathy's strength and make her doubt her resilience. But true strength and resilience doesn't mean never going down. It means eventually popping back up after something's got you down. Remember these?

Hoping for a Better Week!

So what happened to our Blogstar? As you know, she was sick with the cold/flu that's been going around. Last weekend, she felt so bad that she went to the emergency room and ended up with HEAVY DUTY antibiotics. By Wednesday she still wasn't feeling better and had a Dr. appointment. On Thursday I met with her son for some math help and he sounded terrible! Between his coughing and mine we turned the hallway into a germ zone!

Today she's back at school, but definitely not back to 100%. If you've had this flu/cold thing you can definitely empathize. Cheryl and I have both tried to convince her to stay home longer. Stay home and kick this flu/cold in the ass so she can go back to kicking cancer. But I understand the drive to be at work. Besides the getting behind that happens if you are home sick, sometimes feeling crappy with some distraction is better than just being home feeling crappy. Sometimes it feels better to pretend to be o.k. when you feel terrible. Even if it's only just infinitesimally better...

Whatever wellness vibes you've got, send 'em this way! Kathy could really use them!

We Interrupt Your Blog Reading....

...with another link. Both the Blogstar and the blog auth0r are down with a bad cold (I swear I didn't give it to her... I didn't see her at all last week!!!!) Meanwhile here is one of my favorite sites when I need a good laugh. Passive Aggressive Notes dot com. Nothing to do with cancer. Wickedly funny and sarcastic, just like our favorite Blogstar!

More Health Humor

I haven't seen Kathy all week. It doesn't have anything to do with how she's feeling. Just that our schedules never meshed. So, can't give you an update. But I do have more funnies for your weekend. Click here to see Dan Reynold's Healthcare Cartoons. These cartoons cover all aspects of healthcare. Even pet healthcare.

Laugh More, Live Better!

Just About Now...

...I'm sure Kathy and her family could use some humor!

Here's a tip for when you are cranky, feeling like crap, bored of feeling like crap, tired, grouchy from being tired, nauseated, f-ing tired of being nauseated etc. Google! It is amazing what you can find when you put "!@#$%& cancer" into Google images! (P.S. This is for old people only. Kids should not do this. Teenagers should not do this, but probably have done it already without me telling them!)






This poster, entitled "Love Boobs, Hate Cancer," was done as a fundraiser at another blog. What do you say blog readers? Should we make one of these???? They raised over $4000. Ha ha ha!!

I am borrowing it here since their fundraiser is over. In the spirit of the poster, though...

Do you love boobs and HATE cancer? Then make a donation to the American Cancer Society or start saving for our Relay for Life fundraisers. Got pennies????