Sunday, January 10, 2010

Lymphoma Awareness

Everyone knows about pink being the color for breast cancer awareness. You can buy just about any product in the color pink these days to support breast cancer awareness. But I wonder how many people know about the other different colors and what they represent. So I went in search of some lists of what causes other colors represent. A couple of listes had an orange ribbon for Leukemia and Lymphoma awareness... and while orange is my favorite color... most of the lists I've seen have Lavender for Leukemia and Lime Green for Lymphoma. So....

I've gone a little overboard.

from www.ribbonsforareason.com, I bought five Lime Green Awareness Ribbon Lapel Pins and two Lime Cancer Sucks Awareness Wristbands (click on the highlighted links to see pics). Let me know if you want one... I'll gladly buy more.

I've also been to Wal-Mart and bought lime green material, purple material, and zebra material to start working on a lymphoma awareness quilt. (something to do while we are stuck at the hospital.) I'm not sure I'll want to look at it once this is all over with though. Maybe I'll donate it or raffle it? I don't know. But I'm all about Lymphoma awareness so bear with me right now while I go crazy with information overload. It's how i'm dealing.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Headache

When you get diagnosed with cancer... you get to start toting around a bag specially designated for carrying all of the paperwork you are given.



an accordian file folder an inch thick called a personal health manager holds just all of the medication papers, insurance papers, and discharge papers alone.



Your favorite nurse loans you a book two inches thick... in case you didn't have enough reading to do...



... and you find yourself in the health and medicine section of Barnes and noble, buying books like:



*rubs cross eyes*

That's two books at b&n I never thought I'd buy.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Oh. My. Goodness

a conversation I just had with my five year old son...

Levi was doing a task sloppily so I told him to slow down and do it correctly.

Me: "You have all day. Where are you going to go? You have a hot date?"

Levi: *snicker* "no"

Me: "good, cause you're not allowed to date until you're 35."

Levi: "I want a girlfriend right now"

Me: "why? give me one good reason why you think you want a girlfriend rigt now"

Levi: "cause I want to kiss someone"

*Blinks*

I think I've just been had

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Re-Cap

Let's re-cap my last 36 hours, shall we??

1.) My husband gets discharged from the hospital where he'd spent the last 6 days receiving chemotherapy.
2.) On the drive home he starts throwing up
3.) Halfway into the hour and a half drive home... my vehicle starts smoking. Transmission blew. again. we were stranded on the side of the road in frigid temps for 45 minutes while we waited for Jason's dad to come get us.
4.) We get home. I can see my bed. I can hear it calling my name... and I could also hear Jason still puking.
5.) I heat up some homemade chicken noodle soup that my girlfriends sent home with us for supper. Jason tries to eat some and continues puking
6.) I call the symptom evaluation unit and they say bring him back to the hospital for fluids
7.) Jason's sister, Kim, comes to stay at our house with my kids who are asleep and don't know I'm leaving with Jason.
8.) I drive Jason the hour and a half back up to Columbia...
9.)... and sleep in a chair.
10.) This morning I get a text from Kim saying that Levi had puked during the night. Jason's supposed to be staying away from germs as his immune system is now compromised from the chemo.
11.) Jason gets discharged from the hospital and I make a quick follow up visit to the emergency room. In the midst of all of this, I hadn't told anyone that I went to the emergency room Sunday night.
12.) what was supposed to be quick ended up being a two hour visit to the gyn clinic.
13.) I've got a bladder infection
14.) after picking up both mine and Jason's meds we finally head for home, slip sliding the whole way in a winter storm

does this sound like a pity party?? I'm pretty sure it is.

I haven't slept in a bed in a week... and I've had a lot on my plate. Frankly... i'm in a foul mood. My attitude stinks. I'm writing here to vent because my family does not need me to take it out on them.

I could use some prayers. I'm being tested.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Resolutions

Having my husband diagnosed with cancer at the end of the year sure made making resolutions for the next year easy!

My resolutions for 2010 look like this:
~ Do everything within my power (without playing the role of God) to help get Jason well.
~ KEEP Jason well
~ incorporate healthier eating into our daily lives as a way of trying to keep our family healthy. (do not confuse this with losing weight)
~ save enough money to take the family to Walt Disney World in 2011 where I would like to run in the Walt Disney World half marathon that benefits the leukemia & lymphoma society. The marathon for 2010 is next weekend. Obviously I've already missed that boat. Setting 2011 as a goal gives me a whole year to train and focus on getting Jason better so he can be there cheering me on!!

Life is precious

Hug your family

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happiness Is...