A Year Ago.....

It has been a while since I posted. This is another shortened-because-I'm-writing-on-my-iPad type post. I have been going through a lot of "a year ago" memories, actually since the first of 2016.
A year ago: we moved here; I found a lump; I got called as RS president; I had my mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy; I found out I had cancer; I had my port surgery; and just a week ago was my year mark on my first chemo therapy. Soon it will be losing my hair, last chemo, surgery, etc, etc. (One more etc to quote Yul Brynner.)
I have one more chemo infusion. I had the last full-blown chemo on December 30, but one of the 4 drugs, Herceptin, has to go for a full year. My last one is scheduled for September 21st. Herceptin doesn't have any drastic side effects, so it is not hard to keep taking that one. But I will still celebrate!!!!! For sure!!!!!
The summer was full of fun activities and lots of relaxing. A had YW camp the end of June. The Gilbert's came for the 4th of July as well as my parents. That was fun to be feeling well enough to go so stuff with them. Speaking of stuff, we seemed to eat one meal just to plan the next. Our first meal was brunch at Frank's Diner and I don't think I was hungry the rest of the weekend. Of course I ate, but probably over did it. The end of July, A, N and I went to Snoqualmie for another YW camp. N and I spent time with friends and she also took a couple of art classes. Then the 3 of us went home over Stevens Pass and stayed 3 days in Leavenworth. They have a summer theater there and we saw "The Sound Of Music" and " Beauty and the Beast". I think we might make that a tradition. It was really fun. We went to Grand Coulee Dam on the way home a drove highway 2 all the way which I have never done. The rest of the summer was just relaxing, we did Silverwood one day and got ready for school. We also grew a pretty good garden this year. Maybe I'll think to post some pictures of that. I have been feeling better and better since radiation ended in April. For awhile there, every day I would wake up feeling better than the day before. And people would comment "wow! You're looking so much better". I take that to also mean "wow, you sure looked haggard there for awhile". 🤔  I really feel pretty much like I did before all this started. Sometimes I get tired, but that was a normal occurrence before. My sleep cycle seems to be similar. Some nights I sleep all night and some I wake several times a night. I am on a chemo pill that I take daily for 5 years -Tamoxifen.  It is anti-estrogen, so one side effect is hot flashes. Those hit hard some days and not so bad others. It can also have a negative effect on my bones, so I have to take a bone strengthening pill weekly. That is ok, but does make me achy sometimes.

I have been walking some, and with school starting, I ride my bike to the school to take and pick up N. I come home winded, but even after a week am feeling like it's getting easier. For school, N is in 2nd grade and A is 7th, but we are home schooling A. So far so good (all of 4 days). Jeff's mother is here to visit for a while. It is sure good to see her and spend some time with her. Our niece Brenna and her family are in town for Tom's clinical this fall, so we get to spend some time with them and their cute little baby O. Tori just scheduled a surgery the first part of October, so I am planning on going there for a few days to help her (but mostly to play with baby G 😀) Well, my page has come to an end, so I guess I am done writing. I could keep going, I just won't be able to read it.