Day 3 & counting!

Hi all! I figured that I should probably update you all as to where things are at in the testing game and what's going on! :)

I'm still on the "special diet", but only for two more days, so that's not bad. Plus, I lost four pounds this week while on it, so that's a plus, too! Ha! :)

But, Monday & Tuesday, I went to the Nuclear Medicine department at the hospital and I received an injection. Monday it was in my left arm and Tuesday it was in my right arm. It's called a thyrogen shot and it overrides the thyroid medicine I have to take, but I don't have to go through the whole process of stopping the medicine or going through the withdrawals that I usually experience when I'm off the medicine (hypothyroidism). When I went in on Monday, I said, "How, exactly, am I going to feel after having these shots?" To which she responded, "You will feel no different than you do now!" Wahoo! And, true to her word, I have felt NO side effects of this medicine and I feel "normal"!! Oh, Happy Day! :)

Then, this morning, I went in and took a little radioactive pill for the body scan that I will have done on Friday afternoon. So, really, it's been an easy go of things this week! Head over to the hospital at 7:30 AM, stay for roughly 15 or 20 minutes and head to work. I've been to work by nine each morning! Simple! :) Now, though, there's talk of a storm tomorrow and Friday, so I'm planning to just stay put in Cheyenne and not commute. I can't take the chance of getting stuck (let alone risk my life on bad roads!). :)

Tomorrow morning, now, I will head to the lab at the hospital and have some blood work done. Tomorrow is a big day. That blood work will tell me everything that I need to know. So, keep your fingers crossed for the next day or so!!! Please!! :o) I think that if I head in as soon as the lab opens (7 AM), I can get the results by the end of the day. I keep saying in my head, "Jen, it will be what it will be. Don't stress. Just go with the flow." After all, they say that you are what you repeat, so if the news is bad, hopefully spending all day repeating those words will help me to deal better with that bad news! But, maybe I won't even have to deal with any bad news!!! Oh, wouldn't that be just super-fantastic?!?! :o)

So, there's your update! As soon as I know the results of that bloodwork tomorrow, I will put up another post!! Until then...keep on keeping on!

Update: Ha! I just read my daily calendar this morning and here's what it says, "You can have a tiny problem, but if you stay focused on it, it will seem to get bigger and bigger. Don't magnify your problem; magnify your God. Step out of doubt and step into faith. Get out of that discouragement and come over into joy. Make a decision that you are going to live your life happily." I guess that I will NOT focus on "what could be" tomorrow and I will just have faith that things will be as they should be! :o)

My Leprechaun Name

Your Leprechaun Name Is:

Dirt-foot Ettercap

What's Your Leprechaun Name?

All about me...with pictures!

So, I stole this. From Regina. I hope she doesn't mind! It just looked so fun and she said that she wasn't going to tag anyone but that if you wanted to do it, you should go for it! So, go ahead and do it, too! It's fun!! Enjoy!! :)

1. Go to www.photobucket.com (don’t sign in).
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box.
3. Choose one image from the first page.
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer. (I had to save the answers on my computer and then paste them in. I couldn't figure out how to get it to work otherwise.)

What is your first name?


What is your relationship status?

What is your favorite color?

What music are you listening to right now?

What is your favorite Disney Princess?

What is your favorite beverage?

What is your dream vacation?

What is your favorite dessert?

What is your favorite hobby?

What are you most afraid of?

What do you want to be when you grow up? - an academic advisor...in case you can't read it. :)

What is your favorite scent or smell? -- It says, "Spring!" :)

Honesty.

Can I just say something? I am really not having a good time with this cancer diet & testing thing this year. I feel extremely cross about it all and I know that's not a good thing! But I'm having a hard time just doing what I have to do for these tests. Ugh. And now do you know what? I've found the last few days that I've begun bargaining with God. "Just make me better and I'll do whatever." or "Just make it better and I promise to always be faithful to You." I recognize this as fear, but it doesn't mean that I feel better about things. I also recognize the importance of testing this year because it, really, could go either way! If it's good, then I'm in the clear for a long time (5 years). If it's bad, then I'm looking at doing this diet & testing business for at least the next two years. So, it's just kind of nervewracking for me. Then, last night as I'm laying in bed, I started thinking about the "clincher" of it all...my blood tests that will happen next Thursday. So, at lunch today I went home and looked at the past year's test results to try and remember the "magic" number and where I wanted to be. I have the blood work done at 7:45 next Thursday morning and I will for sure be able to get the results on Friday morning, if not some time on Thursday. If they say that they'll be done in an hour, I will wait around to get them. If they say it'll be a half day, then I'll have to wait until Friday. But if that test comes back good, then I know I'm in the clear.

And re-discovering all that information kicked the bargaining into a higher gear for me. *sigh* I do realize that the bargaining is a normal part of "the process". And even though I know that it's a false sense of confidence that I'm receiving for doing it, I still find myself doing it.

So, at this point, I think that I just need to start focusing on the prayer of "Just help me to have the strength for whatever Your will may be."

And, today, all of this has kind of put me into a funk. Thankfully, though, I see it's only temporary and I know that I will feel better soon. I just wanted to write about some of my feelings today. I know that some of you understand exactly what I'm feeling. :) And with that, I will go back to working on what's right in front of me at this moment and I'll try to forget about the rest. That's about the best I can do right now, huh? :)

Simple.

As I was reading through the various news sites and newspapers this morning, I thought, "I just want my life to be simple and honest."

May we all know a portion of that today!

Just This and That.

I'm in a mood for blogging this week! Can you tell?! Ha! :)

Anyway, here are the pretty flowers my boss gave me for Administrative Professional's Day yesterday.
Aren't they nice? I thought so, too! :) He's such a good boss to us! I couldn't ask for a better one!!

Moving on...some of you may not have noticed that I have my Twitter updates back up again. You can find the updates on the right hand side column and it's the box titled, "The Here & Now-Twitter Updates". I know that lots of you want to check in on me hourly (hahaha!), so this will give you the opportunity to check in more often and see what I'm up to. I will update Twitter a bit more frequently than my blog. It's just a fun little thing to track my wanderings and ponderings through the day! I used to have it on here in a pretty little box but then I lost it when I tried to put in a new background and I've never been able to get the pretty little box back. Now it just blends in with everything else. Anyway, I hope you enjoy checking in more freqently to see those updates over there!

There's lots planned for the next few days...soccer games, potlucks, birthday parties, Meeting, and, of course, I must find time for a nap or two! :) So, until next time, I just want to say that I hope you're enjoying your days!

*sigh* :o)

So, I pretty much feel like a big whiner because of my post yesterday!!! By the end of the day, I was feeling much better about things...and then this happened...

Last night I went to some friends' house for dinner. They know ALL about this diet because the man of the house has graves disease so he has to go through the same kind of testing that I have to go through. So, I was fairly excited about having a place to go for supper and I didn't have to worry about cooking my own meal. Anyway, I gave the lady of the house a call and said, "Could I bring some hamburger over and make use of your grill to make a bunch of hamburgers for next week?" She said, "sure!" The grill was already going because of what was for dinner, so I just threw the hamburger on and cooked up some extra burgers. I was pretty happy about that! :)

Well, let me tell you about this supper...for supper, we had pork loin, chicken, mashed potatoes, jello, bread, vegetables and apple pie!!! And ALL of this was "do-able" for my diet!!! I couldn't believe it!! I felt like I was at a feast! But here's the kicker...

As I'm helping her get stuff ready, she said, "Oh, I made a bunch extra so that you'll be taking home leftovers." What?!?! Yes, folks, the lady of the house went above and beyond and she sent me home well prepared!!! Oh, man, I just felt so thankful for this!! I couldn't believe their kindness!!! I left there last night with my own loaf of bread (oh, happy day!), my hamburgers, jello, apple pie, and mashed potatoes. Man, oh, man...I am one lucky senorita.

So, yes, I felt more positive about things last night as I was leaving work, but I felt humbled by the dinner last night and by the kindness of this family. I about bawled my eyes out!! I just wish that I could better express my excitement and thankfulness through this blog, but just know this...I am just in awe.

Anyway, life goes on. All is well. I'm set for a LONG time with this diet (at least for a week), and I'm feeling positive and ready to tackle those blasted exams. I think that there are more out there than myself that will be ecstatic when these exams are OVER. All for now!

Revelations

Wowsers. Monday night gave me TWO revelations!!!! Here they are:

1. If I would go to bed at the start of when I begin to feel TIRED and ready for bed, I think that I would get PLENTY of sleep each night. As it is, I usually end up staying up for a good hour or two AFTER I begin to feel tired and ready for bed. *sigh* I must work on this.

2. I am sitting on a gold mine with this blog thing. Why's that? Because I hate to cook. But you guys can help me with that!!!! This diet really isn't that awful...it's just not complimentary to MY life. You see, I really don't cook for myself. I eat quick meals (cold cereal, mac & cheese, eggs, pancakes/waffles, etc.) and I don't really do in-depth cooking. At 27, it's kind of embarassing for me to admit that and I DO realize that it's healthier for me to cook meals, but I just haven't found the enjoyment of it yet. Well, with this diet, I have to cook. Every meal. Ugh. And here's where I'm needing your help! On page seven of the diet book, it tells you what I can and cannot have. Basically, I can have meat (not any fish or seafood), potatoes (with no skin), and...applesauce. I cannot have any dairy products, iodized salt (I do have some non-iodized salt), sea salt, or any processed foods...of any kind. SO...with that...please share with me some of your recipes!!! I'm looking for quick, unobtrusive recipes. I love using the crock pot and I don't mind using the oven and stuff, but if it's a multi-process meal (aka...five steps or more), chances are I will not do it. Share some of your favorite recipes with me, please! I would love to hear some ideas!! Right now, I've already got the idea of hamburgers, meatloaf, spaghetti, stir-fry, and chicken. Of course, there's fresh fruits and veggies, too.

Anyway, any help you'd like to give, I'd sure love to have it! :)

The time is nearing.

For what, you ask? For my cancer tests!! And, boy, are things different this year. So, please...if you have nothing else to do, send as many GOOD VIBES my way as you can! I really could use them this year! :o)

Here's how things are going to work...you know how I have to do that strange diet (page seven explains it all)? Well, I don't have to be nearly as strict with it this year!! Wahoo!!! :) All in all, I'll do it for about 10 days before the week of the testing and then through the week of the testing. I used to have to do it for a good four weeks, including the week of the tests! Yuck! So, it's a little bit nicer this year.

Next...the testing is COMPLETELY different! I used to have to go off of my thyroid medications for the entire time that I was doing the diet (except for about a week) and that was awful. I've explained this before, but your thyroid levels hover between 0.46 to 4.68. When I would go off of my pills during the testing period, I'd have to get my levels up to 30. However, by the time all was said and done (all testing completed for the year), my levels would always be above 100. Always. Yikaroonies. How did I feel? This is how I felt. Sometimes, though, when they feel a patient is pretty close to "being in the clear" (aka, no more cancer!!!), they do things a little differently. And guess what? We're doing that THIS YEAR!!! Wahoo! This year, I only have to do the diet for about half the time and I don't have to go off of my medication!!!!!!!!!!! :o) Life is good. :)

My tests are going to run from April 28 to May 2. Here's how it works: I will stay on my medicine, but on April 28 and April 29, I will go to the doctor's office to have a shot that overrides the effect of the medicine. I will only be affected for about a week. I won't ever have to stop my medicine, either. Then, on April 30, I have to go and take a pretty little pill. On May 1, I have my bloodwork tested. On May 2, I have the full body scan. Then, I'm done. And if all comes back well, I'm done...FOR FIVE YEARS!!!!!!!!!! That's why I need as many good vibes as possible! Wahoo, wahoo, WAHOO!!! :o) However, if things come back negative (not good), then I'll have to have a radiation treatment and my "years of good tests" go back to zero. I have to have two good years of tests in a row in order to be cleared for five years. As of today, I have one year under my belt and this will be year number two. So, please...I beg you...send good vibes my way! I'll never ask for anything again! :)

Some of you have been inquiring about the testing time, so I thought I'd give a little update. I feel a bit anxious but ready to get this over with! It does help that the doctors are thinking that I might be good to go so they're doing the special testing this year. That really lifts my spirits! I will keep you posted with all of the goings on this year!! So, stay tuned!!! :)

Signs of Spring!!

I just wanted to capture the beauty of spring this morning! Here are a few sights:

Yuck. I am NOT impressed right now!!!!!! There have been reports of four inches to a foot around town. I just wanted to hole up at home today. But did I have that option?!?! Nooooo!!!

...

It is kind of pretty, though. :o) Albeit a pain.

Stupid "junk" comments

Unfortunately, I've been getting comments left on my blog that are similar to what we get in our junk folders in our e-mail. It's junk. So, I'm going to monitor the commenting for a day or so and then release it again. We'll see what happens. I'm not sure if the YouTube video prompted this or what. Whatever did, it's annoying!!

So, you'll have to do that dumb word verification for awhile and I will also approve your message before it will post. That means that it won't be there right away. I'll see how that goes for a day or so.

Sorry for the extra hassle!!!

Better Health, continued...

So, in another effort to be more healthy, I am working on being more positive. Some days, of course, are better than others!! :)

The other day, though, I was wandering along through blog world (lurking, actually) and I ran across the following clip. I stole it from this person's blog. (I don't think they'll mind. :) But it was a clip that opened my eyes again to how we sound when we are negative, whether it's about our own self or about something/someone else. Of course, while the animals help to make the video a riot, in the end I just felt motivated to work on being 100% accepting of the body that God gave me...to not be so picky.

It's a video that was made using real live interviews of people around the US. It's kind of long (about nine minutes), but worth the watch...I think you'll get some laugh's from it! So, here's to positive thinking and better health!!! :o)

Look at ME!! Look at ME!!

Today, I am going to toot my own horn because I don't know if this will ever happen again. :) I've been inspired by a few things and a few good people in the last year to make some lasting changes in my life, health-wise. One of those changes has involved getting to the gym R-E-G-U-L-A-R-L-Y. It used to be that I'd say, "Yeah, I go to the gym." What I didn't say is that it might be one or two times that month. *sigh* Well, I'm happy to say that I've now gotten into the routine of going three times a week and I feel SO much better!!! I go to the gym Curves for Women and I really enjoy it! It's so easy to GO there because it's only a 30 minute workout, but the benefits from it and the way I feel say SO much more. Plus, you really get to know the people you work out with and it's just a lot of fun.

Anyway, one of the things they do each month is recognize the top five people that lost the most (weight & inches combined) and their name gets put on a "Stars of the Month" board. Guess who got on it for the first time?!?!? ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o) You can see my star below. :) Inches and weight combined, I lost 6.5. Wahoo!!!! :) Let me tell ya, this SURE inspires me to try and get up there next time! What a fun and rewarding feeling! Who knew a laminated star could do that for a person!?! *laugh*

So, there you go. I'm done being all braggy about it. :) I just had to share, though, because I was so very excited. Yay for me! :)

Life Goes On

Not much is new here! Maybe you know that by my lack of posting! Ha! I have a friend that has told me twice in the last week, "Jen, two words for you...Update Blog!!!" So, here you go, my friend. :)

I really don't have anything to post as life is just life! I'm just going to work and, in the evenings, working on my class. Oh, yeah...and fighting a losing battle with allergies. Blargh!!! I started with Claritin-D (24 hr.) and it didn't dent a thing. Then, a friend recommended Zyrtec so I've recently switched to that. It allows me to breathe easier but I'm still constantly blowing my nose (if you wanted to know that). Now, today, I feel like something is "settling" in my chest. Could this be a cold? I certainly don't feel achy or feverish and I don't have any "cold symptoms" other than stuffiness. I took some Airborne last week thinking that if it was a cold, maybe that would help. It didn't affect anything. Aargh!! What could this be?! I hate to go to the doctor for this, but if it provides some relief, maybe that's what I need to do! Suggestions, anyone?!?

And, as usual, I'm going through my routine "life questioning" and whether it's time to move back closer to the family or not. *sigh* Who knew that this would ever be such a hard decision!! And it's not necessarily "hard" in wondering if I want to be closer to family again or not, because I DO!!! In a heartbeat I'd move up closer to famiy again. The thing that's a hesitation is my job. I love my job right now. Love it! And I sometimes wonder if I'll ever enjoy a job again as much as I enjoy this one!! I look at advertisements in areas up close to my family but nothing "jumps out" at me. Of course, I had to work my way into THIS job, so maybe I'll have to do that again, too. *sigh* If only it could be an easy switch! I have a hard time with the idea of leaving all of my friends out here, too. After all, I've been here for six years (this summer) already!! Isn't that wild?! It just doesn't seem like it's been that long. Anyway, we'll see what happens!! I'm really kind of afraid to pray about what to do, too. I mean, what if what God wants for me doesn't involve moving back up by family!?! *sigh* I don't know that I want to think about that yet. Hmmm...maybe I should be praying more about being willing. :)

Anyway, that's about all from these parts!! I hope all is well with YOU wherever you are at! :)