Fall Back

Wow, here it is November already!!  I am just LOVING the season change.  The beautiful leaves falling and all the harvest colors.  November is my favorite month, I know I know.........I have a birthday coming up but it's not about that, it's about Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) and having a holiday that is all about counting your blessings and being grateful for all you have, no matter how little you may think you have...........trust me, you have a lot more to be grateful for than you think.

I had a good visit to the hospital last week and got to meet my new Dr. (oncology radiologist).......OK, I need a drum roll please, Dr. Badiozamani!!!!  He and his team left me with a great first impression so I feel confident I am in good hands.  I will refer to him as Dr. B from this point forward.  You can check him out at https://www.virginiamason.org/body.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=1175&action=detail&ref=22

Of course I am not excited to start phase 2 of my treatment, but I know it's the ONLY way to move forward and get this cancer behind me once and for all.  I officially start what they refer to as the Virginia Mason Protocol on Nov. 17th.  Basically, it is five and half weeks of treatment (38 days) but it takes most people longer to complete because they get sick, blood and platelet levels drop, etc.  I anticipate the holidays may not be jolly for me, but at the same time I am so grateful to still be alive.

Sometimes when I am alone I cry.........I cry allot.  Not because I am sad, but because I am so grateful for the absolutely amazing friends I have in my life who are so generous with me.  I am just so blessed beyond measure, plus I have two great sons and a fiancee that loves me and cares for me so much. 

My sons were visiting me this weekend and we all had a nice family dinner with their girlfriends and it truly was a blissful moment for me.  It's rare to have the two boys home at the same time so I savor it.

As for my health, this is hard.  I tire very easily and have more issues with my stomach that I can even count.  I guess it is just part of my new normal since the Whipple surgery.  Although my tumor is attached to a main artery making it inoperable at this time, it is possible it will shrink enough during radiation/chemo allowing Dr. Rocha to go back in and remove what is left...........the thought of surgery again scares me as the first one almost killed me.  However, Dr P. has assured me the surgery is different, would not be another Whipple.  I just decided I can not worry about it at this time and just need focus on getting as healthy as I can in preparation for phase 2 of treatment.  I have all the X;s on my stomach to begin radiation.  They will finalize things on the 12th and tattoo the marks on me so I will always have them.  Guess you can think of it as me getting freckles tattooed on my tummy. LOL  I think I would like to get a tattoo, but I was thinking more along the lines of a purple ribbon "CancerDiva" on the inside of my wrist.

This week my goal is to get Tanner's WSU graduation announcements in the mail and jump back into my book chapter 6.  One of my dear friends has offered me up a program that not is a spell check but it rakes your writing and makes suggestions to make it more precise and to the point so I want to put that to a test run on what I have written already.  I just want to be careful so I don't lose my writing voice along the way.

I again want to thank you for your prayers, and all the amazing support you have given.  This has already been a long journey and is just going to get longer and harder.  I can do this, if not for me, for my sons, Tim and all of you.

Please remember to vote this week!!!!
LIVE WITH PASSION
DJ