Keeping up the fight

Cancer battle continues

Hey there, it’s me, Kathy. So how was your week? Last week mine was like an adventure all in itself.

I got a brain scan MRI done before they took me to Halifax by ambulance. My father came with me to help me get around and to take care of me.

They told me what they were going to do then they gave me a checkup and said that they would need to have me up this week to get a face mask and have marking done. So I will be going up tomorrow to get that done and then it’s home again so they can match up the MRI scan with the one they had taken here.

And yes it did involve a needle. For those of you that know me, you know how much I hate needles but for a different hospital and people who don’t really know me, it went very well - only two tries.

Yes, I’m still drinking the water so I never have to go through dehydration again. That was the worse feeling I can remember in a long while.

When we got back from Halifax I was to stay in palliative care for almost the rest of the week. The nurses and staff are so nice there. When you’re not feeling good, it’s the nicest place you could be staying.

I am going to Halifax tomorrow again to get ready for the radiation but I will not be getting the radiation done tomorrow. They have a plan to only radiate and not go with the operation, so we will see if that kills it all. We can worry about killing the other spots with my regular chemo or something new.

I don’t like it just sitting there and not blasting it with anything. We tried that before and it went crazy on me and I ended up with new spots everywhere. So keep your fingers crossed for me this week because they may do it sometime this week or the first of next week. I need all the prayers and good vibes I can get. But you know with all of you out there rooting for me, I will be fine. Like Ella always said at yoga class, it’s a piece of cake.

I’m on steroids again so I’m eating everything in sight. I guess for now that’s good so I have a little extra to fight with.

I’m still having all the spots and lights flashing before my eyes from this tumor so hopefully that will be gone after they get rid of the tumor. They are keeping the headaches at bay so that sure is good but I feel like my stomach is bloated and I just can’t get comfortable. Everything is too tight. So when the neighbors see me running around after the dog in my pajamas, they don’t think anything of it.

Janet and I went for a walk around the farmers market this week. I get very inspired when I look at the crafters’ work so out came the jewelry making things. I started making Halloween jewelry.

This morning I took my wares to the fancy new store in Westville to see if they were interested. They were, so if you drop into their store at 1822 Main St. in Westville, you’ll see my work. It’s called the Downtown Exchange and you can find them on Facebook. They have beautiful crafts. They also sell the best ice cream in town and you will see the ice cream pictures on their storefront.

Janet, Dad, Carol and Betty all helped with the flea market this week.

It’s not winter yet there is a blue jay out on my green bin. That’s the first one I’ve seen this close this year.

My brother’s birthday was last week - happy birthday James. Hope you had a great day.

I had one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve had in years. The food was great -still stuffing myself. Carol and Wayne came over to share it with me. My youngest brother and his girlfriend Wanda and her daughter Emily dropped in to visit while they were in Westville. They couldn’t stay long because the drive back to Amherst takes a while. But I was glad to see everyone.

That evening I ended up over at the hospital. My wrist was so sore I couldn’t stand the pain but the doctor told me to take Advil and it helped a little.

The lady that asked if my grandmother Florence Daye and Rae Barkhouse were related, and yes, they were sisters. I remember my grandmother going to visit the Kennedys a lot. Both their maiden names were Slade.

Thank you all for your beautiful cards and gifts.

Thank you and lots of love going out to the Belmont Baptist Church in Belmont. You have been with me since almost the beginning and you will be there until the end. It is such a beautiful church in the country and the people are just as beautiful. They never forget me and they never give up on me. So I need your prayers a lot this week and all the good vibes you can send out to me. Thank you again.

I hope you took a minute to look around the Thanksgiving table and say thank you God for putting me in is this place today with all the people I love and who love me. God bless you.

Have a good week folks and yes, that’s enough pumpkin pie - give the rest away.