I really should be sleeping, but I've had things on my mind that I want to blog about too! I'll just give you a quick update of our quarantined lives to let you know how we are doing. And share just a few of the memes I have loved through all of this!We, like you, are adjusting to learning at home and trying to stay content and happy. Sometimes, just to keep my sanity, I go to Lowes or a garden center in Layton, just to walk the isles to see what has come in for spring. My open space in the gardens is very limited, it's not like I could add plants! But I've been doing landscaping for a good chunk of my life, so I HAVE to see what's there! I have my mask, my hand sanitizer, and a can of Clorox wipes in my car.
We are all struggling with isolation, each of the kids in their own way. Brooklyn especially, just wants to go back to school! She was thriving and loving her 9th grade year at our junior high! Now it looks like the school year will pass and we’ll still be online. This is uncharted territory for all of us! Maddie is headed to UVU in the fall to get her degree in Social Work. She got her Associates at Snow College, so she’s jumping into the bachelors program, then on for a masters that will take just an additional year. Isaac is doing online real estate school, not working right now because his store was closed. I wish I was better at being on top of the fun virtual activities, lessons and presentations for kids online! We could do with some shaking up of our school routine (which consists of me asking the kids if they got all their work done). My brain just can't be creative anymore.
McKinley is looking forward to 6th grade next year. She’ll be going to the neighborhood school instead of the charter school she’s always been in. Brooklyn has been a saint the last 3 school years since I started cancer treatment again. Me and early mornings don't agree with each other, at all! Every morning for the last 3 years, Brooklyn wakes up McKinley, helps her get breakfast and get ready for the morning carpool. Brooklyn will be in high school next year and will be out the door long before McKinley needs to be up. So morning duties will fall to Mom. The neighborhood school starts an hour later than the charter, and it’s within walking distance, so it's more doable.
When it became clear that schools would go online, I wondered how Mat would teach 6 choir classes with no interaction with the kids! I’m grateful everyday that, even though he’s not putting in his normal 11-12 hour days everyday, he still gets his paycheck every month. My heart breaks for those who are struggling to meet even the most basic necessities because they’ve been laid off. He’s had time to work on some projects at home because he’s here most days. It’s awesome!
I’m now over 2 ½ years from my stage 4 diagnosis. It’s been a wild ride, emotionally, physically, spiritually. I don’t regret going through it, in many ways it’s been a real blessing! But I have had to come to terms with what I’ll probably miss: kids getting married, graduations, grand babies, etc. My treatments are very predictable, they’ve been the same since I started. My scans were great, showing “no evidence of disease” for the last 1 ½ years. But my last scan changed. Bone metastasis in a couple ribs and in my left hip. My doctor is optimistic that this is just a little bump in the road. We’ll redo the bone scan when I redo my CT scan in June to see what might have changed, my treatments will stay the same until then. I do chemo infusion every 3 weeks, I’m on a study drug, oral chemo called palbocyclib (21 days on, 7 days off), I get hormone blocker injections in my back side once a month. The treatments may change over time, but going off treatment altogether is NOT an option, at least it won't be for a very long time.
Everything at Huntsman (cancer hospital) has changed. I have to go alone, every patient gets screened for covid symptoms at the front door. And for now, all alternative services are cancelled. No massage, no acupuncture, no support groups, no appointments with social workers … I’m telling you what. It’s hard! I’m exhausted physically and emotionally.
I was at the hospital to get my shots today. When I got to the front door, they checked my temperature, gave me hand sanitizer and a mask. They are being very careful about protecting the patients of the hospital, which I am very grateful for! Annie slipped me in for a short visit after I got my shots, which I was so happy about! She's one of the kindest, most charitable people I know. She said no one at Huntsman has the virus, if one shows up, they are sent immediately to University Hospital just down the hill. Seriously, being able to get my treatments and monitoring from some of the best in the country? Priceless!
