Tied for First; Feeling Better

After last week's round of bowling, my team is tied for first again (with the team Mixed Nuts). Yippee! We have two games left - tonight and next Monday. Wish us luck. Like I said before, I want to get my picture on the wall of the Elks' Bowling Alley on a legitimate basis. It'll be part of my legacy in Ouray. Only the first place team is pictured. It'd be awesome to win for a regular league and not just No-Tap (which starts mid-February and I hope our team will do that league).

I hit the chemo slump on Saturday, but I'm feeling better today. I just got really tired, and Robert & I were going to the mineral showroom to finish some 2006 bookkeeping, but I sat down on the bed which ended up being a long nap with Biscuit (aka Jabba the cat) on my chest. She's like a paperweight holding me down. It didn't take too much persuasion to lie down and stay put for a while. We did get to the mineral showroom yesterday and got most of our work done. I'm going to try to add a link to this blog for our website for ColoradoMinerals.com.

My left hip does hurt some, but it may be the Aranesp shot stimulating the bone marrow. My right hip hurt this weekend, too, but it went away. That makes me think it's the Aranesp. I also just found out that my CA19-9 is back up to 3295, dang it. I need to get back on my Xeloda tonight after I bowl. I stopped Saturday night because the hands and feet were swelling up. On a positive note, my hair seems to be getting thicker and not so fuzzy.

My good days are starting to be better, and the bad days aren't so bad. The Prilosec seems to help with the queasiness although I do still get it, just not as much. I think the radiation in November added to my fatigue recently. Maybe that's wearing off - hope so. My weight keeps trying slip down on me despite adding bacon, butter, and cake & ice cream to my diet. Fortunately, my appetite is good. I think there's some fudge out there with my name on it that I'll track down today. After being on and off Weight Watchers most of my adult life, this is a real change. I think we'll go to Olive Garden for lunch on Wednesday after my scan and chemo, and I'll eat all the breadsticks I want!

We had more snow last week, so it is a white, winter-wonderland outside.

I want to thank everyone again for all your prayers, positive thoughts, cards, gifts, flowers, and warm words. It keeps me going, and I think the prayers are working. As I've said before, I didn't think I'd be alive at this time, and it's just great to be here!

I have to scoot. Gotta get some work done while I have some energy.

Just up here in Colorado enjoying a sunny, bright white day and hoping to bowl well tonight. You can imagine what fun it is to say to some of those crusty Elk dudes, "Hey, I'm a woman, I have cancer, and I'm bowling better than you!"

Sincerely, Caroline