6 Steps for a Successful Biopsy

Blogging was quite therapeutic while I was going through my breast cancer treatment. It let my thoughts flow through the cloud of chemo, and even now it's amazing to go back and remember all the little things about my treatment that I had subconsciously blocked. I celebrated my 4 year survivor milestone 10 days ago. It's kinda like a 2nd birthday for me. But instead of gifts and cake, I get the gift of life.

About a month ago I had a routine dentist appointment. I go every 4 months for a cleaning because for whatever reason my chemo/medication/menopause has messed up my mouth. So in addition to using the fancy sonic toothbrush, Rx fluoride toothpaste, floss, tongue scraper, mouthrinse - I get my gums blasted with baking soda at my dentist. It's worked so far and I have a nice healthy smile. At my last visit the hygienist noticed a 5 mm sized "mass" near my uvula. It was red and kinda gross. I hadn't noticed it before, since inspecting my uvula and soft palate is not something I do on a regular basis. They called my dentist into the cleaning room and she didn't want to speculate on what it was and told me to talk to my Dr. and find out what he wanted to do about it.  Two weeks later I had a scheduled yearly follow up appointment with Dr. Bob (my breast surgeon) and he said "whatever it is- it's not related to your breast cancer." and referred me to an ENT. A week after seeing Dr. Bob I had a scheduled yearly check up appointment with my general practitioner Dr. Marylou. (All of my Dr. appointments just happen to fall into place one after another right around my cancer-versary). She took a look at it, and then took a double take and said- "I think you should see an ENT". Luckily I had already scheduled an appointment as a new patient with an ENT practice.

My throat wasn't bothering me. I had maybe a little more dryness than usual but that could be from the weather, or allergies or whatever. My ENT appointment finally arrived and I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Charley.  He's pretty cool for someone that deals with boogers, earwax and saliva. He looked at my "mass" and speculated it was "just tonsil tissue" but we agreed to do a biopsy based on my a-typical medical history. So here's what went down after that:

Jealous???? So now my tissue is out somewhere being dissected and examined. Hopefully things will come back "normal" but I can't help but fear what happened the last time I had a biopsy. In the meantime I am in some pain. I didn't expect it to hurt this much! After all- I am a warrior - I went through breast cancer. But man, there's something to say about the sensitivity of your mouth. I've been enjoying a delicious diet of water, soup, applesauce, pudding, mac n cheese and Rita's water ice.  And I'm looking forward to Friday when I can find out what's going on.

Craft FAIL! Linocut Goodie Bags

Even us pros have a total craft failure.

I had grand plans to make drawstring fabric goodie bags for Lilly's birthday party. She is having a "dog" themed party so I thought some sort of custom design or applique would be cute. Then I found all my old Lino cut tools from college when I was rooting around in my studio. That inspired me to make a "birthday pug" Lino block and stamp the image on fabric. My first step was to draw out the design and transfer it onto the lino block. That is done by rubbing a pencil on the backside of the paper, laying the paper on the lino block and then tracing the design, leaving a transfer imprint on the block.

Then you carve...

One bit of advice when you are carving. Work on a non-slip surface. I made the mistake of working at our butcher block kitchen table and the cutting tool slipped and went straight into my index finger. I was terrified for a minute that I was going to have to go to the hospital and have my plastic surgeon called in (who also specializes in microvascular and hand surgery, specifically hand reconstruction and digit reattachment.) Anyway- I wrapped it up with sterile pads and tape, kept pressure on it and the bleeding eventually stopped. It's a really nasty injury, 10 days later it still hurts.

But I powered through and finished carving:

My plan was to stamp this design on fabric using textile paint. Here's how that turned out:

Yea- pretty lousy. I did about 8 of these and I couldn't get consistency in the ink and transfer. Moving on to plan B: buying paper bags and stamping the design on with traditional lino cut ink. Ummm, yea.....not working either:

The bags aren't flat, and I tried all different positions, lifting the flap, nothing worked. Accepting that lino blocks are NOT like traditional rubber stamps (there's no flexibility or "give" - you need to have even hard pressure to get a good imprint), I conceded and found some "sticker back" textured cardstock in my studio stash and stamped the design on different color squares. Now I'll have to cut out the design and stick them on the bags.

Not really what I was going for, but I think in the end it will look good. Plus the 5 and 6 year olds getting these bags aren't going to give a hoot about the design aesthetic of their goodies bags...it's the stuff inside that counts.

WHAT'S THE POINT!!!!

OOOOH- I am FIRED UP ABOUT THIS!

It really takes a lot for me to get worked up about things, but I get annoyed - fast- when you try to do the "right thing" and it backfires on you.

I have a small pile of items to return to a certain retail store. (I am not going to name this store, because I have learned in the past that Customer Service people from big companies tend to troll the internet for complaints.) I typically go to this store a few times a month and have honestly forgotten to grab my bag or returns each time. And of course, every time I go there I have that "d'oh" moment when I remind myself to bring the returns - the next time. I never really thought it would have been an issue making a return either, because it is a HUGE nationwide retailer.

So tonight I had to go to this store, and I REMEMBERED my bag o' returns. And of course- I have the receipt for ALL the items I would like to return. The total of all items to be returned is about $35. I was also PURCHASING about $70 worth of stuff too. So at the checkout, the MANAGER was going to ring me up. I told her that "I have a return". And she got all huffy while I organized my items and receipt to make the return. She then looked at my receipt and said, "you can't return these, it's past the 90 day return window", and then she snips- "WHICH IS PRINTED ON THE BACK OF YOUR RECEIPT." So I ask- "can I just EXCHANGE this for a different color?", to which she replies "no".

So here's why I am annoyed. You can make a RETURN WITHOUT A RECEIPT, but you would get your item returned at lowest price during the past 90 days. Could I do that? No, because I "HAD" a receipt. I would HAPPILY have taken the lowest price during the past 90 days! I would be happy just to swap the color! Store credit- I'd spend it in a second! I'm not even asking for my money returned, I just want to exchange! I wasn't trying to return something seasonal, everything I was returning was currently sold in the store!

So what's the point of being an honest shopper? What's the benefit of a return policy that basically refuses returns with a receipt, but allows returns without a receipt? What's preventing me from going back to the store "without my receipt" and making my return tomorrow?

Update: guess who got herself a store credit today.

What happens when people don't do what they say they will do.

I don't even know where to begin.

I am scheduled to have surgery in 6 days. I have coordinated 2 surgeons to do their totally separate procedures on me at the same time so I can have 1 less general anesthesia/recovery/hospital stay over the next 6 months.

A little over a month ago, I started the process of scheduling consults with 2 different surgeons 1) a Plastic Surgeon to do my breast reconstruction and 2) a Gynecology Oncologist to do my Oophorectomy. Both are in my little network of doctors, at the same hospital in the same office building- and I felt great after we initially met and went over the procedures. I was very eager to move forward with things but the Gyn Onc (to be referred to as GO) thought I was being a little too ambitious and wanted to wait until I finished my Herceptin chemo to do the Oophorectomy (removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes). I told him that I was also meeting with the Plastic Surgeon (to be referred to as PS) and asked if we could combine the 2 procedures. He told me- sure, as long as the PS is ok with it, I'm ok with it.

A few days later I met with the PS and told him about the procedure with the GO. He said- sure thing, might as well do them both together. So after we met, I sat down with the PS surgical scheduling coordinator and we picked a day- a day that I KNEW would work with the GO, who had told me 2 days prior that he could operate ANY MONDAY IN JANUARY. (do you get where I'm going with this?).

After we picked the day I said-
You will coordinate with the GO office and get everything set up with them- RIGHT?

Answer- Yes.

Fast forward to last week- I had to schedule my pre-op appointments with both doctors, so I called and got them both lined up. Yesterday, I met with the PS to go over all the last minute details. TODAY, I met with the GO....and here's pretty much what went down.

I made the appt with the GO for a pre-op exam and to sign the consent forms. I told them this when I made the appt. I also told them that I was scheduled for surgery on the 11th, so I needed to see the GO prior to surgery (duh). I walk into my GO office and he looks at me and says, how did everything go with the PS, do you have the tissue expanders put in? I say- no, we're doing that on Monday when you DO YOUR PROCEDURE. Hmmm. He then goes on to say that NO ONE FROM THE PS OFFICE HAS NOTIFIED HIM OF THE SURGERY!!!!!!!!!!!!! AUGGGH- this can SERIOUSLY only happen to me.

So we go over things, he looks at his surgical schedule and *thinks* he can work it out for Monday - in 6 days. So he does what I can not believe he did. He personally calls the PS office *ON SPEAKERPHONE*, and gets the scheduling coordinator on the phone, while I am sitting at his desk. Allright- I'm gonna say it, since I'm not naming names or anything- my GO is kinda a jerk. There's just something about ANY Oncologist- they're a little cocky. So he basically ummm.... expressed his frustration..... that he was not notified about the procedure. I wanted to melt into the carpet. It was the most horrid, awkward moment of my life. Then he started talking some surgical doctor talk about "cases" and "procedure codes" and "start times", and then basically left it as- "if you don't hear back from me, then a 7:30 start time is fine".

So we're on????

I felt so bad. I knew that I had inadvertently put him on the spot and NO Doctor wants to look like a fool. I know that my PS office dropped the ball, which they admitted to, and thank goodness the stars aligned and everything worked out. I kept apologizing (like that helps) and he said- it's not your job to take care of things like this. Whew.

Now, had the GO not been able to fit me it, it wouldn't have been the end of the world. It makes no difference if I have the Oophorectomy on Monday, or in 5 months, or 2 in years. The reconstructive surgery to insert bi-lateral tissue expanders is my main procedure. It will take about 1.5 hours and I will be in a lot of pain. The Oophorectomy is only 30 minutes and is actually an outpatient procedure with minimal pain. All I can say- bring on the Percocet!

Another bump in the road. Lilly Style.

I have spent the past 16 months being the "sick one" in our household. I think I (temporarily) passed the torch to another family member today.

Yesterday afternoon, the 3 of us were enjoying a low key holiday party hosted by one of my friends. About an hour after our arrival, Lilly took a tumble down a few stairs and although I did not see what happened, it looked, well- not so good. We picked her up, and tried to "rub it off", but she was wincing in pain and started asking for "home". So we left.

Now let me say this- Lilly is one tough kid. She's always playing rough, running, tripping, and picking herself up with no tears. Heck- when she got her ears pierced a few weeks ago, the earring piercer gun got stuck in her ear. It took 2 Claire's associates to free her earlobe and Lilly just sat there. Not a single tear or complaint. She then got both ears done simultaneously (one ear was technically done twice since the first one didn't go through all the way).

So last night , we got home and made dinner. Lilly's arm was a little swollen and tender. She didn't complain much. Mike went out to CVS and got Tylenol and a stuffie "magic bear" to help her feel better. We wrapped her arm in an ace bandage and she pretty much sat on the sofa and ate mac n' cheese and watched tv until bedtime. She'd wince in pain if we tried to move her arm too much, but she was not screaming, or even crying. Mike and I debated what we should do. A) take her to the ER for what might just be a bruise, or B) wait until the morning and see how the night went. We opted for B. Lilly slept all night, well- she did wake up and ask for us to trim her fingernails, but I think that was some weird night- talking.

Today. Oh - today, how much you sucked. Lilly's arm was still swollen and she wouldn't let us touch her bandage to check underneath and see how things looked. Heck- we weren't even sure where she was hurting! So I immediately called our Pediatricians office to get an emergency appointment. They were able to see us within 2 hours, so Lilly and I lounged in bed all morning waiting.


We got in the car (note to self- 5 point carseat seatbelt does not work well with a injured arm). We got to the Dr. and saw the "on call" Doctor (NOT our regular Doc who I LOOOVE). Anyway, we got the bandage off and Lilly's arm was bruised and swollen. The Dr. poked around and asked Lilly where it hurt. Ok- asking a 3 year old where it hurts- seriously. She said yes to everywhere. You could have touched her toe and she would have said it hurt. So she ordered an X-ray. LUCKILY our Dr. office is all-encompassing and has a Radiology lab within it. So we went downstairs, I called Mike to high-tail it over for some much needed support and waited for Imaging to be ready for us.

So here we are, trying to explain what is going on, and what will be happening to a smart and inquisitive kid. Only 1 parent can go into the X-ray room, so Lilly picks me and we head on back. Back to the same place I had my CAT Scan 16 months ago. Lilly is such a trooper, she lies still for a whole round of x-rays, and then we wait for the results. Hmmm... this is oddly familiar. So we wait, and the tech comes back and says they need more. Ok- I know this now - MORE IS NEVER GOOD. So Lilly and I go back for another round of x-rays of alternate angles. And then we wait again. And then....they tell us to go back upstairs to talk to the Doctor.

Back upstairs we go, and the Dr. calls me into the hallway and says the x-rays are indeterminable and the Radiologist feels there is a "suspicion of fracture" on her elbow. Wow- way to be decisive. They want us to go to an Orthopedic Specialist. Ok- we can do that, there's a specialist in the all-encompassing one stop doc shop THAT THE PEDIATRICIAN TELLS US TO GO TO. Ummm...turns out when we go there that there's a problem- they DON'T take pediatric patients. They give us a phone number for CHOP and basically say good luck. Mike runs back to the Radiology lab to get a copy of Lilly's films. And we just stand there amazed that we are on our own to find someone to fix our daughter. It's now been over 2 1/2 hours at this office so we decide to go home, have lunch and find a Orthopedic Dr. from home. I will say this- my friend who works the front desk at our super fabulous all encompassing one stop doc shop was the only person there who genuinely tried to help us. But that didn't work too great because none of the Ortho. offices she gave me saw kids.

By now it's close to 1pm, offices are opening up from after lunch and I get ahold of the CHOP office in King of Prussia. Hey- they can see Lilly- ON THURSDAY! Wow- you are going to make a 3 year old with a possible elbow fracture WAIT 3 more days to be seen? We might be better off going to the ER!!! I ask if we can get in at the main CHOP or any other office location and she says- hey we can get you in the Bucks County office at 2:30 today. Fine- I don't care where we have to drive- my baby is getting fixed- TODAY! So we immediately get back in the car, put Lilly's lunch in a baggie and hit the road for our hour+ drive to CHOP. It's really not that far, but the 8" of snow from the weekend, holiday traffic, and the lack of a direct route there makes it a long trek.

FINALLY- we get to the CHOP office. And wow- everyone there is so helpful. Unfortunately our Doc has 2 concussion patients he has to see before Lilly so we wait around. Lilly is mesmerized by the toys in the waiting area. He right arm is just dangling down. That does not stop her. Amazingly enough- she has become quite dexterous with her left had. She is playing, drawing and even coloring "south paw". We brought the x-ray films with us and the nurse had the doctor take a look really quick to see what's going on. She came in and said Lilly has a fractured elbow and we'll be putting on a full arm cast. Mike is so relieved- he was terrified that Lilly would need surgery. Apparently elbow fractures can be pretty bad, but lucky for us, Lilly's was non-displaced and a Level 1 fracture. I was pretty annoyed because not like I am a doctor or anything - but it looked pretty evident to me that there was a fracture from the x-ray. We found out (on the DL) that when you deal with kids and bones most docs will pass the buck and send you to a specialist.

***NOTE TO PARENTS- if your child is getting an arm/leg x-rayed. Insist that they also take an image of the non-injured appendage for comparison. I did not know about this but it makes total sense.

Allright- we are ready for our cast-y "craft time". I tried my best to explain to Lilly was is happening and how the cast is going to go on and will make her feel better. Lilly picks a HOT PINK cast- yeah- big surprise there. And we get her all prepped. I even get to partake in the cast making and am handed gloves to wear so I can help support her arm and fingers while the Dr. mummifies her entire right arm. Wow. So if my kids elbow heals wrong and then needs surgery to have pins put it, it's like- kinda maybe a tiny bit my fault??? Oh- I am NOT liking this. Well- Lilly was a total trooper, not one cry or complaint. And- we get to go back in 1 week for more x-rays! Yay! The fun never ends! So from the appointment at CHOP, Lilly got to visit the "treasure chest" and got to take home 1 coloring book, a big pink "diamond" ring, a mini camera and a blue starfish. Plus a sling (which sucks) It's like mesh- and the cast is meshy- so it's constantly sticking to one another. Hmmm- seems like the Diaper Bag Wrangler needs to step in and create some funky cast sling!!!



It's now nearly 5pm. And the day is not done yet. We need to swing by Mike's office to get his laptop since he bailed from work to come and assist with the x-rays. So we go from Colmar, PA to King of Prussia, PA. We also promise Lilly that she can pick anywhere she wants to go for dinner tonight because she was such a super brave girl. And- she picks McDonalds. Another big surprise. Geez- what is with this kid and McDonalds!!!! So we get to hang out at Mike's office for a few minutes. Of course cast or no cast- Lilly still wants to play golf (Mike is a sporting goods buyer and has a mini putt down the aisle of his cubicle). Hey- she's pretty good left handed. She also likes to use the fax stamps that say "reply", "faxed" and "urgent".

FINALLY- home - 6:00pm.

So there's some lessons to be learned today:
1. babylegs make GREAT cast cozies/covers.
2. the super fabulous all encompassing one stop doctor shop sucked the big one today.
3. CHOP is great, especially when you get to go home, and your child goes home with you.
4. Ponchos will be coming back into style in our household for the next 4 weeks.
5. Chicken nuggets and fries cure all.
6. My daughter is the toughest kid on the face of this earth.

Could only happen to me- trip to NYC

A few weekends ago my parents were in town from Florida. We (and by that I mean - me plus my mom and dad) decided to take a bus tour up to NYC and see West Side Story. Mike LOATHES NYC (and musicals) so having my parents as Broadway buddies is great.

We typically take Hagey Tours to NYC, it's a great deal- for around $150 +/- you get round trip transportation from one of 3 pick up points in Montgomery/Bucks County, PA and your Broadway show tickets. They drop you off right in Times Square and pick you up in the same spot after the show. We usually leave around 9am, arrive in NYC around 11:30am and have time to grab a bite before the 2pm matinee. The bus is ready to head back home somewhere around 5:30pm.


This was NOT a typical trip:

Friday night - The whole family went out to dinner at a local pub. I get a salad, and apparently some e-coli on the side. The wrath of food poisoning is upon me.

Friday ALL NIGHT LONG - I pretty much set up camp in our bathroom.

Saturday morning - feeling better. Took some Compazine to aid with the nausea. I ate some breakfast and pondered staying home, but the Jets and Sharks are too tempting. I can suck it up for the day- right???

9am - we get to the Hagey Tours terminal in Franconia, PA. It's about 30 minutes from my house. I'm feeling ok. We board the bus and at the request of my dad find a nice quite row in the back of the bus (and kinda near the bathroom).

9:30am (ish) - we leave from the second pick up location and I feel sick- like really sick- the kind where you bust out in a sweat and turn green. I planned on bringing some little crafty things to sew while on the bus so I had made a little "fabric scrap" trash bin the night before out of some fabric remnants and stabilizer. That soon turned into a puke can as I heaved about 1/2 a gallon of ick into my newly constructed (fabric) trash can. Yea- nothing better than being an adult and throwing up- on a bus, an hour from your house, with your mom and dad (and a bus of strangers) staring at you. We pull into the 3rd pick up spot (a grocery store parking lot) and my mom and I dart off the bus. Mostly so we can dispose of my 3lbs of vomit. But also so I can get some fresh air and hope that this is going to do the trick. I'm thinking well- I can either get off the bus and wait here for Mike (and Lilly) come and pick my up- which will be about an hour, plus and hour home OR I can take my chances and continue to NY. Crazy me- I continue on. My rationing- I never threw up while getting chemo, so a little food poisoning can't stop me!

11am- we get to Manhattan in record time. One of my friends from High School just moved to NYC this summer so we had made plans to meet up for lunch. I also wanted to stop at the American Girl Store to pick up Lilly's Christmas gift: 12pm - I'm feeling ok, I made the walk up to Rockefeller Plaza and got in and out of the AG store without being mauled by the insanely hyper tweens. On my way back to Times Square I pick up 2 Pashminas for $5 each from a street vendor. Hey- it's $5!!!! I get to Blockheads where my friend Austin and I agreed to meet and it's raining off and on. I'm enjoying the city, catching up on my e-mails and watching the street meat vendor across the way. The most amazing thing happened- a car pulled up to the curb- rolled down his window and ordered lunch! And just sat there for like 7 minutes while the guy grilled up his sandwich. Amazing.

1pm - Austin and I have lunch, it was so much fun catching up. It really felt like no time had past, even though we hadn't seen each other in person for 13 years!!!! After lunch we walk to the theater and say our goodbyes.

2pm - Showtime. The show was ok, they took a lot of creative liberties. I thought the Jets were a little "soft". The female Sharks were great. A large portion of the show was in Spanish, which is ok - if you know Spanish. I was a little disappointed when they sang I Feel Pretty- in Spanish.

4:45pm - The show ends, we go outside, and it's raining. The bus is not picking us up until 6pm, so we decided to walk across the street and grab a drink at the Renaissance Hotel. It's UBER Modern. I sip a ginger ale, still feel sick.

6pm - on the way home. It's raining...a lot.

8pm- Somewhere around New Hope, PA our bus drives through what can only be described as a river on the highway. About 20 minutes or so later- the lights, fan and engine all turn off. We are COASTING to a stop....in the rain. We stop- no kidding- in front of a fire station:


You might think that the firemen would come to aid us, but they have other plans. THE FREAKIN FIRE SIREN GOES OFF!!!! Our bus is smack in the middle of the parking lot- in front of the garages. As the firemen all arrive, and gear up , we all watch- stranded in our bus, as they inch the firetruck around our bus. Our bus driver is trying desperately to fix the bus (in the rain). My mom has somehow turned into a tour bus mechanic and won't stop saying "that doesn't sound good", or "I knew there was something wrong". We're about 45 minutes from the bus terminal, and it's 8pm on a Saturday night. Miraculously, the bus driver gets us going.

8:40pm- We drive about 2 miles and the bus dies again. Believe it or not- in front of ANOTHER fire station:

9:30pm- a NEW bus comes. We all get on the new bus and it gets us back to the bus terminal.

11pm- we get home.

crazy storm

We live in the boonies...not really...just the far reaches of the Philadelphia suburbs. Saturday night I took the dog for a walk and turned our corner and there was the most ominous line of black clouds coming our way. It was straight out of Independence Day or some other apocalyptic movie. Before I could get back inside to grab the camera, the line of clouds had moved to the other side of our house and was getting blocked by roofs, and the rain started. So this was all I could get:

Strange Experience at Comcast

From time to time, I like to write about things that would only happen to me, or are totally bizarre. Today gave me one of those experiences. First- let me tell you a little back story....

In 2003 we bought a HD tv when they first came out. It weighs 123 lbs. We had been talking about getting a new tv for a few months and found a great deal on amazon.com for a 46" Samsung tv, with no tax, free shipping, a free Blu-Ray player and 1 free HDMI cable. So we ordered it. The tv is being delivered by "white glove" courier tomorrow where they come in and set it up...all that fun stuff. To make room for the new tv, we had to move the old 123lb behemoth to the basement, which required the assistance of our next door neighbor. In the meantime we moved our tiny 20-some inch tv (that I bought "off the shelf" in college) into the family room. It's like musical tvs.

So here's where the strange part begins. We have a HD cable box from Comcast that is really out of date. Recently it started powering off whenever it felt like it. It especially liked to shut off when I was about 60 minutes into a on-demand movie. Whenever it did this, there was no memory of where the movie stopped so I would have to start over and fast forward to where the power went off. So with the new tv coming, we thought "enough was enough" and wanted to exchange the box for a new one with the HDMI outputs. So Mike called Comcast and they told him that we could just bring the box to a local office for an exchange.

Today I was going to be in Norristown so I thought I'd stop by the Comcast office there and make the exchange. I had never been to a Comcast office before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect...maybe something like a post office??? When I walked in the door, there were signs plastered everywhere to take a number. There was a little kiosk with 3 buttons- cable, internet, phone. So I selected "cable" and it spit out a ticket. Ahead of me was a WALL of plexi-glass, with about 6 customer service stations set up. Each station had a plexi-door box that you could only open one side at a time- like at a city bank. I'm thinking- is this Fort Knox???? I'm at COMCAST- right??? Over to the side they have a LOUNGE set up- with a computer, flat screen tv and 2 leather chairs. This is not making sense. All the bullet proof security plexi and they have about $4,000 worth of amenities set out for their customers enjoyment???

So my number is called, and there's a computerized voice that says " number zero, three, five" and there's a flashing sign above the station that I have to go to. So I have my "old" cable box in a beach bag and I approach the plexi wall and I don't really see a microphone thingy- like how they are at the movies. There's actually more plexiglass layered with a round cutout so you can "hear" each other. So I tell the lady that I want to exchange my "old" HD box for a new one with HDMI outputs. She then goes on to tell me that even with the HDMI box, I won't get any better picture quality. HUH??? I explain that we purchased a new tv with the HDMI plugs and I'd like a new box. So she tells my to put the old cable box through the door.

In the meantime a crazy lady comes in and wants to pay $20 towards her cable bill, so she starts spouting off her account number and says she'll be back with the other $100 on Saturday. Where AM I????

Lilly is climbing all over the leather chairs and keeps pulling at my shirt to show me Kung Fu Panda (she's never seen it, so how she knows what it is- I have no clue). My customer service lady comes back with a new -shrinkwrapped- cable box plus an HDMI cable. She sends it through the plexi door and has me sign an exchange receipt.

First I was shocked at how simple the transaction was. For all the nonsense that the cable company USUALLY makes you go through, this was a piece of cake. Then I thought about the bizarre land that I just entered and was just confused about the dichotomy of plexiglass security and leather chairs.

Just when I thought things were going good....

Aside from the fact that I've been feeling crappy for about 2 weeks with this ridiculous cough/congestion/mucus, etc. I thought things were finally under control in my life. My hair is growing in nicely, I can do more than 1 errand at a time, my "chemo weight" is disappearing...then I realize that - yes - I am still sick. Not cough/cold sick, but cancer sick.

I'm not in denial of my illness by any means, I just focus on the positive and get through each day/week/month the best I can. I believe that the breast cancer is gone from my body and it will never return, but that does not mean I am 100% out of the woods. I am still feeling the repercussions of chemo and my ongoing IV treatment, in so many different ways.

Here's a little recap of this week...

Tuesday- 5:30pm - follow up echo cardiogram. I had an echo before I started chemo to make sure my heart and everything was able to withstand the treatment. I was very surprised when my report came back last September that I was in EXCELLENT heart health. Mostly because I've had mitro valve prolapse for almost my entire life....and now it's gone. So I (honesty) lallygagged about making my follow up appointment to make sure my heart was still standing strong from the Herceptin treatment. In my defense- I did get my echo done in the time frame my doctor required. With the Herceptin there is a risk for heart damage, and about 28% of women experience this. The damage can be reversed with treatment so it is considered to be an acceptable risk. So every 3-4 months while on Herceptin, you get echo or mugga scans to check things out. The echo takes about 30 minutes total and it's easy, painless and just a little messy from the conduit gel. After the echo, my Cardiologist reads the scan and sends the report to my Oncologist.

Thursday 10:30am - routine blood work. While on chemo I had my blood work done every 2 weeks. It wasn't so bad because I was going to Main Line Health and having the lab at my doctors office draw the blood. They are FABULOUS!!!! The entire staff is great. Then I started getting these bills in the mail for $87, $64, $27????? I called my insurance company and they said that the lab was billing everything improperly and it was considered out of network so we'd be responsible for payment. It turns out whoever was doing the billing, was billing me as herself and not the lab, so of course mrs. random-so-and-so employee is not in the medical database as a provider! IDIOTS!!!! My next call was to Main Line Health and I got the billing clerk on the phone (in all her gum smacking glory) and explained to her that I was not paying these bills and Aetna requested they be rebilled properly for payment. She said that she'd take care of it. I still have no idea it it's been taken care of....

Aetna asked for me to use Quest for my labs as they are their primary diagnostics provider. I was not too keen on that idea considering the LAST time I went to Quest, the tech got blood all over my coat when she went to switch tubes....not a good memory.... So I figured, I'm only going every 6 weeks now...how bad could it be. No more billing issues- I'll see how it goes.

So the first time I went for my 6 week blood sample, the tech (who is really nice, but not exactly the most skilled) blew through my vein on the first try, but got it on the second try. Ok...I can live with that. I had to go back for my 6 week tests again and I was pretty much prepared to get poked at least twice. Oh -how I wish I was that lucky!

FOUR- YES - F O U R - attempts to draw my blood, and they were barely able to get enough for my CBC. Twice in the arm, once in the hand, once in the wrist. Two techs, pediatric butterfly needles and tubes and a heat pack couldn't get that needle to go in my vein. So I had enough (and I had to get Lilly from preschool) so I decided that I'd drink lots of water and go back the next day.

Thursday 6:00pm - mysterious answering machine message. Lilly and I walked in the door from ballet class and there was a message on the answering machine not from MY Oncologist, but from the other Oncologist in the practice (who I have never even spoken to). Basically she said they received a call about me today and it's nothing "alarming" but she needs to talk to me about something. Of course it's too late to call the office, and it's not an emergency, so there's no sense in using the on-call service so I'll have to wait until the morning. I'm secretly hoping she wants to carry the chemo caps I make in the office, but then I strike that from a possibility. Maybe they got my blood results and saw that 1/2 of it was missing...no, the nurse would have called me about that....oh yes- my ECHO. HOLY F*ING CRAPBALLS! I know that whatever it is, it might not be life threatening, but it's serious enough for the Dr. (and not even my regular doctor) to call ME. So I do what I can- make a yummy mixed drink of Malibu Rum and Mango Juice.

Friday 9:00am - waiting..... I called my Oncologists office and they have to call me back. Big surprise there. I know it's about my Echo by playing "20 questions" with the staff. I love them. I know they can't tell me anything specifically, but I tried to get a glimmer of a hint...

Friday 9:30am - the call back. The Oncologist (not mine, for he's on vacation) called back and said the Cardiologist noted that everything is good from the chemo/herceptin. HOWEVER- there was a "fuzzy" area on my atrium valve that could be concerning. It could be nothing, but they need to check it out in depth to rule out (or find) a blood clot or tumor or possible endocarditis. I can't get a break! So on Monday, after my Herceptin IV treatment I am going to the Cardiologist to have my TEE (transesophageal echocardiogram) consult. The TEE basically is like a colonoscopy but in the other end. (joke). I need to get the details but from my understanding, it's a procedure where you are sedated and then have to swallow tubing so the camera can get in your esophagus and see the heart from a better angle. Yum.

Friday 11:00am - back for more blood. I told the Quest people that I REALLY, REALLY needed this blood drawing to go well today. And it did....first try, we're in....lots of blood flowing into tubes...all's good.

Karma... or car-ma

So here we are in Boca Raton, Florida! We really needed a vacation in the worst way. Nothing like going through chemo in the winter to make you yearn for somewhere warm and sunny...and far away from Oncologists and Surgeons!

K.C. and Lilly at Sugar Sand Park playing some weird game...




Lilly's first fish:



So the fun really started when Lilly decided she wanted to go fishing in the backyard on Wednesday (my parent's house is on a wide canal, so we can walk right out back and fish for chiclids, bass and some other fish). Mom-mom and G-daddy bought her a Cars fishing pole for using down in Florida. Lilly had been practicing at home for 2 weeks with her new Barbie fishing pole, so she knew how to cast and reel. We baited her hook with bagel and I had been feeding the fish so they were pretty close to the bank. We were totally prepared for her to freak out when a fish was hooked but surprisingly that didn't happen...right away.

The bobber when down and a fish was hooked! Her first cast EVER and she catches a fish! Lilly and Mike reeled that fish in for a good 5 minutes. There was a lot of "no, my do it!" going on, but they finally got the fish on the bank for pictures. Lilly freaked a little bit and hid while it flopped around during pictures, and we got it right back in the canal.

She IMMEDIATELY wanted to cast again. I ran inside to get my parents (surely they would want to see their 3 year old granddaugher show off her remarkable angling skills). While I was trying to round up the family I missed quite possibly the most infamous thing to happen in Lilly's 3 years of life.

The following is a second-hand account: Lilly hooked her second fish and was so excited, but when Mike tried to help her, she pushed his hands away and let go of the rod. Oops. The rod went sailing into the canal and the fish drug it under water. They watched it sink like the Titanic. Lilly was HYSTERICAL. When I came back outside, she was crying like I have never seen before. She kept saying, "the fishie took my fishing pole". So of course we said it must have been the biggest fish EVER if it took her fishing pole. We packed up our gear and headed straight to Target so Lilly could pick out a new fishing pole...she picked Disney Princesses.

Today Lilly and I took a nap after a day at the beach and while we were napping Mike went out to do some solo-fishing. He saw a yellow bobber floating in the canal...could it be??? He cast out a few times and finally hooked the bobber and line....which was attached to Lilly's CARS FISHING ROD! Talk about "car-ma"!!!! He pulled it out, and cleaned it up...good as new. So when we woke up from our nap, Mike told Lilly that he caught her rod, and totally saved the day!

Tomorrow we leave for Disney World...which should give me a month's worth of blog posts!

I gotta get my bling on before it's too late!

I'm one of those people who finds something I like and just sticks with it. I'm not adventurous when ordering off menus- I typically get the same thing every time we go to Longhorn Steakhouse (Flo's Fillet, house Salad w/ ranch on the side and a loaded potato). If I find a shirt I like, I buy every color it comes in. I just like what I like.

A few weeks ago Mike and I were at the King of Prussia mall having dinner and I wanted to stop by "MY" jewelry store- Christian Bernard (or CB for short). When we walked up the stairs, all I saw was signs plastered everywhere "BANKRUPTCY, LIQUIDATION, EVERYTHING MUST GO". Alright- my first thought was - Hells yeah! I'm getting my bling on! But I soon realized that MY store was closing forever! I was literally depressed.

It's the store that Mike and I first popped into when we were "just looking" for engagement rings. I loved their clean and classic styles, but when I dragged Mike in one day when we were dating (and I'll never forget this) he told me- "sure you can look, but there's NO WAY I can afford anything in THAT store" (he was SOOO wrong) . I saw THE RING and asked the salesperson to show it to me. So yes- I picked out my engagement ring. She wrote the model number down, and for MONTHS I would walk back and forth in front of the windows looking at the Antique Nouveau Collection that MY RING was a part of. And yes...I got my ring....

Christian Bernard is closing forever at the end of March, so I have been stopping by every few weeks or so and picking up a few things for myself. The good thing is everything like 60% off, so I'm not breaking the bank by any means (each piece below was around $100 EACH!)! Here's what I recently purchased:

Blue Topaz and Peridot Earrings:


Green Topaz (I think they're actually Green Amethyst) Earrings:


Diamond Pave Necklace:


So if you're in the market for some new baubles, it's a great little store. They are located in the KOP Court upstairs next to Smith and Hawken and California Pizza Kitchen.

The Snuggie War

There's a battle brewing in our house. A battle over Snuggies. Yes- the Snuggie- the blanket with sleeves.

My husband is a real funny guy, I think that's why I love him so much. However about a month ago it was FREEZING cold and he decided that he wanted a Snuggie. I thought he was kidding, only to find out that he secretly ordered not ONE, but TWO Snuggies. You know, because the website offers you such a fantastic deal- buy one for $19.95 (plus $7.95 S/H) and get a second one free, but you have to pay another $7.95 S/H. So for two Snuggies, it will cost you $35.85. I also found out that when you order from their website, they offer you an optional "exclusive" upgrade for a Snuggie with heavier fleece and pockets. Thank goodness Mike didn't get sucked into that deal, or he'd be shelling out close to $50!! Plus you get a *free* automatic opening book light with each Snuggie. Ummm- yeah- Lilly broke the light within 5 minutes.

For those of you living under a rock, here's what a Snuggie looks like:



So first off...the stupid things were on "backorder" due to high demand. So it took about 3 weeks for it to ship. Then it took another week to get delivered. And you won't believe how it was packaged. It came in a white poly bag with 2 black poly bags inside. No packing list, no label on the bags, nothing. I knew what was going to happen when Mike opened the bag, and I was right. The stank of plasticky fleece filled our kitchen. Mike was so giddy with excitement, he immediately put the Snuggie on and paraded around the house in it all night.

I have issued a total boycott of the Snuggie. I want nothing to do with it. I don't want it on my "side" of the sofa and I am annoyed with the static cling it's creating. Plus the smell is horrid- but Mike keeps claiming it will go away when it's washed. I can't wait for that to happen... to see what this thing looks like after getting washed. I think it will fall apart, but who knows.

So that's my 2 cents about the Snuggie.

67 Sharpies = I WIN A STROLLER???

I was invited to a Philly Mom Blogger Holiday Party/Toys for Tots drive hosted by my friend Colleen who runs the classymommy.com website. It was sponsored by Graco who brought along fantastic food, swag and even some giveaways! They had a drawing and to enter you just had to guess the number of Sharpies in a jar...I guessed 67. And how many were in the jar...67. It's my magical chemo powers I tell you!!! So I WON a Snug Ride Stroller System which will be a gift for my cousin who is expecting! I had first dibs on the wonderful giveaways that Graco generously donated...the stroller system below, a Pack and Play, a Quattro Stroller or a Baby Monitor...I picked the $200 stroller system and I know my cousin is going to LOVE it.



THANK YOU to my friend Sarah with chestercountymoms.com for picking me up and driving me to the party. Chestercountymoms.com is a great resource moms in the Chester Co. PA and local surrounding areas for activities, local events and...of course...giveaways! Check out my Diaper Bag Wrangler Midnight Gift Set Giveaway at chestercountymoms.com which starts TODAY!!!

Thanks to Graco for being such a wonderful and generous sponsor! I LOVE my Graco Baby products!!! And Rubbermaid, and Sharpie....

Thanks to Colleen and classymommy.com for opening your home to us and throwing a fantastic party. Classymommy.com offers one stop gift shopping, baby/child product reviews and giveaways. My Diaper Bag Wrangler Toddler Apron Set was reviewed over the summer and still gets raves from Colleen (and her daughter!)

And thank you to all the Mommy Bloggers for bringing Toys for Toys donations and being such a fun group of ladies!

The ALL DAY Fabric Search Adventure

Those who know me well know my slightly....ummm...obsessive mind when it comes to my "projects" ie. sewing, household decorating, shopping...you get the gist.

So today, I don't know what I was thinking...well, I was thinking that I didn't want to sit in the house all day....so I decided to go on a full on fabric search. It usually happens this time of year, I run out of bolts and need to get some new patterns. The fabric issue recently has become a lack of fabrics for the Diaper Bag Wrangler Toddler Apron Sets!



I have been selling a TON of them, and I love making them which makes me so happy. Unfortunately they use a lot of fabric, so even when I buy a full bolt, it doesn't get me too far! So today Lilly and I went on our pilgrimage to prevent an apron crisis.

I'm also starting to work on an awesome custom Diaper Bag Wrangler order for my friend Caitlin who is having a baby girl in April, which so far involves multiple fabrics and a dachshund applique. So I was also shopping for her fabrics today:




We left the house around 9:45am and headed down to my trusty Jo-Ann fabric shop in Wayne, then went to the Super Jo-Ann in Downingtown. I found some things, but not exactly what I needed...the elusive pink cupcake fabric...

.

So then we went to my Mecca...my "Fabric Barn"- officially it's called Hayloft Fabrics in Morgantown, PA which is the best kept secret for high-end designer fabrics in the (far-out) Philly Burbs.



I love it, and although it literally is located on the balcony of a country grocery store, they have THE BEST fabrics anywhere outside of the city fabric district (which I boycott because I hate the city, I cannot parallel park, and I refuse to park in a lot and leave my keys with an attendant).

So here's what I picked up today for the Aprons:



I loved the colors and the retro feel of the fabric, it's not to "childish", but not too "grown-up". The Apron fabrics are always hard for me to select because I really want to make them appropriate for girls of all ages...plus I'll be offering a matching mommy apron version soon, so it needs to work for both moms and kids! Anyway- I didn't even look at the fabric's designer, and was quite surprised when I got home. It's actually from Mary Engelbreit, and it's called Recipe for Friendship in Paisley Cherry. Truly fitting since Mary Engelbreit and I both attended Visitation Academy in St. Louis (but not at the same time!). I only stayed there for 2 years (7th and 8th grade), but that is when Renee (the knittie tittie knitter extraordinaire) and I first met and became friends. See how everything comes full circle???

After Hayloft, I decided to take the adventure even further into the far reaches of Berks County...Reading, PA. I heard about a fabric store called Fabric Mart. I have a GPS...so I plugged it in and cruised 20 minutes up 176 to Sinking Spring, PA. Lilly and I ate lunch at McDonald's ...she got a My Little Pony Happy Meal toy which was a huge distraction for the rest of our never-ending outing. So 2 blocks up past the McD's was Fabric Mart...Ummm....never again. It's a great shop if you're Amish. Mostly apparel fabrics, no cotton quilting fabrics...

Around 2pm or so we headed home, but not without stopping first at the Jo-Ann in Pottstown...still no cupcake fabric, but we had a fun day.

A DUD!

YEEESSH!

Today was "supposed" to be my biggest craft show of the year - Kennedy Kenrick's Holiday Fair. It's a great show that I have done extremely well at for the past few years. Unfortunately this year was not so hot and we did not make a lot of sales. Booooo!!!!! There were 150+ crafters and a TON of customers, but no one was spending. People -what's with you!!!!??? Buy handmade!

I did have a great time hanging out with my friend Amy all day....without the kids distracting us...

Soooo...the S u P E r C r A Z y SALE is here early...

Juror Summons

Great News! I have been excused from Jury Duty! I guess it was helpful that my Oncologist wrote a letter to the court recommending that I not serve. Too bad, Lilly would have had fun in "Courthouse Day Care" (joke).

So what else is new? I pretty much slept all weekend. I started feeling nauseous and fatigued on Friday. I broke down a little bit over the weekend too. I feel so fortunate that my treatment has been going as well as it has. It's just starting to get really hard and I see how much I deteriorate from week to week. I know that the next 4 treatments are going to get tougher and tougher. It's very hard mentally for me to process everything and the fact that there's nothing I can do about it is even harder. So for now I'm just hanging in there, waiting for all of this to be over with.

Other than my mini-meltdown, we (the 3 of us plus mom-mom and g-daddy) went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner Friday night which I really enjoy on my "chemo weeks". I always get the Chicken Critter Salad and even with the worst chemo-mouth taste, it's YUMMY! We had a full house on Sunday when my brother, sister in law and aunt all came over to hang out.

Today I am feeling much better. There's some joint pain going on on my knees and shoulder. That is a side effect from the Neulasta, and luckily only lasts a day or so. It better- I have a busy week of sewing and prepping for my big craft show this weekend!

When it rains, it pours

I decided to make what happened on Monday into 2 posts. The first part being the surgical consult and decision making (to boob or not to boob). This is what happened about 2 hours AFTER I returned home from the consult on Monday. This could ONLY happen to me.

My next door neighbors J. and K. went out of town (actually, out of the country) for a wedding. They asked me to keep an eye on their 3 cats and pick up their mail while they were gone. So, they left on Saturday and are coming home on Thursday. I have never watched their cats before, mostly because they never go anywhere, but my neighbors are good friends of ours so I was more than happy to help. Plus it would give me something to do for a few days.

After dinner on Monday I went over to check on the kitties and give them some food and water. I walk into the house and hear a noise that sounds like running water. Their house is a different model than mine so I don't know where the bathrooms and stuff are. Now, K.'s sister L. does stay at their house from time to time, and I was reassured that she would NOT be there while they were away. Still, things can change and the last thing I wanted to do was walk in on L. and scare her! So I'm calling "hello" and looking for signs of anyone being in the house. I get to the kitchen and see water ALL OVER THE FLOOR! NOOOOO!!!!! I'm now running all over the house trying to see where the water is coming from, and it's coming from the refrigerator! The water line to the icemaker had burst flooding the kitchen. I run downstairs to their finished basement and the ceiling in their home theater room had fallen from the water and there was a huge gigantic puddle on their carpet. Panic! Panic!

I run back home to get Mike and grab Lilly (can't leave her unattended, you know!) and we are all just standing there dumbfounded. I run back over to my house (with Lilly who is barefoot) to get towels and a bucket (like that's REALLY going to do a lot at this point) and see my neighbor S. from the other side of my house. I yell- "HELP!" and quickly tell him what happened and he runs over to help Mike pull out the fridge and shut off the water main to the house.

While all that's going on I get ahold of K's. sister L. (who lives in NJ) and am trying to reassure her that it's not as bad as it sounds, but it's bad... and we don't know what to do! We DID take pictures in case their insurance needs them. She can't come over until Thursday, and that's when K. and J. will be home! We decide that it's best to clean up what we can, and Mike takes over our carpet steam cleaner to suck up as much water from the basement as possible.

I'm sitting there thinking...come on! what else can happen today! First my boobs and then a tidal flood! They are NEVER asking me to watch their cats again.