working out for Disney

[HouCuseChickie]

Just an update...and something that will hopefully bring some joy to you guys.

I don't think it's a secret that I live in the Houston area, which is the home to MD Anderson. I know people come here from all over the world for treatment, but us locals also look at it as the top place to go too if anyone we know gets a cancer diagnosis. I have so many great stories of survival from there, but I know it's no guarantee. In fact, the day of my diagnosis, a college friend shared a memory of a mutual friend that passed away there back in 2001. Still, I know it's the place to go. I've never heard of anyone with a referral being denied, but I was worried. I had to be a squeaky wheel this morning and reached out all morning to try and get my person, but I finally got to talk to her. My first appointment is on December 9th. Still very emotional, but now I have the next step scheduled.

I tried to do something positive, so in addition to some softball time, I tackled the yard and made it festive.

 

[MinnieM123]

Just an update...and something that will hopefully bring some joy to you guys.

I don't think it's a secret that I live in the Houston area, which is the home to MD Anderson. I know people come here from all over the world for treatment, but us locals also look at it as the top place to go too if anyone we know gets a cancer diagnosis. I have so many great stories of survival from there, but I know it's no guarantee. In fact, the day of my diagnosis, a college friend shared a memory of a mutual friend that passed away there back in 2001. Still, I know it's the place to go. I've never heard of anyone with a referral being denied, but I was worried. I had to be a squeaky wheel this morning and reached out all morning to try and get my person, but I finally got to talk to her. My first appointment is on December 9th. Still very emotional, but now I have the next step scheduled.

I tried to do something positive, so in addition to some softball time, I tackled the yard and made it festive.

Wow. Nice job with the creative holiday lights! It's good to take a break from the current stress you're experiencing (understandable), and focus for a while on something upbeat. I'm sure your family also enjoys the outdoor display. (Hang in there.)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Wow. Nice job with the creative holiday lights! It's good to take a break from the current stress you're experiencing (understandable), and focus for a while on something upbeat. I'm sure your family also enjoys the outdoor display. (Hang in there.)

Thanks! Pretty much taking any distraction I can get. Working on holiday food has been the current focus. Once Thanksgiving passes...it'll be the interior holiday decor.

 

[Songbird76]

Has no one been in here for 2 weeks? I was expecting there to be a whole string of messages to catch up on and there was only one post?? Is everyone ok out there?

 

[MinnieM123]

Has no one been in here for 2 weeks? I was expecting there to be a whole string of messages to catch up on and there was only one post?? Is everyone ok out there?

It's December -- we're all wolfing down holiday cookies! (We can exercise in January. )

 

[Songbird76]

It's December -- we're all wolfing down holiday cookies! (We can exercise in January. )

In that case, how about some cupcakes? We have a ton since my in-laws have covid and we couldn't go there to share. A requested tennis ball cupcakes.

 

[Figgy1]

Has no one been in here for 2 weeks? I was expecting there to be a whole string of messages to catch up on and there was only one post?? Is everyone ok out there?

Sorry! Between Thanksgiving, holiday prep and crafting it's been crazy busier than normal at my house. The tree isn't even going up until Thursday

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yup...crazy busy here too. This coming weekend is our first free weekend in ages. No baking yet, but I have managed nearly all of the interior decorations on my own. Nobody was helping, so I put my foot down on a couple of things...
1. No fresh tree unless someone else wants to buy it and care for it.
2. The three of them can decorate the three artificial trees downstairs, because I've done everything else.
Needless to say, there's no fresh tree...not even the pine sprays and clippings my husband talked about getting. And the only tree that's decorated is mine. It's the old one my friend was discarding that I asked to "rescue," so that I could have a national park/outdoorsy themed tree in my office/gym.

I also went in for my first appointment at MD Anderson yesterday. Just getting there and figuring out where I needed to be was a good chunk of my anxiety. The TX Medical Center is huge and MD Anderson is a massive campus of buildings, many of which are connected by large skybridges. Navigating the individual buildings felt like being in a large casino or shopping mall and getting between the buildings reminded me of being in an airport and moving between terminals. The one skybridge I had to take uses carts similar to airports for people needing assistance. As for the medical part...

The PA as well as the doctor did a full body check for any other areas of concern. They didn't see anything, so the plan is to remove the mole along with a large area around it. In addition, they will be doing a sentinel lymph node biopsy. They'll have to see where the dye flows during the procedure to see if it's the one behind my knee or in the groin that needs to come out. Based on the pathology, he said we're looking at a 15-20% chance of this being in the lymph nodes. My surgery is scheduled between Christmas and New Year's. The rest of my time there was preliminary tests...chest xray, a ton of blood work, and an EKG. My big worry now is staying healthy, since they'll have to Covid test me a few days before. Obviously, I'm vaccinated and I also got my booster a few weeks ago, but with Omicron starting to circulate, there's added concern. At least they're able to do my Covid test a little closer to home. They have a facility near where Sam went for her broken thumb...free parking, less traffic...yes, please!

Hope all is well with everyone and have a happy and merry everything if I fall behind on posting.

 

[Songbird76]

Yup...crazy busy here too. This coming weekend is our first free weekend in ages. No baking yet, but I have managed nearly all of the interior decorations on my own. Nobody was helping, so I put my foot down on a couple of things...
1. No fresh tree unless someone else wants to buy it and care for it.
2. The three of them can decorate the three artificial trees downstairs, because I've done everything else.
Needless to say, there's no fresh tree...not even the pine sprays and clippings my husband talked about getting. And the only tree that's decorated is mine. It's the old one my friend was discarding that I asked to "rescue," so that I could have a national park/outdoorsy themed tree in my office/gym.

I also went in for my first appointment at MD Anderson yesterday. Just getting there and figuring out where I needed to be was a good chunk of my anxiety. The TX Medical Center is huge and MD Anderson is a massive campus of buildings, many of which are connected by large skybridges. Navigating the individual buildings felt like being in a large casino or shopping mall and getting between the buildings reminded me of being in an airport and moving between terminals. The one skybridge I had to take uses carts similar to airports for people needing assistance. As for the medical part...

The PA as well as the doctor did a full body check for any other areas of concern. They didn't see anything, so the plan is to remove the mole along with a large area around it. In addition, they will be doing a sentinel lymph node biopsy. They'll have to see where the dye flows during the procedure to see if it's the one behind my knee or in the groin that needs to come out. Based on the pathology, he said we're looking at a 15-20% chance of this being in the lymph nodes. My surgery is scheduled between Christmas and New Year's. The rest of my time there was preliminary tests...chest xray, a ton of blood work, and an EKG. My big worry now is staying healthy, since they'll have to Covid test me a few days before. Obviously, I'm vaccinated and I also got my booster a few weeks ago, but with Omicron starting to circulate, there's added concern. At least they're able to do my Covid test a little closer to home. They have a facility near where Sam went for her broken thumb...free parking, less traffic...yes, please!

Hope all is well with everyone and have a happy and merry everything if I fall behind on posting.

That all sounds pretty positive, all things considered....not finding anything else of concern, and 15-20% chance of it being in the lymph nodes. That's good to hear. The timing could be better with the holiday season and the omicron variant circulating....those aren't good things to coincide with your surgery, but you are smart and know what you need to do to stay safe. You can do this!

Good on you for setting boundaries with the family. Sometimes you just have to put your foot down and let them know you won't be doing it all yourself.

 

[MinnieM123]

Yup...crazy busy here too. This coming weekend is our first free weekend in ages. No baking yet, but I have managed nearly all of the interior decorations on my own. Nobody was helping, so I put my foot down on a couple of things...
1. No fresh tree unless someone else wants to buy it and care for it.
2. The three of them can decorate the three artificial trees downstairs, because I've done everything else.
Needless to say, there's no fresh tree...not even the pine sprays and clippings my husband talked about getting. And the only tree that's decorated is mine. It's the old one my friend was discarding that I asked to "rescue," so that I could have a national park/outdoorsy themed tree in my office/gym.

I also went in for my first appointment at MD Anderson yesterday. Just getting there and figuring out where I needed to be was a good chunk of my anxiety. The TX Medical Center is huge and MD Anderson is a massive campus of buildings, many of which are connected by large skybridges. Navigating the individual buildings felt like being in a large casino or shopping mall and getting between the buildings reminded me of being in an airport and moving between terminals. The one skybridge I had to take uses carts similar to airports for people needing assistance. As for the medical part...

The PA as well as the doctor did a full body check for any other areas of concern. They didn't see anything, so the plan is to remove the mole along with a large area around it. In addition, they will be doing a sentinel lymph node biopsy. They'll have to see where the dye flows during the procedure to see if it's the one behind my knee or in the groin that needs to come out. Based on the pathology, he said we're looking at a 15-20% chance of this being in the lymph nodes. My surgery is scheduled between Christmas and New Year's. The rest of my time there was preliminary tests...chest xray, a ton of blood work, and an EKG. My big worry now is staying healthy, since they'll have to Covid test me a few days before. Obviously, I'm vaccinated and I also got my booster a few weeks ago, but with Omicron starting to circulate, there's added concern. At least they're able to do my Covid test a little closer to home. They have a facility near where Sam went for her broken thumb...free parking, less traffic...yes, please!

Hope all is well with everyone and have a happy and merry everything if I fall behind on posting.

Best wishes for your health, and hope that all goes well. Lousy time of year to be dealing with this, but perhaps it's good that whatever it is, it's caught in the early stages. So please hang in there, and try to keep positive thoughts for a successful procedure. (Also, I'm sure half of your anxiety was trying to find your way around that huge medical center! I used to work at a large medical complex, and every now and then, even I'd get lost in the maze of buildings, bridges, etc.)

Really glad you asked the family to help with the holiday decorations. There's only so many hours in the day, and you can't do everything. Hopefully, they'll get a bit more in the spirit, and start decorating, as Christmas gets closer.

Despite all that is going on, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

 

[Figgy1]

Best wishes for your health, and hope that all goes well. Lousy time of year to be dealing with this, but perhaps it's good that whatever it is, it's caught in the early stages. So please hang in there, and try to keep positive thoughts for a successful procedure. (Also, I'm sure half of your anxiety was trying to find your way around that huge medical center! I used to work at a large medical complex, and every now and then, even I'd get lost in the maze of buildings, bridges, etc.)

Really glad you asked the family to help with the holiday decorations. There's only so many hours in the day, and you can't do everything. Hopefully, they'll get a bit more in the spirit, and start decorating, as Christmas gets closer.

Despite all that is going on, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

^^^Exactly

 

[Figgy1]

I really should check in more often but I've been busy in a good way. Dh and I grabbed the groceries this morning before the sun came up. That sounds normalish but he left me "in town" afterwards to deliver packages. All told I got a good 3+ miles done in the drizzle and the backpack and crossbody got lighter along the way My busy self hasn't been able to get outside much between the weather and inside projects that needed to get done so while it was cold and damp I'm glad I made some time to get outside

 

[Songbird76]

I really should check in more often but I've been busy in a good way. Dh and I grabbed the groceries this morning before the sun came up. That sounds normalish but he left me "in town" afterwards to deliver packages. All told I got a good 3+ miles done in the drizzle and the backpack and crossbody got lighter along the way My busy self hasn't been able to get outside much between the weather and inside projects that needed to get done so while it was cold and damp I'm glad I made some time to get outside

How did your ankle hold up? This wasn't your first big walk since you injured it, is it? Glad you made it outside for a while. I'm hoping to get out with E since we're in lockdown starting in a couple of hours, and she won't have school, so we'll have lots of time for walking. Nothing will be open, so we can just walk for exercise and fresh air.

 

[Figgy1]

How did your ankle hold up? This wasn't your first big walk since you injured it, is it? Glad you made it outside for a while. I'm hoping to get out with E since we're in lockdown starting in a couple of hours, and she won't have school, so we'll have lots of time for walking. Nothing will be open, so we can just walk for exercise and fresh air.

Thank you for asking but it's been doing quite well the past couple of months Now knocking lots of wood. I've been getting out here and there but I usually avoid walking outside this time of year when it's wet due to all the leaves. I'm hoping to get out at least a couple of times this week but that will depend on how the weather is and how long it takes to get all the cleaning and baking done.
Fun fact when I started my walk today I started off with about 15 pounds of stuff to drop off so at least it was a good workout

 

[Songbird76]

Thank you for asking but it's been doing quite well the past couple of months Now knocking lots of wood. I've been getting out here and there but I usually avoid walking outside this time of year when it's wet due to all the leaves. I'm hoping to get out at least a couple of times this week but that will depend on how the weather is and how long it takes to get all the cleaning and baking done.
Fun fact when I started my walk today I started off with about 15 pounds of stuff to drop off so at least it was a good workout

I don't blame you avoiding the walking with wet leaves. Those things are SLICK. We have decided to go ahead and make all the chocolates A was supposed to bring for his class Christmas brunch and bring them to friends instead. He was so disappointed to hear that schools were closing early and the brunch was canceled. He really wanted those chocolates. So we'll make them anyway, but make up little packages for friends instead of taking them to school.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. I know many of us are thankful to have 2021 in the rearview mirror and are praying for better in 2022. I pray that this current surge hasn't been too hard on you and your loved ones. May 2022 be wonderful for us all.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I had my surgery this past Wednesday, which I'm hoping leads to better health in 2022. I won't lie...this isn't fun, but I'm following the dr's orders and while not exactly "working out," I am getting in walking each day to help aid with my recovery. It's slow and it's just inside, but I've implemented 5-10 walking sessions (10-20 minute intervals each) every day. Most times it's just laps around the house, but it's something.

 

[Figgy1]

I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. I know many of us are thankful to have 2021 in the rearview mirror and are praying for better in 2022. I pray that this current surge hasn't been too hard on you and your loved ones. May 2022 be wonderful for us all.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I had my surgery this past Wednesday, which I'm hoping leads to better health in 2022. I won't lie...this isn't fun, but I'm following the dr's orders and while not exactly "working out," I am getting in walking each day to help aid with my recovery. It's slow and it's just inside, but I've implemented 5-10 walking sessions (10-20 minute intervals each) every day. Most times it's just laps around the house, but it's something.

Thank you and sending prayers and pixie dust for a wonderful 2022 for you and your family

 

[Figgy1]

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. I know many of us are thankful to have 2021 in the rearview mirror and are praying for better in 2022. I pray that this current surge hasn't been too hard on you and your loved ones. May 2022 be wonderful for us all.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I had my surgery this past Wednesday, which I'm hoping leads to better health in 2022. I won't lie...this isn't fun, but I'm following the dr's orders and while not exactly "working out," I am getting in walking each day to help aid with my recovery. It's slow and it's just inside, but I've implemented 5-10 walking sessions (10-20 minute intervals each) every day. Most times it's just laps around the house, but it's something.

I hope you have a better health year in 2022. I hope your surgery went well and recovery goes well.

 

[MinnieM123]

I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. I know many of us are thankful to have 2021 in the rearview mirror and are praying for better in 2022. I pray that this current surge hasn't been too hard on you and your loved ones. May 2022 be wonderful for us all.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I had my surgery this past Wednesday, which I'm hoping leads to better health in 2022. I won't lie...this isn't fun, but I'm following the dr's orders and while not exactly "working out," I am getting in walking each day to help aid with my recovery. It's slow and it's just inside, but I've implemented 5-10 walking sessions (10-20 minute intervals each) every day. Most times it's just laps around the house, but it's something.

Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery. Glad you got your surgery out of the way, and now you can look forward to better days ahead in 2022. Happy New Year to you and your family.