OK, it's been a l o n g time since I blogged regularly and there are some things I cannot remember if I posted or not...so please forgive any repetition.
Regular readers have learned that both my guys--husband and son--have returned from military duties in the desert. T.J.'s time there was extended so things worked out that both he and his father returned home about two weeks apart. They both arrived in the U.S. at the major airport in our hometown, so family and friends were there to greet them and all the others returning with them. I was there when T.J. returned and it was quite an experience. I was at our home when Tom came in--because he had to continue home once he arrived and my being a days' drive away from home would be annoying--but he had a large part of his family there and one of my sisters, as well as both our children and one grandchild. Both the guys got a wonderful welcome, and I am so pleased about that. They were in different locations in the desert, so they talked once or twice but never saw one another while they were away. Neither one talks much about their experiences, but as far as I can tell they are handling the reintegration nicely. Since Tom came home after T.J., he did not get to meet Jodi, T.J.'s girlfriend, at the airport like those of us who were there. Jodi spent about two weeks with the family at Jen's. She also got to spend some time with her brother who happens to be T.J.'s friend and lives a couple hours away from Jen. We all liked Jodi, which is good because she has been back to visit twice more. First for Dina's (Tom's sister, T.J.'s aunt) 40th birthday surprise party in October and again for Thanksgiving. Don't think Jodi is doing all the traveling, either. T.J. has been to visit her in Utah for about ten days and is planning to spend Christmas with her there, as well. I guess you might have noticed that these two really like each other...but they are mature enough to realize that they need to spend some time together before making that lifetime commitment.
Meanwhile, I had a few things to face while my husband was in the desert. Five days after he left, I had a uterine biopsy (not fun, but I'm glad now that I did it) which showed 'complex hyperplasia with atypia' which is a precancerous condition. My doctor's suggested course of treatment was hysterectomy. Quite a shock for me because I thought the now-and-again bleeding I was experiencing was just the normal thing during menopause. Mine was not normal, hence the biopsy. Luckily, my Primary Care Provider was listening when I was complaining about menopause being so tediously long! She realized the abnormality of what I described and sent me to a specialist. The pathology after the surgery found cancer (adenocarcinoma endometrioid type) so my PCM saved my life. Luckily for me, the cancer was already removed when I learned of it, or I would have totally freaked out. I had a minor freak-out during the lead up to the surgery (which I would have denied at the time, but hindsight is 20/20), but this would have sent me over the edge. With Tom gone, I didn't know how I was going to take care of myself after surgery. I emailed a friend who'd had the surgery last year. She called to talk to me about it and was very encouraging, said it was the best thing she had ever done for herself. She felt that I would need someone with me for the first week--although I could probably be alone if absolutely necessary. I also called my sister in law Renee. She, too, had the surgery last year, and was very helpful and encouraging, saying it was the best decision she had ever made, too. Poor Renee--I cried over the phone about all sorts of personal things (you women know what I am talking about) and she was so patient. My throat kept closing up so I couldn't talk and it was just awful, but she stuck with me and I felt LOTS better once I got off the phone with her. I was at Jen's house for both these calls as that is where I was when the lab results came back, so I was also trying not to let on how scary this whole thing was because I didn't want to unnecessarily upset the entire family. (I did a lot of that--not telling people because I didn't want to upset them. They don't like it. Not one bit.) Anyway, I told my sisters I would need some sisterly support and they were wonderful. When it was time for my surgery, both Cathy and Janet drove the five hundred miles to my house, arriving with smiles and lots of support.
The surgery went well and the afternoon of that day, Cathy called her daughter Becca and learned Becca was going to deliver her baby via C-section in two days! Poor Cathy knew Becca was due in about a week, but came to me anyway because our family tends to go overdue and she figured she could get back in time. So Cathy had to figure out how to get home, since they drove Janet's car. The plane and the train are about an hour from where I live and it was going to be a pain to get there, so I told Cathy to just take my car--I couldn't drive it for three weeks anyway! She wasn't sure about it, wondering how I could get it back, but finally agreed since it was the most efficient way to get her home to her daughter. Adam James was born while Cathy was on the road. All was well and both mother and son were fine--although Adam had stopped growing because the umbilical cord was wrapped so tightly around his neck--hence the C-section.
I was scheduled to be in the hospital two nights, but the afternoon of the first day my doctor released me--which was fine with me! I spent my first night at home in the recliner in the living room because lying on my side in bed hurt and pulled too much. After that, I felt pretty good and recovered steadily. Janet stayed with me for a full week after my return from the hospital, preparing wonderful meals and taking great care of me. Poor thing must have been so bored. She did take advantage of the Iris Festival while she was here, and took a few walks for exercise. I couldn't join her, of course, but she did OK. On her last day with me, Janet let me prepare the meals just to make sure I could take care of myself. I must have passed muster, because she hit the road early the next morning. Two hours after she left, I got a call from the surgeon's office; he wanted to see me. The clerk gave me some cock-and-bull story about the doctor's schedule changing and my follow-up being moved up. I knew better, but let her go on believing I had no idea he wanted to talk about the pathology report. I had to get a ride since I couldn't drive. The commander's secretary (whose name is also Joan), who happens to be a friend, took me and that is when I learned about the cancer. Joan stayed with me a long time after she brought me home. I think she was making sure I was OK. I was more OK than you'd expect, but I think that is because the cancer had already been removed. When the doctor told me about it, he said 'Technically, you're cured and I could tell you to go home.' He wants me to see and oncologist to watch for recurrence, though. So now I am a 'cancer patient' and I get to see the oncologist every three months for two years and every six months for three years after that--provided there is no recurrence. I am one of the lucky ones--this cancer is very treatable, very curable and rarely recurs. I have had three appointments with the oncologist since the surgery-the initial visit, an exam with CAT scan and just an exam. All is well.
My recovery went nicely and I was released to my normal activities in six weeks. I feel pretty good in general, but have been headachey lately. That most likely has something to do with the medication I take for my hypothyroidism. What? I didn't mention that? Oh, yeah, at the same appointment when my PCM decided to send me to a specialist, she also ran a blood test which discovered an under active thyroid. So now I take synthroid once a day for the rest of my life. One of the side effects in headache. Wahoo. I haven't had a second follow-up, yet, but I will be discussing it then, with my new PCM--the other one has moved on. This happens all the time in the military, and I get to explain my entire life history yet again. I have lots more to talk about now!
While Tom was away, I volunteered to help with the musical "The Music Man" at the Little Theater. You can check out the posts about that in June and July of 2007. Or
here. I enjoyed the work, even if the grown men involved acted like children. I've worked on two more shows since then, and will be working with Tom when he designs "Inherit the Wind."
Our Spouse's Group s trying to re-enervate since my surgery. I am the President and we have nice Vice-President because no one wanted to do it...so things sort of stopped during my recovery. I got several calls asking 'when are we having a Night Out or a meeting' even though I told the entire group that I would be inactive during my recovery and if they wanted a Night Out, they would have to plan it. No one did, and I refuse to feel guilty. Although now we have very low attendance at the meetings, I am hoping it will pick up. The Children's Christmas party is our next event, and we are busily planning away. I hope it is successful. We seem to have lots of willing volunteers who did not come to the meeting, so that is good anyway.
Tom and I used his 'R & R' after his deployment to do some traveling. We visited the family in Maryland for Dina's party and went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville NC for their Christmas event. I loved it! Our first visit was to the house at night--with candlelight and Christmas decorations and musical entertainment throughout. We actually upgraded our ticket to the twelve-month pass so we could go back and see it in the Spring! Doing that also allowed us to go back into the house in the daylight, which was wonderful because we could see SO much more than in the candlelight. The Conservatory was great fun for us because we both enjoyed the unusual plants and flowers.
Thanksgiving was a first this year, too--our family has been holding the festivities at different family members' homes for a few years, now, instead of only at Mom and Dad's. This year there was no volunteer for the dinner. While Cathy and I were talking about this on the phone, Jen piped up and said we could use her house if I cooked--she wasn't confident to feed up to 40 people! So that is what we did. We managed a sit-down meal for 32 diners and it went pretty well. We had lots and lots of help with side-dishes, Tom cooked a whole turkey and two turkey breasts in the deep-fryer and I roasted a breast the night before. Jen did a ham--which received many compliments, and Jen, Jay, T.J., Tom and I worked like Trojans to get things ready. Jen's house is having an addition done, and the work is ongoing. Getting all the cleaning done while the workmen were there was a challenge. It got done, though and Jen's home looked beautiful. The brand-new hardwood floors looked great--but we covered them with builder's paper to protect them from the rented chairs and 32 sets of feet!
Now we are preparing for Christmas, with the exchange of names with extended family and putting up the tree and other decorations. I have too many! We can never put them all out, so we put out what strikes us that year. This year, we are showcasing the silver nativity set my sister Cathy gave us for our 25th wedding anniversary. It looks great in the armoire behind the glass door. I wonder if a picture will do it justice?
OK, I think that may catch us up. Whew!
