Does anyone know what happened to October 20th? I think we had one, but I couldn't tell you a thing about it.

I know I spent all of it right here though.

As you all know, I had chemotherapy via a battery operated pump on Thursday (Oct 15th), Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I felt great on Friday and went to work. Felt good on Saturday and felt O.K. on Sunday. Felt relieved on Monday (and a little excited) because the chemo drip would be empty at about 4:30 and I would get the fanny pack off! Sleeping and showering with it were a little tricky. So I did get it off and felt, as I said, relieved but physically a little beat up. The nurses said I would probably feel chemo effects for about 2 more days while the stuff still circulated through my system.

Tried to go to work on Tuesday, and knew before I even left the house that it was not to be. Went to the school though to take Austen and open the safe and give instructions about money and how much stuff sold for and doing the bulletin, etc., and realized that I really didn't care at that point and all I wanted to do was get home and lie down. So, I got home at about 8:00 a.m. and did just that. It was my intention to take a nap and then get caught up on the computer so people wouldn't worry and maybe even watch a movie. Layed down, fell asleep, got up at 4:00 to go get a radiation treatment, came home, layed down again and got up at 8:00 to eat dinner so I could go to bed. Whew! Knocked me on my fanny. I was so exhausted!

Got up this morning though and felt so very much better! Went to work and had a really good day, too. (Get out a Kleenex for the next part.)

Arrived, looked around and an awful lot of people are wearing purple. Didn't think a whole lot about it, but thought several more times throughout the day - What's with all the purple? Just about the entire staff and many of the kids were in purple shirts/tee shirts/wore ribbons of some form. Then I found out. It had been organized as a cancer awareness day, and Jason and company has asked everyone to wear purple on Wednesdays in support of me. After that, I had a melt down everytime I saw another staff member in a purple shirt or wearing a purple ribbon. (Good thing I wasn't told about it until after lunch or I would have been a sobbing wreck all day long.) Many of the kids (ASB, Cheer, Etc.) that I work with were in purple and several teachers had talked to their classes and asked them to wear purple too if they knew someone that had been affected by cancer. I have felt such love and support. FHA (Future Homemakers of America) made a lasagne for me to take home and freeze!

Technically, I will have another chemo 4-day pump thing starting November 11, and the radiation continues Monday - Friday for about 6 weeks. I am told it will take about 2-3 weeks after the radiation treatment stop for skin to heal, etc. Side effects? Certainly not what has been described in the books. Still have hair (not sure if it still might fall out or not), no nausea, no mouth sores, just a little tender, no finget tenderness, etc. Makes me wonder if my next treatment will have the same effects of if in my weakened state will have more of an effect. I will find out I hope on Monday when I see the oncologist. Stage 2 cancer (which I have) is treatable with a lot of success - I didn't like it when he said (the radiologist) that it was hard to treat however, but I will take it nonetheless. Pain management is probably my biggest problem, but it is usually under control. I have lost 33 pounds, but all is well. All is well.

No one has a better support system than I have from my Katella family, my ward family, to my wonderful children and their spouses and my grandchildren, to my wonderful, patient, dedicated husband. I am truly blessed and grateful.