Happy Halloween!

Aruna and I are finally settled in after a very fun night of Trick or Treating! This year, Aruna dressed up as Ozzy Osbourne but all of the neighbors thought she was Yoko Ono except for one! Either way, she pulled it off really well. I walked (or should I say ran) with her and carried the extra bag, the hats and gloves. It was cold with temps in the upper 30's. The neighbors were asking me if I wanted any candy and of course I said "SURE!" After all, I didn't want to be unneighborly. I came home with tons of candy. My costume? For those who knew me, I was the cancer patient with hair. For everyone else, I was "just a Mom". A huge success! Aruna and I are all ready making plans for costumes next year!

We sorted through our candy and Moby has helped himself to a couple of Hershey bars! For a dog, he has quite the sweet tooth. Diver, on the other hand, wasn't as interested.

Scott passed out candy and almost ran out! We bought enough full size candy bars for about 120 kids. We are not quite sure where all the Trick or Treaters came from but they all came to our house. Andrei is hanging out with his friends watching the football games on TV.

The kids are back in school on Monday after a long 4 day weekend for Teacher's Convention. I spent a couple days this past week in Racine helping my Mom with stuff around the house. I called it a mini vacation since it was just me and no kids! It was nice.

Friday, November 6th, I have another chemo treatment and I get to see Dr. Burkhard again. Dr W. is out on maternity leave. I saw Dr. B. 9 months ago when Dr. W was on vacation.

All in all, everything is good. I still hurt some but I try not to think about it. We still haven't name the newest member of our family. Any suggestions for a name for a tarantula? Happy Pumpkin Day!!

Catch-Up Time Again

It's been 23 days since I last updated and a lot has happened. My bone scan came out clean - mostly. The pain in my spine is due to arthritis. My lower back hurts for several reasons. One - I have scoliosis, Two - I am showing degeneration in my discs, and Three - the dreaded word arthritis. My elbow looked normal and no one has a clue as to why I can have so much pain in it. All I know is that old age will not be fun. To help with the pain, I am still taking oxycodone. It makes the pain more bearable. To eliminate the pain, I have to take multiple pills at a time several times a day but I don't like the side effects of the medicine so I settle for less pain instead of no pain. So far I've been ok and my Doctors are good with it.

I had my follow-up appointment with Dr. Richards - Radiation Oncology. My skin looks great and if you look closely enough you can see the 'damage' the radiation did. It looks like a 'light sun tan'. I barely notice it. Unless I have issues, I don't see Dr. R for 9 months - July 13, 2010.

I had another treatment on the 16th. Dr. W wasn't there as she was in "false" labor. Bummer, the 16th was her due date. I talked to Nurse Mary about the pain and she suggested guided imagery. I'll try anything at this point. But this means another new doctor!

This past Monday, the 19th, Andrei took one for the team and messed up his ankle again. His football team was 6-1 this year and it was fun to watch them play. After spending Tuesday morning at Urgent Care, he is back in his boot and crutches until his appointment this Monday with a Foot and Ankle Specialist.

As I mentioned before, I have started substituting again. I have been working quite a bit and it is taking its toll on me. I have to remember that I don't have the energy level I use to have. Lots of long naps lately.

We have a new member in our family. Scott came home with a tarantula the other day. She has not yet been named but Aruna likes Doris. We have no clue where that came from. Instead of being yellow and black and hairy, this one is pink and black and hairy, I thought we could name it Pinky Tuscadaro from the old show Happy Days or name it after the tarantula in the 1997 movie with Tim Allen Jungle2Jungle. She is pretty amazing but needs to find a permanent home other than my kitchen counter!

We're off to the Lake House this weekend to relax. Even though Teacher's Convention is next week and we could have a long weekend, Halloween is more important. The spider is staying home.

19/11 and back to the Glow Farm

Today is Scott's and my 19th Wedding Anniversary. Today also marks 11 years since he and I stood in a Russian Court and legally adopted Andrei and Aruna. It's our Family Day. Our very first family meal together was in Moscow at McDonalds. Aruna, just 7 months old was happy with a bottle. Andrei, 4 years old, had his very first happy meal. I remember his huge smile as he showed us every single french fry before he ate it. 11 years later, Aruna eats the hamburgers and fries and Andrei eats a minimum two big macs and a quarter pounder with cheese. Every year on Family Day we go out for dinner to celebrate. For many years we would go to McDonalds. Now we like to go to other restaurants. I guess we are growing up and the Golden Arches aren't our first choice any more - at least not for Scott and I. Last night the kids voted to go to McD's and we said no!

I am spending my day at the hospital. When I had my last chemo on September 25th, I spoke with Nurse Mary and told her about my back pain - it just won't go away. My left elbow really hurts too. Dr. W came to visit me while I was getting my treatment and she ordered x-rays on my pelvic area and lumbar. She must have seen some cause for concern because today I have a bone scan.

I started at 8:30 at the Glow Farm, better known as Nuclear Medicine, for the radioactive tracer to be injected. (And to think I thought I was never going to visit them again!) It takes 4 hours for the tracer to find it's way to my skeletal system so I am just sitting around, blogging, and looking out the window at the rain. When you think about it, how cool is it to get your skeletal system all glow-in-the-dark just in time for Halloween?! Too bad I will lose all the radioactive substance in the next 2-3 days. Bummer. It would have been a great costume!

I have started substituting for the school district again. I haven't worked since last year. Right now I am helping out every day at an elementary school for 1-1/2 hours (I never said I worked full time!). Usually I will work either a half or full day whenever I am needed. Most of my positions are in Special Education in the Middle Schools but I like to be flexible and help out wherever I can. Substituting is great since I can pick and choose my assignments!

The kids are doing great. Andrei is the star football player - scores the most touchdowns and runs the most yardage. Homecoming is this week and it is fun to watch the excitement. Aruna has joined Art Club at school and is really excited about it. Tomorrow, we all start LOGOS which is basically church school every Wednesday night. The kids always grumble but once they get there and see their friends they forget how much they hate it!

All in all, I am surviving. I'm still really tired and I try to get as much sleep as I can. The weather is changing fast and all of us are doing our best to get both houses ready for snow. Before you know it, the holidays will be here :)