This morning I decided to start walking. I went to the high school gym. You normally can walk downstairs or upstairs, but they were having a blood drive today downstairs. They made the walkers walk upstairs. I mention this because it takes more laps to make a mile upstairs. Well, I made it around a whole 1/2 mile! I decided not to push the mile. I was pretty happy considering I hadn't walked in a year. I want to start out slowly and build up my strength so I can zumba!
I found a great online place that you can keep track of your caloric intake. It is www.caloriecounter.com. It also rates the food you enter. I ate a granola bar yesterday and it gave it a C because it was high in sugar. Now they give pineapple a good rating, but do mention it being high in sugar as well. But as we all know, it is not processed sugar in pineapple.
I think I will begin to feel better as I exercise more and watch what I eat as well. I have another week of wearing my binder. I dont know if it is going to stay on that long! The Velcro is beginning to wear.
Looking forward to lunch with Becky and Linda at Kensington Tea Room tomorrow afternoon. Ahh. Adult company and conversations!
Blessings!

Our first support group meeting last night was a huge success! People just kept coming in and coming in and coming in. There were about 30 people there last night. We had to get more chairs. The conference room at the cancer center was packed! I was so excited! We all were. We decided that the second Monday of every month will be our meeting date. Mondays seemed to work for everyone. My heart went out to so many of those folks. I do admit I was proud of the survivors that came. They will be such a great asset to the folks that are going through treatment right now. A couple of families in particular. One man starts treatment today at St V's in Indy. They weren't even going to find out until today what type he had! He was scared and his mom was with him and she was scared and I know the wife was, but she held it together. She is a nurse in North Vernon. Really made me realize what my parents went through with me. Another couple, their son was getting treated right now too. Ironically, the two sons went to school together! Just alot of great fellowship!
This really makes me realize that this is just one of the things God has put me on earth to do.
Blessings!

I am sitting here this morning as Dennis and Claire go to church and then run up to Sam's afterwards. I am crying as I write this because I am so sick of feeling like an outsider. I feel like I will never get my life back again. I know, I know, " I am so close!" Ugh! I don't want to hear that! I am so close then why do I feel the way I do? Because...I have been to hell and back for 13 months of my life. No one can even know how I feel. I know things will get better, but for today they are not. I am having a bad day and that is what I want to have. No one has good days every day. I am sick of this drainage tube and I am sick of this binder. I sweat like a pig every night with this thing on, I can't get comfortable. I am on an antibiotic for 2 whole weeks! It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't 3x a day. I am sorry to sound negative and to complain, but, this is the way I feel today. I am just hoping I can adjust my mood before going out tonight or it won't be pleasant. The thing is, once Dennis and Claire walk in the door, I know things will get better. I enjoy my time alone, but I miss the company of other people. It is hard. So this is where I am at today. I sure hope you all are having a better day!

http://http://www.tribtown.com/news/cancer-19453-mary-beth.html
Here is a link to the story the Tribune did on Beth and I starting the Leukemia/Lymphoma support group. January did such a good job. She wanted to get a photo of Beth and I. Beth and I did not want to have a photo with the story. I didn't want to be the picture of Lymphoma.
I was trying to figure out what to do for Valentines Day for Claire's class. Last year I spent alot of time and made these really cute cards from a kit I got from Michael's. This year I wont do so much. There was something on Family Fun that had you put Teddy Grahams and Gummi Bears in clear plastic bags and on the card you put "Bear Hugs from Claire" I thought this would be cute and fast! Plus we always give on to the principal and the 2 secretaries. Plus we call her Claire Bear, so there!
Blessings!

I went to see Dr Le yesterday. My incision is healing well. I have an infection in one of my incisions where my drainage tubes are at. They did take one of the tubes out. I kept hearing it was going to hurt. It did not hurt at all. But he did put me on an antibiotic. My body just does not heal well when I have surgery. So yesterday I slept all day. I feel a bit better today. I think if I get through this day, I will feel alot better. I am very sore where they took the tube out. So who knows, maybe I wont have to blog in a nother month!
So Sunday a group of us girls are meeting at bW3's for dinner. I am looking forward to this.
Blessings!

The last couple of weeks have been good. Good as in other than the drain tubes hanging from each side of my body and the binder I wear 24/7. And I just spoke with my dear friend Michelle. She had a drainage tube with her gallbladder and told me it hurts like hell when they take them out! Now I am freaking out! I told her when I see Dr Le on Thursday, I am going to ask him about them and I will be smearing her name all over his office. I am going to tell him that I will either take my pain pills, or I will have to drink a fifth of something before I come in and have them removed. I wonder if I could do both! Ha!
Thank you to my husband Dennis who got me out of the house last night. We drove around for an hour. I am so getting cabin fever! I think I can actually drive now, but I still have a weight restriction. ugh! I am so ready to get on with my life! People have no idea how down I can get and how restricted I feel about putting my life on hold.
Looking forward to next week. Sunday a group of girls that I went to school with are getting together. It is interesting, none of us really ran in the same circle in high school, yet we have come together on Face book and reconnected. It is alot of fun. Seems to be a monthly thing at this point. Monday the 18th is the meet and greet for our new Leukemia/lymphoma support group at the cancer center in Seymour. I am so looking forward to this.
Have a wonderful week and enjoy the many blessings!

Happy New Years and greetings from Schneck Medical Center! Tuesday I came in for my hernia repair and they could not do it lapriscopically. There was too much scar tissue from the last surgery. I knew the minute I woke up they had to go in. So the surgery took a bit longer than expected, but went very well. The first couple of days have been more painful than the last. I have gotten off of oxygen, my IV and now we are pretty much just waiting for me to move my bowels before I can leave. I am hoping this happens in the afternoon tomorrow. But if I have to stay one more day, I have to. I would much rather be in the comfort of my own home, but we don't always get what we want, but we do get what we need. It has been nice to have Pastor Aaron come see me and pray with me as well as Deacon Mike. And dad of course has brought me communion.

Dennis brought Claire in today and I just wanted to eat her up! She looked as though she had grown so much in the past few days! I miss them both so much! But I am sure Dennis is getting prepared for my whining and wanting this and that! I don't make a good sick person. I think I either ask for too much, or don't ask for enough. Though I have to say the best part of the hospital is the warm blankets! Now those are nice.
I don't really make New Years resolutions. I don't really see the point in them. Why put so much pressure on yourself to do something, when you should probably have been doing it all along! Ha! I guess I do want to exercise as soon as my hernia is healed, but that is something I should do anyway.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend and stay warm!
Blessings