It's here, it's here!!!!!!!!!

Just out of the box - my NEW Vitamix!

After what seems like forever, it's finally here - my VitaMix!!!  I haven't unpacked it yet, but I can't wait to begin making smoothies and dressings and many more exciting things to help me on my way with the Eat To Live diet by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  I will keep track of my progress here.  I am going to be starting S-L-O-W-L-Y, but hope to be fully on track soon.

Tonight I had a smoothie for supper along with a nice salad with romaine, papaya, tomatoes, green onion, celery, orange peppers, snap peas, mandarin orange segments and a few other things I can't remember.  Anyways, I hope that I can get healthy and my new Vitamix is going to help me!!!!

One of Dr. Fuhrman's recipes includes an "Anti-Cancer Soup".  Can't wait to try that one!

Today marks what would have been my Dad's 82nd birthday.  He missed making it by NINE days!  Happy Birthday, Dad!  We miss you a lot!  :-(

On a little happier note, we have a new furry member of the family.....her name is Maybell.  Isn't she CUTE???!  Maybell needed a new home, so...... Not sure that hubby is too impressed, but..... LOL!

Water, Morning and Foster Feathers

We have a water problem. Not just a little water problem, but a BIG water problem.  We were going to renovate our bathroom.  We knew there had been some leakage behind the tiles around the bathtub.  We just didn't know how MUCH leakage or how MUCH damage has been caused because of it.  Hubby pulled up the floor last week in front of the tub as the tile had broken and the wood underneath was rotting.  I just had the restoration company in this morning and the water comes out into the hallway, the wall is WET up to three feet (according to the moisture meter) and who knows what's behind the tub as it's still in there.....  and there's MOULD - LOTS OF MOULD - you can smell it - Yuck! The fellow said that there could be a very slow leak, which could have been going on for up to 10 years.

It's a little bit stressful not knowing what's involved with fixing a problem of this scope.  We will be getting a detailed estimate, of course, but the fellow said roughly $4,000-$5,000 JUST TO TAKE EVERYTHING APART and fix it.  Then it will cost more to actually get a new tub/surround, fittings, flooring, etc.  Hubby was going to do it himself, but because it's so much worse than what we thought, he just doesn't have the time.  We are going to have to bite the bullet because the mould, now that it's exposed, is now a health issue.  Insurance doesn't cover it either.  They will only cover "sudden and accidental", not a slow, insidious leak over many years.  :-(

On the subject of morning, I am again becoming the morning person that I once was.  Since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December, 2008, it seems like it's been a struggle to get out of bed every single morning.  Well, when I was diagnosed, I immediately stopped being able to sleep.  The doctor prescribed a sleeping pill - the mildest one available.  Let me back track a bit here.....

Chemo will send some women into premature menopause - this seems to have been the case with me.  Good in some ways, others - not so much.  Two of the not-so-nice things are the hot flashes and the insomnia.  The sleeping pill helps most of the time with the insomnia.  There is little that can be done with the hot flashes - suck it up and get on with it!  The insomnia I've been experiencing can be caused by menopause - it's one of the side-effects.  I am also on a drug called Tamoxifen, which lowers the recurrence of breast cancer by up to 76% over five years.  This is a wonder drug of sorts, an old drug, but it's not without its own side effects.  Hot flashes, bone pain and insomnia, to name a few.  So, I'm fighting the insomnia on two possible different levels.

So, one little sleeping pill does help me to sleep.  I've been wanting to wean myself off of the sleeping pills, so about 4 months ago, I started breaking them in half and only taking a half pill at bedtime. Still works for me pretty well.  On Saturday night, I started cutting the half pill into another half, so now only take a quarter of a pill.  Well, surprise - I started dreaming again.  Apparently, sleep meds do not allow your brain to hit REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, so you DON'T dream.  My dreams the past few nights have been very vivid and it's obvious I haven't dreamed in a very long time.  I also am waking before my alarm at 5:45 a.m., which I did all my life until the cancer hit and then I was stressed by that and on the different medications since then. I was then dragging my butt out of bed, and having to lay down again once the kids left for the bus.  Today I feel good.  It's early still, and I feel good and not like I'm dragging my butt and wanting to go back and lie down.  It's the sleep meds.  There are so many side effects of drugs.  It's so nice to be able to enjoy morning again. It felt horrible not to be able to enjoy the morning as I had before cancer came to visit.

On to foster feathers.  I currently have two extra foster birds and one of my own birds that I re-homed last year is also returning.  It's difficult some days as two extra cages (it will be THREE shortly) does make a difference.  There's also the extra dishes to fill when making breakfast and supper, which involve cooking and chopping. Extra cages to clean, too.  It all takes time. 

I am blessed that I am a stay-home-mom and have the time to care for the birds, as the kids are now in middle and high school.  I wasn't able to foster for a few years, but now I can again and it's nice to be able to help out. There is a season for everything in our lives.

I am enjoying the busy-ness of life again.  It reminds me that I am well again.  Halleluia!

Funny....Or Is It?

Connie, Stephanie and I went to Ikea today.  We had a great time, and I got a few little things that I didn't know I needed, but I really did!  :-)  I got a strainer that fits across the sink, a new squeegee for our shower doors, a few other things I can't remember right now, and two funnels.  Well, when I got home, I was putting the funnels into the dishwasher and lo and behold.......they looked like this......

Pretty regular-looking funnels, right?  Well, that's what I thought, too - until.......

As a breast cancer survivor and having gone through two mastectomies and reconstruction, I couldn't help but notice some similarities.......LOL! 

Under The Weather

I've been a bit under the weather this past week.  Just a yucky cold, but it has had me on the couch for a couple of days.  Just feeling really congested with a fever and no energy.  Very frustrating when thinking of all I SHOULD be doing!

My Dad has lost out on his trips to Timmy's while I've been not feeling well.  I missed getting him out Thursday and Friday. Dad quit driving back in July(ish) and I try to get him out every day for his Tim Horton's fix.  It's a bit of a handful some days trying to squeeze that in, but I never begrudge him (he is 80) and I just try to appreciate and enjoy him while he is here.  He has advanced prostate cancer, so his time with us may be short.  For now, he's asymptomatic and still able to enjoy his Tim's, so I try for every day, although that doesn't always happen.

On Thursday evening, I attended the once a month Women with Cancer support group in Abbotsford. My  friend, Deborah, came with me.  We were treated to a fabulous speaker that evening - Feather Janz.  What an amazing woman!  She's 39 and has had breast cancer twice (once at 23 and again at 35).  She's a young mother of two and is in the process of going through a divorce as well.  A trying time for her, for sure - on top of what she has already had to deal with.  She is such an encouragement to other women and a brilliant speaker.  You can visit her website here.  Her story is really something and she shares it with honesty, vigour, passion and sprinkles it with humour.  She has been speaking to women about breast cancer and breast self examination and awareness for years now. Feather is writing a book, so watch for that within the next year.  

Have a great week, everyone. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to all of you in blog land!  Can't believe it's 2011 already!  Time is flying by so quickly.  I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season.

I am doing really well.  I'm feeling good and almost back to my pre-breast-cancer self.  Of course, cancer will always be a part of my life, but it really has taken a long time to get back to feeling "normal" since diagnosis, mastectomy, chemo, tamoxifen, prophylactic mastectomy, expander and implant procedures and surgeries.  What a roller-coaster ride it has been.  Today I am healthy.  Today I am feeling good.

I have asked my sister to update my website and will be incorporating my blog into that.  My website is TERRIBLY outdated, and so, it is time.  I will let you all know when the changes are made.  Not sure if my blog will stay here or if I will be moving it, but I will post at that time.  I see a LOT of cutting and pasting in my future!

I'm sitting at the computer tonight and am home all alone.  DH, ds and dd have gone to see a movie.  It's just me, the dog, the cat (sitting on my lap and trying to use the keyboard!!) and the birds.  The birds are telling me it's supper time, so I'd best be feeding them pretty quickly.  Birds make no bones about letting you know when they want their meals!  Tonight is no exception!

My Congo African Grey parrot, Abby,
enjoying her breakfast!

I would like to share with you a fabulous website I was directed to today.  The site is http://www.parrotnation.com/ . What a wonderful lady.  Her site is so full of information on parrots and the best part is her "recipe posts" area.  Great to have so much information on feeding parrots well.  One never stops learning about these wonderful creatures we have chosen to spend our lives with.  Society has tamed these creatures, so it is our responsibility to try to care for them the very best way we can.  Thanks to Patricia for helping to educate us all!  That reminds me - I have a great photo of Abby, my CAG (Congo African Grey) taken a couple of years ago while enjoying her breakfast (left).  Thought it was a great photo!!!

Foster Bird "Dudley"

Below is a photo of the current foster bird I have.  He will be looking for a new home soon through the Greyhaven Program (http://www.greyhaven.bc.ca/).  His name is Dudley and he is a very cheeky, sweet boy who talks and whistles and steps up (he's a bit nippy still, but we're working on that!) and just LOVES to look at himself in his mirror.  Can you say NARCISSIST?  LOL! UPDATE: Dudley has been adopted and has a wonderful new home with cockatiel brothers and sisters!

"Talk" soon!

MOVING ON....

A lot has happened since my last post.....  It seems that life is moving on.

Our foster bird, Lucy, has
returned to her mom after
three years

My long-term foster bird, Lucy, has returned to her mom.  I knew from the moment she came here (in November of 2007) that she would return to her mom at some point.  Lucy was with us for one month short of three years.  That's a long time....a long time to get attached to a sweet little green face and body and adorable chatter.  We miss you, Lucy!  We all came to love you.  I did my job and now she is where she should be.  That doesn't mean that it wasn't difficult to give her back.  I spent an entire half day crying when I was packing up her things.  Most people would think I'm nuts, I'm sure, but that's how I am.  I see, I love, I get attached, I cry.  Ask anyone who knows me - Connie, Robin, Jenny, Lorraine?  Just ask them!

 I had my (hopefully) final reconstructive surgery this past Monday.  The hospital experience was great, as usual.  The Abbotsford Regional Hospital is wonderful - at least all MY experiences have been (and I had a few TOO many experiences, in my opinion).  I'm so grateful that we live so close to such a great hospital where we get such great care.  My surgeon, Dr. Brown, is great - I highly recommend him and he is outstanding in his field.  Recovery is going well, but it seems that each time I have anaesthetic, it knocks me down for a bit longer.  I don't get sick or anything, just VERY tired.  I guess that's normal, in a way, but frustrating when you want to be up and doing everything.  It's difficult to just lay on the couch and rest as the body heals.  I still have the bandages on - will until Tuesday.  Can't shower until then, either - YUCK!  :-)  I saw the surgeon on Thursday and he said that things are looking good and healing nicely.  What more can I ask for?  This is the way I can move on from breast cancer.  My body will be somewhat complete again, even if things aren't as they were originally and I have some saline implants where my real breasts used to be - at least they won't try to kill me!  LOL!  And, for the record, they are a fair bit smaller than what I was expecting, but that's OK!!  Many thanks to DH for his love, support and help while I'm down and unable to fulfill all my duties as a wife/mom/whatever.  I want to thank my friend Lorraine for getting up at 4:30 a.m. so she could be here to drive me to the hospital for my surgery and for being there for me.  Thanks also to my sister, Karen, who was also there while I went "under the knife", and then drove me home.  Then, my dear friend, Connie, who was there while I was recovering, then brought dinner over later for our family.  Thank you to all of you.  I am so blessed.

And so, life goes on.  As I think about life going on, I am reminded, at this time of year of an anniversary coming up.  November 14 will mark one year since my friend, Wanda, died of her cancer.  Wanda was a wonderful lady, so full of life and optimism.  She loved her family, she loved her birds, she loved her friends, she loved life!  What a special lady she was, and what a lucky person I was, to have known her.  I miss you, Wanda.  I miss your contagious smile and positive attitude.  You were a blessing to me and I wish we'd have been able to spend more time together.

As life goes on, I encourage you to enjoy each and every day.  Each and every moment.  For every moment is a gift and that's why it's called the 'present'.  A cliche, for sure, but very true.