This past week Dec. 7th-14th...

After I left you all last Sunday, I was having a pretty emotional day with the 3 loses I experienced in one week. I don't really remember what happened Monday or Tuesday. If I remember I'll tell you about them later. lol My memory has not been the best. I'm forgetting things instantly...I'm told that is called Chemo brain...I know I'm too young for Alzheimer's...but they also told me I was too young for Colon Cancer. Ohhh...I remember Monday and Tuesday...not much happened because I was experiencing Neuropathy in my feet. That is a side effect of one of my chemo drugs. What happens is, my feet and hands swell ...only the pads of my fingers and toes. It's really weird. My toes and the balls of my feet swelled up but nothing else. They were very red and were very hot to the touch. You could touch my arches and they were fine, you touch the pads of the balls of my feet and it was very hot and sore. When this happens it is very hard to walk. It's very uncomfortable. My way of feeling better was my mom or Deron massaging my legs downward to make sure the blood is flowing really good in my legs and feet...and of course PRAYING!! Tuesday was better but still a little tender..but no nausea...the anti nausea pills and I have become very good friends. By Wednesday...it was pretty much gone...Praise our Lord!!
Wednesday was Susan's services...I did not go. I really wanted to be there for Susan's family but I still couldn't even read her blog since I was told she was going home on Hospice. I prayed so hard and so many times that the Lord would lead me in the right direction on whether or not to attend her funeral. I asked the Lord to have the next person I talked with tell me what I should do for me...my mother in law (drove from California) happened to show up at my mom's house which was a total surprise to me and the first thing I spoke to her about was Susan and whether or not I should attend her services and she said with her very calm voice "Honey, I don't think that would be in your best interest right now." I knew that was my answer. I felt like I was putting myself before her family which was very hard for me to do but I knew I needed to listen. Natty informed me that her services were very emotional but also was great to hear all the funny and inspiring stories about Susan. I hope to keep in touch with her family as I continue to fight my fight.
Thursday was a normal day to begin with...then my friend Vinny came over with his friend to do my very own personal bible study. They showed up around 7:45pm and we just started talking when someone knocked at our door. As we opened the door the song started...it was Christmas Carolers!!! It was so amazing...I've only seen this on TV. The kids came running when they heard the singing. It was my neighbor Shannon and her Church group. I had the pleasure of meeting another one of God's miracles that night. I was told there was another miracle singing in the crowd as well. They then talked about bringing my family dinners and they wanted to help in any way they could... so what did I start doing??? That's right...I was crying! That was such an incredible experience for my whole family as well as Vinny and his friend. Thank you Shannon for setting that up!
Friday I had my MRI's and blood work done. I get my scan results on Friday before chemo. Later that night was the my cousins state championship game at the Cardinal's stadium. Deron had to drop me off at the front and what a hike it was to finally get to my family. It was great exercise...up and down and all around that stadium. Of course, Justin and Jake rocked the house for Centennial and they won the State Championship for the third year in a row. Congrats guys! During the game I got a call from my nurse who informed me that my counts were dangerously low, which means my body is unable to fight off any infections which can lead to sever fevers and hospitalization. She laughed when I told her I was at the Cardinal stadium with hundreds of people. She told me to steer clear of anyone who was sick...no hugging...take my temperature every few hours to make sure I didn't start a fever. The amazing thing was I felt great...just a bit tired of all the up and down of the stairs. After the game some of my family went to the Yard House at West Gate. While we waited for a table for our group, my mom, Audrea and I took our kids on the horse and carriage ride. That was neat. The kids loved it!
Saturday my dear friend Laura came over and helped me with some chores and visited with us. Vicki also came over to drop off her yoga mat and DVD so I can start getting in shape again. Thanks Vicki and Lola.
Sunday is church day. Again we went back to the Light House in Peoria...this time my Aunt Kathy and my cousin, Kandus joined us. It was awesome to have them come with us. The music is awesome and the messages are so real and personal...I love it! This afternoon was the first time I've been able to read Susan's blog in over a week. Her wedding photos are so beautiful. I'm so happy that she is now with our Lord and no longer in pain. Her family's strength and faith is incredible. Tonight my mom and I went back to church for the Christmas program that the kids ministry was putting on. The different age groups got up and sang and did their productions...it was really cool. Maybe next year my kids will be in that group.
Over all I've been feeling awesome. No fevers...only sick on Friday's chemo day...swollen feet for only two days...not really any nausea (that I can remember). So I have to praise the Lord for his continued healing on my body and for giving me the continued strength every day. I will make sure to update on the scan results, hopefully Friday evening the 19th or the next day in case I'm not feeling well from day 1 of chemo. Thank you to all of you who continue to pray for my healing and my family.

Much Love,
Kim