January 2009 Archives

I'm finally getting around to reading all the comments that you guys were posting when Sarah took over the blog. Sarah told me about this comment:

Sarah, you absolutely must not lock your mother in the basement, no matter how evil she is.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that someone would say something like that to my daughter as she was recovering from seeing her mom in such excruciating pain. My daughters were pretty devastated when they saw me after the surgery, it rocked their world that their normally strong and healthy mom, who has always taken care of them was lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen tube, a catheter, an IV and a morphine drip. They don't consider me evil, they know the real me, not the caricature that you lefties have created in your own minds (most people who know me in real life actually like me and some even love me -- I've never met anyone who thought I was evil). So, calling her mom evil on top of all the other things she had to go through that week would have been pretty hard on Sarah if she wasn't already dismissive of those who make nasty comments on this blog (she saw the comments you guys were making about the Palin children).

His excuse for calling me evil was that he thought I called for the death of Reid:

Michelle calls on God to kill Senator Harry Reid and it's evil for me not to want her locked in her basement? Really?

He's basing that assessment on the fact that I said I was praying this verse for Reid:

ESV Psalm 109:8 May his days be few; may another take his office!

When I stated that I was praying this prayer for Reid, I assumed that my readers would be smart enough to understand that a Christian (who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ including Matthew 5:44) wouldn't be praying for the death of her enemy, only that he wouldn't remain in office. If I was praying for the death of Reid, I would have included more of the passage, not just the verse I quoted. But I don't pray for the death of others because I know the Lord wouldn't listen to my prayers. It would be a waste of time. And even though Reid is a traitor to this country, I wouldn't wish death upon him or any other Democrat. That's just not the way I roll :-)

But I'm grateful for the other commenters who put aside their differences with me and wished me well. I'm thankful that we can put aside our differences and realize that the real enemy is cancer, not each other. As I've said in the past, I would never wish cancer on my worst enemy since it is so hard to live through the treatment and the effects of the disease. I've lived with the memory of what cancer can do to those who were so healthy and vibrant, how it eats away at their strength and how it reduces them to a mere shell of their former self. I know how hard it can be to watch someone you care about suffer excruciating pain and not be able to do anything about it. And now I know first hand what it feels like to live with it and it's not fun.

BTW, I'm finally away from the TV! I hope to do more blogging now and not put it off until 1:00 in the morning :-) Though, I may be distracted by Zuma, I'm playing much better now that I'm off the narcotics.

Speaking of the narcotics, I really missed them today when I went to the grocery store with my husband. I had a hard time walking around the store and was quite winded by the time we finished shopping. We only bought the chili ingredients but I felt like I had walked forever. I wanted to sit down after we only had half the ingredients but I made it through and went to sit in the car while my husband checked out. I plan to start the chili after I recover from my excursion (maybe in a couple hours :-)

That you guys don't want to see the scar. I don't blame you, it's not very pretty :-) I'm glad that I don't have to prove my veracity.

And thanks to everyone for the recommendations on the port. I'm going to see if I can request that they install it. Before I had the operation, the doctor said that they could install a shunt that would allow them to give me the chemo directly into my abdomen but they couldn't do it because of the type of cancer I have. I need to have it injected.

I've stopped taking the Oxycodone even though I'm still in pain. I'm taking Tylenol Extra Strength for the pain and it seems to be enough. I feel better now that I'm off them (mentally) but phyically I can feel more of the aches and pains throughout my body (I now have a deep pain near my pelvic bone and back pain that I didn't notice when I was on the pain killers). But the good news is that I've finally gotten my appetite back, the bad news is that I'm sitting here thinking about eggs and toast at 1:00 in the morning.

I cooked part of our dinner for the first time tonight (I made fried potatoes -- since the cancer I've been a little defiant about eating fat :-) It was good to get up and do something but it was pretty exhausting. I'm beginning to wonder how long it's going to be before I get back to normal.

I'm planning to do some cooking for Super Bowl Sunday. Doug and Samantha like to watch football (though, Samantha is pretty bummed that the Giants didn't make the Super Bowl) and I invited my parents to join them. I thought it would be nice to have Super Bowl food -- chili and nachos and my mom is making wings (though she won't make Buffalo wings because they're too spicy). I make a pretty decent chili, I smoke the hamburger on the grill, use kidney and black beans, add a little bar-b-que sauce and a can of corn at the end. I cook it for hours so that it's really thick and then serve it with cheese, chips and sour cream. Yum! Ok, now it's 1:30 in the morning and I'm hungry for chili! I decided to make it on Saturday so that I can spend the day on it (I figured I should add a couple naps to prep time :-) and chili is so much better the next day anyway.

I watched the talk shows today so that I could get some more ideas for typical football food but they weren't very helpful. Though, one of them had a recipe for stuffing pepperoni and cheese into a biscuit which I thought was doable. So, what are you guys serving?

One of the commenters thinks that I may be lying about the cancer:

My mother had ovarian cancer and she most certainly wasn't returned home from hospital as quickly as Michelle.

And there's no way that my mother would have been able to type on a computer when she got home. She was in so much pain that she could barely breathe. I call shenanigans.

The reason I can type on a computer is that I'm on some really great painkillers (oxycodone) and a laptop. When I first came out of surgery, I couldn't even let my daughters, husband, parents and in-laws kiss me because I was in so much pain, I told them "No touching." I could barely talk because the pain was so great. When they moved me from my gurney to the hospital bed, I whimpered, "Pain, no pain, please." I was in such excruciating pain I didn't want to be moved to my bed. The entire time I was in the hospital (except for the last day) I was hooked up to a morphine drip that dispensed morphine every time I hit the button (but I had to wait 10 minutes between shots). The first night, I was sleeping in ten minute intervals because the pain was so bad it would wake me up and I would have to hit the button to get relief.

The day after surgery the doctor came into my room and told me I had to get up and sit in a chair for 20 minutes. So, my nurse got me up out of bed when I was ready (after a day of visitors and sleeping through most of their visits). By the evening I got up out of bed and sat in the chair and remained there longer than twenty minutes because the nurse had trouble changing my morphine drip. She had trouble figuring it out and then she dropped it on the floor. When I finally got my morphine, I was so happy!

Every time I got out of bed to go to the bathroom (which I didn't do until Wednesday), or sit in the chair or walk down the hall, I gave myself a shot of morphine so that I could handle the pain.

When we left the hospital my pain medicine had worn off and I was in pain every time we hit a bump. I finally felt some relief when I laid down on my couch where I've been sleeping since my husband and I have a waterbed and I knew I wouldn't be able to get in and out of bed without pain and I wouldn't be able to sleep on the bed without moving and more pain.

When I first came home from the hospital, my husband had to help me get off the couch, he had to help me get back on the couch by putting my feet up for me. I couldn't sit up without a bunch of cushions behind me. When I went to the bathroom, I would walk around the house a couple times to get my strength up. I finally was able to walk without much pain and then I was finally able to walk upright. It took me all week to get to this place. I worked very hard to build up my strength so that I could sit with my laptop on my legs in the middle of the night (I can't sleep some times because of the pain I've been having because of the build up of gas -- a side effect of the surgery, I decided not to post about this to save you guys from some of the more yechy details of the surgery -- the ones my kids would say was TMI :-) and blog.

But if you guys need proof that I've really had surgery, let me know and I'll take a picture of my scar (part of it, not the whole thing) and post it. Though, I'm sure that those who know me in real life can verify that I actually have cancer.

So, I have papillary serous carcinoma, it's stage 3 C ovarian cancer -- it's an aggressive cancer. The tumor was removed as was some cancer cells from my intestines and fat. They also removed my uterus and ovaries. I have to have six cycles of chemotherapy with three weeks in between.

Now, I know that a stage 3 aggressive cancer looks pretty bad but evidently aggressive cancer is easier to treat than non-aggressive cancer because as it's replicating, it is killed with the chemo. And my oncologist (the one who will be treating me with the chemo) says that I should be in remission by summer. I will also be losing my hair. They may have to put an injection site near my chest if my veins don't look strong enough to handle the chemo.

So, there it is, just the facts. That's about all I can handle now, I'll blog more about it when I can handle more.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me and my family while we cope with learning that I have cancer. I'm going through one of the most difficult times I've had to go through since becoming a Christian, so your prayers are greatly appreciated. It comforted me greatly while I was lying in the hospital with very low blood pressure. And when the pain seemed so unbearable I didn't know how I would make it through the night. And when I thought I was developing a fever but it went down again after hitting 100 (and has been at 98.6 ever since). Thank you, I didn't feel like we were going through this alone, I knew that we had the support of Christ's church as we faced the devastating news of my cancer.

But it's been really hard to blog about the cancer but I promise to post something tomorrow. I'm an emotional wreck right now (between coming to grips with having cancer and having a hysterectomy) and it's been hard to bring myself to blog about it because I have to face how I feel about it and that's hard for me to do right now. It's been much easier to watch daytime TV and wonder why the heck people go on these TV court shows and why are there so many of them? And that Rachel Ray is so cute!

This is Sarah again. Michele hasn't had the strength to blog yet, but she's home and walking. Otherwise she's ok. Hopefully she'll be blogging again soon and back to her old self, which we all love....

Sarah here, for the last time. Yes, you shall all be rid of me because my mom is coming home!!!!!! Yea!!! So she was feeling better, obviously, she was eating solid foods, getting up and walking around by herself, and...

Well today we went to the hospital- obviously- and she was doing much better. The oxygen tubes were taken out. She even got out of the bed a couple times to go to the bathroom. She was doing well, took...

Sarah here again. Thank you all for the uplifting comments and all the encouragement. It's great how at times of crisis people rally together. Everyone has been so helpful while we are going through this and it's greatly appreciated! Well...

Hello, this is Sarah, Michele's daughter. I'll be blogging for her while she is in the hospital. The surgery went well, the tumor was 99% removed. The other 1% will be treated with chemotherapy. The tumor was cancerous. I saw...

Around the Christmas holiday my abdomen bloated up so much it looked like I was pregnant. I figured maybe I wasn't getting enough fiber in my diet so I increased my fiber intake as well as drank more glasses of...

And products that contain peanut butter due to the risk of salmonella. Four people may have already died and another 474 have been infected:U.S. health authorities told consumers on Saturday to avoid eating products that contain peanut butter until they...

So, are the Mormon supporters the only ones who are "Un-American" or does that include the Christians, Jews, Muslims and other religions that voted for prop 8? It's easy to pick on the Mormons but is he ready to take...

Evidently, there was a need for you to have a soda with the messiah's picture on it and here it is: It's called, Orange (You Glad for Change) Cola. You can buy a 6-pack for $14.99 here. (via)...

According to a federal judge. He didn't think he had the authority to tell the chief justice of the Supreme Court that he was doing something unconstitutional! Poor atheists! Now they face the discrimination of hearing the words "so help...

He's pretty stunned but why should he be surprised that the Democrats are grabbing for everything they can in the name of stimulating the economy? The American people may not want it but who's listening to them? Certainly not the...

I'm a little late in blogging about this but I just noticed it yesterday and it ticked me off so much I had to say something. Who the heck does this guy think he's praying to? Bishop Robinson said he...

And the Bible verses the past presidents used are here. George Washington's was weird:ESV Genesis 49:13 "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.It was...

Pretty much gallows humor: (via)...

So, prayers at the inauguration are as bad as segregation? Seriously?In a motion filed Tuesday afternoon, lawyers representing the atheists submitted the 1952 Supreme Court brief filed by the United States in Brown v. Board of Education. They point to...

One of them even went under because of the downturn in the economy and others are on the brink: One evangelical seminary fell victim to the American economy's recession in 2008, while others teetered on the brink of collapse or...

Ken Shepherd very helpfully provides some information about the author of the article on Driscoll:In her January 6 article, "Who Would Jesus Smack Down," Worthen -- who studied American religious history at Yale University-- portrayed the founding pastor of Seattle's...

Evidently, the British government is so bothered by wasted food that they are sending out the "food police" to train their citizens in what to do with the leftovers. I don't envy them their jobs, I can think of a...

Oooh! Isn't it pretty? I want one! No word yet on the price but you can submit your email address and they'll let you know when it's available for purchase. I'll have to wait a year to get mine, hopefully...

And I thought this was the best dress of the night. Beautiful color and an interesting design. Salma Hayek also had a very nice dress, though, it would have been better if it had been black, red or blue. And...

What is the purpose of this report? Are we supposed to feel sorry for the couple? Be moved to extend unemployment benefits to those who are self-employed? To those who are retired? The self-employed know they won't get unemployment benefits,...

Over all the mean things she said about him during the primaries (she called him stupid and pro-sodomy). Poor Ann Coulter doesn't even get a chance to promote her book! Worst interview ever, he winds up talking about himself for...

That seems to be opinion of the NY Times reporter: God called Driscoll to preach to men -- particularly young men -- to save them from an American Protestantism that has emasculated Christ and driven men from church pews with...

This sounds like something you'd see on CSI: A nine-year-old girl, allegedly kidnapped by her grandmother, has been found using a mobile phone signal and Google Street View. A police officer and a firefighter in Athol, Massachusetts, joined forces after...

What's a "sea kitten" you might ask? It's the new cute and cuddly name that PETA wants us to call fish so that we can propagandize our children into not eating them: People don't seem to like fish. They're slithery...

It is so cool, I want it! And they better make one for Verizon by next year (it's exclusive to Sprint right now) when I plan to go to the family plan so I can text message my daughter while...

Um...really? Are you outraged cause I didn't even know. Outraged American taxpayers are demanding the former Australian prime minister book a hotel or stay at the Australian embassy. The story is also a hot topic on US radio and TV...

He is suing her for $1.5 million for the kidney or its return: Batista charged his wife, Dawnell, repaid his gesture by first sleeping with her physical therapist - and then denying him access to their three kids in an...

Sad news from the friends and family of Neuhaus: His friends and family are keeping vigil and he was administered last rites shortly after midnight. Fr. George Rutler, who gave him the Catholic Sacrament, says that "he is not expected...

Evidently, she's not banned for life. Lauer tries to blame her for the controversy even though it was unnamed NBC sources who admitted that they banned Coulter for life because they didn't want anyone speaking negatively about Obama. Pretty slimy...

AP says they will but Politico says the report is false: Democratic aides are disputing reports that there is a deal to seat Roland Burris, even as Burris sits behind closed doors negotiating with Majority Leader Harry Reid and Majority...

"Probably?" Wow! That seems like a punt, don't you think? The atheists raised more than enough for the ad this time: The archsceptic professor Richard Dawkins today launched Britain's first atheist campaign posting the message: "There's probably no God. So...

And he's now saying Petraeus is brilliant even though he's said in the past that he was incompetent. .msnbcLinks {font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;} .msnbcLinks a {text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted...

I'm sorry but I don't agree with the number one choice. I'm not going to spoil the surprise but a mere blogger does not have the ability to wreck our nation the way that Harry Reid does. He will always...

You'd think that gays would know which people are for them and won't target their supporters:Vandals spray-painted swastikas on a Catholic church in San Francisco's Castro District Saturday night. [...] But, the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church on Diamond Street...

Here's what you can do with the iPhone if you have talent, here's what you do with it if you don't. Here's a video of how to sketch on the iPhone using Brushes....

Burris will be seated in the Senate.What would be the purpose of meeting with him if he wasn't thinking about caving? And since Reid has stepped it by sounding racist rejecting the three top runners for the seat (who all...

And you people want these people in charge of your health care. Just imagine if this was a notice about whether or not you could have an operation or not. (via)...

So, I spent the morning cleaning out the junk from email account. I had over 4,000 unread emails, now I'm down to just over 1,000. I have unread emails going back years! Very embarrassing. So, while I continue on with...

According to Amazon and they have just the right product to help you obtain your goal (even for the resolution to get your finances in order -- maybe a little less shopping might help :-) (via)...

Finally, it appears that Obama and his team have successfully lowered expectations, if this website is any indication. (via)...

Yes, the fur industry keeps us safe from those vicious minks who are just waiting to attack us if given a chance:The Chanel supremo said it was "childish" to even discuss the issue of wearing fur in a world where...

Have you seen this video yet? It's a pretty good blending of the 25 top hits of 2008. And unfortunately I know every one of them since I listened to them over and over again in the gym. (via)...

Hope you're enjoying the first day of the new year :-) I've been thinking about my new year's resolutions and realized how similar they are to last year's which is pretty depressing. Why can't I keep them? Why can't I...