25 Days Of A Slimmer Christmas!

The idea behind this is to get you more aware of what you are eating and how much you are being physically active. I know some people don't want to deprive themselves of a certain food but the idea behind this is figure out some alternatives so that you have variety in your diet. Give it a shot you never know what you might discover. So I figured what better time to really focus on staying on track than at the holidays?

Each day you will have something new that you need to follow whether it be a food restriction, adding more exercise, making healthy substitutions etc. 

I thought of this because I need a jump start to get me back on track and get me through the upcoming holiday season. Then I thought why not include my friends and family and make it a fun challenge with prizes and all! 

So here are the guidelines:

 Challenge will begin at 12am on December 1^st and end at 11:59pm on December 25^th (Christmas day).

 There will be three prizes awarded:

1^st – Most points earned

2^nd – Most weight lost

3^rd – Most creative

I am not telling you which prizes are for what that you'll just have to wait to find out. 

Here are the three prizes: 
- Picnic Gift Basket
- Rest and Relaxation Gift Basket 
(made especially to the winners likes) 
-A one year subscription to The Food Network Magazine. 

So hope those are incentive enough for you!

For the entire challenge you must complete these two things - this is the base and it grows from here.

• Must do at least 30 minutes of physical activity 4 times a week (physical activity could be anything. If you are currently not physically active start small)
• Make a restriction to one unhealthy food that you really like or find that you have been over indulging in daily. Meaning you cut back on the amount or you cut it out of your diet completely for the 25 days.

Here are the daily requirements, some of them continue from that day until the challenge ends so please read carefully:

December 1^st – Drink 6-8 glasses of water for the remainder of the challenge

December 2^nd – Eat a healthy breakfast

December 3^rd – Vegetarian day! Every meal must be vegetarian (get creative trying new proteins)

December 4^th – No fast food for the remainder of the challenge

December 5^th – Eat only 100% whole wheat (ie. Pasta, bread, rice, crackers, etc)

December 6^th – No snacking on things like chips, Doritos, pretzels, etc.

December 7^th – Do 15 Minutes of Guided Meditation

December 8^th – Plan and prepare all your meals for the following day

December 9^th – Add 15 minutes to your physical activity

December 10^th - No candy for the remainder of the challenge

December 11^th – Eat 5 servings of fruits or vegetables

December 12^th – No peanut butter for the remainder of the challenge

December 13^th - Limit your caffeine intake

December 14^th - No ice cream for the remainder of the challenge

December 15^th – Eat fruit with breakfast as well as 1 snack

December 16^th – Get a friend or family member to exercise with you that is not part of the challenge

December 17^th – No chocolate for the remainder of the challenge

December 18^th – Replace your dessert with a piece of fruit or yogurt

December 19^th – Complete one random act of kindness (The more creative the better)

December 20^th – No take out for the remainder of the challenge

December 21^st – Do 20 minutes of guided meditation

December 22^nd – Try a new exercise/class or do something that isn't part of your general routine.

December 23^rd – Eat fish (If you are vegetarian or vegan: Try a new protein or one you don’t eat as often)

December 24^th – Try a new vegetable

December 25^th – Use weights or resistance in your physical activity

Here is how you will earn points throughout the challenge:

-If you complete each of the individual daily requirements you will earn 1 point for each one you do .  

-For all the cumulative requirements you will earn an additional point for each day that you continue to follow that requirement.

-If you complete the required 4 times a week of at least 30 minutes of physical activity you will receive 1 point for each week. (week will be from Saturday to Friday).

-You will earn 2 points per week for your personal restriction.
.

-You will also earn 1 point for each additional day that you add in at least 30 minutes of physical activity above the required 4 times a week. 

Here is how to make sure I know about creativity:

I will be providing you with a log. When you complete each day be sure to add as much detail as possible about what you ate, what your physical activity was, something that helped you accomplish that days tasks. The more you give me and the more creative you are the better!

For weight loss:

This will be on your honor. If you would like to be in this part of the challenge be sure when you email me that you include your starting weight and then at the end you will resubmit with your ending weight.

Now let the fun begin!!

If you would like to participate please email alysadventures@gmail.com with your name (include twitter and blog if applicable) as well as what unhealthy food you are making restrictions too and what the restrictions are. If you would like be part of the weight loss challenge please include your starting weight.

 I need to receive your email ASAP so I can send out the logs to everyone.

Once I receive your email I will be emailing you a confirmation that I received your entry and I will also attach an excel log for the challenge. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 24 hours then please resend your email.
I will also be creating a facebook group as a support system during our challenge so we can keep each other motivated!!
Please use the log each day as you will need to send it back to me when the challenge is over to be eligible for the prizes. Remember, be as creative as you can. See if you can come up with new workouts, try new recipes, etc.

Also it would great if you tweet and FB your daily sucess by using #25daysslimmer

End of challenge:

Between December 26^th until December 30^th please submit your log. Also include notes of things you liked, didn't like etc. If you are part of the weight loss challenge also include your ending weight. I will send out a reminder to submit your log so you don’t miss out as this is a very busy time of year!

I will announce the winners the beginning of January.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Happy Challenge!

The Beauty Within

I got up at 7:15 this morning to head out the door and take that long drive into Boston as I have all to often done. It was a fairly uneventful ride, not much traffic because it was a Saturday morning.

I have come to know most of the landmarks running down the mass pike heading towards the city. There of course is the billboard for the museum of science, fenway park, New Balance building, shaws supermarket, PBS, etc. I swear my car could actually make this drive without my help.

I got off on exit 18 as usual, as I turned right on to Storrow Drive the Charles River came into view. I immediately thought how much I love this city.

Despite that I have never lived more than an hour from Boston and done the typical things like Faneuil Hall, the Aquarium, the Garden, Boston Common, etc I never really spent a lot of time there. Which is why I find it so intriguing how much I really love the city and just constantly find the beauty in it.

My "relationship" with Boston really started 3 1/2 years ago. It was late summer and I was headed down the mass pike just like I did this morning. Only it was filled with fear. I was going to Mass General Cancer Center to fight the cancer growing in my body. That started an endless journey of the constant drive back and forth, doctors visits, test galore, and then of course the hospital stays. Needless to say the base which our relationship was built was anything but a good one.

I distinctly remember all the times I was in the hospital spent sitting on the couch in my room gazing out the window 21 floors up watching the city. All different times of day, watching the rowers and sailboats on the river, runners, walkers, bikers getting to different points all over, it seemed they were all moving at the speed of light while I sat and watched. I think I have seen more sunrises and sunsets over that city than anywhere else.

Then came to the point where I was "done" with my fight against cancer, it was gone! But yet here I am again driving back and forth dealing with one of the long term side effects of the chemo that saved my life. Going to the Vincent Fertility center at the wee hours of the morning hoping I will be able to have children.

So as I made that turn and saw the river the feeling of how much I love the city surprised me. In all honesty to most people there are more negative correlations between me and this city than positive.

However there is beauty within everything.  Looking out my window high above gave me more than I can say. The friendships I have made are abundant. Basically the city took me, gave a hug and a safe place, it saved my life in more ways than one. So even after everything I love Boston and actually look forward to that sometimes long drive the mass pike, it's just so beautiful!

Land Of Fruitfullness VII

It has certainly been a little while since I updated about the fertility journey we are on. My last post left on a sour note and although this one is one of hope it too ends on the sadder side.

After finally getting all the insurance in line and knowing everything was all set and ready to I patiently waited for Aunt Flow to arrive. Ironically enough she came right on time January 1st to be exact. What I was to start 2014 huh? I don't think I have ever been so excited to have gotten it as I was on that day. Then the ball started rolling...

I called the fertility center and let them know. I was nervous though and having never done this before had no idea what I was doing. When I didn't get a call back I called them and ended up bothering the doctor on call for no reason other than I thought something wasn't right. As it turns out nothing really happens until day three, whoops! So I would be going in January 3rd for my first blood work and ultrasound to tell me what my dosage would be for my shots. I had order the shots which was strange to me but I got it all taken care of. Then I began the some what short waiting game.

However the weather had other ideas for me. You see Thursday night into Friday was when we had that lovely snow storm. Luckily the fertility center was accommodating and all I had to do was take an at home pregnancy test on Friday and then give myself my first Gonal-F injection of 150UI.  I ended up having to drive to the UPS pick up site in Shrewsbury because they couldn't deliver it in the snow. When I finally got home it was time to face the needle.

It was packed inside a huge Styrofoam case with ice packs. It also came with a sharps container and alcohol swabs.

After I watched this video I was all set to go. I was facing my fears on having to give myself a shot on day one, Woohoo!

It was a small needle and didn't hurt. I was able to successfully give myself my first shot and was ready for my blood work and ultrasound Saturday morning. I went in got everything all done and  they called me later in the after saying to continue my 150UI for the next three days and I was to return at 7am for more blood work and ultrasound on Tuesday.

Everything went well for the next three days. I went in bright and early Tuesday for blood work and ultrasound, they called that afternoon to double my dose for the next two days. So now I was giving myself 300UI. Lewis was extremely helpful in giving my shots. It made it easier to not have to do them myself.

I headed back out to Boston on Thursday at 7am for an other session of blood work and ultrasound. They called again in the afternoon and this time they increased my dosage to 450UI for the next two days. I was concerned at this point because it was day 9 and I was still bleeding. They seemed unconcerned about it though and told me to continue as directed. So I continued!

On Saturday 1/11 I headed back out to Boston for Bloodwork and Ultrasound, I was awaiting their call because depending on what they said I was going to have refill my injection pen and I knew there was no way I would get for the next day. Sure enough they called at 2:45pm and told me I would be doing 450UI for the next two days and that Monday night I would be giving myself the "Trigger shot" of Ovedril and come in Wednesday for our first insemination. I was thrilled but that also meant I was driving out to Waltham to pick up more meds. I got everything I needed and was ready for this part of the journey. I again asked if I should be concerned that I was still bleeding and they said nothing about it.

I will admit the higher dosage did a number on my I felt really bloated and it just made me feel BLAH for a good hour or so after injecting it. I could definitely feel the difference being on these follicle stimulating drugs. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. But having never done this before I had no idea what to expect.

On Monday night at 10:45pm I gave myself the trigger shot and that was it. Lewis and I went back to Boston on Wednesday January 15th for the insemination. He went in first and made his deposit. They took his swimmers, cleaned them, counted them, etc. Then it was my turn. They told us that they typically want 10 million swimmers and his deposit had 62 million so that was a good thing. They explained what they were going to do. Basically they take a small catheter and put through your cervix and then inject the sperm. One of the nurses was doing it, after three attempts and not being able to get it they put Lewis's swimmers back in the incubator and called in a doctor.

When the doctor returned she got to work and had some slight difficulties herself. After the third time she got it. I could feel it as soon as she got it. She injected the sperm and then I had to lay there for 20 minutes. I didn't mind except I wasn't very well covered. After 20 minutes I got up and got dressed. We made our way out, we got our discharge papers. I have never gotten anything that said they encourage you to have intercourse during the next two days. We made our follow up appointment for January 31st to get the blood test to see if it worked, provided aunt flow didn't return before that.

There really wasn't anything special after that. I had minor spotting for a day or two and then everything was normal. But that's just it it was normal there was nothing that made me feel any different. I never really believed people that said they know their body etc. but I didn't feel any different.

So as I said this ends on a slightly sad note only because Aunt Flow returned today and so I must begin another level of this journey. I am sad but it was almost as though I already knew. I am very hopeful that the doctors have learned more how my body reacts to Gonal-F and will adjust my dosages accordingly and we will have success with this time around.

Our time to announce a baby will come, it just isn't today.

Thanks for reading and continuing to send your positive thoughts our way. I really appreciate it!

Until next time...

Land Of Fruitfulness VI

I am beyond frustrated mainly because in my opinion there really is no reason for this frustration as everything could have easily been organized and avoided.

Needless to say I am at the very beginning of this journey despite the fact that it has already been occuring for 6 months and I fully understand that this has the potential to go on for years and many people have done what I am doing for a long time.

I have done everything everyone has asked, I have done what my oncologist has told me which was basically just to jump through the hoops. I had an echocardiogram done which I knew I didn't need, I have faciliated commincation between multiple doctors offices when they really should have been able to do it themselves considering they are not only with the same hospital but in the same building and use the same medical record system. Now when I finally think I am all set there come yet another bump in the road but it appears to have the possiblity of being an even bigger obstacle deoending on the outcome.

Since I completed the preliminary testing months ago the plan has been to move forward trying artifical inseamination because I am so young and it seems as though everything should respond well to fertility drugs, etc. If that didn't work then of course there would be the plan B of invetro. but that would be later on down the road.

After I had the echo and got everyone all connected to be cleared to start fertility treatsments we then just began the waiting game of a new cycle. Which for me is always an unknown so that was fun. I was elated Wednesday when I discovered I had started a new cycle (or in laymens terms my period arrived) I called as soon as I had a second and tried to get things moving. There was a minor miscommunication that resulted in my speaking to the on call doctor that night around 6pm because I thought I need to start the shots that night. Only to discover that doesn't happen until day 3. Whoops, hopefully I am not being noted as a diffiicult patient cause I am not trying to be.

So then Thursday I awaited another phone call to get evrything setup. The nurse called and told me I needed be in Fridat at 8:30am for all the baseline testing and then I would get a call mid afternoon to start the shots. I would also be getting a call from the pharmacy about arranging the shots. I was so excited thinking maybe this was actually happening FINALLY!

Then I got another phone call from MGH I can't for the life of me remember her name but she is the one submitting the authorization to my insurance company for all of this. She informed me that based on my medical record I didn't meet the criteria for this to be covered by BCBS because of one hormone level being at 12 and their cutoff is 10. She proceeded to tell me that there was a very good chance they would deny me. So I needed to decided if I wanted to go ahead knowing I could be denied in which case I would have to pay for everything which would be a couple thousand dollars. For some people that might not be an issue but for me I don't have a couple thousand dollars laying around if we did need to pay. So basically the only option was for me was to wait until they get the approval or denial back next week and then hopefully try again for my next cycle (whenever that will be). 

I of course asked if I was denied then does that mean I could never get any kind of fertility treatment without having to pay for it? She said there would a good chance I would approved for invetro. I explained how that didn't make sense to me because inseamination was pretty much entry level to all this therefore it is less invasive, less expensive, etc. so why would I be denied for that but approved for invetro which highly invasive and very expensive? Her only response was that because with the slightly elevated hormone level the success rate of inseamination was lower but invetro would have a higher success rate. I would say I could agree with that if they tried it once and it didn't work but otherwise I don't get it at all.

The part that brings about my frustration is this has been the plan for months and even if they were waiting to get clearance from the echo and such, all that was done at least two weeks ago so why didn't they submit an authorization before today? They have my medical record, they know the qualifying criteria for the insurance company. If there was even a question that it might not be covered (which would seem to be a concern for most people) they should have been organized enough to have this all set. I feel like I have been jumping through all their hoops and getting nothing in return. 

I feel lost as though I am supposed to just know all of this. It's not like there is an orientation to this process we are basically flying by the seat of our pants.

So I am frustrated in having to postpone even longer with high possibility of not begin able to proceed as planned which in my opinion would be like starting from the beginning.

If there is anyone out there who would like to be our fertility sponsor please let me know. I really wish there were more resources for fertility post cancer treatment!

Land of Fruitfulness Part V

So although at this nothing is fully definitive the likelihood of all my fertility problems being caused by my chemo is pretty good. Having said that I have run into a new area of cancer survivorship that is under served, post treatment financial fertility help. I have looked and looked, I even contacted LIVESTRONG patient advocat services for their help and they don't have any resources either. I finally found an organization that offers grants not specifically for fertility but at least includes it as an option/possibility. The organization is called The SamFund (http://www.thesamfund.org), which is actually a boston based non-profit offering grants to people affected by cancer.

The process of applying for a grant in some what involved but not overwhelming. It is a two part application process but does involve submitting a lot of financial information. And then there is the waiting game to find out if you were chosen.

I was lucky enough to be chosen out of the 600 applicants to send in my part II of the application. However out of the 200 people that submitted part II I was not chosen. This was disheartening mainly because I can't apply again until next June and even then there is no guarantee that I would be awarded the grant. I am sure that as bills arise Lewis & I will find a way to figure it out or so I hope. 

But really aside from announcing I didn't get the grant there are some other reasons I choose to include this as a blog post in my fertility journey. 

First being to bring awareness of the lack of support financially for post treatment fertility issues. There are many people like myself (especially my fellow bold cancer patients) who need treatment so quickly that we don't have the option of time to peruse fertility preservation. I had very limited options regarding my fertility before my treatment. I took everything that I was able to in regards to that as I was a large concern of mine. I needed life saving treatment right away, which I am thrilled I got and would in no way trade that in by any means. But not being able to freeze eggs or try any other fertility preservation techniques has left me needing help and even more of a financial burden on my family then we already had. My goal would be to focus on spending more time on this topic which I plan to do but with most my current time and energy being focused on my own current situation I am afraid it will have to wait a little bit. However if anyone know of any local resources please share the info with me.

The second thing I wanted to share was for everyone out there who has not experienced cancer in some form whether it be yourself or a close family member. I have had numerous people offer their input or advice based off of their own fertility experience which I do genuinely value as they often have god things to share and offer a point of view that I had thought about. But recently I have gotten some comments along the lines of, if going through the fertility treatments is going to be such a financial burden on you then why are you going to have children? It seems you wouldn't be able to support them either. Let that sit with you for a moment.

I agree 100% that making the decision to have a family is a very important one and most people often base it on their financial situation for when they are ready to start a family. At this point in our lives we would be able to support a family & if I did everything the natural way and just became pregnant there wouldn't be an added expense to that. But because of my life saving treatment that doesn't look as though that is going to be an option. So we have the unfortunate decision of should we presume this route that will cost us lots of money but have the family we want or do nothing and hope the family we want just comes to us?

I hope people understand why I think financial assistance for fertility post treatment is something that needs to be addressed. When you are someone like me who has wanted to have children her whole life having to deal with fertility issues alone is hard never mind adding in the monetary stress.

We figure it out and we will start our family it might just take longer and cost more than most people.

Again if anyone has any resources or information please share by leaving a comment or emailing me alysadventures@gmail.com

Until next time...

Land Of Fruitfullness Part IV

I was supposed to have an appointment at MGH with my doctor. The morning of I got a call saying she was home due to an injury (she was/is ok) and that they needed to change my appointment to a phone appointment. I was actually thrilled about this due to the fact that meant I didn't need to drive all the way into Boston!! 

She called right on time and we chatted. After reviewing all the info that the obstetrician had sent her about his concerns regarding my health and exposure to different chemo drugs she decided that she agreed with him about getting an echocardiogram done before we start any fertility treatments. For those of your who are not familiar with an echocardiogram it is basically an ultrasound of your heart to make sure it it working properly. I was/am not at all concerned about this. I have done numerous races which include triathlons as well as months and month of training involving high impact cardio workouts. So I know if there was a problem I would most likely know by now. But based on some good advice I have been given, I decided it was just another hoop I needed to jump through. 

That spawned my adventure of trying to get not only an appointment but the orders out in for the echo. I called the obstetricians office where they informed me it needed to be ordered through the fertility center and transferred me there. I had wait to the next day to get a call back from them. Where they informed that was not something that was part of their normal protocol that I needed to talk to the obstetrician's office. After much go around about having already talked to them and getting sent back to fertility. They then told me I needed to have my PCP order it at MGH. So that would have involved another lengthy conversation with her office. I was quite frustrated at this point that these two offices couldn't communicate with each other and get it done for me vs. having me go through all this. 

My lymphoma nurse practitioner makes fun of me because I do just about everything  through email. Well in this instance the email succeeded again. I tracked down my OB's email and asked for some help. Despite an awful time I had when I met him he responded quickly and was very pleasant. By the next day they had called with the appointment all setup and ready to go. I was thrilled!!

So I went in for my echo which was very uneventful. The man doing it was extremely nice! I was even more thrilled that this time around I didn't need any contrast to help with the image. He said it was most due to the fact that I had lost so much weight! The only down side is that in order to get a good picture they have to press the ultrasound wand into your body with A LOT of pressure to try and get a good view in between and around your rib cage. I still have spots that are sore.

I haven't gotten the final report yet but based on what the echo tech said everything looked great so hopefully we will see. 

Now I'm just waiting to meet with my fertility doctor and see what she has to say and what the next step is. 

I continue to to play the hurry up and wait game!

Until next time...

Land Of Fruitfullness Part III

I decided that I needed a little time before I wrote this. Yesterday was a rough day and instead of writing out of pure emotion I needed to take the time to process. Despite giving myself the time this post will most likely be informative yet also a venting session at the same time.

I went to Mass General to have a consult with an OB doctor that deals specifically with Medically Complicated & High Risk Pregnancies which once I am pregnant I will apparently be considered due to my history of lymphoma. I was interested in what he had to say mainly because even I don't know the specifics of how my chemo could have affected me. 

Here is my first vent. If you are seeing a new patient it would be nice to take the time to at least glance at my chart before seeing me. It is very disconcerting to sit and watch you read everything and your reactions to it. I lived once already I don't need to relive it every time someone needs to look at my chart.

Anyway we went through my chart talking about the effects having cancer had on my body, what chemo drugs I had, etc. There were only two drugs out of everything I had that he was concerned with. Considering everything I got that was some what reassuring. The first one is Cytoxin, because it is known to have the potential to be very hard on your ovaries. He is going to look into what my total dosage was so he would have a better idea how much that could be a playing piece in this game. The other drug he was concern about is Doxirubison which can have an effect on your heart. So at some point in this I have to have an echo-cardiogram to make sure my heart is strong and isn't showing any signs of weakness.

After hearing this I am not very concerned about my heart. The way I look at it with all the cardio I do I would think if there was an issue with my heart something would have come up by now. So I figure that is just a precaution.

I am more concerned about the cytoxin. Because judging by the issues that I have had which have lead to me going down the fertility path I feel as though there has been some affect on my ovaries but only time will tell. 

My issue with why this was a rough appointment is that I am not a person that lives in a fantasy world. I am fully aware of what this journey could bring and that there is always the possibility to not be able to have children using my own eggs. However while sitting listening to what he had to say I think he was trying to making me understand all the possible outcomes. He told me that the cytoxin could have zapped my ovaries but even with that I would be able to use an egg donor. He told me that people tend to worry that because I had all these toxin drugs in my body the likelihood of them having affected my eggs making them abnormal is not any greater than a "normal" women.  That 90% of miscarriages are caused because the egg has a chromosomal defect. So basically the bodies way of natural selection. These are all things that I feel don't need to be fully addressed until it comes to light they are an issue. You know the whole we'll cross that bridge when we get to it saying that pertains to this very well. As if all this wasn't enough it gets worse...

He proceeded to tell me about how my weight is an issue as well. That being obese can lead to developing diabetes while pregnant, it has a higher rate of miscarriages, and can be attributed to both under weight deliveries and larger weight deliveries. I wish there was some way to have a neon banner that pops up across my chart saying something along the lines that I am active, have lost almost 90lbs and am trying to live a healthy lifestyle. I (not being a shy person when it comes to this) informed him of my already huge weight-loss, my active lifestyle, being a triathlete and trying to eat healthy. to which his only two replies were, well if you are doing triathlons then I would think the doxiruison hasn't affected your heart. His other was that although my current weight-loss is significant I still need to work on lowering it to be closer to the normal range. He looked up what the normal weight for someone my age and height which would involve me losing another 70lbs. So to start with he would like me to lose another 50-70lbs. I think that was the biggest slap in the face. That I have tried so hard and done do much work to get to where I am and it still isn't good enough. I have no idea how I am going to lose that much more weight but I will give it a shot.

So I guess my real issue is that although you need to make sure your patients are informed it also doesn't help to try and address things that are not an apparent issue. All that does is create more stress and worry about things that you can't control or even know about.

However luckily I have my amazing NP from Lymphoma and she is so awesome that she called me after 6pm yesterday to talk to me about what happened. She made me feel A LOT better. I told her about all of the above and she said that although Cytoxin can be hard on the ovaries I only received 3 doses while some people have 6 so that is in my favor. Also that I am the abnormality (I know shocking) when it comes to patients because if he is dealing with high risk based on hypertension or diabetes most likely he has patients that are not very compliant. Where as I am very compliant and try my best to do what I can to be in a better situation. So that he probably works on the side of scaring his patients into compliance. Looking at it from that point of view made it a little more acceptable. So I decided that I will do what I can to work towards what they have told me but I am not going to starve myself to do it. I really can't thank Bri enough for taking the time to call me after an already long day when she easily could have just gone home!

So now I have to look forward to eventually getting an echo-cardiogram. Oh did I mention that when I had this done before I started chemo they had to use IV contrast and forgot to close one of the tubes and spilled my blood all over the floor? Hopefully we can avoid that this time. And I will see what Dr. Souter has to say about the OB's notes/concerns and where we go from here.

After all this the only thing that kept running through head was..."Cancer the gift that keeps on giving!" I am very lucky to have the outcome I did from having such a progressed disease but I guess the saying is right once you have had cancer it will forever affect your life.

Until next time....