day 353 after transplant

 

HELLO TO EVERYONE,

Hope that you all had a good week – I did. This blog will be short tonight – I am tired and am going to bed.

Monday morning we got our sidewalks poured and they really look nice. Kept me busy all week keeping them watered down.

Wednesday I went to the eye doctor for a yearly checkup and he gave me a good report. Gave me a prescription for contacts but I have to get the ok from the doctors at MCV first.

Thursday Rodney took the day off to take me to AMC to a doctor appointment to get the results back from the bone density test. Not quit the news that I wanted but ok. The predinsone that I took for the graft vs host affected my bones but nothing to worry about. Wants to put me on a new med but again I have to get the ok from MCV. My blood work came back fine. Then I went on to UVA to see the breast cancer doctor and she was so glad to see me and said that she has wondered about me all year. She checked me and said that everything looked very well. That was an answered prayer – not that I thought anything was wrong but still nice to get a good report back from the doctor. I don’t have to go back to her for another year.

Saturday was a usual day for getting things done and today we went to church and then to see Rodney’s aunt and eat lunch with her. In the evening we had our Sunday School Class picnic (I took my own food). Had a really good evening. Jennifer asked me to babysit for a little while tomorrow afternoon. I have a lady coming to wash windows. It will be good to have clean windows again.

That takes care of my week. Hope that you have a good week until I write again. I go to MCV this Wednesday start some of my shots and then back to UVA for another doctor’s appointment. Say a prayer that I get good reports back from these appointments also. Lots of appointments to keep but I just take one at a time and then it is not quite so overwhelming.

Love, Gloria

day 344 after transplant

 

Hello to everyone,

Well, another week has gone by and I hope that your week was good.

Monday a crew came in and tore up our walks and prepared them for new ones. They were scheduled to pour the concrete on Thursday but called it off because of a good chance of rain (well guess what – it didn’t rain). A week later and everything still tore up—now they are scheduled to be here tomorrow morning at 6:15 am. Then I have a lady scheduled to come up and clean windows. It will be nice to have clean windows again.

Tuesday I went to AMC to have blood work and a bone density test done—I won’t know the results until I go to the doctor at AMC this Thursday and then on to UVA to see the breast cancer doctor (for a yearly check up). I also have an appointment with the eye doctor on Wednesday morning. It looks like this is the beginning of all kinds of doctor appointments.

Thursday I got to babysit our new granddaughter, Audrey while Jennifer went to the dentist. It was so good to be able to hold a little one again. She was so good.

Today was a full day – our Sunday School class was responsible for the 4th Sunday Coffee at church today. We stayed for the second service- got to hold Audrey! Then we got a bite to eat and went to a classic car cruise in – we got there in time to see them leave, so we sat in the car and watched them go by. We stopped at the nursing home to see Rodney’s aunt and then we came home. Dad and Corinne stopped by and we ordered pizza and just sat and talked.

That just about takes care of my week except that I have been working on the 5 bridesmaid dresses (I have 3 completely finished and one ready for the girl to try on and the fifth one cut out). I hope to have them all completed by the end of this week (between my doctor appts.)

Have a wonderful and fulfilled week.

“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:16.

Love,

Gloria

Day 337 after transplant

 

Hello to everyone!

This has been a hot and dry week until this afternoon – we got a good shower and that cooled things down some. Saw on the news tonight that there are several hurricanes brewing around Florida so maybe we will get some rain from that.

This week has been pretty much uneventful but that is not all bad. I am working on the five bridesmaids dresses(two completely finished and one more almost done). I have two more to cut out – hope to be finished this week. I have a lot of trips to the doctors coming up and things might get a little hectic. I have some blood work and a bone density test at AMC on Tuesday and then I get to babysit Audrey on Thursday while Jennifer goes to the dentist. I am really looking forward to that.

I know that this is short but like I said not much happened this week.

Find out what God made you to do well and do more of it. Don’t worry about what you don’t do well. In fact, try to do as little as possible of what you don’t do well.
Then find out what others do well and help them to be able to do more of it.

Love ya,

Gloria

day 330 after transplant

 

Hello to everyone, another week has gone by!

The weather was very nice all week up until yesterday and then it started to get very warm. Today it got to 96 and tomorrow is suppose to be even warmer, maybe 100! Oh well I guess it is summer. Augusta County (county next to ours) is starting teacher workdays this week and the kids start next week – they are one week ahead of us. Look out everyone it is almost that time again(seems just like yesterday that the kids got out for the summer). Where has it all gone?

I spent a lot of the week sewing on the bridesmaids dresses. It felt good to get back to the machine again. On Wednesday Jennifer Pence(the teacher that I have worked with for 9 years) took me to MCV for my checkup. We had  a really good day. The doctor told me that I was boring – but that is a good thing. He told me to just keep it that way! Jennifer took me to the Candlewood Suites where I stayed while I was in Richmond and I saw Brian and Dana(front desks clerks) and their teeth just about dropped out of their mouths. All they saw when I was there was me in my hat and mask. Brian even asked us to stay for the cookout that evening but I told him that we had to get back. He said that he couldn’t wait to tell Wayne (the other desk clerk) and the maid that always asked about me. My room is being occupied by another bone marrow transplant person.

Thursday Laura (post coordinator at MCV) called to let me know that since I am almost one year out some of the procedures that need to be done in Aug. and Sept. I have to have another bone marrow biopsy, pulmonary test(my “favorite”), bone density scan, dentist, eye doctor, obgyn, breast cancer doctor and lots of blood work. Also I will be starting to get some of my baby shots when I go back on Sept.2. Sounds like a lot but I will take one test at a time.

Today we went to early service at B’water and then went to Mt. Horeb’s (church that I grew up in)Homecoming. It was good to see everyone again. I wanted to thank everyone for all the support for me during my journey. Last year this time I had just been told that a donor had been found and that things were going to happen quickly. It is hard to believe that a year has passed by – where has the time gone?

I want to take this opportunity to say a big THANKS to all of you for you support, cards, phone calls and prayers. This has been a journey but there has been so many blessings along the way.

Have a good week – stay cool!

Love,

Gloria

day 323 after transplant

 

Hello everyone, it’s Sunday night again!

My goodness how the week’s fly by. It is already August and before long the kids will be back in school. Things have been very quiet here this week with not grandkids around- boy I miss them.

Tuesday was my birthday and I had a wonderful day. I want to thank everyone who called or sent me a card. Dad and Corinne took Rod and me to Red Lobster for dinner. Like Ryan said, “It’s not too many people that have 2 birthdays!” I can’t believe that it will soon be a year since my transplant. Last year this time I was full of questions and wondering when and what was going to happen. God has been so good to Rodney and me.

The weather was so nice this week that I tried to get out and walk early in the morning. It was so refreshing.We did get some much needed rain today.

Yesterday we got 5 dozen ears of corn and put in the freezer. I have never seen such nice ears of corn. We weighed one that had been shucked and it weighed one pound! I know that we will enjoy it this winter.

Today after church we visited Rodney’s aunt at the nursing home and then we ran some errands. We went looking for a gas grill (ours died last week when we tried to grill when the kids were home). Instead we got a new burner and installed it this afternoon and now we have heat! I am anxious to do some grilling now.

I did develop a cough the first of the week and I called MCV on Tuesday before it got any worse. They said that they would talk to the doctor and call me back. I didn’t hear anything from them. I never had a temperature, just a cough. I thought that it was really strange that they didn’t call back. Then on Friday evening I was reprogramming my cell phone and there was a message from MCV(left on Tuesday)!!! The doctor wanted me to go to see my local family doctor and then he called in a z-pack for me. By then I was better(thank goodness). I go for my monthly checkup on Wednesday. I hope that they will say that everything is still on schedule.

Well that is about it for my week and I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe week.

Love,

Gloria

day 316 after transplant

 

Hello to everyone,

This has been an exciting week. Got to spend it with Grady and Libby and then on Friday with the new grandbaby – Audrey!

Rodney was off all week and we tried to do some fun things with the kids. Monday we took them to the Safari Park at Natural Bridge. We all had a lot of fun feeding the wild animals. The best  thing that Libby did was pet a kangaroo!

We took them to the park twice and had a picnic. Granddaddy pushed them on the tire swing. Wednesday we took them to the pool at Brad and Valerie’s and they got to play with the dogs and hold Lilly the ferret! Libby really wants a pet.

Friday at 1:23am Audrey was born and all is doing fine. She weighed 8 lbs.3oz and 21 inches long. She has a head full of dark hair. God has truly blessed Rodney and me with 3 beautiful and precious grandchildren to love. Looking forward to making lots of memories with all of them.

Today we all went to church and Scott, Beth and the kids went to see Ryan and Jennifer at the hospital while I got lunch. They left for home and boy is the house quiet! I sure miss them.

Now I have to get serious making 5 bridesmaid dresses for a Sept. wedding. Tomorrow I take Rodney’s aunt to the eye doctor.

Hope that all of you will have a good week.

Love,

Gloria

day 309 after transplant

 

Hello all,

I hope that all of you have had a good week, I know that I sure have. Libby and I have tried to do some crafts and just spend time together. We started making a needlepoint picture frame(consists of 12 squares and she has completed 4 and is working on the 5th square). Her attention span is not very long but I am letting her go at her own pace.

The Bridgewater Lawn Party started on Wednesday. This has to be the coolest(weather wise) lawn party ever – it is usually so hot that you can’t stand it. We took Libby down long enough to ride a couple of rides and get some cotton candy. There was a lot of people and a lot of dust so I wore my mask and stayed away from the biggest crowds.

Scott, Beth and Grady came in late on Thursday. Friday it rained in the morning and in the evening we went to see the Fireman’s parade. It was crowded that we didn’t even try to go to the Lawn Party. Saturday morning the “boys” went to the Antique Car display and the “girls” went shopping. We had Aunt Louise up for the afternoon. I think that she had a good time.

Today we slept in a little and went to the late church service. Scott and Beth left to go home. We took the kids out to eat Mexican and then we took them up on the Skyline Drive. We saw a bear and several deer. They were all excited.

STILL NO NEW GRANDAUGTHER !!!! We all thought that she would be here by now. We just pray that she will be here soon and that all will go well. Next week when I blog I should be able to tell you that Audrey has arrived. 

Well that was it for my week. Rodney is on vacation all this week and we hope to be able to take the kids somewhere fun. We would like to take them to PA to see the Sight and Sound play “In The Beginning” but are not sure that would be the best thing for me. I sure don’t want to have a set back.

Have a wonderful week and do something special for someone else and see how wonderful it makes you feel.

Love,

Gloria