Fabulous February

We celebrated Presidents' Day with a doughnut and candle...




The boys had a great time playing in the snow and survived Dad's trophy sledding hill in the front yard.

This has been a really enjoyable couple of weeks. I have started to feel a lot better because of the nice long break from chemo. I've had more energy and have been able to take care of the boys on my own. I even went out and snow blowed our 13 inches of snow. It was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air, but I think the best part was that for those couple of hours I wasn't "sick". What a great feeling!!






We had a great time getting away to the Stanley Family time share in East Canyon. The boys loved exploring the condo, playing with their new legos (thanks Janell!), sledding and having Mommy and Daddy time.



Today has been a very happy birthday. I had a great time at lunch with some friends, we had dinner brought in by some other friends, this evening I had a nice visit with 2 of my favorite people, and Bruce bought my favorite pie to celebrate #37.

I have been blessed and I am so grateful for all that I enjoy on a daily basis. I know how important it is to focus on the positive. It is amazing how quickly my attitude changes and my day becomes brighter when I count my blessings. Thank you for your friendship and support.

Tomorrow I start chemo again. It is hard to even say, but I know that is what I need to do to feel like I am fighting as hard as I can. I pray that God will make up the difference and that I will be blessed to have many more happy birthdays!

Love to you all! Jeanel

Bruce Turns 38

This was a really nice week. On Monday Bruce turned 38. We celebrated with some cards and banana pie. We were hoping that the basement would be done in time for his b-day, but it still needs some touch up work. We've learned a ton about building and we are grateful to have learned these lessons while finishing our basement, not building a house.

My friends have made me a couple of hats. It has been nice to have a little variety. Thanks Karen and Megan!
Love to you all! Jeanel

Hair Cuts

After 6 days at my parent's house I was able to come home on Sunday night. While I was gone, Bruce took the boys in for their summer hair cuts. A couple of more weeks and I might be caught up with the boys. They all commented on how much my hair had grown since they last saw me. It has been nice being back at home with the boys. It is taking a while to get my energy back. The endocrinologist said it would be another week or so before I am feeling better.
On Monday I had my scan to find out where the thyroid cancer had spread. It is a cool procedure because the radioactive treatment not only treats the cancer but is also able to detect if the cancer has spread anywhere else in the body. We found out that I had one positive lymph node in my neck that had some residual thyroid cancer. Hopefully the radioactive iodine will do its job and take care of the cancer. I will have an ultra sound of my neck in the next couple of weeks and then a follow up scan in a few months, which will let us know if the radioactive treatment worked.
I went back to the oncologist this week. He said my white, red, gran., and platelet counts are too low to start my next round of chemo. I will have to wait 3 more weeks, but hopefully at that time I'll be ready to rock and roll. Crazy thing, but I am disappointed that I couldn't start chemo again this week. Hopefully, when I do get started, I will be strong enough to get through all the treatments without taking a break.
Have a great week and a Happy Valentine's Day!
Jeanel

Radioactive

Yeah! Another thing to check off my list of things to do...
On Monday I had my radioactive iodine treatment in an attempt to kill any thyroid cells that may have remained throughout my body. It was no big deal and I have not suffered any side effects to this point. After finding out that I am indeed NOT pregnant (we weren't worried, but the medical community needed to be certain...) , and after consulting with the radiologist, I was led to the back of the nuclear medicine department where a tiny little vial of clear liquid awaited me underneath a protective awning. I sipped the I-131 through a straw, added some more water to the vial a couple of times to make sure I got it all and walked out. That was it.
Such activity has caused me to be isolated for the remainder of the week. Megan Eborn braved the radioactivity as she took me to the hospital and then to the hotel. I spent the first night at a hotel because the during the first 24 hours after the treatment, 80% of the radioactivity is emitted. The rest of the week I have spent at my parent's so that the boys would not be exposed.
I can't remember the last time I have had so much peace and quiet! It has been very refreshing and much needed. I was very run down after not having any thyroid replacement medication (which gives you energy and metabolism) for three weeks and not being able to eat a normal diet.
Speaking of which, Thursday was a blessed day because I began taking my thyroid medication and was able to eat! Bruce took me out to dinner so that we could celebrate. Our booth was very large, which was good because I still needed to be 5-7 feet away from people to avoid exposing them to my radioactivity. None the less it was a very pleasant dinner and the food was great!
Although I have been away from home and the boys I have been able to catch up on some much needed rest. The boys have done remarkably well and I have been able to appreciate the difference in their 'phone personalities'. Landon loves to talk about his day and update me on his progress on his DS (it sure sounds like he is playing more than his allotted 30 minutes...), Xander is Mr. One-Word-Answer, and Ryker is so excited and gets his point across quite well. I am grateful that I will be able to return home tonight and greet all 4 of my boys with a big hug in the morning.
It has been a good week and I have been able to take advantage of this time to reflect on life, my attitude, my goals, and my relationship with my Savior, my family, and my friends. I know how important it is to live in the moment and to be happy today. Love and prayer are powerful. Thanks for both! Jeanel