my inseparable companion...and new car!

today (september 5th) was exactly a year that my port (my inseparable companion) was installed to ensure easy access to blood and a way to insert the different types of chemo for the next 2 years..chemotherapy can collapse veins and by having the port it is a direct access..it took a little bit to get used to it, but now it's a part of me like anything else inside of me...

it was also the first time a lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap (the first of many) was performed...i remember after the surgery waking up and having such an urge to urinate and i kept telling the nurses, i really need to pee..i felt as if i were pregnant all over again and HAD TO PEE!!!! unfortunately, because of the spinal tap i would have to stay flat for at least 3-4 hours so the inevitable had to happen, they had to put a diaper on me...i cannot tell you what a relief i felt and i did not care i was wearing a diaper, i just had to empty my bladder...i remember tom and my parents coming in maybe an hour or so after the surgery..i say an hour because i remember that i still could not move when they got there...i finally got out of bed when the night nurses shift changed...this is when i met one of my favorite night time nurses and great friend, kristen, who i think about literally on a daily basis and thank her for so many good memories (laughs, cries, gossip, etc...) despite the circumstances we were all going through...

she has since moved down to North Carolina and don't hear from her much, but i know she knows i think of her often and will never forget her...

anyway, that night she came in and introduced herself to us and she said that whenever i was ready to get up from the bed i could, but had to take it slowly for i might feel a little light-headed...i warned her that i had a diaper on and that it literally could well weigh 50 pounds...her and tom walked me into the bathroom slowly and i kid you not the diaper fell to the floor literally like a sack of potatoes..i was mortified when it fell because there was a short moment of silence and all i said was "i told you"...then tom, kristin and i just laughed out loud because through it all it was still hilarious...here i am a 31 year old woman wearing something my 2 year old at home was wearing...

when i walked out of the bathroom my parents were sitting in there now designated seats and i could see what i took as a funny moment they were hearing and watching with pain in their eyes and heavy hearts...but i smiled at them to let them know i was fine and felt great, just a little sore from laying down for so long not being able to move....i never let them see me cry in the hospital..God always made sure i had high spirits for them..i prayed for it on a daily basis...i could not worry them more than they were already..

as i think back this is the room my asian neighbor who recently passed was in after i moved to the room next door to him....wow...i will miss seeing him at the cancer center...i nicknamed him buddha man because he looked like a buddha when he sat in his chair facing the hallway...God rest his soul and i am glad he is not suffering anymore...

on to other news, today we finally got a new car..i ALWAYS said i would not drive a minivan, but tom convinced me today as well as the great deal we got and there it sits in our driveway a 2009 Honda Odyssey...it's official i'm a soccer mom...the car has many new features that our current car does not have and tj is already in love with the dvd player and tom just wants to sit in the captain seat and be driven around..as he says "like the king that i am"...

i am just thankful to God that He continues to bless us with so many things, but mainly our health to enjoy His blessings....

tomorrow (September 6th) is Lele's birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY LELE!!! God bless you and we cannot wait to see you very soon...

tomorrow we are also going to mass and afterwards will try and go to the Bronx Zoo for a family adventure..i figure traffic and the crowds should not be too bad...let's see what happens...

that's it for tonight kiddies...sleep meds are kicking in and today was the last day of the steroids until the end of the month...