Good morning, everybody!

As I write this I'm enjoying a quiet morning with my DH doing an update on how I'm doing. Well, maybe not so quiet since he's on the PlayStation 3 playing Uncharted: Drake's Revenge! (What can I say? He's a video game fan!)

So, I finally went in for my three-month follow up with my nurse practitioner Domonique. (Hi Domonique!) I don't know why I thought it would just be a blood draw and then they'd have the results....turned out to be a full OB/GYN exam. UGH! But the protocol is that once you've been taken off your treatments that you go into the hospital every three months for the first year, every 6 months for the next couple of years, and then once a year for years 4 & 5. After your fifth year if every test has turned out to show nothing for the doctors to be concerned about THEN you're considered to be in remission. Never mind that I consider myself to already be healed in  Jesus's name! (Isaiah 53:5) 

So after the tests Domonique said that my CA-125 numbers are unchanged at 8, which means I'm still technically I'm doing well. All the gynecological parts they checked out were good to go, and my Coumadin level (which was checked this week) is at 2.9, which puts me at normal. (A normal level is between 2 - 3.5, depending on your clotting situation. Make sure to check your normal with your doctor.)  Praise the Lord for the great things He has done! 

I've been able to get back into some activities that I had to drop out of while I was in treatment, including singing with a community choir. Matter of fact, we're getting ready for a Gospelfest 2013 concert tonight in Los Altos. This should be fun! :-)

Until next time, Stay Vertical....and God bless you! 

First of all, Happy New Year to all of you! It's now been nine months since I started this journey of discovery and growth, and I thank those of you who have travelled this road with me. I do appreciate it!

So the latest with me is that....no news right now. I've been starting to take a new medication for blood thinning, and so far that has been going OK. I haven't had my first follow-up meeting with my oncology doctor yet, so I haven't taken any tests to see where my CA-125 numbers are since the end of the chemo treatments. I have gained a bit of weight, and while part of me is glad to be away from my lowest weight when I had my initial surgery, there is a small part of me that wants to be sure it's just me not watching what I eat and not any bloating starting up again. I'll actually be glad to see the doctor this time! 

On the fun side, I'm winding down from celebrating my birthday! My husband was gracious enough to get lunch for me, and then we went to a sports bar for steak and potatoes. My kind of place! It's also been fun hopping on Facebook and seeing all the birthday wishes! It makes me realize once again how blessed I am to have family and friends that are praying for me, watching out for me, and cheering for me from the sidelines! :-)

In the midst of all the joy of celebrating another birthday, it's tinged with a bit of sadness. Another of my "warrior sisters" (as I called the women that have been fighting cancer at the same time as me) passed away. I have the knowledge that as a sister in Christ that I'll see her again, yet at the same time it still seems like she went too soon. With that thought in the back of my mind, I've determined that I'm going to make the most of the time that God has blessed me to see. After all, tomorrow is not promised to anyone. So, you may see something from me by the end of this weekend about some of the things I'm going to be doing this year. And I may be asking some of you to help keep me accountable. So with that said...

Stay positive, stay healthy, and most of all...STAY VERTICAL!!