I’m putting together a basket of goodies on my messy art table to bring to my local art guild meeting tonight. (BTW—I made that basket!) We’re doing decoupage together! So, I have ceramic dishes ready to glue napkins to and small round wooden boxes to do the same. I spent time applying Gesso to all the surfaces to prepare them.

I woke up feeling dizzy AF this morning. It could have something to do with the fact I only had three hours of sleep. Insomnia hit hard. Anyway, I have some work to do before the meeting, and I hope to get a nap, so I’m just popping my head in the door to say hello!

Have any of you decoupaged before? Do you have any good advice for me?

Report Card

Last week…

1. 1. I completed one author’s edits and began work on another author’s edits.
   2. I met with my oncologist who recommended we continue with immunotherapy, and in fact, had me in the chair with an IV in my arm right after telling me everything was looking good.
   3. I’m still pacing myself between resuming work and resting when I need it. I feel stronger every day.
   4. I’ve been painting like crazy, trying to catch up with the herd for #the100dayproject. This was my favorite piece for the week. It’s terribly imperfect, but I enjoyed smudging it all up with graphite and pencil after I water colored the shell.

This next week…

1. I will complete one author’s edits and begin work on another project!
2. I’ll select short stories and begin assembling my next Ultra compilation for publication.
3. I have an appointment with the optometrist—which I need badly. My vision is very blurry at the moment.
4. I’ll continue trying to catch up to #thedayproject schedule.

Open Contests

Be sure to check out these posts and enter to win the prizes that are still up for grabs:

1. 1. Memory Game: My Paintings (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
   2. Flashback: Her Next Breath (Contest — Two Winners!) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book, 2 winners!
   3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Wildflowers — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
   4. Flashback: Her Next Breath (Contest — Two Winners!) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book!
   5. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Wildflowers — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
   6. Mondays? Love ’em or Hate ’em? (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   7. Health Update & a Word Search (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   8. April Into May (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   9. Gabbi Grey: Found Family (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
   10. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Laura Wheeler Waring – A Missionary of Culture — Win an Amazon gift card!
   11. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Happy Astronomy Day! — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Beverly Blank!
*~*~*

April

Work-related:

1. I completed 2 editing projects for other authors in April!
2. I pushed the deadline for submissions for the anthology entitled Burn until mid-June.
3. And yes, this is such meager progress, but the fact I did anything at all is a miracle! 🙂

Health-related:

1. The big accomplishment this month was that I underwent surgery on April 1st to get my girlie parts removed. I’ve been recovering all month since, and there’s still a ways to go.
2. I had another immunotherapy appointment, so I’m good to go for another six weeks with my cancer treatment.

Happiness-related: 

1. I resumed my participation in #the100dayproject around mid-month. Here are a few small pieces I completed:

May

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete 3 editing projects in May.
2. To assemble a group of short stories to publish together in a second Ultra Strokes volume.
3. To continue writing Ignition. It’s time to get back to the real work!

For health-related, I plan:

1. To focus on recovery! Rest and light exercise.
2. To start swimming as soon as the pool is ready. I figure I’ll be healed enough by mid-May! Woot!
3. To see an optometrist to address the issue of the deterioration of my vision due to chemo. I need a new prescription, but I also want to know what I’ve lost and if it will get worse.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To spend time with the family while I recover from surgery and get ready for the summer break. I can’t wait to have the kids home.
2. To continue the #100dayproject and create more art.

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in May…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra!
*~*~*

So, yesterday, I met with my oncologist. My daughter came with me because I’m still muzzy-headed and forget things. I’ve been extremely fatigued since my surgery, and I nap a lot. I was worried about the surgeon’s recommendation that I do another three rounds of chemo and how that would affect my summer and recovery. I’ll admit to being a little depressed at the idea.

My oncologist made a face when I mentioned what the other doctor said and shook his head. He said, you did amazingly well with the chemo, and the surgeon got all the diseased organs he could find. Yes, there was still microscopic evidence of disease in the parts he removed, but immunotherapy should help keep anything lingering in my body in check. He wants instead to give my body a chance to fully recover from the chemo and surgery. He’ll order scans in a month or two to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back, but we can do immunotherapy for a while, continue to scan, and if necessary, at a later date, reconsider more chemo. In the meantime, my job is to get healthy and feel well. I was enormously relieved. I will do whatever he tells me I should because we’ve already accomplished so much. I trust him.

At the end of our appointment, he asked, “Do you want to do an immunotherapy session today and get that knocked out? I won’t have to see you again for another month.” So, I sat in the chair for an hour with an IV running and did that. Usually, immunotherapy doesn’t affect how I feel all that much, but today, I feel nauseous and tired. I’m run down. I’ll pay attention to how I feel, rest when I need to, make myself putter to get myself moving, but yay—I won’t be losing my hair again. Right now, it’s super short and mostly silver. I look like Judy Dench. My dd has been working on getting the pool ready for me. If she gets it pretty and blue, I should be swimming by mid-May. That will be a huge boost to my happiness.

Anyway, that’s the report. At some point, I might talk about things that were helpful to me during this journey that might be helpful to others. But right now, I have work to do and naps to take. I’m just so happy and relieved that I have more time with my family and time to be me. In May, I hope to return to my art guild meetings. We’re having a decoupage mini-workshop in May, and I want to be well enough to attend and participate. In the meantime, I’ll edit and paint and poke my head in the door here to say hello.

Word Search

Summer is my favorite time of year, and yes, it all revolves around the pool. It gets hot as hell in Arkansas, but we enjoy our summers. We hit the pool, we barbecue, use the smoker and the blackstone beside the pool to cook wonderful meals. We have movie nights, including a few that we watch with an outdoor projector when the mosquitoes aren’t quite so bad. I love being outside to watch the chickens who escape their pen and peck around the yard. The goats and geese are fun to watch as well. We fill bird feeders and watch the variety that come to our property, along with the deer and foxes who come to our pond. Of course, there are trips to the flea markets. I can’t wait to have the kids home. Their noise—the music and laughter—really picks me up.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me what you look forward to this summer (or winter, if you’re down under!).

I drew another superhero from my Advent Calendar stash of Marvel superheroes to give me inspiration for the week. This time, it’s the IRON FIST!  He’s an honorable superhero. No gray areas. He derives his power from his chi, spiritual energies. He’s the world’s greatest martial artist and uses that iron fist as a weapon or for healing—and that’s how I’ll tie this cute little guy to my week. I have a meeting with my oncologist tomorrow, so I’ll go in with this guy in my pocket to talk about next steps. 🙂

Report Card

Last week…

1. 1. Did you notice I’m back to blogging every day? Yeah, that probably doesn’t mean much to you, but it means I’m putting my fingers on the keyboard and writing…something. It’s all good progress!
   2. I worked on one author’s edits.
   3. I issued an extension to authors interested in contributing to my next anthology, Burn.
   4. I had a blood draw in preparation for my appointment with my oncologist. My Cancer Antigen test results have improved again. A good sign. Not foolproof, but encouraging.
   5. I spent a lot of the week resting. I move slowly, but the incision from my surgery is healing nicely. I can get in and out of bed without straining anything. I wish I could move around as much as I sleep.
   6. I’ve been painting up a storm—usually in the middle of the night when insomnia hits for a couple of hours. Rather than fight it, I use the time to get paint on paper.

This next week…

1. I will complete one author’s edits and begin work on two more projects! I’m almost back to my previous editing pace.
2. I’ll meet with my oncologist on Monday to review my surgery results and plan what’s next for me. I want to get everything scheduled (chemo/immunotherapy) so I can plan my work accordingly.
3. I’ll continue trying to catch up to #thedayproject schedule. Surgery and recovery put me behind, but I’m really liking the push it gives me to produce.
4. I’m going to putter in the kitchen this week. I do love cooking pasta and making my own tuna salad. Plus, it will keep me on my feet.

Open Contests

Be sure to check out these posts and enter to win the prizes that are still up for grabs:

1. 1. Gabbi Grey: I Wanted Taylor Swift! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
   2. Saturday Puzzle-Contest — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
   3. Gabbi Grey: Trying Something a Little New… (Contest–Two Prizes!) — Win a FREE book plus an Amazon gift card!
   4. Memory Game: My Paintings (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   5. Flashback: Her Next Breath (Contest — Two Winners!) — Win a FREE book, 2 winners!
   6. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Wildflowers — Win an Amazon gift card!

First, Happy Easter from my house to yours!

Next, remember when my dd gifted me with mini-Marvel superheroes for my advent calendar at Christmas?

Well, before I started to put together my report card for today, I decided to pull a figure from my bucket rather than pull a tarot card, just to get the right mindset for the coming week. I pulled this guy:

He’s The Punisher. Not a true-blue hero at all; however, he does have redeeming qualities. He takes out the bad guys. No mercy. So, I’m going to borrow some of his balls-to-the-wall determination this week and slay my calendar! 🙂

Report Card

Since April 1st…

1. I’ve done nothing. Nada. Zilch. Of course, I have the best excuse in the world. I am currently recovering from major surgery—and kicking ass while doing it. 🙂

This next week…

1. I will return to work, editing two projects for other authors!
2. I’ll issue an extension to authors interested in writing a short story for the Burn collection. Folks may have been waiting to see if I kicked the bucket before submitting their work. LOL
3. I’ll be reviewing short stories I’ve published and picking some to put together into a second Ultra collection. I need to get something published, and I do have some hot stories that haven’t appeared in a set or in print yet…
4. I’ll contact my oncologist’s office to make an appointment to set up more appointments so I can get them hard-scheduled in my work plan!
5. I’ll begin painting again. Small things, only. I want to continue work on #the100dayproject, even though I’m dragging far behind the rest of the participants.

Open Contests

Be sure to check out these posts and enter to win the prizes that are still up for grabs:

1. 1. Meet Author Kaje Harper! Complete Short Story Here! Plus, FREE Reads! — Read an entire short story, plus pick up FREE reads!
   2. Gabbi Grey/Gabbi Powell/Gabbi Black: Why I Can’t Stay in My Lane (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   3. Gabbi Grey: I Wanted Taylor Swift! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   4. Saturday Puzzle-Contest — Win an Amazon gift card!

So, I’m poking my head in the door. It doesn’t mean I’m back to my daily routine just yet, but I thought I’d let you know how things are going. I’ve shared (over-shared, I’m sure!) about my cancer journey so far, and I don’t intend to change that. The emails from online friends out there who have loved ones or who have or are going down this road have been moving.

Anyways, back to the subject.

I had surgery on April 1st. April Fool’s Day. My old wedding anniversary. My ex-hubby laughed at the date and said, “Ah then, everything is going to be fine, because we didn’t turn out so bad.” I have to agree, as odd as that sounds I’m sure to some of you since we’re divorced, but we’re still great friends, still sharing phone calls and birthday wishes. April 1st is a lucky day for me.

The doctor had thought he’d be taking out more than he did. First, he went after the omentum—it’s an apron of tissue that protects your internal organs. When he eye-balled it, he saw no living cancer on it although the omentum had lit up like a Christmas tree on my first PET scan all those months ago. Then he removed all my girlie parts, noting that he saw very little remaining cancer there. Mostly just slimy bits of dead remnants of cancer (I’m interpreting his notes, maybe embellishing a bit—can’t help myself).

He was going to take my lymph nodes down there. But other than some dead slime (more embellishment), he found them pink and healthy-looking so did not remove them. He hunted around my liver, gallbladder, intenstines, etc. He had said he’d remove anything he found infected (if he could), but found nothing else of concern. When he spoke with me later that afternoon, he told me my chemo had done an excellent job of knocking back the cancer. He was pretty sure he’d gotten everything he could.

Are you wondering why I included a picture of a zipper at the start of this post? Well, they closed with a long line of staples (27 in all) and my belly looked like they installed a zipper in it. (My attempt at humor.)

My sister, Elle James, stayed with me in the hospital for the two days and nights that followed.  She was a huge help. You need an advocate, someone to stomp down the hall to ask for pain meds. BTW, Dilaudid is fabulous. Opioids definitely have their place. It hits fast and only lingers a couple of hours, but when you need something fast… In a hospital setting… Mm-hmm. Highly recommend.

I went home on Wednesday with a soft pillow clutched against my sore belly and one last dose of Dilaudid to hold me until I got home an hour away.

Sis left soon after. Storms were brewing, and she still had a four-hour drive. Then I was left in my daughter’s gentle care.

When I’d been away, my SIL moved the reclining lift chair he’d purchased for me from my living area to the living room. Now, every time I need to get to my feet to move around (exercise is key to recovery), the chair stands me on my feet with little to no intervention from anyone and no straining of my belly. As the days have passed, that’s been very important to my independence.

Everything was moving along well. I was convinced I was going to have the easiest recovery known to womankind, but then…my temperature started climbing and my wee-wee-hole (no, that’s not the technical term, so don’t quote me) began to hurt. In fact, my entire pelvic floor area began to ache every time I attempted to relieve myself. I suspected a UTI and Dr. Google agreed, so I called my surgeon’s office and asked if I could have the urine sample taken at my local doctor’s office rather than head back to the city to pee into a bottle). He approved, and I was quickly put on antibiotics for a UTI. Not just any UTI, but one caused by an emerging super-bug with a very pretty name: Morganella Morganii. M. morganii turned my pee into the most brilliantly colored sunset orange I’ve ever seen. You know I’m going to be mixing colors to try to match it—Indian yellow, cadmium red, a touch of magenta or fuchsia…

I was headed to the surgeon’s office the next day (last Thursday) anyway, where an RN with the nickname of Buffy (it was just meant to be), removed all my staples. It wasn’t supposed to hurt, but maybe I’m just a big baby. 27 little needle-y pinches took my breath away.

I’m finally able to sit up for longer periods in my chair. I’m taking naps during the day on a bed with many pillows. My daughter has to help me up, but she was CNA-trained, so she knows how to get me up without causing any pain at all. My discomfort from my UTI is fading. My temperature is back to normal.

This coming Thursday, I’ll be back in Little Rock to see my surgeon. He’ll let me know his official findings and hopefully let me know when he recommends I continue my immunotherapy. (And more importantly to me—when I can jump into the swimming pool.) This journey isn’t over, but so far, I’m tolerating the treatments.

And that’s all I’ve got. I hope everyone out there is feeling well, loving the changing seasons. I didn’t even mention the huge flood we had right after I got home from the hospital, but yeah, the local river rose its highest since 1969. We were cut off from town for a couple of days there. Life’s just so interesting like that.

This picture was taken just down the hill from where we live and over a mile from the river.