Circling.... and now we are cleared for landing!

For the last week I have felt like a plane circling above the airport, unable to land due to bad weather.  I have just been in this holding pattern.  The oncologist doesn't want to see me for three months (YEAH!!!!) Early last week I had my appointment with the oncology radiologist and oncology gynecologist (didn't know they had those, did you?) and the plastic surgeon. Then, I have just been waiting to hear from departments for appointments for mapping and surgery.  I finally heard today, and I have a plan.  Now I can land.  I am having my mapping appointment on Tuesday and then I should start radiation about two weeks after that.  I have times for my daily radiation.  My first two weeks will be at 12:30 every day, the second two weeks will be at 8:45 and the last two weeks will be at 9:30.  Once I get a start date, I will be posting some child care needs for Katie on the Helping Hands Site as Katie only has full day care on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  On Wednesday, March 9th I am having surgery.  It's Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.  If you are Catholic, you know that you are supposed to give something up for Lent.  I am making the joke that I am giving up my ovaries for Lent.  I think it is a pretty good joke with excellent timing.  If I don't keep a sense of humor, I'll spend all day crying.  It is an easy surgery, they are doing it laproscopically (sp?) and using one of my gallbladder scars, so I won't have any new scarring.  (I had my gallbladder removed in 2000- another issue that every doctor was sure wasn't the root of my issue as I was 24 and thin.  Should have learned my lesson then....)  The only thing that is kind of bad about all this is the timing.  James has Spring Break next week, as he follows the college schedule, and Jay has to go to Detroit late Thursday for an early Friday morning meeting.  But, with creative thinking and a lot of help from my mom, dad, Jay, Magical Minds Studio and my mother in law I am hoping I have pieced it all together.  We'll see! 

I am feeling pretty good about the plan, and am looking forward to getting through radiation.  I am a little nervous as it is another unknown.  Unknown how I will react to the treatment, unknown how tired I will be, unknown what I will do with my children every day, unknown unknown unknown.  What I do know is that I am getting closer to the end of this process and radiation at it's worst is still a cakewalk compared to chemo at it's best.  Plus, once radiation is done, I just have the reconstruction surgery to do and then this journey will be complete. 

I know this has been a long road, and a lot of you have stood by me, especially my mom.  It is tiring, and I know it is taking quite a toll, but we are getting closer to the end of this journey.  Hang in there with me please!  And if I can ask one more thing, please continue to pray for me, my family, doctors and nurses that care for me and everyone touched by cancer.