August 16, 2020 - Mountain Views Calm the Soul

Sublime. This weekend has been perfect. Our very dear friends, Bill and Marian, own a cabin in Mineral Bluff. They knew that Jamie and I had to be in Atlanta last Thursday and then again this Monday through Wednesday. They graciously offered their cabin to us for a weekend respite before the flurry of medical procedures.

It has been a godsend. The view is and has been picture perfect. Jackie and Rick joined us, which was a bonus. They are going to take Mason home with them on Monday. This will allow Jamie to be with me during doctor visits and procedures. With Covid, the docs are pretty strict on visitation and the number and ages of visitors allowed. They are truly a blessing.

I have been healing nicely. My headaches have abated. I’m not even taking Tylenol. I am really looking forward to having the staples removed tomorrow. They are starting to bother me. They are itchy and foreign. Thank goodness I don’t have much feeling around the incision, so the staple removal should be pretty quick and painless. Yay me!

Tomorrow will include visits to my Breast Surgeon, my Neurosurgeon, and then I have a brain MRI at 5pm. They want a baseline before the big Gamma Ray Knife surgery on Tuesday.

We have to arrive at the hospital at 5:30AM on Tuesday for Gamma Knife. We plan to be there at least half of the day. (Insert Sarcasm) I am so looking forward to having that halo contraption screwed into my skull, said now one ever! Once again, I am looking forward to taking the drugs that will make me loopy. I’m sure I will spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping and resting.

On Wednesday, we finish our medical marathon with a visit to my Oncologist. Hopefully, we will know what my next chemo protocol will be. We want to know what is in store for us when it comes to managing and keeping these cancer cells dormant and quiet.

I have had a few weeks to process the diagnosis. I have run the gamut experiencing the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I am really spending most of my time in either denial or acceptance. Trust me, anger has reared its head, but I am trying to settle on acceptance. Acceptance to me means a plan, a path forward. There are many people who live long lives with Stage 4 cancer. I plan to be one of them.

As I sit here looking at the beautiful mountain range, I can’t help but be thankful to be here. It truly is beautiful. The weather is gorgeous today. We did have rain a few days ago, but it was a good rain. Every day has offered its own kind of peace.

On Friday, we had close friends from Blairsville AND very dear friends from 30A, join us for dinner. We all know each other from our SAP days. Bob and Chris drove up from the beach to spend the weekend with Dave and Reecie, who own a place on Lake Nottely, which is not far from Mineral Bluff. We made it a reunion on Friday. It was great to break bread (not really – it was a keto meal) and drink wine with good friends. Yes, we drank wine – Keto be damned. Jamie even texted my oncologist to see if it was ok if I could have a glass or two. She said, “only if it is good wine – no 2 Buck Chuck for Renee”. Yet, one more reason why I adore my oncologist!

And, I have to end on a funny story. It’s a doozy. We all have our Covid stories and our own woes with haircuts. Well, Jamie needed a haircut badly. Rick and Jackie brought their clippers. We set up a “barbershop” in the driveway and opened for business. I let Jackie cut Jamie’s hair, as I didn’t want to be blamed for any snafus. Well, I played that one well. Unfortunately, Jackie had a mishap. For some unexplained reason, Jackie and Jamie discussed and decided to remove the guard from the clippers to trim the bottom of his hairline. Apparently, Jackie was trying to have Jamie’s hair match mine from the craniotomy! Before she knew it, she zipped up a part of his hair. He is now the proud owner of a bald spot that is eerily close to mine, LOL! Full disclosure, Jackie feels terrible, Jamie is not mad, and we all laughed more than we should. Well, all of us except Jamie. He is being a good sport about it. I have included pictures for your enjoyment!

I will update later in the week once I am done with all my procedures. If all goes well, we will be home Wednesday night. Before I know it, I will have my toes in the sand listening to the crashing waves.