Today I returned to the Oncologist for my check up. I have gained a pound and the visit went well. I will begin taking the new medication called Arimidex which I will continue taking for the next 5 years. This of course will be monitored closely due to the side effects that come with taking it. Dr. Murphy asked how my shoulder pain has been and we discussed physical therapy. He thinks that I may need to see an orthopedic surgeon to have the scar tissue broke to allow the shoulder to move and begin rehabilitation/movement due to it being so painful the way it is now. My eyes of course got as big as cantalopes when the word "surgery" was mentioned.


I have been going to Physical Therapy two times a week now for several weeks and doing home exercises in an effort to see some improvement on the shoulder. Sunday night was a clear indication that things were not "improving" when nothing I did made the angry nerve endings happy. Time certainly will tell.

Tomorrow I go for my epidural injection for my lower disc. Hoping for some needed relief on that spectrum once it's done.

Thanksgiving is just around the bend as well as Christmas. Hard to believe this year is almost over. Thank you B3 Fighters for your continued prayers.

On Thursday, Oct 21st, I completed my 30th round of radiation treatments. After I was done, we loaded up the car and headed to Destin, FL. Two gracious friends from church allowed us to use their condo for a weekend getaway. We had previously planned the trip earlier in the year to go when chemo was done (before my surgeries), but due to blood counts, that got put on the back burner.

We had to stop after several hours of traveling as my pain levels sky rocketed. We finished the trip on Friday morning and arrived at Destin early. It didn't take me but 15 minutes to have my swim suit on and beach umbrella in hand to hit the sand.

It was beautiful and relaxing and we had gorgeous weather everyday. We ended up staying one extra day and enjoyed the tranquilty all the more.

What was fantastic was being able to wake up every morning and laying in bed, you could see the ocean. The furniture was placed just right in the bedroom so that it faced the ocean when you opened the shutters. Wow and Wow.

We also had the opportunity to see our youngest daughter Skip (Carolyn) and to meet our new grandson, Camrin. She drove over from Orlando and met up with us. What a total joy it was to see them and enjoy a short time with them. We had not seen Skip in over a year.

Meeting Camrin was like drinking a fresh glass of lemonade on a hot day. He is a handsome little man and I soaked in the baby holding moments all that I could.

Grampa enjoyed the little man too. Poor Nick has gotten sick since we got home, his yearly bronchitis. The salt air was not his best friend.

What's next in the cancer trek, I have seen the oncologist this week and he is holding off starting me on the next round of drugs. My arm and shoulder are so tight and painful, he is fearful the shoulder will seize so I am off to physical therapy for a few weeks. I am hoping for some positive results with this as the pain has been unbearable at times. I will return to see Dr. Murphy mid November to start the Arimidex. I will head back to see the breast doctor in December.

B3 fighters - please continue to pray as we go into this next phase and we thank you always for your support as we move ahead.