just a little update

Hello there...it's been a long time, and I regret the long absence. So very much has been going on in my life, yet very little progress with my treatment has taken place. I'm blogging from our balcony in this amazing 80 degree Seattle weather. There's no place I'd rather be than the Pacific Northwest in the summer. Jesse and I house- and dog-sitted in Redmond this week, and spent our nights hanging out in the hot tub or drinking wine in the sun, blissfully enjoying the sun. Can you tell I'm from the NW, seeing as I feel the need to write half my post about the sunshine?


I want to say thank you to those of you who have contributed to my cancer ass-kicking fund. With the nightmare of all of the hospital bills I've been facing, your support is so very appreciated. I don't know how I'd do it wi


We have been hard at work planning our wedding reception. It's shaping up to be just the celebration I envisioned, thanks to some help from some very wonderful friends. My good friend Sarah is helping me to create and letterpress some incredible invitations, and it's amazing how much work goes into creating custom stationery like that. She listened so closely and is transforming my visions into a reality, and knowing her, the finished product will be even more than I could have dreamed of. I can't wait until my loved ones find them in their mailboxes.


I am just finishing my up second week at my new job. It's been a whirlwind trying to move to this new practice, and slowly but surely everything is coming together. I'm excited to finally move into the 21st century with computer charting, and learning the system has been a breeze. However, working in a clinic with male patients is quite different to me, having only worked with women for the past three years! Thankfully, the doctor I work with will still only see women, but the office dynamics are certainly different. I look forward to us getting settled into our new routine and seeing what amazing things we can accomplish.


In the beginning of June I went with the doctor and nurse practitioner I work with to a urogynecology conference in New Orleans. It turned out to be a disaster getting there - think canceled flights and spending the night on the floor of the freezing Dallas airport - but we learned a lot and it was a great bonding experience for our team.


Other excitements include some sailing expeditions, one of which was a 16 hour journey from Seattle to Anacortes on the 4th of July. It was Zeus' first long sailing trip, and he did great. Weekend brunches with friends or family seem to be becoming a routine, and I have to say it is probably my favorite moment of the week.


And as for my treatment, I did decide that I wanted to try the radioactive iodine, and see if it will work. The risks of external beam radiation are just too high. It has been a nightmare getting the treatment scheduled. There was a shortage of the thyrogen medication until June, and now that it's in stock, there is a backlog of people needing treatment. They had me scheduled for the end of August, but since our reception is September 1st and I am required to keep a 3 foot distance from anyone for a week after discharge from the hospital (as well as many other not-fun precautions), I had to ask them to reschedule the treatment for September. I am still working with the Cancer Care Alliance to get that scheduled.


So, there's some snippets of my life. I'll try to stop by more often :)


xoxo,
Lisa

Sailor dog { + friend }

Sailor husband

4th of July Sunset