20 days of anxiety

Forgive me in advance for this post but I really just want to get this written down somewhere.  It is very personal but it is part of my history. 
On October 8th I was having some pain in my left arm pit/breast area.  I thought that I had pulled a muscle or something because I had just painted my bedroom and moved furniture that was too heavy.  By Wednesday morning the pain had increased and at my sons urging I called to make a doctors appointment.
On Thursday October 10th I went to the appointment and I was very anxious and hadn't really slept at all the night before.  I was seeing a new doctor because mine was booked for over a week.  Dr Ryan came in and asked what was going on and of course I broke into tears.  I told her what was going on and that of course my brain went right to breast cancer and that I hate going to the doctor.  I was also kicking myself because last year when I went to see my doctor about a cold he told me that I should probably think about getting a mammogram in the near future and of course I had not followed that advice.  Dr. Ryan did an exam and told me she thought I had indeed stressed a muscle but that she was more worried about the small lump she found.  She didn't think it would turn out to be anything but she wanted me to schedule a mammogram and ultrasound just to rule everything out.  She reassured me that I would be fine.  I managed to make it out to the car before I totally lost it.  I called Rob and his "you can't stress until you know" attitude did not make me feel better.  Before I left the parking lot I called and schedule the mammogram.
On Monday October 14th at 8:00 in the morning I drove myself to the appointment.  Rob and I had decided not to tell the kids about this until we knew something for sure. Everyone at the Henry Ford Breast Care and Wellness Center were so friendly and helpful.  The woman who did my mammogram immediately put me at ease with her kind words and soft spoken demeanor.  I then had my ultrasound and the woman in there was just as kind.  They did indeed find a mass about the size of a dime but they did not think it was anything to worry about.  I had the choice to have a biopsy or not.  About 2/3 of women opt not to and 1/3 of women do just for the peace of mind.  I am one of those women.  My biopsy was scheduled for the next week and I left the office feeling so much better even though they had found a mass.
On Thursday October 24th at 10:00 I went to have my biopsy.  I made Rob come with me and within an hour they had taken 5 samples, placed a titanium marker and did another mammogram. 
On Monday October 28th I got a call that the results were back from pathology and everything was negative.  I don't think I have smiled so big in my life.  Such great news.
The worst part of this whole thing was that after the biopsy they closed the incision with steri-strips.  I had told 3 of the 4 women in the room that I was allergic to bandage adhesive.  I have a major reaction to it.  The reaction is usually worse that the injury.  2 hours after the procedure I took off the gauze that was held down with paper tape and it only left a small reaction.  Within 24 hours I was on the phone with the office because the steri-strips were really causing a problem.  They said if I absolutely needed to remove them to do so carefully.  I couldn't wait for Rob to get home and get them off.  Rob thinks they used 4 - 6 steri-strips.  Within hours of removing them I had a huge rash that was red and very itchy.  At this point the doctors office was closed and I didn't want to go to the hospital so the entire weekend I was miserable.  On Monday I went to see Dr. Ryan who couldn't believe they used the steri-strips and sent me home with 2 prescriptions to relieve the itchy painful rash.  Today I took this picture to show any future doctors who think I can handle a little adhesive.

Finally!

I finally painted my bedroom.  That's right two years ago we flipped rooms with Emily and I just got around to painting over the butterflies. It is pretty simple but I love it.  I only spent $300.00 total and that was for 2 gallons of paint, paint supplies, curtains, 5 new picture frames, new chair rail and a new quilt.

I am standing in the bathroom to take this one. The walls are Marshmallow white.  The light is making it look beige but it's not.

These 3 bears mean so much to me.  For our 10 year anniversary Rob and I went to Vermont. Yes, that is my Vermont Teddy Bear.  Pooh bear was a gift my kids went to Build A Bear and made for me for one of my birthdays.  He has a party hat, blower, sash and bow tie that he wears in July.  Yes, he is sporting purple ear bows.  The 3rd bear is the first bear Emily and I ever made at Mall of America.  Her name is Cocoa.  If you look closely you can see that I just had to leave one little butterfly on the light switch.

These are the pictures I have to have in my room. They are letters my kids wrote for me on Mothers day and their little hand prints.

5 years running, I mean walking.

Team Emily's Hope was at it again this year. Boys in the back are Mike, Jeremy, Jake, Rob, Jason.
Girls in the front are Jan, Donna, Emily, Yvonne, Sydnie, Erin, Michelle. This is our 5th year walking in hopes to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes.  As a bonus this year it was Jacob's 16th birthday.

The 3 girls always get our team logo painted on their faces but Emily had to go to work after the walk so no paint for her.

I surprised Emily and asked Jason to join us.  She was very surprised.

Walk On!

We get these stickers to let everyone know who we are walking for or in memory of.  Jacob is always being silly and decided that his should say this.

Speedy finds a home 9/27/2013

Speedy is the second half of our dynamic duo of turtles. You may remember from an earlier post that his buddy Shy passed away so he has been lonely.  Emily was feeling bad for the Speedster and started asking around to see if anyone wanted a turtle.  Well Speedy now has a home at the high school in a math class.  He gets to roam the class room and the kids give him lots of attention.  The best part is that Emily can stop by and visit any time.

Vacation in Detroit, yep, that's how we roll.

I grew up in Michigan and my dad used to take us down town all the time.  My kids have traveled all over the country but I can't really say that we have seen Detroit.  We have been to events down there but we have never really explored the city.  So, on a beautiful September weekend we surprised the kids with an overnight in Detroit.  We stayed at the MGM Grand because it was free.

We went down on a Friday afternoon and walked around the city.  The Joe Louis fist.

A view of the city from Hart Plaza.

The fountain in Hart Plaza.

The Detroit River.  You can see Canada and I caught a Coast Guard cutter going up river.

This is the Detroit Princess. I'm not sure but I think you can book parties on it. Rob and I have a disagreement about the boats origin.  He says it's an old Boblo boat, I say not.  Let me know if you can solve this.

Right on the river front is this awesome statue that represents the slave movement.  It shows some of the symbols used to help them find their way.

I never did understand this loop but now I do after reading the sign.

I was happy that it was a nice fall day, the streets were clean and not too busy, we found parking easily,the homeless people we came across were really friendly and my kids enjoyed themselves.  We stopped at a lot of statues and learned so much about Detroit's history. On Saturday morning we got up early and went to Eastern Market which is an experience in itself.  We really had fun on our staycation in Detroit.

This is a veggie cow painted on one of the buildings at Eastern Market.

Firsts

Emily started working for J.C. Penney this summer and she got her first pay check.  She used it and her next paycheck to pay for new tires for her car.

First day of college.  Emily started attending Lawrence Tech in Southfield.  We are so proud of her!

Jeremy started 10th grade and I started driving that stupid Kettering lane again.

Louisville July25,2013

Well this sucks. I am not smart enough to figure out how to get the rest of the pictures out of my email.  The picture of The Bluebird Cafe was the last one I had on my memory card and I didn't have my computer with me to off load some pictures.  Jeremy took all of the Louisville pictures with his Ipod and then emailed them to me.  If I figure it out I will add more picture from our pit stop in Louisville on the way home from Nashville.  Louisville is only 2 hours from Nashville and only just a little out of the way going home.  We took a tour and everything.  I hope I get to show you some day.

Nashville July 24, 2013 (afternoon)

After the Hall of Fame we headed a couple of blocks over to what I call Main street.  I was trying to catch the essence of the street and this guy popped out of the alley.  He had the nerve to say "I hope I'm not in that picture because I get $10.00 for those."  I didn't know if he was serious and just ignored him. He should go to Time Square and meet his brother "copperman".

Before Johnathan left on his mission he gave Emily a sock monkey missionary called Elder Minkey.  I thought this was an appropriate picture for Minkey the Monkey on the day Elder Wareham left for the Mexico City MTC.  It was a hard day but Emily survived it.

The Ryman Auditorium is nestled on a little side street.

Growing up my parents tuned in to watch Hee Haw and I grew to love Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl.  I can just hear her saying "Oh, Roy"

We had a mean lady who would not let us on the stage unless we were paying for her pictures so this is the best we could do for the inside of the Ryman.  Maybe it was just because they were setting up for the Monkees concert.

And last but not least we swung by The Bluebird Cafe.  Once again you have to watch the show Nashville to understand why I made my family go there.  After stopping here for a quick picture we headed back to the hotel to pack and then we had dinner with Rob's brother Mike and his wife Audrey.  They live in Spring Hill Tennessee and made the drive over so we could visit with them.  The kids loved the stories the brothers told and I enjoyed sitting in the rocking chairs outside of the Cracker barrel.

Nashville July 24, 2013 (morning)

This is a two story wall of gold and platinum records.

We liked the different displays of various artist like Carrie Underwood.

Reba McEntire and George Strait

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw

Keith Urban Carrie Underwood and Trace Adkins

Taylor Swifts glittery guitar at a wrong angle can blind you.

This is as you enter the room with all of the inductee's plaques.

Nashville July 23, 2013 (afternoon)

Did you know that the Parthenon is in Nashville?  We didn't.  This is a full scale replica of the ancient Greek temple.

I could say that we were disappointed that you can not take pictures inside because of the art work but I won't and this is why. The first floor is all art and most of it is of naked women.

I didn't mind the small fee that they charged because the the second floor was worth it and you could take pictures on that floor.

This is what is on the second floor. A 42-foot statue of the goddess Athena which is a re-creation of the one Phidias sculpted in the 5th century B.C.

These pictures do not do this justice.

A bonus was that when we came out they were setting up a stage.  We asked what event would be there and if you watched the season opener of Nashville you would have seen that this is the stage for Juliette's concert.  Cool Beans!