“What is a Super Moon?”, you ask.  Well, it is the night of the full moon when the moon is nearest the earth and the brightest that it will be all year-long.

So be sure to head outside on Saturday night and look to the East – low on the horizon - at 8:24 pm PDT (11:24 pm EDT).

Then the wind blows and some of the petite pink petals flutter to the ground.  My freshly mowed lawn looks like it has pink snow on it!  When I open the front door to walk to the mailbox, I am overcome with the soft,sensual scent of these beautiful blossoms.  It just smells so good outside!!! I take a deep breath and then another one and then decide I need to share this experience with my readers.

And just in time for May Day!

While I was slowly starting to mildly ‘freak out’ over the increase in the result my doctor quickly said that she considers my CA-125 to be “stabilized’.  This is a new word for me as far as my disease progression/experience goes.  My doctor explained that my CA-125 may drop next month, it may stay the same, or of course, there is always the possibility that it might go up.  In any event she is considering this latest result to indicate that my cancer has stabilized for now.    It sounds OK to me, but is just some sort of phrasing to make the patient (me in this case) feel better about the test result.  My latest mantra for now “The CA-125 is just a number.  It only indicates a trend.”

I had combination chemotherapy again today.  Doxil and Carboplatin are the main drugs that I received along with several supporting medications.  It took over 5 hours to administer them all.  Tonight I have a headache that just won’t seem to go away … so I am treating that.

I am feeling a bit ‘needy’ tonight and couldn’t even think straight enough to think what meds might help my headache.  I finally decided on a combination of Aleve and Tylenol after an afterhours call to my on-call Doctor.  I just couldn’t think straight enough to make a decision about the meds and I needed help with the decision.

Whoa! I almost forgot about the constipation that follows chemo –better be proactive about that!

So, I am back on the chemo merry-go-round.  I’ll have a difficult 2 weeks and then I’ll start feeling better and then try to get lots done in 8 days before my next chemo!

Sure hope this headache goes away soon!

The Amazing Race is having an open casting call (tryouts, interviews, whatever you want to call it) here in the Portland area this Sunday in Beaverton.

Sunday, May 20 10am-3pm

Big Al’s Progress Ridge Town Square 14950 SW BARROWS RD. BEAVERTON, OREGON

www.ILoveBigAls.com       www.koinlocal6.com       For important information, rules, guidelines and FAQ’s, email amazingrace@koin.com.

http://www.theamazingracecasting.com/opencastingcalls

http://www.ilovebigals.com/promo-loader.aspx?link=promos/AmazingRace.html&sitename=beaverton

• Sunday, May 20, 2012 | 10am-3pm Doors open at 10; casting calls begin at 10:30
• Big Al’s @Progress Ridge TownSquare | 14950 SW Barrows Road, Beaverton, OR.  Take 217 to West (215) Shoalls Ferry Road to Barrows Rd.

In February 2011, KOIN Local 6 held a Casting Call for The Amazing Race at Stanford’s Restaurant  in Lake Oswego. We’re told it was a great event with more than 700 teams vying for a chance to appear in front of the CBS cameras! Because of the turnout, KOIN learned that in order to accommodate the huge turnout that The Amazing Race Casting Calls attract,they needed a bigger venue…

So, this year Big Al’s partnered with KOIN Local 6 to bring The Amazing Race Casting Call to Big Al’s! Most TV casting calls require hopefuls to stand in long lines for hours on end, sometimes camping       out overnight on cold, hard sidewalks. NOT THIS ONE! No camping out or standing in line overnight is ecessary  or actually even permitted!

Big Al’s will open their doors at 10am and every aspiring team will be issued a numbered ticket. Instead of standing in line, teams can hang out inside and enjoy all the fun & games Big Al’s has to offer!  Beginning at 10:30am, we will begin calling numbers AT RANDOM. When teams hear their number announced over the public address system, they will claim their Amazing Invitation, report to the Staging area, and excitedly wait to be called for their audition. Once inside, KOIN Local 6 cameras will roll and teams will have ONE MINUTE to make a memorable impression to Amazing Race Casting Producers!

Visit The Amazing Race Casting Call with KOIN Local 6 FAQ page for more information. Or email our friends  at KOIN Local 6 at AmazingRace@KOIN.com and they’ll send you everything you MUST have!

http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=United_States&region=Oregon&city=Portland

The second column is the number of minutes the ISS will be visable; the third column is the maximum elevation;  the fourth column is where you should look as it comes into view; the last column is where it will exit your view.

In other words, the first sighting will begin at 9:26pm;  last 3 minutes; will be no higher than 53 degrees; will ‘pop’ into view at 33 degrees in the NW sky; will exit your view at 26 degrees E.  It might be helpful to remember that 90 degrees would be straight up.

Have fun!!!

Some Suggestions:

Stop using the plastic bags at the grocery store ~ take you own reusable bags ~ many are now washable.

Consolidate your driving, or try walking to one place to which you would normally drive.

Use reusable coffee mugs instead of paper ones.

Use reusable water bottles.  Stop buying cases of bottled water at Costco and instead purchase a Zero Water or Britta filter and fill your own reusable (BPA free) containers.

These are just a few suggestions…

Try making one small change this year…..

Help out our Beautiful Earth!!!

Happy Earth Day!

Today I felt well enough to get dressed and drive to the acupuncturist office.  It was my 3rd acupuncture treatment and I do get some good results from it.  It is really a cool therapy and so amazing how the body’s own energy works to heal it!

Gradually feeling better!

But if you want to gauge the success of the treatment on the amount of side-effects, then I should be cured!  I felt good the first two days, thanks to the heavy-duty steroids and IV anti-nausea meds.  But today ~ WOMP!  The nausea hit hard.  I am trying to keep it at bay and I am about to make my second call to the Oncology nurse for more information if the nausea doesn’t settle down a bit.  Maybe I need to go and have a little bite of something.  This nausea is probably caused by the amount of Carboplatin that I have had over the last three years….. So, I ‘ll just power through…

It is always a thrill for me to be able to tell my story to others.  First of all, we all like to talk about ourselves (tee hee, Firefly is no exception), but even more importantly, my story has the probability to greatly impact the professional lives of these students who will soon be  out there in the medical field.  I tailor my talk toward the generalities of the profession that these students will be going  into so it has more relevance for them and hopefully they will remember the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer and also learn something from me that will greatly benefit them in their real world experiences.

One of the instructors asked if she could share my website ~ this one www.pdxfirefly.com ~ with the students in her class.  I was thrilled that she wanted to do that.  And so Students, My story actually begins around March 14, 2009 on this blog.  You can go back in the archives and pull up my story from that time to now.  I talk about everything that has happened to me ~ the physical, the emotional, the mental, the spiritual. It’s all in there ~ along with some other tidbits!

And so a special welcome to the students of Pacific University.

Wow, I am still alive!

I am still in chemotherapy, but I am alive.  Even though I am unable to participate in life very much for two weeks out of every month, at least I am experiencing some longevity.  That longevity has given me time for three more birthdays of my own, three more Christmases, three more birthdays of my adorable Grandson, and the birth of my precious Granddaughter ~ her first birthday is coming up soon!  So I have seen some very special milestones that are important and memorable in anyone’s life.

Oh, I forgot, I wrote and published a book, have another on ‘on the burner’;  I am President of my P.E.O. Chapter (currently in my second year) and making a positive difference in the life of our chapter.  I also speak on a regular basis to 3rd year Medical students, Pharmacology students, and Physician Assistants as well as to women’s groups.  Oh, and I pass out my Ovarian Cancer Symptom Cards to complete strangers whenever I have the opportunity to do so.  So I have been doing some very positive projects that hopefully will have a lasting impact ~ even after I am gone.  Something that will help others remember me…. and even more importantly remember the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer and that TEAL is the color of our ribbon!

Wow!  I really never thought that I’d really see March 20, 2012!

Way to go Warrior Firefly!

It is freezing and raining and some  plces in the city even had snow this morning!!

UGH!

May the road rise to meet you and may the wind be at your back,

May God’s face shine upon you and and May He hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

But I can only do one big errand a day and then I fall asleep during the evening news!

Let’s pray that this drug combo is working for me and killing the cancer, with God’s help and mercy.

BUT…. I HATE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME……

Actually I hate the changing of the clocks… I don’t care what time we are on… couldn’t we PLEASE just leave it alone????!!!!!

Choose one time and leave it there all the time…..

Can we start a congressional petition or something to change this twice yearly (bi-annual) schedule disruption?????

The band’s acronym N.E.D., which stands for No Evidence of Disease,  introduces a deeper, more substantive influence on the band’s music, for  each of the six band members are also practicing gynecological  oncologists. As physicians, they treat diseases that affect some 90,000  women each year and that result in 30,000 deaths annually. Six Degrees, their newest album,  simultaneously solidifies the band’s musicianship (Oregon Music News  says N.E.D. would “certainly make it as musicians and songwriters  full-time, if that was what they wanted”) while bringing them to the  forefront of an awareness movement that is seeking to break through a  wall of silence surrounding gynecologic cancer.

On a deeper level, Dancing with N.E.D. is fundamentally about the  women who are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer and the life-altering  effects of the disease, including the prospect of dying before having  children or having to choose their life over having children. Of those  fortunate enough to have children, many will die before having the  opportunity to see them grow up. The documentary, set to be completed in  November, 2011, depicts the heart-wrenching journeys of these women  through sadness, anger, fear and hope, all the while having both their  physical endurance and emotional courage tested to the limits.

In a final overlap between their music and fascinating backstory,  N.E.D. is officially part a non-profit foundation in Portland, OR,  called Marjie’s Fund, which is named after a Portland artist and  musician who died of uterine cancer in 2007. The fund is committed to  raising awareness about gynecologic cancers and providing monies for  research in this area. All proceeds from the bands’ endeavors go  directly to the fund.

Ultimately, the story of N.E.D. is the tale of the dual lives of six  individuals who seek to bring well-being and hope to their patients  while collectively writing music that expresses the toughest challenges  universally faced by everyone. Fortunately, for patients and fans alike,  it is a dual-role N.E.D. pulls off exceptionally well.

N.E.D. returns to Portland, OR, on Saturday, March 10 for what promises to be a great follow-up to their rousing performance at the Aladdin Theater last year. Once again, the band will be playing at the Aladdin. Doors open at 7:00pm, with the show kicking off at 8:00pm. Advance tickets are available now for $25 through Ticketmaster. Day of show tickets are $28.

www.nedtheband.com

Then head to the Westfield Vancouver Shopping Center on Saturday, March 10, 2012.  Get there early!!!!! You can sleep next week!

If the people of America can get the major banks to reverse their stand on ATM fees, why can’t we get Daylight Savings Time stopped once and for all? I do not know of one person who actually likes this twice a year schedule upset.  In fact, several cities and even the beautiful state of Hawaii refuse to succumb to this outdated ritual.  The reasons for its inception are no longer valid.

People of America Unite!  Write your congressman and declare that we want Daylight Savings Time to cease forever more!

Today it is clear, cold, crisp, the sun is shining and the beautiful blue sky has just a few of those  promising fluffy white clouds. I finally took my little Mercedes for a walk…. we walked around the cul-de-sac twice… once each way… We haven’t been for a  proper walk in over a week. She is such a wonderful pet now…. adapting to my needs …. as I have modified my life for hers.

She is a joy to me and we have come a long way on the road to companionship in each others life.

I am doing fine.

I had my usual week of recliner time with frequent naps and forcible activity trying to manage the chemo side effects with appropriate medications and still trying to eat healthy (whatever that means!).

I have noticed that as the number of doses of chemo increases over the years, that I experience  more  nausea.  It is still easily controlled or rather should I say, easily lived with, but still there nonetheless.  However it does not negatively impact my life  too much yet.   The worst part is that the anti-nausea meds make me sleepy . .. so I take them at night!

And today I am somehow climbing out of the pit of darkness…..

At first I wasn’t too concerned about it, but since I’ve had 4 days to think about it, I find that I am starting to get depressed and wonder if this could be the ‘beginning of the end’.  Oh, yes, I do try to put those thought out of my mind, but there they are… creeping right back in.  I’ll find out more tomorrow, but that doesn’t change the facts. And it’s the facts that present the clearest picture.

For the last two days, I’ve been referring to it as ‘just a little setback’.  Mostly to keep those that love me calm;   and I really do believe that is what it is.  But…. The grim reality of this horrible cancer is always there in the back of my mind.

Just to remind you of the statistics …

21,500 women are diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer annually .

15,000 women die of Ovarian Cancer annually.

Ovarian Cancer is the Fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in the nation.

67% of women are diagnosed with late stage Ovarian  Cancer.

The five-year survival rate is 30%. (Yes, that means that only 30% of women diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer live 5 years).

I am approaching my 3 year anniversary in March. I have been on chemo all but 9 months of that time (and not 9 consecutive months).

I actually have a very rare (and aggressive) type of Ovarian Cancer (Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma) which is present in only 1% of Ovarian Cancer patients.

The average life expectancy is 25 months –and I’m well past that mark.

I did not have Chemo yesterday as scheduled… we are revisiting the drug cocktail that I’ll be receiving.

 11/28/11  663

12/29/11  263

1/26/12    142     I was on Carboplatin those 2 cycles.

 2/23/12  my CA-125 has jumped to 529.  After 50 cc of DOXIL one month ago.

I do know that sometimes the CA-125 doesn’t necessarily come down for a few months on Doxil, but that is a pretty big jump up as opposed to staying about the same.

Right now, I do not know how I am feeling… I need time to process and talk to the doctor.

I cannot vacuum, cannot do laundry, cannot chop/prepare foods, cannot wash dishes, and I cannot wear any tight clothes. There are  also food restrictions:  no tomatoes, no citrus, no spicy foods.  So my days prior to the infusion are busy with house cleaning and shopping and meal prep.  I also cannot do any crocheting and so I have a supply of interesting travelogues to watch! And for two days after the infusion, I have to soak my hands and feet in ice water to prevent the blistering side-effects!  So no typing!

I had minimal side effects from the last dose, so prayers for the same again this time.