More like "Month by Month", isn't it?

Hmmm! I guess I should have called my blog "month-by-month"! I have not been as prolific in my writing as I thought (or hoped) I would. My apologies to anyone that has been checking regularly to get updates. But this is my normal  modus operandi. I sit in front of the computer and don't know where to begin. So I don't. But I can procrastinate no longer so - here I go.

It is now almost three weeks since I have arrived in Victoria. And so far, I am a little disappointed in the weather. I had expected the annual flower count to be in full swing, to see daffodils and tulips blooming everywhere. Instead, it has been quite windy, overcast, and very cold. A few nights it has dropped below freezing and I actually saw a few snowflakes. But I feel spring in the air and am anticipating the first beautiful day of sunshine. Soon??

So - an update. My last one left off just after we had finally gotten our water lines up and running, and with so much to do before we left for the coast. Well, that didn't happen. Neil and I both got totally laid out with the nastiest flu either of us could remember having. So the laundry got left undone, floors unwashed, and the house a disaster. We did manage to get our suitcases packed with the minimal amount of clothing that was still clean.

Our first few days here were difficult. We didn't quite know what to do with ourselves while we waited for the oncologist appointment. Then Neil went back to work and Zack and I tried to settle in. It was harder on Zack than me. He just hadn't gotten used to my family yet. But he is getting more comfortable by the day. He has found a nice cozy spot under an unused table and that is where he escapes to when things get a little rowdy around here.

I managed to get into see the oncologist within a week of getting here. I liked him. He was open, honest and forthright. He pulled no punches. As all the blood work that I had done in the preceding 3 months all showed clean tumor markers for all of my organs, he didn't think the cancer was in those organs. The cancer I have is a metastasized one. A metastasized cancer is a cancer that travels from one site in the body ( the "primary" site) and shows up (attaches so to speak) to another, secondary site, in the body. In my case, the ovary. Usually, the cell structure in the secondary site is characteristic of the cells in the primary site. The "lump' that was  taken out of me had a cell structure similar to those in the colon. So this is where they are assuming the cancer started. But more testing was needed to see if it could be found. Once found, a plan of attack could be formulated.

Meanwhile, my sister Melanie and her daughter Mira came up from Seattle with the intentions of getting me back to health after my surgery, and taking a proactive stand against this cancer. I was put on a strict diet that was full of lots of colorful fruits and vegetables  (all full of anti-oxidants and having cancer fighting properties), little meat and no dairy. (I did sneak in my two cups of weak coffee every morning!). This diet, along with some supplements, was to give my body a good cleanse. But more specifically, it was a colon cleanse. In solidarity for me, (and I must give them all credit for doing this when they didn't have to), Melanie, Mira, and Marjie all went on the cleanse too. It was an interesting two weeks. The subject of "poop" monopolized a good portion of our conversation!

In general, all is going well here. I am feeling good. Definitely getting stronger after that nasty surgery. But I miss home. Maybe this is good for me, to get off the mountain for a while.  I am always afraid that I will turn into one of those crazy "Grizzly Adams" types and chase people away with a sling shot or something.

But I do have some good news. But right now I am so tired I can't keep my head up. So - I promise to try to get back to this in the morning. Good night and I hope this finds you all well.

Dana