"My least favorite type of hot flash so far...hot flashes on a plane."
I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post! I don't know where the time goes sometimes. We have been busy. I worked really hard and finished the first draft of my master's paper, and turned it in to my committee for review. I have actually gotten all the feedback back already, just need to go through and make edits and respond to the questions and comments. I should be able to complete this and reach my goal of graduating this spring.
We have continued our house search to no avail. The housing market is crazy at the moment, a seller's market for sure with most of the houses we consider already having multiple offers within a day or two of being listed. We have made offers on several homes, but nothing has come through. People are paying through the roof prices and we just aren't willing to overpay on a house which means we will keep loosing out. The buyer for our house recently canceled our contract because she was probably sick of waiting for us to find a place, so now we are back at square one. Not sure if we will continue the search, wait until the market cools a bit, or just regroup and stay in our house.
We took an impromptu trip to Hawaii last week. We had a break before Andy started his new job, and I talked to my oncologist and got approval to take a week off from chemotherapy. It was sort of a celebration of me almost finishing treatment, my cancerversary, Andy's new job, and just needing some time away to get our minds off of everything. One night while not being able to sleep, I found a super sweet hotel deal and booked it right then and there 😉Luckily, Andy was totally on board when I told him the next morning (insomnia has its perks I guess). We spent a week on Oahu, stayed right on Waikiki beach, and didn't plan anything in advance. It was AMAZING!
I started my 8th and final cycle of chemotherapy this week while Andy started a new job with a company he has always wanted to work for (so proud of him). My radiation planning appointment is scheduled for next week. I will be scanned, tattooed, and molds will be prepped to make sure I am set to start radiation as soon as chemo is done. I will complete 6 1/2 weeks of Monday-Friday sessions, and then, hopefully, will be done with active cancer treatment 🤞 What to do after that? I have no idea.
I am still attending the YMCA Livestrong program twice per week. I am feeling stronger and in better shape than when I started, so I am happy about that. It allowed me to almost keep up with Andy as we hiked diamond head and to the top of Makapu'u lookout in Hawaii. Since flying and getting back from Hawaii, my hot flashes have been acting up. They were mostly under control before, so hopefully it is just the jet lag and they will be back to normal soon.
Still waiting to hear back from the NIH about scheduling another endoscopy with multiple biopsies procedure. Because I am waiting to have the total gastrectomy until my body heals and rests from all the medical madness I have put it through in the past year, my doctor out there recommended I have another endoscopy over the summer to make sure everything looks ok. Then we can discuss and plan when would be best for me to schedule the surgery.
Alright, I'm off to bed. Here are some random Hawaii pics for your enjoyment. For more pics and more up to date postings, feel free to follow me on instagram.