New Bedroom

So I am trying to keep a sense of humor.  This is a picture of my dad's chair - the one he's always sitting on in the living room.  Tonight it is my bed.  I'm fed up with how hard it is to get on and off my real bed.  We'll see how tonight goes.

We've been having delicious dinners from friends,  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  

Wish me luck.  Good night

A quick note hello to everyone.  Why not?  What else is there to do at 1:22AM?!

Took me forever to find a way to lie down.  Lots of pain tonight.  

I'm watching Spectacle on tv.  Have you seen it?  Elvis Costello interviews different musicians each week.  Great show! It's called Spectacle 

Click on the word Spectacle to see if my link worked.

Guess what?  All this rambling has made me feel better. Thanks for listening again.

Love you guys.

Is it hot in here?

Let's catch up for two days.  Yesterday my aunt Nancy arrived on the train from San Diego.  She and David went with me to two doctor appointments where we learned that the final pathology reports held no new newsl It is great to have my aunt here.  Today Elise came to visit and she brought her 5 month old baby girl Jensen. So sweet.  Later in the day I went to my appointment with Kim.  Honestly there are not enough words in my vocabulary to explain how much Kim helps me.  Those of you who have worked with her understand.

Tonight was our first "room service" night.  Vicki has taken this important job so if you want to bring us food please contact Vicki.  BTW it was delicious Vicki - thank you!

I am feeling better than when I last wrote here.  Mornings are my best time.  This was true even before I had breast cancer.  But now it's 10pm and I'm pooped.  Well, actually I am not literally pooped but that's another story.  :)

Good night.  Stay tuned for more exciting adventures!

Crap

Feel like shit tonight.  They took the drains out and everything hurts.

Just had to get that "off my chest" so to speak.

Luckily tomorrow is another day,  Thanks for listening.

xox

I Want to Hold Your Hand

I searched for the best sister quote but none of them could be used to describe my sister.  Cathy was with me through it all.  She even spent every night on a cot in my hospital room.   She washed my face and fluffed the pillows.  She helped me get in and out of bed through tears of pain.  Cathy showed a tenderness I knew was there but had really never experienced so personally.  She held my hand all the way.

Cathy flew back to Oakland on Monday. It was so hard to say good bye.  But I thank Janet, Caleb, and Francesca for letting me "borrow" her for so long.

I truly have the best family.

xox Amy

Shalom Cedars-Sinai Hospital!

Left the hospital today.  Felt good to get home yet challenging as well. I've been ordered to rest and I'm not so good at that even though I know it's important. Luckily tomorrow is another day. Miles and David were waiting for me in the driveway and came running up when we pulled the car in. I watched the Academy Awards but found it hard to pay attention. Had the most delicious vegetable lasagna that Rachel (Jessica's friend) made. Thanks, Rachel! There are other goodies here as well, including my big bed with wonderful, new sheets. Time to go to sleep, more soon.

A Special Get Well Card

The photo above shows a wonderful card created by Mary, a friend from my Wednesday night meeting.  She made paper doll cut-outs, individually dressed them, and then asked each of the women at the meeting to write a note to me on a doll. What's really cool about it is they are self-standing and they form a circle as if they were holding hands, just as we do at the end of each meeting. Thanks Mary, it is very special.

Good news from today: lots of small but important progress.  Doesn't sound like a big deal until it is a big deal. For example, getting up from a chair by myself, walking to the toilet and using it, all unassisted. I have new glasses so I can see clearly and walk without the walker, although the geriatrics are still passing me in the left lane. Starting to eat more, getting bothered more--I must be getting better. I'm no longer on IV meds so my pole dancing practice has ended. You didn't know I was doing that, did you...it was my secret.

I'm sad to report that there was some tension between my sister and me. A seemingly nice and very professional woman who is the Patient Relations Coordinator came into the room, saw Cathy and me, and said to Cathy, "Oh, you must be the mom, you look so much alike."  WELL! We were both appalled! It wasn't clear who she was saying was "the mom." Cathy insisted it was me, and I insisted it was her. Luckily the tension has passed...we've got other things to think about.

I picked out a gown to wear to the Academy Awards tomorrow night; that would be my pink nightgown. Have a good Sunday. More posts soon!

TGIF

Lots of good stuff to report today. Although I had a restless night, my day as been filled with great achievements. The biggest news is that I WALKED all the way down the hall and back three different times today. I wasn't the speediest person; I was in the slow lane, and wasn't thrilled that older people were passing me, but I let it go! When I wasn't walking, I was sitting in a chair for much of the day--way different than yesterday. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you: the first thing I did this morning even before getting out of bed was video Skype with my sweet boy!  Austin seems happy and is getting ready to go with a big group to Carnaval in Basque country. 

The picture above shows me with my "left-hand man," Fernando, one of  my favorite nurses.  He was my companion during each walk today.

The last bit of news is that I now need to get out of bed to use the bathroom. For some reason they gave me an extra-large commode. This insulted me, but Fernando claimed it was the only one available.  Hmmm...

That's all for now.  Glad you're still reading this blog!  You know me, I check for comments all the time.  Reminder: if you are having trouble posting your comment (and you know who you are!) just email Theresa (theresachaides@mac.com) and she will do it for you.

Beautiful Photo

I just had to post this picture of Caleb and Francesca, my nephew and niece, because it  warmed my heart. 

Day Two!

It’s already 3:45pm EST and I am finally able to sit down, put work on hold and let all you wonderful people know how the glorious Amy Halliburton is doing today.

Despite a few meds-interrupted moments, Amy slept very well last night. The pain in her chest and her arm is unquestionably still present but the intensity has begun to subside. Before Noon she was already able to get out of bed and sit in a chair. 24 hours ago she couldn’t move her arm and now she has been out of bed and plans to start walking by dinner. Speaking of dinner, solid foods are now working their way back into Amy’s diet. Rumor has it that David is concocting a fresh, scrumptious salad to celebrate. These are all very great and comforting signs of the healing progress that still has a ways to go. Not that any of us are surprised by the unwavering amelioration Amy has summoned in her body.

All of your emails and calls and blog comments are much much appreciated, I hope you all know that. Have a wonderful rest of your Thursday.

Amy's CockamAmy

Cathy here (on Amy's computer).

Since Amy got out of surgery yesterday, her usual amusing sense of humor has been greatly enhanced by her pain meds, and she has been hysterically funny. She had me rolling on the floor last night --I thought they might kick me out of the Recovery Room.  Below is a sample of some of the "gems" she has spoken to either David or me; hopefully they'll be even a little funny to you all (meaning I hope they're not all "guess you had to be there" pieces of humor). 

1. One of the first things Amy said to David when he went into see her in the Recovery Room last night was: "I caught a fish for you!"

2. "I don't know where my face cream is but I know where my emails are!"  Don't recall the context (was there one?) but it was quite amusing.

3. "Find me a listserv!"  (Some background: Amy is envious of me because I am on so many electronic listservs. She thinks it's a unique northern California phenomenon. Personally, I don't think it's so wonderful, as they mainly clog up my email inbox.)

4. "The phone keeps ringing and it's never for me! It's all about me." (Said in the busy Recovery Room with phones ringing and subsequently overhearing lots of conversations.)

5. Said under the same conditions as #4: "I can hear very well. Its enhanced my hearing to have my boobs out of the way."

6. When told that I was emailing Jessica updates about Amy's surgery when she was flying back to NY yesterday: "Jessica can have Internet access 38,000 ft up in the air and I can't get it at Marquez!" (Marquez is the school she worked at for years in the Palisades--and still works there one day a week.)

7. When waiting to be moved from the Recovery Room to her room (which of course was ready to happen right when the the nurses' shift change began): "What kind of hotel is this?  Isn't check-in normally at 4pm?"

8. Said to Dr. Slate, her beloved plastic surgeon: "I don't let anyone boss me around except you--not even my husband or my sister."

9. Followed by: "You are my new best friend; I love you."

10. Said to me when I told her she must exercise her lungs using the plastic inhalation tool: "You're mean. You're like Nurse Ratchet.  I want a nice nurse!"

11. Said to David today when describing her great room, a.k.a. the "Elizabeth Taylor Suite": "Katie Perkins told me that it's South Central LA outside one window and Century City out the other." (Only issue with this is that Amy's friend Katie is at home in Portland right now.)

12. Amy asked her wonderful nurse Edwin if there have been any stars who have stayed in her room.  He said "yes".  She said "who?" He said "I can't tell you."  Amy persisted. He then joked (since they had just bonded around both being Mac lovers) that if she gave him her new sleek Mac laptop, maybe he'd tell her.  Amy said: "I don't want to know that badly." (And, just for the record, in case there are any Cedars spies reading this blog, Edwin did his job!  He was great!  There was no way he was going to betray his patients' confidentiality...I promise.)

There you have it.  Hope this has been at least somewhat entertaining. If we're lucky, there will be more gems to come. No--actually, we're hoping for a lot less pain and a speedy disappearance of all pain meds!  

Love to you all. Your love and support is carrying Amy through this challenging time.

Cathy

The Morning After

Good Morning everyone.

I spoke to Amy about an hour ago and I wanted to send a quick update.

She sounds wonderful if a bit loopy (which is impressive considering the pain medication she is on is rumored to be eight times as strong as morphine). Amy is, understandably, still in a large amount of pain but said super drugs are definitely working. She is in a large, very comfortable hospital room which she has nicknamed the “Elizabeth Taylor Suite,” offering a wonderful view of Century City. Water has, according to her “never tasted so good” and is pretty much the only thing she can consume at this point.

Amy and I also want to take this time to mention again how fantastic Cathy has been pre and post surgery. Lack of sleep has not hindered her tenacious strength and organization with all hospital matters. Her nursing skills are incredibly impressive and much better than I could ever do.

Stay tuned for a special “Amy’s funny drug-induced non-sequiturs” post.

Finally

After almost nine hours, Amy is officially out of surgery!  As Cathy mentioned earlier, the lymph notes came back negative, there weren't complications during any of the procedures and the doctors expect a normal and healthy recovery.

Amy will most likely be in the recovery room for another two or three hours after which we'll post another update to let you know how she's feeling.  

The energy that everyone has been sending today has done wonders.  Sleep well and we'll be sure to touch base soon.   

Help Has Arrived For Posting Comments

Since some of you are having trouble posting comments to the blog, we now have a newly designated "Blog Assistant" to help you--Amy's friend Theresa has offered to help. If you need help posting a comment, you can email Theresa at theresachaides@mac.com. She can either walk you through how to post or post for you. Keep those comments coming...Amy will be most grateful.

xxooCathy

Surgery is Going Well

hi everyone,

Just want to report that the surgery is going fine so far. They're running late as they got a late start this morning. The very good news is that it's very likely that the lymph nodes are negative (analysis in OR showed they were negative, and we'll get final confirmation on that in a couple of days). This is great news! We're told Amy is doing fine in the surgery.  It should last another hour.  Wanted to send this update as we thought Amy would be in the recovery room by now and didn't want anyone to worry. Plus, Amy would be most upset if I didn't keep up with my communication responsibilities!

Love to you all,

Cathy

BiG Day

Oops clicked on publish too quickly!  Anyway off we go tomorrow.  Have  to be there at 5:30

Had only liquid dinner - very boring

Check your email between 2 and 3 for an update on my condition.

Think good thoughts.  :)   Love you all.

Tomorrow is the big day.

How to Leave a Comment!

Hi.  I know some of you are having trouble leaving a comment on my blog.  Try this:

1. Click on "comments"

2. Write your comment in the box

3. Choose "Name/Url" under profile

4. Type in your name - leave url blank

5. Click on "post comment"

6. A word for you to type should appear.  If it does, type the word and then follow instructions.

7.  If the word doesn't appear, type in some random letters and click continue.  Keep trying and you will get a word to type in.  Then click "post comment".

I know this sounds very very complicated but you can do it!  Pretend I'm sitting next to you and don't give up! I LOVE getting comments -really I do!  Get it?  Just try again - for me.  

Saturday, February 14th

Hi everyone,

The day of my surgery is almost here (Tuesday) and I've been thinking about the details of that day.  I know that I will need to get as much rest as possible and I've decided that I will not be able to visit with anyone on Tuesday other than David and my sister Cathy. The surgery will be long - six hours or even more. Of course you are welcome to be in the waiting room for any of that time if you want to. Please feel free to be there if you want to be there.  Once I'm in the recovery room Cathy will send a group email letting you know that everything went well.

I think I will be in the hospital for several days and I really hope I will be able to have visitors at some point. Jessica will keep updating the blog re: my condition.  

 Many of you have offered to bring food to my house or drive me to chemo appointments. We will be posting a calendar online that you can use to sign up on certain days to help.  This way we won't receive 5 pots of chicken soup in one day!  Information about the calendar will be on the blog soon.

Again, I want to thank you for your love and support.  I can't express how much it helps me.  I have the best friends and family in the world!

Love,

Amy

PS Hope you like the cartoon.  I'm trying  to stay positive and humor helps!

Thursday, February 12th

Serenity- the state of being calm and peaceful.  This is what I'm working on and have already found moments of peace. I am very hopeful and am trying to stay positive!  

This morning I met the doctor who will be taking out my ovaries.  He's a gynecological oncologist (try to say THAT 3 times real fast!) and I liked him a lot.  Went back to Cedars in the afternoon for a pelvic ultrasound.  I will spare  you those details.

My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday.  I will  write more about that soon.

BTW - Vicki - I had an egg sandwich for lunch from the Urth Cafe!  :)

I feel blessed to have so much love and support.  Thank you.

Love, Amy

Wednesday, Feb 11th

Hi. Went to Cedars yesterday morning for pre-op tests:  EKG, blood tests and more blood tests.  Later I went to my local pharmacy to pick up some meds.  I told Ari, the pharmacist about my cancer diagnosis and he gave me this cute Beanie Baby.  He said he'd had it downstairs for three years and wanted to give it to me.  So sweet.

I'm meeting with a gynecological oncologist tomorrow because I also have to have my ovaries removed.  This is to protect me from getting ovarian cancer. Because I have the BRCA-1 gene my risk of that cancer is greatly increased.

Today is a shopping day - yay!  Looking for a comfy robe and some more sweatpants and loose tops.  Will write again soon when I have more info.

Love you!

Sunday 2/8

Hi everyone,

Like my new hair?  Decided it was the right time for a change.  In case you don't know - that's my dog Miles.  He's been staying close to me and we both like our scarves.  :)

Mainly I just want to let you know how much I appreciate all your love and support.  I'm really enjoying reading the comments on the blog - so keep them coming!

Spent Friday night in Ojai with Jessica, Cathy, and Katie (my friend from Portland).  Had an amazing session with Kim and she helped me as always.  

I have 3 doctor appointments tomorrow and should know my surgery date soon.  Keep checking the blog for the updates.

That's all for now.  xoxo

Greetings ta-ta supporters.  Welcome to the informative chemo-updating, cancer-ass-kicking and general life celebrating world of Amy Halliburton.  Here you will learn an array of matters including the intricacies of Amy's cancer and updates from the doctors.

This blog was created as a way to keep all loved ones updated at once without a particular handful of people answering the phones thirty times a day (as much as we love talking, there is laundry to be done sometimes..).  If you have any questions please feel free to comment on this site and we will make sure to answer everything in the subsequent post. 

Lastly, thank you all for your concern, your support and most of all your love.