On October 25, 2014, one year ago today. My boyfriend at the time,
Donny, came to visit me in my hometown of El Centro, CA. He brought along his son, and we made plans
to go to a newly opened trampoline spot, called Ricochet. Although I was 50 years old at the time, I am
a child at heart and I had been wanting to go to Ricochet, once I learned what
it was, and that it was open. (I literally drove by it every day while they
were preparing) I worked just up the
road.
We
arrived at Ricochet and signed all of the waivers and paid the fees. We were given a grace period, so that we wouldn’t
miss a minute of our 2 hour jumping time. But, we could start jumping right
away even though our “time” had not officially begun. We were so excited and having so much fun,
that I realized we needed pictures.
Donny ran out to retrieve his camera from his truck. He was literally only gone for like a minute
when I went down as I attempted to land from a jump.
Both
of my feet began to swell immediately.
Donny returned, camera in tow, a smile on his face only to find me
sitting on the trampoline. Our jump time
had not even started, and I was totally out.
Ugh! So disappointing. I crawled, in a rather graceful fashion of
course, to the side where I was provide a chair, some ice and Ace
bandages. Not wanting to be a Party-Pooper, I decided I would participate by
video taping my boyfriend and his son.
Sorry, this is really difficult for me, I had to take a break because
the tears are rolling down my face.
After
the boys were finished and had put on their shoes, Donny carried me out of the
club because I could not put any pressure on my feet. I just have to say, what an amazing man Donny
is! He literally carried me everywhere
for the next few weeks. And for months
as I healed he helped to keep me mobile and comfortable. He literally let me lean on him. 8-)
In
November I went to a doctor for something other than my feet. They didn’t find anything unusual, but after
I explained how I sprained (so I thought) both my feet in October they took
X-rays and sent me to an Orthopedic Surgeon.
It turns out I had fractured bones in both feet. The Orthopedic doctor said that I should have
been booted back in October but amazingly enough it looked like I was healing just fine on my
own.
Since
I was finally at the doctors, my Nurse-Practitioner( NP), wanted to give me a
thorough once over. I went through the
normal poking and prodding, and then they sent me off to the Lab-Pires (could
they take anymore blood?). The results
of the blood panel showed that I had a lowered white blood cell count and an elevated protein level. The protein level was only slightly elevated,
and I was not concerned because as a Figure Competitor, I need my lean
protein! I assumed the low white count
was nothing because I felt perfectly fine.
My
Nurse Practitioner ordered tests two more times, with the same results. She then referred me to a
Hematologist
/ Oncologist. I was perplexed, but I
went. The doctor there said it is highly
likely there is, absolutely,
nothing wrong with me. I liked the sound
of that! He ordered a BAZILLION tests. They
all came back negative, except for the test for a protein called an
"M" Protein. The state of this elevated
protein is a condition called, MGUS. I
know, I said the same...WHAT is MGUS?!
MGUS
is a Monoclonal Gammopathy of Unknown Significance. It is almost always a benign condition even
though it requires monitoring, every 3-6 months, for the duration of my
life. Because of this MGUS diagnosis, my
doctor suggested he give me a Bone-Marrow Biopsy to have a baseline because
MGUS is often a precursor to a deadly Cancer called Multiple Myeloma. I agreed to the biopsy.
My
first biopsy was scheduled for July 27, 2015.
The amazing Donny made the 3 ½ hour drive down to El Centro for the
weekend so that he could be with me for my test that Monday. Due to an insurance authorization issue,
there was no test. They rescheduled
about a month later to August 17. This
happened to be mine and Donny’s one year anniversary. Romantic huh?
Of
course he made the drive down for this test also. He really was so supportive. On the day of the biopsy, he really struggled
to be there with me the whole time. This
was a major challenge for him because he does not do well with medical
procedures. This touched me so deeply. I felt so blessed. It takes a while to get results, and so they
scheduled an appointment for me to review them on September 14, 2015. Six days after my 51st birthday. I was not really nervous because I was
certain that there was nothing wrong with me.
This is likely why the news that I was showing positive for B-Cell
Lymphoma did not sink in for me.
It
took me a while. I have B-cell
Lymphoma? My doctor was pretty sure
that I would not need treatment at this time which confused me further. Why wouldn’t I get treatment if I have Cancer? He gave me a referral to a Blood Cancer Specialist
at The Moores Cancer Center on the UCSD campus, in La Jolla, CA. This appointment was on September 23, which
happens to be my dad’s birthday.
Although he passed away in 2006, I know that he is with me, and I can
feel his love always.
My
doctor at Moores, was amazed at how healthy I am. I have absolutely NO SYMPTOMS of this
illness! He even asked me about some
fitness tips...8-) My squeamish, sweet
boyfriend was in the hallway passing out (literally) at the thought of
bone-marrow...It's not funny, but the sweetness makes me laugh every time I
think of it.
I
left that doctor’s appointment with a long list of tests that were required to
create a complete baseline. I have given
more blood than I knew I had, had skeletal surveys, and a CT-Scan. My knowledge base of medical lingo is growing
quite extensive. The CT- Scan was the
most challenging. Drinking down 44
ounces of an oddly-sweet, chemical drink … yummy. NOT!
The worst part is that the speed at which you can finish the stuff (44
oz) determines when your test begins. I
found that if I waited too long in between the drinks, it made a lot harder to
take another drink.
When
all of my tests were done, I called the Cancer Center. Since they received everything they needed, they scheduled my appointment 11 days earlier than it was originally scheduled. I was scared now. It felt too real, and now we were going to
discuss possible treatments. I still
felt like the healthy woman that went to the doctors just to get a check-up.
As
it turned out, the course of treatment recommended at this time
is,
"WATCH and WAIT"... This is a
course of action taken with a slow-growing (INDOLENT) Cancer. It
has
been one month and 11 days since I was diagnosed with B-cell Lymphoma. I intend to fight this, in whichever way I
need to do so. I have some really great support on my side. I no longer have Donny to hold my hand, but I know
he wishes me well. He and his son were
even going to shave their heads, in solidarity, if I have to have Chemotherapy
down the road.
My
long-time, true-blue sister/friend, Michele, who sticks with me even when I
frustrate her, has agreed to accompany me should I ever need her to do that.
(oh, I'm gonna cry again) We are both kind of tough/sensitive girls...It's hard
to explain...8-)
My
next set of tests starts in December and winds up in January. I hope I get the same good news!
Say
some prayers for me if you think of it.
I will appreciate them greatly!
In
this Blog, I will take you on this journey with me. I'm going to continue to train and transform. I will be back on the stage in 2016 in one of
my sparkly creations!
And,
I'm also going to show you that you don't have to lay-down for this monster! My GOD is BIGGER!
In
the end, I'm coming out with a story that I can't even imagine. Hang on and ride with me!
