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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Steady steady

I had chemo yesterday. The chemo I missed since I was unexpectedly hospitalized for the infection I got. I was scheduled to have chemo four days this week to start a new cycle, but it got pushed back two weeks. I'm relieved, yet part if me wanted to just get it over with. I'm itching for the end ofthe year to come, so I can just be done with all these intensive treatments. Last week I started a job as an after school program teacher. I was hired only a few days before I started and had an orientation the day before my first day. It's only three days a week for about an our and a half. It's the perfect amount for me right now, since treatments can sometimes hog up my schedule. So far the job is treating me well. I have 8th graders, which can be a pain at times, especially since it's at the end of the day. The last thing an 8th grader wants to do is go to an additional class at the end of the school day. It's going to be a challenge to find entertaining ways to teach these kids.
Other than the new job, life has been pretty steady. This past weekend my friend Sarah and I took a spontaneous trip to meet our friend Suzy in Pismo Beach. I say spontaneous because I can't really make plans ahead of time with this illness. Anything can happen, so I told the girls I wouldn't know if I could go until Friday after my appointment with my oncologist. Since everything looked good on Friday, I was given the ok! It was a rather short, yet worth wild trip. Sarah and I left Friday evening, drove four hours, ate dinner with Sue, got up had breakfast, took a stroll on the beach, had lunch, and headed back by 4. It went by incredibly fast, but it was worth the short trip to see Suzy. I miss my San Francisco roomies!
This Saturday we are having our first annual regalado family reunion! I am super excited to meet family I've never met, and see those that I have not seen a very long time. The rest of this week my sisters and I will be putting together last minute details for Saturday, so wish us luck!
I hope you all are doing well, keep following and God bless!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Here is link to story on Univision!

http://univisionsacramento.univision.com/videos/video/2011-08-17/valiente-maestra-combate-leucemia-gracias

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Stay away Ecoli!!

Finding ways to keep myself occupied has become easier. I've been trying to catch up with friends and family a lot which is incredibly nice:) my oldest niece started high school this past week...yikes, I can not believe it!! In only 4 years she will be going to college, geez I was just college! As everyone is beginning to start school and classes, I can't help but think of what I would be doing to prepare for the school year as a teacher. This time last year was madness, being it was my first year in my own classroom. I was living day by day, figuring out lessons by the skin of my teeth, but it was exciting and I'm missing that feeling this time of the year.
Ivan and I even managed to have a little movie date ourselves this past week which was much needed. he has been working several 12 hour graveyard shifts, which makes it difficult for us to spend time together. My mom has also been doing better thispast week as well. She gave us all a little scare due to her high blood pressure. My sister Hilda took her to the doctor to get medication to control her blood pressure. She has been going out for two walks a day, which is fantastic! It makes me happy to see her caring for herself and doing her best to continue living as best as she can without my dad. The other Sunday we took a family visit to my dad's grave. My sister Sovia bought us all lottery scratchers to scratch. My mom was the lucky one and won a ticket! We all thought it was a sign from my dad telling her she should go to the casino!! My dad loved going to the casino, although he always lost:(
I began to feel strangely tired by the end of the week. On Saturday I went to pleasonton with my friend Alyssa to pick up her wedding dress. When I came home I felt rather tired so I took a nap. I woke up with a fever of 102, and began to think something wasn't right. My sister in law Nayra took me into the ER. Since the chemo compromises my immune system, and sign of infection can be dangerous for me. I thought the fever rooted from being in the heat, but it didn't turn out as I thought. I ended up being admitted for not only observation, but for a platelet transfusion. I was quickly started on antibiotics to help my body fight whatever infection I had. Today is Wednesday, and I am still here hospitalized, hoping to get discharged today! I turns out I caught ecoli. Which isn't good, but also not an aggressive infection to kill. It most likely came from something I ate, which is definitely going to make me even more paranoid on what I'm eating. I'm just happy the infection wasn't from my port...I was dreading having to get it removed after the pain I endured to get it placed.
Although I wasn't too happy about an unexpected hospital stay, I'm happy I will be leaving today! This illness truly just knows how to interupt my life in every aspect....grrrrr:( praise God for no complications!
P.s. I had five minutes of fame yesterday! A Spanish television network named univision ran a story on me on t.v. Last night! Every year they have a blood drive, and since I've been a recipient of my fare share of blood transfusions, they asked if they could interview me. Quite exciting!
Keep following, God Bless!!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

My new found hobbies;)

Days are beginning to quickly trickle like a set of long organized dominoes that have been set off to fall. I feel as though I tapped my finger on the domino at th end as soon as I was released from my long hospital stay in baldwipark, and the days are just rapidly stacking upon one another. I just can't believe how fast 4 months have flown by, and how far I've traveled in this process to get treated. I know everyone always says, time/life goes by so fast, I can truly atest to that statement! My list of procedures I must get through continues to shrink, and that my friends makes me excited! I don't get the sense of missing my old life before I was stricken by this cancer anymore. I have made it my friend, as strange as that sounds, and have accepted it into my life. As evil as the life threatening illness is, it has taught me a great deal. Lessons about life, family, and people I wouldn't have learned from any other life encounter. It's part if my life now, it's me. I remember recalling moments in the hospital writing about the times I would feel glimses of "me" when I was not as sick, energetic, and felt...normal. I dont get those short glimses of feeling me anymore. I now feel me all the time, and only get short glimses when i remember that I'm fightig this cancer. It's incredible how much I've been blessed in being able to continue on with my life, perhaps not quite as it was prior to being diagnosed with leukemia, but just a little more interesting:)
Last week was remarkable at the art camp! I was given the opportunity to teach four classes all revolving around the theme of printmaking. It was just a fantastic feeling being up in front of a classroom teaching again! I was as if I had just placed down an important piece to the puzzle that had been missing for months. My puzzle, or should I say"life" just felt that much more closer to feeling complete. I feel so darn lucky to have found this wonderful gallery/art school that was willing to give me what I was missing. I felt so productive for these past two weeks...I was actually working!! A word I had not used in my verbal vocabulary in a long time. It felt so incredibly strange to be saying"well, I'm off to work!" haha seriously it was both weird, yet a good feeling at the same time. The only thing that was not pleasant these past two weeks was my tired feet. I didn't realize I was not used to standing so many hours anymore...ouch, that's all I have to say!
I've picked up a few new hobbies these past few weeks amongst my goal of keeping myself occupied. Cooking is one of them. I kid you not I have spent countless hours watching the food network and looking up recipes online trying to perfect new foods, which I can proudly say I have! Not all the new cuisines ive made have worked out, but a majority have! I've become a little obsessed...I've even fascinated about the idea of going to culinary school and opening up an international food truck here in Modesto. It's a crazy idea, but all the cooking challenges on these shows inspire me try all these new flavors that make the experIence rather enjoyable. Of course, I only get those feelings after I make a new dish that actually turned out well. Intermingled in between my science cooking lab in the kitchen, I've also started to bike. I have been stuck on the idea of getting a bike to help build my muscle back up, so I can eventually be able to run again. I went on a pre determined trip to wal-mart to get a bike with my lovely friend Mena. With help of my overly encouraging self, I managed to sway my darling friend to splurge on a bike as well. She had been wanting a bike as well, but I secretly also wanted a biking buddy;) It was rather easy to make an argument to purchase the bike with that thought in my mind. We both got beach cruisers, which highly resemble the bike of a seven year, in words of Ivan. He laughed at the sight of it commenting on the bright turquoise color and painted posies. I honeslty didn't care about his opinion. He had suggested I get a mountain bike, but I was convinced the bigger seat on the cruiser would be far more comfortable, which is! As Mena and I take our strolls on our vibrant childish cruisers, I can't help but think of the popular Now and Then movie. Boy do I need to find us some baskets and a radio!! Any who, I love my new bike, and am looking forward to many more rides with my biking buddy (Mena).
I started my new cycle of chemo yesterday. So far I have been feeling alright, I'm hoping things continue to run this way. Luckily, this cycle is outpatient, so I get to go home after I receive the treatment!! I'm not sure I could do another hospital stay after the past two without a break. I'm getting a second dose of the daneurubacin chemo, which is the very first treatment I received back in Baldwin park. It made me really sick the first time, so I hope it's a little better the second time around. My hair started to grow back which surprised me. I still do not have as much hair as Ivan though. Not sure if it will fall out again with this treatment, guess we will have to wait and see...sorry it took me so long to update you all! Keep following! God bless!