I heard you loud and clear

I questioned, you responded. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

From this side of the blogsphere, I craft messages, hearing only the clicking of keys and the occasional whine of my computer's motor. While I was still getting comments some days, on others, I felt my message didn't touch anyone.

Yet, when I called out over the web, to determine if it was still valuable to blog instead of journal, I heard the response loud and clear.

If you write it, they will read.

So, I'll continue to blog. I have to admit though, some days are easier than others. There are times, I really like what I've written, the words I've chosen and the message I've left. Other days, I feel less than satisfied about my entry. Some mornings, the words appear in my mind faster than my fingers can type. But on others, I have to let my thoughts stew before I can touch my keyboard.

One friend commented recently that my blogs make him feel like he's keeping up with what's happening with me and filling the Tina-shaped void in his life, but also acknowledged it's not a two-way street. I don't have the same luxury and therefore, need other forms of communication to know what's happening in your lives. I love the update emails, phone calls and visits so I hear about you too. (Pssst, I know I'm not the centre of the universe, nor do want to be.) Facebook updates do help me stay a little more current for those of you that use it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't need comments on my blog every day to validate my writing. But I do like the occasional feedback.

So, in terms of an update, my left arm just above and below my elbow mysteriously started to hurt late yesterday afternoon. I'd never experienced this dull ache in exactly that spot before, and never 13-days post chemo. As a result, I had difficulty falling asleep last night. But it miraculously disappeared this morning. Huh.

My depeleted white blood cells are doing their darndest to fight off a cold. I didn't help their situation any when I added Ducerol on Tuesday night. Ducerol is a vaccine to help fight travellers' diarrhea and cholera. I didn't think about the fact that I was only the second week after chemo when I downed the fizzy medication. It was only after, lying in bed, that I contemplated the effects it may have on my compromised immune system. But my chemo nurse reassured me yesterday that I should be fine.

I literally danced a happy jig yesterday afternoon when she also told me my CA-125 is now 17! (If you recall, normal is anything under 35). Woo hoo!

This morning, Angie and I are meeting with a research physician to discuss my options for clinical trials. Yes, I've beaten this cancer, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't make a home in my body again.

Until tomorrow,
Tina