Catching Up

Hello my wonderful Marchers. It's been a roller coaster lately. I really must be in some sort of cosmic colliding of karma, but hopefully it will pass soon. Kathi's trial is over, except for the sentencing on April 10th. I was on the stand for one afternoon and held over for rebuttal the next day and found that I knew much more than I thought. There were only three witnesses in the whole case, the medical examiner, my friend Jan and me. The long and short of it was that she was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter instead of murder. At the end of all of this, I still don't know how I feel about Kathi, but I just took the stand, told the truth and figured it was up to judge and jury. The night before the trial, my brother-in-law wa**** by a truck while riding his bicycle home from the university. Truck vs Bike, truck wins. Spent the night in the trauma unit with my sister. Darryl will be OK, but he looks like he got hit by.... well, a truck. Word to the wise - wear a helmet. Darryl was lit up like a Christmas tree on a Schwinn - lights on the front and back of the helmet, front and back of the bike, a light on both arms and a light on his backpack, he was wearing a neon yellow bike jersey and an orange reflective vest. He broke the windshield with his face and head and flipped over the cab of the truck and into the bed. Had it not been for the helmet, he'd be dead right now. I had gained three pounds last week with all of my stress eating, but I really focused this week and got them off. One of the things that helped was stocking up on Lean Cuisine and Weigh****chers meals. If I just pop one of them in the microwave, it keeps me from grazing my way through the cupboards and fridge while I'm trying to decide what to eat. I did get busted with a box of Cheez-its in my truck. When The Man cooks dinner, it's ridiculously healthy and small portions. By the time I leave his house several hours later, I'm starving. I was stopping at a fast food place on the way home and eating a burrito a couple of nights a week. BAD! So the last time I left for his house, I threw the Cheez-Its in the truck. They were left over from a party. I ate a few on the way home, felt better and didn't stop for fast food. My friend Jan and I went for haircuts yesterday and she found the box of crackers in my truck and lit into me. She's a wls patient also and keeps me on the straight and narrow when she finds stuff in my house. My personal Food Police. The results of all of my testing on Monday are inconclusive. I don't know where I go from here. The suggestion from the Women's Center is to get another mammogram in 6 months and see if it grows. Ummmmm... I have a problem with that. Honestly, part of the problem is that I want to go ahead and get the reconstructive surgery over with. I don't want to wait six months, find out it's nothing and have waited 6 months for reconstruction. I also don't want to wait six months and find out it is malignant and I could have done something earlier. I asked about a biopsy and they siad that they'd rather wait the six months. Sounds like I need a second opinion. Yeesh... So I don't know any more than I did two weeks ago. Well, my friends, the pipe has burst under the master bathroom sink so guess where I'll be today. The boys at Home Depot put out an APB if I don't show up once a week so I'd better get down there. Love you all and you'll hear from me again on the 9th. Connie

Connie, so sorry about Darryl but so glad he survived and will be ok. You have had your fair share of trauma lately, it's time for a respite. About the "incolclusive" test results; bull**** You know where I'm at when I'm pushed to the point of cussing on our beloved board. I don't care what "they" want to do. This is your body, your health, your life, and your insurance coverage we're talking about. YOU decide what you want to do, need to do, when to do it - and DO IT. Here's your second opinion from Reenie who is so SICK of the frigid cold in Connecticut, she needs SOMETHING to scream about if for any other reason than to WARM UP! Call your doctor right away; tell him/her you've thought things over and you want a biopsy immediately. Don't confuse the issues of breast health and reconstructive surgery - the one has nothing to do with the other except in terms of time frame. There is so much media hype about the faulty results of mamograms, I say RUN, do not walk, RUN to your doctor and/or the center or source that will perform the biopsy and make that appointment to have it done immediately. You will have CONCLUSIVE results in about 48 hours. Please do this now. Or else I am going to have to come to Arizona and hurt you. Huge hugs. Maureenie

Connie, Connie, I agree with Reenie, Please please get that second opinion & do it soon. This can be cured if caught early. Do not let them make you wait another 6 months before they do anything. Find another Doc ASAP. This is nothing to fool around with & I can not believe they don't want to do the biopsy to find out if there is anything there. You will feel better with yourself if you have this done as well. It will help get past some of the anxeity if you no there is nothing there. If there is, you can take care of it Now a lot better than later. Hang in There !! It is time to get some good things happening your way. Prayers are headed your way for a much calmer life for you. Arizona may be a great place to live, but we have lousy Doc's out here. So do yourself a favor & get another one to look at you. We love you & I will also come and kick your Butt, if you don't. I am closer than Reenie is. (course I have to get money to have the gasoline to get there, but I would find it to do so.) This is sent with Love & friendship Marilyn, the Bearlady

Connie - You have so much going on it's amazing you aren't stopping for fast food and grazing Cheez-It's all the time. Wow....just incredible! I really feel for your BIL...I'm amazed at some of the boneheaded things the motoring public does, but yet I shouldn't be. I've been dispatching for the last 18 years but still, people amaze me. He is unbelievably lucky though...most of the time the truck wins and for good. Glad to hear he is going to make it. I guess I haven't kept up enough lately because I didn't know you had something suspicious in your ta-ta's. I'm with you - have them go in and take care of it all right now. But then again, I think I read or heard somewhere once that if you do have cancer and it is cut into it can cause it to spread more if they don't get it all. I don't know if any of that is true, but if it is, that might be why they want to wait...so they know what they are going after. As for gaining 3 lbs, I can still do that in a day, so fret not, my friend. I finally got back down to 189 but jumped back up to 192 yesterday. Never ends! Good to hear from you. I'll try to not be such a stranger, but no promises. I have a lot going on too...thankfully not as traumatic as yours though!!! Dina

Connie, I am sooo sorry to hear about your brother in law. I am glad that he will be ok. Hopefuly the guy who hit him will get more than a ticket. On the issue of your breasts......if it is cancer, you could be dead in 6 months!!!! Get your butt into the Dr.s and get a second opionon pronto!! This is nothing to mess around with. Unfortunatley there are to many Dr.s out there who prefer to play the waiting game and in the process cost thier patients thier lives. Breast cancer is in my family also my cousin found a lump right after giving birth to her second son, she went into her Dr's and he said that it is probably just an infected milk gland and blew her off. She went home that day and decided that that did not sound right she went to a different Dr for a second opinon the next week and was immediately admited to a hospital and underwent surgery to have the breast removed as it had progressed beyond just a lump upon further investigation. She then had chemothearapy right after they finished chemo a second lump was discovered in the second breast and she had to do it all over again the second time. She has since had reconstructive surgery and is currently cancer free. Her Second Dr told her if she had followed the first Dr.s instrunctions instead of her instincts she would be dead today. So moral of the story..... Get a second opinion and do it fast! I pray that it turns out to be nothing but that is a chance that you cannot take. Also have fun with the broken pipe I had that little problem a month ago, broke under the stairs that was fun!! Love ya, Leslie