Happy normal 4th of July!

Hope you all had a happy 4th! We enjoyed Linda's version of my dad's famous ribs. They were awesome. Smokey played in his custom, built by Uncle Lee, top of the line, sandbox. We tried lighting some fireworks but that didn't go so well...

I haven't had much chance to blog this last week. I can't imagine how my life got so busy. Oh yeah, duh. I have cancer... or had???

Before my last chemo treatment I had a blood draw to determine CBD and also a tumor marker report. And... my tumor marker is normal. Yes, normal. Lee was with me and he said something like "wow, normal isn't a word used to describe you very often." This comment got a bigger grin from Dr. Johnson than I would have expected.

My marker came in with a score of 38. Below 40 is considered normal. Oh sure, I know you are going to ask "what did it start out at?" And guess what? I don't know. Lol. There is no beginning marker recorded in my chart at the oncologist’s office. I don't know why. Susan the nurse sort of explained that by saying that "it didn't matter much what it started at and besides it is only one of many factors they look at." But she said that a normal marker was "good" and that I may only need a couple more chemo treatments. Yahoo.

As a result of this great news Dr. Johnson scheduled me for a CT/PET scan next Thursday to see just what has occurred to this point. I get to go back for another ride in the 3.5 million dollar trailer.

I have to tell you that they were very cautious not to let my reaction to the good news get the best of me and it was down-played a lot... understandably. They don't want to get hopes up and/or make me think that it has all disappeared when there is probably still some there to worry about. But I don't care. Good news is good news.

I'm also now looking for a nanny... again. This will be nanny number 9. If anyone knows someone who might want the job... email me. I arrived at the nanny idea yet again after the demise of my cleaning girl and Linda maybe having to have surgery on her neck soon. Linda needs less to do and I already need more help—with her being out for awhile, it could get ugly. So it's easier to find a nanny to help entertain my son and do housework instead of finding someone to run the Jungle; at least I think... I've been through fewer nannies than employees over the years, so at least statistics are on my side.

We go through nannies as fast as we go through cookies because my son is such a high-energy kid. And he is always by far smarter than them... it takes a toll. I wish I could find a Lego-expert, geek that can also do the dishes and play tag. That's what I'm hoping for—someone that knows a Bionicle from a Jedi Knight, who can also load a dishwasher and run a little... that can't be that hard, right? Oh yeah, they also have to be germ free and not afraid of a woman with no hair...

Happy 4th!