I'm happy to say that my doctor's appointment right after my Florida trip went really well. My PET scan had no "shadowed spots," which basically means no cancerous cells. And what's more, I don't have to go back to MDA until October, which is fantastic. That will be the longest I've ever gone without going to the hospital in over a year now. If I can go one year from this past April, my doctor says it will not come back--and as we've gone over before, she's a genius so what she says is the truth. Dr. Thomas gave me a hug, which I know doesn't sound too weird, but if you only knew her. She's not a huggy type of person, so I was a little shocked when she did. Those of you who know me, know that I like to hug, so I was A-Ok with it. That's the latest news on the cancer front. On the more exciting life front, I went back to school for four weeks to take my very first nursing class--Health Assessment. I was basically learning about everything they used to do to me in the hospital, why they did it, what it showed, etc, etc. Crazy. Needless to say, I got an A. Don't get me wrong though, it was pretty hard. At least it was hard to focus and study. Dr. Thomas told me that I was going to have to retrain my mind how to study--and was she right. I still have a hard time remembering words, or what I like to call "word searching." I know what I want to say, I just forget it. It's the most frustrating thing ever, and I was already bad at it before. It's only gotten worse, but hopefully with time it will get better. Other than that though, I am doing pretty well. Physically I'm doing better, Kari Ann tells me that I don't look quite as "soft" (or in other words completely devoid of muscle). I haven't been sick either, minus some nasty sinus problems. Some people still seem to think I'm in danger of getting sick, but not so. My blood counts are back up, minus my platelets. Dr. Thomas says they'll probably stay a little below normal for a quite a while, if not forever. I guess I better not get any big cuts or anything, seeing as how platelets are what clot your blood to make you stop bleeding.
Right now I'm in Portland, Oregon, visiting my sister and brother-in-law--kari ann and bryan. I've never been west of Colorado, and I will say that I like it a lot. We've gone berry picking, walked on the beach, had a gin tasting party, cooked dinner, and I've been drinking a whole lot of coffee. Coffee is a big thing here, what with being so close to Seattle, and I l-o-v-e my coffee. People in Portland are a different breed. Anything goes here. I like that. No one stares at me and my now incredibly short hair. Whereas in Texas, people look at me like I'm crazy or worse...in disapproval, and I'm sure I don't have to say why. I went out with a couple friends in Waco, and actually got hit on by a girl. That was a first. Dr. Thomas told me she liked my short hair. She said it looked good with my face, and like I said earlier--what she says is the truth, haha. Back to Portland, the coast was exactly what you would expect. It was misty, overcast and cold, but absolutely beautiful. I've never seen a beach quite like it, and I've seen quite a few beaches. The best part of this trip is getting to hang out with my sister and Bryan, and being able to go out and do stuff. No more sitting inside all day for this girl--no thank you. I like Portland, with all it's outdoorsy, eclectic, adventurous and easy going people. I go back home in a couple of days, then in a week I head out for Boston and my grandfather's lake house in New Hampshire. I just need to go to Southern California now, and I will have made it to all the four corners of the United States in one summer. Anyways, I'm about to go for a walk around Portland with KA and Bryan, but I hope that catches everyone up on how I'm doing. Thanks for keeping up with me :)
Signing off...
Kendall
