Half-Way

Today marks the half way mark on my radiation treatments. So far my skin is holding up fairly well. It is pretty irritated on the chest wall where they give stronger treatments to the lymph nodes. Yesterday I was measured for my last set of plates which will be used the last 6 days of my treatments to treat the scar tissue. They have made 2 other sets of plates since I began treatments. The plates are made from lead and just the area they wish to treat is cut out of the lead. It's amazing how quickly they get me out of there (usually 13 minutes or so).

I am anxious to talk to my oncologist tomorrow about the Herceptin treatments. I really would like to finish them since the research on it shows it increases my chance of survival by 50% over women who are Her2 positive who don't receive the Herceptin. The pain in my legs is a little less troublesome and the sciatic problem is resolved. Thanks to massage therapy and a stretching exercise, I am no longer having that pain.

Last night Ana graduated from 5th grade. The inspirational speaker was a young man of 16 who had a book published at 14! He also plays the piano. I thought it rather neat to have a speaker for them to whom they could readily relate. The school bought copies of his book for each graduate and he signed each of them after the program.

Well, Francine, the other Samatran hen has decided to set. She only has one egg. You may recall she tried to set back when her sister hen set on her eggs and The Sultan ran her off her nest. She ran around here wild eyed for days afterward. The one egg she has under her hasn't been fertilized so I think I'll do what Lindy does with her little Cochin hen who is always broody. I'll let her set 21 days, go get a biddy from somewhere and place it under her at night and bingo! She's a mama. Freckles (Mother Hen) has finally weaned her 3 little ones. I've seen her peck at them when they come around her and she no longer shares food. The last two nights she has gone to the roost without them. I did notice last night the one biddy that looks like a rooster has taken a place on the top roost with her but the other two which I think are pullets took a lower roost. It will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the group change once the little rooster comes into his own. The 3 pullets Lindy gave me stick together, often sitting in a little clutch in the afternoon.

Tomorrow Linda Grace will arrive!!! So, more later.

Linda Gail