Big Bang Update

Just a quick update about my Big Bang Theory ticket quest…

I woke up earlier than I usually do to help MJ with her breakfast.  I had totally forgot it was Monday -the day they release Big Bang Theory tickets.  We’ve had a super busy week and to be totally honest, I was starting to give up on it.

But I was up so I thought why not try again!
I opened 4 browser windows and began the wait.

They say the tickets are usually up around 8:30am.  I started hitting the site around 10 minutes to 8 just to be sure.  Around 8 is when the site starts to get bogged down and the refresh-your-browsers game begins. The site basically gets so overloaded you can’t access the ticket page so you have to just keep reloading over and over and over.  You’d think they’d have a better way, but that’s just how it is.

I found a blog from a girl who gives tips on how to get tickets.  Apparently she goes all the time -even though it states you’re only supposed to go once per season.  *ahem*  Anyway, she said that there’s only about 200 seats total for each show.  Not a lot.  She also said there were a lot of people who not only traveled to be there but traveled from other countries!  No wonder tickets are so hard to come by.

So I refreshed my browsers and had some breakfast.  It’s kinda boring and exciting all at once.  Hard to not get your hopes up.  Every now and then the order page comes up but the tickets aren’t listed.  It’s such a tease.
About 8:40 one of the browsers got the ticket page loaded.  I scrolled through the show listings….   The Big Bang Theory * 3/26/13 * 6:30 PM
ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!??

There it was!
I couldn’t type my info in fast enough.
Hit submit….

This is the page that comes up when you can’t get through.  The page I’d been staring at for the last half hour and who knows how many hours in trying to get these tickets for the last few months.
Refresh. Nothing.
Refresh. Nothing.
Refresh. Nothing.
Refresh…

What?!??   But I filled everything out correctly!  I checked!  ARGHhhhh!

Hit the back button, tickets still listed.  Whew.
Filled it out.  Double checked.  Hit submit…
Same.
Same sequence happens again and again.

So I try another browser and the same thing happens.
I’m so sad and frustrated and finally the tickets disappear from the site and only Standby remains.  As much as I want to see the show I just don’t want to wait in line 8 hours for standby with the chance that you still might not get in.

I decided to go to the Audiences Unlimited website and see if they had an e-mail contact.  I had just happened to screen shot everything, maybe they could help?  Why not, right?
I sent them an e-mail and about 20 minutes later received one back…

I’M IN!!!  I GOT IT!!!
I only got one ticket, but that’s OK.  I watched the show alone in my hospital room so I guess it seems fitting to go and see them by myself.
Thanks everyone for the help.  And thank you to my new best friend Steve from Audiences Unlimited for hooking me up! I’m so looking forward to this!

 

Updates

Updates are coming!

Sorry, we’ve been super busy lately!
Coming back from MI, ten the party here and Nalani’s birthday and I’m trying to cram in one last class for school this week.  Oh yeah, plus all those pesky doctor appointments.

I haven’t even had a chance to thank everyone and all that, so please hang tight cause I’ll be getting to it as soon as I finish up with school this week!

Reality Bites

Yesterday was “World Cancer Day”.
Any other year I may or may not have known and probably wouldn’t of cared much except to find it an interesting fact.  This year I spent it in a chemo chair. Painfully aware of why a World Cancer Day exists.

I’ve been having all kinds of feeling as I’ve been trying to fundraise money for the Colon Cancer Alliance and looking at all the cancer research that happening and money being raised for it.  While I’m grateful, I’m worried.
When I ran with Team In Training to raise money for blood cancers, they always talked about “the race for the cure”.  Of course that always sounded important, but I didn’t realize what that really meant to those we were raising the money for.

I know some of you have Googled my cancer. My cancer at it’s stage is not good by the statistics.  Fortunately, most of those statistics are outdated and typically apply to old men.  There are more and more people who are living longer and longer, especially younger people it seems.
But here’s my reality…   By the statistics that exist and by doctors standards (including my own), I’m lucky if I live 5 years.  Personally, I’m looking to see 50 and anything beyond that is just super bonus living!
While that doesn’t sound great, I think it actually is.  Most likely if I had gotten this cancer 10 years ago, I wouldn’t of made it as long as I have already. Research and treatment has come along way in the last 10 years. So I pray for those guys in the white lab coats every day to find the next thing that’s going to keep me alive until another lab coat finds the next thing.  Of course I’d love a cure, but I’ll take what I can get.
It’s scary to think about my fate like that but I’ll just keep taking every day I get.
Worrying will get me nowhere.  It’s just wasted time, and feelings.
The kids were doing a writing exercise with MJ the other day and I joined in with them.  Here’s my little poem about it:

worry is gray
it tastes like bitter twigs
it smells like an electrical fire
it reminds me of dirty molasses
it sounds like crushing metal
worry makes me feel like running in circles

Who wants to feel like that all the time?  Besides, I think keeping as positive as possible and living life is what will keep me going.  Even if it’s just day by day.
This song pretty much sums up my feelings.  I couldn’t express it any better.  Thank you, Ingrid Michaelson:

So what does this mean to you?
If you yourself don’t have cancer or don’t have anyone close to you with it, it’s easy to not think about.  It’s easy to not think about even though there’s reports just about every day about things that are causing cancer.  It’s easy to not think about it even if you do know someone with cancer or are involved in cancer fundraising activities.  I did.
Until your doctor looks you in the face and tells you that YOU have cancer, you can’t really know how it feels.  Until you are sitting in that chemo chair or hunched over the toilet after a treatment or collapsed on the couch with fatigue, you can’t know.
But you might have to.  And that’s what I want people to know and why I want to get people involved.

Do you really know what your odds are of getting cancer?

Even if you think you know, PLEASE check this out:

(btw the 24,528 in the still shot is the odds of getting stuck in an elevator.  You need to see it to believe what the cancer odds are)
Doesn’t that freak you out just a little?  It’s terrible!
And that’s why everyone needs to be aware and take a stand!  Donate to cancer causes!  Do a charity race!  Volunteer time at a cancer center!
I can’t tell you how much I love going to chemo when I know the volunteer therapy dogs are going to be there.  And there’s a lady who comes and does massages and there’s art people.  There’s so much people can gain from everyones help.

But what we really need?  Is time.  As more and more people are diagnosed, more and more people are losing their battles.  We would like cures, but we need time and that costs money.  I hate that it does, but it does.  I understand there’s big business in medicine, but besides taking care of myself, I have to rely on this system and so do you.

I’m sorry that I get all preachy about this, but it’s only because I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I’m going through.  I don’t want to see anymore of my friends or family fall into the horrible odds.  I didn’t think it could happen to me, hopefully it won’t happen to you too.  Awareness is the key.

So please join me in this war against cancer.  Stand up for me. Stand up for anyone else you know going through this. Stand up for everyone who’s surviving with this terrible disease and even stand up for those who have lost their battle.

Let’s end this shit so there doesn’t have to be a World Cancer Day.  Let’s end it so we can celebrate “World Were Living Longer Than Ever Day”  or “World Cuddle Day”.  Whatever.  As long as it means no more suffering from this damn disease.

Peace and Love,
Heather

Health Update

Just a quick check in on where I’m at.

Coming off the Morphine and having low hemoglobin levels a month ago I was the most exhausted I think I’ve ever been.  It took energy just to go for a car ride.  MJ was the perfect coach through it all.  She planned little trips to get me out in the world and get a little exercise.
MJ says I’m a different person since I’ve been off the Morphine.  I didn’t think I was all that different but I guess I was whacked out.  My home nurse mentioned it too. I just love not having to remember to take it every day and not feeling like a big turd if I forgot to.  I’ve had very little pain since I’ve been off and have Vicodin to take if I need to, but I’m needing to less and less.
My blood counts are getting back to normal too.  My hemoglobin went back up to 9.  Still pretty low.  Hopefully it will keep moving up and not drop ever again.  That sucked.
I didn’t realize how much energy I had lost until this last week when I’ve started to feel normal again.  I’ve started to do more things around the house, started to get back to my normal outside activities and even started going back to the gym.  OK, I mostly go to sit in the hot tub, but I do manage to either get in a couple of laps in the pool or a few minutes on the treadmill.
I still get connected to the 5FU pump every other week and have to wear it for two days.  Last round I took the pump with me to the gym.  Boy did I get stares.  I was waiting for someone to ask me what it was.  I was all ready to tell them it was a new music player.  Download liquid music into your blood stream and it automatically plays when you want it.

My hair is still coming in.  People told me it might come back curly and boy were they right!

Hard to tell in this crappy pic, but it’s quite red too.  It’s more the color it was when I was a kid.  I actually like it.  Well see how manageable it is as it gets longer.

Something I haven’t mentioned in awhile is my CEA numer.
“The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test measures the amount of this protein that may appear in the blood of some people who have certain kinds of cancers, especially large intestine (colon and rectal) cancer. It may also be present in people with cancer of the pancreas, breast, ovary, or lung.”
The CEA number in a normal adult is less than 5.  My number when I was first diagnosed was over 1600.  Over the last year that number has slowly started coming down.  A few months ago I finally got below 5.  I’ve been between 3 and 4 for the last month.

I have 2 more rounds of chemo and then I’ll have a new scan.  I’m more nervous for this one than any I’ve had before.  This could be a very big one.  My last scan was in Nov. and I only had 3 very small active tumors left.  Did I knock those suckers out?  I’m so glad I have things to keep my mind off of it this month or I’d be a wreck.

So I’m doing better!  I was hoping to start training again last month and that didn’t happen, but I’m working towards it this month.  Also looking to start yoga.  I’ve been wanting to for a really long time and either chickened out or felt crappy.

Oh, and I got a new hat.