Good morning!

I slept a lot better last night.  I am feeling a little bit more rested.  I am still very swollen and sore but I think I am starting to show some improvement.  Unfortunately my right eye turned black but I think my left isn't going to.  I will just be thrilled to have some of the swelling gone.

Yesterday was kind of a hard day emotionally and physically.  I think everything just peaked then.  But you know, God sent so many incredibly blessings to me all day long just EXACTLY at the time I needed it the most.  It was by way of random phone calls,  cards, my friend Patty McDonald stopping by and surprising me with a Starbucks and Cinnabons (oh they were so good.....I ate one for lunch!),  my daughter giving me a kiss, my son saying something so funny to put a smile on my face and my sweet hubby telling me all day long how beautiful I am.  I am so incredibly encouraged by you.  God has used you in so many powerful ways in my life and I appreciate all of them.....even the tiny details.

You also all know how much I love to scrapbook.  I want to let you know that I scrap with the sweetest, generous  most talented ladies ever. They have taught me so much!   They have been taking such good care of me too and have been showering me with their support and love.  Thanks to all of you wonderful ladies at AMR/CKMB.  Especially Christie Ellis!  You know me so well and I am so grateful for all of what you have done to help me this Christmas season.  Your spirit of generosity and hard work are admired by all of us.

I plan on putting in some Christmas movies today.....write out some Christmas cards.......wrap a few gifts.....have some hot chocolate and chill.  I hope you all have a fun filled Saturday and are enjoying all of the fun that comes with the Christmas season.

GOD IS GOOD!!!

Good morning and Happy Friday!

Sleep was much more difficult last night.  The 4 points where they drilled into my skull are so incredibly sore now. I guess all the stuff left in there to keep them numb is gone.  I did manage to get a few hours of good sleep in though.  Just wished it could of been more. I am still very swollen and starting to bruise some.  I just look in the mirror and think.....well that's a new look on me.....at least I know what I look like with out wrinkles again!  Hee Hee.  (I have to keep laughing right?)  Ahhh....this to shall pass.   I am still nursing this head cold too.  I am taking everyone's advice though and I am taking it real easy, kicking back on the couch with a blanket and watching movies and doing some reading.  I have so much energy from the steroids though that it is really hard to sit still for too length of time.  I am trying to behave.

My San Diego Chargers won last night!  WoooHooo!  So Carla Paramo I will take my Johnny's tea when I come back to work next week.  And yes.....it is still my goal to go on Monday......God willing.    I know.......one day at a time.  Amy Bo......tell my Aaron B. "Yeah Chargers......11 wins in a row over the Raiders!"  I hope we look as good the rest of the season as we did last night!

Thanks Terrie O. for coming out yesterday afternoon to show me your beautiful daughter Alexa's wedding pictures.  That is one of the prettiest weddings I have ever seen.  She was gorgeous!

I think I will sit on the couch and do something a little productive today....like maybe starting to wrap my Christmas gifts.  Have an awesome day today everyone!  Have you all starting your Christmas shopping yet?  Anyone done?  House decorated?  Can you tell I am bored and want to know what is up with you all?

Thanks for your continuous prayers!  I feel them every minute of the day!

Love you and (((HUGS)))  Leslie

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!

P.S.  Lynne B.....you are in my prayers.

Good morning everyone.....it's me Leslie!  WOW!  First I need to thank you all for the tremendous showering of love, support and encouragement for me for yesterday......and everyday!  The comments here made my whole day.  Can't begin to tell you how that meant the world to me.  My sister Monica had brought her laptop to the hospital and would keep me updated as people wrote in.  Thanks for all of the phonecalls, text messages, comments and cards.   I was in tears lots yesterday by the overwhelming love I felt.  Your prayers and encouragement got me through this.  I did it!  I really did it!  I am so happy this part of my treatment is over!

Well about yesterday.....It was no walk in the park and no fun at all.  I knew the halo would be uncomfortable but had no idea how much it would hurt.  I guess if they had told me that in the beginning I would of been very scared.  Lets just say that I do not ever want to go through that again.  I am very swollen and bandaged down......but I do not have a headache.  I slept fair last night but have now come down with a nasty head cold.  So I am up early drinking tea for my throat (Thanks Jessica S.) and am going to lay low for the next few days.  I am hoping to hear a date today on when the chemo starts and I will update and let you know.  In my mind I am shooting to go back to work on Monday.  Just taking it one day at a time. And yes.....I want to go to work and see all the kids!  I miss them and my Waggoner Elementary family.

I would like to add one more thing......my hubby Mike.  He is the most loving, wonderful, thoughtful, caring, attentive, generous, sweet man you will ever meet.  He even had flowers for me yesterday.  He has been through so much too but I know you  have been keeping him in your prayers also.  He has just been so amazing through out this whole ordeal and I love him more everyday.  He has been glued by my side though it all.  Thank you to everyone who continually supports and encourages him and my kids and family.  It is so much appreciated.  All the staff at Pioneers hospital.....thanks for everything.

Have a great day!  God is so Good!!!

            *****UPDATE****

We are home safe and sound.  Leslie is feeling better.  We were able to take the pressure bandage off of her head when we got here and it has helped her head feel a lot better.  There is still a lot of swelling and will probably bruise, but Leslie is in good spirits and resting comfortably.  She wanted me to thank you all for keeping her so encouraged today and for especially lifting her up in prayer.  Even though it was tough she made it through this step with flying colors.  Our family is blessed by all of you.

Today is the day of Leslie's cure! GOD IS GOOD!

8:00 - We've checkied into the Gamma Knife Center, Leslie went in with a smile on her beautiful face and 2 thumbs up.  The IV went great but the halo placement hurt :(  She's in getting the MRI now then we wait for what may be quite a while.  They will feed her MRI data into the computer and make a treatment plan, we should be able to wait with her during that time.  Then it's off into the Gamma Knife.

Leslie wants you to leave comments NOW and I will read them to her as the opportunity arises.

10:00 - Leslie went into the Gamma Knife about 9:30.  After the high definition MRI scan, they located a total of 11 tumors (we were expecting that there would be tiny tumors that had not showed up on the original MRI)  They have a treatment plan to nuke all 11 tumors and expect it will take a couple of hours.  Leslie is in good spirits and appreciates all your comments, the halo is a pain in the butt and she is anxious for it to come off!

1:30 - All done, we are back at Monica's for lunch then off to home.  The Gamma Knife was much more uncomfortable than promised.  Leslie has a really bad headache and a lot of swelling on her head and face, she was hoping to go back to work this week but I doubt it - I think her eyelids are going to swell shut!.  But the Gamma Knife was SO much better than any of the other options available - God is SO good!  Thank you all for your prayers today and everyday.

Hey everyone!  Everything went great today.  I have to say that the staff at the Radiation Oncology/Gamma Knife center at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla are awesome!  They have treated us so wonderfully.  I feel at such ease there.  They really are so caring to their patients.

The zoo was great!  Best medicine for Mike and I both today.  We had never gone without our kids before and while we had a blast.....we really missed our family not being there with us. 

My daughter Jenna is on her way up here now to meet a bunch of us for my big last meal until tomorrow afternoon.  I am thinking we need to do Italian.......since I have been on these steroids I have been craving carbs, carbs and more carbs.  (especially cinnamon rolls and Starbucks for some strange reason).

I am ready to do the procedure tomorrow and get this part over with.  I admit I am not so ready for the chemo.  In fact I am dreading it.  Just can't believe I am doing this again.  I have such faith that I will be healed again and I know in my heart that doing the extra chemo is the right thing to do.  But mentally it still doesn't make it any easier.  I am grateful though that I can do it close to home.

Thank you again for your continued prayers.  I couldn't go through this with out them.  I would like to add one more request if I could......the steroids I am taking right now to reduce the swelling in my brain are taking a toll on me.  The Dr. said that hopefully I can get off of them in a month.  I am so swollen (my face looks like a puffy fish) and it has set a wild fire to the neuropathy in my hands and feet (which was caused from the last chemo I took).  Since I have started taking them I have not slept more then 4 hours a night.  Makes you very hyper.....my mind won't let me rest......don't even want to nap.......the Dr. warned me that this would happen.  It even over rides the Ambien I received to help sleep.  My body is tired.  I just need to try to deal with this for hopefully one more month (that is when they will do the 1st MRI after the procedure).  If the swelling is down by then I can get off of them.  They really want me off as soon as possible too because apparently it can cause atrophy in the muscles.

Thanks for letting me share this with you all.  Your support, love and encouraging words are the BEST medicine for me!  Mike or my sister Monica will be blogging throughout the day tomorrow to let you know how it is all going.  I will be there at 6:30 a.m.  BIG HUGS to you all.  I can feel yours too!

GOD IS GOOD AND HE WILL BE WITH ME THE WHOLE TIME HOLDING MY HAND!