UPDATE to Panic Post!

Well I have a mammogram scheduled for April 9th. I have to say I used to work in the health care field and I don't know if it's the economy or what but medical staff are becoming dumber and ruder. When I scheduled my mammogram I told the scheduler that it was for a "DIAGNOSTIC" mammogram of the left breast and she took my name and then rudely says, You just had a mammogram in March. So I tried to explain to her that the one I had in March was a follow up after breast cancer surgery and treatment. This DIAGNOSTIC mammo was being done because I found a lump. She rudely says again, but ma'am (ooh I hate that), you just had one done in March, your insurance is not going to cover this. So again I try (try being the operative word here) to explain that I had the mammo on the ONE breast and it was the OPPOSITE one. I finally just said "could you please just check with someone". So she put me on hold and comes back and says "it's ok for me to schedule that". Well no shit. Then she says "do you have any history of breast cancer?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Needless to say I was ready to bang my head on the wall. Yanno I have worked in health care for 29 years and I knew I was right but I left that conversation questioning myself. lol So hopefully it really got scheduled, we will find out when I show up at the breast center on April 9th. (Crossing fingers here).

Attention all Fiber One Lovers: (click here)

For those of you that love Fiber One, here is a website that allows you to play a daily game for a chance at a $50.00 cash cards, weekly prizes of flip video camcorders, and the grand prize of a Luxury Spa Trip to Arizona. Also you can print out $1.00 off coupons. Enjoy.

Marie Claire's daily giveawy 3/31 (click here to enter)

OK last day of the month might be lucky so enter!!! Win a Hershey's Deluxe Milk Chocolate Lover. (arv $39.95) Put a personal touch on a traditional Easter gift item. Tucked inside a beautiful spring-themed basket is an assortment of Hershey's Easter treats, including Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs and Hershey's Milk Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Eggs. No Easter basket would be complete without a pure, creamy Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bunny personalized with a hand-written message.

Marie Claire's daly giveaway 3/30 (click here to enter)

Win a Crest Healthy Smile Package. (arv $75.00) See a difference in your smile and experience up to 7X better plaque removal and cleaning when you use Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste, Crest Pro-Health Rinse and Oral-B Vitality Precision Clean power toothbrush together. Available at http://www.crest.com/makeadifference/.

Panic

Talk about panic. In the shower today while doing my self breast exam I found a lump in my left breast this time. I am calling for my mammogram that I have an order for because the day I had it done I only had an order for the operative breast, then when I went to the doctor I asked him if I could have an order for the left breast because the breast center told me I could get it done in 6 months with the right to get me back on schedule but then the left breast wouldn't get done for 18 months instead of a year. Sorry I'm just blabbering away here I'm a little nervous and when I get like this I like to blog. Please keep me in your prayers that it is nothing. However if it is, I will fight this and kick it's ass yet again. I will keep you all updated. Peace out!

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/29 (click here to enter)

Win a Lindt Easter Gift Basket. (arv $75.00) The Lindt Easter Gift Basket includes the iconic Lindt Gold Bunny, a premium chocolate treasure that ensures an extra-special and delicious Easter season.

Just a little sunshine to brighten my day.

My daughter sent me a couple pictures of my granddaughter Olivia this morning that I would like to share with you all. She is 6 months old and just beautiful. (I could be a little bias). Hope this brightens everyone's day a little......

arie Claire's daily giveaway 3/28 (click here to enter)

Win an Alana by Big Buddha. (arv $90.00) High fashion meets functionality in this trendy, tailored tote. Chic and convenient, the Alana, makes it easy to stay organized with three separate compartments. This bag is spacious, functional and is the perfect companion to your casual denim look. It's a great option for a woman who needs durability and craves trendy fashions. One lucky winner will receive the Alana by Big Buddha.

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/27 (click here to enter)

Win an Ecosol Powerstick. (arv $59.99) One Powerstick charges all your PDAs, MP3 players, and cell phones. The size of a stick of gum, it fits easily into your pocket or purse. Now you can free yourself from sockets, converters, and batteries and you'll never be powerless again! One lucky winner will receive a Powerstick, fuled by Ecosol.

SURPRISE GIVEAWAY!

I have a very cool prize to giveaway. If you know anything about "ZEN" you may be interested. I am giving away a "Buddha Board". The Buddha Board is based on the Zen concept of living in the moment. You paint the surface with water and your creation comes to life in a BOLD design. As the water evaporates your artwork magically disappears leaving you with a clean slate and clear mind-ready to create a whole new masterpiece All you have to do is comment on my blog how you handle stress, what you do to relax. Extra Entries: 1) Follow my blog on Blogger. 2) Follow elliejf on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. 3) Blog about this giveaway and leave the URL to show that you did. The contest Ends April 8th 10:59pm. Contest is open continental US only. Please make sure you leave your email address either in the post or on your profile. You will have 48 hours to contact me before the prize is forfeited and a new winner chosen. Last but not least.....GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/25 (click here to enter)

Win a TOVA Fragrance Wardrobe. (arv $50.00) A visually stunning collection of TOVA's essential fragrances, the TOVA Four-Piece Fragrance Wardrobe is presented in elegant, heavy glass bottles, and contains one ounce each of the following fragrances: TOVA Signature Fragrance, TOVA NIGHTS, TOVA Body, Mind & Spirit, TOVA Love Everlasting. One winner will receive a TOVA Fragrance Wardrobe.

My lost year...

Now that it's all over and I can actually think and speak about it positively so I'm going to tell you about the year I lost dealing with breast cancer. Wow where do I begin.... I had just gone through a major back surgery in Dec. of 2007 and got back to work in March of 2008, part time (4 hours a day). I felt so run down and the doctors all thought it was because of the surgery, then I started losing weight and had no appetite. By no appetite I mean I could hardly eat anything. So the love of my life Gary suggested that I get all the tests done that were due (or overdue) so he in fact saved my life. You see I get my annual mammograms in November every year but missed it in 2007 due to the back injury and surgery. Every year they have been normal. I have had to go back for extra views but was always told everything was OK. So I contacted my family doctor for an order for a mammogram and had it done. That evening my family doctor called me and told me I needed to get more views done and she would like me to get them done the next day. Now like I mentioned before I have had to go back for more views but never got a call from the doctor about it, I usually just got a letter from the radiology place. So I go in the next day and have the "Spot Magnification" views done. I get all done and started to leave told the girls "see ya next year" and the radiologist came out and chased me down the hall and asked if he could do an ultrasound that he sees something and wants to make sure it's a cyst. Now this whole time I am not worried, honestly never thought breast cancer. So I agreed to the Ultrasound and he asks if I can come back tomorrow, I agree. I return the next day, he does the ultrasound and as I am leaving again, he comes running after me and asks me to come back to the room. He proceeds to tell me what he saw is still there and is not cystic and recommends a biopsy as soon as I can get it done. I am still not concerned it's cancer. After the radiologist made a phone call he gave me my films and told me to take them to the Breast Center and they would schedule everything. I show up with my films, the lady takes them and states that they will be contacting me within a few days as the doctors need time to look at the films to see if a biopsy is even warranted. I leave, (it takes me about 20 minutes to get home) as I am coming in the door the phone is ringing and it's the breast center so I am thinking I forgot to give them some information or something. The lady on the other end of the phone says the doctors looked at my films and she needed to schedule me for a biopsy. This was a Friday, they wanted to do the biopsy on the following Monday (May 19th). So I made the appointment and still honestly thinking this was all nothing. As I think back now I must have just been in denial to myself as there were so many "red flags". I had the biopsy done on May 19th and received a call from the radiologist the evening of May 20th that put my life on hold. I had breast cancer. I didn't really know much about breast cancer except women get it and I thought you had to have a family history, which turned out to be so false because I didn't have a family history. My first thought was am I going to die? Will I see my grandkids grow up? Will I lose my hair? After the diagnosis everything is a blur. Appointment with the Breast Surgeon, Oncologist, Radiology Oncologist, Thoracic surgeon (to place a med port). At my referral appointment with the breast surgeon I found out I had 2 types of cancer IDC (Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma) and DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ). ER+, HER-. Stage 1, so everything about it was good as a matter of fact they called it (an old lady cancer). However it was 2 cms. in size. I opted for a lumpectomy with Sentinel Node Biopsy. Surgery went well, there was no lymph node involvement and the margins were clear but because of the size of the tumor they felt Chemotherapy was warranted. After surgery I started with Chemo which by the way was 5 days after my 49th birthday, Happy Birthday to me. I did 4 rounds of Cytoxan/ Taxotere every 3 weeks. Right before my second round I shaved my head as I noticed some hair falling out. I had very thick, to the middle of my back, wavy red hair. While my beautician is shaving my head and the hair is falling to the floor, the tears were rolling down my face, falling to my shirt. Talk about devastating. Then my eyebrows and lashes fell out, then the rest of the body hair...GONE just like that. So needless to say, there was a period of a few months that I felt like a freak and I was depressed. I did pretty well with the Chemo, only got sick once and they ordered stronger anti-nausea meds and that took care of that. After Chemo I started radiation. Radiation was a little rougher than the Chemo believe it or not. I had to take two breaks due to my skin burning. I quit my job and was unemployed throughout treatment. Financially cancer treatment is devastating. There are organizations out there to help but I never actually got the help until the end of my treatment. I was at the point I was even unable to buy groceries. So from the stress of the diagnosis and then the financial stress it's a wonder I came out of all of this so well. Financially I am not even close to being OK but I am working on it. So when you are diagnosed with breast cancer there is so much more to it than just a diagnosis of cancer. It affects so many aspects of your life. I am very thankful throughout all of this, I had a very good man that took care of me. He went to every appointment (surgery, dr's appointments, chemo appointments). He learned everything about chemo and side effects to watch for, what food would be good for me to eat, made me special food if I wanted it. I had trouble with food tasting bad during Chemo, especially meat so he did everything he could to make foods taste good enough for me to get some nourishment. He gave up a year of his life to care for me. He tried to keep me laughing, because as you know laughter is the best medicine, but when I cried, he held me and cried with me. I want to say to every woman out there. Do your self breast exams, get your mammograms done, go to your doctors regularly because you think it will never happen to you, well I am proof that is just not true.

Surprises

Hello all. I am working on some surprises for my blog in the near future (maybe a giveaway or 2) so please feel free to follow me. I am new to this so give me a chance as I figure things out as I go. Thanks to all who are following me now. As for the surprises, stay tuned......

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/25 (click here to enter)

Win a Hearty Cup & Saucer from Molla Space. (arv $20.00) Heart shaped from top to bottom/inside and out, this cup and saucer adds extra details and pride to its unique finished look. After pouring coffee into this heart-shaped cup with a matching heart-shaped saucer, you'd probably want to stare at it from above for hours and hours. It's just that cute. One lucky winner will receive the Hearty Cup & Saucer from Molla Space.

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/24 (click here to enter)

Win a ZEN Mozaic 4GB MP3 Player. (arv $79.99) The ZEN Mozaic is a music, photo, radio and video player all rolled into one. Even as a (conveniently) small device, it features a vibrant color screen for video and photo viewing. The player also comes with a built-in speaker for those times when you want to listen to music with friends or free yourself from headphones. One lucky winner will receive the ZEN Mozaic 4GB MP3 Player.

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/23 (click here to enter)

Win a Jockey Minis set. (arv $27.50) You'll feel free and flirty in the new Minis collection, which features Jockey's lowest rise ever for a "cheeky" look. Fun accents and trim add a pop of style to give you and your underwear a new attitude. One lucky winner will receive a Jockey Minis set.

A healthy treat (click here for coupon)

If you like yogurt I have a deal for you. It's Yoplait Yo-Plus yogurt. Other Yo-Plus facts Yo-Plus is a good source of fiber with 3 grams per serving. Yo-Plus is a good source of calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D. It has only 110 calories per serving. And there's only 1.5 grams of fat per serving. Click the link above to get your $1.50 off coupon.

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/22 (click here and enter)

Win a Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse. (arv $29.95) The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 offers a fresh, modern feel and comes with a USB receiver that snaps into the bottom of the mouse when you're on the go. Now your arm is able roam free across your workspace and since it's available in six glimmering hues, you can reflect your personal style. One lucky winner will receive a Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse.

Update

In an earlier post I told you about Alison's dog Sidney, well she got the results back and Sidney has lymphoma. He had his first Chemo treatment on Wednesday and it seemed to go well. He didn't seem to have any side effects from it except maybe a little tired the first day. He has to do Chemo once a week either IV or IM at the Vet or orally here at home. He does this for 14 weeks, then goes on a maintenance dose I believe monthly for life. The prognosis is about a year, some dogs live longer, some not as long. So we just don't know and will enjoy him while he's here.

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/21 (click and enter here)

Win a Too Faced "Special Effects" package for eyes. (arv $40.00). The Too Faced "Special Effects" package for eyes includes a Pinpoint Mascara and a Shadow Insurance. Pinpoint Mascara defines and curls each lash while keeping them healthy. Shadow Insurance is a silicone-based primer that makes any eyeshadow bolder and brighter. One lucky winner will receive a Special Effects Package for Eyes from Too Faced.

Ile de France gives away every week a gourmet chef's basket! (click here and enter)

For you cheese lovers out there, there is a weekly contest from Ile de France where they give away a gourmet chef''s basket. New flavors and textures to savor from Ile de France!

We’ll bring you the creamy Ile de France Brie and tangy Goat cheese in addition to a fresh-cut selection from our imported gourmet French collection. Add in some French preserves or pickles, and be ready to entertain in the French epicurean style.

Gift Preview: Two (2) jars of Bonne Maman jam (2 flavors) One (1) box Ile de France Le petit pain grille One (1) jar cornichon (small pickles) Two (2) saucisson sec (French sausages) One (1) wheel of Ile de France Brie (2.2 Lbs) One (1) buchette Ile de France plain goat cheese (10.5 oz) Various Fresh cut cheeses – based on availability

Marie Claire's daily giveaway 3/20 (click here and enter)

Win Beijo's Pinky Promise bag. (arv $95.00). The Pinky Promise bag boasts a fuchsia body with pink handles in the shape of the signature breast cancer ribbon, Beijo's exclusive silver tone hardware and logo plaque on front, detachable shoulder strap, and secure zip top entry. Proceeds from this particular bag is donated to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. One lucky winner will receive this pretty-in-pink bag! Good Luck

Enter the daily giveaway from Elle (click here and enter)

Elle is giving away a Lockheart Michelle Bag (arv $625.00). A bright blue purse with stylish silver hardware details. With its supple leather and multitude of compartments, you’ll be soon be ditching all your old carryalls and opting for this upgrade instead.

Contest ends April 15. One entry per day allowed.

Marie Claire daily giveaway 3/19 (click here and enter)

Today's giveaway at Marie Claire's is a tasty treat. They are giving away Smart Ones Morning Express Breakfast line and Circulon Divided Skillet. (arv. $75.00). Enjoy a warm, healthy breakfast on the go with new Weight Watchers Smart Ones Morning Express breakfast items. With only 240 calories or less and seven grams of fat or less, varieties like the Stuffed Breakfast Sandwich and Breakfast Quesadilla are a healthier way to start the day. For more ways to start your day off right, go to eatyourbest.com. One winner will receive one week's supply of coupons for the Smart Ones Morning Express Breakfast line and Circulon Divided Skillet for healthy cooking. Good Luck all!!!

Marie Claire giveaway for 3/18 (click here and enter)

Win a deluxe selection of Borghese nail products: "Borghese's collection to pamper nails, hands and feet. Sophisticated formulas and luxurious treatments don't have to be daunting or overpriced. Borghese offers a total spa experience that's within every consumer's reach. One lucky winner will receive this deluxe selection of Borghese nail products!" (arv $176.00) Good Luck!

Grocery shopping.

Have you ever went grocery shopping and then get home and discover you didn't get some of the things (important) you needed? Well I received this really cool thing for a gift for Christmas and it's a life saver. As you discover the things you need you just push a button and speak into the machine and it makes a list. Then when you're ready to go to the store, you just print it out. Too Cool! "The SmartShopper is an automated grocery list organizer. Using Nuance's state-of-the-art voice recognition technology, the user simply presses a button on the unit and speaks the name of a grocery item they will need on their next visit to the store." It runs about $70.00, but it would be something to ask for as a gift.

Marie Claire giveaway for 3/17 (Happy St. Patty's Day)

Win the göt2b smooth operator collection. (ARV $23.97)

Join ideeli!

Join me on ideeli, the first invitation-only shopping community.

http://www.ideeli.com/invitations/f...

You're invited to join ideeli, an invite-only shopping community where you get insider prices (up to 80% off) on luxury fashion, home and beauty brands. PLUS, ideeli has extraordinary weekly giveaways! Membership is free but you have to be invited to join- so join now!

Are you remembering to enter the Marie Claire giveaways daily?

Marie Claire has daily giveaways, make sure you remember to enter. Good Luck, I hope we have some winners. Today's giveaway is an i.Sound Twin Charger.

Great daily giveaways from Elle!

Some great giveaways. Check and enter daily. Good Luck!!

Oh Happy Day!

This is a glorious day! I had my follow up mammogram since my breast cancer diagnosis and all is GOOD!!! I was so nervous about this I canceled the appointment about 4 times. I finally made it and my hubby told me I really need to go through with it and all will be well and he was right. Let's not tell him though, info like that tends to go to a man's head. lol Well I just had to share my happy news. I will be back later with some good giveaways I hope. Have a happy!!!!

Do you have a Million dollar recipe?

You can win $1,000,000.00 just for a recipe. Could be one of your favorites or some variation of your favorite restaurant's recipe.

iPod Touch Giveaway

Everybody wants an iPod Touch, they are so cool. Well now you can win one. Just check out this site....

A Winner every 5 minutes today at Blingo Search and Win!

Winner every 5 minutes if you search on Blingo today. Good Luck all!!!

Another Awesome Giveaway!

Check this out. Handbag Heaven with the help of Ramblings of A Wannabe Writer is giving away a handbag. You should check out her blog and enter it. You can even follow her on Twitter. Good Luck everyone! http://minilegs.blogspot.com/2009/03/handbag-heaven-review-and-giveaway.html

iPod Touch

They are giving away a 32 gig iPod Touch on the Week in Rewind site. I want one of those so bad..... It's easy to enter. Good Luck! http://www.weekinrewind.com/2009/01/giveaway-ipod-touch.html

Some stressful days!

First let me tell you about the visit with my son. It was a lot of fun. He looks great except still too skinny. His friend Casey was a lovely girl and I enjoyed her company. I was not feeling well on Saturday and little did I know that it was the first day of about a 4 day flu. Anyhow the best part of the visit was watching Jack cook with Gary. You should have seen them, it was great. Gary cooking and Jack being the Prep cook cutting up all the stuff for the recipe. All in all the visit was great and I can't wait till he comes back this summer. Now since then we have had some stressful days. Alison, whom is Gary's sister that we live with has this adorable basset hound named Sidney and poor little Sidney has been sick. Alison found a lump in his neck that he had to have biopsied because the Vet thought he might have Lymphoma. Well he had the biopsy and she was told it would be 3 to 5 days before she would get the results. When he came home he had to wear a cone so he didn't scratch or try to bite at the incision. He did pretty well the next day while Alison worked. He was in his cage all day with the cone on and it was a little tricky for him to turn around but he did figure out how to do it. Well that night (Wednesday) Alison came home and let him out of his cage and he seemed fine. He played with his milk bone and seemed like the same ole Sidney. A little later in the evening he came upstairs first went into the computer room to see Gary then into the bedroom where my home office is located to see me then promptly went out into the hall and collapsed. His stomach was swelled up and Alison thought he had "bloat" and rushed him to the emergency Vet. The Vet stuck a needle in his stomach and told Alison that he was bleeding into his stomach and proceeds to tell her he could possibly have "hemangiosarcoma", which is a very aggressive cancer. So needless to say it's been a little stressful around here. He had his spleen removed as it was enlarged. They also removed an enlarged lymph node in the abdomen. Now we just wait 7 to 10 days for any results from the surgery. Please if you can say a little prayer for Sidney, he's had a few rough days. Thanks. So today I woke up and I was almost not able to get out of bed due to a severe flare of rheumatoid arthritis. I believe I'm having the flare from all the stress. The hands are a little better this afternoon so I thought I would write a little bit. We'll see what is in store for us tomorrow......Stay Tuned.