a rough couple of weeks.....

The past few weeks have been rough. We found out that my oldest sister has acute myeloid leukemia. That really threw me for a loop. After she had the first dr appointment with the oncologist,things sounded more hopeful. The dr said that if it would have happened 10+ years ago,she would have less than a year to live. But that now treatments have gotten better and they think they caught it early. She works in the radiology department at a local hospital too,so that could have played a part in it,too. She is going to have to take a chemo pill monthly for the rest of her life. Thankfully,she has good insurance through her work plus that of her late husband. The pill costs $9500--but with everything,her cost will be $70. She has really had a hard time the past few years. She lost her husband,found out she had colon cancer and had surgery for that, and has had to deal with both of her sons being in prison for drugs. She is strong,though. She looks at this as just another test of life. She has a good outlook on things.

So with all of these things coming up in the family,our doctors are having each of the siblings tested for different things. I have several appointments scheduled between now and the end of the year. I really dread it all. I'm trying not to get stressed about it,but how can you not,you know? And then there is the normal stresses of the upcoming holidays. Each year,I tell myself that I'm not going to get stressed out by the calendar. I'm going to take things slow and not over-commit to things I know I can't handle-even though I might want to. I'm going to slow down and take care of myself and my family. And this year,I'm going to do it!