JODY'S COMEBACK
This is a blog written by Jody Plymire, a recent cancer survivor, who will act as You And Me On A Comeback's first official sponsored patient/survivor. As she continues with her doctor appointments in 2011 the organization will provide her with a membership to the YMCA along with a couple personal training sessions. She will also receieve healthy foods from "Nuts About Granola", "Dream Dinners" and "Kegel's Produce", along with therapeutic services from "A Therapeutic Effect".
6-4-2011
And again I received the most delicious dinner from Dream Dinners. Each month I can’t believe the dinner I received couldn’t get any better, and …. They send another more delicious dinner. I couldn’t pick which dinner I liked the best so far, they are all so scrumptious and so easy to prepare.
This week I received fruits and vegetables from Kegel’s Produce. I have to tell you, their produce is so fresh and delicious, and they were so generous with how much fruit and vegetables they sent for us. Everything was so appetizing, and I can’t wait until next month for some of their fresh and mouth-watering fruits and vegetables. If you are in the need for fruits and vegetables, Kegel’s Produce is the place to go. Thank you so much Kegel’s Produce.
Monday Katie and I signed up for theLancaster YMCA, I can’t wait to start going and getting into shape. Katie had an orientation last evening which was great because they showed her all of their equipment and how to use each machine safely. They have so much to do and so many different classes to sign up. I can’t wait to get started. I’ll keep you up to date with all we experience and all they have to offer.
And of course, I want to thank the You and Me on a Comeback Program for their help and generosity. I am such a lucky person to be the first person in your program.
5-7-2011
Members of the Lancaster Barnstormer's Booster Club and volunteers for You And Me On A Comeback assisted Jody and her daughter Katie while preparing Jody's Dream Dinners on Saturday May 7th. Good times were had by all.
I think The You and Me on a Comeback program is going to be very beneficial to those people going thru treatments. Jed Morris is a remarkable guy and I know his program will be such a great success to the community.
5-1-2011
(April 2, 2011) Another astonishing day provided by the You and Me on a Comeback Program.
I went to A Therapeutic Effect, Mountville, PA and experienced again a relaxing massage. Susan M. Kanoke, remembered my problem areas and asked about them. She talked to me prior to the massage and asked if there were any other areas I had problems. She is so kind and caring and makes you feel like she really cares. She wants you to feel your best. She makes me feel so comfortable while there, I am looking forward to my next session. She is so professional and preformed another remarkable massage.
After which I received another delightful dinner from Dream Dinners (Dreamdinners.com). They have the most scrumptious foods that are simple to prepare. This time I received Beef Pasta Bolognese, you have to try this meal, it is so delicious. My daughter is a picky eater and never likes to try new things and she absolutely loved this dinner. They use all the finest ingredients and never skip a spice or seasoning so the food is absolutely so flavorful. Dream Dinners' easy to prepare packaging makes me feel like a chef. Absolutely mouth-watering dinners with little effort to prepare. Thank you Dream Dinners for a yummy dinner. Looking forward to see what dinner we receive next month.
NUTS ABOUT GRANOLA provided us with their delicious bags of granola. Their granola is so flavorful. It’s such an easy and nutritional snack. Thank you.
I received fruits and vegetables from the Barnstormer’s Booster Club. They pick such a delightful variety of delicious fresh fruits and vegetables. I appreciate their time and effort and we enjoy the fruits and vegetables very much.
I also have some good news. I got a CT Scan on April 4, 2001, then I have waiting period to find out the results. April 7, 2011, I saw the oncologist and the scans remained the same as the previous scans which is fantastic. Doctors are watching nodules on my right lung. The nodules did not change during my chemo treatments, which I believe if they would have shrunk or grew that would definitely mean they are cancerous, however, they remained the same size as the previous scans. This is such wonderful news. I have to get the scans every 3 months for 2 years to make sure the nodules remain the same. I also got my blood work for this month, they take 8 tubes of blood, test it and check the results. And, all my blood work came back good, which made for more good news. I was out of commission for a little this month, so it took a while to write this blog. Right after receiving the good news from the Cancer Center and Oncologist I threw my back out and was immobile for a week, if anyone has back problems and threw their back out, they understand the excruciating pain that comes with it in which you can’t sit, stand, walk or lay down without pain, I am so glad it went away, it seems like months, but it only lasted a week. And right after my back was better I got a cold, to me it was like the flu, my entire body ached and my head was stuff, sore throat, the whole works. I am still struggling with the cold, I believe it lasts a little longer in me due to my immune system being a little low. So hopefully this ends soon. So yes, I had two bad experiences but having the results from the Oncologist be positive makes up for everything else.
Some more news:
You and Me on a Comeback will have a booth sponsored by Sindall Transport and Sindall Truck Service at the Businesses That Care Expo III, which will be held on May 14, 2011, at the Farm and Home Center in Lancaster, from 10am until 4pm. Hope to see you there.
Again I want to thank Jed Morris for starting the You and Me on a Comeback Program and wish this program the most success. Thank you so much.
3-23-2011
"Personal Thank You"
I would like to take a few moments to thank everyone that has helped me through this long journey.
First I would like to thank my daughter, Katelyn. She was my inspiration to push myself to get through this year, she needs her mom and I want to be there for her always. She is a hero to me. She was 12 years old when all these things were happening with her mommy. She was so strong that I wanted to show her I had strength also and I wanted to show her that no matter how bad things get, as long as you try and never give up you can expect good things. If you give up and quit…you quit on life. I hope I taught her strength and courage. I was completely honest with her about everything that was going on. She knew of all doctor visits, treatments and attended some treatments with me. I answered all of her questions honestly, even if the answers were scary. She helped me through so much. She helped around the house and helped with things to make me comfortable. She kept up with all her school work, she remained on the honor roll throughout this entire ordeal. She continued to play sports and other activities as normal. When I was tired out, she found rides to these activities with friends so as not to make me drive. I tried to keep something that was so un-normal…as normal as possible. Counselors and teachers talked with her and told me she was handling everything well and they saw no need for any concern. I learned from her and I hope she learned from me as well. Thank you my sunshine. I love you.
I would also like to thank my parents, they were always there for me, no matter what. They would get me a slushy if I needed one. They took me to my surgeries and chemo treatments, they kept themselves up to date with all that was going on using the internet. I saw them cry many times and watching your parents shed tears made me feel bad so I always stayed as strong as possible so to help ease their fears. They were Angles and I love them so very much for all they endured during the journey.
I would like to thank my other two children, Sabrina and Markie, they were always there for me if I needed anything and assured me of their love and were so compassionate and caring.
I would also like to thank all the others who helped. The parents of Katelyn’s friends who helped take care of Katelyn while I was in the hospital, sick or receiving treatments.
To the school, Eastern York Middle School, for their support to me and also for being there for Katelyn when she needed them. They watched over her during the school day and talked to her about what was happening in her life.
Thank you Aunt Joannie & Uncle Al and Aunt Bernice. Thank you for all of your prayers and gifts and for always being there if I needed anything, I appreciate everything. I love all of you so much.
Thank you to my friends who were always there for me and who took me to my chemo treatments several times.
There are so many to thank and I wish somehow, someday I can return the favors. I am here for all of them if they ever need anything. I have such a special group of family and friends. I am so lucky…not only to be a cancer survivor but also because I have such caring friends and family. I love all of you.
And, thank you Jed Morris for choosing me to help with the You And Me On a Comeback Program. I want you to know how much I appreciate being able to help you with your program as long as helping myself and others. You are an inspiration to everyone and I know your program will go far and last a long time and help so many people. I look forward to watching your program grow more each year.
3-21-2011
"Future YMCA Visits"
I am going to the YMCA of Lancaster and hope…cross that out…I mean KNOW that thru exercise in moderation to start, I am going to build my strength up in order to enjoy life without getting tired out and out of breath. I believe this is going to be the best addition to the You And Me On A Comeback program. I have complete confidence that this is going to help me to be able to enjoy life, do all the things I used to do and mostly enjoy my daughter and grandchildren when the warm weather comes around. I am looking forward to beginning my work outs and building my strength back. I will keep you up to date with my progress and in turn that will show me how I was when I started and how much progress I have made each month.
3-20-2011
"Local Fruit delivered by the Lancaster Barnstormer Booster Club"
The Barnstormer‘s Booster Club provided us with a large bag of fruit (I was asked to advise of veggies to add which I will do this month). We received a generous amount of grapes, apples, oranges and bananas.
I had a lot of mouth sores, which is a side affect of some chemo drugs. The mouth sores were like paper cuts throughout my cheeks and my tongue was covered with blisters. I used an extra soft toothbrush and baking soda toothpaste. It was uncomfortable to eat most foods. I had medication (Carafate) and also gargled with peroxide to help ease the pain. It didn’t remove the sores, but the combination of the above items did help.
If I would have thought of fresh fruit to eat while having these sores, it would have been something full of vitamins, cool and refreshing for my sore mouth. Fruits are full of vitamins and antioxidants in order to keep you healthy and your strength up. As we all know fresh fruits and vegetables are refreshing and it was very refreshing for someone who found most foods hard to tolerate. I mainly ate jello at this stage of treatment until my mouth felt better. Jello is good, however, it’s full of sugar and doesn’t have the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. I didn’t think of eating fruits and vegetables when receiving treatments. I had to remember treatments, doctor visits, blood work, hydration, scans and other appointments, thinking of healthy foods that would have helped and tasted good was not on my mind at that time. I couldn’t think of things to eat (they call that chemo brain, you forget a lot of things, even common sense things). But now, afterward I now realize there is a lot more things out there that could have helped ease some pain and I realized that through the You And Me On A Comeback Program.
I would once again like to thank Jed Morris of the You and Me On a Comeback Program and the Barnstormer‘s Booster Club for the generous amount of fruit they provided.
I know the You And Me On A Comeback program is going to help so many people receiving treatments and Jed Morris has thought of many good ideas to help ease the pain of what a cancer patient encounters each day and make their life as comfortable as possible.
Thank you again to the Barnstormer‘s Booster Club.
3-18-2011
"Nuts About Granola"
Another wonderful item I received from the You And Me On a Comeback program was a couple single serving bags of granola from Nuts About Granola.
(www.NutsAboutGranola.com)
These little packages are the right size for a nutritious small snack. This granola is amazingly scrumptious and healthy.
I received a sample of 3 flavors and each were remarkably delicious. The different combinations and textures made it hard to decide which flavor was my favorite. They were all so good. I believe I like Lover’s Combo the best. It’s made with soft ingredients which made it easier to chew (and tiny chocolate chips…yummy). These are full of nutrients, natural ingredients and vitamins. During treatments these would have been an excellent snack to keep around the house. Some people may experience sickness in the stomach and the smell of foods cooking could make you feel nauseated. You need to eat to keep up your strength and energy and these packages of granola would be great for those times since they are full of natural ingredients. I would eat crackers at those times, but I am sure these would have worked and tasted much better. They also would have been much healthier. The crispier flavors are delicious but sometimes during treatments my mouth was sore and I didn’t want to eat much, the softer flavors would have been perfect for those times. My daughter enjoys the crunchier flavors, which I like because they are healthy for her and much better than snacking on sugary snacks or chips.
Nuts About Granola is made locally from local ingredients. The Lover’s Combo, my favorite contains: Whole oats, peanuts, brown sugar, honey, chocolate chips, natural peanut butter, canola oil, organic wheat bran, cinnamon, and natural sea salt. Each ingredient has it own nutritional benefit and the combination of all of them, not only healthy but also delicious.
Thank you Nuts About Granola for the scrumptious healthy snacks, they really made a difference in our eating needs. Not only during chemo treatments, but anytime.
Once again the You and Me On A Comeback program did an excellent job in choosing items to benefit cancer patients.
Thank you again Jed Morris you are doing a remarkable job.
3-11-11
"Dream Dinners"
The meal was from Dreamdinners.com (Granite Run Dream Dinners at 1577 Manheim Pike, Lancaster, PA., 17601)
Not only delicious, but so easy to make. At home is my 13 year daughter, Katelyn, and myself and this meal was plenty for the both of us with leftovers. This was definitely comfort food. Absolutely delicious with all kinds of vegetables and dumplings. The dumplings were super-soft and gooey and so yummy. The Dinner was flavorful and creamy. Not only that, it was nutritious, a lot of vegetables, vitamins and soothing, like chicken soup for a cold.
It was one of the simplest meals to make, that tasted like a homemade dinner. I haven’t tasted a frozen dinner that was as scrumptious as the meal from Dream Dinners.
I followed the simple instructions attached to the pan. Place covered foil pan in oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour, remove lid, place biscuits on top and bake 20 minutes longer until biscuits are brown. How much simpler can a next to homemade get…no effort, no mess, no clean up. Takes stress and a toll off of anyone not feeling up to par.
My daughter could follow the instructions and made this dinner, which would have been a tremendous help after treatments. Afterward, we placed the remainder in containers in the refrigerator, heated in the microwave for a couple minutes and it tasted as good as it did from the oven.
Dream Dinners would have been quite beneficial during chemotherapy. The day of treatments and days after, I wasn’t up to cooking, I was tired and sick and dinners like this would have been so helpful. On days I felt too sick to eat, this would have been extremely helpful for my daughter, not only simple, but healthy for her, in lieu of a can or Ravioli or a sandwich. The ease of preparation and tasted so yummy makes this one of the best meals any one could have who needs a delicious and healthy and simple meal.
Dream Dinners would also be a wonderful meal to make for busy families, pop in the oven and get a homemade meal. I would recommend Dream Dinners to anyone.
If I had known frozen dinners could be so scrumptious and easy, I would have loved to have these meals. I get to choose a dinner each month and can’t wait to taste and describe each meal we get to try. My daughter is a picky eater and I will get her opinion for you on the next meal from Dream Dinners.
You and Me on a Comeback program made this experience so easy with little running on my part, they had the dinner waiting when I finished my massage, which meant after feeling relaxed, I could go straight home, pop the dinner in the oven and relax until it was done.
Kudos once again to the You and Me on a Comeback program.
3-8-2011
"A Therapeutic Effect Visit"
Saturday, March 5, 2010, the You and Me on a Comeback program sent me for a massage at A Therapeutic Effect, in Mountville, PA. They have a great location with simple and easy parking. I will try to describe the happenings of the day, if anyone goes, they will know what to expect. I recommend everyone go to A Therapeutic Effect.
The receptionist and people were so friendly and always had a smile on their face. The waiting room was comfortable, with books to read or purchase, items to purchase and no one tried to push any items on me such as they try to do at other places. This was a remarkable experience. Then a very polite woman named Susan M. Kanoke asked me to follow her. Susan was so professional, caring and warm. She took me to a room with 2 beds, however I was the only one in the room. I took my 13 year little girl with me and they offered for her to come to the room with me if she wanted, she declined and listed to music instead. They were so sweet to my daughter also. In the room, the ambience was incredibly relaxing. I felt at ease during my experience. You have a choice of which items of clothing you wish to leave on so you are comfortable and if you feel you need to leave most items on, Susan said she would work around whatever items were kept on, which felt good that I wasn’t pressured to undress. Nothing was forced, everything was up to me. Susan made the entire experience so comfortable. I laid on the table with the clean white blankets and covered with a fresh smelling blanket. Relaxing music was playing softly in the background and a candle lit. The room smelled relaxing and the dimmed lighting added to relaxing ambience. After I undressed, laid on the table and covered up, Susan knocked to make sure I was ready for her before she entered the room. She explained in detail what she was going to do. She asked me if I had problems with any specific parts of my body and I told her where I was having problems and pain. I felt at ease laying on the table. She had me on my back and started with my head and worked her way to my feet, then I rolled over and she repeated the same thing, from head to toes. She focused on the areas that I mentioned were a problem and helped make me feel good. The experience was amazing from beginning to end. This was a massage by a woman who knew her craft, knew how much pressure to use, knew where to use it and knew when enough was enough. Not only was she skilled, she had a charming, bubbly personality and was flat out adorable. I would recommend A Therapeutic Effect, to everyone who gets the chance to go. The prices are quite reasonable with special discounts, a lot less expensive than other places I frequent.
Afterward, I dressed, was given water and given instructions to drink plenty of fluids. It would have been too hard for me to pass up another opportunity to go there in the near future. This was the best experience from beginning to end.
I would have appreciated this treatment during my chemotherapy treatments. I would have to rotate the timing of the massages according to my schedule. This would be absolutely wonderful prior to a treatment so I would feel relaxed and at east before going for treatment.
However, this would have also benefited me following a treatment. After treatments your muscles and body ache and you feel worn out and stressed and this would be the absolute best way to feel fabulous after a treatment. Depending on how you feel prior to treatment and after treatment is when you should schedule this wonderful, relaxing experience.
The You and Me on a Comeback program, so far is absolutely the best program to make cancer patients feel much better and relaxed. I wish this program was available when I was receiving my treatments. I appreciate the opportunity to experience and be the first guinea pig to receive all the benefits that the You and Me on a Comeback program has to offer. I am a very lucky person.
I would like to thank Jed Morris for this exciting experience. Jed is an all around totally caring man who wants to help others go through what we have went through, to make them comfortable and less stressed. Thank you so much Jed Morris and You and Me on a Comeback. Love It. Definitely an A+.
"Introduction"
My name is Jody. I am 46 years old with 2 grown children and a 13 year old little girl at home with me. I am a single mother. Right before Thanksgiving Day in 2009, a couple of nodules were found on my lungs. After numerous tests at Apple Hill, York, Pa, the doctors diagnosed me with Emphysema and COPD. As for the nodules they sent me for numerous scans and told me they were 80% sure it was cancer. They sent me to the hospital for a procedure called a bronchoscopy. The bronchoscopy showed the nodules on my left lung were 99% cancer and they weren’t sure about the nodules on my right lung. I didn’t cry or get upset. I don’t think I believed it and while my parents were crying I was fine. There was so much testing, doctor visits, surgeon visits, etc. in the next 3 weeks I didn’t have time to think. On December 15, 2009, I was in the hospital having a lobotomy. They removed the top half of my left lung. The pain after surgery was mainly from the tubes they had in my back to drain my lung. The day before I was discharged the Oncologist told me it was cancer and he also removed cancerous lymph nodes. I was discharged on December 23, 2009. I went to my parents on Christmas Eve for a party, to my sister’s on Christmas day and to visit my grandchildren. I felt good, a little pain if I moved in certain positives on my side. The scars are not that big and located slightly below my underarm and I continue to be numb on my left side.
After Christmas I went to the Oncologist and was told I would need chemotherapy. That was scary. I was informed about the procedure and the side affects. I had to go back to the hospital for another procedure, it was to place a power port in my chest. This is so my arms wouldn’t be sore from the constant injections of needles for chemo, blood work and other things. I was told about all of the side affects of chemo. It was hard to believe that something was so good for you could have so many side affects.
The day prior to my first day of Chemo, I had a doctor visit and had to have blood work completed, the following day was chemo day. Day One of Chemo (at Apple Hill)…scary, going to the chemo room and seeing all the people, young and old connected to IV bags was scary and brought tears to my eyes. Even though I was informed of everything that would be done, I still had no idea what to expect or how I was going to feel. I received two harsh chemo drugs, Cisplatin and Peretrexed. Also I received Avastin (Bevacizumab) which was new drug being tested by the Cancer Association. I sat on the chemo chair, they accessed my port with an IV. The first bag was called Premeds, these were to stop some of the sickness from the other drugs and lasted 30 mins. Then I received 2 hours of hydration (saline). After that start an hour of one chemo, then an hour of another chemo, then 2 hours of the Avistan and finally 2 more hours of hydration. I sat in the chemo chair for almost 9 hours until I finished all the drugs, this routine was every 3 weeks. The following day I had to go back to the doctor for a shot for my red blood cells. After my first treatment I was very sick and after a week of being tired and lethargic I went to the doctors to find out I was dehydrated and sent to the hospital for 4 hours of hydration. Now we know I need extra hydration, so the day after chemo, after receiving my shot, I then received 3 more hours of hydration. This process continued throughout the entire treatment of chemo.
It takes time for you and the doctor to find the correct medications and a schedule to make you feel as good as possible. You have to tell your doctor everything that you are feeling and any problems you have so they can give you something to help comfort those issues. Even though I never felt good during the entire treatment cycle, the doctors experimented with things to make me as comfortable as possible. Such as prescribing medication for the sores in mouth, they felt like I had tons of ulcers and paper cuts all over the inside of my mouth. Always rem to tell the Doctor every side affect you experience and they will do whatever is necessary to help ease the pain and make you as comfortable as they can.
January 12, 2011 was the last of my chemo treatments. Friday, February 25, 2011 I had the Power Port removed. My Power Port was uncomfortable for the entire year. Other people had no problem with their ports, but I was one of those who had problems.
When chemo started a year ago, I thought the time would never end. In July, 2010, people told me it’s half over and I only had 6 months to go. Looking ahead at those 6 months seemed like 6 years to me and then January 12, 2011 came…the last day. And I realized the time went faster then I realized. It does end and you do feel better. It’s hard to believe in the beginning, but it does happened.
Jed Morris, a cancer survivor and Barnstormer player introduced me to a new program he is trying in order to be of more assistance to those receiving chemotherapy, “You And Me On A Comeback”. This program will help and assist cancer patients with items that would help ease their stress and hopefully make them feel better. Jed is a caring man and wants to give back to others going thru what he has gone through, which is why I volunteered for this Program. It sounds like a wonderful program and I am anxious to get started.