Earth day and Doctor visit

Hello!

I had a doctors visit today, including blood work. My CA125 continues to drop - now it is 20! Based on that number and the fact that it is continuing to decrease, I pushed back a CT scan originally scheduled for May - to June. I'm starting to be concerned about all of the radiation I've been getting. It would really suck to be cured of ovarian cancer - only to get some other type of cancer from the treatment and scans!

So, I am considering myself cancer free again until next month - when I have blood work and a doctor visit again.

Things are going well! The weather here in the midwest has been getting better and better. I've been walking and bike riding, and I have been wholly present at work again. I feel great, and am really enjoying my reprieve.


Today is earth day. I am a rabid environmentalist, who really practices what she preaches. Some simple ways to make changes every day are:

Try to avoid plastic! Plastic in bottles, bags, packaging, lining cans, etc. It amazes me how much plastic there is, and how it is almost impossible to avoid it. I hate drinking out of plastic bottles - I can 'taste' the plastic sometimes. So I buy a glass bottle of ice tea (like at any drugstore - snapple, arizona, etc.) rinse it out, and use that as my water bottle. It is dishwasher safe, and totally recyclable when the screw on cap finally gives out! :) I just use filtered water from my tap to fill it up. If you have bad water - consider leasing one of those water coolers for your home and fill up bottles with that instead of buying plastic water bottles.

Use reusable bags for groceries. This is one of the easiest and best changes I have made. What used to fill up ten plastic bags in the store, easily fits into two or three cloth bags. They are also easier to carry - and don't cut off your circulation like the plastic bags do when they wrap around your hands.

Recycle - and if a place you go to drink or eat doesn't recycle - call or e-mail them and ask them to place a bin in their facility. It is amazing too how places will listen if you call or e-mail them about something simple like that. Recycle everything you can.

Pay attention to the packaging of what you buy. So much of our waste comes from packaging. Again, e-mailing or calling a manufacturer about packaging is a simple and effective way to let them know you are paying attention.

If you go to a park, or on a hike and you see garbage - pick it up! If you camp, leave the site cleaner than when you arrived.

I could go on and on (and on and on and on).

Don't we want to leave this world in better condition than when we found it? :)

NOCC Walk

Once again, I am walking with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) for ovarian cancer awareness. I have some great friends that are also walking with me. We had a great time last year, and there are even more of us this year! Just keep your fingers crossed that the weather will hold...

If you feel so inclined, please donate! I understand that donating is difficult in these tough times, but even a few dollars can go a long way.
http://www.active.com/donate/noccil2009/NNeuman3

Otherwise I am feeling fine! My energy is good, and I really feel normal again (for the most part!). You will note that I don't blog very much when I am feeling good and normal. ;)