This is the first time I've been on the computer since the end of October. Inundated with email messages – yikes!. But I need to update all of you.

When I left off last, I was to have foot surgery on Oct 29^th. Am so glad to report it went exceptionally well – my “Franken-foot” healed well and I'm back in regular shoes – awesome podiatrist/surgeon! That was certainly (and thankfully!) the least of my worries.

The problem began about a week or so after the foot surgery. I began to feel lethargic, achy, low-grade headache, nausea/vomiting, chills – flu-like symptoms. I'd never had the flu (believe it or not!). I kept getting worse a little bit each day that went by. After a week and a half, something intuitively told me this might not be the flu, but, hey!, I'm not the Dr.. Gordy took me to the clinic – they ran urine & blood tests; said go home & rest, that I had a particularly bad viral flu. Hmm-Hmm. Another week goes by, and in the interim, I'm feeling so much worse, plus, my sense of balance is all screwy – every time I stand up, I felt like I was going to tip over. I start walking around the house with a crutch, to make sure I don't topple over. Also, within a matter of days, the headache worsened, and I began to feel this pressure at the base of my skull. Very strange feeling. And this flu - no improvement. What the hell?!

The afternoon before Thanksgiving, I was feeling absolutely & totally punk, thinking to myself, “Tomorrow has to be better, it just has to be.” Gordy was at work. My friend Karen called. She was shocked at how awful I sounded. I'd had enough and asked her to take me to the ER. My sweet friend arrived in 15 minutes. An angel.

Was admitted to the hospital where I stayed for 5 days. I think the one thing that was “missed” throughout this was the fact that I had no fever, and that's the thing that kept nipping at the back of my mind. No fever? What the hell?!

It was no flu. A brain scan showed the lung cancer has metastasized to my brain (which I'd thought was filled with straw – but apparently not!). There is a tumor (they call them lesions) at the base of my cerebellum (where I felt the weird pressure) – it's about 2 centimeters in size. A bad location for it, by the way, since it's just about in the area where all the body function “bundles” run up the spine through the neck. Typical me though – if it's going to be weird, it'll happen to me!!

On the other hand, Regions Hospital was incredibly on top of it. A brain surgeon came in to see me – Dr McIver (honest to God that's his name, I thought I was being punked !!) Nice man. He said that surgery would not be his recommendation – laser treatment was. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, I began brain radiation (“whole brain radiation treatment” - 10 treatments). Tomorrow will be the 10^th and last. Wednesday, I will be having a laser treatment (“Stereo-tactic brain treatment”).

I have to say, I'm really pretty fascinated with all the prep, machines, etc, etc. If I have to go through it, I might as well learn something, right? Knowledge takes away the fear for me. I want to get this posted so that you'll know what's happening. It has taken me four days to write this. I will write more. I don't care how bad it gets, there is a lot of fight left in this bear!! With much love – me!

PS: if you want to send me an email, please.....type it out, print it and then mail it to me. The computer it incredibly overwhelming to me right now. (5315 - 28^th Avenue So, Minneapolis, MN 55417)