Dear Many Lactnetters,

I am so overwhelmed with all the well wishes, good thoughts, powerful
prayers, and nurturing support that so many of you have sent our way since
hearing about my sudden illness.

Thank you so very much ! ! !

Because so many have called, e-mailed, snail mailed I thought I better let
you all know what is going on.  A month ago I developed severe ascites,
necessitating a CT scan (which resulted in a severe infusion dye reaction),
and then an immediate paracentesis of over 6 liters of fluid.  Over the
course of the next 2 1/2 weeks I had four more paracentesis each drawing
more than four liters. I had a complete hysterectomy on Feb 15 and major
debulking of tumor material.  The pathology findings do not specifically
delineate which cancer we are dealing with. I have an endoscopic exam and
colonoscopy scheduled for March 8 - which will hopefully spell out what we
are dealing with so that we can just get on with the chemotherapy and move
ahead.

Noone ever knows what each new day will bring - our family sure wasn't
expecting something like this  BUT we will survive.  I am only 50 years
old. I have too many things to do yet in my life. We just are about
finished with an eight month long home addition project (and I intend to
use my new kitchen to party in). We have four teenagers that I intend to
see through adulthood, I want to grow very old with the man I have loved
for over 28 years, and I am not finished making my waves in the ol world
yet.

Again, thank you to every one of you for your thoughts, prayers, words of
support and encouragement, and (as Diane Wiessinger called them), the many
powerful "latovibes". I sure have felt them this week!!!   By the way, I'll
let you know if my internist's special suppositories to ward off the severe
nausea have any effect on my "milk production". These suppositories contain
Reglan.

Now I must go raise my legs (I still have 4+ edema in my legs), give my arm
a rest (the healing from the TPN port), and support my abdominal incision.


Ginni Brackett
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my latest words are:  Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to
happen to me today that You and I together can't handle.