A Wonderful Weekend

Title to this posting says it all, "A Wonderful Weekend". This was my first weekend away since the heart transplant. There were so many wonderful moments!

Gary and Debbie came to pick up Mark and I on Friday around 6:30AM. We wanted to get to the hotel early to enjoy the beautiful rooms. We made it to Beverly Hills in six hours. Got to our rooms and decided to have lunch at the hotel's restaurant called "Parq". What a nice lunch. After lunch we went to our rooms to rest. Unfortunately, I had a bad headache all day since 4:00AM. I kept taking Tylenol hoping it would go away but by 6:00PM it was getting worse and I was stressing thinking something is wrong. Matt and his friend Danny came to visit before dinner. Matt kept saying to take Excedrin Migraine but I have been told not to take anything unless it is approved by the doctors. So I decided to call the doctor and ask. Dr. Park said no but that I could take Vicodin instead. I thought about taking it sooner but I'm so afraid to get hooked on it, so I don't take it. I took the Vicodin and not more than a half hour later my headache was gone. I felt so much better but my night was ruin. I had already missed going to dinner and Mark and I had to have dinner in our room. What a disappointment because Mr. Kasikci had arranged for a special dinner in the hotel's restaurant kitchen. He had the head chef cook whatever we wanted. Gary and Debbie went and had a wonderful dinner. They said it was so fun to watch the chefs in the kitchen cook the orders and see the whole process of how the kitchen operates. The chef cooked them a fabulous dinner. Mr. Kasikci said next time I come to the Montage I will be able to do it again.

The next day was Saturday and Matt came early in the morning and pick us up to spend the morning with him. Matt is buying a home and he wanted to show Mark and I the places he has been looking at. We had breakfast and looked at all the condos he has been bidding on. Matt brought us back to the Montage in time to meet Dan and Kathy Conley for lunch. We had a great time and of course a wonderful lunch. Debbie, Kathy and I had spa appointments at 3:00PM and the boys including Matt got to drive the hotel fancy cars around Beverly Hills. Matt was thrilled!! My facial was so relaxing and the hotel's spa is so beautiful. I enjoyed it so much. Kathy and I sat after in the ladies lounge for an hour just talking about what I'm going to be faced with once I begin the stem cell transplant. Kathy is a five year survivor of breast cancer and she has been such a support to me. Most of what I have gone through or about to go through she knows how I feel. It's such a comfort to have her support. We had to rush and get ready for dinner at 7.

Dinner was at the hotel's signature restaurant called "Muse". It was upstairs from the Parq restaurant and I climbed both flights of stairs with no problem. Six months ago that would not have been possible. Our dinner was so good and I was stuffed by the end. One problem with all this good food and eating out breakfast, lunch and dinner. My feet and ankles swell up and I was retaining water. I start taking my Lasix but it didn't work. The drive for six hours sitting in one spot and not moving around did it also. I'm happy to be home today eating normal simple foods, went for a long walk this morning and feel better. The ankles are still alittle swollen but I think by the end of the week things should be back to normal. We left early Sunday and stop to have dinner at Max's in Kenwood. I came home and went right to sleep. It felt good to be home!

No results today regarding the heart biopsy for amyloid. Hopefully tomorrow I will get those results. It's taking so long. No news is good news, so they say!

I have my appointment tomorrow with Stanford, Dr. Schrier regarding the stem cell transplant. I will let him know I have made the decision to go forward with the transplant and begin testing in April. If all goes as planned, I will begin the stem cell transplant in May and finish by the end of June.

Tonight is my favorite TV show, "Dancing with the Stars". So it's time to get dinner going and watch the show.

I had a wonderful weekend but my camera's battery was dead so I couldn't take pictures to share. Trust me the Montage in Beverly Hills is a beautiful hotel and I had so many wonderful moments I will never forget. Thank you to Gary and Debbie for the extra special things they do to make my weekend special. Thank you to Mr. Kasikci for the beautiful room. I enjoyed staying there and look forward to my next stay.

Have a wonderful evening and enjoy the special moments.

Love,
Debbie

P.S. Please say a special prayer for Dr. Kevin Anderson who is currently undergoing the stem cell transplant. You can view his blog from mine under "Heart Transplant Friends".