Dave Spriggs

Today is not a typical Valentine’s Day, but Julie and I are glad to be together. It is a blessing to be in love.

Julie had surgery to treat breast cancer on 2/13/2024. We were at the hospital from 7:50am to nearly 6pm. She was nauseous after the surgery, so the nurse gave her some anti-nausea medication and she slept a little longer. She is having a good day so far today.

We have a follow up appointment on 2/21/2024. The doctor should have the results of the pathology report by then. If he has sufficient information, we will know more about her prognosis and future treatments.

We like her surgeon. His name is Dr. Levine and he has a good sense of humor. He is very experienced and a scholar in the area of breast cancer.

Julie won’t be able to drive or lift anything, so I’ll be staying home with her for about a week. We have a very supportive family. My parents and our daughters will be helping, and our youngest daughter, Emily, is going to stay with us for a few weeks, starting this Thursday.

While we can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day by going out or doing an activity, I’m grateful we can be together and focus on each other.

I have been working on several projects this weekend. I will be ready to send my taxes to our tax preparer in a few days and it will be good to have that chore out of the way. I have also been working on a good backup solution to my data and that has taken time. I also spent time changing and updating some of the websites and communication services I use.

I am still convinced that I made the right decision to stop using the big social media companies. I have found it much more inconvenient to stay in touch with people, especially when sharing pictures and videos. I have tried using several different services and I think I have settled on blogging (using the WordPress platform). While it is not as easy to use as social media, it is much more flexible and does not have the inherent security and privacy risks.

My wife, Julie, will be having surgery and other treatments for breast cancer starting on 2/13/2024, so I have been more mindful of trying to stay in touch with people. Fortunately, her medical team has told us that the tumor is small and the prognosis is good. She is feeling good now. I will be taking some time off from work and our youngest daughter is going to stay with us to help take care of her while she recovers from surgery.

I am writing this post on the last Sunday of January 2024. The first month of this year has gone by quickly. Julie and I have been busy with work, household chores, and other important tasks.

At the same time, we are grateful that we have had time to slow down and also focus on what is important. We have enjoyed worshiping together at Kernersville Wesleyan Church. We have appreciated time with our daughters and extended family. Quiet evenings of watching a movie and spending time together have been helpful resting points.

We learned earlier this month that Julie has breast cancer. Her first oncology appointment was on 1/26/2024. We didn’t know what her prognosis would be until that appointment, which was only a few days ago. Her cancer was caught very early and the tumor is small. Julie has mammograms each year and preventative screening is what enabled early detection. She will have surgery on 2/13/2024. She will need about 2 weeks of recovery, and then she can gradually start driving and resuming routine tasks again.

The doctors are very optimistic that her treatment will go well. We won’t know if she will need radiation therapy or chemotherapy until after the surgery. It is likely that she will need radiation therapy, but will probably not need chemotherapy. Although the surgery will be painful and there are always risks, the oncology appointment went well, and it was good news considering the serious nature of her diagnosis.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Stay in touch.

I am writing this post on the last Sunday of January 2024. The first month of this year has gone by quickly. Julie and I have been busy with work, household chores, and other important tasks.

At the same time, we are grateful that we have had time to slow down and also focus on what is important. We have enjoyed worshiping together at Kernersville Wesleyan Church. We have appreciated time with our daughters and extended family. Quiet evenings of watching a movie and spending time together have been helpful resting points.

We learned earlier this month that Julie has breast cancer. Her first oncology appointment was on 1/26/2024. We didn’t know what her prognosis would be until that appointment, which was only a few days ago. Her cancer was caught very early and the tumor is small. Julie has mammograms each year and preventative screening is what enabled early detection. She will have surgery on 2/13/2024. She will need about 2 weeks of recovery, and then she can gradually start driving and resuming routine tasks again.

The doctors are very optimistic that her treatment will go well. We won’t know if she will need radiation therapy or chemotherapy until after the surgery. It is likely that she will need radiation therapy, but will probably not need chemotherapy. Although the surgery will be painful and there are always risks, the oncology appointment went well, and it was good news considering the serious nature of her diagnosis.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Stay in touch.

I am looking forward to spending some time with my family today. My parents and one of our daughters will be joining my wife and me for dinner. My other daughter won’t be able to come in person, but we will call her, so we can all have some time together today.