Four Month Check

I had my four month oncology checkup today. 

Lots of new faces in the office. 

New phlebotomist! 

Loved him! Best ever! Never felt the needle pierce the skin!  

Got to visit with Dr. M for bit before getting down to business.

Everything looked great. We discussed scans. I've never had one. He says I need one, but not yet.

Talked about my time line. I'm half way to the five year mark!

So...he'll see me in six months!!

I've been promoted!!

Great news!

God is good!!

Until next time!!

 God bless!

Follow Up Time

Tomorrow I head back to Texas Oncology for my six month check up.

Really?!

I can't believe it's already been six months since my last round of chemo.

I am looking forward to this visit. I have lots of questions.

Monday, June 10,  I went to a new GYN. I didn't actually see her, but her nurse practitioner, Stacey. I really like her. She made me feel very comfortable and it was very easy to ask her questions. And I was loaded with them.

This was, after all, my first yearly check up since my cancer.

She understood all of my concerns and ordered some test.

And she must have put a rush on everything, because I had all the results by Thursday June 14!! WOW! I've never had results back that fast!

Pap results were clear of cervical cancer! Yay! One small victory down!

Had blood test and sonogram on Wednesday June 13.

Blood test negative for ovarian cancer! YAY! Small victory #2!

Sonogram showed a small spot on my uterus. Stacey made two suggestions. It is probably a small fibrous cyst and we should do another sonogram in six months to look at it again. And to talk to my oncologist to get his opinion on waiting the six months.

She also said some people that have had breast cancer and showed a spot like this would choose to have a hysterectomy. But she strongly suggested talking to my oncologist before making that decision.

I told her I would and that I had a check up coming up with him soon, I just couldn't remember when it was but that I would call and find out.

The next morning before I had a chance to call, oncology called me with my reminder for my check up on June 19,

That worked out nicely!

So I go tomorrow feeling confident in how things have been going.

I can't wait for my appointment. I have missed all my team over the past six months.

Even though I only had two victories out of three test, I don't feel that the third was a failure, just a temporary delay in getting the results I am hoping for.

I have an awesome God that has made some amazing miracles this week in friends fighting other battles and I know he will do the same for me.

Whatever choices I am given tomorrow, I know in my heart that...

Everything is going to be OK!

Until next time,
God bless.

Super Sunday

Today was just a nice relaxed Sunday.

I love when we get to have those.

Frank and I started our morning with my B12 injection.

He is still doing a great job.

We went to church, out to mom's to check out her house after the terrible winds we've had this past week, then a quick lunch.

After lunch, we got to relax for just a bit before we had to head out to the dojo for a birthday party and some breaking practice.

Our team is doing a breaking demo at the Abilene Bombers Arena Football game or we wouldn't have had a practice on a holiday weekend.

We were hungry after practice and Frank was ready to cookout.

I didn't want to go to the grocery store, so I started digging in the freezer to see what we had to cook.

There was not enough of any one thing, so we made a smorgasbord of food. Bonus! I now have a clean freezer with room for more food!!

Mattie stayed the night at Rayven's so it's just a really quiet night around here.

We have to be back to practice in the morning at 9:00, so it will be an early night for us.

Yes, we know it is a holiday weekend.

I am so thankful for all the service men and women who have protected, are protecting and will continue to protect this wonderful country we live in. I hope everyone remembers to say a prayer for these awesome people tomorrow.

As we enjoy the rest of our weekend, no matter what is going on in your life, please remember...

Everything is going to be OK.

Until next time, God bless.

I Think He Missed His Calling

Yesterday started the B12 shots.

I can't give them to myself, no way!!

So that left the job to Frank.

Bless his heart. He has had to do so much for me during all this.

Love him more every day!!!

He had to be at work at 7:00AM and didn't want to just give the injection and run. He was afraid I might pass out.

I usually only pass out when they draw blood, not from an injection.

He got up about 30 minutes early to get ready, I had put everything out the night before.

We got Katie up. She wanted to see him do it just in case she has to do it some day. She did after all used to work in an allergist office and has given a few injections, just not to her big chicken momma!

He did everything like the doctor and video told him to do, and...

He did better than a lot of nurses I've had! No pain at all!!!

Way to go Honey!!!

Katie stayed in the bed with me just in case I had some type of reaction. She went right to sleep!!!

Great help!!

I felt great.

Saturday morning we did the same thing again!

I guess I stressed about all this for nothing.

Just five more daily shots then we are on to the weekly shots for four weeks, the it will be monthly.

After stressing for a couple of days, I guess now I will remember...

Everything is going to be OK!

Until next time, God bless!

Seriously??? More Needles!!

And these I have to do myself!!!

Last week, before I met with Dr. Bennett (the plastic surgeon), I had to have a blood draw for test for Dr. Mauther (gastroenterologist). They were a bit concerned about my B12 and I showed to be a bit anemic.

So I will start taking a daily iron tablet.

But the B12 is not quite so easy.

My levels are so low, he wants to build them up rather quickly. A tablet won't work. I have to have injections...

daily...

for three months!!!

Not a real happy camper right now!

Am I not happy because I have to have daily injections?  NO

Because I have to do them daily? No

Then it must be the fact that I have to do this for three month? NO

It is because I have to do them at home.

I don't like getting stuck by a needle by people that have been trained to do this.

So imagine the horror scenarios that keep going through my mind!

I know there are people that do this all the time several times a day because they are diabetic, but not me.

I hate needles!!

After I do these injections for three months, then I will do them once a week for a few months and then once a month.

I hope this will give me some long lost energy.

I really need to get ready for the neighborhood garage sale next month.

And clean my house!!!

Now I am not sure if this is a forever thing or how long I will have to do these injections, but the important thing to get the B12 back up. However long I have to do these injections, I do know one thing...

Everything is going to be OK.

God bless.

Reconstruction is Set

I called this morning and set up my surgery.

It is set for July 16.

That is not the soonest they had, but she doesn't want me to travel within three weeks of the surgery.

We leave for the US Open on July 1, and there was nothing available before June 18, only two weeks out. I'm sure it will be for the best.

Now, I realize I just went to the plastic surgeon yesterday. But this wasn't my first consultation with her.

I was originally going to have immediate reconstruction after my mastectomy but changed my mind at the last minute.

Because the reconstruction is not immediate, there are a few minor changes to the procedure but nothing really big.

And I also have been doing a lot of research on the different types of reconstruction.

On the top of my list was the DIEP flap, I had not talked to the plastic surgeon about it. I had several questions that applied to my personal case that couldn't be answered by research on the computer.

After getting those questions answered, talking to Frank and doing just a little bit more research, it was easy to make the decision that I was going to have the reconstruction using silicone implants as I had originally chosen.

Will I be happy with that decision? I don't know. I haven't done it yet.

Can it be changed in the future? Yes, so who knows how I will feel about it in a few years. I may decide to just go to nothing.

Is there anything that any one of us can no for certain about the future? Not really. But I do know that whatever happens...

Everything is going to be OK.

Until next time,
God bless.

Visit with the Plastic Surgeon

This is not my first visit with the plastic surgeon, but my second. I did visit with her before my mastectomy because I was planning on immediate reconstruction. But less than 24 hours before the surgery, I decided I wanted to wait on the reconstruction, so a few things have changed.

And I've had more time to research the procedures.

So I did pretty good on my research, and after visiting with Dr. Bennett again, reminded that this is my journey, but I am not the one in the lead. God is.

Going in today, I thought I really wanted to go with the DIEP (pronounced deep). This is where they take the stomach fat and maybe a little muscle, and move it up and around to make the new breast. So in essence, you not only get new boobs, but a tummy tuck in the process. And knowing that from our last visit that the implants may not be the size I want, well I have LOTS of stomach fat to make new boobs.

But she also told me about the SIEA flap (pronounced S. I. E. A.,  all of these flap names come from the muscles they use to build the breast. I learned that today too.). In this surgery, only the stomach fat is used. So going into an SIEA flap you could come out having had a DIEP flap if they had to use any muscle.

Dr. Bennett was very confident that I would do very well with the SIEA flap, and that I probably wouldn't even be required to loose any weight before the procedure (that is based on BMI). The only problem is the DIEP and SIEA flap procedures are not offered in Abilene. They require two surgical teams and we don't have the right teams here to offer it. However, Dr. Bennett is very familiar with the surgeons at the nearest place and she highly recommended them if that is what I decided to do.

But here are the cons -

• The hospital, Scott & White in Temple, is three hours away from Abilene.
• It would require at least one overnight stay in the hospital, with possibly more depending on how well I did.
• The surgery itself is about 12 hours long.
• I would have at least four drain tubes, and we all know how found I was of  those dang balls from my mastectomy.

I haven't talked to Frank, but I think I am going to go on with what I had originally planned. I will have the expanders put in and just go with the implants. I've talked to several friends that have had different procedures and I just really feel this is the one for me.

She said he left me really good skin flaps and their is probably some fatty tissue in there that she could use along with the implants, she just won't know for sure until she gets in there.

However, there is one more downer. I probably can't start the procedure until July. The earliest she could get me in is not soon enough for me to have enough recovery time before our trip to Florida. But I would probably be finished before the end of the year and that is very important to me too.

And she also said that the DIEP and SIEA flaps can be done later if I don't like the implants. So even though I don't think I want that now, it can be done later.

So now it's just a waiting game until I make up my mind. Frank and I have talked about it a lot lately, of course, because that is the next step. I hope tomorrow I can call her and set up the surgery date.

I am so blessed to be where I am and able to have the reconstruction done. And even though it's not what I expected, I feel it is just another reminder that It may be my journey, but I am not in control. I have to listen to Him and stay positive and remind myself that

Everything is going to be OK.

Until next time,
God bless!

Let's Talk Hair

I have had a lot of people comment on my hair lately.

 

We've all been excited to see it regrow...

 

expecting chemo curls and ending up with none.

 

I've always had straight hair and was really kind of looking forward to having unruly curls.

 

But it just wasn't meant to be.

 

But along with my hair, I was also lucky enough to loose my eyebrows and eyelashes. I didn't loose those until after my last round of chemo. And although they grew back rather quickly, they have become dormant again and have quit growing.

 

Sorry for the quality of the following picture, but it will serve it's purpose.

 

The eyebrow is there, but I have had to fill in with a brow brush. And the lashes are really short and straight too. They are not long enough to curl or add mascara.



 

It doesn't look to bad, until you look at an angle. The hairs are short and stick straight out. You can also see how the lashes stick straight out too.  

But, just like the brow brush to remedy the thin, straight brow hairs, I have a remedy for the lashes as well.

 

I have taught myself how to apply false eyelashes! They don't always cooperate and some days I have Lucille Ball eyes, they are better than short, stubby lashes.

 

My hair has come back in a pretty cute hair style all it's own. I've always liked short hair and, well, I think I kind of rock this one!!! 

 

But Katie did point out to me that I need to stop putting my reading glasses on the top of my head because the are leaving a hole! 

 

Oops! Guess this time I better listen to the kid! I have a cute eyeglass chain for my glasses but just feel like that is too old lady for me just yet!!! I'll figure out something.

 

I hope everyone is having a great day and remember, no matter what your journey is in your life right now, as long as you have God on your side...

 

Everything is going to be OK!!

 

Until next time,

God Bless

 

 

Caregivers

I had a really hard time sleeping last night. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the four hour nap I got to take on Mother's Day, but rather all the things running through my mind.

Part of my bedtime routine are  my prayers which I am sure a lot of you do the same.

There are several people that have been heavy on my heart lately as they are early in their journey with different types of cancers and chemotherapy. Their families have been helping us with our prayers by requesting specific things for us to pray for.

This is what got me to thinking....

Are all of the prayer warriors remembering to pray for these "caregivers"?

My hubby, daughter, mom, dad, and my BFF have been my most active caregivers. But there are also those that would drop me a short little note in the mail, give me a quick text message to let me know they were thinking about me, send me a silly little video to make me laugh, and even someone dropping what they were doing to run get me an orange soda when nothing else tasted good.

So the next time you say your prayers, please remember the caregivers of all those people you are praying for too. They are the ones that, in my opinion, are working hard for the patient and often neglect to take care of themselves. They need lots of prayers too. I couldn't have made it through all this without people taking care of me and giving my body time to heal.

And to all of you caregivers, nothing you do for us is too small. Sometimes just the thought of knowing you are there is enough to make us want to keep fighting through the worst. And remember as you struggle with watching your loved one suffer,

Everything is going to be OK.

God Bless

I Really Messed Up This Time

Yes, I have been MIA from my blog for a long while. Sorry. I just haven't "felt bloggy" lately.

I'm fine. Every test I've bee through since my last treatment has come back with good results. That's not why I have been missing.

Like I said, I just haven't felt it.

So let me just start from where I am now.

I really messed up this time.

Oh. I'll survive.

I'm just a little, no, a lot mad at myself.

Back on March 1, I had to have an EDG and a colonoscopy due to the bleeding issues I had during my chemo. Both test went smoothly and the results were just what we wanted to hear, everything looked good and normal.

Relief for me.

However, (isn't there always a "however"?) there is a section of my gastrointestinal tract that neither procedure could see.

So...

Due to modern medical procedures,  I get to swallow a camera pill!

Pretty cool if you ask me. It is bundled up in a neat and tidy capsule. Looks pretty much like any other pill, just really large!

Just like a colonoscopy, there is a prep day involved. Nothing nearly as drastic as prepping for a colonoscopy, but prep none the less.

Clear liquids, no reds or purples, broths, Jello (but I only like red!) and no sodas (not a problem either).

Then at 6:00 PM a nice little dose of Magnesium Citrate. Lemon flavored. Never had it before, but it's lemon. How bad could it be?

Yesterday morning, Tuesday, I woke up, fixed Mattie and Katie breakfast and me a really nice large glass of water.

Ice water so I could crunch the ice and fool my stomach that I was actually eating something.

Around lunch I fixed me a nice yummy cup of beef broth and another glass of water.

For snacks during the day I had ice water as well, again with lots of ice to crunch.

For supper, I fixed a really large cup of chicken broth with another glass of ice water.

At 6:00 PM, I treated myself to a small cup of Magnesium Citrate, lemon flavored. It even has a little bit of  "effervescence" so it was a little bubbly going down.

Let me also say, the MC was also like a glass of lemon aid on steroids. It really made my jaws lock. But I got it down.

And the MC starts working it's magic a little slower than some of the stuff I've had to take in the past, but it does work. Try it if you ever have a little trouble "going", just take the recommended dosage, not what you have to take for a "cleanse"! LOL

The rest of the night I had, you guessed it, lots of ice water.

When I was setting my alarm clock so I wouldn't miss my appointment for the pill, I pulled up my calendar to check the time.

But on my calendar, I had that my prep day was Wednesday May 8 and that I was scheduled to take the pill on Thursday, May 9.

That had to be wrong.

I had prepped all day!!!

I go pull my paperwork from the doctor and guess what?!

My prep day is May 8!!!!

I just wanted to cry!

It was way to late to call the doctor. So I did what I'm sure anyone else would do.

I fixed me a big bowl of cereal and followed it with a big hunk of cheese! That maybe doesn't sound very good to the rest of you, but believe you me, that was just what my stomach ordered.

So today, Wednesday May 8, I woke up and started my prep (again) so I can take the camera pill in the morning Tuesday May 9.

I actually feel less hungry today then I did yesterday.

I know that all over this world, including USA, there are people that would love to have a bowl of cereal and hunk of cheese at least once a week because they have nothing else to eat.

This was just a little hiccup in my week and I'm thankful for what I have.

Tomorrow I will get up and go take my camera pill and enjoy my day.

It's just a little adventure during this journey I'm on and as always I know

Everything is going to be OK.

Until next time,

God Bless.

A Hard Time Keeping Up

Well, keeping up with this blog during my chemo proved to be more than I thought. I didn't do a very good job. But the good news is...

CHEMO IS FINISHED!!!

My last treatment was December 31, 2012. It was so nice to finish, but I was really tired this time. For my fifth and sixth rounds, Dr. Melnyk had thought about lowering my dosage, but then decided I could handle the full amount. That was great, until January 7. My white blood cell counts got so low and I got dehydrated again, so I ended up in the hospital for the night. They pumped me full of fluids and antibiotics, along with something to get those white blood cells back up. I feel lucky that was the only time I ended up in the hospital during chemo. I have talked to a lot of people that ended up there several times. 

Since it's been three months since my last update and not a lot of new things. So I just want to list a few things I learned that might help someone else going through this same thing.

Don't forget the lemon drops

One of my friends at church had a friend that sucked on lemon drops during chemo to help cut the taste, so she sent me some. How right she was! I wish I would have known this from the beginning. It seems like as soon as they start the Adriamycin, I could taste it, but the lemon drops made it not so bad.

Keep that positive attitude
I have always considered myself to be an optimistic person, but cancer? How can I be optimistic through that? Well it is possible. Surround yourself with positive people. Smile as much as you can.  Laugh, and laugh a lot. Laugh about everything. My grandmother taught me there is humor in everything and she was right. This sounds really strange I know, but there is a lot of humor in cancer and the treatment that comes with it.

Have faith
God put me on this journey for some reason. I may never figure out what that reason is, but I am going to do my best to do what I think he is telling me to do. And that takes faith. I have never been good at talking to people about the faith I have in God, but I have made myself tell others about Him through the cancer.

Now just a quick update of what I have to look forward to.

I had a colonoscopy and EDG last Friday. These were done because of the bleeding issues I talked about before and my gastroenterologist said that breast cancer likes to move to the colon and the stomach so he would check that too. He said everything looked great, but there was a portion of the intestine that he couldn't get to, but we will talk about what to do about that at my follow up appointment in April.

Next week I have a nuclear bone scan and will be radioactive for a few hours. This is one test that I am really looking forward too. My bones have been aching for awhile and I am ready to see what the problem is. Then a week later I have a CT on my chest and some lab work. After that, I don't know. But I will get to see Dr. Melnyk. I haven't seen him since January and we have some catching up to do. I have some questions all ready for him.

And one more thing to remember

Everything is going to be OK.

Until next time, God Bless.

Past Time for an Update

It's been a few weeks since my last update and I'm sorry. I am doing well for the most part. I had my third treatment a little over two weeks ago so I am at the half way point! YAY! My next round is next Monday, the Monday before Thanksgiving. I just told Mom that for the first time I am really not looking forward to the treatment. I think it's because it is so close to the holiday, my favorite holiday. By Thursday, I won't be able to taste anything and that is the day of big eats around here. I'll be fine and will just have to look forward to next year and enjoy all the things I missed this year.

I have only been sick three times, once after each treatment. So not bad!

Several friends and family have gotten on to me because I ended up in the emergency room one night and didn't let anyone know. It was not a very pleasant experience and I wanted to forget about it. It will be too much information for most but since I am trying to keep some records for Katie and Mattie, I guess I better get it recorded... so here goes.

If you don't like to read about poop and blood, you probably want to skip down a few paragraphs.



Since I started chemo, I have had issues having bowel movements. I will have a week of diarrhea followed by several days of constipation with soft stools. Both are accompanied by sever muscle cramps. About two weeks after the second treatment, I had the cramps that told me to go and had a terrible time. When I finally finished, there was a lot of blood in the toilet and on the tissues. I immediately called the on call doctor and she told me to get to the ER.

Not only did I not feel well, but it was absolutely the worst night I had ever spent in the ER. We were there a total of six hours!! Glad I wasn't actually bleeding to death because it was three hours before the doctor came in. After some test, one that I really don't want to talk about because it was so painful, they decided I had ruptured an internal hemorrhoid (sp).

I will say, since then, I have only had a couple of days of problems, but I knew to call my doctor as soon as they started. I now know how to get through these episodes with less pain.



TMI IS OVER!!!


Even though I will have my treatment next week, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. And for those of you that know my families shopping traditions, I WILL BE JOINING THE EXCITEMENT OF BLACK FRIDAY!! I refuse to let chemo keep me from the fun! Frank told me tonight that he is going to go with us (YAY!)! And I think I am going to take my grandmother's walker with a seat on it, just in case I need to sit down in a hurry!!! LOL

Tomorrow, I will be taking Mattie to film a segment for KRBC. I will let you know when it will air. I am really excited about it, but not sure if she even knows she is doing it! She should be excited because she will get to leave school early!

I can't believe that the holiday season is already upon us. These past few month's have been a whirlwind of events and emotions. Even though some things will be different this year, one thing we all know for sure,

God is in control, and because we know that,

Everything is going to be OK!

Until next time, God bless!

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

October 24, 2012

I've heard it said all my life "Everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame."

Tonight it was my turn.

Well... mine and everyone at AMMA Karate.

KRBC/KTAB came out and did a story on AMMA's efforts to bring awareness to the fight for a cure for breast cancer.

More specifically, my fight.

It was a great report. Click here to see it.

I know I am behind on my post, but nothing really has changed, other than I have lost my hair. I promise to do a post on that and post some pictures. I have to. I have to keep record.

But one thing has remained steadily the same.

I have a great support group.

They are fighting for me.

Through prayer.

That is so much more than I ever expected.

I have prayer warriors everywhere, literally world wide.

And if I keep telling myself, if I can just touch one person's life

Everything is going to be OK.

Until next time, God Bless.

Lab Work and Depression

September 24, 2012

Lab work day!! And an office visit with Dr. Melnyk.

I felt uneasy about.

I don't know why, I've done several labs lately.

This one is nothing new.

Mom picked me up and we headed out to oncology. Pretty normal day... so far.

We checked in, sat down and it wasn't long before they called my name.

I sat in my normal chair, I think I'm going to start calling it the vampire chair. It is after all the one where they always draw my blood.

I haven't learned all the nurses names yer, but I'm working on it. But it was the same one that always takes my blood and she is very good by they way. As soon as I felt the stick I felt sick.

REALLY SICK!

Bless her heart, she couldn't stop what she was doing. But the other nurses stepped in, quickly. They were getting me juice and wet towels. I was sweating and freezing at the same time. I asked to lay down.

They brought me a wheel chair and started wheeling me to a room. Any room, I didn't care where it was, I needed to lay down.

Just as they got me in the room, I told them I needed something. They handed me the trash can, just in time!

When I looked up Dr. Melnyk was standing there, smiling. He told me that I had told him I was fine. And I had been. He came on in, did my check up and then looked at my counts. He decided I was a bit dehydrated and that was probably why I had gotten sick. Everything else was what he was expecting. So I am normal after all!!!

September 25, 2012

Nothing too exciting the rest of the week. Just a battle with depression. To read about that click here.

What really sunk in this week was that,

Everything is going to be OK!

Until next time, God bless.

My First Round of Chemo

September 12, 2012

Mom and I went to chemo class. It was just the two of us and one of the oncology nurses. We got lots of great information. I really learned what to expect. So we are preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.

They gave me a notebook full of information, calendars, phone numbers, oh just tons of stuff! We also finally got to see what this port in my arm looks like. I was so nervous about how they were going to get a needle stuck in this "hard" thing in my arm, but after I saw it, I felt much better.

The funniest part of the class was when we got to the sex part. They tell you some of the changes your body will go through and how to handle that department. Three grown women sitting in a room, talking about sex, and I've been married almost 29 years. Let me tell you, this subject still makes me uncomfortable in front of my mom!!! LOL

September 19, 2012

TODAY IS THE DAY! TREATMENT ROUND NUMBER ONE!

I got this!!

My appointment was at 8:45. BUT, I also had to have labs. So I actually didn't get plugged in until about 11:00. Frank took the day off, which I am so thankful. And my dad just couldn't stand it, he came and spent the day with Frank and I. My "cocktail is Taxatere Adrimycin Cytoxan (TAC). I got the A first. It is a push drug that the nurse gives through a syringe. It's the bad one, the "Red Devil". It takes about 15/20 minutes.

Then it was the T, then C. Those take about an hour each. Love my hubby and my daddy, but they were just standing there,

staring at me.

They both looked like they wanted to be in my shoes and that just wasn't acceptable. I finally talked them in to going to get some lunch. I promised them I would be fine, that I had lots of nurses there to take care of me. So they finally left. They brought me back a Subway sandwich and it was very good!

Once those two were finished, they flushed my port and we were headed home! YAY!

It was about 2:30. It took the entire day.

Once we got home, I convinced Frank I was fine and wanted to watch my soap. He finally agreed to watch some fishing shows in the back room. It wasn't long before I heard him snoring. He had finally relaxed. So glad!

We had a great evening. The girls got home from work and karate, we laughed, ate and got ready for the next day.

September 20, 2012

Today I had to go back for a Nuelasta shot.

It goes in the stomach! Yikes! I wasn't expecting that! Never had one there before!

I just didn't look at the needle! It didn't hurt!!

This shot is the one that makes my bones ache. It starts the bone marrow to producing more white cells. Mom brought me back home and I rested.

It was a good day. And even though I didn't know how all this was going to affect me, one thing I did know was...

Everything was going to be OK!

Until next time, God bless.

I Met Someone New Last Week, and I Didn't Like Her Very Much!!

WOW!

Two weeks since my last post!

That is totally unacceptable!!

But I can explain. Someone new came into my life last week.

This person is someone I can say I never expected to meet.

This person wasn't very nice.

I DID NOT LIKE HER AT ALL!!!

I hope I can keep her away from all of my family and friends in the future. Trust me, she is not very nice. Just ask Frank or Katie!

This person was me!!!! Well, depressed me!

Depression is something I have NEVER faced. I have always been able to find the good in everything! Even this beast cancer.

When Frank brought this to my attention, I kicked that b@#^% to the curb!!! I don't want her back in this house! Good bye and good riddance!

So now that we know what to look for, she is definitely gone!

I will get you all caught up on my treatment soon, but I ask, if you see this person sneaking back into my house, please help me get rid of her. She doesn't fit in here. Because in my house, there are no negative Nellie's. Because I've got this! Because I know...

Everything is going to be OK!

Until next time, God bless!!!

Chemo Class Today

September 12, 2012

Today I have my first, extensive visit with Dr. Melnyk, then my chemo class.

My appointment is at 1:30. Class at 3:00.

They said we will break away from my appointment so I can go to my class, then we'll finish up when it is over.

Looks like it is going to be a long afternoon!!

But one thing I know for sure,

Everything is going to be OK!

God Bless!!!

Fun Weekend and the Fair is in Town

September 8, 2012

It's Saturday and we have things to do!

Yes life goes on so we had to go have the inspection done on Frank's truck and a few other necessary errands that have to be done each month. We also decided to go to the fair hoping it wouldn't be too crowded earlier in the day. We had a great time. Mattie had entered two items this year, a necklace (fourth place) and a play-doh model of an ice cream truck (fifth place) and of course we had to have Aggie fries. We got to visit with a lot of people that we haven't seen in a while and just walk around.

We really didn't want any other "fair food" so when we left we went to Abuelos's for a great dinner. Then back home for a relaxing evening at home.

Katie spent the day with us and we had a great time.

We stayed up way too late watching a movie then off to bed. Church in the morning.

September 9, 2012

Church was great! I am loving this series Phil is doing on "The Story". If you haven't read the Bible as much as you should (just like me!) this is a great book. It is the Bible, only in chronological order. If you would like to hear his sermons, please go to the Southern Hills web site. Go to the "resources" tab and find the sermons. It is a great series and awesome to listen too even if you don't have The Story to follow along with.

Lunch was at Fazoli's with lots of friends and family from church. Not my favorite place to eat, but the fellowship make up for that!!! We had a great time.

Then of course it was Sunday afternoon nap day!! Football started this week and I sleep while Frank watches his most favorite sport ever!

We picked Mattie up from her dad's at 6:00 and since she hadn't been to the fair yet, we took her out to ride some rides, eat some food and check out her entries to see if they won (we never tell her!). She loves the rides and she gets really tickled when adults get sick on them and she doesn't. She wasn't disappointed tonight!!! LOL "Lolo! Did you see that guy barf?!?!" We had a great time and got home way to late for a school night, but this was the only night we would be able to go as a family.

So even with lack of sleep, as we start the week, we know that...

Everything is going to be OK!

Until next time, God bless.

Surgery Number Two - Medi-Port Insertion

September 7, 2012

All the antibacterial showers have been taken and now on to the surgery. So glad I've had my hair cut differently since the last surgery so even without makeup, my hair still looks cute!

We get to the hospital. My dad is waiting on us. I get signed in and pretty soon my mom gets there. I am not nearly as anxious about this surgery as I was the first. I think because it isn't my first surgery.

When I hear my name, I look up and see it is Meagan. YAY! Sweet young lady that went to high school with Katie. She is my nurse today! How exciting!!! I KNOW she has a great sense of humor and she can go head to head with Frank. Love her.

Again, because I am still of child bearing age, I had to have a pregnancy test. It doesn't matter that Frank has taken care of that, I could still be pregnant. Oh the joyous thoughts of not only having a baby when I have a six year old grand child, but having cancer and being pregnant?! Thank you Lord for not allowing that to happen! After this chemo, it might not be an issue. Dr. Melnyk said the chemo could throw me into menopause! It would be nice to get that out of the way!!

The anesthetist comes in to tell me what to expect, just as he did last time. He tells me I will not be as heavily sedated as I was last time. He asked me if I had ever had a colonoscopy, which I have. He then tells me that I will be sedated like I was during that. OH NO WAY!!!! I think I have a bit of a panic attack. Frank said my face turned white as a sheet! The problem was, they told me I would probably sleep during the colonoscopy but I didn't, I watched the entire thing on the monitor they had mounted in the room. That was so totally not like me. I could have even driven myself home after! So you see why the bit of panic. I did not want to be awake during this procedure. I barely made it through the biopsy!!! I wanted to be under! He assured me that I would be completely under during this procedure. Frank winked at me and told me I could this, so I settled down a bit.

Dr. Yost came in soon after that and explained the procedure a little bit more. Another surprise! We thought the port would be put on my clavicle. Dr. Yost said he decided to put it in my arm. I just looked at Frank and he took over. (It is so nice having someone that can just look at you and know you need help). He and Dr. Yost discussed the placement and what Dr. Melnyk had said. Dr. Yost was just concerned about the port being so close to my lungs and the still there incisions from the mastectomy. Frank's biggest concern was he was talking about a PICC line and that is something I absolutely did not want. Dr. Yost explained that it was definitely a port and not a PICC line, so we moved forward.

The surgery went well, but my arm is very sore. The incision is right in the bend of my left arm which is still sore and healing from the removal of the lymph node. The bruising is terrible, which they said it would be. This too shall heal, just another hurdle I have to get over. I can't really bend my arm, at all!! So most of the rest of the day I sit with it propped up on pillows and wiggle my fingers to keep some circulation going.

The other new thing is blood thinners. I have to take blood thinners to keep from getting clots. Oh joy! I have to take a pill three times a week at the same time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Thank goodness for technology! I have my alarm set so I don't forget! I am sure that I will have more weekly and daily meds to be taking soon, so this will be good "training" for me!

And as I look forward to what is in my future, I must remind myself, God is in total control and

Everything will be OK!

Until next time, God bless.

One Month

August 30, 2012

Today is my one month anniversary. 

One month ago today, I received the official diagnosis that I have breast cancer. 

To commemorate, I have gone back and read all my blog post from the day I went "public" with the news. 

After reading the post, I can't help but think to myself "One month, is that all?" Some of the words I wrote seem to have been written not just months ago but maybe even years ago. So much has changed in the past thirty days. 

I wonder how distant those words will seem in one year? 

It's strange, some of the changes that I have been through are normal already. And some of the changes I am still trying to get used to. Some changes will change themselves before I have a chance to get used to them. And I have lots more changes to come. 

Other than change always being a constant in our lives, one thing will never change. 

God is good. God is in control. Always. I am so thankful for all He has blessed me with. He has provided me with the right people to help me and travel with me on this journey. 

In the past month I have learned many things but the one I am reminded of daily is that cancer is hard. But with God guiding me on this journey...

Everything is going to be OK!

Until next time, God Bless.