Surgery

I had a great birthday on Sunday and the surgery went really good on Monday. I don't have any drains. The surgery only lasted maybe an hour. He made the incision on one of the old scars so I won't have any new ones. I was back at the hotel by 10 and took a good nap. I saw the nurse the next day and she said everything looks great. I really don't feel any different than I did before surgery. I am so glad to get rid of the expander's and get my new permanent implants. I guess after the surgery in September this was a piece of cake. I am glad with Christmas just around the corner I didn't want to be hurting.

I see Dr H again after Christmas on the 28th.

I hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas! I know we will.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I saw Dr freeman, the radiation oncologist on Monday. He thought everything looked great and he didn't want to see me anymore. He said I would be seeing enough doctors. I am glad to mark one off the list.

I have been taking the tamoxifen with no side effects. I am also taking a slew of vitamins. The oncologist called and said my vitamin D was low. He wanted me to take extra vit D. They also want me taking calcium because of the tamoxifen. I had the bone density test done. Good news, my bones are normal.

Surgery is in a little over two weeks, December 14. The expander's really haven't been that bad. I will be glad however to have them out and my permanent implants in. I am glad we will be able to get all the major surgery over this year. I have two more minor procedures, adding nipples and tattooing. Those will be next year.

What a year this has been, nothing we could of ever imagined. We have so much to be thankful for. I truly feel blessed to be here and cancer free. I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Last Fill

I saw Dr H today and got the last fill. I am having surgery December 14th to remove the expander's and put in the implants. Happy Birthday to me! What a present. Anyway, it will be an out patient surgery. I have to be there at 5:45 am and will be out before lunch. I am having the surgery at Baylor Surgical Hospital in Ft Worth. That won't be the last one but at least it will be the last major one. I also found out the pain in my arm is the muscle pulling. It has no elasticity after radiation and as things are stretched and pressed it is pulling in the arm. He recommended I go to therapy. So I guess I will check on that next.

I finally got everything resolved with the Dr situation. I will be changing oncologist and start seeing the new one in January for my 3 month check up. Her name is Dr Krekow and she is at the Breast Care Center. I also found out that my cholesterol didn't go down during chemo. It actually went up. The ratio is in the grey area so it will need to be monitored. The tamoxifan may make it go up but they just don't know. If that happens then I will have to start taking cholesterol medicine. We will just cross that bridge when we get there. It is better for me to be on the tamoxifan since my body has returned to normal.

I am done with all the appointments related to cancer until December. Well, except for therapy on my arm. I am not saying we have any free time though. Now it's time for all the other appointments we had to put off. The kids dentist, the dermatologist, the list goes on. I am excited that the holidays are nearly here. My favorite time of year. Now if we could just get snow.

Appts

I know it has been a few weeks since I have written. I haven't had much to say. The muscles are getting better. They are still tight in the chest, but they said that will be better when I get the real implants. These expanders are meant to be a pain. I have gotten more fluid added every week and I see Dr H again this Thursday to see what the plan is.

I had an appointment with the oncologist today to get the tamoxifan. Everything went fine, but I just don't know about him. We talked about my future care and I'm just not satisfied. He said he hasn't had anyone like me before. He would have to check on different ways to keep up with me. When I left I was a bit uneasy, but thought it would be okay. Then I picked up my prescription and was reading the paper that came with it. It said several things to tell your Dr, this and that, you know what they all say. But this was different, it said several things that concerned me. When I read this "especially of: High Cholesterol, I got real concerned. I have high cholesterol so I called to make sure he knew. They asked me if I was I taking cholesterol medicine because they didn't have it down. I told her no. She said she had talked to the Dr and they felt I really needed the medicine so just take it. They didn't address my concerns about the cholesterol or anything. They could of been nice and said let us check your cholesterol or something, but just take it. Really? Well, I'm not. I called Dr Smith's office and they set me up an appt tomorrow to have my cholesterol checked. I wanted to know what the numbers are. I am going to call my surgeon tomorrow at the Breast Care Center and tell her I want a referral for the oncologist in her office. Since all they do are breast, I feel more confident they can handle my long term care. I will have the cholesterol numbers for her and hopefully they will be able to answer all my questions.

I will let you know how things turn out.

Plastic Surg Appt

Well, things seem to be going pretty good I guess. Brian says I am a little grumpier than normal but that is because I am sleep deprived. I was so glad to get the drains out so I could lay on my side and then I couldn't. The puffy part under my arms just wasn't comfortable to lay on. But things are looking up, except for the allergies that have taken over. I wish this darn weather would make up its mind. Anyway, let me get back on track. The puffy is going down some. I saw Dr Heistein (we will call him Dr H from now on) on Thursday. He said things are really looking good and healing really fast. I do still have some fluid under my right arm which is why it is so puffy. He said he could take it out with a needle but thought my body would probably absorb it, so we left it. The other side, which is puffy, but not as puffy, he said it will go down in time. I was able to get more saline added and my cleavage is growing. It is kind of exciting. It would be nice if there was no pain, but you know what they say, no pain, no gain. I keep telling myself that. I still get the tightness in the muscle that is pulling from the back but it seems to be getting a little better. The scars are healing up. It isn't really as bad as I thought. I have two long scars on my back. They go up and down and there is one on each side. On the breast the only scars I have are a circle where they cut out the nipple and areola, and one line that goes from the circle out toward the arm maybe an inch. They replaced the areola with a circle of skin from my back. It really is amazing what they can do. The rest of the skin is scar free, Dr H said they save 90% of my skin and I believe it. I go back the next two Thursdays to get more fluid added and then I will see him on the next Thursday Oct 22nd.

I guess that is it for now, except for I need to take a moment to say thank you. I want to thank the class of '91 for the beautiful flower arrangement that was waiting for me after surgery. A very special thank you to those who brought food after we got home. I want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers during all of this and surgery. My journey isn't over yet but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I am at least on the last few 100 miles of this road. I know my journey will never be over but the next path I will take will be as a Breast Cancer Survivor.

I hope everyone stays well and I will talk to you soon.

OMG

Well, I am happy to say I will not be going to the insane asylum. Dr Brian took out all four drains today. Those were the worst thing ever. They hurt, were disgusting and I could only sleep on my back and not move. To sum it up when I was heavily medicated they were fine now that I am not they had to go. It was not fun at all getting them out but they are gone. Anyway, she said everything looked good. I won't see her again for a year. I will however become best friends with my plastic surgeon. I see him again next week. One of the best things about having surgery the way I did is I still have cleavage. I actually have a little more than I did before surgery. I know my muscles in my back around to the front are still really tight. I will be curious to see how much is still swelling. The boob part under my arms is puffy but they said that some of that is from the Lat flap. I will know more next week.

I guess that is it for now. My appt with Dr Heistein is next Thursday. I almost forgot, I have to go see Dr Crim again on Oct 12, he needs to get me started on tamoxifan. Yeah, pills for the next two to three years. (I hope you heard the sarcasm) Talk to you soon!

Great News

I got great news today. Dr Brian called and said she got the pathology report back and there were no residual tumors in the tissue and she took out nine lymph nodes and they were all clear. I am so happy if I could move more I would do a dance!

I also needed to clarify something I said before. I was confused. When they take muscles out of the back and put them in the front it's not that easy. They cut only part of the muscle in the back and stretch it around to the front. They have to leave it attached for blood flow. It has made me feel really tight under my arms.

Everything seems to be getting better. I hope when I see Dr Brian on Thursday she takes out all the drains.

I Am Home

Well, I made it home today and that was a trip. Everything went fine until I started to get motion sickness. That made for a long trip. I am home now and all is well. I have pain but nothing like I did yesterday.

I know Brian told you how long the surgery ended up being. I was a little surprised but I wanted them to have plenty of time to do it right. Everything they were supposed to do they did. The expander's pretty well fill out what I had before. The muscles are what is the most sore. I came home with four drains and I hope to get them all out this Thursday when I go back to see Dr Brian. I won't see the plastic surgeon until the next Thursday Oct 1.

I don't know anything else for now.

Day after Surgery

Teisha asked me to post something last night, but I didn't get it done. When she did the pre-op interview over the phone with the hospital, they thought it would be a three hour surgery. That person was wrong. It was a six hour surgery. It made for a long day.
Everything went well, no surprises. She is sore, but she is walking up and down the hall about every hour. The doctor still anticipates releasing her tomorrow. It will be a long ride home, with two three-year olds.

Brian

Tomorrow is the day

I had both pre-ops today and everything went fine. Dr Heistein got me all marked up and ready to go. Surgery should take approx 3 hours. I don't know if I will be able to blog tomorrow so hopefully Brian will. I am sure it will be short and sweet but at least you will know that all is well. Everyone say an extra prayer for me tomorrow and I will talk to you soon.

CAT Scan & Dr Appt

We had a great vacation. Here are a few pictures. We stayed one night in San Antonio on the river and then went to Port Aransas for three nights. The kids just loved the beach and the pool at our hotel. It was so nice to get away for a few days with no appointments or worries.

I had a CAT scan last Thursday, the medical oncologist just wanted to see everything before I had surgery. I met with him today to get the results. Everything looks good. The tumors in the breast are not showing anymore and the lymph node that was slightly swollen before appears to be normal size now. Even though deep down I knew that it hadn't gone anywhere else you still worry a little. I am sure every time I have a scan or test I will have that little bit of worry and sick feeling. I will see Dr Crim again in a month to start my medicine. He wanted to wait until after surgery because it could cause blood clots. I will be taking Tamoxifan and he said I will be on it for two or three years.

Well, time sure does fly by. I will be having surgery in 10 days. I can't believe it is already here and I'm just ready to get it over with. I have pre-op on the 17th and then surgery will be at 10 am on the 18th.

I guess that is it for now.

One Month To Go

I met with Dr Brian yesterday and we are on for the 18th of September. She will do a Right Modified Radical Mastectomy, a Left Simple Mastectomy and port removal. They said she would probably take 1 1/2 hours and then Dr Heistein will do his part which will take longer than that so I will be out a good while. I won't go into all that Dr Heistein is going to do again, if you missed it check the post from August 8th. It will be at Harris Methodist Southlake and the dr said I will love the hospital. All the rooms are private and they said are very spacious. I think they are tyring to make it sound like a hotel. Anyway, they are a specialist in breast cancer treatment which is what really matters. I have to be there at 8am and surgery will start around 10am. I will have appointments on the 17th for pre-op. I go to Dr Brian's office at 11:00 and Dr Heisteins office at 3:30. We are going to stay the night in Southlake since I have to be there so early. They said I will only be in the hospital two days so I should go home on Sunday. I think that is about it for surgery.

I will have a CAT scan on Sept 3rd and meet with Dr Crim again on Sept 8th. He just wanted a repeat CAT scan after chemo and radiation were over and before I had surgery.

That is all for now. I am off until the 3rd. I can't believe I have so much free time. I am most excited about going to the coast.

Only two more!!!

Only two more treatments. I will be done tomorrow!!! I forgot to mention that my hair is growing back. It is so soft and has turned dark. I am finally able to grab it with a pinch. I mentioned earlier that I had a delayed eyelash falling out. Well, they came back real quick. They are not long yet but they are there and thick. I also ended up having my eyebrows thin. I looked very strange, as they were falling out new ones were coming in. Have you ever seen anyone with a 5 o'clock shadow on their eyebrows? Very odd. Well they all finally fell out, but I was never without any because the new ones are growing fast. They are not long yet but are getting thick. I think I may have to go get my eyebrows waxed. They definitely are lacking shape.

I saw Dr Freeman yesterday. He said that everything is great. He will see me again in three or four months to look at the skin. I don't know why because there is really no change whatsoever, but that is fine.

Lets see, I meet with Dr Brian on Monday and that is it for August. My next appt will be Sept 3rd when Dr Crim will do another CAT scan. I will see him again on Sept 8th to get the results.

37 days until surgery. I guess that is it for now.

Surgery Scheduled!!!

I just love this. I think I should have it printed on a shirt or something.


I only have 4 more days left of radiation!! I am so excited that will be over. Everything is looking great there. No real obvious changes to the skin.

I hope this is not too much info, but you know me. Brian said everyone might not want the gory details ,if that is so, only read the next sentence and then move on to the next paragraph. I met with the plastic surgeon (Dr Heistein) yesterday and it looks like I will have surgery on September the 18th. It will be more than I thought. I thought, take the old ones off and put new ones on. Well, because I had radiation there is more to it. Evidently radiation makes the muscle scar and it looses its elasticity. So he is going to have to put in a new muscle from my lower back. Even though the muscle is fine on the other side he is going to put a back muscle there too. Because they are different muscles it would make the boobs appear different. Since I am going to all this trouble I sure want them to be the same. Then he will put in expander's to stretch the muscles. I will go back every week for him to put fluid in the expander's until they are the size I want. Once they are the right size he won't do anything for two months to let the muscles stretch and shape. At that time I will have another surgery to take the expander's out and put my new permanent boobs in. Because I am having the mastectomy and surgery done at the same time they are able to save 90% of my skin. So that is really good. I will however loose my nipples because that is where the milk ducts go through so I will have to have new ones added after I have my permanent boobs. They are also going to take out the port. What a day that will be. The surgery will be at Harris Methodist Southlake and I will be in the hospital for two days. I will see him on Sept 17th for pre op to get marked up for surgery.

I see Dr Brian, my other surgeon, on August 17th. Then I am of until September 3rd. Unless something changes. On September 3rd I will have another CAT scan. I will meet with Dr Crim on September 8th. The kids dentist is September 14th and I will be back for pre op on the 17th. Wow, that is why we are having a vacation the last week of August. We are taking the kids to Port Aransas. They just love the beach and we need a vacation.

I guess that is it for now.

Radiation going great

Hello, I still don't have anything to tell. The dr said my skin looks great. I am not having a reaction to radiation. I guess some people blister and burn. Only 10 more treatments left. The drives to Ft Worth seem to be getting shorter. I know they should be getting longer but it seems like I am there and back in a hurry.

We have a new addition to the family. Benji & Crystal have a new baby girl, Carsynn Grace Nabors. She was born on Monday and weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and was 19 in long. Whitney & Josh are having a boy and he is set to arrive the end of September. Probably about the time I have surgery. Lindsi saw Carsynn at the hospital and staked a claim to her. She said Logan could have the next one. She was so upset when we couldn't take her home with us. I am sure when the next one is born she will claim it too, poor Logan.

Festival week is nearly here. Maci is going to be in the Little Miss so I will have to hurry back from Ft Worth for that. Maybe the weather will be nice. I guess that is it for now.

Survivor

This picture was taken right after my last chemo in June @ the kids 3 year photo shoot.

I found this the other day and thought I would share.

Survivor

You are an inspiration to those who know you... a wonderful example of courage and perseverance... walking in faith... seeking God's strength.

"For I know the plans I have for you", Says the Lord Jeremiah 29:11

Tomorrow is Hump Day!!!!

Hello all, everything is going wonderful! Tomorrow will be day 14. Only 14 more to go!!!!! I really don't have anything to tell. The trips are going good. My skin is fine so nothing really to tell from the Dr. I am having a delayed eyelash falling out but oh well. I don't know why they waited until a month after chemo to start but that is just me. I can't do anything normal.

I have attached a link I hope everyone will check out. It is the Breast Cancer Performance from So You Think You Can Dance that was on last night. It is kind of long but take time to listen to the judges especially Mia, so touching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_TCK5OCgss

I will still have the appointments every Tuesday with Dr Freeman. My next appointment not related to radiation is August 7th with the plastic surgeon.

I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather and little bit of rain. We need more but we can't complain.

Radiation (6 Down)

6 days down and 22 more to go. I met with the dr today and all is well. Radiation really is no big deal. I only have about a minute and a half of radiation total in four spots. Everyday but dr day from the time I pull into the parking lot until I am pulling out is between 12 and 17 minutes. Most days it is just me so I go straight there and back. Brian and the kids go at least once a week and we spend a little more time in Ft Worth.

I saw the medical oncologist yesterday. He wanted to check my blood and see how things were going. He said my blood levels looked good. He will run another CAT scan after radiation.

I have several appointment's in August and the first of September. I will tell you what and when later. I don't have them in front of me right now. The rest of July I only have radiation. I guess that is it for now until next Tuesday.

Have a great Hot week!!

1st Radiation & Great News

Well, I made the first of many trips. Radiation wasn't bad at all. Most days it will only take about 10 min. They said every 5 days I will have x-rays to make sure everything is still lined up so that will add a few min. Then I will see Dr Freeman every Tuesday. Other than that really nothing. When I saw the Dr today he gave me great news. He said I will probably only have to come 5 weeks instead of the 6 1/2 he had originally planned. Hallelujah!!!!! I almost did a dance in his office.

Let's see what else, My hair is starting to grow back. Not as fast as it fell out but it is growing. I have some blond fuzz. I am wondering if it isn't going to come back blond. For those who may not know when Benji and I were little we were cotton topped. The older we got the darker our hair got. Thanks to Tonya I was able to keep a little blond in mine.

I have a big day next Monday the 13th. I see Dr Crim again. He wants to check my blood levels and make sure everything is still okay one month after chemo. I will have my port flushed and go to radiation. I guess that is it. I will keep making the trip to Ft Worth daily and post on Dr Days.

Getting ready for radiation

Everything went well today. They did a cat scan and I only have three marks. They are at the bottom of my ribs, one on each side and one on the front in the middle. She made marks with some sort of marker and then put a tiny tattoo there also. They said it will look like a freckle.

I will start radiation on July 7th. I have to be there at 12:30 that day then after that my appointments will be at 3:30 everyday. I will see the Dr every Tuesday so I will let you know how things go then.

The L's turned 3 today. We celebrated by taking them to eat at Fuddruckers. They are getting so big.

I guess that is it for now.

Have a great week!

Appointment with Surgeon

I went to see the surgeon Dr Brian on Monday. She said everything felt good and was very pleased. You can't feel the tumor anymore. She got me set up with a plastic surgeon, Johnathan Heistein, in Ft Worth. I go see him August 10th and we will decide what our best options are for implants. Dr Brian said she will do surgery about six weeks after radiation. That will make it the end of September or first of October. So there is plenty of time for both of them to get together and make a plan. Dr Brian will take them off and Dr Heistein will put new better ones in their place. Dr Brian will also take out the port at the same time. She said she will also take out a few lymph nodes since the one was compromised but not all of them. I will meet with her again after radiation and get everything finalized.

My next appointment is Monday June 29th with Dr Freeman at Radiation Oncology. I will get scanned and tattooed so I can start radiation the next Monday.

Last Chemo!!!!!!!

Hello everyone. Chemo is done!!!!! I am so excited. I learned something yesterday, that I don't recommend trying at home, mixing Musinex-D with IV Benedryl. I was stuffy and had been taking musinex which works wonderful but I did not take it yesterday until I asked. The nurse said I could take it so when I got to chemo I took the pills and they hooked me up to the Benedryl. Well, I got a really clear nose but before I left chemo I was so tired and after walking for a few minutes I got dizzy which made me nauseous. What a day it was. Other than that Chemo went fine and after sleeping off the meds last night I feel back to normal today. I will see Dr Crim again on July 13th to check my blood and make sure that it is all still normal. Since I am not going to be using my port anymore I will have to get it flushed every month until they take it out to keep it from getting a clot. So I will have that done when I see Dr Crim on the 13th. My port should come out when I have the other surgery. He also will do a CAT scan after radiation and before surgery to see how everything looks. Then he said at some point we will see what meds I have to take. I will still have to see him every three months for a couple of years to get my blood drawn and check everything out.

I am now moving to the next phase of all this, radiation. I go to see Dr Freeman, the radiation oncologist, June 29th to get the tattoos, scans and other markings. Radiation should start July 6th. I will then post once a week on the days I see him. I can't see posting everyday since nothing will be going on other than getting the radiation.

I will see Dr Brian, the surgeon, next Monday June 22nd. She wants to look me over and I will find out how long after radiation it will be before surgery. I will also get the name of the plastic surgeon. I want to go ahead and meet with them so they can get on the same page since they will both be doing the surgery. I don't want any delays moving forward after radiation.

Lets see what else. The kids will be 3 on June 29th!!!! Oh, that's one more appt we have, July 1st their 3 year checkup. We have their 3 year pictures made this week on Thursday, I am so excited. I hope everyone has a great day and great week. I will post next Monday after my meeting with the surgeon. Oh, I almost forgot I get the last shot of neulasta today.

Chemo phase 2 round 3

Everything went fine today. I got good news, he can't feel the tumor! He said there may be a little scar tissue but really nothing. The other Dr didn't feel anything either. Chemo was the same. I was out by 1:30, I went to the parking lot and ate a quick lunch with Brian and the kids and went back inside for my apt at 2:00. I met with the radiation oncologist Dr Freeman. I finally left there at 4:00. It was a long day, I got there at 9:20 this morning. Anyway we have a radiation plan. I am so excited (not really). Well, I am excited we have a plan and once that is over I can move on to surgery. What I am not excited about is I will be going to Ft Worth everyday M-F for 6 to 6 1/2 weeks. Oh well, I know that this too shall pass. The driving will be the worst of it. The longest I will be there on 4 of the days is about 45 min. The other day I see the Dr and it will take a bit longer. We can't start anything until after Chemo though. I only have one more treatment. I am very excited about that!

Here is what June looks like:

Neulasta Shot June 2nd
Last Chemo June 15th
Last Neulasta Shot June 16th
Appt (follow up) with Dr Brian the surgeon June 22nd
June 29th (Kids officially turn 3) Appt with Dr Freeman - I will meet with the dr and then I go get a scan done and the tattoos and other markings for radiation.

Dr Freeman said I should be able to start radiation July 6th. So as you can see I am not slowing down on bit. I am working hard to get this all behind us. Oh, and for those who don't know radiation is just like getting an x-ray, it just lasts a little longer. There really aren't any side effects from it. If anything the skin may turn red kind of like a sun burn or fluid may collect in my right arm because of the radiation on the lymph nodes. But that doesn't happen in everyone so I hope it is like Chemo and I don't have any major side effects.

It looks like late August or early September before the surgery. I will know more about that when I talk to Dr Brian.

I guess that is it for now. I am having fun this month planning the kids party and getting their 3 year pictures taken!

Chemo Phase 2 round 2

I didn't get anything posted last night because I couldn't get this darn thing to work. Anyway, we tried something new. We took the trailer to Ft worth and went camping. There is a RV park in Aledo so it is only about 20 min from the doctor. We went Sunday afternoon and it worked perfect. We didn't have to leave here at some awful hour on Monday and the kids had so much fun. We are going to do that for my next two treatments also.

Things went fine with chemo It only took a little over 3 hours this time. I still feel fine today and after lunch I will head to Stephenville to get my shot. I am supposed to meet with the radiation oncologist sometime soon. The surgeon and him need to make a plan so I can keep moving forward after my last treatment on the June 15th. I have an appointment with him on June 1st. I also have an appointment with Dr Brian the surgeon on June 22. Just a follow up with her to make sure everything is on schedule and moving along like it should. I won't know how much radiation I will need until they get together and figure it out. Then after radiation, the double mastectomy with reconstruction.

I don't know if anyone has noticed but I changed the about me section. I had to write something for MOPS and I thought it would fit there too. I moved all my favorite quotes under the profile because there just wasn't room there. For those who only read this by e-mail here is the new about me. "I was diagnosed Feb 20, 2009 with Breast Cancer. It was a shock especially at 36 to have a disease that I only thought about older people getting. I know there are young people but you never hear about them. The only people I knew were 50 or older. I am determined to beat this and I refuse to let it define who I am. I believe with all my heart that this is just a bump in the road of life and we will come out on the other side even stronger. I know that this happened for a reason. I don't know what that reason is and I may never, but God does. I may one day touch someone and that be it. I get up everyday and put one foot in front of the other and live my life. I hope others see that this is not the end of the world but just another day. Yes, with issues some days but still just another beautiful glorious day. I know God is here with me and has been with me every step of the way."

I know I am rambling on today but one more thing. I saw this yesterday at chemo:

What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer is so limited......

It cannot cripple

love

It cannot shatter

hope

It cannot corrode

faith

It cannot destroy

peace

It cannot kill

friendship

It cannot suppress

memories

It cannot silence

courage

It cannot invade

the soul

It cannot conquer

the spirit

It cannot steal

eternal life

Well, I guess that is about it for today. Just remember that no matter how bad today may seem there is always tomorrow. So, Laugh at the confusion, Smile through the tears and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason. I hope everyone has a great day!

Next Chemo June 1st.

Feeling Great

Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you know that things are going really good. I appear to have no side effects from this chemo. I feel great (knock on wood). I was really tired the night after chemo but yesterday I felt great and I still do. I got the shot yesterday. I didn't have any side effects from it last time so hopefully my bones won't hurt this time either. I only have 3 more treatments and shots left. I am counting down the days. My last treatment will be June 15. I will then go back to the surgeon to see what is next.

Hope everyone has a great Mother's Day!

Next Chemo May 18th

Chemo phase 2 round 1

What a long day. The dr called on friday and said they needed to move my appt to morning since the chemo was going to take 3 hours. We left here at 7:30 this morning. My appt was at 9:40. Once all was said and done I left the dr at 2:50. I was in chemo nearly 4 hours today. It shouldn't be that long next time but it will still 3 hours. Oh well, I will survive. I would rather sit there for 3 hours only 3 more times than one hour every week for 12 weeks. I haven't noticed any side effects from this chemo other than they give me benadryl by iv and it made me really tired. Benadryl always does so I expected that. The chemo I am taking now is Taxol. The Dr felt for the tumor and he says it is still there a tiny bit but it is not really measurable. I don't feel it but that is his job. I also found out friday that because I am going to be going every two weeks I will still have to have the shot of neulasta. So I will go to Stephenville tomorrow again for that.

My next chemo will be May 18.

Last shot and another round of bronchitis

I got the last shot today. I am so glad that is all over. I had to make two trips to Stephenville today. Logan had to go to the Dr and they could only get him in this morning and I couldn't have my shot until after 3:30. That was a pain but such is life. He has bronchitis again. The doctor says he probably does have asthma and that is why he has been sick so much this winter with the colds and bronchitis. He always breathes heavier than Lindsi and when he runs he coughs, that is another sign of asthma. Hopefully he will outgrow it. Anyway, we left the Dr with another handful of prescriptions and hopefully we can get him well. He will be taking singulair for awhile and see if that can keep him from getting sick again. She said that would help with the asthma and allergies. I really like our pediatrician but I don't like seeing her every couple of weeks.

That is all I know for now. I will let you know how things go on the 4th with the new medicine. Hopefully Logan will have recovered by then.

Round 4 and good news

I am done with this round chemo, all 4 cycles are done. I talked with the doctor and we are going to do the next round of chemo the same as this every other week for 4 cycles. I just didn't see going every week for 12 weeks when we could get it done in two months. I will just get a double dose of medicine every time. The new medicine doesn't have the side effects like this one. If anything happens it would happen while I am there so I should feel better.

The good news is my blood counts and my bone marrow are normal. He said my blood doesn't look like someone who has had chemo. The doctor didn't measure the tumor this time but I can't even feel it anymore. It just feels normal.

I go tomorrow for the shot in Stephenville. That will be the last one of those also. I won't have to have any shots with the next round.

The next round of chemo will start May 4th.

Oh boy, side effects

Hello, I hope everyone had a great Easter yesterday!

It turns out they think I am highly sensitive to the Cytoxan. I am having numbness that no one else has ever complained of. My head, face, whole inside of mouth and teeth, my feet and at times my hands. It is the strangest thing. I also have the jitters on the inside. My energy level just isn't bouncing back . It is like I said before that it is almost like being pregnant. I am not tired like I need a nap, I am just not up to par. I had numbness the first week but when they changed the nausea med I didn't have it the next time. Thank goodness only one more treatment with the Cytoxan.

Round 4, April 20.

Shot #3

Sorry I am so late posting. I got my shot yesterday. Everything went fine. I should only have to do that one more time. It does have some side effects. Monday after the shot my bones really hurt for about 24 hours. It is doing what it is supposed to though. My white count is really good.

The kids are getting better. They still have some coughing but the runny noses have stopped. I guess that is it for now. I go back for round 4 on April 20th. That will be all of this chemo. I will then start the new med in May. I will know more about that next time. Unless something happens I won't have a post until the 20th.

I wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Chemo Round 3

What a day. We took the kids to the Dr this morning because they are congested and have a cough. Logan has a light case of bronchitis and Lindsi isn't far behind. So they are now on antibiotics and various other meds. This has been a winter and I am ready for it to be over. The kids have allergies that turn into a cold that turn into bronchitis about every month and a half. Throw in two stomach viruses one of which Brian got and then the cancer. I hope spring brings better health to all.

Chemo went well today. My tumor is smaller again. The Dr said that by next time he probably won't be able to measure it. Only one more round of this medicine and the first of May I will start chemo every week with a different medicine. Right now it looks like that will be for 12 weeks. The Dr didn't change any of the medicines this time so hopefully I will do as good as last time. I go to Stephenville tomorrow for my shot.

I want to thank everyone for their comments and prayers. I know we will survive this!

So Far So Good

I went to Stephenville and got my shot this afternoon. That was so much better than making the trip back to Ft Worth. Everything seems to be going fine. I am a little nauseous at times but nothing that slows me down. I can tell that my energy level is down a little too but that hasn't slowed me down much either. I do know things are going better this round than last. When we got home from Ft Worth from my shot last time it was all I could do to lay on the couch with my eyes shut and the next day I was in a drug haze. It must of been the nausea medicine because I am taking a different one now. I go back to Ft Worth on April 6th for round 3 of chemo. Unless we have anything really exciting I won't have anything to post until then.

Chemo Round 2

Everything went good today and the L's seem to be feeling better. Logan especially and Lindsi is getting there. The doctor measured my lump and it has gotten a little smaller so that is exciting. The chemo is working!!! It makes me feel like crap so it better be working. I had a surprise this morning, my hair started to fall out. I washed it and when I was drying it I thought forget it. I got the clippers, we put the #2 on them and Brian cut my hair. He said I look more like Benji then I ever did. You know what, getting ready is a breeze and I didn't have to worry about my hair blowing in my face today.

I guess that is all for now, I am really tired and the kids are headed to bed. I will go to Stephenville tomorrow for my shot of neulasta. I am taking a different nausea medicine so hopefully things will be better than after round 1. I will let you know.

When it rains it pours

What a weekend we have had. I said in my last post we were going to enjoy this spring like week. Well, that night (Tuesday) Logan got sick. He had throwing up etc. Everything was fine until he decided he didn't want to drink anymore. We tried and tried and he would just say "no thank you", like he had a choice. Anyway, I took him to the doctor on Friday and he was starting to get dehydrated. The dr said it would be best to just admit him to the hospital. So Friday evening we were at the hospital getting Logan checked in when Lindsi started getting sick. She has the same thing as Logan but she will still drink. The Dr said they just have a stomach virus. Logan and Brian got to spend two nights in the hospital. The dr released him this morning and they are on the way home. Lindsi is still under the weather but seems to be a bit better.

I go for Chemo round 2 tomorrow afternoon. I got the best news possible this week. Thanks to Stacy at Dr Smith's (my OB/Gyn) office I am going to be able to have my neulasta shot in Stephenville at the clinic on Tuesday. Plus by running it under our prescription ins I save around $900.00. So only one trip to Ft Worth!!!!

I will let everyone know how tomorrow goes. Have a great day!

Genetics Test Update

I got good news yesterday. The test came back from genetics and I am negative for the BRACA1 and BRACA2 gene. Now we don't know why I have cancer but at least I won't pass a gene on to Lindsi. She and Whitney are at higher risk because I have BC and need to start being checked 10 years earlier than when I got cancer. Whitney will start being really screened at 26 and when Lindsi gets old enough there is no telling what advances they will have made. As far as all the cancer in half of my family tree, they think it is due more to the environment and lifestyle etc. They did not feel that there was any reason for me to be checked for any other genetic mutation.

I go back for chemo Monday. I hope next week goes better than last. I had a bad reaction to some or all of the meds. The compazine for sure and possibly the steroid. They are going to change those and then we will see what happens.

One thing I know for sure, I am going to enjoy this spring like week and I hope everyone else does too!

Shot

Well, I made the last trip to Ft Worth for a while. I don't have to go back for 13 days. That will seem like a vacation. I got the shot of Neulasta to raise my white blood count and they took the stitches out of the port. Everything looks good. I am feeling pretty good now. I felt really bad late last night but that passed by morning. I am just so tired from the trip today.

Chemo Round 1

The first treatment went fine. It lasted nearly two hours. No problems other than a disconnected feeling and I am now really tired. I have some medicine to take if I get nauseated and tomorrow I start steroids for 4 days. I go back to the Dr tomorrow for a shot that will raise my white blood count. Then I go to the surgeon to have my stitches taken out from the port. I think that's it for now. Hopefully all will be well and I won't have to go back until the 23rd for round two.

Good News!!!!!

Well, I made it through the week. We finally got some good news. The doctor had the CT and Bone Scan and the cancer is only where it was to begin with. It has not spread anywhere else. I have been through a heck of a week but it was worth it to find that out. Everything is moving along. The port is ready to be used and I start Chemo on Monday. Phase one of my treatment will be Chemo every other week for 2 months. I will be given Cytoxan and Adriamycin.

So far I only have to go to Ft Worth twice next week. Monday for the treatment and Tuesday I go get the shot that is given after chemo and I have my post op appointment with Dr Brian to take the stitches out from my port.

I am so glad it is finally the weekend. I am looking forward to a few days at home, I swear the kids have grown this week.

Bone Scan

I got the bone scan done today and met with the genetics counselor. Everything went fine. The meeting with the genetics counselor was really interesting. I wont know anything about the genetics for a few weeks. I go see Dr Crim tomorrow and he will have the CT and bone scan so I should leave with a plan.

Lazy Day

I feel much better today. My muscles in my shoulder are still a little sore but at least my shoulder bones don't hurt. I go for the total body bone scan tomorrow. I get the injection of dye at 10:00 and the scan is at 1:00. I got a call from my dr and I have an appointment with a genetics counselor at 10:30 tomorrow. Because of my age they think it could be genetic.

Terrible Tuesday

I got my port put in today. The surgery went fine, it only lasted about 15 minutes. All was well until the medicine started to wear off. I have darvocet so things are good now. The dr. thinks I should feel better by tomorrow. Luckily I have nothing tomorrow, it's my free day!!! Let you know about Thursday.

Cat Scan

Everything went good today. The CT only took about 30 min. The worst part of that whole thing was drinking what seemed like a gallon of barium. I will know the results Friday when I see Dr Crim again.

OMG

Well, I met with the Oncologist this morning and we really like him. He got all my tests set up and boy do I have a week coming up. I will be in Ft Worth everyday except Wednesday. Monday I have a CT scan of my chest and abdomen at 9:30. Tuesday I get my port at 10:15. Thursday I have a total body bone scan at 1:00. I have to be there at 9:30 for the dye but the test will be at 1:00. Friday I meet with the Dr Crim (the Oncologist) again. He wants a better picture of what is going on so he will know what combination of meds I will need. After we leave his office I have an Echo Cardiogram at 2:00. Some Chemo affects a persons heart in rare cases and he just wants to make sure my heart pumps like it should.

Oh What A Day

Where to begin.....

I went to the appointment in Ft Worth today. We would of liked better news but such is life. I seem to have an aggressive tumor. It has grown since the mammogram and sonogram last week. She also thinks it may be in a lymph node because one of them felt slightly swollen. So now we are on to treatment. We are going to have chemotherapy, radiation and then surgery (a double mastectomy with reconstruction) I have an appointment with the Oncologist at 8:30 in the morning at Harris Southwest. I go to Harris HEB at 10:15 on Tuesday to get my port put in. I am also going to have a CT Scan of my chest and abdomen, a full body bone scan and a genetics test. I am not sure when all those are going to take place but sometime in the near future. The Dr was going to get them scheduled.

Wow, I know that is alot but I am ready. The sooner they begin the sooner the cancer is gone and we can move on with our lives. I will let you know about the Dr tomorrow.

1st step

Hello, I have an appointment in Ft Worth Thursday the 26th at 10:45 at the Breast Center of North Texas.

This Too Shall Pass

This is the new adventure we are on. Not one that we asked for but none the less we are here. I believe with all my heart this is just a bump in the road of life and we will come out on the other side even stronger.

Well, here goes:

I found a lump in my breast and went to the doctor. He said I needed to have it checked out with a diagnostic mammogram. I went on the 18th of feb and during the sono the dr thought it looked really suspicious. She found a total of four lumps in my right breast. One big one that has two smaller ones attached to it and another one by itself. She did two biopsys and friday I got the news. Cancer. You think you are ready to hear that but you never are. All I could think about was Brian, Logan and Lindsi and how I was not ready to go. How could this be happening to us. Your mind always goes to the worst first. I then thought of all the people that have survived and thought you know it's no big deal. I am going to fight this with everything I have and I will win. The doctor said that one out of every eight women has breast cancer now and that just amazes me. So hard to believe but it really is common. Well, that is where we are now. I am waiting on a call to see where I am going. The dr will call me monday morning and we will see from there. All I know for sure is I will be having the lumps removed and some of my lymph nodes too. They want to check them for cancer also. I will keep everyone up to date on here so I won't be on the phone forever and miss Brian and playing with my two precious angels. Not to say I don't mind the phone calls. I will post again as soon as I know anything. Love to all!