Chemotherapy #2

I'm sitting in a recliner chair in the infusion suite with a heating pad behind my back and a heating pad on my tummy and a warm blanket on top! I'm cooking nice and good! I haven't received my chemo meds yet, just the liquids and anti-nauseau meds so far but they will start the chemo soon.

The doctor noticed a major difference in the tumors - they had all changed and shrunk down! Yay - PRAISE THE LORD! So, we are continuing with the original chemo plan every other week for 8 weeks and then 12 weeks of a different chemo drug.

I got my genetic test results back and I do have a gene mutation for breast cancer which means that there is a chance that I can get ovarian cancer as well in my lifetime. So, we'll be talking about that with a genetic counselor. It also means my girls have a 50% chance that they have this same gene passed down from me. That makes me sad for them, but we won't know anyway until they are tested. Another good thing about the genetic test is that it told Dr. Webster a little bit more about my type of tumor and she might add in another drug during the last stage of chemo.

Anyway, during the writing of this book, the nurse came over and administered the "red" chemo drug and so now I'm on my last chemo drug for the day! It should take about 45 minutes and then I'm outa' here!

Bald is Beautiful????

I'm not so sure bald is beautiful, but I'm now officially bald! Well, I actually look like a new recruit for the military! All of the stubble will fall out soon, then I'll be really bald! My sweet husband Todd insisted on shaving his head along with me, and he really shaved it - smooth! He is amazing - I love him so much!

I tried my wig on and laughed out loud - it looked so fake at first, but I played around with the bangs and curls and finally got it to look okay and I know that I will get used to it - just like if I got a new haircut - I'd have to get used to it!

Tonight at the dinner table, before we commenced the head-shaving, I was complaining about how annoying it was to have clumps of hair pulling out and having hair all over me. So Paige pipes up and says, "but if we were in the store and I couldn't find you, I'd be able to just follow the clumps of hair on the floor to find you!" We all busted up laughing! I love my girls so much!

Ta-ta for now!

Hair

Well, my hair has officially started to fall out. It's not a huge amount - but if I run my hands through my hair, a bunch will come out! I will probably shave my head in the next few days because I don't want to get to the point where it's coming out in clumps! I think that would just be too depressing! But other than that - I'm feeling great this week! Friday is my next treatment so I will post an update that night! Keep praying please! Thanks!

Port Placement Procedure

I'm home finally! The procedure to place the port took longer than expected because they couldn't get the tube to go into my jugular in my neck like they wanted it too. They tried in two places but it just wouldn't cooperate. So, they ended up putting it in a vein just under my clavicle which is not where they prefer it to be, but it works. I am uncomfortable and have a little bit of pain but I'm on Vicadin so it is taking the edge off. I'm just glad that the procedure is over! Thank you all so much for praying!

Linda

Wednesday

Today I am feeling much better . . . in fact, I haven't even taken any anti-nauseau pills today. I am still feeling like I'm in slow motion, but not completely exhausted. Thank you so much for continuing to pray! I will have minor surgery tomorrow to put a port into my chest so that chemo and blood draws will be easier to administer. I'm a little nervous about it even though it's not major surgery. I'll be under "twilight" anesthesia. It's just one more thing that I have to do and it just exhausts me to think about it, and I'm also afraid that I will feel like a borg having a strange device inside of me! Is this just a plot to assimilate me? ha, ha!

As always, I ask for your unceasing prayers!
Linda

Update

Well, today is Monday and it has been the worst day yet, perhaps because the anti-nauseau meds that I had through the IV have been wearing off. I've been taking anti-nauseau pills but they make me really tired so the fatigue has been even worse I think. I had to really push through the fog today. I'm hoping that I can ease off the pills and get back to normal soon. Depression started to sink in as well today as I think ahead to the weeks and weeks of this stuff. Please continue to pray! Thank you!

Chemotherapy Treatment #1

Well, I made it through! It was a long day, but I made it! We got there early but still had to wait in the waiting room even past the time of our scheduled appointment! We met with Dr. Webster who looked over my labs and talked with us about the possibility of adding the 3rd chemo drug (Taxol) into the 2 that I'm getting right now. It is a more agressive treatment and therefore would be harder on my body and I would have antibiotics in between treatments because I would be very susceptible to infections and getting sick. We all decided that the best course would be to start with the 2 drugs that we planned on and see if the tumor responds to it in two weeks (which I'm praying and claiming that from the Lord), but if it doesn't shrink, then we might try to add in the T and just see if that makes a difference.

Anyway, after the doctor visit, Todd and I took the elevator upstairs to the Chemotherapy Suite. Then we waited in the waiting area for what seemed like forever! It was agonizing - I was so nervous! So, a nurse finally comes out for us and takes us in. It's just a huge room filled with recliner chairs and IV stands. She told us we could choose what chairs we wanted so we chose two right next to some windows. There weren't many patients there at that time, so Todd was able to sit in a recliner chair right next to me! They have free wifi so he set up the laptop and surfed the internet! He was comfortable.

The nurse was very sweet and comforting and explained all of the drugs that she was going to be putting into me! She put an IV in first (I'll get a port put in next Thursday which will be so much easier) and then started the anti-nauseau medicications first and one of those is also a steroid which helps one of the anti-nauseu medicines to work better and another one was a anti-anxiety type medicine to relax me! That took awhile for all of those to drip through the IV. Then she came over and gave me my first chemo drug which was actually pushed into my IV line - it was red in color which was strange and thus I found out that it comes out red too if you know what I mean! She said that was what would happen! Anyway, then the other chemo drug was an IV drip and took about 45 minutes.

I was very comfortable, I ate snacks, drank water and juice, played the DS, rested, and relaxed. Todd surprised me right after I was settled in with my IV and the first set of anti-nauseau medications - he brought out two cards - one from Paige and one from Claire! I got teary-eyed! He had them make them last night while I was at Kids Jam practice! So sneaky! Each card had a photo of their beautiful faces so that I could just look over and see my girls and see how much they love me! It was such a great surprise! Todd is awesome! He has been waiting on me hand and foot! He even drove all the way out to Wilsonville this evening to get the anti-nauseau prescription pills that I needed but no pharmacies around here had them! He's so great!

And a sweet friend brought us dinner tonight which was so yummy and so nice to not have to worry about cooking dinner! I am so blessed with so many wonderful friends and supporters! Even if you are far away, I know that you are praying for me and thank you for all of your encouraging messages to me! I appreciate each and every one of you! Words cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for last minute childcare, dinners, flowers, cards, meals, prayers, words of encouragement, hugs, everything! THANK YOU!

So far, I don't have any nauseau but I have quite a cocktail of anti-nauseau meds in me right now! And I have an arsenal of meds to take at the slightest hint of nauseau! But please keep praying that it will stay at bay! I am pretty tired tonight though. Not necessarily fatigued, but tired.

Anyway, thank you for following my blog and I will keep updating!
Love,
Linda

Oncology Part 2

Okay - I'm scheduled to start chemotherapy on Friday at 11:45 a.m. It will take 3-4 hours. Todd will be going with me. Tomorrow I'm meeting with another surgeon. I guess I'll update on Friday after my first chemotherapy session! Pray that all goes well! Thank you!
Linda

Oncology

Yesterday I had an appointment with the Medical Oncologist. She will put me on a regimen of chemo that is a treatment every 2 weeks for 8 weeks. Then I will have an additional 12 weeks of an injection of a different type of chemo drug. So, that's a total of 20 weeks before I would have surgery! They want me to start chemo this Friday. I'll find out this afternoon if that will work out. Otherwise it would be Monday.

Meanwhile, I found out that my breast surgeon (the first doctor that I saw)is not board certified - yikes! So, I have been stressing out trying to figure out another surgeon! I am meeting with another one tomorrow and she comes highly recommended. We'll see.

Please keep praying for strength and wisdom for Todd and I through this entire process! It's hard to trust my life with people I don't even know! Thank you!

Linda

Second Post

Okay - today Todd and I met with the breast doctor again to go over the results of the PET CT scan. I was so nervous that my stomach had been churning all night and morning! She gave us the good news that there is no cancer anywhere else in my body! It's just localized in my breast and lymph nodes of my armpit. I thought that the radiologist had mentioned some under the collar bone, but those are actually armpit ones I guess. So, HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD for some good news!

There are 14 different types of breast cancer and the type that I have is typically seen in younger women. It is aggressive but is killed off easily.

She referred me to an amazing medical oncologist and I'll meet with her Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. She works with many patients around my age with the same type of breast cancer that I have. She will most likely have me undergo chemotherapy to shrink the tumors and then I will have some kind of surgery.

I am feeling very positive today. In fact, I actually felt like shopping this afternoon - so that means that I'm feeling better! But, I know that I will still have a lot of down days. I think that it has set in that I have breast cancer and I just want to kick it's butt now. I'm still scared about chemotherapy, but "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"!

Please keep praying for me! I love all of you and am so grateful for each of your prayers and thoughts and support and love! I'm blessed beyond measure!

Love,
Linda

First Post

I'm starting this blog so that all of my friends and family can find out how I'm doing and what the latest news is without me having to e-mail or call everyone! I am feeling very overwhelmed right now. I will try to keep updating this blog when I have new information to share.

Yesterday's MRI showed that the cancer has spread up to a few lymph nodes underneath my collar bone, but the good news is that there is no cancer in my other breast and my sternum bone looked good and clean and she could see part of my liver which looked good too. I had a PET CT scan today and will know the results tomorrow. It will show my whole body and show if there is any cancer anywere else. I'm very nervous to find out the results tomorrow.

Thank you so much to everyone who has facebooked me or e-mailed me or called me with well-wishes and encouragement! And also to those who brought me flowers and cards! I am so blessed with amazing friends and family! Please keep praying for me - I'm having a really hard time staying positive!

Linda