The Light at the End of the Tunnel is Here!

On Tuesday, March 6, 2012, I will be getting my last treatment.  The chemo has been over for months and I have been feeling great.  I have been receiving a target drug (targets cells and "coats" them) called Herceptin.  You have to have it for a full year and it was given with the chemo, but I had to continue it until March to hit my full year.  It doesn't have any side effects and I have been feeling really good while taking this.  I also have a "cancer" pill I will be taking for 5 years.  Once a day.   I'm working on getting my hair back.  It is quite thick in the back, but sure taking it's time on the crown of my head.  So, I'm still "wigging" it.  Am tired of wearing the wig though too.  On December 13, 2011, my oncologist declared me a "cancer survivor".  That sure was a good feeling.  While going through this, it seemed like such a long haul.  If not for all of your support and the strength of my God, I would never have been able to do it.  Seriously.  My strength isn't back 100%, but the dr. said I was sick for a year and a half and that it would take at least that long to feel 100% again.  I guess that makes sense.  I have neuropathy (tingling in my hands and feet) from the chemo and I am going to see an accupuncturer in the middle of March.  They have a good success rate with chemo-induced neuropathy.  We'll see.  I'm just so happy that I can write this heartfelt thank you to all of you.  Don't ever underestimate the power of prayer.  God listens.  This Journey has made me so much more aware of the really important things in life.  It's true when they say "don't sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff."  I continue to keep you in my prayers.  You are precious gems to me.  God Bless.

Radiation Going Good

Radiation is going well.  It only takes about 15 minutes and that includes undressing and dressing!!  They said it would be between the 3rd and 4th weeks before I would feel like a "sunburn", but I'm lotioning the area twice a day and hopefully that will help some.   I'm also going to occupational therapy for the lymphodemia in my left arm.  Therapy doesn't seem to be working their way, so I've taken matters into my own hands and the swelling is finally going down. 

Our stay at the Hope Lodge is going well too.  It is very nice and the staff is very nice.  Hope Lodge was donated tickets to the Twins game from Mauer and Morneau and we were fortunate enough to get to go to the game and sit in the M&M Suite.  The seats were awesome and the food was delicious.  It was a fun way to see the new stadium for the first time.  I think I'm spoiled now .... I could get used to sitting in the suites!  :)

As always thank you for your prayers and support.  Things are going good.

A New Journey - Radiation

These past 2 weeks havc been horrible.  The shots to boost my white blood count knocked my socks off.  I have hardly been eating because of the weird tastes.  For example, Tom's Coca Cola tasted like orange and raisens tasted like pickles.  Today is the first day things have tasted "True".  Yesterday I had a heart scan (MUGGA) done and a consultation with the radiologist.  Next Thursday I will go and they will make a cast mold of me laying with my arm over my head.  That way everytime I have radiation I will be laying in the EXACT position.  They also will tatoo the area they are going to radiate.  I will have to go every day (minus weekends) for 33 days.  I can expect a pretty good sunburn by the end of the treatments.  But, they have lotions I can use to ease the pain.  All our arrangements are made with Hope Lodge and we will be moving in there on June 27th.  My hair hasn't started to come back yet, but I suspect that will take a while.  And what I can see of it, it is white!!!!  Yikes ....  Thank you for continued prayers and support.

CHEMO DONE!!!!!!!!!

It was touch and go ..... again.  Thursday I had to go get the filter for the bloodclots taken out of my stomach.  They go through a vein to take it out.  The procedure took about an hour and I had to be put out.  Don't remember a thing and everything went well.  Friday I went in for the chemo and everything was out of whack.  Temperature of 100.4, high pulse rate (made me go get an EKG which was okay), low blood pressure ... then they redo the vitals and the temp was 98.5, pulse still high and blood pressure high.  Well, the dr. still okayed the chemo, but the nurse was leary of doing it because my white blood count was 1.8 (very low).  I had a total meltdown and said if they sent me home without the treatment I would not come back.  And I meant it.  She went and talked to the dr. who said I could have the chemo, but I would have to take one shot a day for 4 days to boost the white blood count.  So, tonight at bedtime I start the shots.  It is nice to know that now I can start moving the other direction.  Maybe taste coming back, fingers and toes not so painfully tingly, hair growing back and appetite too.  There are a lot of pluses to look forward to.  They changed my radiation to begin June 27th instead of June 20th, but that's okay with me.  In between I will have a consultation with the radiologist, a MUGGA (heart) scan, a bone density test and go in for my herceptin treatmeat which I will continue to have for 9 months.  The journey isn't over yet, but it's moving along.  Thank you for your support and prayers as always.  Knowing I have your support keeps me going.  CHEMO OVER!!!!!!!!!!  Yeah Me!!!!

One ..... hear me ... One to go!!!!!

I went in today and I have a urinary tract infection.   :(   And I had a little temperature, but chemo was still a go.  All my numbers looked pretty good.  White count fell some (2.8), but still okay for chemo.  Next Thursday I go in and get the filter taken out that was put in for the blood clots.  I'm a little nervous about that .... then Friday ... THE LAST ONE!!! Hopefully, once chemo is done all these side effects will go away like the burn on my nose, the congestion in my nose, the tingling in my feet and hands and the burn on my hands.  It will feel good when they all go away.   Keep me in your prayers that my numbers stay good enough for treatment.  Take care and I thank God for you every night!!!

Two to go!!!!!!!!

Well, my blood count numbers were fine and I had another chemo today.  TWO left.  Can't wait to get it all done.  I didn't have to take very many pain pills this week.  My nose is really plugged and has been for weeks so they did do a CT scan on my sinuses, but they were not infected.  Now I have some spray to put in there and hopefully that will help.  My poor nose is so sore and now I have to put vaseline in it to try and heal it.  My INR is low so now I have to start giving myself the shots in the stomach twice a day again.  Yuk.  Just until next Friday.  I refuse to do it any longer because they are $200 for 2 weeks and we cannot afford that.  So, he better get the dosage of the pills correct soon.  My appetite is really good and I think that helped keep my numbers up.  Pray I get through these last two with minimum trouble.  We're almost there!!!!!

Nine down ..... 3 to go!!

Well, got to have a treatment and I'm finally down to 3 left.  Hopefully, they will go by uneventful.  Stayed at Toby and Diane's house this weekend and Diane found a bunch of food that I can tolerate.  I was eating really well and if I can keep that up, maybe these last treatments won't be so bad.  Had a nice heart to heart with the dr. and he explained some things to me and while I would have loved to not have a treatment this time, it is important to have it because some of the chemo can lose it's effectiveness if the treatments are too far between.  I certainly don't want that to happen so we did a treatment on Friday.  I don't want to miss any more either.  I'm ready to be done.  Thanks again to all of you for your support and prayers ... we are getting near to the end .... thanks for hanging in there with me.  :)