September 2011

September 4th, 2011
My family went to church today while I stayed home. I wasn't feeling well from the chemo. I was able to get some good rest while they were gone. When they returned home Bob told me that he thought Abby and Robert were ready. They had communion at church and the kids were asking a lot of questions on the way home. After we had lunch Bob and I took the kids into our room and talked with them about asking God to forgive them of their sins and getting saved. Both said that they wanted to do that and then individually they prayed, with very little help from us and they both asked for forgiveness and that God would save them from their sins!! We and the Angels rejoiced!!!

September 6th, 2011
Robert started 3rd grade and Abby started 1st grade. Elijah will start his last year of preschool on Thurs. Where did the time go???

Chemo:
Things are going ok.  I am tired come the afternoons and I am battling the nausea again. 5 weeks down and only 7 more to go!! I am using a nausea patch this week to see if that works better and only a day out and I am already seeing a difference!! I am more tired but at least I am not nauseated!!!

I saw my LE PT for the first time on Wed. She gave me lots of exercises and I will see her again on Monday. That is when she will do the massage and wrap me. I am going to be sweating like mad!! It is suppose to be near 80 next week and the hot flashes are bad as it is!!! I won't get fitted for a sleeve until a month out of chemo as the steroids are bloating me out like crazy!! My face is all round and puffy!!! I don't want to get fitted for a sleeve and then have to get another one when the puffiness and swelling go down.

Summer 2011

2 weeks after radiation ended we went on vacation. It was fantastic to be able to rest and relax.

We started our vacation by heading to MA for my Aunt Catherine's birthday party. It was at her friend's parent's house. They had a pool, tons of food and lots of fun. The kids had a blast and it was so good to see my aunts again!!!

My father in law's cousin has a house on Lake Wallunpawpak in the Poconos Mountains of PA. They felt that we needed a vacation from the difficult year we have had and let us stay at the house for a week. This was the first time we went on vacation just the 5 of us. Usually we visit family and friends, which we did at the end of the week, but it was just US and it was so much fun. The kids had a blast in the lake, in the kayak, swimming, in the hot tub and feeding all the ducks!!

Tuesday it was suppose to rain all day again so we decided to go to the National Train Museum in Scranton, PA. Turns out that if they say rain, it will be nice and if they say sunny it will rain!! Anyways we went and had a lot of fun. We road the train and Robert even earned a Junior Ranger badge!

One day we spent the whole day at the lake. We cooked over the fire pit and the kids played in the water, Daddy took each kid out in the kayak and Mommy was able to sit in the shade and watch everyone and read! After dinner it was time for a dip in the hot tub!! Did I mention we LOVED the hot tub!!!

The week came to an end and we packed up and headed to my aunt and uncle's house in Southern PA. On the way down we went to the Crayola Factory. It was a lot of fun for the kids and they got a lot of "prizes"!! It also helped to break up the ride down.

We were able to spend 3 days with my aunt, uncle and cousins. We went school shopping and swimming!! On Monday, Linda, Bob and I fixed the heater for their hot tub and we were able to enjoy the warm hot tub again!!! It was perfect timing!! During this vacation Elijah was brave and would swim all around the pool with his vest on, even the deep end!! Robert learned how to swim completely with out a vest now!! He even knows how to swim under water without holding his nose, something his mom has never mastered!! Abby had her own achievement, she stood on the bottom of the pool, not just on the steps!! This is so huge for her as she does not like the feeling of floating! Such a great Summer Vacation!!

After a wonderful week we headed home to see our kitties that had missed us very much!! Only 2 weeks until school starts!!!

Aug 25th 2011
Today I start my 2nd round of chemo. This time should be milder and I should be able to handle it better. I should keep my hair, which is coming in curly, too!!! This is week one only 11 more weeks to go!!

Rads Done and Weekend Fun!!

On Monday I finished my radiation. My skin did really well until the 3rd of 5 boosts. That is when my scar started to peel. Almost a week later and I am still sore and peeling but hopefully things will start to improve this week. They say  that after about a week your skin starts to heal.

I am so glad that this phase of treatment is over. Now I have a month off and then I will begin the next round of chemo. During this month off we also have vacation!! My father in law's cousin gave us their house for a week in the Poconos!!! It is so beautiful there and peaceful. We will be right on the lake and it is going to be a great time of family and relaxation!!

We start our vacation on a Sat when we go to my Aunt Catherine's party and then Sunday to my sister in law's parents church and then to the Poconos. On Friday we will pack up and head down to my Aunt Linda's house near Lancaster, PA! Monday we head back home and Thursday I start chemo.

This weekend was an AMAZING weekend!! My dad, who I haven't seen in 12yrs, came down and arrived here at 2:30am on Sat morning.  When we all got up in the morning we had breakfast and chatted for awhile. My dad had called me the week before and when he left a message he said "Hi, this is Bob from Maine..." I told him that he could say "This is your dad..." He wasn't sure as he wasn't around for so many years. I told him " You are here now!" He was happy about that.  Around 2pm we took the kids to my inlaws and they watched them while Bob, Dad and I went to the Relay For Life. Bob drove his car and I rode on the motorcycle with my dad. It was so much fun!!! I don't want a motorcycle, but I surely will ride with my dad anytime!!!

At the Relay we walked the Survivor lap and then went to the Survivor dinner. Before the lap I was able to meet up with a friend from my Breast Cancer board. It was great to meet someone who has traveled the path that I am on. It was good talking with her.

Bob and my dad were my "Caregivers". I thought about this and realized that there is no way I could have ALL of my caregivers with me. I have had so many people that I consider my caregivers. There are all of my friends and family that have been here physically to help with my care, the kids and the house. There are also all of my friends and family that couldn't be here physically but where there emotionally for support. And then there are all those friends online that sent me cards and gifts and provided support online. I have been blessed with so many people that have taken care of me in so many different ways. I am so thankful for all of your love and support through this trial. I love you all.

My dad and Bob walked over to the dinner, while I got a ride in a golf cart as my feet were sore.  As I passed my dad and Bob, my dad pretended like he was racing us. It was too funny!! He is a riot! The speaker was very good and the food was great! We walked around the track again after dinner and then headed for home.

We got to my inlaws house and chatted with them for a little while before bringing the kids home and getting them in bed. Once they were out we chatted some more and headed to bed as we were all exhausted. What a great day it was!

Today my dad had to head home. I made breakfast as my dad played with the kids. It was such a joy to hear my kids and dad playing and laughing. They fell in love with him from the get go!! We were concerned about how Abby would do with her sensory stuff but she did great!!

After breakfast the kids and Bob got ready and headed to church. I stayed and got ready and my dad got ready to go. We chatted some more and then it was time to say good bye. It was hard as I had so much fun getting to know my dad and I know that he had a blast with us too! As he got ready to leave we hugged and I told him I loved him. He said he loved me too. I think this was one of the first times I was able to tell him that I loved him. We waved as he drove away and on my way to church I was in tears as it was such an amazing weekend and I missed him already. Robert cried at church as he missed Grandpa Forrest already too. We are looking forward to him coming down in the fall!!

Cancer is a horrible disease but through this trial, God gave me my dad back and if nothing else good came out of this, getting my dad back would be enough. I am so so blessed!!

July 4th Celebration

At the end of the school year Abby received an award for reading. Once the child can read a certain level book by themselves and can comprehend what they read they become a "First Reader". This is a new program in Enfield. She got a medal at school and at the end of the year we found out that she was going to be in the parade for the 4th of July celebrations in town.

So we went to the parade and walked part of the way and then rode the rest of the way. She did great! She got a new shirt before the parade. When it was over they had a ceremony where they took pictures and gave each child a book mark and a sheet of coupons! It was a great day!!

Abby and her friend Liam from school.

Sooner than Later

I saw my plastic surgeon a week ago. This was the first time I met him and he was really nice. He looked at my skin that is being radiated and he said that it looks really good. I have an appointment with him on Sept 30 to see how I am healing. I will be on chemo at that point. He said that it is up to my oncologist if I can have reconstruction during chemo. Knowing that this chemo will wipe out my white blood cells I pretty much knew that she would say no. I was right!! So hopefully by Jan/Feb I will be able to have my reconstruction. That is a whole 6 months sooner than I thought!!!! I am so excited!!

I had my 2nd herceptin treatment on Thurs. I ended up sitting beside an older woman who also has HER2 positive breast cancer. It was nice talking to someone traveling the same road I am. The funny thing is that she has a vacation home in NH and actually knew where Colebrook was!!!

They did the treatment over an hour instead of 1 1/2hrs and I felt more nauseaous when I got home than I did the last time. I am going to ask if they can slow it down again the next time. I have also not been able to sleep. My radiation oncologist gave me a prescription for ambien but it isn't helping a whole lot. When I spoke to my dr. today she said that the chemo could have effected the sleep section of my brain. Chemo brain is the worst!!

Today was treatment #14 of 33 and we just keep marching on. God is carrying me through these hard days and giving me the strength to do what is needed and being able to enjoy my children!

Radiation and Reconstruction

I have made it through 8 treatments of radiation. I started turning pink on day 2 and I thought "Oh no, this isn't good!". I am staying lathered up and trying my best to not let it get too dried out. Only 25 more to go!!

I saw my plastic surgeon today. He is really nice. He said that my skin looks really really good so that made me feel better!! Avacado and Vit E cream is working well!! He also said that I may not have to wait a year for reconstruction!!! I was so surprised!!! And excited!!! I will see him at the end of Sept and he will evaluate me at that time. I will be in chemo again and we will see what my oncologist has to say about me having surgery during chemo. Not sure if that will fly as this chemo could knock down my white blood cells and I need as many of them as I can get to have surgery. We won't know until we are there, but I am excited that I may not have to wait until next Aug for reconstruction!!

I am so thankful for my good friend Rachel! She is walking the mall with me a couple times a week. I don't always want to do it but knowing that she will be there to walk with me makes me do it! I was told I can safely loose 1 lb a week so I am trying to eat better and walk. Hopefully eventually the walking will boost my energy but that is not the case thus far! Between my mom, OT, Cheryl O. and Rachel I will walk and get better and faster and will do great in Nov for the frostbite! I am so thankful for the support system that God has given me through this trial.

Ps. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there including my most wonderful husband, the best father in law I could ever ask for and my father, who I have been blessed to be able to get to know since this whole thing happened.

One Year to go!

I had my radiation mapping on Wed. It was very odd when they made the mold. It was a warm pad that was put under me and as I laid there it got puffy and hotter!! It then cooled off and hardened! I then had a CT scan so the radiation oncologist can see everything front to back and keep track of where my scar is. I will have 23 treatments to the whole area and then 7 boost treatments to just the scar. I start up on Tues.

I also have begun my herceptin. My first treatment was yesterday. I don't feel any different so that is good. My port was acting up though so it took a while to actually get the meds! Plus the pharmacy was running behind. I was given tylenol and benadryl before the meds. By the time the meds came I was ready to sleep and I ended up sleeping through the whole treatment. This will be my routine every 3wks for the next year.

I am praying that in June 2012, I will be done all the treatments and all the scans will come back with "No Evidence of Disease"! NED is what my goal is.

Another positive is that I have started walking again and plan to stick to it. I have a few people that will be harassing me if I slack off too much!! Plus my occupational therapist said I have to do the 5k in November that I did last year! My goal is to beat my time of 59min and actually NOT come in last!!! I know I can do it. With God's help I will do it and I will overcome this trial!