Woo-Hoo!

I have had a pretty decent last week since chemo #2. I had a couple days that I fought the borderline nausea feeling, but fortunately nothing ever came of it! My meds helped, but I know with my delicate system, they also add to the stomach twists and turns. My Neulasta shot gave me its usual bone pain and some mild muscle spasming, but this time I was armed and ready so aside from having one night where I really was wiped out, I did okay. Food is still not tasting great, but that is just a minor setback at this point since there are more important things to consider.

I am halfway now with chemo, so that is a good feeling. There are days here and there where I get bogged down with all that is to come, but overall I truly am trying to take life as it comes. Yesterday started out as one of those sort of "blah" days. Even though I felt pretty good, my mind was just sort of feeling sluggish. Little did I know at that point that my mind would be anything but sluggish by the end of the day! Courtney started off the day really excited as she was invited to take an extra ticket a friend had and join them at Mamma Mia last night. I was so happy she could go (okay, insert JEALOUS) as I really wanted to be able to take her to that show this year, but with all that happened and since it fell on a chemo week, I didn't want to commit to tickets and then spend the whole time not feeling well. The day progressed and the friend's sister, who originally couldn't get out of a required function, was finally told she could join her family. The bummer was that left Courtney with no ticket. We totally understood the circumstances, it was just the way it worked out. I decided to check online and see if there were any tickets left and there were actually some good view seats left. My mom and I talked, and decided we were just going to "fly by the seat of our pants" and go! By the time we reached our decision however, the seats were no longer available online and could only be purchased IN PERSON at the box office 2 hours before showtime. We all got ready and hopped in the car within about 20 minutes so we were there in Portland to get seats right when they opened. Even better, when we got there, the lady told us there was a student discount for the show if you bought last minute, so we ended up saving some $$ on Court's ticket and had GREAT seats. To appreciate this story, you have to understand a few things about our family: 1) We NEVER do anything this last minute...I mean NEVER! 2) This was my Dad's very favorite musical and he had talked about taking Courtney this time to see it long before he died. So, to have all of this work out so smoothly, and to have Courtney's friend's family still be able to have their family together as they had originally planned was amazing! It couldn't have worked out better! We had a great time and enjoyed every minute of the show. Plus, we all knew that Dad had a front row seat and was dancing in the aisles with the rest of us! :)

Another great addition to the day was that when we returned home, we saw that Courtney's boyfriend and her best friend's family are joining our team of family and friends to walk on Race for the Cure day. What a great feeling to know we will be together and bringing awareness with hundreds of other racers that day! And to those that continue to donate to our team, thank YOU! We appreciate it so much!

One last woo-hoo....I just received a call from Dr. O'Brien. My PET/CT scan came back clear, with the exception of the breast tumor we already knew about. Now I can move forward KNOWING that the cancer is not roaming through my body. Although we didn't think the result was a surprise, I must say it is a good feeling to know for sure. WOO-HOO!

PET/CT Scan...check!

After fasting past midnight, my Mom and I headed to the hospital for my PET/CT scan this morning. I was quite nervous as pictures online had it looking a little too much like an MRI machine for my taste. At 8 am, my PET/CT scan "host", Kaleb, showed me back to the trailer that Willamette Valley Medical Center has at their disposal on Wednesday mornings. He started an IV (twice because my first vein blew as usual!), checked my blood sugar, and injected the radioactive/glucose dye. After about 40 minutes of relaxing in a darkened, quiet, nonstimulating environment, we started the procedure.

The CT scan was first and just went back and forth quickly for a few seconds. Then the PET scan worked its way from about my knees to just above my eyes in 6-7 inch increments lasting about 4-5 minutes each. It was nice as the tunnel for this machine was open on the ends, so I was able to see and feel less claustrophobic than during my MRI. Before I knew it, it was over. Results will be ready by Monday, and the goal is of course to have no cancer in any other part of my body! :)

2nd round of chemo down!

I had my 2nd round of chemo yesterday morning. Everything went as planned. They started by taking my blood work to verify all looked good with my white blood counts. They were a little elevated since I had already started my chemo meds, but it was nothing out of the ordinary so we were good to go. By 12:30 ish I was done with all of my IV drips and sent on my way home. I spent the afternoon resting, working, doing odds and ends at home. Today, I went in for my follow up Neulasta shot and ran a few errands with my Mom. We even stopped to get some frozen yogurt today with the kids! YUM! :) I'm a little tired, so plan to rest up later.

I got a call from the hospital telling me how to prep for my PET/CT scan in the morning. Low carb dinner, no food or drink after midnight, and no strenuous exercise between now and then. I think I can handle the last one especially! :) Soon, one more test will be checked off!

I had a great weekend of celebrating. My (second) cousin's wedding was beautiful and it was sooo nice to visit with some family we haven't seen in a while. We also got to take some gorgeous flower arrangements home that my cousin did. My house is full of beautiful roses and star gazer lillies! I was so glad to get to feel good and enjoy a nice family time!

I have gotten lots of cards and emails from several of you...thanks so much! Thank you also to those of you that have received Courtney's letter/post on facebook and answered the call to donate to our Race for the Cure team. We appreciate every one of you and having your support for that amazing cause is wonderful! Go Team Michelle! :)

Lots of news today...

In my last post I mentioned that I had started losing a lot of hair. By Tuesday, I had lost most of my hair so I started wearing my "new hair". My hairdresser was out of town until Thursday, so I just made it work til she was back and could buzz the rest of my hair off. It was a strange feeling having her remove the rest of my hair but it actually felt good to take that step in someway. My head is definitely a lot colder without all of my thick hair protecting it on top. I look very different with no hair, but hopefully it isn't something I will have to deal with for too long. It is a small price to pay to get the drugs into my system though that will get rid of this cancer.

Yesterday my Mom, Tom, and I went to West Linn to meet with my new surgeon. She was very thorough and got up to speed on my diagnosis. It was nice to get a second opinion and know we are on the right track regarding treatment. She wanted to have me get a PET/CT scan to make sure the rest of my body is cancer free. This is a routine thing she likes to do, so I will have that next Wednesday.

Today I had an appointment with my oncologist, Dr. O'Brien. She wanted to externally measure my tumor and get an idea of whether or not it was shrinking. It appears to have shrunk a small amount, so we will continue on the path of the chemo treatment I am on. I am scheduled for another ultrasound on September 6 . She would like to see it shrink to about half its original size so we can stay on the current course of treatment, so please pray for that. Dr. O'Brien also got the results back from my genetic testing and it came back negative for any genetic mutation. This is good news for my immediate family. Courtney and Ryan still have twice the chance of having breast cancer or a connected form of cancer because I have it. They do not increase those risks however since I don't carry the gene. The other test that I mentioned in my last post, the Onco Dx testing, could not be done as my insurance company rejected it since chemo treatments had already begun. We will use my ultrasound on the 6th as our guide for whether the treatments need to be adjusted.

My last appointment today was with an orthosist. He measured me for a compression sleeve for my left arm to help with the lymphedema caused from removing some lymph nodes. It will mostly be worn at night or when I have pain in my arm and need to reduce swelling. I will also need to wear it when I am on an airplane, or when I will be using my arm excessively for something. My new sleeve should be here in the next couple of weeks.

I still feel great and am ready to move forward with my next chemo treatment on Monday. I am hopeful that I will continue to keep life pretty normal during treatment #2. In the meantime, my cousin is getting married tomorrow in West Linn and I am happy I get to attend his wedding and visit with family. My nephew's birthday party is on Sunday so we will be celebrating all weekend long and keeping busy leading up to my next treatment. I am very thankful that these events fell on a weekend free of side effects and fatigue so I can enjoy my family time.

Keep up your prayers and words of support. Thanks again to all of you who continue to reach out in different ways to let me know you are here to support our family.

Chemo is working!

This week, I received several gifts of love and friendship. I got a package in the mail from a friend from high school that had several breast cancer pendants in it that she made. What a neat, fun gift! Thanks, Amy! Another day, I had some friends bring lunch and join the kids and I for sandwiches on our back deck. It was great to visit and catch up. Thank you, Clark family! That same night we had dinner delivered by some family friends. Thank you, Rozeks! I continue to receive lots of cards and emails, all of which are very much appreciated! Some days, I will go through and re-read all the cards I have received and I am overwhelmed at the number of people that are praying and sending their love.

We went and picked my wig up this week too. Another gift...my Mom paid for all of my hair needs (hats, wigs, accessories, etc) Thanks, Mom! :) We picked all this up none too soon. Yesterday my hair started falling out when I ran my fingers through my hair. Within a few hours, I had quite a collection of hair in the trash can. This morning there was quite a bit more when I washed my hair. Enough hair has fallen out now that there are some spots of really thin areas revealing my scalp in different places on my head. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a really strange feeling combing or running my fingers through my hair and getting clumps coming out. However, I am going to look at it as the chemo doing its job. If the chemo is killing my good hair cells, it MUST be shrinking that nasty tumor. And besides, what better time to tell the kids I am going to pull my hair out if they keep bickering....and really mean it! LOL :)

All in all, things are going well. I have had some pain in my left arm and upper back in the area where the nodes were removed. This is something that will occur some as when the lymph nodes are disrupted, it changes the flow of things and causes a condition called lymphedema. Hopefully these times will be few and far between. The pain ranges from minor inconvenience to a sharp surge that feels like that spot is on fire. I will eventually figure out how best to deal with this, so I'm not too concerned about it right now as long as my day to day life can be pretty normal. Otherwise, I feel great!

Thanks to everyone who made the week a little brighter, and to those who just read the blog to stay updated. I appreciate everyone of you so much!

Another Great Doctor Visit!

Today was my follow up with my Oncologist, Dr. O'Brien. The nurses took some blood so they could check all of my levels and make sure things were staying where they should after my first chemo treatment.

First things first.... I LOST 7 POUNDS in 1 week! :) Since I am currently not a petite person looking undernourished, I will take this as good news until further notice! :)

Dr. O'Brien told me that last week, several doctors, specialists, pathologists, etc met and had a round table discussion about my case. (Wow! I had my own round table!) Seriously though, I was impressed that my doctors and various providers all took time to make sure they were doing what was best for me. They also exchanged ideas on how best to move forward in my treatments. Pretty much everyone there was in agreement that given my age and the fact the tumor attached itself to the muscle, radiation would more than likely be needed after surgery to really add that extra layer of "protection" and make sure the cancer is all gone. I am okay with this, as I figure if I am going through this, let's get it all over with and do everything we have to in order to destroy the cancer in my body so that it thinks twice about wanting to mess with me again!

Another thing that came from the round table discussion was that Dr. O'Brien suggested the possibility of exploring the option of doing an Oncotype DX test. Usually these are done after surgery, but before chemo to aid in deciding if chemotherapy is needed or what treatment they would likely pursue. Since in my case, we did things in reverse order thanks to the tumor growing on the muscle, there is some discussion on whether I could benefit from this test still. Dr. O'Brien is going to check into this further with pathology to see if they can use tissue samples from my other biopsies and see if my insurance will cover this test as it is $3000. She would find a value in it if she can get approval because it will give her results to tell her they are doing the right chemo for me. If on the chance they do the testing and find out my score was way higher than expected, she said she may adjust the chemotherapy cycle after this next treatment to add another drug and do all 3 drugs for the last 2 scheduled chemo treatments as well as add 2 additional treatments. (So in otherwords, 6 total treatments vs. the 4 we had planned on.) There is nothing definite decided here yet as much hinges on if insurance will cover it and if pathology will have enough to go on from my other previous tests.

Another type of test I qualify for is a BRCA gene test. This will give us an indication if I have genes that are more prone to breast/ovarian cancer. Depending on the results from this test, it may indicate whether I have a gene that I could share with one of my immediate family members who could also carry the gene. This would include my brother, his son, and my kids. Nothing would be definite to say that this would guarantee they may be more or less prone to cancer, but Dr. O'Brien and I agree that having some answers regarding my genes may help someone else. This is able to be done through a blood draw that I had today, and they will send it in and wait for results.

As far as my side effects from the last week, none were considered out of the ordinary and we just talked about how this gives us an idea of how my body will react to different treatments and medications so we can be as prepared for the next round as possible. She gave me a prescription for special powder to counteract my itching in places we don't need to talk about here, and hopefully that will bring relief soon. :) I haven't had any other achiness or side effects for the last couple of days, so all is going well there. My white blood cell counts were at a high level still, likely from the recent Neulasta shot. She said usually about the 10-14 day post chemo mark is when I may see those numbers fall some, so later this week she wants me to be particularly vigilant about monitoring my temperature if anything seems off and keeping as bacteria free as possible during my time when counts would likely be at their lowest.

My next appointment with her is August 19, when she will check to see the approximate size of the tumor by measuring from the outside. This will give her a rough idea if things are shrinking at all, and when further ultrasounds may be needed.

Thank you for the emails of support you sent today! It was nice that so many were thinking of me during today's appointment! I felt it was a really good appointment and feel positive about where I am headed with Dr. O'Brien. I can't say enough good things about her!

Looking Ahead to Better Days...

It's been a couple of days since I updated how things were going. Friday and Saturday were definitely the roughest so far. Friday during the day I felt mostly just achey in my legs, but by late Friday night it had gone into my whole body feeling achey and my legs feeling like they were a huge weight to lift. I woke up every hour or two during the night with muscle spasms throughout my body every time I moved and my legs hurt sooo bad! I couldn't stay in one position long yet I just dreaded having to move at all.

Since my tummy doesn't do well with lots of medications, and I had been taking all of post chemo drugs all week, I was really trying not to take anything. I finally broke down Saturday morning and had to take a Tylenol to see if I could get any relief for a while. It helped some with the muscle spasms, which was a huge relief. My legs still hurt and each of them felt as though they weighed over 1000 pounds! After a brief rest late in the morning, I did go to Walmart with the kids to get some things we needed and also get Ryan's school supplies. Overall the trip went well. I did have a couple of small hot flashes and my legs hurt but it was nice to get out into the world and do something that didn't have to do with cancer or a doctor follow up.

I was pretty tired when we got home so I took another Tylenol with the theory that maybe if I kept the meds coming I could get this under control and get past it. I rested for about an hour and then we met my mom for dinner and went to visit at her house for a while. My muscle spasms had pretty well stopped by this point, but my legs and body were still aching. I came home and decided to get out the "big guns" and take a pain pill from my surgery last week. The oncology nurses said I could do this if I needed or wanted to. Again, I just fought it since I was trying not to take anything I didn't have to. I decided though I would see if it helped me sleep and stay comfortable through the night.

Much to my surprise (and relief) I slept all night soundly and I awoke to my legs barely hurting! Praise God! :) I definitely feel a little more like myself today! I am hopeful that those couple of days were my worst and that from now til the next chemo treatment on the 22nd can be gradually better and more energy everyday. Other minor side effects so far have been mild hot flashes, an itchy scalp, and food not tasting exactly as it had before. Most food doesn't taste terrible, but it just doesn't taste the same as I know it did in the past.

My Mom and I will be picking up my wig later this week so that I have it ready and am as used to it as I can be before I really need it in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for staying updated and sending me your thoughts and positive energy. I have felt all of it, especially this last couple of days! :)

A Day of Change

Yesterday I had a follow up with my surgeon, Dr. Irani so she could check on my healing from last week's surgeries. She said all is healing well, and gave me a more detailed report of my lymph nodes coming back negative. She is very confident that by starting with the chemotherapy treatment, we can shrink that tumor off the muscle and allow for clearer margins when surgery time comes thereby giving me the best chance at total removal of the cancer. Yay!!

She did share with me that despite the fact she has several patients here in McMinnville, she has decided to move back closer to her home in Texas. She recommended a couple of good surgeons right there in their office. After talking with some other breast cancer survivors who have sought treatment in various ways, I have decided likely I will go to the Oregon Breast Center in West Linn. They specialize in treatment of women with breast cancers and concerns and have a very good reputation. I called yesterday to set up an initial appointment with them so I can get to know Dr. Richmond before my surgery approaches too closely. She works with several plastic surgeons in the area as well so we will talk about what options will be best for me as we move forward after chemo. My appointment with her is Thursday, August 18. I feel very good about this possibility and this center works with my current oncologist, Dr. O'Brien, so I don't have to give up anything I have established with her already. I will miss Dr. Irani, as she is very compassionate and it's obvious she cares a lot for her patients, but I feel that God has a plan and is leading me to where He feels I will be taken care of best.

For the most part I am still feeling pretty good. I did start my day off with a bout of sickness/queasiness, but with rest and a quiet day have managed to keep it at bay for the most part. I talked to the nurses at the cancer center about some tips I can do differently for when I am
taking the meds the first few days after chemo that hopefully will continue to help me feel as good as possible. It is not uncommon when stepping down on some of the medications that are in place for nausea and other side effects that the body has to play catch up a bit. Hopefully this next couple of days will go by quietly. The Neulasta shot for boosting my white blood cells has started making my legs achey. They warned me this could happen as it tends to focus on the bone marrow which makes them ache for a few days.

Thanks for the continued emails, prayers and friendship! :)

Passing Time During Chemo Searching for Hats! :)

As promised, here are the pictures from Monday's first chemo treatment. As you can see, we had a fun time while searching through the hat cart that the nurse brought over.



Me posing with my new blanket made by friend and neighbor, Kathy.


Hat time....

















Understudy for Dopey. Disneyland here I come! :)




My Little Red Riding Hood look







































Ready for winter! :)






















Tribute to Chicken Little














Peace, Dude!



















Duh!











More hats....



















To keep my head warm at night






















My workout band ~ picture this with no hair! lol :)










So that was the fun we had passing the time at chemo! I am still feeling good, so all those medications must be working to keep the nausea away!

1 Day of Chemo Down!!

I slept fairly okay last night considering all of my anticipation for today's first chemo treatment. The roofers were here bright and early at 7 to start on our new roof, so there was no chance of missing my alarm.

My friend, Beth, and my Mom came to pick me up at 8:15 this morning. We all arrived safely to the cancer center and were surprised to see only 2 other chemo patients were there for treatment first thing. I picked a nice comfy rocker in the corner of the room and got my snacks, water, iPad and new blanket all set up. I will be posting some pictures soon of me with my blanket. My friend and neighbor, Kathy, made me the most amazing blanket! It has the breast cancer pink ribbon patterned all over it and it is soft and fleecy. It was warm and cozy, and despite not feeling overly chilly today, I found it very comforting as it represented yet another person in this journey that supports and cares for me.

Nurse Candace was very nice and spent a lot of time finding the right spot to access my port to put the injections into. She conferred with another nurse and by 8:45, I was starting my pre-med cocktail that would help with nausea and other side effects. There was a small bit of discomfort when the needle went in, but overall after having several other biopsies in the past few weeks, it wasn't too bad. There was a taste of metallic that burst through for a few minutes, but that passed pretty quickly as well. By just a few minutes after 9, I was starting my first chemo drug, Taxotere. It took approximately an hour to get all of it through the IV and so far I was feeling really good. Beth and Mom were taking notes as the nurse gave all the info to them of various things to expect, drugs I would be taking over the next few days, etc. In between note taking time, we all visited and made the best of the morning. Beth and Mom kept "threatening" they could run off and do something fun while I just sat there hooked up to IV, but truthfully neither one of them would have been anywhere else today. :)

Soon it was time to start my second drug, Cytoxan. When they started this one I tasted a lot of metallic taste. I ate some saltines and drank lots of water to get the drug pushed out of my body faster. It seemed to help. This drug would take about an hour and ten minutes to get through IV. While we waited, the nurse brought a hat cart over to look through various hats and scarves if I wanted any to take home. We laughed A LOT as I tried on all different styles and colors of hats. Mom and Beth both took pictures, so I will post those soon for everyone's enjoyment. There were a couple of good ones I took home, but others were just not me. It was a fun way to pass the time though! :)

Before we knew it, I was done by about 12:30. It honestly went by so fast and I still felt good. We decided to stop by home and get the kids and go have some lunch while I had some energy. We decided on sandwiches at Great Harvest and it was delicious! That was about the extent of my energy, so I came home to rest while Mom and the kids went to get my prescriptions filled. Beth stayed home with me in case I needed anything. The roofers were still pounding away, but making good progress on our new roof. I finally fell asleep for about an hour or so and felt rejuvenated when I woke up.

While I was sleeping Court, Beth, and Mom color coded my prescription bottles with my highlighted medication schedule. I have several pills to take for the next few days to help fight nausea, fatigue, and generally keep my body working as smoothly as possible.

All in all, I still feel good. My feet are a little swelled and I have mild headache from some of my meds, but am continuing to rest. Tomorrow morning I go in for my ultrasound so they can get another baseline of the tumor size, as they will monitor that throughout treatment. In the afternoon, I go in for the Neulasta shot to boost my white blood cells. Rest and meds in between. Thanks to everyone for their texts, emails, posts on Facebook, etc. Keep 'em coming! :)