February 26, 2015 - One Week Labs Following Third Chemo Session.

I decided to start with a picture of my three cheerleaders - Ava, Claire and Kaitlin with their snowman! All three are real sweeties!

            I arrived at Dr. Mitchell's office and as usual in her friendly fashion, Stacy told me to go on back to the infusion suite to have my blood drawn. As a patient, it is always so nice to be greeted with a smile! I said hello to the others and we briefly chatted about  the snow. I made my way into the suite and immediately see my "first" chemo friend, Jeanette! We were so excited and happy to see each other again! Jeanette, if you are reading this, you looked very pretty in your red cap with matching red lipstick today!

After Holly draws my blood, she hands it off to Frank (pictured above). Frank is cheerful, funny and very witty. Frank is always in the lab. He runs all in house samples, maintains all lab and machine equipment and is responsible for all quality controls. I bet he stays busy doing a great job!

And this is me, happy with my visit today, happy to see Jeanette today, happy for all of the office smiles today, happy to still be feeling so well, happy for "perfect on paper" lab results and happy for all of the prayers and support of all of my readers!

February 19, 2015 - Chemotherapy Session Number Three.

I am officially halfway through my chemo cycles and so excited that I am about to POP! Cheerleader Claire came to the house bright and early this morning to tie my scarf which she loves to do!  I decided to decorate my sign with "hearts" since it's February and the striped material across the bottom is a leftover Christmas ribbon. Can you tell I love the color red? lol. Ricky took me to my treatment but then left to go run errands and do a little house cleaning. I love a clean house especially if someone else is doing the cleaning. lol.

After seeing Dr. Mitchell, I go back to the infusion suite to get the poisons infusing. lol. This is Chad accessing my port while Morgan and I make him laugh! The time really went by quickly today. I met three really nice patients today. Two were from Gaston County and one was from Lincoln County. The two ladies were both named Dianne and both spelled their name using two n's. I have a sister named Dianne and have always thought she was the only one with two n's - silly me! I had such a great time listening to  one of the ladies tell me of her journey. She had courage beyond measure and had such a sweet and positive spirit despite her many struggles. I am so glad our paths crossed.

Candy then comes in bringing me herb grilled chicken with sherry mushroom cream, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a red radish garden salad. It was an absolutely delicious chemo lunch! Yum!

This is a cookie made by a patient who had finished her chemo treatments. She left some for the staff to share with others! She really did a nice job! My journey is allowing me to see so many people helping others with their handiwork and kindness. 

We then finish up and say our goodbyes until I come back for my one week follow up labs.

This is me on the way home feeling good and oh so thankful. One more treatment left and I am still so excited I am about to POP!

After I get home, Chelsey comes in surprising Ricky and me with homemade chili beans with corn chips and Candy comes in with homemade chicken noodle soup with corn muffins! It's really been a great day spending it with great patients and great staff and it's great to come home to a supportive family who loves us with not one but two dinner entrees! It has really been a wonderful day! Again, thank you to everyone for all of your many cards, kind wishes and prayers. I thank God every day for journeying with me and for all of the support from all of you readers.

February 14, 2015 - Valentine's Day.

I took these pictures on December 29, 2014 at Presbyterian Hospital Main while there for genetic counseling and testing. I was  two weeks post surgery and one week before starting chemotherapy. I was told that all of these tiles were individually painted by different cancer patients. The heart board is proudly displayed on the first floor hallway near the Cancer Center entrance. It was love at "first sight" for me! I lingered for quite some time at this board studying and being so intrigued by the handiwork of each tile. This was such a great and reassuring "find" right before starting chemotherapy! I have been saving these pictures until today and I am so excited to be able to share them with everyone on Valentine's Day! I think about what a huge impact this heart board made on me that early morning in December. Those cancer patients being willing to share their time and talents on tiles is why I can share their work with you today!

I was taking Ava to school yesterday when she reached into her book bag and pulled out this pair of pink heart shaped earrings. She asked me if I wanted to borrow these for Valentine's Day. I could not say "yes" fast enough! She then told me "I have tons of earrings and you can wear my Gummi Bears too!" Needless to say, after she got out of the car, I was a complete puddle. If I had died right then, it would have been from a melted heart. I will proudly wear my special and borrowed earrings with my "doo-rag" today!
So as you can see, Valentine's Day is not about chocolate and roses for me this year. It's all about unexpected examples of sharing along my journey! Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

February 9, 2015 - Journey of Laughter

It has now been eight weeks since my double mastectomy and I have two of my four chemo treatments under my belt! I am so excited to be returning to my weights and my upper body work-out routine! My chest and upper body is completely healed and is screaming "pick up the weights and let's sweat and play!" lol. Skull crushers and overhead presses never felt so good as they did today! Yes they hurt but I liked it! lol. Oh to be able to say that I am flat and fabulous but with a magnificent set of guns! lol. 

The weights and working out goes hand in hand with healthy eating. Proper nutrition plays a major role during chemotherapy. I have added more iron enriched foods to my diet hoping to maintain my good hemoglobin. Note the iron enriched Bloody Mary AKA tomato juice! lol

 My biggest "iron friend" is a bowl of cornflakes. One cup of cornflakes provides 45% of my daily iron needs. Add some fruit and skim milk and all is good! I think I have eaten enough cornflakes to warrant putting my picture on the front of the box! Yes it is time for me to write Mr. Kellogg! lol.

Baby oil is another one my my new "best friends" I have collected! I had read that my heels may start to crack while on chemo treatments, which they did. I apply a generous amount of baby oil to the bottoms of my feet after my morning shower and I have no cracking around my heels at all. The bottoms of my feet have never been so smooth and felt so good to the touch! I may always continue with this daily routine! Maybe it is time for me to write Mr. Johnson & Johnson too! lol.

 This is yesterday morning on our way to church. I never thought I would be wrapping my head in pink polka dots, adorning myself with a big pink flower with a hanging shiny pink trinket looped around it and going out in public! The whole time I am thinking I sure hope those church people are not allergic to pink! lol. This journey gets funnier every time I look in the mirror! lol.

February 5, 2015 - One Week Follow-Up Bloodwork Following Second Chemotherapy.

It's been a week since my second chemotherapy so it's time to have my labs drawn. I decide to "rock the blue" today! lol. I find myself being drawn to the bright and bold colors for dressing my head and adding more and more bling and actually enjoying every second of it! I get numerous compliments and smiles from so many people when I am out and about. I am hoping that somewhere along my journey that my "bright and bold" will bring some brightness and enjoyment into someone's day.  
I arrive and go back to the infusion suite to have my labs drawn. It's very reassuring to go for one week labs and actually have eyes "laid" on me and to be ask how I am doing. The staff/patient relationship plays such a crucial role in the treatment of cancer. I can honestly say I never dread going. I have my labs drawn and wait for results. While waiting, I use this time as an opportunity to pick Chad's brain about Neulasta, an amazing drug.
I get my results and once again I am "perfect on paper!" I leave the office feeling like I am the most fortunate person on the planet!

We stopped on the way home and bought the ingredients for homemade vegetable soup, my favorite dish! Perfect on paper and perfect on the plate! This is me laughing at me - seemed like the perfect way to end the day! Life is so good!

January 29, 2015 - Chemotherapy Treatment Number Two!

I woke up actually excited to be going for my second chemo treatment. No, I am not insane, lol, I can and will explain further on down, just not now - pinky promise! Chelsey pulled the short straw and got "Mom" duty. Lol. I had a 10 am appointment and we left home without my chemo sign and of course we went back for it! I knew there would never be another "live" second chance for today. Chelsey spun her little Prius around without any arm twisting and we just went for it! We still arrived on time - Yay! As usual, we were called back within five minutes, drug to the scales, lol, and escorted to an exam room.

I knew I would be seeing Dr. Mitchell today before going back to the infusion center. This is Allison, P.A. for Southern Oncology Specialists, who came in first and reviewed my chart with us. She was so friendly, easily approachable, very smart and so eager to teach and share. I suspect she may very well be his right hand! As you can see, she is brains plus beauty inside and out! I bet she has never made a "bad" picture or even been in "time out!" lol.

Dr. Mitchell then joins us and I find myself wondering if the Zofran or his hug is more therapeutic! lol. Seriously, I feel I am in the most efficient, competent and caring hands with him and his staff. The staff are all a shining example of excellence "that rolls down from the top" and I am a very satisfied patient/customer!
We then go back to the infusion area and decide to sit at the front of the class. It had nothing to do with being the closest chair to the bathroom! lol. 

This sweet and special lady is Jeanette. We just happened to follow behind her when we were here for my first chemotherapy treatment. Candy and I were reading the directory for suite directions when we spotted Jeanette carrying a blanket, sporting a red cap and it was obvious she knew where she was going. We then looked at each other and said "follow her" - great little GPS and officially my "first chemo friend!"lol.
Today I am standing on the 25% line of my third leg of my journey and that was the reason for waking up excited! The excitement continued as my second chemotherapy day unfolded. I began to realize all of the many advantages of sitting at the front, not just being closest to the bathroom. lol. I walked to the nutritional area at the back to get a snack and at the same time was able to take a snack to another patient on my way back to my chair. My biggest surprise came when I saw my "first chemo friend Jeanette" making her way to the bathroom and I didn't even know she was here today! I took her picture and confessed the GPS incident to her! lol. I was also able to chat and mingle with several delightful patients including a gentleman with a new forearm fistula on his way to his nephrology visit. There just seemed to be an abundance of opportunities to interact with great patients with great stories! "Little things" are really becoming "big things" today on my journey!
I am at the 25% line and started seeing glimpses of the chemotherapy finish line today! I have crossed over the finish line in footraces before and they were always extremely fulfilling physically and mentally! Something tells me that even my half marathon finish will not "hold a candle" to this finish line victory! My unexpected journey is becoming more clear to me each day. "Thank you" to all of my readers and supporters! Please keep me in your kind thoughts, well wishes and above all your many, many prayers. I truly feel them all! 

  

January 24, 2015 - My "Journey" Cards Have Arrived

It was only a few days after being diagnosed that I started blogging my unexpected journey with breast cancer. I have received only positive feedback and appreciate all of the many kind and thoughtful remarks from everyone. I have actually been overwhelmed with the response! I know first-hand how much reading about other people's experiences with their journey has helped me. I have had a lot of people ask me how to access my blog other than through Facebook and I never have pen or paper to write it down for them. So as always, I find myself searching for something to write with and then scrambling for a piece of paper. Lol. I have even resorted to scribbling with a magic marker on a brown paper towel! I am sure you get the visual and maybe can even relate to it! Lol. I know there has to be a better way so on goes my "thinking" cap! I remembered once having a supervisor who required me to have a business card. I shared that card with so many people in and out of the workplace. It proved to be a very useful tool especially working with patients and their family members. Yes, she was a very "smart" and proactive supervisor who taught me so much! Suddenly the "journey card" idea was born! I went straight to the "computer drawing board" and ordered them online. I needed a quick and convenient way to provide others access to my blog. I feel my "journey card" will provide easy access to a lot of useful and helpful information to others. I am learning there are a lot of people out there without any sort of support system and feel completely "alone" with their cancer. I am hoping my journey card will make it into a lot of these struggling and less fortunate hands. It's my way of "sharing and giving back" as I journey along! For all of you who may want to help by sharing, please send me your address and I will gladly mail you some journey cards!