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!    

January 21, 2015 - Two Weeks Post Chemotherapy Infusion.

It has been two weeks since my first chemotherapy infusion. Since being diagnosed with breast cancer, I have been on a quest to learn everything I can about breast cancer and its treatment. I have been classified as an auditory learner so all I need is a lecture to listen to or a book to read. I have read almost non-stop some days and even listened to some talk/lecture videos. Chemotherapy is a commitment I have made and I wanted to be as well prepared as I can possibly be before starting.  I read all about the drugs I would be receiving including the published statistics of the different possible side effects. I became active on the different forums and read all of the "patient stories." I was quickly realizing that each person's experience with chemotherapy is different. Most agreed that it has a cumulative effect especially with the fatigue factor but there were many who said the first treatment was the worst because of not knowing what to expect. So I decide my best plan is to find out what the people with the most positive reports did to prepare! All of those "preached" water and chemo diet and it worked for me! I started "tanking up" on water the day before my chemo started. I drank water during my treatment and on the way home. I was easily drinking two gallons daily and continued this for one week. After receiving chemo, it is vital that you "baby" your GI tract by eating frequent small portions of bland food. I did not drink any carbonation, no greasy foods, no red meat and the only sugar was in jello. I drank water, skim milk and apple and tomato juice. I started every day with a soft scrambled egg on toast with skim milk. I always fell asleep at night looking forward to breakfast because it was my biggest meal! lol. The chemo diet is very similar to what a pregnant woman eats when she has morning sickness or when a sailor is out at sea for days. I ate small amounts every two hours careful to never let my stomach get empty during waking hours. I ate fruits, vegetables, yogurt, eggs, baked chicken breast, rice, baked potatoes, nuts, salmon, cornflakes and soup all in very small portions. I took my Zofran as instructed for the first several days. I also deliberately rested a lot during that week following chemotherapy. I feel a combination of water, diet as I described, Zofran and rest for the week following chemo was just the right recipe for me! I am also finding that during the time a person is undergoing chemo, it is not the time to be a "hero." This is the "humbling" part of chemo. Let others help you. Your body just took a hard but needed hit of medicines so sit back and "baby that body" that following week. The only symptom I experienced with this cycle was some burping at times but no biggie. I am also staying very compliant with oral hygiene by brushing and gargling with all Biotene products and swishing and gargling three times daily with salt/baking soda solution in hopes of avoiding/minimizing mouth irritations.
I go for my next chemotherapy on January 29 and plan to repeat my same "water/diet/Zofran/rest" combination and have high hopes of it working again! I hope this information helps someone who is about to start with their chemotherapy. Please continue to keep me in your prayers. I feel them all!
Now back to "Scarf Tying 101." Why is it that I can care for and manage the patient while operating a dialysis and/or a plasma-pheresis machine but I can't learn to tie these dang scarves on my head?! lol

January 15, 2015 - One Week Chemo Follow-up Bloodwork.

I woke up looking forward to having my bloodwork drawn today so I could see just how "I looked on paper!" I am just weird like that. lol. This is actually my first outing from the house since receiving chemotherapy last week. I am realizing a large part of "getting ready" now is dressing my head with all sorts of bling! lol.

I arrive for my appointment and am welcomed by Stacy (girl on left) who wears the prettiest smile and is so helpful. Lisa (girl in the middle) escorted me to the infusion center the first time and made me feel so comfortable. Sarah (girl on right) is the office manager and the "angel" who did same day scheduling for me to see Dr. Mitchell when Candy called her after my breast biopsy. Candy actually talked to her at 7:30 and I was signing in at 10:30 on the same day. This is just another reason why I cannot complain about anything. I then have my blood drawn and after a few minutes they provide me with a copy of my results and they are "perfect" labs! I am not a perfect person but for today I am "perfect on paper!" I am so thankful!

Ricky had slipped out to the Relax the Back store and bought me this four piece comfort set. I call it my "blogging barco-lounger!" lol. So here I am wearing Kristen and Wayne's "I Love Cruising" cap, reading "Crazy and Sexy Cancer Tips" a book sent to me by Gina and Craig Matherlee, waving to all of you guys and blogging away in comfort! It's all good!

January 13, 2015 - Range of Motion is Back - I Can Move! I Can Move!

I am so very happy! I regained my range of motion in both of my arms today! So as in the pictures above, it is up, up and up and it feels sooo good! I can now hang clothes in the closet and reach items on the top shelf in the cupboards! So I guess I have "milked" my situation long enough and should start helping Ricky with the housework! lol. I will wait and start that tomorrow though! lol. It has been 4.5 weeks since my double mastectomy and I am now five days out from my first chemotherapy session. I return for my third post-op surgeon visit next week and I feel Dr. Turk will be lifting all strength training exercise restrictions on me! I have always been active and exercise has always been a part of who "I" am and I have NO plans of letting cancer take that away from me! The main reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy and I plan to take exercise right along on the journey with me! I have always said baby steps become big steps, one block becomes two blocks, two blocks become a mile and miles become marathons!
Photos were taken by Ricky today as I was "posing" and being silly! He is so supportive and even said to me "the sky is your limit with me." All is good. 

January 10, 2015 - No More "Bad Hair" Days For Me! Lol

I have always been very fond of my hair. I am fortunate to have very manageable and non thinning hair. It has often been described  as "shiny as a new penny" and just the "perfect" thickness and texture. So wouldn't you know I have to cut off my best asset - lol! Oh well, lose my hair or lose my life - definitely a no brainer for me! As soon as I heard "you have a little cancer", I immediately lost all fear of hair loss. I made my decision that very day to remove my hair as soon as I received my first chemo treatment, which I did. It was extremely important to me to be in control of my hair loss. I refused to look at it on my pillow or in the shower drain. It is my cancer, my hair and my decision. 
This is me after putting my hair into six ponytails. 

 This is Ava photo-bombing - silly girl! She and Claire then snipped off one ponytail each and Ricky snipped off the other four. He then used clippers on my entire head to finish the job. I have to admit the clippers felt and sounded so "good" as they came into contact with my scalp. It was a feeling I had never felt before. I suddenly thought back to one of the "Survivor" shows where the "roadblock" was to shave your head to advance toward the million dollars and remembering thinking I would not have shaved my head for the million dollars. lol. It was so easy for me to calmly sit there while being "scalped"! I had no dread or fear. Ricky stayed busy complimenting my "perfectly round" head as he was clipping and the girls were busy smiling and saying "looks good!" I thought yeah right - definitely a conspiracy going on here! lol.

These are the hair clippings that I watched fall off my shoulders and down my chest. It felt so good to be moving on with an inevitable part of my journey!

 I immediately put on my cap and quickly realized it was very "hot and sweaty" but I didn't think I could comfortably take it off in front of others so I chose to suffer in silence. Chelsey noticed and said "just take it off, you don't have to wear it." That was my permission and off it came and I "Rocked" the bald! It's my cancer and my bald! lol. My advice to anyone facing hair loss is to just do it! Don't dwell and think about it too long. Make a decision, come up with a plan and move on and never look back! I have never enjoyed a shower the way I did that night. It felt so good that I could not wait until the next morning to shower again and dry my head with a washcloth in one single swipe! lol. I now see why men love showers! I can best describe my hair loss as "liberating" at its finest!
These are some caps that Chelsey started crocheting as soon as I was diagnosed. Of course they are my favorites!

The above caps with scarves are when I am feeling fancy! lol. I ordered these through TLC-Direct online - highly recommended!
I picked out these two free caps from a basket at my chemo infusion clinic compliments of Grace Covenant Church. This is a ministry in itself! I was genuinely excited to pick mine out! I am continuing to see the handiwork of so many people behind the scenes along this journey. There are so many great people in this world and I am so blessed to get to cross paths with so many! My journey is truly one of "peace that passeth all understanding." Please continue to travel along.

And this is still me - the same person! As Ava so nicely said when we finished up "You lost your hair Mimi, but your personality is the same!"

January 8, 2015 - My First Chemotherapy Session - Ready - Set - Go!

I woke up this morning actually excited to be starting my third leg of my journey today - game on! We chose to go to Dr. Mitchell's  location in the Physicians Plaza at Presby-Huntersville Hospital since it's very close and convenient to home. I have always called it the "Taj Mahal" of hospitals! lol. We arrived for our 10:30 am appointment and as I am signing in, I realize that I am not feeling any kind of rush of adrenaline. We are greeted by all smiling, courteous and professionally behaved staff. I cannot emphasize enough, how important this is from a patient standpoint. It reinforced to me that I am very deserving of their attention! We are then escorted to the infusion suite within five or so minutes by "Lisa"- a very nice lady who lets me "pick" my chair which gave me some control and of course I am thinking "Yes, I will be in charge!" Lol! As you can see from the above "selfie", Candy is doing "Mom chemo duty" while I am busy giving a thumbs-up!

This "sweetness" is Morgan who works here and at the Mallard Creek location. I was impressed with her friendly and kind ways. She went out of her way to help everyone in the room. Morgan strikes me as someone who knows how to look around the room and can see what needs to be done. In other words, not lazy. lol.

It is now time for my pre-meds and chemo infusion. Chad had welcomed us when we walked in but now he is at my chair ready to start my infusion. Chad impressed me from the get-go! He is extremely knowledgeable and competent which I personally look for in "my" nurse causing me to feel very safe! He is very calm and friendly and a big guy with a big heart! 

This is Dr. Mitchell. Candy worked for him for about ten years and they are always so glad to see each other! This is my third visit with him and he truly impresses me with his knowledge and his genuine concern for "me" as a patient. He is sooo cleverly funny! I LOVE his wit! I felt very comfortable just knowing he was around during my treatment. He checked on me at least five or six times during my infusion and before I left which was so reassuring from a "first-timer" patient standpoint and just a GREAT patient/physician relationship especially when dealing with cancer!

I would have never thought that I would ever feel a subcutaneous port in my chest, watch someone access it and then start "my" infusion. That is what I am thinking as I sit here looking up at my chemotherapy bag but then I realized what kind of absurd thinking that was on my part - Why not me?

This is me "resting" under my "special" blanket nearing the end of today's treatment. This has been a number "10" day from start to finish! I experienced no problems at all! I thank each and every one of you for your kind thoughts and the many many prayers! When faith has truly moved in - all fear moves out and that is the BEST part of my journey!

January 7, 2015 - Preparing For First Chemotherapy in AM.

My chemotherapy starts tomorrow so I spent a lot of the day preparing. I started my Dexmethasone twice daily and my Claritin once daily today. I purchased my mouthwash, toothpaste, oral moisturizer and dry mouth lozenges. I was instructed to buy all alcohol free products and rinse and gargle four times daily with a salt and baking soda solution which I will do to decrease mouth and throat irritation.
Next up to pack - food! I plan to eat breakfast before going but felt I may need some snacks since I will be there 3-4 hours. They do provide nourishments but I kind of like my own food. lol. Nuts, apple, banana, grapes, carrots and crackers should be a gracious plenty, I hope! lol. I packed my water cup and plan to eat ice chips for the first hour as instructed. 
I am ready to get started on my third leg of my journey. I ask that you continue to keep me in your prayers and positive thoughts. If I could pack your thoughts and prayers in my bag, I definitely would!  

January 6, 2015 - GLM - "Girls Love Mail"

I received this letter while in the hospital from girlslovemail.com (a charity that collects hand written letters and gives them to women going through breast cancer treatment). It was hand delivered to me by the nurse navigator. What a wonderful and heartwarming surprise and it was obvious to me that it was written by a child which made it even more special! As I looked at it, I could just see little "Kayla" coloring in the hearts, drawing the happy sunshine and adding the butterfly sticker and being so "proud" of her work as she licked the envelope! I was so glad my letter came from a child! The world would be so much more fun if adults decorated with colored hearts, sunshines and shiny beautiful stickers! lol. 
I can remember as a child seeing my Mom's excitement whenever she received a letter from home (Alabama). She would always happily read them out loud. I only remember a letter bringing her to tears one time and she would not read it out loud. I never knew what that letter was about - perhaps she was homesick. As a child, I loved writing letters and receiving mail! My pen pal was from Oregon and we wrote back and forth on a regular basis for a couple of years. I also sent off for any kind of free information packet just to see mail addressed to me with my name in print! I was such a nerd! lol. 
Sending a letter is the next best thing to showing up personally at someone's door. Ink from your pen touches the paper, your fingers touch the paper and your saliva seals the envelope. When that person receives your letter, they can see your personality and hopefully hear your voice in their head as they read it. After all, it is just talk on paper! I encourage everyone to visit the website - girlslovemail.com and consider participating. Anyone at any age can get involved and make a difference in someone's life! It could be a great project for children, youth and adult groups. It would be a ministry in itself! Oh and don't forget the sparklies and stickers!
My letter is now my second souvenir of my journey!

December 30, 2014 - Second Oncologist Visit.

This is my second visit with Dr. Mitchell. I have had my surgery and it is time to start my third leg of my journey. Once again as I am signing in, I get a rush of adrenaline but much less than the initial visit. I'm sure that will continue to get better with each visit. They call me back within five minutes and straight to the scales we go. I had lost 11 pounds since last visit. So there is your weight loss plan girls - have a double mastectomy! lol. They then take me to the "live, laugh and love" room! Dr. Mitchell comes in with a huge "glad to see you" smile with outstretched arms and I immediately stand up and receive my big bear-like therapeutic hug! I personally feel that with cancer my patient/doctor relationship has to be one of trust, safety and open and honest communication and nothing builds this better than the nurturing touch of a hug! 
He begins by discussing my final pathology report which classified my tumor as a Stage 1A because it was less than 2 cm. and there was no lymph node involvement! I don't have words worthy enough to express my thankfulness at this point. He then thoroughly explains my treatment plan. I will be receiving four cycles of Cytoxan and Taxotere given over a period of 12 weeks. We also discussed the pre-meds that will be given before each treatment and for a few days after each treatment. I will also return the day after each treatment for a Neulasta injection. He reviewed all medicines with me including reason for giving and possible side effects. He also provided me with statistics and percentages of improving my odds of rate of recurrence with my treatment plan. We then discussed a clinical trial which we both feel would be a win-win for me. I would still get my standard of care therapy but would also receive Herceptin every three weeks for one year. This clinical trial is specifically for people in the HER2 grayish zone, which is me. My HER2 was 2.0 and then analyzed further by FISH with a ratio of 1.45 which is resulted as negative. We both feel like I am an ideal candidate for this research. It is a randomized study where the computer decides. I will know in a few days if I get randomized into the study. I certainly hope the computer likes me! lol. We then took a tour of the infusion center and finished up in the lab for pre-chemo bloodwork. I am leaving my doctor's visit today as a well informed and very satisfied patient/customer! God is still Great and All is still good!