August Update!

On August 16th we met with my oncologist, Dr. Rachel Jenkowitz, for what we thought would be a routine post chemo appointment.  We had just finished 3 weeks of chemo and were preparing for radiation to start on August 23rd.  Little did we know what was in store for us....

Our doctor was shocked at how well I had handled the prior 3 weeks of chemo.  I managed the side effects of the chemo fairly well and was shocked I still had my hair!  What came next neither Chris or I were prepared for.  It honestly took all the wind out of our sails and changed the direction of our treatment.  She suggested that if we wanted to continue to aggressively attack the cancer, what "might" remain, if anything at all, then we needed to seriously consider an additional 6 chemo treatments.

I knew the answer, without hesitation...  I want to see my daughter grow up, go to Kindergarten, have more children, grow old with the love of my life.  I want to do EVERYTHING I can to ensure I am here 5, 10, 25, 50 years from now.  One look at my husband and I knew he was on the same page, but it didn't mean he liked that decision. 

Before we knew if, I was getting labs, canceling the radiology oncology appointment scheduled for the next day, and preparing to restart another six chemo treatments.  Only this one didn't go so smoothly...  I had a reaction once they started the Herceptin and became short of breath.  Every time I took a breath in, I coughed and breathing was difficult.  I notified a nurse, who stopped the treatment and I was sent for a chest x-ray and an EKG.  Hours later, both came back normal and we resumed treatment...  This time with Benadryl and Decadron added into the mix.  The doctors believe I was having an allergic reaction to the medication - one that I had had already had 9 times in the past.  A drug which I am scheduled to continue taking until at least March 2011.  Eight hours after we arrived for what we thought was just a routine Herceptin treatment we left, having received the first of six doses of chemo.

The doctors plan to give me 6 additional doses of chemo, the first one I received on 8/16 and I will finish on 9/27.  I'll receive three treatments and then have one week off (Labor day Monday).  Radiation has been pushed back until November and I hope to be completely done with all treatment, aside from Herceptin, by Christmas.

So far the first two treatments of the six I am going to receive have gone well.  The first week was rather rough.  I was VERY run down and honestly bummed out.  The wind was taken out of our sails and the light at the end of the tunnel had been pushed back.  Chris and I were both really worried about a repeat of what we had experienced the first go around with chemo.  My energy levels were really low.  The second treatment went much, much more smoothly.  I was full of energy and amazed at how good I was feeling.  I can only hope tomorrow's treatment goes just as well as round two.

Tomorrow I receive treatment three out of our LAST SIX.  Pray things go as smoothly as round two!

Onto other things...  I had a fantastic weekend with my sister and her family.  Kennedy and I joined my sister's family at the Hookstown Fair.  My niece, Kayli, competes each year on her pony, Sharon, and I have enjoyed watching her doing what she loves!  We had a fabulous day!  I hope you enjoy this candid photo my sister, Lori, captured at the fair! 

And as always....  Thank you for your continued prayers!  Only four more chemo treatments, then radiation, Herceptin until March, and then we are DONE!  D-O-N-E!  Here is hoping 2011 will be a much better year for my family.

Cleveland Bound!

It's been a while since I blogged, but not much has been happening!  My surgery went well and I am feeling wonderful!  I start chemo again on Tuesday and will go once a week for three weeks.

We leave in the morning to spend some time with a dear friend of our's, Jason.  He is also our daughter's Godfather and such an AMAZING guy!  (Who by the way IS SINGLE and would be an awesome catch!)  We are looking forward to spending time with him this weekend in Cleveland.  He's a great friend that he agreed to let me twist his arm in order to surprise my husband with concert tickets to see Dream Theater/Iron Maiden as a surprise gift for Father's Day.  That way Chris won't have to go see the concert alone!  I can't wait to spend a long weekend with my family and Jason.

One of a kind!

I apologize for such the long lapse in my blogging.  Life has been crazy!!

I had my lumpectomy on 6/8/2010 and two lymph nodes removed.  The nodes came back negative and the entire tumor was removed with clear margins.  PRAISE GOD!!

With each passing day, I am getting stronger and feeling better...  Thankfully my mother-in-law has come to town to help us.  It would have been very difficult without her here.

Today we met with my oncologist to discuss the pathology report and where do we got from here....  Well, we learned A LOT today!  To say I am a unique case is an understatement.

When I was first diagnosed with cancer, my HER2 results came back equivocal.  They sent the biopsied samples out for further analysis and those came back HER2+.  My basic understanding of what HER2 indicates the aggressiveness of the cancer.  If yours comes back positive, you have an additional medication you can add to your arsenal of drugs to help treat and fight the disease.  Since the coding on mine had come back positive, Herceptin was started.

Herceptin is a wonderful drug, however it can cause problems with your hearts ability to function.  During treatment, they have been monitoring me using a MUGA Scan.  You heart function can decrease up to 15% and still be within normal levels.  We found out today that my heart function has dropped 14.8%.  Also, the pathology report from my surgery and that of my biopsies showed different findings.  The surgery pathology report shows me now being HER2-.  With this being the case, my doctor did not give me Herceptin today.  I go back on July 20th for another MUGA Scan to see where I am percentage wise.  Being that I am not a definitive HER2+ anymore, Chris & I have been discussing cutting this drug out, especially after seeing its effects on my heart.  Our oncologist, Dr. Jenkowitz, is going to run this by her team of colleagues to get opinions on the matter.  Typically once they get a positive, they always treat it as a positive since Herceptin induced congestive heart failure is reversible with drugs.

On July 20th, after my MUGA scan, I start chemo again.  (And most likely loose all the fuzz I've worked hard at growing).  The game plan is to do three weeks of Abraxane to finish out the six I was supposed to have initially gotten.  I only had three chemo treatments and then surgery.  There is no guarantee that some microscopic cancerous cell is out there floating around, waiting to find a nice spot to call home and multiply.  So our thoughts, and the thought of our doctor, is that if I am up to it - we finish what we started.  Excellent point and well noted... 

Keeps us in your prayers as we go forward.  I hope that my body will be fully healed by July 20th and we fly through three weeks of chemo with no problems, issues, or hospitalizations!  I am happy to be finally able to say I am dancing with NED!!!  (For those not familiar with the chemo language this means that as of right now, I am showing No Evidence of Disease = NED.)

Lots to update!

Well, as many of you know or maybe you don't (my apologies!), my last post was written while I was in the hospital.  On 4/28 I had a new chemo regimen.  On the evening of 4/29, I started throwing up and was told to go to the ER.  So off to the ER at 10:30 Thursday evening for the third time since starting chemo.  To say we were less than thrilled with our care this time around would be the understatement of the year.  We arrived at the ER at 11:15 and weren't even brought back to a room until much later.  The nurse who accessed my port wasn't familiar with it and it took her two tries to get it inserted.  OUCH!  Even after that fiasco, I still didn't have fluids or anti nausea medicine.  I told Chris I needed to use the restroom and he proceeded to help me up.  I made it into the bathroom and then fainted.  I fell into Chris, then hit the floor.  He pulled the cord to alert the nurses, but no one came...  Chris then ran into the hall to try to attract some attention.  It wasn't until he raised a fuss that the nurses came running.  I came to and could not get up, my hands were all constricted and my legs were as well.  The nurses got me to a wheel chair and then back onto the hospital stretcher.  After that, things moved a bit faster...  They took us up to a room and admitted me.  It was past 2am and I still had not had any fluids or drugs.  It wouldn't be until almost 3am before they pumped three bags of saline into me over the course of an hour.  Chris went home to relieve my father, who was sleeping on the couch so we didn't need to disturb Kennedy.  This hospital stay lasted 6 nights.  C. diff was ruled out.  I had also had a colonoscopy and received a unit of blood.  My potassium and magnesium levels were also really low.  I am sure there was more that went on, but...  Well, so much more has happened since this stay!!

Moving on...  Mother's Day was fabulous!  My family and I, as well as 20+ of our closest friends, attended the Susan G. Koman's Race for the Cure this Mother's Day.  To say it was cold would be a MAJOR under statement, but the warmth I felt from everyone there made it a little easier to tolerate!  Friends of our from Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, and other parts of Pennsylvania joined us.  It was truly a blessing to have everyone spend their Mother's Day walking with me.  Our fundraising team, The Triple B's, raised over $4000.  That is just AWESOME!!  We may not have placed #1, but they are #1 in my book!!  I had planned on doing the 1 mile fun walk, but somehow managed to get on the start line for the 5K walk.  YIKES!!  But, I FINISHED!!!!!  (And so did everyone else in our group!!!  I am so proud of my dad and Mrs. Jodon!).

After the walk, we enjoyed a picnic at the Glenwillard Boat Club.  My mom did a fantastic job putting it together and I thank everyone who made food, helped set up, tear down, and provided paper products.  Again, I felt the love!!!  I started feeling slightly ill after eating and having been up since 5:30am.  I left my own party to rest up.  It had been quite the day!  AGAIN, THANKS TO EVERYONE INVOLVED.  I love you!!!

Lastly and most importantly, I got a phone call the Friday before the race at 5:15pm.  It was Darcy from the Genetics program at Magee.  It turns out my genetic testing came back NEGATIVE!  Praise God!!!  Because of these negative results, Chris & I are opting for breast saving surgery.  I do not need to get a double mastectomy.  The cancer is just "bad luck" as the doctors say.  Kennedy will still need to have screenings early and my sister will also need to start screening as well.  Keep them in your prayers!

We met with a surgeon the day after I was discharged from the hospital (5/6) and I am scheduled for surgery on June 8th.  After surgery I will have to have 6 weeks of radiation 5X's a week.  Then we will need to finish chemo.  We are opting to go this route since the chemo has been so toxic to my body.  Hopefully these two months off will allow my body to heal and allow a fresh start for the next round of chemo.

Thanks again to everyone!  The meals, support, care givers, prayers, words of encouragement, for everything!  I am so blessed to have each and everyone of you in my life.  We will beat this!  One step, one day, one week at a time!!

Round 3 - With Changes in Place!

On my birthday, April 28th, we went to the cancer center knowing things were going to be different  - YET AGAIN.  The past two chemo sessions had landed me in the hospital and were not kind to my stomach.  Truth
be told, when we walked into the cancer center on the 28th, not much had changed or been resolved with regards to my stomach and the ongoing diarrhea I was experiencing.

We met with Dr. Priya Rastogi, MD and the nurses this day and it had been decided, prior to our arrival, that we would try a new course of treatment.  They were going to give me the usual Herceptin treatment, but forgo the other drugs I had been getting in hopes that a new, different drug would be better tolerated.  The new drug is called Abraxane. Supposedly this drug was less harsh and had fewer side effects on your digestive system.  But because it was less harsh, I would have to go for chemo weekly now instead of every 3 weeks like the previous regimen. 

Chemo itself lasted only an hour, but we were there most of the day.  We left hopeful that this would be our solution.  The goal was to re-evaluate things in four weeks and then decide "Where do we go from here?" at that point.

Chemo Delayed...

I just got off of the phone with my nurse at the cancer center.  Because they want me to see an actual doctor on my next visit, my appointment for Monday has been canceled.  They rescheduled it for 4/28, my birthday, at 10am.  I am hoping that this doesn't delay my treatment and we can go forward with the same regimen we did last time.  I think I handled it fairly well compared to the first treatment.  My appointment with the genetics program is also being rescheduled.  Hoping the wait to see them isn't too long!

Keep me in your prayers that this won't delay treatments or put us back to square one.  I am hoping after the meeting with the doctor we can still proceed with the chemo treatment as planned.

There's no place like home...

Just wanted to let everyone know that after two nights at Magee, I am home at last!  There truly is no place like home!

They sent out two samples to check for C. diff and both came back negative.  They pumped me full of so much fluids my hands had started to swell.  And thankfully I got some rest and feel MUCH, MUCH better!

I was only stuck with a needle 3 times this go around which is significant improvement over my last visit.  The nurses were able to take blood straight from my port and even did it while I was sleeping!  I slept right through the 3am blood draws.  The other two sticks were to administer a shot in my belly to help prevent blood clots.  My left calf has been bothering me for a number of days.  It feels like I am going to have a charlie horse at any moment.  As a precautionary measure they sent me down for an ultrasound of both legs.  NO CLOTS!  They also continued to fill me up with Magnesium & Potassium.  Both of those levels were quite low.

So, this morning I got the wonderful news that I was being released and headed home!  My white counts were on the high end of normal at 10 and holding steady.  Wonderful news!

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!  I am grateful and blessed to have YOU in my life.

At Magee.... AGAIN!!

Well today started out quite normal.  Chris went to work, I woke up tired, but feeling good.  I had these GRAND plans to hit up our local Giant Eagle, get stuff for dinner and come home to take an easy.  It didn't take long before all those grand plans were thrown out the window and I was sick - AGAIN! 

Poor Kennedy dealt with a very miserable mommy and was just the sweetest baby girl ever.  As I was getting sicker as the minutes ticked on, she continued to entertain me with her drum, empty toilet paper rolls, and making calls to California.  (No worries, even if she did dial CA, the call wouldn't have gone through since we have no long distance, lol!)

After an hour and a half of suffering I called Chris and asked him to come home.  I had already had a call into the oncologists office and was just playing the waiting game.  After several chats with the nurse at the oncologists office, I was told to go to Magee's ER and they were informing them we were on our way.

After six hours in the ER, they finally admitted me.  My white counts were elevated at 18 (which is probably from the Neulasta shot) and they wanted to monitor me more closely.

It appears that I will be here for at least two nights.  They need cultures from me and they have to be taken 24 hours apart from each other. One of the things they are trying to rule out is Clostridium difficile, also know as C. diff.  The CT scan they did while I was in the ER looked fairly normal, so they think this recent episodes could possibly be from C. diff or the chemo.  My bet it is on the chemo.  Even though they decreased the amount of the Taxotere and gave me a Neulasta shot, I think my colon is just super sensitive.  Only time and the cultures will provide the answers we need.

Please keep me in your prayers that the are able to pinpoint WHY I keep getting so ill and can maybe offer some more answers to keep me out of the hospital.  I swear Magee needs a frequent roomer program.  I have to laugh because a friend in my mom's group, Heather, posted this as her Facebook status earlier today, "found a new all-inclusive resort destination, have you heard of it? It's Magee Women's Hospital...better than Sandals, I must say."  I can't agree 100% with her, but Magee isn't so bad, but of course I'd much rather be at Sandals!!!


I am off to try to sleep for the night.  Keep the prayers coming.  And again thanks to all those friends, family, and even those who don't know me so well for praying for me.  God hears you! 

10 years and still going STRONG!

Well yesterday I woke up feeling fantastic, but it didn't take long before the fatigue and exhaustion set in.  The nurses warned that the Neulasta shot would make my bones/joints hurt - and they weren't lying!!

Despite not feeling 100%, we made our way to 11am mass at St. Margaret Mary Parish.  Kennedy has been very active during the service, so we had a grand plan to put her in her stroller.  It worked fairly well for us and she was pretty good.  Unfortunately the other children in the cry room made it almost impossible for us to hear the homily.  For next week, we are going to try to get there early and sit out in the main seating area.  Here is hoping Kennedy will be just as good next week as she was this week.

After church we went out to enjoy a nice lunch as a family to our local Eat 'N Park.  All I can say is WOW!!!  They remodeled the inside and it looks completely different.  Much, much nicer now!  Chris and I were shocked at how much different it looked compared to our first meeting there 10 1/2 years ago.

For those of you who do not know, Chris and I met through an online dating service in November 1999.  We actually shared our first meeting at this Eat 'N Park and it brought back A LOT of good memories.  I am still amazed he put up with the me of 1999 long enough for us to get married and have a child together.  I used to be a smoker and now that I no longer smoke, I can't believe her put up with me and my smoking habit that long.  I guarantee, if I hadn't quit when I did, we would not still be together.  He must have saw something special to keep me around that long!  I quit smoking about a month after we started dating - mainly because my father asked me from his hospital bed to never smoke another cigarette again.  I cried the entire way home from the hospital that day.  I knew I was disappointing him and that alone upset me.  How could I ignore what he asked of me, especially seeing him struggle with health issues that I am sure smoking played some part of a hand in.  I made the decision that week and quit cold turkey.  It wasn't easy, but looking back it was one of the best things I ever did for myself. 

So here we are 10+ years later....  Happily married, proud parents, and thankful for many blessings in our life.  I am still amazed that this past November, 10 years ago, I met my husband for the first time at an Eat 'N Park.


Here is a photo from the past - gosh we look so oung here!!

Round 2, Beautiful New Niece, & Easter!!

Monday, April 5th, I had my second chemo treatment.  On day 3, I am feeling pretty good!!  I am so truly blessed and thankful we were able to stay the course and not have to resort to a plan B treatment option.  So with Monday's round of chemo we now have two treatments under our belt and four left to go!!!  YEAH!!!

My doctor, Dr. Rachel Jankowitz is still out on maternity leave, so last Thursday we met with another doctor in the practice, Dr. Shannon Puhalla.  It was decided that we would stay the course with the current the dosage of Herceptin, then Benedryl, then Taxotere, and finally Carboplatin.  The only change was decreasing the Taxotere by 25% and adding in a shot the day after chemo called Neulasta.  The hope is that by reducing the the Taxotere and adding the Neulasta shot, my body won't have as bad of a reaction to the chemo and the goal is to keep me out of the hospital.  So far so good!!  I am a little run down, but nothing like I was with my last treatment.  Keep the prayers coming that I continue to feel okay and stay out of the hospital this go around!

Well enough about cancer-smancer...  A lot of has happened since April 1st!  First and foremost my sister, Lori, and my brother-in-law, Brian, welcomed another BEAUTIFUL baby girl into their family.  Brenna Rae made her arrival at 3:05am, weighing in at a healthy 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and 20 inches long.  Mom & baby are both healthy and home enjoying their time getting to know one another.  Big sisters Morgan & Kayli are thrilled to have Brenna home. 

After meeting my newest niece on April 1st, I made a trip out to get my hair buzzed off!  It was a bitter sweet day.  I miss my hair, but honestly, as it was falling out, I am glad I did it when I did.  My hair was falling out rapidly and I couldn't wash it without pulling clumps out.  I made showering quite a challenge!! 

I was also joined by Keith Leonard who opted to buzz his hair off with me.  I was glad to have a friend do this with me and it truly means a lot to me that he would do this (although he didn't have as much hair to lose in the process!!).  Thanks Keith!!!  You look great!!  Just don't forget the sunscreen!

And lastly, I can't forget about my father who also shaved his head without my knowing.  It was such a touching gesture and although he too didn't have much hair to buzz off, it means a lot to me that he shaved his head too.  (Now if we can only shed the beard and mustache!  Hunting season is over dad!!  Although you might freak Kennedy out if you shave it all off.)  I love you so much dad!!!  You sure do know how to make a daughter feel special and I am honored to call you my father.

This past weekend, I was also blessed to have the opportunity to spend Easter with my family.  My aunt Marilou, Uncle Gary, my mother, father, grandfather, and cousins helped to make a FABULOUS meal.  We were lucky enough to have a BEAUTIFUL day and for that I am truly blessed.  I hope you too had a fabulous Easter with family.

HE HAS RISEN!!

WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!

So we met with the new oncologist today and got some AMAZING news!!!  The tumor is SHRINKING!!!!!!!  The chemo is working and the tumor is definitely smaller.  Almost half the size it was on the last visit and if you didn't know where to look, it would be hard to pinpoint.

I also lost 7 pounds since my last visit, but of course, not in the healthiest of ways.  But hey, I have some extra to spare, so I don't mind too much!

The next topic was what to do about the chemo and my recent hospital stay.  We basically have three options:

Option 1
Quit Chemo and do alternative treatments.

Option 2
Continue the same treatment plan, but decrease the amount of Taxotere.  Plus add an additional drug which I would get the day after my chemo treatments - a shot to help boost my white cell count.  The hope is that this would keep my white cell count higher longer and low for a shorter amount of time.  No guarantee that the decrease in Taxotere would prevent me from having another episode like I had two weeks ago.

Option 3
Start a new round of drugs for 4 treatments every three weeks, then add another two drugs for 12 treatments, weekly.  These drugs (unsure of the name) would have more of an impact on my heart, which is a concern given my family history of cardiac issues.

The doctors are going to collaborate and go over the pro's and con's of each to help determine what our best option is.  By the time we go in for Monday's chemo treatment, they should have more information from Tuesday's test and able to compare biopsies/slides from my previous ischemic colitis attack back in September to the most recent attack in February.  We are definitely at a crossroad here...  Hoping the doctors have some better insight on which route to go forward with.

Please keep us in your prayers Monday as we start our next round of chemo.  It's obvious this course of chemo is doing something as the tumor has shrunk drastically!  May it continue to shrink and may this next course not make me so ill.

Tonight I am buzzing my hair off.  I went to pull one strand and a HUGE clump of hair fell out.  It's getting a little annoying, so I am actually excited to get rid of it.  Who wants to go hat/scarve shopping with me???  :-)

Fundraisers!!!

Andee Williamson, a friend of my cousin Erin, has offered to donate 100% of her profits from our Tastefully Simple online show to our Race for the Cure team, The Triple B's. Tastefully Simple offers a wide selection of convenient, easy-to-prepare foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives. Please consider checking out our online show and placing an order! All proceeds go to help our Race for the Cure team raise money to find a cure for breast cancer.

Also, on April 10th from 11am-1pm, I am hosting a Piggies & Paws party. Shea Corsetti has offered to do a special fundraising show to help us raise money. I had never heard of Piggies & Paws until I attended a party this past winter. I ended up buying a unique piece of art for my living room that I will treasure forever. Shea had albums upon albums of images to chose from with lots of ideas. The party is set up like an open house, come when you can and stay as long or as little as you want. I will have snacks, drinks, and toys on hand. So bring the kids and prepare to make a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork! Artwork will be ready no later than Father's day. This could be a great gift to get that special dad for Father's day! We hope to see you here on the 10th. Let me know if you need directions or more information.

Artierogram & Port Placement

Yesterday was another LONG day for Chris & I at Magee.  I had an artierogram and a chest port placed.  We had to be at the hospital at 9:30am and were there until almost 5pm.  The artierogram took place first and went off with no complications.  I was awake for the whole procedure but given drugs to help calm me down.  Dr. Buck said everything looked PERFECT!  No blockages or clots.  Everything looked normal!!

Next was the port placement, which went just as smoothly.  They went from one procedure, right into the next and I had no complications.  We couldn't have asked for a better doctor.  He was very professional and did a good job. 

After the procedure, I had to lay flat for several hours.  Because they went in through a major artery in my groin, there was a high risk of bleeding and they needed to make sure the artery had clotted.  After a few hours they raised my head 30 degrees, then to a full sitting position in a chair.  About 4:30pm, they released me into rush hour traffic.  Fun times heading home!!!

This morning, the day after the procedures, I am feeling so-so.  My chest on the right side, where the port was placed, is VERY sore.  I guess that is to be expected.  I have to keep it dry until Friday, so sponge baths for me until then.  I also can't submerge it in a pool for two months until it is completely healed.  Guess it is a good thing it is March and I have no plans to go swimming this week.  My groin area isn't very sore at all.  I guess it might be a more prominent pain if my shoulder wasn't stealing the limelight.  I am sure it will be tender while it heals.

Lastly, the issue of my hair...  Yesterday while I was showering, I noticed more and more hair in my hands with each pass through.  I finally shut the water off and gave up trying to get the loose strands out.  If I had stayed in the shower I'd probably be bald right now and have racked up a pretty nice water bill.  I proceeded to do my hair, which only confirmed it was indeed falling out.  My brush was filled with hair and with each pass over it with my flat iron, more and more strands were falling out.  Out of nervous habit, my hands smoothed over my hair at the hospital in which more strands fell out while waiting for my procedures.  It was discomforting seeing all my hair on the floor.  Thank God I was born with THICK hair.  On the way to the hospital we called my hairdresser who agreed to shave my head this Thursday.  So tomorrow night, April 1st, my hair stylist is shaving my head. 

On Monday, March 29th, my mom and I made a trip out to the wig bank at the Beaver Falls beauty Academy.  Unfortunately, they only had three brunette wigs, all of which made me look like an old lady.  I wasn't quite thrilled enough with any of them to turn in my voucher from the American Cancer Society for a free wig.  My mom & I left, quite disappointed.  We decided to grab lunch at the Brighton Hot Dog shop just down the road.  Upon parking I noticed a Beauty Supplies store right across the street from the Hot Dog Shop.  My mom and I figured we didn't have much to lose, so we decided to check it out.  Low and behold the guy in the shop had wigs and many different types and they were only $20!  We left empty handed since he only took cash, but returned after lunch and a stop at the bank to buy "Amy."  I promise pictures will follow, once we get her styled right.  :-)  Hoping my hair dresser can fix her up a little before her debut. 

So, with yesterday's good test results we are no closer to finding out why I got so sick last week.  All signs right now are pointing to the chemo.  We meet with the new oncologist on Thursday.  I promise to update once we know what's next in the treatment plan.  Right now everything is in the air.  My next chemo was supposed to be Monday 4/5, but with a change in doctors, the days I go for chemo might be changing as well. 

Keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we meet the new oncologist.  If we start a new plan of attack we are back at square one - which means my next chemo will be the first of six treatments as opposed to having one treatment under our belt already.  It's very discouraging, especially since we don't know why I got so ill.  We can only speculate the chemo. 

Thanks again to all the wonderful people in my life!  The cards, flowers, meals, and words or encouragement have helped more than you can imagine.  My family I are very grateful!!!

So sick of hospitals and we've only JUST begun...

So many of you are probably wonder WHY?? I was in the hospital over last weekend and most of the week.  Well, join my club!  I'd like to know WHY?? too!!

Wednesday after chemo I felt jittery, but mostly okay...  Thursday, I felt like I'd been hit with the flu.  Run down and felt like someone sucked all my energy out of me.  But, I still wanted to go-go-go...  I figured I better go out and enjoy dinner before I would be cooped up in my house for a week avoiding the germs while my white count was so low.  Being that it is lent, my husband suggested we go out Thursday instead of Friday so we could enjoy a nice steak dinner at Outback and use a gift card my hairdresser gave us.  Made sense to me to go out and enjoy ourselves, even though I wasn't 100% feeling great.

Well Thursday night, within 2 hours of eating, I became violently ill.  The details I'll spare you from, but they  led us to Magee emergency room the next day.  It was all a real blur since I was in so much pain.  The only position that felt fine was laying down, on my side.  It hurt to sit, talk, move, anything...

Magee's ER was fantastic!  I didn't have to wait long before they were running tests, making me drink a contrast drink and rushing me off for more tests.  I was admitted within 3 hours of arrival and had my own room.  The CT scan was drastically different from one taken only a week or so prior and my colon was not a happy camper.  It was very irritated and my entire trunk area was tender to the touch.

I had a team of surgeons, infectious diseases, pulmonary specialists, GI doctors, and a regular doctor overseeing my care.  My first night in the hospital was hell.  The pulmonary Dr. came in at midnight, then an hour later the infectious disease Dr. and lastly the 3am blood draw (which became a routine part of my stay).

I stayed at Magee for 6 nights (Friday through Thursday when discharged), learned what it means to be neutropenic (essentially low white cell count, no flowers, no fresh fruit/veggies, and everyone has to wear a mask around me), had over 4 IV's started, numerous blood draws, multiple liquid meals, and came home with a whole lot of questions and not much in way of answers.  I was feeling better though by Thursday, so they agreed to discharge me with the understanding I would come back next week, after my colon has had time to repair itself, to have another test done.

So on Tuesday I got back in for a Arteriogram and thankfully, they are going to do the port placement the same day.  (This was not scheduled until 4/25 previously).  Please keep me in your prayers Tuesday!  It's going to be another long day for everyone since I have to lay flat for several hours after the test.  We'll probably be at Magee all day.

Also, thanks again to everyone who sent me an e-card while I was at the hospital.  It really did help lift my spirits.  (As did the removal of the neutropenic sign from the door along with the masks!!!  I could finally enjoy my flowers again...)

In the end, we really aren't sure what happened last week.  The biopsies from the colonoscopy showed that my colon very toxic in nature (not surprising since I did just have chemo on the 15th). Our previous thoughts that this was a bad spell of ischemic colitis are becoming more and more questionable and as a result, our treatment plan is now coming into question.  If this attack was from the chemo, we are back at square one, but that won't be known until Wednesday.  Right now though, it looks like chemo is the culprit.

And short we go...

On March 16th I chopped my hair off.  Not so sure I am in love with the hair, but it will do.  I guess I should be thankful that on day 14 that I still have my hair...

Here are some picture that our wonderful friend, Keith Leonard, took of my family the next day.

Enjoy!

Round 1 over! DING, DING, DING!!!

What a WONDERFUL day!!!  Today went much better than I could have imagined.  We hit a few snags in our day, but overall, we did good and I feel great!

Unfortunately, I was unable to get a port placed this morning.  My doctor had her baby about a month early and is now out on maternity leave.  I went for our blood work this morning and straight up to Diagnostics Imagining for the port placement.  By the time my bloodwork arrived back, it was questionable as to whether or not we would proceed with either the port, chemo, both, or neither one.  I was running a low grade fever of 99.3 and my white blood cell count was up to 20.  Way above where they wanted it to be which is ideally between 5-9.  The surgeon paged my oncologist, Dr. Jenkowitz, and her covering Dr. returned the call.  He was at another office, did not have access to my charts, and did not know that Dr. Jenkowitz had prescribed Dexamethasone (a steroid) to help increase my white blood cell counts.  They thought an infection was brewing in my system, so they refused to put a port in today.  The hope is that this steroid will raise my white blood cell counts, fight infections, and the when the full effect of the chemo kicks in and knocks my immune system down between days 10-14, it will decrease my odds of getting sick. At least that is what I understood from the conversation.

After being refused a port, we were sent up to my oncologists office to discuss whether or not we would postpone chemo or continue as planned.  The decision was made to go forward with the chemo.

Prior to starting the chemo I finally got the results of the MRI scan.  It turns out the mystery in my L2 vertebra is most likely a small hemangioma in my lower back and coincidentally right near where I had surgery 7-8 years ago to remove a lypoma.   What a relief!!!!  It also turned out that the breast tumor hadn't changed much since my last office visit.  The covering physicians assistant got the same measurement as they did on my last office visit.  Now we hopefully watch it shrink!!!

About noon, we finally started treatment.  First the Herceptin, then steroids (because I got confused and missed my morning dose), then Benedryl, then Taxotere, and finally Carboplatin.  I seemed to tolerate all the drugs pretty well and even managed to get a brief nap in among all the beeping and blood pressure cuff pumping every 20 minutes.  The Benedryl made me very tired and has caused me to have the worst dry mouth ever!

We return in three weeks to get the port in place and for round two of chemo!  I get my hair chopped off tomorrow evening and will post pictures as soon as I can.  :)  A little nervous about it, but so excited.  I have been wanting to chop my hair short for quite some time.

Thank you again everyone for your support, love, and faith that we can and will beat this disease.  The meals have also been a HUGE help!!  Thanks Lisa, Stephanie, Jennifer, Anastasia, and Aunt Karen for the wonderful food!  Also, a huge thanks to Stephanie for stopping in to visit with us while we were waiting for my drug cocktail to be prepared at the pharmacy!  It was so wonderful to see you.  You're such an inspiration to me! 

Check back tomorrow for picture of a new do!

So very, very, very BLESSED!!

And tomorrow we FIGHT BACK!!!  But onto that later!!!

This weekend my family and I had one last round of pictures taken before I start chemo tomorrow.  I figure it will be a while before my hair is ever this long again!  Sarah Schadler did them and she did a FANTASTIC job.  I have to say, both my husband and I are very pleased with the results.  It was a bitter sweet day.

As most of you know, Kennedy was running a HIGH fever on Saturday (103.8) and I was honestly worried we would have to cancel, but she was a trooper!!!  We had to wake her this morning and ran a little late - as I call it running on Lehmier or Beth time - but she was great today, even with a fever still and sore, sore gums.  Those bottom teeth are breaking through!

Here are a few shots from our session.  I hope you enjoy them!  I know we will cherish them and are grateful to Sarah for her willingness to accommodate us.


I start round one of chemo tomorrow morning.  Call me crazy, but I am excited!  Tomorrow we FINALLY begin fighting back against this evil disease.  Pray my enthusiasm remains as I am being poked, prodded, having blood drawn, a port inserted, and receiving a special cocktail of drugs pumped into me to help destroy/shrink the cancer cells.  Pray for Chris as I can't imagine how he feels.  Helpless I imagine and scared.  I love him so much and am blessed to have him as my husband.


Many, many, many thanks to those who have signed up to race with us on Mother's Day.  At last count we had a total of 25 walkers/runners, and I know of at least 6 more who said they were signing up.  I am AMAZED at the outpouring of support.  I have  heard that a Philadelphia Triple B's Team is also currently in the works.  I am in tears at the outpouring of love and support!  You are all awesome!!!  Contact me if you are interested in participating with that team!  Words alone can not express how grateful Chris & I am to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives.  Thank you all for the cards, books, meals, babysitting offers, and support.  We are very grateful and blessed to have each of you in our lives!


Check back tomorrow evening for an update!  And please keep myself, Chris, and Kennedy who will be with her pappy in your prayers tomorrow.  (Pappy might need some too since Kennedy is still teething!!)  Love to all!!

Walk this way!

So, my wonderful cousin, has graciously humored my wishes and set me up with a "team" for Pittsburgh's Race for the Cure. I say graciously because she is quite pregnant - only 5 days away from her official due date and dealing with an army of her own at home (3 kids, a dog, and a hubby!).

So join me! If you will be in Pittsburgh on Mother's day, walk with me!!! God willing, there will be BEAUTIFUL weather and I will feel AMAZING!!! I plan to walk the one mile walk with those I love by my side and I hope you will join me. I am a survivor, living, battling, and hoping to kick this demon OUT THE DOOR!!!

If you are unable to walk with us, kindly consider helping our efforts in raising awareness of this disease. It affects 1 in 8 women, a number I NEVER, in my wildest dreams imagined would fall prey on me... Sure, heart disease or a stroke... I was expecting those given our family history - but never cancer. One thing this journey has taught me is to never say never...

To donate online towards my pledge program, click here.

If you prefer to mail in your contribution, please mail to:
Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure
1133 South Braddock Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218

Please identify that your donation is in support of my participation.

Thanks in advance for you generosity and support. My family is so blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives!

(On the health front, still no news about the results from the MRI. Still keeping the perspective that no news is good news, but I might just call in tomorrow to see if they have any information to share with me.)

And the countdown to chemo begins!

My mom, dad, Chris, and I were back at Magee this Monday to meet with the oncologist and had great hopes of finding out more specifics of my treatment and what we are dealing with.

Answers we were seeking and answers we got! I was thrilled to hear that my CT/PET scan came back almost all clear. Only one area of concern - my L2 Vertebrae. It had show bright on scan and both the oncologist and the radiologist agreed that we needed to further investigate to make sure there was nothing to be concerned about. So after my oncologist appointment I had to have yet ANOTHER test - an MRI or my L2 vertebrae. Fortunately the wonderful office staff got me an appointment that day and we were able to get the test done on this trip. We still do not have an information or results back from this test, but I can only assume no news is good news, right?

I was given the Lupron shot at this office visit to essentially place me into a medical menopause while undergoing chemotherapy. Essentially it will shut down my reproductive system. It will also give the gal who is always hot, hot flashes and all the glorious things menopause brings. So with this drugs help, instead of me releasing an egg each month, those eggs could be saved and give us that much more of a shot to hopefully have a second child one day, God willing.

I start chemotherapy on March 15th and will continue every three weeks to receive it for six sessions. That morning I will arrive at Magee VERY early to have surgery to have a port placed, then begin the first of 6 chemo treatments. The chemo treatments will be every three weeks and will last about 4 hours. The cocktail of drugs they will be using will include Carboplatin, Taxotere, and Herceptin. The Herceptin drug will continue for a full year and as it was explained to me is one extra drug we can use in are arsenal to fight the cancer. My HER-2 number wasn't exactly positive, but wasn't an absolute negative. Which from my understanding is a good thing - because if I was HER-2 positive, from the little knowledge I have, it would mean the cancer is much more aggressive. The doctor also said due the size of the tumor, the cancer is at a stage II with no nodules.

Once the chemo starts I will have to continue to go for MUGA Scans every three months to keep an eye on my heart since the drug Herceptin has a 3% effect on the heart.

I was told I can be around friends and family during chemo, but need to be careful around those who are sick. The chemo will lower my blood counts which help me fight off diseases and I will be much more susceptible to getting sick. In fact, at Kennedy's well baby visit today, they would NOT give her the Chicken Pox vaccine because it is a live virus and can stay in her system for 6 weeks which would be me at a huge risk - even though I had chicken pox as a child. Also, if I spike a fever of 100 degrees or higher, I must be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics.

Lastly, because of the amount of Taxotere they are using they said I would definitely lose my hair within 2 weeks of starting chemo. I have lined up an appointment to get one final family photo of me with my current hair do for 3/14, then on Tuesday, 3/16, I plan on chopping my hair short. That way when it starts falling out, it won't be such a shocker.

So, that's all I got for now... Waiting on the MRI of my L2 vertebrae and waiting to start chemo. I've been trying to keep my mind busy and not think to far ahead.

THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE FOR THE THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, CARDS, MEALS, COOKIES, & SUCH. My family really appreciates it!

And the fight begins!

VICTORY WILL BE MINE!!

My wonderful mother suggested I start blogging my journey through this new "chapter" in my life! So, here it is and I promise to keep it updated as often as I can. Something tells me that I will have quite a bit of free time to do so. :P

I guess since I haven't written in such a long time and update is in order.

Kennedy is now 15 months old and such a blessing in my life. She is meeting all her milestones and keeping her mother on her toes! She managed to climb an entire flight of steps by herself without me knowing today - thankfully I found her before she attempted to come down them.



But she isn't the reason for the sudden interest of update of this blog and in fact - this blog may take on a whole new life. Keep on reading and you'll see what I mean...

FEBRUARY 14, 2010
I found a lump on my left breast. Sure, I've felt lumps before, but this one felt different. Hard, big, and suspicious... I informed my husband of my finding who reassured me it was probably nothing, not to worry, and we would call my OB in the morning.

FEBRUARY 15, 2010
I called my new OB's office who agreed to see me at 5:15pm that evening. The only appointment they had available. Chris, my husband, drove me since the snow was falling pretty fast and the roads were getting slick.

I went to my appointment at Greater Pittsburgh OB-Gyn in Moon. The doctor believes that the lump is a Fibroadenoma since there isn't a family history of cancer.

They scheduled me for an ultrasound at 8am. After the results come back, the doctor said she would call to discuss where we go from there (i.e whether or not it is what she thinks it is or worse, cancerous). Most likely she said the lump will need removed and I will need surgery. The nice thing though is she is pretty sure it is benign.

FEBRUARY 16, 2010
So I went to Magee this morning (which took me two hours coming from Moon, left at 7am, got there at 9am) for my ultrasound. I was surprised that even though I was late, they took me as soon as my paper work was filled out. I had my ultrasound and then another one immediately afterward with the doctor in the room. I was kind of surprised that the doctor actually came in to look at the ultrasound himself and actually maneuver the wand around himself. After all the technician had been saving the images and capturing the many angles of my "lump." By the time the second ultrasound was done there were two doctors (Dr. Loo & Dr. Hoffman), a second gentleman who they identified, but unsure of his role, and the ultrasound technician...

I was then whisked away for a mammogram which struck me as odd considering just after getting settled in, one of the nurses told me I was too young at 31 to need or even be considered for one since we have no family history of breast cancer. I just went with the flow and didn't think twice about it while they squeezed both breasts and took images from multiple angles.

I then was told to wait because a biopsy would be needed and they had to get the script from my doctors office. It didn't take too much longer and before I knew it a third Dr. was doing yet another ultrasound. It was just me, her, & another technician in the room. She asked if the other doctor's had told me anything and of course I said no, that everyone had been hush, hush, but at that point things started to seem odd and out of place to me. Multiple doctors in the ultrasound room, the sudden need for the mammogram, and not letting me leave without the biopsy.... As the third Dr. (Dr. Charmin?) was looking around on the monitored, she turned it to me and said well I hate to be the one to say this to you, but I am fairly certain it is cancer. At this point I was in shock... She stated she has seen lots of images in her career and would not have said anything if she wasn't pretty sure. I asked her before we began if she would be the one to talk to my husband, since he was home taking care of Kennedy.

The biopsy started and the other female Dr. (Dr. Loo?) joined the room to assist. It took about an hour and three shots of lidocaine to remove the samples they needed. My wound was dressed and I got my discharge papers and a list of surgeons.

Dr. Hoffman, who was the most senior of the doctors present today, called Chris and filled him in, but never mentioned cancer. He stated that we will only know for sure in 3-5 business days. Only the one doctor and the technician referenced cancer and even did so with Dr. Loo in the room. Her mannerisms suggested she agreed with other doctor's statement but would not speak anything of it, which I assume is because of liability reasons.

I know it is about 2-3cm in size and not a cyst. That was all the information I got from my appointment today...

FEBRUARY 18, 2010
Today is the day I got the news: CANCER. So, I just got off the phone with Dr. Hutchinson at Greater Pittsburgh OB-GYN. They informed me that I have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma - Nuclear Grade 3. No clue what this means, but it doesn't sound good. They said they don't have all of the information yet as the samples are still going through the staining process. I meet with Dr. Ronald Johnson at Magee on Monday at noon to develop a plan of attack and get more information.

FEBRUARY 22, 2010
My husband, mom, dad and I made the trip to Magee this morning for my appointment with Dr. Johnson, my surgeon. He was very thorough, but really didn't have a ton of new information for us as my biopsy results haven't come back yet. He explained that he wants me to see an oncologist first and go from there.

He has me set up for a battery of tests which start tomorrow... I have an appointment tomorrow at Magee with the oncologist, then a bone scan. So, I will be at the hospital all day again tomorrow.

Wednesday I have a CT/PET Scan.

I also am awaiting a phone call from a genetic specialist doctor to see if the cancer is just "bad luck" or "bad genes" since we really do not have history of breast cancer in my family. I am almost hoping this is just a case of bad luck. If it is the opposite, my sister, nieces, mom, and Kennedy will have to be tested to see if they carry the gene. That just scares the daylights out of me. I am also worried because if it is bad genes, the mention of a double mastectomy was brought up.

Right now we are still in the dark on the "signature" of this cancer. Once we know the make-up, a lot of our questions will be answered... As of right now Dr. Johnson and the rest of my family is praying for a case of bad luck, that we can shrink the cancer mass with chemo, and remove what little might remain and limit the amount of reconstruction needed. He wants me to undergo Chemo while I am healthy and not undergoing it while recovery from major surgery. Makes sense to me...

FEBRUARY 23, 2010
To say my husband and I are exhausted would be an understatement. This week has been CRAZY! I never imagined our world would be tossed upside down by cancer.

Today we met with the oncologist. We were at Dr.'s for over 3 hours this morning. They still do not have all the answers. My HER-2 number? is still undergoing testing/further analysis. Until they get that back we won't know which forms of chemo or trials I might be able to undergo.

I did learn that our ability to have children in the future will be compromised. I was essentially told that I can see a fertility specialist, undergo treatments, and save some embryo's in the event we can not get pregnant after I beat this or we can get started with chemo as early as next week. My husband and I have had a lot to digest over this past week, so we agreed to meet with the fertility doctor Thursday to get the full scoop. Supposedly the chemo ages me (my eggs/uterus) 10+ years and will possibly put me into early menopause. But our doctor said there was a chance we could still get pregnant without help once I am healthy again. I think this was the hardest news we got today. I know in my heart my family isn't complete, but my husband doesn't feel right about creating embryo's for a "what if" situation when the percentage of not needing them is greater than 50%. I guess the fertility doctor is just going to clarify the details and present a clear picture for us.

Other than that, the only other real news we know is that the cancer is estrogen-receptor positive. Another reason for us NOT to do hormone injections. It will only help "feed" the cancer.

Tomorrow I get a CT/PET Scan. Thursday is the fertility doctor & a MUGA Scan. And Monday we go back to the oncologist to discuss chemo. They want to start that right away.

Thanks again for all the prayers, thoughts, and offers for help. My husband and I both appreciate them.

FEBRUARY 24, 2010
Today was a rough one... The fertility doctor told us that our chances of conceiving a child post chemo without help are about 10%. We were informed of our options and have decided against harvesting any eggs and creating embryo's. Both my husband and i are pretty religious and are placing our faith in God. When all is said and done, if we are blessed with another child, then GREAT, WONDERFUL.... If not, then that is fine too. Many options exist today - adoption is a definite possibility for us. Plus we feel blessed to have Kennedy. A healthy, vibrant, beautiful little girl who need her mother to FIGHT this demon. I plan on being here for a long time and hope to make her proud one day.

We almost canceled the fertility doctor appointment and I am sooo glad we didn't. Another option was presented to us that I believe Chris and I are going to do, with the approval of my oncologist. Essentially I would be given a shot called Lupron which would shut down my reproductive system, placing me in menopause essentially. So instead of me releasing an egg each month, those eggs could be saved and give us that much more of a shot to hopefully have a second child one day, God willing.

WHEW! Well, sorry about that being one overwhelming entry!!! Hopefully my next posts won't be as long. :-)

WHAT'S NEXT?
Well, tomorrow I get stuck again and have MORE blood word to see if my liver can tolerate the Lupron and Monday we go back to the oncologist to hopefully get some much desired answers.

Thanks in advance for all the thoughts, well wishes, and prayers. Chris, myself and my family certainly appreciate them!!!