Not Exactly the News I Wanted on this Great Day!

I had another good day...probably a little too good. 😬

I woke up with some energy, so I decided to go into the office for awhile this morning. I took a little nap this afternoon, until the UPS man rang the bell. I was up the rest of the day, went to Gella's for a delicious meal with the hubby, came home and had a little FaceTime with the grandbabes, showered and I'm ready to crash!

I did get news back on my second Biopsy and it is also cancer, so I'm pretty sure that moves me into Stage 3 and will likely require a mastectomy. The Lord is still good by allowing us to find this now and we can take care of it all at once! We also have plenty of time to consider all the surgery options, which is good. Prayers for clarity would be appreciated! Love you all!

1st Chemo - Day 2

Today has been a pretty good day! No nausea, thanks to my miracle meds. Fatigue is another question. Tired I am....naps are heaven! Not much done, but I have permission to slack and I'm just following orders! 😊

Scott Horsfall has been wonderful (as always) and I have received so many lovely cards and gifts, prayers and good thoughts. I am blessed!

First Chemo - In the books!

Chemo Treatment #1 is in the books! Whoop-whoop! The port poke didn't hurt at all (with the magic spray) and the anti-nausea meds are working so far. The only thing I felt during the actual injection was a little burning in my sinuses and eyes. Tomorrow I go in for a Neulasta shot, which is given to help the body build up some of the good stuff the chemo is killing. I'm told it might make me feel like I have the flu. It makes the bones achy as it works to restore the damage to the bone marrow. It will probably be Thurs and/or Fri when the worst hits. We will see!

I received an awesome poem written by a dear classmate/friend, who has been through this journey and beat it with flair! I have it stuck on my bathroom mirror, so I can read it regularly. Thank you, Kelli Tucker, and also for all your other sage advise. I will take it all to heart!

I also walked into the chemo stall and had beautiful flowers and a lovely package waiting for me! Thank you, Sharon Clark Leikam! What a sweet surprise and now I have even more "must have" items for dealing with chemo. You rock and it made my day!

Family Blessings

My cup runneth over and my heart is full! I had a surprise visit this afternoon from my boys, Kellen and Kyle, who brought a special delivery put together by the sweetest, most loving daughters-in-law a woman could ever want: Angela Marie and Caitlin Horsfall. They researched all the most helpful things a person might need during chemo and packed them up for me. The best of all is the beautiful Grammy book full of pictures of all my babes!

Yes, Margaret, Surgery Hurts!

Well...that amazing piece of technology I was bragging about...not so crazy about it today! It hurts a lot more than I expected, but it's the first real surgery I've had since the 80s so I think I'd forgotten. The pain meds (which I really didn't want to take) are my friend. They help and I typically conk out after taking them, wake up, and feel pretty good until it's time to take another one. I do believe it is getting better as the time goes on. I got to take my dressing off a bit ago and it looks pretty good. I didn't bleed at all. The worst part is sitting up after laying down. It burns down my arm for about a minute and then I'm fine. First thing to check off my list!  Yay!

Funny Little Contraptions

Today was the day of tests and appointments! We started with the surgeon, Dr. Teget, who I really like. He reviewed the MRI and informed us that the mass is larger than was indicated on the original ultrasound. It is over 3 cm. There is also another smaller area in another quadrant that looks suspicious. So, I will get another biopsy of that area on Monday. The lymph nodes looked good though. We decided to proceed with chemo first and surgery after. The type of surgery will be determined based on whether there is more than one mass and the outcome of the chemo.

I also had a pelvic ultrasound as a precaution and an echocardiogram to ensure my heart is in good shape and to have a baseline for future testing to watch for any issues. Lots of poking and prodding and I know it’s only the beginning. You know it’s bad when the intake receptionists know you by name already!

In the morning, we go back to the surgery center to get the port-a-cath installed. What an amazing piece of technology! I assumed I was going to have a tube sticking out of my chest, but it is all under the skin and they just poke into this porous reservoir and it takes the chemo through a tube down into the heart area where there is more blood and a lot less damage to the veins.

I’m anxious to get the other tests back and ready to get going. The sooner we get started the sooner I get done and healed! Barring any issues, my first chemo treatment will be Tuesday. Oh, and I ordered a really, cute wig today!

Thanks for all your prayers, support and good wishes! I am overwhelmed! Love you all!

And the Journey Begins...

Some of you already know, but many of you probably don't know that I was diagnosed with breast cancer about a week ago. I always get upset when I find out someone has been sick and I was not able to pray for them while they were going through it, so I'm going to practice what I preach! I'm going to use this blog to keep everyone who wants to know updated.

I met with Dr. Coe, the oncologist to discuss my options. She confirmed that it is invasive ductal carcinoma, grade 1, stage 2. She explained there are basically three paths I could choose: 1) lumpectomy with lymph (2-3) removal, full pathology, and then determination of whether chemotherapy and radiation is necessary or not; 2) mastectomy with lymph removal, and then determination of whether chemotherapy and radiation is necessary or not; or 3) chemotherapy first to shrink the mass and try to completely kill the cancer, much smaller lumpectomy with lymph removal, pathology and follow-up radiation. After a lot of questions and her exam, we’ve determined to go with...Door #3!

As much as I don’t want to do chemo, it sounds like it is probably the best option for now and increases the chance of preventing future reoccurrences too. The first round of chemo is four treatments, two weeks apart (each treatment is about 4 hours long) and then a different round every week for up to 12 weeks (1 ½ hour treatments). They will stop these treatments as soon as the mass is basically down to nothing. They wait two weeks to let my blood counts rise and then they will do the surgery. I will then have radiation every day for 3 weeks.

I have an appointment to meet with Dr. Teget, the surgeon, next Thursday. I will discuss it with him too, but if I decide to stay down this path he will install the chemo port on Friday. I need to have an echocardiogram and MRI before I can start, but I’m hoping they get that done next week too. If so, I will be able to start chemo the week of the 23rd. I am ready to get it going and get it over with!
I am so blessed to have such an amazing support group around me between my family, my church family, my work family and my dear friends. I know I can do this because of all of you!

AND you know I’m going to do it with a healthy sense of humor, cause that’s just who I am! So…in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, “I have a tuma!”, but it’s not going to be there for long. Yes I’m going to lose all my hair, but I’ll be able to sleep in longer because I won’t have to fix it! Maybe I’ll get a wild and crazy wig! The kids think purple would be awesome. I’m not sure I’m that crazy, but we’ll see.

Your prayers are always treasured and appreciated! Love you all!