Eight is Enough!!!

I didn’t get my treatment this week, because my blood counts were too low again. However, my surgeon and oncologist discussed my case and have decided one more treatment is enough! I will have my final treatment (God willing and the blood counts rise) next Thursday. Whoop-whoop!

We have a partial plan and I'm going to KU Med for surgery. My surgeon called me on Monday to give me the update. I asked why eight Taxol treatments is enough and she told me it gets harder and harder to get the blood counts back up and there is probably not enough benefit to offset the toxin in my body. They also think the hormone treatment that I will start will be the best defense for my type of cancer. I still don't know exactly which reconstructive surgery I will have (or whether I'll have a single or double mastectomy) until I meet with the plastic surgeon, which is scheduled for June 9. My surgery is scheduled for June 20, so at least I have a timeline! Praise God! We won’t know if radiation is required until we get the pathology back, but we’ll deal with that if it comes.

Last week was a banner week. My folks came to Hays on Tuesday for an appointment, so I got to have lunch with them. Barb and Brad both had appointments later that afternoon, so we got to eat dinner with them. Jody went to her grandson’s track meet in Plainville on Friday, so she came to Hays later that afternoon to visit and we had dinner with her. To top it all off, Kyle, Caitlin and Kinley came on Sunday and spent the night. We got to have Baby K to ourselves while mom and dad had a date night. There is nothing like baby snuggles to make everything right with the world!

I want (really need) her eyelashes!

Today I got a little care package in the mail from a high school classmate…an awesome collection of hats for the summer (and a darling bracelet I’m sure his wife picked out)! How do I choose?!? I love them all! Thanks, Jay and Kathy!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend and get to enjoy time with family and friends. We plan to! Love you all!

Chemo Day #11 - Round 2.7

My bloodwork was good and I got to have a treatment on Tuesday. I totally forgot to get a picture, so I blew my goal of recording each treatment to see how much it affects me physically. I don’t think it has affected much besides my hair and an occasional rash, so no big deal. My white blood cell count didn’t jump up as high as the last time I had a week off, so who knows if I’ll be able to have a treatment next week. We will see! I am definitely learning patience with this process.

The trip to KU Med to visit with another surgeon last Monday was good. They were very thorough there and the visit included a mammogram, breast ultrasound and a visit with a lymphedema specialist. The mammogram and breast ultrasound showed that the chemo is doing its job, the masses are smaller and things have definitely changed. They included ultrasound of some lymph nodes in my arm pit and one looks a little suspicious. It doesn’t necessarily mean cancer, but is something to check out. They wanted to do a biopsy of it, but the surgeon said it wasn’t necessary to do it now. She said it won’t change treatment or surgery and they will take lymph nodes during the surgery and can find out the pathology then. We didn’t get to meet with a plastic surgeon, because who will do it depends on who is available during the mastectomy and, possibly, the type of reconstruction we choose.  I liked the surgeon and services at KU, but like the convenience and closeness of Wichita. There are still a lot of decisions to make, so prayers are appreciated.

While in KC on Sunday, we took in another Royals game and what a great one it was! Good weather, great friends, and an exciting game with a Royals victory. Can’t ask for anything better (except maybe if the grandkids were there 😊)! We did get to see Baby K on the way home, so I got a little grammy fix!

God bless you all! Love you!

Another Little Delay! 😣

I had another delay in my treatments this week, since my white blood cell count dropped too low again. It looks like I will probably be able to do two treatments in a row and then need to take a week off to recover. Darn it! But I’ve come to terms with it and continue to count my blessings, especially that I feel good and have energy. I still have times when I wear out and I won’t say my energy is at 100%, but it’s pretty dang good!

Last week I woke up and decided I was tired of being bald. I hadn't worn my wig since I first cut my hair off. I tried it once and it gave me a headache. I decided to try it again and I must have gotten the adjustments right, because I was able to wear it all day at work. The reactions I get when people first see it are sometimes hilarious. I know it's shocking, especially since everyone is used to seeing me with hats. The grandkids weren't too sure about it; they have all gotten used to my bald head. Emma is always reassuring and sweet that they love me no matter what! Love them!

The kids and grandkids came last weekend and what fun we had! Pop has purchased a couple

of new pedal toys and boy, did they have fun! The weather was great (almost too hot), although a little windy; nobody seemed to mind. I love it when we can all be together and since we won’t be able to get together on Mother’s Day, I consider it my present – the best ever!

I had my first surgical consult in Wichita on Monday. We liked both the surgeon and plastic surgeon and the information they provided was very helpful. I am fairly certain we will end up there, but we do have another consult at KU Med this coming Monday. Unfortunately, we will only get to meet the surgeon. Who we get for a plastic surgeon is dependent on when we schedule the surgery, so it will require another trip out there to meet the plastic surgeon later…not very convenient when you have to travel nearly four hours!

Since we will be traveling out on Sunday, we decided it would be a good idea to catch another Royals game! The weather looks like it is going to be perfect and we have dear friends joining us, who we haven’t seen for ages. Mother’s Day present to me…yahoo!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you lovely mommas and to you who may not have children, but love as unconditionally as one! Love you all!

Chemo Day #10 - Round 2.6 ✔

My treatment went well and I’m feeling great! I’m wondering if I might hit another speed bump next week, since my white blood cell count dropped from a 7 to a 3 this past week. It was at 2.3 the week they cancelled my treatment. I guess it will be what it is and I’ll just be grateful that I feel good! We will see!

We had a great time at the Royals game last Friday, although it turned out very differently than we had expected. We had reservations at the Four Points hotel across from the stadium, which is convenient because you can walk to and from the game and not have to mess with parking and getting out of the stadium after the game. Luckily, we checked in early, because we found out the city had broken a main water line in front of the hotel and then managed to break a gas line too. They had to evacuate the hotel, so they moved us to a hotel about 7 miles further east in Independence. We were still able to park in the Four Seasons hotel parking lot and walk across, which made it easier to get out after the game, but not quite as convenient. It was also a little chippy at the game. No rain, but very humid. We had good seats, but it was fairly windy which added to the cold. My Knight In Shining Armor bought me a new Royals blanket and gloves to keep me warm though.

The view from the brother's seats!

Dave, my brother, was given tickets to the game through work and had invited my other brother, Jay and his wife to the game. They were actually sitting not far from us a section down and a little to the right. We could see them from our seats (and watched Dave catch a foul ball). Around the seventh inning, when the Royals started to lose (☹), the crowd started to clear out and the brothers told us to move down next to them. Their seats were much better and it wasn’t nearly as windy either. It gave us more time to visit and catch up. Love them and their beautiful wives! The funniest thing was we made it on the jumbotron (again)! I was watching it and all of a sudden there was Scott, big as life! I said, “Honey, you’re on the jumbotron!” and pointed at it. I noticed the person next to him was pointing and then realized that was me!!! I didn’t even recognize myself! Of course, I was wrapped in Royal blue from head to toe and there wasn’t much of me sticking out!

The kids and grandkids are coming for a visit this weekend. Yippee!!! Next Monday we go to Wichita for a surgical consult and the following Monday we have one in Kansas City. Prayers for wisdom in the decision would be greatly appreciated!

Love you all!