April 28th & 29th

Today was not too bad of a day! I got over 10 hours of sleep and woke feeling rested. I managed my nausea pretty well and had some wonderful sister in my ward take great care of me! I had very little energy so it was nice to rest. By the evening I was 'thinking' I felt normal, but by then end of dinner I had overdone it. My kids noise bothered me, their running around and being happy bothered me. Stimulation seems to make me sick. I took a pill an went to sleep around 9:30. Our smoke detectors started making sounds around 3am and woke me from my comfortable sleep. By 5:30am I was feeling a huge wave of nausea and needed to take a pill. I didn't sleep comfortable after that. Dave was very good to let me stay in bed while he took care of the kids and got them off to school. He even came back home after dropping Drea off to make sure I was ok. I am very thankful to those who were on my calendar as helpers today! My morning helper made a yummy scrambled egg and my mid-morning helper took me for a walk, which felt GREAT! I had a nice yummy salad just before taking me afternoon nap.
So far I have not noticed any rash, which means no side effect to the taxitere. Hurray! And my mouth sores are not as bad as last time either. (Are you loving this great news as much as I am?!)
This afternoon I did something that a normal person would do- I went to the bread store. I felt super accomplished! I got to spend some one-on-one time with Colter doing homework. I think we spent more time chatting than actually doing work, but that was ok. I enjoyed it!
Once I was able to get over the worst of the nausea I would say that today has been one of the better days.
Here's to hoping for more better days!

April 25th & 26th

Friday morning at 1:50am I could no longer sleep. I'm going to blame the steroids I took. I was able to stay in bed and rest but sleep never took over again. After the kids were off to school and I'd taken my morning steroid I was still tired but feeling buzzed from the drug. I folded laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, de-junked my freezer and gave it a good scrub down. I had soup for lunch and was finally able to take a quick nap after lunch. My boys went home with a friend after school which was very helpful as that was the time I was sleeping. Up to this point I hadn't felt nauseated, but my body didn't feel good. All those chemo drugs don't help. I had a nice time with the girls after they got home. Had a snack and eventually picked up the boys from their play date.
Drea had her 'attention' date with her Aunt Janelle. Dallas went off and hung out with friends so it was just Dave and I and the boys. We spent our time working on the boys pine wood derby cars at Dave's parents house. I snuggled on their couch under a blanket while the boys did their thing. By bedtime I was exhausted but wasn't able to fall asleep so I took one of my pills and slept from 10:30pm-8:30am. I woke this morning feeling really great!! I was able to go with Dallas to her Young Women recognition luncheon. And I was able to eat and enjoy the food they served! Dave had a couple errands to run and I was feeling good enough so I tagged along. This afternoon I took a nice nap and have continued to feel pretty good. I am eating every 2 hours and have enjoyed what I've ate. Dallas and Aundrea had a special outing today with a friend and neighbor who took them shopping. They came home with some really fun and cute clothes! My dad stopped by for a visit and it was nice to see him and hear about his camping trip. As for now, Dallas is off at the Real soccer game, Dave and Drea are off having some daddy daughter time and I'm home bathing the boys and settling in for a nice quiet night.
I am grateful to have had 2 pretty good days after chemo. I know your prayers are working. I feel them. I am truly grateful for them!

I love you all!

Chemo #2

I was able to use my numbing jelly this morning. It seemed to help as this port access was the least painful.
Before chemo I saw the Dr. He did a breast exam and couldn't even find a lump. AT ALL!! That means this chemo garbage is doing its job! We talked about menopause, and it looks like having sporadic periods or none at all is normal. I've had menopause symptoms, but I also experienced a period, and let me tell you it wasn't pleasant. (sorry men reading this. be glad you're not a girl). We discussed management for nausea this go around. I'm going to take my pill the in the morning before I start having symptoms to see if that helps me get through the day a little better. I still need to exersize each day despite my not feeling good. This can be really hard when I'm feeling my worst, but I see its advantages so I'll make myself do it! I gave a urine sample and it came back negative for a bladder infection, which means I was most likely passing a kidney stone. This morning I was already over it. They are going to culture out the urine just to be safe, but most likely it'll be negative still.
My friend Michelle Hilton joined me for my treatment today to photograph all the fun, and not so fun. We waited for almost 30 minutes before I was called back into the chemo room. By then there were quite a few people in the room. It has about 18 chairs and I'd say they were a little more than half in use. My sister-in-law joined us as well and brought with her the most amazing treat! Homemade kettle corn! We played a game and gobbled down our delicious popcorn. My treatment began around 11:20 and I was done by 2:30.My friend from my 1st treatment was there and it was fun to see her and give her a big hug. Up to this point I still had no idea what her name was or what cancer she was battling. All I know is we connected the first time we met. She's one chemo ahead of me so it's nice to hear how she's handling it so I know what to expect. She is probably in her late 60's, early 70's, so her experience and mine may vary a little because I've got youth and great health on my side. I'm not exactly sure what drew her to me, but she's just one of those people I can tell is someone special. I hope to get know her better. I did learn today that her cancer is lymphoma, inoperable, and she only has to have 6 chemo treatments, and will have a 90% success rate. That's great news!
Tonight Dave and I were able to take the boys to their Literacy Night. It made me so happy being back in the Elementary school! I truly miss volunteering in the classroom and the teachers I worked with. Seeing other Mom's and people I know was great too!
My plan? I planning on feeling good tomorrow. I'll do whatever comes to mind, and have no set chores. If all goes like it did last time I'll start feeling crumby tomorrow night around bedtime. However I've heard the 2nd treatment isn't as hard. Let's hope.
As for updates? Once the yucky part hits the updates will be given by my other co-authors.
I do have a great setup for next week with people coming in to help feed me during the day while my hubby and kids are at work and school. I'm excited to see if that's helpful. I know so many of you want to do 'something', so this should give people that opportunity.
Feel free to send me a text. Talking on the phone is too hard when I'm battling the worst of it, so don't be offended if you call and I don't answer.
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it! Thank you for your love and support! I could not do this without it! Your prayers and concern are felt! I continue to be amazed by how many people have reached out to me. I am truly humbled and grateful! Thank you!

I love you all!

Possible Infection

This afternoon I started having symptoms of a bladder infection or kidney stone. The Dr. had me start taking the antibiotic they gave me to use 'in emergencies'. Tomorrow they'll check me out at my visit in the morning and see if it's an infection or stone. Despite this I can still received chemo treatment as planned.

Ugh! Please keep up the prayers! I'm feeling discouraged by this new symptom. I hate pain! I just want to be normal.

Love you all!

Side Effects

Two of the side effects I was told would happen have started to happen. Menopause and my hair falling out. The menopause may just be temporary while I'm going through chemo, or could be here to stay. Either way I feel too young to be dealing with this. There is a chance that my body will remember I'm young and I'll get my periods back some time next year, which means I'll get to experience going through menopause twice.
The hair loss? While it's not coming out in huge chunks it is coming out! Every time I touch my head. I sweep the bathroom every morning after I'm done getting ready. And the bathroom sink is covered with hair. At this rate maybe I won't need to shave my head until next week. However it starts coming out in bigger chunks I'll shave it sooner.  I thought I had prepared myself emotionally for this, but I'm finding myself a little emotional. Not to the point of needing to cry, but I feel unsettled.
I went and bought fabric today with Drea to make a couple chemo scarves. I hope they turn out cute! I'll post a picture later when I have them finished.

Planner Events/ Food Ideas

I am going to have Sarah add some events to the calender before I begin my next Chemo. I'm going to expect to be sick similar to after my 1st chemo. Last time I was sick for 5 days. Now that I experienced the battle of not feeling well it'll be easier to ask for help knowing that I'm going to need it! Most of the help I'll need are during the day while my husband and kids will be off at work and school. I'll need someone to MAKE me eat, and help with simple house chores, like laundry and dishes. Watch for those to be added.
Also, I'm having the hardest time coming up with easy meals for me! Quick, not a lot of preparation kind of things. Comment below any suggestion you have! Flavors can be really yucky during the sick days, so the more simple and bland the better. I'd welcome any suggestions.

Thanks! And, I love you all!

The Treatment Plan

This was discussed in our family meeting, but I thought I'd better put it here on the blog so you can refer back to it. It can change at any time.
I will receive 6 chemo treatments every 3 weeks of TCH . I have already received the first treatment, so there are only 5 more. My next appointment is April 24th. My last appointment is scheduled to be July 17th, but I'm going to push it back a week so I can go on vacation with my family to Jackson Hole. However if any of my other dates get changed, my ending date will also change.
Once this hard chemo is done I will continue receiving chemo for 11 more treatments every 3 weeks again. This chemo will consist of Herceptin and Pertuzmah (Homormone blocking agents). These treatments will not leave me sick. Projected end date for this chemo is March 5th, 2015.
Going back to the ending of the 6th treatment- I will get a month break before having a temporary surgery. All the surgeons we met with seemed to feel my cancer mass was too big to do just a lump ectomy and feel it is necessary to do a mastectomy. For this surgery the breast tissue will be removed and a saline implant will be put in. I again will be give some time to heal before starting radiation. As of today I am not sure if I will do a double mastectomy or just a single. It's a big decision and one I need time to ponder over. Radiation will be every weekday for 6 weeks. I'm thinking I'll be done with radiation around Thanksgiving.
After radiation I will have a period of time to let the skin heal, about 6 months. After the healing period I will have the final breast surgery where the saline implant is removed and the silicone one is placed. If all goes as 'planned' I will be done by next Summer.

All along this journey I will have my blood tested at chemo appointments and in between to make sure I'm staying as healthy as possible. I know I will have follow MRI's to make sure the cancer is responding to the chemo, and I'll have echo cardiograms to make sure my heart is handling the stress of chemo.
When I did my own breast exam the other day I could already tell a difference in the size of my lump. That is encouraging and give me hope. Hope gives me strength! Hope is a wonderful feeling!

I love you all!

Nadir Appointment

I had this thought pop into my head this morning to call the pharmacy to see if my numbing jelly had been called in. It turns out it WAS called in, but to the wrong Target pharmacy. I didn't have enough time before me appointment to drive out and get it so I got poked without it. It didn't feel good, but I survived. According to the nurse for some people the numbing jelly doesn't really do much for them. I think I'll still give it a try and then I'll know if it helps me :)
My weight today was up one pound from last Thursday. I am 4 pounds away from being where I was when I started chemo. The Dr. didn't seem to concerned about my weight.

My red blood count was within normal.My white blood count barely dipped, but is still within normal, and my platelets look great!

I have 2 more doses of steroids, one tonight and one tomorrow morning. The Dr. said the reason I am feeling so great is probably due to the steroids, but we'll know on Wednesday how I really feel when they are out of my system. I have had no nausea since Wednesday and no bone aches, which is lucky. Hopefully that trend will continue.

We talked about my sore/dry mouth. It could be caused from the steroids or from chemo. Once I stop the steroids I should see a change in my mouth. We also talked about my bloody noses.  I've had two over the weekend. They may be caused by the dryness in my mouth and sinus'. She suggested I use a humidifier, a nasal spray and Vaseline. I only need to call about my bloody noses if I can't get the bleeding to stop.

I am very thankful for my Sister-in-law who went with me today! I was hoping she would be able to be with me for the blood draw so I could hold her hand, but they said she had to wait in the waiting area.
I continue to be humbled by how many people want to be involved with my appointments, cleaning my house, bringing us meals. Most of you are the ones reading this blog! I love you! Thank you for loving me and giving me strength to be strong!

My First Sick Visit

I've had this sore mouth for days! I've had a rash on my collar bone and neck for a few days too. I finally decided this morning I'd had enough and called my Dr. They don't like rashes or sore mouths and said both require a visit to the Dr. They were able to get me in early this afternoon. I saw a Physicians assistant and really liked him. They weighed me first and it looks like I've lost 8 pound since March 14th. But now that I have my appetite back I'm sure I won't have a problem gaining it back :)
My sore mouth is a product of having a white blood cell count. This will go away when my count begins to go back up. In the meanwhile I have a mouth rinse I can use that numbs my tongue and cheeks. If you ever want to try something nasty you should try this concoction: 1 part liquid Benadryl (wild cherry flavor!) and 1 part liquid Mylanta (mild mint flavor). Sounds pretty delicious doesn't it? Swish around your mouth for 1-2 minutes and then spit out. This is guaranteed to gag you! I promise!
The rash is caused by an allergic reaction to the Taxotere drug in the chemo. Some people get it, some people don't. I did :) I may or may not have a reaction at further chemo appointments. Only time will tell.
To treat the rash I am on a low dose of steroid (similar to prednisone. LUCKY me!) I'll take them for 6 days, tapering off each day.
Now on to some great news! I have a huge appetite! Most everything sounds good! So, like I said earlier I may be gaining back that weight I lost.

Love you all!

April 9th

I chatted with Christy this afternoon.  She is feeling MUCH BETTER today than she has.  Her nausea is gone today and she's very happy about that.  Her only big complaint is her mouth hurts.  She has some mouth sores and some soreness in her throat and gums.

This morning she went on a 40 min walk with a neighbor and really enjoyed that.  It was such a beautiful morning.  Thanks to everyone who's supporting her with errands and help this week while Dave is gone.  It's much appreciated!

April 7th

So far today has been better than Saturday and Sunday! This makes me so happy! My muscles and body ache, but the nausea isn't as bad as it has been.
My neighbor came over this morning and did a little grocery shopping for me. It was really nice to visit with someone! Before lunch I got an hour long nap...best sleep I've had in DAYS!
While eating my lunch I was able to work on my many Thank you notes. This was quite therapuetic as it reminded me of how many people have reached out and served my family. All great reminders that I am not alone in this journey!!
This afternoon I had a friend stop by to visit with her kids. I got to see her cute little baby and see how much he is growing up! My boys enjoyed having company 'their' age here!
I am feeling hopeful that with Dave going out of town in the morning that I'll be feeling good enough to be alone. However, if you are on my list tomorrow to check up on my I may be asking for help if I need it.

Keep those prayers coming my way that the nausea will pass and I can regain my strength for the next round of chemo!

Love to you all!

April 6th

The first wave of nausea hit me on Thursday night around midnight. Earlier that night I experienced my first ever episode of heart burn. That night after taking my pill I was able to sleep ok. Friday I was pretty slow but felt ok. I was able to fold laundry, iron and load the dishwasher. It took me the whole day to do those things, but it felt great! Friday around bedtime I started being nauseated again. Not sure if its because I'm not eating enough in the evening or if I'm not drinking enough...I still have to figure out my body.
Yesterday was rough, each day has seemed to be a little worse than the day before. We had Colters birthday party yesterday and it was nice that I didn't have plan it. The house was full of kids dressed up as magicians and magic tricks were done. About 1/2 way through the party I went and took a nap in my room. Besides being sick its amazing how quickly I tire out.
After Colters birthday party he had a present he wanted to return to buy a new 'cool' scooter. Despite not feeling well I gave it my all and we went shopping! I am realizing that I need to give my kids attention as I did before, because I can see that they are beginning to wonder why I'm so different. Dave has done an excellent job of explaining what cancer is and what the chemo is doing to my body. We are encouraging our kids to talk about their feelings whenever they have a question or concern. So far this is working out.
Last night was my roughest night, I had to take both of my nausea medicines. This morning I was still not feeling well and took another pill. Before conference I went for a short walk with Drea and then mostly lounged around during conference. I think I may have taken a 20 minute nap too. Tonight Dave dragged me out for a walk. I know it's good for me, but it's so hard to make myself move!
A struggle I am having is finding food that sounds good. NOTHING sounds good, and most things smell yucky. My meal plan for today was: scrambled egg and chocolate milk for breakfast. For morning snack I had steamed spinach, carrots, and apples. Throughout the day I worked on drinking my water and a chocolate protein shake. My before dinner snack was a hard boiled egg. Dave let me have my dessert before dinner tonight; vanilla bean ice cream. Dinner was a bowl of bland soup. With a few hours to go before bed time I'm sure I'll be having a few more small meals. I'd love any suggestions of food ideas! I mostly crave nothing, but bland things are best.
As my parting comment I just have to say how much I feel your love! I have a great husband and good kids! They are my greatest blessing!

3rd Day Out (by Melissa Baker)

Three days since chemo and Christy is battling the side effects. Nothing that wasn't to be expected, but still rough: exhaustion, malaise, some nausea... She was still able to get out and do a couple of things today, like birthday shopping for her little guy and a small gathering at Brent's house this evening. She had fun visiting with family, and then took a nap on the couch there when the exhaustion took over. If her body's reaction follows the standard trend, the symptoms will get worse over the next 2-3 days. Then she'll start to feel better. On a lighter note, Colter shaved his head this morning and Brent earlier this week. They are ready for her to join their club...If you can help, please check out the planner and sign up for the afternoon errand slots still open next week...

Friday Morning (by Melissa Baker)

Brent just talked to Christy. She is feeling good. Last night after getting home she and Dave went for a walk. The doctor wants her to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Then she cleaned her house (go steroids!). By 9:30pm last night she was tired and ready for bed even though she forgot to take her steroid at 3:00pm and took it at 6:00pm. The steroids can sometimes make it a little harder to sleep.


Christy said she slept great and didn't wake up til 7:00 this morning. She is just going to spend the day doing whatever comes to her mind. Brent will pick up her children at 4:15pm today to have a weekend at their cousins' house (Thank you David & Cheri!).


Happy Happy Anniversary Weekend to Christy and Dave! What is it? 19 years?

Updated Chemo Treatment Details from Brent (by Melissa Baker)

The first part was meeting the doctor.  He did physical exam to measure the size of the tumor.  Then he invited Dave and I into the room and he explained what was going to happen, why they were doing what they were doing, what to do if there is problem and what will happen. The doctor was really nice and took all the time needed to answer any question we could come up with.  They will change her last treatment so it will be right after our family vacation to Jackson. Otherwise it would have been that week we leave for Jackson. 

• 10:30 am - Got to the treatment room and they started connection to the port.  It went really smooth and didn't hurt as much as expected.
• 11:20 am - Christy started her IV's with some steroids. 
• 11:45 am - Started the first chemo drug.  It is the one that starts with the letter "P".  It will take about 40 minutes.  Then we still have the "TCH".  I do not know if they are one at a time or all together.
• 12:20 pm - This is going to take a while. There are about 18 chair in the room and right now they are about half full.  Christy seems to be doing really good.  The nurse is really great.  It is the same nurse that gave the class yesterday.  We are still on the first chemo.  The nurse just spent about 15 minutes going over a stack of papers with info on everything that could happen and what to do about it. We have WIFI in the treatment room.  They have asked people to not use their cell phones.
• 12:50 pm - Started the second bag.  Two more to go.  They can't mix the chemo drugs.  Earlier they had a lady come thru with a therapy dog.  It was the size of full-size lab or poodle.  It was a mix, called a labradoodle   His name was Trent, about 4 years old and silver-gray color.  The lady who was with the dog was very friendly and it was fun visiting with Trent.
• 4:30 pm - Finished the appointment.  Since they give each chemo agent one at a time, it takes a while.  There is one of the drugs that they give in a larger amount and a little bit slower rate on the first appointment, so this should be the longest chemo treatment day of them all.  The future treatments should start around 9:30am and hopefully be done around 3:30pm.

The Good News:

• There are only 17 treatments total.  Somehow it came across there would be 6 treatments followed by 17 more.  The first 6 are the ones were she will get all four agents.  Then there are 11 more treatments with only two agents.  Making 17 total treatments.  That's a relief!
• They started the treatment with some strong steroids plus she is taking steroids orally for three days (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow).  They gave her some medication to help reduce nausea at the treatment center then sent her home with two more she can take orally.
• Christy was feeling very good when she got home and following her doctor's orders went for a 30 minute walk and was feeling great.  With all the steroids they said she may have a ton of energy for a day or two.

The Bad News:

• It is expected that Christy will start losing her hair by the next treatment.  We meet another lady who was there for her second treatment and had lost her hair.  It actually started falling out so much they just cut the rest off.  Those without hair were there with something like a scarf.  Christy did get a catalog with some pretty cool hats and wigs.  
• Her current doctor is retiring in June.  So when they happens someone else at the treatment center will take over.  Most of the contact is actually with the nurses and the one working with her today was very, very good.  I don't know if she will have the same nurse each time.

What's Up Next:

• Her next appointment is April 14th, a Monday.  They will draw blood and check how her bone marrow is holding up.  If it doesn't pass they will cancel the treatment and send her home.
• They will check it again at the first of the next treatment on April 24th.
• The next echocardiogram is in 12 weeks.

Even though it was a long day it went really well.  We left feeling very upbeat. I don't think any of us felt really drained from the experience.

Quick Review of Today's Chemo Class (by Melissa Baker)

This afternoon Christy, Dave, and Brent went to the Chemo Class.  They were there for about 2 hours and came away feeling like Christy was in incredible hands.  She's going to be very well taken care of through these chemo rounds.

Some basics of the class:

• Their goal for Christy is that she is just as active, if not more so, after her cancer treatment is finished as she is now.  She should work hard to be active throughout the next year of treatments too--30 minutes of exercise per day!
• Christy needs to eat well and drink lots of liquids.  Her diet should be high protein, low fat, and low on refined carbohydrates; basically all the meat, fruits and veggies she could possibly want.  She will need to eat small meals about 6 times per day.  This will help fight any nausea she may experience as well as temper the increased acidity of her stomach that chemo will cause.
• Christy is not allowed to get nauseated.  :)  They have already given her some meds to take for tomorrow's treatment.  If she vomits more than once in 24 hours, she's supposed to call their emergency number so they can get right on top of it.  Since she struggled with nausea during pregnancy, she faces some increased risk of nausea during chemo, but they don't want her to have to suffer that misery, so bring on the anti-nausea measures full force.
• She needs to avoid spicy foods in general (take note if you're bringing dinners...)
• Christy should not lose any weight.  It will be a difficult thing to manage, but she'll need to keep her weight to keep up the treatment cycles.  This means eating even when she doesn't feel like it and really fighting the nausea.  Any weight loss will be indicated in her blood tests, which she'll be getting lots of...
• Odors will be stronger to Christy than to the rest of us.  And her taste will be altered during the course of treatment.  Not fun side effects, and ones that the rest of us can be sensitive toward.
• Christy must be diligent about avoiding illness.  If you're sick, she can't see you.  If you have sick people at your house, she can't come there.  The riskiest time of infection will be about 10-14 days after each treatment, when her white blood cell count will be the lowest.  But that will be tough for the rest of us to keep track of, so let's just all keep our germs to ourselves--no sharing!

Tomorrow morning is the first Chemo treatment.  Dave and Brent will go with Christy and stay with her throughout the process.  The most painful part will be when they have to hold and push the port in order to administer the drugs--it's still extremely sensitive from the placement surgery earlier this week. 

Brent mentioned Christy didn't seem overly nervous, and that feels like some good news.  Please keep the prayers on her behalf coming! 

And please check out the planner tab--there are still a number of slots available for errands and help next week...

Good News! (by Sarah Brown)

I spent the afternoon hanging out with Christy. We just chilled and watched a movie. While I was there she got a call about the genetic testing. She does NOT have the genetic predisposition for cancer which means she may keep the right breast if she chooses, her girls and brothers are not any more at risk than before. :) good news like this is always welcome.

She's Super Sore! (by Melissa Baker)

I chatted with Christy this morning.  Her throat is feeling better than yesterday, but still a bit sore.  The whole healing process for the port placement has been much more difficult than expected--lots of pain, some difficult nausea, and some overwhelming emotions.  It is especially difficult on her and her kids that she hasn't been able to perform her normal daily mothering tasks.  It's all pretty exhausting, so she has big plans for lots of sleeping today.  Please keep her in your prayers.

She did want me to mention that Dave will be out of town 4 days on business.  She's not sure just what will be needed, since at this point it's anybody's guessing game on how's she'll be feeling next week.  But with the first Chemo treatment just 2 days away, she doesn't like the idea of facing the whole of next week without much help either.

The solution?  I posted in the Planner Tab some on-call slots throughout next week on the days Dave will be gone.  The details are listed in each individual slot, but the basic task is to make yourself available to call Christy at the time specified and to help her out anyway she needs for the hours designated.  This could mean running errands, picking kids up, shopping, etc.  It could also mean that at the time you call she's got everything covered and you just get to chat for a quick minute.  Please sign up for one of these slots if you're available.