Round Two

We started off with lab work, then the visit with the doctor, squeezed in an Echo (that measures heart rhythms) with a large Russian nurse who didnt like my jokes, then went down for chemo. Everything looks good so far including the decrease in size of my tumor. They decided to give me a new nausea medication that definitely works, but it knocked me out 10 minutes into the chemo. Nice for me, but not so nice for Laura. After 8 hours of being at the Cancer Institute, it was nice to get home and see the kids.

Today i go get my shot and then i am good to go for another two weeks. If we could just get all 15 of my medications correct, i would be doing excellent.

Talk to you soon and thank for all the great posts.

Feeling so much better

Today my very best friend Laura, is coming into town to spend the weekend with me from Cali while my hot, redneck, UF crazy, Architect husband heads to Bristol to watch the NASCAR race. Even Sammy enjoys watching Jimmy Johnson whip around the track. Since i am feeling almost normal it should be lots of fun.

Then on Monday the vicious cycle starts all over again. I start with some blood work to see how my white blood cells are doing, next i see the Medical Oncologist, then finally i head down into the dungeon for several hours of fun filled chemo. Laura will be with me so at least i will be in good company. Then we are going to get me a "Lola" wig. I will have to post some pictures.

Have a great weekend and will check back in on Monday

Our Family

Here are a few family pictures we had taken before we became hairless.

PET Scan

Today i found out that the PET Scan shows no other cancer any where else in my body. It is contained in my boob. YEAH!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

In 24 hours, we raised, thanks to all our friends and family, $2700 for the Children's Cancer Foundation. It was so much fun and we got to meet the little girl that started this foundation who was diagnosed with cancer when she was two and is now in remission at Sammy's age (7). Travis and I felt so good to give a few hairs for such a great cause. Thanks to all our friends who came down and cheered us on. Check out the website to see our new dos.

St. Baldrick's Foundation

A friend of ours told us about St. Baldrick's which raises money for children with cancer by having volunteers shave their head for donations. Since we were going to do it anyways, we thought we could raise some money for these kids in the process.

Those of you in Atlanta can come out and join us for the fun at Fado in Buckhead. We should begin the shaving around 4pm. Get there early because there will be a line.

Please go to this website and donate for this children's cause:

http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/shavee_info.html?ShaveeID=14595

Or you can donate by calling 1-888-899-BALD.

Thanks for your support!!!

Cant Sleep

Well it is 2:30 AM (cant sleep), so i am watching Ellen and looking at my beautiful baby sleeping on his tummy. Yeah! That took a few weeks but we have finally mastered another "trick." He is so precious.

Although i felt sick all morning and right now, i had a good afternoon. We were able to get out and play and then watch the Sound of Music. "The Hills are Alive..." Sammy and i sang our little hearts out. I can finally see the an end to this madness. Hopefully next week i can get back to "normal" life.

Sammy's grandma is coming to help me next week and Stilwell will be her next weekend to run part of the ING Marathon with me. I cant wait to see her, be silly, play cards, and then get my next infusion. Then i can start this entire thing all again.

I think Travis and I are going to shave our heads on Saturday for a Children's Cancer benefit. Should be lots of fun. I just hope we don't scare the kids. People might think we are skin heads...

Haven't heard back from the doctor about my PET scan, but will let you know if the cancer is contained or not.

I think i am going to try to sleep. Nite, Nite

Chemo 1C (?) I am loosing count

Not much to report except i just feel nauseous all the time. It is really like being preggers again. I eat try toast with a poached egg or some starch like grits. (For all my Cali friends, grits are kind of like cream of wheat, but not) Any who, it is 11:47 and i am still in bed. I get up for about 10 minutes, kiss Gavin, try to drink some kind of fluid, maybe use the bathroom, and then get back in bed. Not to exciting, but i feel better when i am horizontal.

Send me some jokes, i could use a few laughs.

Shot notice

Although the shot only stung a little, the worst is yet to come. Kevin, my cute male nurse, informed me that i will feel pain in my thigh, lower back, and chest within 24 hours. Some people think they are having a heart attach. He told me Extra Strength Tylenol seems to work the best so i bought a very large bottle. I have to get one every two weeks since my body wont have time to recover in between chemo sessions.

I am still feeling nauseous from the chemo and Kevin also told me it could make me constipated. So now i take 5 pills for nauseous, 4 for chest pain, 2 for constipation, and a partridge in a pair tree.

Thank goodness for all the help and meals we have been receiving. Thanks everyone and thanks for all the great emails. I love the ones that make me laugh.

Day 1b

Although i felt like running yesterday, about 8 PM the nausea kicked in and it hasn't stopped yet. I am still waiting on the pharmacy to get in my last medication, so hopefully that will help. It is 11:45 and i am still in my PJ's, haven't taken a shower, or eaten anything. Kind of like being pregnant all over again. Will check in later

Laura (Lola)

Chemoflage Day 1

Today was extremely long. We started at 8:00 AM with the medical oncologist, Dr. O'Reagan from Dublin, Ireland with lots of questions. Then we met with Tiffany, the nutritionist, who suggested I eat free-range chicken, whole grain carbs, and lots of fruit and veggies. Not too much of a stretch from my normal diet, but no caffeine, alcohol, or fatty foods. Then we met with the chemo tech, Liz, who told me what to expect and all the anti-nausea medication I would be receiving, YEAH! She said my hair should start falling out in about 10 days so Trav and I looked at wigs. The "lola" is the one we liked the best, but I kind of look like I could be strutting my stuff on the corner asking, "looking for a good time?" Might as well have some fun with it. I will post some pictures when Trav and I go officially bald and with my new wig.

At 10:00 AM I had my PET/CT Scan. I had to drink 16 oz of barium and was shot up with nuclear dye so they could take pictures of my insides from head to toe. Wont get the results for a few days. They gave me good drugs for this phase. Trav said I was snoring at one point.

Then finally at 2:00 PM we made our way to the chemo room. I was very anxious, but we had a great nurse named Kevin, whom I can request next time, that will make my experience more pleasant. There was no pain or nausea or anything, although he did give me an IV after forgetting I had a port put in, and he felt terrible for doing it. I came home and wanted to go running (we were told the anti-nausea drugs would make me hyper). I have a tiny headache and have to drink lots and lots of fluid, but so far so good.

Tomorrow I get to have a $6000 shot, hope insurance helps out with that one! It helps increase my white blood cells so I can fight off infections better. I also have to have an echo-cardiogram to establish a baseline to make sure my heart is not suffering too much from all the chemo. This first part of chemo is called AC which you can only have so many times in your lifetime because it will damage the heart. The eco will be later this week.

That is it for now...
Love Laura

First Surgery

Today I had the port catheter implanted into my chest. We were there by 7am and out by 11am. It was general anethesia and about a 20 minute operation. They had to X-Ray my chest to make sure my lungs were not punctured (which apparently is possible) when they inserted the catheter. I am exhausted and will be sleeping for the rest of the day. Monday I meet with Dr. O'Reagan and have a PET CT Scan to determine if the cancer has spread, then should start chemo later in the day.

http://www.petscaninfo.com/

Today's update

We saw the surgical oncologist (Dr. Wood) today and I have stage III IBC. They will surgically implant a port in my chest on Friday and start chemo on Monday after i meet with the medical oncologist (Dr. O'Reagan). They think I will have eight treatments of chemo every other week, then a mastectomy, radiation, and then reconstruction 6 months after the radiation. This is going to be a long process, but if I can do the ironman, I can do this.

Love you all and keep me in your prayers.

Help with kids

My mom will be living with us until I am able to take care of the kids. Thanks mom and thanks to everyone who has offered to help us.