Almost 24 Hours!

Good Saturday Morning,


It is chilly in the ol casa. I love it. I hear Aggie football coming from the living room. Well I am almost 24 hours out from having my first chemo session. My oncologist's drug of choice is taxol. My first meds were Prevaset, Benedryl and steroids to combat side effects. A sample dose of the taxol was given with no problems. (excuse my spelling) So then the entire dose was administered. I did fine. And I am still doing fine. No Debbie, I do not glow in the dark! :O) We were to have a girl's Saturday, a tradition for Heather, Haddie and me, Meme. But Heather has put the family under lock and key after a midnight vomiting bout for LJ. Seems Dad may have brought it home last week. Heather said LJ was asking for tamales for breakfast. HAHA. I love you all and I can't even begin to explain what your love and prayers mean to us. PET scan results are in the doctor’s hands but for now, another fretful wait for us. So if you want to focus prayers on scan results we would be most grateful for the backup. We love all of you so very much. Party next October to celebrate???

What a Week!

 This week really had Mike and me on the go! Monday we had to be at Spohn South by 7:30 a.m. to have my new hardware, a medi-port, installed. We were both a little nervous after having someone call on Friday to tell me that my pre-op EKG showed a “heart attack and dead tissue.” This was followed by a giggle and the confession that she really did not know how to read one of these. The anesthesiologist read the EKG and said I was fine. It was good to have the surgery finished and to have it go smoothly. Thank you, Jesus.


If it was Tuesday, then it was PET scan. I couldn’t find a cat or dog to go so I had to take the test. They brought me to a little room and got me very comfortable. Then I was given an injection of "kryptonite" followed by 90 minutes of quiet and still. I did sleep. The scan only took about 15 minutes and hopefully I will get the good results tomorrow morning. Thank you, Jesus!

Wednesday was my heart echo sonogram. (I promise to destroy any and all technical terms) After thinking my heart was a chamber of horrors, it was so good to hear that I have a good and strong heart. Thank you, Jesus. This was one test where they allowed Mike to be there as well. I asked him, “Did you see that new place in my heart created when the grandchildren were born?” He replied, “No, but I did see Christ and me.” Tears of love flowed. He is my heart.

Today, Thursday, was a day off from medical tests. I so enjoyed lunch with my dear friend, Teri. We solved all the world problems and without even having dessert. Our lunch was followed by grocery shopping. Good to have a normal day. Tonight I took my five tiny steroid pills in preparation for my first chemo tomorrow. I plan to be just fine. I will not miss our girls’ day out with Heather and Haddie on Saturday. Haddie is starting ballet and tap and she needs the appropriate attire. So we will shop until one of us drops and I refuse to be the first!

Thank you again for your love and prayers. We cherish and love each one of you and we so appreciate each of your prayers.

Plan of Attack

     We met with my oncologist on Friday, Dr. Sehgal. We really liked his straight forward attitude and explanations. And he has a great sense of humor. The tumor in my left breast is large enough to warrant chemo before surgery. Then when I am finished with this round (I guess that is the word) I will have surgery. Surgery may be followed by radiation and more chemo. It is all so frightening right now but we both were so relieved to have a good doctor and a plan. There are a few steps first. Tomorrow, Monday, I will have surgery to install my medi-port. I imagined having a device the size of a thermostat hanging from my chest but actually it is the size of a nickel and implanted under the skin, I believe. Tuesday I am getting a PET scan, not sure whether to take the cat or the dog har har. Wednesday I have an Echo cardiogram, 2D.  Most likely I will receive my first dose of chemo this week, which I will get once a week for 12 weeks. And then I will get another chemical combo for another 12 weeks.  We are both very positive but eating and sleeping are not quite what they could be. This has been like a rollercoaster, up and sure one second and the next visit instills more fear than positivity. What really works well is we are either in the same good mood or the opposite so we can talk the other back into confidence.  WE WILL SURVIVE THIS!! So next October we may be planning an African Safari (cameras not guns) or a trip to Hawaii. 
     On a lighter note, we had a great time on a double date with Heather and Jerry last night and saw the movie "Courageous."  It was so good, we loved it.  If you have not seen it please make the effort and let me know what you think.
     Again, family and friends, we love you and we absolutely cherish your prayers. It boosts our confidence and allows for some slow breathing. My husband, Mike, is so amazing. We really do know and feel just how deep and devoted our love is for one another. God sure knew what He was doing when he brought us together. Thank you Lord!! And thank all of you, we love you very much.
excuse grammar and spelling errors ....
  

"Scanxiety"

Good morning all! I am feeling a little “scanxiety” today. That is a term I borrowed from Stacie Smith.


I have an MRI today to pinpoint the tumor in my breast and to see if it has spread. Mammogram indicated my left side only was involved. I am new at this blogging because I usually only edit Mike’s writings. As I know more or know how to relate more I will be back. I appreciate any and all prayers for Mike and me.

We Prayed for a Zebra!

There is an old saying in the medical community; "When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra".
Beth (Meme) found some abnormalities in her body last week and an appointment to our family doctor yielded the word we did not want to hear, "Cancer".  He said with all your symptoms, it is probably lymphoma. My question was, "Could it be just a minor infection or something causing the same symptoms"?  His reply brought me to remember the old saying. He said, "It could always be something else, but not likely.  We have been with our family doctor for a long time and have a lot of trust in him.  He is, in a true since, a family doctor as most of our family goes to him.

He scheduled a biopsy for us and we immediately began praying for it to be something else, our zebra,  something a few antibiotics would take care of.  The hoofbeats were building as waited for the biopsy and results the next day.  The results were "Grade 2 Breast Cancer". Her lymph nodes did not test positive, which was good.

We do not know God's plans. We do know that even though the hoofbeats sound like a stampede behind us now, He will not give us more than we can endure. 

I do know that Beth is my love, life, friend, companion (insert any endearment that you can think of). After forty years, it is a very blurry line from where I end and she begins.  It is going to be a tough few months but we give God the glory for what He is about to do.

Mike (Pappy)






Even if He slays us, our cup overflows.