This blog is created for our friends & family as a place to stay connected and update you about our life and the journey we are on as we walk in faith.
I received my 4th chemotherapy treatment on May 26, I'm officially on the down slope of the treatment hill, over half way to the finish line. My labs came back and I got another good report on my blood profile. Since we are more concerned with the white blood count which was 8.3 (normal is 4-11) my 4th treatment went by without any big side effects. Still very tired during that first week post treatment. As soon as I near my next treatment I'm starting to perk up and feel better, then I start the cycle over again. I'm still thankful that I haven't had any problems with nausea, just a bit with digestion, I need to be sure I'm eating several small, healthy meals throughout the day with lots of water. I know prayers from family & friends is the answer and I give Him praise. The promises that God gives us in His word keeps us day by day.
I haven't posted any pictures of me with my new hair. Here's one from Mother's Day.
This past weekend we had family visiting from Salem, you can look on Jamie's blog for more photos but here are a few of me that she took.
Paul & I with our youngest Great Grandbaby, Grady Monroe.
All the girls (and Logan) dressed up in my hat collection.
Sorry, I am so slow about getting the results of my lab work (from May 4th) posted. I mentioned that I had some bone pain for about a week and a half before my 3rd treatment. We were hoping that the pain was the result of my white blood cells replenishing themselves. Well, the lab report was a good one. My white count was 10.2 (up from 3.1). My red blood count was also up, in fact the Doctor said that my blood profile was "really good". I still haven't had any issues with nausea, just feel very tired and I'm always trying to keep my mind focused on what God has planned for me and not dwell too much on the darker less encouraging thoughts.
My friend Grace recently gave me a book written by Lois Olmstead, Breast Cancer & Me. In it the author writes about her cancer and tells a story about how God led her to read II Chron.20 (a story about Jehoshaphat). I know that I am in a battle, it's not just a little valley in my Christian walk, this wasn't "make believe", it was cancer. This enemy invaded by body and I need to know what God's plan is for me. God asks us to seek Him in His word, to call upon Him. Which we have with family, friends & churches that are praying.
There's a radio station called KVIP out of Redding, CA that has a prayer & card ministry. The woman who hosts this ministry is Carolyn, she is the wife of one of my classmates that I have known since 1st grade. Prayer requests are called in to the station and listeners commit themselves to pray & send cards to the ones in need. In the Spring of 2009, I had a problem with my left shoulder and had an MRI. The Doctor said I had some bone spurs, but didn't think it was wise to have surgery. Someone called KVIP, regarding my prayer request and a month later I had received this envelope filled with 30+ cards from ladies praying for me. They sent scriptures with encouragement and I was in awe! They became ministering angels and my shoulder got better and the pain went away.
Well, here it is a year later and I received another envelope full of cards and messages! This time they were praying for me and my cancer. Some women shared that they had, had cancer and were okay today. I only hope that the people who participate in this prayer & card ministry know how special they are! Prayer is a mighty weapon against the enemy that tries to harm us!
II Chron. 20:15 In it the Lord spoke to King Jehoshaphat,
"He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.For the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' 20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." 22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing [e] and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that ittook three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the LORD. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah [f] to this day. 27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lutes and trumpets.29 The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat wasat peace, for his God had given him rest on every side."
In the cancer center they have paintings and posters on easels and at the top of each one it tells a story about the artist and their stories of bravery really touches my heart. These last couple of chemo treatments have really zapped my energy level. After my 2nd chemotherapy treatment on April 13, my white blood count was 6.4 (preference is 4-11) and my red blood cells were 4.02 (3.70-5.20 is normal) so I was right in the normal range with both.
The first week after a treatment is usually the worst. Towards the end of that first week was my Grandson's (Joseph's) birthday and we had family in town also that weekend so we surprised him with a party. And with family & celebrating comes lots of yummy food! Now, I know I'm suppose to eat 6 small meals a day, but the food was too tempting and I ate too much in a few meals rather than just a little in a lot of meals and my stomach paid the price. I won't be making that mistake again.
My family left that Tuesday and I began to dwell too much on the negative things, like how many chemo treatments I have left and how tired I feel. I was very emotional and had a bit of a pity party. I decided to check my e-mail and I had just one e-mail in my inbox that day. It was a forward from my Granddaughter, Jamie, and the title was "God is at work!" When I read it I knew that God was still at work in my life and the pity party was over and I put myself back into our Lord's hands.
So far, after my first two chemo treatments, the nausea hasn't been a big problem and most food's are still tasty. My main issue with pain or discomfort has been deep in the bones of my hips and legs. Just a deep ache that causes me many sleepless nights and bothered me throughout the day. I took some pain medication to help dull the pain. One theory is that the pain is caused by my blood cells that are trying to regenerate themselves and that's why I feel so sore. If that's the case, I guess it's a good thing. But, I still wish I could be replenishing my blood counts without the nagging pain. A couple of weeks after my 2nd treatment I had another appointment to check my blood work and the lab results came back a little lower: white blood cells were down from 6.4 to 3.1 and my red blood cells from 4.02 to 3.93. I always tend to worry when those numbers drop. I will be praying they rise up over the coming weeks.
Here is a copy of the God's at work message:
When your Hut's on Fire
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him
Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but no one seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky.
He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.
He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger.
He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him!
"How did you know I was here?", asked the weary man of his rescuers.
"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
The moral of this story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
Easter weekend began a new experience on my journey. On Sunday I heard the Easter story and I was reminded again how much He loves us, I'm so thankful for His amazing love. As I heard this chorus, "Amazing Love" , I could feel it in my heart. Before church began that morning I had styled my hair like usual, well the next time I went to use my curling brush I noticed there was quite a bit of my hair left in it. Tuesday when I combed my hair I could feel that my hair was becoming detatched because it was shedding with little effort. I had already mentioned to my Granddaughter, Jamie that I may need to cut it short before it began falling out to minimize the impact. We were all just glad it didn't happen before Easter. Well, by Wednesday night I knew that I would need more than just a haircut. My choice was to allow my hair to fall out little by little, day by day or brace myself for a shave.... my decision was to take it all off. It wasn't an easy decision. Paul and I showed up on Thursday at my son's house where Jamie has a make-shift hair station set up for family and was greeted by my Daughters and Granddaughters and a bouquet of flowers with a balloon and a card expressing their love and well wishes for one more step towards being cancer free. We all shed some tears and shared in hugs of support. Then it was the moment of truth. Jamie sat me in the chair and positioned the flowers over the mirror, just so, to block my view. We all took some deep breaths and I tried to put on a brave face and make light of the heavy situation. My Grandson Joe was on speaker phone and gave some pros to having a bald head, since he used to shave his head. I knew it wasn't easy for Jamie to do what needed to be done, so with some tears (shed by us all) she began. When it was all over she put my new hair on. It was itchy and didn't feel right, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. A warm, soft hat feels best, there's still a bit of stubble left on my head that makes it feel scratchy. I asked Paul to shave it down to make it softer and that helped a bit. I figure with time there won't be any stubble left.
The next day Jamie called me and asked me to check out her blog. So I did. Needless to say this Grandma shed some more tears and I realized that the changes that I see, that my body has gone through, has only made my heart more thankful. I'm thankful to God for the gift of family, what a treasure we have. Like Jamie said, cancer may invade part of my body, but it can't change my Spirit.
I'm reminded that I am still Paul's wife, a mother to Stan, Pam, Lukie & Larry, Grandmother to Jamie, Jared, Joe, Emily, Mackenzie & Jessica and a Great Grandmother to Hunter, Logan, Grady, Naddile & Deegan. I will always cherish my responsibility of being that person I am in Christ.
I'm getting used to the new me, in fact I've received quite a few compliments on my new hair. I have another appointment tomorrow to try on another wig, so next time you see me I may have yet another new do.
When I was describing the song I heard on Easter to Jamie, she began singing another song she thought I was talking about, I think it may be more than a coincidence the song she thought of was, "Beauty for Ashes"?
Monday, April 5, 2010
Well now that I have a bit more energy I can go into more detail about my treatment. I was dreading the chemotherapy but actually, when it came down to it the treatment itself went pretty well. The people & staff at the cancer center were very supportive and caring. I couldn't believe how many people were there, most were very encouraging and openly shared their own stories. I arrived at the center at 9am and the first thing they did was draw my blood. I had a doctor appointment with Dr.Bronstein shortly after that and he explained the medicines I was going to be given and how they would affect me. Next, Gretchen took me into the chemotherapy room which is a nice open room with cubicle type areas separating you from the next person. Each cubicle has a reclining chair, window, TV and tray. Paul and my daughter, Pam, came with me and once I got comfortable in the chair the nurse came to start an IV in my arm. It took about 2 1/2 hours for it to be administered. So basically I sat and chatted with those around me. After that was finished I received a shot to help increase my bone marrow and boost my blood count, that's what was painful. By this time it was 1pm and we headed home. I felt a little tired but that could have been from not sleeping the night before. I couldn't shut off my mind from worrying about what was to come. Other than being tired I felt fairly normal for a few days, around the middle to end of the week I started noticing I had some pain in my hips. That's one of the side effects of the shot they give you is your bones literally ache from regenerating my blood. I had some other digestion issues and general discomfort, but over all it was tolerable until the 5th day. Saturday I had some nausea and the pain in my hips and back became unbearable as the day wore on. By that night I could hardly stand or walk. Let's just say that night was a long one. I prayed for it to let up and with lots of prayers, pain medications and laying flat on my back I was finally able to sleep. I felt like my back would crack if I sat. Sunday morning I reluctantly stayed home from church. A week after my treatment I met with my doctor to go over my lab work. I was anxious to see what my white blood cell count was and come to find out it was remarkably high! Everything came back with flying colors, Praise the Lord! The best news was that the shot for my bones may not be needed after my next treatment. I think it was apparent that the shot was doing what it was suppose to judging by the pain it caused. The only other unpleasant side effect is a rash that developed on my hands but once I mentioned it to my doctor he immediately prescribed a lotion and it has healed. My next concern is... hair loss. So far I have managed to keep all my hair, aside from the usual shedding. But, I have heard soon after the 2nd treatment that may change. Most people experience hair loss anywhere from 2weeks after the 1st treatment up until after the 2nd. I took my Granddaughter Jamie with me and we went to Impress salon, to visit Jan Corn who specializes in wigs. We found a couple that I like, not near as much as my own hair but it will have to do. So, the next time you see me I may have a new do. I will update you after my next treatment, which will be on April 13, thank you for keeping me in your prayers.
Yesterday was my first chemotherapy treatment. I went in at 9am and didn't leave until around 1pm. I had a hard time getting to sleep the night before so by the time we got home I was pretty beat. So far I haven't felt too nauseous, just tired. I'll update more when I have more energy.
Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Learn More.
On February 26, I had an appointment with Dr.Bronstein, my oncologist, concerning my Chemotherapy. Starting March 22,I will be receiving treamtent of the drugs Cytoxan & Texotere once every 3 weeks for a total of 6 treatments. My last treatment will be on July 6, 2010. (A day before my 72nd birthday.) I am thankful that I have my faith in God and my trust in His Word. I know He has my life in His hands. The love and prayers from family & friends helps my journey from being so fearful. I can't help but think of others who have been down this road before me. My classmate & friend, Wanda, was such an example of courage during the fight for her life. It is that sort of strength & courage I need as I step into my own battle. Though there are times I may feel alone I realized last friday, when Paul & I were at the Cancer Center, that there are many people going through what I am. St. Mary's Cancer Center was such a busy place. I have been reading about Chemo and how important it is to eat a healthy diet, exercise and maintain a positive attitude. I think changing old habits at 70+ could be a challenge. :-) But, my family will be my watch dog to make sure I am doing what is required of me as well as encouraging me along the way. Thank you again for your prayers, love & support!
II Cor 12:9 And Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.".
We are having a hard time finding the right words to express the thanks that is in our hearts. There has been an overwhelming amount of love and support through prayers. Over the past month many of our friends & family have generously given us thoughtful gifts, cards of encouragement, beautiful flowers and delivered delicious meals. We appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness and know we truly are blessed. Your promise of continued prayer and support in addition to your kind and encouraging words means so much to us. I can't tell you how many times we have heard, "Call if you need anything", "We love you" and "We are praying for you". Those words give us strength and comfort at a time we need it most. A simple thank you doesn't seem to be adequate enough. We can just pray with gratitude in our hearts, that the Lord will bless each of you for your generosity.
Many of you know that I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. This is a time that we are relying on our faith to give us strength to perservere through this journey we are now on. In January, 3 days after the birth of my 3rd great-grandson I went in for surgery. I chose to have a double mastectomy to remove the cancer in my breast. During the surgery my doctor discovered the cancer had spread into my lymphnodes and we were thankful that I had made the hard decision to have such a radical procedure. My current treatment is to have 6 rounds of chemotherapy in 3 week doses to try to eliminate any traces of cancer left in my body. Since the surgery I have undergone physical therapy to help me regain full range of motion of both arms. The pain, swelling and stiffness is slowly becoming less and less. I pray that God will help the healing in my body and I am so thankful for my husband and family's support. My sister & her daughter's came to stay with me and Paul after I was released from the hospital. It was so good to have my "caretaker's" there to help with the personal things that needed tending to. Roberta styled my hair for me and Paul has helped me with my physical therapy exercises and daily "massages" to help with the drainage and swelling that happens after surgery. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from family and friends while I was in the hospital and even now (a month later) everyone is so eager to lend a hand, visit or bring us meals. I know that my life is in God's hands and I strongly believe in the healing power of prayer. With my Faith, Family & Friends support I know I will be well taken care of as I travel on this road to remission.
_050.jpg)
_012.jpg)
