Wed. August 1, 6:00am

All checked in at Charlton, waiting for the surgery to begin.

July 30, 2012 - I hope you believe in Miracles!

July 30th - Last Monday I had another MRI of the breast and was waiting for the results of this test most of the week.  So on Friday, I emailed Dr. Moynihan for the results.  I received his out of office that he was in Ecuador and would respond to emails upon his return, which I was ok with...I would just wait until Monday for the results. Suddenly out of nowhere he responded and he was going to see if he could somehow get the MRI results.  To his (and my) success he was able to send me the results from the radiologist.
This is what he sent me:

"Complete resolution of suspicious enhancement in the right breast in the region of the known right breast malignancy." 

He commented that the results sounded really good and he would look at the scans upon his return on Monday.  Well, I don't know about you but when I read this I was in shock.  If I was reading this correctly this was indeed a Miracle!  So I emailed him back and asked if this changes anything with the surgery and that I wanted to confirm what I thought the radiologist was saying.  Was the tumor in the right breast gone? 

Dr. Tim indicated that because the chemo had did its thing by taking care of the tumor - it was indeed gone! This however does not change anything in regards to the surgery - that is still scheduled for this Wednesday and that everything in the right breast looks good - I did read it correctly!  He did get a chance to review the scan today and he said the scan looks great!  I indicated that I could still feel something there and he said that often times scarring or some fibrosis occurs at the turmor site and that it can still be felt.  The only way to know is to look at things under the microscope, which is what they will do during the operation.  That will give us more definitive answers.

All I can say is - Praise the Lord!  If you didn't believe in Miracles before you really should now!!
The power of prayer and the great belief in the Lord is amazing!

P.S. Sorry it took me until today to post my blog entry but I wanted to make complete sure with Dr. Tim of what I was reading before I posted anything!

July 27, 212 - relief for the back

July 27 - Friday I went in for a cortisone injection in my L5-S1 joint area as I was having extreme pain in my lower back and down my left leg to my foot due to a disk protusion I was in such pain that I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to Friday even on all the pain meds they had given me. A thought passed through my head that the pain was enough to pull my hair out but that wouldn't work since I had none to pull out! You know though, since my last chemo tx was June 25, I dare to say that some of the hair is starting to come back in, slowly but surely! It will be Interesting to see what it comes back in as. The injection has given me some relief but still dealing with some numbness and pain down my left leg. They said it could take anywhere from 3-7 days before the medicine totally starts working....so I guess I have to be more patient. But let me tell you this is so much better then what I've been dealing with over the past several weeks and mostly this past week. Thank heaven for the relief!

July 20, 2012 - who likes roller coasters?!??!

July 20 - When I was younger I used to LOVE roller coasters. In fact, when the kids were younger we purposely went to amusement parks that had the most and fastest roller coasters around. It was always a thrill and I couldn't get enough! The "roller coaster" that I'm on now in my life's journey isn't what I remember it to be like. This roller coaster has taken me places that I would never thought I would be traveling. This roller coaster is actually scary, not thrilling. Yesterday I was scheduled for a lung biopsy in the morning because a CT last week showed multiple small nodules in my lungs (scary stuff). Before surgery they did another CT to confirm the location for the radioactive dye.  The dye would help the surgeons find the area to biopsy. The CT showed that all the nodules were gone!!!!!!!!!!!  The surgery was cancelled and the doctors are thinking that the nodules must of formed in relation to an immune response to the chemo or an infection that cleared up in a weeks time. Needless to say, I don't think they will ever know. I also received a call from Dr. Tim this morning and he said at this point I'm done with chemo treatments!!! He wants me to recover the best I can prior to my surgery on August 1st. I have several appointments scattered throughout next week so that will keep me busy. I want to thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers! The power of prayer is amazing!! Love you all!!!

July 17, 2012 - update

July 17 - we finally got all the test/labs back and they were negative for a fungal infection.  Having said that they are going to proceed with the lung biopsy on thursday so they can get a definitive answer to what they are seeing in the CT scan. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

July 12, 2012 - update on some tests

July 12 - the results of the back MRI is that I have a protruding disc. Dr. Tim is going to have me seen in the spine center with the hope of an injection for the pain that I am having. Hopefully that will be sooner than later as I'm having quite a bit of pain. The transesophogeal echocardiogram showed that my heart was perfect! Who would have thought anything differently:). The results of the CT abdomen/chest weren't so good. It showed multiple pulmonary nodules on both lungs. Dr. Tim and Dr. Karen Swanson (pulmanologist) think that the nodules may be a fungal infection, thus the fever, cough, etc. Thursday morning I am scheduled for a bronchoscopy to check these nodules on my lungs. Scary huh?!?!? Plus I had to do another type of blood test that checks for this. If these test come back normal (where it's not a fungal infection) I will be seeing a thoracic surgeon on Monday. At that point they will have to do a lung biopsy to figure out what these nodules are. Let's pray that it doesn't come for me to see the surgeon. If its the fungal infection, that, to my understanding can be treated by antibodics. Wow...things happen fast!! Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

July 9, 2012 - Interesting day as things didn't go as planned

July 9th - Well where do I start...the two weeks following my 3rd A/C chemo was doing relatively better than the prior two weeks.  Dr. Tim switched up my drugs and anti-nausea drugs and as I said things were going ok other than the excessive tiredness and nausea.  Which brings us to last Saturday (July 7), I woke up with another painful clot very close to the one on my right arm along with severe pain in my lower back and down my left leg.  The day went relatively well until late afternoon when I started feeling chilled, shivery and very nauseated.  I was so chilled that I had on a light jacket, slippers along with a blanket and was still cold.  Don took my temperature and it was 101.3, so I started pushing fluids.  Later the temp went down to 100.3 and stayed there throughout the night.  In the morning when I took my temp it was back to normal. 
Sunday (July 8) I woke feeling very weak and lightheaded.  Pretty much just hung low for the rest of the day.  Until later in the afternoon when I again became chilled/shivery along with temp back up to 100.3. Sunday evening I emailed Dr. Tim with what was going on and I was scheduled to see him on Monday morning prior to my 4th and final chemo treatment.  Well, as I stated in my post title....Things didn't go as planned...
The 4th and final chemo treatment did not happen today as Dr. Tim was concerned with why I was having extreme back pain, fevers, slight cough and continuing to get clots in my arms with me taking blood thinners and a baby aspirin a day.  Having said that he has scheduled me several appointments this week.  This afternoon I had a couple more blood test to rule out a bacterial infection.  Tuesday, I have an MRI of my back.  Wednesday, I have a transesophageal echocardiogram (to look at my heart) and a CT of the chest and abdomen.   Hopefully this will rule out any further clots or cancers in my body. Along with a return appointment to see Dr. Tim on Thursday for the results.  Now the waiting game...he has me on pain meds for my back and we'll have to wait and see what comes out of all these tests.  As far as having the 4th A/C chemo treatment, Dr. Tim asked me if I wanted to do it or not...I said do I have a choice?  He indicated that there was no magic number as far as how many chemo treatments are necessary and he felt that if I missed one he would be OK with that...we'll see.  I 'm sure the outcome of these tests will of course have a factor on if I have the 4th and final chemo tx. 
I am also scheduled to have surgery on August 1st.  This will include bilateral mastectomy with reconstructive surgery.  A lot of things are going on right now and I hope and pray that there are no other cancers or other issues in my body.  Please send your prayers!

June 27, 2012 A/C #3 down the tubes!

June 27th - Monday I had A/C chemo treatment #3 of 4.  Honestly I was not looking forward to it at all because of all the side effects that I had the past few weeks - this is nasty stuff.  After talking to Dr. Moynihan on Monday he suggested that I take the Prilosec every day as some of the nausea meds can cause heartburn which is hard to distinguish that between all the other side effects that I was having.  So far (knock on wood) the first couple of days here have been slight better as far as the nausea.  Today though I'm feeling a little bit more nauseated, no energy and tired along with getting that great metallic taste in my mouth again.   Even though I'm giving myself Heparin shots, I've continued to develop a couple more clots in my arms.  Dr. Tim seemed perplexed by that and told me take a baby aspirin a day along with the Heparin shots so we'll see how that goes over these next two weeks.

After these two weeks I will only have one more chemo treatment left!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited about that as I've noted it on many of my prior posts.  Yahoo!!!   That will be one huge milestone completed!!  Then I will have several apppointments coming up.  One with my general surgeon - Dr. Boughey and one with the plastic surgeon - Dr. Jacobson to get me ready for surgery.  Plus another breast MRI to complete the study that I am on which will be after the last A/C treatment on July 9th hopefully the tumor has responded well to this chemo drug and has reduced the size of the tumor even more.  More to come on that. 

On a happier note - got to see my grandson Ben over the weekend (and his parents, of course) it's always good to see them all!   Ben is getting so big and is getting such a little character for himself.  He laughs, smiles, tries to talk and is so much fun to have around.  He's the light of my life and he brings me so much joy and happiness at this point in my life which is what I need right now given what I'm going through.


Sitting with Grandpa at his home in N. Mankato



Ben in jammies getting ready for bed.



June 20,2012 - This chemo is rough stuff

June 20th -  This past treatment that I had on June 11th has proven to be a rough one.  Since then I've been very tired, no energy and nauseated along with giving myself heparin shots each day.  Last week was the most difficult with these symptoms, with this week some of the nausea subsiding but now I have mouth sores (kinda of canker sores +).  I gargle with salt water and another product for dry mouth. 

Just trying to take one day at at time.  Since I get so exhausted so quickly, I do little things around the house, rest, then do some other little thing, rest....you get the picture.  It doesn't take much to get me to have to lay down. 

I have a my third of four treatments on Monday (that is if my blood counts are good).  After that only one more chemo treatment!!  That will be a huge milestone!!  Can't wait to be done with this!

June 14, 2012 - Pretty Flowers

June 14th - Yesterday I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the bicycling group that my husband rides with.  Don truely enjoys rides with such a great group of guys.

Silver Cycling - thank you so much for your prayers and thoughtfulness during this long journey.  
You've touched my heart!

June 14, 2012 - Update on clots

June 14th - well, I found out that I do not have the heparin-induced thombosis, which is good per my Dr.  Although I have not heard back from my doctor to the reason why I'm getting these clots.  Some reading that I've done is that chemo treatments can cause this.  I will have to wait to talk to my Dr at my next appointment on June 25th.  With the help of the heating pad, both areas pain has mostly subsided.  Feeling pretty lousy these past few days...no appetite, no energy, very tired, hopefully this will pass.

I did share with my Dr. that my dad had a blood clotting disorder that he ultimately passed away from.  I will talk to him more about that at my next appt.

June 12, 2012 - Another blood clot confirmed.

Learned today, Tuesday June 12^th, that it was indeed another clot.  Now they want to go another blood test to see why I’m getting all these clots all of a sudden…is it because of the new chemo drugs that I’m on or the heparin shots that I just started giving myself starting last Friday. 

They are thinking I have Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) which is the development of thrombocytopenia (a low platelet count), due to the administration of various forms of heparin, an anticoagulant. HIT predisposes to thrombosis, the abnormal formation of blood clots inside a blood vessel, and when thrombosis is identified the condition is called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT). HIT is caused by the formation of abnormal antibodies that activate platelets. If someone receiving heparin develops new or worsening thrombosis, or if the platelet count falls, HIT can be confirmed with specific blood tests.^[1]

Test today for this at 12:30.  Plus I have another Neupogen shot right after.

Should be an interesting day.

June 11, 2012 - another clot noticed

June 11th- Today I woke up with another painful lump now on my right arm.  Fortunately I had my chemo treatment this morning so I was able to show DeAnn Smith – Nurse Practitioner prior to chemo.  She definitely wanted to ultrasound it to verify if this was another clot or not. 

She spoke with Dr. Tim and they decided that I could go ahead with chemo as my blood work was relatively OK.  The ultrasound was scheduled for that afternoon. 

More to come.

June 9, 2012 - One More Thing - ughhhh

June 9th - Just to get you up to speed...this new series of chemo has been a tough one.  I've had a lot of nausea and a heavy metallic taste in my mouth for a good week following my treatment. 

Also last Sunday evening (June 3rd) my left elbow began to have extreme pain in it.  I was pretty sure that I didn't do anything to it to make it hurt that bad.  That evening I went to bed after taking two extra strength Tylenols and I basically thought that it would be gone in the morning.  Well...it wasn't and I lived with the pain until Wednesday when I thought I should bring this to the attention of my oncologist because the pain was not subsiding and it hurt like a son-of-a-gun.  Dr. Tim suggested that I go into Mayo and talk with one of the chemo nurses.  On Thursday, along with my sidekick - Marie, we did just that.  When the chemo nurse saw it she was pretty sure that I had a clot in my arm and right then and there things started rolling.  My oncologist just happened to be in the clinic that day and came over to access the situation and he ordered an ultrasound to confirm or not confirm a clot.  After that he said that I should go home, take Advil and put a heating pad on it and he would call me with the findings later that afternoon.   

The ultrasound showed that I had several superficial clots in the veins of my left arm (elbow area) thus the pain I was experiencing.  They said it could possibly be a side effect of getting IV chemo treatments.  It was decided that I needed to be put on blood thinners until my chemo treatments were complete so that I would not get anymore clots.  On Friday I saw a Physicians Assistant who prescribed me Heparin (blood thinner) and proceeded to tell me that I would have to give myself a shot each day for the next 5-6 weeks until my chemo treatments come to an end.  The assistant gave me a 5 minute demonstration on how to give myself the shot.  Really, I have to give myself a shot!  I was thinking, I could do that as my Mom has to give herself shots for her diabetes each day – so if she can do it then I surely could.  They sent me on my way to the pharmacy and I received a 30 day supply at the cost of $749.99!!  Ouch - evidently Mayo Clinic employee insurance doesn't cover this very well and the kicker is that I have to go back to get more.  If I get through this for under a grand, I will be surprised.  Don says don’t worry about the money…its well worth it.  I then recognized that I have to agree!!  The alternative is not an option. 

My first shot was last night and the funny thing is I stood there for about a minute, maybe longer, with the needle about an eighth of inch from my skin, not able to give myself the injection.  I then thought of my mom and that was all it took.  It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, thanks Mom for being my inspiration!! 

Another chemo treatment is scheduled for this coming Monday if my blood work is ok.  Then after that only two more treatments!!  I'm getting there slowly but surely! 

Keep the prayers a coming!!

June 3, 2012 - Boat ride on Mississippi

June 3rd - Don's brother Doug and sister in law Lisa and son Tom asked us to come on a leisurely cruise on their cabin cruiser down the mighty Mississippi.  Don’s parents and brother Dennis joined us as we went from Red Wing, south to almost Lake City.  It was a very relaxing time with great conversations.  We saw, I think 22 eagles, a lot of debris on the river as the waters just happen to be cresting that day, regardless of that our Captain – Doug did a fine job navigating the tree stumps floating on the river.  After the leisurely ride we meet in downtown Red Wing at Liberty’s for a bite to eat. 

Days like this mean a lot to me – getting together as family and spending time together is very invaluable. 

"The family is one of nature's masterpieces."
-- George Santayana

May 31, 2012 - A/C chemo treatment started on Wednesday

May 31st - On Wednesday I meet with Dr. Moynihan to review my test results.  He said my heart was strong from the findings of the echocardiogram that was done last Friday.  The blood work looked Ok for the new round of chemo to start and the results for the Breast MRI showed significant dimishment in the size of the tumor.  Dr. Tim said the tumor appeared to have reduced by more than 50%.  This is great news!!  It means that the chemo drugs were doing what they were supposed to be doing and more!!  He showed Don and me the scans from my first MRI back in January to the one that was done on Tuesday and it was a significant change.  Thank God for small victories!!  And thank you all for all the prayers...keep'em flowing as I’m not through yet!!

The second round of chemo (A/C chemo) started that afternoon. 
If you are at all interested the A/C stands for this:
A = Adriamycin and C = Cyclophosphamide (CTX, Cytosan or Neosar). 
Big words, I know and they come with some of the same side effects as the first chemo drugs.  Hair loss (well I've lost most of that), nausea, vomiting, decreased white blood and platelet counts, mouth sores, poor appetite and metallic taste in mouth, to name a few. 
To start they gave me a half a dozen of various pill.  Then they started with the new chemo drugs.  The “A” chemo drug comes in two huge syringes and the drug is red in color.  Kind of scary in a way and I had to asked myself – what kind of poison is this.  The color red to me was always the color of danger but I guess it’s also a “power” color.  So I have go with the power thing, that the drug will have the power to kill that darn tumor – have to think positive!!  They injected that into my IV which takes about 10-15 minutes.  After that they hooked up the “C” chemo drug to my IV which is just a clear fluid.  This takes about 30-40 minutes to drip in.  It was a lot more “new” information but the good thing is that I only have to go back every two weeks for a total of 4 treatments. At that point they will do another Breast MRI to see if the A/C drugs have reduced the size of the tumor any more.  Then we are talking surgery and then 5 weeks of radiation following the surgery.  That is the long range plan unless something changes along the way but I will keep you posted.

For now that is all I know and these little eyes are getting sleepy!  Don says to say "Hi" so Hi to all !!
Have a good rest of the week and I’ll talk with you soon.

Prayer is the voice of faith.
~William Van Horne

May 23, 2012 - what's been going on?

May 23rd - I'd first like to say Happy Birthday to my brother Larry (birthday was Tuesday) and Happy Birthday on Thursday to my Mom. She will be 85 years old and going strong!!! Love you both!!

Since I'm on somewhat of a small break until this Friday when my tests start happening, Don and I managed to get some much needed time away for a few days over last weekend. We drove down around Chicago and then up the western side of Michiagn to our ultimate destination of Mackinaw City, MI. One day we went out to Mackinac Island. Its so beautiful out there...if your not familiar with Mackinac Island, they have no cars on the island...they do everything by horse and buggy or on bicycle. For the most part it is very peaceful out there. It's almost idyllic. We spent a lot of time relaxing, enjoying the great weather and of course each other. As I said earlier, it was much needed time away to be with each other and re-energize before I start this new round of chemo next week. Thanks honey for a great time!

Tuesday, we decided to go visit Ben (and Bill and Cathy, of course)...we hadn't had our Ben fix for a while so we gathered up Don's Mom and made the trek over to North Mankato. Ben is growing like a weed. He is sitting up, with a little assistance. Recognizing you and "talking" to you, smiling and cooing. He is so precious. Love him to pieces. He will be 10 weeks old already this coming saturday. Hopefully they will be able to come home for a couple days over Memorial Day weekend.

Tests start on Friday and resume on Tuesday after Memorial Day. See Dr. Moynihan on Wednesday to get my results and start A/C chemo that afternoon. Should be an interesting few days...wish me luck and say a prayer for me!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend! Be safe!

May 15,2012 - taxal treatments are done!!!!

May 15th - first I have to say Happy Birthday to my hubby. His birthday is today May 15th!! Love you!

Yesteray was the last of the Taxal chemo treatments...one GIANT step checked off the list of care. Yippie!!!!! Now I have a small break to get my blood levels somewhat stable before I start the A/C chemo treatments. In the midst of the break I have a few tests such as en echocardiogram, MRI and blood work. Hopefully they will show that the tumor is getting smaller. The A/C chemo is supposed to make you more tired then Taxal and the other study drugs. So I'll have to wait and see how that all works out for me.

Not sure why I'm up at 11:30 pm but just couldn't sleep so thought I'd post my note on my progress. Some nights you just never know what time you'll wake up and can't get back to sleep. For me just laying there...I can't get back to sleep so I have to get up have a few saltines and maybe a yogurt to sooth the tummy. Plus get a few things off my mind either by writing on my blog or making a list of things to do or to not forget. You'd think I wouldn't have that much to think about or do but for some reason the mind just doesn't stop. My days and weeks fly by, maybe it's the tiredness that does it, as I rest/sleep/nap most days. Can't get enough rest!!

May 10, 2012 - 11th Chemo Treatment

May 10th - well, as I said in my earlier post I was a bit anxious to see if I would be getting treatment on Monday due to my rough week last week but I guess the worry was for not.  The 11th chemo treatment was a go and my bloods and liver functions were mostly in range!  I am still getting my Neupogen shots every day this week though to ensure that my 12th Taxel chemo treatment goes as planned this coming Monday.  If all goes well I will be totally done with the Taxel chemo treatments!!  Yippee!!

I then have tests (echocardiogram, MRI and bloods) prior to the A/C chemo starting and those will happen prior to the first A/C treatment on May 30th.  Again I will have 4 treatments one every other week. 

It proved to be a beautiful day and I spent some time out in it! 

Having supper with a high school girlfriend tonight - should be fun!!

May 6, 2012 - What happened this week?

May 6th - This week proved to be a challenging one.  The Carboplatin sure did a number on me.  By late Tuesday I could tell that I was getting more tired as the week progressed, more than normal.  Wednesday, I barely made it into Mayo to get my Neupogen shot and by the time I got home I crashed on the couch with absolutely NO energy...I think I fell asleep until 1:30pm.  I had no energy and really no appetite.  I had a very heavy metallic taste in my mouth so food did not sound good at all.  I did manage to get down a half of a turkey sandwich and some crackers with peanut butter to provide some nourishment and energy but it really didn't help.  Laid on the couch all day until bedtime.  Don came home from work and cooked me some butter noodles which was very kind of him.  Thursday, the morning was slightly better and the day got better as it progressed. I made it into Mayo for my shot.  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I was feeling  my normal tiredness.  Let's hope my blood counts are OK for tomorrows treatment. 

Have a great week all!