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!

April 30,2012 - 10th chemo treatment

April 30th -Waiting with my hubby on Gonda W10 to see if I "pass" my blood work test to be able to have treatment today.  More to come.

UPDATE:

Well, here is the verdict - Chemo was a go today!! Yessss!!

Hemoglobin 9.6 (12-15.5) lower than 4/16, Leukocytes 6.0 (3.5-10.5) higher than 4/16 but within range, Neutrophiles 3.5 (1.70-7.00) higher than 04/16 but within range, ALT (liver function) 89 (7-45) lower than 04/16 out of range but still a grade 1 which is ok to do ahead with treatment.  With these counts I was still able to have treatment.  At least they were better than last week so thank you all for your continued prayers!  The Power of Prayer...isn't it Wonderful!!

I will do the wait and see approach on how the Carboplatin plays a role on me this week.  This chemo drug is a tough one but it's the last one of this drug!!!  I'm also through with taking the study drug - ABT888 which is a pill form, as of today.  I'm scheduled to have another MRI prior to starting the A/C chemo drug.  This will be after, hopefully, two more Taxel treatments that were missed early on. This will be scheduled around May 25th. 

I'm getting there but I'm not going to lie....It's a long, tiring and at times painful journey! 

 "Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again" ~ Alex Tan

April 29,2012 - 9th Chemo Tx-Weekly Update

April 29th - I was able to receive my 9th chemo tx last Monday with blood counts waivering on the low end but I'm thankful that I was able to move forward on my chemo journey.  This week proved to be very tiring for me with very low energy.  I will be finishing the study part of my chemo on Monday so that will be out of the way....Amen!!  Since I missed two previous Taxel treatments due to low counts I have to 'make them up'.  This coming Monday I receive the final Carboplatin chemo (study chemo) along with Taxel.  The Carboplatin, historically, has been the chemo that causes me to not have treatment the next week as it's very rough on me....let's hope that is not the case this time!  We meet with Dr. Moynihan last Monday and he said that once I'm done with the Taxel chemo (3 more treatments), the A/C chemo will start.  This is given once every other week for 4 treatments and he indicated that this will make be even more tired.  I'm not sure how that will be possible but it sure DOES NOT sound fun!  Anyways, let's take one day at a time and hope and pray that I can receive my treatment on Monday!

My son Bill was away this week again at training in St. Paul so Cathy, Ben and dogs stayed with us from Tuesday to Thursday.  During this time we went and visited my mom, Ben's great grandmother in Hayfield.  She was delighted to see her 5th great grandchild for the first time.  He was 6 weeks old as of yesterday and he's growing like a weed!



Great Grandmother Martha and Benjamin



April 19, 2012 - 8th chemo tx and Ben is here to visit!

April 19th - Monday I was able to receive my 8th chemo treatment just by the hair of my chinny chin chin...actually no, I don't have any hair, not even on my chin but you get the point!

Here are some of my blood count results from Monday:
My Hemoglobin was low 9.8 (normal range 12-15.5), Leukocytes 2.9 (3.5-10.5), Neutrophils 1.26 (1.70-7.00) and one of my liver functions, the ALT was 98 (7-45) this is still elevated but has come down from 142 - two weeks ago.  I was considered to be in a grade 1 for receiving treatment and most times can still proceed if levels are in the grade 1 category which was the case this past Monday.  I've had to continue the Neupogen shots this week to get my white blood counts back up for this coming Monday so that I can receive treatment.  Please say a prayer for me that my counts stay within range or grade 1 range for treatment to continue.  Let's get this over with already!!

On Tuesday, my daughter-in-law, Cathy, Ben and her two dogs made the trek from their home in North Mankato to spend a few days with us while Bill is attending a training class all week in St. Paul.  We thoroughly enjoy them being here.  Ben has grown so much even from a week ago that I saw him.  He is just starting to coo and looks at you so intently; I think he's trying to figure out who you are. 


Ben sleeping in his car seat - look at those chubby cheeks!

Bill, Cathy and Ben at Easter 2012

The Lace Up Against Breast Cancer article was in the PB last night. 

Here is the electronic version:

http://postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1493557

Click on More photos from this story under the picture and you will find one of Melissa and Tracy. 

The paper version actually talked about Team ESC. 

Under Melissa and Tracy’s picture it stated “Melissa Mathias gets a hand with her bib number from boyfriend Tracy Sonnier.  Mathias was part of Team ESC – Mayo’s Employee Service Center – a team of 40-50 people participating to show support for a co-worker who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.”

Way to Go Team ESC!!  I'm still so very proud of you all!

April 15, 2012 - Visit from sister Sharon

April 15th - On Friday my sister, Sharon, from Kimberly, WI came to visit.  I have not seen her since I've been diagnosed, talked with her several times but had not had the opportunity to see her.  After a nice visit we then went to Newt's North for lunch were we shared their signature hamburgers such as the one with a fried egg on it and the other one with peanut butter on it...yum, yum!!

We then decided to go visit my mom who lives in the assisted living at the nursing home in Hayfield. 

Here is a photo of my niece, Emma, my Mom and my sister, Sharon.  Isn't family great!!

April 12, 2012 - No Neupogen shots and Flowers!

April 12th - Well, along with not have chemo treatments on Monday, I was told at my appointment to get my shot on Tuesday (after waiting 45 minutes), that I would not be having any Neupogen shots this week.  I told the nurse that if my white blood counts were low on Monday I was going to blame her.  I realize now that I was kind of harsh, as she really has no control of my MY white blood counts, in fact during chemo, neither do I!  They just do whatever they want to do and it's annoying!  So it's been a weird and interesting week!   I think that all of this happening was more an emotional /mental thing for me as I want these chemo treatments to be done, not linger on and on and on. 

Having said that, on Tuesday my wonderful hubby knew that I was not taking all this news well so he brought my home a beautiful bouquet of flowers to brighten my day...this was just the thing to take the edge off my "bad mood".  He is so kind and thoughtful...I love you dear!

  

April 9, 2012 - Let's just say GRRRRRRRRR

April 9th - Well, today would have been my 8th chemo treatment but as I just stated would have been. should have been, could have been... 

My white blood counts proved to be 'ok' which is good but now it is my liver functions that are causing the problem, they are to high.  We believe it is because of the trial drug Carboplatin that is given with every 4th treatment.  Remember about 3-4 weeks ago I couldn't have treatment then either...well that was the week after my 2nd Carboplatin treatment. I'm scheduled to have one more closer to my 12th treatment.

This sure does stink...now I am 2 weeks behind on my Taxel chemo treatments which means it just prolongs this whole darn journey, not that the journey wasn't long enough in the first place.  As you can tell this really ticks me off.  But as my voice of reason - Marie- says, they do not want to give you treatment if your levels are to high as it would make me either more sicker, tired, fatigued plus who know's what else.  Also my hemoglobin is on the low end - 9.7 (normal 12-15.5), the study coordinator says that if that gets much lower or I start getting light headed or I start see stars, that I might have to have a blood transfusion.  Plus I started getting numbness/tingling in my left toes - also a symptom of the chemo. 
Will the fun ever end?!?!?!?

What can I say...other than (and I've said it before) CANCER STINKS!! 
People - PLEASE take care of yourselves the best you can so that you don't end up like me!!

April 8, 2012 - Easter and weekly update

April 8th - Don's brother, Dennis and his son Josh were back from Menasha, WI and we all were invited to Don's parents for Easter lunch.  Don's aunt and uncle and his cousin and family from Iowa, and his other brother, Doug and nephew, Tom from Rochester were present.  Bill, Cathy and Ben made the trip over from Mankato along with Marie, Justin and Don and I.  We had a fun time as many of them had not yet had the chance to see Ben. 
This was Ben's official 1st Easter and got an Easter basket to boot!  He was for sure the life of the party!

As far as my week - well it was rough.  I had the Carboplatin chemo on April 2 and have found that is doesn't not agree with me well.  Had stomachaches and a heavy metalic taste in my mouth all week.  We will see how my counts are in the morning.