5-31-10

So the weekend trip to Kentucky was a success, however I slightly over did it. With the combination of heat and lack of sleep Sunday was a pretty bad day for me. Luckily everyone was good with chillin out and staying cool.

One thing the weekend reinforced was how much I miss Adam's parents being close. But I know I can't be selfish and Kentucky seems to be fitting them just right. They have a gorgeous new home and a great Lake to boat on.



Thanks again Susan and Timm for having me down for the weekend. It was a lot of fun.

5-27-10

Today was a much better day. I was able to get out of bed and even run a few errands. I felt pretty positive today and hope to stay that way.
Adam and I are headed to Kentucky to see his parents this weekend. It will be nice to get away and enjoy some R&R.

5-26-10

I must say my last week of chemo is sure giving me a run for my money. To be brutally honest, I feel like shit today. I truly don't know how other patients do this for years. I don't think my body could take it. I am ready to be chemo free.

My focus now is my surgery. I have a scheduled date of June 30th. I should only be in the hospital 1 maybe 2 nights and out of work 3 weeks. My goal is to recover as quick as possible and stay positive. I will know more during surgery exactly what my Cancer has been doing.

Until then I have time to recover and enjoy some summer weather.

P.S. Thanks Adam for the wonderful flowers you brought home yesterday. I love them and it was a nice chemo farewell present.

5-24-10

Last Chemo treatment almost done. I am so thankful to close this chapter and move forward. My Dr. said the next step would be to again test the lymph nodes during surgery to see if the cancer has spread. He will also be able to measure the original mass. The goal is for the mass to be less then 2cm. If the cancer has not spread and is much smaller in size, the goal is to just do follow up check ups and monitor closely. However if this is not the case, he would like me to consider another treatment with a different drug. He is currently doing a clinical trial on this drug and swears by it. He did say it was similar to chemo in how it is administered plus side effects that do occur.

My thought is if we all stay positive and pray, the cancer will be gone! I am ready to move on with my life and enjoy other aspects.

5-23-10

Another weekend down and so glad I was able to get out. Saturday night was my friend Liz's bachelorette party and it was a blast. I definitely needed a night out with the girls to relax and have fun. My body held up and allowed me to have enough energy to get through most of the night.

I will update blog tomorrow as it is my last chemo treatment....yay!

5-20-10

Did another hot yoga class last night and it was great. I do have to say it was a bit harder this time but I managed to get through the class. I was hoping that the exercise would help with my sleep but I was wrong. I am extremely tired today and very worn down. I definitely will need to get some sleep tonight.

5-17-10

I am in such a better place today all because of a Yoga class. I was able to get through a 60 minute class in a steaming(90 degree) room and hold my own pretty well. It felt great to challenge myself physically and mentally after a rough week of chemo. I look forward to more classes and challenges. I definitely want to thank The Yoga Center in Broad Ripple for a wonderful experience and the IWIN foundation for assisting with the cost.


P.S Thank you to my wonderful boyfriend, Adam. I appreciate you taking the time to organize my medical paperwork/bills. I can't tell you how much I needed the help, especially when my energy level was low. Love you!

5-15-10

Today was a good day and Adam and I were able to enjoy dinner and a movie. I was glad to be able to get out and enjoy some fresh air with a cool breeze.

I do need to vent about one new side effect that has come from the Taxol. I have these uncontrollable itching fits. I know it sounds crazy but let me tell you it is awful. My skin will just itch all over for no apparent reason. Once I start to itch a spot then the urge travels to my whole body and I can't sit still. My Dr. believes it could be an allergic reaction from the Taxol but he is not sure for certain. They gave me two options for medicine, however both make me drowsy.Therefore making it hard to take during the day or before work.

I must say I hope this side effect goes away as it ranks the top of the charts as one of the worse.

5-14-10

It's Friday and I am finally regaining some energy back. Usually by this point in the week I have much more fuel. It's safe to say the chemo is getting to me and trying to take over. Of course I refuse to let it take over and I will make the best of the weekend, energy or not.

5-12-10

Today is the worst day of the week for me, however I am hanging in there. Luckily there are no new unexpected side effects that have popped up this week. I am looking forward to this day passing and tomorrow bringing less pain and better spirits. I might even be able to get out of bed....ha ha....

5-10-10

#7 down and 1 to go and what a long day. Everything seemed to run over again so it was another 7 hour day. Luckily I had my friend Andrea to keep me company and entertained. Thanks so much for going girl!

I did meet with both my Breast Surgeon and Oncologist today. We had a discussion regarding the surgery, however the date is still not set in stone. I anticipate this happening in the next few weeks. Dr. Rager(Breast Surgeon) did say that during the surgery she will biopsy the lymph nodes with the pathologist right there to quickly determine results. If the lymph nodes show signs of cancerous cells, then they will be removed right away. Some of the side effects to doing this sound not so appealing but she said only 1 in 4 women usually develop these(For example permanent swelling in arm). She did reassure me there is therapy that is done to prevent these side effects from forming.

My Oncologist also informed me that there will be further testing after surgery to determine how my cancer is doing. My question to him was "Could this cancer be spreading in my body during chemo" His answer was for me to try and focus in the now and get through chemo, however the cancer could come back in two weeks, two years, or even a decade. With my body responding to chemo so well he feels very confident with my results moving forward.

All in all today went well but did have a small reaction to the Taxol again. It seems I am allergic to the mix that goes along with the Taxol. Nothing to worry about as I only have one treatment left...YAY!

5-9-10

I am happy to say this weekend was great. I was able to enjoy dinner with Adam, a wedding with all of my college friends, then church today and an Indians ball game. It was their game for Breast Cancer Awareness so all of the players wore pink jerseys.

Tomorrow is my 7th chemo treatment. One step further to being done. I know the end is in sight, however I wish it was here. I am definitely ready for the chemo to be over and out of my body. The side effects are getting to me and ridding me of any patience I have left. Although at times this process has gone quick, I feel I am at the last stretch of the race with no juice left.
I try everyday to stay positive but there have been many times lately where my negative feelings/emotions got the best of me. Thank goodness I have wonderful friends and family to rely on to pick me back up.

I hope the weekend treated everyone well!
Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there!

5-3-10

Just a quick note to say that I am doing well and glad to be at work. I look forward to a good week with no problems.

5-1-10

The weekend is here and I am limited at this point to resting. Last night Adam and I went to catch a movie. I wasn't feeling the best but really wanted to get out. After the movie I just wasn't feeling any better and after checking my temp I realized I had spiked a temp. We monitored it all night and luckily didn't have to make a trip to the ER.

So today I will be resting and praying temp returns back to normal.