Ready for the "Talent"

 I have been putting off writing this blog update because of the pain behind it. At the beginning of July, I was let go from my job. It was messy and hurtful and just seemed unfair. I have always held a job since I was 14 and working at Chick-Fil-A, so this was a shock to suddenly be without one. I questioned how God was going to use this for my good like He promised in Romans 8:28. 

As always, God showed His goodness in what was a dark time. I have been having a lingering feeling for several months of how much longer I would be able to work with my fatigue and other side effects from chemo. I don't think that I would have been able to make that decision myself, I would have kept working even to my detriment. God took that decision out of my control and made it for me. Wil put the good spin on it saying that I officially retired at 38 years old. 

Since being retired, I have been able to have more energy to spend with my family. I can pick up and drop off the kids, cook dinner, joined a women's bible study, and have had time to meet up with friends and family. Also, having time to actually rest. My body has been beaten up over the past 13 years and tires easily. 

Also, I volunteered to help make a video for the manufactorer of my chemotherapy- AbbVie. It will be an internal used video to show employees the "why" of their work. We assumed it would be a small event- with just a few workers and boy did I underestimate the project! There was over 15 people there- camera crew, directors, producers, and more. They kept referring to me and Wil as "the talent." The final video will have three other patients using other medications that will air at their annual conference in January/February of next year. We are hoping we get to see my portion before then though. Wil had the great idea of asking if we can attend the conference too- you know they won't hold it in Chicago in the dead of winter.... hoping we get a trip to somewhere tropical! It never hurts to ask. 

Now onto the medical side- my chemotherapy is still working. My cancer blood marker has been stable. I will be getting a PET scan in the next few weeks to monitor since it has been 4-5 months since my last one. I still have neuropathy pain in my feet and numbness in my feet and hands but I am able to manage it. 

On my birthday- I had to go to the cancer center to see my Symptom Management Nurse Practitioner and get my labs before chemo. My NP got me flowers and my chemo nurses- Autumn and Ginger- got me coffee. I was able to sit with them and catch up and laugh! Wil and the kids made me feel loved with cards and presents. 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Praise for the kids having a great start to school  - Wilson in 3rd grade and Parker in kindergarten. Both have amazing teachers that fit their personalities well. 

2. Pray for the PET scan to show stable tumors- no new tumors and no growth on the ones we know about. Pray for God to grant us peace in the waiting and to lower any anxieties about the results. 

Tumor be gone

My surgery on 5/22 and went well. 

Dr. Christman did an excellent job. She was able to remove the tumor with clear margins. I only have internal stitches that will dissolve over time. She did have to cut a bit of my pec muscle out which caused me to have some pretty gnarly bruising.

While in recovery, I tend to take a selfie (which I don't remember taking). I feel like I looked like a baked potato. 

The pathology came back that the tumor was the same kind and type I've been dealing with.

 It was in the lymphatic system. Dr. Skinner said that it means more of these tumors could pop up. We will continue to monitor with PET scans and any physical symptoms. 

I had chemo last week that went well. I'm still more fatigued right now, just takes my body awhile to fully recover. 

At my eye doctor appointment yesterday, it showed that my cornea is inflamed which is causing my vision to worsen. I have to use steroid eye drops for about a week around chemo but now will have to stay on them daily to bring down the inflammation. I'll see my eye doc the week after my next chemo to make sure the inflammation has resolved. 

We continue to live our lives and enjoy the good moments we have. 

Wilson's baseball team won their division and he was chosen for All-stars (Wil is coaching both). 

Parker turned 6 years old on the 7th. We had to postpone her pool party because we were having such cold weather. Parker finished her Quickball season with several games that got rained out. Again, having her daddy as one of the coaches. She has been doing Junior swim team this summer. 

Prayer requests: 

1. Praise for a successful surgery. Pray for continued healing, especially for the pec muscle. 

2. Pray for protection from any tumors growing from the lymphatic system. 

3. Praise chemo is still working on the "dangerous" tumors in my abdomen.

4. Pray for my corneas to return to normal and my vision to improve.

I like to be a unicorn

I have never liked to follow the norms- 25 and diagnosed with "old women's cancer," weird and rare allergic reactions, and now an odd place for a tumor to grow. 

I had my annual physical and asked if I could go ahead and have a mammogram even though I wasn't 40 yet. So that was ordered and a bone density scan. The scan showed that I have osteoporosis - from being menopausal since 25, being on hormone blockers, a lot of steroids, and chemo. I kind of knew that was going to be the results. Thankfully, we go to church and play baseball with Amy Mitchell who is a NP with years of experience in this area. I'll be doing a yearly infusion to help and she changed some of my over-the-counter supplements. 

My mammogram came back completely normal. Wil joked that I finally passed a test. 

It was time for my PET scan and going in to see my oncologist, we joked with her that at least my boobs were good. Then Skinner just gave me a look... She explained that the tumors around my bladder and intestines were either stable or slightly smaller. BUT I had a tumor on the left side of my sternum in my breast and attached to my pec muscle. Skinner said this isn't a place that ovarian cancer normally goes. 

The plan changed so many times- general surgeon to remove, then to breast oncology surgeon to remove, then needed a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound with biopsy first. 

Thankfully, my wonderful nurse navigator - Robin- talked to the breast navigator and they were able to get me in earlier for the tests. 

I was hitting my knees and telling God that I just couldn't handle a secondary cancer. I didn't want to... 

The diagnostic mammogram HURT. Since my tumor is on my chest wall, it was hard to get it pulled in to get an image of it. Then I had the ultrasound and Wil and I waited to see the radiologist. Thankfully, we met with him that day. He said that it didn't look or act like breast cancer. He thought it was a metasis of my original cancer and didn't recommend a biopsy since that can spread the cancer. 

Then back to the breast oncologist surgeon to meet with her. Dr. Christman agreed with doing a surgical removal of the mass and then sending it to pathology to get a definitive answer for what it is. We had to plan the surgery to be a Thursday or Friday before chemo. Then push chemo out a week to heal. 

On top of all of this, I'm having a lot of trouble with my teeth. Which makes sense they are just like bone- and the rest of my bones are full of holes. I have to have a crown replaced, root canal with a crown placement, and 4-5 fillings that have cavities around them. This will have to be done in multiple sessions with one dentist and one endodontist. I've had one session done so far. 

I was able to sneak another chemo in on May 5th. Messy hair, reading glasses, and waiting for my Benadryl nap. 

I will have surgery this Thursday, May 22nd at Medical Park. It should be outpatient and take about an hour. 

Prayer requests: 

1. Pray for the surgery to go well, for the healing process, and for the pathology results. to come back quickly. 

2. For Wilson and Parker as they process me having surgery- to not be scared or nervous . 

3. Praise for having a great team of doctors and nurses to take care of me.