Down the Hatch

 Last week was an amazing vacation with the Riegels prior to starting my chemo. We went to Holden Beach for the whole week with my parents, my sisters and their families. We were missing my brother-in-law Hunter (Uncle G as he is known to our kids) but we thank him for his service to our country!

I had my ECHO done on Monday at Forsyth Medical Center. This is just an ultrasound of my heart to check the structures and the pumping function of my heart. One of the rare, but serious side effects of my new oral chemo can cause issues in this arena, so I will have an ECHO every 3 months to monitor. The last piece of the puzzle was my eye exam. Another rare but serious side effect is blurred vision. My eye doc, Dr. Jillian Okeefe at C Distinctive Eyewear, was kind enough to squeeze me in. I've known her for many years at this point and would hate to have to see anyone else. I will see her every 3 months as well to monitor my vision. 

My chemo drug has to be refrigerated so we have its own shelf to keep it away from regular food and drink. Thankfully, it is a small pill that only has to be taken once a day. I take it at night and it needs to be taken on an empty stomach, so no more late night snacking. Thankfully, my oncology pharmacist is one of my friends and goes to my church, God plans all things! 

I took my first dose tonight. I will have labs and an exam in 4 weeks, then a CT scan in 9 weeks to monitor the progress. 

After the Novant Health piece, Spectrum News reached out and wanted to do a story and so did a Charlotte news team. God opened doors not only to give Him the glory in my cancer journey but also to spread awareness of GYN cancers. So stay tuned for the stories!

 Thank to to all who "adopted" a flamingo in my honor. My name was all over the place! I told Dr. Skinner that she needs to purchase more flamingos for next year since it was such a hit!

As always, we covet your prayers: 

1. Pray for minimal/manageable side effects for the new chemo and for it to be effective and show progress quickly. We don't want to put limits on what God can do, so we are asking for prayers for complete healing!

2. Praise that all of the necessary tests and insurance approvals were done quickly. 

3. Praise for the ability to continue to share my story to encourage other women, help raise awareness, and point others to Christ.