What a difference a shot in the arm makes!

Well today is day 13 after my second chemo and I just wanna say.....

THIS GIRL'S GLASS IS HALF EMPTY!!!!!

If you know me you know that is a term I NEVER use. I choose to always view my glass as half FULL and don't deal well with those of negative opinions or attitude and will often call people out. Just ask my coworkers. 

Now back to that shot in the arm. After my second treatment the next day I went and received a Neulasta shot. Praise to Jesus that I had very little side effect from this in light of some that could occur. Presently I have only experienced watery eyes which I can tolerate. What did Neulasta do for me?  Aside from boosting my neutrophils to build immunity which resulted in me only feeling really tired for a couple of days instead of 10 days. In other words I started to feel better a good 5 days earlier than with the first round. YAAAAAAAYYYYYYY. Thank you Jesus. I now know I can do this without a doubt. Yes, I doubted!

As for the actual chemo treatment, in my last post I shared that my veins did not cooperate as hoped and it took 4 sticks and 2 IVs to gitter done. Below are pics of my arms. Not so much for shock factor but for my memories in later days. Chemo brain IS real. 

Left arm. Big bruise is from stick 1 and a no go with vein. Red bump, stick 4 a 2nd IV. 

Left arm small bruise is stick 2 no go with vein. Dark red spot is skin irritation from first treatment. 

Right arm 3rd stick and good IV Steroid, Eloxi and Emend (anti nausea drugs). Then came the Tamoxifen and the vein said NO. Stick 4 back over to the right arm on top of forearm where all finished well. 

In light of the above battle wounds, I almost cried that day and became concerned that my veins would not cooperate for my final two treatments and how many sticks would it take to gitter done. It made me question if I should have had a port put in. I went by the oncology office and talked nurse Judy ( I am surrounded by wonderful Judys - neighbor, work, oncology ) and the nurse practitioner. We talked about my options and decided that a PICC line would be a good option. 

For my friends that are Young Living advocates/lovers. I have ordered my first essential oil of Lavendar to pamper my skin issues. Thanks to my niece Meredith who is a distributor.  She can hook you up if you are interested. 

On Monday 1/26/15, I will go to the hospital outpatient dept and have said PICC line placed.  In case you don't know in my laymans terms, a PPIC line is a catheter that is inserted in a vein in your upper arm and snaked to a large vein near your heart. It has a shut off valve and is covered by waterproof covering. This can stay in place for several weeks with a weekly dressing change. Chemo is connected to the valve which means no more sticks. AND My blood can be drawn from it. Then when I complete my last treatment in February the oncology office can remove it right there in the office before I leave. 

Why a PICC over a port?  If I had known the vein trouble I would have done a port. A port requires outpatient surgery with light sedation and is placed under the skin in the chest, it can stay in for up to 10 years with regular flushing. Another surgery to remove. That's why. 

What's next?

Monday 1/26/15 - PICC line

Thursday 1/29/15 - chemo 3 of 4

Daily- blessed to be able to work from home as I feel up to it and avoid big ole nasty germs like the flu!

This pic is my sweet Molly Beth from Sunday School. I snuck in the hospital with a mask to see her Friday. It thrilled me that she wanted our picture without head cover! Please pray for her as she has been diagnosed with Chrohns Disease at age 14. Pray specifically that she can gain some healthy weight along with getting her meds regulated to help her body recover.  Pray for her parents, sisters and Molly Beth to be at peace with this lifelong diagnosis and God to give them and the doctors wisdom for her care and lay His healing hands upon Molly Beth. 

This is my precious girl in the Dominican Republic. She saw a boy walking and holding a chicken and asked if she could hold it. She loved it!  Thank you for praying for the group. They had a great trip and returned safely. 

Random peacocks I saw on Irongate when leaving the post office the other day. Right here in the city!  We like birds. LoL

And for Janet and family in Texas. I think some things might be bigger in Tennessee. These are chicharrones I bought here at a Hispanic market. (Pork rinds for country folk)

AND OMG ONE MORE PIC FOR PEE YOUR PANTS LAUGHTURE!  This is my great niece Nevaeh, today was the 100 day of pre school and her class dressed like they were 100. She looks just like my mom. But I do to. Not a bad thing!  She is as feisty as my mom. Me sometimes. Check out the detail my niece Priscilla put into her clothes and makeup like the chain stitch glasses chain. The glasses are really hers and she was so excited she said she had to get up early to look old. She is 5 and the car she was channeling her best Jessica Tandy - "you kids get outta my yard"

Love and joy to all and have a blessed week!

Sherry

Gretchen's big day

So today I had my second chemo treatment and my GREAT niece Gretchen who is 9 was having surgery on her foot at the same time. Gretchen and I were texting last night and she told me she was really scared. I tried to encourage her by telling her that Jesus would be right there watching over her and giving the doctors wisdom. Today her mom, my niece Priscilla asked on Facebook for everyone to write Gretchen's name somewhere to remind each of us to pray for her. Well what better place to honor and remember this awesome young (old heart) GREATchen than right on top of my head. Yes Gretchen is the one who coined BWOWN BIWDS BEHIND as my nickname several years ago so I wanted her to know that the now bald beauty eagle was there for her.   Plus yall know what a rebel I am!

Gretchen's surgery went well and she is home recovering tonight. Continue to pray for her as she is having a little bleeding tonight. Pray that God will stop the blood flow so that they DO NOT have to go to the ER tonight and can wait for doctor office tomorrow. Yall know the ER and hospital is where the SICK people are and we don't want to be there. 

Chemo today went well. My sister Frieda was supposed to take me but has a cold that hasn't cleared up. Yall know how independent I am now. I adamantly chose to drive myself there and back because I did well the first time and they said it would be ok to drive myself. Well my caregiving sister Pat and my neighbor Judi weren't happy with me but I got this ladies!  And after all givers are not good takers. Yep that's me. 

Went to Hardee's and had me a yummy deli ham biscuit and a coke on the way. Oh wait but that was after I had to wait to leave the house. My girl Abi left this morning and flew to Dominican Republic for a mission trip. She knew that Frieda was going to take me and I didn't want her to know different because she would worry about me and be sad that I was alone. Now I can't have that. After all ME? I am never alone because I like to socialize and talk too much!

Patrice (who we call PatRice and she is Abi baby's DR momma) and her son Bradley picked Abi up at 7:30. Abi had asked what time Frieda was picking me up and I kindly replied around 7:45 because that would be the time. DR gang left and I left after they did.  Well that worked all the way until Abi landed in Miami and saw that Frieda posted on FB that she was sorry she didn't get to take me. OOPS guess I should have covered that base. I got a sweet little text from Abi asking why Frieda didn't take me and was someone with me.   I explained it all away and all is good.  Abi and Patrice are safely in LaCumbre and we have face-timed tonight. The rest of the group will fly down on Saturday. Pray for this women's ministry week there. There are several going for the first time and I pray that God uses and blesses them tremendously.  Watch for my next prayer reminder pic. You never know what my come to the top of my head!

Ok, right chemo!  Got all settled in to my front chair so I could be up front of the class. Nosey socialite I am. Nurse came and looked at my veins. Yes, veins remember since I am blessed to only need 4 treatments I opted not to have a port put in because that would be another general anesthesia surgery and recovery and my veins looked like they would hold up. Nurse tried to start IV in left arm twice  she got the vein but the vein didn't cooperate. Let's go to the right arm. Nurse #2 came over and started IV nicely on first try above the elbow and away from the bend (she said to always have them away from all bends, check). Now we're flowing!  Got the dexamethasone and Eloxi mixed in one bag then the bag of other pre med all good. Took a pit stop break for fluid in fluid out during med bag change. Cozied back in my chair and all hooked up to the Taxotere (actual chemo) and my hands all gloved up in cool gloves when my IV site seemed to be burning. I advised the sweet nurse who came over and darned if that good vein had not blown and was infiltrating. Ok no blood return in IV means vein not good so let's move the IV. Nurse # 3 comes over and goes back to left arm. Gets a new IV and we drip happily ever after through the Taxotere then right through the Cytoxan. Up and outta there around 1:15. 

Pat came after 12 and brought me Chik Fil A for my lunch pleasure while getting the big drugs and she stayed until I was done and came home. 

All of this said may seem overwhelming to one who has not experienced anything like this before but here is how I viewed my day. 

1. I am so blessed that I only need 4 treatments and they are 1 day every 3 weeks. There were 2 other ladies there that had started their 1st rounds of chemo yesterday and they have to go 3 days in a row then every 3 weeks for 6 treatments. YES I AM BLESSED  and they are too!

2. While I was there alone by my choosing, I have several people that would have readily and happily gone with me. One of the other ladies said her son was supposed to bring her but he chickened out. He was supposed to "come by and see her" but he never showed and she was finishing as I was. The other lady had to be brought by transportation. YES I AM BLESSED. I hope that I was a blessing to them to know that even though they may have wanted someone with them they were not alone!

3.  Why 3 nurses for IVs. You see I think in healthcare there is an art of orchestration. If the patient gets stressed about being stuck that puts the staff under stress too. If the nurse has adequately tried which they all did beautifully then let someone else have a try. We are all gifted different ways and techniques. And NO ONE WOULD EVER MISS AN IV ON PURPOSE!  That's just the way it goes in chemo. It damages your feigns. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate especially the DAY BEFORE!

4. Right this minute at 10:18 pm it is 28 frigid degrees outside. I am sitting here in a short sleeve (gifted to me by my wonderful Sunday School girls) t-shirt sweating profusely with hot flashes. Hat on, hat off, blanket on, blanket off. I have the benefit that I am not as cold as everyone else is right now which helps on my heating bill. As for Pat she has to bundle up but I will let her turn up the heat as I'm sweating either way. 

5. Since getting home I have managed to eat my way (thanks to steroid) through the hot flashes. Keep that tummy full to keep nausea down because I will be happy not to have that side effect although I have the good meds for it. I still don't think I will have trouble maintaining my weight during chemo. I know next week I won't feel great and nothing will taste good. Gotta store up. Lol

6. Tomorrow Neulasta shot then back home to let everything in me die and rebuild. Neulasta will boost my WBC and immunity plus add Claritin for Neulasta side effects. Have to have this because I became neutropenic after first treatment. Hopefully I won't feel as bad as after the first treatment. 

7. I AM BLESSED. PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE LONELY AND HAVE HARDER BATTLES TOO!

Steroid was early today

Tylenol PM taken

Tummy full

Feeling sleepy

Silver linings

I just might get toms

Rep before 3am this time

love you all!

Happy New Year - Who Loves Ya Baby!

It's the new Kojak look but I just don't have a tootsie roll pop!

Many younger readers won't know that line but it is from a show in my childhood named Kojak. The actor was a bald man and he always had tootsie roll pops and said "who loves Ya baby"

The New Year has come with me feeling much better than at Christmas. I am encouraged with renewed confidence that I can survive chemo. While being told that I would feel bad for several days then start feeling better 7-10 days before the next round it is hard to believe in that while in the first round. I felt so bad and was concerned that I would feel that bad during my entire 4 treatments. Praise to Jesus I reached the feeling better stage on 12/30 and have improved daily. If you are embarking on the chemo journey yourself, keep faith it will improve!

I praise the many fighters who have tougher and longer chemo and radiation regimens ahead of them. You are true heroes. 

I had my blood levels checked on 12/31 and my white count was up to 2600 from 300. This was a good jump which was in part to being on antibiotic and steroid for sore throat and continued hives from the chemo. The meds are also part of the boost in my energy level too. I will take that!

This week I see Dr. Medling for a last fill up of expanders then have my next chemo on Thursday 1/8 (Happy Birthday Elvis!). Then Friday I will go back in for a Neulasta shot because of how my WBC dropped with the first treatment. That will leave me feeling pretty well until about Saturday or Sunday then likely another 5-7 days of fatigue or maybe NOT.  God will give me strength to endure this and at that point I will have chemo half over!

Everyone deals with the hair loss in their own way. I was told that I would lose my hair and it usually happens between day 7-14. I like to consider that I am not a vain person but let's face it a woman with no hair!  I haven't been emotional about losing my hair but it did scare me a little bit. Before my first treatment I went and had about 3 inches cut off of the length. On day 13 there was quite a bit of hair falling out but not in the "clumps" like should be expected. Since my hair was coming out I called up my sister Frieda and asked if she would like to come over and give me a "pixie" for old times sake. This is humorous to me because when growing up, Frieda would always cut my hair in a pixie. There are 6 of us children and that's a lot of haircuts. No Frieda isn't a trained or professional stylist but she does a pretty darn good job and had cut my hair many many times and given perms!  Frieda said sure and came right over. 

And now I was back to my style of "brown birds behind" as my sweet niece Gretchen once said. 

Day 14 I get up and get in the shower. As I began to wet my new hairstyle I feel a strange soreness while wetting my hair. I look at my hands and there is clumps of hair all over. Talk about timing!  So I manage to shower and control the hair everywhere. That was a mess I will say. My dear Abi had said all along that she wanted to be the one to shave my head so I got out of the shower and told her if she really wanted to be the one to shave it she had to do it right then. This made her get off to work late but we managed. This was a special time for her and I which made it less emotional and we could laugh through it. Of course I gave her the clippers with the shortest guard as she had never used clippers before. 

Later that evening my dear Steve clipped my hair without the guard as he has lots of clipper experience!

I must say I am loving the variety of hats, scarves, beanies and open baldness. Those of you who know me know that I am a bit of a rebel and won't be surprised when you see me with my head uncovered. I have a couple of wigs but head covers are just hot and make Ya sweat.  I will wear them when needed but won't sweat it either.  Today the stubble was irritating so I took to the razor and shaving cream and got rid of the stubble. It was falling out anyway so I spared it the trouble!

Much Love and Health to all!

Please pray for those new to this journey and for those who are about to embark!

Sherry