That makes 8!

That makes 8!  It's time to celebrate!  That's right, chemo officially ended yesterday.  I can't believe we have closed this chapter of my journey.   

I am so thankful for all the support I have received over the last 5 months during my treatments:

• My family has been amazing...there to help with whatever I needed!  I don't think I could ever thank them enough!  I love you.
• Many of you took time out of your busy days to cook for us.  We truly enjoyed each of these home cooked meals.  You are the best!
• The cards and emails of encouragement have been wonderful.  Always seeming to come just at the time I need them most.

Now for the next step...6 weeks of radiation therapy. But for now we plan to celebrate this milestone; offering praise and thanksgiving for making it this far.

Looking for Honey

Our story begins as Pooh awakens with a rumbly in his tummy.  "I need Honey," says Pooh.  Pooh gets out of bed and heads to the kitchen but there is no honey to be found.  He heads to his hiding spots...none under the bed or in the closets.  Desperate to find a smakeral of something tasty, Pooh headed to the Evil Lumps and Woozles Blog hoping to find a clue only to find there have been no updates since November!

OK, Pooh...looks like it's time for the Narrator to take over this story:

I'M BACK!!!!  And I apologize for the long lapse in updates.  So let me take a moment ot give you a quick summary of the past few months.

November was an eventful month...it was the month I lost my hair and finally came to terms with my new appearance with helpful words of encouragement from friends and family.  It was easy to look at me and see that I was "sick".  I just didn't feel like myself and had to accept that was me and hair didn't really matter. I have a fabulous assortment of hats and turbans and even have a sassy wig with reddish highlights to complete my look on a daily basis.  What do you think?

In December I finished the Red Devil portion of my chemo.  I was so excited because this was supposed to be the worst part.  I had manged it well other than feeling tired.  Then came the first dose of the second form of Chemo...Taxol.  Taxol is supposed to be more mild and tolerated much better than the red devil.  Well, that's not exactly been the case for me.  Taxol has caused extreme bone pain in my legs for 5-7 days post treatment making me walk like an old lady and feel very uncomfortable. In addition, the taxol has started some neuropathy in my hands and feet.  Neuropathy is a numbness and tingling in your hands and feet due to some nerve damage.  Even though I was uncomfortable, I kept pushing through knowing chemo would be over soon.

Then came January 2015.  I won't lie...I was glad to say good bye to 2014.  2015 is a new year and it's going to be a good one.  This is the year I plan to celebrate...I will say good bye to chemo and be deemed cancer free! And I plan to have lots of parties for any reason I can think of!

Also in January Amanda came home from Italy!  Words can't describe how amazing it is to have my whole family under one roof!!  Since I was scheduled to have my last chemo on January 27, I put her in charge of my Good Bye Chemo Party.  Oh how I have waited for this celebration....then we hit a small bump in the road.

I went for treatment yesterday and was put on hold for a week due to the neuropathy caused by the taxol.  My medical team is taking some measures to improve these symptoms before my next treatment.  I have 2 treatments left and am now slightly uncertain as to how these next few weeks will play out.  I feel like Pooh but instead of looking for honey, I am looking for a treatment timeline.  But I have to remind myself that I am in not control here and the bigger picture of my long term health is much more important that finishing chemo on January 27.

So, that's where we are...staying positive, celebrating the simple joys in life and looking forward to good health and much happiness in 2015.  

It's been a blustery few days

What a blustery few days it has been.  For Pooh, blustery days brought about lots of change in the Hundred Acre Wood...there was rain, the need to rescue a good buddy, blown down houses, and being introduced to those pesky Huffalumps and Woozles.

The blustery days here in Nashville have been just as exciting.  However, the sermon at church yesterday seemed to really put things into perspective...this chill and new weather pattern is a preparing us for a new season; a season of dying leading us to the new life of spring.  For months I have been saying, "Bring on Spring!"  The phrase for me just meant that chemo would be over but it now has more meaning. These blustery days of change are a time for the dying of my cancer leading to a spring of renewed health and healing.  I don't like the cooler weather but appreciate that it is all part of the cycle of life and more than ever I look forward to Spring and being cancer free!

I will also share a couple updates from the last few days.  I had my second chemo treatment on Thursday.  I handled it pretty well with fatigue remaining the major side effect.  However, this treatment also brought the inevitable hair loss.  My hair started coming out sparingly on Wednesday but by Sunday I decided it was time for it to go. I was losing clumps of hair so I went and got a short buzz cut.  Just another sign of change...it was an emotional decision but one I felt so strongly about it. Cancer was taking my hair but I made the decision on how it went out and felt confident when it was cut.  What do you think?

Before...look closely and you can see my receding hairline

After

This remaining stubble will fall out gradually over the next few days but it's all good because it's still leading to the new life.  Bring on SPRING!!

Plenty of honey in my pot!

Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood have had many adventures. Adventures where there always seems to be a problem to solve.

For example, when Pooh needed honey, he disguised himself as a Little Black Rain Cloud with the help of Christopher Robin to reach the bee hive high in the tree.  Then there was the time Pooh thought Christopher Robin was captured by a Backson.  His buddy Rabbit decided they should try to trap the Backson, so everyone worked together to set the trap, but when Pooh and his friends fell into the trap they had set,  Piglet, in his own special way, found a way to get they out.

While these are only two examples, there is a common theme throughout all of Pooh's adventures...friends are always there to help you solve your problems and celebrate with you when the answers are found.

As I have said before, I can really relate to Pooh.  Obviously, having cancer is my current dilemma but it's my friends and family who make getting through it manageable.  This weekend, I had the honor of gathering with many of these special people at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Nashville.  What an amazing day, all made possible by a team my daughter, Amanda, and family friend, Lisa. started a couple months ago.  When the first email went out, I never imagined the response we would have.  There were 46 registered warriors for Team Evil Lumps and Woozles with just over $1500 raised in donations. That to me is unbelievable!

On Saturday, we gathered at the event to celebrate.  I was overwhelmed by the kindness displayed to me.  I saw friends new and old from every aspect of my life.  It was an amazing blend of support that made me feel so special and loved, offering much encouragement for the journey still ahead.

I am not sure I can ever say thank you enough.  But what I can share is how much the support and participation in this event meant.  I looked forward to this day for so long and now hold onto the memories made.  I hope we can make this a yearly tradition while the search for a cure for breast cancer continues.

Pooh once said, 

"A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey."  

I think you can tell by this picture...there is plenty of honey in my pot! Thanks for being part of Team Evil Lumps and Woozles!

Tiggers probably don't like chemo

Tiggers like everything except honey, haycorns, and thistles.  (And I bet Tiggers don't like chemo either!)  

Well, 10 days post treatment I can look back and say that chemo is no joke.  I mean I did pretty well but chemo is some serious stuff.  For those of you new to the process, here's how it works...2 bags of IV meds to help nausea followed by the bags of chemo drugs.  Chemo Drugs so toxic that the nurse wears a special gown and gloves prior to administering and drapes the work space in a cloth in case there are any drops.  What the heck?

Chemo Treatment 1

I did have a rough day Thursday after treatment. I had some nausea, a horrible headache and overall felt very tired. The fatigue continued Friday and Saturday along with some extreme joint pain in my hips. BUT each day has gotten better.

I am scheduled for treatment #2 on Thursday, October 30 and hope I can continue to effectively manage all the possible side effects.  Only time will tell!

Time to Blast It!

"Good idea! We'll dynamite it.  Save time!" said Gopher
"What's the charge?" asked Owl
"The charge? Oh, about 7 sticks of dynamite."


While this was Gopher's suggestion to get Pooh dislodged from Rabbit's door, it seems to also apply to chemotherapy.  However, my cancer will be blasted with 8 treatments instead of 7 sticks.  The first starts on this Thursday, October 15.


As I shared earlier, my chemo regimen will consist of 4 cycles of Adriamycin, aka the "Red Devil", along with Cytoxin, given every 2 weeks followed by another 4 cycles of Taxol, also given every two weeks.  Numerous side effects are possible...fatigue, nausea, and hair loss to name a few.  While I can't control any of these, I am learning all that I can to help manage them. I have talked with a nutritionist and gotten some good insight and also decided to go ahead and get a pre-treatment haircut.   Here are the before and after pictures.  What do you think?

My stylist, Heather, at the Pearl Salon in Madison did an amazing job and I am so appreciative of the time she took making sure I really wanted my hair this short. 


This is a  big week, I ask that you please continue to pray for me and my family.  AND, know that I look forward to seeing you at the Race for the Cure on Saturday, October 25 supporting Team Evil Lumps and Woozles!

It's October...smell the flowers

It's hard to believe that it's been 2 1/2 months since being diagnosed with cancer.  And while there is still so much that lays ahead, I have to look back and celebrate where we are today, particularly a lumpectomy site free from visible cancer.  Already in the books, a clinical trial, 2 surgeries, many consultations and lots of tests.  There has been quite a bit to think about, too.  Cancer is an emotional journey.  I cry. I laugh, I cry some more,  But through it all, I am reminded that it's OK and it will continue to be OK.

"Weeds are flowers too once you get to know them."  --Eeyore

While I may never get used to or like saying I HAVE CANCER, I have begun to appreciate the fact that it can change you in positive ways.  For me, the immediate change is just slowing down or smelling the flowers and enjoying the simple things I wrote about previously.  It's also been an opportunity to appreciate those around me on a much deeper level.

Today we enter October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I anticipate the new challenges ahead...the start of chemo being the biggest.  Recently, the anxiety of starting treatment is what I am having trouble dealing with because I have no idea what to expect. While I am starting to view cancer as a small flower, chemo is still a big ugly weed in my mind!  I currently feel really good physically and simply struggle with the thought of making myself sick (potentially really sick) just to get healthy.  Maybe when we ring in 2015, I will begin to appreciate chemo. (Sounds like I just made a New Year's Resolution!)

Now for one more update..."Team Evil Lumps and Woozles" is gearing up for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 25.  We had an amazing response for tshirt orders and have seen several donations made to our team page.  My family and I are grateful for your support, especially as I am prepare to start treatment. We hope to see many of you on Race Day...as we celebrate together and raise Breast Cancer Awareness.

Until then, I challenge you to slow down long enough to see the flowers blooming around you!