a good Saturday!

Reba and I just hung out at home until around 4 today. Then went to Champaign and strolled through TJ Max, had dinner at Olive Garden before going to the mall. I got a manicure and she got a pedi - it was wonderful!

From there we went to Buffalo Wild Wings where I'd meet a new friend. I'd call it a blind date but it wasn't a date :) It was fun & he was nice. That's what matters.

I did all of this without scarf or cap of course. Still sort of surprising myself with that - but I like it.





Came home to find Jeremiah baking cookies (a rare Saturday off for him) and Jordan came over after work. Meanwhile Reba coated my head with hair removal lotion to get rid of the remaining stubble. Two coats and several rinses later .... I've lost the 5:00 shadow and have a much smoother head.

It's been a great day ~

it's a NO hair kinda day

Two days ago it started falling out a few pieces at a time. I'd find more on my shoulder than usual .....

Then when I ran my hands through it I'd have dozens. Then I took a shower and the drain strainer was full. And my hairbrush afterwards. Yesterday I had to keep it clipped up, as it was falling out all over the place! My friend Reba arrived from Kentucky last night and I had my 9:00 shaving appointment this morning. We got to the salon with computer in hand and I quickly logged on so Brittany could watch. She'd just woken up for the "joyous" occasion and looked sweet in her sleepiness :)

She cried a bit. Reba shed a tear. I did not.

I know ... you're shocked, right? LOL

When all was said and done - they tell me it makes my eyes pop (I guess that's a compliment?) And Brittany wanted to see me tie my scarf into a turban. So I did that for her .... but wasn't really feelin' it. Decided to go au natural and am lovin' it! I'm sure I'll cover it sometimes but for now this feels good! I'm sportin' my Fight Like a Girl t-shirt and goin' out on errands this afternoon. I can do this!

wednesday

I survived (clap your hands!)

I had an "icky" feeling afternoon and evening yesterday (after treatment #2). Mostly nausea I guess. I took Zofran for that, drank some Sprite and munched on saltines; that helped. Beth had fixed a meatloaf that another friend sent with her, but the scent of it was enough to turn my stomach. The crackers and Sprite helped enough that I was able to enjoy a brownie before bedtime :)

I took an Advil PM, as my oncologist said anything over the counter would be ok. It was partly to ward off that headache I had last time and partially to help me sleep well. It worked. I did. And awoke feeling fine! I'm nervous in saying that, as it's not quite 11 a.m. now, but so far so good. Had a slice of toast, some applesauce and Cream of Wheat throughout the morning. Keeping it bland and light grazing seems to help.

Going for my Neulasta shot this afternoon, then home to rest.

round 2

is over and done with ~



My friend Beth came last night w/her daughter Reagan. That made for a nice distraction during treatment. We watched the Happy Feet DVD :)

Met with Dr. Rowland (my oncologist) beforehand and he said my blood work looked great. In fact "perfect" and "wonderful" were the words he used. Treatment was uneventful. We ate afterwards and have been home for more than an hour. Reagan and her mom went out to burn some energy :) I might go lay down here in a little bit. I got Tylenol before this treatment, hoping to ward off the headache I had last time.

WIll keep ya'll posted on how the next few days go . . . .

our trip to KC

was tons of fun! I survived on what little sleep I'd had and we arrived just in time for Sabrina to drop me off where Brittany works (as nanny to a 5/mo old). Brittany kept saying "I can't believe you're here!" and it was such fun to see her .... where she lives, works and goes to church. After dropping me off, Sabrina and her mother-in-law went to meet Mallory at the hospital for an ultra sound. The exciting news there, was that Mallory's due date is just two weeks away! They'd been thinking more like four, so the blessing of baby shall be here sooner rather than later :)

That evening we went to the church for Mallory's baby shower. They had a great turn out and so many delicious treats to eat! She got a load of fabulous gifts - it was a really nice time. Got to bed late that night of course (after 11) and by sharing a room and a bed w/someone else, I didn't get much sleep once again. We met the girls at Bob Evans for breakfast and then went shopping downtown Lee's Summit. It's a nice area with a lot of cute shops and we really just enjoyed strolling along, spending time together, laughing, chatting and lunching together. We took the girls back to their apartment and left there late afternoon. It was hard to say goodbye to Britt. We cried :( Next time she sees me I won't have hair :) But she is enthusiastic and happy and loves it there - that is good to see! Here are some pics from our 24/hour whirlwind trip to KC.
















We got home late on Wednesday night, kept running into minor obstacles along the way ..... but again, it was 11:30 by the time I got to bed. Then yesterday morning was Aunt Neva's visitation and this morning is her funeral. After the visitation I went to lunch w/some of the family and then to have my stitches out. I'd gotten so used to them (having had them nearly six weeks) that they really didn't bother me. But it was a relief to have them out and things look great. I'd also not given thought to me not seeing that surgeon again. She really did a fantastic job and I was very pleased with her, but for reconstruction I will have a plastic surgeon. A friend told me yesterday, looking at the bright side ..... hey, that's one doctor out of the way!

I have a heck of a week ahead of me with much to look forward to. On Monday my friend Beth from Elkhart comes back to visit, this time she's bringing her 4/yo daughter with her. I'll have my blood drawn that day, then go in for round two of chemo on Tuesday (not looking forward to it NEARLY as much as I was that first one - ha ha!) Now that I know what's coming, it's more a matter of bracing myself than having excited anticipation! On Wednesday I'll go in for my Neulasta shot and assuming I feel ok, Beth will head home. Thursday, a friend from my scrapbooking message board is coming through Champaign and I plan on meeting her for dinner. Thursday night my longtime girlfriend Reba (from KY) is coming to stay with me until Sunday! Intermingled with all of that (hoping and praying I feel ok) I will need to go to Aunt Neva's attorneys office and begin dealing with some of her estate matters.

Taking a deep breath.
Taking it one day at a time.
Promising myself (and others) that I'll rest when I need to.
With love and support from family and friends, I can do this!

up early!

Up a bit TOO early today! Too many thoughts spinning through my head after I got up for my 2:40'something potty break. I'm excited to being going to KC with Sabrina today - to see my Brittany! So thoughts of that (and if I've packed all that I need to take) were occupying my thoughts. Intermingled with that, was sadness for my dad, as his baby sister passed away yesterday :( My Aunt Neva went to heaven yesterday morning. I am executor to her will, so an overwhelming list of my responsibilities was also scrolling through my mind. Scattered amongst those thoughts were some personal financial issues - since I'm not working at this time. Mixed in with that, was the typical (for me these days) thoughts of cancer and chemo . . . .

Wow - no wonder I couldn't sleep!

Despite some worries, concerns and sadness, I was still able to lay there and thank God for the life I've been given! I do feel blessed. I know that these things are all temporary and simply part of life here on this earth. Having been unable to shut the thoughts down and go back to sleep, I finally got up just before 4. On the bright side, this will allow me a little more time to shower and make sure I've got everything ready to go by the time I leave at 7:30. I am looking forward to the trip. Sabrina's mother-in-law Joan is going with us. I worked for her many (many!) moons ago at Perhay Chevrolet in Farmer City. I'm excited to see Britt, the city she now calls home and the church that she loves! And I am looking forward to Mallory's baby shower later tonight (hope I can stay awake for it!) Te he .....

It's just a quick trip. Coming home late Wednesday. Services for Aunt Neva are most likely on Thursday/Friday.

just checking in

to say that I'm doing ok. Been a little tired, not exactly filled with energy, but that's to be expected. It's hard to describe - just feels a little odd - not quite normal. Yet from everything I hear and read .... that is normal :)

Haven't been doing anything too exciting, typical household duties and such. I met a girlfriend this morning to give her some fabric I'd bought. She is going to make some turban type scarves for me. After that, I went to get groceries - sure was hot out!

I am sleeping, eating and drinking ok. I know those are some of the things people are curious about. Thanks for checking on me ~

meds

Ok, this will be boring to some, so feel free to skip it. I am posting it for my own record - so I'll have simple documentation of what I took and when.

I'll have my blood drawn the day before each chemo treatment, to assure my white and red blood cell counts are high enough to receive treatment the following day. This week (and my plan for the future) is to have that done in Mahomet, saving me one trip to Champaign.

When I go in for chemo (it will usually take about three hours) they hook up an IV to my port and they add Emend to that, which is for nausea. I get a drip of Dexamethasone (steroid) with that as well. Then comes the red injection (seen in a previous picture) of Adriamycin - a chemo drug. And that's when I get a popcicle, or munch on ice chips, hoping to prevent mouth sores.

A little later, they hang a bag of Cytoxan. Once that, and my (saline?) IV bag are emptied, I am free to go.

I am sent home with additional Dexamethasone pills, to help build my white blood cell count back up. Also with two tabs of Emend to take the following two mornings for nausea. I also get Zofran for nausea..... to take as needed; and I'm grateful to say I've not had to use it yet!

The day after each treatment I will go in for an injection of Neulasta which is to build the white blood cells back up. A side effect of Neulasta is bone aching, which so far I am thankful to say I'm not experiencing!

Having been incredibly healthy all my life, taking all of these meds is a bit overwhelming! Carle has really made it as simple as possible though and spell everything out very clearly for me.

Yesterday (the day after my first chemo treatment) I felt pretty well. I told one friend I was feeling 80%. In the afternoon, I took myself over for my injection, and stopped by a fabric store (a friend is going to make me some turbans :) then I went for groceries and headed home. By this time of day (late afternoon) I was wearing down to 70%! No specific symptoms, just sort of blaah. By 8 pm I was about to doze off in my chair, so I got ready for bed and was there by 8:30. I slept until 6:30 this morning, so I'd say I needed it. I've also never paid such close attention to what my body is feeling. But it is nice to recognize what it's telling me and then doing what I need to - whether that means getting something to eat or drink, taking a nap on the couch or just go to bed early.

Yesterday I also made an appointment with my hairdresser to have my head shaved in apx. four weeks - yikes! It's funny that I normally go for color every 5-6 six weeks, and I am due for that now. Obviously I'll skip that expense this time, and we could only estimate the time in which I'll start losing mine. My oncologist said 4 weeks, so that's what we shot for and she'll allow me to adjust that if need be.

No other news ~ doing ok. Today is my moms birthday and I felt bad for not having sent a card or gift {sigh} she joked with me, saying she has no idea how I'd be distracted by anything these days! :D Thanks for understanding Mother, I love you!

Let's call it a tie ...

At one point last evening I was thinking it might be chemo 1, Stephanie 0. But I rallied in the end and think we'll just call it a tie.

I had a slight headache after treatment (but headaches are not uncommon for me, have had 'em all my life) so I took two Tylenol and got on with my day. I tried to nap when I got home, but not sure I ever really dozed off. Got up with my head hurting worse than before. Called the nurse advisory number, as instructed to do with any side-effects and after answering her 100 questions, she suggested I come in to a Convenient Care location. {sigh} I asked "are you kidding me!? I thought you'd tell me to take a couple more OTC meds and I'd feel better." She said no, I need to get a grip on the pain and to come on in. Which meant picking up that heavy ol' phone again .... and making the call for a ride into town. My dad and Aggie had early evening plans but could take me later. Sabrina wanted to know how the headache was doing so I called her w/an update and she offered to take me back over there. I hate inconveniencing people, but have to get used to asking for help!

By this time I was feeling quite nauseous as well. We got over there around 7:00 I think, with sick babies/children arriving right behind us. We noted that it was not the best environment for me to be in .... wanting to stay away from germs. Oh well. I ended up with an injection of Phenergan which did help the nausea but did very little for the headache. Early in our ride home, my legs started shifting. I finally told Sabrina "I have twitchy legs" and she said "yeah I noticed!" It was kind of funny. I'd straighten them, bend them, cross them, etc..... just could not hold still.

I came home and had some oatmeal. Looked up side effects for this drug and yes, involuntary muscle movement is one of them. Of course reading some of this stuff on the web will scare ya to death! So I made yet another phone call (proud of me?) to Jenny Plunk / friend and oncology nurse. She assured me that this is normal and should subside in a few hours. It must have, because I went to bed by 10 and slept well until 6:30 this morning.

Feeling fine today. No headache and no nausea - yaaay! I'll be going back to Carle for my day-after injection this afternoon.

Here are some pics from my first day of treatment:

Sabrina and I


Linda and I, starting treatment same time / same day!


I made this sign to hold up before each treatment. It will create a photographic timeline .....


Accessing my port.




And here comes the good stuff .....


I even get a popsicle! (fends off mouth sores)
And yes, my laptop is always nearby :)

Round one

of chemo is over and done with. Piece o' cake. I am home now and feeling fine - just a little tired (was running on adrenaline) so I think I may take a short nap. I will write more later and post pictures, just wanted those of you wondering .... to know that I more than survived, I thrived :)

I hate this book!

Ugh! Though I had been doing my own gentle stretches until now .... today I started doing the "official" exercises as prescribed - and ouch! Goes to show just how restricted my arm movement is {sigh}

I mean, I can do all that I need to do .... but apparently I've come up with ways to compensate for my lack of mobility :) Which is probably why my shoulders (muscles) hurt when I go to bed at night. Working on my posture, working on my stretching ..... I'll be a good patient ..... really ..... I will!

On a brighter note - I also prepared some fresh green beans today. Given to me by Daddy and Aggie yesterday, I cooked them a good long while with a bit of onion, some bacon and vinegar (we like 'em a little tart) and they were good! (See, I'm even eating my veggies! :)



I got a message from Britt, saying her prayers have been answered as far as where she'll be living in the months ahead. When she moved, she knew she'd only be at Mallory's until the first of August, when their baby is due. But she had every confidence that the next right place would come up ... and apparently it has! She was absolutely thrilled and is loving her time in KC. I have been viewing their church's live streaming on the web, and catch site of Brittany quite often ~ that is always fun for me.

Sabrina and I went to see Dr. Rowland (my oncologist) on Friday and he confirmed that I am ready to start chemo on Tuesday morning. I will have to have blood work done, the day before each treatment, so this Monday I will have that done, then go in at 9 on Tuesday, expecting to stay at least 3 hours. I also need to go for a follow-up shot the day after each treatment - thus making it a 3/day ordeal each time! So I go this week, and then again on the 27th (and every other Tuesday for eight weeks after - assuming my blood counts are good on all of those Mondays) Then I believe it changes to once a week for twelve weeks. Sabrina said she has dibs on taking me to the first treatment - and I said of course - you've earned that! And I think my friend Beth wants to come from Elkhart again, to take me for my second round.

The doctor says I will have my hair for about four weeks once I start ..... and after that it'll be gone :) I'm fine w/that. I'm ready. Let's go!

nervous and excited!

I just got the call from my oncologists office...... and I am on the chemo schedule for next Tuesday, the 13th at 9 a.m.!

Sabrina and I will go in to see him tomorrow afternoon, so he can check my port and confirm the rest of my treatment schedule / go over details with me ..... but we are set to start on Tuesday ..... and I am both nervous and excited!

took my port ....

to the beach today!

My friend Marca has been doing Wednesday mornings at the Clinton Lake Beach for a long while now. I've not been able to go, first because I was working and then because I'd just had surgery and then I had follow-up appointments on Wednesdays! So today was my first opportunity to go - yes - 24 hours after having had another surgery :) But hey, why not?! It was fun. And warm And sunny! It was great to visit with Marca, Valerie and Lisa, plus two new gals I'd not met before. I did not envy those younger moms who were constantly scanning the water to keep an eye on their children! There are definite advantages to being "older" and having no responsibilities (for the moment anyway!)

Here's a picture of me and my port at the beach - and yes - the bandage made for an odd tan line but I don't care :)

family and friends

I have the best - that's for sure!

My dad took me to have my port put in today. I thought maybe he'd had his fill of hospitals, after Aggie's heart surgery, then mine and most recently his sisters surgery & complications afterwards. But nope .... he said he'd be happy to help out and glad to take me! So we left here at 6:20 this morning for my 7:00 appointment. As I sat in bed awaiting the procedure (minor surgery - which I had to be put under for) I smiled as I thought how much quieter is was this time - than before my mastectomy. That really was a fun morning and the best send off for me to have had that day!

Todays was a fairly quick process. I think they took me back around 8:45 and I was in recovery, starting to wake up by 10. Had my graham crackers and juice while chatting with Daddy and waiting to be released. I have a bump and a bandage just below the collarbone on my left side now. I can feel a little pressure but it's not hurting.

Unfortunately they prescribed a generic for Vicodin and already called it in to the pharmacy before I could ask for something else. I deterred them from that one after my first surgery, as I thought it had made me ill before. But knowing I had Darvocet left at home ..... I picked this one up and thought I'd try it. Bad idea. I came home and had some soup, then took a two hour nap on the couch. By then it was time for a pain pill so I looked at each bottle and decided to try the generic/vicodin. Ugh! Even though I was munching animal crackers and sipping water, I could feel myself becoming more and more nauseous; eventually losing my cookies (literally - ha).

Before that, while just feeling queazy, I picked up my phone and considered the "phone a friend" option :D Telling myself "just do it Stephanie, people have asked to help out" and so I did. I called my girlfriend Sheila, who has pointed out she lives just down the street from me. I got her voicemail around 5:40 saying if convenient .... I could sure use a Sprite or something like that. By 6:00 she'd called me back and was asking which apartment number I was! She was right outside and greeted me with a liter of Coke, one of Sierra Mist and one of Sprite!

Now THAT is service! Thank you girlfriend! I guess asking for assistance when I need it isn't really all that bad. Just not something I'm used to.

And obviously for tonight's dose of pain meds, I will switch to the Darvocet! Feeling better now though. And grateful for my family and friends!

happy 4th of July!

In my never ending quest to stay busy and have fun (ha - just kidding ..... sort of :) I had a funtastic Saturday and thought I'd share.

In the morning, I had a daybed delivered. I bought it from a friend for my guest room, then her hubby and son were kind enough to deliver & haul it upstairs for me. It's an attempt to make my spare room less bedroom-like. The daybed will provide sleeping space for guests, but acting as a couch, it will be a nice place for naps and watching movies.

Britt is home for the weekend, so we went to Champaign for pedicures and then to the twins 1st birthday party. I've watched these girls (Addison and Mikaela) since they were 3 months old, so it's been amazing to see them grow and develop! Mikaela even showed us how she's starting to walk on her own .... very exciting!





It felt pretty good when someone (who's had a mastectomy herself) asked me if I'd had my surgery yet :D I was happy to say yes .... it'll just be three weeks ago on Monday!

In celebration of Independence Day, I found this quote and picture I liked:

As U.S. citizens we celebrate our freedom on Independence Day and pay tribute to those who fight to preserve that freedom; thanking our founding fathers for giving us our liberty. As Christians we also celebrate our freedom in Christ and the sacrifice he made to set us free from sin and death.

went windmilling

Another great day in the record books!

My friend Paul builds, restores and maintains old farm windmills. I've been on several outings with him and it's really fascinating work. When he asked earlier in the week if I'd like to go today . . . . of course I said yes. He had already taken the old beat-up wheel down from this one (on a previous visit) so he started todays work by removing the deteriorated platform and putting up this new one.






Here is another windmill on the property - I liked the moons shadow just to the left of it.



I didn't get to help much this time, although I did fetch a few tools and put some things away as he's done with them. But mostly I alternated between sitting in the sun ..... and under a nice shade tree. It was a little warmer than yesterday, probably low 80's but a gentle breeze and no humidity - very nice!



In these pics you can see the ropes attached to the new wheel. As Paul slowly cranks it up with a gin pole (it's more than 300 lbs!) two guys who work for the farm hold ropes out to the right to gently guide it and keep it from hitting the tower as it goes up.






All done . . . .



So I've had a fabulous week! Lunching with girlfriends and outings with guy friends - keeping just busy enough and feeling very thankful!

took a road trip

For those that don't see me on Facebook or SJ .... I thought I'd share some pics of my fantastic Thursday! I've been keeping busy with great friends and doing fun stuff! A guy friend of mine has a Harley and was off work this week. A few days ago, I asked about going for a ride and we began making plans. Couldn't have asked for more perfect weather! It was 70's and sunny, with no humidity. We left around 10 a.m. and rode an hour and a half north (through the country) to Mattheissen State Park. It's located just south of Utica - neither of us had ever been. We did a fair amount of hiking, some on trails, some on rock, some bridges and many steps - it was beautiful!







We went a little farther up the road to Starved Rock Lodge and had a great lunch there. This picture looking down on all the trees is from there. Then a few more pics from our ride home. We stopped for ice cream along the way and got back around 4. It was a fantastic way to spend the day!