Not much to report after Chemo Round 2

I had my second treatment yesterday, and good news, not much to report. I saw the doctor, but she doesn't say much yet, except that I will likely be more fatigued with each round. But then the treatment means sitting in a recliner, watching TV, reading a little since I gave the remote to the older gentleman who DIDN'T want to watch Ellen, and I guess he didn't want to watch anything as he just flipped through channels all day. I enjoyed lunch with my sister, came home and took a nap, watched Becky win her basketball game, and slept well last night. Good medicine they give me has prevented all nausea, so far, so I hope that continues. I am loaded up with Gatorade and Immodium just in case, so stay tuned to see how the week goes! Oh, and I start my new job (still at P&G, just a new work group) Monday, and my hair is getting rather thin by now, so you might see me with my new 'do - or a ball cap in more casual settings since I'm still getting used to wearing a wig.

Serenity

Beyond the window there
 three trees--two maples and a fir,
 a patch of grass, a honeysuckle
 bush not yet in bloom.

 They are doing their great work:
 anchoring the earth and breathing in
 and out to give a great gift to the air.

 In here I share the silence that is theirs.
 I light a pure white candle
 and let it, too, proceed
 to do its work: to shine in silence,
 gather peace for me
 in its soft radiance
 from all four corners of the room.

 I make a cup of tea and break
 a wondrous scone
 a friend has made.

 In silence, too, I have my work
 to do. Breath in, breathe
 out, ask blessings on
 my body's earth,
 and ask for grace
 to give my own gift
 back to the holy air.

--Sr. Eileen Lomasney, CSJ Ballston Lake, N.Y.

Chemo Round Two Tomorrow!

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2

Tomorrow is Mom's second round of chemo. Feels like she just did the first one and here we are again already! She'll have to update you on the details of how she's feeling. It's been a busy couple weeks at home (from what I hear) running around to all the kids' games. It's been a true blessing to see the community surrounding our family emerge and really lend time, thoughts, prayers and help in many ways. Thank you to all of you who've made things a little or a lot easier for Mom and Dad these past weeks. I know some of the stories, but I'm sure there are many more, and it's your love more than anything else that keeps everyone's spirits up! It's a true demonstration of why we participate in communities and especially our Catholic one. Going forward, we feel a tiny bit of fear that things may get harder, but also can look around at you and know that we have great friends and family there with us.

Good luck tomorrow, Mom!

Feeling like myself again

Boy, that was a hard week. Started off OK, but I felt like I was going into slow motion 3-4 days after the first treatment. No nausea, just couldn't focus and felt real fuzzy. Then, as Jenny said, I remembered I was supposed to be drinking Gatorade to replace electrolytes. That helped a BUNCH, and I felt pretty good for a day until problems on the OTHER end of the digestive tract slammed me, and I was not feeling very well of moving very fast, if at all, most of the weekend.

But today I felt a lot more like myself, could actually think and do some work, and am thinking I just need to be a little more sensitive to things - I can't just blow symptoms off and bounce back like my "pre-chemo" days. Things might get worse next cycle, I don't know, but I think I made this cycle a little tougher on myself than needed because I wasn't reacting to my body trying to tell me things. I promise, I'll listen better from now on!!!

So a couple more weeks before the next treatmet - and by then some of the fall sports will be wrapping up, which won't be all bad either!!

Thanks to all of you, especially for what you've done to help my kids, in ways I never imagined, and in ways you might have thought I'd never hear about, which makes your help all the more meaningful!

And yes, its still my hair, for now anyway!

Teri

Gatorade fights cancer

This week mom was pretty tired and feeling nasty most of the week. I think she was pretty worried about the toll this will all end up taking on her energy and ability to live normally for the next few months. She'll have to get into the details of that, but she seemed to be down and that Disney visit seemed less probable and more distant.

Wednesday of this week she was reading over the papers her doctors gave her and saw that she was supposed to replace a lot of electrolytes. So Becky, the little Gatorade Hoarder, fetched her a Gatorade, and I'm not sure the speed of it but mom says she felt much much better. Went to work all week even when she was struggling, which I'm sure made feeling better a huge relief so work would be a little easier.

Just to clarify the title, no, Gatorade does not fight cancer. Just helps ya feel better I guess! Mom's like an athlete right now fighting this every day, so guess she needs her Gatorade too. The turnaround due to the electrolytes seems to be a big boost for her, and things are looking up once again. She's up at Jenny's soccer game at Denison right now with Aunt Judi, so getting around and out fine! She'll be able to tell you better than I can how she really feels. But for now, prayers are helping her along and all of your thoughts and words are little blessings in each day.

On the Uphill

Mom is now on the uphill after feeling a little sluggish this week. She was given a shot to increase her white blood cell count. Since white blood cells are made in the bone marrow, the side effect was that her bones might feel pretty achey. After lots of Advil, working from home, and catching up on sleep, mom is starting to feel better. They say hair might start to go around day 10, so this weekend might bring us back down to the bottom of the hill, but mom will make it back to the top! Good thing she already has her wig! Updates might be slim since mom won't receive her next treatment until the end of October! Leave comments or e-mail us if you have questions!

Take care,

Jenny

(Mom in her new wig...can't even tell can you!)

Everything will be okay

It's been awhile since the last update, but mom is doing just fine! When I talked to her this morning, she said she hasn't been sick and hasn't lost any hair. The next few days are the ones the doctor was worried about, but we'll keep you posted on those! The next treatment will be 3 weeks from October 8th, so until the next update...Julie and I will keep ourselves busy learning how to STOP cancer!

Jenny

"Everything comes out right in the end. If it isn't right, it isn't the end."

1 Round Done, 5 To Go!

Mom had her first round of chemotherapy today! She's done and did awesome! Dad said on bag 3 of 4 she fell asleep for awhile and took a little snooze. The doctor says that day 3 or 4 is when things might get a little rough, but mom's a fighter and will be okay. She said things went well, just a little boring...

The doctor also said today that they will be doing 6 rounds instead of 4, so the process will take a little longer than we had hoped, but hey, we also didn't hope for both parents to have cancer...twice! So mom will be done before February, and we'll still be able to make it to Disney world for New Years!

Keep those prayers comin!

Jenny

My kids are articulate and quick bloggers - they get updates here before I get a chance (oh, that's right, I was napping all day through a boring day of IV drips.) It was indeed a boring day, I'm not sick, not throwing up, not napping any more, and not one strand of hair has fallen out yet - though I was thoroughly warned that all that might still be or is coming. (I did try to put a cap on today and scare Becky but it didn't work).

Everyone was very nice, my friend Angela kept looking in on me, I thought I was the youngest one there (and feeling a little sorry for myself) until a very young woman, likely in her 30s, came in, by herself, and I noticed she was getting the same drugs I was - you start to feel sorry for yourself and you can always find some who has a harder path than you do - she will be in my prayers tonight as well.

And we'll have to check on the Disney trip, as right now the two extra treatments have me scheduled for one on New Year's Eve, so I'll have to see if they can adjust the schedule a bit.

I wore a pink shirt my mom had given me in one of her "starting to clean out my old clothes" moments months ago. It did fit (darn) but was a bit "old lady" looking, so I had just put it in the closet. Last night I was looking for something comfortable, big enough neckline to let them get to the port (most T shirts are a tad tight), and found this top from mom - so I've decided that's my "chemo" shirt, and she'll be with me sort of on those days.

I'll let you know in a couple days how I'm feeling, but I promise to NOT share all the gory details!
Teri

For her entertainment....

Thought it might be a good idea for Mom to have some fun stuff to watch tomorrow if she gets bored working/reading/relaxing! If you have a funny you tube video or story or joke, post it below as a comment and we'll compile a list for her to watch tomorrow!

Thanks!

Round 1

Well, tomorrow is the first day in a LONG journey. Mom's got her wig ready and starts her first round of chemotherapy tomorrow! Mom will have 1 round every 3 weeks, for a total of 4 rounds. So far everyone has been pretty upbeat with everything. Mom has been doing a good job of keeping things together at the house and seems to have pretty good spirits. So let's pray she gets a good night sleep and things go well tomorrow! Fight like a champion mom!

Cya cancer,

Jenny

New feature.

Added a new feature on the page last night. Normally there is a place for you to share your "reactions" to a post below it on the site- but I figured you can react with a comment if you so choose. So I altered the reaction feature to be a place for you to send a little virtual prayer, hug, squeeze of the hand, or a little chant. Feel free to check the box(es) right below each post!

Also in case you haven't noticed... there are RSS feeds for news on cancer from the Komen Foundation and Mayo Clinic on the right bar. And tips for living cancer free from the American Cancer Society.



Julie

I never knew what the heck a "port" was....

But if Julie's gonna make me explain, it's sort of a valve and catheter they put under your skin so they can give you chemo without having to hurt your veins so much. Arlene, my sister-in-law, had one, actually had to have two because one got clogged, or infected, or something. Now I see why that's a big deal because it's actually surgery to put it in and take it out. Hurt like heck today, until the pain meds kicked in. And gotta admit, watching Becky's basketball game go to overtime (yes, she scored the winning basket :) was great for taking my mind off how much it hurt, so it's feeling more comfortable now.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month.... Mom had her port put in for chemo! Here we go folks! In about an hour long surgery this morning, she had a port put in, which she can explain herself cus I don't understand it. She was home recovering this afternoon, and doing really well according to Dad! (Shh.. she's probably napping now...)

And Friday is Chemo Numero Uno. Stay tuned...

Chemo starts next week

So now the plan is use the chemo to kill off the cancer, or shrink it a lot. Then they'll decide if they need to do any more surgery. I have a small surgery next week to put in a port so they can "pour" the chemo and the anti-body in, and the chemo starts next Friday. I'm gathering good books to read on chemo day, but I suspect I will probably just nap :) Thanks for all the offers to sit with me, but I'm looking forward to just some "me" time, reading, watching TV, napping, maybe catching up on some of those movies I've never seen, only heard on the way to and from vacation. Maybe I'll even do some real work for work, who knows?

Teri

A little background

As I talk to many of you, I realizee how many new friends I've made since the "c" word hit our household, so I feel like a little background might be helpful for some - I'll condense and spare all the medical details!

In Dec 2003 I went for a routine mammogram (thanks to Robin Fuss for nagging me not to forget). It showed something and I went for a biopsy. Turns out I had Stage 0 Ductal Carcinoma (in situ, meaning it didn't get out any place yet). Two lumpectomies later they still didn't get it all, so in Mar 04 I had a mastectomy (yes, what you thought was a breast all along is really recycled abdomen fat - isn't medicine wonderful!). I was given the all clear.

In winter of 2004 Jim went for a routine checkup, which showed some prostate symptoms, and a biopsy showed he had an early but aggressive prostate cancer. He had surgery to remove the prostate, radiation, and was given the all clear.

Last summer, his PSA started going back up, slowly, but it shouldn't go up at all for people without a prostate - uh, oh, didn't get it all. There isn't enough there to be causing a tumor, but it's "out of the bag" so to speak. So the hormone therapy to kill it all off, slowly his PSA will rise, more hormones to kill it all off, well you get the picture.

This summer I notice a bump on top of my reconstructed bump. Doctor says the same formula we've heard before : "well it is likely this, but we need to rule out that", and of course, it turns out to be "that" - a new cancer, in the little remaining breast tissue left behind (sort of like scooping out a watermelon, you don't get every breast cell in a mastectomy, and there was just enough left for a new cancer to form in. )

That brings you up to speed, gives the details for those who didn't know us back then, and explains the Double Jeopardy title a little more .....

An intro and welcome

Thanks for checking the blog! As you all must know- Mom is currently battling breast cancer (round 2) and Dad is also battling prostate cancer (also round 2). Mom was originally diagnosed my sophomore year of high school (guess that was 2003?) and Dad my junior year (spring 2005?). Quick summary- Dad was placed on hormone therapy to basically kill off any food for the cancer. That treatment had the potential for some nasty side effects and potential to cause heart weakening. So Dad jumped into exercising and eating really healthy and has done an amazing job at it. He quickly moved from a novice runner to running 4 miles a pop, has lost weight, and his side effects seemed to be minimized by his hard work. Though he did experience some of them. The treatment was successful extremely quickly- and now they wait for the PSA to go up again, indicating growth/return in significant numbers of the cancer cells. Then he will go back onto the therapy. As indicated in the posts below- Monday he was tested again and its not back yet! The longer it takes the better!

The updates on Mom have been pretty much summarized in the emails that I have added below. This all kind of appeared in the last month.

Mom and Dad and our family will use this blog to update as she begins her chemotherapy and he continues his own trek. Jenny and I wanted to start this because from our past bouts with cancer, we've all learned that sometimes people want to ask but think it might be upsetting (to us it generally is not- Deans love to talk!), and it also helps to know that people do know what is going on. It's hard to keep track of who knows what- and especially with the hills and valleys Mom is about to face- news will probably come up quicker than it has before.

Storms have a way of finding us... but life's a beach!

Please share your comments, personal stories, prayers and thoughts on here. This is not just our family's journey, but all of our community's as we all push Jim and Teri toward good health with our prayers and support. A few words can go a long way!

Peace, love, prostates and boobs,
Julie

"Some days there won't be a song in your heart.  Sing anyway".  ~Emory Austin