So I had my PET scan done on Wednesday. It was not painful it was just a long process. I couldn't eat or drink anything for 6 hours prior to the scan and my scan was that afternoon so I ate a big breakfast and then was hungry for the rest of the day. I had to drink a contrast drink. I chose to drink what they offered there and it was lemonade and it tasted really good especially since I had nothing to drink all day. They had to give me an IV and give me a shot of glucose with a radioactive tracer in it. The tracer would go to any area where there was active cancer cells. I had to sit in a dimly lit room for an hour and then I got the scan which took about 20 minutes. Sitting in the dimly lit room was not too bad. It gave me some quiet time to spend in prayer which I really needed. The only problem was the contrast drink had caught up with me and I had to ask for a short break which I got and then came back to spend a few more minutes of quiet time before the scan. I managed to stay still for the scan which wasn't fun but I managed.
I got to go to see Dr. Raefsky today to get the results. He came in and first thing he told me that the scan was clear! Words cannot express how relieved I felt. I had been so nervous for a week since he called me the first time. I knew that God had a plan for me but I didn't know what that plan was and I just had to have faith in Him.
Dr. Raefsky still was not sure exactly what he saw on the CT scan. His thought was that maybe I had a few cancer cells in my spine that were too small for the bone scan that I had this summer to pick up. The aggressive chemo that I went through took cancer cells and now my bones are healing. I liken it to have scar tissue on my spine.
I asked for prayers for the results of this scan and I got prayers. Prayers were lifted up on my behalf literally all over the world. The missionaries that the Maple Hill church supports were praying for me, my friends were praying, the elders were praying and the church was praying. God answers those prayers. It has been a tough year that I wish that I did not have to go through but that was God's plan for me. I have learned so much. Things that I have known for a long time but I needed a refresher course. I know the power of prayers but I needed to see God's work more clearly. I know that I can put my trust in God but I needed to learn to let go more and let God handle my problems. I needed to know that God has a plan for me.
Thank you everyone who prayed for me. Please keep praying and pray for everyone else who is battling cancer because every prayer helps.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Scan Results
First, I must say that I have been feeling great. I didn't realize how tiring the chemo was because now that I have not had chemo in three weeks, I have had more energy, my taste has come back and my skin is clearing up. I am so happy to be over chemo. Second, I have scheduled my reconstruction surgery and I will have that done on March 19!
I had my CT scan this past Tuesday. I learned a valuable lesson, don't ever drink the contrast drink that is offered at the doctor's office but drink the contrast drink that they offer at the imaging office. It tastes like orange Tang and there is a lot less to drink then the other contrast drink.
The good news about the CT scan was that the place on my liver had not changed so my doctor was confident that it was a harmless cyst and nothing to worry about. The bad news was that he saw something on my spine that he doesn't understand. He couldn't tell me much about what he saw. I had had a bone scan done this past summer and it was clean. I have had 16 rounds of chemo so no cancer should have grown there. He is concerned so he has ordered a PET scan. I will have that done next Wednesday and then I go see him about the result on Thursday.
I will admit that I am a little upset. I have been feeling so good and then I get this call and I now I feel like the wind was knock out of my sails (sorry for the cliche but that is how I feel) Now I have to wait and how I hate waiting. Waiting just makes me think and when I start thinking, I think of the worse sometimes. So please keep me in your prayers that this is nothing and I can continue feeling good.
I had my CT scan this past Tuesday. I learned a valuable lesson, don't ever drink the contrast drink that is offered at the doctor's office but drink the contrast drink that they offer at the imaging office. It tastes like orange Tang and there is a lot less to drink then the other contrast drink.
The good news about the CT scan was that the place on my liver had not changed so my doctor was confident that it was a harmless cyst and nothing to worry about. The bad news was that he saw something on my spine that he doesn't understand. He couldn't tell me much about what he saw. I had had a bone scan done this past summer and it was clean. I have had 16 rounds of chemo so no cancer should have grown there. He is concerned so he has ordered a PET scan. I will have that done next Wednesday and then I go see him about the result on Thursday.
I will admit that I am a little upset. I have been feeling so good and then I get this call and I now I feel like the wind was knock out of my sails (sorry for the cliche but that is how I feel) Now I have to wait and how I hate waiting. Waiting just makes me think and when I start thinking, I think of the worse sometimes. So please keep me in your prayers that this is nothing and I can continue feeling good.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Time Off for Good Behavior
That's what Dr. Rafesky told me when I went in for my first post chemo visit this past Monday. I don't have to go back and see. him for 6 weeks. For the next 6 weeks, I don't plan to go to any farther then Mt. Juliet if I can help it.
The visit went well. He just checked me over and talked about some of the things that I will be doing. I will get another CT scan on February 2 just as a precaution and he was not too concerned about finding anything. He talked about some hormonal therapy that he will want me to do in the future. That will involve some oral medication. Also, because of the trial that I signed up for, I will be taking a drug called lapitnib which is an oral drug. I won't start that till I see him next time.
The chemo was very hard on my skin. My face, arms and chest have broken out something awful. That was the first thing he noticed when he came into the room. He gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. I hope that with the antibiotic and me switching to soap and laundry detergent for sensitive skin, it will clear up soon.
Monday was so wonderful not having to go and get chemo. I felt so good. The kids are happy that I am not getting chemo also. Even though they have been so good during these past months, I knew it had bothered them to see mommy tired or not feeling good. Things will start getting back to a better routine around here and I will feel like doing more. I will be going back to teaching at Mother's Day Out next week and I know John Derrick will be glad about that. I have to lose the weight that I gained during chemo and I will be glad about that. Now if I can just start sleeping better at night, things will be good.
The visit went well. He just checked me over and talked about some of the things that I will be doing. I will get another CT scan on February 2 just as a precaution and he was not too concerned about finding anything. He talked about some hormonal therapy that he will want me to do in the future. That will involve some oral medication. Also, because of the trial that I signed up for, I will be taking a drug called lapitnib which is an oral drug. I won't start that till I see him next time.
The chemo was very hard on my skin. My face, arms and chest have broken out something awful. That was the first thing he noticed when he came into the room. He gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. I hope that with the antibiotic and me switching to soap and laundry detergent for sensitive skin, it will clear up soon.
Monday was so wonderful not having to go and get chemo. I felt so good. The kids are happy that I am not getting chemo also. Even though they have been so good during these past months, I knew it had bothered them to see mommy tired or not feeling good. Things will start getting back to a better routine around here and I will feel like doing more. I will be going back to teaching at Mother's Day Out next week and I know John Derrick will be glad about that. I have to lose the weight that I gained during chemo and I will be glad about that. Now if I can just start sleeping better at night, things will be good.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The End
I am finished!! Enough said! (Besides the fact that Kevin took me to my final treatment and we went out to eat a Red Lobster for lunch as a mini celebration)
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods (Psalms 95:1-3)
...I will trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; In your name I will hope, for your name is good. (Psalm 52:8-9)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (Ephesians 6:10)
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods (Psalms 95:1-3)
...I will trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; In your name I will hope, for your name is good. (Psalm 52:8-9)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (Ephesians 6:10)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
A Merry Christmas, a New Year and Closer to the End
I have been very behind in blogging about my treatments. I finished treatment # 11 yesterday so I have only ONE MORE TREATMENT TO GO!! (Can you tell that I am a little excited?) I am still feeling good. The side effects that I experience are very minor and don't affect my everyday activities.
We had a very merry Christmas this year. I am very thankful that my treatments didn't interfer with the time I spend with my family. Christmas Eve was spent at my parents house with my brothers and their families. I was thankful that my younger brother Lane and his wife Kristen and daughter Josie were able to drive up from Houston to be with us. I was sad that my sister-in-law, Penny, had thryoid surgery just a few days before Christmas Eve. She didn't get out of the hospital till Christmas Eve so she had to stay at home and rest (which she needed to do anyway). My older brother, Marty, did come and bring his kids, Emilynne, Nathaniel and Susannah. Christmas morning was spent at home and we ate Christmas dinner at my Aunt and Uncle's home with the extended family where we had a fun Dirty Santa exchange. Kevin and I along with Lane and Kristen went to the Titans game Christmas night where we were very cold and the Titans lost.
We spent New Year's Eve at home and I made a pot of homemade chili and attempted homemade cinnamon rolls which turned out delicious. On New Years Day we drove to Memphis to spend the weekend with some of our dear friends, Jeremy and Laura Tolleson and their son Bradley. Kevin and Jeremy went to the Liberty Bowl to see the Arkansas Razorback play. They turned into ice cubes and Arkansas won in overtime. Laura and I took the kids to a nice warm movie theater were we saw The Chipmunks, the Squeakquel.
A special thank you to Tammy Robertson who took me to my treatment, Monday December 21. She is a very special friend who has wanted to do something but she works at Mother's Day Out on Mondays and Thursday. Since school was out, I asked if she could take me and she did. We enjoyed our time even together. Thank you to Nicole Brashear who took me to my treatment yesterday and thank you to Jenny Leech who brought over supper yesterday.
I know I left a day out. On Monday December 28, my dad took his turn to take me to the doctor. He got to do a little extra because I had to see my breast surgeon Dr. Lawson that morning. My appointment with her was at 9:45 downtown Nashville at Baptist and my treatment was at 1:00 in Hermitage at Summit. We planned on doing lunch together in between. Well I got done with Dr. Lawson fairly quickly and we had a some time to kill before lunch and my treatment so he drove me around Nashville. He showed me the homes that lived in as a boy. He drove me by the schools that he went to and told me the places that he remembered going to. We also drove by one of the houses that lived in before we moved to Lebanon and drove by the house my mom lived in as a girl. I wished that I had my camera with me because I want pictures of those houses. I also wish I could see the insides of those houses. I was very fascinated by this history lesson. We went to lunch at Paneras in Hermitage and then off to the doctor. They were busy because of the holidays so my dad was not able to come back and stay with me to keep me company but he waited in the waiting room and got some studying done. I really enjoyed and appreciated the time I spent with him that day.
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. Remember to also pray for others who are battling cancer even if you don't know who they are because there are a lot of people who need those prayers.
We spent New Year's Eve at home and I made a pot of homemade chili and attempted homemade cinnamon rolls which turned out delicious. On New Years Day we drove to Memphis to spend the weekend with some of our dear friends, Jeremy and Laura Tolleson and their son Bradley. Kevin and Jeremy went to the Liberty Bowl to see the Arkansas Razorback play. They turned into ice cubes and Arkansas won in overtime. Laura and I took the kids to a nice warm movie theater were we saw The Chipmunks, the Squeakquel.
A special thank you to Tammy Robertson who took me to my treatment, Monday December 21. She is a very special friend who has wanted to do something but she works at Mother's Day Out on Mondays and Thursday. Since school was out, I asked if she could take me and she did. We enjoyed our time even together. Thank you to Nicole Brashear who took me to my treatment yesterday and thank you to Jenny Leech who brought over supper yesterday.
I know I left a day out. On Monday December 28, my dad took his turn to take me to the doctor. He got to do a little extra because I had to see my breast surgeon Dr. Lawson that morning. My appointment with her was at 9:45 downtown Nashville at Baptist and my treatment was at 1:00 in Hermitage at Summit. We planned on doing lunch together in between. Well I got done with Dr. Lawson fairly quickly and we had a some time to kill before lunch and my treatment so he drove me around Nashville. He showed me the homes that lived in as a boy. He drove me by the schools that he went to and told me the places that he remembered going to. We also drove by one of the houses that lived in before we moved to Lebanon and drove by the house my mom lived in as a girl. I wished that I had my camera with me because I want pictures of those houses. I also wish I could see the insides of those houses. I was very fascinated by this history lesson. We went to lunch at Paneras in Hermitage and then off to the doctor. They were busy because of the holidays so my dad was not able to come back and stay with me to keep me company but he waited in the waiting room and got some studying done. I really enjoyed and appreciated the time I spent with him that day.
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. Remember to also pray for others who are battling cancer even if you don't know who they are because there are a lot of people who need those prayers.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Getting Closer to the End
Yesterday was treatment number 8. I am finally seeing the end of the tunnel. I will be done with chemo by the second week of January. Yipee!!
I am still feeling good. Yesterday I was really tired when I got home and went straight to bed and slept for 2 hours and I had no idea what was going on around me. Kevin took me my treatment yesterday mainly because I forgot to ask anyone else to take me. Luckily they were not too busy yesterday so Kevin got to sit with me most of the time except when I let him go out and get him some lunch. A special thanks again to Rachel Gray for bringing over supper last night. She makes a very good Poppy seed casserole.
Thank you everybody for keeping me in you prayers. I love how God works in my life. Sometimes I start feeling a little discouraged but I feel the prayers working. Sometimes I think it is just meeting a random person on the street. Just last week, I was having a down day but I had to go to Joanne's for some crafty supplies. As I was checking out one the men who works there asked me how I was doing. He had checked me out before (and I mean at the register so I could buy my stuff). Since I was wearing a turban, he had asked if I was going through chemo and he told me that he had gone through it also several years ago. When I in there last week, he saw me again and asked if I was still doing good. I really appreciated that and I know it is God telling me that it will all be ok and I will make it.
I am still feeling good. Yesterday I was really tired when I got home and went straight to bed and slept for 2 hours and I had no idea what was going on around me. Kevin took me my treatment yesterday mainly because I forgot to ask anyone else to take me. Luckily they were not too busy yesterday so Kevin got to sit with me most of the time except when I let him go out and get him some lunch. A special thanks again to Rachel Gray for bringing over supper last night. She makes a very good Poppy seed casserole.
Thank you everybody for keeping me in you prayers. I love how God works in my life. Sometimes I start feeling a little discouraged but I feel the prayers working. Sometimes I think it is just meeting a random person on the street. Just last week, I was having a down day but I had to go to Joanne's for some crafty supplies. As I was checking out one the men who works there asked me how I was doing. He had checked me out before (and I mean at the register so I could buy my stuff). Since I was wearing a turban, he had asked if I was going through chemo and he told me that he had gone through it also several years ago. When I in there last week, he saw me again and asked if I was still doing good. I really appreciated that and I know it is God telling me that it will all be ok and I will make it.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Over Halfway Done
Today I had my seventh treatment out of 12. I am still feeling pretty good. I have been getting a little tired easier but nothing unbearable. I met with Dr. Raefsky first this morning and he seems pleased with my progress. He mentioned hormonal theraphy that I will have to do after this is over but we are going to get through these treatments until we worry about that. When we get done with these treatments I will have to get a CT scan just to check a tiny spot they saw on my liver at my last CT scan. Both the radiologist and Dr. Raefsky was not overly concerned but they have to check it to be safe.
It was a busy day at the oncologist office. I have moved my treatments to Mondays because of Thanksgiving. I think I like Mondays better because I am getting it over with at the beginning and don't have to think about it all week. There were a lot of people there getting treatments today. So many people that there were not enough chairs for the patients so people were waiting for others to get done. I met another lady named Belinda who was going through cancer for the third time. She tickled me because she was really enjoying talking but she was sharing way too much information about her bodily functions. It was nice talking with her and she shared her snacks with me which I appreciated because I was hungry and I forgot to pack a snack and I was hooked up to the IV and I couldn't get a snack that kept for the patients.
A big thanks again to Margaret McPeak for driving me to my appointment last week. She has taken me 4 times to the doctors and I am appreciative of her for taking time out of her week for me. My mom took the day off to take me today. Since it was so crowded she couldn't sit with me so she got some Christmas shopping done.
Did you know that Steak 'n Shake has a Happy hour from 2:00-4:00? After I got done, my mom wanted to get me something to eat or drink so she suggested a milkshake from Steak 'n Shake. We went through the drive through and ordered 2 Peppermint Chocolate Chip shakes. She counted out her money for the 2 and when we got to the window the very nice man gave us a total for one and when we questioned it, he told us that it was Happy Hour and all drinks and SHAKES are half price. That made both of us so very happy and it was good.
It was a busy day at the oncologist office. I have moved my treatments to Mondays because of Thanksgiving. I think I like Mondays better because I am getting it over with at the beginning and don't have to think about it all week. There were a lot of people there getting treatments today. So many people that there were not enough chairs for the patients so people were waiting for others to get done. I met another lady named Belinda who was going through cancer for the third time. She tickled me because she was really enjoying talking but she was sharing way too much information about her bodily functions. It was nice talking with her and she shared her snacks with me which I appreciated because I was hungry and I forgot to pack a snack and I was hooked up to the IV and I couldn't get a snack that kept for the patients.
A big thanks again to Margaret McPeak for driving me to my appointment last week. She has taken me 4 times to the doctors and I am appreciative of her for taking time out of her week for me. My mom took the day off to take me today. Since it was so crowded she couldn't sit with me so she got some Christmas shopping done.
Did you know that Steak 'n Shake has a Happy hour from 2:00-4:00? After I got done, my mom wanted to get me something to eat or drink so she suggested a milkshake from Steak 'n Shake. We went through the drive through and ordered 2 Peppermint Chocolate Chip shakes. She counted out her money for the 2 and when we got to the window the very nice man gave us a total for one and when we questioned it, he told us that it was Happy Hour and all drinks and SHAKES are half price. That made both of us so very happy and it was good.
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