Going for a walk ...

When I am starting to feel a bit better, I sometimes forget how limited my energy is- I can easily end up overdoing it. Yesterday was a sunny day, so I decided to take a walk to the public library (about a 20 min. walk). I started out feeling like this was such a good idea until I got about half way and realized I was tired out already! I wasn't sure if I should turn around and go home or keep plugging away. Well I kept walking, although very slowly now and thinking this was not such a good idea! The library looked very far away! I did make it though and spent awhile resting and reading magazines. I had brought my handy dandy knapsack of course thinking I would load up on books. Now I realized I had to take this load home, so I wisely left some of the books behind. I started to make the trip home, wondering if maybe I should call a cab! I was walking very slow by this time, and now getting hungry. I stopped in at Shoppers Drug Mart which by the way sells lots of great food. After a snack and another rest I made it home! I will not say how long this excursion took me, but I won't be so adventuresome next time!

This week has been a typical post-treatment week, although it feels like it is taking longer to 'feel better'. We did meet with the oncologist yesterday and talked about the next 4 chemo treatments and starting the Herceptin. I have to have a heart test every 3 months now as these drugs do have a possible (although slim) effect on your cardiac function. I'm very thankful that I have been able to take a leave of absence from work, as I don't know how I would fit all this in. And when you're not feeling well, every task takes longer to accomplish!
We also have a date for an appointment with the surgeon and that will be May 29. At that point, they will hopefully give me a date for the surgery, which we are guessing will be in July. After the surgery and radiation, I will go back on Herceptin treatments every 3 weeks for a year. Though it seems like this is a long journey we're glad we have a plan and feel like we are being well taken care of by the medical community.

A Little Note.

Hi, this is Jocelyn. I`m going to write a post for my mom`s blog. First I`d like to thank everyone for the meals, they`re awesome and helpful. We really like the cookies. I sometimes think mom`s going to forget how to cook we get so much food. (Our freezer is stuffed!) Mom`s getting books from the library on understanding chemo for kids. They are good for us to read. Mom hasn`t been sleeping too well, so we like to help her out. This way mom can rest. Another thing is the beautiful flowers we keep getting. They`re great for the spring weather. Mom also likes the thoughtful cards. Thank you for all your support! Keep checking out the blog!

Today was the fourth treatment session, and I am glad it is over! I was able to rest quite a bit this afternoon but I still feel like I'm in quite a fog. This will be the last session with this particular chemo drug and then in 2 weeks we start with a new drug called Taxol. It is apparently less nausea inducing, but does cause some discomfort with numbness and tingles in your hands and feet. And of course the fatigue will still be a factor!

We also met with the doctor today before treatment and she filled us in with the 'receptor' status of the tumour. It is 'triple positive' meaning it is estrogen, progesterone positive and Her2 positive. The Her2 is a growth promoting hormone, which is not so good in cancer. However, they have drug called Herceptin which I will be starting in 2 weeks. This is also an IV drip, but it needs to be weekly. So I will be going to to the hospital every Wednesday starting in two weeks. We also have another appointment with the oncologist next Monday to go over everything again, as the doctor today was the hospitalist (the oncologist comes in from Kitchener and the hospitalist oversees everybody's treatment on a daily basis.) We're a bit overwhelmed with the new info, and I must admit I haven't read up on it all just yet.

A very neat thing that I was able to participate in yesterday was a 'Look Good, Feel Better' program in Kitchener It is designed for women going through chemotherapy and is strives to give you information on taking care of yourself, going over things like skin care, beauty tips etc. I also learned how to draw on eyebrows if the need arises! It was very relaxing and kind of fun and I got a whole box of free products! I thought it was very worthwhile and would strongly recommend it.

Wishing you all a great week!

The other week at Jocelyn's girls club they worked on a cake decorating badge. That night she came home with a cake called "Mom's Hair Cake"! It was to make me feel better about losing my hair! We had great fun eating the cake and admiring Jocelyn's cake decorating skills and thoughtfulness.

The thing about losing your hair is now you have to think about what to wear on your head - and you have to coordinate! There are now head scarves all over the house and the kids arranged them all on the floor this morning for me to see. Thank you to everyone who sent me scarves (I even got a Canadian Flag scarf in the mail yesterday!) and to Sue for sewing me some great ones! I have to admit though, at night I can't wait to take the scarf off to give my head a break, but it doesn't last long though because my head gets cold! Who would have thought having no hair also mean you'd lose all your heat! The other thing that is very strange about no hair is that you kind of forget that you have none. Sometimes in the shower I squirt out a very large amount of shampoo- for no hair. Then my hands automatically reach out for my once shoulder length hair to pile it on top of my head-ready for the big shampoo-and I find my self reaching for nothing! On the days that I am awake enough and remember the no hair thing my shower is done super quick!

The kids had fun trying on some head scarves this morning, giving us a cute fashion show.

I've been feeling a bit better this weekend, although I am still fighting a cough that bugs me the most at night. We go again on Wednesday for treatment #4.

Thanks for following along.

Just wanted to report that the fever didn't last too long, which is very good news. I do seem to be taking a while to bounce back after this last treatment for some reason. It seems to have hit me a bit harder this round, and I may have to wait a little longer before I start to feel okay again. Both the fatigue and nausea are more annoying this time! I'm hoping things are on the way up this week.

Well today hasn't been a very good day so far. I've had a poor night's sleep and woke up with a low grade fever. Rich and the kids went off to church for the Good Friday service, and it made me sad that I couldn't go. I decided to put on some nice music and read through all the many cards we have received over the past month to try and boost my spirits. I ran across a bit of a theme, that I thought I'd share! My friend Jennifer reminded me that my name means HOPE. And the reoccurring verse that kept popping up was from Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." So that has been my inspiration today, and I will keep trusting in Him.Thanks for all the many words of encouragement, you have all been such a blessing.

The third treatment is over

I'm glad to say that the third chemo treatment is over. I'm feeling quite groggy and looking forward to going to bed tonight! It was a very long day as the oncology department was very busy and unfortunately I had to wait quite a bit. But I was very happy to hear that my white blood cell count was good, so I was able to go ahead with the treatment. Almost half way!

On the way home from the hospital I got a call that Andrew had taken a ball to the face at school. My mom and I stopped by and sure enough it was not looking too good! We went straight to the dentist where Andrew lost a baby tooth that was not even wiggly before! He has quite a gash in his gum, and boy do things ever look worse with a lot of blood. Let's hope the tooth fairy remembers to come tonight!

We pray that everyone has a blessed Easter with their families and friends.

Our new 'normal'

We are settling into a two week routine around the chemo treatments, and this has become our new 'normal'. I'm heading into a good couple of days where the nausea is not as prominent. The constant fatigue is probably most frustrating! I am becoming a bit better at practising 'energy conservation techniques' and pacing myself definitely pays off.
The kids are doing well and taking everything in stride. Jocelyn thinks I look 'way better' now because I don't have all that hair blocking my face! The peach fuzz is starting to fall out now, which is I'm glad for because it has been so itchy. The new thing I have noticed this past treatment is a metallic taste in my mouth, which makes food taste very different, more bland. The good news is chocolate, dutch rusks with jam, and green tea all still taste great!