I woke up with bed head!

This is a huge milestone for previously bald as a queue-ball me! I officially have enough hair now to wake up with bed head! Granted, it's only about 1/2" long, but that's better than nothing.

I'm pleased to report that while my white blood cell count was a bit low last Monday, it was good enough for me to get my fifth round of Taxol. My diaphragm spasms seem to actually be subsiding (I'm almost afraid to say that thinking that I might jinx myself!) I continue to enjoy my increased energy and the mild Pacific Northwest winter by getting outside for walks almost every day this past week.

I took a cooking class with my mom last night, courtesy of my awesome co-workers friends. We learned how to make artisan bread. As avid as I am in the kitchen, bread has never been my forte. I'm excited to put my new found knowledge to use. I better up the ante on said walks as I crank out fresh loaves of yummy home-baked goodness...carbs have an annoying knack for attaching themselves straight to my bum upon consumption! I was telling my mom last night that my oncology team is going to love me as I arrive to every appointment with a new loaf of bread.

I'll have Brian take a photo of my new 'do and post it soon. Enjoy your weekend!

I'm finally past the half-way point!

Monday marked my 10th round of chemo out of 18, so I'm officially more than half way done with my 18 rounds!!! I'm tolerating the Taxol much better than the AC...I've made it through four rounds without having to take any anti-nausea meds. Besides some fatigue, and these super annoying diaphragm spasms that still haven't gone away, I'm feeling pretty good.

My surgery date is scheduled for April 22nd. I'm pretty nervous for it. I've heard that chemo is the worst part of the breast cancer process, but I'm thinking that chemo is easy compared to having both of my breasts and lots of lymph nodes removed. Besides the fact that one of them grew a tumor, I happen to really like my breasts, and am not looking forward to parting with them. I know that it's all part of the process, and it's definitely worth minimizing my risk of recurrence to do so. I just hope that my reconstructive surgeon can make me some fabulous replacements!

In other news, after being a one-car family since October, we FINALLY got our new car! Brian ordered it through the military auto sales program in the Middle East while he was there, so we saved a pretty penny on it, but it took its sweet time being built and shipped across the US. We picked it up after my chemo last week. I've never had a brand new car before, so that's been fun (and it smells sooo good!) I'm mostly happy to have a car in the garage for me to drive when Brian is at work.

My sister says that I need to do a better job updating my blog. It's true...I do. I just haven't had much to update (which is maybe kind of a good thing!) Thanks for sticking with me on this road...I've still got a long way to go, but I'm getting there, and trying to keep a smile on my face through the process.

My newest family member needs your prayers

I haven't done a good job updating my blog lately...most likely because I spent almost all of December medical appointment free, and was living it up! My wonderful mother and father in law came to visit from Maryland for the first week of January, so Brian and I showed them the beautiful (albeit sometimes very rainy!) Pacific Northwest. We had a great time with them, and even after spending my first 18 years here, I saw some things for the first time (like the Seattle Underground tour and the Museum of Flight.)

I now have two rounds of Taxol under my belt, which means only 10 more to go! I'm tolerating it much better than the AC...just pretty tired for a couple of days following the treatment. While the AC knocked out the breast tumor, the Taxol targets any cancer cells in my lymph nodes, which tend to be more stubborn. Here's hoping that the Taxol is just as affective as the AC was.

And as if my family needs any more challenges, my cousin gave birth on Monday at 35 weeks to a beautiful baby boy, Jake. He suffered from several bouts of apnea, and was taken to Children's Hospital in Seattle for some tests. Last night, an MRI revealed that he has an inoperable brain tumor and will not survive off of life support. Our entire family is devastated...please keep Jenny, James and Jake in your prayers.

My Christmas Miracle

I've been meaning to update all of my faithful followers for a week now, but got sucked into the holiday chaos and am just now finding a few free minutes (while it's awesome to be living close to my family again, they sure are busy people!!!)

Last Monday, I had my follow-up MRI to measure the tumor. Pre-chemo, it measured 2.5 x 2.7 cm. My doctor called me last Wednesday to inform me that the unofficial report from the on-call radiologist showed that the MRI came back completely NORMAL!!! There was no evidence of tumor remaining at all! This is the best possible outcome we could have imagined...so great to know that the chemo (as not fun as it has been) really worked! I still have a long road ahead, but am that much closer to being cured!

I've now been without chemo for nearly three weeks, and it has been wonderful. I'm feeling really good, aside from lower energy and these annoying hiccups. I kick off my next cycle of chemo starting next Monday. Everything I've heard/read indicates that Taxol is easier tolerated than the AC I was on...I sure hope my body agrees!

My mother and father in law are visiting us for a week, and arrive on New Year's Eve. I'm looking forward to spending time with them and showing off the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Thank you for all of your positive thoughts and prayers...they are obviously working.

The big 3-0

Today is my 30th birthday. People have been asking me for several months how I feel about turning 30, and until September 1st, I honestly wasn't phased by it. I just saw it as another year to have fun and enjoy my wonderful life...after all, these days, 30 is the new 20.

And then I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It changed everything. Instead of being in school on the East Coast to advance in my career, I'm planning my life around chemo treatments and surgeries. Instead of waiting for awhile to have kids (to, again advance in my career...sensing a pattern here?!) I'm hoping and praying every day that I can even have kids.

While I'm so incredibly grateful for all of the gifts that I have in my life, I also hate that I have to go through all of this crap. With that said, I'm much more aware of what a blessing it is that I've made it to 30. Before my diagnosis, every day I woke up was a given...I didn't think twice about it. My birthday is no longer just a special day...it's another day that I'm alive. That's definitely a great reason to celebrate!

No more AC for me, ever!

I finished my last round of A C yesterday. I got six doses...two more than most breast cancer patients and the absolute maximum I can receive in my lifetime (due to its toxicity to the heart.) It's been a tough road, and I'm SO glad to be done!

The great news from my doctor is that I get to wait until after New Years to start my next chemo cycle. This means over three weeks of NO chemo!!!! I get my birthday, Christmas and New Years chemo free!!! I'll start Taxol on January 4th. It is administered weekly for 12 weeks. I still have a lot of chemo ahead of me, but everyone I've talked to says that Taxol is much more easily tolerated than AC. Hopefully they're right!

Thanks for all of your thoughts, support and prayers. They're helping more than you could ever imagine!

No more Flinstones for me!

I finally went to see the doctor about this annoying reverse hiccup/diaphragm issue that I've been having. I described my symptoms, which were like nothing he'd ever heard before. He didn't think it was an issue with my heart, but just to be safe, sent me downstairs for an EKG, chest x-ray and bloodwork.

I amazingly got through all three of those procedures, plus a trip to the pharmacy to pick up a muscle relaxer in just over an hour! I headed back up to see my doctor for the verdict. EKG: normal. Chest x-ray: normal. Bloodwork: high potassium and calcium. Sometimes electrolyte imbalance can cause heart palpitations, so no more Flinstone vitamins for me (I had switched from my grown-up daily vitamin because my stomach couldn't handle it with the chemo.) My doctor doesn't think that's the cause of my weirdness, but who knows. I'm really hoping that the muscle relaxer helps a bit.

Other than that, I've been feeling pretty good, all considering. We went to Brian's staff holiday party at the Admiral's home (beautiful home in Discovery Park in Seattle with amazing views!) I met lots of great people who were sympathetic and supportive of my situation. We went with my sister's family to actually chop down our Christmas tree. This is our first real tree in years...our home smells so piney and delicious! We also met up with some new friends for a beer fest and some fabulous sushi in Seattle. All in all, a very busy, VERY fun weekend!

I have my last round of AC on Thursday! I'm really hoping that the two weeks off I'm supposed to have between then and my first round of Taxol will turn into two and a half weeks so that I get my birthday and Christmas chemo-free. I'm pumped to be almost done with the AC, and very proud of myself for making it through almost six rounds of the stuff...two more rounds than most people get...with a smile on my face.