Day 161 - Surgery and a Perfect Pathology Report!

After the storm comes the rainbow.  What a wild several months of storms and rainbows!

Surgery ...

Surgery went exceptionally well on Thursday, January 16th. The day started with us at the hospital at 5:15am for pre-surgery prep.  By 7:15 or so, I was meeting briefly with the surgeon before going to the operating room.  She set the tone by offering up a sincere prayer that God would guide her hands and her team that day for the best possible outcome.  My blood pressure went down about 20 points with her prayer.  Grateful for a surgeon that knows God and calls upon Him for help.

Surgery went well.  It was time consuming (ended about noon) and that was tough on the kids.  Thankful for Nora, John, and Troy for being there for Steph and Tom.  I woke up about 12:15.  Remember feeling remarkably "ok".  Saw Steph and Tom and then went back to sleep.  Don't remember much else about Thursday, except my room didn't have windows.  By Saturday, I was home resting. 

Back to the Hospital

Was really feeling great, resting at home.  In fact, I was telling friends that I was amazed at how well things felt.  Then the Seahawks game started.  GO HAWKS!  Tom was a few blocks away watching the game with his usual crowd at the Whatleys.  In the middle of the first quarter I started feeling a little queezy and decided to take my temp.  Mild, mild fever 100.0.  As the game progressed, so did my fever.  by the end of the game my fever was 102 and I knew I had to call the doc and would be in the ER for the evening.  Called Tom and asked him to come home.  Called the doc.  Agreed to go to St. Joe's ER.

Once at the ER, I was admitted with an infection in my right side's incision.  The infection responded quickly to antibiotics.  By the morning, my fever was gone.  But my blood work was wonky so I was staying for a bit.

Special shout out to my son, Tom, who took me to the ER and made sure they stayed on track in treating me and getting me up to a room.  For a young man put in such difficult situations these past few months, I'm proud of his maturity and priorities.

 

Special shout out to those who came and visited in the hospital and 'pink'd' up my room with nail polish, hats, and even a pink wrench.

 

Final note on the hospital stay... Technology is pretty cool.  But be careful.  That portable WI-FI EKG monitor is also a tracking GPS.  The nurses know where you go.  We had to negotiate a Diet-Pepsi walk/escape to the 1st floor.

KCA Pathology Report

On Tuesday night, the doc called to tell me about my pathology report.  We got the best possible report!!  An A+.  Lots of dead cancer cells and zero live cancer cells!!  Chemo and the good cells won!!  We KICKED CANCER'S ARSK!!  I cannot tell you how humbling it feels to have so many people praying for success and then to see that success!!  I am so grateful for the power of prayer and the good karma our friends and family enveloped around us the past few months. 
 

 

Sure made the chemo worth it!!

 

Doc still wants 7 weeks of radiation to sweep up any possibility of cancer cells that survived. It only takes one.  Was a little disappointed in that, but it is worth it to get the best chance of not having to go down this road again.

Back Home - On the Mend

Been trying to be patient and rest a lot.  Was doing a good job until Friday night.  Went to the Wolves Basketball game (at home, against CK).  Enjoyed half the game and then headed home for more rest.  Found out later that the Wolves won!  GO WOLVES!!

 

Big shout out to everyone who helped this week and there were so many of you!!  Visits, meals, phone calls, texts, and messages.  You are wonderful!!

 

More later.  Right now, just so grateful for optimistic prospects of many more years to enjoy my family, my friends, and the gift of life.  Thank you, everyone, for sharing this journey with us and for your love and support. 

Day 150 - Countdown to Surgery

First, I have to say how wonderful it is to be past chemo!  It was so invigorating to go to the infusion center on Friday for only 90 minutes (to get the non-chemo Herceptin infusion) instead of 4 hours.  Then to wake up Saturday morning and not have to get the bone-crushing Neulasta shot.  And today (Sunday) to wake up feeling so good!!  Yahoo!! 

 

Next up is surgery on Thursday.  I have a big favor to ask.  Wear something pink on Thursday, January 16th and keep us in your prayers.  Then, whenever we see pink on Thursday, we will remember that you all have our back and are praying for us.  We have to be at the hospital at 5:15am and surgery actually starts around 7:15 or so.  Big thanks to Nora, John, and Troy, for sitting with Steph and Tom.  I am so grateful that the kids have such great support too!

I am content with the decision to have a double mastectomy even though the cancer is only on the left side (right now).  I don't want to have to go through this again in a couple of years and as I complete treatment, I think it will give us the greatest chance for success.  Besides, I'm going to take up running and don't want to run lopsided.  ;-)

 

Will only be in the hospital a day or two.  Then two weeks of recovery at home, a week of teleworking part-time from home (or Leslie's house if I'm up for the drive), and then another week of teleworking full-time before returning to the office in mid February.

 

Big thanks to Paula Peterson and my work friends for volunteering to bring in meals and to Naomi Polen for coordinating 'check-on-Kathy' visits the week after surgery.  It is so humbling to be blessed with so many kind and caring friends and neighbors.  Please keep up the continuing prayers and good thoughts.  I feel the power and strength of your prayers and good thoughts every day as we work through this detour.

 

I am a little worried about being arrested after surgery.  Right now, when I walk into a public women's restroom with my bald head, I often get a second look from older ladies and small children... even when I'm carrying my purse!  An older lady was frightened by me yesterday and informed me I was in the wrong restroom.  I lifted my hat and said, "It is ok. It is chemo, not a sex change".

 

Well, after surgery, I won't have 'the other' visible clue that I'm female.  My neighbor Silvia was listening to me bemoan my dilemma yesterday during the Seahawk's game (GO HAWKS!!) and brought by a beautiful pink hat with a ribbon on it today.  Thanks, Silvia!!  Sargent Donna won't be able to arrest me now.  ;-)

  

About a month after surgery I will start radiation treatments.  Right now, the surgeon is saying 7 weeks of daily radiation (Monday-Friday).  That could change with the pathology report from the surgery.  Radiation scares me more than surgery.  I know it is a somewhat baseless fear, but I'm still wondering what happens if I sneeze during the procedure?!?!?

 

Even while going through this, I am reminded daily of how blessed we have been. From having good insurance, to great doctors, to great friends, and children that are old enough understand and who can drive and be independent... my detour seems so much easier than many of those I have met in recent months.  I pray for them and for their families, just as I know they are praying for my family.  I cherish every day as an opportunity to be here to tell my kids that I love them and to share the simple moments of life.  There is no greater joy than family.  It is no wonder that Heavenly Father established the family as the center of society.  As David O. McKay (an LDS Prophet) once said, "No other success can compensate for failure in the home".
 

So thankful for the maturity Steph and Tom have had during all this. No parent could be more proud than I am of them.  To the right is a great picture taken in May of Tom and I at the 2013 State Baseball Championships.  Big thanks to Coach Logue and his wife, Natalie, for sending it to me!!

 

 

Day 140 - Dear Santa...

Thank you for Christmas joy in 2013.

Just thought I'd submit my very short list early for 2014.  All I want for Christmas in 2014 is to be NED and NEED... No Evidence of Disease and NEED a Haircut!!  ;-)

This video was such an uplift today....

Day 134 - I LEARNED THAT I KNOW THAT I AM...

Thought I would share a modified version of a post I made in an online group today.  It seems a bit self-congratulatory, but I don't mean it as that.  I mean it as insight as to how my life has evolved over these past few months.  I would never want cancer to define me.  But I do have to acknowledge that this experience is seriously evolving me...

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In August, I thought Christmas was SO far away.  Now chemo is done, I am still here, and I LEARNED that I am stronger than cancer!  In three weeks, I'll have a surgery that I couldn't even start to think about in August.  Now it is nearly here and I KNOW that I am stronger than cancer.  In a few more weeks, I'll start 7 weeks of daily radiation treatments and I won't bolt from the room because I LEARNED THAT I KNOW THAT I AM stronger than cancer.  My cancer will NOT survive 2014, but I WILL!!

 

This has been the hardest challenge of my life. To stay composed and positive has taken all of my energy and effort.  But I have succeeded.  They say that you never know how you will react when life throws you a curve ball.  Now I know.  I've got my eye on it and I'm going to hit that damn ball over the fence!  I'm not settling for a single, a double, or even a triple.  Home run, baby!!  Frankly, it has to be a home run because I can't run fast enough right now to get around the bases with anything else.  ;-)

 

This is scary stuff.  I'm terrified sometimes.  But I am HERE and for every day that Heavenly Father gives me, I will rejoice in another day to tell my kids I love them.  This isn't about what we have lost... the hair, the breasts, the spontaneity... this is about every day being a day to rejoice that WE ARE STRONGER THAN CANCER because WE ARE HERE!!

 

Not sure what has come over me today... but it feels really good!!  ;-)

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Day 133 - Looking forward to 2014 and Beyond

Well, December 20th was a good milestone... the sixth and final chemo is now behind me.  I was a little worried it was going to be delayed because I developed a pretty common side effect (in later stages of chemo) called 'edema' last week, where the legs and feet swell to Pillsbury Dough Boy proportions.  I'd put up a couple of pictures, but it would make a few of you gun shy of reading here again.  ;-)  Things are much better now.  Feet are back to normal size and my ankles are once again distinguishable from my calves.

 

So grateful and proud of Steph and Tom for accompanying me to each chemo session.  I know it wasn't easy for them but they endured and were always cheerful.  On the right are a set of earrings Stephie gave me for Christmas.  Love them!

 

From January thru August, I will still go in for an infusion every three weeks, but it will only be for Herceptin and it will only take about an hour (instead of the 3.5 hours the carboplatin-taxotere-Herceptin regime took).  Carboplatin and Taxotere were chemo drugs. They are the ones with side effects that made me sick and lose my hair.  So, while I appreciate their hard work, I'm glad we are parting company!  So long, Carbo and Taxo warriors!!  Thanks for being my chemo heroes!!

 

Herceptin is a non-chemo drug that blocks the feeding and/or multiplying of any cancer cells that may have survived the carboplatin and taxotere assaults.  The theory is that if there are still cancer cells alive, they won't be able to replicate before they die of starvation.

 

On January 16th, I will have a bilateral mastectomy.  On the right side, it will be a simple mastectomy, since the surgeon will take all of the breast but won't be taking any more lymph nodes than are already part of my right breast.  On the left side (the cancer side), it will be a 'modified radical' mastectomy.  The surgeon will take all the left breast material and lymph nodes extending up into my left armpit because the cancer invaded that far on my left side.

 

Recovery will be about a month.  I'm planning on zero activity the first week (really!).  At about two weeks, I will slowly start to resume normal activities... slowly... I promise....  ;-)

 

About mid-February, I will also start daily radiation treatment for 7 weeks.  This intimidates me quite a bit.  I understand surgery.  I don't understand radiation as well. 

 

Also about mid-February, I should start seeing real hair return.  By late Spring I should have a crew-cut's worth.  YEAH!!  Much as I've loved and appreciated the hats from friends, I have really missed looking 'normal' with hair.  While I've gotten used to this bald look, it makes me look like something is wrong and far more is right than wrong!  To the left is a recent picture.  Being bald has been tough.  But, if it gives me 20 more years to tease, love, and harass my children... I'd be willing to be bald forever.

 

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and support.  I am so grateful!  I am also very thankful for my online friends who are going through the same things I am at the same time.  They are a wonderful group of ladies who are inspiring and confident that we are all going to KICK CANCER'S ARSK IN 2014!!

 

For those of you wondering what happened to walking, I promise to be back at it in early February.  Exhaustion set in and I have just been managing to hang on for the ride for the past few months.  Looking forward to getting out there with you!!

 

May your New Year be joyful and full of love, laughter, family, and friends.  I plan on 2014 being a year full of victories!!

Day 103 - Surgery on the Horizon

Met with the surgeon today (Dr. Clark).  Surgery is scheduled for January 16th, about 4 weeks after the last round of chemo (December 20th).  Glad to have it on the calendar, even though it is very intimidating.  It will be a double radical mastectomy and they will also take out the cancer infected lymph nodes.

About a month after surgery, I'll start a 7 week regime of daily radiation treatments. There will be a one week break about mid-way through so that I can get some Vitamin D therapy in Arizona (Spring Training) .

 

I've been highly focused on getting through the chemo and put thinking about the surgery on the back-burner so I wasn't overwhelmed.  The past couple of weeks, as I was preparing for the discussion with the surgeon, I knew there were some heavy decisions to be made...

 

Single side surgery since on the left side has cancer or double in order to reduce the chance of recurrence?  Reconstruction expanders put in during the initial surgery or wait until later?  My priority has to be the best chance of being long-term cancer free. 

 

It comes down to a simple equation.  How I will look is far less important to me than being alive to enjoy my children and grandchildren.  It is as simple as that.  Special shout-out to Carol and Leslie for letting me talk this out tonight and helping me laugh, cry, count my many blessings, and feel confident in the way ahead.

 

A side note:  A kind friend was visibly bummed for me today that I have chemo tomorrow and will be chemo-sick over the Thanksgiving weekend.  While I appreciated her love and concern, in my mind, I am trading this Thanksgiving for 20 more down the road. Seems like more than a fair trade.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

Heavenly Father is in charge.  I have faith in Him.  I have great friends and family.  Life is good!

 

Day 90: The Beat Goes On

Just a short note to let everyone know that I'm still doing fine.  Round 4 was last Friday.  So, we are 2/3's of the way through chemo.  Yeah!  Each round seems to get a little worse than the last, but it is still manageable.  Thank you, everyone, for your prayers, good thoughts, walks, hats, food, and simple conversation.  I am so blessed with so many wonderful friends.

The post-chemo road ahead will start to be more specifically mapped out in the coming weeks.  By Thanksgiving I will have met with Dr. Clark, the surgeon, again. We will hopefully firm up the surgery date and details.  I'm looking forward to getting this stuff on the calendar  and making more progress.

Keep the prayers and good thoughts headed this way!  They are keeping me in good spirits and primed for the fight!