1st Reconstruction Surgery

I had my first reconstruction surgery yesterday and everything went great! No sickness afterwards was a big plus. Currently I am really, really sore on my left side (Dr. Nathan put a small bladder under the muscle and filled it 40% with saline) and a little sore on the right (he performed a lift on this side). I'm at home resting and hopefully will feel more like myself next week. I'll write more later.

I'm Done!

With chemo that is. Last Thursday was the last time poison will be sent coursing through my veins. Scott, Mom, Dad, Becky, and Mary joined me for the final step in this part of my journey.

A huge thanks to all of the nurses at the St. Louis Breast Cancer Institute. They are truly awesome women! Here is Sandra flushing out my port for the last time.

I got to wear the feather boa and crown while everyone cheered and bubbles were blown.

My amazing husband is a continued support for me.

He takes such good care of us.

Mom and Dad are truly awesome. Mom went with me to almost every session while Dad watched the girls. I couldn't have made it through without them.

Mary took me to chemo while mom was out of town. She was always there with gifts, flowers, and fun things for the girls.

With everything that Becky is doing to prepare for my niece and nephews, she always had time for me. She is much more than a sister.

I was so excited to be done, I bought myself a present! The girls are head over heels!

Meet our new family member, Quincy. She a nine-week old Pug.

Now were getting to the exciting part! I just can't wait for my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes to grow back! I'm scheduled to see Dr. Coplin in six weeks to talk about follow up strategy which will include Tamoxifen and periodic testing. In the meantime, I'm scheduled for the first of three reconstruction surgeries on October 21.

What's wrong with us?

Only three left!! The end is nearly here and not soon enough as the chemo is starting to catch up with me.

At my session last week, my white cell count was 1.30. To get a full round of chemo, the count has to be 1.50. Usually. The nurse spoke with Dr. Coplin and they agreed to give me the full dose with a promise from me that if I felt bad over the weekend, I would call immediately.

I didn't feel any different than I usually do after chemo, but Scott and I talked a lot over the weekend and decided I would call the office on Monday and see about getting a shot to up my white cell count.

First thing Monday morning I called and went in Tuesday to have my blood tested. It was 1.32. Not a huge jump and now I was at risk of not being able to have chemo this week.

Now I know what you're saying--take a week off and relax. But I can't. I'm on a schedule. I expect to be done with chemo on October 2 and I don't want to put it off anymore.

Again, the nurse talked to Dr. Coplin and they gave me a shot of Nupregen. Unlike the Neulasta I got after the AC treatments, the Nupregen takes effect immediately. I was sore most of yesterday and today. But not unbearable.

While the nurse was injecting the Nupregen, my sister called. I let it go to voicemail and listened to the message as I walked out of the office. Panicked, I learned that Scott had cut his arm while dismateling a desk at work and cut his arm pretty badly.

I met him at St. Luke's emergency room, saw the damage, and almost fainted. It took a while before I could open my eyes and not feel dizzy.

They took Scott off to X-ray thinking he may have broken his arm in addition to the cut. Luckily that wasn't the case and we left there with 36 stitches in his arm.

At dinner last night, Bella commented that Lexi's toe hurt, Mom was sick, and Dad now had stitches. What's wrong with our family? How do you answer that one?

Before I forget, here's a glimpse at my new hair growth. Thank God for hair color!

Four to Go

I'm down to four left. The last one is scheduled on October 2. Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

The start of school and sports have kept me extremely busy. We're also preparing for my nephews and niece to come home shortly!

My hair is starting to grow back (I'll post pictures soon) and I'm starting to get hair back on my legs, which means shaving again. That I didn't miss! I'll feel much better when my eyebrows and eyelashes are back, but that may not be until chemo ends.

I'll have a few weeks "off" before surgery begins again. The first reconstructive surgery is scheduled for October 21. At that time they'll do a lift on the right and put the expander on the left.

For several weeks I'll go in and have the expander filled with saline. Once it's at the size we want (note it will be the size I want and NOT the size Scott is after--sorry honey!) I'll have to wait six weeks before the next surgery. So it looks like sometime in January I'll have the implants put in.

Sometime in November I'll go back to see Dr. Coplin and we'll discuss the side effects of Tamoxifen--the drug I'll have to be on for five years to combat any reoccurance.

So overall, I'm feeling pretty good. I can handle the soreness and tiredness and am looking forward to being done.

Stay tuned for hair pictures. And Donna, be ready with the hair color. I think I'm going to need it!

Skipping a Week

Skipping a week of chemo has left me feeling like my old self again! Spending the past week at Miramar Beach was wonderful and I can't thank my parents enough for everything -- happy 40th!

Because you can barely go anywhere from St. Louis non-stop anymore, our plane landed in Georgia about an hour before it left there for Pensacola. While there a woman came up to me and asked if I was going through treatment. After I said yes, she told me that she was a survivor and instead of having reconstruction she had this done...and proceeded to raise her shirt and display a huge beautiful butterfly tattoo on her chest. Yes, in the middle of the airport in Atlanta in front of tons of people. Of course, only mom and I were the only ones in our group that caught the scene. It's amazing the bond people think you have because you have the same thing they did.

I'm not sure if it was the cancer or not, but the guy at Alamo upgraded us to a very nice minivan and a Toyota Prius when we checked in to get our cars. Some things in this journey haven't been too bad!

Our beach house was awesome and I highly recommend it! I don't think I could go back to not being directly on the beach.

We spent the week sunning, boogie boarding, and searching for shells. The girls had a great time as did Scott and I.

The best quote of the week was from Abby on the way home. She sat by the window on the ride from Atlanta to St. Louis. As we took off and moved through the clouds, she said "Mommy, I think we're in heaven. I think we're with God."

Here are some of my favorite pics from the week.

Eight to Go

Having trouble sleeping tonight so I thought I'd update everyone.

Other than the overall body soreness, which isn't fun, but can somewhat be controlled, I've had some weird, but "normal" side effects to the Taxol. The first round there was some tingling in my toes. It almost felt like I had been walking all day in tennis shoes that were slightly small. Wasn't awful and hasn't happened again.

Second round my fingertips started peeling. No pain involved, but a strange feeling. Will be interesting to see if it happens this time.

And then there are the hot flashes. I get several on and off throughout the day, but the nights seem to be the worst. To the point where they wake me up. And sometimes Scott when I throw the covers on and off--sorry honey! I'll be happy to see these go, but there's not guarantee they're going to end when the treatment does.

I have my next treatment on Thursday and then get to skip a week for a long-awaited and long-needed vacation. It's my parent's 40th wedding anniversary and in lieu of a party, they wanted us all to go somewhere as a family.

Becky and I did some research and we're off to the Destin area for some sun and relaxation. We rented a house right on the beach! The only thing missing will be our three new family members. Becky and Eric are in Russia as I type meeting their children for the first time. You can catch up on their travels on Becky's blog.

My hope is that some rest and relaxation will enable me to come back more focused and in control. I have a lot going on with the kids, Becky and Eric, and work and have been lacking focus. A change of scenery may be just what I need...I hope!

Three Down

I've had three rounds of Taxol thus far and I've got to tell you, it's much much better than the AC! I've had some tingling in my toes and fingers and soreness in every part of my body.

When I explained the soreness to my neighbor yesterday, she said it sounded like being in labor (with a lot of back labor). That would pretty much sum it up. Several Tylenol and the occassional pain pill make it go away.

I still get tired easily, but I've been trying to add some exercise back in. I'll let you know how it goes.