No more chemo hopefully!!!!!

Mom went back for another round of fluids last Friday.  She still has low blood pressure (weird for her) 90 something over 60 something.  At least it's coming up.  Her feet and ankles are very swollen.  The doctor will be back sometime this week & will want to see her, but we all believe she is done with chemo!  YEAH!!!! She is now trying to regain strength.  I'm so proud of her for getting this far!

We went to visit tonight, it had been a while since she felt like company & my girls wanted to see her.  She was much better than last time I saw her.  We fixed her something to eat & she did great.  She is back to being able to eat so much better.  Such a praise.  Thank you Laurie for your meals!!!!  I don't know what Mom & Dad would have done without your family!  You've been such a blessing!!!  You are our family :)  Edmonds & Petty's  constant visits of encouragement have meant so much!!!!  Even the times Mom could not get out of bed....especially those times for Dad!!!  I love you for loving them!!!

We are on the uphill slope.  All the bad should be behind both of us.  I go on Tuesday to the genetic counselor to figure out if I have a gene to be aware of for my girls.  (& for ovarian cancer) :)  fun times !   

God has been so good to us.  We are both survivors....Mom having gone through more than me, but God has not put either of us through more than we could bear.  I know chemo would have DEVASTATED me & my husband & children.  I am so thankful I am spared that treatment!!!  Yet, I feel guilty because Mom had to walk that road & I did not!    Each breast cancer survivor's  journey is different, yet the same.  I have talked to 3 friends lately that were recently diagnosed!  Thank God we have modern technology to find cancer early, but you HAVE TO GO BE TESTED!  Please! The key is to find it early.  

**please pray that Mom's doctor agrees with no more chemo, mouth sores leave for good & I don't have the gene to pass on to my girls!!!!!! ***

Thank you for being faithful friends & prayer warriors!!

Final Round of chemo

Mom went to the oncologist today.  Her oncologist is out of the country so she saw his associate.  The only one that can sign off on Mom's chart (for her to be done & get the port out) is her oncologist.  So.....she was not allowed to do chemo due to the mouth sores.  Her blood pressure was extremely low (60 something over 30 something) so she got fluids for being dehydrated.  She was very very weak, of course.  She will go back Friday for another round of fluids.  

Mom has only a certain number of days to receive her final round, but the doctors & oncologist nurse said that Mom has been receiving high doses of chemo and that she will be fine.  Mom is great with not having any more treatments:)

She is just weary of being weary, but is on the uphill journey now.

Thank you for your prayers!

No new news

There is no new news to report except that Mom is scheduled to have her 6th & final round of chemo this Wednesday. She more than likely will not have the last round because of her mouth sores. If they are not gone, she can not have the chemo. Her fever & chills are gone, but she is just extremely weak & tired & she says her mouth feels like it is on fire.

I know she has several phone calls that she has not returned. Please do not be offended if Mom does not call you back. She has a hard time talking but will make the return calls when she feels better. She appreciates all of you thinking & loving her! You can leave a message for her to hear on their home phone...214-295-6248.

She will go on Wednesday to find out if she has to have the chemo, but if not, her oncologist says that he is not worried. She has gotten plenty & he is confident that she has gotten the treatment that she needs.

**Please continue prayers for Dad (caregivers have it rough!!!) & please pray Mom's sores disappear quickly. Thank you for your continued support & prayers. It's a long journey & I know Mom gets lonely sometimes. I wish I lived closer. **

Mom's 5th round of chemo

After the 5th (she only has one more to go!) round of chemo, Mom began that day doing everything she & the doctors knew to ward off those horrible mouth sores.  She was good for about 4 days & then they came back as bad as always.  She had to go for fluids for a 2nd time because she could not get enough due to the mouth sores.  She has had 103 fever this week. At first they thought it was the dehydration, but now think it is the mouth sores.  She is on another antibiotic but seems to be feeling a little better today. 

She found out the spots on her arm were shingles.  I guess they just presented in a way that the oncologist & dermatologist had never seen. Weird.  But they are fine now.  I also found out that my CT scan was normal.  My only appt. left is to see a geneticist.  (I want to know for my daughters).

** Please continue to pray for Dad. It's so hard to be the caregiver & have to stand by being able to do nothing to help the one you love while she is so miserable.  Pray for the mouth sores to leave! Without them gone, Mom won't be able to finish her chemo. **

update on Kristan

Last week was spent getting bone scans, ct scans, x-rays & blood tests. Fun times. I met with the oncologist & he said I would not have to have chemo, radiation, or hormone therapy. He was very impressed with the work the plastic surgeon had done (made me feel good because he sees a lot). I could not have been given better news!!! I am more blessed than I know.

I told my husband Steve that I truly believe God knew I would lose my mind if I'd had to have radiation or chemo! When God says He won't allow you to be tested beyond what you can bear, I can give living testimony to that fact. I would have LOST my mind. After being with & watching Mom, trying to help her, run from her house to mine, spend time with my children, begin coaching in the fall & try to help my husband with our crazy schedules....I just know it would have more than I could have taken. I can take a lot but was careless when & I guess I dared the devil, because when I found out May 13 that I had cancer also, I walked around my house in a fog saying over and over and over "you will NOT win", "you will NOT win". He's trying his best with our entire family........ I assure you, but he will not win :)

Our family is strong, our faith is strong & our Godly friends are strong! I love the story in Exodus 17 where Moses & the Israelites are winning the battle as long as Moses holds his arms high. As Moses gets weary his arms began to lower & they begin to lose the battle. So, his brother Aaron & friends hold his arms for him and the Israelites begin to win again. God's people won the battle then & God's people will end up winning the battle now. We all help each other. This is one of my favorite stories because it shows that it takes all of us helping each other to make it through the trials in our lives!

My bone scan results were clear, praise GOD!!! Still waiting on the other tests. I have, however, had to take myself off my medication. I was taking valium for the muscle spasms. I was home with Emily, my 10 year old, & fell with every ounce in me into our wooden, marble table. I caught myself with my right arm and abdomen but it scared me!! I called the doctor & they said it was dehydration & to stop the pills. Every day I get less and less dizzy but still fall over if I lean down sometimes. It's frustrating! I was feeling great about 4 weeks out of surgery & then the dizzy thing, but I guess it was the valium making me feel great because I can definately feel the spasms returning. I am drinking & drinking & drinking & drinking (water :)

I've been told that the valium made me a walking truth teller & that I rambled on & told the same story over & over. Who knows who I talked to & what in the world I said. ha! I guess some of my friends know me better than they'd ever planned so please let me apologize!

I will try to be better on the blog now that I'm up more & able to type. I have no idea how many people follow, but Mom is always asking me to update. Thank you for your total covering of prayers for our whole family!

*Maybe say a special prayer for Dad. He's been through so much with Mom & then ends up taking me to appointments when Steve is out of town. He has taken care of Mom every step & has been taking care of me a lot too. He has so much stress that few of us realize. Please say an extra prayer for him. He's about to his maximum testing point too, I think.**

Late Blog

This post is late because it's taken me a while to write AND to get the drugs out of my system so I could see to type :) This was originally posted June 23.

About 2 weeks after surgery I spent a week or so crying .....just crying. I can't always give a reason. Sometimes, its' because someone sent a sweet text telling me they just got their mammogram. Yeah!! Sometimes, it's because a group of girls I've loved & coached wore pink ribbons in my honor to their game, then I received a charm bracelet from friends & other girls I'd coached at Grace Prep. The bracelet is one of the most special gifts I've ever been given. Precious to me!!! Sometimes, it's just processing the whole "cancer thing". I don't understand or know?????? I came home one day last week & traumatized my 15 year old because of my crying. It was wailing.......complete sorrow from everything in me. She was precious but I know I scared her. It's ok, she'll grow from it I know. She fed me dinner and laid in bed with me. (We were the only ones home).


This is only going to make us all stronger. The Bible tells us this & we know by the other trials we've lived through , but it's still so hard sometimes. You just feel alone. Even with the COMPLETE COVERING OF PRAYER from so many friends and family, it's amazing you can feel so alone.

Thank you so much for your prayers for all of us. Our whole family is being attacked by Satan in more ways than you could imagine. Please please continue to keep praying! We appreciate all of you!!!!

NEXT TO LAST!!!!!

Today was Mom's next to last chemo! We weren't sure she'd be able to receive it due to the sores on her arm & mouth, but she did. Her blood counts are really good on all levels, she has not gotten sick & has done fabulous to this point. We are so blessed & praise God that there is only one more treatment to go.

She found out the sores on her arm that were biopsied were shingles. H E L L O !!! Has a dermatologist never seen shingles before???? It was probably the chemo that made them present in a different way but frustrating that mom had to go through the 3 biopsies. Her arm is healing & feeling better.

God has been blessing Mom & Dad in so many ways. Two angels came with a special gift basket ......you just never know what God has in your future. All in God's time........God will always provide.

**please pray for mouth sores. Mom has been doing EVERYTHING possible to ward them off but they are starting again. It's hard to understand her when you talk to her. Please pray they go away!! ***