Uneventful

Today my Herceptin treatment was uneventful......just the way I like it. One week from today will be my last "hard core" chemo treatment. Hooray! I've come so far.

My family celebrated a milestone this week. Our oldest child turned 10. Wow! A whole decade! It seems like just the other day we were driving to the hospital on a hot summer evening with monsoon winds threatening a storm. He was a quick delivery......thankfully after 3 months of strict bedrest. These 10 years have also gone by very quickly. We are so proud of our oldest son. All three kids do things to amaze us and make us laugh and scream everyday. They are so very special. Laugh with your kids today in moments of carefree timelessness. It's the best gift you can give them. Love, srb

One more to go!

On Thursday my counts were good so I had my 3rd Taxol treatment. Hooray! Only one more to go. It was pretty uneventful except for once Taxol started pumping the tubing leaked. I didn't realize it until my pants were wet. I wasn't too alarmed, but my nurses were anxious to get my wet clothes off and clean my skin. It is toxic so it could cause a rash on my skin. I was more worried about getting out of there on time so Mom & I could pick the kids up. My mom took me to this treatment. It's so nice to have company. The three pictures below are from my previous treatment on August 13 with my friend, one with my mom and one with the three nurses that take great care of me during my treatments. You can see I'm wearing scrubs in the last photo.....I almost look like one of the nurses. Ha!

Today is Sunday and I'm feeling ok. The bone pain isn't as intense as my last Taxol treatment. Yesterday I was tired and achy, but not much bone pain. Today I'm having some bone pain. It will pass.

Only one more treatment to go! It should be on September 3 assuming my counts are good that day. Hope you have a great week!! Love, srb

Come on platelets!

Today I had a blood draw to check my counts for tomorrow's chemo treatment. I'm hoping all my counts are strong....especially platelets that were too low last week. I'm sure I'll be fine and will get both Taxol & Herceptin.

As you can imagine, I get many medical bills...almost everyday. We have awesome insurance and everything is 100% covered after we met our deductible. Some of the charges are unbelievable. For example, when I go for treatment tomorrow the drugs and IV supplies will cost $33,727. Crazy!

I'm thankful my husband is employed. I'm thankful I can stay home to raise our children. I'm thankful we have remarkable health insurance. I'm thankful for Farmer Jeff who grows amazing organic produce. I'm thankful for all the friends and family who enrich our lives. I'm thankful you are reading my blog! Love, srb

Setback

Today did not go as planned. I was suppose to get Taxol & Herceptin, but my blood counts were not high enough. All of the cells in the blood, red blood cells, all types of white blood cells, and platelets are made in the bone marrow. Since these are fast dividing cells, the chemo drugs attack them. My bone marrow has worked really hard to overcome these attacks, but it's getting sluggish now that I'm near the end of my treatment. This is common. My white & red blood counts were acceptable; however, my platelets were too low (Thrombocytopenia). Mine are 85 and they need to be at 100 or above. Platelets are the smallest cell-like structures in the blood and are important for blood clotting and plugging damaged blood vessels. I have an increased risk of bleeding & bruising easily while my platelets are low. More time will give my bone marrow a chance to catch up, so I had to skip Taxol today and we'll try again next Thursday. This was disappointing because it will push out my finish date to September 3. I have to remind myself that 1 week is no big deal. I'm so close to the finish line and I will cross. I also need to remind myself that I've chose a "dose dense" aggressive treatment that is designed to allow only 1 week between chemo treatments instead of the typical two weeks. So, when I have little setbacks like hospital stays & low blood counts that push my schedule out a week, it is defaulting me back to a typical treatment schedule. This is not what I planned but I'm learning to roll with it. The frustrating part is that I feel really good......I'm not tired or sick. Oh, well....it is what it is and I have to wait another week. I did get Herceptin today.

I like this quote I recently read. Thought I would share with you.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Live the life you've imagined. ---Henry David Thoreau

Love, srb

Back on the Bike

It's been over 1 month since I rode my bike due to a combination of me not feeling well enough and the hot morning temps. This morning was different. The early morning temps were in the mid 70's......haven't seen that in 30+ days. With the cooler temps, I also have been feeling good. After Mark got back from his ride, I went out for an hour. What a beautiful morning. Gotta take advantage of the pleasant weather when you can......Wednesday's forecast is 111 with low temp of 85. Fall is still a ways off.
Have a great week!!!! Love, srb

Just Herceptin

On Thursday I got chemo, but just Herceptin. It only took 1 hour. The best part is that I suffered no ugly side-effects. What a nice treat! Only two more Taxol treatments. The end is near.

Here's a couple images from my stay in the hospital.

Thank goodness that is behind me. --srb

Taxol #2 done!

I completed my second round of Taxol (+ Herceptin) on Thursday. I was only in the office for 5.5hrs this time. I had delightful company and felt well the whole day. However, the Benadryl I get before the chemo knocks me out, so I was pretty tired. My body has rebounded well from the viral infection and my blood counts look good. On Friday, I felt amazingly vibrant. Then Saturday I felt like a bus hit me. I was exhausted and the bone pain was starting. Today is Sunday and I'm not quite as tired, but the bone pain is more intense. It's like the worse growing pains you can remember from your childhood. Occasionally I'll get shooting pain in my femurs that stop me in my tracks. The bones in my feet ache which makes it uncomfortable to walk at times. I think today will be the peak of the pain and tomorrow it should start to dissipate. It doesn't last too long and that's what makes it tolerable.

This week I get Herceptin on Thursday. I should be in the office for about an hour. Quick & easy! I'm so happy it's August! No more chemo after this month. Hooray!!

Thank you for your prayers. They are so powerful in helping me to heal. Thank you for your calls, e-mails and cards that encourage me & give me hope. They lift my spirits and remind me that I'm not forgotten. I'm filled with gratitude for all the family & friends that are helping us through this challenge. I'm also grateful for my eyebrows and eyelashes!!! Life is good!

Love you, srb