God's precious miracles

We were blessed once again with the birth of another grandchild. Katelyn Elizabeth Besteman was born last night at 10:55 pm. She weighed in at 7 lbs 6 oz and is 20 inches long. Robyn had an easy, short labor and both her and baby are doing well. We give thanks to God for blessing us once again. He has truly been there for our family this year!

The picture on the right is of Hailey meeting her cousin for the first time. Hailey is now 2 months old and weighs 10 lbs 10 oz. Check out the Calvin College t-shirt that she has on.

Merry Christmas

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We have been so blessed this year and this is a good time to sit back and thank God for all of those blessings.

I had my third surgery for the year on Tuesday. This time it was minor/outpatient surgery for a torn meniscus on both sides of my right knee. The surgery went really well and I am taking it easy with my leg elevated and iced periodically during the day. I am looking forward to pain free walking so that I can start to get back in shape for our next biking season.

Our vacation to Florida was really pleasant. We had great weather and lots of relaxation. It was a much needed break. Many thanks to Jerry and Marge Mathias and Steve and Kris Parker for putting us up for several nights. We also spent a week on Treasure Island with Len's sister (Marge) and brother-in-law(Mike). The attached picture was taken on the beach in front of the suites that we stayed in. I guess this is the closest Floridians get to having a snow man. What more could you ask for - great weather and great family and friends. I guess we could have asked for a longer vacation and more friends joining us! Maybe next year.

We are still waiting for our 5th grandchild to be born. Robyn and Dustin's second child is due December 26 and looks like it won't be coming early. They just hope that they get the extra tax deduction.

Have a Blessed Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

It is hard to believe that it has been 4 weeks since I finished radiation. The burns are finally feeling better and my energy is increasing. I have been working a few hours - trying to get a hang of the new computer system. It is really going to take a lot of work to feel comfortable. The other employees have been working on it for 6 months now, and are still struggling. Ugh! It does feel good to be getting my life back to normal though.

My hair is finally starting to fill out. I even got a little trimmed off this week to even it up. With the cold weather coming I am thankful to have hair!

Next week we are celebrating my 54th birthday and completion of treatment with a vacation in Florida. It will be so much fun to sit back and enjoy life! We have had a rough year - but now are done with the worst of it. I still have Herceptin infusions every 3 weeks and follow ups with my oncologist every 3 months, but am happy to be done with the rough stuff!

I went to an orthopedic doctor on Monday. I have been having a lot of pain in my right knee. In 2001 I was diagnosed with a torn meniscus, but with all our bicycling it hasn't bothered me until now. The surgeon said that I have also developed arthritis in that knee - probably due to the same injury. We have scheduled surgery for December 22 to have the meniscus repaired. I hope that I heal quickly since our daughter is due to have her baby on the 26th and of course we want to enjoy Christmas with the family. Len had the same surgery in February and was virtually pain free after the first day or so. I hope the same holds true for me.

Our granddaughter, Hailey is doing great. She is 5 weeks old and still as cute as ever. I am waiting for her newborn pictures to come in so that I can post some.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope that you all take time to really enjoy this season. I have learned this year to be very thankful for all God has given me. Serious illnesses can really make you stop, evaluate your life and appreciate what you have.

Back on the bike again!

Thanks to the great weather the past 2 days, we were able to get out on our tandem. It really feels great to feel good enough to get a few miles on before winter hits. We rode 2 short rides on the White Pine Trail - logging a whopping 35 miles. I know that doesn't sound like much to many of our friends, but I haven't been on the bike since the first of June. Unfortunately, it won't be long before the snow starts falling. We are definitely looking forward to next spring!

It has been 6 days since my last radiation. I am still feeling pretty burned. I think that this is going to be a long time healing. My underarm area has peeled and is quite raw at this point. I thank God that they stopped with 28 treatments instead of going for 33!

I have been trying to work my way back into working part time again. They installed a new computer system while I was off - Ugh! I feel so lost. My stamina isn't the best yet, so I am limiting myself to 3 hours at a time in the store. It doesn't take me long to feel really "brain dead". Now I know what all the complaining about the new system was all about. It is very labor intensive, but seems to have some good points. It is just a lot to learn.

Give thanks for all that God has done! He has really been there for us! We have never felt so blessed!

Last Radiation tomorrow!!!!!!!

I got great news today. My last radiation is tomorrow instead of next week, Wednesday. I don't know why they changed my therapy - but I am so glad to be almost done. I have an appointment with my radiation oncologist tomorrow, so I will find out then. Give me a week or so to recover from the burns and then I plan on doing major celebrating!!!!!

Attached are a couple of pictures of our new granddaughter. Both mom and baby are doing fine.

Len, Julie (our oldest daughter) and I volunteered at the DeVos Children's Hospital Halloween Party. We had a great time!

Baby Hailey is here!!

Our newest grandchild was born this morning. Her name is Hailey Elyse. She is a healthy, beautiful girl. She weighed in at 8lbs 15oz. After 19 plus hours of labor, Julie had a pretty traumatic C-section but her and Hailey are doing well now. Jason (our son) said that Julie was able to feel the entire procedure and was in agony. I cannot imagine how rough that would be. We thank God for keeping them both safe.

Today was my 21st radiation. I have 12 more to go. I saw my surgeon today and she drained some fluid off my left side. It has been accumulating since the drain was removed 4 weeks ago and was becoming inflamed. She sent some fluid off to be cultured, but said that it really didn't look like I had an infection. She did put me on an antibiotic, just in case.

Our granddaughter is due on Thursday. The ultrasound last week showed that she is over 9 pounds. The doctor said that they plan on inducing her if she doesn't come on her own by November 1. So, Hailey should be here by early next week at the latest. Can't wait! Our family has been hit by the flu bug, so I hope that everyone is better by then. I have kept my distance - I do not want it!

On Friday, Julie, Len and I are hosting a table at the DeVos Children's Hospital Halloween Party. Caleb (our oldest grandson) was in the hospital on Halloween a few years ago and it meant a lot to him that he could celebrate in a small way at the hospital. Len and I are going to dress up as clowns. I will post some pictures after the event.

Pumpkin Patch

Today was a great day. It was the first day in quite some time that we have had a mostly sunny day. It really helps to improve the mood! We spent the afternoon with most of our family and 2 of our grandchildren enjoying the season. Unfortunately Caleb, our oldest grandson was running a temperature so he and his mother (Julie) were unable to join us. We went on a hayride, through a corn maze and then spent a long time picking out just the right pumpkins. Braedon (our youngest grandson) kept telling us they were all too heavy. Hunter was able to find one right away, so Uncle Jason had to carry it around for quite some time. Then just as we were going to get on back on the hayride Hunter changed his mind and wanted a different pumpkin!

I am glad to have a couple of days off from radiation. I have had 15 treatments and have 18 to go. It has really gone faster than I expected. My skin has "pinked up" and has that tight sunburn feeling, but overall I have been feeling a little better than I have in the past few weeks.

Jason and Julie's baby is due in 2 weeks. She will be having another ultrasound on Thursday to try to determine the size of baby Hailey's head. I think they are trying to determine if she will need a C- section since the baby is already believed to be over 8 pounds. It looks like it won't be long before we finally have our first granddaughter. I have had a lot of fun buying little girl things for her and our daughter Robyn's baby.

Radiation progress

There is really nothing new to report. This picture is of me being set up for my treatment. The treatments only take 10-15 minutes, every day Monday through Friday. I have had 8 radiations and have 25 to go. So far there hasn't been much change. I have started to "pink up" a little and my skin feels tight like you would have with a mild sunburn. My energy hasn't changed much - I still tire easily. I have been told that my energy will decrease even more the farther into treatment I get. Oh well, the end is in sight! I had an appointment with my plastic surgeon yesterday and he is looking forward to getting started with the left side reconstruction. We have to wait until the radiation is done before anything can be done, but then let the magic begin.

Len and I were able to walk around Art Prize in Grand Rapids yesterday for a few hours. It was really nice to see all the fantastic art that is in and around the area. What a great event for the community.
I am beginning to really dread the thought of winter setting in. I hope to be feeling good enough to get back to work before the really bad weather sets in. The days are really long when Len is working his 12 hour shifts and I would really like to be able to join him behind the counter a few hours a week. The only thing that I am dreading about going back to work is learning the new computer system that was installed while I have been off.

Radiation started and drain removed

I started radiation yesterday. They told me to get aloe vera gel and aquaphor to apply 2-3 times per day. I feel like a greased pig. The aquaphor is an ointment that is made up largely of petroleum jelly (vaseline). They told me that it will not stop the burn from occuring, but will make me more comfortable. So far I have no feeling that they have done anything - with the exception of soreness in my right arm. I am hoping that it isn't causing lymphedema to develop this quickly.

My trip to the plastic surgeon was today. He removed the drain. Yeah!! I really didn't expect him to remove it since there still was a lot of fluid draining from it, but he was more concerned with an infection developing if it was left in for too long.

Julie (our daughter-in-law) had another ultrasound today. They were concerned about how large she is getting. She hasn't gained that much weight, but her tummy was measuring 5 weeks ahead. The ultrasound shows that baby Hailey is just on the big size. They are estimating that she is already around 7 1/2 pounds and her due date is still over 4 weeks away (October 29). There isn't much chance she is going to go past her due date. Julie and Jason didn't want her to be born on Halloween anyway!

Susan G Komen Walk

Yesterday was my first Susan G Komen Walk. I had no idea what a huge event this is. Our team raised over $1200 for the cause and the total for that was raised by all was over $400,000. Wow! It really felt great to be there with all of the supporters. The picture on the left is a group picture of the survivors. The one on the top is of me and my friend Ellen VanOssen who I met this spring. She just turned 30 and is battling this disease. I was really surprised at how many young women were in survivor shirts. It really shows me that this is not an older women's problem it is a problem for all women (and men) and we need to find a cure now so that no one else has to be touched by this. Thank you to all that supported our team. The following is the picture of our team.

As for my progress, I start radiation tomorrow. I will be seeing my oncologist, getting my 5th infusion of Herceptin and then have my first radiation. It will be a full afternoon. I have my next appointment with my plastic surgeon on Tuesday, but at this point it is unlikely that he will remove the drain. I hope to get it out soon - it will be 3 weeks since my surgery on Tuesday and I am really getting tired of it.

Radiation

I had my appointment today to prepare me for radiation. It was a lot more involved than I thought it would be. They made a mold for me to lay on to position me the same with each radiation and also a mold of my right breast so that they can concentrate the radiation on the breast skin and not the reconstructed breast area. It reminded me of the molds that they make of pregnant women's tummys. Len joked that I could probably keep it when they were done with it. No thanks!

My radiation starts on Monday, September 28 for 33 sessions. They will only be around 15 minutes long, Monday through Friday. My final day of radiation will be November 11 (Veteran's Day). I definitely will feel like a veteran of this ordeal by then.

As far as my hair is concerned - I never really lost everything so it is hard to tell how much growth I have gotten. I do feel that it is thicker and somewhat darker (less gray mixed in). Still not ready to go without my hat except at home.

I am still dealing with a drain and loss of energy - but with surgery behind me I hope to be getting the energy back soon. For all you MUTS that are planning on being at Jerry and Marge Mathias's tandem ride on Saturday - I plan on being in the sag wagon with Jerry. Marge is going to be Len's stocker - watch out Jerry, you may not get her back on a "wedgie" (Jerry just had knee surgery, so he is banned from the bike for a while).

Enjoy the weekend - looks like we are in for more normal temperatures starting next week. I sure wish we could retire to Florida for the winters. This winter in particular looks like it may get interesting.

Addendum from husband: She also got tattooed so that the radiation can be precisely focused and I now get to ride our bike with a "Tattooed Biker Mama"! Woohoo!!

Great News

My pathology report on my left breast showed no signs of additional cancer. Yeah!!! This is really exciting for me since it means that no further surgery or radiation is needed on that side! My surgeon said that everything is looking good - a little flat at this time, but my plastic surgeon will do his magic and I will have perky breasts again. Not many women at 53 years of age can say that! I still have a drain in the left side, but that too will be removed when the fluid levels decrease. As I have said many times before - God has truly blessed me!

One drain out

I had my first doctor appointment today since my surgery. My plastic surgeon said that everything is looking good even though I am black and blue and sore. The cultures from the fluid on my left side came back clear, so hopefully I will not have any more problem with fluid building up on that side. He removed the drain on that side so I now only have to cope with one drain. The other drain is still producing a large amount of fluid so I will probably not get that one out for at least another week. I have an appointment with my breast surgeon tomorrow and then on to the radiology oncologist on Thursday. Things are improving slowly - I still have very little energy, but hope to see an improvement in that soon. I am still planning on doing the Susan G Komen walk on the 26th. I plan on doing the one mile community walk with Julie and Robyn (my pregnant daughter-in-law and daughter) while the rest of our team does the 5K walk. Thanks for all the donations - together we will find a cure for this disease!

Post Surgery Update

I am pleased to report that I am doing well. I have been able to keep the pain to a minimum with tylenol, ultram and an occasional valium. We got home from the hospital around 6pm on Wednesday. I have two drains to keep the fluid from building up in the surgical sites. I don't like the drains, but I know how painful the fluid buildup can be - so I am happy to have them. I should be able to get one out on Tuesday, but the other one is producing a lot of fluid so it will probably be in for 2 weeks or so.

I want to thank everyone for all the thoughts and prayers, cards, flowers and meals that have been sent our way. We are truly blessed to have such a great support system. We are also blessed to have the greatest medical team treating me. We couldn't ask for a more compassionate team! God has really blessed us as we have gone through every step of our journey.

I meet with my radiation oncologist on Thursday to have tattoos placed where I will be having radiation. I hope to have a start date for the radiation at that time. I am finally able to see the end in sight. I will have 33 radiation treatments (Monday through Friday for 6 1/2 weeks) and then I will be done with the cancer treatments. Yeah!

We are planning a trip to Florida in December. We have rented a 2 bedroom suite with Len's sister and brother-in-law on Treasure Island for a week and plan on spending a few days visiting our tandem friends, Jerry and Marge in St Petersburg and Steve and Kris in Naples. It will really be nice to get away and enjoy life for a change!

Waiting to go home

Good morning! Vonnie had a good night or at least as good as you can expect with someone waking you up every hour or two. The pain has been pretty well under control with Acetaminophen and Ultram. They put up a roll-a-way for me and I was able to spend the night with her (also waking up every hour or two). She is looking forward to going home this afternoon. Before that can happen she will need to have a third antibiotic infusion. The other requirements to go home were using the bathroom and getting up and walking around which has already been accomplished.

Out of surgery

Surgery is done and all went well. Vonnie has two drains to contend with for a while. The surgery went quicker than expected -- around 3 hours plus a fair amount of time in recovery. She is alert and feeling well. Len

At hospital - second surgery

It is noon and Vonnie was wheeled into surgery around 15 minutes ago. The surgery is scheduled to take around 4 hours so hopefully she will be out somewhere around 4pm. The plan is to do her second mastectomy (left side this time) as well as reconstruction on the right side. The right side expander will come out and an implant will be put in. They will need to evaluate what is causing the fluid build up in the right breast (self diagnosed as a seroma) and decide if a drain is required. They would like to avoid a drain due to the increased chance of infection not to mention the discomfort and hassles it causes. So for now I sit and wait and pray that everything goes as planned.

Len

Komen walk team members wanted

The "Susan G. Komen for the cure" cancer walk is September 26. We are still looking for more walkers and supporters if anyone is interested. The event starts at 8am and goes until about 10am. in Grandville. All and anyone is welcome to join us. Click on the link on the right labeled "Vonnie's Pink Team". There is a place to click on to either Join Vonnie's Team or Donate to Team (click "Support Vonnie). If you are unable to support in that way then we ask for your support on race day through prayer.

The second surgery is this coming Tuesday (Sept. 8). Please keep Vonnie in your prayers.

Fluid Buildup

I had another 10 ounces of fluid drained from around my implant today. My plastic surgeon doesn't know why this is happening and has concerns that I may have a problem after my surgery. During my left mastectomy surgery, he plans on exchanging the right side tissue expander with a silicone implant. His concern is that I will be starting radiation 3 weeks after surgery and if an infection develops he may have to remove the implant and he doesn't want to work on irradiated tissue. He also wants to get the tissue expander out since it has flipped out of position and has been really uncomfortable for me. So far there is no sign of infection, just unexplained fluid buildup. It is possible that it was caused by the chemo and that the farther out from the chemo the less fluid I will have. Let's hope that is the case.

Over all I have been feeling better. The farther out from chemo I get, the stronger I feel. With the fluid gone I should have a great week ahead. Surgery is still scheduled for September 8.

Bouncing Back

I am finally starting to bounce back. My white and red blood count tested really low last Monday. Thank God that I don't have to go back for more chemo tomorrow! I can enjoy my Monday for a change! In addition to being tired and sore, I developed a urinary tract infection. I guess that goes along with a low white blood cell count. Only 16 days until my left side mastectomy, so I plan on feeling great by then. Hopefully we will be able to get some short bike rides in between now and then.

I have been spending a lot of my time quilting. I just finished a pink and green baby quilt for Robyn and Dustin - we are so hoping that she is carrying a girl since the ultrasound wasn't 100 percent conclusive. The top two pictures show this baby quilt. I have really had fun learning how to machine free hand quilt as you should be able to tell from the picture of the back of this quilt (the green picture). I also made a quilt for our house (the one with the animals) and a tote bag for me. I have several projects in mind to do. I think that I have really become addicted! Thanks, Marge for encouraging me to get started.

Let the HAIR begin!

The end of chemotherapy signals the start of the SLOW regrowth of hair. This picture shows the progression of hair growth thanks to the artist Karin Stack. Ms. Stack was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and to deal with her illness she chronicled the post-chemotherapy phase of her cancer. She took 52 successive pictures taken of her scalp at one week intervals as her hair grew back. This should give you and us an idea of what to expect. Let the hair growth begin!

Chemo is done!!!!!!!!!

Click on pictures for larger view.

I had my last chemo this morning. Yeah!!!! Now I just have to deal with the side effects for a couple of weeks and then on to better days. I still face additional surgery and radiation but that should be a lot easier than chemo. I thank all of you for the support you have given me over the past 6 months. I am so blessed to have such a great spouse, great family, great friends and such a Great God to watch over me through everything.

Our house was decorated (inside and out) in a "Graduation from Chemo" theme when we got home, thanks to all three kids and their families. I think they are just as happy as we are to have this behind them. Now we can concentrate of healing. We also had two meals delivered - many thanks to our "angels" Karen and Betsy.

My dad got home from the hospital at noon today - another answer to prayers.

Pressure Relieved !!!!

I am feeling much better - I just had almost 12 ounces of fluid drained from around my tissue expander in my right breast. My breast is now 1/2 the size that it was. It is amazing how painful that can be. Thank you, Dr Livingston for relieving my pain! He is not sure why I developed the fluid, but it does not appear to be from an infection. I am just glad that it is gone!! My appointment was supposed to be a pre-surgery consult. Obviously, that didn't happen - I rescheduled that for next week.

My dad is in the hospital with two blood clots in his lungs and congestive heart failure. He had surgery on his shoulder last week. He has been retaining fluid in his legs for some time and is also diabetic. He has been put on a strict diet as well as on coumadin for the blood clot and a diuretic for the fluid retention. He seems to be doing well, according to my mom. Please pray that this continues and that the medical team can determine where the blood clots are coming from (legs or shoulder).

My last chemo is Monday. I am so happy to be almost done with this portion of my treatment. I hope to be feeling so much better in a few weeks and am really looking forward to seeing some hair growth soon. From what I have heard, I should have some growth about a month after the end of chemo. I am really curious to see how what it will look like - probably curly and gray. I don't care, I will just be happy to have hair again!

Baby ..........?

My lab tests today were really good. I am surprised at how well the neulasta shot works. My white blood count was the highest it has been since I started chemo. I am still experiencing fatigue, but that is to be expected. I will soon be over with this part of my treatment. My last chemo is next Monday. Yeah!

Robyn and Dustin had an ultrasound today. They are having a baby ............. No boy parts were seen, but it wasn't conclusive that it was a girl. Robyn was so looking forward to finding out ahead of time. She isn't sure if the insurance will pay for another ultrasound, so it may be a surprise - just like in the "old days". So much for shopping ahead of time!

Medical error

Today was the second to last chemo treatment. The day did not go exactly as planned. Somehow the schedule of treatments got "screwed up". The Taxotere is on a every two week schedule and the Herceptin is on a every three week schedule. Taxotere was scheduled for today and Herceptin scheduled for next week since it was given two weeks ago. Someone got the schedule wrong and Vonnie got both Herceptin and Taxotere today. Normally we look at the IV bags to verify the name and drug but after 8 previous sessions we neglected to do so and didn't see the error in time. There is little chance of it causing any problems (we are told) other than possible issues with the insurance company. That problem belongs to the Doctor. Our problem is in the scheduling. The future Herceptin treatments will now be one week earlier than previously scheduled. That puts one of them scheduled for the same day as the already scheduled second Mastectomy and another during a planned vacation. We will need to work out changes in these treatment dates.

As for how Vonnie has been feeling, the past few days have been "pretty good". The body aches and fatigue are always present but have been much more tolerable as she approached this next treatment. In other words just as she starts getting "good days" it is time for chemo again. The good news is that there is only ONE more chemo treatment to go!

Since Vonnie's white blood count was low (barely high enough to receive chemo), she will have to have the Neulasta shot tomorrow. This will help to ensure that the surgery and radiation can go as scheduled. This is quite a disappointment, since this shot brings severe bone pain for two days starting approximately 24 hours after getting it. She can't wait for this to be over!

Feeling better

Only 2 more chemo's to go! I am starting to feel somewhat better. My lab tests today looked good, for that I am really thankful. My oncologist thought that I would need the Neulasta shot in order to continue chemo every two weeks. So far, so good - I have been able to keep up my white blood count without it. I thought that the chemo would be easier once I started Taxotere. That hasn't been the case. Thankfully I haven't had the fever that I experienced after the first Taxotere (other than one night). This chemo makes me ache all over for over a week and is giving me sore feet and hands (Hand and Foot Syndrome). I also have been treating a thrush infection for over 3 weeks. I am beginning to wonder if I will have thrush until well after the chemo is done. Fun!

Okay, I am done complaining. I am so thankful for the drugs available to treat this dreaded disease and to help me keep going. I can't imagine having the nausea that people experienced 20 years ago. I am also thankful to a great husband and family that have been by my side every step of the way. I am getting through this and one day I will be looking back praising God for healing me!

I hope that you take the time to enjoy your family and friends. They are God's blessing to us.

Fever is back

Looks like we were too optimistic. I wrote this afternoon that I was feeling much better but tonight the fever has returned. I had 12 days of fever after the previous Taxotere infusion but the Doc said it must have been a virus and not caused by the drug. If the drug doesn't cause it then why is it back?

Two more to go!

We had a good week at the lake with the exception of last Thursday. My temperature spiked again and Len called the emergency line about 9 pm when it got up to 101.4. The doctor told us that we could probably wait until morning and then go in to the cancer center to have more lab tests run. On Friday morning my labs came out really good. My doctor has no idea what was causing the fever - but it is now gone. It is possible that it was just a virus that I had a hard time fighting. Twelve days in a row with a fever is not a whole lot of fun!
On Saturday we had 20 riders come out to the lake for a tandem ride. It was a beautiful day for all. I met them for lunch in Middleville and we had a great pot luck at the campground in the evening. It was a busy day, but it was great to see everyone. On Sunday we had a visit from one of my dear friends from high school. Thanks, Donna for coming out - it was so great to see you.
I had my second Taxotere on Monday and my first Herceptin. I have two more Taxotere infusions and a year of Herceptin - given every three weeks. So far, so good. I was feeling good enough to go back out to the campground after my chemo on Monday and had a good day yesterday. We are home now and Len is off to work. Julie and Jason gave me the chemo surprise this time. They gave me the beautiful necklace that I am wearing in this picture, some daily inspiration note cards, three magnets for the refrigerator (my favorite one says "It is okay for me to take a nap") and some jelly bellys. Thanks!

Better living through drugs!

What a difference a day makes! I am feeling so much better today and haven't had a fever since the middle of the night last night. I think that I had a sinus infection, since now I have relief from a headache and major drainage. I am on the road to recovery - yeah!

We are going camping today after Len gets out of work and hope to enjoy the time away. We have scheduled a tandem bike ride and potluck on Saturday from the campground and I now am looking forward to it. I probably won't be riding, but it will be great to be a part of the group anyway that I can.

Our daughters are planning on coming out on Friday with the kids. We are looking forward to them joining us for the day.

My eighth chemo is this coming Monday and I have my second mastectomy surgery scheduled for September 8. I am able to feel the progress in my treatment moving along.

Thank God for good drugs - I am so happy to be feeling better!

Fevers Continue and Surgery Scheduled

I am still experiencing fevers off and on each day. I had blood drawn for cultures yesterday and they showed no growth. I guess this is good news - but I still don't have an answer why I am still getting fevers. I just got off the phone with the nurse at the cancer center and she is calling in an antibiotic in hopes that they can get me feeling better before my next chemo (Monday, July 13).

We had a productive day visiting with my radiation oncologist and my breast surgeon. If I can stay on track with my chemo, I will be having my left side mastectomy the week of Labor Day and start 6 1/2 weeks of radiation therapy 2-3 weeks later. I am so ready for this to all be done!!!!

Finally a better day

Yesterday was a better day. I still had a fever Thursday night (my highest 101.2) but it broke in the night. I was told to call the cancer center if my fever got over 100.5. I called when it was 100.7 and the doctor on call said that it wasn't much of a fever and to "keep an eye on it". What is that supposed to mean? Keep an eye on it to what temperature? I felt really low after that and felt that he didn't care. Thankfully it didn't get much higher. It has been a strange week - fever normal throughout the day and going up starting around 4pm. I added a new symptom yesterday. I seem to have developed hand and foot syndrome. It is on the heels of my feet and it is like having a sunburn and dry cracked skin. Fun to walk on. The oncologist's office was closed yesterday so I searched the internet for what to do. I have taken extra Vitamin B6 and applied Bag Balm to the areas and iced them. It seems to help. They were quite sore yesterday, but seem to be clearing. I also found out that this condition will only get worse with progressive treatments and that they may have to change to a different chemo, lengthen the time between treatments or reduce the amount that they give me each time. So, a new development! Whoopee!

HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY!

First Taxotere

I have had another rough week. The Taxotere hit me hard. I have been laying low, with aches and pain, diarhea and a low grade fever for the past 3 days and now have a thrush infection. Len took me into the cancer center today after I talked to my nurse. She wanted to check my blood levels. Surprisingly the levels were better than she expected. She hooked me up to an IV giving me one liter of hydration in hopes of "perking" me up. She thinks that I may have a virus or possibly just run down from getting my Taxotere too soon after the FEC. I am so tired of being tired all the time! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Len and I will be celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary on Friday. Of course, he is working 9-9 so the celebration will have to wait until Saturday. We are so lucky to have spent so many great years together and look forward to many, many more. We would also like to wish our daughter and son-in-law (Robyn and Dustin) happy 5th anniversary - they were also married on July 3.

Happy 4th of July to all of our friends and family! We love you all and appreciate all the support!

Vonnie

One more down, 3 to go!

I have had a rough two weeks, but am feeling better. I had a great time last week with all of our dear friends from our tandem bicycle club. I wish I would have had a lot more energy - but there will be other times for that. It felt really good to be surround by such a great group! Thanks for all the help that you gave Len and me on this tour. You are all very special to us! This picture shows part of our tandem group getting ready to ride on our day off in Three Rivers. We had 14 couples that rode the tour this year. In this group we have 2 breast cancer survivors (besides me) and one double lung transplant recipient and they are all still enjoying life!!!!

I am home from my first Taxotere treatment. Everything went well. Dr Mark Campbell (my oncologist) suggested that we do these treatments at 2 week intervals instead of 3 week intervals since I will not be getting the Carboplatin (the drug our insurance refused to pay for). My next infusion will be Monday, July 13 (we chose this date so that we could have all the rest of my chemo infusions falling on Len's day off). He also is not giving me the Neulasta shot this time and I may not need it for the last 3 infusions. Pray that my white blood counts stay high enough to make this possible. I really would love to not have to indure all that pain! So, August 10 should be my last chemo. Yeah - I can see the end of this step. We will meet with the radiation oncologist and breast surgeon on July 7 to discuss how we proceed after chemo. We would like to get the surgery done first (four weeks after chemo ends) and then radiation after that. My plastic surgeon and breast surgeon felt that it would be best to make the exchange of the expander with the silicone implant prior to radiation, since radiated skin takes a long time to heal before any work can be done. They would also do the second mastectomy and place an expander in the left side at this time as well. We just need to discuss this with the radiation oncologist to get his feeling on putting off the radiation until October. So, we should know more after our appointments on July 7.

I'm sure that you are all wondering what our kids did for me this time. Our oldest daughter, Julie brought over one quilting magazine, one crafting magazine, a pink U of M hat, and dove chocolate (which I will be hiding from Len!). We surely have great kids - don't you agree?

Thanks again for all the prayers said on our behalf. God is truly good and we praise him every day for all that he has given us!

FEC done - Hemoglobin low

Last week was Vonnie's last chemo with FEC. The next 12 weeks will be Taxotere. Vonnie had her last FEC on Wednesday (a day early) so she could spend some time with our Tandem bicycle club tour that she and I (Len) have been planning for the past year. Her recovery time from the chemo has been getting progressively longer. She felt good enough to drive herself to Three Rivers on Tuesday and I came up from Shipshewana to pick her up. Our friends were very glad to see her although not as glad as I was. It is rare that we are apart and after four days I REALLY missed her.

Well she did try a short amount of bike riding on Wednesday but that was all she could handle and decided to ride in the tow vehicle the next day. On Thursday her energy started deteriorating and she was developing blisters on her hands and feet for no apparent reason. By Friday afternoon she had enough and we left the bike tour early and headed home by way of the cancer center. The nurse said the blisters are rare but not unheard of. She had her CBC's taken and we determined that her red blood cell count is low. She is very tired and sore all over and has been napping a lot today (Saturday). We hope and pray that now that FEC is over the Taxotere therapy will be easier on her. We never did get the Carboplatin approved by the insurance company and cannot pay for it ourselves either. If the drug shows up on her therapy our insurance will deny all the chemotherapy. At least we finally got refunded the $6500 that we needed to pay for the first session. The check came today.

First Born turns Twenty-Ten.

I'm hijacking my mom's blog tonight to brag about the birthday gift I got from her. Mom made me a beautiful pink ribbon quilt! I love it, it's absolutely beautiful!!
Check out the photo.
It's right there ->
over... there... --->

Mom wanted a photo with me in it. I'm pretty sure I AM in it. Maybe behind the couch? Or under that quilt? I think I see a fuzzy from my shirt sticking out from under that quilt. I'm in there.

I turned twenty-ten on June 7th. Not twenty nine, not thirty, I'm twenty-ten. Did you know that I was due to be born on May 11th (right mom?) and was born June 7th?!! Maybe we should be celebrating my mom for the extended pregnancy and the horribly colicky first child she had. (I'm not admitting that was me. I am pretty sure I am not 30 years old, so it had to have been someone else.)

Thanks mom for bringing me, your first, your easiest, and your absolute favorite into the world! I love you!!

- Julie

Last FEC treatment today

I am having my last FEC chemo today. My daughter-in-law, Julie has agreed to take me since Len is working today. Thank you, Julie. I am excited to be almost done with this step. It has been easier than I expected (with the exception of the bone pain), but I am ready to go on to the next step. I pray that the Taxotere is an easier chemo to tolerate and that I may be able to skip the Neulasta shot (which is causing all the bone pain).

I am having this chemo a day early in the hopes of joining the MUTS bicycle tour part way through the tour. Len and I have spent the last year planning for this tour and I would love to be a part of it - even if only for a few days. There are 14 teams going this year and the tour is starting this weekend in South Haven, traveling south to Buchanen, Mi then to Potato Creek State Park in northern Indiana. The next stop is Shipshewana. I hope to join them in Shipshewana on Tuesday. They have a day off at Shipshewana and then on to Three Rivers, Mi on Thursday. They will return to South Haven on Saturday, June 20. It is always a great tour with our great tandem friends and the weather looks like it will be nice this year. For all those on the tour - ride safely and have fun!

My great friend, Ellen Zuidema will be coming in on from Detroit on Friday to spend the weekend with me while I recooperate from this chemo. It is going to be such a blessing having her here while Len is starting the tour. Thank you Ellen!

When I got home from chemo today I had another surprise. Robyn brought over a movie, card and candy and Erin got me another plant. Thanks for thinking of me as I go through another round of chemo.

Chemo #5

This time around I had a lot more nausea after chemo on Thursday and Friday morning. Then came the Neulasta shot on Friday afternoon. The pain began on Saturday afternoon and was mostly gone by Monday afternoon. Today I am almost back to my non-pain self. I found a fairly effective therapy of Tramadol, Acetaminophen and Lorazepam which helped me to "zone" out and sleep off and on for 2 full days. Today, I have only had Acetaminophen for the pain. Only one more FEC treatment left then 4 Taxatere chemo treatments. We talked to the chemo nurse and she said that "sometimes" the Neulasta shot isn't needed after the Taxatere treatments. That would be wonderful!!!! The pain from that shot has been the hardest part of my chemo so far.

I spent this morning at JoAnn Fabrics getting baby girl quilting fabric. I even found a great pattern that I would love to use, but I have to downsize it since it is for a twin size bed. I am really anxious to get started on it.

My next chemo is scheduled for next Wednesday (June 10) so that I can join our tandem tour on the following Tuesday. I probably won't be doing much riding, but it will be nice to be able to follow the tour and spend time with our friends.

Tickled Pink

We just got home from my 5th chemo. I am not looking forward to the next few days, but I am happy to be half way through the chemo treatments. I am still one of the "star" patients that has done really well through this. Dr Mark Campbell (great doctor by the way) says that most of his patients don't handle FEC this well.

As you can probably tell from the pictures, Jason and Julie are having a girl! Yeah! They showed up at the doctor's office with ultrasound pictures and a balloon. Their ultrasound appointment was just prior to my appointment. I am so excited that I can purchase pink baby stuff! We love our grandsons but it will really be nice to have a granddaughter to spoil.

Happy Memorial Day

What a beautiful day! We organized a last minute MUTS tandem ride for today and had a great response. It felt so good to be healthy enough to join the group for a ride. The ride was on the White Pine Trail starting in Comstock Park and riding north. We stopped in Rockford for lunch and most of the group added a few more miles going farther north on the trail while we rested in Rockford. Thank you for the great response and the many hugs and kind words of support that we got today. We feel so blessed to have so many great friends.

My 5th chemo is this Thursday, this will be the halfway point for chemo. It has gone well so far and I'm sure that is largely due to all the prayers said on my behalf. I am so thankful to have such a great support system. Len has been my rock as well as our daughters and son, their spouses and our grandsons. I count my many blessing every day!

Update and Baby news

I am feeling much better today. I made it through another chemo/neulasta. This time I had different drugs to try for the pain. I used a combination of Ultram, Tylenol and Valium starting Sunday. They really helped. Len even found an article on the web about trying Claritin to block the neulasta pain. He didn't find the article until Saturday night after I had gone to bed so I didn't start it until I was well into the pain. I think that it helped though. Saturday night the pain was almost unbearable but Sunday the pain wasn't as severe. I thank God for that. I am not sure if it was the Claritin or the combination of drugs I was experimenting with that made the difference.

Saturday we were informed of another grandbaby on the way. Robyn and Dustin are expecting baby number 2 - due December 26. What great news! Jason and Julie's baby is due November 2. This will make 5 grandchildren for us. We are truly blessed.

More surprises

Today we are celebrating Mother Day. Len, Robyn and I had to work last weekend and Jason was on a business trip to Los Angeles. It will be nice to have everyone here for lunch.

I am doing pretty good. This time around I had a lot more nausea and dizziness with the chemo. I feel well this morning but am not looking forward to the muscle aches and bone pain that will start latter today and not subside until Monday. I have two new drugs to try this time around. The Vicodin made me so dizzy - so I stopped taking it last time around. I have a prescription for Ultram and Darvocet to try this time. Hopefully one of them will give me relief.

Julie and Hunter brought over the after chemo surprises this time. Hunter picked out the purple spotted dinosaur. Thank you Hunter! The flowers are from Erin (co-worker at the pharmacy). Erin has given me a new flower with each chemo treatment. It has been really nice to have fresh flowers inside the house. Thanks, Erin.

Only 2 more FEC chemo treatments left, then I start with Taxotere. Taxotere chemo is given every 3 weeks for 4 treatments. Can't wait to be done with chemo. If all goes well I will be finished with chemo by Labor Day. Of course, I am then faced with the other mastectomy, radiation and reconstruction. From what I have read and heard, these will be a lot easier compared to the chemo.

Thanks again for all of the cards, visits, meals, kind words, prayers, etc. You are all helping me fight this disease. Your kindness is greatly appreciated.

Great friends

Yesterday I was surprised with this beautiful quilt. Our MUTS Tandem bike club family joined forces and went together to create this. Boy was I surprised! I didn't have any idea that we had so many creative and thoughtful friends. Several teams came over after their Tulip Time bike ride and we enjoyed a great pot luck supper. Thanks to all that contributed and thanks to Mary Robertson, Karen Pries, Penny McNicholas and Marge Mathius that organized and joined all the squares together. A special thank you to Marge who did all the finish work and machine quilted it to make the quilt extra special. It will be a constant reminder for me of all of your support every day of this journey. Be sure to click on the quilt pictures to see some of the fine work they put into it.

As for how I am doing. I have been feeling really good once I get past the body and muscle pain. By Monday afternoon (4 days after chemo) I am bouncing back. By Wednesday I am doing really good. This past Wednesday we were even able to get an 18 mile ride in on the tandem. It is on the good days that I feel that I am able to keep on going through this. I thank God for this. My blood counts have remained great - which is an added blessing.

Next chemo is this Thursday.

3 down - 7 to go

Today was my third chemo treatment. I am doing really good so far. With the exception of the major muscle/body aches and hot flashes I have weathered it really well. This time around I plan on dipping into the Vicodin. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are just not enough. If I take the Vicodin, maybe I will sleep through the pain. That is my hope. My labs have been better than they were prior to chemo starting. My nurse said that I am one of her only 2 "star" patients. God has answered all of your prayers and has made this ordeal bearable. Thanks also for all your cards/notes, phones calls, meals, flowers, gifts, etc. With all this support I am getting through this.

We came home to more treats from our kids. This time was Jason and Julie's turn. They left me a subscription to a quilting magazine and a beautiful breast cancer necklace that has "live, laugh and love" inscribed on it. Thank you! I think that the kids (and grandson's) are trying to one up each other. They have been great throughout this ordeal. I am so blessed!

Yesterday, we were able to get out and ride our tandem. We rode 14 miles and I felt good. I hope that I can continue to get a few miles on the bike at the end of each cycle.

My hair is pretty much gone now. The process of losing the hair has been interesting. The pigmented hair came out first leaving me with just white hair for awhile. That was a bit of a surprise. I wonder what it will be like when it starts growing back.

One more thing. We discovered that there is a 10 year old girl dealing with breast cancer. While there definately no right age to have this disease, 10 years old is just not right. She has a blog at: http://www.ourlittlesweetpea.com/

Thanks to all,

Vonnie

Sunday, Sunday

Sunday, Sunday
Cant trust that day
Sunday, Sunday
It just turns out that way
Whoa, Sunday, Sunday, wont go away
Sunday, Sunday, its here to stay

(My apologies to The Mamas and The Papas)

The Sunday after Chemotherapy has turned out to be the worst day. Chemo has been quite bearable due to the great anti-nausea drugs but the Neulasta shot (to stimulate the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells) is another story. During both of the two rounds of treatment, sometime Saturday afternoon begins bone and muscle pain. Sunday is "I got hit by a truck day". Everything hurts on Sunday but it is helpful to know that it will let up on Monday. Our nurse said that Vonnie is a "poster child" for the Neulasta. Her labs showed her counts (just prior to Chemo #2) where actually higher (better) than before she started chemo. It is good to know all this pain and the extreme expense of this drug is worth it. It is now Monday afternoon and the pain is almost gone.

Our son Jason came over on Saturday and spent the day working for us. He tilled the garden, helped us pick out a tree, dug a hole and planted it in the back yard. We will watch this tree recover and thrive as Vonnie does the same.

Round #2 and Hair Cut Day

Today was chemo #2. The blood test done just prior to chemo showed the white blood cells had recovered so well that the counts were actually above what they were prior to chemo #1. That was very good news. The day was beautiful and we were able to spend much of the time out in the sun on the deck along with our mascot Kemo Sabe. It made the process much more pleasant, as if you can say chemotherapy is pleasant.


This morning we discovered that the hair had begun taking its vacation. So we decided to send it on its way just a little bit early. We got home late afternoon and were surprised with a bunch of goodies and a movie from our daughter Robyn. That was soon followed by the delivery of a wonderful meal, thank you Heather. After supper we went outside and Len gave me a buzz cut. The picture to the right shows me with two of my grand kids. We expect that in the next couple days I will really shine!

With all this going on and Len working a week on week off schedule there was a concern about keeping up the lawn. I would generally cut the grass on the weeks that Len was working but that won't be practical this year. With the fenced in yard and only a small gate we could not use a commercial lawn service so our son and two son-in-laws came out and built us a new gate. Their fine work is shown below. Thank you Dan, Dustin and Jason.

Happy EASTER

Happy EASTER! We had a wonderful day going to church and spending the day with our three children, their spouses and our three grandsons. It was a real treat to have our family plan and prepare everything. We only had to show up! Thank you so much! I worked 4 hours yesterday at the pharmacy and spent the evening with good friends celebrating a retirement. Then after spending Easter with the family I find myself exhausted. We planned on an afternoon ride on our tandem but backed out and spent the rest of the day in my easy chair. We hope you all had a blessed Easter.

Insurance approval

It's Friday night. Yesterday was my appointment to get get blood work done and check my white blood cell counts. My blood counts were pretty good. They were below normal but still within the acceptable range that would be needed to have chemotherapy. The nurse said she was pleased with the levels so I guess that is good. I have been pretty tired this week but never had any nausea from the first session of chemo and I am very pleased with that. I pray that the next treatments go as well.

I got word today that the insurance company finally approved the treatment plan. They had to have the Carboplatin removed from the therapy before they would approve it. Insurance companies have far too much control over what the doctors can do. We told the Cancer center that we would pay for this drug ourselves but it seems that if they have it listed in the treatment that the insurance company would see it and deny everything. We need to see if there is any way around this assuming the Oncologist feels this is needed therapy.

I tried going back to work today. I took a four hour shift in the evening and that was plenty. I wouldn't have expected to be this tired after only 4 hours. I am scheduled for another 4 hours tomorrow. If I can handle it, I hope to work at least one shift every couple weeks just to keep my job. Next chemo is next Thursday. Will write again after that.

Vonnie

One down - Nine to go!

Just an update to let everyone know how I am doing. Yesterday, I felt like I was "coming down" with something - major body aches, slight nausea and tiredness. I woke up this morning feeling good again. I am so thankful for the minor symptoms that I have had so far. Hopefully this is a sign of how I will handle future treatments. One "off" day isn't too bad!! 

Two days past Chemo

It has been over 48 hours since chemotherapy. We were told that side effects sometime start on the following day but most likely the second day. So far so good. Yesterday she had some sinus congestion which cleared up. Today there have not been any noticeable adverse effects or nausea. We are crossing our fingers that this continues. That would be a wonderful surprise if it does.
Our chemo pet mascot has a name. KEMO SABE. Kemo Sabe will be attending the rest of the chemotherapy treatments with Vonnie.

Chemo #1

It has been an interesting day. Today was chemotherapy #1 that almost wasn’t. We got a call yesterday afternoon telling us that our insurance company denied coverage for our treatment plan. Huh? With chemo less than 24 hours away we began a series of phone conversations with the cancer center and an insurance company assigned case manager. After several phone calls we finally came to the conclusion (which we are still not totally sure about) that the insurance company does not agree with one of the chemotherapy drugs being used. The drug in question appears to be the carboplatin. Even though the carboplatin is in the second set of chemotherapy that starts 12 weeks from now all of the chemotherapy was denied. We had hoped that it would be resolved by our 9:45am appointment today, but it was not to be. We finally gave up hope for a resolution just prior to noon and, hoping and trusting that it will be resolved (it is in appeal), we decided to have the chemo today anyway. To do so we had to pay upfront in the amount of $6500! We will need to pay this every two weeks until the cancer center gets paid and is able to reimburse us. Cancer and chemo is stressful enough without having to deal with this!

Chemo was done around 5pm. So far Vonnie feels no ill effects, except for hot flashes. She really isn’t expecting any significant side effects for the first 24 hours. We came home and had a nice supper of soup. Thank you Joan for the great meal! We were surprised when we got home with tulips, balloons and goodies hidden around the house. We had an early “Easter egg hunt” thanks to our daughter Julie. Also included with the goodies was what we are calling a “chemo pet”. The attached picture shows a stuffed spotted leopard that will accompany Vonnie to her chemo treatments. We need a name and are asking you to help us name her. Click image to enlarge.

NAME THAT LEOPARD! If you have a suggestion please either put something in the blog comments or you may email us at lvsypkens@gmail.com.

24 Hours Before First Chemo

Tomorrow I am set to start chemo. I am ready to start crossing these sessions off my calendar, one by one. I have been so blessed with support from a great husband, great kids and grandchildren, friends, other family members, MUTS (our tandem bicycling family), our Westview Church family, and co-workers. I know that I am not in this alone and that is a great comfort. I have a good idea what to expect with the chemo and its effects on the body, but I am still a little anxious to see how it affects me. If I tolerate the chemo and don’t have to adjust the every 2 week schedule – Len will be able to be with me for the first 6 treatments and be off work for 5 days following these sessions. This will be a great help to have him here when I am at my worst.

Thanks for all the prayers, cards, flowers and meals that have been sent. I truly have a great support system!

I (or Len) will let you know tomorrow how things went. We love you all and appreciate all the support!

Vonnie