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.