Thought you might like to see a collage of the day...thank you to Landon's family for making me feel so special! I miss the family reunions, maybe next year!!
Love,
Jamie
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
A family Reunion!!
Landon's family has a family reunion each year and for the 12+ years that I have been blessed to be a part or this awesome tradition (twelve as a wife and a once as a girlfriend), it is an much anticipated highlight of my year. This year, like several in the past, we were unable to make the trip to Utah for the reunion. I love Landon's family so much. I lucked out in the in-law department, his sisters are really amazing women and I really enjoy a lot of the relationships that I have made in his extended family. They are awesome people! So I was very touched when I found out that the 50+ people who made it to the reunion this year, sported some pink in my honor. After seeing the pictures and the video that Landon's cousin Holli put together, it looked like so much fun. There were pink aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews galore!! Pink shirts, pink spray for hair, pink scarves, pink necklaces, pink blow-up guitars and more. So fun!
Thought you might like to see a collage of the day...thank you to Landon's family for making me feel so special! I miss the family reunions, maybe next year!!
Love,
Jamie
Thought you might like to see a collage of the day...thank you to Landon's family for making me feel so special! I miss the family reunions, maybe next year!!
Love,
Jamie
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Hair today, so gone...annoying...irritating...bugging big time tomrrow!!
So the hair is long gone, buzzed by the fam. But for some reason unknown to me the gray ones,, and I am just going to leave it at there are more than one, and only my two hairdressers know the truth, will not die off with the rest. They BUG. I have to resist the urge to get tweezers and pull them all out. So my hubby suggested that getting a razor and shaving the whole head so that it was perfectly smooth. And I believe I married a genius, but that did the trick! Now my hats and wigs don't bug me at all...so much better.
Speaking of wigs, I need to address something for a moment. A while back, my darling friend Nicolette, who is a hairdresser but is currently on a break since she just had a baby, decided to open her home-salon for several days to her old clients to come and get color, cuts, and styles and she gave me all of the proceeds to me! I was so touched! She raised over $1000 just for me. I was able to buy not just one wig, but three reasonably priced wigs, one read, one brunette and one blonde!! And still use my Nicolette fund for downloading Itunes for chemo sessions, new books to put on my Kindle for chemo and comfy socks and sweats. There are so many things that I have bought to be more comfortable during this cancer journey and it has been SO NICE to be able to buy it and not worry how it will affect our budget. I love you Nicolette, you are one of the most beautiful women I know, but by far your HEART is your most beautiful feature!
Speaking of wigs, I need to address something for a moment. A while back, my darling friend Nicolette, who is a hairdresser but is currently on a break since she just had a baby, decided to open her home-salon for several days to her old clients to come and get color, cuts, and styles and she gave me all of the proceeds to me! I was so touched! She raised over $1000 just for me. I was able to buy not just one wig, but three reasonably priced wigs, one read, one brunette and one blonde!! And still use my Nicolette fund for downloading Itunes for chemo sessions, new books to put on my Kindle for chemo and comfy socks and sweats. There are so many things that I have bought to be more comfortable during this cancer journey and it has been SO NICE to be able to buy it and not worry how it will affect our budget. I love you Nicolette, you are one of the most beautiful women I know, but by far your HEART is your most beautiful feature!
A New Day!
Well, as my friend Cobin has instructed me to do, I am FINALLY cleaning of the dust that has sadly gathered on this blog and keeping the flow of info alive! That time I disappeared it was because I just felt so good, I didn't want to go back to chemo and rehash the unpleasant. This time was different. After my second week of chemo they sandwiched a high dose of radiation in. It was a high dose in a shorter amount of time. I would go everyday for fifteen minutes. They, of course go over the side effects with you, but do so in such a sing-song nice voice that you kind of breeze over it. Dry mouth, fatigue, skin irritation, and diarrhea were mentioned with out much alarm or concern and then me moved on.
At the beginning everything was fine, at the end of the first week I was a walking zombie, no check that crap, laying-on-the-couch-directing-orders-zombie. I had all the energy drained out of me. ALL OF IT. I felt horrible. They kept checking my blood and my oxygen carrying red blood cells got so low I almost needed a blood transfusion.
Then just as my count finally started to come up, I was beginning to feel slightly better, avoided the blood transfusion by .4, a whole different set of problems hit. It starts with Dia and ends with rrhea. HOLY COW. They had told me that since the radiation would be going through some of the intestines that might pose me some problems. Did it ever. I have never been that sick! I lost 9 pounds, never felt hungry, was so sore, couldn't keep anything in, was desperately trying to stay hydrated but was slowly failing, was taking Ammodium AD like it was going out of style and ............still ended up in the ER. They filled me up with fluids and sent me home. I did get a cool sign on my door that said this lady is a chemo patient don't go in her room with checking in first. Rock On! I was so sick they had to push my chemo out a week so I could recover...no since throwing chemo in on top of this hot mess, I would never recover. SO, now I feel much better have recovered, and I get to start feeling like crap again probably tomorrow night or Sat. :)
But you know, I continually am looking for the positive. HOW ELSE CAN I GET THROUGH? God is helping me stay positive and notice each thing I can be grateful for through all of this. My supportive hubby has been great, my family is taking turns coming out to VA to help, my friends are my local family and they have been such a help, and I am the topic of many prayers and good vibes. I am lucky that I have the means to afford wonderful treatment, live in this wonderful country and have such a loving support system.
P.S. I am trying to watch funny movies as much as possible so please send in suggestions of your favs!! :)
At the beginning everything was fine, at the end of the first week I was a walking zombie, no check that crap, laying-on-the-couch-directing-orders-zombie. I had all the energy drained out of me. ALL OF IT. I felt horrible. They kept checking my blood and my oxygen carrying red blood cells got so low I almost needed a blood transfusion.
Then just as my count finally started to come up, I was beginning to feel slightly better, avoided the blood transfusion by .4, a whole different set of problems hit. It starts with Dia and ends with rrhea. HOLY COW. They had told me that since the radiation would be going through some of the intestines that might pose me some problems. Did it ever. I have never been that sick! I lost 9 pounds, never felt hungry, was so sore, couldn't keep anything in, was desperately trying to stay hydrated but was slowly failing, was taking Ammodium AD like it was going out of style and ............still ended up in the ER. They filled me up with fluids and sent me home. I did get a cool sign on my door that said this lady is a chemo patient don't go in her room with checking in first. Rock On! I was so sick they had to push my chemo out a week so I could recover...no since throwing chemo in on top of this hot mess, I would never recover. SO, now I feel much better have recovered, and I get to start feeling like crap again probably tomorrow night or Sat. :)
But you know, I continually am looking for the positive. HOW ELSE CAN I GET THROUGH? God is helping me stay positive and notice each thing I can be grateful for through all of this. My supportive hubby has been great, my family is taking turns coming out to VA to help, my friends are my local family and they have been such a help, and I am the topic of many prayers and good vibes. I am lucky that I have the means to afford wonderful treatment, live in this wonderful country and have such a loving support system.
P.S. I am trying to watch funny movies as much as possible so please send in suggestions of your favs!! :)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Lots and Lots and Lots of LOVE
Saying that LJ and I are extremely blessed in family and friends is certainly the understatement of the year. Our family has sacrificed their time to come visit on moments notice, help clean up the house, get everything put back on the walls and in closets (things were taken apart in prep for our Taiwan move), sent me so many amazing presents that make me smile, pinked up our hair, got a football signed by a KC Chiefs player, buzzed/put pink in their hair, working on hats for my bald head, and coordinated a Suzanne G. Komen race in my honor. I love my family!
Our friends have cooked, called, babysat, fixed Lj's explorer (Pres, Darin, Elijah...my deepest thanks) brought over the most thoughtful gifts, sent wonderful packages from Missouri stocked with laughs and smiles, and poured out an immeasurable amount of love! I can feel the support coming in from so many places, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, Alaska, Italy, Taiwan, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, and soooo many more wonderful places. I feel the love and the prayers!
Our friends have cooked, called, babysat, fixed Lj's explorer (Pres, Darin, Elijah...my deepest thanks) brought over the most thoughtful gifts, sent wonderful packages from Missouri stocked with laughs and smiles, and poured out an immeasurable amount of love! I can feel the support coming in from so many places, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, Alaska, Italy, Taiwan, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, and soooo many more wonderful places. I feel the love and the prayers!
Hello Chemo numero 2!
I am hooked up, premeds all in, done with loopy half-hour from Benedryl (kind of fun) and am now started on the hard stuff. Today will be shorter, only 4.5 to 5 hours today, I will get my shot tomorrow and Aredia treatment next weeks so that breaks things up a bit. My doc gave me new nausea meds, and some Percoset pain meds to combat all of the body aches and bone pain from the Nulasta shot and Aredia bone strengthening treatments. So hopefully it will be smoother ride this time.
My awesome husband took the day off and is having a "Daddy Day" today with the kids. They were SO excited to have their dad home from work! It was adorable. Shelley has been been awesome to hang out with this week, and she is accompanying me to chemo today. She has been working so hard on my race/walk and so many people have donated/sent packages/sent sweet cards/words of support and I am soooo grateful. It really does make my day make me feel better.
Today I am updating my blog for my loving loyal followers and then I am going to work on thank you notes, read a bit on my (gasp) Kindle, and then watch some Twilight (prob Eclipse) with Shell. Chemo and Twilight...can it get any better than that? My first day of chemo I started re-re-re-reading Twilight for bazillionith time and the chapter I ended on was chapter 14: MIND OVER MATTER. That is what I have to keep telling myself about this journey, I can do it!! Mind over Matter, thanks Stephenie Meyer! LOL.
As I look around (see pic) and think I should be in an ad for Target or Best Buy! I have my camera, (gasp) Kindle, DVD, IPOD, and Laptop. I am a high tech chemo gal! :)
JJ
My awesome husband took the day off and is having a "Daddy Day" today with the kids. They were SO excited to have their dad home from work! It was adorable. Shelley has been been awesome to hang out with this week, and she is accompanying me to chemo today. She has been working so hard on my race/walk and so many people have donated/sent packages/sent sweet cards/words of support and I am soooo grateful. It really does make my day make me feel better.
Today I am updating my blog for my loving loyal followers and then I am going to work on thank you notes, read a bit on my (gasp) Kindle, and then watch some Twilight (prob Eclipse) with Shell. Chemo and Twilight...can it get any better than that? My first day of chemo I started re-re-re-reading Twilight for bazillionith time and the chapter I ended on was chapter 14: MIND OVER MATTER. That is what I have to keep telling myself about this journey, I can do it!! Mind over Matter, thanks Stephenie Meyer! LOL.
As I look around (see pic) and think I should be in an ad for Target or Best Buy! I have my camera, (gasp) Kindle, DVD, IPOD, and Laptop. I am a high tech chemo gal! :)
JJ
Finally a Doctor Update!!
I am back!! I am sitting here at my second round of chemo chatting with my sis, two lovely ladies that are here getting treatment for ovarian cancer, and my favorite nurse Rachelle.
August 14: I need to recap the-total-hell-that-was-chemo-round #1: The meds I am on are Taxol, Carboplatin, Herceptin, Nulasta and Aredia. I first had an appointment with my Radiologist to go over our Radiation plan that will start on the 15th, then I started chemo. I was here ALL DAY, we shut the place down, I was the last one to leave. I felt fine during treatment, luckily didn't have any allergic reactions to the meds, and had a nice day hanging out with LJ. I came back Friday for my Nulasta shot (helps keep my white blood count from dropping too low) and my two hour Aredia treatment (bone strengthening). At the end of the Aredia I was really starting to get tired. By the time we got home I was exhausted! Then my legs started to hurt, the migraine, started to set in and then ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!!! :(
Saturday...Felt like I had been hit by a truck..., threw up, add in a migraine
Sunday...still ran over...with a migraine
Monday....bruised...migraine, went to pool and sat in loungy chair to watch kids...
Tuesday...a little bit myself...after my migraine went away
Wednesday...finally feeling better...saw my doctor and next time he swears we are "tweak" treatment next time so that I won't feel so awful. Fingers crossed!
August 14: I need to recap the-total-hell-that-was-chemo-round #1: The meds I am on are Taxol, Carboplatin, Herceptin, Nulasta and Aredia. I first had an appointment with my Radiologist to go over our Radiation plan that will start on the 15th, then I started chemo. I was here ALL DAY, we shut the place down, I was the last one to leave. I felt fine during treatment, luckily didn't have any allergic reactions to the meds, and had a nice day hanging out with LJ. I came back Friday for my Nulasta shot (helps keep my white blood count from dropping too low) and my two hour Aredia treatment (bone strengthening). At the end of the Aredia I was really starting to get tired. By the time we got home I was exhausted! Then my legs started to hurt, the migraine, started to set in and then ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!!! :(
Saturday...Felt like I had been hit by a truck..., threw up, add in a migraine
Sunday...still ran over...with a migraine
Monday....bruised...migraine, went to pool and sat in loungy chair to watch kids...
Tuesday...a little bit myself...after my migraine went away
Wednesday...finally feeling better...saw my doctor and next time he swears we are "tweak" treatment next time so that I won't feel so awful. Fingers crossed!
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