How the AC cycle works for us....

Many of our friends and family wonder how we are coping with the treatments.  The best comparison we can make is with the infamous Snoopy Work Week found on http://www.joke-of-the-day.com/  (I couldn't find anything about copyright and uses on this site but I did link to the source).



Visit http://www.joke-of-the-day.com/

 Sunday = the day/week before chemo
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday = first week after treatment; we noticed this last round was a bit tougher than the first one
Thursday = Week 2 after treatment
Friday, Saturday = Week 3 after treatment; time to psych up for the next round

Next week is round 3 of the AC regime - waahoo! We are anxious to get this stuff over with! Because this is week 3, there are lots of things we hope to get done this week....if the rain stops long enough!  We are planting a small garden and need to get those bedding plants in. There is always "stuff" to do"...it seems that some days it just takes a bit longer to get it done.

Hope this finds everyone well!  Enjoy the sunshine! Shelley & Bob

Cancer Awareness

Thank you to all our friends and family who are running in this year's Relay for Life on June 8, 2012 here in Regina and around the nation....it is very humbling to receive your emails and calls about your energy to participate as the result of my determination to kick cancer's butt! To Trish W. and her girls in Macklin, SK....way to organize an awareness event! Simply inspiring - thanks! To Eric, Mallory, Deb and Carla and many many others - good luck at the relay!

A dear friend and breast friend, Colleen K. just sent me a very simple heartfelt prayer from the World Cancer Day celebrations:
 
Dear God, I pray for a cure for cancer. Amen

Please keep finding a cure for ALL cancer in your heart and prayers.

Love to all, Shelley

Home Sweet Home

We survived the long weekend at the lake and are happy to have ventured out and back home safely!  It was a welcomed break with family and lake friends for us all!  We love the northern air!



Framework completed Sunday




Laying boards on Monday



Bob, Rob, Dad, Rich, Pooner, and Eric...mom and Karen too....worked hard on the weekend framing the dance floor, I mean, deck!  There will be one heck of a party on that deck summer 2013 when all this chemo is out of the way!  I may start training now!  Lots of laughs were had by all! I felt fairly good for the most part although I feel as though I slept away most of Saturday and Sunday.



It's back to routine here in Regina - hopefully will get my plants and "small" garden in sometime this week.  Today will be a day of rest (i.e. more than usually) to recover from the weekend!  We are so happy to have made it up there! 

A couple of traveling tips from "breast" friends were:

• Keep peppermints at all times as sucking on these can help with nausea (& they did)
• Keep crackers close by too ; nothing like a good ol' soda cracker
• Keep anti-nausea
• Keep when your body tells you too....no matter who is over to visit

We are thankful for the safe travels of our family and friends to and from the holiday weekend destinations...  Not every family is so lucky...may God bless and console the Darchuk family from Prince Albert.  Please say an extra prayer for them.

Have a wonderful week....remember it's a short work week - WAAHOO!!!  (I still like to celebrate those....and Fridays)!

Love to all, Shelley

Round 2 - DONE!

Waahoo! Round 2 is done! It was way easier mentally than that first one....and my rock, Bob was with me. So far I am feeling OK just the usual fatigue.  After having tea with Lynnell this morning, we had a laugh at the fact I usually fall asleep mid-sentence in the evening...OK, maybe late evening regardless of what is going on around me.  Now I just fall asleep mid-day :)


Bob the Barber



Bob added a new job to his ever growing resume...Bob the Barber!  He so graciously helped me take my already short hair down to the wood. This was a welcomed and timely haircut.  I gained a few nicknames over this as well....."Shelley O'Patches" and "Wiggy"  All in fun! One has to keep a sense of humour!

We are traveling to Emma Lake this weekend to visit the family and are looking forward to that!  I can sleep (almost) anywhere so long as I have all my drugs and hats and such.  Hopefully the weather cooperates so the deck can get built.

Wishing you all a safe and relaxing long weekend!  Love, Shelley

Ready for Round 2

Past the blood tests today so I am ready for Round 2 of chemo Tuesday afternoon. Also found out I have Factor V Heterozygous.  What is this exactly? Good question!!  This is the reason for blood clots developing post surgery; it is a gene mutation.  The Mayo Clinic defines it as  "a common inherited genetic disorder that can increase your chance of developing abnormal blood clots (thrombophilia), usually in your veins." (Mayo Clinic, 2012). Basically it means I am more likely to develop blood clots than the average person. I have been referred to University of Saskatchewan for genetic counselling...but....there is a two year waiting list - lol!! Dr. Kakumanu's solace was that I would at least be in the database.

Today we also talked about  probability and statistics of reocurance......with the combined therapies (surgery, AC and Taxol chemotherapy and Tamoxifin) there is a less than 10% chance of breast cancer reoccurrence.  Even if there is a reoccurrence, it is not a death sentence.  Basically this is good news although I personally would like to see that percent a lot lower.  The doc actually smiled when I asked him what I have to do to lower the chance of reoccurrence....he said I am doing it.

As for weight gain/loss...well, I showed a gain of 0.3 kg.  Not bad considering I was wearing those prosthesis and I am sure they weigh about 5+ pounds!!  The nurse had a laugh when I told her that! She agreed that these things are heavier than winter boots!!

Well Bob's plane should be arriving shortly from Ottawa...love to all! Shelley

Getting Ready for Round 2

Happy Mother's Day to all our wonderful family, friends and "sistas"! And, Happy Birthday to Robbie - our baby is 16 today - wow! Where does the time go?

Things are going well here on the medical front actually - just in time for round 2! Physio and Lymphatic Massage have helped the fluid in my chest and stomach dissipate and the scar tissue build up is becoming more fluid and mobile. Both Jane Welsh and Sylvia Kruger are extremely knowledgeable in women's health and cancer.  We have opted to pay for these valuable services while waiting for the Cancer Clinic Lymphademia/Physio referral to go through - a 4 month minimum wait list due to cut backs.....
We are thankful for their expertise in this area!  We can't imagine the mess I would be in without this service.

Have you ever used the expression "my hair hurts" when you were sick or perhaps hung over? Well, I now know exactly how that feels!  Yup, my hair literally hurts! Although it is very short (unless I am wearing a wig) it still hurts - plain and simple.  Apparently that is normal when the hair is falling out as it is during treatment.

Bob comes home from Ottawa tomorrow evening.  He was there for team meetings in preparation for the upcoming NHL draft.  It was great for him to get to Ottawa although I have to admit I miss him!

Tomorrow is a busy day getting ready for chemo round #2 - blood work in the morning, oncologist appointment in the afternoon followed by lymphatic massage with Sylvia.  Here's hoping the blood count level is up and ready for round 2!

Love to all, Shelley

Hair today....

We love it.
We hate it.
We curse it.
We cry over it. (Remember those bad haircuts, colours & Toni perms?!!)
We spend a lot of time taking care of it.
We spend a lot of money on it.
But it doesn't define who we are.

It started to fall out and yes, I cried.  Nothing prepares you for that sink full of hair after it has been washed even though you know to expect it. It just sucks! That is all.  But as my sisters pointed out, its just hair and if that is the only side effect of chemo I have to endure right now then really its not that bad. I am thankful for Bob who just patiently hugged me, reassured me and was there (...and he cleaned the sink); for my kids who tell me I am beautiful no matter what; for Jenn who works her magic and for my friends who are survivors, who lost their hair and reassure me that all is good.

Life is good. Family and friends are truly blessings...with or without hair.

Love, Shelley xo

Update

As quickly as the swelling in my mouth came this past week, today I woke up with no swelling at all!  A great way to start the day!

We have been out walking diligently every day too.  BBB's back is coming along and his speed is picking up!  I just have to remind him to either slow down or meet me at home :) Kids are doing great too!  It helps that this first round of chemo was gentle on me.  However, we are ready with wigs, smoothie ingredients, and all other suggestions from "breast" friends to weather this storm.

Here's to a great week!  Love, Shelley xo

Baking Soda & Sea Salt...

These two ingredients have become my BFFs these past couple of days as my mouth, gums and throat have been swelling but not erupting into open sores.  So I am faithfully rinsing numberous times a day, reikiing and praying this will stay minimal.

Yesterday was a fast paced kind of day as I ventured out to work for coffee break and disrupted everyone's morning...I had a great time and laughed for almost an hour nonstop!  Thank you to the crew for taking time to visit!  Then it was off to lunch with my former RCS crew for another hour of laughing.  Today I am exhausted - happy but tired! :)

Love to all! Shelley

All is good!

It has been one week since chemo started and all seems good...so far :)  Actually sleep was one of the main activities of week one! The days typically went like this.... get up, get ready, have breakfast, read the paper, exercise, SLEEP, read/knit/watch TV, have lunch, walk/exercise, SLEEP, read/knit/watch TV, have supper, SLEEP, read/knit/watch TV, SLEEP...however, especially after the steroids and anti nausea meds were done (after day 3) there was a lot more sleeping/dozing/napping than any other activity :) In talking with other survivors, we need to be prepared for days when a 2 minute walk might be the best effort for the day with respect to exercise. Both of us have found that one cannot have too many pairs of yoga pants....BBB is loving the freedom!!

Today is Day 8! Waahoo - one down and 15 more chemo pokes to go! 

 We will do our best to stay true to "eat, pray, walk" throughout this journey!

Love to all, Bob & Shelley