Last lap!!!

We are in the final stretch of the chemo 8 World Cup race to a cure!  7 laps down and one to go.  The final lap should be completed on 12/16/13 and Heather WILL be the winner!

Stay tuned for the final analysis and then it's on to the next race which is a 7 week radiation race commencing sometime in early 2014....date to be determined soon.

Thank you for watching and cheering Heather on.  You are our pit crew.  Not that you are the pits.  Yeah....you know what I mean. 😃

I Love chemo!?!

Let me start by saying that the Mountel/McBryan clan has had lots of things going on in the last month...

My sister started a new job - yeah Katie! My dad scheduled hip replacement surgeryfor the week before Christmas. My mom started radiation. Griffin had his tonsils and adenoids removed and is no longer snoring - yippee!  My sister-in-law lost her dear sweet grandmother. And I have finished 7 of 8 chemo cycles. 

I love chemo!

I love chemo because it is helping me fight the good fight. A fight which I cannot do alone. 

I love chemo because it is going to give me a much better chance at seeing all my kiddos grow up. 

I love chemo because it will give me a much better chance of learning more about my husband and loving him more.

I love chemo because it will give me a better chance of raising my children with my husband so that he doesn't go completely insane ;)

I love chemo because it has taught me some important lessons.  Like how much I can endure and how impatient I am when I don't feel well. It has also taught me the importance of a "Village" - and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful support system. 

I love chemo - but I DO NOT like chemo!! Or at least the side effects of chemo...

Actually, I have to say that losing my hair hasn't bothered me at all. I know it is very upsetting to most people but I have actually found it kind of interesting. 

The first 4 rounds of chemo  - the AC rounds weren't much fun. Honestly, I hate feeling like I'm hungover all the time and I HATE feeling nauseous. I have to admit feeling like that makes me wimpy and whiney. 

This second 4 rounds are a drug called Taxol (Paclitaxil). I just completed round 3 and I'm starting to get really frustrated with this nonsense. In the first two rounds I experienced a lot of joint and muscle pain. No fun but I can deal with pain better then sick. So far with the 3rd round I am itching to the point of feeling a bit crazy and I can't find anything that helps ;( I think I prefer the pain which should start in another day or two. 

Then there are the two super annoying side effects - the first is the insomnia. I don't understand how you can be totally and completely exhausted and not be able to sleep (although, right now, I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with the crazy itching.) Of course being a narcoleptic who can fall asleep at the drop of a hat anywhere, any time - I'm sure makes it harder to comprehend. 

The second is something I did not know - the treatments for breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer tend to cause weight gain instead of loss. It has to do with the effects on your hormones or something (and the decrease in activity certainly isn't helping).  I am a bit overweight to begin with so this is just adding insult to injury. 

So I am a little cranky this morning. Considering that it is 4:30 a.m. And I have been awake since midnight - and itching like crazy - I suppose I'm entitled. 

The good news is only one more chemo to go. Yippee! Yeah! Woo Hoo! And that is where I will try to focus my energy. Right?!

No News Is Good News?

Hi everybody!  Yeah we have been flying under the radar.  I guess maybe that's a good thing though. As of Friday Heather has completed 6 of her 8 chemo treatments so we are definitely headed in the right direction.

Round 5 and 6 of chemo switched from the Red Devil to Taxol.  Less nausea but increased fatigue and generalized pain.  The Neulasta shot Heather receives the day after chemo to boost her white cell counts also tends to bring on headaches approximately a week after administration.

We continue to receive so much support through cards, care packages, emails, calls, and visits from friends and family alike.  The meals and assistance with watching the kids on chemo Sundays so that Heather and I can rest and rejuvinate have been appreciated beyond measure.  Thank you all.

We love having visitors and appreciate the time you can spend with us.  Heather's Dad came and stayed with her over two weekends ago while I had Dad's weekend with Micaela at Ohio University.  Griffin was 5 days post tonsilectomy/adenoidectomy so Tom's assistance was greatly appreciated.

It has been so great to go out in public with Heather because she is not self conscious about her good ol' bald head.  I think she looks absolutely beautiful and she has been told by several random strangers that she has a glorious bald head.  She gets some looks but she owns it and I adore that about her.  

So a couple more rounds of chemo to go then raditation will likely begin just after the first of the year.  Heather expects to return after the end of chemo and is really looking forward to it.  Children's Hospital and Heather's management team have been absolutely wonderful during this time as have her co-workers at the hospital.  We are lucky to have this kind of support.  Life Enriching Communities has been very good to me as well with a flexible work schedule and support in many different ways.  I am fortunate to have a job that I can manage pretty well "on the go" with my iPad and/or phone.

Well...that's it for now.  Like I said maybe no news from us is good news.  The really good news is that we are loved and supported by so many and for that we thank you so very much.  XXXXOOOO