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

Feeling Loved

If any one ever wonders how I can fight this battle and be so positive - here are just a few examples of where I get my strength...

My sister cut off 11 inches of hair today to donate in my honor. 

A show of solidarity from some of my awesome friends. From northern VA to San Diego, CA....

This was just today. Today was also "Pink Out" day at the kids school - to support me and the many others who are affected by breast cancer. 

My co-workers also had a "Pink Out" day earlier this month...

Then there are all the friends who's kids wore pink during cheerleading, soccer, and football. Not to mention the 60+ card I've received. 

This is all in addition to meals and child care and company and phone calls and texts and special Facebook posts and profile pictures and care packages.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. So I just say what ev's to this cancer nuisance. And thank you to my amazing and wonderful family and friends - you make this battle worth fighting. You make me strong and you make me smile Every day!  XXXXXxOOOOOOOO

Hi! It's been awhile

Sorry it has been a little quiet on the blog front.  Heather's chemo treatments 2 & 3 have knocked her for a loop.  Nausea, extreme fatigue, heartburn, no....she is not pregnant....it's the chemo.

We have pretty much on autopilot the last several weeks and keeping our heads above water thanks to the love and support of many, many friends who have helped in so many ways.  Visiting, dinners, watching the kids, calling, texting, praying, etc.

Heather will have one final Red Devil treatment next Friday and will start a different regimin for 4 additional treatments that will take us through the end of the year.  The Oncologist has been very pleased with Heather's lab work which is so very important to watch during this time.  Without going into all of the details her bloodwork has been impressive!  This means that the treatments continue on schedule and her immune system is functioning well though we are not taking a lot of extra chances to reduce Heather's exposure to a virus etc.

Heather and I have had some very difficult, important and much needed discussions over the last few weeks and one thing remains clear; we are going to continue to forge ahead optimistically and continue to live our lives so that we look back at this time as a great time with the kids, family, and friends.  Oh and Heather had cancer then too.

Heather never ceases to amaze me.  Her strength and resilience have been amazing and I love her with all my heart.  Thanks for listening.  :)

Back in the saddle

As you probably know Heather had to have her left implant surgically removed last Wednesday.  This unfortunately pushed back the chemo that was planned for last Friday.  

We weren't sure how Heather would be feeling after the surgery and we almost cancelled the shearing party we had planned for Saturday. Fortunately the good news was plentiful; she felt pretty darn good, only had one drain, and she started shedding on her own!  So just in the nick of time we had the shearing party on Saturday and it was a blast!

Heather started off by taking the first cut with scissors.  We then let each of our little ones take a whack and then several other kids at the party did the same. Next came the clippers.  We shaved one side of her head and she looked very, well, European punk maybe?   Next the other side came off so she was sporting a mowhawk.  It was awesome!  Then the rest was taken off and by Jove she looked absolutely beautiful.  I mean fantastically gorgeous!  (Still does)

The plastic surgeon who removed the implant and the oncologist came to an agreement of sorts and today we had a chemo appointment established.  Since Heather's blood work was stellar the oncologist proceeded with the chemo!  I know it sounds weird to be excited about it but we want the chemo to get in there and do what it is supposed to do as soon as possible and any delays are frustrating.

2 down and 6 to go.  Thanks for all of the love and support.  Really...it means an awful lot to us.   XXXXOOOO

Heather rockin a mowhawk on the way to a complete shave

Mountains and valleys to traverse

As many of you know Heather had a rather unexpected surgery today to remove the reconstruction expander and some dead tissue in her left breast.  This was due to continued swelling due to fluid buildup in the breast which compromised the blood flow to the tissue and the skin became paper thin and it had the potential to open which would have caused the removal of the expander anyway.

Therefore her right breast, the cancer side, still looks great.  The left side is now flat and maybe even a little indented.  Her rebuilding process on the left side will not occur for about 1 year as she needs to get through chemo, radiation, and the residual effects of radiation before they can rebuild.

Heather's sister Katie, the angel that she is, came in from Michigan this morning to join us for the surgery and though we would have preferred this not happen we are pleased that the surgery went very well.  It started at 1:00 and was finished by 1:16.  Katie and i met with the physician, Dr. Butterfield whom Heather and I absolutely adore, and then waited about an hour to see Heather in recovery.

Heather was alert, smiling, and felt great and not just because of the meds.  We were on the way out the door by 4!  Before we left Dianne Stapp stopped by to see us since she works as a nurse at The Christ Hospital.  It was so nice to see her.  She and I go waaaayyyy back when she and her husband, boyfriend at the time, Tod and I worked together at Coney Island.  Heather has been lucky enough to know her since Jackie's dancing days at McNick.

We are evaluating whether or not we will continue with Heather's shearing event on Saturday.  We will see how she feels through tomorrow and go from there.  Thanks to all of you for your love, prayers, and energy today and everyday.  It truly makes a difference in our lives.

As a wise woman (Laura Daniels Graves) said to me once, and I paraphrase "Setbacks allow for comebacks".  So true.  This will slow us down a bit since chemo has to be put off for a week or two but we shall move on and kick the crap out of this cancer.

Cosmetic Shift

"The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray."

It is inevitable, when it comes to cancer treatment that things will not go as planned. That somewhere along the line there will be a slight change or modification to the plan. Lets just say that sometimes the changes aren't so slight and you have to remind yourself that the reality is that these plans are fluid and sometimes there are major changes in direction but you are still moving forward. 

This leads me to my life over the past 2 1/2 weeks. The plan for the last week of August was: port placement on Wednesday and Chemo on Friday. But on Monday I noticed that my left breast was swollen so I called the surgeon and she fit me in. With a look of concern she drained about 120cc of fluid out of my breast. With a reminder to come back and see her if it started to swell again we were back on plan. I noticed a little swelling after my port placement on Wednesday but nothing I worried about too much. 

Friday was chemo day. Chemo day involves a lot of waiting. You start out getting a lab draw (through my fancy new port). Then you sit around and wait for the doctor to get the results so that she can make sure you are well enough to get chemo. This visit, since it was the first one, also included some extra education (which is always helpful). Then we head downstairs to wait for an empty chair in the infusion room. Once that's available you wait for the medicine to come and get checked and verified. Then they start the infusion. The infusion is pretty painless - just a little boring if you don't have someone as entertaining as Mark to keep you company. And then you are done.  

They give you a bunch of preventative medications that help curb side effects (like nausea etc.). Then they put you on an anti-nausea plus steroid combo for the next two days to keep you feeling good. (Mark and I like to refer to the steroid as Meth - it's somewhere in the name). Despite all this of course I came crashing down into nausea land. 

In the meantime, I noticed that I was swelling more and more in my left breast. Of course, it was a holiday weekend and by Tuesday I was feeling pretty rotten from the chemo so I forgot to call the plastic surgeon. By Wednesday I was a mess - nausea like crazy, sores on my tongue (turned out I had thrush), and the swelling in my left breast was getting uncomfortable - so I called and got appointments made with my surgeon and oncologist. My surgeon took one look at my breast and was very unhappy. They ended up draining about 200cc of fluid this time. She scheduled a follow up for today - she was very concerned with how my incision and skin looked. 

I've been slowly feeling better from the chemo and I've been making sure to do everything my doctors told me but today's appointment didn't go very well. My surgeon took one look at my breast today and sat down. She sat quietly for a long time - I could see all the wheels turning as she tried to come up with the new plan...  Then she gave me the bad news - I am losing my implant (or expander to be more accurate). 

The skin on my breast won't likely survive much more chemo if any. It is ready to rupture. So tomorrow they have to take it out and clean out the dead and dying tissue and then close it up. There will be nothing left. We will have to do a major rebuild process after I heal from radiation treatment. It will involve a lot more surgery and they will have to take donor skin/tissue from somewhere else on my body to build the breast.  It will be a lot more complicated. So that means another surgery now, postponement of chemo for a few weeks, and more surgeries later. 

To put it mildly, I am bummed. 

But I try to remember something I read recently describing the human spirit as water. It can be calm and peaceful but it can be fierce.  It can move around obstacles with hardly a notice or with a ferocity needed to move them out of the way. So I remind myself this is something I can and will manage. Just maybe not always gracefully. 

Love to you all,

Grace Faux Tata