by Jennifer | Oct 21, 2015 | Blog |
Well, the day is finally here. I slept well until about 4:40am. Since then I have been praying, sobbing, praying, sobbing, etc. The house is still quiet. The tears have stopped and I’m feeling more at peace. I pray the tears will stay away, at least while the girls are around.
Last night, our 10 year old said to me, “This is the last night you’ll sleep without Chemo. That seems strange to me.” I know it’s on her mind . . . not knowing what to expect. But I’m thankful she slept well and is still sleeping. 🙂 I’m thankful all of us were able to get to sleep easily. Thank you for praying specially for this.
(more…)
by Jennifer | Oct 22, 2015 | Blog |
I am overwhelmed (in a good way) by the prayers, offers to help, cards, emails, texts and gifts from so many of you. It seriously is like Christmas in my mail box and on the porch! Thank you!
I am still feeling OK after the chemo yesterday (4 pm). The nurses say that Day 3 is when the chemo medicine is fully metabolized in my system and it is usually when the side effects kick in. (That will be tomorrow, the 23rd.) So far today, I’m just really tired and my mouth is dry. But I was feeling fine to go to Bible Study this morning (YAY!!!) so I’m thankful for that!
(more…)
by Jennifer | Oct 23, 2015 | Blog |
Everyone responds to chemo differently. Because of that you really have no idea what it’s going to be like.
We’ve been told by the nurses and Doctors that days 3-5 are the hardest. By tomorrow, the cancer cells should be attacked by the chemo and the Dr. said side effects (like mouth sores, diarrhea, more fatigue, etc.,) could start. But again, who knows . . .
(more…)
by Jennifer | Oct 25, 2015 | Blog |
How many times do we go through our day asking people the simple question, “How are you?” Most of the time, we just respond, “Fine. Thanks. How are you?”
I’ve been thinking about that so much lately. Standing in line at Fred Meyer a few days after finding out I had cancer . . . how do you answer when the cashier asks you how you are doing? I just answered, “OK.” I was OK. It was true. But how else do you respond to that question from a stranger? “Oh, not good. I’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer. How are you?” Umm . . .
(more…)
by Jennifer | Oct 25, 2015 | Blog |
Sunday morning, a quiet house, reading about the 4th day of creation, feeling rested from a good night sleep, I still have my hair . . . just a few things to be thankful for this morning. 🙂
Last night was my hardest night yet. My skin was so sensitive to the touch it was just uncomfortable. I fell asleep early and woke up around 10 pm feeling nauseous. Although I’ll be honest, I think it might have been from eating too much at dinner and then napping. (Can I blame that on Tom’s cooking? He made a mini Thanksgiving and it’s REALLY hard for me to pass up mashed potatoes!!)
(more…)
by Jennifer | Oct 28, 2015 | Blog |
Workout Class AKA torture from my friend Shira
Now don’t read too much into the title. By workout, I mean Shira told everyone what to do and I either did it slower than normal, with less weight than normal or changed it completely. But I made it there (even drove myself) and made it through! I am very excited.
One thing I didn’t expect was what the port felt like when I jogged. It kind of feels like it’s bouncing or moving. I ended up just gently putting my hand on it because it felt weird. No pain, just weird. Also a sports bra is the first thing to really annoy the port area. It’s just tight and sits right on it.
(more…)
by Jennifer | Nov 2, 2015 | Blog |
I know I haven’t posted in a few days. But good news . . . nothing much to report. I’m still feeling pretty good. I get tired easily, can’t go back to sleep if I wake up early, am dealing with an infection of the feminine kind, have a headache, but that’s it. Nothing exciting to share! Yay!!
This weekend we enjoyed (well not really) trick-or-treating in the pouring rain with the girls. Tom did a bunch of cleaning. Christy and I purged a bunch of junk from the playroom and closets today. And I’ve starting thinking about this next round of chemo coming on Wednesday.
(more…)
by Jennifer | Nov 4, 2015 | Blog |
I thought I’d change things up a little today and post a vlog post instead of a blog post. (Plus, I’m bored and let’s face it, my hobbies all revolve around the computer.)
Update after the video – Went in for my lab work today and the port was blocked. Apparently this is common – something like a little scab blocks the tube and they have to unblock it to draw blood or give me the medication. 🙁 They gave me some meds to break up the blockage and after 30 minutes tired again with no luck. We decided to have them draw the blood from my arm so we could get home to be with the girls. They will try again tomorrow and if needed will give me the meds again to take care of the problem.
(more…)
by Jennifer | Nov 5, 2015 | Blog |
When your husband takes your 7 year old into urgent care with a sore throat and tells them his wife is going through chemotherapy for breast cancer, it’s really amazing how fast they can get that strep throat culture back and a prescribe a very strong dose of antibiotics. 🙁 They even sent them home with masks. Nice. This is the second time I have gotten test results back for the kids really fast thanks to the C word. No one messes around with it or with another sickness in the family. I am very thankful for that.
So that happened after school today.
Earlier in the day . . .
(more…)
by Jennifer | Nov 6, 2015 | Blog |
Well, I’m exhausted.
That pretty much sums it up.
No food sounds good (even Tastykakes, which is so sad.). But I’m eating because I need to.
Laura drove me to Bible study this morning which was great. :-). Between what I’m learning in our study of creation and the fellowship with sweet friends, it was a perfect morning.
Tom picked me up and we headed back up to the Infusion Center for my white blood cell booster shot. I enjoyed talking with some ladies in my room as I waited for the shot. And thanks to Emily and a few nurses who suggested taking Claritin the day of and the day after the shot, I am not aching from the shot like I did last time. Woohoo! Who in the world figured out that Claritin would help with that? I have no idea, but so far so good!!
(more…)
