I’m sorry you found my blog.
HA! What a funny thing to say on a blog!! But seriously, if you landed here, you either know me, or know someone that has cancer. That’s why I’m sorry!
Cancer.
I hate that word.
I remember sitting in the oncologist’s office in my early 20’s listening to the Dr. tell me that while it was not likely I would get Ocular Melanoma like my Mom, 3 out of 4 people would be diagnosed with some sort of cancer in their life. Since all of my Grandparents and my Mom have died of some type of cancer, I knew my day would come. I just never thought my diagnosis would be the day after my 41st birthday and as a mother of a 10, 7 and 6 year old.
Fast forward 4 years (October 2019) and the cancer has returned in other bones. So here we are, ready to fight again…and looking to be on some sort of treatment for the rest of my life.
This blog is my journey as I fight to leave cancer behind and move on in my life.
I should probably back up and introduce myself . . . my name is Jennifer. I’m a Christ follower, married to an amazing man (who happens to be a chef turned Co-CEO of a restaurant), have 3 beautiful daughters and I’ve been diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer which originally spread to my sternum, but has now spread to quite a few other bones and one of my lungs as well.
I know it can be confusing when you stumble upon a new blog, so let me help you get started.
- I have a blog to keep track of my thoughts and to let friends and family know what’s going on.
- You can get to know our family or read my personal testimony here.
- As I’ve been going through different procedures, I’ve written down what it was like. You can find a list of those over in the side bar (or down at the bottom if you are on a mobile device).
- Click here to receive an email when I publish new posts.
- And finally, if you noticed above that I’m married to a chef and think that must be the MOST AMAZING THING EVER, click here and browse through my blog about what it’s really like to be married to a chef. (I love blogging. Can you tell?)
Here’s what’s going on with me right now . . .
Nausea and Hair Loss
It’s 10:28 at night on Thursday night. I’m the only one awake in the house right now. I’m trying to decide if I feel nauseous or am just worried I’m feeling nauseous . . . took another nausea medicine just to be safe.
Maybe it’s because I keep thinking this is the last night I’m sleeping with hair, wondering if it will ever have a chance to grow back between treatments.
Or what will it be like for the man sleeping next to me, who has been with me as a boyfriend or husband for over half of his life, to see me without hair tomorrow? He says it won’t matter, but I tear up just thinking about it. 🙁
Hoping the Tylenol PM kicks in soon . . .
Chemo Round 2, Day 2
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!!
The Word Cancer is Amazing
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 . . .
A Vlog Before I Lose My Hair
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.
Looking Ahead to the Next Round of Chemo
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.
I Made it to Workout! Woohoo!
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.
read more…
A Quiet Sunday
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!!)
Meet Jennifer
Breast Cancer Patient, Chef Wife and Mom
Resources:
What to Expect:
