January 23, 2012

I have been feeling great for the past several days. I have been able to do my household chores, cook and bake, play games with the kids, and even go shopping. This has been such a blessing after being shut up in the house for so much of the time. I’m sure that the switch in chemo drugs is what has made the difference.

Last Thursday, Mark and I got the results from my CT scan, and they weren’t very good. The spots in my liver have gotten larger, and there are more growing there too. A couple of the areas are over 1 inch in diameter. I also have spots growing and spreading in my uterus area. Dr. Aggarwal is most concerned with the liver area, so she’ll be doing weekly lab tests and rescanning in about three weeks. She also kept me on the new chemo drug I started two weeks ago, so it will have a chance to hold back these areas.

It’s such a crazy contradiction to feel great but also get bad news from the scans. For now, Mark and I are happy with the good times, and we’re taking as much advantage of this time as we can.

Have a wonderful week, and thanks for your continued prayers.

Sandy

Thanks friends … January 17, 2012

Thanks friends and loved ones for sticking with me on this journey of pain and triumph. I am so humbled by the many comments and encouragements that you’ve shared both in the blog and in person or by card to our family. We never expected this journey to last over 8 years, but we are even more convinced that God has a plan for all of this as long as we keep trusting Him through it. We have had really good days and some very bad ones, to be honest, and I’ve tried to share these with you since you are sharing with us.

Last week I was feeling terrible and lost almost 10 pounds because I couldn’t keep food down or in my body at all. My doctor let me stop taking the Tykerb drug on Monday because it was causing so many problems, and I literally started feeling better the next day! We saw her on Thursday, and she changed me treatment to another drug and had the girls give me fluids to replenish my system. By Saturday, I felt almost back to normal health. I actually cooked, cleaned, did chores around the house, and was active all day. This lasted through Sunday and Monday, which has been a welcome relief.

Mark took me to Ft Wayne for a CT scan yesterday, so the doctor could look at how things were going, and we’ll hear back the results this Thursday. For now, I’m on a weekly treatment again and even have a better appetite to eat without throwing up. Praise God! I’m still not at 100% in strength or energy, but I’m not spending the whole day on the couch at home either.

I look forward to continuing to share our journey with you, and I sincerely appreciate your love and support every day.  Mark, me and the girls couldn’t do this without you.

Sandy

January 7, 2012

This has been a bad day so far, and no sign of it improving. I’ve been throwing up everything I tried to eat, even my “best thing to eat when I don’t feel good,” peach fruit bars. I also have serious bowel problems that take any other liquid in my body down the drain. My fingers and heels are also splitting and this is painful…especially when it is the thumb and first finger.

This has become more like a typical day over the last two weeks, and Mark wants to talk to Dr. Aggarwal about it at my appointment this week. The drug that I’m on can cause these side effects, and I’m getting tired of it. We’ll be asking her if there is something else we can do, because I’m really worn out and dragging quite a bit.

Please keep these issues in your prayers this week.

Love ya,

Sandy

2011 in review January 2, 2012

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 16,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

December 31, 2011

It’s New Year’sl  Eve, and I’m looking forward to another great year. How can I do anything but praise God for another year of life with my family and friends? It is such a blessing to celebrate a new year, and I’m also celebrating my 9th year since my cancer diagnosis. Tonight we’re going with my brother and his family to see the Fort Wayne Komets, so we’ll have a great time.

There haven’t been any real changes in my health since my last post. I am still taking Tykerb and Herceptin as treatments, and the side effects have been mostly bearable. I’ve had some trouble with nausea and diarrhea, but we’ve been able to reduce the dose of the narcotic patches for pain down to half of what it was at the beginning of the month.  I’ve also had two blood transfusions to help raise my low counts. The doctor had a PET scan run in early December, and it showed mostly positive results, so she’s continuing with the current routine longer. Right now, I’m having some pain again in my lower abdomen and pelvis area, but Ibuprofen seems to take care of it. Last year I was hospitalized 4 or 5 times for cancer-related issues, so we are praying that this year will not be so traumatic.

I also had to quit working in July because I’m really not strong enough to keep going to work. God blessed us again by giving me an employer that provided long-term disability that includes health insurance for me and my family that is the same as I had while working. I only have to pay a small monthly rate for the same benefits. To my surprise, I was also approved for Social Security disability, and at some point I’ll qualify for Medicare benefits in about two years.

I’ve been helping him at the store 1-2 days a week when I’m feeling good, and that has been great! Mark and I don’t have any plans for travel in the near future, but we’re excited that our hardware store will be paid off by June of 2012. That will give us the opportunity to expand and continue improving our business to keep it growing. Most people also think we’re a little crazy about the day trips we’ve been taking this year to visit local hardware stores (and even on vacation), but Mark loves to see what other businesses like ours are doing, and I enjoy the company of traveling with him anywhere. Sometimes, the girls go along with us on these trips, and they’re not usually as positive about the idea! But, when you own your own business and work as much as Mark does, you take any chance you get to spend time together.

I wish you all a great New Year, and again sincerely thank you for your prayers and support in 2011. We love you all.

Sandy

Sorry that I ha… December 2, 2011

Sorry that I haven’t posted for a while, . but my life has been fairly uneventful lately, and I haven’t been feeling 100% for quite a while. I’m no longer having chemo through an infusion, but my doctor prescribed a chemo drug that I take by four pills per day. There are some side effects of this drug that are not so pleasant, relating to my bowels, and my appetite has dropped even more than before.

We saw the doctor on Tuesday this week, and my red blood count was really low, so she prescribed a blood transfusion. That day I received two pints of blood upstairs from the doctor’s office in Parkview’s infusion center. We were there from 8:30 – 4:30, so it was a long day. I felt really bad for Mark who had to sit with me the whole time with just a TV (with no good channels) and nothing to eat. He finallly left for lunch and went to visit a local hardware store, his favorite activity right now. I feel better after the infusion, but I’ve had trouble sleeping and having energy during the day all week. I hope this goes away soon.

We’re getting ready for the holidays like everyone else, but a lot of my projects are on hold or only partially completed. I am having a lot of trouble just getting through a typical day and doing normal activities without becoming exhausted. Not much fun for me or my family.

Please pray that these odd symptoms will clear up, and that I’ll have more energy to fully participate in the holiday activities with my family.

Sandy

November 10, 2011

I don’t usually report two days in a row, but I wanted to share how my problems that I shared yesterday were so lovingly cared for by my husband and God. Mark comes home early from work a few days a week, and yesterday was one of those days. He came home after I had written my post, and was surprised to find me not feeling well and very tired. After reading my devotion for today, I’m reminded that God has told us not to worry (like I was yesterday), because Jesus is there waiting to provide what we need just when we need it.

Mark came home and we talked about my problems that morning, and he immediately started doing things around the house to help me! He worked on our laundry which I wasn’t able to do in the morning, and he started cleaning up the kitchen and working on supper. He even went to the store to buy some meat to fix for dinner. In the past, before we owned the store, this behavior would have been normal for Mark when he came home every day, but since he’s been at the store working around 11 hours a day, these things have been my responsibility. I was so blessed by his outpouring of love and actions to help me cope with the chores of the house, that I wanted to cry.

God reminded me this morning in Matthew 10:16-20 that I need to completely trust Him with my life and health, every moment. By bringing Mark home willing to jump in and show his love, I didn’t have to worry and had all I needed to make it through the day. By evening, I was feeling better and enjoyed the time that Mark and I had to spend together.

The two most important relationships in my life–Mark and God– both reminded me just how much they love me when I needed it most. WOW.

Don’t ever give up or let worry and depression get you down. Read these verses in Matthew and remember that you have all that you need just when you need it. What an awesome thing to know.

I’m having a great and productive day today, and I feel awesome!

Sandy

November 9, 2011

I’ve been having some strange days lately. I had a PET scan on Monday, and we saw Dr. Aggarwal on Tuesday for the results. She reported the great news that most of my tumors look smaller, except in a few areas! Since I’ve been pretty nauseous lately, she gave me the option of changing treatment to a pill form of chemo that I tried before. The name of the drug it Tykerb, and I would be taking 4-5 pills per day with the Herceptin still given every three weeks through my port. Mark and I decided to try this drug for a while to give me a break from the weekly chemo. I’ve been having so many days where I throw up what I eat, and I’m really tired, so I hope this break from the chemo helps me feel better.

Please pray for my strength and motivation. I’ve been struggling with getting up every day and doing even the most routine things. I’m not sure where this is coming from, except that Mark and I decided to ask Dr. Aggarwal if we could try lowering my dose of the narcotic patches that I wear every day for pain. She agreed that we could try this since I’m not really in pain any more, so I’ve just started lowering the dose. I think this must have some effect on my mood and energy level. Nothing else seems to be different right now. Hopefully the effects of changing the dose will level off soon, and I’ll feel better. This is yucky and frustrating right now.

Sorry for the negative tone in my writing today, but this battle is wearing me and my family down. We all need your prayers and encouragement to keep fighting every day. Thanks for continuing to share your love with us.

Struggling,

Sandy

October 25, 2011

I can’t believe that it’s almost November already! Today has been beautiful outside, but I haven’t been feeling very well. I had a treatment last week, and as it is becoming predictable, I have been throwing up today and having severe bowel movements. I’m not sure why this is happening on the Tuesday after my treatment, but it seems to be a pattern. Dr. Aggarwal has told us that this is common for cancer patients, and I’m glad that my side effects aren’t any more serious.

I’ve felt pretty good for most of October, except for these episodes of nausea and vomiting. Today I have also been really tired and laid on the couch most of the day. It’s a blessing that I can relax like this when I need it, and it has helped me feel better to prepare for tomorrow and the rest of the week. I’ll have my next chemo treatment on Thursday, and Dr. Aggarwal told us last week that she will probably do more scans to check on the tumors sometime in November. We’ll just keep up with the plans and trust her and her team to provide the best care for me.

Whitney has been getting ready to have a baby already, and she and Nick have been looking at nursery decor, good bargains for maternity and baby items, and more. I’m praying for her during this pregnancy, and I have already been asking God to keep me around to be part of my grandchild’s life. What an exciting and blessed time for our whole family! At this point, she’s probably due around May 15, so we have some time to get ready for the great changes that will affect us all.

Please focus your prayers on our family right now, as we all struggle on this journey in slightly different ways. Eight years are taking their toll on all of us. Thanks, as always, for your constant prayers and thoughts to help us fight this cancer. You help us stay strong and faithful in God’s plan for our lives.

Sandy

September 30, 2011

Mark took me to chemo treatment yesterday, and all went well. My low blood counts are back up to where they don’t need to be treated with extra measures, and this has helped my energy level and appetite to improve already. We’re staying on this schedule for next week, and I’ll see Dr. Aggarwal when we go for treatment on Thursday.

It’s been on my heart to share with you that I am convinced that God’s love, grace and power is what continues to give me and my family freedom from becoming captives of despair and giving up this fight to survive. He has set us free from this burden on a daily basis, and He will do the same for you if you know Him like we do.

If anyone is confused or bothered by what I’m talking about, I pray that God will soften your heart to listen. The same strength that you see in me is possible for you to have because God loves you just as much, no matter where you are in your faith today.

Jesus said in John 6:44 that, No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.

I have become aware of how short our time may be to have God’s saving grace and peace in our lives, and I want to make sure that you’ve all heard how much God loves you if you don’t already have this confidence in Him. Besides this, I want to personally welcome you and give you a big hug when you join me in Heaven. What a glorious day that will be!

You are in my thoughts and prayers continually.

Love,

Sandy