Cancer

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6 Years With Metastatic Breast Cancer

I want to tell you all as of February the 7th I have lived for 6 years with Metastatic Breast Cancer. It’s been a roller coaster ride! I wanted to post on that day but I’ve been so sick lately.

What I want to say is initially I was told that I had a year or so to live. We have no expiration date and statistics are old. Have faith and enjoy every “feel good day.” Get out and make memories. Your doctors don’t know your path in life. They don’t know when your day is.

Thank you all for your love and support over the past six years. You really do brighten my days! I love you all!💕

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Still Recovering

I have to tell you all I’m walking around the house better. I walk a little and take a break, walk a little and take a break. I am on strong pain medication for my spine. Most of the time it helps but there are days that it doesn’t help the pain at all. I do what I can and I’m thankful for being able to do it.

I haven’t really been Christmas shopping much this year. I always love getting out at Christmas. This year I can’t get to my favorite stores but I’m thankful for the times out I’ve had!

I went to the Winter Lights with my family and the grandbabies. I even drove there and back! I paid for it with massive leg pain the next day. Somethings are just worth the pain. I’ll post a picture.

Now my plan is to see my oncologist on January 2nd. We will go over everything and make a plan. Right now it seems the only option is to put a port in my brain and try to get another medication to work. I really don’t know until we talk. Then I’ll do my research and figure out what’s next. Until then, I’m just enjoying what I can do. I love the holiday season.

Thank you all for the love and prayers. I believe in them! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Sending you all love!💕

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Rest and Recovery

I have to update you all because I was in really bad shape in my last post. That was the closest to death I’ve ever been. The chemo therapy elevated my calcium levels so much that it almost killed me.

I came from the hospital and had a home care nurse visit twice a week and a physical therapist visit weekly. My vitals slowly became better and my strength started coming back. I can walk again! I’m not back to where I was. I can walk around inside my house. I can get out of the car and make it inside the grocery store to the wheelchair. Oh, the joy of going to the grocery store again for the first time! I can’t drive and still have to take a lot of breaks. I can’t do steps, but I do see progress!

I made it outside on Halloween and sat around a bonfire with my family! Memories💕. I will include pictures.

I see my oncologist again on the 28th of this month. Until then my plan is to rest and try to recover more.

Thank you all for the love and prayers. They mean so much to me!

Enjoy the holiday season and make lots of wonderful memories!💕

Beyond Time for An Update.
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Beyond Time for An Update.

I have been home a few days now. I’ve spent the last 10 days or so in the hospital. Unknowingly, In the hospital. I honestly thought I had been kidnapped. I know it sounds crazy but it’s not. My Mom and my husband were trying to get me up from my bed at my house. I would vomit every time they tried. I couldn’t speak to them. I couldn’t walk. I was completely unaware. They called an ambulance, if they hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here today. It seems to be the chemo therapy I was on caused Cancer-Related-Hypercalcemia. My calcium levels were so high, I was literally out of my mind. I’ll follow up on this later. Right now I’m just trying to give you an idea of what’s going on.

Though my brain looks better, I’m actually doing worse than I’ve ever been. I now have leptomeningeal metastases which have spread to my meninges and spinal fluid. It can’t get much worse for me. I have two more days of radiation. I don’t know what’s after that. So far I’ve heard there is nothing else to do.

Right now my plan is to rest and get through my last two radiation appointment’s. My doctor has said I can have no visitors until she sees me next week. The least little germ could kill me right now.

I’d love to see you guys, I just can’t. I saw my kiddos the other day, so I have a few pictures. For now that’s really all I know. I have to give this to God right now. I’m serious when I say I can’t even walk alone. My mama and my Javiee have been doing everything for me. Stop and think about that. It’s so hard, but I’m so blessed to have them here right now. I will update you all as soon as I know more. I love you all! Thank you for the love and prayers. Get out and make some memories!💕💕

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Back In The Chemo Chair….An Update

Xeloda has not been good to me.  My tumor markers are higher than they have ever been.  They are sitting at 1613.9.  It’s usually accurate with what’s going on in my body.  70 percent of my bones have been invaded by cancer.  We still are not sure if it’s new cancer in my brain or brain necrosis.  I will have new scans in another month to reevaluate exactly what it is.  If it’s necrosis then we don’t want to go cutting on my brain.  Wait and see.   For now I’m taking Paclitaxel.  I’m doing it once every three weeks.  It can also be given once a week for every three weeks to lessen the side effects.  My oncologist thinks once every three weeks is a better punch.  That’s what I’m doing.  It’s day two and I’m exhausted.  I feel so weak.  It’s actually hard to get out of bed right now.  I’m just dealing with it and resting.  It will be worth the down time if it works.  Some pictures from my first day back in the chemo chair. I’ll go in one day soon for a port.  My arm can’t handle this kind of treatment.  I did it, but my arm was on fire afterward.

We used my arm beacause I don’t have a port. Port surgery is next.
It was an hour and a half treatment. I slept.
My, Javiee, my rock, hanging out with me in the chemo room.

I love you Guys! 💕  Plan something fun for the weekend!  Make some memories and    send me a picture! 💕💕  I’ll do a friends adventure post.  We may have cancer, but we’re still loving life!

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Sharing My Family Vacation!!!!!!!! …………………………………………………………………………………… We just spent a week in North Myrtle Beach as a family. It was the best trip ever! 
 I was worried if we would even make it there. My arm was in severe pain and I was doing radiation treatments until the morning we left. I was in radiation at 8 am and we were on the road soon after. Thank you mama for driving! My oncologist prescribed me steroids and morphine to keep the pain flare ups away, it worked! Thank you Dr. Smathers! You know I adore you! The afternoon before we left I was going to let T.J. drive me around town ( He got his learners permit!!). My car wouldn’t start. I was devastated because it was after hours and no shop was open. A few years ago we went on a Little Pink Houses of Hope beach trip. I ended up in the hospital with brain mets. We planned a trip to the beach at Bear Island the next year and I ended up in the hospital with treatment induced diabetes. Was it going to be my car this time? I asked God “Why can my family not have a beach trip without something happening.” My Javiee happened to be at Auto Zone when I called to tell him the car wouldn’t start. He met a mechanic that said he would come to my house and look at it. He came out and put a new starter on my car and didn’t even try to overcharge us! Change of perspective……”Thank you God for letting this happen before we left on our trip and for putting that mechanic there”. I knew this trip was blessed! Here are some pictures……
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That’s my Javiee and I with our grand babies. Then my son, Kori, his wife, Emily, and our grand babies. Then my sweet mom and I. The next one is my oldest son, his wife, me, my mom and my youngest son.

 

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My grandbabies at the beach. My mom and I with T.J. at one of his favorite places. That’s me. Then my daughter in law, Emily, my mom and me again.

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That’s my mom and I, My Javiee and I, My youngest, T.J and I, My oldest, Kori, and I. Then Kori and I with my grandbabies.

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My grandbabies! I love being a glamma! That’s Jax and I at the pool. Then my favorite! This little lady has sas!

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My mom and granddaughter. My daughter in law, Emily. My oldest and youngest boys. My grandbabies at the beach. My mom and I in a shark head. My guys going on a helicopter ride

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That’s my Javiee and I on date night in a helicopter. I love this man!

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For our last laugh we stopped at Dicks. The food was horrible but it was so much fun to laugh at each other.

I love you all💕 Thank you for your love and support!   Summers almost over!  Get out and make some memories! 💕💕

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Time for an update and a Happy Dance!!

This has been a month full of scans for me.  PET Scan, hip x-rays and a brain MRI.  All of my results were stable with nothing new.

Time for a Happy Dance!!

Stable doesn’t mean cancer free. It doesn’t mean I feel great, or even good. It just means the cancer that has taken up residence in my body hasn’t grown. I have good days and I have bad. I live with a lot of pain. Still, I don’t let that stop me. If I want to do something, I do it. I may pay for it the next day, but it’s always worth it!

I feel so blessed.  I remember hearing I probably had a year to live over four years ago.  Believe me when I say I don’t take a minute for granted.  The past four years have been filled with new adventures, memories, milestones, family, friends and tons of love.  I’m a Glamma x2!! My Javiee is legal!!  I watched T.J. leave for his first day of high school last month!! (I cried!)  These are the things that keep me going.

Here’s something that touched my heart this week……

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This made me think of a very special person in my life.   When your down, feed the good, share a smile, spread some love, get up….get out…and make some memories!!

I love you guys!💕💕

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My hair after WBR

I’ve had so many people ask me about my hair after doing whole brain radiation.  Hair is so important to most people, it defines you.  I have always had a head full of blonde curly hair.  Those days are gone!  I started losing my hair the second week of WBR.  Instead of waiting for it to fall out I shaved my head.  About three months after WBR it started growing back.  I was so excited!!  About six months later I realized it wasn’t going to come back completely.  I had what I called a “nohawk”.  My hair grew in on the sides and on the back of my head but not on the top.  My oncology radiologist said the radiation skims the top of the head and it may not grow back there.  A year later and no hair is growing on top of my head.  This is what it looks like…….

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I don’t think it’s ever going to grow back on top.  I just keep shaving my head.  I honestly don’t mind being bald.  That’s the least of my worries!  95% of the time I walk around bald and happy to be alive!  I have beautiful wigs and  I wear them if I go somewhere special with my Javiee,   My favorite….

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Here’s a picture of my cousin Teressa and I.  If you see me out and about it’s usually like this…..bald.  I’ve embraced my baldness!

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That’s my hair story.  Thank you guys for all the love you send my way!  I love you all!!! Now get out and make some memories!

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MEXICO

I’m so happy to tell you our trip to Mexico was a success!  No hospitals, no doctors, only good times and precious memories.

This is Naucalpan,  where my Javiee grew up and where we stayed while in Mexico.  I imagine it looks scary to some of you.  So many people talk about how dangerous Mexico is.  I never felt that and we visited so many places during our stay.

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This trip was so special to us.  It had been twelve years since my Javiee had seen his family and I had never met them.  I’ll share some family pictures.

 

 

 

Family is a priority in Mexico.  Everyone gathers together in the morning for coffee and bread.  There is no sitting in front of the computer or TV all day.  It’s  family time, work and then more family time.  I think we should all disconnect and focus more on quality family time.

Food is a big deal.  If you visit or have someone visit you, you eat.  They expect you to eat.  That’s exactly what I did.  More pictures…..

 

 

 

I loved the street markets!  A definite must if your visiting Mexico.  The difference in the size of the produce is crazy.  It’s all so tiny compared to the produce you get at your local grocery store.  It will make you think about what’s in the food your buying here!  More pictures…

 

 

Here are a few pictures from one of my favorite days.  I climbed the sun and the moon pyramids!  I told my Javiee I deserved a Wonder Woman shirt after accomplishing that!

 

 

Here’s a few more of my favorites… I took so many pictures!  If you want to see more you can find them on my Facebook page.

 

 

Why the picture of me coming out of the bathroom??  Because you have to pay to use the bathroom.  Then you tip a lady inside the bathroom for toilet paper. 😂 Keep pesos handy if your visiting Mexico!  That was lesson number one for me!

I loved Mexico. I loved meeting my Javiees family.  It was all about love and family.  Life in the United States is so fast paced.  Slow down and make time for yourself and your family.  Share a cup of coffee and a doughnut with someone special today.  Life is short!  Get out and make some memories! I love you guys!💕💕💕

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New Scan Results

My latest scans showed progression to my ribs, spine and pelvis while I was on Ibrance.  I have multiple new pelvic and femoral lesions.  My spine has many new lesions (T5, T7, T8 and T12).  The good news is there was no new growth in my organs and the tumor in my lung is 2 cm smaller. My tumor markers are also still dropping.  I’m at 132 now!😀

I have a lot of pain in my hip.  My oncologist was concerned and thought I may need a pin in my hip. He referred me to an  orthopaedic oncologist, Dr.Gajewski, I loved him!  He’s a great addition to my team.  After x-rays and an exam he said no pin!  The pain is muscle and nerve pain from my spine.  I aggravate it by driving a five speed.  I guess it’s time to get another car.  He also said yoga will help.  Time to start a yoga class!

As of February 8th I have lived with metastatic breast cancer for 4 years.  Though I’m sure I had it years before I was diagnosed.  I find it sad that I was told I didn’t need a mammogram until I was 40.  I can’t help thinking at 35 I would have caught it before it spread.  It is what it is.  I’m thankful for the past four years.  Even during treatment, my days have been filled with memories.  I’ve had more time with my family.  I’ve watched T.J. grow into a young man.  So many special people have come into my life the past four years.  I am so grateful.  Let’s not forget….I became a glamma!  I’m so in love with little Jaxon.  He is perfect.  In May I will be a glamma again!  To a precious little girl.  I hope she looks just like me!!😂

Living with metastatic breast cancer isn’t easy, but I’m living!  That’s all that really matters. Get out and make some memories!  I love you all!💕💕

 

Look at my new wig my sweet Javiee bought me.  I love it!  My hair is beginning to come back on the sides.  The top is still bald.  I call it a nohawk.

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