Quick update

Hey guys just a quick update, just wanted to let everyone know things are going really well. Right now moms totally healthy and working. The next step in the process isn't until the end of January, early February when she will have her second surgery. Hopefully everyone else's lives are going well and Merry Christmas!

27 done

That's right 27 done 6 more to go! It has gone really fast. I'm not sure if I am going to know what to do with myself when I am done with radiation. After going 6 weeks it will be good to be done. I really have not had any bad reactions to it. My skin is "tanning" and I have a small area under my arm that just started to peel but it is not bad, hopefully this is the worst it gets.
I was talking with someone the other day that has 5 years done and she said she would not trade her experience for anything. It got me thinking; I started my journey 7 months ago and in those 7 months I can't say I would change anything that I have gone through. Cancer to me has not been a terrible experience. I would not wish it on anyone.Everyone's experience is different and I still have some things to go through but as I look back God has been good to me and I don't think I ever had the thinking that I can't do this or why me? It was,"This is what I need to do and lets do it." I have had  great support from so many people also and that also was great help.

3 down 29 to go

As the title say's 3 down and 29 more to go. Radiation started this week. It is very quick. I am normally in and out in 10 to 15 minutes, but like I said before it is 5 days a week for six week's.
I have been doing physical therapy for my arm to get more range of motion and should be done with that next week.
My hair is starting to grow back in. It is kinda fun to watch it day by day grow and turn darker. It will be interesting to see what it actually turns out like when it fully comes in.
I will keep you updated on how things are going, and again thanks for your continued prayers.

Moving on

So it's been awhile since we have updated. It has been kinda nice. Life has been going on almost like normal. I have had a few Dr. appt.'s here and there but otherwise it has been good. I have been back to work where I belong. :)
I have my date set to start radiation, and that is August 20. So that will start my 6 week journey with that. I also have to do some physical therapy for my arm to get better range of motion in it. I am done though with Dr. appt.'s for 3 months so that is a plus with everything else going on. Some days I feel like my life revolves around appt.'s.
I will try and let you know how radiation is going after I get started with it. Hopefully everything will go good, not really suppose to have side effects from it but maybe some fatigue and skin burn.
Otherwise things go on as normal. Work and that is where I like to be and should be.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Post-op appt.

So today was my post-op appt.  Things are going well.  I got my path reports back and that showed  the sentinel node still had cancer and the Dr. was not surprised by that. She took 6 lymph nodes and they came back negative so that was good, then the spot in my breast the Dr. was concerned about the area by the skin, that came back fine it was the area by the chest wall that still had cancer and it was larger than the MRI showed so that shows how sneaky it is. It just reassures the Dr. that radiation and then a mastectomy on the other side is the best plan for me.
I am able to return to work next week so that is good. My next Dr. appt is on the 31st and then the first appt. to plan for radiation is August 6.
Thanks again for all the prayers and support.

Doing good.

Just a quick update to let everyone know that things are going really well. I have not really had any pain so no need for pain meds.
It was nice to have Kelsey here to help out the week of surgery. We have had great support from people for meals and we thank you so much. We thank you also for all the prayers. Everything has been a true blessing.
I have a post-op appt. on Wednesday so we will try and give a quick update then and let you know how that went.
Thanks again for all you prayers and support.

Home!

My mom was discharged today at 1:30! She has been resting seems to be doing well. Her pain is low which is fantastic. She didn't get much sleep last night so we are hoping that she can sleep well tonight. Prayers that everything continues to heal well are appreciated!

Today's Surgery

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. My moms surgery went really well. The surgery only took an hour and a half and Dr. Hoberman was very pleased with the outcome. She will for sure stay at the hospital tonight but depending on how she is feeling tomorrow she may or may not go home. Right now she is resting and enjoying the hospital food (while making funny faces eating the jello ;) ) She doesn't seem like she is in that much pain and thankfully she has not been nauseous at all. We will make sure to keep you all posted!

Surgery on Thursday

Hey Everyone, 

its Kelsey! My moms surgery is on Thursday. With talking to her, she says that she is not nervous about the surgery itself. She is more worried about the anesthesia and pain meds because they often make her sick. My dad was off of work again last week because he was in pain because of his surgery but he is thankfully back to work this week. Prayers would be appreciated that he continues to heal and that he does not need more time off of work. My mom and I are headed up north to my cousins cottage on Big Star Lake today and tomorrow with her mom and sister just so she can relax a few days before her surgery because she has been working like crazy to make up for the time she is going to have off to recover. It still is unclear how much time she will have to stay in the hospital after her surgery but I will definitely keep you all posted on Thursday! Thank you for all of your support and prayers during this journey.
 

Thankful

I woke up today feeling truly thankful. A lot of the past couple months have been a blur to me and without the help of a lot of people I would not have made it through them.
I am thankful to my husband for taking off from work and going to all my Dr. appt. with me. I am thankful for my kids for always making sure I had everything I needed. I know this was not easy for them. I am thankful for them also for keeping this blog to update others on how I was doing.
I am thankful for my mom, dad and sisters who went and sat with me through chemo so Jim did not have to take off from work, and also went to appt's. that Jim could not go to.
I am thankful for Jim's family who helped out with some meals and some groceries when he was off from work.
I am thankful for a great work place that has been truly understanding and has worked around this entire journey I have been on. It has been great to work when I can to keep some type of normal to my life. Also I am thankful for the great co-workers that I have to work with that are so supportive.
I am thankful for my church family, neighbors and friends that have brought meals, sent notes and gift cards. My family has been truly blessed and as it was said in church today God is good!
I am so thankful for all that has been done for my family and myself and also the support. I can never thank anyone enough. I know my journey is not over but I just felt I needed to express thanks to everyone.

Officially done!

I am officially done with chemo as of today! One big step behind us, now on to the next. We are praying the side affects in my feet do not get any worse and that they do not last very long. My hands have been doing pretty good.
I am not sure how much we will post now until we get closer to July 11, but if you don't hear anything just figure everything is going great. If something would go wrong we will post it so you know what going on. Have a couple good weeks.

Appointments

On Friday I had an appointment with the Dr. at the radiation center. I will be starting radiation 2 to 4 weeks after my surgery and will have it in 3 different spots. Radiation will only take about 15 minutes but it will be 5 days a week for 6 weeks. So in that aspect it will be very time consuming.
Today I had an appointment with my surgeon. We talked about my surgery on July 11. We also talked about doing a double mastectomy. The plan is to do a double mastectomy but only starting with the breast that has cancer in it and then next year when I do reconstruction I will have the other side done.
The type of cancer I have even though you can feel it, it is very hard to find on a mammogram. It is also known to move from one breast to the other. So that being said, we figured this would be my best option.
Tomorrow is my last chemo. I am glad to get that step behind me and that it went so well.
Thank you for all your prayers and support. We could not have made it this far without them.

Hey all

Hello everybody. Life is going good right now. We wont know until Weds whether mom is getting one or two more treatments, but we are defiantly hoping only one more. Her feet have been pretty numb lately and we just don't want to make that permanent by pushing too much chemo at once. Dad is at work every day and doing good, and Kels managed to find a babysitting job in Grand Rapids where her apartment is which is a huge blessing and also a huge stress reliever to my mom. I leave tomorrow for my mission trip to New Jersey, so either mom or Kels will be updating. They will probably be better and more frequent at updating it than me lately. I apologize. Things have gotten busy with my summer jobs, and most days its feeling pretty normal, at least are new normal, and there hasn't been any major updates which is why I am not blogging as much. Like I said in one of the earlier blogs, if we ever hear anything major, as soon as I hear it, it goes on here. Some of you may say nuh uh I knew before it was on the blog, that probably means you knew before me. I am just praying Weds goes on without a glitch, and the numbness and achiness of moms hands and toes go away. It is very uncomfortable for her. Have fun hearing updates from Kels and moms point of view this week, and have an amazing week in this great summer weather.

Just one more!! maybe...

Hey all,
Mom had her chemo Weds and it went well. Weds she slept and thurs she actually had a lot of energy, which was good since I had 16 teenage girls spend the night last night celebrating the end of school (:. Last night she had the tingling in her hands and feet and that isnt good. If it continues the next couple days, than instead of having her last chemo treatment in two weeks, she will have to have three,, once a week smaller treatments. We just pray that it ends and that theres only need for one more treatment and so we can get on with things. Other than that, shes doing good, sleeping decently and eating well. That's all we can ask for.  Have a good night and happy summer

Good news

We have a ton of good news! Dad does not need surgery on his legs they're just super sore but will heal on their own. Mom literally just got a call from her doctor and had the results from her MRI earlier today. The cancer has shrunk a great deal, and is no longer visible in the lymph noids. Thank you for all the prayers as you can see they're at work! Today mom also scheduled her tentative surgery  date, July 11. More updates when they come. Have a great night everybody!

Second Dose of new chemo 5/22/13

The second dose of the new chemo is now behind us. Dad was able to take her today because he is still restricted from work, but that gets taken off Friday. They got home today right before I did from school around 3:30, and the appointment started at nine. That tells you how long this takes. When she comes home she just looks completly drained and pale. Mom is able to eat normal for the most part now, which is extremely helpful. Her taste buds aren't so off, but stuff still needs to have strong flavor in order for her to be able to taste it. We were blessed with so many meals last week and we thank you for that. Since comeing home from the appointment mom has been sleeping most of the time, just trying to get rid of the Benadryl that's in her system that goes with the chemo. Besides needing excessive sleep, I think she is doing really good. Dad is doing great and has an appointment soon to find more out about his next to surgeries. Hope all is well for you guys aswell.
P.s. Whover gave us the money in our mailbox, my parents and I cannot thank you enough it defiantly helps!

Overwhelmed

The past week has been really good. Dad has just been healing and mom has actually been working. Dad has had a lot of headaches, but I think that is getting better now. Mom had been doing great, she gets achey, but doesn't feel sick. It is so cool to see her going to work because she really enjoys it and its the one thing that can get her ot of the house and it makes her feel not so cramped. This morning she had to go to the doctors in grand haven to plan a surgery after the radiation. The process is huge and they didn't realize it. I asked both parents at separate times how the appointment went and all they could say was overwhelming and a lot of information. I think it will take some time to adjust but it will all work out. It's hard to know that we still have at least a year before all the surgeries, radiation and chemo can be complete, but we just have to adjust our expectations and look on the bright side. Mom's cancer is not genetic therefore it only had a slight chance of reoccurring. We caught it in time that she should be able to get rid of it. Through the process we've had so many people around us blessing us. There is a lot of negatives about cancer, but I do believe there is some positives and we just have to stay looking on the bright side. Have a good night :)

Sore, but well

Last friday was dads surgery. Last Weds was moms chemo. Both of them are doing well. Mom is experiencing her new round of chemo, which isn't making her feel sick but it is making her really sore. It gets worse at night and keeps her up. Thankfully, she isn't as physically drained as she was from her other type of chemo treatments. Dad is doing good aswell, and sore too. The perfect pair :P haha :) He is able to get up and move around but mom is really trying to make sure he doesnt over do it. He isnt allowed to work until his appointment that is two weeks from the surgery. Everyone has been so helpful and we are blessed. I pray that everyone has the same support we have. Thats all for now, Ill update when things change. Have a good night.

Home!

Dad is home! Sorry I have been trying to update but it hasnt been working. He got out of surgery less than an hour later and it went well :) He wasnt allowed to come home until twoish because he couldnt get the feeling back in his feet but he is home now. He had a migrane because of things like no sleep the past two nights and a wailing kid there but they gave him meds and he is doing pretty good now.

Quick Update

Hey! Just a quick update, my dad has been at the hospital since 630 this morning and is surgery officially starts at 8. It will be less than an hour an a half. I will update again when I hear anything :) mom is doing great weds she was exhausted but since than she has been doing pretty good.



Update at 8:45
Dad has a migrane and just went in to surgery...that's all I know for now. His parents are the ones that took him and update my mom than update me.

Chemo Day

Mom started her second half of chemo today. These treatments are a little different and she has to take Benadryl with them so she is exhausted before she even gets home. On top of that, after chemo today her blood pressure was only 84/55. Normally she goes in for chemo at about nine and is home by about four. Today it was another couple hours just waiting for her numbers to rise and pumping her with fluids. I had to leave right after she got home but I'm pretty sure she has slept most of the time. Kelsey came home tonight to help with everything this weekend. I've had wonderful people help with volunteering for meals on Friday,  Saturday ans next week Weds. The Appeldoorns brought it again today, they havent missed a chemo day and I have a thank you shout out to them for that :) We really appreciate everything and everone and we just ask that you keep it in your prayers that we will have nice weather tomorrow so the parade won't be canceled and dad will be able to have his surgery Friday. He met with another doctor this morning to discuss his knee and he needs surgery but they do not even want to start that process until he is done with the Hernia surgery first. With the new chemo it will be interesting seeing how mom responds to it the next couple days. Typically Thursdays are okay and Friday is the worst day but with today being bad I think the scheduling is going to be a little off. I hope everyone is enjoying their tulip time and staying safe :)

Help

Hey guys so a lots going on. My mom is doing well and that is great. She worked yesterday and today and just feels good. On the other hand, while working on the side of the road on Chicago Drive, my dad got hit by a car. He was sore and limping but it wasnt until yesterday he went to Urgent Care. He found out he needs two surgeries, one on his meniscus and the other on his hernia. He tore his meniscus a couple years ago and had surgery and its been fine but apparently he retore it with the hit. His hernia is a bad tear. He is having surgery on that friday if it does not rain thursday. He is going to the same surgeon as my mom and she has kids in the tulip time parade :) So many of you have been saying that youre more than willing to help just to ask when. With mom having chemo this Weds both my parents are going to be down. Fridays are moms worst day. She feels awful because she probably wont be able to go to his surgery. I  just ask that if you feel like it, meals for the two of them would be nice. It would just take stress off my mom. You can text or call me at 616-834-3532. Thank you guys.

Ultra sound

Today momma had her ultra sound. The one today wasn't very high tech or anything but it did the job. They found out that the spot has shrunk, which mom already knew by just feeling it. The doctors are very pleased with the progress. In a month, she goes to get a MRI  which will be more in depth. In a month she will also be meeting with a plastic surgeon to plan what surgery they plan on doing a month later, (two months from now). Right now my mom and her doctor think the best way to go is having a Mastectomy which is the more intense surgery out of the two options. She is doing good a little tired and constant headache but other than that nothing bad is going on. We will see how the next coupe days to. Have a good week.

Couple nice days

Hey everyone sorry I haven't updated in awhile. No updates means that she is doing well because if anything bad ever happens I will always update right away. Mom is doing good she was really tired the first couple days and kept wanting to go outside and work in the yard with it being so nice out but she was too tired too. Yesterday she was actually able to and it made her happy. She was out for about an hour and a half and that completly wiped her out. Tonight we have the big test to see how the cancer is reacting to the chemo. I don't know how long it takes to get results from that test but I will let you know the results as soon as I have them. Have a good day.

Half way there

My mom has officially been through half her chemo treatments after today. Currently she is resting and is pretty exhausted. To know that she is half way done with the first step of the process out of three is a pretty good feeling. The next step being surgery and the following is radiation. She has strength like none other. The past couple days she has been doing really well. She worked monday which she really enjoyed seeing all her work friends again. It is only the second or third time working I believe since starting her chemo in the beginning so it's great to see her doing that well and a really big deal. She has always liked her job and I think it is defiantly something that she misses the most about what she used to call normal. In some ways we have fallen in to a new normal, but with chemo nothing will ever be completly set in stone. It varies with every treatment how how she feels on a certain day, no saying "normally two days after shes fine than at four days bad". The last treatment she had she stayed weak the longest and I am just hoping that this time she can feel a lot better. I think she said these last half of the treatments are a little different, and wont necesarilly make her as nauseous, but more like tingly and prickly in her feet and hands. This sounds funny but its pretty miserable especially since this already occurs and now it is just going to get worse. Kelsey is on her last week of college of freshman year, doing the exam thing. Dad is doing the usual and supporting mom. Grandpa to me, my moms dad, is the one who took her to chemo today. Her family has done an amazing job of creating a rotating schedule on who takes her and sits with her all day so dad doesnt have to take off of work every time. I dont know if you guys know what getting chemo is like but basically my mom starts off by having an appointment with her doctor. Its pretty cool theyre on a first name basis and she just checks over things like my moms blood counts and makes sure everything looks good. Than, my mom has her own private room with a comfy chair and things like a T.V. Latley she has been having to wait awhile for the next step. It is actually a nurse who comes in and gives my mom the chemo, which is in an IV that hooks to the port on her chest. The IV takes like four hours and there is a couple bags. That's pretty much all. It takes her a little while to feel the affects of it going through her body and she almost seems normal at first. She isn't allowed to drive for like 9 days after every treatment because of the heavy meds that she also has to take everyday. The meds goes in circles, like they will be some that she has to take because they fight the cancer or whatever, but than she has to take meds to reverse the side affects that the meds give her like nausea. All in all theres a lot of meds. Only four more treatments left though :) I again thank everybody for everything they have been doing. The generosity never stops. I will update again soon. Have a great night.

So blessed

We are so blessed. Mom has had three chemo treatments and is getting her fouth one this week weds. Every treatment has gone well. Aside from finding out in the beginning that the chemo had spread and the first treatment being pushed back a week, everything has gone really smoothly. I couldnt have asked for anything to go better. Today mom is in really high spirits and energetic. We just got back from church and running to the store and now shes cooking in our new stove! In case you havent heard, our old stove exploded. My dad was cooking, and all the sudden the burner burned a hole in the bottom of the pot and the boiling water went everywhere. Sparks flew up taller than him. Thankfully, he didnt get hurt and nothing else was destroyed. This was last weekend I believe. Early in the week dad and I went shopping at Menards for a new one. We picked one out and were able to find it somewhere else for cheaper, and dad picked it up yesterday. Yesterday dad also helped Kels take all her furniture from Holland up to her apartment. She has to be out of her dorm this Friday. She is moving in with three people rom college, two of them being her current roomates. It is a new chapter in her life and a big step but she is ready for it :) Last week friday through this weds was the worst days for mom. I have never seen her that drained. She camped out on the couch only getting up when she absolutly needed to. It was hard seeing. So, it has slowly gotten better and it just makes me so happy to see her today up and happy. She may even go in to work tomorrow or Tuesday which would be really good for her. She misses all her work friends. Cards are still comeing and so are meals. Mom and the whole family is feeling the love. God has blessed us with amazing people surronding us. HE is so amazing. I just thank Him that she is doing so well. Have a great sunday everyone :)
(Ps: Go to my profile to see a picture I just put up)

Doing swell

Hey all. Today is Friday two days after moms last chemo. Mom has been doing really good. Yesterday she even wanted to run errands so I drove her around. I was really surprised to see how many places she was up to going to. By the end I could tell she was ready to just be back home laying down though.  She slept a lot Wedsnesday but other than that she hasn't slept like an obsessive amout. Today she said she felt off, but its ot necessary a sick feeling. She is in bed right now which is a good sign that she might be tired enough now to be ale to sleep through most of the night. The next couple days will really be interesting to how she feels as her counts begin to drop. That's really all for now. Thanks for reading.

Peaceful sleep

Hellooo everyone. Today mom had another round of chemo. Currently she is passed out but she looks really peaceful. She sleeps a lot but normally shes tossing and turning and last time I was up she was really still. Each chemo treatment seems to be affecting her body harder at least from my point of view which is hard, but it also means it is stronger on the cancer. Mom can literally feel the cancer getting smaller and so can her doctors. The prayers are working. I believe the plan is still to have the test at the end of the month to see exactly how much it has shrunk, redo the dosage of chemo and start the second half. Once the the second half is done,  she will have surgery. After surgery she will have radiation. Theres still a long process ahead of us, but we at least now know it is working. Mom has had high spirits since the day she found out the news and I belive this truely has made a difference. She has never been super angry or full of hate, she fights it head on. I dont think I can do a blog post without mentioning how thankful I am for everyone. Some really amazing stuff is going on. The Appeldoorns have brought us dinner every single chemo treatment. So many other families have brought meals. Everyone is always asking what they can do to help. We have an amzing community surronding us and are just so blessed. So thank you. Have a great night and I will update tomorrow hopefully.

Back in the states

Hey everybody im back!! It will now be me, Amanda updating the blog again. My mom is doing great. She had her worst day by far on Thursday. It has never been that bad. She was even afraid to get up to go in to the kitchen to get her pills for fear of getting sick. She still has really constant headaches and that on top of the extreme nausea did her in. Mom said the worst part was that it came on so sudden, feeling fine when she woke up but than straight down hill. Thursday night was a tad better and by friday it was back to being okay/normal. Her typical days are a mix, she goes from feeling good to okay to goood and sometimes bad. It is always changing depends on the minute. Eating is still a problem. She has lost weight which is not good and she has to get it back up by Weds or they will be mad. It is hard to wrap my head around that she will already have another chemo treatment this Weds, considering I left on the day of her last treatment. She is still recieving so much stuff from you guys and I just want to say I really appreciate it. Our house is filled with pink ribbons hanging all around. She was very well taken care of while I was gone with my amazing second family <3 We did make it to church this morning, and she has just been relaxing since than. One thing that amuses me is her obscure cravings. She is worse than a pregnant lady. My dads been amazing though with countless trips to the store to fill the cravings. One of the weirdest ones was sardines, and once she did get them, they didnt taste good. Poor mom. It stinks watching her try all these foods and not being able to stand the flavor. She needs a whole buffet and she still wouldnt be able to stand most of the foods. That's about all for now. I pray that everybody had great spring break trips and made it back safetly. Have a good night :D

April 2, 2013

Hey Everyone,
This is going to be a really short update :) I just got off the phone with my dad. Mom has been doing well but has been tired. I didnt get much information but my dad did managae to make the comment that yesterday she was craving sardines and cadbury eggs, such a strange combination of cravings. She did manage to eat part of a brat tonight but it didn't sit well with her.
     Her thrush is not getting better. They called the doctor and they switched her from the mouth wash to a pill. We are hoping that this will help get rid of it.
-Kelsey

Easter!

Hello!
     Just a quick update. Today was a good day for my mom. She decided not to go to Church today because she did not want to push herself to hard, which ended up being a good decision. She did make it over to our family Easter dinner with her parents, our family and a cousin of mine. Mom ate part of my dads chicken and some other food which was awesome to see and even saved room to have mashed up strawberries for desert! By the end of the afternoon she was tired but happy to be around family.Just an update about her genetic testing, the second half of the results came back good and there are no signs that the cancer is genetic.
     For those of you wondering, Amanda did make it to the Dominican alright, she got to talk to my mom and myself a little bit over facebook yesterday and was able to read the blog updates that I have been doing. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
God Bless,
Kelsey

Mixed Day

Hey Everyone,
So this morning started off really well. Mom ended up going to work, she even had the appetite for blueberry pancakes for breakfast (: She was a little tired before heading to work but considering she had not been to work since before she started chemo she was determined to make it to work. Her shift was from 10-3 and she came home shortly after 2. She was absolutely exhausted and said her thrush was back. (for those of you who don't remember thrush is what makes my moms taste and appetite go bad and leaves sores in her mouth). When she came home, put comfy clothes on and went and layed on the couch. She slept for a bit and had some vanilla pudding. I am hoping she has at least enough energy tomorrow to make it over to my grandparents for our Easter dinner but I don't know if she will or not. Pray that she can gain some energy and spend more time with her family. Much love to all of you on Easter morning!
Kelsey

Fighting Like A Girl! (:

Hey Everyone,
     Yesterday went well for my mom. She had a lot of energy and was suprisingly planning on heading to work on Saturday. Normally when my dad is on his way home from work he will call my mom and ask if he can get her anything and yesterday my mom asked for chinease food which is awesome. She was able to eat it and have it not effect her. When I got home around 10 she was still awake watching tv and was in good spirits. Last night I went to McDonalds with a few friends and I managed to pick her up a hot fudge sundae which she was happy about!
     Today when I woke up she was really tired but still in good spirits. She has tried eating a few things such as crackers and right now she is trying chocolate pudding but I can tell she is not feeling well. We just put in Les Miserables but I think she will end up falling asleep instead of watching it. I dont know if she still plans on going into work tomorrow, we will just have to see how she feels.
     This is the first time that I have been home since she started her treatments so its rough. Its hard to see her just lying on the couch with practically no energy and to see that she in uncomfortable but she is an amazingly strong woman. Everyone I have talked to has commented on how strong she is which is comforting. The support from friends and family has been amazing and I just want to thank everyone who has helped us in any way, either by preparing meals, making phone calls of encouragment and for all of the cards that my mom has recieved. Most of all thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I pray that today you are able to celebrate with your family as we draw closer to Easter.
Much Love to all,
Kelsey


"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

2nd Chemo Treatment

Hey Everyone,
its Kelsey! sorry I havent been able to update until now, Wednesdays are my craziest day of the week. Anyways, I talked to my dad a bit tonight. He texted me at shortly before six saying that she was home and doing great but that she was very tired and she was sleeping. He called me around 8 and had said that she had been doing good but after her chemo she had a headache and so she was trying to sleep. They picked up a prescription today for the thresh so hopefully that will help it not effect her as much. 
   My aunt messaged me today and I was very encouraging in her message so I thought I would share it with you all!;
          "I'm sure you already know this but your mom is one of the most amazing women I know! I went to her chemo treatment with her today and was just amazed at how at peace she seems with things and the fact that she's not whining and feeling sorry for herself Like a lot of people would be (myself included). Having a positive attitude is so important and she definitely does."
   I am headed home tomorrow night after I get out of work and I promise all of you that I will update you as soon as I know more.
God  Bless,
Kelsey

I love you mom

In just over twelve hours I leave for Chicago. I spend a night there than take my flight to the Domincan Republic for a week and a half with a friends family. In just over twelve hours my mom will be going through her second round of chemo. It sucks. Im really excited to go but I want to be here too. But, I know all of you will be taking care of her while I am gone and if I didnt know that I wouldnt be going. All of you have been absolutly amazing. She has recieved so many cards and weve recieved some meals from people too. This past week has been pretty good. Mom has been growing stronger everyday. Today she shocked a lot of people by shaving her head. She has two wigs and they  look so great on her :D Her whole thing was she wanted to do it on her own terms and she did. She will not let the cancer be in charge of her life. I am so proud of her for that. This battle is really showing how strong she is. Prayers for tomorrows treatment working and the negative affects be kept to a minimal would be amazing. It is hard to watch her be so miserable and not be able to help. Her thrush has gotten a lot better. She is eating but it is kind of touch and go what tastes good at a certain point. I just want to apologize for not updating sooner. Since I will be gone, I am having my sister Kelsey do the updates while Im gone. I am without my phone and computor, but hopefully the hotel wifi is good enough that I will at least be able to read the blog posts. I hope that everybody has safe travels if they are going some where on spring break and has a great time. Talk to you guys when I get back :D

Thrush and Genetetic Testing

Today is Tuesday, a full week after chemo. Today is the first day mom has actually really been out of the house and has done stuff. She was able to go to the store with her mom and get some grocery shopping done, and went to an appointment. Her appointment was to pick up the results of her genetic testing to see whether she was a carrier of breast cancer or not. She got majority of the results back today, and so far, she is not a carrier. This is great news. This means that she has a very slim chance of getting breast cancer a second time, and it is easier to deal with. We are very greatful to hear this. It is also more safe for Kels and me in our chances of recieving breast cancer. New topic: Thrush. Thrush is a condition in which white gross fungus grows on your tounge. It can be very painful and alter your taste buds greatly. This is what my mom has been dealing with. Her tounge was pure white pretty much and it was spreading to her cheecks and the back of her mouth. It has made the past couple days pretty miserable for her. Apparently when your healthy, its a minor thing to have. But, when you have a weak immune system like she does thanks to the chemo, its a lot worse. So, Sunday they called the doctors and got medicine for it. Now, it is getting better and she started to eat normal today. She is making aso much progress :) No work for the rest of the week, but you can tell she is a lot better. Her goal tonight is just to sleep through the night. She has not let herself sleep today in hopes of that. Prayers for a good night sleep and good results on the rest of her genetic tests are appreciated. Have a great night everybody.

She's surviving ( on ice cream )

It's been four days since the first chemo. Yesterday (Saturday) mom was thinking that she might want to try and work Monday. Dad and I were kind of skeptical since we knew she was feeling better but she still hadn't been up for more than a half hour at a time. Like she always says, don't push it. She did make it to Church today, but decided she would like to take tomorrow off to have a feel good day where she can do whatever she pleases, and drive! Two days after she came home from chemo I get home in the evening to see her doing laundry and I can tell she didn't feel good. I was like why on earth are you doing that right now? I will do it. and she was like no! I need to  do something. So much just laying around is hard for her but she feels worse when she gets up. The worst thing right now is chemo gives your mouth a metallic taste and coats your tong. Almost everything she has tried just tastes nasty to her, except for ice cream of course. 80 percent of the food she has had the past couple days has been some form of ice cream whether a wendys frosty or just plain vanilla with chocalete sauce. Mom says if it wernt for her tong she would feel much better, the taste just makes her gag. Besides that, things are going really well. Her body is still super weak so she just has to lay down and sleep a lot. Her sleeping schedule is so off. This morning she stood looming over my dad at 4am holding her sierra mist bottle startling him awake ahaa. She was thirsty and her fingers are so sore she couldnt get the cap off. As the days go on she is getting back her strength, slowly. Maybe Tuesday she will be back at work. I will update soon. Happy Saint Patricks Day!

Response to Chemo

Sorry for not updating the blog last night! So now we kind of know how chemo affects my moms body. On Wedsnesday, 2 days ago she had her first treatment. She came home and was feeling good and looked good but as the night went out it wasn't so great. Wedsnesday night was her worst time by far so far. Yesterday was okay. She had her appointment to go get bloodwork done and to learn how to give herself medicine shots. She got there thanks to the help of her sister Sheryl since she can't currently drive. Today is an okay day as well. She will stand up every once in awhile for a couple minutes but as soon as she lays down she falls asleep. It just completly takes all the energy out of her. She has slept a lot and always fades in and out so you will be talking to her later and she won't remeber what happened earlier. For breakfast she had a popsicle. Mom was so amused that that was actually what she was eating for breakfast. Since than she's had cheese and crackers in the afternoon to get some protein, a vanilla and chocalete Wendy's frosty, more ice cream, and a slurpie.Techniqually she is supposed to be rinsing with baking soda and salt (yucky combo)! Buttt, because it is so gross she trys not to do it naughty :P I thank the Appeldoorn family for bringing us a full dinner on Wednesday and all the other people that have helped out. My mom has recieved a ton of cards and I know she really likes them and appreciates them :) I will update you later on how she is doing at that point but for now we hope the worst part is over. Have a good night, It's Friday!

Side note: I know commenting is still an issue. I am working on switching to a different blog so that the commenting does work. I will try to finish that really soon and I will let you know that information as soon as I get it all sorted out.

Also, if you have any idea of foods besides ice cream that she might like to eat, her taste buds are off and it is really hard finding something she will like. So, if you have an idea, please email the idea to me at : dancegirl_1996@yahoo.com. Any other comments can also be sent there and I will read them to her. Thanks!

After first Chemo

Today she had her first chemo and it went really well. Mom was surprised by how smooth and organized the process was. Her appointment was at 10:15 and was home by 2:45.  She had a couple bites of a sub than and now she is working on some crackers. She is awake and relaxing on the couch. Staying in one position so long has given her a headache but besides that she is pretty good. Her face is pale and apparently paler when she stands up but I havent seen that yet. She goes tomorrow to get blood work done just to make sure everything is okay and learn how to give herself shots for medicine. The chemo will be every two weeks on a Wednesday unless something changes. Wednesdays are the only day the oncolgist is in the Holland Cancer and Hermatology Center. I will update either late tonight or tomorrow on her progress :)

On a side note: I know a lot of you are frustrated because you don't have any gmail, youtube, etc. accounts that you can use to comment on this. So, I made an account that all of you to go on to comment if you would like. You go to blogspot.com next enter this info
Username: abosgirlcommenter@blogspot.com
Password: abosgirl
Using that  you should be able to log in and comment :) Just don't forget to write your name so we know who it is from!
Thanks for reading.

Muga Scan Results 3/12

We got the results! She is cleared for chemo tomorrow. Her appointment is at 10:15 at the oncologists office. My mom is so excited for the news. She is just ready to get the process started. No one knows exactly how harshly a persons body will take to the chemo until thy go through it. They say pregnancy gives you somewhat of an idea but with how bad it was for my mom we really hope not. I just pray that it goes smoothly and she can home and rest. I won't be home until late evening tomorrow because of soccer but I will update as soon as I get home and am updated myself. Prayers are appreciated. Thank you everybody so much for all you've said and done. :) Have a good night.

Muga Scan 3/7/2013

Today mom had her muga scan. It went well but we won't get the results unless it is bad news. If we hear no news chemo will start Wednesday. So really we don't know anything right now. I will let you know as soon as we know anything. Other than that mom is doing good and she will be working the next couple days. Have a good day :)

Hey everybody,
So it turns out she couldn't start chemo today. Yesterday my mom had an ecocardiogram to make sure her heart was healthy enough to sustain the chemo today. We had not heard anything back so we figured it was good. Today she went in for her chemo appointment and found out that they found something they didn't like on the first cardio test and so they could not follow through with the chemo. Tomorrow she goes in for a Muga Scan which is a more intense look at the heart. Prayers that it will go well and that we can start chemo next Wednsday. Thanks

Hey so tomorrow is the big day. Tomorrow which is Wedsnesday the 6th of March 2013, my mom gets her first chemo treatment. Here is a rundown of the last couple weeks
Tuesday the 12: Yearly mamogram is done and there's a suspicious spot
Tuesday the 19th: Biopsy done
Thursday: Doctor calls with news-Breast Cancer
Friday the 22: Meet with Surgeon, mom and her get along well :)
Since then there has been many other appointments with tests and just informational things. Tomorrow is her first actual treatment. I think we are all anxious and also just so thankful for the people we have surronding us. Ever since we found out there has just been people stepping up and offering to help any way they can. Our family gives a big thanks for that. Ill update maybe tomorrow night and tell you how it goes. Thanks for taking the time to read.