August 8th, 2008 (2)

Hello Everyone!
It has been a long but short last 4 months to say the least.
Ok... how did this start.. I will try to keep it short.. ( YEAH RIGHT....hehe)
April 11th, I went in for my yearly physical/blood work... you get the idea.
I get a call April 14th from my doctors office telling me my blood work came back and it was SO GOOD, they wanted to know a little bit about my lifestyle. Very few people my age have blood pressure 90/70 and good cholesterol of 177. They asked if I was a tri-athlete( yeah right)... Well... I hung up the phone and felt like 1,000,000.00 bucks.. I was the healthiest person on the planet... after all, I work hard at it... I let ALL my family and friends.. ( and some customers ..hehe) know.. that I WAS THE HEALTHIEST PERSON ALIVE... LOL...
April 25th... my scheduled yearly mammogram. Simple... normal.. outta there in 30 min. like usual. Life went on. Got a call saying they needed to do an ultrasound on the breast as soon as I could.. ( still no big deal... done this twice before... with dense breasts.. it is something us ladies do) So, I did so.
While there... the woman doing the ultrasound was WAY more detailed than I ever had before. I watched her eyes. I knew something was wrong. She gave me the name of a Breast Surgeon she knew of. This never happened before. She also did a detail sono of my lymph nodes.. again... never happened. I am a talker ( if you are reading this you are saying...duhhhhhhhhhhhh)... well, that day during the sono, I COULD NOT TALK. I knew.
Results were in at some point and I was told I needed THREE biopsy's. WOW.
I was to go to St. Lukes , Lee's Summit to have this done. The Radiologist there called and said he did not want to "touch" this one.. referred me to the KU Cancer Center. I knew. Hubby still in denial. I Knew. Through all of this very few knew what Todd and I were going through( after all there was a small chance in you know where it could be benign). So, June 17th... KU Cancer Center.. Worst day of my life so far. I will not detail this out but I was not able to be numbed. They really did try. I had four biopsy's awake and without being numb. Todd( hubby) is the strongest man I know. It was the hardest day of his life so far.
Ok.. drama over.
We wait.. we enjoy life as much as we can for 8 days.. Call comes in. My dear PCP, tells me the news ( as I refused to go in her office to have "the talk") I had Breast Cancer. She is a 4 yr lung cancer survivor and she told me where to go to get the best treatment(she felt) in KC. St. Lukes Breast Center, Plaza. She was right. ( for me)
After this date.. June 25th,2008.. it goes really fast. After we met all Doctors that would be on my Cancer team ( we picked them) I found out what type of BC I had. ( THERE ARE MANY... who knew... not I)
I am Her2+++ , 20ish% of BC are this. It is very aggressive.. grows and spreads fast. Mine is not inherited... not passable... and not hormonal. It is also, nothing I did. ( Well hell, if I am the "healthiest woman on earth"... how did this happen?? lol)
Anywhoooo... Because of the aggressive nature, Chemo was started first to kick the cancers little booty. I have had 2 treatments as of today. I am doing really well. I am not sick and puky... I do get tired on the wed-sat after chemo.
"Because I am so healthy otherwise and young", my chemo is aggressive. They do not want me sick, because they do not want to interrupt chemo for any reason. This is why I am not working, going to Mass and pretty much am in a bubble here...HEHE....Those places are high places for bacteria and virus's.. my oncologist simply said NO! She is kinda hard core.. but hey.. this IS my life.. so I listen to her.
I will have some type of surgery after this chemo... I know they will remove lymph nodes even if the chemo kills the cancer in them. If there is a tumor in the breast after chemo.. I will have the tumor removed... I have not decided 100% what I will do about surgery... hmmmmm... things to think about...
I will have radiation, too. 4-8 weeks every day ( weekends off)... I will know more about that down the road.
If I had this type of cancer (her2+++)... 10 yrs ago.. I just might not be here too long... BUT.... 2 little years ago.. a drug called HERCEPTIN was passed by the FDA for stages 1-2-3 her2+++... and it gave us a GREAT chance of not even having a recurrence.. wahoooooooooo HERCEPTIN! I will take this drug for one year in my port ( chest IV). I will either go in every week or three weeks... to be determined??
Still so much up in the air as far as timing. BUT... for now, until the end of OCT. I will be in chemo every two weeks. ( If I keep responding so well, if not... they will stretch the chemo out longer and give me a less dose to handle)... As of now, they call me the "over achiever" LOL... I am doing better than the norm... the tumors are responding to the chemo... wahooooo , I always new I was an over achiever...:) :) :)
Well everyone.. I think that says most of what happened.. how it happened.. my treatments... where it is.. and how I am... :):)
My sons and husband are doing good. My oldest son has his dear wife Nicci and the kids to fill his mind... and Tay.. well... he seems really well..as he has to see me daily.. my little balding self...LOL.. but I think.. because I am not ill.. and not a "mopey" kinda spirit.. he thinks I am pretty darn normal. Todd is ok, too. All I can say about my husband.. again.. he is the strongest man I know. He takes care of me like he loves me or something..:)
My parents have taken me to chemo along with Todd.... to the store.. helped with the food.. etc.. Thank you mom and dad.. this is hard for you.. and you are shining stars!
Thanks Chris for helping at the salon and calling me so often, and coming to Chemo..AND MAKING FUN OF ME DURING CHEMO>>> Brotherly love....LOL LOL...! AND the prayers...Thank you Tom and Kelly and Roxie for offering to come to chemo and sit with me..again,, the prayers! That is the key folks... PRAYER.... THANK YOU ALL WHO HAVE BEEN and are continuing daily prayer for me and my family. We love you! Thank you to all my family who are calling and sending cards...I love ya!
Jayne...Thanks for keeping that Salon going. You are becoming a fabulous manager! Nicole.. Thank you for the dinners too... SO Special... All my beautiful ladies at the Salon.. THANK YOU!
My customers and others I don't even know.. THANK YOU for all the cards and food and gift cards.. and SO MUCH PRAYER! Wow.. I have been overwhelmed with all the goodness and love in my life. THANK YOU! For those customers that I did not get to tell about this before I was WHISKED out of the salon, I am sorry. I had a very short time. I was told I had cancer.. ok.. then I figured I would be able to work 2 little day a week during chemo... but she told me NO.. and, 1 1/2 weeks later I was doing chemo. I had 1 1/2 weeks to tell who ever came in the salon. So my beautiful ladies had to take that on .. it was so hard on them ..they tried not to cry and tried not to make others cry.. :(.. I thank them for that. .. but now, I think everyone is over the tears ( I am).. and we are all moving to get me BACK in the salon.. I am going nuts.. BORED out my mind..LOL.. I am not the soul to sit around... grrrrrrr... but.. I am good at doing what I am told..:)..
I will keep updating this blog often... pictures... things I am going through.. etc... Drop me a note if ya wanna.... :) :)
Gods Love to EACH PERSON reading this.. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
Laura