I crossed the finish line!

Yes...I have officially crossed the finish line and got to ring the bell today! I told Greg after round #5 that I couldn't do it anymore. But with the support of all of you- friends and family- I made it! Thank you for all of the prayers- I couldn't have made it without God being on my side.

I met with Dr. Go today, and we talked for about an hour or so. I had many questions and he is so very thorough. We talked about what's next...7 weeks of radiation/ 5 days a week. (after 2-3 weeks of recovery from the chemo) The radiation should not be so bad- side effects like tiredness and a "sunburn" effect on the radiated sites. Dr. Wilcox will oversee the radiation, but Dr. Go still sees me throughout. We talked about tumor markers- which I really didn't know much about. That is done through a blood test and it measures a protein on the surface of cancer and non-cancer cells. He has been testing this all along, but I wasn't aware of it. All of my tumor markers are in the normal range as of now. If he sees them increasing steadily, then he will immediately scan me again. He is going to scan me again, but it will be after radiation some time. I will also be starting the medication Tamoxifen soon, which is a hormone receptor blocker. A big kudos goes out to my chemo nurse, Cassie! She was awesome- and got the IV in the first time today! I will miss seeing her every few weeks, but certainly will not miss the chemo room! I also have to thank my dear friend Julie for holding my hand through all of this! Take a look at the pictures below- she made me a finish line and was there to cheer me on when I rang the bell. So as I close this chapter in Lori"s breast cancer journey, I never want to talk about getting chemo again. I seriously start feeling "queasy" when I think about getting chemo or seeing things that remind me of it. It's so weird how our minds can cause a physical reaction to a thought- such as a popsicle! I hope to never again lay eyes on those triangular popsicles. When you take the chemo drug called Adriamyacin, you have to freeze your mouth to construct the blood vessels. So in order to not get these terrible mouth sores, I had to chomp away at a nasty popsicle! Anyways, it's over and I vow to never have to return to chemotherapy again! Thanks for the huge support...and please pray for Greg as he does the Mr. Mom thing this week and a prayer for a "not-so-bad" week for me. XOXOXO Lori

Terrible Two's...already?

Well, people have advised me that girls are much more difficult than boys to raise, and I believe that is true! Mallory Kate just turned two before Christmas, and the two's are definitely here! Her vocabulary has grown tremendously in the last month and she wants you to hear it ALL! She makes me tired just listening to her, and most of it is understandable, even to a stranger. We are finding out she has a little "stubborn" side to her. She makes sure to tell us what she wants, and that she certainly doesn't want to "wait patiently" for it! She is sure to tell us that "I don't like that" when we ask her to try her veggies on her plate or that it is "Mallory Kate's turn" to watch a TV show- Dora of course. Last night was the topper of it all...I put her to bed and rubbed her back for about 2 minutes or so. (Like we do each night- sometimes longer than others!) I then went downstairs and started watching TV with Greg and Graham. We heard a thud- not too terribly loud, and at that point I knew...she has gotten out of her bed! I went upstairs to find her smiling so big in the middle of the hall. She proceeds to tell me, "Hey Mommy! I get out!" I couldn't help but laugh. Graham never once tried to get out of his bed at this age...this is all new! I tucked her back in and told her she's not allowed to get out. I figured I better play it safe this time and decided to watch TV upstairs in my room. About 3 minutes later, once again...thud! She came running in my room..."I do it again Mommy. I get out! I want to watch TV." This time I threatened her with timeout and Greg ended up laying down with her to get her settled. Phew...is there a life's instructions book on how to raise a girl? Please advise... One more funny side note, the other night my mom and I were playing with Mallory Kate and her Dora doll. Mallory Kate was talking about Dora's hair, Nana's hair, Daddy's hair, and then she got to Mommy's hair. She said, and I quote, "Mommy's hair in the bathroom!" Which it is- on the mannequin's head! I hope this doesn't scar her for life! :)

5 down, 1 to go!

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is within viewing distance! Yesterday I went for my 5th chemo treatment. My fantastic Chemo Nurse, Cassie, got the IV in the first time....yippee! Yesterday was pretty good, but I think each time is getting harder and harder on my body. I feel the side effects much quicker each time. I took some pills to help me sleep last night and that seemed to help out. I do feel a little nauseated, but not too bad. I took my myriad of pills this morning~ my anti-nausea pill Emend, steroid pill, Ibuprofen, Claritin, and I think one more. Hopefully those will get going in my system. I went to get my Neulasta injection this morning, and let me tell you, another nurse at the Cancer Center I adore, Andrea. She gives it to me in my stomach and I don't really even feel it, like I did the first time in my arm. (I always request her now because she is just so good!) The Neulasta injection is to boost up my white blood count since the chemo pretty much wipes it out. By the way- the cost on the one shot is $7,000! Thank goodness for insurance- they do pay for that! My sweet friend Julie who also works at the Cancer Center was so sweet when I went in today. She had baked me some potatoes for this week. My appetite is very strange the week of chemo- all I crave is a plain baked potato and Cranberry-Grape juice. (Neither to which I have a lot of any other time!) I guess they help with the "dirty copper penny" taste in my mouth! Well, since it's so dismal and rainy today, I think I will retreat to the couch armed with the remote. Maybe Lifetime has a good movie on today! Thanks for checking in and I really appreciate all of the prayers and help with food and my children, too! Love to all...