Latest Update

April started with me getting sick and all of us thinking it was just a bug and would take a few to get rid of. Instead I ended up at an appointment (at the end of April) and they admitted me to the hospital immediately. My scans were showing fluid all around my heart. They also showed a new spot in my lung. I had been on a trial study which seemed to be going good but with the new spot I will no longer be able to take the trial medicine. I was immediately put in the cardiac lab to drain the fluid in my heart. They drained 9 fl0z almost 1 liter from just my heart. I felt much better right after but I had to stay a couple of days to be watched. Instead I started filling up again and couldn't breath. They took me back in and drained 750 fl oz and then the nurses returned and removed 250 fl oz more that evening. They decided surgery needed to happen ASAP which was scheduled for Saturday which is very abnormal but they wanted it done. That was on Thursday and on Friday my stomach blew up because my kidney and liver weren't working I put on an extreme amount of weight. The kids were asking why I was SO FAT! They took me down and drained my stomach and removed almost five lbs of fluid. Then Saturday morning I was in surgery. They ended up doing a new procedure by putting a drain in my sack around my heart to try and keep it drained. The tube comes out of my stomach and we are supposed to keep it empty. So far the pump seems to be doing its job and if it continues to go good they will pull out the tube. I got home from the hospital and started chemo right up. I was extremely loopy and sick for the first round. I have started the second round and so far so good. Hopefully it will stay this way. I also had the tube removed from my stomach that went up to my heart.

Chemo Never Gets Easier

So I did start chemo again on August 11th and you would think after all of the chemo that it might get easier but it doesn't. I have treatment once a week on Monday and then after three in a row I get a week off. I did pretty good with my first round. I felt a little nauseous but never threw up. I was tired that week but took naps when Boston did. Week two didn't go as well. I wasn't even sure they were going to give me chemo because my blood counts were low to begin with. After waiting FOREVER they decided to give me chemo. I ended up sick and throwing up. I was beyond tired and spent Tuesday also at the hospital. I got a shot, received 20 minutes of medication to help my nausia and two units of blood. On Wednesday and Thursday I gave myself shots to boost my white blood cells and had a bad reaction. I have had the shots before but it has been close to four years ago. The shots can cause you to ache but this time I wasn't having bone aches I was having intense sharp pain in my shoulder and neck. It was horrible and even the strongest of pain medications did nothing for me. Thanks to prayers and a preisthood blessing I am doing better now. I have chemo tomorrow and the following week I will have off. I will continue this cycle until we see if it is working or not. Thanks for all of the love and support. I am sorry it took so long to update.

Chemo Again

I had my appointment with my oncologist and I will be starting chemo again on August 11th. I will be trying a chemo drug that I have never had before. I am not supposed to be as sick on it but who knows. I am doing fine with the news because I figured that was the next step. We have not told the kids yet so please don't ask me about chemo in front of them. We will tell them right before so they don't let their little minds worry any longer then necessary. I am feeling pretty good but I am ready to actively start fighting this cancer in my body. I will keep you posted on how treatments go.

Another Appointment

Today I had another appointment with my surgeon. He said my x-ray looked great and that it was even better than the last time. My left lung is starting to expand and take place of the missing lower lobe. The fluid in my lungs is almost nonexistent. When he checked my oxygen levels they were at 98% and my lungs sounded great when he listened. It was nice to have an appointment with some good news for a change. I will not need to see him for at least three months since I am now recovering so well from my surgery. My next doctor appointment will be with my oncologist at the end of July. I will let you know what the update is then.

Tube Free

I had an appointment with my surgeon today. He had told me over a week ago that today he might cut my chest tubes down, so that I wasn't hooked up to suction anymore. Then over the following few weeks he would slowly pull them out little by little. SO I was shocked today when he said that my x-ray looked good and he was considering pulling my tubes completely out. I told him not to get my hopes up. After thinking it over for a few minutes he decided he would pull them. It was a weird feeling when they were coming out and it feels great now that they are gone. I am SO happy to not have tubes hanging out of me hooked to drainage and suction. Thanks for all the prayers. This was definitely more than an answer to my prayers today. I still have some recovering to do but I am almost done with post surgery. Tomorrow will be six weeks since surgery so technically I can lift again as long as it doesn't hurt. I don't plan on lifting Boston much but it is nice to know I can if I need to. Things are looking up a little and it is nice.

What A Week!

After my news last Thursday I was pretty depressed and didn't think things could get much worse. Little did I know what was in store. On Saturday night Harmony started complaining of an earache. She stayed home from church on Sunday with me because she still wasn't feeling good. Half way through church Steven showed up back at home with Brynn in her underwear. I guess Brynn had gotten a flu bug we were unaware of and threw up in primary. (Thanks to those who cleaned her and the vomit up. That's the worst!) She spent the next 24 hours sleeping and throwing up. On Tuesday Harmony was still complaining and Boston was also getting fussy. With help I got them to the doctors to find out that Harmony had a double ear infection and Boston's left ear was infected. I had them check Brynn since we were already there but they said she was fine. Wednesday morning Harmony broke out in hives and ended up back at the doctors. It ends up she was allergic to the antibiotic they had given her. I had them check Brynn's ears again since they were there and this time after removing some wax they saw the fluid and inflammation so she too had an ear infection. Thursday came and Boston was completely lethargic and wouldn't eat, drink, or move. Back to the doctors they went. Since the doctor had seen him the day before playing around when the girls were getting checked she was very worried about him. Boston ended up at the hospital for lab work and of course they missed his vein the first time around. The lab work came back and didn't show anything out of the ordinary besides that he was extremely dehydrated and we either had to get him guzzling some fluids or he would need to be admitted to the hospital for IV's through the night. We luckily were able to get him drinking and he is doing better. As for my Thursday visit I was informed that my tubes would be remaining with me for a few more weeks. The repairs made in me caused a pocket of fluid that needs the tubes for draining. If the tubes are removed too early then the fluid will get infected and I will end up back in the hospital with a lot of complications. After the explanation of the seriousness of prematurely removing my tubes I handled the news better. It still stinks and drives me crazy but if my choices are my house or sick in the hospital. I will take my house with the tubes and make the most of it. Well, I can only hope for health in our house this coming week. Thanks for the love, care and concern.