We missed our flight!!!!

Another round of chemo down the drain YAY!! My doctors appointment went well. It was just a check up to see how things are going with me. They are a little concerned about the swelling in my arms. Even though it is a side effect of the drug they still want to make sure everything is okay. So I have to get an ultrasound of my arms to make sure I don't have any clots. Freaks me out, but I know they are just being safe. They gave me the orders to bring home since we had a plane to catch and we didn't have time to do it that day. Called the hospital here in town and they can do it. I thought I'd have to go out of town. They are to call me tomorros, Thursday, to let me know when to come in. They told me the people that do the ultrasounds are only there on Thursday. I know in my heart everything will turn out okay. It's just the meds plus a side affect from my surgery making me swell so bad. My ankles are really swollen to. Not much that can be done about it except keeping my arms and legs elevated. I was told not to wear my sleeves because they are putting too much pressure on my hands. Let's see...Oh yeah they put me back on the antibiotic I first started taking when I broke out in the rash. They changed it the first time because it kept me so sick to my stomach. Well the stuff they put me on is not working. The rash is somewhat coming back and I can feel it coming back on my scalp. So I'm back on the stuff I started with. So far it has not made me sick, so were doing good.

My chemo appointment ran late so we missed our plane. It was supposed to start at 2pm and they didn't get started until 3:30. We really weren't worried about it because when I pulled up the schedule on my phone it showed another flight out at 7:20pm. But when I called to change it they told me that the last plane was the 5:30 one we missed. We were not happy!!! lol So we had to stay in a hotel overnight with nothing but what we had on our backs. Never had to do that, and never want to do it again lol. We flew out at 9:20 the next morning and I was so glad to get home. I havn't done much but sleep since we got home. I get pretty weak and light headed for a couple days after Chemo. I should be back to normal in a few days.

My next appointment is January 20th. I go for restaging again. So it will be a long couple days of Scans again. I'm excited to see how much more the tumors have shrunk. That's about it for now. I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year, it's gonna be a good one!!!!!

It can't get better than this!

All the prayers have been answered. He listened and knew I needed help.

That's right, THE TREATMENTS ARE WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!! Some tumors shrunk and some disappeared! Now that's some awesome news!! After 1.5 years of fighting, we finally found something that works! I cried tears of joy for the first time in years. I finally got the news I was wanting for. I have hope again. After so much bad news I was really starting to lose hope. I feel 100% better. I can't stop smiling. I feel like a new person. My doctors ROCK and I owe them so much! My PA said that my doctor was jumping up and down when he saw the results. My clinical nurse even cried after visiting with me. No more sitting on the couch depressed over what lies ahead. I'm ready to face the world again and start living my life like normal. It couldn't get much better than this!

**Today, you should celebrate what an unbelievable life you have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make you stronger. Just as a gem cannot be polished without friction, nor can a life be perfected without trials. Take time to acknowledge your life and to praise yourself.**

Round Two

Just a quick update. Had my second round of chemo yesterday (November 12, 2009). Wasn't bad. I didn't get as nauseated and I did the first round. It was a long 8 hours in that little bitty room. Chemo only takes about an hour, but since it's a trial they have to take blood samples at different times throughout the 8 hour period. So it's a lot of laying there watching tv. It was 1am before mom and I got to go pass out at the hotel. It was a very short night. Had to catch the plane home at 9am the next morning. Just a quick trip up there though. Doctor said my rash is looking a lot better. That's what they are focused on right now. We gotta get it cleared up and under control.

I've been having a hard time eating. Things taste different and not in a good way. My sense of smell is very sensative. It doesn't take much for my stomach to turn. That's frustrating. Shelly (my clinical nurse) said she's gonna woop my butt if I loose weight. Not that that would be a bad thing in my eyes, but they don't want me to loose any.

I go back Wednesday to see the dermatologist for a check up on my rash. Then I will visit with Shelly again to go over the oh so fun 3 pages worth of questions. Right now I'm feeling okay. Very tired and nauseated, but glad to be home.

Tomorrow Brayden's football team plays for the championship. They are undefeated WOOT!!! I have NEVER missed any of Brayden's games and when I missed my first one last week it really hurt. The damn sun is my worst enemy and will be for the rest of my life. I refuse to miss his Super Bowl game. People can stare at me all they want with my body covered from head to toe with clothes, a nice cap protecting my head and an umbrella shading me from the sun. I'll be damned if I miss one of the most exciting games of my childs life!

Polks Dots LOL

Just a little update how my latest doctor appointments went. I saw the dermatologist about the rash that is caused from the pills I'm taking. I've got some horse pills (antibiotics) that I have to take twice a day and some wash and gel to put on the rash. I can already tell a little difference in the rash. I'm counting down the days until it goes away and I look "normal" again. I go back in two weeks so they can see how things are going. Gotta tell ya'll a little story that made me smile. We were in the airport waiting for our flight out of Houston. There was this little girl sitting there with her mother and she looked at me and said "Mama that lady has polka dots all over her face." The innocent words of children. They say it like they see it LOL. The little girl had no idea, she just saw my polka dots and told her mother about them LOL

I also saw my clinical nurse. She just went over a bunch of questions about side affects. It's the same list of questions she askes me every week. After talking to her my doctor came in to see me. Right now they are focusing on getting the rash cleared up and under control. If it doesn't get any better then they will talk about lowering my dose of pills I'm taking. That's the last thing we want to do, so were hoping the meds that the dermatologist gave me will work. They are pretty sure it will. I'm not the only one this has happened to.

Next Thursday I go back for my second round of chemo. I'm not worried about it this time since I've already gone through a round and it wasn't bad. We will fly back home Friday.

That's about it for an update right now. I'm feeling good, just tired as usual and I've been having a lot of headaches, which headaches are normal for me. I get them all the time anyways. Nausea is a lot better. It's not constant anymore, it comes and goes YAY!!

Why?!?!

Thought I'd give everyone a little update on how things are going. Well in my opinion right now life sucks! I just want to crawl under a rock and stay there forever. Since I can't do that I guess my house will do. And as much as I love being home, I'm so tired of being home.

So ya'll know that one of the side affects of the pill I'm taking is a rash and I was all for it BEFORE I started taking the pill. We knew if I got the rash I got the "good stuff" and not a placebo. Well I got a rash. A rash from hell!! It hurts so bad. I have it on my chest, down my back, on my face and on my scalp. My scalp hurts so bad. It just throbs. It hurts to touch it, much less wash it and comb it out. My doctors told me it would probably get worse. How much worse can it get????????? First thing Monday I'm calling. They have to do something. She mentioned if it got too bad they may decrease my pills or put me on an antibiotic. At this point I just want it to go away. How am I supposed to live like this? And this treatment can go on for 8 months. How am I supposed to have a life feeling and looking like this??? I don't want to go in public, I look horrible. I can't handle the stares and the pointing. "Hey she's the one with Cancer." YES I HAVE CANCER, do I need to write it on my forehead?? Oh wait I can't, I'm covered in a rash! I didn't choose it, it chose me. And there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I just wish it would go away. Why did I have to get one that doesn't go away. It's going to be with me the rest of my life. I'm tired of feeling tired, I'm sick of feeling sick. I'm nauseated all the time. I feel horrible about myself because I've gained so much weight. Oh man it just sucks to be me right now. This is just so hard to deal with. I have my good days and obviously today is not one of those. If I didn't have such wonderful family and friends beside me there's no way I could go through this.

Latest update

So after a full week of being in Houston we made it home yesterday around 7 o'clock. That was the longest week ever!! We drove up there Monday because I had appointments starting early Tuesday. I had blood work, CAT scan and x-rays. Then Wednesday I had EKG, Echocardiogram and I had to get my eyes checked. Let me tell you getting my eyes checked took FOREVER!!! 3 hours to be exact. 15 minutes of this was the actual exam the rest of it was sitting in the waiting room with my eyes dialated. By the time they called me back I hadt he worst headach. But the good news is my eyes are find. I have 20/20 vision and they saw no kind of eye disease. Next day was my MRI bright and early at 6:30am. Got that done then headed for more blood work then went to see my doctor. Scan results were good. The main tumor has only increased in size by a tiny bit THANK GOODNESS!! Everything else was clear. While I was there they took one of the spots off me that has popped up. I have several of them that is the cancer that came from the inside out. So I got 5 little stiches with that. They are using it for research purposes. So after all this they said all my test were good and that I qualify and get to start the trial. So downstairs we went. David and I got put in a little room. Spent the next 8 hours in there. They started with EKG's. Did I think 3 of them. Then they took blood, then they finally started my CHEMO. I can tell you know CHEMO is a breeze compaired to the horrible IL2 treatments I did. I was really nervouse because it was something new and I didn't know what to expect. It took about an hour for the chemo to finish. We just sat, well I laid and watched TV. I started getting nauseous so I took some of the meds I had for nausea. Didn't work so they gave me something in my IV for it. Im not sure what did it, but something make me so sleepy. I couldn't keep my eyes open even if I tried. Poor David had to sit there and watch TV while I snoozed. So in all the chemo wasn't bad at all. We got back to the hotel around 11:30 that night and I was out before my head hit the pillow. We got up around 9am to get ready to head home. I was so glad to get home. I missed Brayden and was so glad to see him when we finally pulled in around 7 o'clock. It was a long week, but we made it!! So right now I'm taking the pills, three of them twice a day and I get a dose of chemo every 21 days. I have to travel back to Houson quit a big the next month or so for check ups also. Let me tell you airfare is gonna kill me! You know the earlier you book the cheaper it is. Well booking 5 days in adance you pay an arm and a leg. I will get my scans done again on December 2nd. We will find out then if the treatment is working. Physically I'm doing okay. I have been nauseated and just really tired. Other than that everything is going good. I'm hoping the nausea goes away soon. That's all I can think of for right now. I'll keep everyone updated as time goes on.

Chemo here I come!

Just got off the phone with the clinical trial doctor and they are getting it set up so I start my first dose of Chemo on Thursday (10-22-09). WOW wasn't expecting that. I'm really nervous now.

New Treatment

What a day!!! That’s all I can say about yesterday. I was stressed to the max! I don’t know why I do this to myself but it just seemed like everything was not going right. So my day started bright and early at 3:30 am. You know it’s early when your dogs look at you like your crazy because you turn the light on and disturb their sleep LOL. I got to the hospital yesterday around 9:30. My appointment wasn’t until 11am but I thought if I got there early I would get in early because I was expecting to just talk to my doctor and the lady that’s over the clinical trials. WRONG!!! I sat there until noon before I got called back. The waiting area was so packed!! I have never seen it like that before. I talk to Dr. Kim about the Clinical Trial he wants me to do. First of all before you read what I’m about to write and think “Why in the world is she participating in a clinical trial??” let me explain why. I have done everything there is to do that is an available treatment for Melanoma. Remember there is NO cure for Melanoma. So now all I have left to try is the trials. Some of the trials that are out there have proven to work. Like the Plexxikon trial they are wanting me to do. There is another patient similar to me except her tumors were much larger and now after she did the Plexxikon trial there are no signs of any cancer on her lungs AWSOME huh!! This is why all the treatments I will do in the future will be trials. So let me explain the one I’m about to participate in. It’s called the AZD6244 trial (you can do a search on it and learn more). There will be two groups. One group will get the AZD pill plus Chemo. The other group will get a Placebo plus Chemo. We will be drawn at random and will not know which group we are in. So on day one I will start the pills (3 pills twice a day) and get a round of chemo. I will go home with the pills and continue taking them daily. 21 days later I will go back for another round of chemo. This goes on for 8 rounds. So it’s chemo every 21 days and taking the pills every day (3 twice a day). For the first 6 weeks I will have to fly to Houston every week for a check up. I wish we were closer to Houston. Airfare has gone up and is probably going to continue to go up since the holidays are coming up. But I have to do what I have to do to get better. Side effects are nausea, fatigue, lower blood count (which means I will be at an even higher risk of catching something and getting sick). Some of the side affects of the pill are more sensitive to the sun, my eyes may become more sensitive to light and a rash. They said the rash usually shows up on the face. They give a prescription for a cream to help with it. So this may sound funny but let’s pray that I get a rash! That means I know I got the actual AZD pill and not the placebo. The clinical trial doctor said that some of the patients that got the AZD pill did not get a rash. So the way you look at it, I will have no clue if I got the actual AZD pill unless I DO get a rash. Hope I didn’t confuse everyone. There’s so much to it I had to read over the information so many times to just understand it. David and I will travel to Houston next week. I have a slew of appointments. They start early Tuesday and go until Thursday afternoon. Makes me tired just thinking about it. I’ve also decided to “donate” some of my tissue and blood for further clinical testing. I have several spots that have popped up and they want to remove a couple of them to keep for testing. Hey if I can help them by donating a little tissue and blood to help the researchers then why wouldn’t I do it? So that’s the plan for right now. I’m ready to get started again kicking this things butt!! Thanks again to everyone for all the prayers. Everyone’s support has been awesome and I couldn’t ask for anything better.

Keep the Faith

I want to share with everyone a website that was shared with me. It's a blog about one girls journey with stage IV Melanoma. I have pretty much read everything she has wrote and everything her husband has wrote and I'm just amazed how strong she was and how courageous she was through out the years as she battled Melanoma. I can relate to so many of the treatments she went through. The radiation, the Horrible IL2 treatments. I love the way she write about her experiences with such strength and faith. She never gave up her faith, even when she thought she couldn't do it anymore and was tired of fighting, she held on with everything she had. I've had my moments where I felt like I couldn't handle anymore and get tired of dealing with this disease every single moment of my life. Theres not a moment that goes by that I do not think about my health and wonder what the Lord has in store for my future. In her journal she talks about her scars....."Each scar represents a new and different way that God has provided for us, protected us, and showered his grace upon us."

She talks about how often she is reminded of what she is going through......"However, all too often it just takes a simple glance in the mirror to act as a reminder of the suffering we are going through. We need to learn to see our scars, bruises, and bald heads as signs of God’s faithfulness" I completely understand how she felt at those moments.

Cancer is a battle. It's a battle I plan to fight with everything I have. I fight for my family, I fight for myself, I fight for my friends. I fight this thing they call Cancer because this is MY body. I didn't give it permission to move in and take over my life. I won't let it. This is my life and I will fight like I've never fought before!!!

I hope some of you can take time to read some of her blog entires and all the wonderful scriptures she wrote. I don't personally know her but I can tell you she has touched me through her words.

http://www.fisherags.com

Change of plans - for now...

So I got a call back from the lady that's over the clinical trials in Denver. The Plexxikon trial I was supposed to start has been pushed back another 4-5 weeks! WHAT!!!! I was expecting to start in the next week or so. Well that didn't sit well with me so I called my doctors in Houston. They have decided that I will now start another trial. I told her that I just didn't feel good about just waiting. It's been two months since my IL2 treatments and I can't just sit here and let the tumors get bigger. So I go back to Houston on Thursday (Oct 15th) to talk with my doctor and go over the details of the trial. As far as I understand it's a lot like the Plexxikon trial. It's a pill I will take. I will know more details next week after I talk with him. I'm still on the list in Denver to do the Plexxikon trial though. Bad thing is I have to have a wash out period between treatments. But I'd rather being doing something instead of just sitting here letting the tumors on my lungs grow. As soon as I know more I will let everyone know.

Update

Just wanted to give a little update to let everyone know how things have been going. I went back to work yesterday just part time. It feels really good to get out of the house. I'm going to work part time until I can get myself physically ready to be able to handle full time. I'm so glad to be back at work. I missed everyone and it was so good to talk to everyone again. I'm feeling good and my back is doing better. It still bothers me but nothing like it did. I'm pretty sure with time it will be back to normal. As of right now the plan is to go to Denver Colorado to the University of Colorado to start the Plexxikon treatments in aprox 6 weeks. That could change depending on if an open spot can be found at another hospital. That's still being looked at. M D Anderson's slots were full that's why I will be going to another hospital.

Brayden started football practice last week and is loving it!! He just seems so little out there. I tried to get him to stick with Soccer but between him and David I had no chance LOL. I believe their first game will be next weekend. I'm going to be a nervous wreck watching him down there playing with boys twice or even three time his size!! But he wants to play and I'm not going to keep him from playing just because I'm being "Over protective Mom."

I guess that's about it for right now. Were getting back to "normal" a little around here even if it's just for a couple weeks. I got Brayden's school pictures today and I must say they turned out AWSOME! He's so photogenic! ;-)

I have the worst luck in the world!!

So by now most of you know the news. I found out Tuesday that the IL2 treatments I was taking did not work. These are the treatments I was in the hospital for that kicked my butt. The doctor said the tumors on my lungs are slightly larger than they were 2 months ago. So that tells us the treatments did not work. I was praying the tumors were at least a little smaller, but no. Of course not the news we wanted to hear. Very devistating and very VERY scary!!! Since it's not working I will not have anymore of the treatments. So what's the next step???

Well I will be traveling to Denver CO to start a treatment called Plexxikon. I don't know a whole lot about it right now. I know it's a pill I will take like twice a day. It supposed to target the tumors and shrink them. My nurse told me they have another girl that tried everything I have, then tried this pill and they cannot see any cancer on her lungs as of today!! She said she was a worse case then me, meaning her tumors were a lot larger. So that gives me hope!! But we know everyone is different and the treatments are different for everyone. Im currently waiting for them to call me from Denver. I called them yesterday and gave them all my info. The reason I'm having to travel is because this is a clinical trial. They have no opening for it at MD Anderson and since my doctor wants me on this trial I have to travel to Denver. Their trial has not started yet, so I'm on the list to participate in it. So don't think MD Anderson is giving up on me. That's not the case at all. They are and always will still be my main doctors. So right now Im waiting to see when I will be heading to Denver.

David has taken off a few days to be with me and help me deal with everything. It's so hard to have such high hopes and they be shot down time after time. BUT, like I've said before I'm not going to let this control me. It may take me a while to get back to my old self, but believe me I'm trying my hardest to think positive and keep going for my family. I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful prayer and support. I'm so blessed to have each and everyone of you in my life. You are what makes it possible for me to get through this.

What an eventful trip!!

I finally made it home yesterday from Houston thanks to my little brother. I flew up there by myself to get my scans done and was to fly home Friday evening. Well I've been having pain in my lower back and I still don't have a clue what I've done to it. So I get up Friday morning to get ready and I can't walk. The pain in my back is so bad. I tried and tried to figure out a way to walk so it would hurt so much, but I had no luck. As soon as I would try to take a step my legs would buckle and down I would go. So after calling my mom and David freaking out we finally came to the conclusion to call the hotel and see if someone could come get me in a wheelchair, because I had to get to my appointments. I called the front desk and within minutes had someone come get me in a wheelchair. I had to be pushed from one appointment to the other. While I was waiting for my MRI my nurse came and found me and asked me many questions. I told her I had no clue what I did and since it's not getting any better I'm scared something might be wrong. She was so sweet and took good care of me. She ordered me some heavy duty pain pills and also some meds that would relax me. By the time I started my CAT Scan the meds kicked in and I felt better. The pain didn't completely go away but it was a lot better. I could even take a couple steps here and there. So since there was no way I would be able to walk through the airport to get home, my little brother came from Austin and we stayed the night in the hotel and he drove me home yesterday. He saved me!!! Today I'm still hurting pretty good. I can walk a little bit. It hurts to walk but there's stuff I have to get done because we head back to Houston in the morning. They have set me a MRI of my back on Tuesday to make sure that it's not the cancer causing the pain. So I'm really praying I just twisted it really bad. It's scaring me to death!!!

I get my scan results on Tuesday when I see my doctor. This will tell us if the treatments have been working. So this is big news and I'm really nervous about the results. After I see my doctor I have my MRI on my back and at some time I have to get my catheter put back in and then I will be admitted back to the Hospital to get ready for round 3. They will probably start the treatments Wednesday morning. So i'm not sure when I will get to come home. All depends on how many doses I can handle.

Everyone keep me in your prayers for the next week. It's going to be a very hard next week and I need all the support and prayers I can get.

Need Prayers

Can everyone please take a moment and please pray for my step mothers sister Lisa. She just recently found out that she has breast cancer. Please pray for her strength to beat this ugly disease!!!!!!

Sad Day

I found out today that a customer of mine and the grandfather of a friend I graduated with just recently found out he has Melanoma and he's already at a Stage IV. This breaks my heart. It's already traveled to his brain and lungs. I feel for her and her family. She did say he is going to Houston for treatment which is wonderful, but I hate that this horrible desease has found someone else to bully. It's NOT FAIR!

Do I really have a 9 year old?!?!

I've been sitting here going through old pictures and came across baby pictures, or younger pictures of Brayden and I'm just amazed that my baby is 9 years old already. Everyone always told me to enjoy it because they grow up so fast. Man were they SO right!! I'm so proud of the wonderful, awsome, intelligent, young man he has become :)











I LOVE THE PICTURE. THIS WAS TAKEN AT OUR WEDDING








HIS FIRST HALLOWEEN (AWWWWW)

Relay for Life

Lastnight was our local Relay for Life. I had to pull my team out during the middle of it because I started my treatments and was not going to be able to handle everything. But we did raise a good about of money before I pulled the team. I did get to go and participate in the Survivors lap and also walk with my Mom and Brayden in the Caregivers lap. Wish David could have been there but he was working. Anyways I got a few pictures from the very short 30 minutes we were there. But I'm so glad I got a chance to be a part of it. I was thinking about going back when they lite all the candles but I decided not to go because it would be too emotional for me since I'm actually STILL fighting the cancer. So here are the few pics I got. I know I look like crap, but I was glad to be there and I'm glad I made it around the track with out falling over HAHA!! :)











SURVIVORS LAP


CAREGIVERS LAP

2 Down, 4 To Go!

I'm finally home!! We got home around 6 o'clock yesterday and I'm just now crawling out of bed. It felt so good to sleep in my own bed and to be home with my family. So I finished my second round of treatments. I can tell you know this round was a lot tougher than the last. I did 5 rounds this time(6 last time). The sickness started with the first dose, so that made it worse. I was so nauseated this time, actually got sick a couple times YUCK. I'm telling you this stuff they are putting in my body is absolutely horrible! Just think about having the Flu X 1,0000000!!! Yeah it's not fun. After the 5th dose I started getting that hard to breath feeling like I did the first time. Plus my pulse was so high that they decided to stop. They talked about skipping a dose and continuing but I had to tell them I couldn't take anymore. No questions asked, they stopped. I'm so thankful to be going to such a wonderful place. They take really good care of me. I got out on Friday, it couldn't have come any sooner. Me and that stupid hospital bed were done with each other by that point! HA! I couldn't sleep the last night there so I asked for something to relax me because I kept getting like muscle spasms. I just kept tensing up and it was so uncomfortable. I guess what ever they gave me worked cause I was out! My uncle Kevin and Aunt Teresa were up in Houston to attend a concert so they came by the hotel room to visit. I was so glad to see some familiar faces and visit. I just hope I didn't scare them to much looking all funky HAHA!

I was so glad to see Brayden yesterday. I had missed him so much. He got to go stay with his aunt Rachel in Dallas for the week. She has 3 boys and they all just love to play with each other. Whenever they come down Brayden is always at his Grandmas with them. He said he had a wonderful time. He told me they got to go Ice Skating and to the Aquarium, I'm so jealous!! Thanks so much Rachel for letting him come visit, I know he had a wonderful time!!!

So today I'm just trying to rest. Thought I'd get on here for a minute to update everyone on how things went. I'm feeling okay today, just tired and weak. And I have a horrible headache. Other than that, I'm doing good. I'm just so happy to be home with my guys. Davids home YAY!! He's cooking me a homecooked meal right now. I'm starving! I figured he'd get called out, but they didn't put him on the job today. After him working 90 hours last week I think he deserves so time home.

I ask everyone to keep my Papaw (my moms dad) in your thoughts and prayers. Mom called this morning and said that my Nanny had to take him to the emergency room lastnight. He's had the Flu for the last couple days. The Flu at his age scares me to death. I hate that I cannot go and be with him, it really sucks!!!! Papaw I just want to let you know that I may not be there in person, but I'm there for you in thought. Get well soon!!!

Life's Pathway

I love this and wanted to share it with ya'll that have not seen it yet. ;) This is a poem that was on a card sent to me from my Uncle.

Life’s Pathway
By Emily Matthews

At times, life’s path
seems filled with things
that make the going rough,
And we wish there were
a smoother road,
for we feel we’ve had enough.

But, if we pause a moment
and remember Who’s in charge,
The hills that loom ahead of us
no longer seem so large,
And every rock before us,
when we know we’re not alone,
Becomes, not just a stumbling block,
but one more stepping stone.

You’ve overcome so many things,
and, every time, you’ve grown
Through sheer determination
and the wisdom that you’ve shown.
So, as you face this journey,
from the moment you begin,
Know that God will guide you ,
and you’ll have the strength to win.

4 days and counting....

Only 4 more days and we head back to Houston. Doesn't seem possible. And I'm not ready at all to go back. I try to look at the bright side, 1 down 5 to go. But seems like all I can think of is 5 more to go!! So I got out of the house today for a little while. Felt good to get out of here, but it is so hot out there!!! It's miserable. Mom, Jamie, Jamie's girlfriend Laura and best friend JD and of course my little man all went to eat lunch. I felt funny being out and I swear I felt like everyone was looking at me. Maybe it's just me, but it seemed like everytime I turned around someone else was staring. But I enjoyed getting out. Now I'm back home with the A/C. Oh yeah I had to go to the hospital and get blood work done, that's always fun. My stupid dishwasher quit working and David's not here to look at it so I called to have someone come look at it and he told me about some stuff they sale that I need to pour down the sink and do some other stuff and that it would probably fix it. Well he lost me at pouring it down the sink so I guess I'll have to wait till David get's home LOL He's off this weekend, thank goodness so I can spend some time with him before going back to Houston. His sister and their family are coming over Saturday. I'm excited. It's been way to long since we've seen them. Brayden's excited to see his cousins and play. Talking about cousins, Brayden is getting to go stay with his Aunt Rachel (Tony's sister) up in Dallas while we go back to Houston. She has 3 boys and everytime they come down Brayden lives at his grandmas so he can play with them. He's going to have a blast and I'm so thankful that she wants him to stay for the week. I know he will be in good hands with her. (Just don't spoil him to much Rachel ;)

Getting to know me (yes I'm bored)

1. What time did you get up this morning? 11am, Hey that's still AM!
2. How do you like your steak? Burnt (well done)
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Honestly I don't remember. It's been that long.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Way too many to list.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Florida
6. What did you have for breakfast? Nothing, not much of a breakfast eater
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican
8. What foods do you dislike? Seafood and Chinese ICK
9. Favorite Place to Eat? Olive Garden
10. Favorite dressing? Ranch
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? White Ford Fusion
12. What are your favorite clothes? Anything comfy
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Hawaii, I've always wanted to go there.
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Depends
15. Where would you want to retire? Anywhere but C-City!
16. Favorite time of day? The evenings
17. Where were you born? Midland, TX
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football!!! Go Cowboys!
19. Who do you think will not tag you back? ?????
20. Person you expect to tag you back first? ????
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? ???
22. Bird watcher? Nope. I got a bird chaser in Neither
24. Do you have any pets? Yep, two dogs (Sadie & Zoey) and one hampster (Smokey)
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Nope
26. What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher
27. What is your best childhood memory? Hmm....that's a hard one
28. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog
29. Are you married? Yep, 6 wonderful years ;)
30. Always wear your seat belt? yes
31. Been in a car accident? yes
32. Any pet peeves? People that smack, drives me crazy!
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Pepperoni
34. Favorite Flower? Purple Roses
35. Favorite ice cream? chocolate chip cookie dough
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Taco Bell!!
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? None
38. From whom did you get your last email? Brayden
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Walmart lol I love Wal Mart!
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Nope
41. Like your job? Most of the time. It can get pretty stressfull
42. Broccoli? Yummy
43. What was your favorite vacation? Last time we went to San Antonio. We always have a wonderful time.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? My dad and Brayden today
45. What are you listening to right now? Brayden and his friend playing XBox
46. What is your favorite color? purple
47. How many tattoos do you have? Zero
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz???
. What time did you finish this quiz? 10:52 pm
50. Coffee Drinker? Nope

Dressing up my blog??

I've been looking around at other blogs and they are all fixed up with custom banners, and pictures. Can anyone help me figure out how to do this?

7-23-09

So I decided to start a blog. I thought it would be helpful for me to write how Im feeling and how things are going through my journey with cancer. It will also be easier for my family and friends to see how I'm doing. So today is July 23rd, and I'm feeling so much better today. I actually did a little laundry. That might now seem like much, but for someone whos lived on the couch since she's been home it's a lot LOL. So many of you know I started my treatments last week and let me tell you it was a wild ride!! They started on Tuesday July 14th at 9am with my first round. I think I took it pretty well, just made me want to sleep. 8 hours later here we go with the 2nd dose. Now that one kicked my butt. Here came the chills and the nausea. Not fun! Thank goodness for the good ol drugs the hospital has. It didn't take very long for them to kick in. I got another dose at 1am, then again the next day at 9am, then 5pm then 1am again. Very very weak and tired by this time. The night after I had my last dose I started feeling like I could not breath. I made it through the night and the next morning the doctor came in and ordered a Xray of my lungs and come to find out I had a little fluid in my lungs. So with that the doctor said that's enough for this round, that's all my body can handle this time. I had to stay in the hospital a couple days to get strong enough to be able to come home. I got out on that saturday, stayed the night in the hotel, just in case, and we drove home Sunday. I was so glad to be home! I missed my guys, and my dogs so much! I hated that David had to stay back and work because the bills don't stop just cause I'm sick. So this week I've just been pretty much living on the couch. David and Brayden have pretty much been babying me, and if they keep it up they might ruin me after all this is done LOL. So I go back on Aug 3rd and we do this all over again. I plan to stay home as much as I can because I have such a high risk of getting sick now. I can't take a chance. I've received sooo many cards from co-workers and family and friends. I even got one in the mail yesterday from a local church, signed by a lot of people I dont' even know. I live in such a wonderful town, everyone here is awsome! I've had people bring meals by, which has helped so much. So hopefully I can keep this blog up to date. I'm gonna try to keep everyone updated. I took the laptop with me to the hospital last week but didn't get on it at all. I'm kinda glad I didn't because there's no telling what I would have done since I was half out of it haha! Anyways, I will keep ya'll updated as much as possible.