Chemo Day 3: Hit the Wall

Today Mom has been feeling pretty crappy. When I asked how it felt for her, she said she feels like she "hit the wall" today. One of her best friends who is also a cancer survivor texted me to check in and said day 3 and day 4 were always her worst days too. She said she hasn't really felt nauseated, though, so that's a good thing. We will take all the "good things" we can get.

~Candice

Walking, Working and Waiting

A quick update for everyone :)

Walking: Mom is doing well today. She took a walk with Grammy (Charlene - her mom) and Great Grandma (Anna - her grandmother) this morning and another one this evening. She mentioned wanting to aim for taking two walks a day so she remains active through this treatment. She is working on eating frequent, small meals in order to keep her nutrition levels up as well.

Working: I talked to Mom and she said she was able to get a solid day of work in today which seemed to make her very happy. The more productive she can be, the better. As we all know, Mom thrives on a challenge and this is just another challenge for her to figure out and overcome.

Waiting: This one is for me, mostly. I have never really been around anyone who has undergone chemo so it is hard to know what to expect. I find that there is a sense of waiting for the proverbial "other shoe" to drop. I can't help but feel as though we are waiting to see what happens, waiting to see how she does, etc. Just a lot of waiting. I just hope once it all arrives that we are ready for it :)

Side effects so far:
Funny taste buds, achy feeling all over, restless legs, uncomfortable tummy (though not specifically nauseated)

~Candice

Chemo Week One

I went with Mom to her first chemo appointment today. We arrived at around 8:15 am and left around 12:45 pm. They said this appointment would take longer than subsequent appointments but it was right on the mark as far as what they told her to expect. She received Taxol and Carboplatin today, next week and the week after she will only receive Taxol. She wanted to have some photos posted so everyone can see what the treatment rooms, etc are like. It's hard to imagine it all so we are in agreement that pictures can bridge that gap for everyone. Click HERE to see additional photos. She was a little bit of a ham . . . :o).

The treatment itself was relatively uneventful. The nurse explained a lot, got her port site prepped and then got her hooked up to the IV drip. It took about 3 hours for her to receive all of the pre-meds (a lot of anti nausea meds, benadryl, etc) and the 2 chemo drugs. She didn't report any side effects except that the benadryl made her sleepy. In fact, she slept through much of the infusion.

After treatment, we went and had lunch at a local vegetarian restaurant called Green, picked up her prescriptions at Walgreens and then came home. She is in great spirits and hasn't had any side effects so far except she reported a metallic taste just a minute ago (which is very common for chemo patients). The high point of the appointment was when the nurse explained that if she feels up to it, exercise is actually a great way to combat some of the chemo side effects so she has plans to take walks with Great Grandma regularly to keep moving forward.

~Candice

Family Fun Before Chemo Begins

It's true. Chemo starts tomorrow for Mom. But this sobering reality didn't stop her from enjoying her last chemo-free weekend (for a while anyway) with friends and family. It was a good weekend - free-flowing, relaxed and even a little bit silly. My sister, Kristen, flew into town late Friday night to spend the weekend in Phoenix. I was absolutely delighted to have her here and we spent hours talking together, laughing together, discussing style tips and tricks with Mom, and genuinely enjoying each others' company. I love my sister with all my heart and I don't know what I would do without her! Before she left, she and I and Delaney created a chemo bag for Mom that included all kinds of goodies to keep her occupied, entertained and distracted when she has her chemo appointments. The bag included: a magazine, 2 cool cancer books, chapstick, assorted mints and candies, gum, an iPod shuffle with 4 hours of music, comfy socks, a new scarf, hand cream, pockets for water and more (I'm sure I'm forgetting something!).

Mom was a great sport and let me and Kristen take lots of pictures over the weekend. There are way too many to post on the blog, but you are welcome to check out all of the fun by clicking HERE. We tried on scarves, played with her new wig and took comfort in the love that we are surrounded by. There is no doubt that we have some pretty big mountains to climb, but we are united in the adventure, no matter how treacherous the terrain! Mom has recently posted on her personal blog - Grammy Tammy's Family and Friends. Be sure to check it out if you haven't. It's nice to read about her journey in her own words. Much love and light to everyone that is in this with us - the prayers and love are an inspiration.

~Candice

A Good Heart "Attack"

I haven't seen Mom a whole lot the last couple of days since she has been more tired in the evenings and going to bed early. The procedure to put the port in went as well as expected and she now sports a bump under her skin where it was installed. I am curious to see how they actually access it when she has her chemo treatment. She remains in good spirits and was delighted by the "heart attack" consisting of lots and lots of colorful hearts attached all over the front of the house - decorated by little ones in Primary and hung up by a couple of church "angels." These are the things that consistently put a smile on Mom's face.

I have also included a link below to a feature on famous people who have been affected by ovarian cancer that I found on aol.com today. I was shocked to hear that Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller has been diagnosed and treated for ovarian cancer. Check it out :) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/celebrities-ovarian-cancer_n_1370768.html?ref=healthy-living

~Candice

Port Tomorrow, Chemo Monday

Hi everyone, this will be pretty quick but Mom has been scheduled to go in tomorrow (Tuesday March 20th) and have a "port" installed (click here for more information) which is a less painful way for the nurses to administer the chemo as well as any other IV treatment she may require while she undergoes her chemotherapy. She is currently scheduled to receive her first treatment of chemo on Monday, March 26th. She seemed a bit relieved to have it set up for Monday as this means she has a few more days to get everything in order before feeling icky. Keep her in your prayers :).

~Candice

St. Patty's Day Treat

On Lisa's last day in town Saturday, the girls all met up at a family favorite restaurant in Scottsdale called Los Olivos. The lunch bunch included my Mom, Traci, Lisa, Marsha, Grammy (Charlene), Great Grandma (Ann), Delaney, Mia and me. It was a beautiful, sunshiny day with Spring Training fans milling all over downtown Scottsdale and our crazy bunch joking, laughing, reminiscing and just enjoying each others' company. What I enjoyed most was watching everyone interact and knowing that those moments of simple happiness are the moments that will help mom get through her upcoming treatment. And since pictures are worth a thousand words, I will spare everyone the additional words and give you the pictures from the fun afternoon.

As for the treatment schedule, Mom will be starting chemo this week, no later than Friday. I will post more when I know more. It is likely that she will go in and have a "port" put in near her collarbone to make it easier and less painful for the nurses to administer the chemo drugs as well as any other IV treatment she may need as she is going through the process. I will be sure and update everyone when I have additional information.

~Candice