Radiation is Over!!!!!!!!!!

Done.
Finished.
The End.

Kathy had her last radiation yesterday!!! Hurray!!! She made it through with very little of the side effects and now she can enjoy not having to go to the radiation center every afternoon! Just think, she can stay at work past 4:30, doing curriculum or grading papers. Ha! Ha! Kathy, keep your 4:30 appointment. But now, make it an appointment with yourself and a good book!

We love you! We are thrilled with how well you are doing!!! What an asskicker you are!!!!

The Next Generation of Cancer Warriors

Keep A Breast



It's not your grandfather's cancer society!

One third of the way through radiation. Go Kathy!

One Week Down!

One week of radiation is crossed off the calendar! So far, so good, from what I see and hear. Kat looks great, both at school and on our Sunday walks. I don't want to embarrass her, but she looks young and very vibrant these days (and I don't really notice things like that normally). :-) She said she feels ok with the radiation so far. It will be cumulative, so any effects will be more prominant as we get closer to October. As for the rest? With any surgery, there's lingering soreness that lasts longer than a couple months and Kathy is no exception to that. Plus, the first weeks of school are always an exhausting whirlwind. There are all the start-up things that have to be done, the rush of getting to know a whole new group of students, all of the normal chaos of our beloved college, and the shock of being back to work after vacation (because as Cheryl says tongue-in-cheek, 10 weeks off is not enough!). Add to the whirlwind, the daily appointments and you can see it's no picnic for Kathy. But compared with last semester? I'd say she's feeling great!!!!

A New Phase

Kathy starts radiation this afternoon. Today will be longer than most appointments, but after today it should just be a short visit to the radiation center every afternoon. (Well, maybe there will be a wait in the waiting room, but the actual radiation won't take long. Kat likes to read and always has a book with her, so the waiting room wait might not be so bad.) These appointments are scheduled through the beginning of October. A new phase in this process is starting.

You're on the homestretch Kathy. Maybe that's the finish line showing in the distant mist? Keep up the great cancer kicking attitude. We're all still here with you. We've been quiet for awhile, but we are ready to cheer you on to the finish line now!

Hello Again!

Yes, I know. It's about time!!

Kathy is doing well! I don't know if any of you saw her comment on the last (long ago) post. So in case you didn't,
"I saw the oncologist today, and she used the word "remission"! I need to heal more before radiation can start, but at least there's a dim light out there now!"

I can't think of any better news than this, can you? I can add to this that Kathy looks great and is feeling better and better. The radiation won't be starting until she has healed more fully, and that is taking longer than she expected, but patient (the adjective) and patient (the noun) are not words that should go together are they? Wouldn't you like to know why this one word has both meanings? No? Oh, ok. I have one of those dictionaries with word origins in it if you change your mind....

So for now Kathy is kicking back, enjoying summer, reading, resting, enjoying spending time with her family, and working on curriculum. In short, doing all her favorite things! And a few doctor's appointments thrown in for good measure. She will still need all our support as she endures radiation (every day for about a month--the sheer annoyance of all that time spent in a medical office...), and the start of school (25 days, people!), and all the chaos that has become normal at HC.

Remission. What a glorious word! Our blogstar has kicked some serious cancer ass this year!

Lunch with Kat

I had the opportunity to have lunch with our blogstar over the weekend. She was feeling good enough that she cooked! I think that is a good sign! (It was yummy, too! Thanks!)

She looked great, wearing her "Hey Cancer, you picked the wrong bitch" t-shirt. She looked relaxed and rested, as a teacher on summer vacation should. Her hair is starting to grow back as soft down and she showed us that her eyebrows and eyelashes are coming back, too. (I must add here that I really am impressed how striking and beautiful women look without hair! It isn't what society tells us, but without hair a woman's face is more revealed and interesting--bone structure, eye color, strength of jaw, length of neck. Kat is no exception to this! Losing hair to kemo is no one's choice, but it does reveal elements of beauty that aren't always front and center when competing with a head of hair.)

Recovery from the surgery isn't going fast enough for her, but according to the doctor, she is an impatient patient! She has a couple more appointments coming up as they determine when/how to do the radiation to get the best effect. It continues to amaze me how individualized the treatment is. We have a tendency to think of disease treatment as a standardized thing, but with cancer it seems to be very much based on the specific person and their responses to the previous intervention. Hey, an assessment loop in everyday life! ;-)

On another note, I just noticed that we are past the 1100 mark on the number of hits to this blog. That is a great show of support everyone. Keep up the good work!

She's Home

Kathy is now home from the hospital and according to a text from her son, "doing surprisingly well." In fact, Cheryl called Kat's husband for an update and guess who answered his cell? Yes, Kathy! They were at the pharmacy waiting for a screw up to get resolved so she could get her drugs and get home. Cheryl commented that Kathy sounded really awake and coherent. The response? "Hello! That's because I'm still waiting for my pain medicine!"

More virtual flowers for the patient...
Get well soon! We will miss you at graduation tomorrow!

Today is the Day

Today is surgery day for Kat. She goes in at about 10:00. She has been told that it is about a two hour procedure and that she will go home later today. Please keep her health and recovery in your mind.

Almost June!

June is the month we have all been waiting for. June is the end of what has been a very difficult semester. June is also the month for surgery and the end of cancer. All Kathy's kemo treatments, all her visualization of death to cancer cells, was to get her to this point. Her surgery is on Tuesday. The doctor says she will go home that evening and get to sleep in her own bed. Amazing!

I was listening to this radio show yesterday and Dr. Dawn was saying that cancer treatment is like a race. The body's immune system is racing with the cancer cells. The idea is that the different treatments allow the immune system to get far enough ahead of the cancer cells that they can win. She thinks cancer survivors should be called cancer winners! I guess that is more radio friendly than cancer asskickers!

Remember Big Sur, Kathy? If I think of this as a race, I can imagine that it is like having the Highlands with the rolling hills and cambered road behind you. It's like the last five miles of the race now. Still more (painful) racing to do to keep ahead of those nasty cells. But the surgeon will give you a big boost and put you even further ahead of the cell counts. Struggling for a Big Sur comparison to that---maybe like the boost you got from the double caffeine espresso GU and Cheryl's singing (one word, kept coming up over and over in the songs she was making up, can you guess which word ;-) ????) You'll be putting those #$%&*@ cells will be so far behind you that they'll never be able to catch up.

...and if you need it, I have a GU packet and I'm sure Cheryl will come over and sing her made up songs with you...one word over and over... ;-)

We Did NOT Do This!

Our blogstar chaired the last Curriculum Committee meeting of the year today. In fine style, she ended the meeting at 3 so we could get over to enroll in our new insurance.

Exciting, but not as entertaining as some curriculum committee meetings documented on youtube! (I am always amazed by what I find when I do off the cuff searches--like searching youtube for curriculum committee just to see what was there!)



The semester is winding down and Kathy is getting closer to the end of her year of treatment. Hooray!

Stringing You Along...

...and leaving you hanging.

That's what I have done lately. That is kind of how cancer treatment is, too. Now, I didn't plan it that way. I didn't leave the blog with no new posts to make a point or anything. Just the normal end of the semester crush. But it is true that the nature of cancer treatment is sort of like that too. For example, you find a lump and you make an appointment, then you wait. Then you have a test and then you wait. Then you have another appointment and schedule another test and then you wait. There is a sense of urgency, and always a next item in the future stringing you along. On the other hand, there is a lot of hanging in wait for the tests to be read, for the doctor to be available, for the next test or the next appointment.

Now that the kemo is done there have been more tests and more waiting and more scheduling and more waiting. The end result is two pieces of really good news.

• The kemo worked really well to shrink the tumors!
• The surgery is scheduled for June 1st, after the end of Kat's semester!

Sadly, she will miss graduation ;-) and even more sadly, she will miss the end of the year faculty party. But as I write this she is working hard to wrap up her work for the semester--curriculum agendas and grading student work. (Hmmmm Kathy, are you sure you wouldn't have rather left the finals and all the grading for someone else?!?!)

An Update

I happened to run into our blogstar last evening when I stopped by the hospital to visit my Aunt (Aunt Betty had a knee replacement). Wow did Kathy look great! Being finished with kemo certainly agrees with her! This week she has her MRI and another mammogram and then once the doctor has all of that information, they will schedule surgery. While we were discussing how nice the hospital room was, Kathy said she thinks her surgery will be outpatient. Really??!?!? That seems a little cavalier of doctors! "Having a mastectomy? Oh, yeah, that's just a little outpatient thingy."

She will find out more details by next week and you will all be the first (well, not really! maybe the fifth or sixth!) to know.

We were also talking about the surgery horror stories that people tell you. "It was the most painful surgery I ever had." Someone always has to say that. Why do they do it? On the other hand, if you have some helpful hints from your own or a loved one's surgery, please share. You never know what hint will be like the Q-Tip trick that I posted about before.

The Next Phase

Great end of kemo party everyone! Thanks for coming and celebrating with Kathy!

So, the kemo is over. What is next for our blogstar?
This week she will have appointments in preparation for surgery, for example, another breast MRI. After that, they will have the information they need to proceed with surgery. It sounds like that will be sometime in mid to late May. Then again, it might end up being after school ends for the semester. Actually, that is probably one of the more difficult things about the treatment Kat is undergoing. The calendar is very fluid and it is controlled by someone else! To read more about breast cancer surgery at the American Cancer Society website, click here.

Speaking of the American Cancer Society, some of you may be noticing that there have been no Relay for Life activities on campus, yet. There may be some people planning to participate, but I had to sit it out this year. Since it is May (Paint the Town Purple month!), I encourage you to still make a donation to Relay. One of my nieces is participating in the RFL at her college (Here is her website!) I am very proud of her for doing this as a student with such a heavy workload ;-) If you prefer to keep your donations local, HERE is the website for RFL Salinas. I'm sure any of the teams would love to have your support!

Happy Birthday Kathy!!!!!

Choose your version! It's Kathy's favorite song today!






By the way, thanks to all who attended the virtual party last weekend! We had close to 175 visits to the blog from Thursday afternoon through the end of the weekend! That is a LOT of support!

It's a Party!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
The last kemo was today. The taxol infusion finished, they flushed the "sludge" and our blogstar was out the door!!!!

Let's all join in a celebration of a MAJOR MILESTONE!!!! Virtual champagne, anyone?
How about some cheese and crackers?Play the music of your choice and let's all dance like there is no tomorrow. That's the one thing cancer teaches us. Carpe Diem! Kathy, you've done a great job and we're all here with you at your virtual "Kemo is Over" party!!!!!

In case you aren't sure what music to play, here is what Cheryl will be playing!

Less Than 48 Hours...

...until the last kemo!!!

I'm sure the time has felt endless for Kathy, but can you believe she is almost done? It doesn't seem like that long ago that we met in the parking lot of the oncology center with presents and rowdy cheering. By this time on Thursday we can all be cheering that this phase of treatment is over!

Seems like there should be a party, but maybe Kathy wouldn't be feeling up to it. Let's have the a virtual party here on the blog! Click onto the blog on Thursday afternoon and join the party. As of today there were about 650 hits. Invite all Kathy's supporters to click onto the blog and lets see if we can harness the healing energy of at least another 100 by Thursday night.

Here are a few words from Kathy last week.
The nausea from this kemo seems to be a bit more pronounced than the last one, and I guess the next one will have the nausea fairy visiting me even more, but hey, it will be the last one! And, so far, my feet and fingers haven't gotten all tingly and numb (the side effects they told me about vs. the nausea that was supposed to disappear!). I have to say, I'd rather spend a couple of minutes with the toilet than walk around numb! Everything's relative. :-)

Hey Kathy, we're wishing you a restful 36 hours. Save up all your energy for this one last fight against those @#$%&*! cancer cells. They know they can't last against you. You know martial arts for goodness sakes!

Keeping Her Chin Up

So no news about our Blogstar since before Easter week. Sorry about that...I was out of town. I don't know how long it had been since I had seen Kathy. I didn't see her the week before spring break and I don't think I saw her the week before that when she had her 6th kemo. Our schedules at work are totally in conflict this semester. But I did manage to steal some time to stop by this morning. Here are the highlights in true Kathy fashion:

"They lie!" The Taxol treatments do make her nauseated--not the same way as her first kemo drugs, but still... Puking is puking, don't ya know!

She looks great! "But I'm getting up at 4 am so I have enough time to get my eyebrows drawn on straight!" and "I don't recommend the cancer diet, but...Don't tell my doctor, but I want to lose 7 more pounds."

All the appointments are driving her crazy--besides the kemo there are tests, and more tests, and tests on the tests and on and on and on. (See this blog to get a sense of what it is like to live on the schedule of doctors). But I did find out that it wasn't quite true that she hoped to have her surgery on a Thursday and be back to work on Monday! She figured maybe the following Monday so she would only miss about a week of classes! And she would really like to know if they could just wait a couple of weeks until the semester is over because it would be so much better to have her surgery after the end of the semester. I love this woman!!!! This even though the kemo has her @#$%&*! cancer on the run. The doctor reminded her that those weeks between kemo and a delayed surgery just might not be such a good idea!

And then, of course, we had some unbloggable talk about curriculum ;-)

Tomorrow is her PENULTIMATE kemo! I just had to use that word, it's one of my favorites. And now I have even more reason to love it. Kemo #7 tomorrow. After this one, just one more. After tomorrow she is 7/8 done. That's 87.5% finished with kemo Kathy! Ask Davis what percentage is left, he says he is doing fine in his math class!

Kick it Hard tomorrow Kathy! I can picture those poor, sad, haggard, sorry ass, limping cancer cells. They are GOING DOWN!!!!!!!

75% Done!

Kemo #2 of the second round of four Taxol infusions was yesterday. So 6 out of the total of 8 are behind her now. That's 75% done! That means only 25% of the kemos are left. (Can you tell I teach math? Sorry, can 't help it!) That is definitely good news!!!!!

Now it's time to schedule surgery--my sources tell me late April-ish. It's all moving forward even though at times it must seem very slow, right Kathy?

This coming week is our spring break and the weather is supposed to be nice from what I can tell. Enjoy it everyone. Especially you, Kathy! Rest, relax, sit on your deck and watch the weeds grow on the hills.

And don't forget to visualize all those @#$%&!* ing cancer cells gasping for their last breath and then disappearing... We will all be out here visualizing the same thing for you. (If you wonder what your visualization could accomplish, check out this link on Distant Healing from the Institute of Noetic Science webpage. Interesting and thought provoking.)

She's Back!

How is Kathy? In case you didn't see her yesterday, she was back!! Her voice isn't...quite. I didn't get a chance to stop by so I can't tell you if it is more of a sultry, sexy sound or a gravelly, cigarette smoker sound, but it is back and she was teaching her classes yesterday. Hurray! When she first started to recover from the flu the last time she said it was good to feel like a person with cancer again, rather than a person with cancer and the flu! So, although it sounds weird, I will say, "Kathy, I hope you are feeling like a person with cancer again! " ;-)

Still fighting the flu...

How did the week go by so fast?

Shortly after I posted last week, Kathy got sick again (same version of cold/flu again? new bug? who knows, but it really sucks!). She lost her voice, felt weak, tired and generally terrible and is on another round of antibiotics. She stayed home from work all this week to rest and recuperate. Good plan. I know it is really hard for her to stay home. I don't think she has ever missed more than a day or two (if that) during a year, so the decision to stay home and rest has been hard for her. I think in some ways it feels like losing or giving in. But it is a tactical loss (if it is a loss at all). Give this up in order to save strength for the real battle. (On the positive side, only three more kemo's to go!)

So keep sending Kathy your "get well" thoughts, either privately or through the comments here. You may not get a response from her since she is concentrating on getting well, rather than answering emails. But just know that she and her family really appreciate all the support she is getting from everyone. Thanks, all of you!

The Second Half....

...of the Kemo started off without a hitch!

Thursday was the first kemo of the round of four Taxol infusions. This phase of kemo requires some measures to prevent reaction to the drugs. The time at the center is longer because there first has to be a Benedryl infusion to prevent potential allergic reaction. Also there are some drugs Kathy is required to take the night before.

Some of us were worried that she might not get to have it (it was a week late already since she had that bad cold/flu). Others of us were worried that she might be one of those few who have a reaction. Good news! The worries were unfounded! Kathy did fine and she was feeling ok as of her last text. I'm guessing the cold/flu bug must be on the run, too, or they wouldn't have let her have the kemo.

No one said kicking the !@#$%&* cancer was going to be easy. Weeks like the last two test Kathy's strength and make her doubt her resilience. But true strength and resilience doesn't mean never going down. It means eventually popping back up after something's got you down. Remember these?

Hoping for a Better Week!

So what happened to our Blogstar? As you know, she was sick with the cold/flu that's been going around. Last weekend, she felt so bad that she went to the emergency room and ended up with HEAVY DUTY antibiotics. By Wednesday she still wasn't feeling better and had a Dr. appointment. On Thursday I met with her son for some math help and he sounded terrible! Between his coughing and mine we turned the hallway into a germ zone!

Today she's back at school, but definitely not back to 100%. If you've had this flu/cold thing you can definitely empathize. Cheryl and I have both tried to convince her to stay home longer. Stay home and kick this flu/cold in the ass so she can go back to kicking cancer. But I understand the drive to be at work. Besides the getting behind that happens if you are home sick, sometimes feeling crappy with some distraction is better than just being home feeling crappy. Sometimes it feels better to pretend to be o.k. when you feel terrible. Even if it's only just infinitesimally better...

Whatever wellness vibes you've got, send 'em this way! Kathy could really use them!

We Interrupt Your Blog Reading....

...with another link. Both the Blogstar and the blog auth0r are down with a bad cold (I swear I didn't give it to her... I didn't see her at all last week!!!!) Meanwhile here is one of my favorite sites when I need a good laugh. Passive Aggressive Notes dot com. Nothing to do with cancer. Wickedly funny and sarcastic, just like our favorite Blogstar!

More Health Humor

I haven't seen Kathy all week. It doesn't have anything to do with how she's feeling. Just that our schedules never meshed. So, can't give you an update. But I do have more funnies for your weekend. Click here to see Dan Reynold's Healthcare Cartoons. These cartoons cover all aspects of healthcare. Even pet healthcare.

Laugh More, Live Better!

Just About Now...

...I'm sure Kathy and her family could use some humor!

Here's a tip for when you are cranky, feeling like crap, bored of feeling like crap, tired, grouchy from being tired, nauseated, f-ing tired of being nauseated etc. Google! It is amazing what you can find when you put "!@#$%& cancer" into Google images! (P.S. This is for old people only. Kids should not do this. Teenagers should not do this, but probably have done it already without me telling them!)






This poster, entitled "Love Boobs, Hate Cancer," was done as a fundraiser at another blog. What do you say blog readers? Should we make one of these???? They raised over $4000. Ha ha ha!!

I am borrowing it here since their fundraiser is over. In the spirit of the poster, though...

Do you love boobs and HATE cancer? Then make a donation to the American Cancer Society or start saving for our Relay for Life fundraisers. Got pennies????

Is it the Kemo...

...or is it Us?
I got an update from Kathy just before the weekend and I thought I would share some of what was in the email.
The doctor told me yesterday that she could hardly feel the tumor, to which I replied, "So, we're done here?" To which she replied, "Uh, no!"

Thursday was my last "poison" treatment," and I'm not looking forward to the next couple of weeks of being sick, but I am encouraged by the reports of how much easier the next drug regimen is. And, I'm half-way done with my kemo!

It still seems as if I have such a long way to go, and I tried to give myself the same advice I give to students when they talk about how long it'll take to get a certificate or degree: "It's OK, you'll get there--break it into chunks (baby steps)--you'll be surprised at how quickly the time goes."

What a load of crap! Well, not really, but it's hard to take your own advice!

Anyway, thanks to everyone for helping me shrink those little !@#$%&ers with your positive thoughts and actions.

So is it the Kemo, or is it Us? I vote that we call it the combination of the treatment, Kathy's personal and family strength, and the energy we are all creating! Whatever it is, let's keep it working!!!!! When the strength of one of those things starts to flag, the others are there to take over the heavy lifting. Keep the comments coming, too. Kathy and her family really appreciate hearing from all of you out there. (255 visits to the blog as of this morning!)

TLC

Kathy has her last of the first round of nasty kemo tomorrow. Over the last three treatments the side effects have seemed to be cumulative, getting worse each time. You can imagine what that does to her state of mind. You know it's coming and you know it will probably be worse than the last time. Ugh!! The only two saving graces are 1) that this is the last one of this particular "cocktail" and 2) that if she is feeling crappy, the !@#$%& cancer cells are feeling worse. The good news is that the kemo is definitely shrinking the tumor. That makes it hard to know what to wish for her. The awful side effects seem like proof that the kemo is working, then again, none of us want her to have another week of side effects. What to do, what to do....

TLC is the answer! The kemo has to do its job, so the feeling crappy is probably a given. Doesn't that suck :-( But Kathy doesn't have to feel crappy alone! We're all here to provide some TLC. Family, friends, colleagues, anonymous blog readers, lurkers... Send some online Tender Loving Care! Let's let Kathy know that we are all out here creating positive energy to help with her fight. (Can we blow up the comments section with too many responses? We can try!) This next week will be hard, but she's tough and she has a support group behind her. This blog has had over 200 visits since I put up the counter (and that was after three weeks of blogging). That is a lot of positive energy and a lot of TLC!

Small Bites

It is important to do whatever it takes to combat nausea and get nutrition into the body during kemo. In this video Kemo shows how small bites can get one through a meal. Do take a a minute to watch ! ;-)

Be Kind to Kemo Stomach!

The kemo stomach is not a happy stomach, and although it tries to be stoic and not complain too much, it sometimes can't keep quiet.  The stomach and digestive tract "takes one for the team" during kemo.  Those chemicals that are bad for fast growing cancer cells are also bad for fast growing cells in the digestive system and stomach cells are the collateral damage in the cancer wars.  The more treatments you have, the more unhappy the stomach gets.  So here are some recipes I found that might make life a little easier for the heroic kemo stomach!

 Banana Shake--super easy, used in a hospital
 Citrus Rice Pudding from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute  Why does rice pudding seem like the ultimate comfort food?
A half dozen ginger recipes, including Carrot Ginger Soup, from the Prostate Cancer Foundation
Finally, here is the recipe I found for a Kemo Smoothie by Unknownchef86.  I could imagine adding ginger to this as well.  Maybe a 2-3 TBS of fresh or 2-3 tsp of ground ginger.  I think ginger added to this would be especially good if the fruit were berries or peaches.

• 1 (12 1/3 ounce) package tofu (I like Mori-Nu Extra-Firm Silken Tofu)
• 2-4 scoops protein powder
• unsweetened fresh fruit or unsweetened frozen fruit, to taste (bananas, berries, peaches, etc.)
• whole milk, as needed
• 1 quart yogurt, any flavor (berry flavors work well)

Run the tofu through blender til smooth, adding milk as needed to thin.
Add the protein powder and fruit to the blender, scraping down sides as needed.
Frozen fruit may be added to thicken (like ice) without substantially watering down the mixture.
Add more milk to thin, as needed.Add the yogurt into the blender and thin to taste with more milk.
Pour into individual drink containers, or leave in the blender pitcher and store in the refrigerator. 
Only make as much as you need for one or two days; make a fresh batch as needed.

Cancer Cells on the Run

Just remember Kathy, if you don't feel good neither do those @#$%& cancer cells.  You've got them on the run for sure. 









Thanks to lüke's photostream on flickr for the image. 

Kemo Number Three...

...with a Curriculum Committee meeting chaser!
Yes, you read that right.  Kathy had her three hour infusion and then came to school to chair a Curriculum Committee meeting! Tuesday she and Melissa had a marathon session working on the P.E. curriculum changes that will be coming before the committee soon.  Melissa was begging for mercy, but Kathy just wanted to keep going ;-)
That is the kind of strength it takes to kick Mr. Cancer in his fancy pants and send him scurrying for cover.  You know, maybe curriculum work has some kind of curative power.  I know there are faculty who run for cover when they hear the C word (curriculum I mean!).  Maybe it will have the same effect on those cancer cells.

It will probably be a less than pleasant weekend for Kathy as she deals with the queasiness, chemo-fog and fatigue from the kemo.  Let's send her and her family good vibes for this third round of the fight.  We're all out here cheering for you Kathy!

I Love NPR

I saw this article back in December and saved the link. This is the greatest story! I so admire this woman's sense of humor and comic talent even in the face of @#$%&ing cancer!  Be sure to check out her website to see all the funny t-shirt slogans.  Here is one example in case you need motivation to click on the links above!

Headwear Adventures

One of the benefits of following this blog is that you can learn new ways to use a scarf as an accessory! I love youtube and I have found a few video lessons on using scarves as head covers. Kathy learned from a class at the cancer resource center and got a chance to practice with a "coach." The rest of us will have to use youtube and our "life long learning skills." So if you have a flair for the dramatic, (come on, you know you secretly do!) find that scarf you never knew what to do with and follow along with these video clips!





The following video is the first in a series called Pink Renegades. They probably deserve their own post because they look VERY informative and inspiring, but here is the first one.

Suggestions Galore!

Click Here to read But Dr. I Hate Pink's tips for avoiding kemo side effects.  I really like her blogging style--funny and irreverent enough that she had to write a post telling people to go away if they don't like cancer jokes!  As I was browsing her blog, I found this guest post of hers on a breast cancer ezine called Join our Loop. Meanwhile, ChemoBabe has posted about how to How to Talk to a ChemoBabe with some insights into what she is feeling like.  Everyone's reaction to the treatment is different, but I thought these were good tips for people about what a cancer asskicker might be experiencing.

To read other cancer blogs and links, please take a look at the sidebar on the right.  You probably will have to scroll down to see them.  If you find something you think I should include, please let me know in a comment and I will post it.

First Week at Work

This was Kathy's first week at work since she started treatment.  (Is it fair to assume all readers know that she teaches college? We just finished the first week of our spring semester).  So how did it go?
 
Kathy was able to arrange her schedule so that she can maximize time to rest, time for appointments, etc.  I think it is fair to say that she enjoyed the first week in YEARS where she has been consistently on her way home at a reasonable hour!  (It's important to recognize those silver linings wherever they may occur!)
 
Another positive is that she looks absolutely as stunning as always in her new wig!  We liked her short haircut too, but she is wearing the wig to school and keeping her "look" for now.  I predict she may keep the wig well after the kemo days.  How nice to have your hair already done and just pop it on your head as you rush out the door!  Ok, I know it isn't quite that easy, but isn't that a fun visual?!  If the road from her house wasn't so winding she could be installing it as she drove to school, just as you see people applying makeup as they commute. ;-)  "Officer, it isn't dangerous to put on my wig while I drive, women are great multi-taskers."

Unfortunately, the nausea lasted about a week this time, so she was having to deal with that annoyance.  I wonder if these Queasy Pops from Chemochicks would help.  If not, there are always the Chick Sick Sacks.  Talk about attitude!  Here is a quote from the site.

"Nausea and yes, vomiting, is something that we really can be prepared to handle with confidence.[Blogger note: Confidence?  Really?  Wow!]  Each lightweight disposable CHICK SICK SACK comes in a set of five or twelve. The firm round holder allows you to cover your mouth area with the knowledge that you are protecting your outfit, your car, or your desk…Don’t let a little queasiness keep you at home; this couldn’t be an easier, cleaner solution!" 

These Chemochicks are hardcore!  Then again, Hardcore 101 is a prerequisite for entering the Kicking Breast Cancer Program. 
Have a great weekend Kathy!  You have a kemo free week coming up!

Who is Out There?????

I talked with Kathy today and we have both had many people telling us that they are following the blog.  That's great news!  When writing a blog, it's nice to know there is an audience!  I suppose when you are the star of a blog it's also nice to know you have an audience, don't you think Kathy?!?!?
 
So this post is to all of you lurking out there.

Please feel free to come out of lurkdom!  Bloggers (and blog stars) love comments.  So in case you are not sure how to make a comment, here are the instructions:

1. Click on the blue "comments" word under the title.  (My husband says it is too hard to see, but this was a canned blog template and I don't know enough to safely fiddle around and change the colors).
2. You will get a window where you can read any comments made by others and you can also make your own comment in a text box at the bottom that says "leave your comment."
3. After leaving your comment, choose an identity.  If you already have a google account you can use that.  If you don't, or you don't feel like logging in, you can choose Name/URL and put your name.  Or you can click on anonymous and just put your name in your comment.  Or you can just make an anonymous comment, but that isn't as fun for the blog writer or the blog star.
4. You might get a squiggly word that you have to type into a box--this is to make sure you are a person and not a machine.
5. Click "publish" and you're done!

See, it's easy!  Then you can go back to lurking! 

Hanging Tough

My daughter sent this image to me, and between it and my new t-shirt, how can I not be strong? I continue to be surrounded by love and support, which helps me fight. Two of my worst kemos are over, so I'm looking forward to the end of February and the last two, when the nastiest drugs are replaced by kinder (and hopefully, gentler) ones! Thanks to all of you for keeping me in your thoughts and for your kind and generous actions. I appreciate you!

A great way to spend an afternoon!

We descended on Kathy and Rob today after our usual Sunday walk.  By we, I mean this group...

We had a wonderful minestrone with cheese bread followed by blueberry crisp for dessert.  All of this was courtesy of Melissa.  She is such a great cook!  It was good to see Kathy.  She hasn't been out to walk with us since before the semester ended.  Next week Kathy???

We laughed, caught up on the last few weeks, enjoyed great food and company, complained about work, and commiserated about the winter break being over and being back to work tomorrow. Our usual after walk conversation, except for the location!  Kathy sported a new haircut which I LOVE! (Ok, I am biased in favor of short hair) and showed us the wig (also very cute!!) and scarf she got from the Cancer Resource Center of SVMH. 

The Cancer Resource Center is a wonderful thing.  They provide many services for people who are kicking the crap out of cancer.  They also have services for the families.  Together with the American Cancer Society they make it easier for women with breast cancer to say...

 

Great News from Kat!

The Ass Kicking Continues!

During lunch today I stopped by to see Kathy at her kemo.  She looked great and was eating ice cream while they gave her the most protective and snarling of the kemo drugs. 

or maybe

(Kemo fact:  The cold ice cream slows blood flow to her mouth and lets less of the drug into her mouth tissues.)

I also got an update on all the appointments of the past week.  The port is in, although it required a second surgery to be repositioned. It was causing an irregular heartbeat (yikes!).  But overshadowing the annoyance of two surgeries to put in the catheter, the scan results show that the cancer is confined to one breast and a lymph node on that same side.  Yay!!!!!!!  That really is good news!  They may find it in more than one lymph node once they do the surgery, but the fact that it wasn't seen outside of the one breast area  is HUGE!  Another really good piece of news is that the tumor has already begun to shrink.  The doctor said it is about 20% smaller!  "Die, you @#$%&*, die!!!"  Great job Kathy!  You really know how to Kick It!

The Ass Kicking Continues

Today is the second kemo treatment for Kathy.  I have already posted about the reason for using "kemo" instead of chemo.  I think the word treatment is better than infusion, too.  There are spa treatments, acupuncture treatments--all things designed to enhance your health.  The first part of the word is treat--now that is going a bit too far!  But words and their subtle connotations have an effect on moods and even the subconscious. 

The cancer treatment and support world agrees.  We don't have cancer patients or cancer victims, we have cancer survivors.  That is an important distinction.  But I found an even better one that has been developed by cancer bloggers.  Cancer asskicker.

Kathy, kick some serious cancer ass today at your kemo treatment!

Books, Books, Books!

Today Kathy goes in to have the port installed.  Think of it as a doggy (or kitty) door for her protector, Kemo!  

Meanwhile, here is a list of books that I have compiled.  I have only read one of them (The Middle Place, which I really liked) but they all come highly recommended from blogs of survivors and the reviews on Amazon or Google Books were 4 or more stars.  They are all linked to author websites or to Google Books where they can be perused.  

Cookbooks

What to Eat During Cancer Treatment, published by the American Cancer Society

The Cancer Fighting Kitchen, by Rebecca Katz

Guides and Memoirs

The Breast Cancer Book, by Ruth H. Grobstein, M.D., Ph.D.

Breast Cancer? Let me check my schedule!, by Peggy McCarthy, Jo An Loren, Donna Cederberg

The Middle Place, by Kelly Corrigan

Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, by Barbara Delinsky

Run, Walk, Swim, Bike,... whatever

Get out there and do it for health.  Do it for life!



I've always liked Melissa Ethridge. So glad that she is a Survivor!

The Specs

In initial conversations with Kathy about the blog, one of the things we decided was not to give so much information that readers would become cancer experts!  On the other hand, the teacher in me can't resist the opportunity to point people in the direction of knowledge.  The online world makes that so easy!  So here is the "spec sheet" for Kathy's cancer, with a link for further illumination, if desired.

Kathy's Breast Cancer

Type:  Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC)
Prevalence:  20,000 women in U. S. per year, about 20% of all breast cancers
Most Common Type:  Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC)

Comparison:
Outlook for ILC more favorable than IDC
ILC more difficult to find with mammogram, usually larger at detection than IDC

Hormone effects:  Hormone receptor positive, so this cancer is affected by hormones (estrogen or progesterone--I don't remember which one) and tamoxifen is being used.

Symptoms:  Can cause thickening of breast tissue rather than a lump.  Can also cause changes in skin texture. (This is important for people to know!  You aren't just looking for lumps when you do a breast exam!)

The Diagnostic Tests:  Mammogram followed by (in no particular order) ultrasound, MRI, and biopsy (am I missing anything, Kathy, seems like you had it all!)

Immediate plan:  Two rounds of kemo, with 4 infusions each.  Each infusion spaced two weeks apart (on Thursdays). 

Later:  Radiation and surgery then back to normal!

Do You Have Attitude?

Here is another website I have found.  These chemochicks have attitude and a half!  They have put together an interesting site with advice, products, and, most important of all, humor!  Not as funny as Kathy at the Curriculum Committee meetings, but...
;-)

Suggestions

When I started looking online at other cancer blogs, one of the common themes I saw was humor. For example, here is a link to some coping strategies from ChemoBabe.  I've also started to hear suggestions from friends who have experienced cancer or been a support for someone with cancer.  I'm sure Kathy has heard some, too. 


I remember when I had jaw surgery, had my jaw wired shut and was restricted to a liquid diet.  I got lots of suggestions from people.  There were a couple of other people who'd had a similar surgery and they gave me two of the most helpful things.  One was a recipe for a great soup and warning that I would get sick of fruity liquids.  The other (stop reading here if you don't want Too Much Information!) was to get Q-tips to clean out my nose.  (The doctor and nurses didn't tell me ahead of time about this, but I was not allowed to blow my nose for weeks.  The surgery had been on my upper jaw and had involved my nose--however the body's response to insult is mucous production and drainage.  Enough said!)  Anyway, I don't know what I would have done without the Q-tip suggestion!  You would think that the health care professionals would have these kinds of tips, but I guess it takes actually living it to know some things!


So...
I'm looking for suggestions for Kathy.  Somewhere in the list will be indispensable ideas similar to the soup and Q-tips above.  If you've been through it, I'm sure you will have some of these gems.  If you haven't been through it, but know someone who has, ask them what were the two most useful ideas.  Share them here in comments.  Or if you know of a useful website, share the link.  I will be creating a list of links in the sidebar.

The Worst of the First is Over

True to predictions, Kathy had an achy, tired, coming-down-with-something day on Friday and then a worse day on Saturday.  On Sunday she felt like she would be able to get up and come walk with us, but by the time she got ready she decided to stay home and do only her regular 30 minutes of walking by herself. By yesterday she said she felt well enough that if it she'd had to work she could have.  No kemo this week, but lots of appointments--a scan, installation of the port catheter for ease of kemo, another biopsy.  So we're really glad to hear that the worst effects from the first kemo are over and she can feel ok while she does all this in the coming week.

One Down and Seven to Go!

As I said to some of you, yesterday would have been a great day, if it weren't for the cancer! Being surrounded by friends and family made the kemo trauma easier to endure (almost a party atmosphere--OK, not quite). I'm looking forward to the title of my post being "Seven Down and One to Go!" (or, this one's for you, Kelly, 88 percent DONE!).

Thanks to all you for your encouraging words and positive thoughts and actions. Please know how much I appreciate your support. Right now I'm feeling fine, and I'm going to try to not let my body surrender to the poison (both cancer and kemo!) invading it--now my body just has to cooperate with my mind! Major visualization going on (reference Kemo post).

And, Kelly, thanks for doing this, and doing it so well!

1st Kemo Update

If a group of people can make a kemo appointment into an event (group hugs, group pictures, cheering and high fives, Chinese food afterward), does that mean their lives are seriously lacking in fun????!!!???!!! No comment!  ;-)

Today's kemo went well.  Kathy came out smiling and ready to go to lunch!  She said that the minute they started the infusion she started saying to her cancer cells, "Die, you F@#$%&! ers, die!"  (Sorry Kathy if I wasn't supposed to let anyone know you swear!)   True to predictions, she felt very energetic after the kemo and joked that she would go home after lunch to vacuum and dust.  Oh Kathy, if you feel that good, don't waste it on housework!

I will post the pictures soon.  They are on Melissa's camera.  She remembered to bring a camera for blog pictures.  I didn't!  Good thing one of the support team members is always prepared! 

Kemo, All the Kool Kids are Doing It!

Today is the first day of Kathy's kemo.  (She has decided to spell it this way.  She didn't tell me why, but here's why I think its a good idea.  "Kemo" looks like the name of a pet---in fact, it was the name of my cousin's ferret.  Pets can help you through hard times, which is what these treatments will do.  "Chemo" looks like something chemical and harsh, which it is.  I'd rather focus on the fact that it is helping, wouldn't you?)

The picture above supports this view, wouldn't you say?  It's from the cover of this book for kids.  (For readers new to blogs, the blue words are a link to another webpage.  Click them to go there.)

So, today is the first day of kemo.  She will have it every other Thursday for four times.  That takes us through February.  Then there will be a second round of four biweekly treatments with a slightly different cocktail. (I'll have a kemo, please, on the rocks!)  That should wrap up in April.

The plan is that Thursdays will be kemo days.  The doctor has predicted that right after the treatment Kathy won't feel too bad, and any side effects will be worst over the weekend. Kathy is planning to keep working as much as she can during this time and if the side effects follow the schedule the doctor has predicted, working will be easier.


Ok, everyone, send good thoughts, vibrations and prayers for powerfully effective kemo!

Let the War on @#$%& Cancer Cells begin!

@#$%&! Breast Cancer

Here is the short version of the story.  

There was a lump.  It got bigger.  There was a mammogram, then an ultrasound, and then a biopsy.  It wasn't good news.  There was an oncologist, an ultrasound of the other breast, appointments in many flavors, none of them good.  There are now dates calendared for chemo and plans discussed for mastectomy and reconstruction.  Breast cancer sucks.


Here is the good news.

Kathy is a stubborn, tough, strong woman with a New York attitude.  She has a husband, son, and daughter who will help her fight.  She has stubborn, tough, strong women friends with attitude (although not from New York!).  She has many, many friends and family who will be on her side in this fight.  Breast cancer doesn't stand a chance.