Gearing Up for Round Two

It's one week before my second round of chemotherapy and I'm fired up and ready to go! My energy level is up and I'm trying to get it all in.

Day Two After Chemo

Good morning friends and family!

Last night was good and I rested well. Today is going good. I'm experiencing a few hot flashes, but they are tolerable.

This morning, I got up and did my usual baking for my daily delivery and Frederick was the delivery guy for the day. Got the kids up and out. For breakfast I juiced a big glass of green juice and ate oatmeal, blueberries walnuts and cinnamon for breakfast. Yummy! I sure missed my butter and brown sugar LOL. Yep, I on a mission to cut out sugar.

Yesterday when I got home I found this package lying by my door. It was a book entitled Healing The Gerson Way. Thank you Gigi! So I'm about to curl up on the couch and read it. I truly think it's all about what we put into our bodies...even when that big fat juicy cheeseburger is calling your name...LOL. Veggie burgers are an option and you can make them taste just as good.

Until next time...

Day One of My New Treatment...Chemotherapy

It's been a long day. We arrived at MDA at 9:00 a.m. and didn't get a room until 12:30p.m. Sham & I sat in the lobby for a while sitting and talking. We even met a nice lady from Hillister, Texas...imagine that. Hillister is a little town near Jasper for those of you that don't know. She was there battling lung cancer and has been for six years. Also she mentioned she has had two other cancers and that she has been getting treated for cancer since 2003. Yikes...and we think we have it bad at times.

I had a very good and thorough nurse today. Her name was Jodi and she was awesome. When she stuck my veins I didn't feel a pinch. Yay! She took her time at everything and explained everything to the T.

My meds were administered in a time frame of 3 hours. The Pertuzamab which lasted about an hour was tolerated well. Then I was given a 15 min dose of Steroids to help counter act any reactions with the Taxotere (Taxol). Then I received a dose of Herceptin which I've been since beginning treatments for 30 minutes, then came the Taxotere. This is the one I had to fight through. I had minor reactions with this one, but nothing that I had to call in extra meds for. I was feeling a littly itch for a few minutes and at one point my throat was feeling like it wanted to close. Got through that fine and then my final dose was Zometa, which I've been taking all alone. It was for 15 minutes. In between all this I made about ten trips to the restroom, because I drank plenty of juice and water before I arrived.

My first day of Chemo was not so bad after all. I'm praying the days ahead are much of the same. I just finished a delicious organic salad and a discussion with my kids about my day. They have so many questions...and I answer all of them. So Assata just told me "it's time to go rest now mommy" so I'm on my way to a warm shower and then to bed.

A New Phase While On The Journey

The day is October 15, 2012 and I'm waiting patiently for Dr. Ibrahim to come in to see me and reveal the results of all my test taken the day before. He comes in and examines me and casually tells me that my cancer has spread to my liver. There are two small lesions on my liver. Not what I wanted to hear! I think I shed one tear maybe while Sham sat in the background with her tablet writing down every word he said. So it's time to change up things and get ready for a new treatment that's suppose to make me feel very bad. My new meds are a concoction of Taxol, Pertuzamub, continuing Herceptin & Zometa. It's my new "state of the art" plan as Dr. Ibrahim describes it and it takes about two hours to administer and I will go every three weeks. They scheduled me in four days for this treatment. I get home and realize all this stuff I have to do so I called them to change it to the 30th of October. So on tomorrow I will be taking chemo. I will try to update you all on how I feel each day.

After tonight I'm ready for the fight. Tonight A prayer conference call was held in my honor, so for now at this moment I'm all prayed up. It was so uplifting to hear all the voices on the line. The feeling was great! It was so very touching to be able to sit and listen alone with my husband and the kids to my brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, nieces, nephews & friends praying, singing & encouraging me and my family. All of this was done in the name of love and I felt it. I couldn't help but shed a few tears throughout the whole thing. So I am going to bed right now with a smile on my face and a good feeling in my heart.
Good night!

Graduation Time and Birthday...Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Wow...time travels way to fast. That's why we should enjoy each and every moment of the day. Take time for ourselves, our family and our friends (I need to do this too). June has come and gone. I turned another year younger and I was so happy and I am so blessed to see another year. God has truly blessed me and my health. I feel great! I celebrated my birthday by eating a really good piece of cheesecake from LeMadeline's that my family surprised me with. I make so much buttercream cake, until I didn't want that. I most definitely was craving a delicous cheesecake. I woke up that morning and thanked God for allowing me to live to see another day and another year.


Frederick's graduation was also on my birthday, on a Sunday morning, at 10:00a.m. in the Woodlands. What a day it was. I'm glad it was in the morning while it was cool. When we left around noonish it was getting pretty warm. We celebrated his graduation the day prior with a brunch for a few of his friends and family members. We really had a great time eating moms homemade biscuits, Denise's homemade overnight french toast casserole, gmama's grits, eggs, bacon sausage, waffles with all the toppings, fruit & more. We were all so full. Then later on I brought ought the chicken salad & crackers with spinach dip for the late arrivals. Oh soo good. If you don't know by now...I love feeding folk. I was such a proud mom that day seeing my son walk across that stage. Now he's on to bigger and better things. I can't believe that we will have two children in college. The children are really growing fast, after while Asa will be graduating then Alafia and Assata. And it's my prayer that I see them through it ALL and beyond.

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

It was two years ago in March that I was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. Here I am today feeling so blessed that I'm feeling good. Real good. I'm fat and feeling fine. Cooked mother's day dinner for some very important people in my life today. The kids served us and I intended it to be that way because we as mom's are always on our feet doing for others. It's very seldom we get waited on and catered to. It felt great. Today was a start of a new tradition. I haven't told my kids that though. LOL The menu consisted of, Kenny's bbq brisket, stuffed turkey tenderloin, fresh zucchini and squash, fresh green beans, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, luby's rolls and fruit salad (my fav made with cool whip). For dessert we had, butter cream cupcakes, german chocolate cupcakes, and little lemon pies. Oh sooo good. Today was an awesome day! Today was another day that I was able to see and share with my family. That's why I say..."happy mother's day to me! It was truly a happy day.