Chemo #6 / Update on my Mom

Thursday, August 4, 2011

I woke up this morning and had to paint my eyebrows on with Anastasia's eye brow kit.  I don't know why I got so upset but I started to cry.  Then when I wiped away my tears along came most of my eye lashes.  Ugh!  I was just starting to get use to my bald head now I have to get use to my new face.  I would put on fake lashes but when you undergo chemotherapy your skin does not renew itself and is ultra sensitive.  If I did put on the lashes I would be afraid it might take my skin with it.  So I am experimenting with make up to try and make myself feel and look "normal".  I got it totally wrong today when I tried the darker color for my eyebrows.  I looked like a clown and my mom agreed with me.  Slowly I am learning how to apply my new brows and liner.

I had chemo round 6 today.  My friend Ruth Schneider was so kind to drop me off and my friend Lyndsey stopped by when she was out and about and brought me back home.  My oncologist cut my Benedryl dose in half this time so I wasn't as nauseous as I was last week.  When I got home I was sawing logs until around 9 p.m. This made me stay up all night watching TV because couldn't fall back asleep until 4 a.m.  This made it extremely hard for me to get up at 6 a.m. to watch my sister's kids.

Friday, August 5, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend EMILY GARDELS!

Today was my last day watching the kids.  I decided it was time for me to focus on my health and getting better.  I am not the same energetic person I use to be before chemotherapy.  I require more sleep and small tasks like getting meals ready, doing laundry and making beds makes me exhausted, throw in five kids for 10 hours a day and I am beat.  I will go back in January or February when my chemo, radiation and final surgery are complete.  I have to wait an entire month after radiation to have my final surgery to remove the expanders and put in implants.  So we were thinking after the New Year I will have my new Ta Ta's.  It will be a 3-4 week recovery as well.

My mom made her final decision today.  Her team of doctors are:

Dr. James Reilly
Methodist
General Surgeon

Dr. Marie Montag
Cosmetic Surgeon
Aesthetic Surgical Images

Click here to learn more about my mom's procedure.  We won't know if she will need chemotherapy or radiation until after they operate.  We are still waiting on the pathology reports to get a stage of cancer and her surgery will be scheduled 2-3 weeks from Friday.  I will post as soon as I know.  Please keep my mom in your prayers to give her the much needed strength to get through the double mastectomy and pray she will not need chemotherapy or radiation.

My mom is hanging in there and has a sense of humor about this whole situation.  You almost need to have a sense of humor to get through times like these.

Thank you to:
Emmy and Nolan Reilly for the hand bag and Christmas ornament!

Jim and Mary Czyz for the delicious Red Velvet Cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes

Marilyn Johnson and Mel for the gift card to Up Stream.  It is one of our favorite restaurants!

My cousin Leah and Aunt Linde for the cleaning lady.  It is so nice to come home to a clean house and I didn't have to do any of the cleaning!  =)

Thank you to all our family and friends who have been there for us.  We are looking forward to PARTY for POTTEBAUM on Saturday, August 13th.  I will have a sneak peek for you on Tuesday at some of the raffle items.

Surgery Day!

Friday, April 15, 2011

6:30 AM  Steve and I arrive and check in at Midland's Hospital.

I am introduced to my nurse as she takes me back for a urine sample, wash down with surgical wipes, change in to my hospital gown, surgery tights, stockings and surgery cap.  Holy cow did I look ridiculous!  My mom and dad arrived for a last good bye and of course my dad was trying to get a picture of me.  Needless to say I won..there were NO Pictures!

I was starting to get anxious as there was a clock right in front of me and I found myself staring at the seconds.

7:15 AM
The anesthesiologist came in and asked me a LOT of questions and said I was going to be his easiest client.  I have been healthy my entire life, he laughed when I told him I never had a cavity, so there were no major concerns.

The nurses put in my IV and Dr. Grange (the general surgeon) came in to brief us before surgery.  The surgery lasts at least four hours so Dr. Montag (the cosmetic surgeon) wouldn't arrive for another hour when Dr. Grange needed her to start with her part. 

7:45 AM...now I am starting to get really nervous....only 15 minutes until surgery.

Dr. Grange is doing double mastectomy and a biopsy on my lymph nodes. If they test positive for cancer then she removes those nodes and several ones around them to make sure she removes all of the cancer.  Dr. Montag will move in after Dr. Grange and insert expanders under my breast muscle.  They look like deflated balloons and once I heal from the surgery (3-4 weeks) I will go in every week to have them filled with saline solution to help stretch my skin to my desired size. (This could take 3-6 months) I am going for a B cup this time... a gift to myself!  Once I get to a B cup then the expanders are removed in another surgery then an implant will take its place.  When it is all said and done I will look like a barbie.  Ta Ta's with no nipples and they will move with me.  Another bonus, when I am eighty my boobs will still be perky!  =)

THANK YOU Midlands Choice Insurance for my new Ta Ta's! =)

I remember one of the nurses say I probably won't remember much of the conversation because they started to administer the anesthesia.

8 AM

I remember the nurses rolling my bed past Steve and my parents going to the surgery room and then darkness....

9 AM, 10 AM, 11 AM,

12 PM (Steve said Dr. Montag came out and said everything was going fine, Dr. Grange was finishing up and should be done around 12:30 PM,

1PM.......

1:30 PM They finally got me to wake up from the anesthesia.

All I remember is seeing my mother and father-in-law and saying thank you for coming and then I was out for the rest of the day.

I don't remember this but Steve said when I woke up I was complaining of a pain in my arm. (from my port for chemo)

I am not sure when I woke up again but it was later in the evening and Steve was in a reclining chair next to me watching TV.  At this point I met my night nurse Megan who promised me to give me the much needed pain medications every 4 hours.  She brought me some water and did bring me my medications every four hours.  I had no pain. =)

Thanks to Marv and Annette my in-laws who drove all the way from Remsen, my friend Lyndsey who sat with my family and Steve while I slept, my parents who waited patiently for me to come out of surgery.  Thank you to my husband who was by my side through out today, Saturday and Sunday.

Thank you to my sister-in-laws Rebecca and Jessica who sent me pink roses.

Thank you to my Aunt Vicki and Uncle Denny who sent a bouquet of flowers.

Thank you to Ruth, Scott, Grant and Kyle who sent flowers.

Thank you to Leah, Chad and Charlie for the beautiful Tulips.

Thank you to my Aunt Linde, Uncle Terry, Leah and Chad for having cleaners come to our house.  It was spotless!

Thank you to Crystal for coming to visit me the next day, for the flowers, magazines for Steve and gift for Olivia.

Thank you Lyndsey for coming to visit me the next day.

Thank you Sasha for my get well kit! =)

Thank you Louise for my support pillows.



Thank you to my mom and sister for coming to visit me the next day.

Thank you Travis and Michelle for watching Jake and Elwood.

Thank you to my sister for watching Olivia the entire weekend.  I am sure she had a blast hanging out with her cousins.

Thank you to Dr.Grange and Dr. Montag and the staff of Midlands Hospital.  You made my stay very comfortable and helped me to get on the fast track to a complete recovery.

My Team of Doctors

MY SURGERY IS FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011 8 A.M.

MIDLANDS HOSPITAL, PAPILLION, NE

20 WEEKS of CHEMOTHERAPY STARTS
THURSDAY, MAY 19TH AT 2 P.M.

Chemotherapy Schedule
Weeks 1-7 are every other week so (week 1, 3, 5, 7)
I lose my hair after week 3 =(
Weeks 9-20 are every week

Followed by:

5- 6 Weeks of Radiation (Will know for sure after surgery)

YAY!  I WILL STILL HAVE HAIR FOR MY BIRTHDAY! =)

Dr. Janet Grange, MD

General Surgeon

(She is taking my (non existent -A size) Ta Ta's Off!

 I wish her luck trying to find them =))

Everyone wants to know how we chose our doctors.  To be honest, I went with facts and my instincts.  Dr. Grange specializes in ONLY breast cancer.  Instead of inserting the port for chemo in a separate surgery under my collar bone (which will leave a visible scar) she will put it under my arm.  She does this surgery while I am under during my reconstruction.  Instead of being awake for the sentinel lymph node biopsy  which sounds extremely painful, Dr. Grange has the radiologist to do this while I am under for the double mastectomy.

Dr. Marie Montag, MD, Plastic Surgeon

Aesthetic Surgical Images

(She is going to give me new Ta Ta's! =)

I chose Dr. Montag because she was referred to me by Dr. Grange and we just hit it off!  She is giving me my B cup....that is if my skin can stretch that much! =)  YAY!

Stephan D. Thome', M.D. Ph.D. (hem), F.A.C.P.

Medical Oncology/Hematology

Nebraska Cancer Specialists

(He is taking my hair!)

I chose Dr. Thome' because he knows his stuff! Good Lord! This is probably the smartest person I have ever met. He also gave me a lot of facts to help choose my general surgeon. He answered ALL my questions and gave it to me straight - no dancing around topics. When I left his office I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I AM IN GOOD HANDS!  =)

All I can ask for you is to pray the surgery is successful in removing the cancer and the chemotherapy and radiation will get rid of it FOREVER...........

AND...pray that my skin stretches so I get my B cup! =)