weekend recap...& chemo #7...

saturday started off with a surprise birthday lunch that we threw 4 my mom! she's quite the private investigator & was hunting around 4 clues 4 at least a week leading up 2 her party! i think she was definitely on 2 us, but couldn't b sure - so we still caught her off guard & it was fun surprising her!

mom & dad's friend, hupp, helped us set her up - here she is, punching him 4 fooling her!

we invited old & current co-workers, family & friends - & we had a great turn out!

mom insisted on a family shot - & i just realized, we lined up in order of age (us kids)....that's me on the left, then comes my brother cj (sam jr.), then ma & dad, then comes my sis kelly, then the baby joe (he drove in from richmond & really surprised mom!)

& of course the grandbabies!
jaden, matthew (cj & katie's son), corinn, gabby, deandra & bryan (my sis' 2 kiddos)

after the party, my dad insisted we bring the kiddos over 2 ride 4-wheelers & go karts & just 2 hang out

i ♥ this pic of matthew!

of course, we had 2 go bottle feed the calves again!

& i guess grandpa just couldn't get enuff of us - cause after church on sunday, he invited us over again....this time, it was much warmer outside - so we grilled hot dogs & had a picnic too!

i picked up this M&M ice cream that the kiddos loved - i enjoyed watching matthew eat his ;0)


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monday, was chemo #7 (of8)....that's right, i'm almost done!

but even tho i can see the light at the end of the tunnel - the more treatments i have, the harder it's getting....especially this time, cause i had 2 have a Picc line put in....because of the blood clot that developed in my right arm, they wanted 2 bypass the veins in my arms all 2gether - & send the meds straight in2 my blood stream, right above my heart

b4 heading 2 the hospital, curtis & i stopped 2 grab some breakfast....as simple as it may b, i really enjoy being able 2 sit in the car, under some beautiful shade & enjoy that time with my hubby


we had 2 go in2 the main part of the hospital 4 the Picc line 2 b put in....it was a lot more serious than i had imagined - i thought it was just an elaborate IV, but they had a sterile room all set up 4 me - curtis wasn't allowed 2 stick around & the nurses got all dressed up in full scrubs....they had 2 use an ultrasound 2 find the deep vein in my upper arm (that's what the purple line is marking in the photo below)....then they used local anthesesia to numb the area first, then put in an "introducer" - it was really just a spacer that held open the line 2 my vein (what an awkward feeling - having it inserted), so the line could be fed in....they measured my chest & determined i'd need 46cm of line....on the end of that line was a tiny magnet - another ultrasound type monitor was placed on my chest so that they could see the magnet & where the end of the line was ending up

of course i had 2 b difficult - it took over an hour 2 get the line fed correctly....it kept wanting 2 go up in2 my jugular vein, rather than down in2 the vein above my heart where they wanted it 2 b....they had me lay down flat, sit up straight, lay on my side with my arm in the air - all while tilting my head/chin down into my chest, trying to block off my jugular - what can i say, i must have a big one! ~lol~ they fed & re-fed the line, till finally it was where it need 2 b


this is what the line looked like after it was fully inserted & all taped up....i was actually able to watch the whole, long procedure (weird, but neat!)....afterward, they took a chest xray too - just 2 b sure it was placed where it should b

the initial plan was 2 leave it in 4 the next 2 weeks, until my last chemotherapy treatment - but the doc was totally against that! because of my increased risk of infection & clotting, the doc insisted it come out & another 1 b put in 4 my last treatment - yay! NOT! that shit hurt! & still does! i can't imagine having 2 do it all over again, but i guess i don't get much say in the matter!

once the Picc line was in place, i headed over 2 the cancer center....chemo started much later than usual, because of having 2 get the line put in - but because i didn't experience any burning in my arms/veins this time, the nurses never had 2 slow down or dilute my treatment - so we got out of there even earlier than normal!

but that didn't come without a price!

i 1st started shivering b4 i even left the cancer center....& by the time i got home, my temp was up to 102.1! curtis was already late 2 work, so i arranged 4 my mom 2 come & take the kiddos 4 an overnight....i knew i had just left the cancer center & all my levels had been checked - so i didn't want 2 call them & have them make me come up there again (don't worry, they got after me 4 that the next day!)....& sure enuff, by around 8pm, my fever broke....i slept on & off & woke up about 3 times throughout the night, completely drenched with sweat & having a little trouble taking a deep breath....but never anything serious enuff 2 scare me (curtis was home by 1am, so i had him there 2 rush me 2 the hospital if need b)

i went in2 the cancer center the next morning 4 my bloodwork & injection, & told them about my night....they explained that i had a slight (yet normal) allergic reaction 2 one of the chemo meds (bleomycin) - i was given a test dose of this med b4 we even began treatment #1 & didn't have any reaction....but since chemo was given more rapidly & straight in2 "the trunk of the tree" (in2 the blood flow above my heart) this time - it hit me harder & faster & more concentrated!

& believe me, i can totally attest 2 that! i'm feeling soooo wiped out & drained this time! u can see it in my face more (dark circles under my eyes) - i just look tired! i only got sick once that 1st night tho....i've been having that blah-i-feel-like-i-could-hurl-feeling since, but i can deal with that....i stayed home from work yesterday 2 rest up & am feeling a tad better 2day - but i'm still dragging ass!

i've still been getting the blood thinner injections every day (u should see my poor bruised belly - i'll have had 8 of them by friday, & i'm gonna look like a pin cushion!)....they draw blood each time too & since now my right arm is off limits, my left arm is a poor bruised mess too (the blood thinners make u bruise more easily)! they want my blood 2 b thinned out 1 a level of 2.something....but until yesterday, it remained at .99....finally yesterday, it was up to 1.nothing (the nurse's words) - but still no where near where it should b, so they keep upping my coumadin dose (that i take in the eve)....i'll probably remain on the coumadin for 4-6 months until the clot is completely dissolved

but even tho my blood isn't thinning out enuff 4 their liking, i still see the clot going down - & the pain in that arm is almost gone completely! so i know it's working & that makes me feel better

soooooo, if i can just make it thru this week (believe it or not, i have a small/simple wedding cake 2 make 4 saturday!), i'll b alright....then hopefully i can make it thru that last Picc line insertion & chemo treatment on april 6th!

as always, keep me in ur prayers!

after that, they'll schedule me for a CT scan (2 check the size of my lymph nodes) & a PET scan (2 see if what, if any, cancer cells r left)....then they'll determine the amount of radiation i'll need 2 zap the rest....right now, they're saying 2-4 weeks....i hear radiation wipes you out, but i won't have all the nausea 2 deal with - hopefully, it'll b a cake walk compared 2 chemo! (crossing fingers!!!)