Chemo.... OVER!

We are very happy to report that Becky is all finished with her chemotherapy.  She did great, and is happy to have that behind her.  A big thanks to all those that helped take care of our kids, and brought over meals, and just did tons of other helpful things to help us navigate this part of our journey.

She has been making some of the arrangements to start radiation the first part of January.  She has been in for a couple of appointments, and she has had the targets tattooed on her skin.  The plan is for 5-6 weeks of radiation.  She will have to go 5 days a week, which is going to be challenging with all of the other activities or normal family life.  We have heard that there are some side effects from radiation that are a little difficult to deal with, but hopefully it will be nothing like the chemo.

Christmas is always a special time of year, but the past few months, we have been especially aware of just how important it is to have quality family time and memories.  We have learned many great lessons from this past year, but one of the most important is to not just coast through life and take things for granted.

Thanks again for all of your thoughtfulness and special acts of kindness.  We truly have the greatest friends and family that anyone could ever ask for.

Getting Better

Things are getting better every day.  Becky is feeling stronger and having fewer side effects from the Taxol. We have received such a great deal of support, and people have been so thoughtful and concerned. We really appreciate it.  In early October, we started to have pink pumpkins show up on our porch.  Occasionally they would have a sweet message, or pink ribbon on them.  They were all different shades of pink.  We have no idea where they came from, but we are very thankful for the thoughtfulness of those that brought them.   I have attached some pictures below.

Becky really is doing better and can start to see the possibility of one day returning to a more "normal" life.  We did have a little bit of bad news, but it was not totally unexpected.  We found out that she is going to need radiation.  It will start around the first of the year and she will have daily treatments for 5-6 weeks.

Becky has made some new acquaintances through this experience, and also found others that she already knew that are going through a similar struggle.  It is like many things in life, when you look around at what some others are going through, some always have it better and some always have it worse.

Please don't be offended if we try to be a little more self-sufficient in the coming months.  Anyone that knows Becky knows that she is a very strong (willed) person. Haha. She really feels like the more that she does for herself and our family, the more that she can move past this and get on with her life.

Thanks again for all of your love, support and prayers.  They have definitely made a difference.

Life goes on...

Today, Becky had her third dose of Taxol.  It is weekly, so hopefully the doses will go by fast.  We have 9 weeks left, and I have been trying to convince her that it is not that long, but I think it still seems long to her. Her recovery from the Taxol seems to be easier.  She still has some nausea and fatigue, but they are not as severe, and they do not last as long.  Also, she does not need the Neulasta shots which caused most of the bone pain.  I actually heard her say that "she felt a little bit like her old self" last week. Her attitude is good and as anyone that knows her can attest, she is a fighter.  She has always loved "Rocky," and I think she is fighting her own Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago right now.

We are so thankful for all the help that we have been receiving, but it is nice to be a little more self sufficient for the time being.  Feeling helpless and relying on others for so much was difficult for both of us.  We are so lucky to have the great friends, neighbors, and family that we do.  We have both been looking for things to distract us from the cancer and help us try to remember that it is not what defines us, or is not what we are.

Becky was so sweet and let me slip away to help my Dad on his elk hunt for a couple of days last week.  It is a hunt that he has been trying to draw for about 8 years, and when we found out in January that we were going, the entire family was excited.  (Of course we had no idea back then what our situation would be in the Fall).

One of the cool things about the elk camp was in the middle of all the camo, ATV's, trailers, and all the other hunting gear, were the 3 pick-up trucks all proudly displaying the pink ribbon and "Team Becky" sticker.

Life is crazy, and it does not slow down or wait for anybody or anything.  The kids are still growing, going to school, playing sports, and doing all the things that 4 kids from age 3-16 would do.  Kennedy got her driver's license, Reagan started Jr. High, McKinley is busy at the elementary, and Jackson started pre-school.

2013 has been a rough year, and we are all looking forward to the time when we can look back on it and wonder how we ever got through it, but for now we just get up and face each day and make the best of it.

Starting Taxol

Today Becky went in for her first dose of Taxol.  The last 2 weeks have been the most difficult so far.  It took several days for her to start feeling better after her last dose.  She was given another course of antibiotics, but they had little impact. She continues to fight cold symptoms, but after a visit with the Dr. today, he thinks it may be drainage from her eyes that is irritating her sinuses and throat.  Hopefully this will resolve now that we have changed to a different drug.  One of the differences with Taxol is the higher possibility of an allergic type reaction to the chemo. To help with this they give 50mg of IV Benadryl before the infusion.  Becky was pretty much knocked out after that. Haha.  She seems to be doing well after the dose and we will wait and see what the coming days bring.  Most people say that the Taxol is easier to tolerate, and so we are hopeful that this is the case for Becky.

As always, we are so thankful to the many friends that are always offering support and help.

I am attaching a picture that the Midtown Davis Clinic sent with another message of support.

Last Dose of "Bad Chemo"

Today was the last dose of the Cytoxan/Adriamycin combo.  Several people have said that the next medication (Taxol), is a little easier to tolerate as far as chemo goes.  The last 2 weeks have been a little difficult.  The cold that she had been fighting, finally got to the point that she could no longer stand it.  After almost 3 weeks and a couple of complaints about it falling on deaf ears at the Oncologists office, she called and explained that she needed some antibiotics now.  They explained that they don't usually give antibiotics unless the patient has a fever.  After waiting almost all day, they called in a Z-Pak for her.  That did the trick, and the cold is mostly gone.  She had kind of a hard time bouncing back after this last dose, and we are hoping that it was mostly because of the cold.  Her dose today went smoothly, and she felt good during the day but the nausea is coming on pretty strong tonight. Four more days and she will hopefully have the worst of the chemo behind her.

As many of you know, I now work at Midtown Community Health Center.  I had kind of tried to keep the news of Becky's cancer low key and only really the people in the pharmacy were aware of it.  I should have known it was only a matter of time until the people out in the clinic figured out what was going on.  They decided that they wanted to do another shirt order for the clinic.  I knew that Midtown had kind of a family feel, but the support has been unbelievable.  We ended up ordering 82 shirts.  Midtown has several satellite clinics as well.  Many of these people I have never even met in person and they definitely haven't met Becky, but they sent in orders and messages of support.  The Medical Director challenged the Midtown Vegas Ragnar team to get shirts and wear them during their race.  The Executive Director is allowing the people with shirts to wear jeans to work on the days that Becky has chemo.  I have posted some pictures that came in from some of the satellite clinics today.  Keep in mind that most of these people have never met me or Becky.

I am so thankful for the wonderful group of friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers that have offered prayers and support on our behalf.  Your kind words and deeds have made such a difference to our little family.  We have a daughter that is 9 years old, and to hear her talk about going to school and seeing kids and even adults wearing shirts in support of her mother is such a heartwarming experience.  This is a hard thing that we are facing, but somehow just knowing that people care and are willing to offer so much love and support makes it just a little easier.

3 Down 13 to go

Becky had her 3rd dose of chemo today.  She only has 1 more dose of the bad combo of Adriamycin and Cytoxan.  After that, she will switch to a weekly dose of a different medication called Taxol.  All things considered she is doing pretty well.  She is getting better at treating the side effects.

She did struggle with the last dose a little bit.  She developed a sore throat and a mild fever.  Normally this would not be serious, but because of the chemo's effect on her white blood cells, they watch these things more closely.  If the fever gets to 100.5 she has to go directly to the hospital.  We watched closely and she was quite uncomfortable with a cold for a few days, but fortunately she improved and was feeling quite well before her dose today.

Life is very busy and it does not really slow down just because a person is being treated for cancer.  Luckily she is able to bounce back pretty quick, and we have wonderful friends, family, and neighbors that are so willing to help.

Next chemo dose is September 11th.  Wear your shirts. :)

Chemo Round 2

Becky had her 2nd dose of chemo on Wednesday August 14th.  She had recovered pretty well from her first dose and was feeling pretty good.  We had a visit with the surgeon last week and he said everything looks great.  We know a little more what to expect from the chemo this time, and that makes us feel better.
I think I have convinced her to start the nausea medication a little earlier this time and not try to act so tough. :)

August always seems like a very busy time of year with back to school, soccer tournaments, and just trying to get everything wrapped up from summer.  Thanks to all who have helped out, especially with driving kids around.  We could not have done it without you.  We have also had such wonderful meals brought in when she was feeling bad after her first dose.  With her feeling nauseated and having the taste disturbances, she was really in no mood to cook for the family.

We are so thankful for all of the acts of kindness and support that we have received.  I know that it boosts Becky's spirits to see everyone wearing their shirts on her chemo days.  (The next chemo dose is on August 28th.)  The infusion center is not a very uplifting place to spend 3 hours. At times, I am sure that she feels overwhelmed, but because of all of the wonderful love and support that we have received, it makes it all just a little more bearable.  Your thoughts and prayers are felt and much appreciated.

Thank You!