5 years later and Miracles abound!

So 5 years out and a miracle happened! In early November we found out that we are expecting baby #4!! He/She is due on Ethan and Isaac birthday!! June 17th! Thinking that this could never be a possibility I gave away all of the things that Lizzie grew out of. But with God all things are possible. I was praying for a baby since my Lizzie is now 5!  Since I was dealing with all of the cancer headaches, It felt like I didn't get a chance to have Lizzie be little, not to mention that she started walking and talking at 9.5 months when I was going through the stem cell transplant!  It's all such a miracle. Just before the transplant Kelly our coordinator asked me if I wanted to freeze my eggs. I figured at the time we must only be meant to have 3 kids, which with a new born is plenty. But in the back of my mind there was always another, but I pushed it away. But now our family is complete!! We will find out on the 29th if it's a boy or a girl!

This is my wonderful family right after our sweet boys were baptized!!

What a blessing my life has been. Who would have seen this 5 years ago!! I also always joke about how I have such rare luck that I should just when a trip on a cruise or something. Well in November, Derek and I had the chance to go to Hawaii for under $500 total! We got 2 round trip tickets for $92 because of our credit card, and we stayed with Derek's sister Lacey. She is also in the military so we got a military discount at all of the places we went! It was awesome!

We went snorkeling with turtles and saw dolphins under us!!

2 year old bone marrow!

So it has been 2 years since my transplant. You must know that things have been going well since no news is good news; and it's been a whole year since my last post. The last time I saw Dr. McSweeny or Dr. Kanard was in May, and it was about 10 minutes. I talked to the nurses and Lisa, Dr. Kanard's assistant more than I talked to McSweeny. So I went in had a small physical. He said everything looks good. And I just got a letter in the mail that says he is no longer with the Cancer Center in Denver; so I probably won't see him again. The main worries in my life now are the boys going to first grade and being gone from me all day.

Life is Wonderful!

I do now have days were I have to remind myself that I need to slow down and remember to enjoy what I have; and that I am still alive. But I am glad that I can appreciate the small things again; like mowing the lawn.

Happy T-Day B-Day to me!!

Okay so it has been a while since the party, but I've been sick and busy. It was a lot of fun and we had a lot of cake. We had 22 kids running around the house and backyard! I was trying to make a video of my bald head growing hair, loosing hair and growing it back but it didn't work. My biggest surprise was that Derek's sister Ashlee was in town and so she was able to come with her kids. My boys were so excited to see all of their cousins in their house but one. I also got a fabulous apple tree from Derek's family! I walked in from the backyard talking to some of the kids and there it was in my kitchen.

I saw Dr. McSweeny last month and found out that I don't have to have any more PET scans if I don't want them. Which I think I will take him up on it since I got myself sick last time. He said that the radioactive glucose might be more of a problem to my body down the road and I have already had 9 scans since we found the tumor. I also got my blood drawn to see what immunization shots I need again since my body is new. I should find that out someday soon. I saw Dr. Kanard yesterday and she said besides the cold that I have right now, I look great and I don't have to see her until October! So happy days.

Great doctor!

So after waiting a week from the PET scan. I went to the Dr. that delivered Lizzie for a follow up. She had breast cancer a few years before Lizzie was born and I told her how I was still waiting for the results. ( I even think I made myself sick the day after and the next night because of what happened last scan.) Anyway, Dr. King was horrified that I hadn't gotten word about my results yet, because she has been there; so, being my doctor she was able to look up all of my recent tests right there and print it up for me.

Nervously, I looked at the paper and happily I noticed it said that there was no new growth and what they found last time has been less active; meaning I don't have to have a biopsy, and I will get my birthday!! I'm so glad I had my follow-up or I would still be waiting until next week!

I have been so blessed!!! Thank you everyone for your support and love! I will let you know how we will celebrate closer to the 21st!

PET scan on Friday

Just thought I would post a recent hair picture.

So last time since the PET scan was off because my body was fighting a cold at the time I am really nervous this time about being around germs this week. Since the boys birthday was last Wednesday we were going to have a birthday party for them on this Tuesday; but I am going to have to postpone it because my sister's family is sick and it might get my family sick and if I am fighting something without even knowing it, it will show up on the scan and they will do a biopsy. I am so freaked out about another biopsy, not to mention waiting 2 weeks to talk to Dr. McSweeny about the results.

The good news is that in exactly 1 month it will be my year birthday from the transplant, so I will be a one year old again.

Newest PET scan results

So last Friday the 13th I had a routine PET scan. Thursday I went to Dr. Kanard to get the results. At first we had fun talking like every visit that she doesn't tell me bad things. But then we went over the scan. She said that a lymph node that is in the area of the original tumor had a greater SUV intake which means that it used more of the radioactive glucose than last scan. Don't freak out yet though, her next words were that if I had been fighting a cold (which I was since I got it 3 days later) it would show up in the PET scan. Any congestion would show up and cause a false reading. She was about to send me to the surgeon that did the original biopsy a year and a half ago.

We are going to wait a couple of months until all of the bugs are out of our house and no one is sick and then take the PET scan again. Hopefully next time it will be a whole lot cheaper and accurate. In the mean time I will meet with Dr. McSweeney again to review the scan with him.

Another check up

So Thursday I went for a check up with my Oncologist Dr. Kanard. She said I look great for 6 months past transplant. I had blood work done to check my kidneys, heart, liver and check if there are any signs of Lymphoma. So far I haven't gotten any calls which is good news. Next visit I have to have another PET scan, it will be in March, so it looks like every 4 months I will have one until I hit 5 years post transplant.
Last night, since I stopped taking anti-viral meds about a week ago, I got some stomach bug and threw up twice. It was Denver all over again.


Morph Images

I love hair!!

It's amazing how just a little bit of hair can insulate your head so well! I just thought I should post how my hair style is coming along; and of course I have to take pictures with my sweet kids.

PET scan news

So I saw Dr. Kanard today and got the results from the PET scan that I had on the 7th. It's a long time to wait for results. Anyway, they were great results and I guess I am officially in remission. I will see her again January 22nd. I was able to get a copy of the scan this time and the difference between last year at this time and now. I am so very grateful to be alive and kicking. I thought you might like to see the comparison so here it is.

September 2007- The black mass in my chest was the tumor. It was 13cm. And had to have my head elevated because I couldn't lay flat.

November 2008 -The only black you see in these results are from my normal body functions like brain, kidneys and bladder. I do have scaring where the mass was, but in the report it says "there is no evidence of glucose avid disease."

Day 89 - And doin' fine

Tomorrow is my day 90 since the the transplant; so I am 3 months old tomorrow! I am feeling so good now. My hair is growing back pretty fast and I am starting to get more energy. I even mowed the lawn on Thursday; you never realize how wonderful it is to be able to push a lawn mower until you can't for a whole year. As I was mowing I almost started to cry because I was so happy. I'm even going to go with the boys on their field trip on Monday to the Fire Station.

My next cancer related appointment is November 7th. I will have another PET scan, but I won't see Dr. Kanard about it until the 20th. Dr. McSweeny is still very optimistic about the transplant being the cure.

Day 70 - Isaac loves the song "Let it Be"

I have gone to a lot of doctors in the last two weeks, but for once most of the doctors were not for me! I took Lizzie to a dermatologist last Monday to see what was still wrong with her skin. She still had a rash that she would scratch every night on her head. She gave me a sample of a cleanser instead of shampoo and it has worked pretty well. It is called Cera-ve. She also gave me a prescription for a really expensive eczema cream. So far it seems like the Cera-ve is kicking bottom.

The second doctor was for Lizzie's eye. Since she was born she has had a clogged tear duct. So since she is now a year the pediatrician recommended that we take her to an optometrist. He did a routine eye test on Monday and yesterday she had surgery to unclog the duct. It only took 15 minutes, and she was so good she didn't cry at all before, during or after. Her eye was red and bloody for the first 5 minutes but then she was just fine and I haven't seen the normal tear since.

The last doctor was for me, but it was just a check up with Dr. Kanard. She thinks that I am doing very well. We have an appointment scheduled with Dr. McSweeny for next month to determine when we are going to get the next PET scan.

Day 55 - Great day to be alive

Sorry there aren't that many things that you can rhyme with five. I am starting to look like Sinead O'Conner or a peach that's fuzzy again. Derek went to Kansas City last week for 3 days and came back amazed at how fast it grew while he was gone. My eye brows and eye lashes are growing back too just not as fast as the top of my head.

Derek and I were reminiscing about what happened these past few days a year ago. A year ago yesterday I had the biopsy in my chest so the scar in my throat is over a year old now. A year ago today I was getting radiation to shrink the 13cm mass and Dr. Kanard and Dr. Klish were beside themselves with the size of it and the worry that I wouldn't be able to breath soon if it grew anymore. It's hard to think that if I had been born in a earlier decade I wouldn't be alive today.

Day 51 - I feel almost done

My port is officially out. My left shoulder and arm hurt a lot but at least it's gone. I had the poor thing under my skin for almost a year so I think there were a lot of muscles that grew to it that he had cut. Hopefully it will start to feel better soon. We do have the souvenir port for future show and tells.

Speaking of show and tells the boys went to preschool for the first time this year. They had a lot of fun. I asked Lisa, Dr. Kanard's assistant, if I could get a CBC after the surgery yesterday. The results were good; WBC was at 4.0 and platelets were 172. I let the boys have a choice about whether they wanted to wait until Monday or go today and they got their new clothes and shoes on and asked if it was time to go to school yet.

Day 41- I just Love the SON

I was able to go to all of church today for the first time in almost 3 months. It was great to be able to feel of the spirit there; even though Lizzie is at the age where she doesn't want to stay still or sleep.

I was also able to wear my fake eye lashes. I'm actually getting a little better at putting them on. I wore them on Thursday and I didn't do such a great job of putting the eye liner on first, I never really used eye liner before now. I felt a little bit more myself with the fake eye lashes on and stuff on my eye brows; since when I look in the mirror now I have to do a double take each time since I look so different. I think my whole family is more use to the way I look right now then I am. That's okay since I can see a little bit of hair growing on my head. Right now it seems a little light, hopefully it will be red or brown and not grey.

Day 36 - An x-ray just for kicks

Today I had to go in to get a chest x-ray because I got the cold that the kids had. It went to my chest and I have been coughing for the last couple of days so yesterday I called the transplant nurses and they told me I needed to come in to Fort Collins or Denver today to get a x-ray and see the doctor just in case. So it was off to Fort Collins.

My chest was clear and my white blood cell count was up to 3.4, almost normal range. My platelets were up to 126. Dr. Kanard said that since my count was up I can try to wear fake eye lashes since I only have a few of my own left. I feel much better since I got some sleep last night.

I have a date set to get my first and last port out (Sept. 9th) and another meeting with Dr. Kanard scheduled. I am very excited to get the port out because at the beginning Lisa, Dr. Kanard's assistant said it was the final stage. I was suppose to get it out in March before we got the news about the Hodgkin's. So let's hope it's coming out this time.

Day 35 - Not a easy day to strive

Day 35 wasn't such a good day. Our cute little dog Dee Dee was having problems for the past 2 months or so. Sunday night she was having more problems then normal. When we were going to bed Derek went to look for her and she was in the basement against the wall struggling to breath. He brought her upstairs and she was not doing to well so he took her to an emergency vet. They did an x-ray of her chest and found a lot of small tumors in her chest. Derek brought her home at 2:30 a.m. The next morning we had to put her down. It was heartbreaking seeing Derek and her looking at each other. He had her for 9 years, if not longer. She was a wonderful pet.

Day 33 - Without Drugs, where would I be?

I'm sorry that I haven't written in a week, . It's been eventful and then again it hasn't. All of the kids got colds after Sunday; so Thursday my throat started hurting and I started sneezing and coughing. So now I have an achy cold; hopefully it won't last long. It seems like the rest of them are getting over it quickly. I went to the boys preschool to meet their new teacher and she seems fine with them starting in the middle of September.

Day 26 - Getting back into the mix

We did a lot today. Derek's sister Lacey got married in Utah on Wednesday his family came back on Thursday night. His sister came back with them from California with her 2 daughters until tonight. So, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for brunch and went to the butterfly pavilion in the afternoon and then out to eat for dinner. I pretty much stayed in the area with Rosie the tarantula and we tried to go to dinner before the rush. It's hard to try to get back to normal, but remember that you still have restrictions. I'll have to upload some pictures later.

Day 25 - So GLAD to be ALIVE

Since I am home and at my computer, I thought I would post the pictures that Derek took of me (and my bald self) and my nurses. The first is my nurse Penny, who gave me all the wonderful advise; and made the Chemo less horrible. The second is Nancy, who was my nurse the following week after the transplant. They were both wonderful!

Day 24 - watch me soar

So my platelets were lower than before at 118 and my wbc was 2.3 so both Deliese and Monica were close. McSweeny said that my body is trying to make an equilibrium. It looks like everything is still going well as long as I don't catch any bugs. I have an appointment with Dr. Kanard in two weeks so it will take that long before I know the status of my white blood cells.