There's a Nip in the air; Autumn is certainly here!



It is so nice to be in the holiday season.  For Halloween we hosted a free hotdog party for the neighborhood.  Many neighbors came by and we got to catch up, ate hotdogs, chips and soda.

Here a few pictures --- the poster we put at the stop signs in our neighborhood.   Chris and Catherine started the Halloween spirit by decorating and setting up.  Too bad I didn't take a night picture the lights were fabulous.

We had quite a good turn out and lots of good conversations.  Plenty of little ones with their constumes for the costum contest. Catherine greeted them and took pictures, Christina gave out candy.  We'll decide on the winners this week and send them a note with a McDonald's gift card   Most common were Mutant teenage ninja turtles, Olaf and Elsa from Snowden.  Chris wore a had with eyeballs so he could keep an eye on everything. Our little dog Molly was a pumpkin. 
We had such a good time.  Our neighbors kept saying what a good idea and we should have more things like this in the neighborhood.  So the next thing planned is an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party by our neighbor two doors down, the first weekend of  December.  One good thing begats another!

Now for an update on chemotherapy...

As you know, I have been so very ill throughout the chemotherapy, and getting worse.  At first it was ups and downs.  I'd get a chemo treatment - feel okay for a day- have pain and fatigue for a few days- then feel better for a day - then it's time for another chemo treatment.  It went this way for a few weeks; but then started to change where I was just nauseous, in pain, weak and fatigued most all the time.  Ater a few weeks of this, I just had to talk with the doctor to see if there was something I could do differently, I was struggling to meet my responsibilities.  To our surprise when we met with Dr. Maran, he was very compassionate to my pain and suffering.  Together we realized that I had nearly completed the chemo plan, even though we were four weeks from the end date.

What happened is that the first chemo I took was actually as strong as three doses of my weekly chemo (which is why I became so very ill right away).  We changed it to weekly doses so that I could tolerate the chemo better.  Although that did work for sometime; eventually the toxicity did catch up with me and I became more and more ill as the days past.  Anyway, I was scheduled for 12 weekly doses;  I completed 8 weekly dozes, plus the three that were in that first dose brings me to 11 total doses of chemotherapy.  Dr. Maran felt that since my tumor was so small and that we are doing radiation and continuing herceptin (a much more mild) chemo therapy until July; we should be fine.   I told him that I will rely on my faith for that to be the truth.  Then we YAHOO'd that chemo was over.

Though the treatment is over it will take me weeks to months to get over all the side effects. Currently I still am weak and fatigued through out the day.  So I try to keep as active as I can, but you can still find me dozing from time to time.  The bone pain and body aches have subsided --- Glory be to God!  That was the worst.  I occassionally have a bit of nausea each day; but each day it is less and less.  The neuropathy (numbness in my hands and feet) still lingers and am told that that may take some time to rebuild and return to normal.  So steady by jerks, I am recovering as my body tries to rebuild.

Treatment now is both the Herceptin chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  Every three weeks, I have my Herceptin chemotherapy.  This is so mild it has virtually no side effects.  It is important that I have this for the next year as it will work on the HER2+ protein in my body.  According to www.breastcancer.org:

"Genes contain the recipes for the various proteins a cell needs to stay healthy and function normally. Some genes and the proteins they make can influence how a breast cancer behaves and how it might respond to a specific treatment. Cancer cells from a tissue sample can be tested to see which genes are normal and abnormal. The proteins they make can also be tested.

HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) is one such gene that can play a role in the development of breast cancer. Your pathology report should include information about HER2 status, which tells you whether or not HER2 is playing a role in the cancer. The HER2 gene makes HER2 proteins. HER2 proteins are receptors on breast cells. Normally, HER2 receptors help control how a healthy breast cell grows, divides, and repairs itself. But in about 25% of breast cancers, the HER2 gene doesn't work correctly and makes too many copies of itself (known as HER2 gene amplification). All these extra HER2 genes tell breast cells to make too many HER2 receptors (HER2 protein overexpression). This makes breast cells grow and divide in an uncontrolled way.  HER2-positive breast cancers tend to grow faster and are more likely to spread and come back compared to HER2-negative breast cancers. But there are medicines specifically for HER2-positive breast cancers."

I sadly am one of those 25%, but am grateful to be treated with the herceptin chemotherapy.

I started my radiation therapy today, November 6.  I will have this every weekday for six weeks.   So it will be completed December 18th! There is no real side effect with this.  I have to put special creams on my left breast so that the laser from treatment doesn't burn or effect the skin too much. Each treatment lasts about 30 minutes.   My treatment time is 8:30 am, so by 9 am I'm done and have the rest of the day to work and do other things  -- as long as my body will let me. My radiation treatments are painless.

Radiation therapy — also called radiotherapy — is a highly targeted and highly effective way to destroy cancer cells in the breast that may stick around after surgery. Radiation can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence by about 70%. Despite what many people fear, radiation therapy is relatively easy to tolerate and its side effects are limited to the treated area. www.breastcancer.org

What God is teaching me....

As many of you know, it has a been a rough couple of years for our family concerning mental health and physical health.   Yet through all the anquish and physical pain; there were moments where I just wanted to break down and quit.  But God is faithful and sent His Holy Spirit and ministering angels to keep me going.

I can say that I personally have experienced pain and suffering in recent years that I thought would never touch me.  What God has taught me is that He is always with me, and truly -- I can endure with His Spirit.   And in a strange way I have come not to fear suffering or pain anymore.   I have learned that it is a blessing.  Even in the midst of it all, my gratitude for all the blessings and all the help and support from famly and friends, kept my eyes looking forward and gave me courage beyond what I ever thought I could do.  I have learned that suffering is vitally important --- with suffering comes insight, compassion, wisdom and a deeper and truer love for humanity.   God has taught me that I truly have the opportunity to walk closer with Him each day as I find ways to seek insight, compassion and wisdom for people in my life, and through this I love them more deeply and truer.

It's all so amazing --- because of God's grace you are in my life, and I am truly blessed each day and each step of the way.  Praise God for His love and mercy.

Thanks to my sister for her dear card that lifted my spirits, my friend from OK who sent me a huge hug in a box (fuzzy socks, scarf, cute hat, lovely earrings, and lemon drops); and to my neighbor who crocheted an afghan and made yummy cookies for me.   Thanks to so many of you for your calls and emails.  I apologize that I have not been able to return most of them, the fatigue and weakness this past month has kept me.  Hopefully I will be growing stronger soon and write you all back individually.

For now, I wish you the best of the new Holiday Season --- Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas....

Rita