Chemo Round 3. 2nd Round WINNER: A draw!

The three weeks following round 2 of chemo were a rollercoaster of emotions, sleeplessness and nausea - the physical effects were most debilitating the first 5 days but the emotional effects lasted throughout, but I'm not going to say Shermance lost that round because she toughed it out.  She didn't miss a day of work, she kept her attitude positive, and she maintained the high level of energy in public so most people were none the wiser.  It was draining, but she's a fighter.  She once said, "It's hard for other people to know the struggle that I'm feeling, because to them I act so normal."  Needless to say it's a constant FIGHT!

The hours after Round 3 were similar to Round 2.  She felt fine immediately afterwards, enough that we could grab a light lunch at Olive Garden, but by the time we got home she was achy, tired (but not sleepy), and on the edge of nausea.  This time though she didn't force herself to be with the family and extended family that came to visit for support - she just went to our room to try and rest.  This time she didn't wait until she was already sick to take the nausea meds.  At the earliest sign of sickness she took them.  When the time came, she also took the sleeping meds, a new one this time Terazapam - which is supposed to knock her butt out.  She was leary taking so many pills yesterday, afraid that taking one more each time might throw her over the edge for another round of stomach wrenching, but fortunately the bouts of nausea were minimal, though there were a few scary moments that she had to rush to the bathroom.  She didn't want to be touched, though a few hugs were welcomed.  No one could touch the bed for fear of setting off another sickness episode.  She just wanted her hand held and someone to be by her side. 

Yesterday she continued to be uplifted by support and friendship.  She opened cards of encouragement (thanks Reicherts), received purple flowers for hope/survival (thanks Wilkes), and a completely unexpected gift from her friend at Tae Kwon Do.  While she was resting, Nancy dropped by and delivered a very unassuming box and asked that we give it to Shermance when she woke up.   I presented her with the box after telling her some uplifting news about my work that I just heard. So she was already in good spirits, but the gift was so overwhelming that all she could do was cry, she couldn't express words enough for her gratitude.  In the box was a hand-written note that said "Shermance, Keep fighting like a girl, Love Nancy" and what she gave was her Tae Kwon Do World Championship medal that she won the week prior for sparing.  AMAZING!  This is something Nancy has worked so incredibly hard for over many, many years and she gave the fruits of her labor to Shermance to give her strength and encouragement.  WOW!  Shermance was blown away!

In the evening, Shermance was able to eat a small portion of her Mom's famed Chicken and Dumpling broth and keep it down.  Family left early and the kidos played outside so Shermance could rest.  When it came time for bed, the kids readied in a hurry, drank-up the root beer float treat their Mimi had bought for them, and said prayers and sang our good night song around Shermance on the couch where she moved to try to watch a show.

She rested well and this morning we have Shermance back!  She's not 100% but not nausious and way better than the last time.  In her words she "doesn't feel like death", but she has noticed some changes in her eyesight that we'll watch closely.

World Champ TKD medal given to Shermance so she'll continue to fight like a girl!

Happy flowers!

One of 3 rushed trips to the toilet feeling sick.

Night time prayers - boys joined Shermance on the couch.

The Biggest Looper

One of Shermance's favorite things to do in the chemo room is to Facetime with her mom and aunt.  It cracks her up to see them pre-make-up and groggy in the morning.  Today she also exchanged texts with her Tae Kwon Do buddy Shannon who was at home nursing herself after shoulder surgery.  We're heading to their house tomorrow for an afternoon swim, but the IM exchange was crazy and funny - just the light-hearted pick-me up that Shermance needed.  At one point they snapped pics of themselves to see who could make the funniest face...you be the judge.  They wanted to see who was most loopy.  Pics below.  They also exchanged pics of their toenail colors...RANDOM!

Looking around the chemo room, nobody else has this much stuff.  This time we have 2 blankets, a neck pillow, a cooler full of food, our huge Sonic drink, a big water jug, the cancer satchel, an iPad, i Phone, and all the accessories plus my computer and a cup of cofee and one filled with ice chips.  We could certainly get by with less, but it makes her feel like a princesss...a Cancer Princess, so I'm happy to carry all the stuff along, though I do make fun of us the whole way pretending like the stuff is 300 lbs.

Looper 1?

or Looper 2?



Asleep during Cytoxan

Resting with the prayer blanket



Anything is Possible

This week at VBS has been great preparation for chemo today.  One of the songs Shermance taught her kindergatners was "Anything is Possible with God".  That's the encouragement she needed today to tackle this monster inside her again. The songs have been going through her head all morning and they give her strength, even though she was a still a bit weepy-eyed this morning. 

As usual when we showed up at the oncology this morning, Shermance lit up the room.  The office ladies were in awe at her birthday jewelry (for another post).  Shermance had been coveting the receptionist's Opal necklace for months and now she was able to share her bling with them.  After been moved right in to check vitals and finish check-in, I was busted for taking a sip of Shermance's 44 oz cherry limeaid.  I figured one sip would be Ok, but apparently not.  After all it's 44 HUGE ozs.  That's almost the equivalent to 4 cans.  Oh well, I guess she'll be going to the bathroom a lot during this chemo.  The Sonic drink is important though since the cold keeps the chemo away from her mouth so she doesn't have as many side effects.  I was also convinced that she needed M&M's for the same reason...I'm getting suspicious that it's just cause she likes them.  During the down moment Shermance blew up a rubber glove and we played volleyball in the patient room.

Our doc came in a bit bummed today.  Apparently he had to give another patient some bad news already before 9:00am.  But Shermance washer normal bubbly self and made the doc laugh.  He tolerates us, but is also quite funy in his dry humor.  No, he won't go with us to pick out a plastic surgeon, and he can't drink beer during work hours.  But he did help Shermance by reducing her steroid for today, telling us to reduce her steroid pills after chemo and increased her perscription sleep med.  In our words, he wants to "knock her ass out" so she gets plenty of sleep.  And we don't want her sick, though she's starting to think she has the start of a chest cold...uuugh!  After a short visit with the doc we were wisked to the "cancer-killing room".

 

Bobble Head

One of Shermance's favorite things to say when she walks around the house showing her bald head is "I'm a Bobble Head. Look at me, the Bobble Head!" She's referring to those 6 inch tall characters that have heads with springs inside that allow the head to wiggle when moved.  It's a naked feeling not having any hair, and although it may feel awkward and like her head isn't really her own it does offer 2 distinct advantages: 1) drying time after showers is significantly reduced and 2) we've found that kissing the back of her hear gives her goose bumps all over and tickles all up her spine.  At this point she still has lots of stubble, but also patches are completely gone and her eybrows, much to her chagrin, have thinned a bit.  Even if she were a bobble head, I'd have to say she's a mighty pretty one.

Within the last week I've noticed that sometimes Shermance gets sad for no apparent reason.  Even she can't explain it.  She's not sad about the cancer or any event - she just feels down in the dumps. She had heard about Chemo Depression and our strategy was to keep her so busy with work, volunteering and normal family duties so she wouldn't slip into the sadness. After VBS today, she just wanted to be alone. She snuck off in our bedroom with her iPad (not unusual) and a bag of chips (very unusual) to stay away from our boys and the neighbor they invited over.  Shermance thought she had a perfect hiding place, but she was found out and, of course, she was asked to share her chips. She politely declined. Not sure if she pulled the cancer card. Ha!

Actually being a crew leader at VBS this week was a wonderful outlet for Shermance to be goofy with the kids and have a great time, but the downside is VBS was just half a day, so afternoons that were left unplanned allowed for the tears to creep in and an Eeyore dull frown to take over her face. Extra hugs have been welcome medicine this week.  I don't think it helps that she's built up in her mind that this next chemo will be much worse than the last one which knocked her down for about 5 days.  She's scared.  She's worried.  And she really wishes this were done.

Even though there have been sad times this week, there are still so many people offering support and love.  For example Monika made her favorite M&M cookies and shared them with Shermace.  The Smiths brought over a croched blanket that was hand-made by a woman in her church.  Many people within the church prayed over the blanket to help with her healing before it was presented to her today.  It's purple which represents survival!  AMAZING.  A couple weeks back Shermance even received a bracelet off a patient's arm who also dealt with cancer.  When Shermance noticed it, the woman paid it forward immediately... We've found the wonder of humanity in so many ways through this gut-wrenching experience.

One more funny thing to tell...Shermance is keeping up her Tae Kwon Do training with the rest of our family.  We all try to attend classes together and today was one of the days we all made it.  Shermance and the boys are 2nd and 3rd degree black belts and I'm a lowly yellow belt.  In our combined class today, after lots of work on our forms and our kicks we spent some time on weapons.  The weapon of the day was sanjaban (often better known by the Japanese name nunchuck) or as it is comonly called in class, "two sticks and a string". This time we tried an advanced move flipping the weapon over the hand in a 360 spin as we were striking and when going back and forth.  Near the end of class as the next class was gathering in the viewing area, our instructor, Mr Shin, asked us to add a toss. This seemed to completely throw off Shermance.  It just wasn't working. She dropped it every time.  Seeing her struggles Mr. Shin focused on Shermance to give her more specific instruction.  She watched.  She listened intently.  And then she tried it herself and failed or shall I say "flailed" miserbly.  In fact, one time she threw it straight up into the ceiling fan which shot it at a ceiling tile, popping it out of place and indenting a hole in the tile.  She was so embarrassed!  Everyone else couldn't concentrate on their practice because we were all laughing so hard.  It didn't stop Shermance from trying some more (bless her heart), but it seems she just might need a bit more practice...and a bit less flailing. Ha! 

Chemo #3 tomorrow.  Wish us the best!

Bracelet from a patient

Hand-made prayer blanket that was prayed over at their church

C is for cookie that's good enough for me. :) Too bad it's also for cancer.

Outdoor Oasis

When Shermance bought my Father's Day present she knew it could go etiher way.  I could really like it and want to work on it right away, or I could resent another 'honey do' item.  The gift she bought was really more for the kids, but she had a vision of a place that could bring our family closer together.  The gift? A rope swing.  Her vision was to put it in out backyard greenbelt which is a city-owned 220-acre park that has naturally worn walking trails but no constuction improvments.  The problem was the forested area directly behind our fence was filled with scrub cedars, thick brush, thorned vines, and even a rusted old barbed wire fence from years past.  So in order to hang the swing it would require a lot of effort clearing an area.  Fortunately, I was up for the task and Sunday we spent the whole afternoon as a family realizing her oasis vision. Shermance was full of energy and worked straight through a planned nap time to finish the project.  The Perren's pitched in by offering the use of some manly tools, including their backpack-style super blower that made quick work clearing out a season's worth of dense leaves from the forest floor.  By late afternoon, the kids were swinging in the swing fowwed by constructing a fort - mission accomplished!

Fast forward to today...Shermance had a great 4-day work week and now she has two vacation weeks - Wahoo! Despite a week of patients with excessive coughing and sneezing, Shermance stayed illness free and quite cheery.  The cheer dropped a bit tonight when she realized her eye brows are thining out in blotchy areas. Uuugh!  She hoped for that area to be unmarred, but unfortunately it's not her choice. 

The kids also finished up a week at Camp Invention where they challenged their creative sides.  Among their accomplishments was escaping from Planet Zak in a pod they created, building an upcycled Sludge City to be as eco friendly as possible, tearing apart electronics to see how they functioned, building a roller coster out of recycled material, and creating a Rube Goldberg machine that could pop a balloon in as many steps as possible.  All the while they were learning about Newton's Laws, brainstorming, problem solving, and working in teams.  The best part is they were having so much fun they didn't even realize they were learning!

Kid's Invention Camp Pics



Escape pod from Planet Zak!



Roller coaster

 

Rube Goldberg machine



Sludge city

Mystery Solved

My apologies to avid readers and wonderful supporters for the long lapse in blog posts.  The good news is Shermance has fared well after the post-chemo slump that lasted about 5 days.  I got in trouble for posting a pic of her hunched over the toilet and not calling the oncologists office, so figurative points were taken away from my bid to chemo hero hall of fame.  We found out Shermance is anemic (not yet to the point of needing a transfusion) so steaks on the bar-b are doc's orders - shucks!  Good thing Shermance was just were roped into a neighborhood-crawling steak-sellin' scheme that filled our freezer to the brim with steaks. :)  We'll keep a close eye on her iron, and she needs extra Zzz's.  Speaking of close eye, a running joke we have started with a devious look Shermance gave me soon after she shaved her head.  Its now called "cancer eye" and it makes me laugh every time she strikes the pose. ;-?

We had a wonderful birthday/Father's Day weekend in Bastrop with Shermance's family.  We ate too much wonderful food and had loads of fun catching up on happenings and playing Bocce Ball.  A relaxing cancer retreat!  While in Bastrop Shermance found the perfect t-shirt.  It's black with pink sparkles that reads "Fight like a girl; drink like a lady" with a wine glass and pink breast cancer ribbon on it. Saturday night after happy hour and maybe a drink or two "like a lady" Shermance and her dad rocked out to Jimmy Buffet. Larry sang while Shermance played musical accompaniment on a terra cotta flute to "Wasting Away in Margaritaville". Incidentally she couldn't play that instrument in the slightest even though she was a state champ flutist in HS. Too funny!

Logan met-up with us in Bastrop after surviving Boy Scout camp.  He learned a tough lesson to close tent windows when a storm is brewing.  Fortunately the 2 inches of standing water in his tent didn't kill his phone that we snuck in his backpack.

When we returned from Bastrop, our front door was decorated with festive birthday bling.  For several days it was a mystery who decorated the door, until Karen, from a few doors down admitted to the decorating deed that they finished just before we pulled in.  We are so lucky to have such awesome neighbors throughout our Behren's Ranch community!

At times the thought of having cancer has been a bit overwhelming for Shermance.  She keeps a great positive attitude yet even that can be hard to keep up all the time.  When it is especially tough she turns to the support of everyone around her.  Thank you for being there for her. Keep up the emails, prayers, cards and calls...Things like the clutch cross Audra sent for her birthday, or the Praying Through Cancer devotional she received from a patient of hers are super uplifting.  They build her up in the times she needs it most!

"Cancer Eye"

"Fight Like a Girl;Drink Like a Lady"

 

The kids' creation was delicious

Mystery solved!  Karen coordinated with the neighbors to decorate our door right before we returned from Bastrop.

Clutching Cross

  

Future Blog topics:

• Backyard Oasis
• Bobble Head
• Opal Divine
• Care Calendar
• Sherm-agic
• Rules of a Cancer Hero





They Say It's Your BIRTHDAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! 

June 15

< :)

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪     Happy Birthday to you     ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪     Happy Birthday to you     ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ Happy Birthday, dear Shermance!!   ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*

•*¨*•.¸¸♥¸¸.•*¨*•

*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪     Happy Birthday to you     ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*

. . . . . . . .

I I I I I I I I

[=======]

[=======]

[=======]

Keep up the good FIGHT!

For many, many, many more birthdays!

Love,

Dale

(your cancer hero)

It's Good to be Back!

Today Shermance was bright as sunshine, beaming and glowing.  She's back to herself.  After so many days of being down in the dumps she was expecting sluggish lethargy to be her demeanor for the upcoming weeks until she switches chemo treatments.  "It's amazing to have energy again. I feel like myself." Finally! It's the last day of her 4-day work week and she (along with her mom and Parker) are heading to Bastrop after work to be with family for her birthday. I'll meet them after work tomorrow.

At her office, they celebrated birthdays yesterday with good eats, fun and lots of patients.  Shermance and Alanna, the office manager, which is half of the small practice, both have birthdays this week, so it's as big as it gets! That helped lift her spiritis and her better feeling continued last night.  After a full day at work (9 patients), she had enough energy to make a great meal, plated up and ready when Parker and I arrived home.

Until today, she hadn't been resting well.  Now her heart has stopped racing.  Her skin doesn't ache as badly even to the touch.  So last night she was able to get good rest.
Speaking of rest, we were afraid Logan wasn't getting his share.  His stuff had been completely drenched Tuesday evening at Boy Scout camp.  His tent was hardest hit by the storm and he had standing water in the bottom.  He was having a tough time.  He really wanted to call home, but by policy they keep the boys from calling home to avoid furthering homesickness. He had a better day and seems to be coping fine.  We look forward to seeing him Friday night for family BBQ at the camp.

Beaming Shermance with a new headband from a dear friend.

What Made You Cry Today?

Two work days in the record book post chemo 2 and Shermance rates herself above 80% back to normal.  It's her lack of energy that is very uncharacteristic.  She finds it hard to sleep even though she is fatigued.  She did, however, sneak in a nap before dinner - she was just too worn down. Sleeping at night is hard because her heart races due to steroids and her bones and skin ache from the white blood cell shot, but it's better than the alternative of nausea! or worse falling ill! It wasn't the tiredness that made her cry.

During dinner what made her cry from laughter was the talk of ta-tas.  We all laughed over dinner because we've mentioned words related to breasts (boobs, ta-tas, chest - whatever) more in the last month than we have ever said it in our home previously.  It's amazing how this even changes our vocabulary and dinner conversations.  This time it was actually us laughing at Parker for forgetting to add sunscreen to his chest (aka moobs - though since he's a boy would that be boobs??? and girls have goobs??? Ha).  See how it got a bit outrageous.  Anyway Parker has an unusual sunburn on his chest after he put sunscreen just on his face, neck and shoulders and spent the day in the water park shirtless at his YMCA camp.  It's not a bad burn, and the laughter was good medicine.

After dinner, Shermance cried again while reading a touching email.  The sellers of Collin's new house heard of Shermance's cancer and and tracked her down.  The daughter who was already planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love wanted specifically to give her hair to Shermance.  How sweet!  Her mom had to explain to her that her brown hair may not be fitting for fair-skinned Shermance, but the thought was priceless!  What a wonderful sacrifice for a young girl.  They also want to cheer Shermance on like in a pep rally - GO SHERMANCE! GO, FIGHT, WIN!

The last thing that made Shermance weepy and frustrated was the thought of medicines, toxins, coursing through her veins. She's always tried to eat whole foods, put natural products on her skin, and avoid taking medicine if possible.  Now she requires chemicals in her body just to stay alive.  She doesn't want to do it anymore, but she will.  She will do what it takes day by day by day!

Ah Newlasta!!!

Shermance is mostly back to herself today! When I asked if she was about 80% back to normal, she responded,"more like 75%". Ha!  She was able to eat real food (if Taco Bell is really food) for the first time since Friday. Nothing like tempting nausea and heartburn, but that was the "treat" she wanted after making it through Tae Kwon Do class tonight. She kept it down and thankfully she avoided any ill effects.  The dinner was much better than crackers, soup, Ensure and other nutrition shakes - her staples over the weekend.  "It made me so happy", Shermance beamed.  Maybe it was the white-blood-cell Newlasta boost,or just her body overcoming the toxins.  Either way, we'll take it!

She is still a bit weepy, emotional, and tired.  The hard part about the emotional struggle, is she's not really sad, its just how she feels.  As for the fatigue, she hardly slept last night, so by 9:30 tonight she crashed.  She's dissapointed that she needs to slow down a bit.  It was heart-breaking for her to notify her super-fantastic Texas Dental Hygienist Association (TDHA) girls that she doesn't expect to make it to the next conference which falls on the weekend following her next chemo.  Since this one was bad, we expect the next one to be even worse. 

On the bright side, the thought of her birthday this Friday makes her very happy! It's not a milestone year, but she loves the extra attention.  In fact, she appreciates so much all the facebook posts, emails, cards, comments, calls and gifts that you've offered in response to this blog, etc, that I'm sure it is helping her PMA and her FIGHT!  Tonight she was giggling at the comments on her work facebook page for the bald head contest.  She was touched by her cousin getting her a clutching cross. And she was super greatful for friends/family like Maureen, Joy, Audra, Cathy, Potter, Leona, and so many more including the anonymous voices who offer words of encouragement, hope, and love.

Thank YOU!

God Gave Me You

Shermance rallied enough energy to attend Vacation Bible School training today.  She plans to volunteer the week before her next chemo, provided she has enough energy.  She's was recognized as one of their most energetic and fun vounteers the past three years but this time might be different.  She may not be that same energetic person and the kids may avoid her due to her bald head. It is shocking to people who see it for the first time. But since we've lived with it for over 3 weeks it's easy to forget how people might react.

We've only made it to church once since she cut-off her hair, so the volunteer clan had mostly not seen the head shean.  The many hugs and words of support were great, but Shermance likes to be strong.  She doesn't like to be pitied.  She doesn't want people to feel sorry for her. It was a bit overwhelming just being there.  Joy, a friend we know from church, school and Scouts offered to set-up a care calendar. Several have offered (remember we were forming Team Boobilicious) yet we've not felt an overwhelming need.  We were doing OK, but we realize the help is quite welcome.  Last week the Randolph family made enough meals for the whole week and her mom made enough for the weekend.  It is so nice to not worry about that, too.

During one of the VBS training activities Shermance had to make cut-outs. She struggled. It frustrated her that her hands shook and she had a hard time making simple cuts. It's hitting her harder than she even realized.

On the way home she cried a bit.  She wants to be the old Shermance so bad.  She doesn't want "chemo brain" to set-in, but it inevitably will.  The radio was tuned to a Christian station. It's uplifting. The song, God Gave Me You by Blake Shelton made her realize there are a lot of people who have helped her through the ups and downs.  It made her SMILE!  She is thankful for all of you.

Now, it's mid afternoon and she just wants to sleep...

New Neighbors

This round of chemo is definitely taking more out of Shermance.  She isn't hungry. She is tired.  She is on edge. She seems stressed out about everything - big and little. Hopefully this isn't a trend and tomorrow she can bounce back. In fact, everyone is getting worn down a bit. Even Logan wanted some down time last night, so was glad his bro slept at a friends house after hanging at the neighborhood pool till 10 pm.  Parker gets a break this whole week since his bro will be at Boy Scout camp all week. It was touching, though, that Logan hoped Parker would come home from his overnight before he left for camp.  When he hadn't made it home, Logan walked over to where he was staying and said goodbye. We didn't prompt him, nor did we know he had left.  Logan's got a tender heart.

Today, Shermance is tired of a third day of being tired, and she is sick of being sick. Yet, she also doesn't want to take any more meds.  Between her steroid, nausea medicine, sleep medicine, heart-burn medication and Juice Plus+ vitamins, she's taking upwards of 10 pills a day.  On top of that she has other meds at 6 or 8 hour intervals to take at the first sign of nausea. Her biggest worry is whether she can work tomorrow, and if the effects are cumulative that she may need to take time off after the next 2 rounds of AC...Let's hope tomorrow is better.

On the home front...Yesterday, Shermance's brother, Collin, invited us to look at two houses in our neighborhood.  They really hadn't planned on moving anytime soon, but after years of us raving about Behren's Ranch and now Collin's boss telling the same story their interest was already picqued.  Now that they have a month old daughter, that clinched it.  They needed to expand from thier cute bungalow house in 'weired' North Austin up to our 'mildly unusual' 'hood.  Both had the same floor plan though all agreed the second was the right choice. They put in an offer and it was verbally accepted that night! The selling owner knows Shermance and was especially excited that it would go to a nice family for their cul-de-sac.

Houses are moving very fast in this 'hood, and that is the speed Collin moves on purchases...just like Shermance.  In Collin's case, they started looking at houses Wednesday and again with us Saturday, made an offer and had it accepted in the same day.  Basically they decided to start looking one day and 4 days later they were under informal contract...Wahoo!

Fighting Through Tough Times!

Although the time in the chemo chair was relatively uneventful, the effects of Round 2 really wore down Shermance.  I went to work in the afternoon...maybe I should have stayed home.  Her body was hot and cold, she was teary-eyed, with emotional swings.  She lost her appetite - not even hungry for a morsel of the garlic-infused pork chop feast her mother brought over. Dinner for her was water, Powerade, vegetable broth and a few bland crackers.  She couldn't even keep that down - yuck!  She never wants to see red Powerade again - remindes her of the red chemo syringe.

This was the first time she took both pills for anti-nausea and it didn't take the edge off completely.  After nearly falling asleep on the toilet, she was able to get up on her own for a shower. She felt much better and got ready for bed.  Tonight, instead of doing our night-time routine in the boys rooms, the boys came down to our room, and with Mimi and Boppa we sang, "You are my Sunshine", said our prayers, and tucked Shermance in for the night.

The Red Devil

Chemo Round 2. First Round WINNER: Shermance!

Round 1 was good.  No major side effects.  Some tiredness. No Nausea.  Not sure how round 2 will be. The whole process of chemo is scary.  The day before and the hours leading up to chemo are stressful as Shermance anticipates Dr. Koc's updates, wonders how she'll react to this round of chemo, thinks about needle sticks, and looks forward to 3-4 hours sitting in the chemo lounge with 32 cancer patients in plain view. It's a crowded room that barely allows room for a cancer hero to sit nearby.  The room is bustling with nurses, doctors, and assistants caring for the loungers. People read, fill out crossword puzzles, watch movies, chat, and send emails. Patients are close enough for easy chatting (advice from a neighboring patient below). Unfortunately, it's not a very restful place.

The best NEWS! The cancer is definitely getting smaller, but we need to keep-up the treatment cycle.  Unfortunately in this case Shermance can't be an overachiever.  No shortcuts.  No treatment reduction. Before we complete chemo, we will need to decide whether to remove lymph nodes or have radiation.  Although Shermance has been adament against radiation, she also doesn’t want to wear arm panty hose.  Dr. Kocs responded, “You don’t want to die, do you?”  He has a way of cutting straight to the point.  Shermance responded, "OK, I'll do radiation".  We don't need to decide now, but rest assured we will do whatever is required to ensure longevity.

Shermance was also curious about an "abnormality" that showed up in the initial PET Scan.  Other patients have scared her about the "R-word" - recurrence after this process.  Many have gone years after breast cancer and then had cancer in onther part of the breast, in the lungs or another organ.  UGH!  WE pray we are one and done with this cancer thing.  Doctor Kocs comforted Shermance.  He said the blip on the screen is unidentified, likely nothing of concern and besides, it's 3mm. "Go home and see how small 3 mm is.  We'll definitely watch it, but I would hardly call it a "mass"." It may go away completely on it's own or with the chemo we are receiving.


Dr Kocs

The meds knocked her out

Notes from doc:

• Massages are OK and needed for a dental hygienist who stoops all day doing delicate work in patients' mouths.  Doc said it's a wive's tale that massages spread the cancer.
• He wants a room filled with Australian Opals if they have healing powers of cancer (Shermance wants one to wear around her neck)
• Prada glasses are the bomb.  He's so hot he's gone through three of them in 10 years. Ha!

Shermance's Fringe Me! "bling bandanas" are a hit with the chemo crowd! Everyone asks about them so Shermance will send business Martha's way.

Advice from the neighboring patient who is going through the AC/Taxol cycle (on 9 of 12) and already had a double masectomy:

• Taxol - may cause loss of feeling in fingers.  Keep them dipped in cold to minimize the risk.
• "Look good, feel good program" - is a free make-up program for chemo patients
• PinkPockets.com special shirts for masectomy surgery that have pockets for the drainage pouches
• Wedge pillow after surgery because she needs to sleep sitting up for a few days
• Clutching cross - a cross that fits in the hand to hold during treatment
• Dr. Scott Hedan - recommended breast reconstruction surgeon
• Taxol can affect bone marrow.  Not sure how to limit effects.

Round 2 Meds:
Sodium Chloride - flush out IV
Amend - anti nausea pre-med IV
Dexamethasone - steroid pre-med IV
Palonosetron - small syringe antinausea pre-med (also have pills for at home)
Lorazepam - small syringe antinausea pre-med makes her sleepy (also have pills for at home)
Doxorubicin (called Adriamycin) - Chemo (a large syringe with red liquid adminstered for 5 - 10 minutes)
 - wait 5 minutes -
Cyclophosphamide (called Cytoxan)- Chemo slow drip for about an hour through IV
Total time ~3 hours in the chemo chair

Oncology nurses: Andrea, Elizabeth, and Connie (new this time)

The Bald and the Beautiful

At Trade Winds Dental, the office where Shermance works, they are having a contest to decide who has the best bald head.  Doc Hennington has been shaving his head bald for some time because he's losing the battle with a receding hair line and Shermance is the new bald girl on the block.  They also included Mr. Clean as an option (and he already has a vote). It's all in good fun...Show your support for our girl!

Who's got the best bald head? 
Cast your vote at the Trade Winds Dental site on facebook

To vote:

• Login to facebook
• Click on the link.
• Scroll down about half way on the page to see the poll. 
• Select the radial button for Shermance

I also included a pic of the Disney princesses showing their bald heads.  Great cartoon pic that Leeann posted on fb.  I think Shermance is probably the one on the right...what do you think?

OMG! What's in the Water?

Tonight the Breast Cancer Resource Center (BCRC) held a community awareness forum in our neighborhood. WOW! We found out that 2009 data shows Williamson County had the highest incidence of young breast cancer in Texas.  More recent data shows Williams County has the highest incidence of breast cancer for all ages compared with other Texas counties. What's driving the rate so high?  Tonight we talked about many environmental factors that may contribute including: benzene in drinking water (shocking to find out an elementary school in Leander was built on a former benzene processing plant site), other carcinogens in drinking water (like those used to extract oil from shale or clean-up quarries for limestone), drinking hot liquids from styrofoam cups, smoking, estrogen in vaginal creams (which goes straight into the bloodstream), excessive alcohol consumption, diets (especially if high in fats and sugars), early onset of menturation (a possible result of homones in foods), parabens or sodium laurel sulphate rubbed on the skin... The list goes on, but the reality is these risk factors just show some correlation but no single factor is a guarantee. The information was interesting, but a bit overwhelming for Shermance who is fighting for her life NOW, and can't really advocate or lobby for prevention or immunology at this point.

It was good to come together with other survivors and concerned neighbors.  Before the talk began we spoke with the presenter, who gave us some chemo tips like drinking a very cold drink (like an Icee) during chemo infusion.  This prevents the drugs from infultrating the soft tissue in the mouth, though it doesn't reduce the changes in tastes that is a side effect Shermance is already noticing.  In fact, she now likes spicier foods more than ever before since most foods taste bland.  She also recommended drinking lots of water before, during and after chemo infusion to encourage urination; and going to the restroom often to dilute the toxins as quickly as possible. The BCRC is a great resource for all information regarding breast cancer and for emotional/financial support for those affected.  They will even go to chemo appointments with patients...AMAZING!

Though Shermance has just gone through one treatment cycle, besides her hair falling out and the change in tastes, she noticed a change in smells, some changes in body chemistry, and some changes in appetite.  For everyone it's different but for sure no one makes it through this experience unaffected.  In the next chemo phase which includes Taxol she is expected to have increased energy and could even become somewhat compulsive...we shall see :)

The Warriors Within

This blog about Shermance’s hypnotherapy that was performed by a Christian counselor in Round Rock named Rick Breland.  Before we did the therapy he told us about some amazing results that he personally has seen as a result of “guided imagery” to help with a spectrum of ailments including chronic pain, addictions, weight loss, disease and physical limitations.  One story related the effects on a quadriplegic boy he worked with who was able to regain muscle control that the doctors had deemed impossible considering the extent of his disability. It took time, but the images that boy had in his head to initiate healing kept at work to rebuild the connections that later allowed him to move.

Rick is a licensed professional in hypnotherapy and he had written words specifically for Shermance, unlike most hypnotists who read a pre-written script and have no formal training, classroom observation nor professional critique like Rick had in his formal training.  In Shermance’s case, we asked for hope and healing.  I was allowed to stay in the room throughout the 30-minute therapy.  He explained that validation of his words was required using her thumb since it is one part of the body that is still able to move independently even with the rest of the body fully relaxed in a state very near sleeping. 

I heard Rick’s words and watched Shermance as she allowed complete relaxation of her body lying down on the proverbial therapy couch.  He spoke in a calm, steady tone not unlike “you are getting very sleepy” that cartoons showed as we grew up. Absent was the pocket watch.  Throughout his custom script he’d pause until he’d see the thumb flick to confirm Shermance had received the message and had felt the sensation that Rick was guiding.  As she more deeply relaxed, I looked for the swelling of her bottom lip which he explained is an indication of a deep hypnotic state in many people.  He said she’d be fully aware of her surroundings and what she was asked to do, though hyper-relaxed.

He had her focus on different body parts to make them heavy and relaxed. After each area of the body was described he’d wait for the thumb flick response before moving on.  Some areas were easier than others, since the thumb flick response was not always immediate.  In some cases, it took multiple tries to get the desired response, but Rick stayed calm and responded only after Shermance was ready to move on.

Once he had her in a deep relaxed state, a state that yoga instructors have told him is beyond the level of relaxation they can achieve in their deep meditation, he started the guided imagery.  He asked her to think of two warriors with spears in her mind that would attack negative thoughts and attack the cancer.  He had her imagine the tumors, encapsulate them and move them from their current location, down her body, through her legs and onto the floor. As he went through this, in my mind I questioned whether Shermance would remember this or if it would have an ongoing affect.  We closed the session with a prayer with his wife and the three of us holding hands in a circle.  If this works we want all glory to go to God.

Since the treatment Shermance has had the warriors in her mind and they are vivid images. One evening as I was brushing my teeth, I heard her giggle in the other room.  She told me she was watching the warriors swinging their spears almost like swords as they were preparing to fight the cancer again.  She says sometimes they fight the cancer just during the day, but she has also woken up to have them fighting the cancer all through the night.

We can’t say for sure that the therapy has reduced the size of the tumors.  We don’t know if the chemo has either, but the lumps do already feel smaller.  We go in for another sonogram in mid-July to check on progress by measuring the size of the tumors.  On the other hand, Shermance has had an amazingly positive attitude.  She is wired that way to begin with, but something like this can wear down even the most positive people.  I have to say Shermance has had an amazing attitude with just a few episodes of tears.  She chooses her attitude daily and it starts at bubbly from the time she wakes up at 5 am till she goes to bed at night.  We are very thankful Rick worked us in just 2 days after we found out about cancer.  His one treatment has helped us each day till now! 

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

Notes from 6/2-6/3

What started out as a wonderful visit to Bastrop, ended with Shermance pulling her hair out, literally.  Shermance spent Saturday morning picking out blinged-up headbands in all colors (to match all outfits and undergaments, of course) from Martha Granger (Fringe Me!).  I met her and the boys at her aunt's place for some frivoling and a movie before we headed out for the evening.

Saturday night Shermance and I relaxed at a wonderul Bed & Breakfast in downtown Bastrop, Magnolia Inn. The inn, located on Main Street just a block away from downtown, is owned by some good friends whom we've met through Jimmie Ann. They gutted the place and restored it for almost 2 years to establish the retro splendor that it has today.  All decorations, furniture, and fixtures take you back to the roaring 20's in a peaceful vintage ambiance. We were full tourists as we snapped pictures at every turn, to get ideas for home.  Though we doubt we can match what they've so tastefully done. We had a wonderful stay in the "Old-Hollywood Suite" and took full advantage of the open-bar happy hours, snacks in the room, and the delicious gourmet breakfast (though we opted against the inn's signature Blackberry Cream Cheese French Toast to reduce cancer-feeding sugars and glutens). We ate with two neat couples from Buda whom we had met the night before during happy hour.  If you'd like to try a get-away there you have to hurry because they have it for sale.

Our Saturday night on the town included patio dining at downtown hot spot, Baxter's, for a wonderful meal and free music that we could hear from another downtown venue. The food was great and we splurged a bit by sampling the HUGE signature Creme Brulee with candied almonds and the Flourless Chocolate Torte. YUM! Our evening ended with foot-stompin' lively Oldie's and Rock and Roll played by the Shop Dawgs at Maxine's on Main. We taught the waitress how to make a Radler, a mix of lager beer and ginger ale, which is a German favorite of ours. It was a fun get-away just a short drive from Austin.

The downer of the evening and Sunday was the start of hair falling out.  So much for the joking about us getting the placebo treatment since Shermance has till now had very few side effects.  The reality of hair loss, although she had been preparing for it for weeks, was more tearful and moving than she thought.  She thought she was prepared, but still having clumps of body hair or patches of her stubble-head fall out was tramatic.  Now we know we are fully engaged in this cancer FIGHT!

Don't BRAC my Heart

Notes from Friday, 6/1

Good News!  The BRACAnalysis results came back negative, meaning Shermance doesn’t fall into the 10% category of women who have a hereditary predisposition for cancer.  If she had a positive result they would proactively treat for ovarian cancer (i.e. surgery) and might change the chemo.  Women with BRACAnalysis positive would also want to notify family members since the likelihood of cancer among that 10% is very high.  Shermance is among the 90% who randomly get cancer presumably due to environmental factors (the breast cancer fund).  It’s startling that 1 in 8 women in the US who are not genetically predisposed is expected to get the same bad news Shermance had about having breast cancer sometime in their lifetime (for men prostate cancer has about the same incident rate).  The doctors keep calling Shermance “so young” because most patients are older women since risk increases after age 55.  

All lab results are looking good.  This was the first time Shermance went alone to an oncologist appointment since I needed to catch up on work.  Shermance asked all the right questions and her body is reacting well to chemo.  The Newlasta is keeping her white blood cells high so her guard against infection or colds remains high.  As a result she may not require the standard weekly blood tests and has been given the OK to travel during the weeks off from chemo (every 3 weeks at this point). They do, however, want her to take yet another blood test for a different genetic marker called the BART test. 

That afternoon Shermance drove to Bastrop to meet our boys who have been staying with Shermance’s aunt this past week on the "animal farm" – 3 dogs, a cat, 8 chickens and no parakeets – since we have those at our house.  Our dog didn’t attack the chickens so all is well there.  Shermance’s white blood count was challenged, since her aunt was getting sick, but so far it hasn’t spread.  They hung out and watched movies that were the precursors to “The Avengers”, while I was back home in Round Rock making final preparations for the Quality Auditor 5-hour exam, Saturday morning.