Whew! A Sigh of Relief

Shermace had her 8th Taxol chemo today in her 20th week of treatment - only 4 left to go.  She went a day earlier than her usual Friday appointment because she has a conference this weekend with her dental hygienist ladies.  Oh yeah she's going to be with some of her best buds and gets to be involved for the first time in a long time since she's been too tired or sick for so long.  Her voice was glowing (almost singing) when the boys and I called her to do our evening ritual together.  She sang our night-time song and said prayers over the phone with us even though she was out to dinner with the girls.  She'll be in San Marcos all weekend, returning on Sunday.  So we get to have a boys weekend - maybe some fishing, canoeing, playing games, or just relaxing.  It should be fun.  We've got lot's of Scout stuff to catch-up on as well.

So by now you're probably wondering about the title of the blog...why a sigh of relief?  Shermance got news from her surgeon that the growths on her tyroid are NOT cancerous!  WHEW!  Yep, we were worried all week that her cancer had spread but the growths are completely unrelated.  We don't know what they are yet, or what the next steps are for the growths, but the worst case has been ruled out.  Thank God. 

We are very glad that the treatments are winding down and that we are almost ready to move on to the next phase which is surgery in the end of November.  Progress...one day at a time.

More News! Thyroid Biopsy

As I mentioned in a recent post, Shermance received news about "abnormalities" in her thyroid.  The oncologist didn't seem alarmed, so he was fine with waiting until November 1st to have it checked out by an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Specialist.  Fortunately, Shermance also had an appointment already scheduled with her surgeon today as a routine follow-up.  The surgeon, Dr. Bombach, was not so blase about the bilateral abnormalities.

First he measured them with a sonogram to determine the size.  If they are above 1 mm in that area they want to take a deeper look.  Shermance's twin tumors in her throat were 7 mm and 12 mm respectively.  As such, he wanted to take a deeper look at them - especially since her mom had cancer in that same area. To biopsy the abnormalities he had to extract tissue from the tumors with a VERY big needle.  Shermance didn't dare move.  She was very brave and stayed perfectly still. 

So far, he can tell that they are vascular tumors, so they had their own blood supply, but we don't know any more.  We don't know if they are cancerous, if there is spread through the blood stream, or really anything more.  At this point it is more news - not good news mind you, but we don't know that it is bad news either.  Of course we are praying for the absolute best.

The news did not help Shermance's emotional state.  She didn't sleep past 3:00 am last night so she was just exhausted this evening already.  The news sapped her energy even more.  On the bright side, our cleaning lady came today and some very kind friends brought over dinner tonight so after Shermance took a soothing bath, we ate dinner as a family  We enjoyed talking about each of our days, and trying to live our normal routine.  It's hard when cancer has invaded our family, but we try to keep our lives as "normal" as possible.  We still smile a lot, and laugh a whole lot.  Our spirits are high but sometimes, like tonight, they needed a boost.

70 Great Years!

Immediately after Taxol #7 we came home and Shermance picked up Parker, the dogs, and the birds and headed to Bastrop for Jimmie Ann's 70th birthday weekend. JAV is her beloved aunt, whom she lived with for several years of college. She's a great friend and we love to visit her.  I followed 2 hours later in my car with Logan who had just participated in his first middle school dance.  He was glowing after the event, but he was absolutely tight lipped about the event.  I did find out that there was a girl in whom he has some interest, and they danced at the same time, but not together...certainly no slow dances, yuck!  Oh how that will change, but that can wait...a long time.

The weekend was full of fun and frolicking.  Shermance's parents and brother joined us on Saturday.  Bonnie made a spectacular 3-layer chocolate cake with a chocolate date filling that was super moist and very rich! She let Logan decorate it with sparkly icing before we covered the top with 70 fire-hazzard candles.  Logan also baked some of the cookies he sold Ann as part of his band fund-raising, while Parker helped out in the kitchen for 3 meals in order to sign-off on one of his Bear requirements.  He was most tenuous while cutting up the cucumbers and tomatoes for the salad, but he did a superb job. 

The highlight of the birthday party was seeing Liliana's bright smiles before dinner and then the steak dinner at Hassler Brother's Steak House in downtown Bastrop.  Jimmie Ann was able to feast on lobster and steak.

Shermance proved that she still has her touch. She whooped us all in a game of "Hell", a speedy card game like solitaire in which you play on community cards in the middle.  It is a franetic game that I've never been good at, but I play nonethless to be a part of the action.  Shermance and her mom, Bonnie, were neck and neck, but Shermance eeked out a victory to show that chemo brain hasn't taken a hold of her yet. 

When we returned home from Bastrop Parker saw that our banana tree, which we were told would never produce bananas in this climate (due to frost), actually has a few bunches of bananas on it.  We also have managed to grow 2 watermelons as well.  Wahoo! Pics below...

The Return of Hair

The morning after the 5th treatment I packed up and headed for Singapore for a work obligation both there and in Shanghai, so Shermance was on her own for 10 days.  Fortunately, her mom came to the rescue.  In fact, both of her parents stayed at our house several nights so the boys thought it was like a slumber party.  They love being spoiled by their grandparents and it certainly works both ways.

During the time while I was gone, not only did I miss a chemo appointment, I also missed Shemamce's hair groing back in earnest.  When I left it was just a pickly stubble, but when I returned it was was soft and seems quite silvery...exactly what Shermance hoped for.  It is not unusual for hair to grow back a different color or texture after chemo, but ut us still too early to tell if the new hair is what we can expect after all Chemo is done.  Today Shermance actually bought some Rogain to see if it can come in a bit thicker, but as far as I can tell there are no blotchy spots.  It's coming in as a full head of hair. 

Just 2 days after returning from my trip, Shermance was the loudes cheering fan at my Tae kwon Do belt test.  I tell this, because she had the funniest reaction to me putting on my sparing gear.  While I was gone she and the boys had participated in a TKD tournament and she swapped out my headgear for hers.  She never swapped them back.  So at my TKD test, when I put on her head gear that was 3 sizes too small she couldn't help put laugh...and laugh...and cry...and make all kinds of funny noises.  Anyway, I made it through my tests on forms, sparing techniques, board breaking, and yes, even sparing to earn my green belt - the 5th rank - no where close to her 2nd degree black or Logan's 3rd degree black. 

Over the past two weeks we received some more news...and we're just calling it news until we hear more from some specialists.  Shermance had another CAT scan and it showed she still has a 3mm spot on her lungand she also has a bilateral node on her thyroid.  At this point we don't know if either is cancerous, but our oncologist's nurse, Jolie, assures us that the spot on her lung is actually a good thing.  Since it was there from the start and has not reacted to the chemo or grown it is likely not cancer.  If it reacted to the chemo we'd know it was a cancer.  If it didn't react to the chemo then it might be a particualrly aggressive cancer, so either case woould have been bad.  The fact that it stayed the same probably means it is scar tissue or something benign that is not of concern right now.  We'll have a better look at it in a few weeks after we are done with the last 5 rounds of chemo.

As for the lump on her Thyroid, Shermance was assuered that it is nothing to be alarmed about yet.  It is just news.  The ENT specialist will tell us for sure.  If it is cancer, in that location it is very treatable.  in fact, her mother had cancer in her thyroid and had it removed without major repercussions, so if that's the worst case, we are somewhat relieved.  Nonetheless, we would be much happier without anymore such news of foreign "objects or interest" in Shermance's body!

At Taxol #6 and #7 things continue to go well.  The repeated chemos are weighing on Shermance.  The hot flashes continue.  She has periods of intense anxiety, and she has required a lot of extra sleep.  when she gets her sleep the other symptoms seem to reduce a bit.  This week Jolie told Shermance to double her medicine that helps with the hot flashes, since the does was already very low.  It should help reduce the intensity and frequency of the hot flashes and have the added benefit of reducing the anxiety - BONUS!  Let's hope for BOTH!

Great Progress, But Still a Long Road

Yesterday, Shermance visited her plastic surgeon to find out instead of being done with reconstruction in mid-March, it will take many more months before Shermance will be done with all the surgeries and procedures.  Nothing has changed with the chemo treatments, but the reconstruction process will take longer than we expeceted.  After 6 weeks of daily radiation treatment, the tissue expansion will take 3 - 6 months before implants can be inserted.  Healing from that procedure will take about 2 months, before they perform aesthetic reconstruction and tattooing over the next 3-4 months.  All said, it could take until December 2013 before  Shermance is finally done with the procedures. 

In the discussions with the plastic surgeon, he mentioned several options before giving his recommendation for silicon implants.   Among the options he mentioned pulling tissue from her tummy and even using cadaver tissue to augment her breasts.  He joked, that they could go cadaver shopping to pick one that had qualities that she was hoping would benefit her, like improved dancing skills.  In the end (ha ha), he may end up taking donor tissue from back fat or from her backside to help make the reconstruction look as natural as possible.  Tattooing the nipple area is something we haven't heard of before, but it will make the reconstruction look quite natural.  The look and sensation will never be fully restored, but it will definitely be an emotional boost after this 1 and a half year process.

Today we are back at Taxol chemo treatment.  This is the first time she was allowed to go directly to the chemo lounge without seeing the Oncology Nurse, Jolie, or Dr. Kocs.  I was fully loaded down with satchels, a blanket, a purse and snacks so Shermance had to snap a pic.  We're on weekly Taxol number 5 with 7 left to go.  Today is especially long at the hospital since we go from chemo to a CT scan to check out progress of the cancer, and to take a look at an abnormality on her lung that was seen in her first CT scan.  Since we were in the chemo lounge early we picked our favorite spot where we were able to spread out a bit more than usual.  Shermance spent time talking with everyone around her - so unusual for her before her Benodryl-induced hibernation during the 2 hours of Taxol treatment.

She's been in great spirits this week which I hope continues while I am away for the next 10 days in Singapore and Shanghai.  Our boys have been great about expanding their independence and maintaining their chores.  In fact, the boys at 9 and 11 now get ready for school completely on their own, take care of their dishes, and ride their bikes to school without needing to be told. Parker rides the half mile with a gang of 4 boys and girls, and he's usually the first one out there.  Logan rides a bit over a mile to middle school, and he enjoys the independence.   We are quite blessed. 

A moonflower from our backyard.  It only opens at night and closes just after dawn.

What's up with the blog?

Why so long?  Where have all the updates gone? Long time passing?

Admittedly, I have been very distracted the last few weeks while applying and interviewing to switch jobs within my company.  Although it was posted as a senior director position (I'm not even close to that level), they selected me for the role.  Bad timing due to Shermance's cancer; nonetheless, an honor to be selected.  Immediately I was given new assignments, yet I don't transition out of my old role till the end of September.  So I've been a tad busy.  Additional work conflicts like training I was delivering for the new role and a one-time training for company leaders by a renowned author, unfortunately resulted in me missing the last two chemo sessions.  Her mom gladly filled in, and made sure she was well care for. 

Shermance is doing well, all things considered.  She has started to regrow hair on top of her head, yet her eyebows continue to fall out - the last of which dropped just two days ago.  It's a huge bummer for her since she's been particualry horrified at the thought of losing them...moreso than the hair on her head.  She continues to look GREAT and radiates happiness when she is feeling up to it.  So when she is in public, no one knows that she has hard energy crashes that require her to take it easy and rest a whole lot.  Unfortunately two weeks ago, exhaustion caught up with her.  With her immune system already taxed by chemo, she developed Pink Eye and needed to stay home from work for 2 days.  She needed the rest.  I was out of town, so she cared for the boys and herself, for those days.  I felt helpless from 1000 miles away.  She now is more aware of her limits, so she tries not to push quite so much. 

Dreaded Pink Eye!

She's made the switch to earlier bed times which seems to have helped immensly. She still wakes up before 5 am on work days, but feels much more refreshed.  Her long work days (9-10 hrs with few if any breaks) take their toll, so she generally has little energy at night those 4 days of the week. Yet she still tries to hit Tae Kwon Do at least 2 of those days.  I'm super impressed with her drive, but I also watch her more closely for signs of fatigue.

Last weekend we tried another first...a weekend outing to a ranch owned by good friends of ours. We left the same afternoon she completed her 4th Taxol (only 8 to go - woohoo!).  We knew it was risky, but since we hadn't had a family vacation all summer we thought we'd try to get away.  It was wonderful.  The kids swam in the gynormous pool, cruised around on the Polaris utility vehicle, and played lots of fun games around the recreational haven.  We slept in the darkest, quietest room ever and were surprised to be woken up at 8am thinking it couldn't be much past our normal waking hours that rarely allow us to sleep past 6:30.  The rest was wonderful, and the get-away was just what was needed to prepare us for the crazy days that school days and the routines that accompany this hectic season. 

Now for the best news!  The cancer continues to shrink.  Shermance continues to fight (and so do her warriors in her head that have morphed into spear-carrying doughboys - a bit odd, but it works for her).  Tomorrow she visits a plastic surgeon to hear more about her options for reconstructive surgery after the double masectomy in December.

She continues to get wonderful support from her collegues, clients and friends.  Her hair bling, has been a real hit at the office and she now has dozens of options to sparkle up her head both self-purchased and gifted.  The support makes her so happy and she is inspired by each email, phone call, card, and gift.  She is so loved.

Thank you!  Please continue to keep her in your prayers!

Pics from Taxol 1

Her pulse was racing...Just prior her blood pressure was really high too.

Pics from Taxol 2

Pics from Taxol 3





Headband from a patient

Pics from Taxol 4