You've Got Mail!

We need to check the mail more often.  Our mailbox is a community box not unlike a post office box less then a block down the street and around the corner.  We drive by it a dozen times a day but most often zoom by without checking the daily delivery.  When Shermance checked it yesterday (yes, we know mail doesn't come on a holiday - it had been a few days) she was surpsrised to have lots of mail adressed to her!  And even more today! WOW!  What amazing support!  The headgear (Martha) and hat with breast cancer ribbon pin (Wiki) are FABULOUS - see pics! The assortment of cards for handwritten thank-you's is a PERFECT idea (Leona)!  She still has another box to open in the morning...

OK, so I have to rave a bit on the bandanas with bling!  Martha Granger's business, Fringe Me!, LLC (http://www.fringeme.com/), makes bandanas with sparkles that are flashy and fun!  Shermance loves them. She can't wait to check out more of her stuff this weekend.  Martha sent a camo version and the pink version shown. They are bedazzled in a tasteful way that makes Shermance feel good.  She even wore the pink one to Tae Kwon Do tonight! Shermance is back at it - and even did 10 full strong push-ups tonight and it didn't hurt her chemo-access Power Port at all! 

This weekend Shermance took the next step in going bald...she had her mom cut her hair down to the lowest setting on the razor.  It feels like sandpaper.  By the weekend we expect it to start falling out on it's own!  She has decided not to cover up the baldness, but instead to accessorize it.  This weekend she went to Claire's and got lots of ideas for headbands, flowers, and sparkles she can wear around her noggin, to show that she is not afraid to bare it all.  The colors are endless so she can match outfits...we've created a monster...HA!

Memorial Day! A Time to Remember

Though Shermance's breast cancer journey has just started, we continue to be enlightenend by stories of hope and encouragement. It's uplifting and it feeds Shermance's PMA daily!  She makes a choice each day when she wakes up, whether it sounds like, "Good God! Morning already?" or "Good Morning, God! I am ready!" Shermance chooses the latter.  Shermance's positive attitude continues - unwaivering!  It's tough! She needs extra naps.  She needs to take smaller bites of food, to avoid heart burn.  She needs to take extra care not to get an infection or a cold.  Her bones hurt and her breathing feels somewhat constricted (both probably from the white blood cell shot) so she stretches each morning, lifts weigths, and does deepbreathing exercises. She needs to take breaks so she doesn't wear down.  BUT she won't let anyone feel sorry for her AND she won't drop her positive attitude.  She will keep fighting!  She won't let this beat her.

But we have also heard many stories of loss and heart break!  People who have battled this cancer monster for 16 or 18 years and are still fighting.  People who lost the fight after 5 years or 13 years. People who have had multple surgeries because a lumpectomy didn't get it all or because a single masectomy didn't prevent a tumor from forming in the other breast.  We have heard the pain of losing a loved one: a friend, a sister, an aunt, a grandmother, a wife, or a mom.  No one has escaped without knowing someone or hearing of someone who has lost the battle with some form of cancer.  It is an epidemic.

On this Memorial Day, we certainly give thanks to the men and women who served in battle with courage, valor, and honor. We are thankful for the fights they fought, so that we may live the way we do today - with freedom and a bright tomorrow.  We also give thanks for knowing those men and women who fought a battle much closer to home against an enemy equally elusive.  So many fought that battle with courage, valor, and honor, yet still lost the fight.  Thank you to all who served our country and those who served each other through all battles along the seaside, in the countryside, side-by-side, or on the inside...God Bless!

Shermance's First Post

Hello all my amazing support group!  This is Shermance (not a blogger) and I have decided to spell my beloved Cancer Hero, or my CCO (Chief Cancer Officer), so he might worry about getting some things done for himself, instead of taking care of me all the time.  Between work, studying for his HUGE Quality Exam on June 2d, taking care of me unbelievably well, and posting his awesome blogs (about meJ) he has been burning the candle at both ends and HIS health has suffered.  Great.  I guess I can update everyone on ME, just not as cleverly as my CCO. 

I’m not sure where we left off, but we went to meet with Jolie, my Chemo Lab guru, on Thursday.  We started with all the patented questions regarding nausea, fatigue, etc.  To which I responded that I feel fantastic.  Scary great, in fact.  I got a little tired my week after chemo after working long days as a hygienist, but it was a great tired!  Jolie looked at us like we were a little odd. So odd, in fact, that Dale and I have been worrying whether they gave me the right stuff or not, but I guess on June 8^th we will give them a second chance.  We got the results of the Her2 receptor and it was negative, which is perfect.  We still have not gotten the genetics results back yet, but that should be soon.  

Not being the “blogger” my honey is, I’m not sure where to go next except to let EVERYONE know how much their words, prayers, and support have meant to me.  To us.  I know that you are the reason I have been able to stay positive and energetic.    So thank you!  Please know I think about you all daily, even the people who’ve sent me kind words through Dale’s work,  and you all keep me hopeful and strong.

So Thursday night was Dale’s “big” belt test for Tae Kwan Do.  I told you how stretched thin he’s been so to say he wasn’t in top "form" would be an understatement.  He wasn’t quite sure which form he was supposed to do, and in the middle of his test morphed the two separate forms together.  It was quite a sight.  Master Niblock even smiled a little at how very strong his form was, and how very wrong.  While I was sitting to watch and giggle at my husband perform, I got one of the most wonderful surprises.  This gorgeous lady with extremely short hair came and plopped down beside me.  Her name sounded familiar,?, but she wasn’t.  I cocked my head, smiled, and asked what her story was.  She has been battling lymphoma for the past year, been through chemo, radiation, you name it.  We bonded fast.  Turns out I’ve known her husband for years, in fact her husband and Dale just spoke last week regarding chemo buddies.  We JUST NOW connected the dots!  I have been so gifted to meet warrior women like this.  They inspire me with their spirit, humor, and fight.    I am so grateful and proud to know them!!!

Logan, our 11 year old, graduated from elementary school Friday and I got to walk the halls with all the small children gawking  (small children really don’t like the bald head).  I finally starting hugely winking at them and they would just giggle and move on. 

I’m a little tired today.  Dale and I went to see Men In Black 3, then got lost in the mall for retail therapy that closed the mall down.  We spent hours and hours and never knew it.  Opps.  I have decided that really, hats are not for me.  Scarves are not for me.  The key is HEADBANDS!!!  Did you know they make sparkly headbands???  OMG!  I can do one for every day.  So much more me I think, LOL!  Maybe with matching earrings???

So much for my blogging efforts.  As an update on me personally, I feel really good.  But…  I will confess I had a really down time Thursday night.  I generally hurt everywhere most of the time.  I have energy, but my bones hurt and it even hurts to breath some times.  It turns out the Nulasta (?) ,the wonderful shot of white blood cells that I thought was so awesome was the cause of it all.  I felt so sorry for myself and even cried myself to sleep.  I woke up at 5:00 that morning and FBC!!!!  If I hurt, F-ing STRETCH!  If it hurts to breath, BREATH DEEPER!  I cannot control so many things, but I can control me.  So I did yoga and some deep breathing and felt incredible. 

I guess I’m done now.  I’m positive, have a wonderful family and friends, have an amazing support group.  F. B. C.  I will win.  Or go down fighting a HELL of a battle. 

It's All Part of the Plan

Today was a GREAT day!  The worries of yesterday were allayed at Shermance's work and she still hasn't hit the dreaded wall of fatigue (yes, I'm knocking on wood). Shermance's sore throat cleared up (tho she passed it on to me :)) and she had a fantastic day at work, Tae Kwon Do and this evening at home! 

Her work is a small dental office with just 4 people running the operation.  They count on each other heavily and support each other even more.  It's a business that needs everyone's help to succeed...when the final numbers for the period came out today it turns out that Shermance actually exceeded expectations even with the time off for treatments.  Who ROCKS? Oh yeah! And the office sprung for a dozen pink roses and a card to show their support (pic below).  It's clear that they are going to help Shermance through this however they can, even if it means Shermance needs to cut back on hours or a temp needs to be brought in for a time. 

At Tae Kwon Do the kids did awesome on their tests (board breaks on the first try), and Shermance received the results from her midterm belt test that took place the day after chemo.  Although she was scolded with a "Grr" sound for pushing beyond the instructor's guidance (considering the doctors said no upper body work), she was commended for her efforts and received a passing grade.  She is well on her way to earning her 3rd degree.  A funny thing...while we were waiting for the class before to finish, a young girl (11-12 ish) who's known Shermance with hair for the last 3 years, was in awe at her shaved head and said, "You look beautiful, I love your mom's new hair".  To which Logan responded dryly, "She has cancer." We think the response shocked her since she didn't know what to say.  We had to have a talk with Logan about tact.

At home Shermance & I enjoyed a WONDERFUL homemade Indian dinner that our dear friend Anjali left on our porch. Yum!!!  The kids ate their "reward of choice" for a great TKD test - Taco Bell!  When Shermance asked for a taste, Logan offered her a tiny amount to which Shermance responded, "I have cancer lumps bigger than that"...we started giggling...And then Shermance gave a funny look I called "cancer eye" that caused her to snort and laugh even louder.  The rest of the night we made light-hearted jokes and enjoyed time as a family.  It helps us adjust and get through this.  Although this is tough, we've never asked, "why us"? "why now"? or doubted all the healthy or unhealthy choices we've made.  We know this has brought us closer as a family, closer as a couple, and closer to God. Maybe that's the plan, or maybe there is a bigger purpose.  We don't know, but we leave that in His hands.

After dinner Shermance modeled the stylish hat that the neighbor ladies brought over today (pic below).  They brought it over while Shermance was napping, so Karen followed up with an email on what it means....very sweet!  It is functional and has symbolic meaning.  1) It is a super cute hat that Shermance can be proud to wear in public, 2) it has a heart on it for hope and the love of friendship, and 3) it is pink to show the fight against breast cancer. FANTASTIC! Thank you, ladies!


"Sweet" Heart Hat from the Neighbor Ladies (Monika, Lela and Karen)

Flowers/Card from "The Office"

Shermance waiting for her midterm results



Our First "Normal Work Day" Since the News

By the time I woke up Tuesday at 5:40, Shermance had been up for nearly an hour and she was full of energy!  What a great start to the day! Shermance has always been a morning person, which I may not always full appreciate :) but yesterday morning it was GREAT because it meant she wasn't yet feeling the negative impact of chemo.  We've been told that days 4-6 after chemo can be the worst so we've been monitoring her fatigue and nausea (on a 1 - 10 scale) daily. She was at subzero. We don't know whether to attribute the great feelings to the Newlasta shot, her new Juice Plus supplements (Thanks, Nancy), or all the PMA and support she's been given. Maybe all of them!  She was still in a good mood when she came home to presents for the FedEx gift man: a gift box with a pink watch, a black sweatshirt with a pink ribbon and inspiring words, special pink lotion, and pink flip-flops (Thank YOU, Anjali from the thebreastcancersite.com)!  The gift guy also brought a pink Genius iPad cover (Thanks, bro). Compiled pic of gifts below...

Unfortunately her great feeling didn't last all day.  On the way to Tae Kwon Do in the evening her throat started to hurt and it only got better after our family dinner and downing an Airbourne medicine mix.  Not only was she physically starting to wear down, but I found out that evening she took an emotional blow at work when she felt she was not pulling her weight - hard to do when she's been at almost daily surgeon and oncologist appts in the last 2 weeks.  Fortunately her throat felt better, but her heart didn't.  We spent the rest of the evening worrying about it. It was enough to cause restless sleep for Shermance and to wake her up at 3:30 - her mind racing about how she had let the team down.  Shermance is extremely driven, but at this time of hardship she really doesn't need added stress.  With her mind racing she got out of bed and wrote an email and sent it at 4:15 am.  Shermance will do whatever is neccesary to pull her weight, but we also need to make sure she gets plenty of rest, which she didn't do last night.  The scariest thing was the bloody discharge she spit up this morning about 3/4 the size of a penny.  She thinks it may have been a clot from surgery when they shoved a tube down her throat, but we don't know for sure.

Anyway, the stress of last night's evening caused us to shift out of our routine...so we left the garage door open all night, didn't turn on the alarm, nor take care of ourselves like we should have.  Moving forward, as her cancer hero, I need to make sure we take care of Shermance and our family first, and the other things will be taken care of in due time.

Lone Survivor

[Monday night post]
You may be familiar with the #1 bestseller with the same name as this post written in 2007 about a Navy Seal whose team of four was ensnared in battle while on a mission in Northern Afganastan.  Only one survived.  It was the story of that Texas native's survival.  Today the author, Marcus Luttrell, was in town signing books and the Reichert's had his two books signed for us...for our battle...for Shermance's survival!

Today our chemo nurse greeted us again with her broad smile before Shermance was given her dose of Newlasta to keep her white blood cell count high to ward off infections and sickness during chemo.  Unfortunately she had to be stuck in the arm instead of in the port.  "Do you have to take a picture?" Shermance asked...I guess it wasn't the best time since that shot hurt.  Instead I took a pic with Andrea, our chemo nurse (see below).

The BIG SURPRISE of the day was the new Coach sunglasses Shermance received from her cousin Audra. She wrote that Shermance needed to have some fierce sunglasses to go with her fierce Coach purse (of course, right?).  They retail for something rediculous like $250, but we hear she got a smokin' good deal.  Wahoo!

Shermance braved going out in public today without any head cover.  She felt like everyone was looking at her.  Nevertheless, she held her head high and let 'em gawk.  It is what it is...and no one is going to stop Shermance from getting through this.  In our second appointment it seemed even the surgeon was taken aback by seeing Shermance sans hair, but he understood her need to take charge.  Dr. Bombach was very encouraging about the micro-metastatic carcinoma and he believes it hasn't spread beyond the sentinel node - a good sign.  We'll check with a sonagram again in July.  That gives us a goal and a target to attack that cancer with all our might leading up to the July sonogram.  From the outside, it seems the tumor is already smaller, though hard to really tell at this point!

Our youngest, Parker (8), is also still in shock with the hair change.  He said, "I like hairy mom better".  To which I responded that we don't have choice and we'll love mom whether she has hair or not...of course!  Most of the responses have been that Shermance has a pretty head and nothing to be ashamed of...WE AGREE!  Shermance feared a blotchy head, conehead, platapus head, dry scalp, razor burn/pimples, or blotchy spots.  None of the above, it looks great.

This evening we looked for Shermance's steroid pills (Dexamethasone) that were left on the counter.  They disappeared.  Turns out our dear dog Carmel wanted to chew up the plastic container, yet fortunately she wasn't too interested in the pills inside.  We still called the emergency vet to understand the possible symptoms of an animal overdosing on the meds - though we were told it was highly unlikely.  If nothing else we now have a super hero mighty dog to go with our cancer-fighting heroine, Shermance.

It's ok now for Shermance to resume normal upper body exercise, including push-ups for Tae Kwon Do - another small victory.  And speaking of normal, we look forward to a "normal" day tomorrow without any doctor visits...what a relief!

Not Going to Curl-Up and Dye

After chemo, Shermance was ready for more retail therapy, so I surprised her with an early birthday present – iPad2.  Now she has a single device for movies, books, and email plus a whole lot more J.  We came home to a house full of Shermance’s family who were ready to hear about the chemo adventure. The whirlwind of updates was magnified because the boys and I needed to get ready for a family Boy Scout campout weekend (understandably sans Shermance).  Her parents planned to stay the weekend with her, and I would take the boys camping to keep their lives somewhat normal. 

Boppa shared stunning pictures of Shermance that he took the weekend before chemo (see below). Collin (Sherm’s bro) helped Shermance sync her Apple devices and his wife, Dina, shared their beautiful baby Lili with several open arms and shoulders.  Nothing helps emphasize the frailness and awe of life like a 3-week-old baby!  Such a blessing. Mimi, had prepared an awesome meal for all to share as time allowed between the commotion of the evening. 

Within a few hours, I left with the boys for Canyon of the Eagles (near Burnet, TX). Little did we know that Shermance was ready to take charge of her expected hair loss more than a week earlier than planned. She wanted to do it now!  Bonnie chopped off Shermance’s hair – in an impromptu whirl (see below). Collin stayed to help direct.  Soon after we arrived at camp we received 3 IMs w/ pics, the first with hair wetted, the next with a boyish chop, and the last with a buzz cut about a ¼ inch high – shocking, yet Shermance is still gorgeous. Shermance was glad she had a cute head!

She showed off her buzz the next morning at her Tae Kwon Do mid-term test in preparation for her 3^rd degree black belt. While she was warned by her surgeon against doing any upper body workouts, she insisted on demonstrating her Tae Kwon Do form and board breaks – reverse punch, hammer fist and front kick!  All were broken on the first try.  Watch out!  Fortunately there were no mishaps.

Then on to the Domain with her mom and great friend and college buddy, Diane, for even more retail therapy (you’d think retail therapy would be wearing off – oh no!). She had to be cute while bald, you know!  It was nice for her to get out while she had the energy, because we fully expect the tough days to be coming soon!

Going on the campout was a good idea Shermance had.  It was deemed the "best campout ever" due to perfect camping weather, the fish caught, a first-time sling shot, a magnesium starter block that started our S'mores fire, a 10-ft tower structure the scouts assembled with lashings, a fun campfire production, delicious Dutch-Oven Chocolate-Cherry Cobbler, and a walking tour with the resident naturalist. Not surprisingly, the boys were exhausted and ready for naps before going to football practice/games later in the day.

While we were at football, a good friend brought a huge meal that will keep us going for a couple days...Thank you so much, Shannon!  Shermance has had cold spells, minor heart burn, and hints of nausea, but not debilitating...yet. 

Chemo weekend #1 down. 23 weekends (most of which start w/chemo treatments) to go...