1st Haircut!

Hi everyone. Just a quick update today. I wanted to share some exciting news- this morning I had my first haircut in almost a year!!!! A huge thank you to my dear friend, Kandice, who helped shape up my crazy hair while keeping my "length". Length is a relative term here- the longest part is about an inch long. I'm super lucky that short spiky hair is popular right now. Even the color (weird silvery blond) is very in right now!! I count this as another blessing in the nearly incomprehensible list of blessings that have come my way! In non-hair news, I head to Utah Tuesday for a final appt with Dr. Shale (plastic surgeon). I had an appt with Dr Miranda (oncologist) this week, and received the official go ahead for reconstructive surgery in mid October. My lab work and physical exam were both excellent! I am hoping that Dr Shale will be available to perform surgery during the

week of the 16th. I will post a surgery date as soon as I know. The procedure that I have elected to go with is an outpatient surgery with fast recovery ! I anticipate a short amount of down time. I'm very excited to have my expanders and port removed. It has been almost a full year since I was diagnosed with cancer. I can't adequately express my feelings , but please know that I am forever grateful and humbled by all of your love and support. My family continue to be an incredible support as well. God has truly blessed us beyond measure ! ~ Melissa

What A Relief!! 😃

Hello all!! I just wanted to check in with a quick update. In general, I am feeling quite well. My strength and energy are returning and I am working full time. I still struggle with the neuropathy in my hands and feet, but I am learning to adjust. The hot flashes continue to be a constant annoyance, but as the weather cools down I get to enjoy my own personal summer! I am feeling incredibly grateful for some wonderful news I received today. Some of you know that I detected a lump in my right breast a few weeks ago. That is totally weird because I don't have any breast tissue to be lumpy. I had Dr Miranda check it out and he told me he didn't think it was anything scary but we should get an ultrasound to be sure. The ultrasound could not identify what it was, but classified it as highly suspicious. The radiologist who performed the ultrasound recommended a biopsy. This news had me pretty freaked out, and frankly just plain ticked me off. Dr Miranda recommended that I go back to McKay-Dee in Utah for the biopsy because of complications with my tissue expanders. Tyler took me down on Tuesday for the biopsy, which went great. Dr Shale(my plastic surgeon) had spoken with the Dr who performed the biopsy prior to the procedure. That was great because Dr Babcook was already familiar with my case and the placement of the expanders before she even met me. She was excellent and did a great job explaining everything. Her office called me today with pathology results. Benign fat necrosis!! This was probably caused during the mastectomy, and has been slowly collecting over time. Who knew a big gob of dead fat would make me so happy??? Anyway, the plan will be for Dr Shale to remove it during reconstruction, which should happen next month. (It has to come out because it is necrotic-dead things shouldn't hang out inside of you!) This little scare reminded me not to take things for granted. It also served as a reminder of how tremendously blessed I am to have such support. As I contemplated the possibility of resuming chemo again, I kept thinking of all the people that would once again be right by my side. I gather such strength from all of you!! I can never express my gratitude for the support our family has received, and continues to receive. My family has been simply phenomenal through this ordeal, and we are a stronger and closer bunch now. I am simply in awe of a loving Father in Heaven that has heard and tenderly answered countless prayers. My gratitude knows no bounds, and my faith has grown tremendously. I remain convinced that angels are continually rallying round all of us- I am just fortunate to call so many of them friends.  ~ Melissa

Tissue Expansion and Options

Today I had a great appointment with my plastic surgeon, Dr Shale at McKay-Dee hospital. I had my tissue expanders filled again after almost 7 months! I couldn't have them filled while I was receiving chemo because my white blood count was too low ( and also because Dr Miranda said "no" repeatedly!). I will probably have just one more expansion to go- yay!! We also spent a lot of time discussing options for the actual reconstructive surgery. I have heard other women say that reconstructive surgery is actually worse than the mastectomy- and I didn't really believe them. I am less than impressed to report that Dr Shale told me the exact same thing today!! Basically I have a lot of information to consider before I make a decision. He told me I am "lucky" that I am not a "skinny Minnie " because it leaves us with more options!! Ummmm.....thank you??!!  "Lucky" is definitely not the first adjective that leaps to mind as I consider my fluffiness!! I really do feel lucky to have such a marvelous plastic surgeon though! I have been doing well since my last post. I have returned to work and plan to be full time in a few weeks!! I fatigue easily and am struggling with the neuropathy and numbness in my fingers so work is a bit challenging right now. I am frustrated that I am not 100%, but everyone has been very understanding. I am realizing how much we take for granted each day. It is absolutely staggering to me !! I am thankful for the reminder of what is truly important. I am ridiculously excited to be out of solitary confinement!! I can hardly contain myself when I get to run to the store!! I feel like a sunbeam that can finally do things " by mine own self !!" Thank  you one and all for your continuing love and support. We love you all and are so grateful for the many prayers that have come our way. My "blessings list" has grown and continues to grow each day! ~ Melissa

Happy News! 😃

Greetings dear ones! Today I had an appointment with Dr Miranda (oncologist) and thought I would update everyone. First of all, my lab results mostly look awesome! My liver enzymes were not even elevated a tiny bit- woohoo!! My blood counts look ok for the most part too. My vitamin D level was low so I am now taking an oral supplement. That level will be checked again in a few months to see if the pills are sufficient or we need to add an Iv infusion to protect my bones. This time my tumor marker number is considered a baseline. It will be checked in 3 months to see how it looks. We hope it remains the same or even drops. It's not so much the actual number as it is the trend of rising or falling that is significant. If the number rises it could indicate new growth of cancer cells- that's why we are keeping a close eye on it. In other news, I was scheduled to have a repeat brain MRI on Monday, but that had to be cancelled due to my tissue expanders. Apparently the magnets in my expanders might make me or the machine blow up. That minor detail will delay the MRI until the expanders are removed. The removal is a surgical procedure that will take place during reconstruction. I found out today that my port a cath can be removed at that time as well. Yay! Dr had initially told me that my port had to stay put for at least 6 months (preferably a year) but due to increased risk of blood clots we get to pull it earlier. The other exciting(?) thing that happened today is that Dr wrote my prescription for tamoxifen. This is a pill that blocks estrogen. This is because my tumor was shown to be estrogen receptor positive. Basically we are trying to create an environment that is hostile to cancer growth. I will be on this medication until the end of time- or maybe even longer! There are new guidelines that pre-menopausal women take it for 5 yrs, then if they are still pre-menopausal they take for 5 more years, then switch to a different med. wow that seems like forever! Hopefully I won't have too many side effects- my track record with medications is less than stellar! Overall, an excellent appointment today. I have such confidence in my dr and his marvelous care! What a lucky girl I am!! I am also now sporting lots of fuzzy whitish- gray  hair!! Less than desirable color, but I'm so excited that it's coming back so fast!! My sweet co-worker today told me that it's not old lady hair, it's angel hair. I LOVE that!! I am planning to work part time for the next couple of weeks. I am hoping to be able to be mostly full time by the first of August. Hopefully my body will cooperate! I am feeling so blessed, and hugely thankful for all of you! Love and hugs to all! ~ Melissa

Many Dr Visits to Come

Greetings dear friends and family. I have had a few people gently remind me that no updates have been posted for a while- sorry! I have spent the last several days feeling yucky and lots of bone pain from the neulasta and taxol. That is pretty well cleared up now- hooray! Now I am feeling gross because my blood counts are low- blech. That makes me super weak and dizzy and pale. My pasty complexion really brings out my white and gray fuzzy hair- lucky me!! I'm so excited that my hair is coming in so quickly- just not thrilled about the white and gray. What kind of nonsense is that??? The good news is that my counts should rebound soon and I should start to feel human- ish in the next few days. I am very excited that this is the last time of experiencing the side effects and low blood counts associated with chemotherapy! Oh happy day!! I have labs and an appointment next week with Dr Miranda. We will discuss the results of my labs and the necessary next steps. I will have monthly appointments and lab work for the next 6 months. It is reassuring to know that the dr is keeping such a close eye on me. On the 10th I see my neurologist Dr Steffens. He will repeat my brain MRI and check my neurological status. This is to see how the chemo has affected the lesion on my optic nerve and also to better determine the neurological deficits from chemo. Then the following week I will head to Utah to visit with the plastic surgeon. Lots of dr visits but no more chemo!! A huge and heartfelt  thank you for all the love and support we have experienced. Words can't begin to express the depth of gratitude we feel. Our Father in Heaven has watched over me and my precious family every minute. God is good!! ~ Melissa

The Last Neulasta!

Hello everyone! I am feeling mostly lousy right now, but so excited to be DONE with chemo!! My last treatment was much less eventful than the time before, so that is great news! I received my neulasta shot late yesterday so I am feeling the effects this morning. I must admit that I won't miss the "bones breaking from the inside" feeling at all! A big thank you to Gramita, who helped me run my Iv and to Grandpa Lynn, who took me for my shot. Eli tagged along too because he wanted to meet my "Iv therapy friends". Today Tyler doesn't work until 3 so he will help with my Iv. The boys freaked out about that idea yesterday, and Alexa is gone to girls camp - good thing I have other helpers! I will have my labs checked in a few weeks and hope that everything looks good. This time we are also checking my tumor markers and checking my vitamin d level. The d level will help determine the health of my bones. We will keep a close eye on my bone density and start on bone protecting infusions if necessary. This is due to the chemo itself being hard on bones and also the early menopause. Not good to have osteoporosis before age 40! I am feeling profoundly grateful this day. The Lord's hand has been evident in every single step of this journey. This has truly been a faith promoting experience, and I have been blessed with an abundance of love and support. I was talking with a friend yesterday about help that comes on both sides of the veil. I truly believe that angels have rallied around my family and brought peace and comfort to our home. We have been truly touched by all the marvelous acts of kindness that have been extended to us. Please know how very thankful we are.  Our prayers are full of thanks for all of you!!  ~ Melissa

Last one:)

Today was the last day of chemo treatment:) We went to the hospital and got ready, they started off with the normal premeds including Benadryl but just 6 instead of the regular 50. And they were keeping an extremely close eye on her both the IV therapy and pharmacy were present. They were also able to give her an additional 6 with only a very small reaction of itchy hands. Were able to begin the Taxol treatment. She started to have a small reaction to the Taxol and we debated giving her a little bit more Benadryl but decided to try to slow the Taxol treatment down and see if that would help. Fortunately she was able to begin to feel a little bit better without any more additional Benadryl through the treatment. She is looking forward to having her last Neulasta shot tomorrow, as it has caused her more discomfort then the Taxol treatments have. As usual we received nothing but the best of care.

When we returned home the kids had painted a pretty sign for Melissa that said " You did it". They also had given her a couple of balloons and a pretty shirt. Of course I'm sure this mostly had to do with grandma B helping them out. Her good friends from the IV treatment center also had given her a small gift. The funny part was it was in a spotted bag that Eli says matches her hairdo.

We would like to thank everybody for the prayers and your thoughts that we received the last couple of weeks after the last treatment did not go so well. Of course a special thanks to those who have provided meals the week of treatment. The kids tend to like everybody else is cooking better than mine.

A special thanks to Nicole Jensen who normally does all the posting on this page. This week she is gone to girls camp and has showed me how to post. So hopefully when she returns later in the week we can get some more postings put on there that actually are spelled correctly and have a good punctuation. Plus we will be adding the couple of pictures of the items Melissa received when Nicole gets back.