What I'm Missing

I am feeling better this week- just still SO exhausted. I am guessing it is still from the decreased neulasta dose. I will have my blood counts checked at the end of this week and see what is up. My mouth is still really sensitive. Tyler thinks it is hilarious that mild sausage caused a sore to form! Who would have ever guessed that I would become a food pansy- I used to be quite the hot and spicy mama!! The other symptom that has been really bothersome this time is known as chemo brain. This is an annoying thing that causes memory problems, word searching, and other cognitive deficits. The good news is that this is generally temporary and eventually returns to normal after treatment. My kiddos have been well entertained by my spaciness and word substitution. :)A quick neulasta tutorial because I have mentioned it so much! The chemo wipes out white blood cells. These guys are the ones responsible for fighting off infections and other nasty bugs. This is why I have to be so careful and be in lockdown and such. Neulasta is actually a form of the e. Coli bacteria. (I know this seems completely counter intuitive). The idea is that when the E. coli is given , my body responds and says" oh no- there is a wicked bug cruising around and no white blood cells to take care of it. I should make some white cells". This basically forces my bone marrow to produce cells at a supercharged rate. That is why there is so much bone pain involved- the pain is literally coming from inside the bones. The pain is in various places but the worst has been the jaw pain- it was like having lockjaw. That really sucks because it's hard to talk or eat- my 2 favorite pastimes!! Alexa and her friend Aubrey Call (her dad has cancer too and is going through chemo) call it the "witch that is neulasta". I think of it as a necessary evil!! This next round of chemo will be a learning adventure. We will just have to see how I respond to the new chemo drug regimen Dr will probably tweak the neulasta dose based on my blood counts and such. That round is currently scheduled for April 8th. I will see the Dr. that morning to make sure all is well. I am hoping to feel well enough to work a few hours at the end of this week. I am dragging more than I usually am at this point but a lot can change in a few days! :). I have loved spending time with my crew during spring break- it zoomed right by! I am feeling super sad that I am having to miss all of the kiddos end of the school year and springtime activities. There are tons of track meets, tennis matches, clogging recitals, etc. that I won't be able to attend. I am hugely grateful for Tyler stepping up to the plate and playing the role of dad so well. Lex has stepped in as well- and she is a legal driver as of Wednesday!! It's also a blessing to have grandparents and other family members nearby who can help support us. Grandma Becky took the crew toT

win this week for lunch and shopping and they had a marvelous time. And of course my fantastic friend network are pretty much rock stars !! Thank you all more than I can ever express. I truly believe that The Lord has placed each of you in our lives for a very special purpose. Please know how very much you are all loved and appreciated!! ~ Melissa

Halfway!

Melissa says: I am feeling very grateful and excited that I am DONE with the adriamycin/cytoxan rounds of chemo. It is also exciting to know that my entire chemo regimen is halfway  completed!! Woohoo :)! I am apprehensive about starting the new drug regime of taxol. It is supposed to cause less nausea and vomiting which I am thrilled about - it just has potential for other side effects. I could never be a druggie - I am super sensitive to medication so it will be interesting to see what happens! This round of chemo has been okay. I have not experienced much skeletal pain at all, which is a huge relief after the last go round. I am guessing this is due to the decreased neulasta dose. My nausea is pretty well settled down at this point so that is good news too. I am feeling greater fatigue this time, however, and it is kicking my hiney. Alexa says I am being a terrible patient, but it seems ridiculous to be this wiped out from doing nothing!! I am super weak also, which Eli thinks is entertaining and is glad to led his muscles! I am grateful for a comfy couch, a warm blankie and an unusually gassy dog to snuggle with! (Okay so truthfully the nausea and the gassy dog are not a great mix - yikes). I haven't ventured far from my spot on the couch! I am looking forward to feeling stronger and enjoying some time with the kiddos home on spring break. I will try hard to grow some blood cells in the meantime :). I also look forward to being able to work for a few hours before my next treatment. I come home exhausted but feeling like I have done something productive. I also really enjoy my coworkers so it is a good social outing for

me too! As always a huge thank you for the love and support we receive daily. I know we are in many prayers and we have actually felt those prayers many times. Our family has been richly blessed by this experience and we are so grateful for all of you that have been along for the ride!! Love to all and hang in there with us - we are halfway through :)

After the Shot

 This treatment has gone really well so far. Melissa did really good Tuesday night. She had a headache right after treatment and it carried on through the night and lasted all day yesterday. Hopefully it will be gone today or at least better. She was able to get her fluids yesterday morning before she went in for her Neulasta shot. This treatment has seemed not to have as much nausea with it, thank goodness. The nausea pill she has have been working(compazene).  She has some bone pain tonight in her knees and jaw but not as bad as last time. The doc reduced the Neulasta dose by 1/3 so hopefully this side effect will not last as long. She has been having hot flashes (side effect of the chemo induced menopause) and a racing heart from the steroids she is still taking daily. Over all she has been really chipper with the idea that she is done with last round of these chemo drugs and is half way done with the treatments. She would like to thank everyone for the prayers, cards, and help with meals. -Tyler

Melissa told me yesterday that she has been achy from the shot and she is having nausea but the medicine keeps her from throwing up as much.

4th Treatment

Melissa met with Dr. Miranda to make sure the counts were recovering like they should. The labs looked great! Everything went just peachy at the infusion center. They gave her the adriomyacin slower, and she tolerated it better. Yay! She developed a bad headache towards the end of the cytoxin, and her blood pressure dropped. She still has a significant headache and major nausea tonight, so hopefully it gets better tomorrow! She will have the nulasta injection tomorrow at a lower dose. This should ease the pain. Dr. felt confident with this due to the highest white blood counts she's had so far!
Thanks again for the love we've been shown.  ~ Alexa

Melissa and Suzie took a walk last week

I know that the game plan was to try giving Melissa more fluids after her treatment today. They had done that for the first two treatments but didn't do it last time. The theory was that less fluids may have contributed to the bad reaction she had last time which caused her to get the nulasta shot late. The late shot probably was the reason for her having more pain. It all started with a bad headache though so only time will tell. I will update as soon as I know any more details ~ Nicole

A Little Reminder From the Dr.

Sorry I haven't updated for so long. I promise I will try to do better! This round of chemo was pretty rough. I experienced more severe and longer lasting side effects - bummer!  I have been having some abdominal pain and continuing nausea so finally I saw Dr. Miranda today. He ordered lab work and that looked pretty good. I am a little anemic but not too bad. Also my liver enzymes all looked okay, and that is awesome. We were concerned that my liver was angry but it is playing nice. :) Dr. thinks I probably had a stomach virus that led to some colitis - that's just an inflammation of the colon. We discussed treating with antibiotics but decided to not go that route if we don't have to. I don't have a fever or anything so we are going to push fluids, have a soft bland diet (yay, my favorite!) and see if things settle down on their own in the next few days. Also, more exciting news - when we were discussing some of my other symptoms (night sweats, difficulty sleeping, headache, etc.) the Dr. reminded me that the chemo completely shuts down ovarian function. So that means I am in full blown menopause! I knew that going into chemo, I had just forgotten! That little reminder actually helped explain a lot and made me feel less of a freak show! The plan for the rest of the week is to behave myself (Tyler is home this week so he narcs to the Dr. if I am naughty) and feel better! I hope to be able to work a few hours at the end of the week. I see the Dr. again on Tuesday so he can give the okay for my LAST adriamycin/cytoxan round later that day! As always a huge thank you to everyone for your unwavering love and support. We are nearly halfway through the chemo!! I am so grateful for my "fan club" that have been with us all along. A special thank you to my incredible ward who have rendered so much service over the years. I feel like I am forever in their debt! We are truly grateful for all of the love we have been shown. ~ Melissa

P.S. So, more reasons to count my blessings.  I have been learning about menopause, and have decided this is the perfect time to go through it! One big complaint is hot flashes. I have no hair to capture body heat - yay! Mood swings and irritability are common. I play the cancer card here - who is going to argue with a woman going through cancer treatment?? And finally - women often experience painful and tender breasts. This is a no brainer - nothing there so no pain!! I think I really am a lucky lucky girl ;) 

Bumps in the Road

Melissa was scheduled to get her Neulasta shot on Friday. Tyler was working so I went to pick her up. When I got there her face and chest were really red. She said she felt hot but had taken her temperature and didn't have a fever. She said she had a bad headache after the chemo on Friday and it was returning. When we got to the IV center they were concerned so they took her temperature again but it was normal. Then she was really cold and they had to get her warm blankets. We waited there for a little while so they could decide what to do. They decided to have her get the shot on Saturday instead. They decided that it must be a reaction to the chemo. At home she did more IV fluids and tried to eat. She was not feeling well and said that she felt weird and different than she had before. By the time I was leaving her color was almost normal. On Saturday her color was normal but she was dizzy and nauseated. At the IV center they gave her the shot and it didn't take very long to get her back home but she was already having bone pain. Apparently it is worse when it has been given a day later. She has been experiencing much more pain from the shot this time. She has pain in her toes, back, ribs, etc. She says she feels like she has been hit by a truck. This is the point when her white blood count is dropping so she is tired on a level that cannot be explained. Hopefully it will not take longer for her to start feeling better because of the late shot. Melissa continues to be thankful for all of her blessings and to everyone for their support. She is amazing! ~ Nicole