Thanks for all of those prayers…I believe they are working. Mom’s pain has gone down some. She isn’t taking much medication for pain but that’s okay at this point because the pain isn’t as bad. She does feel some sharp pains occasionally but it is not as bad as it was. She seems to feel pain in the afternoon and evenings so she is going to be taking some medication before bed for the pain and to help her sleep better. For the most part her blood pressure and pulse are fine (actually better than they have been throughout the entire chemo treatments). She has had a few episodes where her pulse gets low and she feels a little faint. We are keeping a check on it and making sure she doesn’t get up on her own. I feel she just needs to continue to take it easy and get some more rest. Although rest is what she needs…it is difficult for her to stay in bed so much. Most people would love to stay in bed and rest but being sick is different. It’s not the same if it is not your choice to stay in bed. Please pray her spirits to stay up while she is not able to get up and do much. She has a follow up appointment with her surgeon on July 9th. The surgeon gave her instructions that she is to work on raising her arm up straight out to the side and bend at the elbow like she was brushing her teeth. That is the ONLY thing she is supposed to do at this time with her left arm or hand. Anymore stress, weight or pressure to that arm could cause lymphedema so we are being very cautious. That’s about all for now. Thanks for the prayers and the words of encouragement on the website. I read them to mom and she is touched and encouraged by your words, thoughts and prayers. -Bridget

Mom had an “okay” day. She slept pretty good last night. She is still waking up with a very dry mouth caused by the chemo. She wakes up to drink water almost every hour. She is eating good (loving the green beans and mac and cheese grandma sent over). Pain…well that’s a different story. She HATES taking medications of any kind so it is difficult to get her to keep the pain medication in her. When she isn’t hurting she doesn’t feel the need to take the medication. Unfortnately, the pain catches up to her by not keeping it in her system. Tonight I could tell by looking at her that she was in a great deal of pain even after taking one pain pill. I convinced her to take another one since it had been awhile since she had any. I am hoping that if we can keep at least one pain pill in her every four hours then she won’t need two at a time that is prescribed. She stayed pretty upbeat for most of the day. I think a lot of that had to do with Trevor and all of his toys in her bedroom keeping her entertained. He is great to have around when you are feeling down because he always says something that can make you smile. Later on tonight was more difficult when the pain started to get intense. She doesn’t understand why some people don’t have as difficult time following chemo and surgery as she has had. Some have said they had no pain after surgery so she doesn’t know why she does. She is tired of being sick and not being able to do the things she normally does. She misses being active and living life. Tonight I tried to encourage her that things would get better as this pain from surgery goes away. Please pray for that for her…that the pain from the surgery will go away very soon and she can focus on recovery from surgery and the rest of this battle she has to face. Love and thanks to you all! -Bridget

Mom came home from the hospital yesterday about 3pm. Doing pretty well so far. They have encouraged us to keep pain medication in her on a regular basis for at least the first 2 days from the hospital. This will help to make sure the pain doesn’t get out of control where we are unable to handle it. Mom has always had a tough time with medications so we are just trying to figure out the right medication to handle the pain and not cause and strange reactions. She was able to sit up last night for a few minutes. She wanted a burrito from Taco Bell so we made that happen and she sat up to eat that. She also sat up for a few minutes while I emptied the drains that are in place. (She has two drains that will be removed at a follow up visit to the doctor at a later date.) That’s about all the activity should could handle last night. Don’t know how she is today. I don’t want to call or stop by yet because I am hoping that they are sleeping late after a rough two days. As soon as I see her I will update again. Thanks again for all the prayers and encouragement for mom. She really does appreciate it all. -Bridget

Mom did really good through surgery today. It lasted about an hour and a half. She was in recovery from 3:15 till sometime after 10 pm. She would have been fine to go earlier however there where no empty rooms to move her to. I hear they are in a room at this point and getting settled in. They are trying to stay on top of her pain so she has a lot of medication in her system at this point. She is sleeping a lot but not feeling as much pain that way. That’s a plus for now. The surgeon said everything went well during surgery. She said she took out one sentinal node but I’m pretty sure she said there was no cancer there. She also said that there was no cancer in the muscle or tissue in the surrounding area. All good news! Hopefully she will be coming home tomorrow but it depends how tonight and tomorrow morning goes. I will be going up there in the morning to see how she and dad are doing so I will keep everyone posted. Thank you for all the prayers. Please continue…these next few weeks are going to be really tough. This surgery is not just physical but mental too. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers but respect her privacy at this time. She has a lot to deal with and isn’t going to be up for company. No worries though…I will update as much as possible now that I know how to do it. -Bridget

Just sending a test message to see if I am doing this right.

The late updates from June 5th and June 11th (this one) have been test posts sent through an e-mail to post to the blog. Since they are going through properly, the next posts (tomorrow and beyond, regarding Mom’s mastectomy and recovery) should be coming directly from Mom and/or Bridget. Here’s the second part of the update:

“We saw the surgeon. After she looked at the mammogram and ultrasound, she has decided that she would have to do a masectomy instead of a lumpectomy. (We had thought that before we saw her, but, actually hearing her say it was tough to take.) The tumor did shrink but only slightly. Not what anyone expected. They were really expecting it to be a whole lot smaller. So, I will have that surgery on June 25th at 1:30pm at Greenville Memorial Hospital. I should only have to stay one night, maybe two, depending on how I do. I have started back to work. I will be working until surgery and then back to work as soon as I feel up to it after surgery. First two days have been exhausting but I will get stronger and it should get better.” Please pray that Mom will take it easy at work and allow herself plenty of time to recover from this surgery. From experience, I know she’s bad about taking it easy on herself… Thanks for all your prayers, love, and support. If anyone has any questions/comments/concerns, please e-mail me at probikewrench@gmail.com.

I’ve been super busy and a bit under the weather over the last few weeks and have neglected to update Mom’s blog, and for that, I apologize. I’m trying to teach Mom and Bridget how to update by e-mail since they are able to update a little better than I am right now. The big news is that Mom is having a mastectomy TOMORROW, so prayers are needed that Mom has a good surgery and recovers with flying colors. Here’s what she had to say back on June 5th:

"Well, a lot has happened since the last update. After all the bloodwork and cultures they took to see what was wrong came back negative. The third week after chemo should have been a pretty good week, but it wasn’t. I had a fever every afternoon/evening ranging from 99.4 to 101.4 during that week and on into the fourth week after chemo. Tuesday, May 25th – I went back to Cancer Center for labwork and doctor visit. They still didn’t know what was wrong with me. They started me back on the antibiotic, Levaquin, for seven more days. (I just found out that a friend that I was taking chemo with lost his battle with cancer Sunday, May 23rd. It hit me hard. When you are going through a thing like this and you lose a friend, it really hurts. Words cannot explain the feeling. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Roger was a wonderful guy that always encouraged me. He is with Jesus now. How do I know this? When you are sitting there for hours getting chemo treatments, you learn a lot about others. The patients are always talking about Jesus and wondering how anyone could go through cancer and not know Jesus. Bellieve me, in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep and you feel like you are going to die due to treatments, etc., Jesus is there! I was telling Trevor the other day that sometimes I just didn’t know what to pray. Sometimes I would sing, "Jesus, the Sweetest Name I Know", now one of my favorite songs. And when I couldn’t make a sound, He still heard me.) Thursday, May 27th – I went to rehab but was so sick and weak that I wasn’t able to do much at all. I couldn’t even walk from the car to the front door of the office without being out of breath. I am only to do my exercises on good. Looking for those good days. I also had to go to the liver doctor. He said I had a non-alcoholic liver disease. Basically, I have a fatty liver. He said he usually sees this in obease people. He told me that mine is probably caused by my high cholesterol/trigliserides. He wanted to start me on a statin drug, which I chose not to take right now. Being the naturalist I am, I want to try other alternatives before I am stuck on a man-made drug for the rest of my life. Friday, May 28th – I saw my surgeon. She did an exam and couldn’t tell whether she would be doing a lumpectomy or a masectomy. She set me up for a mammogram and ultrasound for the next week. Monday, May 31st – We got to visit with Josh and his family and then we met Emily to pick Trevor up. He will be staying a few weeks with us. Tuesday, June 1st – We went back to the Cancer Center. They took another blood culture from my port. Blood pressure was 88/56 (too low) and heart rate was 109 (too high). Still running a fever every day. They gave me fluids and said they would get back to me on what they decide to do with me. Wednesday, June 2nd – I get a call from my surgeon at 9:00am for me to come to her office to have my port removed ASAP. My cancer doctor was saying that the port was probably the culprit for me being so sick. I go to the office and have surgery. They put novicaine in and then took the port out. I thought I did good considering i am deathly afraid of needles. (This has really been an ordeal for me with medicines and needles.) After the surgery, I still have another appointment to keep. My surgery has been set to be June 25th at 1:30pm at Greenville Hospital. I then had to go to have my mammogram and ultrasound done. I went to St Francis Hospital. They are so sweet there. So kind. After the ultrasound, I asked the person who did it what was the size of the tumor. I started all this out with a tumor of 5.6 cm. I was hoping for, maybe 2 cm. She told me that the tumor had measured the same as the first time. I know the swelling and pain is gone. She said don’t think that the chemo didn’t help. It had not grown or spread and it might have gotten a little flatter. I was really bummed out. Still am! I just feel like if I had known that it was going to be the same size, I would not have put my body through 18 weeks of chemo. Thursday, June 3rd – Cancer doctor set me up for a CT scan for my lungs. I am still coughing and wheezing. That was a first for me. I had to get stuck AGAIN. I will have to go to a lung doctor on June 9th. I was talking to Freddie about surgery. The surgeon has set me up to have a lumpectomy on June 25th. She said that she would put it down for that and if she saw she had to make surgical changes, she would. That was before the mammogram and ultrasound. This may be negative thinking but I really feel like it will not be a lumpectomy. We have another appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday, June 8th. We will see what she says then. My week ahead: Tuesday, June 8th – Surgeon appointment to see what she says. Wednesday, June 9th – Appointment with lung doctor. This also happens to be my wedding anniversary. Freddie and I will be married for 31 years. Thursday and Friday – I hope to be able to start back working at the office some before I have my surgery. I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Your cards and messages that you leave me here on the webpage are so encouraging. I am so blessed to have you as my family and friends. Some of you that are praying for me, I don’t even know. You are friends of my family and friends. I may not know you but God does and I pray that He will bless you."

Pardon my tardiness in getting this update posted.  I’ve been extremely busy and haven’t had much time lately. Myself, Emily and Bridget were all able to make it home to Clemson for Mother’s Day, to Mom’s surprise.  The picture below is Trevor and Addy with Mom on Mother’s Day.  Here’s the latest updates from Mom over the last several weeks:

Mom's Mother's Day Surprise

Wednesday, May 12th:

“Chemo #6 was yesterday (Tuesday, May 11th).  It was my  last one.  I am so glad.  They had one of the drugs dripping too fast which started some side effects.  Daddy told them about it and they came and slowed the drip.  We asked that they give me more fluids with the chemo than they did last time so my bood pressure hasn’t dropped like it did last time.  Still sore from onocology rehab.  Wasn’t able to do any of my execises yesterday.  Therapist said I should just do them on my good days.  She is starting off slow.  She said that is what they have to do with cancer patients.

Today (Wednesday, May 12th), I will go back to get my Neulasta shot and more fluids.  I had 4 different appointments on 4 different days this week. For the next 2 weeks I have 2 appointments each.  The week after that I will be going to the surgeon on the 25th and the liver doctor at the end of that week and rehab on the 26th.  It’s one of the busiest months for me.

How do I feel?  I’m tired, I’m bald, I’m loved, I’m prayed for, I’m alive!”

Sunday, May 16th:

“Not a good week.  Shot making me hurt really bad like the first chemo time.  Have a sinus infection.  Got a bit of a fever.  But it’s my last one.”

Tuesday, May 18th:

“Just got home from doctor.  Got fluids and IV antibiotics.  Have to go every day this week for IV antibiotics and keep taking the antibiotic that they started me on Sunday night.  With fever so high on Sunday and still 99.9 last night and I have no immune system at this time, they are trying to make sure I don’t end up in the hospital.  Took blood cultures out of my port and cultures out of my arm to send off.  Did urine sample and sent me over to the hospital for chest xray.  Xray came back clear.  If fever spikes again or chest pains, they told me to go to ER.  I’m really tired so I’m going to lay down for awhile.”

“Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.  I love you all.”

Here’s the latest update from Mom:

“April 19th – had chemo #5 (was the roughest since chemo #1), wanted to just throw in  the towel.  Don’t know why it was so bad other than I am just so zapped from previous 4 chemos that my body just can’t take it.  Stayed in bed 6 out of 7 days last week.  Blood pressure stayed low.  Needed fluids really bad.

Trevor turned 6 on the 23rd and wanted us to come to Kentucky for his birthday.  It broke my heart to have to say we couldn’t come.  I told Freddie he could go but he said that I wasn’t able to stay by myself.  I knew he was right.  This (cancer) robs you of so much and  this was definitely something it took from me.  I can’t let it rob me of my life so I have to continue even if sometimes it is almost unbearable.

Even when I feel my worst, I try to remember that others have it worse.  When you sit in the chemo room with all 10 chairs filled with patients, you see and hear alot.  A lot of the people are older and that really makes you sad when you see them having to go through this when they should be enjoying retirement.  Some have cancer that is not curable but treatable, which means they will always have to take chemo.  But through it all, no matter what Cancer Center I have been to, the people are awesome.  Yeah, the workers are great but the patients are so special.  You know what they are going through and, no matter how you or they feel, we always offer a word of encouragement.  When you leave, the other patients will always wish you well and you do the same to the others when you leave.  I have met so many special people during this trial in my life.  That is one of my “goods” that has come from this “bad” thing in my life.

April 27th – had labwork and doctor visit.  Freddie asked if I could not take chemo #6.  They said that wasn’t going to happen.  Bloodwork came back and said my white blood count was 0.5 again.  That happens week after chemo for me.  Just means I can get sick easy so I have to stay in this week away from people.  Family reunion is Sunday and won’t be able to go.  Bummer!  My blood pressure was low so they gave me another bag of fluids.  It takes an hour to receive a bag of fluids. Wednesday and Thursday have been better days for me.

April 30th – I have to go to the liver doctor.  Not really wanting to go just because I don’t know what I may find out.  No chance of cancer in the liver because none showed up on PET scan.  Hopefully they won’t say I have to have a liver biopsy.  They are trying to find out what has been wrong with my liver for about 7 years.  One of the chemo drugs they give me made my liver levels spike.  That is why they have cut that drug to 50% for chemo #3, 75% for chemo #4 and 75% for chemo #5.  Don’t know what percentage of that drug I will receive for #6.

May 10th – will be chemo #6 (my last one)  After that, I will go to the surgeon and she will decide if I have to have any scans before surgery.  Not sure when surgery will be.  I do know that I will have, at least, 6 weeks of radiation sometime after surgery.”

Mom and Dad called me last night and let me know that Mom will have to have the liver biopsy.  They think it’s cirrhosis, according to what I’m hearing from Mom, Dad, and Emily.  That’s not a good thing.

If you could, please lift Mom up in prayer right now.  Everyone’s spirits, but most importantly hers, need a lift now.  This treatment is wearing everyone’s souls pretty thin.  Thanks.

More updates to follow.  Thanks for your prayers and messages.

It’s 1am here, but I’m awake, so here’s a quick update from an e-mail I got from Mom yesterday:

“Went to Cancer Center yesterday.  Was just supposed to go for labwork and doctor visit.  Haven’t been feeling too good during the weekend.  When I stood up, I would get dizzy and need to sit back down.  Found out my blood pressure was low and my white blood count was 0.4 again.  Doctor said that my white blood count always bottoms out.  She said for me to stay home and don’t go anywhere this week and no visitors this week due to low blood count and viruses going around again.  She had them give me fluids again yesterday because I wasn’t feeling good.  She said it would be good for me and should make me feel a little better.  I haven’t felt dizzy today so I guess I needed the extra fluids.

I go back next Tuesday for labwork and doctor visit.  Next chemo will be April 19th.”