What a week!

Wow, where to start?!?!
I haven't posted for a while because though I had a 'plan', it was vague at best and lots of things still in motion. Since the last post on the 3rd it's been a whirlwind of events; Brian and I, my youngest sister Katie, and Hailey's boyfriend Logan drove down to Fayetteville to spend the weekend with Hailey Jayne. Even though our beloved Hogs lost to Alabama, we got to see a great game inside a gorgeous new stadium that has changed so much since I could look right into the end zone from my dorm room (many, many years ago)
We had a few (too many) drinks at JJ's and lots of laughter with her friends. Thank you to those wonderful people our girl has surrounded herself with while at school who hugged, and cheered and assured me they would look out for her during the next few months. It is hard on Hailey that she will not be here while I am going through all of this crap again, so your love and support for her means the world to us! (especially you Carly!)


Fast forward through 2 weeks of appointments;

chemo education-2 drugs, both crappy with lovely side effects one of which being hair loss. Yeah for no shave November for me-literally, since I won't have any hair to shave. And zero dollars spent on hair products. Only people who know me well will understand what that means....Momma likes her hair products..... But, being that my last chemo was during the spring and summer, I'm definitely going to need to invest in some stocking caps. Bald heads + winter = really, really cold. I slept with a stocking cap on last time.

Met with 2 surgeons-first one bailed (location, possible brachial plexus involvement, artery and vein proximity, implant proximity, etc. Which is just fine with me because I ended up right where I needed to be. At KU with Dr Jamie Wagner. I have to add this woman to my Girl Crush list for sure. She is the bomb! Straightforward, no BS kinda gal. and smart to boot. She gave me so much info and education and my comfort level with her and the facility was like no other. Her plan is chemo first, surgery then radiation. My cancer is highly hormonal, so chemo first will likely not shrink it, but kill it from the inside. The tumor should become necrotic from the inside and not necessarily shrink-which is ok, that's what we want. And chemo should keep it from growing or spreading. IF during my 12 weeks of chemo we see it grow or spread, she will abort chemo and go straight to surgery. Surgery will likely involve a plastic surgeon in case I need to have my implant removed and an expander placed for Radiation. She will also possibly remove the few lymph nodes near the tumor if there is any chance they could be involved. She said they are also starting to see recurrences in the mastectomy flaps and she will check out the thickness of mine and if needed thin them out while there. She also had me meet with the lymphedema Nurse specialist while I was there and have a lymph scan. Very interesting and I am fortunate that with no education or issues before that I still fell within the normal range on the scan. For those non-medical peeps-lymphedema can easily occur when you have a lymph node dissection like I did before in my right arm/side. If obstructed, swelling can occur.
Before I left KU I was set up for a breast MRI. Dr Wagner wanted it primarily for surgical planning and to see if where the mas is in relation to other lymph nodes seen on the ultrasound. And it was scheduled for 2 days from then. Woah, sister. You might be my new girl crush but I need time to work up to an MRI. Clearly I didn’t have time so it was down a Moscow Mule and a muscle relaxer and suck it up. And if I never have to do another breast MRI in my lifetime I’ll be ok with that. An hour on my stomach, boobs hanging through a plastic tray then squished in place, my arms over my head and noises varying between jackhammers and howler monkeys in my ear the entire time.

Monday 10/22 port placement. My awesome Dad took me to NKCH and hung out waiting for me. While one nurse was starting my IV and another nurse was asking me all the pertinent questions - “do you have an advance directive?” Yes
“Have you been out of the country recently?” No
“Have you fallen recently?” Not while sober.
Dad giggles. IV starting nurse laughs out loud. Question asking nurse does a double take and doesn’t exactly know how to react. Then my Special girls Heather and Kristen show up to whisk me off to my most favorite person in this whole procedure....Nurse Jenny with the good drugs. A little of this and little of that and before long my favorite smelling Radiologist TW had my port in.

Wednesday 10/24 Bone Scan. A nuclear medicine study where I got injected with a radionuclide and then scanned to see if any ‘hot spots’ show up. Or areas of potential bone metastasis, or spread of the cancer to my bones.

Now that all of those tests are done and I have my port, im scheduled for my first chemo treatment next Thursday November 1st. I suppose it’s as good a way as any to start the month.
I have no idea how this chemo is going to affect me, other than the for sure hair loss....so if my counts are low I won’t be working or out in public where I could be exposed to sickness so please keep that in mind if you want to visit. I have a friend starting a meal train soon, and I’ll share that link on here as soon as it’s set up. We are still selling t-shirts so if you want one message me or Brian. And my baby sis Kate has a crazy plan to raise some funds for us while I’m off that will be a whole lot of fun....I’ll keep you posted on that!
I can’t thank everyone enough for the rallying around us and the love you have surrounded my family with. I’m still reeling a bit from all of this and fluctuate daily between being mad as hell and wanting to curl up in a ball and cry. I love the texts and emails and cards and messages and gifts and they get me through each day so please don’t be afraid you’ll upset me.

This was the really abridged, Cliffs notes version of the last couple of weeks and I haven’t even touched on the wonderful time we spent with Brian’s Dad, bother and sister and families. I can tell you that they are all pretty special people and we are so lucky that God put them in our lives right now. And since Kellen makes a way better Moscow Mule than any bartender I’ve ever had make me one, he’s welcome at our house anytime!

Will update more this weekend!
Love, hugs and prayers
K