Only 3 More Radiation Treatments To Go!!!!

I'm soooo close to being done with radiation. I go tomorrow (Friday) and then on Monday and Tuesday -- so 3 more treatments total and then I'll be done!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!

Then on Wednesday I'm meeting with my general surgeon for a consult appointment to have my port-o-cath removed since I no longer need it for chemo or anything. I'll basically be meeting with him to schedule a date and time for the surgery at the local hospital. To me, getting the port removed is kind of like closing the book on this cancer stuff. Not that this port is bothering me or anything (in fact, it's been in since mid December now so I don't even feel or notice it much anymore) but I'll be so glad to know it's gone, too!

Logan got his haircut the other day... I had it cut a little bit shorter than the last time since his hair grows so fast. Here are a few pictures of my little, grown-up-looking man!!




It's been one month exactly since I started my "get fit" plan and I'm proud to say in 1 month I've lost a total of 8 pounds! I'd love to lose about 17 more so I can lose a total of at least 25 pounds... GO ME!!!!

Me, Hair Growth, Radiation, Exercise, & Updates on Logan

Apparently my hair is growing, even though to me it seems it's not doing much of anything. I just took a new growth progress picture at roughly 6.5 weeks since finishing chemo and I am starting to look less and less like a Q-tip and more like a girl with actual hair... it's still got a bit of a "fuzz" look to it, but I definitely see changes in length... yippee!

Here's a little collage shot I did starting with the picture we took the night I shaved my hair off near the beginning of chemo, next is 2 weeks after finishing chemo, then 4 weeks, then 5 weeks, and then 2 of the most recent at 6.5 weeks since chemo. (Click on the collage photo to see it larger.)

I only have 7 radiation treatments left... this next full week of Monday through Friday and then the following Monday and Tuesday... that's it, then I'm done as of April 7th! I sooo can't wait. I don't mind the radiation, but I do mind the 30 minute drive each way. I won't miss having to do that every day.

I'm still doing well with my diet and exercise plan... I got a great workout DVD called Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred and let me just say, it is really kicking my butt... in a good way! It's only a 20 minute routine, but it's a pretty intense 20 minutes jam-packed with strength training, cardio, and ab muscle work. The first day I did it, I could only make it through about half... then I did it on Friday and did the full 20 minutes, then today I did the whole thing again. My muscles hurt so I must have done something right! I also used my exercise bike in addition to the DVD so I feel like I did really good with my exercise this week. I've lost about 6.5 pounds so far and my goal is to lose about 19 more to put me at a healthier weight for my height. Right now my BMI is putting me in the overweight range and I'd really love for it to be back in the "normal" (a.k.a. healthy) range!!

That's it for news about me. I haven't updated about Logan in a while and I really should. My little guy is getting so smart! He says SO many words now and repeats EVERYTHING he hears. We are really having to watch the things we say around him now!! He amazes me each day with the things he knows. I completely see now why everyone always says kids his age are like a sponge. He picks up so many mannerisms and things without us even realizing it. For example, his latest thing is LOVING the Nintendo Wii bowling game. He's seen us play countless times and one day, out of the blue, he starts raising his arm and holding it like he's just released a bowling ball. It's so cute. The first time he did it I was like, "Logan, what are you doing?" and he said "bowl" and then I knew: my kid was bowling. Too cute!

To show Logan what bowling is really like, we took him to the bowling alley last weekend. He loved it and we snapped a few shots of him having a grand time with Mama and Daddy! The highlight of the night was right after Lee let Logan roll a ball down the lane, Logan took off after it down the slick, waxed floor! Lee chased after him and fell on his butt, but Logan never fell. It was the funniest thing I've seen in a while. This first picture shows Logan doing his signature, "pretend bowling" move with his raised arm:






He's growing like a weed, too. I kind of figured his 3T clothes I've been buying for him for spring and summer would be really big on him still, but I put him in a new outfit today and it fit nearly perfect. He's weighing in at a hefty 34 pounds. I'm not sure how tall he is as I haven't measured him in a while, but I know he's definitely getting taller! His hair also grows sooooooo quickly (I wish mine did!) He needs a haircut so badly... he had one a while ago now and his hair is completely grown out and getting in his eyes again... we're thinking of getting a bit shorter of a haircut on him this time around so we can go longer without having to have it cut. We'll probably take him tomorrow to get it trimmed. I'll post some pictures of him if we get his style changed up a bit.

I love watching Logan grow and learn new things. He brings me so much joy. Without him, life just wouldn't be the same and would not be nearly as exciting and noisy, ha ha! :)

Quick update on radioactive me!

12 down and only 9 more radiation treatments to go! It is grueling to have to go all the way down to Memorial Hospital EVERY weekday, but I'm more than halfway done with radiation. I know my grandma is getting tired of coming over to watch Logan every morning, too. I can't wait 'til it's over so we can all have a break!

In other news, my diet and exercise plan is going well. I'm feeling healthier and more in shape already. My "start date" for my diet plan was March 5th, and since then I have lost 6 pounds. I am still keeping my food diary and counting calories and fat grams and trying to get on my exercise bike every day for at least 15-30 minutes.

I have had a horrible cold this past week and even lost my voice this weekend, but my voice came back yesterday and I'm starting to feel like the cold is almost gone. I forgot how crappy colds can make you feel since I hadn't had one in a while.

I hope all my friends and family are doing well. Diane and Aunt Nellie, thank you so much for your constant prayers and kind words. I so appreciate the cards and emails from you both!!! Love you all!

1 Month Post-Chemo

It's been a month since I finished chemo. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it feels to have energy again. I didn't realize just how drained I was until I felt good again. Each week over the last 4 weeks I felt myself getting stronger and stronger. I can finally say I feel pretty much like my old self again, energy-wise.

I took another picture of my hair growth, so this is 4 weeks (1 month) post-chemo as compared to the last photo which was 2 weeks post-chemo. It's not a ton of growth, but enough to notice:


I started radiation yesterday (Tuesday, March 10th) and will have a total of 21 treatments. They are quick and painless. The worst part is having to wear a very constricting mask that holds your head in the exact same position each time so you can't move your head. They do that so they can be sure they are only shooting the beams of radiation where they need to go and not anywhere else and that they shoot them in the same place each time I go. They have marks on the mask to help guide them with that.

Other than radiation, I'm trying to put all thoughts of cancer behind me and move on with my life. I'm trying to get healthier, too. Ever since I had Logan I've been a bit overweight and I'm tired of carrying excess baggage around and want to feel good about myself again. I started a diet and exercise plan on Thursday. My goal is to lose between 25 and 30 pounds. I'm keeping a food diary and writing down EVERYthing that I eat, calories, fat grams, carbs, and protein and also I have started walking down my street from my driveway to the end and back which turns out to be 1.2 miles each day. I've done this every day since Thursday. I'm really, really hoping to keep myself motivated and lose some weight and feel and look good again.

I do have some not so great news to report, though. Part of the thing that sparked me to have the neck biopsy done in the first place (which led to me finding out I had cancer) was the hives/rash I've been battling. Interesting enough, the hives almost completely disappeared from the chemotherapy. With each of my 4 chemo treatments the hives seemed to lessen and lessen. By the last one, I thought the hives were completely gone. So I figured that the hives must certainly be caused by the cancer after I was reported as being cancer-free after my last treatment. Unfortunately, the hives are back. They showed back up almost exactly 1 month after stopping chemo. I still don't know their root cause, but as always, they get worse whenever I'm hot (like outside mowing grass or exercising) and/or they get worse during my menstrual cycle. I am going to see how radiation goes, but if after 21 rounds of radiation I'm still breaking out with hives then I'm going back to my general doctor to see if he can run more tests. I hate living with them. They itch and become painful.

I know I've been a lot of trouble begging you all for prayer requests, but if you could please pray for me to stay cancer-free and pray that my hives disappear once and for all OR that I find the cause of them I would appreciate it sooo, soo much!

A little update on me!

On Monday I had a consult appointment with the radiation oncologist. It was just a meeting so we could discuss what I can expect as far as radiation and when and how much, etc. Basically, my radiation will begin about 3 weeks after my last chemotherapy treatment. I'll go 2 weeks after my last chemo to meet with the radiation doctor to do the planning and set up of all my appointments with them, then a week later I'll begin the radiation.

So if the 2 rounds of chemotherapy go as planned and I don't need a third round, then it looks like I'll probably begin radiation around the first week of March. In total, I'll have 18 radiation treatments. I'll go every day (Monday through Friday, so excluding weekends) for 18 days in a row. After that point, then I'm done with all cancer treatments.

I still need your thoughts and prayers to get through the rest of these treatments. And please pray that my body responds well to the anti-cancer drugs and that this cancer gets completely wiped out! I'm hoping for remission by April so I can begin my Spring and Summer cancer-free and get on with life! It sounds weird to type that out, but in reality, April will be here before I know it!