Happy Birthday to me!!

I spent most of the morning on the phone with friends and family which was nice to talk to everyone. What a fun way to spend the morning. Then went to Heceptin at 11am and was there until about 2pm. I had to get some extra fluids as well since I am still a little on the "low" side. I came home and tried to work for awhile but didn't get too far. Jon came home from work with my birthday present at about 2:45.






What could it be??

I couldn't believe he came home with a Jet Ski. We have talked about getting one for awhile but never really very seriously. We love going to Glendo every summer and we recently frustrated that we don't get to play with the 4 wheelers more often because it is so difficult to find legal places to ride them that are close and it is hard to load everyone up to travel for hours before playing and then travel back. It is the biggest present I have ever "unwrapped"....

Here is Olivia and I trying it out:

We took it to Boyd for a few hours this afternoon to play and it was definitely a bunch of fun. I am so excited and hope that we get to play with it a bunch. Since Boyd Lake is only about 5 min away from the house it should make it pretty easy to get out there and we will definitely be taking it to Glendo in a few weeks!

Wed June 27th

It's been an interesting day. I made dentist appointments for all of us yesterday and I have a tooth that is really bothering me so they said I could come in first thing this morning and get an evaluation. Of course I have a cavity but he also said my teeth are probably shifting around, also contributing to the discomfort, and I should think about seeing an orthodontist. (Someone that I hoped I was done with after having braces for 5 years of my life!!) I was getting ready to leave and the hygienist asked if I wanted to stay and have my cleaning since someone cancelled on her and I thought I might as well get it over with rather than have to wait and come back in a few weeks. When I was getting my cleaning they came in and asked if I wanted to come back later in the day to do my cavity filling due to another cancellation. So you get the picture. I spent most of my day with the dentist getting taken care of and the remainder of the day feeling like I had a bowling ball attached to my face. When the Novocain wore off my jaw was so sore from having my mouth open so wide and now my tooth still aches. What a pain. I guess I am glad it is taken care of now and hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

A big mile stone this weekend for Alexandra.....She started to go potty. Yeah! I am finally seeing an end in site to having to change diapers for the last 5 years of my life. She just decided on Sunday that she wanted to start wearing her Dora pull ups and be a big girl. We have so far made it through every day with only one accident and she is still wearing a diaper at night, but I can handle that. Her brother on the other hand wants nothing to do with that business. What do I need to be a big boy for, I am sure he is thinking. He doesn't have any interest in wearing his big boy spider man pull ups. A tactic I thought might help, but I am sure now that is a way of the diaper companies ripping me off even more. Less diapers, more money. Makes perfect sense.......

I have been working a bunch this week and finally got my laundry folded and put away today that has been sitting in laundry baskets on my floor for the last 2 days. Hey, at least I got it cleaned. I hate folding and putting away laundry. It was much easier when I was only doing it for myself. Now that I could handle. This 6 loads a week stuff is for the birds.

Jon is doing better. Still pretty sore, but slowly getting back to normal. Poor guy. Way to take one for the team babe!

Yesterday my dad almost poked his eye out.....He ran into a shelf bracket on the wall after taking the shelf off and sliced the bridge of his nose and under his eye. He had to get some stitches and then they super glued the cut on his nose. Ouch, it looks like it hurts. We had my mom and dad over for dinner last night after he got home from the urgent care. He said, "I wish I could say, you should see the other guy." Ha! He was lucky he had on his glasses and it didn't get his eye. Here he is:

Well tomorrow is my Bday! The big 2-7. Sheesh, how NOT exciting. Birthdays just aren't what they used to be are they? At least for me I suppose. I told Jon that I didn't want to have to plan anything this year and so he is supposed to make all the birthday plans. He said he got me a present this year, which normally is let's go and pick something out that you want. Still nice, but it is fun to be surprised every once in awhile and have him pick out something for me. I don't think we are going out until this weekend but not sure. I get to be surprised. I also get to go in for my Herceptin tomorrow morning. Yee-haw! Defiantly happy birthday to me. Just where I want to spend my birthday, the cancer center. Oh well, better luck next year for sure.

Saturday June 23rd

My oh my. It's only 8:30 and I have already been up for over 2 hours. I hate it when the kids get up so early!! The twins got their twin mattresses yesterday to go on top of their beds. We have just had their toddler bed mattresses up on their twin beds for the last month or so and finally made the switch yesterday. My fear happened this morning at 6am I woke up to hear this loud thud and Alex crying. She fell off the bed. I am surprised she made it all through the night. She wasn't hurt, I think just scared.

Jon had his vasectomy done yesterday and is fast asleep again after another round of Vicodin and ice. I feel bad for him, but it is much nicer being on the care giver end than the patient end. Although I would love to still be in bed and worry free of any responsibility this weekend. He had an appointment yesterday at 3 and didn't end up getting into the procedure until about 4:15 since they were running so far behind. He took Monday off of work and hopefully will be doing much better by then.

Yesterday we also got new cell phones. That was much needed! Jon's went through the wash a few weeks ago and so his display didn't work right anymore and mine was just the low end free model we got over 2 years ago with our plan and the reception was horrible and dropped almost every call I got. We ended up switching carriers and are now with Verizon. Our phones are pretty nifty. I have never had a phone with any extras so it is kinda neat. We both got the LG chocolates. His is lime green and mine is pink. Here they are:

Still loving my car. Every time I drive it I love it even more. The space is just so nice with the kids. Jon is done working in Montrose as of this past week. I think he is working in Denver this week but at night. Then not too sure where after this week. Hopefully close.

I go in for Herceptin this next week on my birthday. My brain MRI came back and everything is fine. I wasn't really worried about it but I guess there is always the underlying fear that something will not show up okay. I have made an appointment with a micro surgeon in Salt Lake to have a consultation with over Labor Day weekend and I will know more about reconstruction after that. Hopefully I can get it over with before the holidays. Originally they told me that I need to wait at least 6 months to have anything done but that puts me right between Thanksgiving and Christmas which is always a hectic time.

It is supposed to be 95 today so hopefully we will be able to get out and enjoy the weather. Speaking of which we have our AC up and running as of Wednesday which is awesome. My friend Alyssa's husband Heath came to my rescue and hooked everything up on Monday and then finished up on Wednesday. My hero! I don't know how people stay at home all day with no AC. It is so uncomfortable having a house that is 80 plus degrees and then not having it cool off until 11pm.

I am still staying very busy with work, but enjoying being back in the "normal" routine. I really do like my job and like that it makes my brain work and I learn new things everyday. It also helps that I like the people I work with! My hair is still growing and is really wavy. I have 4 cowlicks and so it grows pretty crazy. I guess it is better than being bald though. It does give a whole new meaning to bed head. It defiantly has to be wet and gelled after I sleep on it!

Avril Lavigne - Keep Holding On

Tues June 19th

Well not too much exciting to report in the last week. I went in on Thursday to do my brain MRI. The nurse that was doing my IV poked me 2 times in one spot and 2 times in the 2nd spot before actually getting one in place. The brain MRI is much different then the other breast MRI's I have had. Much louder and much more confined. I took an anti anxiety med before I went and was loopy for the rest of the day. Friday I went in for a skin check at the radiation oncologist and everything is healing fine. I have this funny line around the radiation area that looks like a scar. It is a white line from where my skin peeled.
This weekend went by fast. Jon was working on trying to get our AC fixed. The kids and I went to the lake with a friend on Saturday and then we all went to a BBQ on Saturday night. Jon took me to see Pirates 3 on Saturday night and my girlfriend Lanie joined up with us. It was fun to get away a bit and also see Lanie. Sunday the kids and I went to church and then later in the evening went to my parents for a father's day get together.
Jon left again on Monday morning for work and should be back sometime on Thursday. I have been keeping very busy trying to keep up with work and chase the kids. Jon is having his vasectomy on Friday and taking one for the team since I am not allowed to be on hormonal birth control any more. What a sport. We will probably be laying low this weekend and hopefully have good time just taking it easy.
I still haven't gotten my results from my MRI so I am assuming it isn't anything to be worried about. I have to do Herceptin next week on my birthday......Happy birthday to me!! Dang! Oh well, birthdays really haven't been too exciting the last few years. I think once you hit the "grown up" birthdays they just don't bring the excitement like they used to.

Monday June 11th

This is a display from the luminaria ceremony at relay for life. What a fun weekend. We had a great time at dinner on Friday. How can you not enjoy yourself at the melting pot?? Love it, and of course the company was wonderful. Vernon and Kira are awesome people. Happy birthday Vernon!

Saturday we got up and gathered our things and headed out to relay for life. Jon and I attended a free lunch for survivors and then the festivities started around 1pm. It was neat to see all the people all fighting for the same cause. I can't believe how many people have been touched by this awful disease and it will truly be a miracle when a cure is found. The kids were at the end of their ropes by 3pm so I took them home to nap for a few hours and came back around 6pm. My girlfriend Shari who I through Olivia's preschool was diagnosed in January and was asked to be the honorary chair person. She gave a wonderful speech before the luminaria ceremony and it was neat to hear her story. There were so many luminaria bags lining the track paying tribute to those who are fighting cancer, surviving cancer, and have also lost their battle with cancer. It was pretty moving to see. I had fun chatting with the girls until the wee hours of the morning. Of course talking about the things women always seem to talk about when they get together.....pregnancy, child birth, the days before we were all responsible adults....you know. Good times. Good memories!! I stayed up until around 2am and then went and laid in my sleeping bag for a few hours. I never did go to sleep because I was so uncomfortable with all the layers and shirts rubbing on my radiation burns. I got up a little before 5am and walked until about 6:30 when they stopped counting laps and started serving breakfast. We ended up packing it in and going home and I was at the house again at 7am, ready for a nap. Jon ended up coming home to put the kids to bed on Saturday night so he was kind enough to let me nap all morning. Relay was defiantly an experience to remember and it was fun hanging out with family and friends to visit and reminisce. I hope they had as much fun as I did!

Jon left for work on Sunday afternoon at about 1pm. We had tried to turn on the AC right before he left and it wasn't working. We found out that the unit itself was fried along with our thermostat and wiring in the furnace. Nothing was working. I am not sure exactly what happened but we are going to have to replace it all.....nice. Hopefully our home owner's insurance will cover it. Just in time for our first 2 90 degree days of the summer. Luckily it will only be in the 70s tomorrow and Wednesday. Work is keeping me busy and hopefully my burns will keep getting better. They have started the turn around from getting worse to getting better. Rubbing is still uncomfortable but not super painful. Back to taking only a couple ibuprofen a day. A few goofy things that i forgot to mention last week was that I have 2 toenails fall off last week randomly and my eyelashes are starting to fall out again?? What is going on? I asked my oncologist and she said that sometimes the toenails grow slower so it wasn't uncommon to still be experiencing the side effects of that....nice, since I stopped Taxotere before Christmas, but OK. And also that eyelashes grow in cycles so they are most likely all on the same cycle and will take a few cycles to get them back to normal. What a mean tease. Just when I though my lashes were getting beautiful again.

I of course have some awesome pictures from Relay for life so check them out on my pictures link on the side bar of the page.....

Friday June 8th

It has been a tough week. My skin was sorta getting better at the beginning of the week and then went down hill again in the "boost" area. Just when I thought things were getting better....So still trying to keep the creams on stay on top of either Ibuprofen or other medicine and wearing loose shirts. It has been hard to keep up with the kids this week also and I have noticed that I am getting more and more tired still. Apparently the side effects from fatigue could also take a few weeks to get better. The burns they said they can still get worse then they are now for up to 10 days and then better after that.
I went to see Dr. M yesterday at the Cancer Specialists office. I feel like I haven't seen her in forever since the last time I saw her was after my surgery. I would see her every other week during chemo. I did Herceptin also on Thursday. I have to do a brain MRI next Friday, doctors orders. Apparently the 3 big spots to keep an eye on now are brain, liver, and lungs. I have never had a brain MRI but just the sound of the words brain MRI give me an uneasy feeling. She said they get pretty close to your head and you are really confined so I will be taking an anti anxiety med before the procedure and I get to have yet another IV done to put in contrast. Fun. So sick of IV's and getting poked. Thank goodness for the port though or I probably wouldn't have any arms left.... The Dr. also says that they will continue to do a mammo on the left side every year and I will still see her every three months for the next year. I have my last Herceptin treatment at the end of Aug.
I also had to go back to see the radiation doctor today to get a skin check. They will still check my skin every few days for the next week. The spots under my arm are getting better at least.
Thanks to everyone that helped me with the kids this week. I really appreciate it. Jon got home last night and we have Relay this weekend. Tonight we are going out with our friends Vernon and Kira to celebrate his birthday at the Melting Pot. YUMMY! The melting pot is a fondue restaurat and it is awesome. I am really looking forward to it. I will take lots of pictures to share with everyone!

Monday June 4th

Well I got up this morning and went to radiation thinking it was my last day and WHAM!!! The nurse hit me with, oh after the doctor saw you last week she changed your prescription for 5 boost treatments instead of 4. DARN! So one more day. The weekend didn't get much better. I have been taking my Vicodin and also doing all the creams and numbing medicine on my burn site. Also doing the Domboro soaks about 3 times a day. Still wearing the BIG T shirts as well. I am pretty uncomfortable but trying to "endure to the end". So after tomorrow I should still notice that the "boost" area or area around my mastectomy scar will still keep getting worse for about a week and then slowly start to get better. The really painful area under my arm I think is starting to get a bit better instead of getting worse. It has leveled off and I have noticed today that it hasn't gotten worse than it was yesterday so hopefully I am on the downhill with those areas. I am also pretty tired both yesterday and today.
I am still loving my new car, even though I haven't really driven it a bunch yet. Mostly just been the passenger. Jon hooked up my I drive in it on Saturday so I can just plug in my I pod to the glove box and control it through the radio. It is much easier. I took it out of my car before we traded it.
Jon left again for Montrose this morning and will be coming home either Thursday night or Friday morning. Relay is this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. Hopefully I will be well rested and feeling better by the weekend!

Saturday June 2nd

Wow, I can't believe it is June already. Bonjour summer! Now if the weather could get a little warmer we would be set. It has been pretty mild here this week in the 60s and low 70s.

I found a new favorite song this week by Sarah Buxton called That kind of Day. It's about a girl who is having a bad day....funny. Anyway listen to it if you get a chance, it is too new and doesn't have a way to put it on my blog.

So no good news to report as far as the radiation. Jon got home on Thursday and was a huge help with the kids on Thursday. I was in a bunch of pain on Thursday. I just didn't even want to move around. Still wearing the huge Tshirts so the seams wouldn't rub on my armpits and the shirt would just hand off of my neck and not rub the front of my chest. I was rubbing my Silvadine cream on every 1 1/2 to 2 hours because it would start hurting again that soon after applying it. I showed Jon the burns in the AM on Thursday and then at night before I got in the shower they were so much worse. Red EVERYWHERE instead of just in spots. Come to find out yesterday morning when I asked the nurse about it she said that it will still keep getting worse up to 10 days after the radiation is done. After she told me that I know I had heard it before but must have just forgotten. (chosen to block it out more like) Any who......I ended up seeing the doc and nurse after radiation yesterday because it was bothering me so much. I got a whole new regime of medicines and creams and she told me it was okay to use my pain meds from after my surgery if I thought it hurt that much......It did! They ended up giving me some pure Xylocaine Jelly to put on the really bad spots under my arm that hurt, which helped a whole bunch. Then I am to do these Domboro soaks a few times a day which I think also helped yesterday. I am still just amazed at how bad it has actually gotten. Bizarre that it is painful in one area and super itchy just a few cm over. All sorts of different meds to help out though. I keep telling Jon, "Can you bring me my bag of tricks?" Since they gave all this stuff to me in a brown paper bag.

Thursday was my bosses' last day of work. I will really miss her. She has been really great to me through this whole process and I will be sad to see her go. Hopefully we will still stay in touch.

Yesterday we did have an exciting afternoon. Jon and I have been looking at buying a bigger car for at least a year, since our family has really outgrown our old Cherokee. It is a tight fit for all 3 of the kiddos and they have absolutely no room for anything else or anyone else which makes it hard to carpool to school. Jon had been looking at Excursions but since they only made them a few years and don't make them any longer we were having a difficult time trying to find them. I think there were about 20 in the whole front range and Denver area. Which is not many. We ended up going down to look at one yesterday afternoon and came home with one. We are all very excited. Finally some room to spread out and Jon is excited that we got a diesel vehicle that we can still pull our toys with and not be going 50 miles an hour through the mountains. Here is a picture of it from the dealer's website.

Hopefully it will last us a REALLY long time! My brother is graduating this morning and that is really the only plans we have for the weekend. I think Jon might try and do some landscaping today since we need to buy some more mulch and do some weeding. (good luck with that Jon!)I am glad I should be able to just hang out and relax.