10/13/11 Last Chemo Treatment

It's finally here, my last chemo treatment.  I know the time has flown by fast for everyone else, but not so much for me.  For my last treatment I had my sister and Kevin by my side.  It was nice to have them both there.  The last treatment went well, my arm is still swollen up a bit and the fluids from the treatment only seemed to make it worse.  The doctor as a precaution, put me on antibotics to fight any possible infection.  I am suppose to keep my arm elevated as much as possible.  My face is really swollen up from the fluids.  I weighed myself before and after chemo and I have 6 lbs of fluids added on.  I stay all puffy for about 2 days and then the swelling will start to come down.  I am also taking water pills to help with the water retention, but it only helps so much.  I am also drinking lots of water to try and flush this chemo out of me asap.  I have some hair growing to do and it won't start until the chemo says bye bye to my body.      : 0 )

Today 10/14 I have to go for my 6 month mammogram followup appt.  I start 6 weeks of radiation in two weeks and the doctor wanted me to get this mammogram out of the way before I started radiation.
So off I go today for another appointment.

xoxoxo Sandy

10/11/11 - Blood Count after Transfusion

YAY!    My blood count is back to normal after the transfusion.  That means I get to proceed with my last chemo this Thursday 10/13/11.   I am so excited to finally reach the end of my chemo treatments.
I know it has went fast for others, but it has seemed like a really really long road for me, but I am finally there..... Yahoooo !

Everyone who encouraged me along the way, made it so much easier to push through the not so fun days.
So thank you ALL and I love you guys so much !

xoxoxoxo Sandy

Transfusion - Side Effects 10/06/11

Well the transfusion went as scheduled with no issues until mom and I walked out of the hospital to get in the car and drive off.  Then I felt my left arm begin to swell.  I looked down to see what was going on and my left arm was much bigger in size and hard as a brick - it scared us both.  We parked the car and went rushing back in the hospital.  They took one look at my arm and immediately put me back into a room, checked my blood pressure which was elevated (no surprise there) and called the doctor.  Then I began to break out in red hives all over my scalp, face, neck, chest and back.  They gave me benadryl and a strong steroid shot that burned like crazy.  They continued to monitor me but the arm swelling never went down while I was at the hospital.  The doctor then ordered an ultrasound on my neck and left side of my arm to check for blood clots.  Thankfully everything checked out - No blood clots were found.  So they monitored me for about another hour until the hives started to go away.  Then sent me home with instructions to keep my arm elevated until the swelling went down and benadryl every six hours.  The doctor thinks,  I could have had poor circulation in my left arm while the transfusion was being done and no doubt my body was having an allergic reaction to the transfusion.  Thankfully they were able to quickly get the situation under control.  Mom and I were acting calm on the outside but I know we were both freaking out inside, not knowing what was going on and was everything going to be okay.  I was very glad I had her there for support.
I have to say I did not sleep well for two nights until the swelling started to go down.  My arm still hurts like it's bruised but most of the swelling has went away.  I have more energy after the transfusion, no doubt, but I'm still not bursting full of energy, but I do feel better.

I did my blood work today Monday 10/10/11 and I should have the blood count results back tomorrow.  This will determine if they will proceed with my last chemo this Thursday.  I am hoping my blood count is okay and I can get my last chemo and close the chapter on this part of the treatment.  Chemo has been a long road and I am ready for it to be over.  After this, I am thinking radiation will be a total breeze.

I will blog again once I have my blood work results and know for sure that my last treatment will be a go.
Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, love and support through this.  The hard part is almost done !

Pictures above, Noticeably the left arm is larger, but it looked much bigger in person than in this picture.

xoxoxoxo Sandy

Blood Transfusion 10/06/11

Well I received a call from the Dr. yesterday (which I knew was not a good sign) my blood work was not good.  My red blood cells are way down, platelets are down and so is my potassium levels.   So tomorrow Thursday, I will be having a blood transfusion because my red blood cells are too low for me to have my last chemo treatment at this point.
I was not surprised since it seems every week my blood levels have been so close to me needing the transfusion.  I was just hoping I could make it one more chemo without it.
The doctor said I should feel much better after the transfusion, so that will be a nice change.
I am not going to let this get me down because I have my last chemo next week and I am so ready to be done with this stage.

I will post more updates later in the week.  Everyone have a nice weekend !

xoxoxo Sandy

Race for a Cure - Saturday October 1st 2011

I had lots of family and friends by my side on Saturday October 1st as we walked/ran the breast cancer race for a cure.  It was Amazing to have so much love, support and encouragement around me.  I almost lost it a few times but held back the tears, they would have been happy tears anyway.   : 0 )
Kevin came down really sick and was in bed for two days straight with a stomach bug and was not able to join us.    He was disappointed he could not go and so was I, but I didn't let it get me down, he was there in spirit.   There is always next year.

Special thanks to those who were able to make it out Saturday:
Family:  Dana/Keith Rodgers (sister/bother-inlaw), Ryleigh and Rance (niece and nephew).
It was even Ryleigh's birthday, so she shared her special day with me and that was very nice of her.
Mom and my daughter Hailey.   Love You !

Friends:   Nicole Bacchi, Lisa Hales, Tami Nutley, Paul/Carla Shouse, Kevin/Leah Hockenberry and baby Greyden.

YOU guys are the BEST and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  It was a day I will never forget and will hold close to me always.

I had so many survivors come up to me during and after the race to give me words of encouragement and it was really nice to hear their stories and well wishes to me.

Thanks Tami for pushing me through the Survivor finish line, it was fun to walk through it with Hailey and Ryleigh by my side.  I think the girls enjoyed it as much as I did.

One more chemo treatment to go next week, and I will be Finished with the hardest part of this long process.
I am posting some pictures from Saturday.  Thanks Nicole for taking great pics. 
I have more pics to get off my camera and will post those later this week.