Thumbs Up! Round 2 Good!

Well, on Monday I went in for my second round of Chemo.. All went well, it was so much easier this time around since I have the port now. It still took a good 5 hours between appointments and waiting..but no complaints.
I am feeling well, I did have a slight reaction and woke up pink and flushed all over the next day...but it seems to have gone now.
My hair is another story...it is rapidly dissapearing. It is a little sad and has made me face the fact that I am dealing with some powerful meds...however it is the only way we can beat this darn BC. So, we will continue on the road with a Postive Mental Attitude (PMA)...I know my Dad would want that and I will not let him down.
It has been an UP Up week ...my Mom/Mormor/Anita is back in town (yeah!)...Lila is so excited to have Mormor take her to school and play with her! Thank you for being with us Mom!

Moving forward...

I have been feeling great this week, but was reminded that there is still work to be done. On Thursday I had my Port surgically placed. It was a short outpatient surgery, but still had to have anesthesia. Everything went well with no complications. The highlight was seeing Beto and Lila come pick me up and Lila holding a balloon that said "Get Well Mom"! We went home and took it easy the rest of the day. Lila has been so careful not to bump me, she knows I have a "band-aid" and a boo-boo. She reassures me everything is okay. Now that I have the Port in, treatments will be so much easier..no more needles and IV.

The other reminder that the Chemo meds. are doing their job is that the one side effect the Dr. said would occur has began. I thought that maybe, I would be lucky and it wouldn't happen to me..well I was wrong. Hair loss has begun. It seems like everyday more and more is falling out. Oh well or as we say in Spanish.."nimodos"..life goes on and so will treatment. I know it is only temporary so I must move forward and start showing off my hats and new hair.

On another note....Beto and I are sooo proud of our Lila. Today we took her to get her first Haircut. She was awesome. We have been talking to her about getting earrings just like Mami...so today she got her ears pierced too!!! Yes, she did cry ..but quickly got over it. She looks adorable. Will post pics. soon.

Thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers, notes and phone calls. Thanks to my wonderful Moms group for the meals this week---they are awesome. I will start Round 2 of chemo on Monday ...will post more then. xoxoxo

Everything will be Okay!

It has been a great week for me healthwise. I am feeling really good. Day 14 since my 1st Chemo round will be tomorrow that means hair loss will begin this week. I am trying to be positive about this, afterall this will not be a permanent thing and who knows maybe I will have blonde wavy hair once it grows back!! Lila and my mom came with me to the wonderful wig shop a couple weeks ago. It was a good visit and I actually found something. Since then, I cut my hair a little shorter and Lila has asked me a couple times " Mama, cut your hair? Take it off " --meaning take off the wig as she saw me try them on at the shop! It's pretty cute and she encourages me that it's only hair and it will grow back! Lila says " It's o.k. Mama "...and I agree with her ...yes everything will be okay.
This past week Lila came down with Croup. One night out of the blue she woke up coughing and gasping for air. We quickly tried to calm her down but had no luck. We took her to the ER and they determined that it was croup. She sounded horrible (very hoarse/bark cough)..she got some meds. and mist and quickly got better. Of course none of us got any sleep that night but our little girl was going to be alright and that's what counted . We can't wait for all of these winter colds and flus to go away. Is it Spring yet?
Lila is better and has not had another incident. Everything will be okay!

Feeling Good!

On Tuesday I went in to visit my oncologist, got some bloodwork done and had my 30 minute IV of med. (which will be weekly). Everything went well, and Dr. was pleased on results and how I did overall after first week of chemo.. Apparently after about 10 days since the chemo round my energy starts to go back up and I will start feeling my best. So I must say this is true. The last couple of days I have been feeling really good..almost doesn't seem like anything is wrong (wishful thinking!)....At this point I am enjoying life, and my hair! According to Dr. hair loss starts after about day 14 -17 since 1st round of chemo. ...we are getting to the half way mark.

Enjoying all the little things!

It is Sunday evening nearly one week ago since my 1st Chemo round. We had a really nice relaxing weekend at home; we took walks, enjoyed a cup of coffee at the park and just enjoyed eachothers company.

I have been feeling good with minimum aches....the only big test we had this weekend is with Lila trying to push Mami and Papi buttons to see if she can get her way...she won a few battles, but we had to stick to our guns on others. Boy, parenthood has new challenges each day!

Take time and enjoy all the little things !

Say "Cheese" !

Happy Birthday to you, Papi!

Well, it is Thursday, 4 days after the big round. I have been feeling good pretty much all day. A few tiny aches, but nothing to cry about!
Beto surprised us by staying home today...we celebrated his birthday with lots of singing, cake and presents. It is so much fun seeing Lila get so excited by the tiny sparkle of a candle which is then blown out in an instant! She gave Papa lots of hugs and kept saying "Happy Birthday Papi Papas!" These are the magical moments I hope to remember forever.
Mom/Mormor leaves tomorrow..we will miss her, but we know she will be back soon. It has been such a comfort to have her here with us during these difficult past couple of weeks.
It was definitely an UP day.

Thumbs Up! PMA! Everything is going to be alright!

Three generations!

Thank you for being with us Mom!

Day 3

Well, I had a little bit of a restless night..I guess my brain did not want to turn off! I made it thru until 6:45am when sweet Lila declared it was morning!
I have felt good today a few aches which is a side effect from the shot I had yesterday, but not so bad. Lila was taken to Preschool by "Mormor" and I was able to rest at home.
I am grateful today for my Mom's group that has organized meals to be delivered to us....they are such wonderful ladies and I am so thankful to be a part of their group.

Lila Jeanne 2 years and 5 months old.

Day 2

I woke up today with the sound of Lila.." Mami, mami, I need help!" which means come up here fast and lets play! I love it!
I feel good today..I went to get my shot today to help my white blood cell count.They say I might feel a little achy tomorrow and Thursday...so far nothing. We took advantage and did a little shopping today, LIla needed new shoes...her feet are growing so fast! and Mormor Mom/anita) and I got a few steals too!
It was definitely an UP day today...take a moment and give someone a hug!

First Day to Recovery

Monday morning I had my appointment with Oncologist. All my test results came back good..what a relief! We went on to the Infusion room and waited, and waited. My friend, Whitney, came by a made a surprise visit. She brought me a bouquet of beautiful pink tulips and cupcakes with white and pink frosting. Whitney is a survivor of BC and has been a godsend. Thank you Whitney.
So, then a sweet nurse tried to put my IV in and could not get it in...after two tries she had to ask someone else. So, nonetheless we didn't get start until 10:50am and finished at 3:30. Apparently this first round is slowwww...they make sure I don't have any reactions along the way, which I didn't. It was a long day, but a good one.
Beto and I came home to be with Mormor (my Mom, Anita) and Lila. Lila loved going to school with Mormor and getting picked up by Mormor..what a special treat!

I feel relief, and comfort that I am on the way to recovery. I know there will be ups and downs, but today was definitely up!

The Journey Begins

On January 14 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It has been quite a rollercoaster ride ever since then. After seeing specialists and getting tests done we now have a plan. We have decided to start Chemotherapy for 6 sessions (which means until mid-May) in hopes that tumor will shrink and Chemo will kill all cancer cells. At that point we will then schedule surgery.

So it is now Sunday Feb. 1st. Tomorrow we have an appt. with Oncologist to review my Bone Scan, CT scan and EchoCardio tests. Then we begin Chemo at 9:30a.m.. Beto has taken the day off to be with me for the first round. My Mom is here with us and she will take Lila to Preschool and look after her...so lucky and such a blessing to have her here with us.

I am alittle nervous about tomorrow but have done much research, saw a video and talked to my friend , Whitney, which have put me at ease. I am ready to be positive and have faith that it will all be okay. I know there will be ups and downs and I just hope there are more ups. I feel so fortunate to have the most wonderful loving husband and beautiful daughter (who makes us laugh everyday) along with my Mom all my family and friends. With all their support, prayers and PMA we will beat it.