Home from Houston

Well, there really isn't a whole lot to report. We are home from Houston, and we feel the only thing we really accomplished was the fertility issue. I have tests scheduled in Tyler on Thursday (CT, PET scan and Echo) and on Saturday (MRI). After that, I will meet with my oncologist next Tuesday and will probably start chemo either on Wednesday or Thursday. I'll keep ya posted!!

Here are just a few pics from Houston: (there would be more, but for some reason my camera deleted the rest of my pics, so this is all there is)

us waiting...in the waiting room :-)

Rob checking all the wonderful e-mails and comments we've received

Just us chillin' in our hotel room

Thanks for all the e-mails and comments! We LOVE reading all of them! Thanks to each of you for your prayers and support! Remember...With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

Our future Babies :-)

Well, today was a good day! We FINALLY met a doctor at MD Anderson who knew something!! I know that MD Anderson is supposed to be top notch best hospital for cancer, but they have yet to show that to us. We got a call this morning from the gynecologist (yes, the doctor herself) and she squeezed us in. We got there about 11:00 and we WAITED (I know, you're shocked!)!! They took me in and took my vitals, but NO BLOOD, and then we went back to the WAITING ROOM. After a little while, they called me back and I met with a nurse practitioner. She wasn't too sure of much and we were getting a little nervous that yet again we would be the victims of the non-informational non-knowing MD Anderson doctors. She left and went to get Dr. Keeler. She was great. She came in and discussed 4 different options with us about preserving fertility. The options were:

1. Freezing my ovary- which has a time constraint and could push chemo back and cause the cancer to spread further

2. Freezing eggs- basically same thing, but there is also a chance that the eggs will not live through the unfreezing process.

3. Freezing embryos- more of a success rate, but if we did not use all the embryos, they would discard of them which was not even an option for us because we are not going to allow anyone to discard of our babies.

4. A shot that will send me into early menopause.

We chose the fourth option. It is one shot every 3 months and basically sends a message to my brain that says I'm in menopause so it doesn't need to release eggs. It also keeps the ovary from soaking up the chemo. They have had success with this and it just seemed the best way to go. I will continue taking birth control pills, just a higher dose, to counter-act the side effects of the menopause. We will just trust God that this was the choice He wanted for us and He will protect my ovaries so we can have babies (LOTS & LOTS OF BABIES!!).

We will be heading back to Tyler next week and I will have the rest of my tests done. I should be starting chemo in a week and a half or two weeks. We are ready to get the show on the road. We are trusting God through all this and He has something great to come out of this. Thank you all for your prayers and support! With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

MD Anderson

Well, we got the call yesterday morning that they had appointments scheduled for me at MD Anderson for this week and next week. We switched to panic mode, Rob's mom headed to Tyler to stay with the girls and we threw clothes in a suitcase and headed to Houston. Of course, I forgot important things like my toothbrush, but that's ok because the hotel had one and we are right next door to a Kroger. Anyways, we drove in last night and I had an upset stomach the entire way. I think I was just anxious about leaving in such a hurry and coming to Houston so fast. Well, we got in around 9:30 pm and got to our hotel. We unloaded, unpacked and was just about ready to calm down for the evening when we realized that our room didn't have any internet service. This really doesn't work for Rob, so he called down and they decided to move us to another room, so we repacked everything and headed to another room. By this time, It was about 10:30 and I'm about to fall asleep standing up, so I crash.

My first appointment was for 7:30 am today, which for those of you that know me, I am NOT a morning person. I got up at the last possible minute, got ready and we took off. We get to the waiting room and we wait. Then we wait some more. Finally, about an hour later, they called us to go talk to business services to discuss insurance and stuff like that. Then, we go back to the waiting room where I fill out 8 pages of information...again!! After this, they tell me to go back to the lab and I'm so bummed because they are going to have to stick me in my little bitty veins. I go to the lab and they take my vital signs and NO BLOOD! I was so excited. I came back to the waiting room all smiles! Then we wait. About 30 minutes later, the nurse FINALLY came in and called my name. We go back to the room and talk to her briefly and refuse to have ANOTHER bone marrow test done. I just had one done two days ago and we had all the slides with us so it just seemed unnecessary to do another. She leaves and said another lady was going to come get us, so we wait. Can you tell we waited A LOT???? Well, another lady came in and got us and told me we were going back to the lab...OH NO!!!! Well, they had orders to fill up ELEVEN of those tubes with my blood, and not just fill up 11 of them, but they had to stick twice...ON PURPOSE!! Something about making sure my blood was mine. If it came out of my arm, who's else would it be??? Like my dad said, they were trying to make sure the blood in my right arm was the same as the blood in my left arm...who knows!! Well, they were good because they both got a vein on the first time, and I am so proud of my vein in my left arm. It filled up 10 of those tubes before giving out. My right arm is very bruised. Well, that was the end of the torture for the morning, so we left to go to lunch. We found an Olive Garden and took out our frustration on the chicken parmesean.

After lunch, we came back to the hotel and I took a nap. My next appointment wasn't until 2:00 so it was kind of nice to relax for just a little bit. Well, Rob woke me up and off we went again. We arrived at 1:45 pm, yes ladies and gentlemen, I was EARLY!! Well, they put us in the room about 1:55 pm and we waited...seriously!! The nurse came in briefly and said that the PA would be in to talk to us soon (notice I said soon). Well, about 3:15, the PA came in. She told us that it was mandatory for me to have a bone marrow test done at MD Anderson if I was to be treated there. We told her that I was going to be treated in Tyler because our kids are in school and our house and friends and family are close by. She looked us straight in the eye and said "I don't know why you are here then." Rob and I about fell out of our chairs. She left to go get the doctor, so we fumed and WAITED! While we were waiting, Rob called Dr. Lee (my oncologist in Tyler) and left a message for her or her nurse Bill to call us ASAP. About 15 minutes later the doctor came in. He had just talked to Dr. Lee and was very nice about the fact that we really came down here before we really needed to. They are not going to run any test here except the fertility test now. So, we talked to Dr. Lee's office and they are going to set the test back in Tyler. The plan now is to see the gynecologist tomorrow, a transplantist on Monday (just in case) and Dr. Burger (the doctor here) on Tuesday and then head home.

On the aspect of harvesting my eggs, we discussed this with Dr. Burger today. He said it would really depend on what the OBGyn says tomorrow. He said it takes a certain amount of time for the hormones to work and they have to do it at a certain time to make it work. Also, there is the chance that if we delay the chemo to do the eggs, the hormones they give me could cause the cancer to "explode" (his word) in my body and that wouldn't be good either. Rob and I have talked about it and prayed and we are going to trust God in this. If the OBGyn says we can do it then great let's get to it, if she advises against it, then we are going to trust Him that my ovaries will come back after the chemo. If it isn't His will, then we will adopt.

About the chemo, if everything goes according to plan, and we can't harvest my eggs, it looks like I will be starting chemo late next week or early the week after next. I know this is a lot of information and I thank each of you for taking the time to read it and keep us in your prayers. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact us at wewillbeatthis@gmail.com.

WITH GOD WE WILL BEAT THIS!

Milk, It does a body good!

Well, the bone marrow test is over. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it wasn't a walk in the park. I told them I didn't want to see the needle and they kept it hidden from me. Rob told me it had a handle on it so they could really push it in. Well, after they numbed it up, they told me they were ready to go in. I felt a lot of pressure and just a little bit of pain. They kept saying it wasn't deep enough. To me it felt like it was going to come out the other side, but apparently they just couldn't get through my bone. Rob said the doctor stopped three times to take a break and her face was red. I guess I should have warned them that I drink a lot of milk, and I mean A LOT! Well, they finally got through and were able to fill up 6 test tubes and 12 slides of bone marrow. I'm still sore and I can't walk real fast, but I'm ok. I slept most of the afternoon and plan on going back to work tomorrow.

Test updates:
On Friday, starting at 8:00 am, I will have a CAT scan, PET scan and an ECHO. On Saturday, I will have a MRI. It looks right now that they are not going to have to do the spinal puncture which is an answer to prayer, but we are not in the clear yet. Please keep praying they don't have to do one and that all these tests come back clear. We should know something about the bone marrow test by tomorrow. We still don't know when we will be going to MD Anderson. Last we heard, my report was going before the board to see if I would be accepted. If I am not, we will go to Dallas to have my eggs harvested.

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. We really appreciate all of it! With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

Relaxation, Rough Times & Faith

In case you haven't noticed, the e-mails are coming from Rob and are more for informational purposes, and the blogs are written by me for information but also so you can catch a glimpse into what this experience is like for me. Again, I want to thank each of you for praying for me and my family, for sending encouraging words our way, and for spreading the word so we can have others praying for us as well.

This past weekend, I went to Shreveport for a wedding shower and to just get away for a little while. The weekend was full of emotions, some good, some bad, and some just in the middle. When I got to town on Saturday, a friend of mine treated me to a manicure and pedicure. It was so wonderful and helped me get my mind off of things for a short time. I got french tip on my nails and LIME GREEN on my toes! I LOVE THEM!! My friend told me it matched my personality: "Brave", my mom did NOT like them (good thing it's on my toes and not hers!), but every time I look down at them, I smile. After being pampered and a great lunch (if ever in Shreveport, try the Village Market), I met up with another friend of mine and we went to her son's (3 yrs. old) t-ball game. It was the cutest thing I ever saw! The kids would dive-bomb the ball, but still so cute!

My weekend wasn't completely relaxation. I had my first true rough moments through this experience, and it wasn't at the time that I thought I would. It started Friday night when I was washing my hair and I realized that in a month or so, I wouldn't have any hair to wash. Don't get me wrong, I'm like most girls where I don't really care for my hair, but it is MY hair, it is connected to MY head. The next one was on Saturday night when I was straightening my hair. Again, the same thing...the thing that I've hated to do, something that takes forever is something that I'm going to miss a lot. It was rough. I've joked about FINALLY getting straight hair when I get a wig, but when it came down to the fact that the doctor told me FOR SURE I would lose my hair, it wasn't much of a laughing matter anymore.

Finally, the absolute best part of my weekend- the Faith part. I had the opportunity on Sunday to be anointed with oil. If you don't know, this is scripture based:

James 5:14-16

14- Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15- And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16- Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I had my family, prayer warriors, and my former preacher gathered around me in the name of the Lord praying for me. God was there. He was sitting there holding my hand. I believe that I am going through this for a reason and He will let me know that reason when I am ready.

Now for the update, I will be having a bone marrow test tomorrow morning at 9:40 am. I've heard from several people that it really isn't very bad, but I'm still scared. I don't do pain!! I don't know when any of my other tests will be held. I'll keep ya posted. I also realized I forgot to tell you what type of chemo I will be on. It is called hyper-CVAD. I will have 8 treatments each 21 days long. It will be a long road, but with God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Jeremiah 29:11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon
me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will
seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

This scripture verse was brought to us by our dear sweet mom. This scripture verse speaks alot to us and we are going to make this our verse to live by during these times. It is a awesome verse and something we all need to read, pray and understand.

WITH GOD WE WILL BEAT THIS

The First Oncology Visit

Today was our appointment with the oncologist. We thought we were going in to discuss treatment and what exactly T-ALL meant. Apparently, it is a very aggressive type of lymphoma, but there is a 90% success rate in curing it. Of that 90%, 70% do not relapse.

Ok, let me start from the beginning. We get to the oncologist and of course, there is the novel of paperwork to fill out and the good ole' co-pay. So, we sit and I begin to fill out the paperwork of my life history. Shortly, the lab nurse came in and got us. Again, we just thought we were there to discuss things...but, of course they had to torture me some. They wanted BLOOD!! They wanted to fill up SIX of those little tubes, but they didn't think they could do it without my vein giving in. Well, for most people to give blood, it is unpleasant, but triple that for me. If a normal persons veins are a regular straw, then mine are the little coffee stirer straws. It is very hard for them to find my veins. Anyways, after sticking twice, they found one. They were able to fill up 4 1/2 of the tubes. Hopefully, that's enough to find out what they need to find out.

Well, onto the visit with the doctor. First the nurse took my vitals and I was running a slight fever, but I think that could just be from not sleeping well. Everything else was good. My blood pressure was a little high, but the nurse agreed that it might have something to do with the fact that I was told yesterday that I have cancer...that could push it up a little..don't ya think?? Anyways, the doctor came in and she felt around. I have several lymph nodes that are swollen in my neck, but the good news is that it seems to be only in my neck. She didn't feel any others swollen. She then started to describe the treatment....UGH!! I will start very soon (probably next week) with some testing so they can figure out what stage I am in and also if there is anything in my bone marrow. I will have a CT scan, PET scan, bone marrow test, spinal puncture (doesn't that sound fun!?!?) and others. I will also be going to MD Anderson or to Dallas to have some of my eggs frozen so that when we beat this mess, Rob and I will be able to have more kids. If MD Anderson can get me in next week, they will be doing all the testing.

Treatment: I will be undergoing a very aggressive regiment of chemo. I will be in the hospital for a week receiving chemo, out for 2 weeks and then back in for a week...etc. for 6 months. Then, I will have 2 months recovery after those 6 months. It will be a long hard battle, but I have God on my side and He will get me through. Unfortunately, I will not be able to work for a minimum of 8 months. I will lose my hair which won't be fun, but maybe I can have a very cute wig!! :-)

Please pray specifically for the following things: God to do a miracle and the cancer be gone before they even start chemo. Strength for us and our families. The bone marrow test to come back great. Finances (since I will be out of work for 8 months). The feeling to come back on the left side of my face (I know it's small, but it's driving me CRAZY!!).

Thank you to each of you who are praying for us. We believe that God will get us through this. Even though this is something we never thought we would have to face (and we hope none of you ever will), we are determined to beat it. It is tough and it will continue to get tough as time goes on, but with God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!!!

The Diagnosis

Today, April 17th, I was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (T-ALL). I know the big word, but I really don't know what it means other than I have lymphoma which is a type of blood cancer. Yep, the big "C" word. This may have come as a shock to most of you, but for us, it was a 2-3 week process. It started with a swollen lymph node on my neck (about 3 mths ago). After waiting it out, per my doctor's instructions, they decided to do a blood test to make sure it wasn't leukemia. My results came back as low white blood count (not really low, but lower than it should be). So, I went to see a surgeon. She decided the best thing to do was to just get the lymph node out and do a biopsy on it. So on Monday, I went in and had a lymphotomy [another big word :-)]. She told me that when she looked at it, she thought it looked good. We got a call last night saying that she wanted us to come in this morning. We prepared ourselves for the worst. I think we actually shocked her because we went in and when she said it was bad news, I said to her "it's lymphoma? What do we do?". I will go to the oncologist tomorrow and will have more news then. Thank you to each of you who have already called, e-mailed, and messaged us. Many of you have asked what can you do. Right now, we are just asking that everyone pray and pray hard!! We are doing ok right now. Our spirits are high and we are in the fighting mode. I know that I have God on my side and we will come out on top of this thing. Lymphoma is a very cureable cancer from what we have heard, but as of right now, we are waiting for the appointment tomorrow. I will keep everyone informed.

We went to eat after the appointment and this is Rob's fortune from his fortune cookie. I thought it was great!