Our God is an AWESOME God!

We got GREAT news from the doctor yesterday. I went in for my normal check up and to see if my platelet count was either at 100 or close to it so I could begin chemo on Monday. Well, when the doctor came in, she said she had to look at my results several times, check the name on them and make sure they were from that day before she could believe it. My white blood count (WBC) went from 1.2 on Tuesday to 8.7 on Friday. That is in normal range! When I went to MD Anderson, my WBC was 2.4, so this was a HUGE jump. Also, I know you have been praying for my platelets. On Tuesday, they were at 65. On Friday, they were at 256!!! My doctor looked at me and said it was unbelieveable. My response to her was "prayer works."

I am so thankful to each of you who prayed for my counts to go up. God is the Great Physician and He is so awesome. I could not make it through all of this without Him.

I will be entering the hospital on Monday morning for my next round. I believe this round is only 3 days, but it is supposed to make me dizzy and unsteady on my feet. I will try my best to update, but we will just have to see how the chemo makes me feel. If I can't, then Rob will be updating.

With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!!

It's a NO hair day!

Well, my original plan was to go on Friday and get my head shaved. Well, after my hair started falling out, I realized it was happening faster than I thought and more than likely, I would not have any hair left by Friday, so we bumped up the date. Here are a few pics from the evening:

Rob and I before we left to go. I'm wearing a hat because the top of my head had several bald spots already. It was really not pretty.

Me and my sweet friend Crystal. She shaved her head with me to help me get through the experience.

This is my friend and hairdresser Sharon.

Crystal went first. Her first expression was shock.

About half way through we started laughing

Then it was my turn- Do you like my fake smile?

Even though I knew it was coming off, I was still nervous.

The pile of hair

And here we are...

Thank you so much Crystal for doing this with me. The laughter (mostly coming from our husbands) made it a fun experience!

Now for a health update: I went to the doctor on Tuesday and everything looked good. All my blood counts were up...even my white blood count. My platelets are going up as well. They have to reach 100 before they can start my next round of chemo. They were at 65. Please pray they will reach 100 so we can start on schedule next Monday.

I have been feeling very good lately. Saturday was the last day that I had to lay around most of the day. Sunday morning, I was able to go to Sunday School which was so special to me. I was pretty lazy the rest of the day because it kind of wore me out, but I still was so glad I got to go. On Monday, I was able to be up the whole day and sit with the family and some friends. Each day I get a little stronger. Thank you so much for each of your prayers. I know it is because of them that I am getting stronger.

WITH GOD, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

I thought that when my hair fell out, it would come out gradually. It would just be a little more each day. Boy, was I wrong!! Well, the first clump came out yesterday. It was kind of shocking. It was a whole handful of hair. I got about 2 handfuls yesterday. Today, I got up and brushed out my hair...literally. It came out in huge clumps. Fortunately, I have VERY thick hair so it is just kind of thinning and you can't tell yet, but you will be able to if it falls out more and more everyday. I'm going to go ahead and have it shaved this week so I won't have to deal with it next week in the hospital.

In other news, I have been feeling really "good." It is so nice to be able to get up and spend time with the girls and Rob. I've also slept the past few nights. Thank you for all those specific prayers. Please keep them going!!

Thank you for all the prayers. Each one is so appreciated!

With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

Doctor News

Well, I went to the doctor yesterday for my bi-weekly checkup. She told me to have a bag packed and be prepared to stay a night in the hospital to get platelets and possibly blood. We went in and I was still feeling "good" compared to the earlier part of the week. They took my blood (it is so funny to me at the amount of blood they take from me all the time- if they would quit taking it, they wouldn't have to give me so much...lol!!) and then we waited. The nurse took all my vital signs and they were good. We then waited for the doctor. She came in and pulled up the lab tests. According to that morning's tests and compared to the tests from Wednesday morning when I left the hospital, my white blood count stayed the same at .2. My red blood count went up to 1.4 and my platelet count dropped from 60 to 57. She said it was great that it didn't drop like she expected it to. I didn't need to go to the hospital. YEAH!!

I was still having a "good" day, but not the best day. I've been having some pains in my legs, back, and then I started having some in my sides. The nurse told me that one of my medications can cause joint pain, but it is ever going. Mom and I drove around Tyler for awhile to get out of the house, but I soon learned that my stamina is very limited. I was worn out within a hour. She brought me home and I layed down for a while. I never could get comfortable because of the aching pain. The heating pad helps some, but when I have a hot flash (which come on about 3-4 times a day), the heating pad is the last thing I want. Anyways, I made it through the day and slept a little last night, oh, did I mention the insomnia has kicked in?? Apparently, chemo makes you very weak and tired, but you NEVER go to sleep! :-) I haven't slept much in a few days, but I feel awake during the day, so that is good.

Well, that is the update for me right now. I seem to be having a "good" day so far, but it is only 8:00 am. Before you go, I want to share a little story with you about specific prayer:

I spoke to my sister-in-law sometime Wednesday afternoon. She was calling to check on me and then she told me she wanted to tell me something. (just a little background- when she first starting dating my brother, she was in a bad car accident and hurt her back. She had to have back surgery and wear a brace). Well, she told me that while she was in the hospital, her dad said a very specific prayer for her. He prayed that God would take away her back pain and give it to him. From that day on, her back didn't hurt, but her dad's did. She told me she knew it would work, but she was scared to pray it for me, but on Tuesday night, she prayed that God would give her my nausea and upset stomach so that I could have a good day. On Wednesday, I was fine. I kept all my food down. When talking to her, I found out that she was sick all night Tuesday and Wednesday. What a sacrifice!!

I didn't tell you that story to have you pray any of my aches pains or anything onto yourselves. I wouldn't wish ANY of this on anyone!! I just wanted you to know the power of SPECIFIC PRAYER. So, if while you are praying for me, maybe you could throw in a few specifics. We all know God is great and He doesn't have to "transfer" anything. He can just toss it in the garbage. If you don't know of any specifics, here are just a few that I have been praying and if you want more, just contact me:

sleep at night

aching pain in legs to go away

back pain to go away

that I will not get nauseous

that I can get up and do things around the house

that my ovaries are being protected from the chemo

the hot flashes subside

the feeling in the left side of my face to come back (from the surgery)

the transition of losing my hair to go smoothly (emotionally)

These are just a few, but if they were gone, it would make this road a lot easier. Thank you so much for all your prayers! We appreciate each and everyone!

WITH GOD, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

It's ME!!

Hey everyone! Obviously by the fact that I am actually able to blog that I am doing better. The first half of the week was very rough. I couldn't get out of bed or keep anything down. It was absolutely miserable. I knew I would have bad days but that took me totally by surprise. After going to the doctor on Tuesday, which in itself was a new experience, they admitted me to the hospital. On the new experience, while at the doctor's office, I was feeling very bad. The nurse let me lay down on the "bed" thing in there to see if it would make me feel better. She went and got me a blanket and THEN...she laid her hands on me and PRAYED over me!!! How awesome! It was so sweet. I layed in there for quite awhile. The doctor came in and looked at me and knew that I didn't feel good. She told me that my blood counts had dropped drastically. My red blood count went to .8 and my white blood count was .2. That's crazy! She said that I would have to go get a blood transfusion in the hospital. I knew this was a possiblity, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. Anyways, I convinced her that I needed to get to the hospital and get going before they did the spinal tap since I couldn't lay still for 4 hours since I couldn't keep anything down. She agreed and sent us to the hospital. Well, in the admitting office, I figured out how to get in quickly...ask for a bucket!! That guy moved so fast!

Anyways, it still took awhile for them to get me going on fluids and blood, but laying down made me feel better. All my nurses came in and told me they didn't expect to see me so soon, but it was nice to see me. My mom said my face was as white as my t-shirt in the waiting room. My doctor came in and did the spinal tap. The fluid was clear..yeah! She had me lay there for 5 hours instead of 4 just to help with the headache.

I got out early Wednesday morning. I came home and felt much better, but not great. My dad and some friends came in to see me and I was glad that I was able to lay on the couch and talk to them while they were here. If they had come any time earlier, I wouldn't have been able to see them. I was able to stay up till around 1 and then had to go lay down. I slept till about 4:30 and then was able to get up again for a little while. I was at least able to keep some food down.

Today was much better. I actually was able to get up and get out of bed for the whole day. With the PICC line, it is not exactly easy to wash my hair, so my mom took me to the salon and I got my hair washed...so nice!! and then we went to look at wigs. That was a different experience. Well, that wore me out, so we came home after that. I just kind of chilled on the couch, but I didn't take a nap and was able to keep everything down.

I just wanted to say thank you to each of you who have been praying for me! Please continue. There are other things I want to say, but looking at the computer screen doesn't always agree with my stomach right now. I will try to update as much as possible, but please continue to check as Rob will be updating as well on the days I can't.

With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!!

Dehydration and Blood Transfusions

This is Rob once again. Vanessa has been unable to update the blog due to her current health. I am going to post once again for those that dont get my almost daily email updates. I will post what I sent out on email this evening

Wow!! What a day it was. Vanessa went in this morning to have her lumbar puncture done. While she was there, she was admitted into the hospital. She was admitted for dehydration, her red blood count was .8, but the platelets were good enough to perform the spinal tap. She got checked into her room and was given her spinal puncture. Around 3pm she was given her first pint of blood. The blood that was given to her had to be treated with radiation prior to her receiving it. She is currently taking her 2nd bag. Let's hope that is all she needs. We do not know when she will be going home, but we are anticipating tomorrow sometime.

Our Sunday School teacher visited Vanessa this afternoon. They had a great visitation time. She also made dinner for the kids, which I understand was awesome. I can;t wait to get home and try it. I have been between the hospital and all over East Texas today. I want to thank Angie for the meal she made for us and it was very much appreciated by all. We will miss you teaching our class.

Vanessa is currently sitting up in her bed. That is huge progress from when we brought her home. Since Friday night, she never really got out of bed nor sat up. She was so weak, nauseous and in extreme pain from her headache. She is talking to our kids and laughing with them. What a great sight to see. Continue praying. We know our God is great. We are trusting in him and his healing hands. We know it is in his time. However, With God, We Will Beat This!

Hopefully Vanessa will be posting these blogs real soon. Her blogs are mor einteresting and humorous. Take care and God Bless.

General Information

Hey, this is Rob here. I normally wouldn't post here but Vanessa wants me to get some quick information out. We have heard from a few people that they are not getting their email updates. Please look in your spam folder if it is not in your inbox. Due to there being a hyper-link in the email, most email systems automatically put it in spam.

Secondly, if your not on our email list and would like to be, please send us an email to wewillbeatthis@gmail.com and we will add you to our list.

Thirdly, we have purchased more Lymphoma pins. We sold over 177 pins so far. We think that is awesome. Vanessa and I want to get these pins out and get the Lymphoma Society and its colors out there like breast cancer awareness. If you or someone you know would like one please email us at the above address. Ask your friends and family if they would like to get the word out about Lymphoma.

Vanessa, if she is feeling better, will be speaking at the Lymphoma Society Luncheon on Thursday. She was asked by the society if she would be willing to speak at the luncheon as a patient, someone who is living with lymphoma, and give her perspective about the importance of the society. Here is their web site http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls

Last but not least, we have one more special prayer request. We have a very good friend whose father has a tumor on his neck. It is surrounding his carotid artery, and possibly may be inoperable. He has appointments on Wednesday and Thursday. Let's pray that he has a complete healing. We know our God is a healing God. He is a miraculous, awesome God.

With God, We Will Beat This!!

PICC, Pumps, Lumbar Puncture and Chemo

Sorry I didn't update yesterday, but the internet was down in the hospital until this morning. I don't think I can get it all in chronological order, but here's the scoop:

We arrived at the hospital around 9:00 yesterday morning. About 10:30, we were taken down to the Radiology department to have them insert the PICC line. After being down there for about 10 minutes, they told us that they were not going to do it down there, and then took us up to my room. I have a nice suite. It is much larger than most hospital rooms. It has a fold-out couch (and according to Rob, it's VERY UNCOMFORTABLE), an arm chair, large bathroom, 2 TV's and a DVD player. We also have a great view of seeing the helicopters taking off and some restaurants and streets.

While waiting for them to come get me the lab tech came in. She had to take blood. I told her I thought that was the point of the PICC line so I wouldn't have to be stuck anymore. She said they had to take blood before they could do the PICC line. She filled up 4 tubes. Well, around 1:00 pm, they came and got me for my PICC line. I was waiting for my lunch to arrive so I wasn't real thrilled that they came to get me before that, but you just kind of have to go with the flow. They took me down to the radiology department (different one) and got me ready to go. They did the ultrasound on my arm to locate a vein and she showed me how they open and close. It was really cool. After waiting around for awhile, the PA came in and said he was ready to go. The worst part of it was the shot they gave me to numb it. After it was numb, they took off and put it in. I could see my chest ultrasound on the TV monitor in front of me and saw them slide in the line to my heart. It was so neat to see. They stitched me up and I was sent back up to the room. My lunch still wasn't there. I asked my nurse and she said she would check on it. We waited and my stomach growled.

About 4:30 pm, the nurse came in and said they were going to start my medication. They started me out with Mesna which was a coating medication. It basically works to coat my organs to protect them from the chemo. At about 5:30, they came in and started the chemo. It is called Cytoxin. They run it with the Mesna and it runs about 3-4 hours. The Mesna runs 24 hours a day. They also put in some medication using a syringe, but I'm not sure what that was. They also brought me 19 pills to take. Again, this is funny because I can only swallow one pill at a time. I was one of those kids that couldn't swallow a pill until high school, and sometimes they still get stuck. One of the pills was about the size of my thumb too! Oh, and I was STILL STARVING!!

FINALLY, my nurse rescued a cheeseburger and fries from downstairs for me. I ate it and about 30 minutes later, dinner showed up. It was funny, but I was so hungry that I ate it too. It wasn't to shabby for hospital food.

The nurse came in and went over some guidelines for visitors and things. I am considered "Neutropathic". This means that I am very prone to infection because my white blood count is so low. So, anyone who comes to visit must wash their hands upon entering my room, if they have any type of illness (even allergies) they are asked to wear a mask or not come visit until they have been clear for 48 hours, no plants or flowers in my room because of the chemicals that are used on them, I have to wear a mask whenever I am out of my room, my door has to stay shut to keep germs out, and I can't eat any fresh fruits or vegetables.

About 8:00 pm my doctor came in to check on me. She said that the rest of my tests looked good. Not really sure what "good" means, but she wasn't concerned with anything on them, so that made us happy. She also said she was glad that my white blood count is not dropping the way that it normally would. It has slowed down which is already an answer to prayer. It was dropping about .5/week and this past week it only dropped .1. A normal WBC is 4.0-11.0 and mine yesterday was 1.9. She told me that we were going to do the lumbar puncture around 7:30 this morning. I told her I don't do mornings, and she said she usually does them around 5:30 am, so I told her 7:30 would be just fine!

I finally got my last pills around 10:30 last night and was able to go to bed. Of course, it couldn't go simply. About the time I finally fell asleep, my IV pump started beeping. My dosage was over so we had to call the nurse in to come fix it. She did and back to sleep we go. About the time I fell asleep again, the other IV pump started beeping (yes I have 2 pumps going at once- 3 bags going at once). Again, we had to call the nurse. Only this time it was me. I had fallen asleep on the IV tube and had folded it so the chemo couldn't get through...oops! Finally, I think we are going to get some sleep. Not quite...at 3:45 am, the nurse came in and said she needed to get some blood from me. This is where I LOVE my PICC line. She just hooked up to that and took it out. I couldn't even feel it. She took out about 4 syringes full. She left and I close my eyes. About 4:00 am, she came back and said she needed more. She had to fill up 26 of those tubes. I'm not sure what they needed 26 tubes for, but they got it. I thought surely that was it for the night, but I was wrong. About 10 minutes later, they came in and asked me the lovely question of about how many times I had gone to the bathroom...REALLY??? They couldn't wait until like 6:00??? We never went back to sleep.

Well, around 7:30, Dr. Lee came in and sent Rob away. He wasn't allowed to stay during the lumbar puncture, so he decided to go do a local job in town. She got me all set up and started the procedure. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I still think it was worse than the bone marrow procedure. She got the needle in but no fluid would come out, so they had to do it again between two other disks. She evidently hit a nerve in there because my left leg spasmed. She drew out the fluid and said it was clear so that is good. She then changed out the syringe (using the same needle) and inserted chemo directly into my spine. I asked her if this was just a one time chemo, and she said no that I would have to get it every time I was in the hospital, so I will have to have lumbar punctures every 3 weeks...ugh!! I had to lay flat on my back for 4 hours after the procedure. I fell asleep for awhile, but then the nurse came in and had me take 19 pills again. I had to sit up to take these and that made me get a headache. I also couldn't get out of the bed, and after drinking the 2 glasses of water to get all the pills down, it wasn't exactly a fun couple of hours to wait. I couldn't go back to sleep after she woke me up. They came in and gave me a shot of Demerol for my headache and that helped a little bit. I had to have another one later and I still have a small headache.

Just a quick side note. I just want everyone to know how great of a husband I have. He has stood by me through all of this and has been there for every ache and pain I have had. He rubbed my head today to help get rid of my headache even though he was exhausted himself. He has fetched me water and helped me hike my IV pole to the bathroom about 1,000 times- even in the middle of the night. He is the spiritual leader in our home and someone I am so thankful to have in my life.

That's pretty much the scoop for the past two days. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. In this process, we have come across some other people who are also in need of prayer, so if you don't mind, when you pray for me, can you also mention these people:

James (knot in neck, needle biopsy did not reveal anything so they will have to surgically remove it)
Marty (the Chaplin at the hospital's sister diagnosed last week with breast cancer)
Sullivan Farrar (leukemia) http://www.sullivanfarrar.com/

With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

Just a quick update

Just wanted to give a quick update. I made it through all the MRI's yesterday...WOOHOO!! Everything is still on track...chemo and PICC line on Monday, two lumbar punctures on Tuesday (YUCK!!), and chemo the rest of the week. Rob's mom is coming in next week to help with the girls and with me, and then my mom is going to come in the following week when I am at home. We don't know how I will react to the chemo, so we are just going to make sure that there is someone here to help if we need it.

Also, we have heard from several people trying to sign the prayer map that they are getting a "bad gateway" error message. This is nothing that you are doing. It is something with their server. If you hit the refresh button (usually just once or twice) it will refresh to the map.

Thanks for all the prayers and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!

WITH GOD, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

FINALLY...some news!

We heard from the doctor today and I will be starting chemo on Monday. They will be putting in a PICC line first thing and then they will start chemo sometime that afternoon. We are excited to FINALLY have a date to get things going. On Tuesday, I will be having two spinal punctures. I really could do without that, but if it has to be done, then it has to be done. The doctor at least apologized today about not being prepared for us yesterday. She mentioned my CT scan and said that there were only 2 lymph nodes that were large, but they were only about an inch big. The rest that were swollen were not as large. She said it was good and that it means there is no cause for EXTRA concern. Basically, we caught it early even though I am in Stage IV.

That's really all the news that we have as of right now. At least it is "good" news. I have the rest of my MRI's tomorrow.

Thanks for all the prayers and for signing the prayer map. We love so much to read all the emails and comments!

WITH GOD, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

More Frustration

We went to the oncologist this morning fully expecting her to tell us that I would be starting chemo tomorrow or Thursday. What we didn't expect was to have her be COMPLETELY unprepared for our appointment. She hasn't looked at any of the test results and wasn't prepared for anything. It basically was just an appointment for them to take our co-pay. I have the other 3 MRI's scheduled for Thursday, so I can start chemo as early as Friday or as late as Monday. We did find out that I am at Stage 4, which we had already figured out. It is scary, but even stage 4 has a very good success rate, and for people under the age of 50, the success rate doubles. It's just frustrating because my chemo keeps getting pushed off, but we are trusting that the doctor knows what she is doing and of course, we are trusting God. We know that He is in control.

I have a prayer map now. You can click on the link (the underlined words) in this blog or on the right hand side of our page. It will pull up our prayer map and you can add yourself. It will be great to see where everyone is who is praying for not only me, but for my whole family. Thank you so much!


Join with us and help us support Lymphoma awareness. We are ordering lime green ribbon lapel pins and are selling them for $3 each. They are about 1" tall. If you would like to join us in this, please email us at wewillbeatthis@gmail.com and let us know how many you would like. It will take a few weeks to get them in, but we want to get the word out. We want everyone to recognize lime green as much as they recognize the pink ribbons for breast cancer.


Thank you again for all your prayers and support, and remember...

WITH GOD, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

The MRI Saga

My MRI was scheduled for Saturday morning. As soon as we walked into the admitting office, we heard the lady on the phone talking about labs. I just knew she was talking about me. Sure enough, she gets off the phone, verifies who I am and then tells me that before they can do the MRI, they have to know my creatinine level. Of course, I have my lab results from MD Anderson at the house, just not with me because nobody told us they would need them. So, we sit down while they figure out if they are going to be able to do the MRI since they didn't have any blood work. So we wait...and finally, the tech comes down and explains that they are going to go ahead and do the MRI, but that I will have to give up some more blood so they can run this test. Don't you know I was so excited!?!?! Well, they decide that since I am such a hard stick (as they say in the medical field), they will just pull blood from my IV since I will have to have one for the MRI. I say fine and then he tells us that the MRI will last about 3 hours because it is basically 4 tests and then they inject some glow in the dark stuff in me and do it all again. We aren't happy, but it has to be done. They get me in the room, changed into the lovely paper outfit and on the "bed" for the MRI machine. He told me that he was going to get the blood first so they could get it down to the lab. He put the IV in on my right hand (my 3rd this week) and used a syringe to pull the blood out. I could feel it all the way up my arm. It was very weird. He finally got all the blood that he needed and then flushed out the IV. I was ready to go. He explained to me how it worked and that I needed to be still. They are going to do all the tests and then inject me and run it again. He gets me positioned, and then tapes my head down. He put a washcloth over my eyes and then put a cage over my head. It really was the camera, but it was a cage too. He slid me in and I scrapped the sides going in. He slid me right back out and said he forgot to give me earplugs. So he put them in and slid me back in. I was trying to breathe deeply and I prayed that God would get me through it, but I couldn't do it. It totally freaked me out. I started crying and told him I couldn't do it and to get me out of there. I did the PET scan and thought it would be similar, but it was such a tight fit. I had my arms crossed in front of me to make my shoulders as thin as possible, but they still scrapped the sides of the machine. He told me that I could come back this week and they could do it with sedation, so we left. The more I thought about it, the more freaked out I got. Every time I closed my eyes that night, I was back in the machine. I lost it. After Rob saw how it affected me, he agreed with me that I couldn't do it even with sedation. This morning, Rob called Tyler Open MRI and they were able to get me in for one of the four tests. I went in and they did the cervical spine (neck). It was so much better. I could even keep my eyes open during the process. I could see the room out of the corner of my eyes so it was much better. I am scheduled to have the rest of them on Thursday if they do not start chemo on Wednesday. We meet with the oncologist tomorrow morning at 10:00 so I will have more to report on that.

With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

Tornado and Tests

I woke up this morning to a weather alert. Soon after, there was a tornado in Canton at the Trade Days park. My mom decided that we needed to get to the hospital before the tornados got to Tyler. So, we kicked it into gear and got ready. As we were about to head out the door, the news reported a tornado in Lindale, which is only about 20 minutes away. We took off. Well, one of my test was in the main hospital and the other was in the off campus portion. They are connected by a skywalk. We parked in the parking garage and went to the skywalk. When we got there, two ladies were standing there and told us they were not allowing anyone to cross. I looked at mom and she had very determined eyes. She told that lady that these tests have already been scheduled twice and we were NOT going to miss it again. They let us pass. We just watched the sky as we walked and made it across just fine. We went down to the admitting waiting room. We were called to the admitting desk to fill out the paperwork again. Right after we sat down, the electricity in the hospital went out. The generators kicked in just a few seconds later, but mom and I both knew what that could mean. We finished filling out the paperwork and went to the other end of the hospital where they do the Echo's. On the way there, they had an announcement over the intercom saying that we were no longer under a tornado warning. When we got to the waiting room, one of the techs came in and told us that they were still working on generators, so it would be a little while before they could do the test. I was a little frustrated, but at least we were there and they didn't cancel it. After about another 15 minutes, they came out and got me. I went back and they did the echo. It was cool to watch my heart beating on the screen. That lasted probably about 30 minutes and then we headed back to the other clinic to get the PET scan. They had a few cancellations because of the storm so they were able to get me in early. I was excited because I was STARVING!! Well, they took me back and had to put another IV in me...ugh! This time it HURT! They finally got me hooked up and the Echo tech came and got me. They put me in a dark room in a recliner with three pillows and warm blankets. They injected me with the radioactive tracer and told me I had to lay still for an hour. He told me I could go to sleep if I wanted to, but I had way too much on my mind so I just laid there and thought about stuff. An hour later, they came and got me and took me to the room. I sat on the "bed" and got ready to go. They strapped me in and told me to lay still and that the bed would move me in and out of the machine for the next 20 minutes. I closed my eyes and they got started. Well, I made the mistake of opening my eyes inside the machine. If you are the tiniest bit claustrophobic, DO NOT open your eyes in one of those machines. All I could think about was get me out of this machine. FINALLY, it was over. I have my MRI scheduled for tomorrow morning.

With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!

Test Day #1

My PET scan, CT scan and Echo was scheduled for today, so my mom drove in last night so she could go with me today. Yesterday, I had to have a "lazy" day and do nothing, drink lots of water and have low to no carbs for dinner for the PET scan. After midnight, nothing to eat or drink. So I did all that, got up this morning and off we went to the hospital. We get there, sign in and the receptionist tells me that she has nothing scheduled for me. I think my jaw hit the floor (my chin is getting bruised from all this jaw-dropping news!). She called around and finally talked to someone who can see every department in the hospital and they told her that my doctor had sent a fax to cancel all my tests for today. Needless to say, I was IRATE!! We have already put these tests off a week for us to go to MD Anderson and now it was going to be cancelled??? I DON'T THINK SO!! So, I called my doctor's office and spoke to Bill (her nurse). He was totally shocked and was just about as irate as we were. He jumped on the phone with the scheduler and then called me back. They were able to get me in and do my CT scan today. They brought me two LARGE cups of this lemonade tasting stuff to drink in one hour. It wasn't that it was that bad, but I don't like lemonade and there was SO MUCH to drink. I took my last sip just about 1 minute before they called my name to go back. I went to the nurse and she had to put an IV in. She got it on the first try! YIPPEE!! The whole test lasted about 10 minutes. My PET and Echo were rescheuled for tomorrow. Dr. Lee said she was going to get to the bottom of this. We still don't know what happened. So, guess what...I get to eat another low to no carb dinner and have nothing to eat or drink after midnight and the PET scan isn't until 1:45 pm tomorrow. Tomorrow should be fun too...don't ya think!?! After the scan, my mom took me and Rob to go eat. After lunch, mom and I went to the American cancer society to look at wigs. They didn't have any cute ones so we got a catalog and went home. I had an upset stomach from the lemonade stuff so I took a nap. Now I feel much better and am ready to have an evening at home.

Thanks for all the prayers and support! And remember... With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!