Goodbye May

5-31-2022

The last day of May, can you believe it?  It’s almost unfathomable to think this all started almost two months ago on April 7, 2022.  

Lauren has been doing exceptionally well with the chemotherapy, better than I would have ever imagined.  All of Lauren’s side effects from the medication have been rather minor, (luckily) including:

• Fatigue

• Changes in appetite

• Changes in taste for some foods

• Aches and pains from Neulasta

• Minor cases of nausea

• Whirlwinds of emotions – rightfully so

• Hair loss, which has been the most difficult side effect thus far, but expected nonetheless

Going into this, it seemed as if there would be a solid, set in stone schedule that would be easy to figure out every day a treatment would occur.  It didn’t dawn on me during Lauren’s first chemo appointment that one of the nurses stated, “You’re going to see this place more often than you want to.”  We both assumed the nurse was trying to make light of a difficult situation, but she wasn’t far the from the truth.  As we had stated early on, the first 4 treatments occur over the course of eight weeks, one treatment every other week for the main medication.  What didn’t register was that certain medications such as Keytruda, occurs every three weeks, and naturally, it has to be injected intravenously.  Keytruda was today, a 30-minute drive to the clinic, an hour with the oncologist, an hour for the medication via IV, and another 30-minute drive home.  Additionally, after each chemo treatment, we go back the following morning for her Neulasta shot, which helps recreate her white blood cells.  We really are going to see Keck Medicine USC and the amazing staff often.  

On a positive note, Lauren has already noticed a decrease in the size of the tumor as well as how it feels when she self-examines.  Prior to chemo, the lump was dense and hard, but it is changing for the better, and changing rapidly.  We thought today when we met with Dr. Vandermolen that he wanted to measure it, but he decided to wait until this coming Monday before the medication to do a thorough observation and measurement of the tumor.  We are both anxious.

Lastly, Lauren has had a tough time with her hair.  Going into this, she kept saying that she wasn’t worried about it, but she’s taken it harder than I think she thought she would.  It’s really the only physical thing that people see in terms of her health at this point, no one sees the tumor shrinking or sees the day to day in how she is doing (except me and some close family), but the hair loss is the first visible thing someone will see when they look at her and I know that is hard. The hair loss didn’t occur after the first round of chemo but quickly came onset upon her second treatment.  To get ahead of some shock, Lauren asked me to cut her hair a little bit shorter than what many of you remember last, but certainly not as short as my hair…yet.  Side note, Andi if you are reading this, I tried my best, so sorry!   Lauren is taking it like a champ, albeit a few moments throughout the day where she gets a bit down, but I always assure her she looks beautiful (which she does), it’ll grow back unlike my hair, and it's only for a short period of time, unlike my hair.

It's shocking how many people you learn about who have or know someone who has had Breast Cancer just by striking up a conversation.  My favorite coffee spot (7-Eleven on Studebaker and Atheron in Long Beach – yes, I love 7-Eleven coffee) is owned by one of the nicest guys I’ve met, always asks me how things are going and how our house is.  Today, I quickly mentioned about Lauren’s diagnosis and come to find out that his wife who was also there this morning is a Breast Cancer survivor.  We spoke for a few minutes, and it was powerful to see him shed a tear when he talked about his wife’s experience, and he told me that Lauren is going to be okay.  It comforted me to know that there is another husband out there who just wants his wife to be okay and made me happy to know someone who has no real connection to us was sending positive vibes our way.  Lauren and I talk a lot about how people don’t ever talk about their Cancer experiences, and we often wonder why.  As hard as this all is, wouldn’t it be easier, more comfortable, less scary, etc, etc to know that others have gone through this and lived long and healthy lives?  That is our hope, to continue to do just that – talk about it and share so that maybe one day someone else will be prepared, even if just a little.  

Below is me trying my hardest to give Lauren a decent "haircut":

Love,

Chris

Chemotherapy Session - Round Two

 5-24-2022 Update – Round two of chemotherapy (Monday 5-23-2022)

I wanted to wait until the following day post chemo appointment to post an update to the blog.  There are so many thoughts going through our minds wondering if anything is going to happen that I often forget to do common things like responding to text messages, phone calls, emails, etc.

 

We did not meet with Dr. Vandermolen yesterday before the infusion therapy, but we did meet with his nurse.  She went over any questions or concerns that we may have after the first round along with answering questions we had.  Answers from the nurse will be below each question.

1.     Are there any concerns with receiving flowers from friends and family?  We heard that some flowers could cause some sensitivity issues while on chemo.

a.     No, unless she feels any discomfort or gets sensitive to certain flowers, there is nothing to be concerned about.

2.     Toothpaste and flossing, any issues we should be concerned about?

a.     Any toothpaste is fine.  Lauren should reduce the frequency she is flossing her teeth to reduce the risk of infection in the mouth.  Her immune system is already being taxed, no need to cause a separate issue that is controllable.

3.     Why does Lauren pee so much?  

a.     We all know her bladder is the size of a green pea, but it’s due to her drinking a lot of Coors Light, I mean water.

4.     Can Lauren use nail clippers?  

a.     Yes, assuming she knows how to handle one without cutting her toe or finger off.

5.     Therapist or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker?  Will elaborate below.

 

So, we got some positive news when we were speaking to the nurse yesterday morning.  It appears that Lauren may be chemotherapy tolerant and the side effects she experienced from her first round will likely be consistent from here on out.  The other good news is that Dr. Vandermolen wants to conduct another measurement of the tumor on Tuesday as he thinks it may have shrunken is size by now.  Lauren hasn’t really had any interest in monitoring the size of the tumor until yesterday, she does think it’s shrinking, and coincidently, she isn’t getting any discharge.

 

Let’s circle back to #5 above.  There are so many thoughts, expectations, and hearsay when it comes to how someone will react to chemotherapy.  Lauren has been doing an excellent job on not trying to find more information on the internet about people’s first-hand experience with chemotherapy.  She did reach out to a few, but even those who she spoke to, all had vastly different side effects.  I think Lauren is trying to understand and grapple how her body is supposed to react to this potent medication, so much so that it’s getting to her head.  I can tell her she’s doing great, give her all the support she needs, but I’m not the one that is going through this physically.  We have received a few referrals and have reached out to a few Licensed Clinical Social Workers who have experience working with cancer patients.  I think it will be great having someone who’s outside of the friends and family circle give their nonbiased thoughts and opinions about Lauren’s concerns, and mine too.

 

By now it’s been about three weeks since Lauren had her port installed, so it’s had some time to heal up nicely.  Sitting in the waiting room, Lauren’s name was finally called, and we proceed to her bay where we get situated with the nurse.  It was a different nurse from the last time we were at the clinic and just like the last one, they have all been an absolute pleasure to work with.  Before the nurse sticks the needle into Lauren’s port, they spray a cooling chemical on the skin to reduce the feeling of the needle.  Next time we are there, the nurse indicated they will use lidocaine to further reduce the feeling of the needle going into the port.  Whatever they can do reduce the feeling of the needle going into her port makes Lauren a happy camper.

 

During the entire infusion time, Lauren had a great attitude, and she was not under any pain.  By the end, she did loose most of the coloring in her face, was tired, but that was the extent of the initial onset side effects.  Unlike her first session, she did have an appetite and ate well in the evening.  

Insert hot wife picture here.

Next week when we meet with Dr. Vandermolen, we hope to give you some medical updates as to how the chemo is progressing and fighting the tumor.

 

As always, thank you to everyone for all the help and support.

 

Love,

 

Chris

Meeting with the nutritionist.

May 20, 2022

This past Friday I met with a nutritionist. I went in ready, had all my notes of what I eat on a regular basis, my workout regime detailed out and the things I enjoy or dislike, now or prior to treatment.  I share this all with her and even volunteer to send her my spreadsheet I’ve made! The first thing she asks me prior to sharing her own knowledge is, ‘can I guess what you do for a living?’ Her response after I anxiously await to see what she thinks I do for a living is….you have to be an accountant or engineer 😂. I laughed, that is very far from what I do, but I appreciate that you think I’m that smart! Guess my planning and organizational skills go beyond just the fashion industry and now are creeping into my Chemotherapy treatment!

We met for about an hour, the thing that stuck with me the most was the feedback she shared with me. She said, ‘Lauren, you seem to take really good care of yourself, you exercise, eat healthy and genuinely take the necessary steps to live a healthy life. But, I need to make sure you know, everything you’ve done thus far is 1) not a waste, it will serve you well as you go through chemotherapy, and 2) there was no way for you to prevent this from happening. There are so many outside factors that contributed to your diagnosis….the food containers we eat from, the environment in which we live, the things we put on our body (makeup, lotions, etc), those are the things you can’t control and those are all contributing factors to your diagnosis.’ Hearing this, I guess, made me happy but more importantly made me proud and determined to continue doing me and let the Chemotherapy take care of the Cancer.  I do want to remind you, Breast Cancer has various forms and it impacts 1 in every 8 women in their lifetime - so all of these outside factors are really a large factor, unfortunately.

What I learned (or maybe what I was reminded of) regarding my diet during chemotherapy goes as follows:

- eat small meals

- eat what I can, when I can

- know that there will be days where every smell, every food could bother me or peak my interest in the matter of an hour (this is a challenge for someone who has planned meals each week for years. And as a side note, if I see you, avoid any strong perfumes or lotions, apparently this can be nauseating for someone going through chemo)

- eating foods at room temperature or cold will help with smells

- protein shakes will be important

- donuts or pizza may be all I can stomach on any given day, let go of the want to be healthy at every meal and just eat

- my love for food will come back once this is over (thank goodness for that!)

- use bamboo or plastic silverware to help with the metallic tastes I could experience

- bland (aka boring) food will be my friend - womp, womp, womp (hummus, avocado, sandwiches, melons, plain chicken, potatoes)

- foods could taste very salty or very sweet, even if they are not to the normal palette

- if I experience mouth sores from the chemotherapy avoid acidic and spicy foods

- be prepared to loose muscle weight in the beginning and in turn to gain weight towards the end of treatment…walking, strength training will serve me well

So, my motto has been day by day, but now it’s become hour by hour. Food is my friend through treatment, whether I enjoy it or not, only time will tell. So, all in all, a helpful hour of time, we’ll meet throughout my treatment to combat any issues I may face, but my diet will be what it will be and I’ll continue to get in my protein, veggie, naturally sweetened necessities as much as possible.  This cookie & wine loving girl is definitely cutting back on the sweets and alcohol…all in moderation but even more so than before treatment/diagnosis. 

Overall, this past week was good, I felt like myself for 5 or so days and for that I’m grateful. Ready (and anxious) for treatment #2!

XO,

Lauren

New mindset.

Chris and I were chatting with my in-laws last night.  We were talking about my creed and my father-in-law asked me 'do you consider yourself a Cancer patient?'  It got me thinking, I do, but only in 1 location, the doctors office.  Outside of that, I don't consider myself a 'patient,' I'm still the same Lauren/Lolo/LY, I just happen to be living with Cancer.  So, in thinking about this, I thought it made sense to then adjust my creed.  Throughout this process (exactly 6 weeks from diagnosis), I have learned a wealth of information, a lot of it shocking, but also a lot of it hugely impactful not only to my health, but how I approach things in life as well.  I also know that my learnings are not over and that this small blip of my life will be a part of me forever, continuing to learn and adapt as I go about my life.

When I wrote my creed, I was in the early stages of diagnosis (6 weeks is still early, but I've done 1 round of chemotherapy and my mindset changes daily), so at the time this was how I was feeling.  I am no expert with 1 round of chemotherapy under my belt, but I am learning and evolving and for that, I need to evolve my creed.  So, the answer to the original question 'do you consider yourself a Cancer patient,' my answer is, 90% of the time, NO.

The word patient does not define me, cancer does not define me - I am still Lauren, a caring, thoughtful, planner, baking loving, family loving, food and wine loving girl that just wants to continue to enjoy life with my favorite person in the world (my husband) and all of my family and friends.  I will live with Cancer for the time being (and I will one day live Cancer free) but I can not let it define me and be the opening to my creed throughout this journey.  So, with that, I have rephrased it slightly.  The key differences I have put in bold.

I am a woman, a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a niece, a cousin, a boss.

I am a warrior and a member of multiple teams: marriage, family and work.

I serve myself, my husband, my family, my friends and all those I encounter.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never let my strength go.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, willing to learn and adapt for whatever comes my way.

I will always maintain my pride, trusting the process, the doctors and myself.

I am hopeful, strong and confident.

I stand ready to fight, accept change and destroy the cancer cells in my body.

I am the guardian of my life and my husband, family and friends are here to walk alongside me and lift me up, both physically and mentally.

I am a woman, a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a niece, a cousin, a boss.

And lastly, just an update for this week.  I am feeling really good, basically like myself.  I've been able to workout with our trainer (not as strenuous, of course), take more calls, enjoy some cooking (and baking this weekend) and get out for lunch w/ my parents, dinner at my in-laws (with lots of kitty and doggy play time in between), all the while doing everything for ME.  I know next week will be another week of feeling blah (tired, finding foods to curb nausea and just focusing on my health), but I'll take the good days and enjoy them until the next round begins.  Monday is treatment 2, which means I will be 1/8th done with Phase 1 of my Breast Cancer journey - sounds small, but each step is a step forward and for that I am grateful.  Hope everyone enjoys the weekend, I'll be spending it with my Dad and husband 🥰.

All my love,

Lauren

Day 6 after chemo update.

 5-14-2022 Update

I don’t have much to share from the doctors and nurses who are treating Lauren, other than our observation post first chemo treatment.

 

As Lauren had stated, the last time we spoke to the oncologist, he confirmed that Lauren’s heart is in great shape to handle the stressors of chemotherapy and that her PET scan came back with no noticeable spread of cancer to other parts of her body or other organs.  All great news considering.

 

It has been an interesting week nonetheless as we both patiently waited for the onset of side effects from chemotherapy.  As Lauren stated in the last blog post, she had felt short little stints of nausea but was able to mitigate it with the medication prescribed by the doctor.  We are so thankful that it is working as prescribed. On Tuesday when she received her Neulasta shot, the most common side effect is something along the feeling of growing pains within her “larger bones” such as the hips, femur, and chest area.  This is caused by the medication helping her system generate white blood cells which we all know is generated within the core of those bones.  To help with the pain in the bones, the oncologist suggested that Lauren take Claritin, since it contains an antihistamine; somehow the side effects of the Neulasta shot and allergies are similar?  

 

It's now Saturday, Lauren is doing extremely well with minimal side effects.  It’s a blessing but also a total mind bender considering how much medication was pumped into her system, and everything we have seen, read, or heard from firsthand experiences.  Lauren’s energy levels are noticeably lower than before, and she takes a lot of naps, but it’s not what we had expected.    What is going on here?  Is this how it will be for the first 8 weeks?  It’s four sessions, since they are every other week, then it will be once every week for the remaining 8 weeks, but the question remains, what will happen during the next session, and what will happen when treatments are once a week?  We both had a tough time this week because we were waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the worst to come.  I didn’t want to leave her side even though she felt “okay” because I didn’t know if side effects would come swiftly and unexpectedly, my biggest fear.

 

As of now, Lauren is trying to get her energy levels back up.  She continues to walk a lot with friends, family, and even the neighbors have taken a turn.  She even went to our trainer on Friday albeit doing less intensive workouts and our trainer being mindful of her port and her right arm to make sure she doesn’t over extend it over exert herself.

 

We continue to monitor things day by day, but so far so good.  One down, 15 more to go.

 

Her port is healing extremely well and has now taken on a life of it’s own.  First it developed eyes and a nose, then it decided to pick up smoking, and now it’s turning into a troll.

5-11-2022 Morning Update

Good morning!

Just a few updates for the week. Yesterday (Tuesday, 1 day post 1st round of chemo) was not too bad. I woke up feeling a little sore in my legs and just felt tired. Took a few naps throughout the day, worked a little and got in some coloring. The nausea hasn’t been too bad, but as soon as I feel anything I pop a pill so it doesn’t get worse. I’ve been trying to eat small meals throughout the day, mostly just feel like eating chicken, carbs and fruit. I’m hoping today I can try to layer in veggies - but just trying out different foods to see how they make me feel. I can already tell eggs aren’t going to be my friend during this, the thought of it makes my stomach turn!

We got some good updates on my test results yesterday!

- PET scan, the one that would tell us if there is any additional spread, came back clear! The only thing that showed was the existing tumor we know about in my left breast. They saw something in 1 lymph node, but it didn’t come out as cancerous and they think it’s damage to a lymph node from the biopsy I had on April 1.  When I go in for surgery they will proactively remove 1-2 lymph nodes anyways just to test them again. I’ll also have another PET scan after a few treatments or at the end of my treatments, but overall very positive news. 

- MUGA scan, this was the one that looked at my heart. I scored a 70.6%, average is 50-60%, so I scored much higher which means I have a good strong heart!

- Genetic testing, the remainder of my testing came back. I don’t think we’ve touched on this too much, but here is some background. The genetic testing was done as one of my first tests (through a blood draw) to see what other types of mutations I could be susceptible to. Part of the results came back about 3 weeks ago and showed that I could get other types of breast cancers, ovarian cancer, melanoma, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer - well, I don’t have a prostate so we can quickly rule that one out!  The others will be addressed through different preventative measures. Most likely a double mastectomy (which would happen 1 month after chemo finishes), a hysterectomy (probably before I turn 45) and then the other 2 I’ll continue to wear my sunscreen and just make sure my mom and dad (hint, hint parents), don’t develop pancreatic cancer - this one is the least of the doctors worries overall.  So the rest of the results came back yesterday and nothing else showed, so all in all good nothing else came from the testing. My sister, mom and dad will also do genetic testing in the coming months. Most likely this mutation stems from my mothers side as we are Ashkenazi Jews and this seems to be a mutation with those who have this genetic history. However, if you aren’t of Ashkenazi Jewish decent, you can still develop breast cancer. Crazy stat that no one talks about - 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime and 1 in 7 women will develop breast cancer in Orange County, CA. I only say this not to scare people but purely to get the word out - it’s significant and no one talks about it! My goal is purely to share and educate you, as this is quite significant!!

Yesterday I had a shot of neulasta which I’ll have every day after treatment. It helps to reproduce my white blood cells. It burned a little going in but no pain to my arm after. Apparently 2-3 days post shot I could experience bone pain, so will be monitoring that and taking Tylenol to alleviate any pain. 

This morning I woke up around 1:30am feeling a little nauseous and was able to take a pill and fall back asleep. Woke up feeling pretty decent today, we’ll see how the remainder of the day treats me as they say day 3 (post treatment) are the worst for most people. 

Just continuing to take each day as it comes. There’s still a long journey ahead and each day will be different, but so far been feeling ok. Just want to get back to a more consistent diet and be able to get some workouts in. Light walks have been the extent of my exercise, but it’s been 2 full days so trying to be good to myself. 

Shout out to my husband. Holding down the house, our little kitty, all the doctors appts, his own job, all the family and friend questions and keeping me motivated and comfortable. Truly, my heart explodes for you more and more each day.

And to my parents, Chris’s parents, our siblings, thank you for being there for us these past few weeks. We love you!

And everyone who keeps checking on us, you lift our spirits and we greatly appreciate you!

All my love,

Lauren

First day of chemotherapy.

 May 9, 2022

And it begins.  Going into this, I had no idea what to expect.  You see people on chemotherapy in the movies, you read about the process online or in publications, and you hear from a nurse about the side effects of the medications and the potentially bad things that can happen.  You have no idea what to think and it drives you crazy.  It really gave Lauren a great deal of anxiety not knowing how her body is going to react to the chemotherapy.  All I can do is make sure she knows I will be there every step of the way, encouraging her, and keep her in good spirits.  It’s all in the hands of the medical professionals from here on out and it feels good.

 

Today was Lauren’s first chemotherapy appointment.  We were both nervous wrecks, but excited to get the process going.  It’s an inconceivable feeling knowing that today is the day Lauren will be fighting the tumor.  Will the road be easy and pleasant, absolutely not, but I know she’s ready, willing, and able to fight.

 

The process began today with Lauren meeting with the oncologist Dr. Vandermolen to go over a few things like her MUGA Scan and her PET scan, and to go over any other questions we have.  Orange Coast Memorial Hospital neglected to send the results of the MUGA scan and the PET scan to Dr. Vandermolen, lovely.  More on this tomorrow (Tuesday) when we hope to hear the results.

 

We finally make our way to the second floor of the medical facility; this is where they administer the chemotherapy.  Every step of the way, everyone has been pleasant, and the facility is impeccable.  An RN calls Lauren’s name, and we proceed to walk down the hall to her “pod”, which closely resembles an office cubicle with a larger patient chair, and a smaller love seat for one guest.  The nurse talks to us about the process and what to expect and it begins with a blood extraction from Lauren’s port where it was sent to the lab on the first floor.  Lauren’s blood will be pulled before every chemo session to monitor her platelets and her white blood cells.  The process takes about 45 minutes from start to finish.

 

When the labs are complete, Lauren went through two IV bags of anti-nausea medication, a port rinse of saline solution to flush it out and then it was time for the chemotherapy medication.  Aside from the prick feeling of the needle going into the chemo port, Lauren did not feel any burning or cold sensation, but she did feel like something was going through her body.  Still, it pains me to see her hooked it to an IV machine with some potent medication flowing through her.

 

It was around 4:00 PM when we left the facility.  Lauren felt tired and her head felt a little fuzzy, but all in all she felt good with no signs of nausea.  We got home, I unloaded her car and she sat on the couch to watch some TV and to take a nap.  She has lost a little bit of color in her face, but I’m guessing it’s attributed to all the medication in her system.

 

I’ll be monitoring her closely as they say the side effect usually occur a day, up to 3 days after the medicine is introduced into her body.  Lastly, thank you again to all the love and support everyone.  We appreciate it, and we need it.

 

Love Chris

 5-6-2022 – The Chemo Port (Lauren's battle wounds are at the bottom of this posting)

 

Shit is finally starting to get real.  Before today, it was a lot of talking to doctors, listening to doctors, visits to doctors, and people poking and prodding Lauren for tests which all seemed to lack the one question we were looking for an answer to…why Lauren?

 

I think up to today, I was in catastrophe mode.  Trying to get all of our ducks in a row, trying to be that supportive husband, and accepting of what’s going on, but most importantly, making sure Lauren was okay.  It pains me to see Lauren going through this, and for what’s to come, but we are here for each other, forever.

 

With that out of the way, today was a long day.  Luckily, we both got some decent sleep last night knowing we were going to start early today.  Woke up at around 5:30 AM and left the house at 6:00 AM to make our way to Orange Coast Memorial Center in Fountain Valley to have Lauren’s chemo port medically installed near her collar bone.  We arrived at the hospital by 6:30 AM, they admitted Lauren, and by 7:00 AM, off she went with a nurse behind a guarded door.  I left the abnormally small “registration” room and went back to the car to do some work.  Luckily, Lauren had an awesome nurse who went out of her way to make sure I was updated throughout the entire procedure.

 

The procedure in surgically installing the port did not take more than 20 minutes, according to Lauren, however it was the initial IV drip of antibiotics, the local anesthetics, and the cleaning of the incision area which took the majority of the time.  As I was sitting in my car, I finally received a text message from the nurse at around 9:30 AM indicating that the procedure was complete, and that Lauren will be in recovery for the next hour.  Around the same time, I received a text from Lauren saying she was done, and I had asked if she was feeling any pain or nausea, and to my surprise, she said no to both.

 

At 10:30 AM, Lauren sent me a text saying she was ready to be picked up.  To my surprise, she came out in a wheelchair, but I guess it was necessary due to the drugs in her system.  She looked great, had a smile on her face, and off we went back home without any issues.  As of now, she is still not exhibiting any pain or discomfort other than being a little stiff in the neck.  The only oddity she has mentioned is the feeling of the tube in her artery feels like it’s dangling in her throat.  I’m sure as time goes on, we expect that feeling will subside.

 

We plan on taking it easy the next few days so Lauren can heal up and as we both prepare ourselves for Monday, the day our chemotherapy journey begins for the next 5 months.  We keep thinking to ourselves that this will go faster than the time we were living away from our home during renovation, that was 8 months long.

 

To all the mothers, we both wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.

 

Chris

5-5-2022 - Cinco de Mayo Update

 5-5-2022 

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Lauren here, giving Chris the night off 😜

 

This morning I had my PET Scan.  It was fairly simple.  They took me back to a tiny room, pricked my finger to check my glucose levels and then injected me with a radioactive tracer where I proceeded to sit in a tiny room with the lights off for about an hour.  The goal was to keep my activity low and my body relaxed, so I listened to a short story and meditated!  Once that was done, I was taken for the scan.  The machine was like the MRI machine, but slightly smaller and very quiet.  The procedure was about 20 minutes long, I laid with my arms over my head and just counted to myself until it was over.  If you count really slow for 20 minutes you can get to about 200, haha!  The results will be sent to my oncologist, Dr. Vandermolen, and we will review them with him on Monday.  Please keep your fingers and toes crossed that the PET Scan is clear – the goal is that the only thing that ‘lights up’ is the current tumor and that no other areas of the body have cancer cells.  

 

The 2^nd part of the day entailed ‘Chemo Class.’  I went into this very anxious – to have someone tell me all the shitty was I am going to feel over the course of the next 5 months just sounded daunting.  It wasn’t half bad, thank goodness.  The Nurse was so nice, joked with us, told us the ‘extremes’ and reassured me that anything I feel, to tell them, so they can find a solution to help get me through it.  Fun fact about me, I HATE to throw up, I think I’ve thrown up less than 5 times in my life, I will do anything to not get to that point – so maybe to your surprise, my fear is not losing my hair through all of this, but throwing up!  So, I’ll be taking all the anti-nausea meds and remedies I can get my hands on.  Amongst ‘possible’ nausea, hair loss, loss of appetite, mouth sensitivity and a smorgasbord of other wonderful side effects that come with chemo treatments, the call was actually better than I thought.  The Nurse reassured me that all of these side effects are just what could happen, not necessarily what will happen, so again, I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed for the lesser of the laundry list shared with us today.  

 

Tomorrow is the port installation and then this weekend the goal is to get my chemo bag ready (full of coloring books, my iPad, a good book, headphones and of course snacks!), enjoy the weekend, go on some walks and try to laugh about the stupidness of Cancer!

 

OH!  And if you come to see me over the course of the next 5 months, don’t be offended if I make you sit outside and we visit in the backyard – I’ve got to keep whatever energy I have to keep my body healthy to get through this!  I promise you I’ll still be eating healthy, working and exercising when I can, its all part of my therapy, so don’t tell me to stop unless I’ve literally fallen!  

 

All my love, thank you for checking on me, thank you for checking on Chris and keep checking your boobies!

 

Lauren

Hi all.  We have been asked a few times if it is okay to share this blog and our Instagram page to other people.  We don’t have any problems with it. 

Hi everyone,

 

Can’t believe it’s now May.

 

It’s no secret that chemotherapy will cause Lauren’s hair to fall out.  We have both accepted it, and we are both ready for it.  On Friday, Lauren cut her hair taking off about 15” worth, and I think she looks fabulous!  I call it her “power” look, so just you watch out!

 

She is so strong during this, and always maintaining a positive outlook, that I am truly blessed to have her as my wife and best friend in life.

 

As for this week, we have two events going on.  Thursday, Lauren is having a PET Scan or medically knows as a positron emission tomography for those who are technically inclined.  The PET scan is an important test as it will determine if the cancer has spread elsewhere in her body.  This is done by injecting a radioactive substance in her bloodstream and it will react with the cancer cells, highlighting the cancer or tumorous cells on the computer screen.  The reach of the cancer cells will also dictate her treatment plan and the overall scope of chemotherapy.

 

On Friday, Lauren will have a “port” medically installed near her collar bone.  The port, made of silicone has a tube that will go into a vein which will serve two purposes:

1)     Allow chemotherapy medicine to go directly into the vein without having to utilize a needle or IV at each visit

2)    Allow doctors to pull blood directly from it without having to use needles or an IV

 

Lauren will have to be sedated during the port install, so there might be a delay from her if you reach out to her or text her asking her how she’s doing.  I will be sure to update everyone on how’s she’s doing.

Lastly, we are both glad to get it started, yet also scared of the unknown, but Lauren is scheduled to start chemotherapy on May 9.  Again, more details to come.

 

Double lastly, thank you so much to everyone for the outpouring of support.  We both are at a loss for words and are very appreciative.  We love you all.

 

Chris Yerkes