Camp Thomas

So I'm 7 days removed from surgery and I'm feeling pretty good. The surgery went well from what they tell me since I was asleep at the time. Although apparently when the hospital attendants wheeled me into my room I asked the one guy if he was participating in No-Shave November and then told him I was also participating but with my hair. I'm pretty sure I'm going to win! I came home Tuesday afternoon and slept for the entire day. Thursday I felt good enough to go out and run some errands that I needed to get done. I think mom and I were gone an hour and when we got back I was pretty tired and proceeded to sleep for the rest of day.

I was able to get my drains out today, last week was no fun having those in. No words can express how nice it was to have my parents here last week taking care of me and draining my drains. I'm sure I was not the easiest patient to care for but the fact that they were here meant a lot to me. I got some other great news today, my pathology report came back and my tumor was .02cm which apparently is really small. Also, when they first did the lymph node biopsy 2 lymph nodes were positive, well when they tested the ones they took out they were all negative. Which means I am CANCER FREE and I have a really good prognosis of it not coming back! I can't begin to put into words what all your prayers have meant to me and this is the result of all of your prayers! So from the bottom of my heart I THANK YOU!! I have waited for this news for 6 months and have gone through a lot but today is a great day!! :)

With that being said, I have just a couple more hurdles to get over and then I can put all of this behind me! We meet with Dr. Kennedy next week for my post-op appointment and to also hopefully start discussing radiation treatment. I'm not gonna lie I haven't actually looked at my non-boob, that is still a little hard for me right now. I know I've been really strong this whole time in dealing with the fact that I have/had cancer but the surgery just made it a little more real for me.

So in closing I thank each and everyone one of you who reads my blog for your continued prayers, you all have helped me get through this journey that me and my family have been on. It hasn't been the easiest or most fun but with your words of encouragement and prayers it has made it more bearable so I thank you!

Peace, Love and Hope
Kaitlyn

The Uniboob Chronicles

This morning finds me reporting to you from Kaitlyn's hospital room. The surgery is over and she is recovering nicely. We arrived right on time yesterday....9:00 a.m. and reported to Admissions. Soon after we were on the second floor in Pre-Op. Surgery was scheduled for 11ish but didn't actually happen until the afternoon. The nursing staff got her prepped and they wheeled her down to the operating room around 12:45. The staff at Clarian is great and they kept us posted thru out the procedure on how things were going. By 3:30 they were telling us she was in recovery and after talking to Dr. Kennedy, Brad and I were able to see her.

She, of course, was still pretty out-of-it but was alert enough to know we were with her and that the procedure was over. Not too long after that they wheeled her upstairs to her room and got her settled in. She has done remarkably well and is, for the most part, in good spirits. Glad to have this part of the process behind her. She's been around the proverbial block this morning for a nice walk thru her ward and even has managed a shower. If everything goes well, she'll be sprung from this place this afternoon.

She'll leave with a couple of drain tubes still in and I will be responsible for maintaing those until they are ready to come out. I'm sure she will be thrilled to be back home in her own bed. Hopefully, at that point she will be able to blog again. Until then, thanks for all the prayers that went up for her yesterday. We continue to be blessed by you all.

Peace, Love and Hope,
Lisa

2 boobs, 1 boob

So today is the day that I lose my boob, if it gets rid of the cancer than take it away! Camp Thomas is here and ready to hold down the fort for the week. So instead of the chemo cave it is Camp Thomas. We might have a bonfire later and roast some marshmallows if we have enough time. Continued prayers for today and the rest of the week are much appreciated, I don't think I will ever be able to express how much all of your support and words of encouragement have meant to me and my family. It has helped us tremendously in getting through every day!

My mom will post an update tonight for you!

Much love to you all

Peace, Love and Hope
Kaitlyn

Drainage Tubes, Morphine Pumps and Camisoles Oh My!!!

So today was my Pre-Op meeting with Dr. Kennedy I also met with the Rehab facility to learn about the exercises I will be doing after surgery. Thank goodness mom and dad were there today to soak up all the information given to us. I have to report to the hospital at 9 Monday morning. I think they are planning to do surgery around 11 and it will last around 2 hours. I will have to stay overnight Monday night and will be able to come home Tuesday afternoon. When I wake up on Monday I will have two drainage tubes attached to me as well as a mini morphine pump called an ON-Q pump. It's job is to help with the pain after I come home and when it has drained you can apparently pull it right out of my chest. So that job as been given to my mom. I know she is really looking forward to doing that. The tubes are even better, my mom has to empty the tubes twice a day and measure how much fluid is coming out. I also get to wear a special camisole that holds the drain pumps in a pouch that is connected to my camisole, needless to say today was a little overwhelming.

On a change of topic, last weekend I participated in the Making Strides against Breast Cancer in South Bend. I walked with my Aunt Donna, Mom, Jaymie Hartzler and her mom Shari Hartzler, Amy Calvert, Erin and her daughter Addy. They had a great turnout and it turned out to a beautiful morning for a nice little walk through South Bend sporting our AWESOME orange shirts. After the walk we went and had lunch at the Olive Garden where we got free cake at the end of our meal. I'm still pretty sure its because I have cancer, so if anyone wants me to tag along with them I can get you some free stuff! :)

I will be updating one more time before Monday. Then my mom will be updating on Monday after the surgery as I know a lot of you will want to know how that went. I want to say thank you for all the prayers so far and I ask that you say just one more prayer for Monday. I'm a little anxious to have the surgery, but I trust that God will be watching over me and keep me safe. I also trust my surgeon and medical team and know I'm in very good hands.

Peace, Love and Hope
Kaitlyn

Yay It's an Update!!!

Get excited its an update!!! So a lot has happened since the last time my mom posted. Just to give a quick update on whats been happening. After my last chemo which was a month ago, I got really sick and started to run a fever due to an infection I was fighting before I had chemo. I noticed that I felt really warm and took my temp it was around 100.7. After talking to the Oncologist on duty, Scott and I proceeded to go to the ER where they drew my blood and ran some other tests. Come to find out my counts were dangerously low and they were thinking of admitting me but thankfully my oncologist said I could be released and I was prescribed antibiotics and told to rest. Mom came right away and spent a couple of days and then came back with dad when my temperature flared up again. Then the following week I was having some problems using the bathroom so I went back to the ER only to find that I had a urinary tract infection and was given more antibiotics and told to rest. That last chemo took a lot out of me and even laughed in my face a little bit, but with every one's prayers and words of encouragement I was able to fight and get through the worst of it.

I also have had my first herceptin infusion which was a piece of cake just like the nurses and doctors told me it would be. Both mom and Scott were along for the ride. Because it was my first one I had to sit there for an hour and half so they could monitor me while having it. The infusion went fine and will only take about 20-25 minutes the rest of the time. I go every 3 weeks for the infusion for a year and my next one is next Thursday.

Mom, Dad and I met with Dr. Kennedy, who is my surgeon, last Wednesday to discuss my options with surgery. Since the chemo shrunk the tumor so much Dr. Kennedy thought we might be able to do a lumpectomy. She ordered a mammogram and a MRI. Mom and I went in last Friday to get those done. Dr Kennedy was able to look at the imaging and due to there still being some spots of concern to her she feels the best course of action is to have a mastectomy. I have scheduled my surgery for Nov. 1st. That way I will be able to be healed in time to enjoy Thanksgiving and the holidays with my family. I (and mom and dad)have a pre-op meeting next Wednesday with Dr. Kennedy to go over the specifics and make sure we are all on the same page.

On a happier note, I participated in the Making Strides against Breast Cancer walk here in Indy last weekend. The Hartford organized a team to walk and I felt very honored that they did that and asked me to walk with them. I had a great time and was actually able to walk the whole thing, I was a little tired afterwards and definitely took a nap when I got home. :) It was great to be out there raising awareness and money for this disease. I am also planning on walking in the same event this Saturday with my mom and the Fulton County Relay for Life team in South Bend. Our team name is the Fulton County Rack Pack and they even got orange t-shirts in my honor. I had my dad put a link on here called Making Strides so that if any of you would like to donate money you can go to that site and give.

I just want to thank everyone again for all your support and words of encouragement through all of this, it has meant the world to me and made me fight harder. Now on to the next chapter which is surgery and then its down hill from there, and I promise to update on here more often.

Peace, Love and Hope
Kaitlyn

Cookies and Cake.....and now we wait!

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. It's been such an emotional journey we've been on that it's taken me a few days to decompress and gather my thoughts. So, you can tell by the blog title that everything went well last Thursday.....and "yay" it was the last time!

The day started bright and early. Kaitlyn had to be at the infusion center by 9:30 and, of course, we had to get breakfast out of the way first. Since it was the last time for the potent chemo drugs the girl wanted to look her best. So, that meant anything and everything orange. Lorraine Severns helped the cause this go-around with some beautiful orange straps for Kaitlyn's switch-flops. For those of you not familiar with those sandals I recommend a visit to Flirt in downtown Rochester. Not only did Lorraine provide the orange straps but she also made Kaitlyn some gorgeous orange earrings. So along with those items, she also sported a pretty orange scarf on her head and a nice orange top. Her Dad and I got her an orange bead for her bracelet from Flirt as well. It was to celebrate the last of the grueling chemo drugs.

We decided a head of time that we wanted to celebrate so we brought two dozen cookies to the nursing staff at the infusion center. Those gals have all been super and have the most compassionate hearts. They sure made it easy for us every time we went. Not to be out done, Kaitlyn's friend, Andhra brought a nice chocolate cake with a big "No More Chemo" written on it and a great orange and pink balloon bouquet. The nurses were in heaven and promised to share with the other patients that were due in that day.

Kira Jump Kimmel, a high school friend, stopped in for a visit with us as well. It was sure good to have her with us! She's had some medical problems of her own due to a hit and run that she was involved in in Indy. We are wishing her all the best and including her in our prayers. Love you Kira!

Other than those two gals, we ended as we began....with Scott, Kaitlyn and I. It seemed appropriate to do it this way. Scott said Kaitlyn's lab results still looked pretty good despite the double infection she had been fighting for a week. Her platelets were a little low but we knew about that ahead of time and it didn't stop the chemo process from taking place. At just a little under four hours it takes along time for those drugs to get pushed thru and by the end Kaitlyn was pretty tired and sick. All I can say is that after watching that girl go thru this process this summer, I don't think I'll complain about a headache ever again in my life. I probably don't say this enough....but really she's my hero.

So now we wait. Her immune system has to get back on track and then we will meet with Dr. Kennedy's office to discuss surgery. In the meantime, Kaitlyn will still go every three weeks to the infusion center for herceptin. It's a twenty minute infusion and everyone tells us that there are no side effects from it. We're holding them to their promise:)

It feels good to know that this part is behind us now and maybe, just maybe, there might be a light at the end of this tunnel we've been in. To try and tell you all in words how much your prayers and comments have meant to us.....well there just aren't enough to do that. Seriously, without all of you we don't know how we could have done this. Evey time that girl started to feel down or a little depressed...one of you would send her a card or a message on facebook or comment on this blog. We just know that it was God making sure she knew how many of you cared. Thanks so much for caring and praying and sending cards and care packages. You all will just never know what it has meant to us. That's enough rambling for one night, so you all know the drill....you keep praying and she'll keep fighting. God Bless you all!

Peace, Love and Hope,
Lisa

The Chemo Cave

I'm coming out of my chemo cave and back into the world of real life. The chemo cave is where I hang out and watch movies while the chemo moves through my body killing the cancer and continually shrinks the tumor. This time my brother Scott got to hang out with me in my chemo cave. I'm very blessed to have the best brother ever. Not only did he make sure I was eating, he also watched movies with me all weekend and made me laugh at times when I really needed to laugh. Also the poor thing will probably end up getting pneumonia. One of the side effects from having chemo is hot flashes. Our apartment feels like walking into an igloo, in my room alone I have 2 fans that blow on me at night plus the air conditioner runs like every 5 minutes. Let me just say hot flashes are not cool, I've never had more respect for my mom and aunt then I do now after experiencing them! :)

If you have heard the song "Stand" by Rascal Flats this is around the time when I get up from the ground brush my hands off and stand. (I suggest googling the lyrics or listening to the song) I listen to that song everyday after chemo for encouragement to get through the day. Today is the day that I start to feel my energy level increase and I start feeling just overall better.

When I started this blog it was suppose to be a way for me and my mom to update family and friends on my appointments and treatment, but Ive gotten so many messages and cards saying how inspired they are by me or how I'm making cancer not scary. That is my new goal with this, cancer isn't scary, and it doesn't mean an instant death sentence. Even having chemo doesn't scare me, what does scare me are the days after when the chemo is coursing through my body and I don't have any energy to get off the couch or move. But, I also know that if I can just make it through those days 1 day at a time that its one more day that the cancer didn't win and its one more day closer to days like today. So I will continue to get up from the ground, brush my hands off....and stand!

My plan is to head home this weekend and spend time with my family. I continue to be amazed by the number of people praying for me. Thank you all so much....I know those prayers are working!

Peace, Love and Hope,
Kaitlyn