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

One to Go!!

I know what you are thinking.....finally a blog update:) When we started this journey numbers were in every conversation we had. The size of the tumor in centimeters, the stage of the cancer, how many weeks of radiation, and, of course, how long were chemo treatments going to last. At first, we were doing chemo every other week for eight weeks, then every week for twelve weeks. Then, when the tumor hadn't shrunk any we changed to every three weeks for 7 weeks. Then that was changed to every three weeks for three more treatments. The most important number you need to know now is.....one. That's how many more chemo treatments Kaitlyn will have. We couldn't be more excited to reach this milestone.

Our chemo day was a good one. Aunt Angie, Aunt Donna and I traveled to Indy last night and stayed in an apartment at the kid's complex that out-of-town quests can rent. We had supper with Kaitlyn and Scott and the Aunts got a tour of the new place. Kaitlyn's appointment was early this morning and we were up and on the way by 8:45. Kaitlyn's visit with Dr. Newton went well and the tumor continues to shrink. We are so thankful!! Infusion was good today as well. Scott was back on board this time and, frankly, kept us all entertained. Kaitlyn was happy to have the Aunts along but missed Aunt Dianna. She had work commitments. Kaitlyn continues to have the largest crowd at chemo. Kris was there as well and Andhra stopped in on her lunch hour. The nurses have started talking about how great it is that she brings such a large group and that we spend a lot of time laughing. Chemo lasted a little over three hours. It is a long process with the added chemo drug. But, that Taxotere is potent stuff and is doing the job, so we don't mind at all.

We've had a busy few weeks since Kaitlyn's last treatment. The weekend after treatment we moved the kids into their new apartment. Has I predicted Kaitlyn was really tired and feeling pretty nauseous. She toughed it out to help us get things organized on Saturday afternoon. After a trip to Walmart though in the evening, she was done. We finished up the next morning and then left her to recuperate. She got a cold the first part of the next week and battled thru that nicely. We were concerned for her because her immune system is pretty non-existent, but she rebounded by the end of the week.

The Sunday of that week we all went to the State Fair and had a great time. She got a little tired walking so we took it easy and rode the tram some as well. We hadn't been to the fair since the summer before she went to college so it was great to attend once again with both her and Scott. The State Fair is always a good time.

The last week she got back on track with her work schedule. She works a short week the week she has chemo and the week after because of the fatigue and sickness she suffers from the drugs. The next week she tries for a full 40 hours and then she's back to a chemo week. Once again, the Hartford has just been fantastic to her and it's been so appreciated. So she worked a full week and even got a couple of softball games in on Friday night. She loves her softball:) Saturday she and Scott were home to attend the Craig Open House. They got to see and visit with some of the people I work with and they really enjoyed themselves. Basically, I just want you all to know that she tries to keep pushing forward. She might not blog on here but it's because she's keeping herself busy and is out there living her life. Exactly what we want her to be doing!

Kaitlyn will have her last chemo on September 16th. After that, she will have an appointment to see Dr. Kennedy to discuss her operation and begin moving forward to schedule that. She'll need a little time to recover from the chemo and rebuild that immune system. She will begin, three weeks after the 16th, herceptin infusions. She will have them every three weeks for a year. This will not interfere with the surgery and she won't suffer any of the side effects she's been dealing with. They will only last about 20 minutes and she will have them either before or after work. After what she's gone thru this will be a piece of cake! Those prayers you all have been sending up are working so please keep praying and she'll keep fighting. Thanks and love to you all:)

Peace, Love and Hope
Lisa

Four Down and Two to Go!!!

It was a chemo day and by now you all know what that means.......mom gets to blog! Seriously, when Kaitlyn told me she was going to do this blog I said "Good for you". I mean it was a good idea....she could write down everything she was going thru and you could all read and comment about it. What's not to like?! Little did I know at the time that I was going to be dragged (kicking and screaming) into writing on it also. All in all, it's been a pretty amazing experience for the both of us. Each time we write we get to release a little of our emotions out on here. So, really it's been extremely therapeutic for both of us:)

Now, having said all that, today was a GREAT day! Finally, some good news. Dr. Newton told us today that the tumor has shrunk a little. That means the new chemo cocktail is working. Yay!!! So, we sailed thru our appointment with Dr. Newton and headed back to the infusion room to begin the fourth round of chemo. Today, Tracy and Katie stopped in for a quick game of Rummy and then they had to head back to work. Sara came from St Louis and Kaitlyn was thrilled to see her. Andhra showed up and the three of them became absorbed in an intense game of Farkle. Sadly, Scott wasn't able to come today. He called this morning and sounded horrible. I believe it's just a summer cold. But, Scott, knowing how fragile his sister's immune system is right now made the call to stay at home. He was greatly missed.

Kaitlyn was in good spirits today. I'm pretty sure it had to do with the gift bag she received before we left for her treatment. The Hoff's gave her orange Tennessee scrubs and a tangerine cap. Needless to say, she wore the scrub top and the hat to chemo. I was able to convince her to save the pants for later when she was lounging. Seriously, and I know I have mentioned this many times before, my girl adores all things Tennessee and/or orange! I'll post those pictures for you all to see.

So, more good news, Kaitlyn has just two chemo treatments left. She goes again on the 26th and then again on the 16th of September. Once chemo is done she will rest for a few weeks to build up that immune system and then she will have her surgery. So, she will definitely be cancer free by the end of this year...which was her goal:)

Now we are gearing up for the big move this weekend. Kaitlyn and Scott are going to share an apartment in Indy. Tomorrow Brad and I will move her things in and Saturday we will go to Bloomington and move Scott's stuff. We plan to spend the weekend getting them settled and everything put away. I know Kaitlyn won't feel like doing a thing for the next week besides going to work. So, we'll make it nice and neat for her while she supervises us from her bed. Here's hoping the Lakeshore people know what's in store for them.

And finally, thanks to you all. You've read our blogs, made comments, sent cards, sent packages and most importantly, included her in your prayers. We can't thank you enough for that. By now you know the drill.....you all keep praying and she'll keep fighting!

Peace, Love and Hope
Lisa

Round 4 of the Boxing Match that is my Life!

So tomorrow is treatment number 4 and I can't sleep tonight which is no big surprise, since I had to start my steroid medicine today in preparation for chemo tomorrow. The steroids keep you awake and make it hard to sleep, I'm waiting for the day when I become aggressive and start bulking up :) I had a great week last week of having energy and feeling great and I know whats coming next. This is the part that I truly dread the extreme tiredness, sickness, and overall body pain for the next week. In better news I was able to work everyday last week and the three days this week. I played 2 softball games on Friday, which felt amazing to be back on the field with my softball buddies playing a sport that I absolutely love. I also played tennis on Sunday evening, which I have only played like twice in my life so that was very interesting to watch to say the least. I was back to the old athletic Kate. Which is probably why i dread tomorrow so much, but I know it tomorrow has to come and then it will one less treatment that I have to do and closer to being done. My whole goal is to have 2010 be the year of cancer and go into next year with chemo and surgery behind me and 2011 be a fresh new start

Oh and I miss my hair, I can't say the many times I have reached the back of my head in an attempt to put my hair in a pony tail and there is nothing there. I catch myself people watching more now and staring at people's heads, or watching infomercials about hair care products. Its pretty funny actually, and almost pathetic I know but its like part of my identity has been taken away from me and body is going through this change that I didn't sign up for. I know its just the chemo and that it will grow back in time, it just sucks a little bit right now. I get a little tired of wearing the hats and scarfs but not quite ready to walk around bald.

There's not much to report I have been pretty normal this past week which has been great, and my only thoughts right now are on the tumor and hoping that the chemo last time did its job and started to shrink the tumor. Hopefully the report tomorrow from the doctor will be a good one, at least that what I pray for. I pray for high white blood count, strong immune system so that I can have the chemo and for it to shrink the tumor and kill the cancer..

Thanks for letting me rant, and get some much needed feelings out! Keep the prayers coming this way they are greatly appreciated and I feel them. God works in great ways I can be having a bad day and I'll get a message or a card saying how some one's thinking of me and I know that he is working and letting me know that everything will be okay and that there are people out there thinking of me and still praying. I'm truly humbled and moved by it all.

So until tomorrow when I know my mom will be on to post

Peace, Love and Hope
Kaitlyn