Praying my way through

I decided that it was time for me to update everyone on what's been going on with me. In September of 2013 (9-17-13) I had bilateral mastectomies done because I was diagnosed with Triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma, breast cancer. On February 19th 2014 I completed 4 sessions of Adriamycin and Cytoxin as well as 4 sessions of Taxol chemotherapy drugs, these are standard of care chemo drugs for breast cancer. After that chemo regimen I was ready for radiation treatment. I went in to get scanned 3 months after chemo and got hit with a recurrence and metastatic breast cancer to the lungs and possible bone!!! Needless to say I was taken aback by this information, I had to regroup and gather myself. I said "Lord, I just went back to work after being off for six months and now this again"  God answered me by saying, "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God, But the very hairs of your head are all numbered, do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrow" Luke 12: 6-7. I knew then that it was going to be alright.

From that diagnosis I've gone through some things. I immediately began a new treatment to see if there would a positive response. The chemo medicine was called Eribulin and I was on that for 2 sessions when my symptoms kept flaring up. I was coughing out of control and had such bad shortness of breath that I was scanned again and that's when they said "you have a pleural effusion" That's when the space that is between your lungs and ribs fills with fluid (pleural fluid). Now I knew why I couldn't walk 2 feet without gasping for air, my lungs were screaming!!!! They then rushed me in STAT to have it tapped to remove the fluid. When the procedure was done they removed a total  of 500ml of fluid from me and let me tell you I felt so much better. Here's a link to what is done during the procedure. http://patients.thoracic.org/information-series/en/resources/thoracentesis.pdf

I then was able to resume some of my day to day activities with ease but then 5 days later it was back again and I was back in the hospital. I had to have the same procedure repeated again but this time there was double the fluid! In just 5 days 1000ml of fluid, that's a lot of fluid!!!! The doctors all got together and came up with a plan because I can't keep having this procedure done it was too risky for me. So I agreed to have surgery to have a catheter (tube) placed in the pleural area for me to drain this at home. Surgery was done on July 2nd with a thoracic surgeon performing it. At the time we didn't know how long I would have to have it but I knew it was for the better. Well Thank God I received it because it immediately started helping me and now only 2 months later it can be removed because the space has no more fluid in it and it hasn't produce fluid since July 23rd Praise the Lord!!!

At the present time I am happy to say that I will continue with this new regimen of Chemo meds, Gemcitabine and carboplatin and God is working it out for his glory. I am tolerating the treatments and managing the side effects.. I have side effects of course because now I have to watch my blood sugar because of the steroids I'm on and I have pain management. The best way for me is my faith in God along with his peace that he so freely gives me, I just BELIVE!!!!!

Rejoice in the Hope of Experiencing God's Favor 

The Bible is full of hope-filled promises for you and me. We have access to God's presence. He wants to heal us of our diseases. He will supply all our needs. There are so many more, too many to count! That's why it's so sad when Christians miss out on God's promises due to lack of faith. 

Here's the question: Are you expecting those promises? Good things begin to happen to you when you rejoice in the hope of experiencing God's favor on a regular basis. 

Luke 2:52 (AMP) tells us that "Jesus increased in...favor with God and man." You and I access the favor of God by faith. We can increase in that favor and experience His promises just like Jesus. Even if you don't see those things in your life now, you can rejoice and put your hope in God, knowing that they will come. 

Everything that is promised in the Bible is for us. So rejoice in the hope of experiencing God's glory right now and He will make incredible things happen in your life. 

Prayer: God, I expect and rejoice in Your promises for me. I believe that You can bring to pass everything that I'm promised in Your Word. 

In Jesus's name, Amen.

Peace and blessings



Head wraps

Since I lost my hair from chemotherapy, I've been wearing head wraps. I've had several people ask me "How do you keep your scarves from slipping off." I have a couple of techniques that I use to help keep my scarves in place. Instead of me trying to explain the techniques I'll show you.

I haven't tried wigs yet but I'm not ruling them out either. I've just never been into wearing them and since I wear head wraps every now and then it was just easier for me to tie on a scarf. I'll have more videos with different head wrap styles and also if I decide to try a wig on. You can check out the youtube channel with this link.https://www.youtube.com/1mochalattemom for more videos and updates.

Love, Peace and Blessings

Special effects from chemo

There have been a few new developments in my treatment plan and also with some new side effects from said treatment. Let's first start with some side effects I have been experiencing. I first noticed the palms of my hands and soles of my feet darkening about 5 days ago then a few days ago I noticed my tongue turning black!!!!! I mean literally going from pink to black, it looks really weird. see

This is a side effect from the drug Cytoxan which is a chemo therapy drug. These side effects will go away once treatment is complete. Another side effect is hair loss, which I am now experiencing. My hair is pretty thick, curly and kinky. This is what came out today

This is what my hair looks like now.

I'm not sure if any more will come out or if it all will fall out, in any event it is what it is. I thank God that everything that is happening is just for a season and shall pass. John 11:4

⁴ When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

The other development that is going on with my treatment phase is searching for better or more efficient drugs to treat my particular type of breast cancer. When I had my surgery The Pathologist that I work with asked me if I would be interested in sending a sample of my tissue to Champions oncology http://www.championsoncology.com/. At the time I didn't know who they were so I needed more info. You can check the link for a more in depth explanation but in short they work with patients and their oncologist by testing other drugs on the patients tumor to see what will work best for the patient. The process starts with what's called tumor grafting or growing your tumor by implanting your tumor and waiting for it to grow. Once your tumor grows different drugs can be used to see what specific drug or combination of drugs works best for your unique tumor. My tumor graft has grown in an amazingly fast time and testing can be done. All of this is great and it definitely is not covered by insurance. When I spoke with them they explained this to me and I asked about cost and when they told me I knew in my heart that if this is God's will he WILL make a way. My family and I started planning how we would come up with the fee which was negotiated down to $10,000. We thought about different fundraisers and before we even did anything they called me and said that someone donated $7,000 towards the testing!!!!! Then my mom called me and said she was telling her Pastor and then we got another $1,000. GOD'S WILL BE DONE!!!! I am praising God because this is an awesome breakthrough for me and mere words can't explain my JOY!!!!!! If you need a miracle know that God is still in the miracle making business..

Peace, Love and Blessings

Do I need a mammogram?

This is the last day of Breast cancer awareness month, the month of everything pink!!!!
I noticed on a lot social media sites this one image about getting a Mammogram

It really got my attention because a lot of women do this Instagramming of their boobs but do they know what an actual Mammogram is? So since this can actually be a little scary for some women I want to help shed some light on what a mammogram is.
 A mammogram is an X-ray image of your breast used to screen for breast cancer. Mammograms play a key role in early breast cancer detection and help decrease breast cancer deaths. So basically it is a low energy X-ray done on this equipment

During a mammogram, your breasts are compressed between two firm surfaces to spread out the breast tissue. Then an X-ray captures black-and-white images of your breasts that are displayed on a computer screen and examined by a doctor who looks for signs of cancer.

ok so now for the part that some women find scary... Does it Hurt? I want to say no but everyone tolerates pain differently. For me it was uncomfortable it was like someone squeezing your breast to tightly and it hurts for that time but once they let go it's over. This is repeated several times on each side. Another issue that scares some women is the diagnosis.. What if? Will I Die? Well if your diagnosis is cancer it surely is better to know early and breast cancer is not a death sentence.....

 

I know that the unknown is scary but once you have it done it is no longer unknown and it could potentially save a life.... Yours....

 

 

Peace, Love and Blessings.

It's Chemo time!

Today is the day........STOP it's Chemo Time. Ok I'm back, first I want to pray that all goes well and that God gives me the strength to endure this. Thanking and praising Him in advance for everything going well. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Here is a video I did when I got home from my session.

 

 

 

Sorry this took so long to post... I was having technical difficulties. It is now day 2 after treatment I am a little tired and now having some nausea but not much. I am also experiencing some hot flashes but all in all I'm doing ok. Just drinking plenty of fluids and eating small meals seems to help, along with keeping a positive attitude. Thanks everyone for your prayers and support.

 

Peace, Love and Blessings 

 

 

 

 

On the road to expansion

So on October 7th I had my first infusion of saline into my expanders and I also had my last 2 drain tubes removed! I did not have any saline infused at the time of my mastectomies on September 17th. When I asked the plastic surgeon about it she said that she preferred to wait until my stitches healed and after I had my drain tubes removed. About a week prior to this I also had my port placement done to get ready for chemotherapy.
During my first infusion I didn't know what to expect. I had watched a few videos on you tube but I was not prepared for what happened. The first one went rather well that was on the right side then when the left sides turn came it was a different story. It felt as if every nerve ending on that side of my chest was being stuck by this needle. I wanted to scream but I didn't because I didn't want to startle her while she still had the needle in me. Needless to say I was a little apprehensive about getting it done again but at least I knew what I was in for. This is a short video of what is used during an infusion/

This next video is after the infusion. How I felt and what may be next on the road to expansion.

For more information regarding tissue expansion please check out this link. I hope this helps to explain the procedure. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/avon_foundation_breast_center/treatments_services/reconstructive_breast_surgery/tissue_expanders.html

Until next time

Peace, Love and Blessings

Fighting cancer with Chemo

Now I am in the treatment phase of my journey. I had a long discussion with the oncologist and we went over what my treatment plan will be. I will be having what is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy - Chemotherapy given to destroy left-over (microscopic) cells that may be present after the known tumor is removed by surgery.  Adjuvant chemotherapy is given to prevent a possible cancer reoccurrence.
  I will be given a combination of chemo drugs to help prevent the cancer from coming back.

I understand that chemo can be difficult for some individuals but I intend on being as positive as one can be during this time. I pray that I will keep a positive outlook on things while going through this.
The first combination of drugs that I will be given is  Adriamycin and Cytoxan. Both of these drugs work together to combat any residual or microscopic cancer cells that could possibly grow and cause a recurrence. Here is a bit more info on both drugs.

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/druglist/Adriamycin

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/druglist/Cytoxan

This particular combo will be given to me over an 8-12 week period. I will either receive it once every 2 weeks or once every 3 weeks depending on how I tolerate it. Then after I am done with this treatment I will be given another bout of chemo with a drug called Taxol. Taxol will be given in the same manner as the other 2 chemo drugs.

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/druglist/taxol

As with most other chemo drugs there are side effects some of the side effects include nausea, vomiting and hair loss. To help combat this I am told that most things ginger will help, keeping hydrated and rest. I have put together a anti nausea kit for myself it includes soft ginger chews, three ginger tea, ginger cookies and agave nectar to help sweeten the tea naturally.

This new phase of the journey starts on October 23rd. I read something today on a friends blog that put a lot of things in my life into perspective. The post is called "Lessons from the Garden" by Belinda at Simply Belinda, here is an excerpt "

1. Pruning is necessary for growth.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit—John 15:2

There is such a thing as “divine pruning,” and God will not only cut off unfruitful branches, but even the fruitful branches must be cut so that they bear even more fruit. Wow. I continued to trim, and the imagery was so powerful. I had to cut off much of the tree—the Lord will build your faith by almost destroying it—but what remained was rich, green, and beautiful, like the tree planted by the water, which yields its fruit in season.

While reading this post it just verified what my Pastor had said to my husband and I a few Sundays before I had my surgery. He said Kevin and Caula, God is using this situation to bring you closer to him and to build the kingdom.

If you want to read more check out the link to Belinda's blog Simply Belinda here. http://simplybelinda.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/what-god-wants-us-to-learn-in-the-garden/

I just want to thank everyone for coming along with me on this journey and helping to make the journey a piece of cake, pink frosting of course.

Peace, Love and Blessings