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

Follow up post mastectomy

I had my first follow up appointment after surgery. First thing I want to discuss is riding in a car. It is a little uncomfortable for me. This city has potholes and bumps in the road, that if you didn't notice them before you sure will notice them now. I rode in the backseat of the car because of the airbag in the front. I wouldn't want the airbag punching me in the chest if we were to have and accident, I'm not saying that my husband is a bad driver but this was something that occurred to me on my trip home from the hospital. So for a few more weeks I will be a backseat driver because I want to be safe can I say "driving miss Daisy" Lol.

I saw the plastic surgeon first her name is Dr. Rasko,  I don't think I mentioned any names before but I asked permission and was given the ok. I have 2 drain tubes on each side of my body below my armpits. They are called JP drains (Jackson-Pratt). The reason for having surgical drains is to prevent blood and lymphatic fluid buildup under my skin and to encourage healing. I empty my drains every 12 hours and record the output. I am really praying that I get them removed soon because I am experiencing a bit of discomfort now. What I mean is I feel them in my chest and it is uncomfortable, don't get me wrong there isn't any pain involved I just have a tightness in my chest. If you want more info on JP drains click the link here http://breastcancer.about.com/od/reconstructivesurgery/p/surg_drains.htm

I will be seeing the oncologist to discuss my plan of treatment. I know I will be getting chemo but the exact drugs and the start date need to be finalized. Once I have that information I will update here. I will also speak with my oncologist about recording my first session so that you can actually see what happens during my chemo treatment. So until next time,

Peace, Love and Blessings