Drug exchange
Drug exchange going on at the #Texans game!! Amanda slipping me the green tea!!!! LOL… Super healthy herbs anyways thankfully they helped me make it through another day of my usual NO energy!...
Angry hips Friday night. Super elevated pain and extremely exhausted…
However, I was happy to be out at my favorite place (Texans/NRG stadium) supporting the #FridayNightLights event hosted by a few of our favorite JH supporters… Brad & Joanna Marks along with Cal & Hannah McNair! It’s always soooo hard to find the energy to get out, but once I do I am always happy I dragged myself out of the house. After sitting for a little while, my hip stared hurting so bad that I was almost in tears. Garrick requested a chair with extra cushioning and check out what the awesome staff brought me in the pic Ever since part of my pelvis was removed at 23 years old, a broken hip training for Susan Koman at 25 followed by a a hip replacement, I’ve been dealing with pain off and on forever. Not...
Staph Infection?????
All Red, Not Good Keep getting ear infections (since February), have a hole in my eardrum, lost part of my hearing and report kind of looks like I have several bacterial infections including staph. Started Levaquin 2 days ago, this is the first time I have seen results like this. Super tired most of the time, so hoping antibiotics will clear this up and maybe I will feel a little better. ~...
The Dreaded Needle
Sat there and stared at the dreaded needle (shot) I had to give myself today for my post chemo low white blood cell count Always sits next to me for a while before actually injecting myself, HATE needles (never imagined I could actually give myself a shot, lol)!!!!!! Had visitors today (Cindy, Adam, Amanda, kids) at our house to work on foundation stuff. Soooo happy they all showed up to get work done and hang out I have been SUPER low on energy, nothing new but I did get some interesting test results back that I hope to post tomorrow about my results for my ear culture (infection again). ~...
Dress Accomplished by H. Harloquin!
Finally got my dress accomplished!!!! The owner Haley of H.Harloquin dressed me for the event and was AMAZING!!!!! I was worried about chemo/treatment making me fluffier this year For the first time I dreaded dress shopping and put it off hoping I would drop a few pounds after I started working on major changes to my diet. Since last year I gained weight likely due to all of the wonderful medication that goes along with cancer. Soooooo my plans got put on hold for a short amount of time due to us recently putting a contract on a house finally (so moving, trying to sell our house, I am also the broker which means more work and closing might actually fall on Friday or Saturday, complete CHAOS!), Chemotherapy + Targeted Therapy, a recent severe pain episode that almost sent me to the ER our HUGE annual Gala, and of course life!! So……. my future goals to make changes to all areas of my lifestyle to help fight my cancer, severe fatigue, energy, etc… is right around the corner and I am excited and hopeful!!!!!! I am soooooooooooo SICK OF BEING SICK!!!!! So everybody will see the puffier version of Jamie this year, but what I am really excited about is seeing everybody in the future after I have changed my life Anyways…….. I was unusually surprised by how wonderful dress shopping ended up being considering how insecure I was feeling about myself. I never imagined I would find a gown this easy (or actually Haley found, lol). She already had several in mind making it super easy for...
All decked out
Our beautiful Jamie all decked out for the @HoustonTexans game
A Little Family Support Getting My Beet Juice Down
Up at the office trying a new juice flavor by Squeezed with my mom and sister. Always love the support trying to get the much needed nutrients down. I was expecting the worst when Amanda handed me the Beet juice (Beet, Carrot, Orange, Pineapple flavored) but was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually very good and easy to drink!!!!!!!! Getting close to my 3rd year of chemotherapy/targeted therapy which has kept me stable and is awesome, but I am SOOOOOO SICK of not feeling good!!! I have finally had enough and have been working on plans to completely change my lifestyle. First on the list is nutrition, which believe it or not I have an enormous amount of education and training behind me so I know what I have to do and already know the challenges I face. Jamie...
Never Ending Chemo, Down Today
Down for the day, wiped out and can hardly make it to the bathroom. Attempted to try to get up around 4 pm, hoping to get something accomplished today. Had a bowl of cereal, which was very hard to do and still 0 energy so back in bed. Same chemo (few dose adjustments over years) I have been on forever (June 2012). Peppy, my cancer kitty in pic with me always by my side!!!!!!! Hoping tomorrow will be a better day ~...
Working On The Masquerade
Working on...
Lost Keys – Chemo to Blame??
Been on a hunt for my car keys for well over an hour. For a second there was thinking…… Hope this isn’t chemo brain and I am losing my mind Then finally found my spare but the alarm keypad doesn’t work. So… I walked outside and found them in the street in front of my car!!!!...Chemo Wednesday, PET Scan Results & Golf Tournament Work
Spent chemo Wednesday and PET scan test result day with Nancy. I was EXTREMELY NERVOUS about my results since my previous scan 2 months earlier was not looking to good. During my last appointment we discussed the possibility of changing my chemo back to more frequent but lower doses. Thank God the results were STABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After a very long day at MD Anderson I still had energy, so we went on a Jamie’s Hope Golf Tournament mission. There was a flyer explosion in the waiting areas!! Flyers on the first floor by the ballon heart. Flyers for the coffee drinkers on the 2nd floor waiting area where you check in to Chemo. More flyers here!! Flyers over there!!! Then last spot finally Nancy leaving flyers on the ATM machine on the way out of MD Anderson ~...Better spirits = productive chemo time ;)
Jamie’s been feeling better (yay!!), praying her strength lasts through this round of chemo (fingers crossed). Working on her medical bills today, doin’ the dirty work12 hour chemo day brightened by my favorite MD Anderson volunteers!
Love these ladies! They’re here almost every Wednesday, donating they’re time to help brighten the day for so many chemo patients
That’s A Wrap
Jamie’s family and friends are our Guardian Angels at work! Thank you for helping Jamie. Jamie has had some very hard times lately so we have been teaming up more to make sure she always has someone with her while battling this horrible disease. Please pray for continued support, relieved stress, less pain, and for a cure! We love Jamie so much and we can’t imagine this world with out her. #JamiesHope #CureCancer #Hopeforacure #killcancer#bluecure #mdanderson @jamieshope That’s a wrap – leaving md Anderson – we’ve been here 12 hours total today – Jamie’s a trooper @jamieshope #jamieshope #curecancer #beatcancer #cancersucks #mdanderson #killcancer #bluecure — feeling tired withJamie Gilmore at MD Anderson Cancer...154 Pounds of Laundry – The Weigh-In / Battling Extreme Fatigue / Chemotherapy Side Effects
Chemotherapy comes with so many unwanted side effects and finding ways to deal with it can be challenging. Life has become a constant roller coaster, extreme fatigue for days followed by days running crazy to catch up. I have finally accepted that it is impossible to keep up with everything I could when I was healthy. Laundry is one of the many duties that I am constantly fighting to keep up with. Last month I tried a wash and fold service for the first time for our clothes only. I loved it sooooo much that this month I included our towels and sheets as well. Our laundry collection, possibly a record breaker weighed in at 154 pounds!!!!!! Rather than spending countless hours in the laundry room with what small amount of energy I do have, I can now use this time in areas I actually do enjoy ~...Good Laugh Today – Vodka in the Office?
So….. finally back in the office for a few hours today and first on the agenda was a phone conference. I shared a computer screen with Amanda our Executive Director, who took a swig from the bottle in the picture. I looked at her and thought surely she is not drinking vodka straight out of the bottle this early in the day??? Then quickly realized after looking at the label it was not vodka. Somehow the bottle ended up being the topic of a conversation and Amanda had agreed that she had thought the same about the look of the bottle. Definitely had a really good laugh today, lol...Still Alive & KICKIN it, lol!! Chemo & MD Update From Yesterday
Back to blogging again and have lots to catch up on with treatment, life, etc……. Late night yesterday at MD, but got home around 9 pm which is actually earlier than most chemo days!! Volunteer services stopped by to say hello and see if I wanted a hat, pillow, etc….. There are 3 ladies that always man the cart and they are always so wonderful to talk to. I included a picture of my newest hat, which reminded me of Jamaica because it is super colorful. Then that lead the volunteers and I into a conversation about the Jamaican bobsled team, which unfortunately I missed on tv I made it home in time to say goodnight to my daughter, who was wearing one of my hats that I was given by the volunteers previously She tried to take my new colorful one but told her she could borrow it anytime as long as her hair was dry (hair was still damp from her shower). Woke up today and was a little more tired than usual, but headed to the Jamie’s Hope office anyways to work with Amanda and Samantha today. Always fun working up there and so thankful for all of our wonderful volunteers that none of this would be possible without. Amanda, our volunteers, sponsors, MD, etc… keep me motivated and trust me when you have been on chemo this long you need all the motivation you can get, lol (and family also). I plan on posting some of my past photos and updates as I have time, have soooo much to update and talk about and just...
PET Scan Results a little disappointing :( – FUNKY HAT / Getting my Christmas Cocktail yesterday “aka” Chemo
Yesterday was a loooooooooong day, just now finishing update for yesterday. First appointment at 9:30 am (labs), got there around 12:00 since first doctor appointment was at 1:30 pm…. Then left at 10:37 PM… Picked up angel tree items I had on hold on the way home….. Arrived home right at midnight finally!! I received my PET Scan results yesterday, included picture of my report below. My last scan we received positive results (first week of November) and the decision was made after our discussion that we would try doubling my chemo (same overall dosage) but I would not come every week. Yesterday was my first scan since trying this and many of my tumors SUV (activity level they use for monitoring my cancer) increased and in the report a new area of concern to watch was mentioned My last several scans reported stable but the SUV level was going down on a very slow decline and this was the first scan in a long time that went significantly the wrong way. We are giving it 2 more months until my next scan and if it does not improve then back to every week. The last 1-2 months of my life have been some of my most stressful months over the past year, so praying that stress played a role. Poor Amanda, our Executive Director communicates with me almost everyday due to foundation and we have been friends forever so she has to listen and deal with me, lol. What many people don’t realize, when I don’t blog I am not always doing to good. On top of my...
Texans Fans at MD Anderson
Just in case anybody was wondering, here is a picture with the 2nd Biggest Texans fan at MD Anderson!! Of course I am the #1 fan, lol Jewels has been taking my blood for almost 2 years now. When I first started getting my labs drawn with her I was a complete wreck. I was extremely nervous, once I took a whiff of the alcohol pad after they prepped my arm for the stick it was all over and then I was hyperventilating, near fainting…… just the anticipation of the blood draw gave me extreme anxiety!! Even at 31 (was actually 30 at the start of chemo), a grown woman turned into a 5 year old and if I happened to be lucky and my Dad was there I would hold his hand every time (maybe correct word is squeeze) Jewels is so good she would stick me and I could hardly feel a thing. As time went on I got to the point where I trusted her 100% and now I never have anxiety like before. I actually look forward to seeing her for my blood draw and talking about our Texans. ~...Donate Here
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