Add another item to the list

Nurses double glove and wear plastic
 gown when administering

Aleve pain pills....for the deep, agonizing, painful side affects of the Neulasta shot.

Nobody should have to say, 
" I feel much worse today than when I woke up from my last brain surgery."
"This feels like the worst flu ever."
And my question, "Why is the medicine that will heal her making her feel so terrible?"
‪#‎Chemosideeffectssuck‬

Arf! Arf!

Arf! Arf!

I had a hard time sleeping Saturday night.I spent the day with Kathy. She had to go to the hospital to get a shot of Neulasta. It is a booster shot patients get 24 hours after chemo. 

The syringe full of good stuff

The drive to the hospital took about 22 minutes. I knew she was already not feeling well and the ride to the hospital and back in my tiny clown car surely did not help. Every bump and swift turn brought a slight grimace from my usually smiley sister. We were smart to pack our travel size barf kit. It's accessories include wet wipes, a towel, and a small bottle of water.  Later in the day there were more things not on a "list." I had to make an extra trip to the drug store  in the evening for some antacid and some Miralax. Chemo doesn't waste any time. 

Throughout the day, friends and relatives were checking in to see how Kathy was doing. One question that kept coming up was ,"Is she barfing?" The answer was "No, she just feels like she has a bad flu and is really tired." Most of the people I know who have recently been treated with chemo only had some mild issues with "the bucket". 

Kathy went to bed pretty early and I stayed up and played on my computer. I went to sleep and woke up about 11:00 pm. My first thought was "Is Kathy OK?  Should I check on her? Why did I wake up? What was that noise?"

I finally fell back asleep and woke up again this time to a sound...was it Kathy? Did she get sick? I listened again....It was the dog Arf! Arf! 

View from the parking garage at the hospital. 

Expect the Unexpected

The short story is round one of chemo is over. Kathy talked, smiled and slept through  the entire 6 hours. She felt fine when we got home, laid down for a nap woke up and said, it feels like something happened to my body....welcome to chemo. 

Yesterday we arrived at the hospital ready for a long day of chemo treatments. Kathy's bag was packed with all the suggested items, Kleenex, mints, chapstick, lotion, I-Pod, electronics, crackers etc. While the nurse was preparing to take a blood sample from Kathy she asked if she took the "pill" ..We looked at each other and said what pill? It turns out she was supposed to take a steroid type pill 12 hours before the appointment...No Chemo...

But it really was a blessing, It was a beautiful day and we had a great lunch together. Finished up some errands and went to fill the prescription for the super steroid "pill" and some anti nausea pills. This is when I find out about how screwed up the medical system is..The pharmacist tells us the nausea pills are not covered by the insurance and it would be $130.00. "Are you kidding me?" I said. I got on the phone and called the nurse she told me to go to Costco they would be $18.00. Yes, the same pills at Costco were really only $18.00. I don't get it..

Kathy was blessed by angels the rest of the evening, she had some special mother daughter time over pizza and salad.  (Shhh don't tell her doctor, he says salad is bad for chemo patients, it has dirt and bugs on it) Then when dinner was over and she received the check , somebody had paid for her dinner...It was completely unexpected and she said that had never happened to her in her her life...pretty cool..

a week in her boots

Kathy had a busy week.
 She gave blood on Monday,
 had a heart test on Tuesday,
 had outpatient surgery for her chemo port on Wednesday,
 had more bloodwork and a steroid shot on Thursday,
 and wrapped up the week with her first 6 hour session of a  chemo cocktail also known as "Red Devil".
 Sorry for the giant run- on sentence.
Add to this; being a loving Mom to 3 teenagers, cooking, cleaning, shopping, and going to basketball games at the school.
When I saw her last, I gave her my favorite pair of boots. I hope they helped her "walk through this week."

Tickled Pink

     Today was an incredibly busy day I wish I could say it was a day of incredibly fun adventure such as a trip to Hawaii, a relaxing day at the spa or even a carefree day of window shopping.  Most of the day had a lot to do with …(insert swear word of choice)….cancer.  Our first stop was to a little boutique nearby called Tickled Pink http://tpwigs.com/. It is a wig and hat boutique owned by a wonderful lady named Susie Kirch. The boutique was the idea of Susie’s niece who had lost her hair to chemotherapy and wanted to cover her head a cap and a wig. After feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable shopping for them at a local beauty supply store they decided to create a boutique for women to come and shop for wigs in privacy and comfort. After some nervous laughs and a few bad bald jokes Kathy began to try on hats. She is very confident of what she likes and every one that she tried on looked awesome except the cream colored one….Oh that cream colored one, I looked at her in the mirror and without hesitation I shouted, ”Take that off you look like the Captain from Captain and Tennile!”  Under my breath I sang a few lines of "Muskrat Love".

 Tickled Pink was just what we both needed, a warm, safe beautiful haven away from the harsh clinical side of cancer. The rest of our busy day included multiple phone calls from doctors and clinics setting appointments for next week and some grocery shopping. The final part of the day was the best. We watched Kathy’s son Jesse play a great game of basketball. I am going to sleep tonight with a smile on my face. I got to spend a day with my sister laughing and crying, shopping, and talking. 

Kathy's Team

A quick update: Chemo will start soon and we need everyone on the team to get their flu shot asap. Her doctor explained that she will be like a newborn baby.

This means having very low immunities. In addition, she will also have the bald head of a newborn, my brother, and my father! Kathy has insisted that no women shave their heads in support. (Insert my sigh of relief here.)

Kathy is feeling strong and preparing to kick a$$!
I have added the term "fbomb" to my spell check option as I have no intention of "auto correcting" those.

I also have some new socks that will keep my feet warm while I assist in the a$$ kicking of all cancerous tumors.

BOLD

-Adjective-not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring:

-Today I cried. It wasn’t the kind of crying that leaves you with a stuffy nose and swollen eyes, it was tears of emotion pouring out of my eyes. You see I am not a “cryer”. It takes a lot for me to show strong emotion. I have been staying strong for the past 6 weeks since Kathy found out she has breast cancer.  Every day for Kathy is dotted with another what if, why, when and how. What if I need Chemo? Why don’t I have a firm diagnosis? How will I pay for all this? How is this affecting my kids?

 The funny thing was that my tears fell at the strangest time. I was at an assembly today at the school I work at. The assembly was about bullying and was sponsored by a non-profit group called Boldly Me.

The main speaker was Alana Powell the founder of Boldly Me. Alana has alopecia. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder which affects the hair follicles. Some people with the disease only lose patches of hair, while others lose all of their hair.  Alana spoke about her life with and without hair, how she always felt different, and how three years ago she finally took off her wig and walked down the street confidently and without fear of being different. Then she suddenly took off her wig in front of half of our school. That was when my waterfall of tears started. I saw so much strength, determination, and courage in that one brave moment. I looked up at Alana and she too was crying.

I see that same strength, courage and determination rising up inside my little sister Kathy. Yes she is becoming BOLD! Her last post SPIN CYCLE described all of tests she has recently endured.   Nothing is fun or funny about  tests or surgery but somehow Kathy found a way – her motto- Just get on the gurney- in other words don’t hesitate, or be fearful in the face of danger-there will be a shift..your bully will become powerless… Be BOLD!

By Mary Bessler- Kathy’s sister-