Living a Blessed Life

Here we go - through round two of my Chemo infusions. You may recall from my last post that we were going to add a desensitization protocol this time around and see how that goes. Well, after 8 hours in the infusion center, I received the full does of Oxaliplatin without any negative reactions, so that will be our new plan of attack for now. Every other Monday I will go into the infusion center at 7:30 AM and leave around 4:00 PM. I opened it up, waved at everyone else who came and went, and closed it down. My nurse was amazing and she worked with me her entire shift. It was nice that we could start and end the day together. :-) I made a new friend. His name is Gideon, and he is a support dog. He was simply the sweetest, as he sat on my feet and leaned against my legs as I pet him. He didn’t even mind that I had my lunch on the tray right next to him. I used to work at Southdale Hospital when I was in college and I remember the support dogs that came through. I never thought I would...

Yes, I had a birthday!!! On Tuesday, May, 17th, I celebrated my 40th (yes, indeed) Birthday!!! It was a really wonderful day. I did not do anything spectacular that day, other than my usual routine, but my spirit was at ease and my heart was full! I started the day at work, where we celebrated with lunch from YUM! Kitchen & Bakery. It was delicious, and a fun way to kick off my birthday. Throughout the day I received SO MANY meaningful messages via text, phone calls, Facebook, Marco Polo, and fb messenger! My heart was completely filled by the outpouring of love. After work I picked the kids up from school and we hurried home to get Makaiya fancied up for her dance pictures in Eden Prairie. Thankfully I have a wonderful dance mom friend who graciously helped her with makeup! Full disclosure: I am not great in this department! I did watch and take notes, so I can give it a try soon. YIKES! Pictures went great, we had to Presto Change-o into her softball uniform, and head over to ...

This weekend was nothing short of fantastic for a number of reasons, but specifically it culminated with what felt to me like a good first season, final episode, to a favorite TV series. I liken it to "Gilmore Girls" (my personal favorite), This is Us (full disclosure - I have never seen this), or Parenthood. Last fall our family was sadly affected by COVID in ways we never anticipated. In mid october, Darek, Toby, and I all tested positive (Toby was asymptomatic) and our girls tested negative. This all happened the week prior to our fall break, when we had a trip planned to Disney World with my parents. We had to cancel this trip, which was a bummer in and of itself, but what we did not know was that my father-in-law, Jerry Schwarz, was also battling COVID. We received a phone call that he was being taken to the Emergency Department because he had a noticeable change in his breathing, and needed to seek professional medical care. Jerry was in Atrial Fibrillation at this p...

We did it! We completed the first round of treatment!! I started writing, “we made it through” and I quickly caught myself as it sounded pretty negative. We didn’t just “make it through” this first round, but we did it with strength and grace and a lot of team effort. You have all been instrumental already in this fight, sending encouraging messages, thoughtful gifts, and checking in on me. I am fully aware that everyone else has life happening as well, and I am grateful every day for each of you and your support! Previously, I mentioned that the Oxaliplatin infusion gave me a few troubles and we ended up stopping just over halfway through that infusion. Darek and I met with an oncologist, Dr. K., at the clinic on Wednesday (as Dr. L. is on vacation). He was great as well, and we both walked out of that appointment encouraged once again. A common theme at this clinic which is very different from my experience two years ago, is the desire to CURE me from this cancer. I have mentioned...

We did it! Day 1 is pretty much in the book. This morning Darek brought me to the M Health Fairview Cancer Center at the Physician’s Building in Edina. We checked in at 8:00 AM and spent the better part of the day there. The infusion started out without a hitch, with anti-nausea medication. That took about 20 minutes and we proceeded to start the Oxaliplatin chemotherapy. After about 25-30 minutes I started noticing tingling in my fingertips and hands. I let my nurse know and she stopped the pump immediately. She notified the Oncologist in the office and he stopped in to discuss the symptoms with me. They collaborated with the pharmacy and decided to try to prevent the symptoms from happening again by giving me Benadryl and Pepcid infusions, and then begin again at a very slow speed, gradually increasing. This meant it would take 5 hours instead of 2, which was a slight bummer. We moved ahead with this plan, at which time I started to feel nausea coming on. I let one of the nurses k...

Hooray! It’s Friday - Funday and the sun is shining. I am currently sitting outside on the deck, enjoying the warm sun, singing birds, children playing at the school in the distance, woodpeckers working on our trees, and the occasional wind chime when the light breeze moves through. THIS! This is the weather I love! I really needed this day, and this specific moment, to be perfectly honest. Yesterday was pretty cloudy for the bulk of the day and I found it difficult to find my motivation. I was feeling stuck in an emotional rut, and struggled mightily to get out of it. I read all of my morning devotions, but found my mind wandering and lost in thought So. Many. Times. My current battle is definitely in my mind, and I am thankful for Darek who is quick to speak truth back into our circumstances and over my life. Yesterday, I was feeling very uncomfortable from this port in my chest, and also struggling through a caffeine withdrawal headache, which contributed to my less than pleasant...