Where has the week gone...

I cannot believe it is Friday already. We had a safe flight on Tuesday, got in around 8:15pm. Mike and Kelly picked us up. Of course with the time change I had trouble falling asleep and was up until 2am. Wednesday me and my mom went to the dansko outlet so I could get shoes for work. They sell them for 1/2 price, it is great and I wish I could buy a bunch and ship them back to CA for all my co-workers. That will be a stop for sure each time I am in town. That night we had dinner at my sister's house with the girls. I can't get over how chatty Ella has gotten. Yesterday we got our toes done and then went to The Desmond to see the Chatterband. Great time except for the rain. Last night I spent the night at my sister's. We had decided that we'd bring Sadie in to my sister's bed to sleep with us. Then my sister said, why don't we get Ella too. I went and got her and brought her over. Within minutes my sister and Sadie were sound asleep. Ella and I chatted, I should say Ella chatted, for about an hour. "hey Aunt Jen, what are you doing?", "Aunt Jen look at the perfect fan that pop put in", on and on and on. At around 1am I called my husband and had him listen in. I finally was able to get her to lay next to me in the bed and shortly after she fell asleep. By that point I had no room and did not want to move her and wake her so I put a pillow in my spot and one on the floor and headed to Sadie's bed for a few hours sleep. I had a blast but am a little sleepy today. Relaxing today then going to dinner tonight with my parents. It has finally cooled off but will be back in the high 80's tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. Be safe:)

PA bound

Well we had a relaxing day yesterday, sorry C2 that I missed the picnic. We headed to Fleming's around 6pm for dinner which was yummy. Had a fun night after dinner playing games. I think Mark won them all:) Today we ran a few errands and then my friend Angela stopped over with her baby Ryan. She brought a big tray of lasagna, salad and wine. Thanks Angela. It was a nice visit and so great to meet baby Ryan. After procrastinating all day I finally packed. I just have a few last minute things to put in after I shower. Our flight leaves at 8:30am and gets in to Philly at 8:30pm. It will be a long day of travel. We have 2 hours in Dallas so enough time to get lunch. I am really looking forward to being back in PA for 2 weeks. It will be great to see my family and friends.

It has been a busy, but wonderful, few months of visitors and surgery that I really haven't had time to process much. Not looking forward to the day it all sinks in:( I will try my best to blog in the next few days.

catching up

It has been a few days so I will catch everyone up on my days. On Thursday we went to Stack's in the morning for breakfast and then headed to Stanford for my f/u with Dr. Dirbas. Before the appt we stopped at C2 to say hello and introduce my mom to Karen. We had a nice visit but had to get to the cancer center. My appointment time was 1pm and he entered the room around 2:30pm. He said that everything looked fine and he would see me in a year if not sooner if I need to see him. When we got home Mark and I went for a little walk.

Friday I had my second attempt at the dentist office. I only waited 5 minutes then was taken back. I was told I need a crown and a filling. Got all this scheduled around my chemo. It is not a good idea to go when your counts are down so I scheduled them 2 weeks after each treatment. From there we went and met Monika for coffee, quick visit. Then we headed back to Stanford for our appt with a genetic counselor. On the way we stopped at Rach's house to p/u a meal she prepared for us, thanks Rach:) The appt went well and I learned so much. They recommended one more genetic test called BART which looks a little closer at the BRCA genes. Both MD's feel that it will come back negative but fetl it will really complete the testing if we do it. The feeling is that it was caused by the environment (that is at the moment with the information and testing that they have, who's to say they won't find a different gene in years to come). I did decide to go ahead and get the BART test done, just a simple blood test. I will get the results in a week to week and a half.

We are still deciding the plans for today. Mark would like to take my mom to the spot where he proposed. It is a little hike to get up there but I think my mom has it in her. I'll blog tomorrow and let everyone know how it went.

PT today

Slept well last night and up at 9am. Headed to PT appt at 10:30 with Todd. The appt went well. He did an assessment on my ROM and then I did some exercises. I was pretty uncomfortable when I left and has increased as the day has gone on. I was not able to do my exercises again b/c of the discomfort. He told me to try to do them 1-2 times a day to start then increase. I'll be seeing him again on Monday. It was just nice to go and have things to do while I am in PA.

From there we met Lynda and Rhonda for lunch at Steamer's in Los Gatos. Lunch was great and I was glad my mom got to meet Rhonda. After lunch we met up with Stacy and stopped at a boutique called, The Next Step. They have wigs, scarves, hats, books, and lots of other helpful things. It is a real neat shop. I tried on 2 wigs but did not purchase one. We headed back to downtown Los Gatos but the rain shortened our shopping.

Another relaxing night. Turkey burgers for dinner and watched some TV.

G.night, have to get ready for another busy day tomorrow....

Drain out:)

I had lots of trouble sleeping last night. Was up until 3am and slept until 9:30. I am super tired and know that I will sleep well tonight, can't wait.

Well this morning I was excited to see that my drain had no output and was ready to come out. I sent Dr. P a text message to see if he could remove it today. I planned to get there around 12:30. First I had a dentist appt. I was only going in for an exam. My appt time was 11:10am. Well I sat and waited and waited and every time I tried to go up to the desk, the girl would walk away or get on the phone. They called me back at 11:40 and then told me that he was finishing up with a pt but had 2 others in front of me. I knew I had to be at Stanford by 12:30 so at that point I just said forget I need to reschedule. When I headed back to the desk I had to wait another 5 minutes to do that. I was so frustrated that I was in the office for 40 minutes and did not even see the dentist, oh well. Rescheduled for Friday first appt of the day, should work better.

We headed up to Stanford to meet Dr. P to remove my drain. I meant to take percocet before we got there but I did not eat breakfast so that was out of the question. I know from previous drain removal it does hurt, even though they tell you it doesn't. Well, I must say, I think this was the worst one I've ever had removed (probably not but I just blocked out the previous times). I let out a scream which was followed by tears. The pain lasted for probably just a minute but to me it felt like much longer. It was so nice of Dr. P to remove the drain for me. I am so thankful to have so many supporters. It feels so nice not having something hanging from me. I will be able to get a real shower tomorrow, one where I am not having to cover up my drain. Can't wait!

From there we (mom and me) headed to lunch then lots of errands. My mom bought us such nice plants for the back area and got them all planted. It really looks nice. I just have to hope they are still alive when I get back from PA (don't think Mark will water them when I am gone). Tonight's dinner is chicken on the grill with asparagus followed by the House season finale.

Time to try to relax

Saturday

Got an ok night sleep last night. Had a little trouble falling to sleep. My friend Jen came over and we went for a little walk then had lunch. Mark and my mom went golfing this am which makes me happy! Glad they can spend some time and enjoy themselves.

My drain is still in. I am ready to just say, take it out. Monday will be 2 weeks with it and I am so over it already. When I go out I have to figure out ways to hide it so most of the time I wear a longer button up shirt and comfy pants. Just sucks:(

Nothing planned for the rest of the day. Mark is cooking steak on the grill tonight, can't wait for that. Tomorrow just relaxing then I have a full week of appts.

Off to take a rest...

update

Sorry for my short post the other day. Jackie brought us a yummy lunch and yesterday Amy and Lori stopped with lunch so I've been a busy lady. Last night we had the best meal made by Mary, Steve's mom. She sent so much food, wine, and a beautiful plant. Thanks everyone. So I'll be trying to spend the day today doing nothing, yeah right!!

I will be starting chemo on 6/10 when I get back from PA. I have labs at 9:30, Dr. G at 10:30 and chemo at 11:30. They told me my first treatment will take 5-6 hours then all the ones after will be 2-3 hours. I'll have 6 cycles which will take 5 months. Then I will start radiation which will be 5 days a week for 6 weeks, urgh. Not looking forward to that. As for work goes my plan is to get 2 treatments under my belt to see how I feel and what days are my bad and what days are my good. We shall see, one day at a time.

Nothing really planned this weekend. My friend Jen may stop over Saturday to take a walk and have lunch. Next week we have lots of appts. Oh and my stupid drain is still in. I am hoping it is ready to come out this weekend. Really feelin Saturday or Sunday. I know I will feel so much better once it comes out.

Off to eat some lunch.

great news!

I had my follow-up appointments yesterday and wanted to let everyone know the great news, 11 of the 12 lymph nodes that they removed were negative for cancer!!! The only one that had cancer is the one that they knew of that was biopsied so that is wonderful.

My friend Jackie just got here with lunch so I will write all the other details later.

lots to tell

After enjoying a few hours with my Dad on Saturday, my mom and I headed to Stacy's for "ladies night". I decided to get dressed up and wear a dress. It was so painful to put on, what a mistake. As soon as I got it on I wanted to take it off but I knew it would hurt too much. I brought my PJ's to change in to at Stacy's house. I made it 1 hour in my dress then had to change. My personal nurse Joti (she was my dayshift nurse when I was in the hospital) was there and helped me change in to my PJ's and also changed my dressing. Thanks Joti for everything. There were about 15 or so girls, great turnout. Everyone showed up with a hat on and little did I know they were all for me. When Stacy finally got me to sit down, Stacy and Monika brought over 2 gift baskets. I got lots of cute things, books, scarves, socks, magazines, scrapbook kit, etc. After the gifts were opened Judith hooked up her karaoke machine. That's when the real party started. I was getting pretty tired so Mark picked us up around 9:30. I can't thank everyone enough for such a wonderful night. I am so blessed to have so many friends that care so much for me. I know this is going to be a hard road ahead but with all my girls at my back it will be a piece of cake. Love you all!

Sunday morning my dad made us a nice breakfast. I did not eat much because I made the mistake of taking my pills on an empty stomach, I was so nauseous. A few hours after breakfast I got a phone call from my brother who was with my sister and Kelly. They told me to log on to facebook and check out the pictures, they had a surprise for me. My brother, sister and other friends did the "race for the cure" (this brought tears to my eyes). They raised over $3000.00 and did it in honor of me. My brother had Chris make shirts that said "team Jen round 2". Thank you to all that donated and participated, here is the site:
http://rfcphl.convio.net/site/TR/Race/General?pg=team&fr_id=1040&team_id=40243

Just when I thought my day could not get any better my friend Becky posted a link on my facebook page and told me to check it out. I met Becky 2 years ago at the 3 day walk. She is a nurse at Stanford too. Becky has decided to do the 3 Day again this year and her team name is "team Jen Lapole". I am so honored. Please check out her site and help her reach her goal:
http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?px=1864791&fr_id=1470&pg=personal

The last great thing of the day was when my friend Linda posted a picture on my facebook page that said "thinking of you" below the picture. The picture is of her from the back, at the race for the cure today in philadephia, with a pink paper on her back with my name on it. I met Linda 4 years ago when I was diagnosed the first time. She too was battling the horrible disease and is close to my age so it was great meeting her and having her to chat with. Thanks Linda, keep keeping on!

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. I love you all...

surprise visitor...

Last night I got a really good night sleep and slept until 9:00am today. That's a record for me. We got a phone call around 9pm from Dr. Dirbas. He was checking in to see how I was doing. I told him that I have been trying to get off the pain pills but told him when I've waiting 5-6 hours between pills then I am really in a lot of pain. He told me not to try to be strong and that I had his permission to take the pills. He told me that the patients that he has had that have tried to go without the pain medication, it takes them much longer to get full range of motion back in their arms. I told him I was concerned because my surgery was Monday and he said that he has had patients that have been on the pain medication for 2 weeks straight and that it is ok. I will be taking him up on his advice and using the pain meds that I was given.

My mom and I went for a 45 minute walk today. It was so nice but of course she complained the entire time and kept asking when we'd be home!! When we got home we were sitting out at the table waiting for Mark to get back from golfing. He arrived around 1:30pm and all of I sudden I heard this voice say "hi honey I'm home". I was my Dad:) I couldn't believe it, thought I was dreaming. They pulled it off, I was completely surprised. It is so great to have them both here.

Tonight the girl's are going to Stacy's house for a "ladies night" party. The men will be dropping us off and picking us up. They plan to get dinner somewhere. I am looking forward to getting out of the house and seeing all my friend's.

Cheers:)

Getting better

Each day seems to be getting easier. I am still taking the pain medication but trying to not take it as frequently. The pain I have now is a burning pain. I think the lack of sleep is catching up with me. I can honestly say I feel like taking a nap! I know my mom will be happy to hear that.

Yesterday Monika and Jill stopped over for lunch which gave my mom a chance to go out shopping. It was nice having company. We even took a little walk to the mailbox. Last night Mark's co-worker, Joanne, brought us PF Chang's. Yummy! Thanks Joanne. I went to bed around 11 and slept til 3am then got up and moved to the sofa. I did fall back asleep at some point until 8am. Not bad. Around 10, Tia stopped over to visit, thanks Tia. While she was here my mom went food shopping. I think I'll go sit outside for a little then take a nap. We will be taking it easy tonight. I have to rest up for the party at Stacy's tomorrow:)

Can't wait to get this stupid drain out...

Recovering

My surgery went well on Monday. Started on time and ended about 2 1/2 hours later. Dr. Dirbas was able to get the lymph node out that had the cancer in it without having to make another incision. Originally he mentioned possibly having to make an incision on my chest if he could not get to the node under my armpit. He was able to make one incision under my arm and get everything. I have about a 2 inch incision under my arm and a JP drain. He located the bad lymph node, removed it and then felt behind it and did not feel any other nodes. He said that there were about 5-6 nodes from under my arm that looked suspicious but we won't know for sure until the final pathology report. I must say the pain is not as bad as I thought. My biggest problem is sleep. Anesthesia always makes me very wired for several days. I spent the night on C2, my unit and barely slept. I kept getting lectured by the nurses to get back to bed. It was so nice to see all of my coworkers and was great to get lots of visitors. They took such great care of me, thanks guys!

I was discharged on Tuesday around 12:30. Dr. Dirbas stopped to see me one more time before I went home. The drain will stay in until 5/11 or 5/13, I am hoping 5/11. I have an appointment with him on 5/11 at 11am then meet with my oncologist at noon. We are hoping she has the final pathology and can tell me what my chemo treatment will be.

Last night I took an ambien and was able to sleep for about 5-6 hours. I've been weaning myself off the percocet and have been able to go about 5-6 hours between pills. I did nothing all day today and really can't imagine having to continue this way for another 3 weeks. I am going to go crazy. I think my mom and I are going to try a little walk tomorrow. I really wanted to go to the food store with my mom today but she would not let me. Stacy had stopped by and offered to go with my mom so that I could stay home, thanks Stacy:)

Thanks everyone for following and for all the support. I feel so blessed...

Anxious

The day has been going well but I am starting to get anxious for tomorrow. Mark made us breakfast in the morning and then my mom and I went food shopping. We got steaks for dinner and ingredients for chicken noodle soup. My mom is making it right now and it smells great. This afternoon we went to 2 local wineries that we belong to, Byington and Testarossa. Always nice to wine taste to calm you down:)

When we got home I cleaned our bathroom, showered and packed my bag for tomorrow. I am ready to go. I know I'll get another shower tomorrow morning b/c I won't be able to shower for 8 days after surgery, yuck.

I really hope I get some sleep tonight. Can't wait for tomorrow to be over. I probably won't be able to write for a few days.

Mom is here...

I worked an 8 hour shift today and had a good day. When I got home at 3:30 I was greeted by my mom. What a great feeling. I am so excited and glad that she is here. Nothing like having mommy around when you are sick. We are going to have a great 3 weeks!

We've spent a few hours sitting outside catching up and now we are off to Aldo's for dinner. I am sure she will be in bed early b/c she is still on East Coast time.

Is it Monday yet????