Half the Way There! A Day of Surprises!

Hi, Everyone! Thank you for caring enough to read my blog...

Chemo #4 went well thank you to my dear (and gorgeous!) friend Donna Liccardi who drove me down to H.U.P. and brought me yummy FRUIT and my other just-as-gorgeous friend & college roommate Lizzie Farley who hung with us and brought yummy sustenance in the form of more "deelish" fruit and guacamole and chips!

                                                     DONNA & LIZ
                       I call this one "Two Blondes With Boots in Waiting Room"

DONNA & ME & WIG in drs. office

 

                                   First I got my blood drawn and vitals taken
                                    (by Jennifer here....so darn stinkin' cute! I can't stand it!)  

Then I met with Robin to check my white blood count.....

 ...which was "Good..." that meant I could "get the chemo"...BUT - there was a mysterious itchy rash on my arms, chest, and upper back.... which called for the

"BIG GUN" who came in the form of "Dr. Fox"
very well-known Penn oncologist! (FAMOUS!)

 

DR. FOX

 

He sat with his reddened face in his hands for about 10 seconds. I was worried.....so I said, "Are you okay?" and he said, "I'm thinking..." (LOVE THAT!) After about 20 seconds he said, "It's the Neulasta shot....the rash is being caused by the Neulasta shot....your body is having a reaction to it....so you should get your chemo, but no Neulasta shot afterwards..."  he continued "BUT now your next chemo will be pushed back to THREE weeks, because the Neulasta shot boosts your white blood cell count, and now your body will have to do that on its own."

HOW SMART IS THIS MAN????????
So body, get to work and you guys please all get to work praying for my body...that my white count goes up on its own and that I don't get any high temp. or infection or fever...need to really avoid that now....

 

Okay so then I got the chemo......such sweet nurses, all of them...
okay so I look like a dork in my wig, whatever...
(and unfortunately for me, goofy faces don't help the cause...)

 

Thumbs Up for Chemo (HA HA!)
Note sarcasm here.....

 

And just when I thought the day couldn't get any better, right when I got home, I was alone...it was so quiet...too quiet for noisy old me! Then I heard a knock at the door. It was my friend from up the way, Victoria, wearing the cutest Sherpa hat with a Mohawk tassel thingy on top and bearing a crateful of healthy tangerines! So what could we do but don our Sherpa hats together and pose for this silly picture!

 

 

Victoria & Me

 

My great friend Sara watched Eli today and she's sending me photos so check back again, if you want, to see a photo of Eli and his friend Samantha (Sara's daughter) ...plus Sara made me this awesome homemade applesauce...and I promise a photo of that yummy stuff too plus one of her cute face!

 

Love to All, Annie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Count Your Blessings!

Chemo #3 continues to wreak havoc on my body, mind, and spirit. But God is with me all the way and HE WILL GET ME THROUGH THIS! My friends and family are also right here with me fighting this battle alongside of me, so I know I am not alone! AND THEY WILL GET ME THROUGH THIS TOO!


"Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings." (Psalm 61:1-4)

                                            MY TWO ANGELS, SHAY & SUE
                             
Shay & Sue came over last night and help me so much. They made me smoothies and a yummy healthy dinner with quinoa and kale and they did laundry, dishes, and played with Eli, and cleaned and put so much laundry away it wasn't even funny!

My other two amazing friends Laura & Marlin took Eli the whole day so I could sleep. The exhaustion is so bad, I dropped Eli off at Laura's and barely made it home. Got straight into bed and slept from  1-5. When I woke up I was still just as tired as when I went to sleep but thank God Shay & Sue came in the nick of time and helped us at home.

The side-effects for me are, like I said, exhaustion, a very sore mouth, itchy skin, "thrush" in back of throat, ulcers on tongue...let's just say it isn't pretty.

But can you imagine worse things? I can. How about going through this with no health insurance, losing your house to chemo, having no support network, having no hospital, just a clinic to go to only to be told there is no medicine for you...no clean drinking water, no food, no job, no car, no house, no electricity, bombs flying over your house, soldiers knocking on your door looking for your Bible, rats or cockroaches crawling through your home, being a slave, being in a "re-education camp" if you say something against your government,...every time I think about such things I am ashamed to complain. Ashamed. Yes, this is hard, but when compared to other's plights this is cake. Many would trade places with me in a heartbeat to get an easier ride than the misery they are undergoing.

So if you're having a bad day, count your blessings and think of others and you'll snap out if it pretty quick...Love, Annie

PS Chemo #4 is tomorrow at 11:30 at Hospital of University of Pennsylvania. My friend Donna is taking me, and most likely my friends Liz, Di, and Amy are meeting us there...they are all blonde! So we will have a blonde party! Whatever that is...

Uggghhhhh......Chemo # 3

                     Chemo # 3 is definitely kicking my sorry ass but...

"I'll be back!"

(You all know I will!)

 

Been dealing with excessive fatigue, super duper sore throat, "thrush" (painful white spots in mouth) and depression, low-self esteem, feelings of loneliness...sick of being bald....I have a newfound respect for cancer survivors...that is FOR SURE!

 

I am getting my next chemo on Monday, November 25th...."Can't wait!" HA HA!

I am   totally dreading it....well not dreading getting it but dreading what is to come after.....

 

What's hard is you forget, while you are going through all the crappy side effects of chemo, that you WILL bounce back again...and be your old self again...your brain just somehow makes you think you will always be this tired.....and feel this bad....

 

               But I have so many blessings to count....Here are TWO! Keep reading...

My sister Trudy & her hubby Scott came over yesterday to help us. WOWSIE did they ever help a lot! First they brought the most yummy homemade chicken soup, then they cleaned ( dusted, vacuumed, straightened, did dishes...) and cooked dinner, steam-cleaned rugs, washed, folded, put away laundry, kept Chippy company, drove Eli to his pal's, and.... Scott is a master woodworker and he fixed TWO pieces of furniture that needed some TLC! Oh yes and I forgot to mention.....all this while I napped like a total load for two hours.....Thanks you guys! You did much more than I wrote here....but my brain is kinda fried...and I can't remember every little thing...I know there was much more done.....But basically.....I can't believe you gave up one whole day of your life for us...that was so awesome of you!

God Bless & Night Night, All.....Love, Annie



Chemo #3 Photos n' Stuff...

Hi! Thank you all SO MUCH for caring about me enough to read my blog. I can't tell you how much your support means to me!

Okay so Chemo Day #3 started with my friend Rose bringing me some homemade vegetable soup and it WAS soooo yummy!!!!! (And IS all gone!) Thanks, Rose!

   So after I checked in, I had to give a small blood sample (with Carmen!) to check my white blood count was okay and then I got my vitals taken - both to make sure it was okay to get the chemo...

                    Then we waited to see Dr. Domcheck just to check in with her and see how everything was going....Sue and I monkied around again in Dr. Domcheck's office

                        waiting on this brilliant lady and charming person!
But no banana phone this time! Yes, we actually behaved this time!
(For the most part...)

 

I am SO BLESSED to be under Dr. Domcheck's care!!!!!!!
Not to sound disrespectful but she freakin' rocks!

She's an amazingly talented doctor with a dynamite personality
AND GREAT "bedside manner."
Plus she's really pretty (wearing no make-up...yea that pretty...)
and she has  super cool clothes esp. her black zip-up boots! 

  My good friend Amy came and Sue & I & Amy had fun catching up with each other.
We ate cheese and crackers, talked food & kids, and Amy brought the most amazing fruit salad! PLUS she brought a gift for Chip - her own brand of fresh roasted coffee! He loved it and so did I! I had to go off my daily black tea for Valley Green Coffee! Amy and her husband own Elcy's Café at 1 W. Glenside Avenue in Glenside, PA 19038 so check it out if you are in the area! And buy some of their awesome java!
(Only if you feel like it, I don't mean to sound so bossy..)

http://www.valleygreencoffee.com/
Seriously it is sooooooo great!!!

 

Then I got Chemo #3............. 

Getting the chemo with Nurse, Brawnwyn - she is the "I'm going to be a butterfly tomorrow butterfly" nurse! She's adorable!

 

I have to say while Amy was out making a phone call Sue and I whooped it up in Room 15 of the chemo ward or whatever you call it....and had a 5 minute really hard laugh at just stupid stuff. We needed that laugh!

There's' nothing like laughing until you cry and cannot talk....
Love you, Sue & Amy, so happy something as dumb as cancer could bring us back together!!!!



                               Amy & Sue                                           Just Amy

Look how pretty these girls are! So, Amy is Dutch and Sue is Irish, can't you tell???



               

Thank you, Sue, for driving to me and from chemo. It was such a pleasure to spend the entire day with you from 9:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m! Amy thanks for joining us, I hope you can come back again! My next chemo is on Monday, November 25th at 11:30 a.m. and my friend Donna is taking me and I can't wait! (I mean to spend time with Donna, not to get the chemo...)

As far as how I am feeling, I feel great today! I had a great day at school, just my trusty volunteer aide Paige and I. We had a joyful day with 14 amazing kindergartners and we laughed all day! She is just one of my many angels! I'm expecting to feel good again tomorrow and then I expect the chemo will start to kick in this Saturday and then last until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week...mostly fatigue....I am doing great with the nausea thanks to my sister Judy who is providing me with acupuncture...it is really helping with so many symptoms! I still have a sore throat but I have meds for that now and that stupid dry hacking cough is back but all in all today I feel very, very blessed.

 Psalm 146:5 says:   
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God..."

Thank you, God for giving me this journey to travel on. It is hard but I know you are here with me every step of the way, as is my wonderful family and huge support network. Also, God, I am learning so much. Thank you for showing me new things about life every day....

Blessings and hugs to you all! Love, Annie

CHEMO # 3

Good Morning!

Off to Chemo treatment #3 today. Sue's taking me. Great pal, Amy meeting us there with sustenance and smiles...My appointment's at 12:00. I'm sure it'll take all day. Prob. get stuck in rush hour traffic on the way home. Ah, such is life. Praise God though my sore throat has gone away 99.9%! I am nervous (for I know what's coming in a few days....) but ready for today.

Love to all, and I'll post photos later on - you know I will!

Annie

FUN WITH WIGS!

Tried on some wigs after church yesterday with Sue, her  VERY COOL and VERY FUNNY son Jeffrey, and Miss Annnndddddrrrrea from the Czech Republic! Thanks for helping me clean, Sue & Jeffrey and for coming to church with us.... and Annnndddddrrrrea thank  you for taking Eli allllllllll day! He had fun playing with Paulie (as usual!) Love to everyone, Annie

                                                                    Jeffrey & Sue

 

                                                              Sue & Andrea

                                                                     Andrea and Sue!

 

 

 

A teenage young man and his mom...



My "Real Wig!"

Here are some shots of my "real wig." I love it!

It's fun being a redhead!

 

You know what's really cool about a wig?

One can go from Sinead O'Connor to Bonnie Raitt in five seconds flat!

       

 

  
 LOVIN' THE NEW LOOK....

 

 Eli's Comin'! (And Choppin'!)

(Bravest Boy in the WORLD!)

 

"Sinead" & Chip

Chip's giving my head the Pope's Blessing - I guess!?!?

 

Isn't it weird how one's hair

can make one look so different?????

On the "Up and Up!" (FINALLY!)

Hey!!! Thanks for checkin' in with me! It means so much to me to know you care enough to take time from your busy schedule to check in with how or what I am doing.

Wow, it sure was a tough week, everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get to my blog. But I have some great photos to share!

Okay so my previous blog post was about my Follicle Farewell Party! That was on Saturday, November 2nd. After all that partying and fun, the chemo (from October 30th) started to kick-in. We did squeeze in a super fun night of Trick-or-Treating in Lambertville with Andrea and Paulie on October 31st. GREAT TIME THERE in CRAZY Lambertville, NJ!
 
                    
        Ninja Eli & Rocker Butterfly Me        "Weird Lady", Andrea & Paulie w/Knife in head and stomach!
I had A LOT of energy the 3 days following chemo, 10/31, 11/1, 11/2...but then, like I said previously, the chemo kicked in right on schedule. This time it hit me with a dry hacking cough that kept me up at night, and the sorest throat I have ever had, two visits to the doctor, many calls to my primary as well as to the oncologist trying to figure out if it was.... strep or thrush???  And just a lot of throat pain, like my throat was on fire. We finally determined and got meds to treat "thrush" (painful white streaks in the mouth and or throat) though it was maybe just the beginning of it, cause the doc showed me photos of real bad cases of thrush and mine didn't look like that - even though it hurt like shit...Anyway, I got a lot of anti-fungal mouth crap to use during the rest of all my chemo treatments so that is good. I need to keep my mouth super clean, not as in not-saying curse words or not talking like a salty sailor as my pal Betsy says I sometimes do, which I freely admit to, but I mean by brushing my teeth, flossing lots,  and rinsing constantly with "Magic Mouthwash!" Whoever came up with that name must have been doing drugs that night....

In addition to the sore throat stuff I also had bouts of extreme fatigue, then I'd take long, long naps, which were followed by bouts of energy where I would get "stuff done".
 
Went to school on November 6th and did 6 parent-teacher conferences which were good to get done, but very difficult with a dry cough and extreme sore throat. My long-term sub, Erica did them with me. She is such an angel as is Paige our volunteer assistant! We are having quite the year in kindergarten with the revolving door!

THANK GOD JUDY my little sis visited me from November 1st to November 4th. Her visit was a GODSEND! And to let you know of one of the many "God-incidences" we have been having throughout this whole ordeal, on the plane ride to visit me, Judy's doctor called to let her know that Judy carries the BRCA gene. WOW. So while she was dealing with that news, she stayed on to help me, and she sure was a huge help...cleaning, cooking, making me smoothies, getting me to acupuncture, organizing, Trudy also helped for a whole Saturday along side Judy. You girls are the BEST! They spent time making sure I was ok, watching Eli...setting up for the party....it was great to have them. I Miss Judy though!!!! (Trudy I see more often...)Here are some photos of her visit...

        Words cannot express my thoughts at this time as I view these two photographs....

Judy looks so pretty in our yellow kitchen!

And Chip so handsome especially sans the wig!

                                                Judy & me on front our porch....

                                Nothing' like a hug from a sis....
      Did I mention that Judy is a doctor and has her PhD in women's theater???
      She is a professor in California! Plus she is super healthy and totally gorgeous!

 

Pretty as a pumpkin!

                                               I love this one of her...

Bye Bye Judy! Come back again and bring Max so Eli & Max can go at each other like good nephews!

 

My next chemo is Wednesday, November 13th. Sweet Sue McCarty is bringing me down to U of Penn Hospital....

 

  
                                       Sue in Beyoncé wig!
             

 

Fuzzy & Sue          Fuzzy & Chip

                      My sibs gave us an awesome Ninja blender & Brita water filter!
                                         So generous! And practical too!!!! (Eli loves the name!)

Love to All of you! Thank you again so much for your support!!!!! Annie