What's Happening?

I cannot believe I’ve gone almost two months without blogging! The only excuse I have is that it’s been a busy two months!!! Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on at the Williams House …

·         Halloween … Aiden was the cutest doctor in Greenville and had a blast trick-or-treating with his friends from school.

·         My ultrasound showed only residual parts of the blood clot which meant no more blood thinners  and that I could go back to eating normally and enjoying the occasional beer.

·         We took a trip to Crewe, VA to celebrate Granddad Clay’s 99^th Birthday!

·         Three weeks of physical therapy to help with my range of motion in my arm after surgery.

·         Participated in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in Raleigh to support one of our amazing friends!

·         Aiden has his first field trip to Briley’s Farm; mommy went too!

·         I finally had my JP drain removed … 4 weeks after surgery!!!

·         Thanksgiving visit from Grandma Kay, the Keyes, and the unwelcomed flu like crude that left me in bed for most of the weekend.

·         Aiden’s first ECU Football game.

·         Started radiation

·         Went to see Disney on Ice

·         Hosted a Cookie Exchange Party

·         Celebrated Jonathan’s Birthday

I’m handling radiation fairly well. My skin is starting to look red, like I have a sun burn and I’ve been super tired. I recently read that radiation brings with it a fatigue that no amount of sleep will help and that’s exactly how I feel, always tired no matter how much I sleep. But it’s nothing that stops me from being able to carry out my normal routine. I’m halfway through radiation and looking forward to the end! I promise to be better with my blogging and keeping everyone up to date with what’s going on around our house.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

I Kicked Cancers Ass!!!

I had my follow up appointment with Dr. Habal this morning and received the best news possible … I have had a complete pathological response!!! What this means is that there was NO EVIDENCE of cancer in anything that was removed during surgery. My lymph nodes and breast tissue all came back negative. This is the best possible response we could have seen – I really did kick cancers ass!!!

The doctor preformed a lumpectomy and also removed 13 lymph nodes during surgery. I still have my JP drain attached, which mean no driving or work for another week.  I’ll still need radiation and have an appointment with the radiologist next Friday to begin that process. I’ll continue to receive Herceptin for the next year. Because of the type of breast cancer I had, this medicine is crucial in preventing a reoccurrence. The side effects of this drug are nothing like those of my other chemo meds. In fact, my hair has already begun to grow back!

Dr. Habal also removed my port during this surgery. I have a follow up ultrasound on Monday to assess the blood clot in my arm. Hopefully, it is gone and I will no longer have to take Coumadin and I can return to a normal diet that includes greens and beer!!!

Thank you all for your support, love, and prayers. We could not have made it through the last few months without it. We are so blessed!!!

Kiss Chemo Goodbye

I am officially DONE with Chemo and I couldn’t be more excited to be past that and onto the next step in kissing this cancer goodbye! I met with the surgeon this morning and everything is in place for my surgery on October 19^th. I handled the last round of chemo better than any of the others.  I’ve been feeling great these last few weeks which is great since we have been BUSY!!!

Our Pirate Crew friends came to visit and we all went to the ECU/UTEP football game. The weather wasn’t so great but the company was and we had a great time.

We attended the ECU Alumni Association scholarship auction where we won a birthday party at Rose’s Gymnastics for ill man. He is so excited even though his birthday is months away! That event is always fun and a great way to support the new generation of Pirates! Last weekend was full of birthday parties and baby showers – I love being able to celebrate our friends, we are so blessed to have them in our lives. We were even able to squeeze in a trip to the fair. Aiden had a blast riding all the rides, especially the cars. He even enjoyed his first funnel cake!

 

I’ve given up on posting my “30 Pins of Summer”. I’ve been trying all kinds of stuff from Pintrest but I'm so far behind in posting it isn't even worth it at this point. We managed to decorate for Halloween and pick some pumpkins over the weekend so I am planning to post about the Pintrest décor ideas I used.



In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month remember to perform a self-breast exam. I'm the perfect example of how beneficial they can be!

Surgery & Bunco

With only one more round of chemo scheduled for next Friday, I met with Dr. Habal this morning to discuss surgery options. Since the tumor has shrunk, we have decided to go ahead with a lumpectomy, for now. Once my skin heals from the radiation, I am going to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction.  If I have the double mastectomy prior to radiation, I would have to wait a year or two for my skin to heal before I could have the reconstruction and I don’t want to wait that long. Dr. Habal will also remove the lymph nodes and my port during the surgery.  Once the port is removed I will be able to stop taking blood thinners! After I recover from the surgery, I will have radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks. If everything goes according to plan, I will be done with radiation before Christmas!!! My surgery is scheduled for October 19th, the day after Bunco for Breast Cancer.  This event is presented by Greenville Women’s League and proceeds go to Gardeners for Hope Breast Cancer Fund. The Gardeners for Hope Breast Cancer Fund distributes money to patients in eastern NC currently undergoing cancer treatment to help purchase wigs, prescriptions, health products, lymphedema treatment and supplies, or aid other financial needs of patients. When I joined GWL last year, it was to help others. In the past 5 months, this group has provided my family with a tremendous amount of love and support. I’m so lucky to be part of such an amazing group of women and to participate in such a wonderful event. If you are in Greenville and would like to attend this event please let me know, I have tickets! If you are not in Greenville, you can make a donation!

Trend Setting, a New Class, & a Visit with the Greats

Shortly after I was diagnosed, I read an article that said the head scarf was the *NEW* fashion trend for the summer. I knew the trend would never make it to Greenville but it still gave me hope that it wouldn’t just be women facing cancer that were donning scarfs!

If I’m at home I don’t wear anything on my head. Other than the boys and my parents, only handful of people have seen me bald. If we are expecting company, I usually have a scarf on. It took me awhile to be comfortable enough to wear a scarf and not my wig out in public. But, while I may be comfortable with a scarf, I think it makes others uncomfortable.  Wearing a scarf is an outward sign that I am sick and some people just don’t know what to say or do.

You don’t need to do or say anything; just treat me like you would if I had my long, brown, curly hair; like you normally would. Normal is good, I’m not constantly reminded the battle I’m fighting. If you have been where I am, it’s okay to say so, I welcome talking to other patients or survivors. If you have questions, ask me, I’m a pretty open person. Please don’t stare, give me a weak smile, or sad puppy dog eyes; that what makes me uncomfortable.

I’ve been dealt a shitty hand and so have many others that have faced cancer, it sucks! It’s an everyday struggle but in the end I’m going to be a stronger person for having fought and won this battle. And I’ll have a cute collection of scarfs for when the fashion trends does hit Greenville!

Round 5 is tomorrow morning.   I’m super excited to say I have made it the last 3 weeks without an unexpected visit to the doctor! Plus, one of my many awesome cousins is making the trip from Jersey to spend the day with me in the chemo room.

On another note, my sweet boy moved up to the next classroom at school last week. He has done so well with the transition and we are both loving Ms. Bethany’s class. Here are some pictures from his end of year party.

Last weekend we took a quick trip to VA to visit Jonathan’s grandparents and great-grandfather. We had a great time but I only managed to snag a few pictures.

Talking to Great-Great Grandad Clay

Exercising with Grandad Clay

Pirate football starts this weekend. It’s the first time in years that we didn’t get season tickets but we weren’t sure of my treatment plan or if I’d have the energy to make it to the games. So we are planning to watch the game from home. Let’s go Pirates … Aaarrrggghh!



A Week of Pintrest

As promised, here are some of the Pintrest projects that I have been working on the last couple of weeks, pictures included!!! I've managed to get 15 pins completed ... I'm halfway there but not going to meet my goal by Monday.

Funfetti Chex Mix

Aiden and I made this together and he had a blast! He brought it to school the next day to share with his friends and was so proud of himself, it was too sweet! It was so yummy and easy, I made another batch for us to keep at home.

Four Seasons Guacamole

I purchased avocados to make a different Pintrest find but ended up using them for this delicious recipe instead.

Brownie Refrigerator Cake

A couple of weekends ago, Jonathan headed to Raleigh for a guys weekend, a much needed and MUCH deserved break. Since he has such a sweet tooth, Aiden and I decided to surprise him with this cake when he got home. I changed the recipe a little bit by using chocolate cake mix instead of brownie mix and it turned out great, I may never use brownie. It's several layers of chocolate goodness so it does take some time to put together but it worth it!



My Sous Chef

Adding the ingredients





Mixing











Layer #1 - Cake



Mixing Layer #2 - Cool Whip & Cream Cheese





Layer #2

Layer #3 - Pudding

Finished!!!



Time to dig in

Salted Caramel Bars
This recipe was Jonathan's pin because he's a sucker for salty and sweet. The bars are good but hard, like break your teeth hard, probably why we still have some left. They take a while to make and set too.

Garlic Pesto Chicken with Tomato Cream Penne
I loved this recipe. It was quick, easy, and super flavorful.









Almost Done

Last Friday was my fourth round of chemo - I am officially 2/3 of the way through my treatment! So far, I’m feeling good, just tired and worn down. I’m taking advantage of this week to rest up since the fall semester starts on Monday. Yes, I will be teaching … just not as much as I normally do. My department chair and colleagues have been super supportive and helpful in working out a schedule that meets everyone’s needs and has minimal impact on our students.  I’m so lucky to work with such great people, especially the school health faculty!

With classes starting next week that means summer is almost over too! We have managed to squeeze some fun in this summer in between chemo treatments. Aiden took swim class at Raynez during July and absolutely loved it. He came home after the first night and said, “Mommy I know how to swim!”

He was able to show off some of his swimming skills last week in the OBX. We took a quick overnight trip to visit the Beach family while they were vacationing in Nags Head. Aiden had a blast and it was great to get away with both my boys, enjoy the beach and some good seafood!



The most exciting news of August is the arrival of our niece; Jaclyn Ann Tier was born August 1^st and is just precious!!! Congrats to Paul and Cheryl!!! I cannot wait to meet this sweet baby girl!

I’ve been keeping up with my “30 Pins of Summer”, I just haven’t posted them. Hopefully, I can get them up this week and maybe reach the 30 mark before Monday. If not, I’ll have to extend it … I have lots of Halloween/Football/Fall pins that I’m dying to do!

Thank you again for all the love, support, prayers, cards, texts, emails, meals, etc. They brighten my day, put a smile on my face, and remind me just how blessed we are! I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer!

Quick Update

It seems that ever since I had the blood clot a few weeks ago I’ve been on a downward swing. First it was a bladder infection then I had a hard time with my third round of chemo. Yesterday I woke up not feeling so well along with a fever, so in to the doctor’s office I went. I got IV fluids for my dehydration but my blood work came back just fine. Dr. White put me on an antibiotic, just to be on the safe side, but was a little stumped as to what was causing all this. Even with my bladder infection she was surprised I felt as bad as I did. She is concerned that it could have something to do with the coumadin I’m taking since all of this started after I was put on that medicine. She’s said it’s not common but wants to monitor me. If I continue to get sick like this she may take me off Coumadin and put me back on the blood thinner shots or take my port out. I’ve been resting today and feel much better! I’m going to try and take it easy this week so I can rest up for my fourth round next Friday!

Pins, Pins, and More Pins

I’ve fallen a little behind in posting about my “30 Pins of Summer” Project. In fact, I’ve slacked off on the project quite a bit. I’ve managed to complete a total of 10 pins so far with 8 of them being food – no surprise there! But my biggest failure is the lack of pictures I’ve taken during the project. I’m lucky if I manage a picture of the outcome, forget the process! Here is what I managed to scrap together from Pins 5 - 10. Now that I'm feeling better, last week was a rough week, I have several projects on my list for this week!

Tissue Box Dinosaur Feet

Aiden and I did this project together at the beginning of summer; he lasted about 10 minutes into making them but still enjoys playing with them.

Blueberry Lemon Bunt Cake

No pictures of this one AND the link is no longer available ... I'm so sad, I didn't save the recipe and it was delicious!

Honey Sesame Chicken

Another one without pictures but oh so good and easy, it’s a crock-pot dish!

Breakfast Casserole

Another crock-pot dish without pictures, this dish cooks overnight, is super easy to put together, and great when you have a large crowd!

Napkin Wreath

I made this 4^th of July wreath in about 20 minutes and for about $5. The great part, I tossed the napkins after the holiday and have the wreath saved for the next time! It's perfect for all those smaller holiday that you don't have many decorations for.

Summer Vegetable Tian

Jonathan made this dish yesterday for our friends The Slates’ along with corn on the cob and a grilled skirt steak. It's a great dish for fresh summer vegetables, we got all the ingredients at the Farmer's Market yesterday morning. It was yummy, but the prep took a while so don't plan on using this recipe if you want something quick and easy.