WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2006
Yes, I have looked at my bald head. It took me quite a while to build up the courage, but I knew that it was time that I looked at my head. It is quite hairless, but there are still a few rogue hairs that have been stubborn to fall out with the rest. Not only am I hard-headed, but I have hair on my head that is, too!!!
I initially thought that I could easily have gone through this whole thing without even glancing at my silly head, keeping a scarf or covering on at all times and staying the heck away from mirrors. But, I realized today that I was not willing to let cancer do this to me. I am not willing to cower at my own appearance because of what I am going through. I am not willing to alter my life to avoid seeing what is there. I have been told and have read about people who have had their lives brushed by cancer in some way and they attest that they are better for it. I am beginning to understand this more and more, realizing that embracing these changes and continuing to push forward and grow from the changes is essential. I am learning just how wonderful people are and just how much love you can show from just a simple gesture.
I am truly blessed by this and I hope that I will be able to pass along this love and kindness to anyone I can. For now, I think I can pass that love along by sparing you all from seeing what I saw in that mirror tonight. Ok, so it wasn't quite that bad but I'll do you the favor just the same! :)
Thanks for marching along with me and I will keep you posted, probably on more than you ever wanted to know!!
Love,Heather

MONDAY, JULY 17, 2006
Hi there!
I have completed my second round of chemo and am back in Mission for the next week to recuperate. In my last update I mentioned a bit about the "setback" in getting my second treatment. Because of the allergic reaction that I had during my first treatment, I was supposed to receive 24 hours worth of premeds prior to my treatment. Somehow, my doctors did not get notified about my reaction so chemo had to be pushed to Friday to allow for pre-treatment. This treatment was also moved over to the main hospital building where emergency care is a little closer.
Before the treatment, we went to to get my port accessed. It was not the best experience and I was quite uneasy with having a needle stuck in my chest. I am hoping that this will be better next time around when the port is not still so sore. Once the port was accessed, we headed to the main building to start treatment. Because of the bad reaction, I was definitely on a modified chemo plan. The Taxol that I had had the trouble with before was slowed down considerably and stretched out into several diluted bags. This doubled the drip time on Taxol. Also, when my blood was checked the day before, it was determined that I have a magnesium deficiency. This required that I be given a magnesium drip at the conclusion of my chemo. The problem with this was time. The chemo infusion center closes down at 3am and this extra magnesium would push us well beyond that timeframe. After 3am, I would have to be moved to Emergency Care and my nurses were trying to keep us from having to do that. So, I was convinced to allow them to place an IV in my arm to have my magnesium administered simultaneously with the chemo without being mixed with it. I only thought that I was through with IVs for a while since getting that port in!! We finally finished it all just before 3am.
I will spend the next week here in the Valley before finally returning home to San Angelo. I have been away from home for so long and am looking forward to sleeping in my own comfy bed!
Thanks for marching along with me and for your continued love and support!
Love,Heather

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2006
Just a quick update to let you all know that my chemo for today was cancelled. I was supposed to be put on extra pre-meds 24 hours ahead of my chemo but, because of a miscommunication between my doctors and chemo nurses, I was not. For the next 24 hours, I will be taking 7 pills every 6 hours and my chemo has been rescheduled for 4:30pm tomorrow. Just a small setback...

SATURDAY, JULY 08, 2006
Howdy all!
Just a quick update to fill you all in on the happenings of the last few days. Mom and I are currently in Houston. We drove up here on Sunday. We are staying with a dear friend who went to high school with my mom. The guys (Jared, Dad, and Jason) will come in tomorrow for my chemo on Thursday and we will move to the hotel that is across from MD Anderson.
My hair has really, really been falling out fast and my scalp had really started to hurt quite a bit. It had become quite painful so Mom and Alice shaved my head last night in Alice's kitchen. There will be no pictures posted of this, sorry. I have still not been able to bring myself to look at it. I have kept a bandana or a scarf on at all times and have avoided all mirrors between changing them! It feels so weird and prickly now, but all the pain is gone so it is a good thing.
Mom and I went to a few appointments yesterday in preparation for my port placement today. We had to be at MD Anderson at 7:30 this morning. It is a simple surgery, but I was a little nervous about it after the doctor so thoroughly went through all of the "worst case scenarios" with me yesterday! It was a little too specific for me. This doctor specializes in placing ports in and this is all he does. He explained to us that port catheters are placed either in your subclavian or jugular vein (please don't anyone forward this to my high school anatomy teacher since I have probably spelled those wrong!). In hearing all the facts, it really sounded like there was a smaller incidence of port problems when the jugular vein was used, but the doctor explained that he would decide which vein looked best once he was in there. He did end up using the jugular vein, so I actually have two cuts on me--one where the port is just below my right collarbone and one on the right side of my neck. I am all bandaged up now and will have to leave them on for a couple of days and avoid getting them wet. I was put completely under for the surgery so I have been groggy and out-of-it for a good part of the day. I even took a long nap! The cut on my neck is the one that really hurts the most and it is quite hard to turn my head!
This port goes completely under the skin and it accessed with a special needle called a Huber that sort of looks like a hummingbird. This should make my chemo treatments much easier. I will let you know about that after Thursday!
Well, let's see: bald head, docs appointments and a successful port placement--I think that about covers it. I will try to post in the next few days and let you know how chemo treatment #2 goes. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday and a blessed week!
As always, thanks for marching along with me!!
Love,~Heather~
PS: By the way, the IV placement today was the best it has ever been. They sent in an expert anesthesiologist to do it and he got the IV in on the first try! It was the first time in a long time that someone got it without several attempts!!

THURSDAY, JULY 06, 2006
Yes, folks, the hair is starting to go.
I noticed yesterday that it was starting to come out little by little. No bald spots yet, but it's falling out quite rapidly (in my opinion, at least). Mom complains about the dog shedding--just wait until I've been roaming the house for a few days!!
The good news of yesterday, however, was that it was our 3-year wedding anniversary! Jared got me some beautiful flowers and a really pretty skirt and top, which I wore to dinner. We had a very lovely dinner and some yummy dessert!
If you know my husband, Jared, you might notice that he is missing quite a bit of hair. This is because he and my brother, Jason, decided to shave their heads for me!!
Below is a picture of bald Jason and me during my chemo treatment. Jason believes he is really on to something with this bald thing, as he thinks about all of the $10 haircuts he is saving himself!!
One more story before I go: I have told some of you about a program called CanCare that we found through Palmer Memorial Episcopal church in Houston. CanCare is a wonderful program that matches cancer survivors with cancer patients to provide support throughout treatment. There is a database of nearly 500 active volunteers who donate their time to serve in this capacity. Most are cancer survivors, while others are caregivers that have been affected by cancer. CanCare coordinators match you with someone who has been through the type of cancer and experience that you are going through.
About a week or so ago I received a phone call from a woman named Pam, who is my CanCare match. Pam told me that she had gone through just what I had gone through!! I was amazed as she described everything that had happened to her when she was 24 years old and it sounded just like my experience. She told me that she had adopted a beautiful little baby girl four years later! I was also so very encouraged when she told me that her battle with ovarian cancer was 25 years ago! I am so totally blessed to hear Pam's story and to have her there for extra support. It is so nice to be able to talk to someone who has been down the road you are traveling! I hope to be able to meet Pam sometime soon when in Houston. It was awesome to have some assurance from this "angel" volunteer and even better to learn that Pam has never had a recurrence of cancer!
Well, it's time for me to sign off. I want to thank you all for the sweet anniversary wishes you have sent. I can hardly believe it has been three years. God has blessed me with a wonderful and supportive husband and I thank Him for it every day!
Thank you for reading this and for marching along with me!
Love,Heather