From 9/18- Forgot to Publish! Whoops

It's almost gone- some strands are still hanging on, but by week's end I will be completely bald. I've been typing, deleting, retyping this Blog Post over and over again because I really didn't want to talk about it- just ask poor Luke- but as mentioned before I am going to try and always be honest.

I've been really caught up on the physical annoyances- my entire scalp is very itchy and when you scratch it more hair falls out. The Scalp Products smell horrendous- oh how I miss my Shampoo. It sheds so badly that I actually thought my Dog had slept on my pillow, I even asked Luke how Broddie got in our room- Luke had to point out that those weren't dog hairs. Once again, poor Luke. I've also convinced myself that the Wig is giving me these nasty headaches- Luke points out- of course it's the Wig and not the extremely powerful Chemo drugs in your system. All together now- Poor Luke...

Seems like a silly thing to be caught up on, but I'm learning to just let myself feel any way I need to- tomorrow I will feel a little better, and the next day better still. I forgot to mention that my Wig does have a name; we call her "Lady". Lincoln saw the foam head and Wig on my dresser and asked if he could play with "That Lady".

My Labs are also  in and all is well or "great" as the Nurse said. The Neulasta Shot or White Blood Cell Booster has really helped speed up the time it is taking my body to recover from the Chemo. While Chemo is our main focus right now, we are beginning to schedule and meet with our Team of Surgeons for Step 2- which will be the Mastectomy and Reconstruction. We haven't determined whether or not it will be uni-lateral or bi-lateral, but I'm off the "get rid of them" camp myself.

One of the determining factors is the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 Genetic Tests that I took last week. If you have ANY Breast Cancer in your family- you may want to consider having this test done to determine your risk. The meeting consists of mapping your family tree and taking a "mouth swab" by having you spit and swoosh Scope Mouthwash 3 times. Very noninvasive and covered by most insurances, out of pocket it will cost around 3K- but knowledge is a very powerful thing.

We've decided that more than likely I will have Breast Reconstruction using the Scarless Latissimus- which basically means that they will take the muscles from my back and stretch them over a tissue expander, expand until desired size and shape is achieved, and then exchange for an implant. The tissue expander will be placed at the time of the mastectomy and the implants will go in 2-3 weeks later. He has also offered to fix my C-Section shelf while he's at it. Silver Lining = bigger boobs and a potential tummy tuck. And yes I did say bigger, "when in Rome"...

Thank You Shout Outs!!!
My AMAZING Husband, Luke, you always know how to make me feel beautiful.
My Mom for EVERYTHING- we truly appreciate all that you do.
My In-Laws- Again for helping with the Laundry and for stocking my Pantry (Yum, Cereal!)
Cathy Greenwood and Erin Coleman- What an amazing Gift Box full of warmth!
The Bausanos for the Edible Arrangement- The whole family will enjoy this one.
Kayla for the Health Food Mix!- You can lead a horse to water...hahah...I've enjoyed it!
My Neighbor Kate for an amazing healthy meal.
The Bartlozzis for our Take Out- The family thanks you too!
And everyone for the uplifting Cards, Texts, and as always PRAYERS.

"The Devil went down to Georgia" Tino vs. Chemo: Round 2

Officially done with my 2nd Round of the "Red Devil" and I feel really good today. Everything went well and the Doctor, by way of an Elementary School Ruler, "thinks" the Tumor is slightly smaller- nothing scientific, but enough to be hopeful about. So good job Prayer Warriors! My White Blood Cell counts, among all the others, are back in the normal range for now and seem to be responding well to the treatment- up and down, just the way they've predicted. I will go back in today for a shot that assists in the re-growth of the White Blood Cells and I have an appointment tomorrow with a group that will determine whether there is a gene mutation that caused the Cancer.

Hair today- gone tomorrow- I also have an appointment this afternoon to "take down" my hair which is the polite way to say "chopping it all off". I jinxed myself Monday by saying my hair was healthy, because Tuesday morning it started to shed heavily.I kind of needed that to happen to prove it was really time to let it go. I think I'm ready.

What's That? Or Finding the Lump- Please skip to the next paragraph if you don't feel comfortable talking about Boobs. A lot of you might remember the signs hanging in the AXO Shower stalls about the importance of Self Breast Exams and how you should perform them daily- well I didn't. What I did do was take my little puppies and hoist them into bras, you know for that fuller effect and that was when I first noticed it. Dr. Google suggested that hormone levels change during menstruation so I assumed that was all it was, but then it didn't go away. About a week after I found it I called my OB/GYN- she confirmed that is was unusual and referred me to Northside for a mammogram, then a biopsy, and the rest of the story begins there. And I think it's important to note that I have zero family history- nilch, nada, none. It's never to early to have a precautionary mammogram- most insurance's cover them and if not there are mobile mammogram buses that do them for free or at a discount.

Love to all,
Christina

Thank You- Thank You:
To my Father In-Law for shaving his head in my Honor- I can only hope my head is that perfectly round.
Katie Stull for the Delicious dinner! Lincoln hasn't stopped asked for Cookies all night
Micheal Lenahen and his Roommates for the beautiful flowers!
Lenahen- thank you for helping Luke get the Treadmill in the house and stocking our Fridge with DESSERT!
The Guthke Family for requesting a Mass in my Honor- what a beautiful gift.
And for all of my Cards, Texts, Emails and PRAYERS

So this is 30?

I've always considered starting a blog- I mean I was a journalism major, a Huntsville Times Teen Writer, and Sports Editor of my High school Newspaper (yes, you read that right the most un-athletic person of all times actually was the Sports Editor), but I always thought my life was too normal, too boring. I considered it once when I was pregnant with Lincoln, then again when he was 7 months old and I was pregnant again, then again when I was put on strict bed rest, then again when I was chasing 2 under 2 all over the house...but I finally decided life was interesting enough when I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma at 30. It's not the way I always pictured 30, but then again what ever is.

For those of you that know me well- you know that I'm not much of a "sharer". I'm more of a private person that prefers giving advice over taking it, but I'm embracing the experience and I know it will feel good to put it all out there. So I plan on keeping treatment updates, family updates, and general thoughts in this blog. I'll post as often as I can and try to keep it honest.

Tomorrow is my second round of Chemotherapy. After tomorrow I'm 1/4 of the way complete- glass half full I always say! I will also be 1/2 way through with the "Red Devil" portion of the treatment, which is the drug that has the most side effects. I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow, because I know I'm that much closer to "poisoning" the cancer cells, as my doctor puts it. Besides a little nausea, fatigue and dizziness I was just fine last week- hoping for the same this week.

I almost signed off without mentioning "The Elephant in the Room", but in the spirit of my earlier creed I will be completely honest. I'm supposed to start losing my hair this week. They've suggested I cut it all off before it starts to fall out- they say it lessens the blow. I'm not sure I believe them, because I'm still upset about it- not crying upset, more mad that they want to take it and it seems so healthy. We've told Lincoln that Mommy is going to get a short haircut; to which he replied "My hair is short too!"...Gotta love Kids.

Prayer Warriors: Your mission this week is operation "Shrink that Tumor" !

THANK YOU'S OF THE WEEK!
My incredible Husband- you are my rock.
My Mom for taking care of the babies while I wasn't up to it and lending me your treadmill!
Amanda for arranging the wonderful MealTrain and for the Feast you brought over!
Cate and Company for the Team Tino Bracelets
My wonderful In-Laws for EVERYTHING- the laundry has been a huge help!
Courtney for the delicious meals and Alon's cookies- the way to my heart!
Sarah and Al/Julie for feeding my poor Dog this weekend
My Casserole Warriors: Terri Stewart and Christina Moore- yummy. Thank you! The whole family really appreciates it!
Kayla for my lovely PJ's- I've worn them every night.
Aunt Yolanda for the beautiful scarf!
Debbie James for the cozy wrap- perfect for Chemo days!
Mrs. Mawson for the Holy Water- it goes everywhere with me.
Grandma for all of her support- I'm a lucky granddaughter.

I apologize if I've forgotten anyone- the outpouring of support has been tremendous. We feel so loved and grateful.

Love to all,
Christina

A picture from this weekend- Congrats Ashley and Jeff on your Engagement!