Just Another Day in Cancer Land

Cancer Sucks. Thats what my newest t-shirt says. And its right on. Anyone who has ever battled cancer will tell you. Its one of the worst things that can happen to you on this earth. And there is not a damn thing you can do about it. (except maybe QUIT SMOKING, you idiots, so you will not get lung cancer)

I have been really sick the past 8 weeks. This chemo was horrible. First time in 5 years that I have ever felt like I was a sick person. Severe fatigue and tumor pain. And guess what the kicker is? The latest scans show it did absolutely nothing. My tumors in my liver actually have grown around 25%. This is how living in cancer land is. You try something and it could work or it could not. So here we are at a critical point in my disease. We have decided to begin this new treatment tomorrow. It is brand new and actually came from a sea sponge. Lets call it spongebob. Only takes about 20 minutes. (my last chemo took 4-5 hours). From what I have read, the side effects are not that bad. So I am ready to get it started. We are also getting a second opinion from one of the top breast cancer specialists at Duke. My doctor recommended her and we have heard nothing but the best news about her practice. We are meeting at Duke Feb. 16th. Will do chemo tomorrow and next week before Duke. So say some prayers that this chemo will stop some of my pain. Pain medication is not something I like to take. They cause all other types of problems on the human body.

Since I have been so sick and tired, I have opened up my door for some help. Which if you know me, is not easy for me to do. Some friends sent me some info on "Cleaning for a Reason". Great company where local maid services donate their time to patients going through treatment. So once a month, they are coming to my house and cleaning like crazy. Very helpful! If you know of anyone going through treatment, please let them know about this group. Here is their website ://www.cleaningforareason.org/.

Another thing that has happened is that my favorite girls that i met at my breast cancer group 5 years ago have hired a local chef who will be cooking for me. I am meeting with her today to discuss my favorite foods. Then she will cook meals for me weekly for four weeks. Brings the meals to my house and freezes them for me. This will help me too. Some treatments make you not want to eat. Which is where I have been for the past two months. Here is her website if you want to help someone http://www.fourcornerscuisine.com/.

I am taking the next two weeks off from work thanks to George, Jason, and Michael (I have three husbands, in case you didn't know). Just trying to rest and recover from last chemo. Need to get ready for Duke and hopefully good news.

Throughout this past year and especially the last couple of months, there are two people who deserve my sincere thanks - Dana and Lorri. I was told by my therapist that when people get sick that some friends would not know how to handle my illness and just fade away or not be as close as they were. And it was just something I would have to learn to accept. Its been really hard but I too have had that happen. But everything you two have done for me without even expecting a prompt call, text, or email in return, has made a tremendous impact on my life. I just wanted you to know how much your friendship means to me and I love you both.

My family and I need your prayers more than ever right now. I finally woke up today feeling decent. So today is a good day.

Love, Jennifer