Day 40 and 41 (Dec. 30 & 31)

The weekend was busy and enjoyable. Several friends stopped by for short visits. Some, from out of town, took time, while in the area, to check in on us. As Sunday progressed, so did my energy. It was one of my best days in a while. The 30th was Scott's birthday. We ordered in Chinese food from China King. Mmmm. Whether it was special for him or not, it sure hit the spot for me - a little cheat from the normal diet. :)

Tonight is New Year's Eve. It will be a quiet one for me. 2007 was a very eventful year for us. Many paths were not of my own choosing, but God never failed in any circumstance to make me aware of His presence.

2008 is here. May it be filled with many blessings. . . Watch for them! Some of the best ones are disguised.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Humbled by His favour,
Joy

Day 31 - Day 39

Again, I apologize for a long gap in blogging. Chemo treatment #3 (Dec.19) resulted in several rough days, spent mostly on the sofa. It's hard as a wife and mother to know all the things that need to be done, especially at Christmas, and to be unable to contribute.

Tedra and Jesse came down Saturday afternoon (Dec. 22). We had a wonderful Christmas celebration with them on Sunday evening (Dec. 23) and enjoyed spending time together on Monday (Dec. 24). They headed home Christmas Eve.

Andrea assumed the position of Primary Chef and Hostess for 3 days of cooking. Everyone did what they could to help but she definitely carried the brunt of the load. She did an amazing job - thanks, Andrea, from all of us - REALLY!

Christmas Day, Scott and I spent a quiet morning together - a first for us. Andrea, Mikaela, Joel, Scott and I shared Christmas dinner (#2) with friends Paul and Brandon. Later, we played "The Price Is Right" (one of Scott's gifts) and ended the evening with Paul at the piano, leading us in a precious time of worship. How wonderful to draw near to the Prince of Peace.

As the week goes on, my strength is slowly increasing. Friday, Dec. 28, I returned to the Juravinski Clinic for a check-up. The cancer is continuing to shrink. Dr. Tozer has changed some medications to deal with the stomach pain I have experienced. He also sent me for lab work to check my hemoglobin. All is well.

I am very appreciative of the staff at Juravinski Clinic. They are a thorough, dedicated team. BUT my hope remains in the One who is able to do a complete healing, in a moment of time. He is my Great Expectation!

How do we express our gratitude for the overwhelming support that we have received - in ways great and small - but none insignificant. Thank you for sharing our journey and helping to carry our load. On some days, you may even be carrying it for me. Blessings to each of you!

Chemo #3 - Day 24 - 30

I'm sorry I haven't blogged sooner - I know many of you have been wondering how I am doing. Unfortunately, when my energy drains so does my ability to think through what I'm wanting to say.

Tedra & Jesse came down for the weekend. Mikaela spent some quality time with Auntie Tedra Saturday afternoon and stayed for a sleep-over Saturday night. Sunday - "snow day" - ended up being a wonderful family day which I enjoyed very much. Tedra & Jesse stayed until Monday morning due to the weather. I noticed over the weekend (as did everyone else) that my hair has begun to fall out more quickly.

Tuesday (Day 28) - I returned to Juravinski for lab work and follow up with the doctor. Andrea was planning to come with us but Monday evening Mikaela developed a high fever and was really not feeling well. The doctor filling in for Dr. Tozer said that the tumor has continued to shrink but not as much this time as they might have hoped. The redness of the skin is also continuing to fade.

I was feeling pretty good, so Scott and I did a little shopping in Hamilton. The wind blowing my hair seemed to make even more fall out. I came home and took a nap. This gave me enough energy to attend the church board & staff dinner that evening. I haven't been able to be at church for some time...it felt good to be with church family again!

Wednesday (Day 29) - Early morning, I woke up with diarrhea and nausea. I seemed to have a lot of indigestion, but as I walked it out the nausea passed. My temperature was normal but I was wondering if I was going to have to skip my chemo treatment. I called ahead to the cancer clinic, so they wanted me to see Dr. Tozer prior to chemo. By the time I arrived to Juravinski, I was feeling better other than being tired (the new "norm"). Dr. Tozer confirmed that it wasn't chemo related but either viral or something I had eaten. He left it up to me to decide whether to go ahead with chemo or not. I felt I should continue and he was pleased.

This time, I had a nurse who is from Brantford. She was warm and friendly and we had a good chat. She also shared some helpful information. The treatment proceeded as usual.

On the way home we made a stop and after a couple of hours I left with a new "friend" to wear home. Nothing to worry about in windy weather now! Stay tuned for the new me :-)

Earlier in the morning, Scott had received a phone call from Barrie. A room has opened up in a nursing home in Brantford and they will move his father Thursday morning!!! Christmas miracle #1 has arrived!

Today (Thursday) is a real low energy day but only minor side effects. Scott, Andrea and Mikaela have been over to welcome grandpa to Brantford - please pray that he adjusts well.

Yesterday, when I was feeling rough, I started worrying about what the upcoming days would hold...suddenly I realized where my thoughts were taking me. "Father", I prayed, "forgive me for failing to rest in you today. You have spared me from much. Help me just to trust you, moment by moment." While at the clinic, I talked with a couple of other ladies going through treatments. Their side effects were much more severe than mine. How faithful God is. He carries us through every circumstance and it causes me to say...

How can I keep from singing Your praise

How can I ever say enough

How amazing is Your love

How can I keep from shouting Your name

I know I am loved by the King

And it makes my heart want to sing

[Chris Tomlin]

Day 19 - 23

This week has been a little down and a little up. Sunday, I experienced quite a bit of stomach pain and felt "yucky" most of the day.

Monday morning, the pain was still there, but as the day went on, the discomfort diminished.

Tuesday, I was feeling a little stronger and went for lunch with the church staff. It felt good to get out and, whether it was the food or the company, my appetite was good. By the time I got home, I was a little shaky and my stomach started bothering me again. Probably ate too much ! :)

Wednesday started out fairly well. I sorted through some papers and made tuna salad. Apparently this is hard work as my day quickly deteriorated.

Today my stomach is not too bad and I am trying very hard not to work so hard (hehe). Scott has gone out for a ministerial Christmas lunch and I enjoyed a cup of delicious broccoli soup (Thanks, Anna Marie)

On tough days, I am tempted to fear the days that lay ahead. But I am learning to quickly harness my thoughts. God is faithful and merciful - new every morning! I have so much to be thankful for and so little to complain about. By the way, though individual hairs continue to fall out daily, I still have lots on my head. It wasn't supposed to stay this long. So you see, it doesn't matter what tomorrow holds, today, God has shown me favour! Thank you again for your continued support. My journey is yours, too!

Day 17 & 18

Friday

These days feel like someone has pulled the plug in the energy pool. I'm not very useful so I hope I'm decorative! Friday morning was a day off school for Mikaela, so she spent the morning with me. We played together for a little while, but it wasn't long until Grandma tired out. She is very understanding though and it is always a delight to have her around.


Saturday

A number of individual hairs have become " dearly departed". No clumps yet.

Sometimes, I have trouble thinking much. Luckily, Scott was inventive today. He made homemade broccoli soup with some noodles and a little chicken. Though my taste buds aren't 100%, it tasted very good. Thanks, Honey!

Andrea brought some things over for my very dry skin and put a couple of coats of polish on my nails to strengthen them. She also did a little shopping for me.

People continue to be such a blessing to us in so many different ways . . . words of encouragement, offers to help, just "being there", gifts from the heart and hand. Thank you so much for every blessing!

Chemo #2 - Day 15 & 16

Wednesday Treatment #2 - Day 15

I began the day already tired. Scott took me to my Chemo appointment at 1:00pm. We didn't have too long a wait this time. Everything went smoothly. The nurse was surprised that my hair hadn't already begun to fall out!! hehe :-D

After we left the hospital, I felt well enough to make a stop at the mall to return a few things. After supper I began feeling yucky - my stomach began acting up again with a bit of indigestion and heartburn. I thought I might be in for a rough night but actually ended up sleeping quite well - thank you Jesus!

Thursday - Day 16

I woke up feeling a little light headed this morning. Surprisingly today has been a great day. I even forgot to take some anti-nausea medication this morning and still feel better than I did the first time. I've had a bit of redness and swelling in my face but nothing the doctors are concerned about. It will probably just disappear over time.

I'm just getting ready to eat supper now - I'm still enjoying food YEAH!!!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying that I would have few side effects - at this point I've basically had nothing to complain about, except for lack of energy (and I'm sucking that up for all it's worth!) I know God has been sparing me from so much. I am so unworthy, yet He remains so good!

Day 13 & 14

Monday - Day 13

I decided to get a hair cut. The cancer clinic suggests cutting your hair short or even buzzing it before it begins to fall out. I'm told that it will begin right after my second chemo treatment (this Wed) but so far I have not noticed any hair loss. I've opted for a style shorter than I'm used to in the event that this is yet another side effect that I'm spared from :-)

I felt good today - a little tired after the weekend - but overall it was a good day.

Tuesday - Day 14

Today has been my highest energy day - the day before I begin the cycle all over again.

Scott and Andrea went with me to Juravinski in Hamilton. I went for blood work (to check my levels prior to chemo tomorrow) and to meet with my oncologist, Dr. Tozer, for the first time since having chemo. Dr. Tozer has staged my breast cancer as IIIb (on a scale of I - IV). He prescribed a new medication which he said should help keep my stomach pain/queasiness under control. He examined me again and confirmed what I already thought - the redness has decreased, the tumor is smaller and it is not as hard as 2 weeks ago. The chemo is working...but ultimately I'm relying on the Lord.

Tomorrow I will receive my 2nd chemo treatment. Please be praying with us that the side effects will remain minimal to none and that God will continue to strengthen me moment by moment. God is again affirming His goodness and faithfulness and proving Himself to be in control.

Day 11 & 12

This weekend was a good time with family and friends. Between Tedra, Jesse, Andrea and Scott, I was spoiled for two days. Some brief visits from friends added to the pleasure.

Tedra & Jesse went on a shopping spree for me Saturday. They found some warm hats for the days ahead and a couple of skirts that fit better than my current wardrobe (not to mention they were great deals!)

"Papa" set up the Christmas tree Saturday afternoon and Mikaela & Jesse completed the decorating.

I decided to go to church this morning. Although I would have liked to greet everyone, I purposely arrived late and left early. Chemo destroys the immune system which would make me more susceptible to bacteria and viruses. It was good to be out again however I found I was exhausted before the service ended.

This season in my life is a time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Thank you God for a wonderful weekend.

Day 10

You can be very proud of me! Today I gave myself my first injection of Neupogen :-)

My energy level has been pretty good again today. I made a new recipe in the bread maker and a pot of soup. But that depleted my energy for the rest of the day.

Tedra (my youngest daughter) and her husband Jesse should be arriving momentarily...oh and I better not forget Brynn (their dog). I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with them. This will be their first visit since the wedding.

Day 9

Today, I feel so amazingly blessed!

As the first week has passed, I “feel” much better – still can’t do much, but it feels good to feel good. Though my tongue is constantly coated and flavours are affected, my appetite is not bad.

God’s people have been incredible – from family and friends to near strangers – I am sooo humbled by God’s love poured out through His people. Never underestimate how impacting your words and acts of kindness are!

Day 7

I woke up around 3:30am this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. Unfortunately I woke Scott up so he was up for the day.

I find having a shower seems to wash my energy down the drain. I tried to push through so I would sleep through the night, but think I pushed a little too much.

I am beginning to learn how to give myself Neupogen injections. I have trouble seeing me stabbing myself :-)

Thank you to all the family and friends who have been so supportive. You are a great encouragement. We can't tell you how much your prayers mean.

Tomorrow will be a big day for Scott as he heads out around 6:00am for a hospital conference in Barrie for his dad and then to the retirement home to clean out the room. Please pray that a space opens in a nursing home close by soon.

Day 5 & 6 (Sun/Mon)

Sunday - Day 5

My queasiness finally subsided today but hiatus hernia is giving me quite a bit of trouble. However, it cleared as the day passed. I don't have much energy today and slept most of the morning. It's hard for Scott to cook as I have no inspirations for him.


Monday - Day 6

Really good night last night. More energy today - enough to make breakfast and supper.

Day 3 & 4

I offered to update the blog for mom today... :-)

Friday - Day 3

Mom was having some abdominal pain through the night. The chemo and medications have irritated her hiatus hernia so it's causing some discomfort in her stomach. She's also been having the odd queasy moment...but overall (considering all of the possible side effects) is doing very well!

The CCAC nurse came to the house to begin the Neupogen injections. This is the insanely priced medication that mom mentioned in the previous blog. The purpose of it is to produce white blood cells which help the body fight infection. 2 days after every chemo treatment she will receive the injections for 8 consecutive days. The plan is for the nurse to teach mom (and/or dad and I) how to do the injections so that mom will have freedom and not be dictated to by the nurse's schedule.

Mom has also found that her appetite has decreased. She has been eating smaller portions but more frequently - not to mention the 8-12 glasses of water she must drink each day. Mouth sores are a common side effect to chemo so she also has to make sure that she rinses her mouth after every meal.

By evening, mom was very tired.

Saturday - Day 4

Today, I had the privilege of spending the entire day with mom. Dad and Joel (my brother) had to go to Barrie to my grandfather's retirement home to finish packing some of his things. He is currently in the hospital and is in the process of being moved to a nursing home. **Thank you Uncle Keith for going with them and lending a hand!**

Today was a day of up and down moments. Mom had a good morning. Her queasiness had pretty much subsided and her appetite was much better. I made her some soup and she ate the most she has since coming home from chemo on Wed! .... of course it must have something to do with my cooking! haha

The nurse came in at lunch time to give her the 2nd shot of Neupogen. They inject it into her leg. This one hurt more than yesterday's. It was a rough afternoon. Her stomach continued to give her discomfort and by mid-afternoon she was experiencing flu-like symptoms - chilled, achy etc. This is a side effect to Neupogen. She took her temperature just to be sure she didn't have a fever and it was normal. By dinner time her chill was almost gone and she was well enough to eat.

Before the day ended we had an enjoyable moment planned for mom ... a manicure! They suggest that all chemo patients have a manicure before treatment begins to reduce the chance of hangnails which could cause infection...but what woman needs an excuse! We knew she had only a few days before her white blood cell count would drop so I took the opportunity to ask a friend to come by and give her a manicure. **Thanks Jen!**

I just checked in with mom again...she is quite tired but feeling "pretty decent".

Thank you for your words, prayers and kindness. We read the comments you've left often and it has been so encouraging for us. We know that mom has experienced next to no side effects to this point because of your prayers...we can feel them! So on behalf of our family, thank you for your continued support!

Andrea (Joy's daughter)

Chemo - Day # 1 & 2

Chemo Day (yesterday) went well. The staff at the Juravinski Clinic are very nice. Last night went quite well. I woke up several times and felt a little queasy. Scott brought me some crackers in the early morning and that helped. This afternoon I started experiencing some abdominal pain. Hopefully, we can get this under control soon.

We did run into a snag with one of the drugs that I need to start taking on Friday. Our drug company would not automatically approve it. It takes ten days for approval. At a cost of $1606.00 every week of chemo (16 of them), we weren't about to pick up the bill. Staff worked hard to get something in place, and late today (Thursday) we received the necessary bridge financing. Scott was able to pick the drug up today - lots of trips to Hamilton this week!

We so appreciate the wonderful support of so many friends and family. The Lord has allowed us as a family to go this way - not without purpose. Though we face challenges, He shows us in many ways that He is near and brings answers to our needs. We affirm that He Is a Good God.

The journey begins...

The summer of 2007 has been a busy and hectic one. My youngest daughter Tedra was married on Oct 6th (Thanksgiving weekend). Five days after her wedding I discovered a large lump in my left breast. A day later I noticed there was also inflammation and redness. After doing some research on the internet, it did not come as a surprise when our family doctor said "this is worrisome"and "more than likely cancer".

My doctor proceeded to schedule me for an ultrasound guided biopsy and consultation with a surgeon. The biopsy confirmed that I had ductal carcinoma. The surgeon was uncertain whether surgery or treatment would need to be first, however he was quite certain that I had IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer). After further tests (mammogram, bone scan, ultrasound, xray) there was no evidence of the cancer spreading (thank you Jesus). They concluded that because of the size of the tumor (approx 5cm) and possibility of micro cells within my body, chemotherapy would be the first route of action. I was then referred to the cancer clinic.

On Friday, November 16th I met with an oncologist at the Juravinski cancer clinic in Hamilton. After examination, he determined the tumor had grown to a size of 10cm x 8cm...it had more than tripled in size in just a few short weeks! He chose AC & Taxol chemotherapy for me. This means 2 drugs, AC (Adriamycin & Cyclophosphamide) will be given every 2 weeks and repeated 4 times. The Taxol treatment begins after the AC treatment is completed. It will also be administered every 2 weeks and repeated 4 times. The total treatment time will last 16 weeks. To my surprise, he wanted me to begin just 5 days later.

This has been a time of learning to trust the Lord, one day at a time, one step at a time. We chose to share the news early on and are grateful for the prayers and wonderful support we have from friends and family. We are continuing to trust God for good things because God IS good!