Surgery date scheduled

Corky and I went to Duke yesterday April 24th for another MRI and a Dr. appointment with my surgeon. He gave me some options but I'm going to have double masectomy. He said that after radiation we can do reconstruction in six months. I thought originally he said a year but six months will be in January so that is just great. I also get to have a tummy tuck with the reconstruction to make the new ones. How about that-something positive after all this mess is done with. Corky says "son you will be right in a bikini next summer standing up in that mullet tower". He is so not right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway feeling really good these days, the metallic taste is still bad and I have about 4 tiny fever blisters on my lip from stress about the surgery. But most everyone says if you can get through chemo everything else is a breeze-so we'll see.
Oh yeah May 4th is the surgery date-chemo brain is pretty bad these days also.
Love Audra

My last big chemo today! YAY!!!!!!

Today I went for my last big chemo-the big sicko chemo! I will still have to go to Duke every three weeks for Herceptin to be given intravenously until Janurary. There is side effects to Herceptin but it doesn't make you sick and you don't lose your hair with it so yippee! It can cause some long term heart damage but I'm not going to dwell on that, just get the cancer gone. Today my dad and stepmom took me we arrived at 11:30 my appointment was at 12:30 and when they finally paged us around 3:45 I think we left around 5:30 or so. Long day. I am feeling a little better today, maybe because I know it is my last treatment, but then again every time I write that I feel ok I feel horrible the next few days so I hope I'm not jinxing myself here but I feel ok right now.
I have my next appointment on the 24th at 7am for ANOTHER MRI and a 10 am appointment with my oncology surgeon to find out when my surgery is and then I go back on May 1st for an Ecko on my heart and a doctors appointment with my oncologist and chemo Herceptin only.
So that's all for now-thanks to everyone for the continued prayers-they are a working!
Love to all, Audra

Feeling great this week!

I have felt great this past weekend and today, its crazy how I feel so good this week and Friday I get my last big treatment of chemo, Monday is my actual last chemo. Thank goodness.
I have had the best weekend with my family, my dad and stepmom took us out to eat Saturday night at Texas Steakhouse and we had a great time. Harlie was pleasant and that is always a plus with a teenager.
Someone said that I had too sad of songs on here so I have posted three of my favorite ones-hope you enjoy.
The Elton John, "your song" is one that I heard a year before Corky and I got married. We were watching a movie with that song in it and I said I love that song and he said he did too. Well when it came time for us to pick a song for our first dance we couldn't ever think of one. We were emailing our dj with different songs, so on our wedding day the dj came up to me and said you still didn't pick a song for you and Corky's first dance and I said oh just pick one ( I was about attled at that time) anyway he must of went up to Corky and he remembered. Isn't that just so sweet. He is the best!
The honey pie sugar bunch reminds me of when I was little and on Saturday afternoons daddy and Michelle would start cooking and daddy would lite the grill for the steaks and open the windows and turn on some beach music and that song reminds me of those special times, just being with family doing the most simple things. Isn't it funny how a song or smell of steaks on the grill can bring back the best memories.
The stevie nicks song reminds me of my mama-dancing around the house-hee hee! We had some fun times too.
Hope you enjoy the songs-I love them!

Only one more treatment to go!!!!

Last week my sweet mother in law Miss Linda took me up to Duke for two days. I had to have an Ecko on my heart again and then a Dr. appointment and chemo on Friday. Instead of being on the road for 12 hours in two days she paid for us to stay in a hotel room and we had a great time. Corky has used all of his days off from work so I'm getting family now to take me. My dad and stepmom Michelle took me yesterday, (Monday) for my treatment. We had a good time, at least I didn't get sick-thank goodness. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.
On Friday when we saw my Dr. she said the Ecko from the day before still hadn't come up enough to where it was initially so they were still going to hold the Herceptin this time. She said I will probably get another one before my next chemo to see where its at because I have to go back on Herceptin. It will probably prolong the Heceptin treatment when I am done with everything because they say I have to be on it a year so right now it is already pushed back about 6 weeks. Oh well, I am just so excited that I have only one more chemo to go April 10 and the 13th. Then probably 4 to six weeks then surgery. I can't believe I have been having chemo for six months. It is crazy what you think you can't do then do it.
They extended my meds Emend, zofran, steroids, phenegran, benadryly and something else for 4 more days to help me get through the sick stomache. I have felt a little better this time than last time. I'm learning what I can eat and cannot eat. NO PIZZA!!!! Boring bananas, rice and toast. yuck!!!! I have even gained a pound from since the beginning of this, they say you usually do-us women anyway. But hey who cares about that.

This past weekend I had some wonderful friends throw us a fundraiser at Jacks on the waterfront in Morehead. I was sick on Sunday in bed and coulndn't go but Corky and the kids went and my mom and dad and stepmom. Corky said it was overwhelming the people and support that our friends and community have done for us and our family. Thank you to each and every one of you who was there for us. We love each and every one of you for thinking of us and doing such an amazing job on the fundraiser. We are truly overwhelmed by it all. I just don't know what to say but Thank you thank you thank you so much. When I am out of work with surgery and radiation it is going to be so helpful. When I get done with this cancer mess I want to do a fundraiser and keep it going year after year for someone in our community. It makes the most difference when a burden has been lifted. I am just so thankful to everyone-Love Audra and family

Feeling good.

I went shopping to Jacksonville today. I have felt really good this week. It is crazy how bad I feel the week after my chemo and how good I feel the next week. I worked all last week-five days and one day I pulled a twelve hour day. I know too long. But I feel so good, just trying to work all I can now because I know it is coming up where I won't be working at all. I enjoyed going shopping today even if it was just for household items. I like getting stocked up on detergent and paper plates and stuff so I won't have to keep asking people to run here for this and that. I go back to Duke this Thursday for an Ecko on my heart. They need to check it out before I get chemo on Friday to see if I can start back on my Herceptin. Not looking forward to Friday's chemo. Actually when I think about it I gag. It seems each time it gets worse. But after this Friday I will only have one more treatment. Yay!!!!! Actually Friday and Monday combo treatment. Now I am getting nervous about the surgery-actually I am nervous each chemo I get and then I keep thinking about surgery and all that is going on with that and radiation. Corky says he has never know anyone to worry like me. That's probably why I have cancer I reckon-I just don't know how to not worry about EVERYTHING. I have faith but still worry. I worry about this stupid cancer and when I get done if it will come back, I worry about my children-everything they do-I don't know how I am going to handle Harlie getting her permit. (she starts drivers ed this week) Why worry about cancer because that will probably give me a heart attack.

There was a girl that I use to cut her hair that was 28 years old and just passed away from breast cancer-it went to her liver. It is so terribly sad, she has a 2 year old child.

After Monday I will be half way thru this treatment!

I had my second treatment on this past Friday. Almost half way there. YAY!!! I saw the doctor and after they reviewed the ecko they decided to hold off on the herceptin this time because there was such a drop in the efraction injection or injection efraction (whatever its called). My heart hasn't bothered me that much this weekend but it may also be because they gave me a new pill before my chemo. It is called Emend, they just said it really helps with nausea and feeling bad. They still gave me the steroids and Zofran in my iv also. And my doctor gave me a prescription for the Emend to have at home over the weekend. I take one Emend and a steroid pill and Zofran on Saturday and Sunday morning. Then I will go back for my second treatment on Monday and the shot of Neulasta for my white blood count. Although I was even more sick this past Friday then I was the previous time-just really nauseaus. I guess it is just the way it is going to be. Saturday I slept all day-I feel horrible when I do that too because Harlie was home and in her room watching tv all day and Cole was with Corky. I feel like I am missing so much by sleeping and being sick. I get sad then I get mad then I don't know what I get. Cancer really sucks!!!!!!!!!! Well that's all for now-Thank you to my wonderful family who has been so gracious and wonderful to me. Thank you also to my wonderful friends who have been there every step of the way. I don't know what I would do without such a supportive family and friends. I love each and every one of you.

Results...

I just got off the phone with the Dr and he said my chest x-ray looked good and my white blood count is up from the Neulasta shot (I guess that's good). My Ecko he said had dropped quite a bit in such a short time. My first Ecko was the week that I started the new chemo had an efraction injection (I think that is what he called it) of 76% and only 12 days after the new chemo it is now 57% which he said is a considerable drop for such a short time. He said that he is going to get another cardiologist to read it again just to make sure the numbers are right. If that is what the numbers are he is going to go over the MRI again and see what he thinks about dropping the Herceptin for the next 3 and final chemos. He said that he will let me know what plan he comes up with by next Friday the 27th, that is when I see him and have my next chemo. Well that's all for now-