Bye-Bye Taxol!

#12 Bonnie was great! 

So nice to be officially done with phase one of my treatment. I got through my 12 weekly taxol infusions with flying colors. Sure, I had some very undesirable side effects and the doctor was right that they get worse each time but all in all I feel like I did pretty darn good with them. The most important part about it though is that they are all DONE!!!  

I get 1 week off from treatment and then we roll into phase 2, the 4 AC treatments. These are tougher and will be every 2 weeks. They are harder on the blood counts so the day after treatment I go back in for a shot to boost them back up. I hear the worst part of the AC is nausea but they claim to have pretty good meds for that and then the shot the day after is supposed to cause bone pain. The medicine is red in color so they have warned me that my urine will be red so not to panic that I am bleeding...lovely!

One other big milestone is coming up. I get my MRI next Tuesday afternoon and see my doctor on Thursday morning for the results. This is huge since it is the first look to see how my tumors are responding to the chemo. I need some major prayers flowing between now and then that they will be blown away and shocked over how much they have shrunk. What the heck, lets all pray that they can't even see the tumors and that they are already non-existent?!?! I am ready and willing to be a miracle of God's handy work!!! However you want to word it, let's just pray that I get some great news on Thursday! Thanks prayer warriors!

Maureen and Wendy getting
their coloring on!

I love my colored pencils!

 So how did my day go Thursday? First of all Joe is out of town all week and doesn't come home until late Sunday. I have really missed him and I know he hated being gone for my last taxol. My friend Wendy took me again and another friend, Maureen came and joined us. We played a fun card game Maureen brought but had to stop because we were being too noisy, laughing so hard we had tears rolling down our faces, and were worried we were disturbing other patients. We decided that coloring might be a better choice and moved on to our colored pencils and quiet visiting. I had a really cool nurse named Bonnie and she made the morning quite entertaining! I helped add the 2 extra fingers for #12 this time. 

My kids put this together and sent it to me!

Joe's first time needing
to call in! ;o(

Afterward the 3 of us had lunch at La Jolla Shores at Caroline's and then Wendy and I did some beach time. We had a great chat and then Wendy walked the beach while I had some awesome Rosary time. Since I get easily distracted I decided to lay on my back and just listen to the waves while I prayed. I was rewarded by some incredible cloud formations above me that looked like God was finger painting in the sky with them. It was so peaceful and I just loved it!

Blessings

I am trying to keep my eyes open for the many blessings and wonders that God surrounds us with each and every day. So often we take them for granted because we are just too busy or preoccupied...or even too attached to our phones to notice. It could be hearing a bird sing, spotting a monarch butterfly, hearing a child laugh. For me, even being able to feel my toes in the sand at the beach and letting the shallow waves touch my feet is a gift. Think of how many people will never see or feel what it is like to be on a beach! I challenge each of you to try and find 3 blessings every day. Try to not make it be about the obvious like your family or friends. Try to make it be something in nature, something unexpected. Maybe it is noticing something that you walk past every day, maybe it's a beautiful sunset or the sound of leaves crunching under your feet. Whatever it is try to find 3 a day and let them soak in! Slow down and look, smell, hear, feel what is around you...let it wake up your senses...let it add to your gratitude! Have a wonderful weekend everyone and thanks for reading. I love your feedback whether it is a response on here or in an email. It is so nice to know you are on the other end reading these!