Step one...

After one online form, a few e-mails a phone call and a trip to the cancer center I am one step closer to volunteering.  My goal is not a huge one this year, I would just like to get my foot in the door.  Hopefully, I will be able to start and maintain volunteering one day a week at the breast center!  

I also hope this will get me back up to date on all of the BRCA information I have neglected over the past two years! 

It's been too long...

Oh goodness, I decided to revisit my blog today knowing it has been way too long.  I've been itching to get back to my searching, striving and digging for new information lately.  Mr. Charlie turned two on September 20, and life is starting to adjust once again to a more steady normal.  JB is in second grade and Taylor started kindergarten this year, so now my thoughts are on what shall I do with all of this free time I "think" I have.  The ideas are steadily flowing with possibilities, but attempting to execute them has proven very difficult the past 3 years.  My perception of free time may still be a little skewed, but I desperately want to start making more of a difference on the local BRCA front.  I have a mind, determination, a voice, and I'm not scared of taking on new challenges.

My goal for the month of October is to start volunteering at the local cancer center!     

This last week I have thought a great deal about Birthdays.  The yearly reminder that we are mortal and undeniably getting older.  In our youth it is a race and each one marks an accomplishment.  Early adulthood brings the dreaded twenty this and that; eventually leading to the thirties.  Once we enter into our thirties many of us seem to become complacent and routine driven.

This week specifically I watched many well wishers acknowledge my cousin James's 40th birthday!  Congrats James!  Many of us dread that birthday, why?

Last July I turned 30.  My friends and I celebrated with a very nice dinner and conversation afterwards.  I was about 8 months pregnant at the time so the evening was fairly uneventful.  Regardless though, 30 was nice.  I believe my outlook on birthdays has changed over the past 4 years.  Each year is becoming more of an accomplishment than the last.

At 31, I hope to say I have avoided cancer thus far in my life because of my decision to be pro-active.  My sister Katie was diagnosed before she turned 31.  On my 36th birthday I hope to say that I have avoided cancer again, my Mom was diagnosed at 35.  I will feel true accomplishment when I am 43.  We lost my Mom to cancer at 42.  I truly feel that each year is a gift that God is trusting me with.

We all have so much life to live, give and enjoy!  What can we accomplish this year, next year and all those after!!!

New article

Thought some of you would like to read this article. It is about a new gene that has been found to be associated with higher risk of breast cancer.

Doctors appointments

The past two months I have been trying to play catch up. When I found out last February that we would be adding Charlie to the family I also realized I would be forgoing my recommended screening for 2011. Breast MRI's are not really possible while pregnant. My one year check up with my surgical oncologist was scheduled for last June. After speaking with the nurses it was decided to postpone my appointments until after Sir Charles was born. In October I started trying to coordinate appointments, babysitters, and everything else needed so I could make two trips to Lubbock within a two week time period to have an MRI done and then visit my doctor after the results were back. Let's just say this did not work out well. After rescheduling 3 times it was brought up that I might need to move all of my care to Amarillo. I visited with my gynecologist and we scheduled an MRI, CA-125, trans-vag ultrasound, appointment with an oncologist in Amarillo, and that was that. So much simpler than trying to orchestrate care for all 3 of the kids while trying to go to Lubbock twice.

Results- my CA-125 and ultrasound came back great! I went in for my visit with the oncologist on Tuesday, loved her! We discussed the future plans for my hysterectomy, and she said she was proud of me for the decisions I had made thus far. It always feels nice for a doctor to give you praise, and it also helps to ease the concerns of "have I made the right decision?". She continued to recommend that I have my hysterectomy this summer. With three amazing kiddos and a wonderful husband there is no reason to test my luck, especially since we are not planning on adding anymore Little Timmons to this world!!! So this summer I will join the ranks of the hormone deprived! ;).

I had my MRI yesterday. In Lubbock they had the open MRI machine, at the breast center here in Amarillo they have the machine that you are pushed into the tunnel. For some people this would be an issue, but I was face down with my eyes closed the entire time so I didn't even notice until the test was over and I lifted my head. My only regret was that I did not take advantage of changing the music before we got started. I fully recommend requesting music or a station that you enjoy. You will be listening to your selection for at least a half hour so get something you enjoy. The music is more for filling the time during the pauses when the machine is not scanning. During she scan what you hear is like a constant knocking/vibrating noise. It is not really all that abnormal (think of a jackhammer) it is just loud. During the times when the machine is scanning I tend to sing to myself in my mind, or at the beginning of the scan I pray. At the very beginning my heart typically starts to race a bit. I don't really think I am nervous, it is more of an over stimulation in my brain because of all of the noise and the thoughts of lay perfectly still so I don't have to do this again. After the first few series of scans I have calmed down and it is kind of nice to not have my everyday craziness. I honestly think I could have fallen asleep yesterday, but the technician will talk to you every once in a while so that didn't happen. Overall, I would say it was not too big of a deal. I am expecting to get my results next week!

Hope all of you are having a great 2012 thus far! If you ever have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

My information junkie is coming out again today. I love finding useful websites and visiting them often to see what all is going on in the BRCA world. FORCE is one of these websites, and today I would like to recommend their webinars.

Over the past couple of years I have listened or watched a few of the live productions or looked back through the archived collection. There is so much to be learned in my mind and who better to learn it from than the doctors themselves.

For upcoming webinars you need to pre-register before the event. They will e-mail you the information and the time to log on to watch it. Archived events can be watched at anytime.

They have several great topics to look at, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for more information!!

Testimony!

In a round about way I was asked my testimony today. It was not asked in a manner that I had to produce it verbally on the spot. The question came on paper with a limited amount of space for a response. Not feeling like I truly gave it justice in my tiny print I decided to let my fingers flow.

I was baptized on my 9th birthday at First Baptist Church in Denver City, TX. The same church where my parents were married, my grandparents on both sides taught Sunday school, and both grandfathers were deacons. I continued my spiritual growth there throughout middle and high school then went off to college. I met my future husband and we enjoyed many years together before starting a family. During that time I also lost my mother to breast cancer. I was 19 at the time, and can honestly say that I did not handle my mothers passing like an adult. I caused my share of problems for my family, and over time had to face and deal with them. Spiritually these were not my best times. I had grown up in the church so I knew what a was expected socially from a Christian. I became a punch your card on Sundays kind of follower. Daily devotions, Bible reading, and praying were far from my thought process on any given day. I was a jealous Christian as well, and of the worst possible kind. My jealousy came as an internal wanting of my husbands devotion and relationship with God. I felt like he had something I didn't.

After years of wanting something more as a Christian but not being willing to put forth my own time and effort I was given an open door. I was invited to a women's Bible study called SOS in Denver City. The first time I went JB went with me because I was still nursing him. I fell in love, and thus began my renewing of my Christianity. I did not know what to do first. They talked about prayer journals, reading your Bible, becoming a strong Christian woman. All I could think of though was how I really disliked reading my Bible because it just did not make sense. I knew all the stories but everything else was so boring and most of the time I would fall asleep or I could not remember what I had just read. If I was really going to do something it needed to be different than what I was continuously failing at. The first thing I did was ask Daun for a book to read. Daun handed me "A Gentle and Quiet Spirit." I tried to look on Amazon to give you a link, but its been so long I'm not sure which one I read. The book is based on 1 Peter 3.

1Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

As a very outspoken matter of fact personality this book was not what I was wanting to read as my first try at getting this God stuff right. By the end of the book I started to realize that God did not want me to fail, he wanted me to succeed. In order for me to succeed though I had to change. The ME that was dominant in my life had to start playing second fiddle to something bigger and better. If I listened and applied what I was learning ME could become what God has always desired of Betsey.

Over the next several years I started to change. I went from being on the defensive to enjoying life. I still struggle at times with getting everything right, and I know I always will. The changes God started then have truly changed me as a person. The Betsey of my teenage and college years would never have been comfortable typing her testimony much less telling it. The change for me has been impressive looking back on it now, but what I am looking forward to is what God is allowing me to do now.

Since I was tested for my BRCA mutation in December of 2009 God has placed in front of me opportunities that I otherwise would not have had. He has used my genetic mutation to build me up and allow me to tell others what He has done for me. After my first year of blogging I did not know what path I would end up taking. I was working on getting into nursing school for a while, but God had another idea. God's idea now goes by the name of Charlie, and he is truly a blessing. I took most of the time I was pregnant with Charlie off from BRCA investigations and blogging. Once again as the new year approached I was unsure as to what would happen with my blog and with my passion for BRCA mutations and learning more.

Looking back on the past two years now, I realize that God was opening and closing doors every step of the way. He wants me to blog and talk to people and continue to share my faith with others. I am human though, and if he feels the need to take control he does. God needed me to step back and reevaluate a few things last year. His plans were not for me to go to nursing school, and He slammed the door shut with a little surprise named Charlie. My focus must first be on God and it wasn't. It was on ME, that terrible thing that always gets in the way. I love to sit down at the computer and pound out an informative rambling for everyone to enjoy, but even when blogging I must remember that God comes first.

God has taken me from a meek and timid seedling to a confident follower who gives you a piece of what He has given me! I am not as well versed as I'd like to be, or deeply intimidating with memorized scripture, but God gives me everything I need to show others what He has done for me. I have a Heavenly Father who can use little ole me who still flips to the front of the Bible to find a chapter if needed to show you His love!

Who did your mutation come from?

I would like to welcome all of you back! I've decided to make a pledge to myself to get back in the swing of things and set some goals for my blog! My first easily achievable goal is one post a month with new information that I have not previously covered.

Today's blog comes from this article. If only takes a minute to read if you would like to click over. The main point of the article is a new finding related to the BRCA mutations. I'm sure we all realize that these mutations and their study is still in its infancy. Over the years to come we will all be flooded with information. This specific article caught my attention because of my family history. For those of you have read my entire story you know that me and my sister both have the BRCA 2 mutation, but we don't have a complete history of who carried it before us. Our mother lost her battle with cancer before testing was widespread, and my maternal grandparents had both passed before we made the decision to have the testing done for ourselves. This is all significant in my mind. I'm an information junkie, and I can only imagine what the future holds for my family.

Back to the article. The title caught my attention, but the first sentence carried my through the end and left me wanting to find the actual study results. Why do you ask? Anytime I come across information based on age or the early onset of cancer I feel like it applies to my family and want to analyze every word with intense scrutiny.

In this specific study 130 women with breast or ovarian cancer and one of the mutations were considered. These women were all chosen because they knew which of their parents had passed their gene mutation to them. In the cases where the father had passed the gene down there was a higher likelihood that early onset cancer was present. This was in direct relationship to those whose genes were passed by the mother. This is important for those of us carrying a gene mutation.

When we become aware of our gene mutations we are thrust into a demanding and time sensitive battle of what to do and when. Each of us face the decision making process and attempt to make the best choices based on what we have available to us. In this study we are given fairly specific information. If your mutation was passed from your mother you may have a little more time to make these sensitive decisions, whereas if yours originated from the paternal side you might need to stay a little more aware of the recommendations and what early onset could mean for you.

How far down the line do these implications carry? Let's say that my grandfather was the one who passed the mutation to my mother, are their early onset tendencies that continue to carry on to my sister and I?

Another portion of the article highlighted on the point that mutations have become consistently documented in women of Irish and Jamaican descent. These findings are not all that surprising to me. I believe as testing becomes more common place we will find a widespread population of many lineages exhibiting breast and ovarian cancer related mutations.

Year in Review 2011

Looking back at some of my posts from last year I came across my Year in Review post, so trying to keep with the tradition hear goes...

January - Cody & I successfully rented out our first purchased rental property. We made plans for several family vacations, and a vacation for the two of us!

February - The second week in February we found out we were going to be adding an addition to our family. Much to my surprise it was not going to be a Puppy. We were having another baby!

March - Let's go fly a kite! The first of our family vacations was replaced with Cody working & morning sickness for me. So before Cody left on his trip I took JB & Taylor to buy kites!

April & May - Brought about the most awful and relentless wind. We typically experience wind during the spring in the Panhandle, but oh my last year was so much worse than usual. By the time May was over we had a terrible case of cabin fever.

June - We found out we would be welcoming Charlie Dale to the family around the beginning of October. Cody and I traveled to Florida for several days to attend our dear friends Chris & Tiffani's wedding! I also passed out at Church towards the end of the month, and was tagged as the invalid pregnant one who must be constantly watched by my Dad and husband.

July - Did I mention we had the hottest summer I can remember, and as a pregnant woman this is not fun. Instead of going on another tropical vacation like this time the year before I went to Denver City to see my family for nearly two weeks. Back to the invalid pregnant tag, Cody was working and out of town a great deal so I was sent to the babysitters house with the kids. We had alot of fun and were able to swim at my little sisters house!

August - JB started kindergarten! Yeah what a milestone, but before the first week was over we ended up in the Pediatric ICU due to a Rattlesnake bite. Here is the link to that story.

September - Three weeks after JB's hospital stay we were back welcoming Charlie Dale!

October - All I can say is Oh My! Three children is much different than two. We adjusted to the life of diapers, formula, and no sleep once again. We survived!

November - Our Princess turned 4!

December - I received my first phone call about JB visiting the principals office (I'm sure it won't be the last). I started and completed my Christmas shopping on December 22nd. I must admit that we still have not had our Christmas with Cody's family, and I still have not finished making all of their gifts. I will do better in 2012!

The best part of 2011 is this!

Hello 2012!

Well, I have to say that I am glad to leave 2011 behind and welcome in the new year! 2011 was filled with many unexpected events for our family, but in the end another year filled with blessings! Here is the link to my family blog, I am still trying to catch up there. Sure you will understand why I am behind.

This year I have many goals for myself, and one is to keep up with this blog a little more! Right now I am setting my goal of at least one blog per month with news from the BRCA world. I feel like this is a realistic goal, and one I can be proud of for the time being.

Here's to an uneventful 2012, and many blessings to you and yours!

What's in a name?

It's nearly that time around the Timmons house. I am currently 18 weeks along and this pregnancy seems to be flying by now. Next Tuesday on JB's 5th birthday I will be going in for my monthly appointment. At that time we will be scheduling my next ultrasound for the following weeks. I am very excited about finding out what we are having, but at the same time we will be doing away with a set of names.

Cody and I easily agreed upon names for both a boy and a girl very early on this time. Boys names have always been pretty easy for us. JB was inspired from a college friend of Cody's. All we had to do was fill in the blanks. Joshua came from the Bible, when all else fails look to the book!! Brent is Cody's middle name. This one was very easy. On the other hand though Taylor was a bit more of a challenge. Cody and I both like traditional names, and our girl names have always been a challenge. Taylor was also shy and we did not know she was a girl till around 28 weeks. When we finally found out I had to start over with my lists again. Why? Cody had vetoed everything on my list. I went through the baby name book countless times and started my list with about 30 names. I narrowed that down on my own first to 16. I took those 16 to Cody and he did not like any of them. I knew I wanted to use part of my Mother's name, but was not sure which part. So I had the additional challenge of finding a name that went with either Dana or Carol. Finally at 33 weeks I went back to Cody with 6 names with my mother's names as I would like to use them. Taylor had been on my first list, but I guess when I added the Carol is just seemed to work.

This time around Cody and I both agreed on both a boys and girls name within the first few weeks of finding out we were pregnant. They are once again traditional names and pulled from both of our families. I think this is what is making it so hard to have to say goodbye to one set of the names.

For a boy we will be having a:

Charlie Dale- Charlie is associated with both sides of the family. Charlie first comes from Cody's maternal great-grandfather, Charlie Brent. It also has ties in my family. My grandpa was Joe Charles Deaton, as well as, a cousin of mine. Dale is my dad's middle name.

For a girl we will be having:

Dana Christine- Dana was my mother's name. How lucky will I be to have two girls with both of my mother's names in theirs. Christine was Charlie Brent's wife. Making her Cody's maternal great-grandmother. I was lucky enough to know Granny Christine while she was alive, and this is truly a tribute to her!!

Now you know the story behind our names! Who are you voting for?


Dana Christine or Charlie Dale??

Here's to finding out soon!!

It's sinking in...

Talk about a whirlwind, the last 18 months have been non-stop and fairly intense. Just when I was thinking that things were beginning to return to a quasi normal, "Hello Betsey, your pregnant!" I am still not sure what God's reasoning is behind this pregnancy, but I am sure that over time He will let me in on his thinking. This last weekend we were in Denver City, and a friend of mine reminded me that I had once said "I will never be pregnant again." Maybe this is God reminding me that I am not the one in control.

All in all though, it is starting to become more of a tangible reality that we are having another baby. It has also started to occur to me some of the differences due to my mastectomies. I do not have swollen, sore, and ever growing boobies. I am loving this, but with this little perk brings the understanding that there will be no nourishment from Mommy for my new little one. I am sure you can understand all of the thoughts flooding my mind with this to think about. From all of the health questions to the thoughts of bonding there are alot of things I feel this baby might miss out on. Here is the deal though... God has made this pregnancy happen so I don't need to focus on all of the possible negatives. He decided that I was going to have another baby after all of my preventative surgeries from last year. Betsey does not need to worry about all of the things that might or might not happen, God will take care of each and every one of them for me.

So here's to Praying for a healthy baby!!

Unexpected Blessings!

Well I guess it is safe to let everyone in on our unexpected blessing for 2011. Back in early February we found out that we are expecting baby #3. Cody and I had both decided before this that we were content with our little family of four and were ready to take steps towards ovary removal or having my tubes tied. So to say the very least this was a huge surprise.

Over the last 15 months I have read so many message boards about "Baby after PBM," needless to say I never thought that I would one day be in that position. So far things have gone very well. If you were around for my two previous pregnancies you know that I am not a very good pregnant woman. I tend to spend a great deal of my 9 months hugging a toilet or pan of sorts with extreme nausea and vomiting. I had sworn off the thought of having any more babies because of this. Up to this point I have religiously taken my zofran, and had good and bad days. As of Monday we have crossed the 12 weeks mark and seem to be doing very well. I will not say the nausea is gone completely, but seems to be much better. We are still taking things day to day and pray fervently each night for another good day in the morning.

JB & Taylor are both very excited about having a baby, so excited that they have already moved in together and given up one of their bedrooms for the baby.

Other than that things are well in the Timmons household!! I am sure that I will continue to update everyone on the progress, and also have some posts devoted to "Baby after PBM."

Mid January Update

Well I had a few minutes of down time so I decided to give everyone an update on where I am right now.

I met with a personal trainer the first week of January and we decided to start me on some weight machines. I have been working on getting settled in to a routine as to when is the best time for me to go to the gym. The week of the 10th was not all that successful so I decided to try a different time this week, and I am proud to say that I have been to the gym 3 days!!

I had thought about going when the kids were both at school, but that took up the majority of my time to run errands when they are not with me. So I changed my thinking and have been going right after I pick JB up from school on MWF. This works out really well because the kids are entertained in the nursery and I have Mommy alone time while focusing on me. I have been trying to avoid the scale because I am lifting weights, and I have not perfected my routine yet. My mindset of gym time has already started changing. It is becoming more about enjoying my alone time and less about an inconvenience of taking time out of my day. Why did I not start this sooner?

I am feeling pretty successful so far about getting into a routine and schedule, and I am loving it!!


School started this week, and I am enjoying it. I decided back in November to limit myself to just one class, especially since my class is Anatomy and Physiology I. My other reason being it has been 7 years since I graduated with my first degree, and nearly 5 years since I have been out in the work force. So far I am very happy that I decided to start taking my Medical Terminology course back in October. If I had not done this I believe I might have been overwhelmed. Things are going well, and I still feel like I am making the right decision here.


Taylor and JB are both back in school after the Holiday's and we are for the most part healthy (apart from the occasional sniffle and sneeze). Things are going well, and we have been able to enjoy some much needed home time after all of our traveling before Christmas.

Hope everyone is well!!

The next logical step...

As all of you know we spent 2010 reducing my risk of breast cancer. Now that surgery and reconstruction are behind me it only seems logical to start focusing on the next step. Surveillance is of course very important and you can rest assured that I will be visiting my doctors for the recommended screening every six months. So, other than surveillance what do I feel is the next step?

I feel that in 2011 my thoughts and research need to focus a little more on my overall health. Each and every person that we encounter has a different opinion on what is important to our health. I will offer myself as a perfect example of this. Twelve months ago my idea of what was necessary for a healthy lifestyle was completely different than what it is today. What I considered "enough" for my daily activity is much different today than what it was last January. Supplements and vitamins were something I would look into in the next ten years. So much has changed, and I believe for the better.

The new fad seems to be focused on clean eating and physical fitness. I would like to start by giving my input on a few of these. So far, I can tell you that I am no where near perfect at any of these, but I do believe that they can make a positive impact if applied. Clean eating is a new key phrase for 2011. I have read many on-line articles about it, and it is easy to see that if implemented it would be valuable to any ones diet. For the Timmons family I have tried to implement my own version of this method.

Clean Eating - Betsey's steps

1. Avoid the inner isles of the grocery store. Stick to the perimeter. By doing this your waistline and your pocketbook are both benefited.

2. Fresh!!! Processed foods lack the nutritional value of fresh, and honestly Fresh tastes better in my opinion.

3. Make a list before you go to the store. I find that meal planning helps me out a great deal! If you get tired of the same old meals all the time I recommend this site. They offer easy meal planning and a grocery list. I used it for several years. I still have most of my weekly planners, and I pull them out of my binder when we need a little variety.

4. Portion size is a big deal! It is so easy to forget what we are putting into our bodies when we go out to eat. Many restaurants have nutritional information on their websites, take a look before you go out. We also need to think about portion size at home. I utilize calorie counters to get an idea of what a serving should be. If you are unsure of what 3 oz or other measurements look like invest in a scale, or borrow one and take pictures for future reference.

5. Add an extra vegetable or fruit to your day. Another tip of mine: my kids do not eat fruits and veggies consistently so I supplement with V8 juices. Also, if meat and veggies are all that's available they are more likely to eat them.


Physical Fitness

1. There are some of us out there who are not going to go to the gym, and that is ok. Invest in a pedometer. This is any easy way to be informed. Try to increase the number of steps you take each day. This is simple, but can make a big difference.

2. If you are going to the gym set up an appointment with a personal trainer. I think this is good to do from time to time. You can utilize your trainers knowledge to learn new exercises, focus on areas you are concerned, and many other things. Post surgery I still have certain exercises I cannot perform. My trainer had a few different methods of working the same muscle groups. Some of these methods worked for me while others did not. We are each unique in what works and does not work for us in the gym, a trainer can only help with this.

3. Get some variety! The same exact workout can become tedious overtime. Utilize all that your gym has to offer. Pick up a new schedule of classes and see if you can pick up a class once a week to give your work out a little spice.

4. What can you do at home for those days or weeks that chaos occurs? Pick up a pair of free weights from the discount store. If you have them available at home you can supplement for those times when your good intentions come to ruin because of your busy schedule.

5. Take advantage of the outdoors! January is not really the month that we think about being outdoors, but don't forget about it. Jump on the trampoline with the kids, go to the park and play chase, take the dog for a walk, ride your bike, or so many other possibilities. If the weather allows it go outside, and soak up some Vitamin D!!

Thank You!

You have been so much to me this year:

an answered prayer

comfort even when I did not ask

strength in the difficult situations

an explanation when I had none

words when they did not seem possible

a visible Angel when I was scared

confidence where it was once absent

ideas that were not present the day before

understanding where is should not have been

compassion that could have been overlooked

a new definition for what is "My Life"

faith that I had not known before

an untraveled path for me to walk...


Thank you God, for all that you were for me and continue to be!!

Please allow me to be something for someone in 2011.

Hello 2011!

Were do we begin... I think we can first and foremost say it has been one heck of a year. This time last year Cody was in Dallas going to school to learn how to fly a new airplane, and I was packing up our house in Denver City in preparation for the impending move. A few weeks and several u-hauls later we started to settle into our new northern outpost. All in all, January was fairly uneventful in comparison to what we would soon be experiencing as a family. Katie, my sister, was diagnosed with breast cancer and later that same week I was diagnosed with the BRCA 2 mutation.

February brought with it surgery for Katie, and more doctors visits for myself.

March was also busy. I had my Prophlactic bilateral mastectomy, and Katie celebrated her 30th birthday by starting chemotherapy.

April and May were filled with weekly doctors visits and preparations for another surgery.

June wrapped up my breast reconstruction! My expanders were exchanged for implants on June 18th!!!

July was heavenly! I was fortunate enough to be wisked away to Florida and the virgin islands for 10 days!

August was the start of a new era, my little man JB went to big boy school. Pre-k has become the highlight of JB's routine!

September was marked with more doctors visits. More importantly though Katie and I were asked to share our story several times during October and September.

October was very busy. I participated in Race for the Cure events in both Amarillo and Lubbock. Katie and I were interviewed several times, and were the speakers at an event put on by the Joe Arrington Cancer Center in Lubbock.

November came around with Little Miss Taylor's 3rd birthday, a Thanksgiving trip to Ruiodoso, a wedding, and a never ending list of Christmas gifts to buy.

Oh, and did I mention I started taking an on-line course back in September, and preparing to go back to school this January.

December did not bring a moments rest. By the time Christmas came around Cody and I calculated that we had been away 3 times more on weekends from the beginning of October till Christmas than we had been home.

Needless to say my hopes for this year are as follows:
1. Less time spent in doctors offices and hospitals.
2. More time spent at home on weekends.
3. Successful completion of anatomy and physiology 1 & 2.
4. Attend FORCE conference in June!
5. Continue outreach to anyone I can help!
6. Continue to learn the do's and dont's of BRCA mutations.
7. Give God more of my undivided attention!!


Happy New Year!!

Back to School... I hope!

This morning started out with a new list. What do I need to do this week to be able to register for classes the beginning of November?

1. Fax copies of my transcripts to a nursing advisor at WTAMU.
2. Contact Amarillo College to find out my admissions status.
3. Talk to an advisor at AC to see what else they need so I can register in November.
4. Fax copies of transcripts to AC.
5. Call AC back and go see the advisor this week.

This is my list for this week and I am happy to say all but 4 & 5 have already been accomplished.

The next part of my list will take me leaving the house to accomplish.

1. Buy pumpkins for JB to decorate for class and for at home
2. Find something to wear to the symposium this weekend
3. Date night with Cody
4. Join JB's school PTO program (there is a meeting coming up)
5. and I am sure I am forgetting several things that will be added later this week.

Needless to say though it looks like I will be going back to school in the spring!

Wish me luck!!

Fox 34 Interview

Here is the link for the Fox 34 Interview.

Learn a little everyday...

Yesterday was a long day for me, but a good one. It started out behind schedule and very fast and frantic but was latter met with a little down time in doctors waiting rooms. My never ending pilgrimages to Lubbock usually give me something to reflect on during my time driving back home at the end of the day.

I met with both my plastic surgeon and the surgeon who performed my mastectomies. My PS was the first appointment and everything looks fabulous and I do not have to report back for 6 months!! Second appointment went equally as well, next visit will be in June for an MRI. Everyone was very happy with my progress including me.

My moment to ponder on happened while reading posters on the wall at my second doctors visit. There were posters for skin cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer on the wall. I am sure that I had seen the breast cancer poster before, but had not taken in what it really said. One word stuck in my mind "Metastatic." I have heard the word many times and never really given it a second thought.

Metastatic is used to describe cancer that has moved from the primary location in the body to other locations. So this time while I was reading the poster it hit me. During my Mom's first encounter with breast cancer I never heard this word, but doesn't it describe her? I was able to look past this thought in my mind for the time being because my doctor was knocking on the door to see me.

On my way home I made the decision to look up the stages of breast cancer and dive in a little further. After I made it home, played with the kids, gave baths, and got everyone off to bed I sat down at the computer. This blog was waiting for me. It is a very powerful video, and my second source of WOW factor for the day. There it was again "Metastatic." This time it really felt like a punch to the gut. This video really gave me the feeling of being in the dark 10 years ago when Mom was fighting the battle for her life. Was I just naive, not willing to hear the truth, or did they just not use the same terminology back then that they do now.

If you have taken the time to watch the video clip you know that Metastatic Breast Cancer is incurable. When you are given this diagnosis the best option is to give you as much time as they can, but even at that there will come a time when treatment no longer wins the fight. You can still have a quality long life with metastatic cancer, but it will never completely go away. Treatments will be administered throughout the duration of your life to keep the cancer under controll and at bay as long as possible.

In February of 2000, Mom was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She had two brain tumors, surgery was performed to remove them and radiation therapy was administered. I always thought there was a chance for Mom to once again beat the cancer and be back in remission. Later on that year in November it was back. Ten years later I cannot completely say that the doctors never informed us that Mom's cancer was incurable or that it would be back it was just a matter of when.

So what are my conclusions today? Maybe it should be that cancer can be cloudy. Cloudy in the sense that when we are visiting with our doctors and attempting to hear what they are saying there can be a dense fog present. What we think we are hearing is what we want to hear. We pick and choose specific words that give us the most hope and forget about the rest. If Mom's doctors did say that she could not be cured this time I chose not to put that part in my memory. I wanted her to be fine and live a long life with me. At the same time though there is another lesson here. In the past 10 years cancer perception, treatment, and classification has changed. Technology is more advanced, treatments are fine tuned to each patient, and each case is specific. The knowledge and information our doctors are able to pass on to us is much different than it was back then. Mom's doctors did what they believed to be best for her back then, and Katie's doctors are doing what they believe to be best for her now. Self is a very powerful thing, and in stressful times self preservation kicks in to protect us. All of these factors contribute to why I may not have taken in everything that was said back then.