Stupid Cancer!

Eric found a new cancer website the other day. I thought I would share it.www.stupidcancer.org

I was diagnosed with my first round of melanoma back in 2000. At that time I was the youngest case in arkansas. I wish that this website had been around back then. Its a good resource for the younger crowd with cancer. You dont really get it until you have cancer at a young age. Every time we walk into my oncologist's office I tend to get stares. Its like the older folks seem to be shocked that a younger person has cancer. Granted, as I get older these looks arnt quite as shocking as when I was in the office at 15. My point is, Im glad to finally see someone thats looking at the young adult crowd and catering to their needs.

From the bit of looking around their site, they have support groups, chat boards, and all sorts of information for patients, and care givers alike. They even have a summit in Las Vegas April 25th-28th. At this summit they will have speakers, and experts talking on different cancer issues/topics. I hear its a great event.

For more information visit www.stupidcancer.org or visit them on facebook!

Elliots 8 months old!

Wow, how time goes by! Seems like I was just typing his 7 month old post. E- man is now 8 months. Hes growing like a weed. Each day he seems to get bigger, and more vocal. He has quite the little personality. I swear hes like a little old man. He rarely meets a stranger, and likes to flirt. At the same time, he can be unsure of some people (little old ladies at walmart) but overall hes a  very social little man. The ladies at my oncology group love him. They know him by name now, and love it when he comes to visit. When hes not there Im known as "elliots mom". lol. I guess not many people bring a baby to a oncologist, but when your a stay at home mom sometimes he just has to come along.

Elliot sleeps pretty good. The past couple weeks hes been going thru a growth spurt so hes up a bit more than normal, but nothing crazy. He has 5 teeth now, going on 6. Quite the mouthful1! Hes also sort of taken to nibbling on anything he can get his teeth on. Okay, sometimes all out biting people. I painted my nails blue the other day, and those apparently were fair game for baby bites. Hes also still eating like a champ. The other day he actually wanted cereal over his bottle.

Here is my little man....

Lab day!

Today I had the pleasure of going to the oncologist today. Originally I was told I would be going in for blood work only. This was to check all the levels in my blood, and make sure my liver etc wasnt failing. So I check in, and they proceed to tell me "SURPRISE!!!! you also get to see the nurse practitioner today!" I argue with them a bit, but they insist that in the doctors notes from last week I get to see a NP. Lovely. So I wait....and wait...and finally get to see the NP.

The NP just happened to be the one that visited me daily when I was in the hospital. Its always nice to see a friendly face. She proceeded to tell me that my blood levels were good, and that I was supposed to see her to make sure, once again, that I wasnt having any side effects from the Yervoy. I told her I was surprised to see her today, as the receptionist failed to mention that I had to see her when I made the appt. She also informed me that I have another doc appt next week too! (love how I was left out of the loop). Anyway, my blood levels are great! They are shocked that I dont have any symptoms. She kinda let it slip that many people dont seem to make all 4 treatments without delay. This is due to side effects and the what not. If your side effects get too bad they push your treatment out, however, they cannot push it too far. Or sometimes, they have to stop treatment entirely. I feel like my doctor sort of skirted around that potential issue. They just seem to be surprised at each visit that Im not having any issues. (this is sorta worrisome thtat they seem shocked by my good progress)

So its almost been 3 weeks since my last Yervoy treatment. I go in Feb 6th for my next infusion! Then Im going to go ahead and assume that Ill have weekly labs/ doc visits after that. Hopefully, I continue on this good streak and continue to not have any issues from the drug.

Overall Ive been doing pretty good. Im still tired, and require a ton of sleep, but doing better on that front. Now, to keep the trend going!

Cross Roads...

My appointment with the radiologist was friday. Good news is Im not melting! (which we already knew) He did however, give us more to think about. He saw my PET scans and my lung tumor. He asked if my Oncologist had discussed all this with me. After, I explained yes, in fact he had explained it, and we had a plan for it, Mr Radiologist decided to throw his 2 cents in. He seems to think that lung radiation is the way to go, and saves me from getting my chest cracked open. 

I love it when they throw more options into the mix. Its just that everything we've read, says that Im a good candidate for the surgery. Also, that it can improve my longevity. I mean I would love to go the least invasive method, but my ultimate goal here is adding years onto my life. So this is just one more thing to talk to my oncologist about at my next appointment. 

I have a few theories as to the whole radiation vs. surgery debate. I see pros and cons for each. Surgery = clean margins and making sure all the cancer is gone. Radiation= not clean margins and almost guarantee of  chemo to make sure its all gone. Just another kink in things.....either way we have to wait until the yervoy treatments are over with, and another PET scan is done. Once we know the status of everything, then we will know what direction to take. So until then, we sit at the cross roads of which way to take. 

Woke up sick

Today not feeling so hot. I'm not sure if I have a cold, the flu, or what the deal is. I woke up multiple times last night burning up hot, throat hurting, congested and feeling pretty much terrible. This morning finally got the heat issue under control (which reminded me that we need to get a new thermometer) but was wiped. I spent most of the day in bed, or glued to the couch asleep.

The concern is that I am at risk of getting ill, more so than a normal person. Also that me getting sick could be more serious than if I didnt have cancer. From what we've been told and read I wouldnt respond to antibiotics and such as well, or if at all due to the Yervoy. (thats why the doctors told me to stay away from crowded places) All that said, me waking up sick did not bode well with the husband. Im still not feeling great, but not as bad as I was.

So the key to the next 24 hours is fluids fluids fluids, and rest!!! I promised Eric that I wouldnt even lift a finger to do house work, or basically do anything other than rest.

I have another doctors appointment tomorrow (Friday). This is with my Radiologist. Its just a check up to see how Im doing. I jokingly say "its to make sure the radiation hasnt melted me into a puddle".  Should be a quick in-out deal. Crummy part is going in there feeling like I do now. I would hate to get anyone sick. May be stuck wearing a face mask in the office.

On the look out

I realized that I havent fully explained the side effects of Yervoy. So we are on the lookout for the following-

The most common side effects are: (according to www.yervoy.com)

-Tiredness
-Diarrhea
-Itchiness
-Rash

Now for the other more serious fun ones:
-Inflammation of intestines
-Inflammation of liver that can lead to liver failure (jaundice, vomiting etc)
-Inflammation of skin, that can lead to serious skin reactions (all skin blister and peeling)
-Inflammation of nerve endings that can lead to paralysis
-Inflammation of glands (pituitary, thyroid) can lead to fainting, tiredness, mood swings)
-Inflammation of eyes. Can lead to blurry vision, red eyes, or blindness.


To sum it up, basically ANYTHING out of the norm it can go wrong on this lovely med. So they do weekly blood testing to make sure everything is okay. Thru the blood tests they will be able to catch any issues with my liver early, before symptoms should show. So far Im only tired right now. The doctor seemed surprised that I dont show any other symptoms. Granted, some people dont start to have a reaction until after the 2nd infusion or even after the last infusion. So, we are on close watch for any changes.

The point of the drug is to heighten my immune system to fight the cancer. The problem is it can heighten it to the point it starts to attack healthy cells. This is what leads to the problems. Its not as bad as typical chemo since it doesnt totally carpet bomb my body. However, it can do some damage.

For now Im doing good.  Hopefully, Ill luck out and not have any issues with this.

Liver check!

I had a follow up appointment with my oncologist today. This was to run blood work and check to see if I was having any side effects from the IV therapy. After waiting over an hour past my appointment time, I finally got to see the doctor. He seemed shocked that I wasnt having any side effects other than fatigue. He informed me that my blood work showed my liver was functioning as it should be. (liver issues are a side effect) Basically, anything can be a effect and weekly blood draws will catch any of these signs early. So yay for catching things early!!!

So I go back next week for more blood work. So far due to me not having any issues on the Yervoy, they allowed me to set up my next infusion for Feb 6th. They wont even allow you to set up the appointment unless the doctor clears you. Keep in mind, this can change if I start to have issues. If I start to have side effects they can postpone, or even cancel treatment.

On a completely unrelated note....Elliot finally was able to feed himself cherrios today!!! Hes been able to pick them up for a while, but always seemed to miss the hand /cherrio/ mouth relay. Its the little things.... :)

Cleaning out the Pantry.

We saw 2 interesting documentaries this weekend. 'Food Matters' and 'Hungry for Change'. Both brought a few interesting things to light. #1- the average american diet sucks. #2- people with a less "man made" diet are healthier with less cancer rates. I really suggest that if you have time to watch both of these shows. (I found them both on netflix)

All that said, I see no harm in eating healthier, and cleaner. Eric and I are going to attempt to cut out the 'junk' and eat better. I mean after all we are all about healing. Its my overall health we are talking about here. If it means giving up the junk, and eating more veggies, fruits, and less processed foods then thats what we will do. I dont want to sound like a crazy person, but it makes sense. This also will allow me to be a better example for Elliot as hes eating more and more solids. If he has a good foundation of healthy foods it can only help him. So all in all I see no hurt in attempting to eat 'cleaner' healthier foods. If cant hurt me any more than the cancer right? Plus with all he medicines and IV treatments some good stuff needs to counteract the bad. Ill let you know how it goes. Im sure trying to change our mindset wont be easy.

Elliot Update!

So little man had his well baby check up, and shots this week. Kinda nice to have other news than cancer related stuff :). I really love the doctor we see for Elliot. To be fair hes my doctor too (family doctor). Elliot is a whopping 20 lbs, and grew an inch in 2 months! Doctor said hes actually a bit advanced for his age on some things. He has quite a few teeth coming in (2 on bottom already in, and 4 on top starting to come in) and is quite the little mover. He rolls everywhere he wants to go. Why crawl when you can get there by rolling?

I did get into trouble by even being at the doctor. He scolded me for being in a place with sick people. (yeah dumb moment for me) So he told me that he would prefer someone else bring the baby in for the checkups, but if I had to be there to call in advance. They would then rush me into a room, and not keep me in the waiting room. (celebrity treatment!) Luckily, when we were there no one was in the waiting room really. So it was just me and my awesome sister-in law. I will in the future send someone else to the doctor for my kids checck ups. Pinky swear....

They did say that Elliot could have a flu shot, but that they were out at the clinic. That said they have them at the convenient care clinic. However, Im not allowed to step foot in that place. They said its the worst place for a cancer patient to be. So to send Eric, or someone else to get the babys  flu shot. (I did manage to get mine this week! They did mine when they did by Yervoy treatment! so Im good!)

Now for an UPDATE on ME:
So far not feeling any side effects of the treatment. Other than a bruised arm from the iv blowout. (ouchie) And a sore arm from the flu shot, Im doing good. Granted its only been a bit over 24 hours, so I have a long way to go. Crossing my fingers that I dont feel any effects.

1st treatment down, 3 to go!

A giant door lay ahead of me. On it was plastered "1 visitor per patient...(blah blah blah) no kids (blah blah blah insert cant read rest of sign)" As I walked thru the doors I saw a large room filled with lazy boys. Some of which had seen better days. The nurse explains to me where the favorite seats are. I choose one of the "good seats". Then I have the bubbly nurse come over to start my IV. She chooses her vein and goes for it. I feel the worst pain ever....and the vein blows. Keep in mind all the ivs Ive ever had Ive NEVER had anyone have a problem. Yet today...she screws up. Word of advice to nurses, dont tell your patient you just came back from vacation and are out of practice. This does not instill confidence in your patient. So she then chooses another vein and goes for it. This time ITS GOOD! yay....

After all the drama of getting the IV started, another curve ball comes my way. I dont just get Yervoy. Before I can get the good stuff I have to have tylenol, and benadryl. GREAT. Im sensitive to benadryl, as it makes me really sleepy with a really small dose. Now I get to pay attention for 3 hours dopey. 30 minutes or so pass, and the nurse heads to get the Yervoy. All while hooking it up she again explains how pricey this medication is. She hooks it up then leaves. As she rounds the corner I feel liquid running down my arm. OH NO! my first thought was "dollar bills/ liquid gold is running down my arm, not into my vein as it should be!!!" I call the nearest nurse who quickly fixes the leak.

During my time in the chemo ward (as Im now calling it) I saw a few interesting things. Here is some of what I saw...
- Old man flirting with the old ladies. This was quite amusing to watch. So amusing in fact the nurses had to go put him back in his chair, because he was causing a delay in treatment. Talking about being a sniper in the war, and how hes got "cancer in the gut!!" He had everyone smiling and laughing. I was highly amused. At least he has a good attitude about the situation.

- One lovely lady who I think was talking to me as she walked by my area and said loudly "Ive got breast cancer!" (all with a head nob/bob attitude thing) I was the only person not engaged in a task. So unless she was talking to her imaginary friend it was me she was sending the attitude toward. Apparently its quite the club. And yes, she was all decked out in pink. Im not a hater of the pink. Just saying this entire situation was odd to me. Maybe I misunderstood her, maybe I didnt see who she was talking to. However I was easily amused by this. Made me go "uhhh okay?"

Now what?

A few people have asked how Im feeling. I feel fine. Well as normal as I feel on a daily basis. Side affects may happen in the coming days. I have a doctors appointment in a week to see if Im having any issues. I also have some medications on hand 'just in case' I get any of the common side affects. But for tonight? I feel like I have been. No new changes. Other than my left arm hurting like crazy where she poked me, Im doing good.

It could have been worse...

So we get a call about 45 minutes to an hour before our appointment. "Mrs Schmit? Did the doctor talk to you about your IV treatment tomorrow?" (insert panic here) Come to find out it was the financial department telling me what we already knew. Yervoy treatment is really really pricey. In the range of $150,000 pricey. We knew this already. She was making it sound really bad. As if insurance had denied the treatment. So we go in early to meet with their office. Come to find out they wanted to inform us we were going to reach our deductible, as if we didnt know...

Approximately an hour later we finally get to see the doctor. Prepared for the worst we waited for him to spit out the news. The good news is no cancer in my brain, and no new tumors anywhere else! yay! Bad news is that the tumor in my lung has doubled in size. That said, we plan on continuing on with the Yervoy IV therapy tomorrow. That is 12 weeks of treatments. Treatment will be every 3 weeks. At the end of 12 weeks we will go back in for a new PET scan, CT scan and likely an MRI. This will see if any new cancer has formed. It will also check in on my lung tumor. The Yervoy will treat any microscopic cancer and kill it off. However if there are any existing tumors or cluster cells it will make it grow. So it will cause my lung tumor to grow.

After we get the results of my PET scan in 12 weeks we will do one of the following...

-If I have only the 1 tumor still there we will be in touch with a general surgeon and have it  cut out. Then just be monitored closely to see if any new tumors pop up. No further planned treatment.

- If there are many tumors they plan on getting me in touch with a surgeon and cutting them out. Then I will have Chemo. And after that who knows.

We are obviously hoping that option 1 is the case here. Granted we did not want the tumor to grow, and were not planning on being cut open again. This is the first time the doctors have mentioned surgery on my lung. So its kinda scary to think about, but Ill take what I can get.

The doctor seems very optimistic. He said he didnt want to give us 'false hope' but that with the way things are going my case seems like we will have a good ending. It took 12 years for new tumors to show up after my last "all clear" surgery. So hes thinking with close monitoring we should be able to keep it at bay, or gone entirely. As long as our first scenario is the one that plays out. Im hoping for no new tumors!

So for tomorrow, I have a full day. Day #1 of treatment, and counting down another 12 weeks. Guess I also need to clear my calender 12-14 weeks from now, as theyll be cutting me open again. Hey, at least this time I get to keep what little hair I have left! :) thats a bright side.

Tomorrows the day

Tomorrow is the day! We get to hear/see what the scans show. Is it worse? Is it better? Did the radiation work? So many questions to hopefully be answered. Crossing my fingers its good news. Now, to keep myself busy today....

Its over!

The 24 hour ban on holding Elliot is over! Im no longer radioactive! YAY!!! Little man didnt understand last night why mommy couldnt hold him. He kept rolling over to me and tugging on my pant leg. Poor guy. Luckily his dad was there to pick up where I couldnt. Of course last night was also the night where he decided to get up at 2am and not sleep thru the night. Poor Eric had to get up and feed him a bottle. I got some extra sleep though. :)

Today Elliot decided to be a bit cranky due to teething. Poor guy has 3 or 4 new teeth coming in. My poor coffee table made it thru 2 dogs without any chewing damage, and as of tonight has new teeth marks. Elliot decided to try to chew on the coffee table.  I swear he was only over there for a couple of seconds before I moved him. but the coffee table came away with new war wounds. I cant believe after all this time a 7 month old was the one to chew on it!

Im doing pretty good today. Guzzled my weight in water trying to flush the radioactive stuff from my system. Managed to take a nap today (unplanned) but hey, Ill take what I can get. Also worked up to 10 minutes on the treadmill, and a light yoga workout. Making some progress on the gaining energy front. Got some housework done, laundry etc. Nothing really exciting.

I did hear about the flu epidemic. I plan on talking to my oncologist about a flu shot. If I need one. I think its a good idea, but with the way my immune system is, Im not sure if theyll let me get one. I also have an appointment next week witht he pediatrician for Elliot. I plan on talking to him to see if Elliot is old enough for one. While we dont get out other than to the doctors, I worry about us getting the flu. I think our greatest risk is Eric bringing it home for work, or my nieces/nephews giving it to us on one of our visits. All we really see are family and doctors. Still, I feel more comfy looking into the flu shot than ignoring it.

Other than those things, health wise Im feeling pretty good. Lungs still hurt (as usual). Reading, and eyesight still suck. Put it this way, my name looks like its spelled wrong all the time. Its bad when I dont think I can even spell my name correctly. Other than that nothing new to report.

Melanoma Awareness

Why is it that if you have cancer and are female people seem to assume you have breast cancer? I swear Ive had numerous people just assume that since I already like the color pink, that since Im wearing something pink I have breast cancer. I always seem to shock them when I say "no, actually I have metastatic melanoma". This brings me to the whole pink topic. Everyone knows the color of the breast cancer ribbon. When asked most people dont know the color ribbon for melanoma. I even asked a nurse friend of mine if she knew. She didnt. Youd think that for the most deadly skin cancer, and one of the most popular cancers around people would know the color of ribbon, but no. What is the color you ask? BLACK. Kinda depressing dont you think?

I was talking to a lady that I had radiation with the other day. She was telling me how she had a nice person give her a hat that had a pink ribbon on it. She didnt have the heart to tell the person she had lung cancer, and the pink ribbon stood for something different. Seems to be a common issue. So Im not the only one thats sorta put off by this. The reason Im complaining (2 paragraphs later) Is that if I want to find some sort of melanoma awareness gear (shirt, key chain, jewelry) I cant find a thing. Compared to other cancers black ribbons are few and far between. This just is odd to me. With all the anti- tanning laws etc.

Speaking of anti- tanning. While my specific melanoma isnt sun related. (I mentioned in another post that I was tested for the b-raf mutation, and they found I dont have it. Which means mine is genetic not sun related) I still harp on the no sun exposure thing. Why is it that people still believe the whole "it wont happen to me" thing? Seriously, stop tanning! It will destroy your skin. While yes, you may luck out and not get skin cancer or melanoma, it will cause you to age faster, wrinkle, and hurt you in the long run. I see people I went to highs school with that look 20 years older than I do, the only difference? They visit the tanning bed.

Did you know? That in 2012 the estimate number for new melanoma cases was 75,250 to be diagnosed? The number for melanoma deaths, 9,180. That is a lot of new cases. Granted not all are deadly. But think about this. I was originally diagnosed in October 2000. They declared me a cancer survivor 2010 as I was 10 years cancer free. In October 2012, I was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. I thought I had been lucky. As do most people. Most have the "it wont happen to me" mentality. I was the youngest case of melanoma in the state of arkansas in 2000. My general doctor didnt want to take off my mole. Told my mom she was paranoid. I was very lucky my mom was "paranoid". To this day that doctor changed his way of thinking, and practice due to my case. My point here is people are not really educated enough on melanoma. They know about it but brush it under the rug. Its just a little sun burn right? Or I hear "its just a base tan".

So after all my ranting and raving here..... all I have to say is please think about it. Melanoma is a cancer that seems to get tossed aside. There are not many drugs for it. Its a very aggressive cancer. Most times it can even be prevented. So stop tanning, wear sunscreen even on days its cloudy. Check your skin, and if anything just looks odd get it checked by a doctor. Ill end my ranting now. I just get irritated when I hear people who dont really realize how serious melanoma is. More than once Ive heard "oh its just melanoma". Yea, just melanoma......

PET scan day!

Today was the day. PET scan, CT scan and blood work. (they didn't do an MRI since I had one on christmas eve) Now, I wont know the results until next weeks doctors appointment. So I still have to wait, but at least that part is done. Some of you may ask "what does a PET scan entail?" Well, I will tell you step by step how my office visit went. Here you go....

Step 1: Walked up to the lovely receptionist and told her what I was there for. We then get shown to the lab for blood work. At that lovely time, I ask "hey they are going to start an IV for the scans, why stick me twice? Can we not just get my blood work from my IV?" Luckily they agreed so sent me packing with a red ziplock baggie full of vials to hand the imaging tech when they start my iv. We then get shown to an entirely differrent area of the office where they seem to isolate the radioactive people.

Step 2: Walk up to the next receptionist in a packed waiting room. She then shocks me by notifying me that I get a lovely full body CT scan and get to drink the chalky barium drink and to "pick a flavor." I chose the mocha chocolate. Word of advice DONT CHOOSE THE MOCHA! Its terrible. So I drink that and have to wait an hour. During this time I had the pleasure of listening to 3 older ladies complain about cancer, and how "God gave so and so cancer." etc. Terrible conversation to have to listen to. In the end all of them were tearing up, yet somehow completely ignoring me and my husband. Not sure how we didnt get roped into the conversation, as everyone else in the waiting room was involved. I digress.... Finally my name was called to go back and get scanned.

Step 3: I get shown into a room that has a BIG radioactive symbol on the door, and shown a recliner. I sit down, and get asked a million questions. (to make sure I know Ill be radioactive etc) They then start the IV, get the blood work, and test my blood sugar. The PET scan works my injecting radioactive sugar stuff (yes stuff not exactly sure what it is) into my veins and the cancer cells hold on to the sugar. Where as the regular cells dump it faster. Then the scan lights up the cancer cells and makes them glow.

So next, the tech comes in with a syringe inside a large metal tube, all while wearing a lead vest. At that time she then injects the stuff in the metal tube into my iv. Comforting right?? She then tells me to nap for 45 minutes, hands me a 'panic button' in case of emergency and shuts the door. See at this time Im VERY VERY radioactive. They wont even stay and chat with me. Im not allowed to even mess with my phone or read a book during this time. This can mess up the test results as any movement can cause your muscles to absorb some of the (tech term here) 'glow stuff'. So they demand you to nap.

Step 4: 45 minutes is up! Tech comes back in and makes you empty your bladder. Due to the radioactive nature of the test they dont want that stuff sitting for long. Go figure, its bad on the ole bladder. They then show me to a room with a large tube, and a bed that goes into the middle of it. I lay down on the bed and the machine goes around me. The tech then ties my hands down, and my feet. They dont want you moving! I get to stay in there for about 30 minutes or so. They then attach me to an IV for the CT scan. They inject you with more contrast for the CT scan. The contrast feels very warm when they inject it. You can actually feel it flowing thru your entire body, all the way to your toes. Its very weird. Luckily, they are all done in the same machine. All in all I was in there maybe 40 minutes or so.

Step 5: GO HOME!!! I swear we were there all day. Lots of waiting to hurry up and wait some more. Never fails, every time we go there seems to be a 3-4 hour visit. Oh and the best part? I was starving the entire time. As they dont let you eat before the test. UGH. I was ready for food by the time I got out of there. Now? I get the pleasure of drinking lots of water to flush the radioactive stuff from my system. I cant hold Elliot for 24 horus. I can be in the same room as him, but a couch distance away. The more fluids I drink, the faster it flushes out of my system. Too bad I dont get to glow too!

I have discovered in the short time home 1 thing. Its very hard staying away from the little one. Hes semi mobile now. Hes not crawling yet, but he rolls everywhere he wants to go. We've had to move him a couple times as he will roll over to me and try to tug on my feet. Poor baby....

So now we wait until the 15th for the results. I hope for the best. However, it shouldnt hurt to breathe all the time. That cant be a good sign.

Back to Normal

Well we completed day #1 of my husband back to work. Thats day 1 of me being at home with the baby alone, and the first time since ohh September since Ive been left alone. I somewhat forgot what its like to be "normal". Elliot and I did fine yesterday, nothing fun to report. Its just odd going that long with having constant supervision to finally a day of being left alone. I was glad to have my husband home once he got off work. Elliot and I went back to our stay at home routine. Breakfast with the hubby, playtime, nap time etc. Eric comes home for lunch, so Im never left alone that long. Its a blessing that he works 5 minutes or so away so that he can see me at lunch. It eases his mind a bit being able to check in on me. Im still at risk for seizures, but at this point I will be for the rest of my life. So him being able to check up on me is a bit perk.

My mom came over last night to visit and see the baby. I always enjoy getting visits from my parents. The house is on their way home from work, so time to time they drop in. Its a bright spot in my day. I dont drive so getting to see other adults is a nice change of pace. Little man has decided to somewhat become mobile by rolling everywhere. Mom got a good laugh at him attempting to crawl, then just rolling to where he wanted to go. Funny little man. At this rate I doubt he crawls and just keeps on rolling. Hes really doing quite well.

Tomorrows the big day! Lab work, MRI, Pet scan day! Also the day I become radioactive for approx. 24 hours. Tough 24 hours it will be. I wont be able to hold Elliot for that time. They dont want to run the risk of me hurting him with my radioactive-ness. (not sure thats a word). I get the joy of staying a couch distance away from him. Im not harmful to older children or adults. There just isnt enough evidence on small babies on what that will do to them, so they have me stay away until its out of my system. My sister got me a shirt that says "Caution Radioactive!" on it. Ill have to sport that tomorrow. We wont know the results unitl next week. But, Im still feeling pain when I breathe so that cant be a good sign. The PET scan will show any cancer in my body, along with if the stuff in my lungs has grown. Im really interested to see the results of that test more than anything at this point. Other than the breathing thing Im doing okay. I have some pretty good energy, but still get tired easily compared to a healthy person. 5 minutes on the treadmill at 2 mph is all I can manage. After that I need a nap or to rest a while. It about drained me yesterday just doing that. All said though its improvement from the past few weeks, so Ill take it!

Now for your viewing pleasure...... Elliot made a mess last night with his dinner. First time after a meal that we had to have a bath. Beans EVEYWHERE!!! He had a blast.  (yes beans and cherrios for dinner before his bottle. Not the best combo but he loved it)

Apples to Apples?

So this weekend we had family game night with my parents, sister, brother in law, aunt and uncle. Its always interesting to play a game that involves reading words on cards ( we played apples to apples) with a person that cannot really read. So I had to have a bit of help from my husband. Finally we all agreed that just letting me play what I thought the card said was more fun than helping. Example you ask? I thought the card said "sea creatures" when in fact it actually said "Sean Connery" lol. I got a laugh out of it. Sea creatures was a lot more funny than Sean Connery for the topic. Oh well. I didnt win the game, but we had a good time.

On a lighter note, Elliot learned how to drink out of a sippy cup!!! Bye bye bottles!!! Im thrilled with this fact. The training cups are bigger, and he has been drinking a full bottle. This allows us to not buy biggerr bottles and just move straight to sippy cups. (its all about the mini victories). Hes also about to crawl any day now. Right now hes moving all around the living room by rolling. So hes somewhat mobile. I was shocked the other day when all of the sudden I felt someone tugging on my pants. He had managed to roll over to me. Little man is doing very well.

As for me...it still hurts to breathe. Im worried that means the cancer in my lung has grown. We wont know until Thursday when I get my new scans. Im sleeping much better now that Im off the steroids. I actually get a full nights sleep. Im also getting my energy back. I managed to walk at a whopping 2 mph on the treatmill for 10 minutes yesterday. I have a feeling that all this may change once we start the IV treatments next week. Shouldn't effect me that way, but you never know until we do it. Still loosing my hair. Seems that my lovely little bald spot gets bigger and bigger daily. Trying not to be vain about it. Its just becoming funny now. Ill have a bald ring around my head, and hair on top. Its the reverse to normal balding. :) Itll likely grow back. Im not worried, for now hats and silk scarves are my friends.

Thursday Updates

One little boy can make a TON of noise! I spent all of yesterday attempting to calm a teething baby boy. Teething tablets, tylenol, 3 naps later both Eric and I were glad when his bed time rolled around. My child is normally a very happy quiet little boy, but yesterday he spent most of the days squalling and telling me how he felt about his new tooth coming in. UGH. I ended the day with a headache that was not medically related! AHH the joys of parenthood. :)

On a better note, Ive had a ton more energy the past 2 days. Maybe its due to me actually being able to sleep some more, now that Im off the steroids sleep has been easier to come by. I finally finished the round of antibiotics that the doctor prescribed for my lungs. Problem is my lungs still hurt. It hurts to breathe. To describe it, it feels like I constantly have a stitch in my side. Like you can get when a person runs. Except I feel it with every breath how. Stinks, but at this point Im thinking its definitely cancer related and not just me getting sick. All we can do now for it is wait until the 10th for my pet scan and see if the cancer in my lung has grown. With how I feel Im willing to bet it has, and thats why I now feel it. Other than that Ive been doing pretty good. No real change on the reading/sight status, but Ill take the sleeping and more energy for now.

I did manage to get a lot done the past 2 days. I crochet 3 hats!! Im rockin and rolling. (that means I need more yarn Ive got to make a trip to hobby lobby) It think my next project will be this wrap thing I found on pinterest. Seems easy enough to make. We also managed to do some spring/new years cleaning done. More organization than anything. Got our office cleaned, and closets cleaned out. I try to do that every few months. Get a donation pile going. This time I have baby stuff to get rid of. So if anyone knoews someone I have a baby swing, bouncey seat, a click it stroller and some other baby stuff that needs a home. I may try consigning it unless someone who reads this needs it. I cant think of anyone off the top of my head.

Eric was going to go back to work yesterday. But his boss called him yesterday morning and said to take the rest of the week off, and just come in on monday. So I get my hubby a few more days! (hes been on leave since my surgery due to the high risk of seizures with radiation treatment. The doctors wanted someone at home with me at all times.)

So cross your fingers Elliot has a better day today. He woke up happy and giggling this morning. Im thinking he was just a cranky butt yesterday. :)