Second Chemo Treatment and Update - July 28th

Okay, I know everyone is wanting an update. So here it is...First of all thank you so much for your prayers concerning the allergic reaction I had to the tapes/bandages from my surgery...the rash has finally cleared up...YAY!!! Today they were able to use the port in my chest for the first time for lab work and for the chemo itself. It was completely painless and quite easy to access...so even with all the trouble it's caused over the last couple of weeks I'm very glad to have it now! Anyway, today was a very busy day for us. We dropped the kids off with friends early this morning then headed to the Cancer Center. I had labs drawn first and then met with the doctor to go over my labs and for a quick check up before starting chemo. My white blood cell count was great (WBC 10.5 and NEU 7.8 normal is 8.8-10.8 for the WBC and 1.9 to 8.0 on the NEU), my red blood cell count was basically unchanged (HCB 12.5 and HCT 37.7 normal being 12.0-16.0 for the HGB and 37.0-47.0 on the HCT), but my plateletes were low (PLT 123 normal being 130-400). They were not low enough to delay treatment but please be praying that this level will go up...with a low PLT level the blood doesn't clot as quickly and I can bleed easier. The really awesome news is that the doctor had a hard time finding the largest tumor that still remains in my right breast. Two weeks ago it was the size of a lima bean but after 1 chemo treatment and a whole lot of prayer, today it is the size of a BB...and none of the lympnodes were detectable in his exam. I'm so excited about what God is doing and His faithfulness and goodness to me right now...I can hardly contain it!!! This is definitely not an easy road to be walking but He is walking it with me and making my burdens so very light! The Chemo treatment went smooth again. Dorian was able to take the day off work and stay with me the whole day (well, except for when Mom stopped by on her lunch break) and we had fun sitting and talking without being pounced on by the kids. The second drug that they give me (Cytoxin) was a little difficult to handle, I have had a reaction to it both times now. Today they gave me Benedryl before I started the Cytoxin so that I wouldn't have the reation but I still did...they slowed the drip, which helped, and are going to have to slow it down from here on out. It helped with the side effects but it does lengthen the day quite a bit. Oh, and another side effect that I've been dealing with over the last week is joint pain. Over the past week or so I've had intense pain in my shoulders, especially in my right shoulder. Dr. Keller said it was tendonitis caused by the Taxotere (chemo). It's not a common side effect but it is a side effect that can happen. It's been very painful, and debilitating as I couldn't pick up Jadon with my right arm for the last couple of days. Today it wasn't as bad but he perscribed me some pain meds just in case it gets bad again. But if you could also remember to be praying for that, I'd rather not have to take the pain meds...lol. My hair seems to be thinning a bit. It started out slowly a few days ago but seems to be picking up. I havn't lost any handfuls, there's just aways 4-6 hairs on my shirt or tickling my neck. As soon as I pull them off there's more there waiting. It's making it a little bit more real but I'm not afraid of it. We'll keep you all posted as info becomes available...in the mean time Thank you all so much for your love, prayers, and support of me and the whole family. I cry quite often at how much everyone has been helping out and reaching out to us. May God bless each and every one of you as you have been a blessing to us. We love you and thank God daily for you.