I Will Fess Up...

Here it is!

The famous FBC Cocklebur!

It has been safe and secure in a hidden area of my house.

Although now I am seriously considering putting it

in the safety deposit box.

As I read Margie's post, a new surge of power came over me!

Hopefully, the mere pictures will energize you all.

Love,

Laura

Coumadin

Update:

Laura spoke with the people at the Coumadin clinic this morning and it turns out she is actually supposed to be on the Coumadin for at least a month.

That's not sitting well with her.

Next round of chemo is Friday.

Please pray that she won't have to be on the Coumadin forever.
Please pray that doctors will give her some good information and help her make choices that are good for her mental and physical health.
Please pray for those of us who love her -- that we'll be helpful.

If you can, make her laugh. That's supposed to be good medicine.

GOFIGHTWIN!!

Clif, Emily and Lisa were all at home for Christmas and the whole family enjoyed just being together.

Laura finished her shots yesterday and begins the Coumadin today. Tomorrow she goes to the Coumadin clinic and will find out what the next steps are.

The treatment of this cancer is getting old and she's ready to eat food and taste it and to eat whatever she wants to. With the Coumadin, her diet has new restrictions. It's not just the food, though, she's just tired of all the side effects from the treatment.

Don't get me wrong. I think she's still able to enjoy some of everyday. In fact, the other night, I had a great conversation with her and we laughed a lot.

Please pray for Laura this week...

• that the blood thinners she's been on will have taken care of the clot.


• that she'll have something in every day that makes her smile -- or even better, laugh.


• that she'll have something fun to eat that actually tastes good to her.

She's a sport. She's a fighter... and she'll get through this. Seems like she needs a break, though, from the rough effects of the treatment. That's what I'm hopin' for this week.

Here's to a year ahead with lots of good news!

Ain't nothin' simple...

Today Laura went back to the doctor be checked out and here's the news:

• She has a cold and so they put her on an antibotic.
• Also, she now has a blood clot located near her life port. She was suspicious something was wrong because her left arm was kind of tight and swollen. It's her weakest arm so she knew it shouldn't be bigger than her right arm.
• She had a Doppler Study which determined that she has a blood clot called DVT (deep vein thrombosis). It is not common but it is not unusual for chemo patients to get blood clots.
• They have started her on a blood thinner which results in her having to give herself shots for the next four days. The drug is Lovenox.
• After those four days she'll start Coumadin. She'll go to the Coumadin Clinic next Tuesday and they will check the clot and determine how much longer she'll have to take the thinners.

On a more pleasant note: all of her family is with her and they've spent lots and lots of time (at her request) taking pictures in front of the tree. Hopefully, I'll be able to post one or two before too long.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Mystery Solved...

Thanks, Rosa!!

Love,
Laura and Carrie

Lance Armstrong Foundation

Some of you may have noticed that one of the comments left on the last post was left by "The Lance Armstrong Foundation."

Laura and I would like to know if any of you know how they found out about the blog.

If you know, please leave me a comment.

Thanks.

Laura's Day

Laura's finally feeling some good effects from the 1 liter bag of sugar water she got today. When she walked out of the hospital she didn't feel good.
This morning the inside of her mouth felt like she had chewed the sides up. They were raw. The roof of her mouth was solid white from the rash and her throat cracked every time she opened it. Her face was getting redder and the bottoms of her feet were blistered. Nothing tasted like anything and she had lost more weight. She was also cold and Albany, GA was reaching record breaking temperatures.

Anyway, they gave her the fluids and now she's feeling a little better.

Sylvia Vann made lasagna for their supper and she was able to taste it. Luckily, she made so much that Laura was able to freeze part of it and will have it again when the sores in her mouth are gone.

Steve has had a relapse of his sinus infection. He took an unusual before-dinner nap and felt much better after Sylvia's delicious supper.

Laura's hoping to be walking or riding her bike by tomorrow afternoon.

Please keep praying that the sores will go away. Our family enjoys food and it's so much more fun when you can taste it. :-)

Quick update:

Laura goes to the doctor tomorrow for a check-up -- every week after chemo she goes so they can check on her progress or check on any problems she may be having.

And, she is having a few problems... The blisters in her mouth have continued and now she has blisters on her face, hands and the bottoms of her feet. She's gone to the 'Y' everyday and walked a mile which she believes has helped her bones, but it causes lots of pain in her feet.

She's remaining as positive as she can, but the symptoms of the chemo are interfering with things she'd like to do. As I've mentioned before, and as many of you know, she doesn't really like to sit still.

Please pray that the blisters will go away. Not fun.

Have a good rest of your week.

Kemo

A friend of Laura's shared this with her the other night. Thought you might like to read it.

******************************************

“And the God of all grace….after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you….

I Peter 5:10 (NIV)

My family planned a dinner to celebrate the end of my year of chemotherapy treatments. But my two daughters were a bit mysterious about their part of the celebration.
“We’ll pick you up at five o’clock and meet the rest of the group later,” they told me. So off we drove into the winter’s early darkness. Soon we pulled into a long driveway with a sign out front that said KENNEL and entered a home with a pen full of golden retriever puppies in the living room.
“You’ve always said you want another golden retriever, so you get to pick one!” my daughters told me.
I cried and laughed as I got down on the floor and began playing with the roly-poly, facelicking, tailwagging puppies.
A half hour later, a bit of my sanity returned. I have to talk to Dad about all this,” I said, knowing that my husband needed to be a part in this decision. So we reluctantly said good-bye and went off to meet the others for dinner, where we talked about the pros(and no cons) of getting a new puppy right now.
“A puppy is the perfect way to celebrate this new post-chemo season in your life.”
“You’re home more now, so you could train him.” “What are you going to call him?” This last question came from my husband Lynn, which told me he was already on board.
At once I knew the answer.”I’ll call him Kemo,” because in the beginning of this journey, I had to understand that chemotherapy was my friend. Besides, Kemosabe means “faithful friend.”
A couple of weeks later, we brought Kemo home, and I have a new dream in my heart. Maybe we could go to chemo centers together and let other people know that “Kemo is your friend”

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for new dreams in new seasons of life. By Carol Kuykendall
Guidepost Dec. 09,08

Today Laura had the injection of Nulastin for her white blood cell count. We thought they were going to decrease the dosage, but it turns out they didn't. The chemo robs her of some of those cells so they didn't feel like they could afford to cut back. (I think I have the facts straight.)

Laura says that today she's feeling pretty nauseous, her hands are peeling and Steve is suffering from a severe sinus infection that includes a fever... She doesn't feel good, but she knows that the medicine that is making her feel so bad is also making her better.

Thanks for your notes... They're fun to read and an encouragement to her, too.

Please pray that the unpleasant side-effects will pass quickly.

A quick update from Laura...

The day went as usual. Today we had an All My Children group and General Hospital bunch. I didn't really pay lots of attention to those but was glad to see Luke was still on General Hospital. I was busy teaching people about my Kindle and reading it myself. So far no serious effects from the chemo.
I have a little rash on my face but I'm not convinced what it is from. I know it wasn't the wine and honey bath but maybe one of the new makeups.
Love,
LK

Buzzin' for Laura

Clif buzzed his hair to show his support for Laura.

He's a good kid!

Lookin' Good!!!

A few shots of Laura's day on Wednesday.

That's our cousin, Phyllis, in the pink hat! Mary Celeste and Laura's friend, Judy, went along, too!

Lookin' Good Feelin' Better

Today Laura and my cousin, Phyllis (who is also fighting breast cancer), attended a workshop called Look Good Feel Better. In that class they learned a lot of tricks to apply make-up and make themselves feel better during the whole chemo process.

I don't have all the details, but Laura called me on her way back to Leesburg and I got this tid-bit... One of the things that chemo patients can do to relax and feel better is to take pampering baths. Laura loves to soak in the tub, so that was good to hear, but what she really appreciated was the recipe that the instructor gave for a good bath soak.

3 glasses of red wine

1/4 c. honey

Pour two glasses of red wine and 1/4 c. honey into running water.
Pour one glass of red wine to enjoy while soaking in the tub.

:-)

I'll give more information and post pictures as soon as I get them.

Round 2 of chemo starts tomorrow.

Go Fight Win, Laura and Phyllis!

Go Fight Win!

Laura's students decorated the door

to her classroom.

Isn't it lovely?!

(The pink ribbons have the names of each student in her classes.)

A sampling of photos from the past week or so...

Start Practicing the Cheer

Good News!

I'm at the doctor's office with Laura today. It's a follow-up visit after her first round of chemo... She met with the research doctor, Dr. Tongol.

Her counts were way up so they're going to decrease the amount of the Nulastin (which is a shot she gets the day after chemo -- and which causes the pain she experienced in her legs.). This should help either decrease or eliminate the pain she felt.

They gave her new prescriptions to help with the mouth sores, her throat, pain/numbness in her fingers, the redness in her skin. At this moment, she's receiving fluids which will help increase her energy and generally make her feel better.

The most exciting news of the day is that they are already seeing significant shrinkage in the size of the tumor. This is due to the combination of the Avastin (the research drug) and the chemo. The tumor wasn't exactly symetrical, but in one direction it has decreased by half!

That's my Laura… Goin'! Fightin'! Winnin'!!

Thanksgiving!

People started arriving in Atlanta on the Friday before Thanksgiving. The activity began gradually and increased as more and more people arrived. There were 29(!) people gathered at Mama’s and Papa’s on Thanksgiving Day. The weather was good enough to sit on the porch and we were able to relax and just enjoy being together. Though some members of our family are no longer with us, they weren’t far from our thoughts.

During the week Laura’s energy went from almost non-existent to being able to move around. She still tires easily and is battling mouth sores and the lack of an appetite. The tough thing is feeling hungry, but not having food taste very good. If any of you have any tricks or ideas of ways to make the food taste better or things she could try to eat that would give her some more energy, please leave a comment on the comments page.

Friday night Laura felt good enough to attend the play “The Santaland Diaries” and to go to our friend, Jean’s house afterwards for dessert. It was good to see her laugh and relax a little bit.

Finally, for those of you who are part of the Kindle surprise, Laura says a HUGE “thank you.” Not only will she receive a Kindle very soon, she’ll also have plenty left over for lots and lots of Kindle books. Judy won’t give us any names, but you know who you are and Laura really is thankful. (It should be in her hands by December 11th or so.)

Laura thinks she has the best friends --and family :-) -- in the world. Thank you for all you’ve done.

It’s going to be a tough road ahead, but she’s gonna make it – with flying colors, too!

GoFightWin!

Update

Laura had her first round of chemo on Thursday. On Friday, she was given an injection to increase her white blood cell count. She came to Atlanta on Friday night. We (Harv, Sarah, Hannah, and me) are here as well.

She is now experiencing pain in her bones - because of the Friday injection - as well as slight nausea. Sitting still is difficult for her. She wants to be busy doing things, but doesn't feel quite up to it.

Things that are a comfort to her right now are: being at Mama's and Papa's; eating my first-ever homemade vegetable soup (supervised by Laura - - with some her fresh-frozen garden vegetables), and having me read from Bailey White's new book, Nothing with Strings.

Please pray that the pain will go away, and that she will not require stronger pain relief. Also, please pray that she is able to get a good night's sleep.

Please pray that she will be able to enjoy the next few days. More children, siblings, nieces, and nephews begin arriving Tuesday night and Wednesday. She's especially hoping that she'll feel a little better pm Thanksgiving Day.

Posting will be hit-and-miss over the next few days. We don't have Internet access at my parents' house. We are able to see your comments, though, as they are viewable on Harvey's cell phone.

Let the Fight Begin!

Another note from Laura:

I am tired now! First round (or cycle as they say at the hospital) has begun. A long day but not unpleasant. My chemo nurse was DeeDee and my research nurse is Kathy. They took good care of me.

The interesting stuff that went on in the chemo ward were things I had not thought about.

• If you don't get there in time for The Today Show you watch Judge Mathis and then you get to see Judge Judy.
• After that, somebody (today it was Steve) turns the channel to The Young and the Restless (at which point a sandwich and soup were served).
• Then came Days of Our Lives.
• The ones of us that were left after that were mostly konked out.
• The remaining ones caught glimpses of Rachel Ray with special guest Vanna White at 51 years old!
• Then it was time for me to go home.
• DeeDee told me to go ride my bike and I did after Steve and I went to the store.

The end.

I love you, Laura...

I'll be thinking of you all day tomorrow. Can't wait to see you on Sunday!!

A note from Laura...

This is straight from her....

I will be participating in a clinical trial which is a type of research. In addition to the standard care for breast cancer, I will receive a drug called Avastin. All of my doctors think this drug will be a great addition to my treatment. There have been positive results reported from patients treated with this drug.

Steve and I will take an education class tomorrow that should make us well informed about the dos and don’ts while I am receiving chemo. I will have my first treatment on Thursday probably lasting 4 to 5 hours. By the second treatment my new Kindle will have arrived. This should help make the time go by much better!

I know it might be hard to accept the fact that all this might make me a sweeter person. Right now I just want to say I love you all. I’ll try to remain pretty much like I usually am but I might get mushy every once in a while.

.

.

P.S. This summer in Bellingham, our Lebanese friends read Laura's coffee. After she drank it she pressed her thumb print into what was left in the cup -- whatever the picture said was her "fortune." There was an elephant with its trunk sticking out...

They told us that means "good luck."

:-)

Yippeeee!

Good news!
Laura heard the good news today that there is no cancer on her lungs.

She also was happy to hear that she can participate in the research study. As part of that study, she's going to have to have another breast biopsy tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. That biopsy determines which "arm" of the study she will be a part of. Being a part of the research group will allow her to be more closely monitored and she'll receive more attention.

The chemo education was postponed until they determine which part of the study she will be in. And, in all probability that class and the chemotherapy will begin this Thursday.

We're all hoping that the chemo doesn't interfere with our Thanksgiving plans and that Laura will still be able to be in charge. (Well, we SORT of want her to be in charge.)

By the way, Laura really appreciates all the notes and the kindnesses that you have given to her these past couple of weeks.

Hope to report more good news as the week goes on.

Facing things boldly

I found this quote the other day...

It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly.

~Isaac Asimov, author

.

If ever there was someone who faced things boldly, that would be Laura! I look forward to watching her difficulties vanish.

Here's to a good week ahead!

Morning and Evening Mantra

May all be loved.
May all be healed.
May all be sheltered.
May all be free from fear.

May I be loved.
May I be healed.
May I be sheltered.
May I be free from fear.

What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer is so limited…

It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot destroy peace.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot suppress memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot invade the soul.
It cannot steal eternal life.
It cannot conquer the spirit.

~Author unknown

Another Day with Another Dr.

Laura went to a lung doctor and they performed a bronchoscopy. It was uncomfortable just preparing for the procedure, but Laura said all of the medical staff were kind. That helps! She didn't get any feedback from that doctor, but we hope to hear soon what the results of that test were.

She was told she shouldn't drive so her friend, Judy, took her to the appointment and stayed with her. When the procedure was over, she was told not to do anything for the rest of the day. When I spoke with her (about 5:30 Eastern) she was just about to go stir-crazy. Laura doesn't sit still easily, as most of you know.

She's going to "cheat" and go to the Chamber of Commerce dinner 'cause she feels fine -- she says.

I'm thankful for all the people in Leesburg who are making themselves available and who are loving her. I know there are lots of people out there who are doing things for her. To all of you, our family says "THANK YOU!"

Other news: Top Turkey starts tomorrow. The teachers are already being competitive. One teacher already has $75 from his students. Who will win?! Continue to tune in for updates.

We love you, Laura!

GoFightWin!

.

.

Some of you may wonder how you can post a comment on this blog. Just click the "comments" button below and it'll take you where you need to be.If you'd like to subscribe to this blog, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "subscribe to: posts" You'll be notified of future updates that way.

We're not monkeying around, Laura...

... we're with you all the way through this journey!

WE LOVE YOU!

A spot...

Today Laura's oncologist called and told her that a spot on her lung "lit up" when they did the PET scan yesterday. He asked her if she'd ever had pneumonia. She said no, but she had asthmatic bronchitis and a severe "allergy-thing."

So, the next thing she has to do is go to the "lung guy" and have a bronchoscopy. The other things are on hold until the results come from the bronchoscopy. That test will be at 10:00 tomorrow.

Please pray that whatever "lit up" is not cancer and is not a problem.

The good news is that they didn't see any cancer anywhere else.

Some of you may wonder how you can post a comment on this blog. Just click the "comments" button below and it'll take you where you need to be.
If you'd like to subscribe to this blog, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "subscribe to: posts" You'll be notified of future updates that way.

Teeny Weensy Bit of Information

Laura said that she was told today that the chemo would start next Tuesday. Not sure of exactly how many times a week or the details of the chemo, but that’s when she was told it would start.

Our cousin gave her some helpful tips on ways to make the chemo more bearable and gave Laura hope that she’ll be able to go to work through it all. That was encouraging to Laura and so that’s the direction I’m thinking.

She’s also hoping to feel good enough at Thanksgiving to boss us around. And, we’re all looking forward to that unusual occurrence. :-)

She has enjoyed reading your comments so keep ‘em comin’!


Some of you may wonder how you can post a comment on this blog. Just click the "comments" button below and it'll take you where you need to be.
If you'd like to subscribe to this blog, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "subscribe to: posts" You'll be notified of future updates that way.

What's Comin' Up...

What a week this has been -- for Laura and for those who love her. We're thankful that things are in motion and look forward to gettin' that crazy thing out of her body.

On Saturday, Laura and Mary Celeste did lots of things at "Mama's house"... They cleaned things out and they worked in the yard. (Thus, the picture of the beautiful fall leaves.)

They also went for an appointment for a cranial prosthetic. They had fun seeing all the different options and made the most of a less-than-pleasant situation.

This week:

Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. (Eastern) she'll have a PET scan which will determine if the cancer is anywhere else in her body. (I'm praying a major NO! to that one.)

Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. (Eastern) she'll have a MUGA test to determine her heart strength to see if she can handle the chemo. (I'm praying a major YES! to that one.)

Monday the 17th - She'll participate in an education course to help her know what to expect throughout her treatment. She'll also find out the results from all the tests so far.

Laura plans to teach all of this week, too! She's got a busy week as the students prepare for the first annual Top Turkey Award. Top Turkey is a project to raise money for the Food Bank of Lee County. The faculty member or staff member with the most feathers at the end of the project will be titled Top Turkey. Each feather is .50 and represents a can of food.

Our family will gather at our parents' house for Thanksgiving at the end of the month. All of us will be there and we will have a chance to physically be there with Laura. I, personally, can't wait. For those of us far from her, it's been a little difficult. It'll be nice to be close. And, I look forward to laughter, rockin' on the front porch, annoyances, loud, crazy family games, lots of good food, maybe a glass of wine or two, and plain ol' togetherness.

Thank you for your love and support and prayers.

GoFightWin!!

Some of you may wonder how you can post a comment on this blog. Just click the "comments" button below and it'll take you where you need to be.
If you'd like to subscribe to this blog, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "subscribe to: posts" You'll be notified of future updates that way.

An Unwelcome Guest

On Monday, November 3rd, Laura found out that she has a rapidly growing type of breast cancer. The past few days have been full of tests, information, questions, fears and prayers. She's still in the process of finding information out, but here's what I know:

• Her treatment will begin with four months of chemotherapy followed by surgery.
• The doctors have inserted a "life port" where the chemo will enter. It's connected to a large blood vessel. This eliminates the need to continually poke her with a needle as well.
• She may qualify for a research study which still involves chemo, but whichever group she falls into will determine what type and how it's administered.
• Soon she will have a full-body PETscan which will determine whether the cancer has spread or not.

More information as it is available...

GoFightWin!!