We completed treatment #9!!

I was waiting to get through treatment #9!  On the day I started treatments of Taxol (this series of 12), I met a girl in the waiting room who had treatments with this drug and she told me how horrible its side effects were. She had edema (swelling of the feet or ankles) so badly that she had to stop on treatment #9.  So I was waiting to see if those side effects would hit me before or at treatment #9.  So far, so good.  I have some of the other side effects like low blood counts (but not too low to skip treatment) and a mild bit of muscle aching and some tireness, but there are so many bad side effects I could have gotten that I'm so blessed to have my treatments go so well.  (Other side effects are mouth sores, hair loss--which I already had with the other drugs, pain in the joints and muscles, diarrhea, mouth sores and facial flushing, hives, etc.)  I have been so lucky throughout my chemo to have done so well.  So only 3 treatments to go.  I am going to miss those sweet, kind nurses in the chemo room.  They are the BEST!!  So I took another link off my chemo chain last night!!

Some of you have asked what's next.  I think they will do another CT scan and then I'll see the oncologist. I'm not sure at what point they take my chemo port out but I understand it is done there at the Hope Center, and not at the hospital.  Yeah!!  The oncologist (Dr. Harkness) will tell me what to do next with the radiation I'm supposed to have.  I don't know how many treatments nor how long but will find out.

I am just so thankful that all this has gone so well.  I just PRAY it is doing the trick and getting rid of all the cancer!

On a happier note, we got to have dinner with Dillon, Jessica, and Meg Saturday night to celebrate Meg's and Jessica's birthdays.  Jessica turned 14 yesterday!! Amazing our little girl is that old.  Here are some pictures from the restaurant.  (I always like to share some pictures!)

 Dillon was very good to be with us that evening as his high school basketball team was playing a district or regional playoff that night and he skipped going to the game to spend the time with us.  He only got on his phone after we ate to find out the final score.  His school won by 5 points!! Yea!!

 No shots of Frank as he was the photographer but he was with us.  It was a nice evening!

Not much else happening here on the mountain!! Our snow has almost all melted and the mud is drying up enough so that we can get up and down the hill without 4-wheel drive!  But thank goodness we have 4WD, as we have needed it for most of two weeks.

Thanks for continued prayers and thought, email, etc. on our behalf.  We can now see the light at the end of this chemo tunnel and are just hoping we don't pass this way again in a couple of years!  We want to celebrate year 5 without any reoccurrence!
Love to you all, Laura