Chemo entertainment

I'm sure you've all been waiting for my families chemo entertainment.  I wasn't sure if I'd get any this time beings we've all been on vacation all week together...but they were sneaky and got it done.

You've heard of Where's Waldo - today's chemo entertainment is entitled "Where's Hope?"

Hope never sleeps!

Fill up with hope!

Hope you're relaxing!

Color with hope!

Hopeful sister!

Hope never grows old!

Even Mogi has hope!

Sister's hope the most!

Hope washed up on the beach!  (That's my hot husband)

Hope has got her toes in the water and ass in the sand...not a worry in the world with a cold beer in her hand...life is good today!

Hope is boogie boarding!

Hope at our vacation home, "Just Dune it."

Don't you wish you were still here?

Hope NEVER sleeps!

NEVER lose hope!

My picture response back to them: "I take hope with me everywhere I go, I will not lose hope!"

A big thank you to the Walsh's for not giving up on hope and to all of you for hoping right along with me!

Back to Reality

Well we're back from vacation and back to reality...ugh!  One would think I'd want to escape reality forever, but I was actually looking forward to getting back, getting another round of chemo in, and getting back into my routine.  So once I was back, I took a nap, went and got groceries, quick trip to Target, ate supper, walked on the treadmill, and shaved my head.  I was feeling pretty stressed upon returning...but after I shaved my head...I felt much better.  It is such a stress reliever and so liberating...I'm not sure if I'll ever grow my hair back, I enjoyed shaving it so much?!

We went on vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week with my mom's family.  It was absolutely wonderful and everything a vacation should be...lots of sitting and relaxing...sitting by water none-the-less!

This was about all I did all week long.  Either sat the by ocean, or...

Relaxing in the pool.

The boys built a lot of sand castles and did a lot of swimming...we couldn't keep Brayden out of the pool!  Jerrid also enjoyed riding the waves with the boogie board.

We left North Carolina on Saturday morning at six am and got back to Avoca on Sunday morning at 5 am.  Brayden was doing really well on the drive, and we just wanted to be home so we kept driving.  I'm glad we did, that way we had all day yesterday to get some things done before chemo today.  We of course have plenty to still do (and chances are I'm going to be pretty useless the next four days), but I'm going to work on some things while at chemo today and Jerrid is going to go do something things while I'm here.  Terrible use of resources with us both just sitting around at chemo all day.

My hemoglobin has continued to drop, but Dr. Morris isn't overly concerned since it's slowly dropping and not a drastic drop.  They are surprised that I am doing as well as I am even with my hemoglobin so low, and surprised that I'm not really having any side effects yet.  Dr. Morris asked me if I was sure there wasn't anything I wanted to complain about...I had nothing?!  He even contemplated putting me on a weekly med for my hemoglobin just so he could see a positive face every week, but with school starting his nurse talked him into the three week med and I can just get it with my chemo. They are going to start me on a new med every time I come in for chemo that should help pull up my hemoglobin and maybe even prevent a blood transfusion in the near future...here's to hoping it works!  

My chemo schedule is going to change a little with school starting.  I'm going to have it on Thursday's now...hoping that I'll only have to take Thursday, Friday, Monday, and possibly Tuesday off of school...have a shorter week to get through and then another weekend to rest up and then back to school full time until the next round.  As is my life now...we'll just see how it goes and take it one day at a time.

Love,

Meighan

Busy Bee's

Well it's been awhile since I have updated, and that is because we have been busy!  I have gotten my energy back and we've been on the go!

After the 4th we headed to Grand Island for the weekend to spend some time with Jerrid's family.  My energy definitely wasn't back by then, so I spent a lot of time sleeping and just sitting around.  By Sunday when we headed home, I was starting to feel as if I was getting my energy back. 

By Monday, I felt a lot better and we headed to the zoo with Brayden to celebrate our 1 year anniversary.  Later that night Cait took Brayden to Spaghetti Works for supper while Jerrid and I headed to the gym and grocery shopping at Whole Foods...we're pretty exciting!

Last Tuesday, I had my first Reiki appointment.  I wasn't sure what to expect going in to this, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It was very relaxing and I left not able to wait until my next appointment!  I really enjoyed it and felt great afterwards.  Coleen who does Reiki also suggested that I go see a friend of hers who is a chiropractor.  So as with everything else that people are suggesting for me, I made an appointment.  I figure, what do I have to lose, I might as well check out all my options.  When I went to see him he did some evaluations on where certain stresses are in my nervous system and also did a stress test.  I don't feel stressed, but turns out...I am...who knew?! :)  Today I had another Reiki and chiropractic appointment and once again, I feel awesome afterwards!  At my chiropractic appointment he showed me the certain spots in my spine that are stressed and how those affect different areas of my body and life...like certain pains to not being able to sleep.  He also showed me where I came out on the stress scale...which was an eye opener.  So, I will now be seeing him 2 times a week to hopefully relieve these stresses, and the relief of these stresses will only help my overall health!  Between my Reiki and chiropractic appointments today I went to visit Jane at Jane's Health Market in Benson.  While there I picked up a bunch of supplements that have either been suggested to me, or we have researched to be beneficial to those going through chemo and/or have cancer.  There are a lot of side effects that come along with the chemo I am on, and many of the supplements I am going to take will hopefully prevent them.  Chemo also takes a toll on my body, so with taking these supplements, hopefully my body doesn't ware down as much as it could, especially my blood counts.  There are also a couple supplements that are very beneficial to those who have cancer, so I'm giving those a try to.

This is my daily supplement regiment along with my "juicing" schedule.  So...between my doctor's appointments, Reiki and chiropractor appointments, taking supplements and juicing...surviving cancer itself is becoming a full time job!

But between all of the above, I am finding time to do lots of other fun things:

Friday, I went out to eat and to see Magic Mike with my mom and sister and some other friends.  We had a great time!

 Saturday, Jerrid and I met Linsey and Flynn at the farmer's market and got our veggies to juice for the week.  We were also introduced to Broccoli sprouts.  Broccoli sprouts have up to 50 times more cancer fighting benefits than broccoli alone...this was a huge score for me as I HATE broccoli!  Now with broccoli sprouts, I don't have to choke down broccoli and instead can put them in my smoothie every morning and I'm getting a WAY bigger dose of cancer fighting antioxidants!  After the farmer's market we headed to Target to get some things for our vacation next week and then headed home to relax for awhile.  That evening we went to listen to the Dueling Pianos at Stinson Park.  It was a beautiful night!  Later that night Jerrid participated in the Owl Ride with some friends, which is a late night ride around downtown and midtown Omaha...he had a great time.

Relaxing on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday we met my parents at the horse races and then went to Pitch for supper.  Jerrid and Cait both walked away winners!

This week is busy with swim lessons, family pictures, appointments, and lots of errands to get things ready for vacation.  Jerrid had to head home for a couple days to irrigate for his dad, so it's just B and I.  Of course we miss Butts (Jerrid), but it's been some nice bonding time for the 2 of us!

Also, Codi showed up this week and I love her...what about you?

Meet Codi

Lastly, thank you for all of your continued support!  The cards keep rolling in along with the bracelet orders.  My family and I appreciate each and every one of your for sticking by our sides through all of this and doing all that do!

If you don't hear from me for awhile it's because I'll be lounging on the beach for a week! :)

Love,
Meighan

It's only been a year?

Today is our one year anniversary.  Crazy to think that a year ago we were in Las Vegas having the time our of lives and then just one month after being home the big C hit!  We've been through a lot in the last year (it feels like it's been 10 years), and definitely have a lot more to go through this next year, BUT 30 years from now we will look back on these years as the building blocks of our strong love and marriage.  In all actuality, yes this year has been rough at times, but loving Jerrid just gets easier and easier.  He continues to amaze me on a daily basis with all that he does not only for me, but for Brayden and our family.  I know he gets discouraged at times because he feels helpless when I'm just laying on the couch day after day.  BUT...while I lay on the couch this is what he does:

• takes Brayden to the park
• juices
• takes Brayden to the pool
• grocery shops - which isn't easy and quite the process with this new diet
• takes Brayden to the zoo
• researches more healthy alternatives for me
• plays baseball with Brayden
• does laundry
• entertains Brayden by being his "farm hand"
• makes sure my water glass stays filled
• plays basketball with Brayden
• makes me food, makes himself something different, and makes Brayden something different
• does more researching while Brayden jumps on his back
• makes sure I take my meds when I'm supposed to 

I think you get the idea by now, and you know as well as I do that this does not describe a helpless man.  We all three wouldn't have made it through the last year without him and won't have 30+ more years together if it weren't for him.  Thank you boy!

As for me the past week...I've been hanging in there!  I didn't have any nausea, so the new "drug cocktail" worked...woo hoo!  One of the meds in it though makes me extra tired and I literally had ZERO energy.  I know you've all said that before and have felt that way, because I used to say it all the time, but imagine it times 10!  I have never felt this way before. 

Tuesday was a pretty good day, as the exhaustion hadn't set in yet so I enjoyed some time with some friends that came over.  On Wednesday I did make it out to Avoca and enjoyed a little time with family and friends, but also did a lot of laying around.  Thursday afternoon after I finally rose from bed at 11 and then proceeded to take 2 hours to actually get ready, we headed back to Grand Island to see Jerrid's family.  It was great to see all of them, even though I was pretty lame and just did a lot of laying around.  Finally by Friday night, I started to feel as if I was getting some energy back and got outside and took a walk.  That of course took it all out of me and right to bed I went.  By Saturday night though, my energy was definitely coming back and is coming back more and more every day.  Today I woke up a little nauseous, but I think I just needed some food as I seem to be doing better now.  Today we plan to do a little grocery shopping and maybe make a short trip to the zoo.  So I seem to be on the upswing and hoping to enjoy the next three weeks before chemo again on the 30th. 

Until then we've got a lot on the docket:

• I'm going to give Yoga a try.  I've read a lot about it helping in the healing process, and I'll pretty much try anything at this point! :)
• I'm also going to give Reiki a try.  My good friend Sarah has set me up with a good friend of hers that does this.  I don't know a lot about it, but know that it is a Japanese technique for stress reduction, relaxation, and promotes healing.  It has been effective helping cancer patients by relieving side effects from treatment (really it hopes with my energy level) and the disease and also promoting recovery.  Not only will I benefit from all these things, but she is going to do it for me for FREE!  I am so overwhelmed by everyone's generosity...it is simply unbelievable!  I can't thank Sarah and her friend Colleen enough!  I'm looking forward to giving her a call today to get going with Reiki!
• Tammy Krummel has graciously offered to take our families pictures, also free of charge, so we will be having them done next week.  So thankful for this offer and her generosity!
• In between these things, I've got some lunch and dinner dates planned with some girlfriends that I'm looking forward to.
• Lastly, we will be headed to the Outer Banks of North Carolina on July 20th to meet the Walsh's for a week at the beach!  We are all very excited for this vacation!  The beach is my favorite place on earth and I can't wait to do nothing but sit on the beach and relax for a week!

Thank you for continuing to follow my journey and supporting me every step along the way!

Love,
Meighan

No pain = gain!

 It's been a whirlwind last week!  Jerrid and I had a great time in Chicago!  It was great to get away and spend some time together just the two of us before my second round of chemo.  I felt absolutely great and we were able to do a lot!  We went to the art museum, went on the Chicago Architecture tour on a boat ride down the Chicago river, visited Navy Pier, and ate a lot of great food (some of which that wasn't on my diet...but I also needed to gain about 5 pounds to get back up to my before chemo weight...so I HAD to do it.) :)  Lastly, we celebrated a great friends wedding!  On the way home we stopped in Grinnell to see some more great friends for lunch and break up the trip a little. 

Much too hot for a wig in Chicago!

One night for dinner I stepped out with Miranda on and we visited Millennium Park and "the bean."

Chicago Architecture Tour on the Wendella Boat

Packing on the pounds with some Bacci pizza before the Cubs game!

Navy Pier...great view of the Chicago skyline!

Ended up going to the wedding without a wig also.  I wish I had my shorter wig because it would be a lot cooler than Miranda.  I'm also much more comfortable without a wig at this point.  It's taking me some time to get used to it as it's not only a lot more hair than I'm used to, but it also itches after awhile and is hot when it's 100 degrees out!  The bald look is so much cooler and easier, and my husband loves the bald look!

The bride and groom!  Such a beautiful DIY vintage wedding!  The DJ was great and we danced the night away!

We got back from Chicago late afternoon on Sunday and picked up our little girl (Mogi...the dog) from Evan and Linsey.  It sounded like she had a great weekend with them, but definitely missed her mother.  She is very attached to me and never leaves my side, and hasn't since I've been back!  I also got in one more huge meal to add on that last pound before chemo.  My lovely father took us out for supper, along with ridiculous Cait and her ridiculous friends! :)  What an experience!

Monday morning we were up bright and early, having to be at chemo at 7:45.  I started with getting my blood drawn and fluids started, then headed up to see my one of my main men Dr. Morris, 4th to my husband, son, and father of course!  If I didn't look like a cancer patient before walking around with my shaved head, I definitely looked like one now dragging an IV through Estabrook, up the elevators, to Dr. Morris's office!  Dr. Morris was pretty impressed with how well I rocked the shaved head and had to rub my head some.  I then shared with Dr. Morris that the pain I was having in my right side before I started chemo has since ceased and Dr. Morris was happy to hear this, as this means the tumor is shrinking and I've only had ONE round of chemo!!  This is the time you can all raise your hands in the air and yell "Woo hoo!"  Other than that...not much has changed with chemo and all that goes along with it.  They decreased my benedryl dosage and that helped me not get restless legs and arms.  We also decided on a different "drug cocktail" to hopefully help with my nausea, so we will see?!  So far, I'm feeling pretty good!  We had two visitors yesterday during chemo...K Hop over her lunch break and Lacey brought up lunch...other than that I got a lot of rest which was great!  Last night I was still feeling great so I headed out for a little bit and met up with some friends from La Vista Junior and it was great to catch up with them!  Oh and yes...of course my fam from Buffalo didn't disappoint and sent a lot of comic relief throughout the day.  My mom was actually in Buffalo for the past week, so she got to get in on it this time too...I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

  Presenting - for your chemo-infusing viewing pleasure....

The Not-So-Synchronized Swimmers!

Give me an F!

Give me a U!

Give me a C!

Give me a K!

Give me a C!

Give me an A!

Give me an N!

Give me another C!

Give me an E!

Give me an R!

What's that spell???

HOPE!

 

You're a star!

Grand Finale!

Mermaids and Mermen for Meighan!

They are pretty amazing, huh?!  I never knew they were so talented!  Even though they are 1,000 miles away they make me feel so supported as if they were right here holding my hand through it all!  I can not wait to spend a week on the beach with them in three weeks!  Thank you, thank you, thank you...love you all!

Also, a big thanks to Candle Queen Candles Gift Boutique and my mother for a fundraiser they are doing.  These beautiful bracelets made out of old silver spoons are being stamped with the word "HOPE" on them and Stacy from Candle Queen is giving me $10 for each bracelet sold to put toward medical bills.  If you would like to order one my mom is taking orders and collecting money for them.  There are currently 20 made and those will be on their way soon...but there are still over 40 more orders at this time that still have to be made, so please be patient.  The lady who makes them is on vacation for a week so it could be around 3 weeks before you receive yours.  I appreciate all of you who have placed orders...I've got a great bunch of supporters!


Well I think that is all for now...I'm just taking things one day at a time and hoping and praying that this new "drug cocktail" keeps the nausea away!  If I'm feeling up to it, I may try and get in some 4th of July activities in Avoca tomorrow, but definitely not going to do too much as I don't want to overdo it. 

Lastly, thank you for all of your continued support and prayers.  The gifts and cards continue to come in on daily basis and I read over them constantly.  Your support and all your kind cards and words is not only helping me through all of this, but my family too!  You are all amazing and we appreciate you all very much!  THANK YOU!

All my love,
Meighan