All Pinked Out

Before I share my latest adventures, I wanted to explain a little about how this whole blog thing works. First of all, I don't really know.
At the end of each of my posts should be a small "comments" icon that you click to read comments posted by others and to write your own comments. On the next screen you can write your comments in the window on the right and it will go to my e-mail first, so don't be concerned if you don't see your comment right away. Most of you are sending your comments to me as "anonymous," so if you don't put your name at the end of your comment, no one ( including me) knows who you are. Lastly, I can't respond to you if you send the comment as anonymous. However, if you want me to have your e-mail address or any other personal information, you can put it in your comment and I'll modify what I publish so that the info won't show up for the world to see. Don't be shy about posting a comment and don't be afraid to be funny - laughter is the best medicine!

On Tuesday night I had a wonderful visit with a couple of angels who represented a big group of my sisters-in-Christ. They gave me the blanket, cap, and t-shirt you see in the picture as well as some other very special gifts. Mostly, they came to share the love and support of the team and to make sure I knew they were all praying for me and sending me their love. The teddy bear you see in the picture came from the FUMC in Mathis to let me know they are praying for me, too. My son has since decided he needs the bear more than I do so it currently resides in his bed. He says they pray together.

Yesterday was my third treatment and the last one I'll get through an IV in my hand- THANK THE LORD!!. My hand looks like a pin cushion and is still sore. I had a medi-port put in this morning and I can't tell you how excited I am. The medi-port is a device that is surgically implanted under the skin and into a major vein to the heart. It has a small disk of self-sealing silicon (say that three times fast) that sits under my skin so that the technician can insert a needle right into it to give me the chemo. If I had had this procedure done at MD Anderson, they would have inserted a CVC like last time.

A CVC is basically the same thing as a medi-port, but the tube comes out of your chest and has a removable end on it for chemo. They like the CVC because it is inserted with a local anesthesia and is removed promptly after the last chemo by just pulling it out (I know what you are thinking, but it doesn't hurt at all). I don't like it because I would have to inject myself with heparin (through the CVC) every day to keep the blood from clotting and someone has to clean the insertion site every week, which is a big production. Since my sister-in-law (who cleaned the insertion site last time) isn't willing to move to Corpus and I'm not willing to move to Houston and my husband doesn't even want to think about tubes coming out of my chest, much less clean the site, we would have had a problem. Furthermore, you can't get the insertion site wet - no showers, no fishing, no swimming. With the medi-port, there is no cleaning and no worries about getting it wet since it sits under my skin. HURRAY!

The only side effects I am feeling from the chemo is extreme fatigue two to three days after I receive it (which puts me on the couch most of the weekend), a terrible taste in my mouth for about a day, and- most traumatic for me- my hair is falling out. I just got it back the way I wanted it and now I want to cry. I'm thinking I might do the wig thing this time. Then again, I might decide to be a walking breast cancer awareness poster and go bald. You'll know by the pictures I post.

Thanks to all of you who have participated and shared this sight with others. It makes keeping in touch so much easier. Thanks also for your love, encouragement, and most especially your prayers. "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up." James 5:15 Much love, Kelli