I'm in Remission!

Can you believe it, I am finally all done my chemo and am in remission. I feel as though my life has been in a holding pattern since last fall and now I can finally move forward again. WWhoooohooooooo :)

First off, thank you to everyone who supported me through this ordeal. The last few months were very difficult but I made it through because of all the family and friends that were there with me. I had so many people praying for me, sending me light, sending me notes, cards & emails, I really believe that it helped and I so appreciate it. This experience has really proven how fantastic my friends are.

Well, things really are going well. I had a biopsy last week where they went in with a scope and took samples from my stomach. Everything was negative so there was no trace of the cancer. What a relief. I will have to go to the cancer clinic quite often for check-ups but I will just learn to fold that into everyday life. The recurrence rate for my cancer is high for the first couple of years but drops off quite quickly after that. I'm feeling really positive that I will be just fine and in 5 years or so I will get my final declaration of cancer free health :).

My biggest problem is still my blood. I've been suffering from neutropenia and have been hospitalized twice for it (febrile neutropenia). This is because my neutrofils (immature white blood cells) just aren't being made fast enough so I can't fight off infection. My last stay was about 3 weeks ago and I plan on making that one the last! ha ha ha. I just have to be careful around large groups of people and anyone with a cold. I can tell that I am getting stronger each day so I bet I'll be back to my old self in no time. At least that is what I am aiming for.

Thank you again to all my wonderful friends. I couldn't have done this without you.
Hi-Dee

Whoohooo.... I'm half way there!!!

Can you believe it, I'm half way done with my chemo!! What a good feeling.

This last chemo seems to have been a bit better than round two. I am already back on my feet and feeling fairly normal. Aerin was my nurse and she did a most amazing job. With my "special" taste buds, Aerin managed to find things that tasted good and did a wonderful job keeping my fridge stocked with tea.

Aerin and I enjoyed a few days of pre-chemo fun where I was feeling terrific. We wandered down west 4th and had a great time looking at all the neat stores. For 2 days after chemo I was still feeling well enough to get out and about but not well enough to do the walking. The solution: hello courtesy wheelchairs in Costco and the Malls!!! I wasn't up to being out long but it was still fun to be pushed around and be able to go out with my friends.

About 3 days after chemo the drugs really took effect and Aerin was introduced to the very exciting wet noodle version of me. She got me through it like a pro and here I sit a day after she has gone home feeling very close to normal.

I am still having some pain and as a result will be having an early CT scan next Wednesday. This should give them some idea how I am progressing with the treatments and if it is the ulcer or the cancer that is causing me pain. I am glad they are investigating this right away. No more sitting around and waiting for me, this girl is going to scream at the top of her lungs if she has too. I'm not going to be ignored any more!

Well, so ends my update. I will post again soon.
Later alligators,
Heidje Mac

Happy New Year - 2007 is going to be AWESOME!

Well, it is officially 2007 and I pretty much missed the first week of it! Wow was chemo #2 hard. I have been told that as I go along on this cancer roller coaster, it is going to get harder but my second session of chemo literally knocked me off my feet.

I noticed a change right away as the chemo made me feel sick before I had even finished the IV and left the Cancer Clinic. Where as I went shopping after chemo number 1, this time, I went straight to bed where I pretty much stayed until today. I had moments of such exhaustion that just sitting up was too much effort. It seems ridiculous but I can't get over how tired I was.

However, today I am up and about which is awesome. I already started to feel better yesterday which was nice so I know that I am back on the road of getting on my feet.

I am still dealing with many of the side effects such as numbness in my fingers and toes and a little bit of nausea. The nausea is caused mainly from me doing too much which causes me to get dizzy which results in me not feeling well. In other words, I am the most amazing couch potato these days. My taste buds only changed for a couple of days which was good however, this time around I have had a lot more stomach pain. This is something we will have to address the next time I visit my oncologist.

Well, that is all for now. Happy New Year everyone.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas Everyone :)

I can't believe that we are only a couple of days away from Christmas Eve. Time is just flying by. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with lots of fun with your family and friends.

Well, Hobbes and I made it to Penticton in one piece. It was a bit dicey there last week with a rather unpleasant visit to St. Paul's but I survived and arrived home in one piece. The drive to Penticton was quite long as both mountain passes were under a lot of snow. We ended up taking the Coquihalla which is normally the more dangerous route in winter but it was less curvy and the highway reader boards certainly made it look a bit more positive than the Hope-Princeton Route. I was happy as far as the curves go. I find that I get motion sick at the drop of a hat. As a matter of fact, if I just image driving along a curvy road I will start to feel sick!!! Silly eh.

For some positive news, I'm happy to report that I haven't taken any pills for pain for 2 days now. My Oncologist said that the pain would probably go away fairly quickly and it has certainly shrunk to a low grade feeling. I am so very pleased about this as I take it as a good sign that the chemo is working!

In regards to the chemo, I am really starting to feel better. My energy level is still low but I do feel pretty good in general. The only thing is that I have a new side effect that has shown up. My finger tips are now numb. This is on the list of posibilities so it isn't anything to worry about but it is a strange feeling.

We will be heading back to Vancouver on the 26th or 27th of December depending on the weather. I am hoping that it will snow a lot for Hobbes but it had better stop in time for our trip back to the Lower Mainland. I have to go back to the Cancer Clinic on Dec. 28th for some tests and then the next round of Chemo starts on the 29th. I feel so good at the moment that I am dreading what it is going to do to me. BUT... no pain, no gain, right?!

Merry Christmas
Love Heidi, Hobbes, Casper & Katja

Heidi's Tummy - Prologue

Hello friends and family,

Now that I am back on my feet after my first round of chemo I thought it might be a good time for me to start working on my blog! I'm going to post all the wonderful emails that Aerin has been sending so you can see what I am up too even though many of you will have already read it. I'll be sure to add snippets here and there to let you know of any additional news or even just a silly story here or there.

Another good site for you to check out is my online photo album. You can find it here: http://www.dropshots.com/Puppy_Shack
I am very good at keeping it up to date and current. Please check it out at any time.

Thank you to everyone for all your kind words and all the support I have been receiving. Everything still feels very overwhelming but it is certainly made better with all the love that is being passed my way.

So... the fight is officially on and I am going to kick this thing the curb!! I have no intention of letting it get me down. I'm sure every day will be different but I know I can do this. Especially with my army behind me.

Love to you all,
Heidje
xoxoxo