Round Three Of Chemo DONE! HALF WAY!!!! :D

Hello Everyone! 


Well I have made it through the third round of Chemo You all know what this means?.... We are half way through!!!! I am very excited about this if you couldn't tell? ;) 


We Started out this round of Chemo on a Monday and also met with my Dr Gregory Litton. Dr Litton evaluated the tumor and even though I had not felt like it was shrinking much he stated he feels that it has some which was great news! 
Dr Litton decided that we will evaluate the size to see actual shrinking if there is any with an MRI that I will get on Monday May 14th. I will then meet with my Surgical Oncologist Dr Steve Scott on Thursday May 17th to evaluate for removal of the tumor, or possible radiation before hand to possibly shrink it further. 
After surgery they will evaluate the tumor to see how much of the cancer is in fact dead and evaluate if more Chemo is needed or possibly just radiation. 


The possibility that we may not need further Chemo was very exciting to me as this last round I would have to say was my hardest. My spirits were a little more down then I like them to be which was frustrating. I had a lot of confusion with this last round as far as being unable to focus and think clearly, as well as having dreams and then not being sure if they had actually happened or not. They did advise us that this was a normal side effect however I think that was one of the biggest things that added to the frustration I felt throughout this las round was the confusion. I was also a lot sicker this round although thanks to anti-nausea medications I did not have any issues with vomiting which again was a blessing! 


I have been very fatigued and sleeping a lot, this is because I am as the nurse put it "Very Anemic" and eventually will have to get a blood transfusion I think this also is one of the reasons why this last round was so hard on me. The Anemia makes me cold all the time and super tiered getting from the bed to the living room couch is a big trip for me which I find oddly humorous.


This last round of Chemo has left me tasting even less which is a little frustrating I find myself feeling like the Pirates of the Caribbean character Barbossa who just wanted to taste his apple :) 

During Chemo week all I ate was Sonic tater tots and KFC Mash Potatoes however these things no longer had any flavor after the last day of Chemo. I also lost the flavor of Cheeses that I was enjoying so much before. I do still enjoy most natural juices and have been having a lot of these in slushy form or over Shaved Ice. 


I was so grateful to have the company of my Mom on Tuesdays Chemo day and My sister Christie on Wednesday on Thursday. Its so awesome to have such supportive family not only with taking me but by praying for me, and spoiling me in other little ways that show me that they care! I am so grateful for them all as well as my friends! You all help carry me through this you really do! 

On Cinco De Mayo my Mom came and got me while Mike was working a side job and I hung out at her house all day which was a nice outing. Because I am very low on energy right now I relaxed in her bed while she did some deep cleaning and we just visited which was very nice.


A good friend had given me a Saved Ice machine and we decided to be festive and try adding a little flavor to the ice with some Virgin Margarita Mix to my delight It did have a slight flavor that I could taste!!!! 

We also got some Hard shell Tacos from Taco Time and though there was no flavor from anything inside the Taco I enjoyed the crunchy texture of the Taco and discovered that if I put the very hottest sauce on the taco it helped get rid of the funky Chemo taste in my mouth that I have. This was very funny to all of us as we enjoyed our Tacos and I drenched mine in at least 3 packets of Fire sauce because normally I did not care for spicy things at all. With the loss of taste in my mouth the flavor did not feel hot at all, although I could tell it was because my nose started running :) My parents laughed so hard when I tried the texture of a crispy cinnamon bite covered in hot sauce ( it wasn't bad, not as good as the crunchy taco of which I had 3!) 

The salt water rinses have been very helpful I think in preventing the sores they say you get in your mouth during Chemo because I have not gotten any yet and rinse several times a day but as we go along they help less and less with the bad Chemo flavor. 


I will keep you all updated once I meet with my Surgical Oncologist next week on how they plan to proceed with treatment. To be honest I am hoping they will decide on surgery to removed the tumor because though I am grateful to be halfway done with Chemo after this last round I would really be grateful to be done and not be that sick again. 


I appreciate you all taking the time to read my blog and your constant prayers and positive thoughts I am SO grateful for! I hope you all have a wonderful, safe week! XOXO 

Second Round of Chemo and my 2 Weeks of Freedom

Hey everyone! I apologies for the Delay on updating you guys on how things have been going. These last 2 weeks have been a little hectic as well as there has been a healthy amount of procrastination on my part :) 


With this blog I am going to go over my week of Chemo as well as Week off so Far.


Monday April 9th the day before I was scheduled to start my Chemo my Grandpa Cal passed away peacefully in his sleep he was 94 and would have been 95 that following Sunday. While this was a hard loss for our family there was also a lot of comfort in the peaceful way in which he passed. The Viewing was on Sunday evening which was his Birthday and the Funeral was Monday. It was a beautiful funeral everyone did such a wonderful job and he was even honored with a flag ceremony for his service to our country. 

Chemo week was eventful but much better then the first round. I went in on Tuesday for my first day and after was very dizzy and a little nauseated but nothing super bad. When I went in Wednesday when checking my vitals like they do everyday before Chemo they discovered that I had a fever of 101.7, they do not like this to be higher then a 101.4 so Wednesday they were not able to give me Chemo. I also had some minor chest pain so they did x-rays to check the clotting in my lungs and make sure everything was okay with that. Everything looked fine with the x-rays and I was there for about 3 hours while they gave me IV fluids and antibiotics. By the time we left my fever was gone which was nice. I had my brother-in law with me and he was so awesome to help me remember everything they said as I was a little out of if and he even pushed me in my wheel chair to get all my x-rays (without running me into anything) ;) It was really nice to have him there! 

As I had missed a day of Chemo I was rescheduled to Start again Thursday and go through till Saturday. Despite the fever Wednesday this round of Chemo so far has been the easiest on me I was not a tiered, or nauseated and did not throw up once which I always consider a blessing since my Chemo is so aggressive. Even though I had to go in on Saturday It really was not to bad at all My mom was able to go with me and we are always able to have a good laugh when together since we are two peas in a pod! :) 

After Chemo on Saturday I was feeling amazingly well so me and my mom decided to go get our nails done for my Grandpas funeral and then we made a delicious dinner of Steamed Jasmine Rice, Cauliflower, Broccoli and fried Zucchini. It was delicious and it was so nice to be able to eat and not be sick! 


For my Week off Chemo I have recovered my energy quickly and it has been a blessing! This Round of chemo has once again completely changed the way I taste and crave things and the things I liked last time do not really apply this time which is so funny to me. 
I can not taste meat, breads, or refined sugars they only have a texture so they have been gross to me.


Foods that I have been able to taste and have been so good have been:


Steamed Veggies:

Salads:

Fruits (now this one is strange for me because I have always hated fruit now I love it!) I have also been making a lot of 100% natural Fruit Slushys! This is a recipe I got from my Sister Angie. Its 100% natural Orange Juice Concentrate with pineapple chucks with juice and Ice and it is SO GOOD! 

Cheeses:

Any potatoes type foods like Tater tots:

And Lastly is that I can taste some typed of Fish, I have been able to enjoy clam chowder, crab salad, and Thankfully Sushi! I have been loving Harmons sushi ( Harmons is just awesome in general!) 

Really the only thing that has stayed the same is the Salt Water rinses these I do several times a day because they help so much with the funny taste I get in my mouth and I have been blessed to not have the awful mouth sores that Chemo gives you and I think this has really helped prevent them. 

It will be Interesting to see as we go how this Changes but I am grateful right now that what I can eat and what I have been craving has been mostly healthy food! 


My Friend Amanda had Her Birthday this past week and so she came over and we had a fun day of shopping at Sams and Harmon's. We made an amazing lunch of Steamed rice and Friend Zucchini and Squash then for her Birthday we made her a delicious dessert that I had found on Pinterest. 

On Friday Me and Mike went out with our Friends Kurt and Shyleen and there cute little girl lexi to dinner and a Movie. It was so Good we went to the Sizzle at the District (Best Sizzler EVER) and then we saw The Lucky One which was such a cute movie! 

This past weekend My good friend Tim Visited from Washington and we went on a tour of the Copper Mine which was really fun! I learned so much about there operations there and after speaking with an employee who has worked for them for many years really gained respect for the Rio Tinto company. 

I also got to have some family time this sunday with my Sister and her family! It was so fun! My Sweet Niece Mary who knows I love Origami and is quite good at it made me a few of stuff I love! Hello Kitty, an Otter, and Yin and Yang. 

I want to thank You all for your constant thoughts and prayers I know that your prayers are what have made the difference and I am so grateful that God hears prayers and answers them. Without that I know I would not be doing as well and  it has made all the difference in my Life! 
For any of you reading this Blog that may be going through a hard time I just want you to know how important prayer and a positive attitude are I hope that you can find peace and strength through Christ and if you need prayer please let me know I would be happy to pray for you! After what I have been through I really believe in the power of prayer~


Thank You for Reading XOXO 

My First week off Chemo

The first week Off Chemo it took a few days to start feeling well enough to do things. I had my last day of Chemo on Friday March 23rd and was still pretty sick and low energy for about 2-3 days but each day I felt better and had more energy.


While Recouping I enjoyed a Lord of the Rings Marathon which was just perfect although I was a little sad when I finished.

The First fun outing I ended up having was also completely spontaneous which made it even more enjoyable I thought! I was finally starting to get hungry again and was craving Teriyaki Chicken and Rice my husband told me he know a really yummy place by his work and would love to go get me some. Even though I was still feeling kinda dizzy an nauseous I wanted to go along for the ride and was so glad I did! He took me to this cute little place next to leather bees in Taylorsville. After getting our food we sat out on there patio and just enjoyed the nice night and ate.

After that we were both kind of in the mood for ice cream after smelling leather bees, however with how busy that place was we decided to go someplace a little less crazy and also WAY tastier so we headed over to Sub Zero. Sub Zero is so cool because they make all sorts of ice cream and as I am lactose I can get mine made with soy! They let you build your own or they have creations as well and then they freeze it right in front of you with nitrous, REALLY COOL! 

Again we were able to sit out on the patio and just enjoy our ice cream! It was a really fun spontaneous date!

Monday March 26th I went in for what is called a Nader Check and booster shot. At this appointment they draw some of my blood to see what my count is, and I also get a shot that helps boost your white blood count. When on Chemo- how it was described to me, is that Chemo tells your body to stop making white blood cells so with this happening they have to go in with this shot that tells your body to make white blood cells. They said its like having one foot on the break and one on the gas and this is why they monitor it so closely to try and get it balanced out. 
The injection is called Neulasta : Pegfilgrastim is used to reduce the chance of infection in people who have certain types of cancer and are receiving chemotherapy medications that may decrease the number of neutrophils (a type of blood cell needed to fight infection). Pegfilgrastim is in a class of medications called colony stimulating factors. It works by helping the body make more neutrophils. 


After this they were able to de-access my Port and I was free of IV fluids and yucky Saline rinses for two weeks SO nice!!!! 


Monday after getting my shot and port de-accessed me and Mike went on a double date with my Mom and Dad to one of our favorite places La Luna's.

 My appetite still hadn't completely returned but it was delicious, and not having a huge appetite just meant plenty of yummy left overs for the next day! I know I have already posted this photo for you all but I have to post it again because this was taken at La Luna's this night because my dad was amazed at how fast my hair was growing compared to his! He always has a way of making me smile! :) 

As I started to feel better and better each day I was able to do little things that were so nice like going out with my sister Christy to get our nails done. I got my first Shellac and it has been so nice! It will last several weeks which is perfect for me wanting to have nice nails but not having the energy to paint them a few times a week. I went with a gold-ish sparkle color for easter just something subtle and its been so nice I Love them!!!!! 

I was also able to go to a few Family parties and it was nice to see everyone and just enjoy not sleeping all the time! My little niece had a Harry Potter theme Birthday party and it was so cute to see them all dressed up in there Wizard costumes! There was cake and since I am on Steroids and not on the Chemo I am hungry all the time so the Strawberry cake and Ice cream really hit the spot!!!! 

Saturday was a really fun day because I got to go do something that I had not done in WAY too long I took my dogs Bailey and Bella to the park by my parents house. It was a nice day just windy but it was really fun to see them just running around playing with the ball and having a good time! One on my favorite things has always been taking my dogs to the park there it makes me happy to see how excited they get and I really enjoyed it! 

Later Saturday me and Mike went to see Hunger Games and it was really good! We both had not been to a movie in a really long time so it was so fun!!! We both loved the Movie and are excited to see the next one! 

Diagnosis and My First Week of Chemo

Monday March 19th we met with my Chemo Dr Gregory Litton and was relieved to learn that they were finally able to diagnose my type of cancer. We were excited as this was the 4th appointment in an attempt to find out the type of cancer this was and I was starting to worry that they were going to run out of biopsy sample and ask for another which although completely doable I didn't really want to go through that again so soon. Also this allowed us to finally know what type of Chemo I would be getting in detail and get started on treating it. I was excited and grateful to learn that They type of cancer I had was Synovial Cell Sarcoma (as the blog is named)  and not Ewings or one of the other three that they were thinking. The biggest relief is that even though this is still an aggressive cancer it is treated with not only less Chemo drugs in the mixture but the Sessions went from 14 to 6 I was so excited about this because less Chemo is SO awesome and this was half what they had me expecting! Also before I was told that due to the type of Chemo for the Ewings I would want to plan on not ever having my own Children or tying to harvest eggs because it would put me into Menopause at 25 but this Chemo it is some day possible to have my own kids so that was exciting to hear as well. I was told I would still loose most my eyelashes and eyebrows as well as hair but this was no surprise or disappointment and with all the better news It was a very exciting day! 


They scheduled me to start Chemo right away so on Tuesday March 20th at 8:30am I had my first experience with Chemo and having my Port accessed for the first time. 


Having the Port accessed was a little nerve recking because even though it had been in a week I still had a lot of swelling so normally (if you remember from the images from the Port blog) they have those three little nipples that they fill and know exactly where to stick you but with the swelling the first nurse could not tell, she was vey nice and went to get a more seasoned nurse to take a better look, this nurse also was very kinda and was able to locate it on the first try. The numbing cream they give you and it is put on an hour before the appointment is awesome I really didn't experience any pain I am just kind of a squeamish person so the idea is all the freaks me out. From this access they were able to first take some blood and then administer all the fluids and finally the Chemo. 


They started me out with an anti-nausea IV, followed by a steroid IV, and then a big bag of fluids all this took about 2 1/2 hours to get into my system then it was time for the Chemo. I receive Chemo 4 days of the first 3 days I get two types of Chemo mixtures then on the 4th day just one. The first three days I get a Chemo in this syringe  that is bright red like kool aid -This is the Chemo I have the hardest time with just the bright red color is intimidating. First I get the Red Chemo and this is pretty fast to go in taking maybe 10 min at the most as it just comes in a large syringe and is put right into my IV line. After the red Chemo I get a bag of a clear Chemo Mixture that takes about 2 hours to go through my system this is the Chemo that I get all 4 days. I am at Chemo for these 4 days anywhere from 4-5 hours.

During the week I am on Chemo I am very out of it I normally sleep during the Chemo and the rest of the day as well. The Chemo makes me extremely nauseous I feel constantly like I am on a boat and the water is rough but I have been very blessed to only have thrown up once so far (of course it happened to be at my parents house on there nice blanket I felt bad about that) While on Chemo they have my port accessed at night so that I can get assistance with getting my fluids which is nice because water that I use to love is so difficult to get down. My husband is so sweet and takes care of everything with this. He will flush the line with Saline which tastes terrible its like windex in your nose and Mouth. I put in a mint tick tac just before this to help with the flavor and smell. 

Then he hooks up the IV pump right to the Port access at night and it does about 10 hours of fluids. Once It is done it will beep at about 5am and he will take it out, flush the line again and then also do a flush with something called Heparin that helps to keep the line from clotting. I can not even express my gratefulness to my Husband who does this every day along with my shot every 12 hours and gets me any food drink or anything else I need. He does so uncomplaining and with a loving kindness every time and I am grateful to have someone who loves and takes care of me so good! 

 I don't eat a whole lot the week of Chemo but there are some funny little things I have discover help with the nausea and allow me to get some form of calories The funny thing is these are foods I don't normally care for.


The First is Pudding packets in Tapioca and Chocolate Vanilla layers. 

 














The Second is Apple Juice normally I have always felt apple Juice is too sweet but something about the Chemo makes it taste salty to me and it is so good! 

SmartFood had been the strangest of the Chemo foods, the SmartFood helps with the bad taste in my mouth and the nausea but must be eaten in two popcorn kernels if it is more or less it doesn't work strange I know!!!! 

Warm salt water has been another thing I have been loving! I swish with the warm salt water and it helps with the bad flavor for about 15 min. It is also supposed to help with mouth sores that you get during the Chemo luckily I have not gotten any sores as of yet! 

I want to thank everyone who took a turn to come and be with me during Chemo so that my husband could take care of his responsibilities at work I am so blessed to have so many people willing to help! 

Getting Ready for Chemo-Head Shaving Party

Alright everyone before I get started on this blog I wanted to address a couple things regarding the head shaving because this is where people seem to get most upset for me and I don't want anyone to feel that way at all! The head shaving was one of the easiest things I have done by far throughout this experience. When I found out that I would be loosing all my hair I was prepared for this and it was not upsetting As you can see from just a few of these pictures I have always enjoyed drastic change with my hair and shaving it was just another adventure in a style I had never tried before. 

The part that I liked the Most was that it was my choice I had control to just do it and make a fun thing out of it instead of watching it fall out. So as we go through this blog I photos and I just ask that you please not see it as a negative or sad experience as it was just another adventure along the road as I go through the steps of this journey to beating cancer! :) 

I want to take a minute to tell my father Paul Minardi thank you so much for being the one willing to shave my head I know this was not at all and easy thing for you and your gentle kindness and willingness to do this for me as my father was very meaningful to me! I love you so much! Also my father and my husband Mike both shaved there heads with me this very night and have kept the bald look with me so far and I will tell ya the 3 of us ROCK the bald look-its true! ;) 

The Rest of these photos are of The shaving. We got together at my Big sister's house and there was food and it was just a really chill good time! ABig thank you to my sister for letting us all pile into her house, feed us, and let us get hair all over the place! You ROCK! ;) 

And here we are all ready to go! 


I first few days were kind of an adjustment to temperature which I found very amusing oddly enough my head was cold so I would throw on a Beanie and then it would be too hot! Drove me crazy going back an forth! 


Several times I would wake up to my puppy Bailey just licking at the top of my head its felt SO weird I guess she liked the texture against her tongue Very Strange feeling LOL!!!!