Bone Marrow and The Port

While waiting for the diagnosis of the cancer there was still a lot of things we had to do to get ready for whatever type of Chemo I would be getting. The first step I was told was that they would be taking a Bone Marrow sample to make sure the cancer had not spread to the Bone marrow so on Friday March 9th my amazing father took me in and I was sedated and a small sample of bone marrow was taken. I was nervous about this appointment because I had always heard negative things about giving bone marrow but was surprised that the procedure was very fast about 15 min and I was put out using the same stuff Michael Jackson used. It was nice because I woke up without that groggy emotional feeling and was able to recover fairly quickly and get sent on my way. The healing was a little tender however I would not say I was ever in any pain so that was so nice!


Tuesday March 13th was the Date when they put in my Port. Now a Port is devise that goes under your skin at the collar bone area into the vain. While this sounds gross and I am still very squeamish about it I am SO grateful for it because it allows them guaranteed access every time and as I had stated before they have a very hard time finding my vains even at this appointment to get the port when they were trying to give me the IV for sedation they blew out the vain in the right arm and it took ultra sound and 2 techs to finally get the IV in so despite the gross concept of having something kind of large imbedded into your collar bone vain the fact that they can give me IV fluids, Chemo, and draw blood from it with only one quick poke, AND I have a numbing cream that I can put on an hour before the poke so I don't even feel it. It is SO nice!!!!

This is What the Port looks like none of it is visible it is all under the skin however I was excited when I discovered that it was my favorite color Purple!!! 


























Here are a few pictures that show how the Port sits in my skin and how they feel to access it. 

This is the access needle that is used to Give my Chemo, Draw blood, and give me IV fluids. 




The nice thing about this access is with doing Chemo 4 days a week and on fluids 5 they can leave it access the whole week which means even though with the numbing gel the poke doesn't really hurt its still just one poke instead of one a day. 

The Staff again was super nice even though I was nervous they were gentle and kind! The procedure took a little longer then it normally does but still only about an hour and They gave me this cute little card at the end which I though was so nice! After everything I have been though I have to say that IHC Hospitals are SO AWESOME the staff has always been so kind to me and when your going through something scary it makes such a difference! 

Of all the things I had done the healing with the port was the most sensitive It also doesn't help that the blood thinners made the healing look worse then normal. But like a said despite the fact that its mentally still a little gross to me knowing, and sometimes feeling it in there I am grateful to have it and suggest it to people I meet along the way who will be undergoing Chemo everyday it just makes it a little nicer! :) 

My 25th Birthday Party!!!

So true to Ashley spontaneous behavior I decided 2 days before my birthday that I wanted to have a family get together at my parents house Pot luck style!!! :) My parents just last year did a really nice add on to there house that was just perfect for a family gathering! Despite the short notice we had an amazing turn out! The pot luck style was really fun to because there was so many different types of food and it was a very chill good feeling flow everyone was able just to pick at the food as they felt and visit I really thing I will do the pot luck style birthday party more often it was a BLAST!!! I was so wrapped up in the fun of the party being able to see and talk to everyone that I didn't even take any pictures of the potluck table which really made me sad but it was something to see we had all the good stuff! 

Fun Fact me and Bella Share a Birthday! I was turning 25 and she was turing 5 We were so excited for our gifts especially me because my parents got me a super nice food processor which I had been wanting for some time!!!

Getting to the Party was quite the Adventure I must admit! My Party was set to begin at 5:30pm I wanted to get over there about 3:00pm so help get ready in any way that I could so at about 1:00pm I hoped in the shower. I shower in nice hot showers and let the room get all steamy I have always done this however because of the time of year with it being so dry this caused my nose to start bleeding from both sides and because of the blood thinner Lovenox it was rather aggressive and would not stop so me and Mike hoped in the car and headed to the ER in hopes that they could get it to stop before the Party. I was able to get in right away and after having both my inner nostrils cauterized with Silver Nitrate and sadly the loss of my beloved nose ring we were able to get home and get me to the Party just before it started however about an hour after going home from the Party we were headed right back to the ER as one of the nostrils had started bleeding again and would not stop. We were there for several hours that time and I was given a sinus balloon that would stay in my nose for 3 days to help try and stop the bleeding. Of all things I had up to this point this was the most uncomfortable it felt like it was place into my brain and when I got it out the following Wednesday I was SO happy!!! 


Even with the 2 ER visits the day was a blast being able to see everyone and just relax was so nice all and all a great birthday!!~~~

My Meeting with the Cancer Board: Diagnosing and Getting ready to Treat

After my Hospital stay of 5 days I was more then excited to get home and get ready to Meet with Dr Steve Scott to figure out A was this a cancer and B how to move forward. I did not do any research on the web because I wanted to maintain a positive outlook and frankly did not want to scare myself with all the possibilities. After 5 days in the Hospital I was so excited to shower and wash my hair as it had literally gotten out of control :)


Thursday March 1st I met with Dr Scott who let me know that yes what I had was a type of Cancer however they were still unsure of the type of cancer they had sent it off to the nations specialist to run tests on the biopsy sample as it was showing up as a Small Blue Cell Sarcoma but some of the markers were inconsistent with the types of cancers that they were thinking it was on the Table they were looking at it being


Ewings Sarcoma: Ewing sarcoma is a malignant round-cell tumor. It is a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or in soft tissue. The most common areas in which it occurs are the pelvis, the femur, the humerus, the ribs and clavicle.

Because a common genetic locus is responsible for a large percentage of Ewing sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors, these are sometimes grouped together in a category known as the Ewing family of tumors.^[1] The diseases are, however, considered to be different: peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors are generally not associated with bones, while Ewing sarcomas are most commonly related to bone.

Ewing sarcoma occurs most frequently in teenagers, with a male/female ratio of 1.6:1.^[2]

Although usually classified as a bone tumor, Ewing sarcoma can have characteristics of both mesodermal and ectodermal origin, making it difficult to classify.^[3]

Rhabdomyosarcoma: A rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of cancer, specifically a sarcoma (cancer of connective tissues), in which the cancer cells are thought to arise from skeletal muscle progenitors. It can also be found attached to muscle tissue, wrapped around intestines, or in any anatomic location. Most occur in areas naturally lacking in skeletal muscle, such as the head, neck, and genitourinary tract.

Or Small Cell Lymphoma: Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphocytes, a type of cell that forms part of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage of the disease.^[1] These malignant cells often originate in lymph nodes, presenting as an enlargement of the node (a tumor). It can also affect other organs in which case it is referred to as extranodal lymphoma. Extranodal sites include the skin, brain, bowels and bone. Lymphomas are closely related to lymphoid leukemias, which also originate in lymphocytes but typically involve only circulating blood and the bone marrow (where blood cells are generated in a process termedhaematopoesis) and do not usually form static tumors.^[1] There are many types of lymphomas, and in turn, lymphomas are a part of the broad group of diseases called hematological neoplasms.

Based on these three types of cancers although we did not yet know what the type was I met with the Cancer board on Tuesday March 6th and though we were still waiting on an official diagnosis I was able to meet with everyone who would be helping me throughout my treatment and go over possible treatment plans.

During this meeting the thing that surprised me the most was how many things they offer to cancer patents free of charge to help them through there time of treatment I was really touched as obviously these things are not free which showed me how many people out there were willing to donate not only there money but there time to help those going through this I was completely unaware that there was so much available and it really touched me and made me want to be more involved in volunteering my time. Some of the things they offer were Massage, Acupuncture, Meditation classes, and a class called Look Good, Feel Better this is a 2 hour workshop that helps teach women going through appearance-related changes from cancer treatment hands on skin care and make-up application and ideas for dealing with hair loss as far as eyebrows and eyelashes and covering the sores you often get on your face when going through Chemo this class even comes with a complimentary cosmetic kit that matches your skin tones. 


I was told at this meeting that I would experience complete hair loss this would include my eye lashes and eye brows so to have a class out there to teach me how to draw on my eyebrows and apply fake eyelashes thing I have never attempted before really made me feel so cared for. Once I have gone through my treatment and am back on the mend and health I think one of the things I would like to do is volunteer in some way to help others going through treatment. 

Hospital Stay Right away

Friday February 24th about 4 hours after having left the Hospital for all my CT scans I got a call at 9:30 pm from Dr Scott stating that he was contacted by the radiologist who had done my scans and stated that there was massive clotting throughout my entire lungs and there concern was respiratory failure. Dr Scott requested that I go into emergency right away (as a smoker of course the first question I had about the heavy clotting was "is this from smoking?" I had quit just 2 days before felt like a winner when he said it was not from smoking) Me and Mike left our friends house where we had been watching a movie and drove straight to IHC Riverton ER where I explained the situation and they quickly begin checking me in. As I have stated I have had multiple blessings throughout this process and another one I discovered when I got there was that even with the level of clotting in my lungs my oxygen was at 100%, my lungs sounded good when I breathed, and normally with how many I had they stated people were normally in a great great deal of pain however I felt totally normal. It wasn't all smooth sailing when they had to get the IV in that was a little hard because I have very deep vains that roll so often times they blow them out, or are just above them and think that they are in this was the case with this IV after several times of trying to get it they wrapped my arms with hot towels then wrapping to hold in the heat this is supposed to help the vains stick out and after some trying we were able to get it! :) Also with the level of clotting They immediately began giving me lovenox injections which help thin the blood and prevent new clots these go into your stomach every 12 hours and while they sting a bit they really aren't to bad however they sure do bruise the heck out of your stomach.  

My hospital stay was a duration of 5 days from February 24th- February 29th. While in the hospital I had an ultra sound done of the artery in my right thigh same area as the tumor and they were able to determine that the reason for the sever clotting in my lungs was due to pressure being caused by the tumor pressing against the main artery and disrupting the flow of blood this in turn caused the clots that then filtered up into my lungs. Once we were able to identify that this was the cause for the clotting I was told that the blood thinner I was currently on would only have to be for about 6 months to a year which I was grateful for because normally it would be a life long regimen. 

Monday February 27th they were able to biopsy the tumor this was done by taking 3 different samples of the tumor from 3 different locations. I thought that this process would be scary or maybe even slightly painful however again I was blessed by people that were very quick, gentle, and kind. I was not sedated for this procedure and while I had no desire to watch Mike was able to come in and hold my hand and he watched the whole thing-he was fascinated (at least one of us has a strong stomach). The Healing was not to bad at all there was a few nights of soreness but I was never really in pain however thanks to the blood thinners even at 4 weeks later I do still have a bruise almost the size of my closed fist. :) 

The hardest part of my hospital stay was missing my dogs! I had never not seen them for more then 3 days and I was going a little crazy missing them so my Dad and Mom had gone down to the gift store and found me a stuffed animal that was a combo of Bella and Baileys colors. I named it Baiyla :) My Dad said the only difference between the stuffed animal and my Dogs, was that if you looked at the stuffed animal its ears were up and it was listening. My papa always knows how to make me smile :D 

The last Few days of my stay in the hospital I did finally experience some heaviness in my chest and my oxygen did get a little low to where they had to put me on 2 letters of oxygen this was mostly something that go low when I was up and moving about. I was sent home on oxygen but did not have to use it for more then a few days before the chest heaviness and shortness of breath was not longer an issue. Again another blessing because most people have these side effects more intensely and for months.  With my discharge date of February 29th about 3pm I was free to get home and see my puppies, take a shower, and sleep in my own bed I was SO excited and it was just in time because I was to meet the next day with Dr Steve Scott regarding my biopsy. 

Again I just want to thank everyone who through this time Facebooked me, called me, text me, or even came in to see me! Your love and support have made this whole thing a lot less scary and I am so grateful for all of you! 

First signs of Sarcoma

I have decided to start a blog to keep everyone update on the progress of my cancer treatment I am currently undergoing. You have all be so Supportive and Loving and I want to make sure everyone knows what is going on and Blogging seemed like a great way to get all the information out there to all of you! 


To Start off this Blog I would like to just go over the information and the timeline of events that lead up to diagnosis and treatment I know a lot of you have followed this in FaceBook but some of you have not been able to so I would like to put everything down from the beginning so we are all on the same page. I ask for your Patience at I will work to get you caught up to where we are now and then once there I hope to kind of update you as I can :) Again all your love and positivity has really been a strength to me thank You all for the Prayers, Positive thoughts, and words they mean so much to me. 

For those of you who do not know, my Tumor that is the Synovial Cell Sarcoma and is located in my very upper right thigh. I first noticed something in this area about mid December 2011 while taking a shower, It was nothing that grabbed my concern because it could only be felt and was the length of my inner right thigh muscle and felt like maybe the muscle was just more firm on one side. I didn't think much of it however over the next two months it begin to grown still traveling the length of the inner thigh muscle but then also starting to get large in size and visible. On February 17, 2012 I finally gave in thinking that it was some sort of cyst and it would need to be drained and went in however upon the the Dr seeing the size (which is about the size of a small Nurf ball) and the location she stated her concern that it could be 1 of 3 things. The first of her concerns was a Hematoma= a localized collection of blood outside the blood vessels,^[1] usually in liquid form within the tissue. This distinguishes it from an ecchymosis, which is the spread of blood under the skin in a thin layer, commonly called a bruise. Internal bleeding is generally considered to be a spreading of blood within the abdomen or skull, not within muscle.
The issue with this possibility is that I had no recollection of any sort of recent trauma to the area. The other two concerns she expressed to me was two types of cancer that it could be. From this point she scheduled me an appointment same day at IHC in Riverton to have the mass biopsied and it was from there we discovered that it was not in fact a Hematoma but a very large Tumor. She immediately called me with the results while I was still in the Ultra Sound room and kindly explained that she was sending me to a Cancer Specialist Named Steve Scott and explained that he was out of town till Tuesday (this all happened on a Friday Feb. 17th) it was a very long weekend :) Tuesday February 21, 2012 I went in for my First MRI of the area. This part was a little hard for me  because I am claustrophobic so it was a little unnerving, but throughout this whole thing I have been given so many little blessings through this process and one of those blessing was that fact that a close friend who works in MRI at IHC was able to tell everyone I was coming and they were very kind and quick with everything especially the IV I was so so grateful!!! 

My First Meeting with Dr. Steve Scott was on a Thursday February 23, 2012 to discuss what he saw on the MRI and actually evaluate the mass visibly as well. After review of the MRI and Mass, as well as the ultrasound Dr Scott informed me that he did believe this to be a type of 
           A sarcoma which is a cancer that arises from transformed cells of mesenchymal origin. Thus,malignant tumors made of cancerous bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, vascular, or hematopoietic tissues are, by definition, considered sarcomas. This is in contrast to a malignant tumor originating from epithelial cells, which are termed carcinoma. Sarcomas are quite rare. Common malignancies, such as breast, colon, and lung cancer, are almost always carcinoma. 
He was not sure what type of Sarcoma but was concerned it my be a type called Ewing sarcoma which is a malignant round-cell tumor. It is a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or in soft tissue. The most common areas in which it occurs are the pelvis, the femur, the humerus, the ribs and clavicle. As Ewings is known to quickly spread and metastasize in the lungs  he ordered that I have a CT bone and soft tissue scan to see if there had been any Spreading. He also ordered a biopsy of the tumor to identify the type. 
I went in to IHC in Riverton on Friday February 24,2012 for these scans. Once there I drank a gallon of yucky dye and also had an IV so that they could watch how the fluids spread through my body and mostly the mass. This took a good portion of the day me and Mike were there for about 5 hours.


 Despite the Nuclear medicine I was getting while there sadly I have noticed no current signs of any type of super powers however, I am hopeful something will manifest ;)