3/27-Week 5

Dear Friends and Family,

Hope all is good for everyone!! Today I was scheduled to have my 5th chemo. But again, he decided not to treat me. My white cells were up, but not enough for him to feel ok about treating me. It is fine with the Radiologist though. So I have stayed on track with my radiation. Dr. Rigberg said that right now that is the most important thing. The big chemo's I did in Nov-Dec-Jan are systemic and the radiation is localized to the area where the tumor was. They see a higher incident or cancer returning to the same area when treated with chemo alone. So the radiation is extra insurance that we are getting it all. The chemos that have been missed are just dropped and not delayed. They were mainly for enhancing the effects of the radiation. Next Monday will by my last chemo and only a half week of radiation. Hooray...then I should be done!! Other good news is that my scans from last week all looked good. I had a mammogram, a pelvic ultrasound and a hip X-ray. No problems appeared whatsoever. I know it's because God has healed me!! Thank you Jesus!!! Thanks so much for all the prayers and faith that so many have extended to me. It has built me up in my own faith seeing so many standing and believing with me!! You guys are the best!! I love you all so much!!

Keep praying and believing, God can do ANYTHING!!

Love, Peggy

3/20-Halfway

Hi All,

Just a real quick update on this week. Dr. Rigberg did not treat me with Chemo this week because my white cells were too low. But, they were not too low for Dr. Lum, so I have been on schedule with the radiation. I'm not sure if this chemo was just dropped or delayed. Please pray for my white cells to increase. Also, my hip pain went away and then came back on one day and left the next. Not sure what that is all about, but Dr. Rigberg ordered an X-ray for this Thurs. Please pray that is is all just nothing at all. Thanks so much for all your faithful prayers!!

Love and Blessings, Peggy

3/12-Moving Right along.

Hi All,

Hope this finds everyone doing well and healthy. Today I finished my 3rd or 6 chemo's and started my 3rd week of radiation. So at the end of this week I will be officially at the 1/2 way point. Hooray!! Everything has been going pretty good for the most part. However, I am experiencing some very normal side effects. I'm going to list these and let the prayers and Jesus do the work here.

I have been experiencing lots of itchy skin and red splotches. They are temporary like hives. No permanent rashes thank goodness. This is more annoying than painful. I have also been getting more irritation in the esophagus. I can feel the food going down like a big lump. But this too is not painful. If it does get to the point of being painful Dr. Lum said he could prescribe some pain medication. I am hoping to avoid this. On the outside, by the radiation area, the skin gets extra itchy and splotchy at times. I'm thinking this is getting more irritation too. I hear some people actually get blisters. I'm praying this doesn't get that bad. Also this past week I noticed a ache in my left hip joint. So I brought it up to Dr. Rigberg and was hoping it was somehow connected to a treatment side effect. But not so, he said to watch it and if it increases in discomfort I will need to get an X-ray and possibly a MRI. So please pray that is just something that is minor and going away quickly. The last thing to mention would be prayer for my white blood cells to increase. They have been on a steady decline. These are important in fighting things off.

All in all things are going along pretty normal. Larry has been doing a great job getting the kids off and going in the morning. They are enjoying the extra time with Daddy immensely. Larry and I had our regular "date night" last Friday. We got a chance to see the movie "Amazing Grace". What a great movie that was. If you enjoy history and very inspiring movies we recommend it highly. It's just so good to be out doing our normal stuff in the middle of all this crazy health issue season we are in. I attribute so much of that to all of you and your faithful prayers. I can tell you how many people bless us with comments, encouraging words, gifts, prayers and lots of hugs!! Thanks soooo very Very much! What an incredible journey and it helps so much to be surrounded by such wonderful support. Am I getting too gushy??

Thanks and I love you all, Peggy

P.S. Just remembered, it's been so hot lately that I decided to brave the very short hair look this Sunday at Church and today at the Doctor visits. It was just too hot to wear a hat. I got lots of positive feed back. I will have to get Larry to post some recent pictures for my good friends and family far away.

3/4-1 down 5 to go!

Hi Everyone,

I completed my first week of Chemo with radiation. Everything went just fine. The chemo is more than half less than what I was taking earlier. I had no nausea and no need for medicine to help with that. The radiation process is painless. You just lay there, they position you, they leave the room, I lay real still, I hear a buzzing sound for about 15 seconds. No flashing lights or anything. They move the machine to my side and do it all again. Then I leave 10 minutes after I walked in. It's all very quick and systematic.

Friday afternoon I started to feel achy and sore in my muscles. Sat. I woke up with a slight fever and more of the same. So Larry took over kid duty completely and I rested a lot. I feel better today. I think I picked up a bug of some sort. I know if I have a fever on Monday they will delay my treatment. So I am resting and trying to keep everything on track. I'm just so looking forward to being all done with the treatments. I'm still on an antibiotic from last weekend. Maybe that helped.

I hope everyone out there is doing well. Thanks for all the prayers. They mean so much and they are helping so much. Keep praying for good health and no side effects.

Bless you all, Peggy