Buzz Time

Just as I predicted I got sick of my hair falling out pretty quick! It is just not fun! In fact, its almost upsetting to keep having to pull out strands and strands of your hair. So, on Christmas Eve I was brave and decided to buzz it. I sat down nervously in the chair and let my brother Tanner go to work as the rest of the family gathered around to watch. A few minutes and a couple of funky styles later all I had was fuzz! I must say, it is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I do miss my hair. It will be fun when it starts to grow back, however and interesting to see if there are any changes. The chemo nurses told me it could come back a different color or even curly. All of my brothers joined in the fun and got their heads shaved as well (Ethan was the shocker. He always refuses to get his hair cut short). I think they look like studs! I love them so much!
After all the commotion of the hair cuts, my dad gave me a present. Several of my family members had pitched in to buy me a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings. They said they had the jeweler pick out the two diamonds with the most sparkle so that I would be reminded that I sparkle! It really meant a lot to me. I am so grateful for their love and support. It makes everything so much easier. We tried to put the earrings in, but they wouldn't go. It has been too long since I have worn earrings. I was totally disappointed, so today we went to the mall and got my ears pierced again. It will be six weeks before I can take out the studs they put in and wear my diamond earrings, but I am still excited. Thank you everyone! Love you!!
So, I don't think shaving heads was what my mother really want to do with our Christmas Eve. It is the last one for at least 2 years that will all be together because Tanner is leaving to go on his mission in February, but I think it was wonderful night and certainly one we will remember forever!

Round 2

Sorry, it has been awhile since I have written, but it has been a crazy week. Monday, I went in for my second round of Chemo. Things went a lot more smoothly overall this time. First off, the amount of time it took went down to 3 and 1/2 hours! YAY! :) and I was just so much more comfortable. I knew what to expect and had a much better idea of what everything was going to be like so I was able to relax. This time my dad and brother, Ethan, went with me. It was funny to see the look on Ethan's face when they went to stick me with the needle for my I.V. He had to look away. Its not often that I get to gross him out! It is usually the other way around! The lifesavers really came in handy too. I was grateful to have them. Saline is not the best taste in the world. I would also like to report that my Mario Brothers skills have already drastically improved. I am now able to make it to the third level without loosing a single life. In fact, I am usually able to gain 3 0r 4 lives on my way. I know, that still isn't too impressive, but for me it is awesome! I mean it when I say I stink at all things Nintendo.
I was beginning to be hopeful that I would be one of the lucky ones and make it thru all of my Chemo without loosing my hair. They said it would start falling out 8 to 10 days after my first Chemo and I didn't loose any, but Sunday night (the 13th day) as I was going to get ready for bed I went to run my fingers thru my hair and ended pulling out quite a bit ( I know that's kind of sick, sorry). It hasn't stopped coming out since then. Lucky for me I have really thick hair, so you can't really tell just yet, but I am sure by the end of the week I'll be bald just because I am tired of hair falling out. I'd rather just shave it off and get it over with. I also made my big move this week. I am now back at home with my parents. Its kind of strange. I haven't lived at home for about 2 and 1/2 years now and I got use to living out on my own. I am going to miss my apartment and my roomies a ton, I already do, but it will be nice to be at home and with my family during all of this. Anyway, that is all I have for now. I would like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!!! Ttyl.

The Hat Party!

I have the best family and friends in the whole world! Yesterday, I was hanging out at my parents house, as I usually do on Sunday nights, and about 5 o'clock some friends and family started showing up. I had no idea what was going on. I just assumed that I was a popular gal and people were just dropping in to say "hello." Everyone gathered together in the living room and started handing me packages. I was totally confused. The first package I opened contained two hats and a note that read "Sorry I missed your hat party." Huh? They had me read the note over and over, but I still was getting it. After about four or five times of reading the note my sister clued me in! What a fun surprise! Everyone who came gave me a different hat. I now have tons! One for every occasion, including Cinco de Mayo ( thanks to my brother Tanner who gave me a sombrero). Because of everyone's fun and adorable hats, I am going to be one of the cutest bald girls ever!! Thank you guys so much!!!! I love all of them!!!

Tastes Like.......Metal?

Ok, so I was crossing my fingers and hoping, as anyone would, that I would be lucky enough to escape the side effects of chemo, but I couldn't. There is this orange juice at work that I love! Whenever I work in the mornings I have to have some. Well, I returned to work on wed., after having the last several weeks off, settled in, poured myself a nice big cup of OJ, and took a huge gulp only to find out that it was completely disgusting!!! I immediatly notified my boss that the orange juice tasted off and must be out of date. She didn't believe me and decided to try some for herself. To my suprise she reported that it tasted just fine. Uh oh! As it turned out it wasn't the orange juice, it was me. Everything tasted like metal. It was gross! The next day, things got worse. Not only did things taste off, but it really really hurt to eat or drink anything. Whatever I put into my mouth burned like acid. I called my chemo nurses and told them the situation and they were able to call in a perscription for me for this stuff called Mircle Mouthwash. After a few hours I was able to pick it up and use it. It too tasted awful, but it numbed my mouth and throat completely so I was able to eat and drink. :) Everyday, with the help of the mouthwash, I have gotten a little bit better and today I am back to normal. I am hoping that it won't happen again, but if it does I am already equiped!

Round One

Yesterday was a big day for me! I had my first round of Chemo. I have to admit going in I was scared. I didn't know what it was going to feel or be like or more importantly how I was going to react to the treatments and how well I would be able handle things if everything didn't go exactly right or if I had any bad reactions. Well, so far so good. I still feel pretty great and I haven't experienced anything to out of the ordinary except for being sooo tired that I ended up passing out at 9 last night (and those of you who know me really well know that that is incredibly early for me). The chemo treatment itself wasn't awful either. There is a ton of just sitting and waiting. My mom and I were at the doctors for almost 4 hours all together. Luckily, my sister Jerah was nice enough to let me barrow her Nintendo DS to give me something to do while hanging out in the doctor's offices and getting my treatments. I have been playing a ton of Mario Brothers to keep myself entertained, in fact its kind of become an addiction even though I really stink at it, but I am improving everyday and I am sure by the end of all this I will be an expert. I was really grateful for my port yesterday too. As it turns out it really is way easier to get an I.V. hooked up to a port then it is your hand! One strange thing I learned, however is how you can actually taste the medication as they are injecting it into you. It tastes just like salt! I wasn't expecting that at all, but I have now equiped myself with lifesavers so next time I go in I will be tasting the candy instead of the medication. Anyway, thats all I have for today. Ill ttyl! :)

Going Under the Knife

For those of you who aren't familiar with how Chemo works, every time you go in they pump your medication into you through an I.V. So, instead of being poked for an I.V. every time (as those of you who have experienced this know its really not very fun) they use something called a port. Its a small device, maybe the size of a quarter, implanted under the skin, in my case on my right side just below my collar bone, connected to a tube that runs directly into your vein. When I go in for a treatment my I.V. will be hooked up to the port instead of one of the veins in my hands or arms. It should be a lot better for me.
They put the port in yesterday. This was my second full on surgery in the process so far, so this time I knew what to expect. I don't know if that made things better or worse! The surgery rooms are always so bright and cold that it is really kind of scary and intimidating. The fact that they put you on a bunch of medications and eventually to sleep so you have no idea what is really going on doesn't help either. Anyway, as they were getting me ready for surgery and missed when putting in the I.V. in a couple of times (OUCH!), I was really grateful that I was getting a port. I am still sore, as to be expected, but overall the surgery went smoothly. The next step is seeing how it works during my first Chemo treatment.

Snip, Snip

So, in order to prepare myself for loosing my hair, I decided to cut it short in hopes that when it does start falling out it won't be as dramatic!Jodi did a totally rocking job (thanks again, I really appreciate it). I have to admit when I started seeing all my hair fall to the ground it freaked me out, but the style is really growing on me. I have never had my hair cut this short

before. It is something spunky and new. If I wouldn't have gotten sick I probably would never have tried chopping my hair off. I am daring to be bold! . Bob, was crazy and sweet enough to join in me in the act too. He had all of his hair shaved off!There is something strangely exciting about getting a completely different look. I highly recommend it.

The Diagnosis

Well, the results are in. Today, after two weeks of testing, I was formally diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. I was lucky. We caught it fairly early. As it stands right now I am at level 2a, meaning the cancer is only in my chest and hasn't yet spread to anything below my diaphragm. Hodgkins has a very high cure rate as well. So, as far as cancer goes, Hodgkins is a good one to get.
I start chemotherapy a week from today. If all goes as planned I will be doing eight two week cycles. Every 14 days I'll go in, recieve a treatment, and they will track my progress. After that comes radiation therapy to make sure we have really got it completely knocked out. Hopefully the whole process will only take about six months overall.
To be honest, the whole thing is a bit scary and defiently a challenge. There are a lot of unknows when it comes to cancer just because everyone reacts so diffrently. It can't be an exact science. I am sure, however that although it may not be fun that this is something I can handle. I have been blessed with wonderful family and friends who I know I can count on for strength and support. They have already prooven that to me and I know my Heavenly Father is looking out for me too. I intend to keep everyone updated on my progress through this blog and its your job to pester me if I don't. I'll ttyl. Peace!