Christmas Pajamas -- A Look Back
12 years ago
7 down, 2 to go...
Hey there!
7 DOWN, I can finally see the light at the end of this dark tunnel. Once again, everything went according to plan this past Tuesday. My mother-in-law, Linda Stephenson, went with me this time and I want to thank her for driving all the way from Charlotte to go with me! It was nice to get to spend some time with her. I didn't get my favorite private room this time, but I am a little bit spoiled with that room so we sat out there in the big room with everyone else. The whole treatment took a little under 3 hours this time, so not too bad. We went to lunch afterwards and just had a nice day.
I thought I was going to pull a fast one on Dr. H this time, but he caught me. I had really been wanting to just do 8 treatments, and I was like "oh isn't next time the last one?" and he replied promptly with a "NO". That wasn't the answer I was looking for. Oh well, what can ya do, so 9 it is! I will start radiation 3 weeks after that. He is comparing radiation to a field goal in a football game, just finishing the job. I will be in touch on when that starts, but I've heard it will wear you out so lets see if I can be superwoman for a little bit longer and get through this radiation without feeling terrible.
We are getting ready to celebrate Christmas next week! I seriously can't believe it's here - WOW. The past 4 months have FLOWN by! I remember thinking, well by Christmas I'll be almost done with this stuff. And here we are! Our house looks so pretty at Christmas, I was thinking the other day what it will look like when I take all of this stuff down, and I think it will be bare as a bone. I guess I'll just have to buy more stuff! I am going to visit my side of the family in NA this weekend and will be coming back to Atlanta on Tuesday. I wish Ben could come with me, but he is working so hard at his new position that he can't go with me this time. We'll miss him terribly! I am looking forward to spending some time with my Mom and Dad, Stephen and Brandy, my niece Lauren and my nephew Phillips. This year we spend Christmas with Ben's side of the family, and I'm excited to see everyone, especially our adorable niece Sydney and nephew Braden, and Ben's sister Steph and her husband Mike. We just don't see them as much as we would like because they live in Virginia!
Thank you again Mrs. Linda for going with me to my treatment!
I hope all of you have a blessed Christmas and I will be in touch soon - we are looking forward to a new beginning in 2009. Its gonna be a good year, I can feel it.
Love you all!
Kerri
Complete Remission!
Hey there!
Ben and I had an awesome day! I have been declared in "complete remission" by my oncologist - all I can say is WOW, that chemo stuff really does work. It's no joke! I am declaring myself a certified hodgkin's lymphoma butt-kicker. Well, I've had some help with the hardcore drugs I have had in my system for the last 2.5 months, but this stuff can't be beat without a good atittude to go along with it. It will beat you down if you let it. So, with 6 treatments behind me I am almost there! Here is what my oncologist is suggesting I do from here on out:
3 more chemo treatments, which will be 9 total. That was shocking to me, but hey, they're the experts not me.
4 weeks of radiation that starts 3 weeks after my last chemo, and it has to be done Monday - Friday! Good thing it only takes about 30 minutes. (another shocker)
They are being very careful with me and are doing all preventative measures possible to ensure this stuff never returns. That is fine by me, do it now - and they I'm done for all eternity! Maybe this is my time to have cancer, maybe I won't have it when I'm older. That would be ideal now wouldn't it?
My question is, what will they be doing with that laser during 4 weeks of radiation? Won't it all be gone by then? Who knows, but that's my only question now. If I'm in remission, then what is this chemo killing now? Good cells? Aaaaggghhhhhh! I'm going to quit worrying and let these 2 oncologists do their job. Doctor H is consulting with Doctor Flowers, head of the Lymphoma unit at Emory, and I guess they both know what they are talking about. He is what I would consider "hardcore" and I think he would make me do 12 treatments total if it were up to him. I think that's a little much, but let's leave the magic to those guys with the "Dr" in front of their name!
Ben, thank you for being there with me today - you are undoubtedly the best husband in the world. I love you!
Thank you all for the prayers about today, and about me and my family. The Lord has blessed us in so many ways. Thank you!
I'll be in touch yall :)
Love,
Kerri, TCHLBK
5th treatment is history...
Maxine cracks me up...a little Thanksgiving Maxine for ya.
Well, so far so good after my 5th treatment this past Tuesday! I have felt the same as I always do the days after treatment, just kind of blah and out of it. I'm feeling pretty good today so that makes me happy. We are having a Thanksgiving feast at work today, so that alone put me in a good mood this morning! Yall know I love food. My Mom has been here all week and she always makes us feel so taken care of! I tell ya, we could get used to her cooking. My Mom rivals Paula Deen, I'm serious. The lady can cook. And my house is always so beautiful when she leaves. She seems to know how to clean things that I've never even thought of. We got my house decorated for Christmas yesterday, and that is a job in itself. I was pretty tired after that! Thanks Mom for being here with me and helping us out this week, love you!
My hair is still thinning, and it's still annoying, but I've still got it!
I know you have all been wondering about the PET scan, well its scheduled for this coming Tuesday at 10 am. I am hoping they can use my port, but we'll see. I'm not looking forward to it, but it has to be done. It takes about 3 hours and that just seems like a long time to me. They put radioactive glucose in my veins and I have to sit there for an hour and let it run through me. Then I have to be scanned, and that is a pain. I can't move, and last time my arms fell asleep. Not fun! Please pray for me! I am hoping that if anything does show up, it's tiny and can be zapped with the rest of my chemo. We shall see. We won't know anything until my next chemo appointment, which is December 2nd.
I hope all of you have an awesome Thanksgiving! It's my favorite holiday of the year, well besides Christmas. My Mom's dressing is so freaking good, I can't wait for it! And my Dad and Brother make a mean grilled turkey. We will be heading to good ole NA next week for Turkey Day. Im looking forward to spending time with the fam and good friends. Lurn Jones, can't wait to see you!
I'll be in touch next week about the PET scan - 'till then, love yall!
Pain in the neck...literally.
Hey all,
I've got a pain in the neck...literally! It started Sunday afternoon and it has progressively become worse every day! I guess maybe it's a little better today, but this thing has gone from a pain in my neck to a pain in my you know what. I haven't felt good all week, just tired and really just don't want to do anything but sit at home on the couch. Maybe its the weather? Maybe its that I'm just sick of all this? Maybe its because I want my old body back? STUPID CHEMO!
Here's another thing that's irritating me to the core - my hair is thinning like a dog with the mange. Every time I brush it, it just goes everywhere. Of course you still can't really tell that it's thinning, but those of you who really know me can tell. I have the thickest hair out of just about everyone I know...so that's a lot to lose, which is a good thing. Those chicks with thin hair to begin with, there's just not much you can do. So, with that said - maybe I won't lose all of it - but dang I would almost consider shaving it to not have to clean out the thousands of hairs all over my house! It's so messy and borderline gross.
Yall don't worry about me, its just one of those weeks...we all have them from time to time.
All I can do is laugh at myself, put my big girl panties on - and DEAL WITH IT.
4 down and USC-Tenn Tailgate!
This past weekend, me, Ben, Kristen and Matt all went to Columbia for the USC-Tenn game. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful, it was actually hot Saturday afternoon! We had lunch at one of our favorite places in Columbia, the Salty Nut Cafe. I spent many days and nights at that place in college - you just can't beat it. We met up with a bunch of our friends in the fairgrounds that afternoon. It was fun to get to hang out with everyone. We met up with Chris and Laura, the other two-some of our original tailgate crew, and took this awesome picture. We stayed the night at Chris and Laura's and got to see their beautiful 3.5 month old again. We love her! It was such a fun day! And to top it all off, we ended up beating Tennessee to a pulp. That hasn't happened in years...GO COCKS! What a great weekend.
I have been feeling really good lately. The fatigue hasn't been that bad and I've been able to pretty much do anything I could before all this happened. The only thing I haven't tried is the elliptical - still a little scared to sweat as I have this vision that I will pass out. Who knows, maybe I'll get up the courage and try it soon. I am working from home today, and will probably continue to do so on the Thursdays after treatment. Today I am feeling ok - just a little tired but not terrible. It's so nice to not have to get up and get myself ready - I could get used to this.
Thanks again for the continued prayers - and for all of the sweet comments on here. I just love reading them.
I'll be in touch! Love you all!
A valuable sermon - Don't Give Up!
Hey all,
Ben and I had a wonderful weekend relaxing at our house - it was a much needed weekend of doing absolutely nothing. I haven't slept that much in probably years, so I guess I needed that! We went to church yesterday and I can't seem to get the sermon out of my head. I wish all of you could have heard this sermon, it was really a valuable lesson in life. Anyone can relate to it, as we have all had tough times and many of us out there are worried about our health, our jobs, our financial situation, etc. It talked about how living the Christian life is not easy, and how when you think nothing else can go wrong, everything turns around for the better and you realize what you have just gone through is really a blessing. You wouldn't be the same person if you had not gone through it. It began with these verses from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
8) We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9) persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
Our pastor talked about how you must pray for exactly what you need - don't beat around the bush. If you are having health issues, ask for the strength to keep on going. If you are having troubles in your marriage, ask Him to strengthen your bond. If you are having financial troubles, ask Him what you should do to overcome this obstacle. If you find yourself without a job, ask Him to give you the courage to go out there and find another one. He said you must be specific and that you must not forget the power of prayer.
I personally found this sermon very comforting and thought I would share it with all of you.
Don't give up!
Love you all!
3rd treatment down and Charleston Light the Night
Hey all,
I had my 3rd treatment this past Tuesday and everything went according to plan! It took longer than usual because they put me on a pump, but oh well, different nurses to different things. I am working from home today, and I am feeling better than I usually do 2 days after treatment. Maybe that's because I slept for about 11 hours last night! I'm still tired, but I am able to eat more than usual which is good. I got some very good news from my oncologist, Dr. H - he says I don't even have to come get my blood tested every week because I'm doing so well. How awesome is that! I am his youngest patient by far and compared to the last patient with Hodgkin's - he says its astounding the difference between the two of us. She did not handle the treatments very well, and I seem to be doing extremely well - so that is awesome news. That's one less needle stick I have to deal with every week! YAY!
I know you have all been waiting to see pics from the Charleston Light the Night - so here they are! Thanks again to Kristie for organizing TEAM KERRI, and to everyone who walked in my honor. Yall are great friends!
I am rockin...
My blood counts are good once again - this is just fantastic! I was a tiny bit anemic, but it is nothing to worry about. I also got a flu shot today, and that wasn't too bad either. The port needle access did hurt a little, but it was only for a second so no big deal.
There is one more thing I am shocked about...I still have a full head of hair - YAY! Lets hope and pray it stays that way!
I'll be in touch :)
2008 Light the Night Walk - Atlanta
This past Saturday was the 2008 Light the Night Walk in Atlanta. The day started with a surprise visit by some of my closest friends, Chris and Laura Herron, who drove all the way from Columbia to spend the day with me! Lori Tvarkunas, Brandon Lacey, and Rob Stanfield also surprised me as well. This added to my original crew of my husband Ben, Steve and Linda Stephenson, Kristen and Matt Stephenson and my Mom and Dad. We all watched the Carolina-Kentucky game over at Kristen and Matt's house (thank goodness we won, go cocks!) and then headed downtown to Centennial Olympic Park. The weather was perfect, and we were on Ben's Enterprise Rent-A-Car Team of about 200 walkers. I had never participated in a charity event before, but I will never miss another one of these walks. It was so awesome to see how many people came out to show support - I think around 12,000 people were there and together raised over $1 million. It's really something to see all of those balloons lighting up simultaneously. I want to thank everyone who was there supporting me, and thank you to Kristen and Matt for organizing and hosting Saturday's surprise for me. I have the best family and friends anyone could ever ask for.
Love you all!
2 down!
In the words of my oncologist, I am his "perfect patient" - and that alone puts a smile on my face! He told us today that people either do very well, or they feel like they've just been put through 2 weeks of hell, so I guess I am one of the lucky ones that has done well with my first chemo treatment. I had my second treatment today, and once again, it was cake. Why can't they make all tests for cancer as easy as this? I guess I'll go ahead and shut up before I put my foot in my mouth and jinx myself! I feel ok right now, but am assuming I will get a little more sluggish by the hour. So, 2 down - 6 to go!
This past weekend, we went to Isle of Palms, SC and had an absolute blast! We stayed at the unbelievably gorgeous Wild Dunes Resort. Kristie, my best friend from college, has worked here for several years and it really must be awful to look at that scenery all day long! HA! Our ocean front house was stunning - and really comfortable for 8 people which was so nice. It was so much fun to hang out with family and great friends. We had some awesome seafood while we were there and ate at restaurants on the water twice. None of us wanted to come home yesterday, we literally could have stayed for weeks! Thanks again Kristie for such a fun time - we will never forget this trip!
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