The Cancer is GONE!

Yesterday my mom got the call that we've all been praying for....the cancer is GONE!!!!!!!

The whole body scan, blood work, and ultrasound were all clear, and she doesn't have to do anything for another year! This time next year, she'll repeat the same process, but the odds of the cancer returning decrease each year. 

I wanted to thank you all again for praying for us. The power of prayer is just unbelievable. We all believe that the cancer is gone because SO many people were lifting my mom up in prayer. It is truly a miracle! God is SO GOOD!

Life Updates

I'm back in California! Here's the story of the past week. 

Last Monday, we found out my mom's first bloodwork results. As I told y'all before, her TSH levels had to be at least 30 before she could have the radioactive iodine/whole body scan, and we found out on Monday that it was only 3. We were stunned and sad, and pretty much moped around for the rest of the day. We were so worried that if she felt like she did at 3, what would she feel like at 30? Or higher?

We got the amazing news on Tuesday that her 2nd bloodwork was at 20.7!! Now we were stunned and SO HAPPY! The amazing part was that she really didn't feel different than she did at 3, so we were hoping that her symptoms wouldn't get worse as her numbers increased. The amazing part through it all is that her symptoms weren't as horrible as we had expected- they were still really bad, but not the nightmarish things we had read about online. Typical symptoms during hypo hell include severe headaches, body aches, exhaustion, nausea, vertigo, hair loss, hallucinations....all really scary things. My mom has experienced lightheadedness, lack of energy, and pretty bad vertigo. She can't stand up or walk without getting very dizzy and nauseous, but compared to what we were expecting, this was manageable. She simply didn't walk around unless it was necessary. 

Once we found out she was at 20.7, we assumed that she would reach 30 by the next blood test, which was on Thursday, meaning she would have the radioactive iodine/body scan the following week. And we figured since she didn't feel much worse at 20 than she did at 3, she may feel about the same at 30+. So I started thinking about going back home to California a little early.

I had been gone exactly a month, and it's an understatement to say I missed Doug and the fur babies. But at the same time, I felt SO guilty for leaving my mom, just like I felt SO guilty for being away from Doug for so long. It's a very weird feeling- desperately wanting to be in two places at once. This past month has been the hardest, weirdest experience where I've basically felt every emotion possible, simultaneously. I was being torn in so many different ways. I was missing my life in California, yet I was so happy to be back home with my family. 

Once we decided it was time for me to go back home, I thought that surprising Doug would be fun! I had always planned on going back after my mom's body scan, so he wasn't expecting me for another week. So on Friday, I called him during his lunch break and told him he had to stay at our house for another 20 minutes because I was expecting an important package. 15 minutes later, he opened the door to a long-lost wife.

I have spent the past few days kissing them all non-stop. My sweet Maisy has been permanently attached to my hip, per usual, and Pep and Diego have been extra snuggly. I was shocked at how big Diego has gotten, I feel like he doubled in size!

As for my wonderful mom, her 3rd blood results were 37.7!! She is scheduled for the radiation tomorrow (Tuesday) and body scan on Thursday. Please pray for the scan to be clear so she can be done for a year! And thank you all for the support and encouragement y'all have given all of us. I am so blessed to have made so many real friends through this little blog.

Even though a huge chunk of my heart is in Atlanta, it's so good to be home.

Yet Another Hospital Visit

Remember last week when I said "when it rains, it pours?" Little did I know, the week would only get worse.  

On Friday morning, I woke up to a panicked call from my Mamaw saying that Pawpaw was in the hospital. He had gone to the ER in the middle of the night and left a note that he was okay and didn't want her to worry. Between me, my mom, and Mamaw, I'm the only one that can drive right now so I picked up Mamaw and we headed to the hospital. We were having a chair delivered to our house that day so my mom had to stay there until it came, which ended up being a good thing since she wouldn't have had the energy to stay at the hospital all day.

We found out that Pawpaw had a mini stroke, which means he had the symptoms of a stroke but they are only temporary. By the time we saw him, he was pretty much back to normal, which was a huge relief. The problem is, a mini stroke, or TIA (transient ischemic attack), is usually a warning that a true stroke is coming, especially in the next 72 hours. 

Later in the afternoon, I went back to get my mom and pack a bag for Pawpaw's overnight stay. Our hospital is gigantic and requires a ton of walking to get to the room, and my mom ended up getting sick from the walk, so when we left, I wheel-chaired both my mom and Mamaw, one at a time, down to the car. At least I'm getting some exercise while I'm here :)

The other big shock was that during all of the tests they ran on Pawpaw, they found a nodule on his thyroid. As y'all know, my mom is going through thyroid cancer treatment right now so finding this out really felt like a kick in the stomach to all of us.

I feel ridiculous and, honestly, embarrassed to be asking y'all again for prayers. I realize that this blog has been so down and depressing lately, but it is a blog about my life, and well, that's been my life for the past few weeks. I shouldn't say that- we have actually managed to have some fun, too! 

If you aren't sick and tired of hearing me complain (I don't blame you if you are), I would love for y'all to keep the prayers coming. My mom is doing better than we expected right now and I absolutely believe it's a God thing. So many people are lifting her up in prayer and we can feel it. During all of this chaos, I sometimes felt like falling apart and just losing it, but I had an overwhelming sense of peace when I needed it most. Plus, I was the driver/bag packer/cook/wheelchair-pusher so I really had no choice but to stay sane :)

Cancer Sucks

I've been meaning to write this post for a couple weeks now. Every time I've started, I wrote about 6 words then quit. I don't even know how to begin or where to start....what's going on is very complicated and confusing, but I'll do my best to explain! 

I came home 3 weeks ago when my mom was really sick. We're not sure exactly what was going on, but she ended up in the hospital. After she got home, it took a few days to see any improvement but she did eventually get better and (almost) back to her usual self. Two days after I came home, we found out that my Pawpaw had to have a pacemaker put in. When it rains, it pours, right? A few days later, Pawpaw had his surgery and it was a success! 

So here's the next part of the story. I decided to stay here until my mom found out what she had to do for her next round of treatment. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer a year ago and was coming up on her 1st year scan. About two months ago, her doctor told her that there are 2 different ways to prepare for her scan/treatment and she may have to do the more difficult path. (I'm trying to explain this as simple as possible, but it's so complicated!)

Basically, here's the whole story. Last year when she was diagnosed, she had her thyroid removed and also part of her lymph node, which the cancer had spread to. She went on a low-iodine diet (no dairy, soy, wheat, etc.) for 2 weeks then had radiation (radioactive iodine) to kill the remaining cancer cells. During the radiation, she had to be isolated from everyone for days and had to throw away everything she touched during that time. 

Now that a year has passed, it's time to see if the radiation killed all of the cancer cells. There are two ways to prepare for this, getting a Thyrogen shot (like she did last year) or the "old-fashioned" way where you go off all thyroid supplements and become hypothyroid (commonly referred to as hypo hell). We found out that my mom has thyroglobulin antibodies (Are y'all completely lost now??) and because of this, her doctor felt it was best if she went the hypo hell route. I cried a lot the night we found this out, but we knew it was the best thing to do. 

So here's the timeline for the next month: 

-she has been on the low-iodine diet for 5 weeks now and will remain on it until the end of treatment

-they put her on a lower-dose supplement (Cytomel) for 10 days to reduce the amount of time she would feel all of the symptoms

-this past Sunday was her first day off of everything and she has definitely started to feel the side effects

-she goes in Thursday for her first blood test. Her TSH levels have to reach a certain number, and it usually takes a few blood tests until it does

-Once it reaches that number, she has a low-dose of radioactive iodine, more blood work, and an ultrasound

-Two days later, she has a whole body scan (the iodine makes the cancer light up)

-If there is no remaining cancer, she is DONE for a year!

-If there is still cancer cells, she has a higher dose of radioactive iodine and then will be isolated for (I think) 5 days

So many of you have texted/emailed me to see how we're doing and to let us know that you're praying for us. You have no idea how much that has meant to me. My mom's friends have also been incredible...she seriously gets at least 2 cards a day. We really look forward to the mailman coming now! And Doug has been SO supportive throughout all of this. I've been here for 3 weeks now and he has completely stepped up and taken care of everything at home. As you can imagine, it's killing me to be away from him and my babies for this long, but at least they have such a good dad to look after them! It's hard to be gone for this long, but I know without a doubt that I'm supposed to be here right now.

If you are one of those wonderful people who have been praying for us, I'm going to ask that you please keep it up! We need it now more than ever, especially for these next few weeks of hypo hell to go quickly with minimal pain and for the CANCER TO BE GONE!

Home

So, I'm in Atlanta. I guess I'll go back a few weeks to explain why. 

You may have noticed that I have been a little MIA around here. I haven't posted much, and when I have, they've been "fluffy," not talking about what's really going on in my life. Well, if you're new here, my mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last summer. In the past few weeks, she has started preparing for her yearly scan/treatment. At the same time, she got sick and it's only gotten worse and worse. I have just been really sad lately that I wasn't able to be there for her and take care of her.

I was at work yesterday morning when I found out that she had gotten much worse. So I left work and Doug booked me a flight while I drove home to pack. Three hours later, I landed in Phoenix when I found out that they were taking her from Urgent Care to the ER in an ambulance. I had never been more thankful to be going home. 

So now I'm here and working on getting her healthy again! I bought a one-way ticket, so I have no clue when I'll be back in Cali. It all depends on which kind of treatment they decide on. I really miss my sweet hubby and furbabies, but it sure does feel good to be home sweet home :)

Getting Real, Again

Unfortunately, it's time for another 'Getting Real' post. After my mom's cancer diagnosis, then my Mamaw's, I am terrified that there is a 3rd one coming. (3 in ONE YEAR!? SERIOUSLY!?!?)

This has been one of the worst weeks of my life. I've been to the ER twice for issues with my heart (more on that later), and last night we found a lump on Maisy's toe. Google told me that boxers are prone to mast cell tumors, especially in between their toes. This was late last night when I found this out, so we decided to take her to the vet first thing this morning. I cried and hugged her all last night and eventually fell asleep. 

When we took her this morning, the vet knew as soon as he looked at it that it was a tumor. He said there's a possibility that it could be benign, and they needed to remove it right away since they grow so fast. He said it could have appeared as recently as 2 days ago, so hopefully we found it really early. 

They took her back right away, and I just lost it. That was 3 hours ago and I still haven't stopped crying. If you have ever read my blog before, you know just how much I love Maisy. She is not just a pet to me, she is like my child. (If you are not an animal person, you probably think I'm crazy now...maybe I am)

Since it's on her toe, it makes it tricky to get it all since there isn't much skin around it. If they don't get it all, she may need to have radiation or chemo, or even amputation of the toe. I can handle all of this, but what I'm most afraid of is that she will keep getting tumors, which is a possibility. 

Maisy is truly the perfect dog. I always say that she is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of dog, because I don't think I'll ever have another dog as perfect as her. We've only had her for a year, and it's way too soon for any of this to be happening. 

I would appreciate any prayers you could send our way. I'll talk more about my heart stuff later, but I have a stress echocardiogram today to hopefully figure out what's going on. I'm hoping that I can control my crying by then, since it probably wouldn't be good to sob all the way through it.

Monday Ramblings

I'm back! I had the best time at home...and a little recap of my trip will be coming soon. Until then, here's what's been going on with me.

• Mamaw's surgery went so great! Seriously, not even 2 hours after her surgery, she looked/sounded/acted like nothing had happened! She rocked it. The doctor said they didn't see any 'suspicious activity' in her lymph nodes, and they think she will need radiation, not chemo, which is good news. She meets with them this week to find out all of the results of the surgery. Thank you all for the prayers! 

• While I was home, I figured out what I would ask for for Christmas- a Keurig. I have never been great at making coffee, and this seems pretty idiot-proof. I was so excited about it and kept talking about all of the flavors I would get. Well last night, Doug told me he found a box that we hadn't unpacked yet and it had my name on it, so I opened it to find this!

He's so sneaky! I was THRILLED and woke up bright and early this morning to try it out. I had Kahlua flavored coffee, and it was delish. I think he understood my excitement after the 8th time I shouted out, "THIS IS SO COOL!"   And I've already had 3 cups...

• A couple weeks ago, I won my first giveaway!! I don't enter many giveaways unless I really, really like it and I was so happy when I won Ashley's giveaway of the My Memories Scrapbook Software. It will definitely come in handy for a project I'm working on :)

• My sweet blog friend, Stephanie, gave me an award! Thanks girl! Stephanie and her hubby just moved to New Orleans, and I cannot wait to read all about their new life there!

• Doug and I found our church yesterday! I was SO happy that it is exactly like my church in college. I prefer very contemporary services, especially for music. I got pretty emotional during worship and had tears streaming down my face...I think I was just so happy that we found somewhere we could get involved and grow together. It's been hard not knowing anyone or anything out here, so this is definitely an answered prayer.

• I finally caved and joined Pinterest! And? I love it. I'm not quite as addicted as I thought I would be, which is a very good thing. I already have too many websites taking up my time! You can find me here. These are a few of my favorite things pins: (Sound of Music, anyone? :)

Source: thestoriesofa2z.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: dearlillieblog.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: bippityboppityboo.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: stumbleupon.com via Julie on Pinterest

• Here's a sneak peek for Maisy's Halloween costume :)

Okay I think that's enough for today! Happy Monday!

A Little Blog Break

First of all, thank you all SO MUCH for all of the sweet comments you left about my Mamaw. They really meant the world to me and my family. I am so blessed to have made real friends like y'all through blogging. 

So, Mamaw is scheduled to have an MRI on Friday and surgery on Wednesday. Luckily, I was already planning to go home tomorrow (Thursday) through Tuesday, so I extended my trip through Friday so I could stay for the surgery. I am SO HAPPY that I get to be there for it. 

Besides the Fur Baby Friday post this week, I don't think I'll be blogging or commenting much for the next week or so. I'll miss you all but I am looking forward to spending a lot of time with my amazing family :)

Getting Real

*This post is very different from how I usually write....just to warn you.*

I need to vent. My family has been through so much crap the past couple of years medical wise, and I just found out there's been another diagnosis. My sweet, beautiful, loving Mamaw just found out that she has breast cancer. We don't know any specifics yet...she goes in tomorrow to determine the treatment plan. 

I'll be honest, when my mom told me today, my first reaction was anger. First my mom, now Mamaw? My two favorite women in the whole world are having to deal with this awful illness...and it just makes me angry. They don't deserve this. It's terrifying and I just wish our family would get a little break from all of this.

And to make it even worse, I now live across the country from them. I think I've handled the distance pretty well so far (better than I expected), considering this is my first time living outside of Georgia, but when I found out this news, all I wanted to do was to be at home. I want to be at all of those appointments with them. I want to go to Sunday brunch with Mamaw and Pawpaw every week like we always have. I should be there.

I know I am supposed to be here in California, supporting my husband and starting this new part of our lives, and I'm happy to be here most of the time....but it's times like these where I just ache to be in Atlanta. It's where my heart is.

LA Trip Recap

I am waaaaay behind on posting about so many things, so I figured I'd start with finishing the recap of my mom and I's trip to LA and San Diego. 

On the day we went to LA, my mom got a call from her doctor that morning with bad news. (I just realized I never posted an update on her situation!) Her doctor said her scan came back with spots of cancer in her neck and chest- we were not expecting the chest. When she got back to Atlanta, she went in for another scan. They mailed her the results before her doctor called to explain, and she found out that there were two nodules in her lung...this is when I freaked out. Luckily, her doctor called the next morning and said they were benign! PRAISE THE LORD! Now, we just wait for the radioactive iodine to work its magic and kill the cancer in her neck. She'll have blood work done in a couple months, and her doctor is very optimistic that everything will be just fine! It's definitely been a roller coaster of emotions but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

Okay, onto the recap!

After going to Rodeo Drive, we ventured over to Hollywood Boulevard to see Jimmy Kimmel! Before we went in, we saw all of the famous theaters, including Grauman's Chinese Theater

And the Walk of Fame

And the Roosevelt Hotel

We also saw the premiere of Phineas and Ferb, the movie! We couldn't stick around though since we had a date with Mr. Kimmel :)

I couldn't take any pictures inside of the studio, but this was easily the highlight of our day. I l-o-v-e going to tapings. I've been to TRL back in the day, Regis and Kelly, Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve, and now Jimmy Kimmel. And this one was nothing short of entertaining. 

First, a guy in the audience was incredibly intoxicated and fell asleep during the taping. He may have done something inappropriate, but we couldn't see because huge security men were surrounding him and kicked him out. He yelled out, "I'm under arrest!" on his way out :)

Then, a woman behind us actually made my jaw drop. 

One of the guests on the show for that day was this little boy. He caught a ball at a baseball game and gave it to another little boy who was crying because he didn't catch it. It was SO sweet. Watch it...it'll make you cry!

Right after this segment, they threw some t-shirts out to the audience and one flew right over my head. A girl 2 rows back caught it, and then an old lady in front of her grabbed one of the sleeves and refused to let go. The girl was just as in shock as I was and kept saying, "seriously...I caught it....let go!" but the creepy old lady just stared at her and didn't say a word. This went on for a couple minutes (ridiculous!) until the show started taping again and the producers yelled at the lady to let go. I was a little annoyed when they gave the old lady a shirt!

This lady seriously had the nerve to do this over a t-shirt. Right after this little boy came on the show because of his generosity. Irony at its finest.

Next up: the final post of our trip to San Diego! 

The Past Week

It's been a busy but fun week! My mom came to visit us, and we traveled from LA down to San Diego and all in between. I didn't take many pictures, but here's a little recap of our travels.

On Tuesday, we stayed around Irvine and saw our new house. Then we found this AMAZING bakery right down the street...this is going to be a big problem...

We grabbed some Starbucks next door and split a chocolate chip cheese danish....oh my goodness it was amazing!

We spent most of the afternoon shopping and seeing Crazy Stupid Love. I LOVE this movie...so much so that I've already seen it twice. I adore Emma Stone, and Ryan Gosling isn't so bad either :)

On Wednesday, we ventured into LA. I don't really know what to say about it....it wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be. It was cool to see everything, but we drove all around and that was a huge mistake. The traffic is insane and so are the drivers. I think we'll take the subway next time!

We went to the beautiful Rodeo Drive.

And saw a Lamborghini 

We went to Hollywood Boulevard, which is kind of like an LA Times Square. We saw the Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater, El Capitan Theater, the Walk of Fame....and a movie premiere! Phineas and Ferb was premiering that night, but we couldn't stay for it since we had Jimmy Kimmel tickets. 

Which means....I finally saw a celebrity! 

I think that's enough for today...I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of the week!

PS- my mom's scan results came back not as we hoped, so she is going in tomorrow for another scan...please pray!!!

What to See?

My mom's coming tomorrow!!! I am so excited to have her here and to really start seeing the sights! The problem is, I have no idea what sights to see.

She is here for 4 full days. Here's my idea so far:

Day 1: Irvine/new house/shopping

Day 2: LA (we have Jimmy Kimmel tickets)

Day 3: San Diego

Day 4: maybe LA again? maybe Newport/Huntington/Laguna beach?

So what all do we need to do and see? Mainly I need help with LA and San Diego. I need to make an itinerary STAT!

And before she comes, Mom will have her full body scan tomorrow morning to determine where the cancer has spread and what the next steps are. Prayers are so appreciated!!

Yikesabee

First, a little update: my mom did GREAT through her treatment! She gets to come out of isolation tomorrow and will have the full body scan on August 1st...we are so excited to put all of this behind us! Thank you all so much for your sweet words and prayers! 

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Y'all, California is awesome! We have had the best time exploring our new town...although it still doesn't feel real that we will be living here. I keep saying "I feel like I'm in a movie!" Particularly Win a Date with Tad Hamilton. I would be Rosalee in this situation. Yikesabee!

Also, we found a house!!! It's not official yet, as we are still going through all of the paperwork, but hopefully we will be the new renters of this beautiful home soon! My mind is already reeling with design ideas! We met the owners and absolutely loved them and their BOXER! I think it was meant to be :) Here's a sneak peek:

In other news, celebrity stalkfest #1 was a major fail. Our realtor asked us what we were doing last night, and Doug told him that we were going celeb hunting. Luckily, he wasn't freaked out by this and suggested that we go to this high-end shopping center in Newport Beach where Kobe Bryant frequents the Starbucks. 

So we go and find a table and I get my camera all ready (I wish I was kidding...I am seriously this psychotic excited about celebs) and to my disappointment, Kobe is nowhere to be seen. So I ask my new best friends (2 high school girls working at the Starbucks) if this is a good place to spot stars, and they told me Kobe comes all the time in the mornings! So we will be returning :)

I think I need to head on over to TMZ for my new job. I'm already doing it unpaid!

Prayers for Mom!

If y'all could keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers this week, I would love y'all even more than I already do! :) She starts her treatment Monday morning at 10:00. She gets a shot on Monday and Tuesday, then receives the radioactive iodine on Wednesday. She'll be isolated in her room for 4 days after that. 

I may not be around much this week due to this and the fact that Doug and I are leaving for California on THURSDAY! 

Time is flying by way too fast!

Lately

I haven't been in the blogging mood lately, but I have sooo much going on that I need to document some of it!

• Doug is in Europe! He was one of two people picked out of his entire company (big company) to do this audit thing, and he gets to spend two weeks in Belgium eating waffles and chocolate without me. I am so so sad I can't be there with him, but he said he will bring me some chocolate :)

• Since he is gone, my mom is staying with me for the week! We have had lots of girl time, complete with Mexican food, BBQ, chocolate, and reality TV (enter Bachelorette and the Little Couple!) We also brought my parents' dog, Deuce, with us and he and Maisy are having a great time together!

• We found out yesterday that my mom's diagnosis is actually Stage 2, but the doctors are still optimistic.

• We have some big things going on right now, but I can't really discuss them on here yet...I wish I could!!!! But as soon as I can, there will be a whole lot to talk about (let's go ahead and squash the pregnancy rumor...it's not that!)

• I miss my husband!

• We got new bedding last week! Our was mostly white, which does not go well with a dog, so I looked everywhere and finally found exactly what I wanted....on clearance for $58!! It came with the bedspread, bed skirt, 2 shams, and 3 throw pillows. What a steal!

• My friend at work just got a Clarisonic and now I am itching to get one. Do y'all have one? Opinions?

I think that's all I have for today! Hopefully I'll be back in the blogging spirit soon :)

News

On Monday evening, I got a call that stopped my world. It was my mom, and she had bad news. She told me that she was just diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I went completely numb and had no idea what to think or how to react. I tried to stay calm for her, since I could tell she had been crying. She told me that she had 3 spots on her thyroid and one on her lymph node, which they had removed during her surgery. They only told her that she had cancer, and that she would need treatment. So we had no idea how bad it was.

I told her I was coming home, and right when I hung up, it hit me. I fell on the floor and started sobbing. Maisy and Pep knew something was wrong and were just frozen, looking at me. I called Doug, who was on his way home from work, and he rushed home and drove me to my parents' house.

We had no idea what to expect. I would alternate between feeling panicked and thinking the worst, to being optimistic, to feeling completely numb. That night, we tried to keep our minds off of it as much as possible, as we didn't want to jump to any conclusions about how severe it could be.

The next day, Mom, Dad, and I went to the appointment where we received great news. There are 4 kinds of thyroid cancer, and she has the best one! It's Stage 1 Papillary Carcenoma. We were worried that because it had spread to her lymph node, it would be metastatic, but apparently thyroid cancer is the only cancer that isn't more severe if it is in the lymph node. She will have treatment in August, when she has healed from her surgery. It is radioactive iodine that will kill all of the thyroid cells left in her body, and she will need to be isolated from people and pets during it (for three days I think) because of the radioactivity.

 During those 17 hours where I didn't know how bad it was (she knew all day Monday but waited to tell me until I was home after work), I was terrified at the thought of losing my mom. She's my best friend. She will be the one who teaches me how to be a good mom, and she's the one who I call for advice about whether or not to buy this comforter I found. (She said to buy it, so I did...good call, Mom!)

We are SO THANKFUL that the prognosis is positive, as there is a 96% survival rate of 20 years from this type of cancer. After receiving the good news, my mom and I had a little celebration yesterday. We ate at Olive Garden (her favorite), got cupcakes, went to a movie, and watched the Bachelorette. I love my mom and don't know what I'd do without her!!