Category Chemo Updates

It was a quick summer and we packed a lot into it.  We began with Adalyn’s first birthday and her first steps, soon followed by Justin’s final chemo treatment.  After a few weeks of recovery, we headed out for a week at Conneaut Lake for some well-deserved R&R that kicked off with a fun party that included many, many friends and family.  I returned to work the first of August, Adalyn started in the Waddlers I room at daycare (our baby just can’t be that big already) and Justin went to Chicago for six days for a work conference.  We returned back to PA for Justin’s fantasy football draft and visited with good friends in Pittsburgh on our way back home.  Whew! No wonder I am so tired! We’ll have more details on our summer fun in subsequent posts.

This past week, however, had to have bee...

We’re done! At least with chemo…  I can’t stress how happy I am to be able to say that.  It had started taking it’s toll on me mentally because of the physical side effects that started taking hold.  Most recently and most annoyingly the hard veins and chest pains.  I’m proud to say that I’m special!  Heather, my nurse, asked if she could show off my arm to her new colleague because it apparently doesn’t happen to that many people.  YA!  In my left arm, and now my right as well, you can track my vein from wrist to arm pit because it’s rock hard and for parts has a red line on the surface of my skin.  This is very unpleasant to say the least.  The veins are inflamed and react by hardening because of the chemo we are pushing through them...

Yesterday was Justin’s last treatment! Woohoo! While I am feeling super excited about moving forward, Justin’s excitement is a bit tempered.  He’s feeling the usual fatigue and sluggishness that come post-chemo, but it seems a bit different this time knowing that the healing process begins today.  We went through our usual routine for treatment day; taking Adalyn to daycare, blood-work, meeting with the doctor, then treatment.  We went out to lunch afterward and then picked Adalyn up from daycare.  Then we came home to this…

Adalyn is loving these balloons!

Such pretty flowers!

Thank you to our anonymous supporter(s)! This surprise was such a treat to come home to and certainly lifted our spirits even higher. Have a happy 4th of July, everyone...

We’ve been a little late in posting, so time to catch up.  Nana Mistretta came for the week and we kicked it off with a pool party.  Adalyn loves the water and got a kick outta having a pool.  The weekend weather was beautiful and we all had a great time.

Treatment #6 took its toll.  Prior to the treatment the doctor explained that he had been waiting for me to level out where most people are at this point.  Apparently, I was in a very high percentile with how well I was handling the chemo thus far.  That was great news, but it was then followed with “so, you’ll probably feel really bad the rest of the way because it’s finally catching up with you.”  Boy, was he right.  For the first time I missed work on Thursday and only made it till 10:30 a.m...

We did!

We can make this short and sweet!  We found out today that Justin’s PET scan showed NO signs of cancer!  This is exceptional as we were hoping for a reduction in the cancer activity but got even better news.  Today was treatment 5 and we officially have 3 more left.  The countdown to July 3 begins today.

Justin’s PET scan was Friday.  We’re really looking forward to the results, hoping that we’ll find out that he’ll need four more chemo treatments rather than eight. A good report would mean that he is halfway through treatment!

Justin is doing great so far.  His fourth treatment went smoothly and he actually experienced fewer

Mother’s Day 2013

side-effects than the third.  This is likely because we weren’t traveling this time; however, he also did a much better job of balancing rest with activity.  He has come down with a cold over the past week, but he’s hanging in there.  Managing all of the side-effects and other issues that come along is the name of the game...

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for Team Mistretta.  It’s been awhile since our last post, so we have a lot to catch you up on!

Two weeks ago Adalyn’s Nana and Papa Jones came for a visit.  They played with her while Justin and I went out to lunch then went into work for a few hours.  We’re both so behind at work that we were thankful for the time to get caught up.  On our way into town we picked up this old wooden high chair at a yard sale.  My goal is to paint it for Adalyn’s first birthday.  I have dreams of her looking so sweet with her smash cake smeared all of her face in this high chair that matches her birthday party theme perfectly (and then I become an overnight Pinterest sensation!) “Dream” is the keyword, but miracles do happen!

On Sunday, we received word that J...

Justin had his second chemo treatment yesterday.  In oncology vocabulary, he has completed his first cycle. Each cycle has two treatments and we’re hoping for four total cycles.  If we’re talking in football terms, we’ve finished the first quarter and are hoping to finish the game without overtime.  At halftime (after 4 treatments or 2 cycles), Justin will have a PET scan to determine how well we’re winning the game.  In the treatment of Hodgkin’s, the PET scan (according to the oncologist) is uniquely helpful in effectively predicting  how many cycles Justin will need to reach cure.  Let’s hope that our season is more like the Steelers of ’08 and less like the Steelers of ’12.

Since Justin’s mom is here with us for the week, she went with him for chemo...

Eleven days down after my first treatment and things couldn’t be much better.  I experienced no nausea in the days following.  Took Rx one every 12 hours for 3 days and never needed Rx two, which was prescribed for random flareups of nausea at any point.  I felt only minor “fatigue” last weekend, and I even hesitate to call it that.  I didn’t feel 100% but by no means would I classify it as fatigue.  If I had to put a number on it , I’d say Easter Sunday was the lowest the bar went and I only dipped to maybe 75%.  By Tuesday I felt perfectly fine again and have been that way since.  Yes, high fives all around.

My appetite has remained constant so far and I’ve been eating as I normally do, if only a bit more health conscious now...

The time leading up to the first treatment can be full of many emotions, but it is overall a very uneventful day.  Here’s how it went down…

Our day started at Justin’s chiropractic appointment just before 8 a.m.  After an adjustment, we dropped Adalyn off at daycare, then headed to the oncologist’s office where Justin would have his first chemotherapy treatment.   Before going into the office, I gave Justin the photobook that I made for him.  It included photos and messages from his family and friends, even Tucker had a message for him.

He was really surprised ...