Annual Update

Greeting to all my family and friends,

As of July, 2010, I had my annual mammogram and it came back negative! A day for true celebration, gratitude and appreciation for my restored health.

I will continue going for annual mammograms every July for screening purposes.

In the meantime, I am working on decreasing my stress, breathing techniques, daily relaxation, and pursuing a healing touch practitioner certification by 2012.

Yours in Good Health,

Geri Lynn

Final Update

Hello to my dear family and friends,
I wanted to send out a final update to provide closure on this journey that started way back in the summer of 08. It’s been over a year now since I finished my last radiation on March 13th, 2009. I was able to work throughout the 6 ½ weeks of daily radiation with small, frequent naps. I needed to reach out for help with meal preparation and several of my good friends started “meals on friend’s wheels” for me and my family over the last month of treatment. Fortunately, the appointments were quick, usually under 30 minutes and the actual radiation was just 2 minutes. I used several different lotions and potions (silver gel, vitamin E, calendula lotion and aquaphor) suggested by the naturopath to protect my skin from the effects of radiation. Apparently, my breast and I did better than most as noted by the radiation tech when she saw me the last week of treatment and was surprised that my skin wasn’t more “red and sunburned”. However, no doctor warned me of any long term side effects, namely compromised thyroid function, which I am still recovering from. I continued to receive the Herceptin via my port every three weeks and medical oncologist appointments every six weeks throughout the year with the final infusion on August 21st, 2009. I didn’t waste any time scheduling the appointment for the port to be surgically removed on August 26th…not a day too soon for my taste….good riddance to foreign objects implanted under my skin. I also had an MRI of my breasts done the prior week which came back negative, which was totally what I expected. I had a final consultation with the naturopath and continue to take a handful of supplements with meals and bedtime to keep me in optimal health.
From the beginning of this journey, it was very clear to me that this was a wake up call with an important underlying message regarding my life. Never once did I feel my life was threatened or that my prognosis would be anything but a full recovery. Now in retrospect, I would not trade the experience and personal transformation that has taken place as a result of the diagnosis. Through the weekly Reiki (energy) treatments I received from volunteer practitioners at the Caring Place, I learned how to open my heart unconditionally to give and receive love, live life in a state of joy, compassion, appreciation and gratitude, how to lovingly forgive and release the past, and how to be a spiritual person having a human experience. I received and continue to receive many divine blessings and miracles during the Reiki sessions. This has culminated in me pursuing the training to be a Reiki Practitioner and I completed the first level in October, 09. I will continue to take three more levels so that I am a Certified Reiki Master. In addition, I am adding the Healing Touch Certification to my repertoire and those trainings begin in May, 2010. I am honored to be able to give back to the Caring Place and now volunteer my time to provide Reiki treatments to those going through treatment.
In closing, I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom, top and sides of my heart for your part in my successful treatment and recovery. I want you to know how helpful it was to share this journey with you via these email updates and more importantly the feedback and responses I received from you. I felt your love and support in every email, card, phone call, personal visit, meals by mom, meal delivery by friends, care package, prayers, long distance Reiki, and all other positive thoughts or intentions any of you sent me.
My hope and prayer is that you too will have received your own “wake up call” as a result of my journey…. so that you can live your life on purpose, with passion, appreciation, gratitude, love and joy for every day that you wake up in “perfect health with a clear mind, strong body, open heart, and joyful spirit radiating with possibility” (just one of my many affirmations I say three times a day!)
With so much love, light and blessings to all of you,
Geri Lynn

Update #7

Hello to all,
Well I made it through all six chemo treatments and am officially done with chemo…good riddance! I certainly won’t miss any of the side effects and am just starting to get my taste buds and appetite back. I still occasionally have a slightly metallic taste, which is fairly new. It’s taking me much longer to recover in terms of my energy level. I really didn’t do any walking for two weeks post chemo, except for two small jaunts to the dog park. I was surrounded by family and my dearest girlfriend around the holidays, so I probably did more than when it’s just mom and I. I’m still feeling quite fatigued and certainly have not gotten my stamina back as quickly as before. I’m also experiencing weakness in my quads (large thigh muscles), which means when I stand up, they feel weak and I want to/have to sit down. It is better when I walk though. The MD said it was from the steroids and should go away. I started pilates a week ago Monday and have to take it slow…I’m also doing a 45 minute walk in about 60 minutes on the other days. I was very busy with work last week, so that I’m sure is contributing to some of my fatigue. I also wasn’t able to have acupuncture or Reiki for three weeks during the holidays. My first acupuncture was yesterday and my first Reiki is next Monday….again, that may be contributing to my slower recovery.
I met with the radiation oncologist, had a CAT scan and received three very small tattoos for exact placement and will begin radiation on January 21st. I go for a trial run on the 20th for the last measurements. Radiation is everyday M-F for 6 ½ weeks for a total of 33 sessions. It should take about 15 minutes per day. I also need to continue to go for the Herceptin infusion every three weeks for the remainder of a year which ends in September. I will meet with the medical oncologist every 6 weeks. I also have to have another MUGA scan of my heart the first week in February since a side effect of Herceptin is possible heart damage….so far my last MUGA scan came back very strong. I also received a clean bill of health with my whole body bone scan and chest x-ray…meaning they looked the same as before starting treatment, so no spread to my bones…hooray for large miracles!
I had a phone consultation with the naturopath in Scottsdale and she tweaked some of my supplements to help support me during radiation, but I still take ~12-15 after each meal. So as you can see, I’m quite busy being a “patient” and I’m starting to lose my “patience” with the whole process. I just want to wake up and feel refreshed and have energy throughout the day. I guess I’m entitled to one small complaint…so that was it. With that said, I’m very grateful that I have a condition that is treatable with the goal of full recovery and the prospect of a long and healthy life….I need to keep the outcome in sight and just get through the day to day process. As always, your cards, emails, phone calls and packages are instrumental in keeping me motivated and inspired as well as being greatly appreciated.
Big hugs,
Geri Lynn

Update #6

Hi All,
It’s been a while since I sent out an update and have since gone through chemo #4 and #5….only one more left on December 23rd, Merry Christmas to me! The fourth round hit me the hardest in terms of fatigue and all the other crappy side effects (loss of appetite, alien mouth/taste buds, diarrhea). I think I tried to do too much too early resulting in lying very low and resting the second weekend out. By comparison, today is the second weekend out from the fifth round and I feel great! I actually did Pilates on Friday and took my usual hour walk yesterday and today as well as catching up on some work reports over the weekend. The difference is I didn’t schedule much work last week except one four hour clinic on Wednesday. Thursday was filled with my usual Herceptin infusion and a whole body bone scan and chest x-ray for comparison to the baseline ones they took before beginning chemo. Who has time for work?? My medical oncologist said I’m “flying through this treatment”…
Friday at the acupuncturist she said my “whole body chi” was very strong and stronger than most people she sees including herself. She said that if I hadn’t told her about my diagnosis she would say that I was “very healthy” from her assessment. I agreed with her and said that I don’t have the cancer anymore, I just need to go through the rest of the treatment. I also emailed the naturopath in Scottsdale to let her know about my decision to go ahead with radiation…here is her email response, “I think that your decision to do radiation is proactive and is coming from a strong place. I recognize that it can be scary, but you are healthy and strong! On a positive note, your blood work looks very good, your blood cell counts are holding very well.” I’m scheduled to have a phone consult with her in January to determine which supplements I should take to support the radiation process.
I continue with the weekly Reiki and have started visualizing my “chakras” balancing every night before I go to sleep. It must be working since the Reiki therapist commented that I seemed very balanced last week. I have asked Scotty to learn to do Reiki with me when I’m done with all my treatment and he said yes…so I’m looking forward to learning more about this energy work and being able to do it to one another and on others as well. I will probably volunteer at the Caring Place that I’ve been going to for my Reiki treatments so I can help others that are on their path of recovery.
As some of you have suggested, I have added a “blog” to my website that links to these updates. I wanted to have a way to get this message out to more people. I still have to “editorialize” the updates and add some other insights-when I have more time and energy. Eventually I would like to send requests to some magazine editors in the hopes that they will want to publish my journey.
I’m really looking forward to being done with chemo (especially all the white food) and will be surrounded by family and friends that last week in December as we celebrate my completion of this round of treatment. Finally the light at the end of the tunnel is glowing brighter and brighter this holiday season….
Thanks again for all your emails, cards and visits….they really do help pick me up and help keep me positive.
I’m wishing you and yours a very healthy, happy and joyful holiday and New Years!
With love and big hugs,
Geri Lynn

Update #5

Hello Again,
Woohoo! I’ve hit the half way chemo mark…three down only three to go. Thankfully, this last chemo didn’t hit me as hard during the usual 5 day post-period …I was able to eat more, even fresh fruit, with less nausea, less fatigue and was able to walk each day around the dog park, less diarrhea (started drinking Gatorade during chemo and for the next week as suggested by the naturopath) and that seemed to really help. Again, I started craving sushi and tofu…so that seems to be a winner and let’s me know when I’m ready to start eating “real food” again. I’m sure some of you wouldn’t describe sushi and tofu as “real food”. Interestingly, for the next two weeks I didn’t recover back to the usual 85-90% and instead have been hovering around 75-80%...I guess eventually the chemo does take its toll. I’ve needed to rest more and have the GI stuff going on. The good news is that I was able to get some Marinol (marijuana derivative prescription that helps with nausea and increases appetite)….I’ve only taken it three times because a bonus “side effect” is that I get “high” and can’t really do my work nor do I want to. So I wait until the end of the day to take it and then relax and munch out!

I forgot to mention in the last update that I had a phone consultation with the naturopath in Scottsdale after my second chemo and she was very pleased with my response and actually said I’m having a “healthy response” to the chemo. I didn’t even know there was such a thing…but glad I fit into that category. My acupuncture doctor feels my pulses and looks at my tongue and keeps saying how good I’m doing and that I have “good genes” meaning an overall healthy disposition. She did pick up on my “weak stomach” a few weeks back. What an amazing way to diagnose by feeling my pulses….Western medicine could learn a few lessons from Eastern medicine. I’m still doing the Reiki energy work almost weekly and that has been very helpful. When I told her that I have been feeling a low energy level and need to take naps, she said she could tell I’m normally a high energy person and that where I am now is probably where most people are every day. So that was an interesting perspective. I continue to do Pilates three times a week and take an hour walk with the dogs on the other days. I think that is really helping to keep my energy level up…my motto is to keep moving! I am working through all of this except for the 5 days post chemo.

I did have a second consultation with the radiation oncologist last week accompanied by Scotty and Madie. She was great and spent an hour and a half answering all my questions. I told her I didn’t want radiation and it was her job to prove to me why I should. She went into the historical research and statistics. The bottom line from her perspective is that you only get one chance to cure breast cancer the first time around and that you don’t want a recurrence. The most compelling piece of information was that the scar tissue around the tumor removal site and lymph nodes is not able to receive the chemo since it is supplied by the blood and it doesn’t circulate through scar tissue. So if there are any renegade cancer cells in the area, chemo won’t get to them. Thus the need for radiation. So, the treatment plan for that is to begin about three weeks after chemo ends (last week in December-Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!) and that takes us to the end of January. The course is every day
(5 days/week) for six weeks….let the roasting begin! The doc claims it is the “icing on the cake” and is much easier than the surgery and chemo. The main side effect is fatigue. I don’t even want to think about any possible long term side effects so I won’t go into those and will just block them from my reality. I will also continue to get the Herceptin infusion every three weeks for the remainder of a year through September. Not to mention the quarterly MUGA scan to check my heart…just had the second one last week….it’s almost a full time job being a patient!

So this is quite the journey I’ve undertaken….I really appreciate all of you sharing in the ride and helping me along with all your amazing emails, thoughts, prayers, love, support and the surprise packages, cards and gifts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU and THANK YOU!
Big hugs to all of you!
Geri Lynn

Update #4

Hello Again,
I’ve made it through my second chemo and will be going for the third round this Thursday, October 23rd. That will be the half way mark! I was much better prepared for the side effects this time around and started the anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea meds sooner so that helped. I also wasn’t trying to push myself to eat so much knowing that I would feel better in a few days. It was the same outcome…felt okay day of and day after chemo then started feeling crappy on Saturday. I had an appointment on Saturday morning to get my head shaved because my hair was starting to fall out. I have a beautiful, bald head (see below) and am enjoying not having to shampoo or shave during my showers. It’s also easier to take a nap and not worry about “bed head”…I just put on my cute hat and am ready to go….I prefer going the hat route as opposed to scarves or “Sasha” the wig. After the shaving, I balanced out the morning with a pedicure….we must keep our priorities straight! I started coming out of the fog on Wednesday and was craving the sushi and tofu again. I’ve always been one to like routines, why would this be different.
I’m continuing all my therapies including the weekly acupuncture, Reiki, boatload of supplements, pet therapy (taking Madie’s dogs, or my grand dogs as we refer to them, on walks to chase rabbits or just to go pet them in the back yard), Sawyer fix (spending time with my beautiful 6 month old niece pictured below) and body work/massages. I had a massage last week by my dear friend Terry who has been working on me for over 10 years. She said that I was the best she had ever felt me (energetically speaking)-the most calm and centered. I also told Scotty that I feel “lighter”…so this is part of the silver lining already shining through from this experience. More confirmation came when another dear friend, Lelia came over and gave me a great foot massage with essential oils. As she was finishing and placing her hands on my upper chest, she smiled and said “pink light”….apparently she always sees light when she is working on people, but she said she has never seen “pink” light. She felt like my healing was done and that I just needed to go through the process. That’s how I feel about it too! I’m very pleased that the second chemo side effects were at about the same and certainly not worse than the first go around. I had thought it might be cumulative and get worse each time…I’m not planning to have that happen. I’m also able to continue with my Pilates 3x/week and hour walk the other days except for the 5 days post chemo…small price to pay for a lifetime of perfect health.
Thanks again for all your responses, care packages, cards and of course prayers, love and support.
Until we write again.
Big hugs,
Geri Lynn

Update #3

Hello to my Family and Friends,
Well I made it through my first chemo on September 11th with the help of mom and Madie. I did fine the day of and day after, but by the third day it hit me hard. I now fully and completely understand the definition of fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea and some nausea. I’ll be such a better dietitian now J It lasted from Saturday until Wednesday. Mom kept trying to get me to eat and nothing sounded or tasted good….she tried sour dough grilled cheese which I ate a few times, macaroni and cheese, crackers, baked potato with cheese, all the “white” foods I never usually eat… then Boost (canned liquid meal) when all else failed and it was easy to just down it for 350 calories through a straw. Fortunately by Wednesday afternoon I started craving “sushi and tofu” so Scotty and I went to our favorite Sushi restaurant and I ate miso soup, edamame, 6 pieces of sushi and 8 tempura tofu….it was a feast and felt so good to finally eat a real meal followed by Cold Stone-only had a few bites and saved it for the next two nights.
So slowly my appetite came back…my mouth was very dry and my tongue was sore even though I am rinsing after every meal with a warm water solution of salt and baking soda. My energy is better but certainly not like before. I’m enjoying daily afternoon naps anywhere from 1-2 hours in between working appointments. I also have been getting weekly acupuncture on Fridays and weekly Reiki (energy work) on Mondays. I’m taking a boat load of supplements three times a day from the naturopath. Now I’m really pushing the calories in anticipation of the next round…I can’t believe I’m eating banana splits at nights-well only three times so far and other high calorie foods…I feel like I’m pregnant again when I barely gained 17# after feeling so nauseous the first 5 months.
I’ve gone every week for my labs and Herceptin infusion (ends up taking about 2 hours even though the actual infusion is only 30 minutes). The day after chemo I have to go get a shot of Neulasta which helps my bone marrow make good blood cells to keep my immune system up. It causes some “bone pain” but wasn’t too bad. So I’m getting into the routine of weekly Thursday infusions and sort of enjoy the relaxation of sitting in the recliner listening to meditation tapes and other relaxing music. Madie is my designated “chemo companion” and will be going with me to all the appointments and mom will come done on the day after chemo and stay as long as I need her.
I’m gearing up for my second round of chemo this coming Thursday. Now I have a better idea of what to expect and am taking the full week off after chemo. It’s hard work “reformatting my immune system” and I definitely feel like I need to “reboot” every now and then…those are the afternoon naps. J It’s great to know that I will bounce back after a few days and the side effects go away for a while-I hope that stays the same throughout the treatment. I saw my doctor on Thursday and I don’t have to see her again for 4 weeks….the little joys in life.
I really appreciate all your emails, cards, phone calls and of course PRAYERS, LOVE AND SUPPORT. Please keep them coming...I can’t always answer each one personally, but I definitely enjoy hearing from all of you.
Until next time.
Big hugs,
Geri Lynn

PS. The first night after chemo I went to my monthly “women connecting” dinner with 10 girlfriends-we were celebrating our 5th anniversary. After dinner the host had angel cards and we each selected one. I went first and picked from the Angel Healing Cards….I fanned out the cards and looked at them, one seemed to “jump out at me”…I picked it up and it said “MIRACLES” with the following passage: “Miracles are occurring all around you right now. Begin to notice them, and you will experience even more miracles. This card is the angels’ way of telling you to expect a miracle. Perhaps you feel that you need one right now because you can’t see any other way to a solution. Be open to allowing God to help you resolve your challenges in ways that will surprise you. You open the door for miracles when you become willing to surrender your fears to God. Visualize the angels carrying away he issue, and feel yourself supported by God’s wisdom and creativity. As you relax into the Source, you are assured that blessings are surrounding you right now. Be open to a miracle coming your way.”
Needless to say, I cried tears of joy and know that all of your prayers and thoughts are being answered and I truly am expecting a miracle with complete recovery. I not only will be a cancer survivor….I will be a cancer thriver!