Holly girl scout cookies

So many have helped Holly with her Girl Scout cookies – wow.  I think she is around 300 boxes sold or something crazy.  It turns out that having a mom with breast cancer help move cookies. 

Anyhow, we all really appreciate the extra effort by those around us – both those who have bought and those who have help her sell (and those who have flat out sold FOR her). 

1/17/11 update

No real news to report, but wanted to make sure we were not silent (as that can seem bad).  Jill has been more nauseous and tired after treatment #3 than 1 or 2.  Part of it is that I think she is starting to tire a bit of the entire thing.  Like anyone, any challenging process will have an ebb and flow on a person’s attitude, patience, etc.  Jill sat around a bunch this weekend (and today) and is getting rather bored.  She did get out to church and then Holly’s Futsal game.  But that was about it. 

She should start feeling better this week.  Her next treatment is the 27th, so she should end up with a week of feeling fairly good – but you never really know.  One day at a time, right?  He brother and his family are coming in this weekend, which will be nice. 

Thanks again to all the meals and help this week!!!! 

Sincere thanks to so many

Sorry . . . lots of posts today in a short bunch.

I am struggling with showing the appreciation for those around us.  Let me explain.  I am so overly thankful I just want to go on and on about what people have done for us.  My issue is that we are already at the point where we cannot keep up with it all.  I hesitate to post notes of gratitude as I will miss people, and I will miss people that helped up out in some significant way at a real cost of their own time and money.  I absolutely do not want to hurt any feeling by leaving them out or by thanking someone for the wrong thing.

I am going to do this generically.  More than anything, I want to thank you all.  We will never be able to repay this debt of love, support, and effort.  Never.

Many people have brought us meals - 2 per week for several weeks now.  All meals have been between great and awesome.  Meals have fed us for days.  Meals have had treats (in addition to the every other week treats on Saturdays).  This has made my eating healthy a bit hard, but has made Jill's directive of 'just eat' easier!  I will say that there was a box of cookies that literally gave me a beat down.  Every time I walked by they overpowered me!  All of this has taken time and money to make and deliver.  WOW is all I can say.

People have taken my kids everywhere . . . to one place, home from another, etc.  This has done more for me than anyone to be blunt.  This has allowed me some Greg time and time to do things like clean and organize the house and work on my blogs.

Our driveway has been cleared multiple times.

Out house has been cleaned.

Let me end with this - there is not a single thing that has been done for us that has gone unnoticed.  There is not a single thought or prayer that we are not grateful for.  And I know I will be writing this stuff over and over for the coming months.  I want everyone to feel good about helping us.  It makes a difference.

Jill's Q&A with the Oncologist yesterday

Jill had a sort of FAQ with the Oncologist yesterday.  He had told us up front that we will hear a enormously wide range of advice . . . and that we should always nod politely and take with a grain of salt.  He said that everyone is different and every cancer is different.

Jill can eat anything she wants.  His number one concern is that she eat to keep her strength.  Yeah, healthy would be better, but eating anything is #1.  Fresh fruit and veggies are okay, but should be washed.  Jill can drink alcohol, though she really does not to begin with.  Sugar does not 'feed cancer' any more than it feeds the rest of your body.

She is able to see people, even people from out of town, with the exception of her bother's family in Ohio, they always get someone sick.  ;)  She should avoid contact with clearly sick people.

In other words - she is to live a very close to normal life.

This post, like most, are from me - Greg - but this last part is very clearly my editorial.

I am so glad she is able to live as close to normal as she can.  I think she is really finding a groove of understanding some days she is just not herself and that she needs to rest.  Others she can do much more - but also that she needs to not go 100% even if she feels like it.  She is really doing good at working within her limits.  And doing less at home.  But she still helps out when she is feeling up.  I think her and I are starting to feel this . . . she does a bit more to help me when she is well and then knows she has to move to more the passive role from time to time.

Updated course of action

FYI, the doc said, in the big picture, Jill's treatment plan is still the same:  Chemo, recovery, surgery, recover, radiation, reconstruction.  He did want to make sure to set our expectations in that the surgery will be several surgeries.  Like a breast at a time then the ovaries.  Post chemo you are weaker and it is better to stick to shorter surgeries.

He was very encouraged with the results of the treatment so far and with how Jill was feeling.

Breast Surgeon appt update

We met briefly with the Breast Surgeon today.  He was all business.  :)  He did a manual exam and an ultrasound to check the tumor.  The ultrasound has it under 2cm.  Yeah.  So the ultrasound and two doc's manual exams say it has shrunk in half or better after 3 treatments (2 really, the 3rd was just yesterday).

Jill is a bit more nauseous in her day 1 and 2 post treatment this time, but not terrible.

She is off to get he shot to boost white blood cells now and then will rest this afternoon.

Chemo session 3, tumor has shrunk

Jill is currently at the oncologist's office getting chemo.  The doc said her tumor has shrunk and is now about half the starting size.  This is what the surgeon said . . . that we would be stunned at how fast it will shrink in the first month.  We are stunned.