Happy 2015!

Hi Everyone!

I remember a year ago proclaiming that 2014 was going to be MY year. There were great opportunities in store for me. Four months later, I was told that I had cancer and that I would need aggressive treatment. 

It's been two months since my last chemotherapy cycle and one month since the mastectomy. I have a little bit of stubble on my head, some loose fingernails due to peel off any day now, eczema, an 8-inch scar across my chest, and the assurance of my plastic surgeon and his staff that the reconstructed breast will NEVER look like my natural breast. Ha ha ha!!

I honestly believed that after the surgery I would put all these cancer shenanigans behind me - that the treatment I underwent would fade into a distant memory. However, I still go to the infusion center every three weeks to continue one of the targeted drugs, which will continue through the month of July '15. I still have to get an echo cardiogram every three months because one of the main side effects of the targeted drugs is heart failure. Every week for at least 4 more weeks, the temporary implant will get filled with more saline. I will inevitably have another surgery to replace the temporary implant with a permanent one. I will also take a Tamoxifen pill every day ... for the next 5 years. 

Do I view any of these things as burdens? No... they're just part of my routine. 

I am thankful to God to be alive. I am thankful for the personal growth I have experienced. I am thankful for the support and generosity and friendships, both rekindled and new. 

I am looking forward to great opportunities in this new year! 

Deidre

My Mastectomy Has Been Scheduled

The long awaited date has arrived! I check in to the hospital for the mastectomy at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, December 2nd and will be in the O.R. by 8 a.m. The surgery should last about 3 hours followed by a 2-day stay to ensure that there aren't any complications. 

I am a candidate for immediate breast reconstruction so, my surgeons will perform a 2- stage operation. The first stage will be after my surgical oncologist completes the mastectomy. My plastic surgeon will step in and finish up with a tissue expander (a deflated, temporary implant) under my pectoral muscle and a few drainage tubes to help flush out excess fluids. The drainage tubes will remain for a period of 1 to 4 weeks. Once the drainage tubes are removed, the expander will be filled with saline through a port every 2 - 3 weeks over a period of approximately 6 months. My chest will feel tight and uncomfortable as my skin is stretched, but I can handle it. 

"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." 

Philippians 4:14

The second stage will be performed after the skin has rejuvenated and the breast mound is large enough to replace the expander with a permanent implant (cutting along the same incision as the mastectomy). At the same time, my surgeon will perform surgery on the natural breast to create symmetry. What a deal, eh?! If only I could get an eye surgeon in there to perform lasik surgery, too!

There are more details leading to a complete reconstruction (e.g., fat grafts, tattooing, possible radiation therapy), so I'm looking at about 1-1/2 to 2 years of working with my plastic surgeon. Oy vey!

The best part is knowing how blessed I am to have such a great team of surgeons on my side and knowing that I have a Great God who has my back! Can I get an "amen?!"

"O Lord my God, I called to you for help, 

and you healed me." 

Psalm 30:2

As always, thank you for your continued prayer and support.

~ Deidre

I Have Finished Chemo.

Have you ever had one of those mornings when you wake up feeling lousy? You think to yourself, " I wonder if I look as bad as I feel?" You look in the mirror and ... well...

On Wednesday, November 5th, I had my 6th and final chemo treatment. The side effects from the last three were really rough. There were times when I questioned if I could complete the chemo. The nausea, muscle cramps, bone pain, deteriorating finger and toenails, digestive issues, insomnia, fatigue, etc., intensified and lingered with each passing treatment.

I had an end-of-chemo mammogram and MRI which showed zero signs of the invasive cancer. YEAH! Now I am awaiting the appointment with my surgical oncologist on November 20th to discuss what to expect after the mastectomy and hopefully coordinate a surgery date with my plastic surgeon. I still have to go to the infusion center for about 14 more rounds of the targeted drug, Herceptin, since it needs to be administered for a year to be effective. I should be finished with that in August 2015.

I'm really nervous about the mastectomy, so I would appreciate it if you would pray that the surgery is a success.

Lots of love,

Deidre

"A Friend Loves At All Times..." Proverbs 17:17a

My friend, Tanya, works for a company called It Works! They have a "Give Back Day" where one can donate a portion of their sales to an organization or a cause. I am pleased to announce that Tanya has chosen to donate to my youcaring.com fundraiser. 
Check this out:

Tanya Kingsbury

6 hrs · 

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

One of my friends Deidre Melanese is fighting Breast Cancer right now! She is a amazing Godly woman who I met almost 20 years ago at the Horizon School of Evangelism. As most of you know fighting cancer is expensive and insurance does not cover everything and she is not able to work during this time which makes paying her basic necessities tough! Her blog to follow her journey is here
http://yourdailydoseofdeidre.blogspot.com/2014/08/gods-been-good-to-me.html?spref=fb

One of the things I love about IT WORKS is they are HUGE about giving back and Sept 6th is IT WORKS GIVE BACK DAY. I am wanting to donate $5 for every Body or Facial Wrap I sell between now and Sept 6th to help Deidre. Also any products purchased on my website I will donate to her my commissions! I feel so fortunate to be able to try and help raise money for her!

Wraps are $25 each and $5 of every wrap sold will go to her. You can also host a party in her honor and I will donate $5 for every wrap and you will get yours for FREE! You can look on my site for pictures of what our wraps can do they are ALL natural and it is fat loss not water loss! My website is www.kingsburyskinnywraps.com

If you would like to just donate to help the link to donate is here...
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/deidre-cancer-free-or-bust-/177421/update/206066

This is a great opportunity for you to try out a Body or Facial Wrap, support Tanya's business, and help raise funds for my medical needs. Everybody wins!!

Thank you, Tanya, for your prayers, support and generosity.

<3 Deidre

God's Been Good to Me

I am often told that I have a great attitude and a lot of joy for one battling breast cancer. I'm going to have to agree. I do have a lot of joy. God continues to bless my socks off and  assures me that He is with me every step of the way. I'm so excited to share some of the things He has done.

"My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long."

Psalm 71:8

On July 31st (8 days after my 1st round of chemo), I was admitted into the hospital with a fever, thrush, mouth sores, and an acne-like rash. I spent the next 7 days getting a cocktail of antibiotics before being released. I was more concerned about my loss of finances than I was about my health. 

I'm so thankful that my landlord, John, was available to look after my two dogs. The blessing continued when John waived my rent for the month of September!!

I had my 2nd round of chemo on August 13th followed by an injection of Neulasta to promote white blood cell growth. I was delighted to be accompanied by my dear friends, Bonnie, Heather, and Natilee. It was quite the social event. 

Post-chemo hasn't brought any flu-like symptoms as I had after the first round, however, I am more fatigued and my hands and feet have been tingly (a sign of temporary nerve damage -- a common side effect).

More blessings after church service this past Sunday... I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of love by fellow believers praying over me. It's so important to be in fellowship. I am often reminded of this verse:

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

 Hebrews 10:25

By the way, I drove to church in my '94 Mazda that was sold to me by a woman I have never met for $1. Yes, that's ONE DOLLAR. She drove over 11 hours to deliver it to me here in San Diego. Thank you, Jeanne B.!

Did I mention that God's been good to me? God's ALWAYS been good.

Please continue to pray for healing & God's provision and if you'd like to make a donation, please click on the "Deidre - Cancer Free or Bust" link located in the upper right corner. 

Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers,

oxox Deidre

My First Chemotherapy Infusion

Last week, I had an implantable catheter or port-a-cath surgically tunneled under the skin in my chest. The catheter was inserted into a large vein under the clavicle and the port was inserted entirely underneath the skin and attached to the catheter. There is a visible bump on my chest but the tip of the catheter is not seen. Before each access or needle insertion the skin over the port is numbed with Emla cream. Then a special needle is inserted through the skin into the catheter that is connected to the port. All blood drawn and treatments will be administered through this port-a-cath thus, reducing the number of needle sticks directly into the vein. This port will remain in place throughout the duration of chemotherapy and the mastectomy.  

On Wednesday, July 23rd, I arrived at UCSD Moores Cancer Center at 8 a.m. for my first chemotherapy infusion. I had blood drawn from my port to insure that I could handle the dose of each drug. Then, I checked in with my oncologist who gave the green light to proceed with treatment. Finally, I picked seat 11C, which I nested in for the next 5 hours.

Before any treatment began, I was given an IV solution of  Zyrtek, Tylenol, and an anti-nausea drug. That took about 30 minutes. 

The next 60 minutes I received Perjeta, which is a drug designed to target HER2+ cancer cells. Followed by 90 minutes of Herceptin, another target drug that is effective against HER2+ cancer cells.

The third infusion was 60 minutes of Taxotere, a chemotherapy drug (premedication of the corticosteroid pill, Decadron, started the day prior to Taxotere infusion, which continued for 3 days to reduce the severity of fluid retention and allergic reactions).

The fourth infusion was 60 minutes of the chemotherapy drug, Carboplatin. One of the common side effects listed was "vomitting and nausea usually occurring within the first 24 hours of treatment." I can attest to this as FACT.

Finally, a saline solution was used to flush out the port-a-cath before sending me on my way. 

My next visit is in 3 weeks. One down; 5 more to go!!

Seat 11C where I set up camp, ordered lunch, took advantage of the free wi-fi, and had a great conversation with Kathy Grand. I love you, Kathy, and have been so blessed by your willingness to accompany me to all of my appointments. Your presence and love have meant the world to me.

Here's a close up of the port-a-cath that was inserted under my skin. Technology and medical science is amazing!!

As always, I'd like to thank all of you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I'm feeling the love. 

Peace and blessings,

Deidre

Look out Beyonce... I might get a wig just like yours!

Welp, all of the tests results are in... I still have breast cancer. 

In fact, I have Stage 2b invasive cancer from the tumor AND non-invasive Stage 0 cancer throughout the rest of the breast tissue. The cancer is also ER (estrogen receptor) positive and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) positive, so my hormones are promoting the cancer cell growth and the gene mutation accelerates the growth making the cancer more aggressive. If you recall back in April the tumor was Stage 0 non invasive but has since progressed to Stage 2b invasive in 3 months. The good news is that it doesn't appear to have spread to my lymph nodes. Thank you, Jesus!

I will begin chemotherapy on July 23rd which will be administered for 18 weeks. According to my calculations, I should complete my last round of chemo just in time for Christmas! This course of treatment increases my chances of survival and decreases the likelihood of recurrence, however, it will not shrink or eliminate the non tumor cancer throughout the rest of the breast tissue. I will still need to have a mastectomy.

In preparation for chemo, I have been scheduled for an echocardiogram (must have a strong heart 'cause there are rare side effects of heart failure due to the drugs), a pre chemotherapy educational visit (to tell me about all of the side effects like losing my hair and nails... and possible heart failure), a catheter port consultation followed by surgery (a chest iv for the chemo drugs will be inserted under the skin), and a dentist appointment (apparently going to the dentist is an issue while going through cancer treatment). Phew!! I think I might splurge on a $20 mani-pedi from Groupon while I still have my nails. ;-) 

As always, thank you for your continued prayers, donations and support. I have peace of mind knowing that I'm not going through this alone.

With much love,

Deidre


In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; 
in the morning I lay my requests before you 
and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3