Merry Christmas!!!

First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers for my family and me in the year 2010.  We have most definitely had an interesting year, but we are also most definitely stronger and better for it.  I cannot thank God enough for all of my family and friends who have been so wonderful through this year, and I love you all to pieces!
Second of all, I would like to share a prayer with you all.  Every year, I write a poem for the Reeder Family Christmas card.  This year, I decided that a prayer poem was nothing less than perfect, so I hope you all enjoy it.  Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!

Dear most precious Heavenly Father,

In this time of remembering Your Son,

May You heed this humble prayer of mine,

And as always, let Your will be done.

I pray for peace around the world,

For joy and love and grace.

Please bless Your sons and daughters,

And shine through every face.

I ask for safety in travels

For all who wander from home.

May hearts be open and giving,

And may Your presence be known.

I pray for those in sickness,

And also for those in health,

In hopes that everyone knows and finds

The essence of true wealth.

I rejoice for families together,

But ache for those apart.

I ask forgiveness for past mistakes,

And thank You for new starts.

I pray for warmth in times of cold,

For young eyes wide in splendor.

May hugs embrace and never end,

And every look be tender.

I ask for fun and merriment

To spread like never before,

While keeping in mind that first day of Yule

When the King of all Kings was born.

I pray for my family, my treasured loved-ones,

And for all of my very dear friends.

May they all have the very merriest Christmas!

In Christ Jesus’ name, Amen.

-Sky Reeder, 2010-

Whoah! We're Halfway There!!

Well, everyone, guess what???!!!  I have officially finished half of my Chemotherapy treatments!  Waaaahoooooo!!!  I had the 6th treatment (of 12) on Tuesday, December 21, 2010, and everything went just fine.  My family and I are becoming pros at this!
There was one new element to this round of Chemo: Cha' got to come experience it with me!  She is finally out of school (with a 4.0, I might add), and I am very happy to have her at home for a while!  It was typical Cha', though...she was all about the medical stuff!  "What's that?"  "What does that do?"  "What's in that?"  I love it that she is so passionate about becoming a good doctor, and she was a big help to me during Chemo.  We are besties!
Also, I am happy to say that my newly re-flipped port worked perfectly!  Yaaaay!  Hopefully I won't have to go through any more unexpected surgeries.
Right now, I am just trying to recover so that I feel decent for Christmas.  I have had a rather down day today, due to a bit of nausea and not wanting to eat/drink anything, but it could always be worse.  I get to be with my family for Christmas, and that in and of itself is the best present ever!  Who could ask for more?

Minor Set-Back

Hey everyone!  I am so sorry that it's been a while since I have updated this blog...up until recently, there wasn't much to give an update on, at least not medical information.  Please understand that this lack of posting is in no way reflective of how appreciative I am to all of your for your prayers and support.  I seriously can't thank any of you enough, and I thank God all of the time for blessing me with such a wonderful support system.  You are all truly amazing...thank you. 

My 4th round of chemo went about as smoothly as the 3rd, although I was able to really enjoy Thanksgiving with my family.  Somehow, by the grace of God, I was able to smell and eat and savor Thanksgiving dinner, which was only 2 days after my treatment......go figure?!  I was also able to get out in nature and do some hunting, of which it paid off nicely! 

This hunting season has been one of my best so far.  When I feel decent (which is still over 50% of the time), Dad and I have been able to take off and get in touch with our primitive selves!  Okay, okay...so a Browning X-Bolt 25-06 isn't exactly primitive, but it definitely gets the job done!  About a week after I got this bad boy (10-point), I killed a nice doe at around 315 yards...even at that distance, she only ran 20 yards, tops, and then fell.

But enough about killing............actually, NO!  We still have death to discuss...death of the Cancer!!  Mwahaha!  (please forgive me if I sound a little crazy...I am slightly medicated at the present moment, but I'll get to that in a minute).  Anyways, I had another PET Scan on Friday, December 3, which was the same scan as one I had done before any chemo started.  The first scan showed my chest area to be lit up like a Christmas tree--there were infected nodes EVERYWHERE!  This scan (drum roll please) showed absolutely NO nodes lit up, thank you very much! :) :) :) While this is excellent news and God should be praised for His mighty work, it doesn't necessarily mean any changes.  As of now, I still have to complete all of my treatments (12 total), and my doc is still holding out his decision for radiation.  That being said, however, this is great news in that the chemotherapy is working!!  Wahoo!!!

Speaking of the chemo working, I'm sure many of you are wondering about my hair situation.  Well, I still have it...hair, I mean.  Don't get me wrong--it has been falling out for some time now.  However, I just had such thick hair to begin with, that it is only just now looking thin.  Nothing a cute hat can't cover up!  Honestly, though, the shave party may happen soon, if for nothing but sheer frustration at all of this shedding!  You know how annoying a single hair can be when it gets in-between your shirt and your skin and tickles you to no end?!?  Well, try having a constant tickling force all over you!!  It's just hair...it will grow back (and mine will grow back fast!).  Plus, if I don't shave my head, then who is going to get to enjoy all of these fabulous wigs???!  I promise to keep you posted on the hair situation.  For those that like a little more information, I do still have to shave my legs, I still have as much hair on my arms as I ever had, and my eyebrows and eyelashes are still bushy and beautiful! lol  (I would be so ecstatic if I somehow managed to keep my eyebrows and eyelashes through this whole ordeal...).

Now then, where was I?  Oh yes...Chemo #5.  Well, I rolled in to Cancer Care two days ago (Tuesday, December 7) with new tricks up my sleeve.  I took nausea meds as soon as I saw the building, and I then proceeded to lather my nose up with a nice coating of Vic's (technically, it was the off-brand).  My new tricks worked!!!  I was ready to go, with as little of anticipatory-nausea (they have technical terms in the medical field) as to be expected.  I went back to the treatment room to get all set up for the day; they have to take lab work to make sure I can have chemo, and they go ahead and access my port then so I only have to get stuck once (yay for that!).  The port needle is fairly thick, but I don't need any numbing medicine for one quick poke...or so I thought.  One of my favorite nurses was all set up to do my "stick".  I took a deep breath, and she poked me, but I could immediately tell that something was wrong, both from the feeling of the port and the look on her face.  She had another one of my favorite nurses come over (let's face it, I love all of my nurses!), for some assistance.  Needless to say, before it was all over, I had about 6 nurses around me, poking and prodding at my port.  They ended up trying to stick me 3 times (I had finally asked for some numbing medicine), only to decide that I had somehow managed to flip my port. 

They sent me from the treatment room to see my doctor.  Dr. Keller took a look at the port, but he couldn't tell much from outside the skin, so he sent me back to radiology.  After I had 2 chest x-rays done, I went back to see the doc, who confirmed that he though I had flipped my port.  So, my dad has to play gopher and run the x-rays over to Dr. Meese's office (he is the doctor that did my port surgery), pick up some medicine for me, and get me lunch, of which only one thing sounded remotely appetizing--Mexi Dips & Chips from Taco Bueno. 

Sooooo....back I went to the treatment center to get my chemo through an IV.  They had to give the meds to me really slowly this way, because some of the meds in my treatment are damaging to the skin if any happened to leak out of the vein.  Luckily, this didn't happen...I told you all that I loved all of my nurses! :)

While I was getting treated, my dad was calling and scheduling appointments for me to have my port inspected by Dr. Meese.  This appointment, as luck would have it, was scheduled for the very next day, Wednesday, December 8.  So, I went home once Chemo #5 was finished, licking my wounds and waiting for the next day.

Mom, Dad, and I arrived at the 3 golden towers in Tulsa (I'm sure they have a technical name, but golden towers is what I'm going with tonight) a little before 10 yesterday morning.  We immediately began paperwork for pre-op (????? At this moment, I wasn't aware I was having surgery), and then we went upstairs to the operation waiting room (????? I wanted to talk to Dr. Meese before anyone came near me with any sharp objects!).  Dr. Meese did, in fact, come out to see my family and me, and then he took me back to examine my port.  He numbed the site, and then used a small needle to poke around and make sure that the port was, indeed, flipped.  What did he find?  The port was, indeed, flipped.

Back to the waiting room I went, where I waited for a long time (they were trying to find a place to squeeze me in, as this surgery wasn't exactly planned).  Needless to say, on December 7, 2010, Dr. Meese split me back open, turned over my port, and stitched it down with a few more stitches than he had the last time (apparently, I had ripped out the two he had originally put in there).  After my surgery, they gave me as much pain medicine as they could, but I still had to go back to Cancer Care to get my Neulasta shot.  Back on with a generous coating of the off-brand Vic's and a big stick later, and I was back in the car headed back to Stillwater.

I'm sure many of you are wondering how on earth I managed to flip my port over in the first place.  The best I can tell, it happened over the Thanksgiving holiday.  One evening, I wasn't feeling very well, and so I climbed up to sit on my Dad's lap, as he was comfortably reclining in big and fluffy rocking chair.  I was curled up with most of my weight on his upper left leg.  When I was ready to get up, I realized that I was going to have to slide right off onto his bad left knee, which had been really hurting him.  So, I reached over to the right arm-rest with my left hand, and pushed my weight up so that I could get up without hurting my dad.  Needless to say, I doubled over in pain, but I though I had just pulled the muscle.  I guess when I lifted most of my weight up with my left arm, the muscle that my port sits on strained just enough to allow that sucker to pop right over.

So, I am back on the couch with Chemo #5 freshly through me, pretty sore and sickly feeling from the Neulasta shot, and mostly immobile and almost 100% reliable on outside help from being sliced open again.  I guess the good news is that there are no new scars, as Dr. Meese could just go back through the old one!  I am also now on strict orders to not use my left arm so extensively.  Dr. Meese said that I shouldn't have been able to flip the port, even if I had tried.  I guess it's just one of those fluke things that happens sometimes...either that, or he isn't used to a fairly muscly woman who can lift most of her body weight with one arm...no girly push-ups for me!!! 

The Third Time Is A........Charm?

Hello all!  I have officially completed 3 of 12 chemotherapy treatments!  Yay!  The third one, however, did not go as smoothly as the first two.  I think my body is beginning to catch on to the plans.  As soon as I walked into the treatment center and smelled that now-familiar smell of the treatment room, my stomach rolled.  Actually, my stomach is beginning to act up, just thinking about it.  There's the beauty of psychology, folks...
There was good news during my treatment.  For one thing, my doctor was very surprised that I still had my hair (not all of it, admittedly, but enough).  Secondly, I had another chest x-ray while I was there, and the chemo is definitely doing it's job!  The nodes that were so visible in my chest at the beginning of this whole ordeal had decreased significantly in size!  Praise God for that!
Anyways, I had to take more nausea medicine than usual, but that wasn't too big of a deal.  I actually felt pretty good when I left Cancer Care, and my mom and I went out to eat.  After our late lunch, we arrived at the hotel around 3-ish.  All was going pretty well until I rode up to the forth floor in the elevator...mistake.  That sent my tummy in a tizzy, and it really never got better.  I spent that first night curled up in a ball and reliant on nausea meds that make me really drowsy (I slept like a baby, though!).  Normally, I am bouncing off of the walls the day I have chemo...something about a steroid high...not the case this time.
The next day, I went back to the treatment center for my Nulasta shot.  I was still not feeling very great, but I was doing better than the previous night.  After I got my shot, my mom and I headed south to Hugo, OK for some R&R at Nana and Papa's house!  Needless to say, that's really all I did.  I actually didn't feel as tired and achy as I had for treatments 1 and 2, but the nausea made up for that.  I despise that upset-tummy feeling...honestly, the worst part about being sick at my stomach was the ramifications of food!  There I was, at Nana's house, and all I could stand to eat (or smell, for that matter) was ham and cheese (an occasional PB&J) sandwiches. 
So, it is now 5 days after my chemo treatment, and my tummy is still unhappy.  What I hate the most is that my poor family has to cater to my stupid stomach.  Smells bother me the most, so cooking inside the house is a touchy subject.  Then, there's the task of finding something I can actually eat, which I know must be frustrating for them.  Needless to say, treatment 3 has been the most difficult, but I know it could still be so much worse.
Okay, enough negativity.  I wouldn't even write all of this icky stuff, but it's the truth.  Painting over things with "rose-colored writing" doesn't help anyone.  Treatment 3 was no bueno...'nuff said.  Apart from feeling icky for a few days, I've been really blessed!  Dad says I'm making cancer look fun...I do get to go hunting (one of my absolute favorite hobbies) quite often, and I spend most of my time in the comfort of my own home with two of my favorite people in the whole wide world--Mom and Dad.  I am extremely blessed to have such supportive and wonderful parents.  I do miss spending time with my sister, but she had to go and get Mono and Shingles...way to go, sis...JUST KIDDING!  I actually feel horrible for her...she has had worse symptoms and pains than I have.  Poor kid...she sure is a trooper, though.  Every time I see her, she looks like she is about to enter a beauty pageant............AND WIN!  What a remarkable person I am privileged enough to call my sister.

Numero Dos!

Yay for more cancer dying!!!  I had my second chemotherapy treatment today, and everything went so well.  Seriously, getting chemo is no big deal, at least my kind of chemo isn't.  The nurses just hook me up like a wall outlet, and I'm good to go!  As a matter of fact, the night after I have chemo, I feel GREAT!!!  I mean, hyper, bouncing off of the walls, can't go to sleep (hence the fact that I'm writing this now) type of feel great!  I asked the nurses about it today, and they just laughed and said it was because of the steroid they give me while administering chemo.  So, they are trying to make my hair grow while the chemo is trying to make it fall out (lots of shedding now, btw)?????  I'm totally okay with that!
Update on my blood levels: all is well!  I am no longer neutropenic, so I can actually return to society.  Happy day!  I still have to wash my hands all of the time, plus I'm cautious around people, just as precaution.  However, I LOVE being able to see my friends and be back in the real world!  In order to keep my social calendar satisfied, I will be given a shot tomorrow of a drug called Neulasta.  This medication helps my bone marrow make white blood cells so I don't become Neutropenic.  My doctor had to wait and see how I would respond to chemo for the first treatment, but now that he knows that my body soaks it up and my levels fall, I will get this shot the day after every treatment.
While I was at the clinic today having lab work and treatment done, I also had an appointment with my doctor.  He said I looked really good (I'm not really sure what he expected me to look like, but there it is...).  He also felt in my lower neck area where there were some prominent nodes, and said he couldn't feel them (even he seemed a bit surprised)!  In your face, cancer!!!!  How do you like that??!  I guess that is the one good thing about being hyper-sensitive to medication (for example: any "may cause slight drowsiness in 2% of patients" knocks me on my back for a good 24 hours!!!)--my body soaks up the chemo, meaning the cancer has to eat it too! HAHA
So, I know everyone reading this wants updates about me, which is why I posted the three paragraphs above--yes, there are actually three--(btw, I really appreciate everyone's support and time spent caring about my silly life...seriously, it means more than you all will ever know).   However, my sister could use some prayers as well, so if you're interested in both Reeder girls, keep reading...please and thank you!
Cha' has been sent to the ER twice in the past week.  She contracted that evil and nasty stomach virus that has been making its way around Stilly, and let's just say she saw much of her meals twice that week.  She went to a regular physician, got some meds, and was actually doing much better this weekend (other than stressing about all of the work she had missed in school).  Then, on Tuesday morning, my family and I find out that she has thrown up over 30 times in the past couple of hours.  We quickly call her wonderful and sweet boyfriend, Wyatt, to take straight to the ER (he was also instructed to dismiss any arguing made by the patient, including those rebellions in the form of kicking or screaming).  She went to the ER, where they worked on subsiding her symptoms.  Once they got her symptoms at least decently subdued, the nurses and doctors began looking for the cause of this "relapse".  They took blood and administered numerous tests.  The results?  Mononucleosis.  That's the bad news...of course, Cha' is concerned about her school, but she will get that figured out.  I just hate it that she is going to feel bad for a while, because let me tell you without any frosting or sugar-coating that mono isn't very fun (I had a horrible case of it my senior year).  Let me rephrase that slightly:  mono wasn't very fun for me.  But, as I said earlier, my body amplifies meds, so why not illnesses???  Anyways, there is good news (as there has been in every "bad" situation the Reeders have encountered lately).  We now know what is ailing Cha', which is, in many ways, a relief.  (She had a few swollen lymph nodes in her neck due to the trauma and stress of being sick, and it is fair to say that my family is just a little gun shy at the present moment).  Also, as I mentioned, I have already had mono, so she is not really contagious to me (trust me, I won't go drinking after her...I'm not idiotic).  Well, technically, there are various strains of mono, so she could have another strain that I could get, but it's not likely.  My doctor looked at my Epstein Barr immunity in my blood today (the virus that is mono), and I have full immunity!  Yay!!  This is such good news for my family, as we have been a split family for the past few weeks.  Dad and I have had to stay away from Mom and Cha', just so each sick "kid" can have someone to take care of them.  Explanation: when I was Neutropenic, I couldn't afford to get sick AT ALL, and I was extremely succeptible to any illness!  Had I contracted that stomach virus or even a common cold while my counts were so low, who knows how long I would have been in the hospital.  Anyways, it's been really hard to be apart, but we think that's behind us now. 
Well, that's what is going on at the Reeder household right now.  As I said waaaaaaaay earlier, the night after chemo, I am SO HYPER!  As a result, everyone reading this is tired and worn out from my new novel.  I'm the only one still awake right now; therefore, my chatty and hyper self only has the computer to talk to.  Thus, here is the long-winded and rather loopy account of a day in the life of Sky Reeder.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

A Wonderful Weekend

I just got home from the most wonderful weekend (as the title suggests)!  My dad and I left on Friday afternoon for Sayer, OK to go deer hunting.  We hunted morning and evening on Saturday and Sunday, and in the morning on Monday.  I saw a bunch of deer, but never the right one (I got picky!).  I had a great time, though.  It was wonderful to get out of the house...Plus hunting is one of my favorite hobbies, so I was extremely happy.  Dad and I stayed with my Grandpa and his fiance, Pat.  I love them both dearly, and they spoiled me rotten!  I guess if a person is going to be spoiled, rotten is the only right way to do it!
Now I'm back in Stilly, only for one reason, really.  I have my second chemotherapy appointment tomorrow.  It is really difficult to psych myself up to have another treatment, even though I know I need it.  I have been feeling so well for the past week, so it is hard to imagine feeling really icky again.  Oh well, that's just part of the game, I guess. 
Oh, update on the hair situation: I AM STARTING TO SHED!!  Shave party is probably just around the corner! :)

No Chemo...For Now...

Well, the lab results came in, and I am not getting my second chemotherapy treatment today.  I am now on an antibiotic for 5 days to try to aid my immune system in boosting my white blood cell count and my neutrophils (I am currently what they call neutropenic).  My next chemotherapy appointment is scheduled for Wednesday, September 27.  Although I want to get finished with treatment as soon as possible and get this cancer out of my body, I am rather happy I didn't have chemo this week.  As I said in an earlier post, this weekend is the opening of Muzzleloading season, and I am so ready to shoot a monster buck!  I will probably end up shooting a doe or two as well (the limit is two does and one buck), as we need some deer meat.
The bad part about postponing my treatment is that I am now right on schedule for treatment the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas...I guess a person can't have everything...oh well!  I'm actually not sure if the labs are open to give treatment on these weeks...you would think even oncologists get to enjoy the holidays...

A Change of Plans

Well, I was scheduled for my second chemotherapy treatment for today, but that didn't happen.  On Monday, I went in to have lab work done, in order to make sure everything inside was on the up-and-up for me to receive treatment.  I found out that my white blood cell count and my neutrophil (the thingies in my body that create new white blood cells) counts were really low.  So, it was a no go for the Wednesday treatment.  Instead, I went in today to have another lab test done, in order to see if I was ready to have treatment tomorrow (Thursday).  The informal report, however, is worse than the one on Monday.  My white blood cell count is the same as it was (a 3, for anyone who wants to get technical), but my neutrophil count had dropped from a 0.8 to a 0.6.  I am still waiting to hear the official report from my doctor, saying if I can or cannot receive treatment of any kind tomorrow (sometimes they do partial doses), but I would be surprised if I do.
What does all of this mean, exactly??  Well, don't be alarmed, because apparently, this is just part of going through chemo.  Now, we are just waiting for everything to kind of "bottom out" and start going up again.  These low levels do, however, compromise and put a damper on my social calendar...I am now basically quarantined to the house.  I can't be around large groups of people or anyone who is sick.  Now, this is already irritating, regardless of the timing, but this week, it's extremely frustrating!!!  This happens to be Homecoming Week, and OSU has the largest Homecoming celebration in the nation.  Walk-Around is on Friday, which is basically the definition of an enormous crowd of people, so that's out.  I am also finally feeling better, and I would love to go to Wednesday night church; however, I feel like a large group of college students who have been exposed to a campus crawling with every fall sickness imaginable is probably a bad idea as well.  Stupid cancer...doesn't it know I have a social agenda???
Oh well, I guess this is one of those times I just have to "roll with the punches."  I guess the really frustrating part is that I don't feel bad and I want to go do something.  If I were laying on the couch not feeling well (not that I'm wishing misery on myself, but still...), then I wouldn't be itching to get out of the house.  Maybe I'll do something productive with my time, like clean house or expand my knowledge of Fluid Mechanics (it's an engineer thing...).  On second thought, I think my time would be much better spent watching the Rangers beat up on the Yankees...yes...most definitely the right decision!

And I'm Feelin' Good!

It has been so nice to actually feel semi-normal for the past couple of days.  I have felt better, actually, than I have in a long time, and it really is wonderful.  It is slightly disheartening, however, to know that I'll be going back down the roller coaster again in a few days, but I think that's how the next six months are going to roll.  The way everything went for the first treatment wasn't so bad, though.  I only really felt lousy for two days...if I only have to feel really icky for two days every two weeks, I will consider myself extremely lucky and very blessed.
My next treatment is scheduled for this Wednesday, October 20.  Unfortunately, this could put a huge damper on my weekend plans.  You see, this Saturday is opening day of Muzzleloader season (deer black powder season).  This Saturday will also mark day 3 after my second treatment, which is when I should feel the worst.  Some way, some how, however, I will crawl in that deer stand if I have to!!!  I am so ready to be out in nature again, waking up with the outdoors and watching all of God's beautiful world wake up around me.
On the God note, He keeps amazing me in new ways every day.  As I sit here writing this, I am reflecting on the past few months and the way my relationship with Him has evolved.  This summer, I rediscovered myself.  I spent special time with my Lord every day, and I spent a lot of time alone...or not alone, whichever way you want to think about it.  Even though it should not surprise me, I am amazed at how much God pours into a person, if only given the time.  Sometimes even without my knowledge, He was changing me in subtle ways, and teaching me to love myself for the person He made me to be.  I also learned wonderful new things about my Lord and Savior, and I fell more deeply in love with Him than ever before. 
As the fall semester officially started, my focus shifted to God's plans for my life.  I have so many interests, but I was unsure of which I was supposed to pursue as a career.  So, I began to do the only thing that made sense...seek God.  I didn't know exactly what I was seeking, but I knew that I needed to pour into God and devote time to Him.  After all, He has never once been unfaithful to me...it's always the other way around. 
I truly believe that this extension of our relationship was, at least in part, to prepare me for this new and crazy season in my life.  I don't think I would have such a peace about everything going on around me and inside me had I not experienced the growth that this summer and this fall facilitated.  Regardless, I do know how I feel now, and it is the most amazing feeling in the world.
I am completely content with my diagnosis, and that even scares me a little...it's just the way I feel, however, and I can't help it.  I have such a peace about God's path for my life, and I am 100% confident in His ability to handle my life (somehow, I think He has handled bigger problems than this...).  I think this overwhelming peace comes from knowing that my life is not in my hands.  Some people may find this a scary fact, and I did too...at first.  Once I realized that I was actually the one screwing everything up, however, I decided I would much rather my life be handled by more Capable Hands.  This is a good idea in theory, but here's the problem.  I would say I wanted God to control every aspect of my life...He had it all.  Then, slowly but surely, I would begin to take back the control of certain areas of my life, and the whole process would start over again.  I think the difference now is that I don't want control anymore--I already know I'll mess everything up if I do step in, so I'm out! 
I know God uses everything to further His Kingdom and for His glory.  That is my prayer--that He would use this situation to somehow bring His beautiful and wonderful name the highest honor and praise that He deserves.  If my story can somehow be used in such a way, I will consider myself blessed to have been a part of something used for God.  He has blessed me with so much, and I can never repay Him for all He has sacrificed for me.  I can only give my life back to Him in hopes that He uses it for His purposes.

Chemotherapy Treatment #1

On Thursday, October 7, I met with Dr. Keller for a consultation about my first chemotherapy treatment.  He showed my family and I the PET Scan on the computer, and it was amazing how many infected lymph nodes I have in my chest!  There is one large node, in particular, that is right on the verge of being considered "too big" for chemotherapy to completely destroy.  This means that if this mass is not gone at the end of my chemotherapy regimen, then I may have to have spot radiation in order to completely destroy the large lymph node.  The good news about the PET Scan and bone marrow biopsy results is that I am officially classified as stage two cancer (out of four).  Stage one means that there is cancer in one place.  Stage two means that there is cancer in two places (that's me--my neck and chest).  Stage three means that the cancer is in more than one place and below the diaphragm.  Stage four means that the cancer is in more than one place and below the diaphragm and in the organs or bone marrow. 
My chemotherapy treatment will consist of 12 total treatments, one every two weeks (6 months of treatment).  It is called ABVD, which is an abbreviation for the four types of chemotherapy drugs I will be given during treatment.  Each treatment takes about three hours, where I am hooked up to an IV drip through my port.
My first chemotherapy treatment was last Thursday, October 7.  It was very painless and all of the nurses were extremely nice.  My Big, Rachael Heister, came and visited me, bringing with her a grape slushy from Sonic!  I felt fine the day of my treatment (slight queasiness, but alleviated with medication), and I also felt pretty good for two days after my treatment.  Sunday and Monday, however, I barely moved from the couch, and I slept 12 hours both nights.  I just felt really tired and shaky and very weak, but nothing unbearable.  Monday, I had lab work done to test my levels, all of which were fine.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (today), I have felt really well!  It's nice to have some energy, even if it is not 100%.

Getting Up To Speed

Ever since the beginning of June, I have been itching all over my body.  The itch is a deep itch--it literally feels like my blood is itching.  It is so bad that I scratch my skin until I make myself bleed (gross, but true), and I even turned to a Higher Power about this insane itch.  Although it may sound crazy, I ended up praying about my itch.  At first, I was just fed up with this annoying and weird symptom, so I asked...no, begged God to make this craziness STOP!  After further reflection, however, I decided that the itch may be an effect of something bigger.  There was obviously something wrong in my body, and if the itch was trying to warn me or alert me of a problem, then I really didn't want it to stop.  So, my prayer changed.  I actually prayed for the itch to continue or even get worse if there was something bigger going on inside me. 
In order to try and remedy this crazy happening via earthly ways, I was in and out of doctors' offices and on and off different medications all summer...nothing worked or helped in the slightest.  At the beginning of September, my dermatologist began to think that the cause of my itch might be something internal.  So, he began to order various standard blood tests...when nothing ominous reared its ugly head, he ordered a chest x-ray and a thyroid blood test, just for precaution (this was on Monday, September 13).  Being a busy engineering student in the 4th week of school, I had not had time to get the tests done, but I was sure I would get around to it sooner or later...I ended up getting around to it a lot sooner than I had planned...
On Wednesday, September 15 (within a week of my prayer change mentioned above), I was sitting in my driveway about to leave for church.  As usual, my itch was driving me crazy!  I reached up to scratch the right side of my neck, but I noticed that something was slightly tender.  I began feeling around in my neck for the source of the soreness, and I found a knot about the size of a ping pong ball.  Now, I may be an engineering major and not an expert in human anatomy, but I knew that ping-pong-ball-sized knots in a person's neck were not normal.  The next morning, I showed my mom the knot, and she insisted I go to the OSU health clinic on campus (they are much faster to get into than making an appointment with my regular physician).  Thus began my great adventure.
My regular OSU doctor, Dr. Strange, was not in on Thursdays or Fridays, so I agreed to see the next available doctor.  The doctor I was placed with was Dr. Wesley Andrews.  He felt my neck, and decided he didn't like the knot either.  He also thought my thyroid might be swollen.  So, ironically, he ordered a thyroid blood test and a chest x-ray, the same tests ordered earlier in the week by my dermatologist that I had yet to have done.  After having such tests administered, Dr. Andrews and I looked at the chest x-ray.  He showed me a fuzzy area in the center of my chest that looked a little odd, but he said he would have the radiologist take a look at it the next day (Friday), and he would give me a call.  In the mean time, his nurse scheduled me for an ultrasound for a closer look at my neck for the following Monday. 
The next day (Friday, September 17), I received a call from Dr. Andrews with the results of my chest x-ray and thyroid blood test.  He said everything on the thyroid test was normal, but the radiologist did not like the fuzziness in my chest.  So, we decided to forgo the ultrasound scheduled for Monday.  Instead, he ordered a CAT Scan of my chest and neck area, which would hopefully tell us what was going on inside me.  The CAT Scan was scheduled for 2:30 that very same day (Friday), so I marched off to the hospital, this time with parents in tow. 
The CAT Scan was very simple and quick, and I left the hospital thinking I would get the results on Monday, when I was scheduled to meet with my regular doctor, Dr. Todd Green.  Little did I know that Daddy had been on the phone trying to let Dr. Green know what was happening.  When my dad was able to talk to Dr. Green and tell him everything that was going on with me, Dr. Green insisted we come in that day (Friday).  In the mean time, Dr. Andrews had called me back, as he had received the CAT Scan results from the hospital.  He told me that I had swollen lymph nodes, and I needed to arrange a meeting with my regular physician to discuss what that meant.  (May I insert here that Dr. Andrews and his staff were more than wonderful, and I would recommend him to anyone needing to see a doctor at OSU!)  Dr. Green was also able to get the CAT Scan reports from the hospital, and my parents and I waited while he studied the results.
When Dr. Green walked in the exam room, I knew something was wrong.  His face was very pale and he did not look happy.  He began to explain the results of the CAT Scan to my parents and me, saying that I had many swollen lymph nodes in my neck and chest area.  We weren't exactly sure what this meant, but we would soon find out.  He looked at my parents and I, and told us that with all of my other symptoms (itching, fevers, and minor night sweats), the prognosis was pretty clear--Hodgkins Lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymph nodes.
May I just say that you can never prepare yourself to hear "The C Word."  Obviously, I did not have any knowledge of Hodgkins, but I was certain that cancer was not a good thing.  Dr. Green explained some of the ins and outs of Hodgkins, and he told us that while any cancer is scary and bad, this was actually the good news of the bad because it is so treatable.  In order to diagnose me for certain, however, I needed to have a biopsy done of one or several lymph nodes.  Dr. Green set up an appointment for the following Monday (September 20) with Dr. Crawley, the ear, nose, and throat doctor in Stillwater.  Dr. Green also said he would find the oncologist that we wanted to use, and he would get back to us in a few days.  My family and I left the office...needless to say, we were a bit in shock, but I don't remember ever feeling scared or very upset.  Somehow, even at that point, I knew everything was going to be alright.
Once we got in the car, the first person I wanted to call was my Aunt Kelly.  She is an oncology nurse, and her son (my cousin) is a cancer survivor (miracle, actually).  It was very comforting to hear what she had to say--she told us that if someone came to her and told her that she had to have a cancer or had to choose a cancer for one of her family members, she would most definitely choose Hodgkins Lymphoma.  She said it is extremely treatable and even curable. 
That night was the fall retreat for my sorority, Sigma Phi Lambda, Sisters For the Lord.  It had been such an emotional day, and I was exhausted, but I desperately wanted to be with my sisters.  I told them all what had happened that day, and they all gathered around me an prayed for me.  It was such a wonderful blessing to have all of them holding me up and supporting me.  That night, I also had to begin calling people and telling them what had happened.  The support was amazing and very evident, and again, I had a peace that everything was going to be alright. 
On Monday, my parents and I met with Dr. Crawley to discuss the biopsy.  He further explained Hodgkins to us, and we decided to schedule the biopsy for the very next day (Tuesday, September 21).  On Tuesday, my family and I went to the Stillwater Surgery Center in the morning, and Dr. Crawley took out three lymph nodes for testing (I now have a lovely memento scar on my neck, about 2.5 inches in length).  Then, we went home and awaited the official biopsy report.  That report came Thursday afternoon, and the official diagnosis was indeed Hodgkins Lymphoma, specifically Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkins Lymphoma. 
That same Thursday, I went in for more blood work and another CAT Scan which would this time scan my abdomen area.  After being poked 4 times for the blood work, I was taken back and stuck another 4 times to start an IV for the CAT Scan...I was beginning to feel like a pin cushion...
Dr. Green had called in the mean time, and we were scheduled to meet with my new oncologist, Dr. Keller, on Friday (September 24) in Tulsa.  We journeyed to Tulsa, as scheduled, and met with Dr. Keller, whom we immediately fell in love with!  Apparently, he has been treating cancer for many years, and he is very good at what he does.  My family and I were extremely confident in his ability to treat my cancer (he used the word cure!), and we were in love with his matter-of-fact attitude about getting rid of this and getting me back to my life.
The next week was what I called my "Prep Week," where we did all of the prep work in order to get me ready to start chemotherapy.  On Monday, September 27, my mom and I traveled to Tulsa to meet with Dr. Meese, the doctor who would surgically implant my port (one way in which they administer chemotherapy).  We met with him, and then we went to the surgery center where I would have my port placed for a pre-op appointment.  On Wednesday, my parents and I went back to Tulsa for me to have a PET Scan.  This is a test in which they inject me with radioactive sugar and let it go through my body.  Then, they scan me, and the scan picks up fast-growing cells that are eating the sugar (cancer cells) to show exactly where all of the cancer was in my body.  This would tell Dr. Keller the stage of my cancer (anywhere from one to four).  On Wednesday afternoon, my parents and I attended a Chemo Class, where we learned all of the ins and outs of chemotherapy.  Thursday, we all journeyed back to Tulsa for me to have a bone marrow biopsy (don't worry, they drugged me up really well before they drilled into my bone!).  Friday, we made a final Tulsa visit for the week in order for me to have my port surgically implanted into my chest.  Needless to say, we were all extremely tired that weekend...
I rested up for several days, not knowing exactly when I would begin chemotherapy.  I did know, however, that I needed to give my body ample time to heal after being poked, prodded, cut, and tested.  It had been a crazy few weeks, and I was physically and emotionally drained, but never depressed.  Somehow, through everything, I always knew that I was being watched over and protected...my God never left me, and He never will.