Mamma Jamma Bike Ride - A Ride to Leave Breast Cancer Behind. October 1

My FUNdraising effort wheels are turning again ...

On October 1, 2011, I will be participating in a powerful event to help thousands of Central Texans diagnosed with breast cancer. 

With hundreds of people, I will bicycle (eeek!!) through beautiful Central Texas in the third annual Texas Mamma Jamma Ride. Since the inaugural ride in 2009, the Mamma Jamma Ride has raised over $1,000,000 - necessary funds which stay right here in Central Texas. The money we raise provides direct care services to Texans diagnosed with breast cancer.  Simply, your support will save and improve the lives of thousands of Texans.  The money raised from the Ride stays local and the Beneficiaries are 11 local non-profit agencies involved with breast cancer.

Breast cancer affects all of us at some time or another.  Over 515 Americans are diagnosed with breast cancer every day and 1 woman out of 8 is diagnosed with breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.  These are terrifying statistics which is why I am committed to helping in every way possible. 

Most of you know that I don’t ride a bike – I honestly hope to be able to stay up on a bike!  By October 1, I will be 100% through with my chemo therapy – I plan to gain control of life and give back to those women less fortunate than me.  I will begin to train for my first bike race while undergoing chemo.

Please also consider riding in this event!  You can sign up with our team: TEAM BCRC (Breast Cancer Resource Center)

I have agreed to raise $500. . You can donate here if you are able:  http://www.mammajammaride.org/site/TR/Ride/General?px=1125441&pg=personal&fr_id=1070  Click on SUPPORT MINDY.  I'll add the website the Blog Main Page if you are unable to open it from here.  I ask that you sponsor me as a rider and make a difference for some wonderful people who really need us.  

Thank you in advance for your generosity. It means a lot to me, and to all of those individuals who receive help and support through the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride. 

Thanks for considering! 

My next treatment is tomorrow.  I find myself anxiously awaiting each and every Tuesday that comes along.  I don't so much dread them anymore - I actually look forward to getting to it and getting through it.  The Taxol chemo is definitely not as hard on me as the AC was.  Compared to the first 3 months of chemo, this feels like a tiny cold. 

The doctors reduced the amount of steroid given this last round and will reduce it a little more at tomorrow's treatment.  The steroid makes me pretty irratible and makes my head hurt.  This should also lessen the amount of time sitting in the reclyner.

My parents keep the kids every Monday and Tuesday night.  It's extremely helpful - we get a date night every Monday these days!  No big plans tonight ... Cooking dinner, watching Weeds (our new favorite show) and doing a straighten up around the house.  I've rehired our cleaning people!  Tomorrow we'll come home to a clean house and few Netflix movies I just received.    Then I sleep for about a day.

My eyelashes and eyebrows are slowly fading which has been another adjustment but I think I am handling it better than the loss of my long hair.  Maybe it's wishful thinking and possibly too much info - but I have shaved my legs a couple of times over the last few weeks.  This means my HAIR IS GROWING BACK ... right ?!?!  I heard your eyelashes and eyebrows were the last to go and with the new growth, hopefully they won't fully disappear.  My dr prescribed me some Latisse.  I apply it every night to my eyelids - I think it's helping.

Doug and I took the kids to the San Antonio JW Marriott over the weekend for a quick Father's Day getaway.  We had an awesome time!  They have a water park with big slides and a lazy river that we spent all day in.  I was at the bar standing in line when a woman approached me.  She said "are you bald under there".  (I was wearing a bandana).  I put up a huge front and gave her an attitude-filled "yah".  She immediately got teary and said "i'm a breast cancer survivor of 3 years and here for my anniversary".  I felt ease pour over my body and let my guard down as I talked with her for awhile.  I guess you can "spot" us  - I never wanted to feel like that but it is what it is.  Her hair was completely grown back, she showed me her port scar, and told me that she had a 2 year old when she was diagnosed.  She was 39 when she found out.  She felt my pain as we discussed treatments.  I almost didn't notice my bare feet burning on the pavement until she took some of her cold water and poured them on my toes.  She wanted to take care of me and her courage was contagious.

After tomorrow I'll have NINE more treatments left.  Single digits and feeling close to being done with this shit.  Hoping and praying that the next 2 months move quickly for me and that they are just as easy as this last month has been.

5 down - 11 more to go

It was a LONG day today ... a different concoction of drugs.  I had an appointment with my Oncologist first to discuss any new issues and discuss side effects of my newest chapter during these last 3 months of chemo. 

I showed her a few brown spots, kind of like freckles, on my hand and asked if she knew what it was from.  I let her know that my first job was working at Sonic and when I cut the limes, I got the same type of marks on my hands.  Apparently she worked at Sonic too as her first job so she was familiar with the lime marks.  Anyway, its chemo stuff and will go away once chemo is over.  Only I notice it so it's not that big of a deal and really not that visible.

I've also gotten really tan in the last few weeks.  She mentioned this too and reminded me to be really careful in the sun.  Find the shade, wear sunblock, blah blah blah....  By the way I LOVE the sun and LOVE the water.  But I know its important so I will do my best.  Something in the meds leave you pretty exposed to the sun. 

The nurse accessed my port and for the first time it didn't hurt!  My new tube of Lidocain worked.  Wheww!  It normally takes Doug and my oncologist to hold my hand while I squeeze hard and cry.  And it takes the nurse extra effort to hold me still to get a good blood line.  But, I handled it well and didn't shed a tear. 

Then it was time to head to the "other side" or the Infusion Room.  I was called back and assigned a reclyner this time.  Usually I get to pick.  Since my appts are early in the morning I usually have one of the first picks.  I chose a spot in the back, next to the window, and with my own TV.  This time I got the front of the room and was forced to watch the news.

Luckily, I was assigned to my favorite nurse and she began administering the drugs.  She explained that since this was a new drug and there are tons scary side effects so she wanted to be able to watch me the whole time.  Back pain, cramps, and shortness of breath were the main ones.  And of course this drug also carries hot flashes, heart burn, icky stomach feelings, and fatigue. She said my hair may start to grow back with the Taxol - she said she's seen it happen.  Wishful thinking??  Possibly - but I'll take all the good news I can get.  First the saline dripped through the tubes and into my port to clear the line.  Then the nausea medicine followed by a dose of Benadryl, a steroid, and finally the Taxol. The taxol was administered very slow just to make sure I handled it o.k.

I handled the Taxol well.  I was just super antsy because I was tired of sitting.  The Benadryl made me sleepy.  I put on my huge, oversized sunglasses and tried to catch some z's.  I was awaken by two men sitting next to me that seemed to be competing in a snoring contest.  I was also asked to have my blood pressure taken several times .... so sleep wasn't an option for me.

It was over by 2:30 and the nurse told me I may experience my first hot flash on the way home.  I didn't, but I did tell Doug that I wanted to go swimming ... maybe that was the beginning of a hot flash.  On the way home, I slept and when we got home I took a two hour nap.  I woke up sweating - there's my first hot flash. 

It's been a busy last few weeks.  Things don't slow down for me and I am still having a problem over committing myself.  We had Austin's birthday part at the skate rink on Sunday and then invited some of his friends over to go swimming.  We got out of the pool at 9pm so it was a late day.  We had a blast skating though!  I highly suggest you put on a pair of roller skates if you haven't done so in the last 10 years.  It feels great to feel like a kid again.

Addison started swimming also (more like dog paddling and floundering around) - so I enrolled her in swim lessons.  She loves it!  I also signed her up for soccer.  Doug will coach and her first game will be sometime in September.  It seems young but Austin was playing when he was 3.  Regardless, it'll be really cute and she's really excited to have her dad coach and play with her best friend!

A couple of weeks ago I woke up with the smell of chemo in nose (another side effect).  I couldn't get ride of it.  I tried taking shower, blowing my nose, and just not thinking about it.  That didn't help.  My nurse suggested Lemon Drops or anything mint to take away the smell.  Apparently this is normal.  It's a hospital, cleaning, burning type of smell.  So naturally, I booked a trip for mine and Doug's anniversary.  We will be heading for the Bahamas for 6 nights in October.  As soon as I booked this trip, my nose cleared and I haven't smelled the chemo since!  I now have something to look forward to in the near future - I can almost smell the Carribean, white sands, and fruity coctails.

I also over came a huge fear in the last two weeks.  It has been a pretty big deal and a huge accomplishment on my part.    We were asked to go floating the river in New Braunsfels over Memorial Weekend.  My first response was no.  How could I?  I wear synthetic hair that cannot get wet?!  I was sure to be thrown off my tube, slammed into a tree, and lose and ruin my hair.  Our very good friends, The Murray's, sent me a text.  Wes said put a bandanna on and we won't take no for an answer.  So - I went to Michaels and bought several bandannas in black, white, blue, and pink.  I put one one and tried the grocery store first.  No funny looks suprisingly.  Then I tried the bandanna at our neighborhood pool around Austin's friends.  No funny looks.... SO I said YES - we would go floating!  I put the bandanna on and I felt so much weight fall off my shoulders.  Our other friends that we floated with wore bandannas as well.  It felt great!  There is nothing better than having friends that love you enough to not judge.   

Since then, I haven't worn my hair much at all.  Doug and I joke often about how our GIVE A SHIT METER is close to empty - if not completely empty.  The litttle things don't phase me and I have an attitude of someone that I have never known before.  Don't get me wrong - I love to hang out with my friends, listen to them bitch about their husbands, drink wine and talk dirty diapers.  But on the other hand, I don't have the patience for conversations regarding bad hair days - that's just me right now ...

I have also sat down several times to complete my thank you cards.  I'm trying to write thank you cards from February after my hospital visit and initial surgery.  Everytime I do I start to feel sick to my stomach.  I don't knwo what it is, but my stomach gets in knots and this horrible feeling comes over me.  I have decided to wait until my treatments are over.  I'll go ahead and apologize now - you will receive one in October :)  Thanks for understanding.

So as of today, I have 5 down and 11 more treatments to go.  Hopefully these 11 move quickly.  They really should as they are weekly. 

Thanks for reading and staying interested in my life.  xxo - Mindy