Alysa's Army

Phew! A few things have happened since the last time we “talked,” so wanted to pop on here and give everyone an update 🙂.

On August 30th I finished my radiation treatments and rang that bell hard!! One more bell down, one more to go! I did 25 total rounds of radiation therapy. Let me tell you— radiation was HARD. I could almost argue that it was harder than the “big” chemotherapy drugs I had at the beginning of the year. With. chemo, I could control the side effects with medications. Radiation burns are whole other ball game. I did the lotions, aloe, and steroid cream that was recommended, but I still burned pretty bad. We had to take a break in the middle of treatments to let my skin heal some. The original plan was to add those missed treatments on to the end, but because my skin was so raw and fragile, my Doctor decided it was not worth the extra treatments and still felt radiation did it’s job on the areas of concern. Thankfully my skin has been healing well since finishing those treatments!

One side effect from the removal of my lymph nodes and radiation therapy is lymphedema. I have had some swelling in my left armpit. Right now we are simply keeping an eye on it, and I am doing all the things that have been recommended to help keep the swelling down and hopefully get rid of it!

I have been continuing with my targeted chemotherapy infusions of Perjeta and Herceptin. Still no severe side effects from those, thankfully! I am continuing to get those infusions every 3 weeks. My last infusion will be on January 2nd. What better way to start a new year?!

Another major thing that I have committed to recently is…doing the Richmond Half Marathon. 😳😳 My #breastie, Natalie Sipe, mentioned she was doing it, so I said hell why not. We are going to cross that finish line on November 12th and give the big ol #fucancer. I have another social media account @runningthrucancer on Instagram if you would like to follow this journey.

A few requests for prayers and good vibes over these next few weeks:
•skin continues to heal from radiation therapy
•swelling from lymphedema goes down or away completely
•infusions continue to go well
•training for the half marathon goes well and we cross that finish line one way or another!

Again, I can not thank you enough for the support and love we continue to get 💗

Love,
Alysa

Hey everyone! Sorry it has been a while since my last life update. All I can say is..life with an almost THREEnager, an ever moving 10month old, starting back at work, radiation treatments, and summer…it’s hectic. Quite a bit has happened since my surgeries!

Back in July, we went on vacation with my mom’s side of the family to North Myrtle Beach and it was exactly what we needed. Of course going anywhere with kids under 5 isn’t really vacation. It’s just taking care of your kids in another city, but we had an amazing time. We saw family we haven’t seen in years and got to just enjoy life without any doctors appointments for a week. Charleigh absolutely LOVED the beach and playing with her “sisters” (or cousins) and Asher loved his first time in sand and ocean ☺️ it was truly the best time to see them so happy.

My recovery from my surgeries went well. I have been cleared to do everything, besides sleeping on my stomach, which is killing me since I am definitely a belly sleeper! We are so happy with the results from both of my surgeons. We couldn’t have asked for a better team!

I met with my radiation oncologist back in July before our vacation. I started my radiation therapy treatments on July 21st. I will be completing 28 total treatments. I get them 5 days a week, Monday – Friday. My last day of radiation should be August 30th, as long as I don’t miss any more treatments. I’ve had to tack on two days because of missed treatments due to machine maintenance. So far the treatments are going well with no major side effects. I have some radiation burn but have been putting a steroid cream and lotion on the area. The hardest part of the treatments is having to lay still in the same position for about 30min.

I started work again on July 19th. So far it’s been a smooth transition back! It is nice to try to get back into a routine…still perfecting that 🙃. Hopefully once radiation treatments are done, we will start to figure out this new “life after cancer” normal.

I also met with my oncologist, Dr. Goble, before our vacation. We started my targeted therapy infusions (for the HER-2+receptors) on July 27th. I will continue those every 3 weeks till December. As many of you may have already seen on social media, Dr. Goble also officially declared me CANCER FREE 🙏🏼🙌🏼💗😭. To hear those words means more than I could ever explain.

I will continue to post updates through the end of my infusions, but (like this one) they might be more spread out now. No news is good news! And once again, thank you for everyone who has continued to follow my story and for your continued prayers!

Now I have to start planning for a 3 year old’s and 1 year old’s birthday! 🎊🎉🎈🎂

Love,
Alysa

It’s been awhile, but as they say, no news is good news. We enjoyed a few weeks of our new normal before my double mastectomy and reconstruction on Thursday June 2nd.

Prior to the surgery, we knew chemo had done it’s job by significantly shrinking the tumor…we just didn’t know how much. The double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery took 6 hours on that Thursday. Before surgery, I went to nuclear medicine where they injected a dye that would light up any lymph nodes that potentially could be cancerous. The dye drained to 3 lymph nodes which “lit up” during surgery. These were removed and sent off to pathology for further testing and to determine if there were any signs of cancer cells. They also removed the lymph node that was biopsied back in December-there was a marker placed during biopsy to distinguish that specific node. So in addition to having all my breast tissue removed, 4 lymph nodes removed.

The first 48 hours after surgery focused on managing pain and nausea. The narcotics, aka the ‘good pain meds,’ were making me sick so I stopped taking those. I have had more pain on my left side, mainly due to the the lymph node removal.

My first post op appointment was with my plastic surgeon, Dr. Blanchet, on Monday the 6th. Dr. Blanchet was happy with the drainage slowing down and how everything was healing. We had to call her with the drainage amounts every morning. I went to see her again on Wednesday and she pulled the drains out. Definitely a STRANGE STRANGE feeling having drains pulled out. I will see her again in 2 weeks.

I also saw my breast surgeon, Dr Felsen, who did the mastectomies part of surgery, on Friday the 10th. She was also happy with how my incisions and everything are healing. She also gave us the results of the pathology report for the breast tissue and lymph nodes. Drum roll please….pathology shows there are NO—I repeat NO— signs of tumor or cancer cells in ANY of the breast tissue or lymph nodes 🙌🏼🙌🏼. •PRAISE•THE•LORD•

So so so very thankful for that good news. It makes dealing with the physical pain and inability to lift more than 10lbs for awhile bearable. The hardest part is not being able to lift my children, especially when they are upset or crying. My momma heart is having a harder time dealing with that.

What’s next: We will meet with my plastic surgeon again, my oncologist, Dr. goble, and my radiation oncologist, Dr Randolph jr. to come up with a plan on when to start my targeted therapy infusions and when to start radiation therapy. I m will also be going back to work towards the end of July.

Thank you to everyone who has been following this journey. Even though we have received amazing news, this journey is not yet over. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, specifically for: pain/discomfort from surgery to ease quickly, smooth transitions back to working full time, remainder of my treatments and infusions continue to target the bad cells/areas and this cancer leaves my body for good

Love,

Alysa

Phew! These last few weeks have been filled with lots of emotions and celebrations!

As many of you already saw…I AM DONE WITH CHEMOTHERAPY!!!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 Ugggh typing that gives me so many emotions 😭🥳🤗 I am so so happy to be done with the harsh infusions. THANKFULLY treatments 5 and 6 I didn’t have as harsh of side effects that I did with 1-4. I had some days right after the infusion of fatigue and nausea but my main struggle was dealing with sinus stuff! Thank you for all your prayers…they worked 🙏🏼 I had one more infusion on May 5th of just the Heceptin and Perjeta to get one more treatment in before my surgeries.

What’s next now? I will have my Double mastectomy and reconstruction surgeries on June 2nd. That will take me between 4-6 weeks to recover. I won’t be able to lift more than 20lbs during that time, maybe some time after too, depending on how I am recovering. Some time after my surgeries I will continue the Heceptin and Perjeta combo every 3 weeks till December. These infusions are to target the HER2 receptor. I will also start radiation therapy for 33 consecutive days. I will also be going back to work at some point during that time. A LOT is going to happening in June & July. 😳

How am I feeling many ask.. that is one loaded question 😂 physically I am doing pretty good! I am gaining more energy and able to do more but still have moments of fatigue. Emotionally, I am all over the place 🤪 Gearing up for these surgeries gets me nervous since this is the biggest surgery I have ever had. BUT I know God is in control and I am putting it in His hands.

I met with the lymphedema clinic to get measurements prior to surgery. If you remember in past posts, during my scans and biopsies they saw at least 3 lymph nodes that had calcification and at least one came back from the biopsy positive with cancer. I will have at least 3 lymph nodes removed during surgery and possibly more if my surgeon sees more signs of cancer cells. Removing lymph nodes effects the lymphatic system’s drainage in your body and can cause swelling (lymphedema) in that area. Radiation therapy can also cause some of that swelling. I have been educated on ways to help prevent this from happening but also have a plan with the lymphedema doctors if it does happen.

The past few weekends we have been celebrating being done with phase one of this journey and the chemotherapy. STRAIGHT OUTTA CHEMO parties is what I’ve been calling them 💪🏼🙌🏼 I am so thankful for everyone who has come out to celebrate and has supported us through this journey.

I will update this blog as we get into the next phase but if you need me in the next few weeks, you can find me enjoying my babies and husband without feeling like crap 💕☺️

Love,

Alysa

Hello! Wanted to hop on here and give everyone a quick update. The past few weeks have been filled with lots of emotions: from sadness and grief to happiness and hope. Warning—this post is a little more real and not as happy.

A few weeks ago, we learned of a friend of a friend who struggled with postpartum depression and did not see another way out. Despite not knowing her personally, this loss hit home for us. Many of you know, and many don’t know, about the journey we had with Asher right after he was born. We were exposed to Covid the day my water broke. Long story short, on day 9 of our quarantine (including the days I was in the hospital birthing Asher), I tested positive for Covid. I ended up transferring Covid to Asher, which landed him in the PICU for a few days. Through all that I was also dealing with sciatica pain that would, at times, leave me completely immobile. I was not able to care for my kids or my family. In addition to all of this, I was experiencing major postpartum anxiety and depression. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t just “snap out of it.” It’s almost impossible to describe the exact feelings of what I was experiencing. However, I was lucky and strong enough to recognize I needed help then seek it out.

I want people (moms and even new dads) to know, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to reach out to someone for help. Everything we have been through recently puts so much more emphasis on the importance of reaching out and sending that “I’m thinking of you” message to someone you haven’t talked to in a while.

As the saying goes: life is short…too damn short. And it sure will try to knock you off your feet. When I got my diagnosis, I started to go down a dark path pretty quickly. But one day, luckily, I just knew that wasn’t what God wanted me to feel and knew this wasn’t the end of my journey. Along side of my army of supporters, I am standing my ground against both of these diseases (cancer and postpartum depression/anxiety) and fighting. And will continue to fight.

Two weekends ago we traveled down to Virginia Beach to have another “normal” experience and attended the Shamrock Half marathon. It was SO good to have some normalcy in this crazy life and to catch up with family we haven’t been able to see very much. We were gifted some awesome shirts from a friend, reminding everyone to get their ☘️ ☘️ ‘s checked (see pics below)

My 5th treatment of chemo is DONE! Again, this round of treatment was uneventful— thankfully. My bloodwork came back within normal range for the infusion so it was another 6 hour day of catching up on shows 🙃. Every time I see my oncologist she asks about side effects and how they are going. One of those side effects being numbness or tingling in my fingers or toes. If you remember, I have been doing cryotherapy to prevent this. As annoying as it is to have ice gloves and socks on for over an hour, I have not had any prolonged tingling that would cause concern, so it’s working! Definitely a positive and my oncologist is very excited about it! 🙌🏼

The side effects I’ve experienced this time around so far: major fatigue and weakness. Both have left me bed bound at times. Just keep those prayers coming that these are the only side effects I have this time around!!

One more round to go y’all. ONE. MORE. ROUND. Then on to the next phase…

Next week I go into the lymphedema clinic to have some measurements taken. We are doing this to have baseline measurements available in case I develop lymphedema from the radiation therapy.

I will end this long post on a more gleeful and happy note: WHO WORE IT BETTER?! Many of you may have already seen our social media polls with this…When I was diagnosed my uncle immediately started with his dad “jokes” to help keep my spirits up. I told him I was going to send him my hair so he can make a toupee—excuse me a ‘hair accessory’ piece, as he is missing some of his own 🙃. He went above and beyond and had my hair made into a wig for me! So tell us, who wore it better?! 😂

Next treatment: 6/6–FINAL CHEMO! 🥳 April 14th, 2022

Thank you again for all the love and support! We truly are blessed beyond measure!

Love,

Alysa & Blake

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

Hey everyone! Just wanted to jump on here and give you a quick update. I know I’ve been a little MIA lately, but no news/updates is usually good news in this case! Not much has changed with my side effects, other than they are more intense. I have been told to expect them to get a little more intense each time (chemo side effects build and compound after each treatment), so I am buckling up for the rest of this chemo ride. We saw the same pattern for side effects after this round, where the first week and half following my infusions are the worst. All the side effects rear their ugly heads during that time—I’ve never taken so many prescriptions before 🥴. But I remind myself the most intense side effects usually only last for those 8 days so I CAN muster on through. The annoying side effects that linger past those first 8 days are the usual: tiredness after doing too much, shitty GI issues 🙄 (no pun intended), and hot flashes (especially at night 😓 , and no these are not hot flashes from Blake). I have a permanent fan on me at night now. If anyone wants to deliver us a bed that cools….like tomorrow….that would be great…..just kidding….well kinda 😉

On this past Tuesday the 22nd, I had my 6 week appointment with my breast surgeon, who will be doing my mastectomies. We are meeting every 6 weeks to assess how the treatments are effecting the tumor. During the exam, she mentioned that my left breast felt completely normal. So, we did an ultrasound in her office, which showed no evidence of a tumor 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼😭😭😃😃. SO MANY ANSWERED PRAYERS with these results. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to know that these treatments are WORKING. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t some of the tumor or cancerous cells still present. What it does mean is the tumor has definitely shrunk….to almost nothing, if there is anything left! PRAISE THE LORD! •insert happy dance with awesome dance moves• We won’t know for sure how much cancerous tissue is left until the surgeries. However, with these results it does give my surgeon the best opportunity to get as much of the cancerous margins as possible.
Again just SO SO thankful the infusions are doing what they are suppose to! Makes tolerating all these debilitating and obnoxious side effects so worth it. I can say that today I am one step closer to being cancer free!

I recently had the opportunity (and energy) to go out and celebrate one of my bests for her birthday. It felt so good to go out and felt somewhat “normal”. And we let off a little rage 😏 (see pictures below). By the way….I totally recommend the rage room if you need to let off some steam!

Once again thank you to every single one of you for the continued support and prayers. I’ll never be able to express how it truly helps give me strength to just keep fighting. Please continue to tag or send me pictures when you wear your pink, your Alysa’s Army or #pearlsandpinkingofyou shirts. If you feel the want to help/support further, we still have the meal train set up through the summer to help with recovery after when my surgeries.

Prayers: that these side effects don’t get any worse and I can keep it under control with my prescriptions; my next infusions go well; oh and definitely some prayers for us as we potty train our terdler

Dates of next treatments: 3/3; 3/24; 4/14
Surgery date: June 2nd (mastectomy & reconstruction)

“You can’t wait till life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy” – Nightbirde

Love,
Alysa & Blake

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The past week or so, since the last post, has been pretty mellow due to the extra fluids and meds! 🙏🏼 My chemo symptoms had cleared up, almost completely gone…up until last Sunday, when the dreaded 24hr stomach bug hit our house 🥴. Charleigh was first and I reached a whole new level of motherhood by catching her 🤮 with my hands. It hit me on Tuesday, and thankfully cleared quickly so I was feeling better for my infusion on Thursday.

‘Woah, we’re half way there
Woah, livin’ on a prayer
Take my hand, we’ll make it I swear
Woah, livin’ on a prayer’

I may not be the biggest Bon Jovi fan but boy do these lyrics resonate! We are HALF WAY THERE (DONE) with chemo! I am half way through this first phase of kicking cancers ass and I can’t be more excited! Thursday, my actual Infusion day, was uneventful. Still trying the cryotherapy on my hands and feet to prevent neuropathy! It’s painful at times but ultimately tolerable so hopefully it is actually working.

I met with my doctor before my infusion. We chatted about which meds to take and when to take them…oops! Mom brain. COVID brain. Chemo brain. ALL the things. Apparently I wasn’t taking all my medications correctly 😂 . There’s so many meds to keep track of, but we got it all sorted out and came up with a plan for my constant nausea. My bloodwork came back within an acceptable range to do the infusion. She said my white blood cell count was down a little and I was a bit anemic. All of these symptoms are par for the course with chemotherapy treatments. We are also going to be scheduling a routine follow up echocardiogram to monitor my heart, to make sure the Perjeta is not causing any adverse side effects.

The chemo side effects have hit a lot sooner this time around. My infusion was Thursday and Friday I woke up with fatigue and nausea. So prayers we are able to get it under control fairly quickly since it’s hitting me sooner this time around.

Once again I can not express our gratitude for the CONTINUING amount of support we have been shown in many, many ways. The amount of support we have received from near and far and in SO many different ways has truly helped me feel the strength and power to show this awful disease the door. I (we) would not be able to do it with you all 💗 Please continue to tag or send me pictures when you wear your pink, #alysasarmy or #pearlsandpinkingofyou shirts. If you feel the want to help/support further, we still have the meal train set up through the summer to help with recovery after when my surgeries.

Ps. Who is ready for this Super Bowl half time show?!! 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Prayers for this week: getting nausea under control quickly, no more stomach bugs grace our household with their presence, I follow my medication regime correctly 🙃, and the sassitude from our 2yo dampens—just a little

Dates of next treatments: 3/3; 3/24; 4/14

Surgery date: June 2nd (mastectomy & reconstruction)

Love,

Alysa & Blake

‘May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.’ -Colossians 1:11

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This chemo journey is like being on a Peloton ride with Robin Arzón. You are climbing up that hill (getting your infusion), you think you’re almost there, and you’re in pain. When you feel like you can’t do anymore (when the chemo side effects are at their worst), then Robin tells you 30 more seconds and to increase your resistance 🥴. You dig deep, pull up your hair (or what’s left), channel that gangster rap and handle that -ish. After that last 30 seconds, you hit that flat road, (when symptoms subside) and just coast till the end (or until your next treatment). So here we go again…

Treatment 2 in the bag! I got my 2nd chemo infusion last Thursday 01/20. They take labs prior to each chemo infusion and all of mine came back normal 🙌🏼 so we were able to start treatment right away. Thankfully, chemo day was pretty uneventful. The cryotherapy (to help prevent neuropathy in my hands and feet) also went better this time. We are still tweaking the timeframe of when to take them out of the freezer, however I did not have any adverse reactions this time around.

Now we wait and see how the side effects evolve this cycle. So far, it’s been pretty consistent where my side effects are minimal the first two days after chemo. The nausea has been constant yet manageable this round. The fatigue, however, has intensified. I am constantly tired. It’s debilitating. The GI issues have also decided to come back 🤢 I could have done without them for sure. I am getting my super woman infusion today (fluids), so hoping that helps all my side effects even out until my 3rd chemo treatment.

I was able to get in with the plastic surgeon I wanted for my reconstruction surgery 🙌 Sooo incredibly thankful for that. Dr. Blanchet is very nice and we have tentatively scheduled my mastectomy and reconstruction for June 2nd, baring there are no delays in chemo treatments. I also had an appointment with the radiation doctor. He was also very kind and professional and is willing to work my radiation sessions around some plans we’ve already made for the summer. Again, so thankful for this.

Throughout this blog and process so far, I have really tried to keep things light hearted and positive. The reality of that is I am not able to maintain that attitude on a daily basis. Putting it bluntly…this shit sucks! 😢This week has been more emotional and difficult for me. From dealing with postpartum anxiety before all this, to having the choice of breastfeeding/pumping taken away from me over night and having to stop breastfeeding and pumping overnight to all the physical and emotional side effects of chemotherapy and other medications, i am utterly exhausted. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally.

I don’t want to paint a picture of me frolicking in a field of wildflowers and wearing a smile all day long. All of this straight up sucks. I have moments/days when I just want to curl up and cry till I can’t cry anymore. I can’t do that though, since we have a 4month old and 2 year old that are depending on mommy to be there. I don’t have the energy to run out and do things like before. In addition to this, the anxiety of contracting COVID again or the new variant is debilitating. Let’s be honest, Covid is glitter and is everywhere, and no matter how hard you try, it’s just not going away. I can’t exercise like I use to…I get exhausted giving either of my children child a bath. Hell, reading a book to Charleigh wears me out. Never mind reaching out and being there for my friends and the best wife I can for my husband. I just can’t do everything and it’s mentally taking it’s toll on me. We are a very routine driven family and I am trying so hard to keep things as normal as possible, probably more so for my own sanity, but damn…it is hard to do that right now. Needless to say, I will be happy when all this is over. We’ve had incredible support and help from family and friends—I am ready to channel that stubborn Timmerman gene again and handle things on my own.

Prayers for this week: my nausea and fatigue subside, that my anxiety and mental health get better, Gi issues subside

Thank you to everyone who has ordered an Alysa’s Army shirt! Again, the outpouring of support is humbling. Remember to tag or send me pictures of wearing pink or the shirts so I can put pictures in my cancer journey memory box 💗 One day all of this WILL just be a memory. #alysasarmy #pearlsandpinkingofyou #alysasfightagainstHER2 #byebyeboobies

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Love,

Alysa & Blake

‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’ Joshua 1:9

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If Britney Spears got through 2007, I sure as heck can get through this journey I am on. On Thursday the 13th, I took charge (again) of my journey and shaved all my hair off. We had a friend and photographer formally capture this event, along with some #breasties who truly understand this cancer journey.

While this was an emotional day, we celebrated 🎉Champagne toasts 🥂 Lots of laughter 💗 Bagging up hair to send to family members who are lacking (cough cough David Manners cough cough). And some tears. Don’t worry people—I know drinking while going through cancer treatments is frowned upon and I won’t be doing it again until I ring that cancer bell.

I asked Blake to shave my head for me. It felt right to have my biggest cheerleader, partner, and supporter in this chapter help me transition to my new hairstyle. He told me how beautiful I looked with my new do (I mean obviously 💁‍♀️) and we were able to share a special moment together with matching hair styles, clinking our champagne glasses together, after I shaved his head too. #twinsies 💕

My hair does not define me, however we all have some of our identity engrained in our physical appearance, specifically with our hair styles. I am adjusting and adapting and learning to love my new look. I am already starting to get bald spots from where the hairs are falling out from the roots. The doctors said I will most likely lose my eyebrows and eyelashes too, so I will be looking into painting my eyebrows on and learning how to put on falsies from my dancer niece Emma.

I have been gifted some beautiful hats to wear, blankets, a prayer shaw, and chemo sweater which are all coming in very handy right now…it is MUCH colder without hair on your head!

If you have not seen Britt’s or my social media posts about Alysa’s Army t-shirts, here is the link below. We will all be wearing pink every Thursday since that is the day(s) I will be getting chemo.

https://tutustouchdowns.com/shop/ols/categories/alysas-army

My next Chemo treatment is Thursday the 20th. My actual chemo day and the day after were pretty uneventful last time. I am hoping it stays the same this time, so prayers for that!

I am actually getting over a sinus infection and have come to quickly realize how much harder my body is having to work to fight off what were previously smaller illnesses. It’s not COVID (another praise), as I was tested a few times and all results were negative. Fingers crossed 🤞 I do not spike a fever, as they will continue with chemo as long as I am fever free. I have lost my voice though and can only whisper, which is making conversations in our house more entertaining since Blake will only talk to me in a whisper in response 🙄 and Charleigh—well..she’s the loudest of us all right now 🙃

Prayers for this week: I get over this illness quickly, my chemo goes well, chemo side effects are manageable with medications, and thanking everyone for the love and support 💗

Love,

Alysa & Blake

‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ Exodus 14:14

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We have been so blessed by so many of you to bring/send/gift us such yummy meals through our meal train! THANK YOU! We appreciate this tremendously and it has taken a huge burden off our shoulders with having to plan meals or prepare meals while dealing with the after effects of chemo and two little ones who constantly need us. Many of you have been asking how you can help….signing up on the meal train ranks right at the top of the list 🙂 I am putting the link at the bottom of the blog post again.

Last week I finally got my official staging: Stage 2b invasive ductal carcinoma. SOOO many answered prayers that it is considered stage 2 and not stage 3. Hearing this gave me more hope and the light at the end of this very long tunnel got a little brighter!

And then that brightness was slightly dampened by the debilitating side effects of chemo. I know my side effects are not nearly as bad as what many people experience, however they were pretty crippling for a few days. Most of the other breasties, doctors and nurses I have spoken with have said the side effects come 7-14 days but I definitely experienced them sooner than that.

Days 1 to 4 after my infusion I experienced mild symptoms: hot flashes with flushed face, headaches, nausea, body aches, fatigue. Nausea and fatigue are the main side effects most common with chemo and these side effects were pretty mild for the first few days. The hot flashes and flushed face were most likely from coming off the steroids I take before and after the treatment. The body aches came from the Neulasta injection, which I would take Claritin for to help control those. Oh! And nosebleeds…those boogers are annoying and unpredictable!

Days 5-7 is when $&*@ got real…I am going to go off the assumption the side effects intensified because chemo IS working (and killing this ish) and the steroids were leaving my system. My nausea got worse and turned into vomiting for a full day. It was hard to get the vomiting under control but eventually did and started alternating my anti-nausea medications. The nausea was so bad I started having back spasms simultaneously, which I guess can be considered a new talent. HUGE thank you to Pam Ross for coming to my rescue and guiding me with alternating medications to get my nausea and vomiting under control. As a result of the constant vomiting and nausea, fatigue set in big time. In addition to all of this, I started to experience some….uhh…GI issues. I will spare you the details but I did warn everyone that I am going to be open, honest and not hide anything.

Day 8: I started to feel better. Better meaning still with nausea but was able to still function at least. Which is super important with a terddler, oh sorry I mean toddler, that is very vocal with her needs and what she wants you to do. That evening my….uhhh…GI issues ramped up with the most annoying side effect…diarrhea. Again, I’ll spare most details, but let’s just say it’s not fun.

On day 9 I called my doctors office and they suggested I come in for fluids, anti-nausea, and steroids. I mean my body had pretty much expell(iarmus)ed all my nutrition and liquids over the past few days. I hope you picked up on that Harry Potter reference again 🙂 The fluids they gave me had super human powers or were a power juices cause I felt like Wonder Woman after that! And I have been feeling better ever since. We are working with my doctor on developing a schedule to come in for extra fluids between cycles. These fluids may just be named my ‘super human’ potion.

The breasties I have been talking with throughout this journey say that you can get a feeling for how and when the side effects will have the most impact on you. Based off of this first cycle, I am thinking the first week and a half after the infusion will be the worst for me. However, I am thankful for friends who helped me figure out medication regiments and the nurses who gave my my super human potion to feel more like myself.

On Monday 01/10 I met with the breast surgeon. We reviewed the MRI and confirmed that there were no new findings. Again, praise God! We discussed my surgeries, which will occur about 4 wks after chemo. They will then give me about 4-6wks to recover from surgery before starting radiation. Next up is scheduling my appointments with the radiation therapy doctors and to meet with the lymphadema clinic. My radiation is scheduled to start this summer and the appointment with the lymphadema clinic is precautionary in the event I develop lymphadema in the lymph nodes during radiation. Alot of moving parts….and alot of waiting still.

Here is the schedule of my next 6 ‘heavy’ chemo infusions, pending nothing changes: Thursday Jan 20th, Thursday Feb 10th, Thursday March 3rd, Thursday March 24th, & Thurs April 14th.

To my Richmond area friends: please send me recommendations for a plastic surgeon!!! The only requirement is they have surgery rights at HCA….and that they can make the new tatas look good 🙂 (that is Blake’s request)

Prayers for this next week: that our children sleep (please!), the side effects do not return before the next infusion, and I continue to have energy.

Thank you again for all your support, love, and prayers. We are constantly in awe of how gracious, selfless, and kind everyone continues to be. #alysasarmy #pearlsandpinkingofyou #tatafornow #byebyeboobies

Love,

Alysa & Blake

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

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