Final treatment

Well, tomorrow morning will be my final treatment and then, hopefully, the process of rebuilding my body can begin. I feel like the knot at the center of a tug-of-war rope. On one side...my family, friends, doctors, and faith... and on the other...that &^%$&* machine. It's tough to be caught in the middle, but how very grateful I am for those fighting and praying for me. The prayers are real and tangible and so very much appreciated. I know I have a long road ahead because I am having an extremely difficult time forcing myself to eat anything because it all tastes like acid and I have a hard time keeping down those "nutritional" drinks, but I know I'll have to force myself.

Hal wants to build a bon fire and burn my mask, but I think I may regret that because, once I stop hating it so much, it will make for an awesome show-and-tell.

Update: 9/26/11

Tomorrow I will begin my final week of radiation treatments. At this point I am just hoping time will pass as quickly as possible. I am suffering a lot with the sores that cover my tongue and throat and having a very difficult time eating or drinking anything because the radiation has destroyed my sense of taste. I am forcing myself to drink a Carnation instant breakfast 3X day (not easy because I do not like milk) and then doing what I can with rice cakes, chicken broth, and hard boiled eggs (the only thing I have found that tastes a little like it is supposed to taste). YUMMY! I was truly feeling sorry for myself as I watched my family eat the Pizza Hut pizza, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks they had for dinner.

Hal is stressed and overworked, but he has been so kind and supportive. I have no idea how I would get through this without his support and willingness to listen to my occassional...O.K....constant...babywhining. He is a very good husband.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.

From Melanie

From Melanie:
The experience that Leslie has been going through has really been a horrible time for her and for Hal. My heart goes out to her and I am so glad that she is almost done. There has been one or two really great things that have come out of it though. I have had the opportunity to get to know Leslie and Hal's kids better and I can tell you that they are delightful. One of the big concerns Leslie had when she was diagnosed was the well-being of her children. I offered to help anyway I could but I will tell you that they brightened my life much more.

After the horrible flood in their house, I offered to take the four little ones to Pocatello with me and have a sleepover. Mason wasn't very interested in going to see Cinderella but the other kids were. Thank you so much to Jan and Alan Frew, Debbie King, Kimberly and Zach Miller who helped me buy them some new clothes for the big night. We went to Mystique to see the show and the little girls loved meeting Cinderella for reals. Bailey kept asking me questions all through the show, "Is that the real Fairy Godmother, is that the real King, is that carriage really flying, are the rats real?. She loved it. After the show, the whole cast was really great with them but they really loved Cinderella. Great times.

Carson has always wanted to going fishing. I want to thank Jordan and Terry for taking him fishing. He caught two fish all by himself. Jordan and Carson caught their first fish ever that day. Victoria took Hallie Kate shopping and bought her some new back-to-school clothes and gave her a new hair cut. Hallie Kate is a very bright, very charming young lady and Carson is all boy. He is very quiet unless you talk about fishing or baseball. We bought him a Yankees shirt and hat. He was so grateful but was very quiet about it. The little girls are simply amazingly adorable.

Thank you to Hal and Leslie for raising such super little people. I will always appreciate getting to know them better!

Lucy, Bailey with Cinderella at Mystique




The Briggs kids having a candy hunt

Hallie Kate with her little sisters

Halfway there

My last treatment will be Sat. Oct. 1., so that makes 10 down...10 to go. Saw the Dr. today. Unfortunately I have a yeast infection in my sinuses, so that complicates things a bit. The infection was likely caused by the steriods. Oh why can't things be easy? Right now I am mainly suffering from sore throat, swollen sinuses, and congestion. I was given an antibiotic for the infection and hopefully that will help. I mentioned in my last post that the radiation has dramatically changed the smell and taste of everything. Basically everything tastes the same, from water to chololate... similar to what I imagine arsenic would taste like. At least I lost 6 pounds this week, so I guess that's one minuscule silver lining.

Nine down

Nine treatments down. I'm having some very interesting side-effects now. The radiation has completely changed the way everything tastes, including water. It's really interesting, in a blind taste test I'd probably not be able to identify even the most basic food. Weird!

I feel that if I can get through this upcoming week, I can begin the home stretch. Knowing your thoughts and prayers are with me and my family (at least Hal...the kids still think cancer is the greatest thing ever to happen to our family...food...attention...playdates...kind parents...) truly does make all the difference. We love you all so much.

Getting tougher

Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers. Things are definately getting tougher. Can't lay flat because of the swelling in the throat and the soreness has worsened. However, after tomorrow's treatment I will be halfway to the minimum goal of 18 treatments. Hal is able to come and be with the girls during the treatments and then ladies of the ward are able to take them for a while so I can rest. Everyone has been so wonderful. Love you all.

More side effects

Dr. Ingersoll wants to do somewhere between 18-25 treatments. I've done 6 (1/3 of the way to the minimum...hard to stay optimistic). Now that the radiation is building up in my system, the side effects are starting to show up (sore throat, burning on the face, nausea...). I'm just taking it minute-by-minute, knowing the day will come when I'll be glad I did this. I am starting to feel as though this may be the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, but at the same time I realize that it could be much worse.

By the way, if you happened to see the video that went viral yesterday (of the people who pulled the burning car off of the motorcycle rider), my radiologist, Matt, was the big guy lifting near the rear tire. It's comforting having a real-life hero taking care of me.

Feeling better

Well, the steroids did the trick. I feel much better. The headaches and vomiting have stopped and the nausea has lessened. Thank heavens, and blessing, and prayers, and desperation, and steroids, etc., etc. Now I get to wait for the "expected" side effects, although I doubt those will be nearly as debilitating.

Thanks again for all your concern and love.

Side Effects

Saw the doctor about the headaches, nausea, and vomiting I am experiencing. He says it is unusual to experience these symptoms so early and so intensely, so he thinks there may be swelling around the tumor. He gave me a prescription for a steroid and he hopes this will take care of it (ME TOO!). I was told that the most common side effects of this type of radiation are swelling in the nasal cavities, burning/sore throat, and peeling skin. Haven't even gotten to those yet... what's that about?

Family and friends have been truly amazing... so kind and supportive. I have a fridge full of food and very happy little girls (who get to go play at a new house every day... and, of course, be doted on and fed yummy things.) For the many of you who have done such kind things for us, please know that "thank you" notes are forthcoming... just as soon as I can see and think straight... which hopefully will come some time before "never". you are all so wonderful and so much appreciated.

Radiation begins

I had my first radiation treatment yesterday morning and have had the worst headache of my life since then, so severe in fact that the pain has caused me to throw up 3 times. I AM NOT LOVING THIS SO FAR! I now have some medicine for headaches and nausea and hope it will help. The technicians were surprised that I become sick so quickly, but this is such a rare type of tumor that I just don't think they know what to expect. The treatments themselves are not too bad, but the aftermath is no fun at all. I was told that my situation will be reevaluated at 3 1/2 weeks, so perhaps the treatments won't last as long as originally thought. That's what we're praying.

Thank you all so much for your love and support.