Here’s the plan Stan. 

Fun fact: Stan was the name of the cat I had in high school. Actually, I had two cats. The other dude was Harry. Stan was also the name of the crotchety old creeper man who lived in the apartment below us my sophomore year of college. Fun, right?

With all of the KACM Vegas meet up excitement, I forgot to report on an oncology appointment I had last Thursday. Right now, the plan is to start the first round of Xeloda on August 7th. It’s an oral chemo pill (I should not lose my hair with this one) that I will take in the mornings and evenings for two weeks and then have a week off. As long as I tolerate it well, we will stick with the two on, one off deal for possibly 6 months. This will be confirmed fo sho when I see my oncologist again on August 4th. She wants to make sure that I am actually eating meals and hydrating myself before we begin. Two things I’ve been slacking on. 

My hysterectomy and ovary removal has also been scheduled for August 30th. Currently, there are no plans for me to be on any type of hormones after the surgery.  Bring on the hot flashes! 

Annnnd tomorrow, I have a brain MRI because I have been dealing with some pretty gnarly headaches. My oncologist has low suspicion that it’s C but at this point, we want to be safe. 

On Monday, I had some blood work done and it looks like I am still anemic which might explain some weird symptoms I’ve been having. We also learned that my thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is high. This means that basically my brain is trying to signal my thyroid to work harder. I am now on another medication called Synthroid and after 8 weeks, I will be tested again to see what’s up. 

Physical therapy for my shoulder is going quite well. My range of motion is much better and the pain has decreased a ton. So, kewl. 

Of course, I’ll report back with the MRI results when I get them. But a little bit of love, light, prayers and good vibes are always welcome. 💜

“This is the true story… of twenty three strangers… picked to live in a house… and have their lives Instagramed… to find out what happens… when people stop being polite… and start getting real…The Real World.” 😂 

It’s not often you meet people who just get you. It’s even more rare to plan a weekend to meet these people face to face based on trust and the internet. And then to have us all get along so perfectly? I just can’t even believe it, let alone truly explain how amazing it was. Like- mind blown. Gratitude is one of the first words that comes to mind. It’s a crazy feeling- like my heart grew several sizes this weekend. But I also feel like I left a piece of my heart with each mama and now it’s spread across the US. ❤️

Twenty two of my fellow Kick Ass Cancer Mamas met up in Las Vegas to celebrate life together, smile, cry, laugh, and honor those who are no longer with us. I never imagined that I could bond with people from the interwebs so quickly and whole heartedly. It was such a trip to walk in to a massive house and see familiar faces- some attached to much shorter bodies than I had imagined- and feel the instant connection. And, holy moly was I thankful they weren’t a bunch of nutbags. Because that could have gotten weird. Seriously, how do you not have one cuckoo bird with that many ladies? Wait…. was it was me 😳 

I had planned on a fun weekend getaway, a spa day, great food, pool time- but it was so much more. I have been blessed with life long friendships and support from some of the only people who actually get it.  And somehow, even with all of our situations and lots of C talk, I felt the most normal (whatever the heck that actually means) than I have in a super long time. 

This amazing adventure was flawless- thanks to dedicated and crazy organized ladies, committed mamas, supportive spouses, super generous donors, trust and love. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to fully express how thankful I am for this opportunity. 

I knew right away, when I was added to the Kick Ass Facebook group, that I had found my people. Being able to squeeze a bunch of them in real life is such an added bonus. For ever and always, these are my mamas. 

And for those who couldn’t make this trip- let’s do it again! 

Not a lot to say except my phone sucks- I did not get that message- and YAY!