The road too often traveled: Emily's Breast Cancer journey!

The morning started with an IV of Benadryl, a steroid, and anti nausea meds. The Benadryl was a large dose of which made me feel super weird and I couldn’t stay awake for most of the treatment. After the initial meds they did three different chemo drugs. Most of it went well. One did give me some burning and arm pain, but the nurses quickly helped with that. I put on my fashionable cold cap, mittens, and slippers to keep cold during one of the chemo drugs. This helps with neuropathy. I know that the harder days could be coming and was warned by the nurses that day 3 or 4 could be the toughest. The nurses were incredibly thorough, caring, and supportive. They all made sure the morning went smoothly and I appreciate them so much! Headed home for a nap! Thanks for all the prayers and kind words! My support system is amazing! #myjourney #breastcancerawareness #earlydetection

Tomorrow is the BIG day! I spent the day in Rochester at Gonda 10, my home away from home, doing final appointments with my fabulous team. We are set and I am happy to be getting started. The tumor has grown about 1.5 centimeters on both edges, so I’m ready to start attacking it. I know the road will be long and will be challenging at times, but I’m lucky to be surrounded by the best family and friends! When reviewing chemo side effects, the nurse looked at me and said, “I want you to take this one in, you just allow yourself to rest. You are a teacher and a mom and most women need to be reminded of this so I will say it twice, make sure you allow yourself to rest.” I know this one is hard for me, but I will take it seriously as I work to beat this and heal. We have reread the book pictured over the past few days with our kids and they are as ready as they can be. Thank you to all who are watching out for them (and Dave too:). Lots of emotions at our house! Harrison’s biggest questio...

Christmas was perfect this year! Even with a few trip mishaps, it was still the best! We celebrated at home early and then went on vacation to Orlando to celebrate as a family for our first Christmas since dad passed. We shared many stories, laughs, and memories! I am focusing on the gift of three“C’s” this Christmas. - Clear scans on my most recent biopsy!! - Chemo scheduled to start this Tuesday! - Cherished memories with family! I am anxious to start, but so ready to kick cancer! Coming up this week: - Today’s task - wig shopping - Monday a big day of appointments at Mayo - Tuesday 1st round of chemo I hope you all made memories over the holiday season and had time with those you love! #myjourney #breastcancerawareness #earlydetection

Over the past week there were more appointments, a quick getaway with a friend, and a big step with my hair! I had to do another biopsy for an additional spot that was found through my MRI. It was much different as it was an MRI guided biopsy rather than the ultrasound like the last two. This one was quite a bit more uncomfortable and super sore after, but now it’s done! I’m thankful to have it over with and for nurses that are so kind and understanding! I also had another ultrasound to check my gallbladder as they found it to be inflamed on my echo test. We will see the results of that in the coming days. Lastly, I was concerned about the cancer mass getting larger as we wait for treatments to start. My team at Mayo is so awesome and understanding. I messaged and then snuck me in for a quick check to measure things. It has grown, but not at a rate that is too alarming to them. So thankful for this team and their second to none care! I am grateful I was able to get away for a few da...

Hangin in there. That’s how things feel right now as the wait continues. Today I had more appointments, more scans, and another biopsy. I had a big moment where defeat set in a bit and I was mad. I called Dave and reminded him how unfair this feels. Sitting in the subway level of Mayo yet another day after seeing this terrible cancer on the screen multiple times this morning and I just wanted to be done. Not to mention I had just talked with the wig store about that process and I had to grieve my hair for a moment. None of this is easy and it feels like a test at many turns. I looked up and saw a sweet little girl, probably 2 or so, with an IV attached, nose tube in, and I paused thinking about this little one going through treatments. Perspective. I reminded myself how lucky I am to be where I am even if it sucks! So here are the positives! First big one was that we had cookies day Sunday when I got back from Rochester appointments. It was a double mixer day with all my favorite peopl...

Oncology & surgery & radiation & research, oh my! Dave and I met with my fantastic team today from 8 am to about 1:30. I had exams by 6 people, so if you are unsure about how to do a self check, hit me up! 1. I qualified for a study so I won’t start treatment until a few more tests are complete. So glad to be able to be part of any research that can help others! 2. Two more biopsy’s will take place for the additional spots they found to confirm if they are cancerous. 3. Chemo be once a week and will last 6 months. I will lose hair within the first 3 weeks. 4. Initial surgery will be about 4 weeks after chemo and then they will determine if radiation is needed. 5. More information was shared about lumpectomy vs mastectomy. Mastectomy would be 1-5% chance of cancer return vs a lumpectomy having 10-15% chance of return. 6. My cancer is fast growing and on a scale of 1-100 my biopsy shows that the pathology of my tumor is 86% fast growth on this scale. Right now it is m...

This weekend we celebrated Moira’s birthday, got Covid/flu shots to hopefully keep us healthy as my treatments start(only a few tears were shed), and enjoyed family time! During the weekend there were some moments of panic as everything is setting in and I didn’t feel well from my shots. This made me think of how the next few months may look, but still trying to focus on what I know. Positives from today: 1. My lead doctor called and the MRI confirmed lymph nodes are still clear, the cancer is still only on one side, and on a not so positive note there are two other spots, but I can wait to biopsy those until I confirm the surgery type. 2. I met with the genetics department and learned a lot! Since I’m 42 I qualify for this testing and it could help my kids/family in the future! Additionally it could potentially get me into a study. 3. I explored the tunnels at Mayo and found my way all the way back to my car without going out in the cold! This place is great! 4. Final positive- I...