Sunday 10/10/10

Hi Everyone,
Thank you, thank you for all the prayers. Although I got sick on the first day of treatment, I began to feel better earlier. PTL! I would describe this session as a bad case of the flu but I wasn't looking for a shot gun. Due to my body's response to chemo my doc decreased the amount of chemo I received. I think that is why I didn't get as sick.

Thank you Dori, Diana, and Arika for visiting with me during chemo.

Please pray for Wednesday as they are going to run some tests on my liver. My liver enzymes have been increasingly elevated since chemo began.

As Allysa mentioned my feet, liver and brain are taking the brunt of my treatment besides the usual stomach problems. My Doc is concerned about long term effects from the chemo and is cautious about the last treatment. To increase the likelihood of curing this disease it is important I finish the treatment. I would appreciate prayer that I will be able to finish my last chemo on Monday October 25th. Part of me wishes I could skip the last treatment but I've come this far- I just want chemo over! If all things go as planned I should start to recover by the beginning of November from chemo.

FYI- radiation will begin 2 weeks after but everyone has told me it is not that bad.

The best part of this week is that Allysa has been here and I wasn't to sick to enjoy her company. She flew from Portland on Thursday and is returning to school today. She is such a great encouragement to me and has been an amazing servant around the house. I will really miss her. Greg has begun the dreaded "Diablo Outage" so it was perfect timing.

Thank you all for the wonderful meals, cards, flowers, e-mails, gifts and most of all for praying!

The end is in sight-Yippee!!!!!
Chemo has truly been and continues to be a season in my life where I am continually blessed
Bonnie

5th treament

We have some specific prayer requests for all you to be praying for considering my mom. Yesterday she had her 5th treatment and the doctor is really concerned about her liver, her brain and her feet. Her body is just not responding well to all the chemo that she has had and they are afraid of the long term effects on her body it is going to have. So right now they are even considering not doing the 6th treatment, which would be her last and it would be nice for her to not have to go through this again but it leaves the fear of the cancer not being completely killed. She also is not doing good at all and I know that this is going to be a hard week.

I am thankfully able to go home on thursday through sunday, which will be nice for us all so hopefully I can post on here again for you all sometime this weekend. But please be praying specifically for my mom's brain, liver and her feet. They are going to be doing a sonogram of her liver before her next treatment to make sure everything is ok. Also they are going to have her come in the week before treatment to make sure her body is able to take the last one.

Thanks for all your prayers,

Allysa

2/3 done!

New week 2/3 done I'm back! Starting to feel better over the weekend, slowly moving forward. Each time it gets a little harder. Harder to go recieve treatment, harder to recover. Please pray for my white blood cell count as it was the lowest thus far. Had to have daily injections, which aren't too bad it is just awful to go to the doctor everyday when you feel so sick.

I can't eat any fresh vegetable or fruit until it goes back up- yuk!
getting used to cooking everything.

I have to admit I enjoy the simple life no hustle but I really miss teaching art!
I have had a few chances to teach private lessons but I miss all the kids at school. Nothing like cancer making me realize I am not ready to retire!

I was able to watch Arika play volleyball last night and have lunch with a friend today.
Getting up and going more and more each day.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...

I love you all
Bonnie

Mid-Chemo Week

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let all you know that this treatment has been really rough on my mom. Instead of not being sick till wednesday, she was already feeling sick on monday. She felt a little better on tuesday but now that we are into her bad days she really isn't feeling well. Please be praying for her that she starts feeling a little better and for her body because the chemo is really starting to take a toll on everything. I'm not home I am just hearing this from my family and mom and I know they could use some extra prayer.

Thanks,

Allysa

Chemo Day!

Well here I am again on chemo day! My 2 sisters Shirley and Betsy are here to take care of me and visit during chemo- I am looking forward to them distracting me. I am a little anxious (be anxious in nothing but by prayer and supplication make you requests to God phil 4:6) but trying to cast my burdens on Jesus. Please pray this week that my feet won't get any worse. I am suffering from neuropathy (nerve damage) from the chemo and it is making standing and walking more difficult. I am hoping it doesn't get worse.
Love you all
Bonnie

thankful for a new week

Woke up this morning and realized I am going to feel good for 2 weeks! Small things we take for granted in life. I am not very motivated to get things done around the house because it is so boring.....housework is boring. I would much rather be teaching art lessons or visiting with friends. The best thing about chemo week is I am too sick to do almost anything around the house. No cooking, laundry,or cleaning!

Thanks for all the notes and prayers-I feel so loved. There are so many amazing things that happen when you get really sick. I am in awe at how kind everyone has been to me.

The most common question every woman my age asks is what were your symptoms?

In Sept 2009 I began a watery discharge,no other symptoms. I looked up on the Internet to find out what it could be and there was nothing. I waited until December to go to the gynocologist.

In Dec a culture was done -negative. I also did a pap smear-negative.

In January, feeling like something wasn't right I went in again. The gyn0c0gist did a vaginal biopsy and pelvic exam-negative. I now know fallopian tube cancer has a watery discharge but it would of shown positive on the biopsy.

I had no other signs of menopause but the gyn doctor though it might be related.

At the end of March when I got my period, I began to have spotting in between periods. I waited 2 periods. Even though this can be a sign of menopause, I still felt something was wrong. I waited 2 periods and made another appointment at the end of May.

At Mays appointment the gyn ordered an ultrasound "just to be sure". It indicated a mass in my pelvic. Which more commonly is begnign.

This was followed by an MRI and a Pet Scan. Which confirmed cancer.

Something I now think was another sign was the bursitis in my hips had changed. I have had reoccurent bursitis from standing and teaching. I really didn't think about how it had become more in the groin area. Previously it had been only in the outer hip area. In hindsight, I did have this symptom. I had no other symptoms.

What I think you should know:
When you have your annual pelvic exam, make sure your gyn does a rectal/vaginal. This was not done on me until May. The only way for a doctor to really feel your ovaries is through a rectal/vaginal pelvic exam. Ovarian cancer is very rare and difficult to detect- that is why it is called the "silent Killer". My gynocologist/onocologist told me that 90% of her ovarian cancer patients are stage 3 or 4. I am blessed to be one of the 10% at stage 2! I know it is because God was telling me something was wrong. Before I got the results of the pet scan, I knew in my heart it was cancer. I am confident God is going to cure me of this disease,I just have to survive chemo and radiation.

If you want to know more about ovarian cancer and symptoms check out the Gilda Radnor website -I found it to be the best.

May God Bless you as He has me
Bonnie

1/2 way through chemo!!!!

Thank you for your prayers. I had chemo today. I am feeling really tired and a little nauseated but doing fine. Unfortunately, I kept thinking I wouldn't have chemo and for got to drink a lot of water beforehand. My veins were difficult again but they got it on the 3rd try. I am just praising God, I didn't want to be delayed. My bladder infection urinalysis on friday was negative. They want me to stay on the meds until they are finished to make sure it doesn't return. White blood cell count is better but not quite normal, so I have to have injections the rest of the week.
I hate going in each day when I am really sick- but I don't really have any choice.

Thank you Linda, Robin and Arika for taking me and visiting with me today. Chemo is so much easier when people visit with me.

I will not be posting until after friday. Please pray that the meds will work as well as last time or even better!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

thanks for all the prayers...I had Chemo! I never thought I would be grateful for chemo?
Bonnie