My Thoughts - My Journey

My July 9th Blog Update was so packed with information, therefore, if you want to get even more information, you can go back and read my post prior to this one. As I shared in my last post, Dr. Bondly, my Oncologist, was in full agreement with me that I did not need to go a full 3 weeks after my treatments without having my blood panels ran. It is just too risky. Therefore, on July 14 th , I went back to the Bruno Cancer Center and had more bloodwork ran to see where my numbers were following my July 8 th chemo treatments. They took 10 vials of blood! Well, sadly, they had plummeted again. My White Blood Count was below ZERO. My Red Blood Count was at a mere 2.61. My Hemoglobin was very low at 8.8. There are a lot of numbers involved in testing, but those give you the general perspective. I also had a Peripheral Blood Smear. It was for the purpose of checking to see if I had developed an autoimmune such as Lupus that might help explain my Red Blood Count being so aggressivel...

  As most of you already know, I had a Liver Biopsy, a PET Scan, and a Bloodwork Profile and I have waited to get all results prior to writing a blog post update. I also had a lengthy consultation with my Oncologist, Dr. Bondly, yesterday.  First, I want to start off with a Super Praise God moment! My Liver Biopsy confirmed that my cancer has not changed to Her2-. It remains ER+ Her2+. That means we have been on the right treatment path. There is a strong possibility, however, that the Femara, Letrozole, that I took for 18 months did not work. It is a hormone based chemotherapy taken orally. It was to help lower my hormone and estrogen levels which in-turn was to help fight my cancer. We will find out more about that from the genetic portion of the Liver Biopsy when the results come back in about 3 weeks. The Liver Biopsy did show, according to Dr. Martin, that some of my cancerous lesions had got larger.   Because of the tremendous set-back that I had with my last t...

Tomorrow is a big day for me and my family. We are to get the results of my PET Scan that I had on July 5th….plus more information from my Liver Biopsy. My appointment is at 8:15. I will have bloodwork and a consultation with my Oncologist, Dr Bondly. I pray that my numbers will be good enough for me to have a chemo treatment. I have only had 2 treatments since my cancer changed to Metastatic Breast Cancer in my Bones and Liver. My last treatment put me in the hospital for 2 weeks and the doctors said if I had not gone to the ER when I did. I most likely would not have been alive the next day. Dr Bondly had already told us that I am facing that possibility again; however, if I can’t take treatments….well, I don’t even want to go there.  I am praying that God is going to bring me through this. I am praying with conviction that my cancer has not and will not spread further. I am believing that Dr Bondly will get me on a plan that I can stay on and that God will use the treatments and...

I went to the Bruno Cancer Center today and had bloodwork and a long consultation with Dr. Bondly. There are still a lot of unanswered questions and not all of the preliminary results are in from the liver biopsy… plus it will be three weeks before we get the genetic testing results from the liver biopsy.  We discussed a lot of potentials and what ifs, but at this point we don’t have any definite direction. Some of my numbers are still low and some or high, therefore; I was not able to do any type of treatment today… it would be very dangerous… plus I did not need to do a treatment before finding out if my cancer has changed types. We do know my cancer is aggressive and getting the appropriate treatment started as soon as possible is imperative.  I am going to have a PET Scan Tuesday morning at 8:00 and then I will meet with Dr Bondly again on Thursday morning at 8:15.  Please keep lifting your prayers on my behalf.  Love to you all. 💕

 UPDATE: - Liver Biopsies  I left the hospital around 3:00. I feel so good to have the liver biopsy behind me. They told me to take pain medicine when I got home to get ahead of the pain. I felt a little pain and pressure during the procedure, but nothing serious.  The same doctor, Dr Martin, who did my bone biopsies also did the 3 liver biopsies today. He used one of my larger cancerous lesions to take the biopsies from. It was great having a doctor and staff who remembered me. They were all so sweet, yet very professional.  Dr Martin said that Dr Bondly should have the preliminary results of the liver biopsies by my appointment with her Friday at 11:00. I will have thorough bloodwork tests Friday plus a consultation with Dr Bondly.  Praying that we can get me started on a pathway for proper treatments and success right away. YAY! It will still take around 3 weeks to get the genetic testing results. But, in the meantime, the preliminary bio tests should all me ...

I had to have a COVID test at MD Anderson in the 22nd. Even though I just had one in the hospital, they require a test to be taken there. Then, you must wait for the results.  June 24th Right now all I know is that a liver biopsy is being ordered. A biopsy done here or in Birmingham; however, takes approximately the same time so we will wait to Birmingham to do the liver biopsy. Kimberly Koenig, MD, my MD Anderson Breast Cancer Specialist, wasn’t sure if she agreed completely with Dr. Bondly’s conclusions or not. They will have a conversation tomorrow to discuss my treatment plan moving forward.  Continued prayers are appreciated.  💕 June 25th I can’t really comment about my MD Anderson experience yet. It left us with a lot of questions and with decisions that have to be made. I have been very emotional. I will have a liver biopsy on June 30th and on July 2nd I will have blood tests and a consultation with Dr. Bondly.  I appreciate all prayers and love y’all. 💕 Jun...

  Ashleigh, Michael, and I are leaving tomorrow for MD Anderson. We will stop half way to spend the night and finish the trip on Monday.  Please lift us up for safe travel. Also, please pray that I can get some direction with my treatments that will keep me from having to go to the hospital. It puts me in a life/death situation. I am so thankful to God for this opportunity! 🙌🏻  Please also continue to remember Larry in your prayers. He has barely been able to get out of the recliner this week. The swelling in his left leg and foot is unbelievable! He is in severe and constant pain most of the time. We have had 3 vascular surgeons tell us that there is nothing that can be done. It is a result of the Cryovein surgery he had in September.  Love to you all. 💕 GoFundMe Account: https://gofund.me/f7ec7292

  Update:  This morning I had lab work done at the Bruno Cancer Center. My Oncologist had planned on giving me a blood transfusion and platelet transfusion. While in the hospital for two weeks, I had two blood transfusions and one platelet transgusion. Dr. Bondly wanted my numbers to be good for me to make the trip to MD Anderson in Houston.  Well, to everyone’s surprise my White Blood Count was up from zero to 4,000. My platelet count is up to 44,000....still not where they need to be at 60,000, but much improved. My Bilirubin was at 0.9 which is in normal range. Therefore, no transfusions today!!! Thank You Jesus!!! 🙌🏻 Well, to say the least, I left the Cancer Center very happy, blessed, and thankful.  Ashleigh and I were talking on the phone, as Michael took me today, she had just mentioned to me that nothing was mentioned in my Portal about my Liver Enzyme numbers. So, we thought they must not have checked them today. Right after that conversation, I received ...

Hello my dear friends, family, and awesome prayer warriors. For the past 2 weeks, my children have been giving updates on how I was doing.  Finally, tonight I am able to write my own update. I am still weak, but it feels awesome to finally be home! I will be brief as the neuropathy in my fingers makes it difficult to type.  I cannot begin to thank all of you who have supported me and my family through cards, texts, phone calls, financial gifts, and prayers.  The past two weeks have not been at all easy, but God has brought me through. When I arrived at the hospital, they were not sure if I would make it or not….but, here I am continuing my war against the cancer within me. I am so blessed to have each of you who have walked this journey so faithfully with me and who continue to lift me in your prayers. My precious children are amazing as they swapped-out night after night to stay with me and make sure I wasn’t alone. And, Joey stayed home and took care of the kiddos so As...

Good Afternoon! This is Ashleigh! I hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday! Mama is beginning to make strides towards being able to be discharged. The doctor spoke with her this morning and felt confident that she could be released by early to mid-week. They took her off of the TPN (Nutrition IV) on Saturday at 4:00. Since then, she has been incorporating more foods into her diet.  The yeast infection in her throat has pretty much cleared up. Yay! It still hurts to swallow; but, it will take time for that to heal completely. The nurses are still checking her sugar every 4 hours and she has remained on insulin. They will continue to monitor that over the next couple of days. Her white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets continued to go down as the transfusions began to leave her system. So, she had another blood transfusion yesterday. They are talking about the possibility of giving her another platelet transfusion before she leaves; but, we are unsure about that right n...

Good Afternoon! This is Ashleigh.   Things have been pretty slow on the healing side of things for a couple of days; but, we’ve had a good bit of change today. So, I want to let you all know how Mama is doing as of now. A couple of days ago, Mama had a platelet transfusion to help her platelets get to a safer place. They jumped up pretty quickly but then fell a little bit today, although not too much. This it isn’t a major cause of concern right now. Her White Blood Cell counts have increased to the target the doctor’s wanted her to reach before going home, which is great news. We still have a bit to go with the platelets, though.  She has been able to regain a good bit of strength and can now walk to the bathroom in her room without a walker as long as Michael or I walk with her. Mama has been on a TPN (Nutrition IV) for four days now. This has caused some issues with how her body is dealing with sugar over the last couple of days. So, she has been having insulin every 4 hour...

  Good Afternoon! This is Ashleigh.  I hope you all are having a restful weekend spent with family and friends, doing all of the things that fill your cup, and giving all glory and honor to God. He is good.   Here’s the latest with Mama:  She is slowly but surely getting better. Her blood counts are still very low; so, she feels pretty weak. For now, she can’t eat anything by mouth due to the Thrush in her mouth and throat; but, they are giving her a nutrition IV that is dripping over the course of 24 hours. We hope that she’ll tolerate that well and that she will start to recuperate a bit more soon.    One of the main problems with the TPN, Total Parenteral Nutritional IV is that it contains a lot of sugar. Mama has to have her sugar checked in her fingers every 4 hours. And, it is always high; therefore, every 4 hours she is having to receive insulin.  She is now able to get up with a walker and a nurse to walk herself to the bathroom. That pretty mu...

This is Michael and this is the update on my mom for today:  Last night my mom had to have an EKG due to an abnormality in her heartbeat. The nurses believe that it was from her fever and medicine. She has a serious side-effect from her chemo…Neutropenic Fever .  Her doctor is further reading the EKG and will give us his report tomorrow. She had to have a blood transfusion last night because her blood levels keep dropping. She will need a platelet transfusion at some point. Her doctor will be starting her on a feeding IV tomorrow morning as she is unable to eat or drink anything on her own. She has severe thrush in her throat and mouth. She is on an antibiotic that will hopefully help. She hasn’t slept much due to having nightmares and hallucinations. Her doctor is giving her some sleeping medicine tonight so that she will hopefully get some sleep. I was told by her doctor if she wouldn’t have been brought in the hospital when she was then she wouldn’t be here today. God is le...

This is Michael, Patricia’s son. My mom asked me to give everyone an update on her behalf because she is not able to respond to anyone right now. She needs your prayers because she has a new infection with a 101.4 fever. Along with that, her entire mouth and throat is massively swollen with sores. She can’t eat, talk or hardly swallow.  She currently needs assistance to walk as she is having severe bone and joint pain. Two days ago she had a very large rash appear on the top and back of her head. She is currently taking a very strong antibiotic to hopefully help fight off the infection. We called her oncologist today and they said if her fever hasn’t gone down by tomorrow then they may have to admit her to the hospital.  We are extremely thankful for all the prayers, love and support! This is Michael again. I wanted to give everyone an update on my mom... Her condition has drastically worsened from earlier today to the point where she had to be taken to the ER.  Her fever...

I am in so much pain from neuropathy in my hands and feet....and bone/joint pain. I can barely stand or walk. My throat is hurting so bad, I can’t swallow without pain. I have blisters in my mouth and on my lips.  Now, I am running a light fever....and I have a red rash/bumps on my head. I just put a call into Dr. Bondly. I talked to one of the nurses and she is going to talk to Dr. Bondly and then give me a call back.  I heard back from Dr Bondly’s nurse. She is calling me in a very strong antibiotic. This is the first time in 3 years that I have had a fever. By the time the office closed, my fever went up  it was running close to 103 degrees snd I was becoming out of it.  I had no idea how deathly sick I was. Michael and Ashleigh insisted on me going to the St Vincent’s Main ER downtown Birmingham. So thankful I listened to my children.     But, I did just receive some positive news earlier today.  From: MD ANDERSON Appointment Scheduled Message...

I barely got any sleep last night. My knees, legs, and feet are hurting me so bad! I have been in pain all day.  I just took a Percocet...praying I get some pain relief soon! I’m also using doTerra Deep Blue Rub. It helps some with a few minutes of temporary relief.  My mouth is getting full of mouth sores and it goes down into my throat. It is almost impossible to eat. Food either taste horrible or has no taste and it hurts to eat and swallow  I went through this the first time I was on chemo, but it seems to be getting worse this time. I have Miracle Mouthwash, but it doesn’t offer much relief   Prayers appreciated! 💕

Y’all.....I am beyond excited.....I am getting my chemo treatments today, my Bone Shot, and my Neulasta OnPro!!!!!  I have literally been dancing down the hall! I told my doctor and nurse that they have probably never seen anyone more happy than me to be getting chemo.  Thank You God...Thank You Jesus!!  I am on my way to wellness! Thank you all for your prayers and please keep praying. God is always faithful. I feel His love, peace, healing and calm wash over me. To God be all glory, praise, and honor! Amen! This is my $5,000 On-Board Injector for Neulasta On-Pro. It measures about 2”x3”. I have had it injected into the left side of my stomach for over 24 hours. It is now releasing the medicine. I will have it on for a total of 27 hours and then it will release the needle from my stomach and I can remove it.  I had this after my chemo treatments the first time and I’m thankful to have it again. After not being able to have my last 4 treatments because of my numbers ...