Sarah is on her third day out from chemo, and doing fairly well.  She has had a lot of nausea and is very, very tired.  She has also been achy from the immune booster shot she received on Tuesday.  Wednesday was the worst day so far, and today (Thursday) she is definitely feeling better. 

Sarah saw the surgeon today for a check-up on the port surgery site, and all looks well there.  She also received the results on the skin biopsy they took when they placed the port last week.  The biopsy results were positive for cancer.  We will know more (if it’s a different kind of cancer or not) when she visits the oncologist next week.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Sarah had her first chemo treatment today (Monday) at 1:30 p.m.  It took 45 minutes to get access to her port, as the area was still swollen from surgery last Thursday, but once access was achieved (after three tries!), the treatment went well. 

So far, she is feeling fine with very little effects, except for some minor dizzyness.  They gave her anti-nausea meds along with the chemo drugs, and they are supposed to last for a couple of days.  The nurse said she’ll probably start feeling the effects, especially fatigue and nausea, on Wednesday or Thursday.  She’ll be going in for an immune booster shot tomorrow, and blood work next Monday.  They mostly want to be sure she doesn’t develop any infection or get sick in any way, since the chemo will lower her immunity.

Praise God the first treatment is over successfully!

The hospital counselor recommended that Sarah get her hair cut short in preparation for chemo and the potential hair loss. With that in mind, Sarah’s friend Jill set up hair appointments for this last Friday for Sarah and herself, and Sarah’s sister Charlene. Sarah’s mom Cheryl, sister-in-law Sarah (Ken’s wife), and friend Stacie came along for the ride and moral support. Lots of hair found the floor of the salon on Friday.

Here are some before and after pictures. (Jill arrived before the rest and was already mid-cut, so we didn’t get any “before” pictures of her haircut).

Sarah and Charlene “Before”:

Sarah had enough hair to donate to Locks of Love, so here she is getting her “ponytail” cut off:

And watching to see just HOW short it was going to be:

The new ‘do…

And then it was Charlene’s turn…

And the after pictures (with Jill):

All in all, QUITE a day at the beauty salon!

On Thursday Sarah had her Port surgically put in, and the Dr. also decided to take a skin biopsy too.  Because of the types of test they want to run on Sarah, they instaled the type they call a “power port”.  This type of port is made partly out of titanium, so she has to wear a special medical I.D. band and she also gets to carry a card because she is sure to set off the medal detectors at the airport.  They had to put her out with general anesthia, so even thought we got to bring her home after a couple of hours, she was in no condition to do anything until the next day.  It was a fairly hard day for Sarah, but overall everything went well.   Sarah’s first chemo session will be Monday, June 23. 

Yesterday we met with the oncologist to get the game plan for Sarah’s treatment.  The bad news is that Sarah has bilateral stage 3 or stage 4 breast cancer. The good news is that her blood work and bone scans were completely clear.  They are still waiting for the results of some further test. The doctor specifically is trying to set up a P.E.T. scan to find out if the spots on her lungs are cancer or simply other scar material.  They believe that this cancer is aggressive and so are going to treat it aggressively.  Sarah is going in today for her port and will start chemotherapy on Monday (June 23).  They have set Sarah up for “Double AC Doses” where she will go in once every two weeks for a chemo dose for 4 to 6 cycles.  During this time they will continue to test her and see how the cancer responds.  The hope is the chemo will be able to get it all and she might not need any surgery or radiation.   This is going to be a long process so we ask that you continue to remember us in your preyers the months ahead.   

Dear Friends and Family

Yesterday, we had a pre-op. meeting with the surgeon that will put in Sarah’s Port.  He explained that this is a out patinet procedure and that Sarah will be in and out in the same day.  While this is a relatively minor operation, she will be sedated and there is a small chance of serious compications.  He also confermed that Sarah has inflamatory ductal breast cancer.  This is the most common type of breast cancer and makes up 70% of all cases.  The cancer has also spread to her lymph nodes and lungs which means that chemotherapy will most likely be the primary treatment.  Depending how successful the chemotherapy is Sarah may or may not have to have surgery.

Sarah will meet with the Oncologist later today (June 18th), and will have her port surgery tomorrow (June 19th).  Please pray everyday for us that the Lord will heal Sarah and give us comfort and strength. 

Dear Friends and Family,

Sarah checked herself into the ER at Sutter Roseville hospital last Wednesday. The ER admitted her without insurance and began running tests immediately. After an untrasound, two mammograms, and a CAT scan, the Oncologist came in to talk with Sarah. He told her she had breast cancer and would like to run more test but would have to wait a few days for the results.

We are still waiting on the results of the Biopsy to determine which type of breast cancer she has, and are also awaiting the results of the Bone Scan. She also has an appointment on Tuesday to see a Surgeon for a consultation about a Port. (A Port is an IV that is surgically put into a large vein under the skin below the collar bone). This Port is where Sarah will be given her chemotherapy.

We have an appointment on Wednesday at 3:00 pm with her Oncologist. During this appointment, the Oncologist (cancer dr.) will tell Sarah and her family the results of her pending tests. We will also find out what Sarah’s chemo schedule will look like and will be able to get many questions answered.

Sarah also has hair appointment planned for this Friday. It was recommended to her to get her hair cut short in preparation for chemotherapy because it will be easier when the chemo makes her hair fall out.