Who wants to see my Cancer growths?!

Curious about my growths?
Fair warning.. You're gunna see me in my Bra.
This is for Educational and Information purposes ONLY!

Well the oncologists that gathered here in Santa Barbara said they had never seen anything like this with PMBCL. So heyy I'm A first  :)
Its a Shock to them because my lymph nodes became inflamed and they penetrated through my chest wall, which means they poked through to the other side of my ribs! Keep in mind my tumor, or whatever also affected the lymph nodes in my chest cavity!  So I was affected inside and outside. The growth in its entirety was about 10cm in width.

In the following pictures you can mostly just notice the growth near my sternum. (first picture)If you take a close look at MY LEFT chest you can see the "flatter" "wider" growth. In comparison to the right side you can see the swelling. It's not my Breasts; I have small boobs lol

-------

IN CURRENT NEWS... the growths on the surface have completely deflated! You can feel minor scar tissue but the chemo is doing its job! Wooooooo

Side Effects Update (warning: TMI)

I keep getting applauded for my strength and it feels good to know people believe in me.
But for real though, Cancer sucks. lol

I haven't lost my hair, which is a love/hate relationship. Its only been a week and half since i started chemo, some say it'll thin then fall. My aunt came over this morning and was like "You still have hair!" hahaha i know right?

I DO have this crazy rash! Its all over my chest, neck and face and a little on my shoulders/back. So itchy, itchy, itchy! I don't do well with being itchy, no shame in scratching! Ahh. It kind of looks like acne. 

The prescription meds im taking daily.
-one so i don't get chicken pox again ( 3rd time)
-prilosec
-blood thinners
-another antibiotic

Some of these meds make you constipated, not gunna lie, I just want to be on a healthy poop schedule again. I don't know if you've ever been constipated but my pipes don't like being jammed packed. It feels like cramps. ugh. The best way I've upped my Fiber intake is this amazing cereal, FiberOne. Mix 1/2 a cup of that with Honey Bunches of Oats! Boom, healthy deliciousness!
     +

With that being said, I've been able to eat again, but eating "healthy" does not sounds appetizing. So for all you out there, im human too, "shitty" food is the only thing sounding good. I love Butter! I haven't eaten mayonnaise in a long time, the other day I put it in my tuna, Bomb! lol Starchy food is delicious! Potatoes and Corn! Plus there's nothing more comforting than a QUESADILLA!! I'm craving Mexican food like crazy! Carb me up!  I dont feel as guilty because my stomach can only tolerate certain foods. and the smells... don't even get broccoli near me! I LOVE broccoli but since chemo, no gracias. Vegetables do not sound great. Sorry body :/ i pride myself in my nutritious choices but the drugs make it soooo hard! ( Trust me, i know the struggle is beyond real! ) Sneaking in Spinach in smoothies is a way I trick myself too.

Another side effect is Mouth Sores. ouchie. Like  under my tongue I've got little bumps and sores, gotta be careful and not eat food that might inflame them, like acidic fruits.

Headaches!! aghhh the worst part about Cancer! I don't know if its because i haven't eaten, or the drugs, or the lack of sleep, or the sensitivity to light or the lack of exercise! Idk, but i have to deal, and they're ANNOYING!

___________________________________________

Okay enough negative nancy talk! Im doing really great actually. I'm going to start exercising again. I feel best in the morning, fatigue sets in around 3pm.  if i can early onset my fatigue after exercise then ill be able to Nap earlier and go to sleep earlier. That's the plan but my body might have a different idea. lol

FurCut

9:16am

Alright so there's a certain itch everyone is curious about and i don't blame you. so i will satisfy your itch. Its about my hair, or as i like to call it my "FUR".

With Chemo, it targets fast-growing cells, bad ones like cancer, but it also targets good fast-growing cells like the ones in your GI Tract, Skin and Hair. Hence why most negative symptoms are from the reaction of chemo damaging those healthy-necessary cells ( nausea, hair loss, rashes).

What can I say about my Hair? Well... its gunna grow back.

As most cancer patients,  the approach is to cut it short before the  chunks start falling out and its a lot more traumatizing. I pictured looking like Cynthia from Rugrats! Ah

 Im used to hair falling, a couple strands at a time, but now it was a little more heartbreaking seeing it go. So we did it, we chopped it off! My Auntie Lidia, a wonderful hairstylist from Hair Do Studio made a house call and well, ill let the pictures do the talking...

 

Through my journey of life, Ive thought of myself in no way materialistic. If i were to be stripped of everything I possessed, i would be satisfied for I am satisfied in my own Body. The Last year I've really put overtime in my body trying to really take care of it, fueling it properly, resting it properly, working it properly and with this whole Cancer thing, even my health is stripped away from me! Something I've worked so hard for, something I've earned! Only too for that to be taken from me.
>>Cutting my hair doesn't phase me, Just that really awesome experience of cutting it Super Short with NO RAGRETS!


Hairstylin

Don't I Look Like A Boy? hahahaa whatever though! 
SNAPBACKS for days <3
xoxo

Home Sweet Home

10 :17pm

Round 1 of Chemo... COMPLETE!
I made it through guys! Well that was the easy part, the worst is yet to come. Im resting my body and trying to focus my mind on the intense battle im going to endure.

Im home and my mom and brother have made it comfortable for me. The pure enjoyment of just taking a shower on my own time and walking to and from any room I please.
Ill be confined to my house for the next 4-5 months. So i may just go to my brothers room and stare at his fish lol Time will only tell how my body will react. id like to think ive treated my body well that it will in turn take care of me,

They say ill start feeling it Day 7-10... Tomorrow is dreadful day seven...

I ask for Prayers of STRENGTH

Philippians 4:13

¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Monday Morning

8:40am

Yesterday was a chaotic day at  the hospital. I was originally on Floor 6, but then yesterday i got moved to Floor 5; to my own personal room :) It has the view on the Riviera and i can see the mission! So im on my 4th 24 hr bag of chemo. After this i have one more bag, but thats a short one that runs for an hour. I should be done with my current bag around 5pm today, the last around 630.

A side effect i did encounter was a blood clot about the picc line but the doctors have something for that, always.

They have MEDS for everything!
anti-nausea
antibiotics
anti diarehha
my low potassium
anti  constipation
acid reflux
my blood clots

Just like anything i was feeling or experiencing they would fix with a little pill or a shot. im the type of girl who is mostly gunna suck it up and hope it goes away within time. But with the fact that its cancer and its kind of a big deal, I didn't mind complaining if this bothered or pointing out something unfamiliar.


Goals with Round 1 of Chemo:
>Decrease Lump size......CHECK
>Reduce Fever Temp....CHECK
>Decrease Resting HR from 100 to75bpm..... IN progress (90bpm)
>Get rid of this Cough....... still when im shortness of breath... working on it!

Day 3 of Round 1

3:25pm

 So this morning when I woke up, I was super exhausted! I think hardcore chillin makes me more tired. Its Day 3 of my chemo. So I have like Five 24hr drip bags that I will be doing every time that i come to the hospital. Im on Day 3 of Round 1. 

Who wants GOOD NEWS?!
---me me me me me!
The lumps on my chest are decreasing in size!! yay

I just want everyone to know im doing good! My spirits are up and i'm responding well in Round One! 


***********

Ready for some pictures?

My Machine I have to take with me everywhere! The Brown Bag is the Chemo 

>>chemotherapy regimen (etoposide, vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone [EPOCH]) in which the natural products are administered as a continuous infusion.

 

Inflamed Lymphnodes

Look at the MUCH SMALLER lump :)
Near my sternum.

The larger one is more flat on the Left side. Its under my Pec Muscle. Kinda looks like its my breast but its not

But They feel more squishy and less firm!

PICC Line

How they infuse my chemo and fluids. 

They can also draw blood from this .