Time again for treatment and tests~

Hi everyone~ tomorrow, I will be having blood work and a Zometa treatment @ 11 am. The following week I will have another CT scan, bone scan and chest x ray. When all that is done, Chris and I will meet with my doctor to go over all the results.

I'm not sure if this part ever gets easier~ please be in prayer for ALL the test results to come back well and that I will handle the Zometa tomorrow with no problems.

I had been having a lot of pain in my back which has eased up lately.

Thanks all for your continued support~
Elayne

August 21 ~ 10 years!

Today is my 10 year anniversary as a cancer survivor and coming up on the 1 year anniversary of my recurrence.

What if....

What if I never had cancer? My life would have been so much easier but I would not have been pushed and challenged in every way possible, to see what you are really made of and then realize you cannot do this alone.

What if, I never had to go through all these treatments and side effects? Then I would never have been able to understand what others are going through and be a friend in their time of need.

What if this happened when I was 84 instead of 34? Then I might not have cherished all the little moments watching my boys grow up and my time with my husband~ my best friend.

What if it didn't come back a second time? I would not have had the courage to do so many things and make so many changes.

What if I didn't have to face the unknown? Then I might be worrying about the future and not seeing each day for what it is ~

What if this happened to someone else instead of me? That is harder to endure.

What if I had the choice? Then I may not have realized that my life is not my own and I am not in control.

What if I didn't believe in prayer? Then I would not be able to see the power of it.

What if I didn't have comfort, peace, trust, love, strength? Then I would not have had Christ.

LET MY LIFE-SONG SING TO YOU!

The Jewelry Box

I received a very special gift from my brother on my birthday. My birth mother ( Barbara) died many years ago and I never got to meet her. I have however known my birth family for the past 15 years and I have two brothers, Marco & Dana.

When Barbara died Dana kept her jewelry box and recently decided to send it to me. It is the first "piece" of her that I have. I opened it up and saw a mirror in the lid of the box. I looked at it and wondered " I bet she never thought it would be my face in the reflection of the same mirror she must have looked into so many times." I went through the whole thing, piece by piece, even finding some pieces that I can wear. I can smell her perfume in the box and on the jewelry and wonder what the story is behind each piece in the box.

I believe God is in control of everything and He knew before I was born that I would not be raised in my birth family and had a different family chosen for me. He has allowed me to have both families in my life, which I am grateful for.
So for now, I have this small piece from her life to hold on to. Thank you Dana!

Dosage back up for blood pressure

I tried taking the half dosage for the BP med. for 3 days and my BP went up immediately. I felt all those feelings coming back again when it was too high. Called Friday to ask my doctor if I can raise it back up and expect to hear from them tomorrow. In the meantime I went back to the original dosage and my BP is back to normal.

I have been having a lot of pain in my back lately but it does seem to be easing up. Chris and I notice that when we have rain or storms coming it will hurt and also when I am stressed and there is a lot of tension in the muscles. Please continue to pray that this pain will go away completely. My last tests did not show any areas of concern and actually showed healing in the rib and spine. So... hopefully it is something else. I ran the last two days and that also seems to help. I think I am out of alignment :)

Also, my certification exam is this Wednesday. I have been studying very hard for it and ask for prayer that my comprehension, retention and memory will be very strong this week as I am going to need all of them :) This has been difficult to do given the last year and half and the different medications I am on. Please pray that I will do well.

We have had a quiet weekend, both Chris and I have been studying ( Chris for his professional engineer cert.) and take breaks to watch the Olympics! Go USA!!
Have a good week, thanks for checking the blogs and for all your support ~ Elayne

Good news at the Cardiologist

I saw my doctor yesterday and expected him to raise the Beta blocker ( for my heart). I didn't like the idea of raising the dosage as it makes me tired and dizzy each time it is raised.

My blood pressure is back to normal~ actually lower than normal now, so he decided not to raise it AND cut my blood pressure med. in half! I go back in October for another echo to check my heart. We are praying that all will be back to normal with my heart and I will get the ok to begin training again. Meanwhile running has been moved indoors due to our heatwave here. We are anxious to get back outside:)

I would like to ask for prayer that my BP remains good while the dosage is being lowered and for my back. I have had a lot of pain the past week or so and continue to pray for healing. We used to tell our boys when they were little~ "Do your best, God will do the rest"!

RUN 4 YOUR LIFE!

Continue to do the things you love....

WaterTots & Preschool with Nolan, Morgan & Cooper!

Cooper getting his swimming sticker.

Morgan on "Safety Day" !

My aunt Dena is great at encouraging me to "do the things you love to do". Teaching swimming is one of those things. I just wrapped up a 2 week session with 3 classes, water tots, preschool and adult.It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed teaching the kids and parents.

Next week I take my Personal Trainer Certification exam. This also will allow me to do those things I love and work with people through fitness & health. Please keep this in prayer as it has been a long, hard road to prepare for this over the last year.

An update on 2 prayer requests~ My brother Dana had open heart surgery last week and is back home and doing well! Cracking jokes and teasing me like a big brother does :)

Our neighbor Byron was hospitalized on Friday and last I heard the doctors told his family he will not be coming home, the cancer is very advanced. Thanks to all of you that have kept these 2 families in prayer, please continue to do so.

Prayer For Byron

My neighbor Byron was diagnosed with esophageal cancer one month ago. His family just came over and asked Chris to help get him in the car to take him to the hospital. This cancer is spreading quickly and he is in a lot pain. He has had radiation and just started chemo last week.
Please pray for Byron and his family. My heart hurts watching yet another person and another family going through this.
Byron is 61 years old and a sweet, sweet man. Please lift him up in prayer.
Thanks~ Elayne

Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them," (Matthew 18:20)

Randy Pausch

http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/beyond/2008/summer/an-enduring-legacy.shtml

Click on the link to read about a very inspirational man, Randy Pausch who lost his fight to pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008.

I have his book, "The Last Lecture" in my list of recommended books.

A Day Of Celebration!

Birthday BBQ!

Lauren & Billy

Lauren & Justin

On Thursday my family and our good friends, The Reeds spent the evening at the lake.We were there to celebrate my birthday, baptism, friends & family.
We had a great BBQ for dinner and yogurt pies for desert~ blueberry (my favorite) and strawberry. I may be one of the few people that enjoys having birthdays and getting older, I turned 44 and enjoy every birthday!
I was baptised in 1994, but wanted to re-commit my life to Christ as well as be baptised by submersion, which I had not been. Our great friend Billy baptised me at the lake with both our families there, it was a very special time. Thank you Billy !

Clint

Elayne

Lauren

Donise

Billy

Justin

Billy & Donise

My Baptism at the lake.

Baptism at the Lake

Reed & Minich Families.

The end to a beautiful day and a very Happy Birthday.

Mission Moment on DVD

This is the link to watch the DVD made for Team In Training. I was asked to come out and share my story for the "Mission Moment". Part of that is on the DVD, about in the middle. Enjoy, and see how a TNT team prepares for a half/full marathon.

http://click.lls-email.org/?ju=fe3f15757564067f761671&ls=fdf411777064067972167670&m=fefd15707d6001&l=fe9115787760017b71&s=fe0515717364067574177277&jb=ffcf14&t=

Lesson Learned :)

OK, even though this was a whole lot of fun it probably was not the smartest thing to do given the condition of my rib and spine. I am pretty sore today and will skip the tube ride, at least for a while :)
Hope you all had a nice weekend~ Elayne

So Far, So Good

It has been over 24 hours since the Zometa and I am feeling ok. I have continued to take the Advil/Tylenol today and stayed home to take it easy. A little tired ,weak and my back hurts some, but overall, ok. I must have had a virus right after the last treatment or maybe this one was just easier. So, it looks like I will be able to continue with the Zometa to strengthen my bones. Click on the link below to see how Zometa works.

Thanks for the prayers~ God hears us when we pray!
Elayne

http://www.us.zometa.com:80/info/therapy/how_it_works.jsp?irmasrc=ZOMWB0084?source=etp&uuid=1178761764238303367

The best Oncology Team!

Today I had my Zometa treatment again. So far so good, however I will not know till later if I have any negative side effects from it like last time. I am taking Advil/Tylenol every 4 hours just in case.

Matt was able to go with me to keep me company. He was able to meet my doctor and the nurses. They are such a great group of people with a sense of humor that I love and they truly care about and listen to their patients. Here are some pics of " my awesome team".

Decision to try the Zometa again

Hi everyone!
Well, I have discussed trying the Zometa ( to strengthen the bones) with my doctor and we have all decided that I should try it again. Because Chris got sick a week after I was sick, it may have been a "bug" that just hit at the same time.
So... I will receive an IV infusion this Thursday. The nurse said they will be pro-active with me and start me on Advil/Tylenol rotation every 4 hours from the start. So, we'll see what happens.

Otherwise, I feel good, strong, just get tired and have to slow down now and then. I am continuing to run and feel really good, I am not having any problems with my heart. Actually, at this point my pace and distance are greatly improving. Trying to run 18-20 miles per week. That keeps me where my cardiologist wants me and works for me, for now :)

I am "trying" to get back to some "normal" things in my life again. I am continuing to study for my Personal Trainer Certification exam which is coming up very soon in August. This has been a difficult course to wrap my brain around while going through all this. I will be happy when it is done :)
I have started training a friend of mine and just getting back to working feels great and confirmed for me how much I love working with people with fitness and nutrition. In the next few weeks I should also be teaching a Water Tots class for some friends with little ones. I am appreciative and thankful that I am able to work again and be a part of things that I could not do just a little while ago.
This next month I will be working very hard studying for my exam, please keep this in prayer as every time I have a bad reaction to a medication or get "thrown off" it sets me back with studying and is really hard to keep catching up.
Also, for this Thursday that the Zometa treatment goes well and I have no negative side effects.
Thanks for your continued prayer support and encouragement!
Elayne

This is a story my brother Dana sent me about the attitude we choose each day ~
You have two choices
Jerry is the manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood.
When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply:
'If I were any better, I would be twins!'
Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs,
so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant.
Why? Because Jerry was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling him how to look
on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him
'I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'
Jerry replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today.
I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood.
I always choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose
to be victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining
or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life.'

'But it's not always that easy,' I protested.
'Yes it is,' Jerry said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk every situation is a choice.
You choose how you react to situations..
You choose how people will affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
It's your choice how you live your life.'
Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed
to do in the restaurant business.
He left the back door of his restaurant open And then in the morning, he was robbed by three armed men.
While Jerry trying to open the safe box, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination.
The robbers panicked and shot him.
Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments
of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?'
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
'The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,' Jerry replied.
'Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices:
I could choose to live or could choose to die. I chose to live.'

'Weren't you scared' I asked?
Jerry continued, 'The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine.
But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expression on the faces of the
doctors and nurses, I got really scared.
In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man..
I knew I needed to take action.' 'What did you do?' I asked.
Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me,' said Jerry. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything.'
'Yes,' to bullets, I replied.
Over their laughter, I told them: 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'
'Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.
I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it.
The only thing that is truly yours - that no one can control or take from you is your attitude,
so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.

Stress Test Results

Hi all~ saw the cardiologist yesterday and my stress test results were fine. No blockages or problems other than what we already know, that there is a slight decrease in the function of the heart.
He did raise the dosage of the beta-blocker and will do so two more times over the next few months. I will also have another Muga scan and echo cardiogram in a few months.
I did walk away feeling frustrated however. I felt that he was getting aggravated with my questions about raising the dosages and wanting to train for a half or full marathon. I guess he and I have different ideas of what is best for me.
I am doing what he wants me to do but will need to pray about discernment in this situation.

On another note~ if you remember I got really sick after the Zomta treatment a few weeks ago. Well, interesting Chris one week later had all the exact "flu like" symptoms. So... now I am not sure if it was the Zometa that made me sick or just a coincidence that I had a "bug" right after receiving the medication. Waiting to hear back from my oncologist about whether or not to have another Zometa treatment next week.
Please be in prayer about these continuing medical decisions ~ thanks!

Mission Moment for TNT

Saturday morning at 6 AM I had the privilege to speak to a large group of runners that are preparing for 1/2 and full marathons with Team In Training for the Leukemia/Lymphoma society.

I was asked to share my story and also my brother-in- law Jim's story. I was able to share some stories about Jim in his life and passed his picture around so people could put a face to his name.

I was also happy to share my story and hope that it was of encouragement. They made Chris and I feel very welcome and we hope to have more opportunities to share these stories with others.

Thanks for having us come out TNT!

Father & Son Video Part 2

Ok, if you missed the video in the previous post, click on the link in yesterday's post and watch it first. These two videos are so inspiring for anyone and will make you realize that you CAN do all things through Him. This video is the story of Team Hoyt.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=4e7679f8a731d6cce58a