MRI, CAT scan and Traveling Yahooooooo!

It's been a few weeks since my last blog, I've been a busy girl.  I had my 2 month follow up CAT scan and MRI on May 17th, good news is in, my tumor has shrunk 2.1 cm, my brain mets are GONE and my bone mets are healing!  I am so, so, so grateful to be on this Tarceva! I am feeling like myself and loving it! I wasn't scheduled to get my results until Friday, May 20th, however my awesome Cancer Navigator Brenda called me the same night that I got my scans.  Here is how the whole conversation went down.  I am at Harris Teeter with my husband, picking up some things for a party we plan to have in June, I am checking out (which sometimes takes awhile when you use coupons, yes I am a couponer and I love it!).  My phone rings, I see Brenda's name pop up on the screen, totally unexpected. I really thought I would have anxiety all week waiting until my appointment on Friday to get results.  The thoughts in my head began to run....oh no, why is she calling me...is it bad, how bad? Maybe it's good, answer the phone Nicole! So I answer and Brenda is Brenda, you can hear her kindness a mile away so it's hard to decipher why she is calling just from her saying "Hi Nicole, what are you doing" question.  I say well, I'm checking out at Harris Teeter and she responds okay, well do you want to call me back when you are done and I said Well if you are calling with bad news, I'm not calling you back but if you're calling with good news, you can tell me now!   She laughed and said I'm calling with wonderful news, you are having a dramatic response to Tarceva and then told me my results.  It really felt as though an elephant was lifted off my chest!  I could see the happiness in my husband's eyes when I told him.  As soon as we got home I couldn't wait to tell Kaela and just hug her. It was a moment I was truly ready for as the first 4 months of 2016 have literally been the hardest of my life!

The weekend before my scans we took the kids to Myrtle Beach, it was warm, weather was great and it was awesome just to relax and watch the kids have fun on the beach.  It was also nice to get away from the house and try and get my mind off of my upcoming scans the next week. While we were there - a friend from High School happened to be staying at the hotel next to us! Small World! It was great seeing Jen and meeting her family.  Everything happens for a reason and although I don't understand some of it, I just know that I was meant to be here, to live life to the fullest and I am going to do that!

Traveling is something we love to do so until I got the go ahead from my Oncologist to travel by plane anywhere, we were stuck going places close that we could drive too.  Now, with my scans back, I am allowed to travel and we have already booked 2 trips....we are heading to NYC Memorial Day Weekend with Kaela, it is her first time and I am so excited to experience it with her!  Then in June the hubby and I are going to Mexico to celebrate our 1 Year Anniversary.  I have to tell you, when I was first diagnosed, I had no idea if I would even be here to celebrate it, so it's a pretty good feeling.

We surprised my Mom this past weekend, we drove up to Williamsburg, VA with some help from my sister coordinating it. My Mom is somewhat of a perfectionist, I know where I get it from so I knew if I told her I was coming she would go and clean the house from top to bottom and I didn't want her to stress about anything, so the best way to avoid all of that was to just pop in. It worked! I got to spend time with her and the rest of my family. It feels good to know I am doing good and I think it helps my family to actually see how good I am doing!

We are planning a 1 Year Anniversary Party at our house at the end of June, it is also a Celebration of Life party.  You really never get how precious time is or how important relationships with family are or how small things truly, truly, truly do not matter in the long run.  I have such a huge support system and Jon and I just wanted to be able to spend time with them, with each other and have a day full of laughs and smiles. We've spend so much of this year worrying, crying, depressed, stressed that it's time to enjoy everyone and everything that we have!

We will be busy through the end of June, but I would much rather be feeling good, kicking these cancer cells butt and happy then bored, sick and depressed at home!   I have recently signed up to be a Lifeline through LUNGevity, for other Cancer Fighters to have someone to talk to, vent to, ask questions....I definitely don't have the experience or the knowledge that other Cancer Fighters do, but I am still learning and can't wait to learn more!!

Thank you again for the continued love and support.......xoxo

Mother's Day and Normalcy!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommies out there! Yesterday was a great day, I got to spend it with my husband and daughter and they are truly the best :)

I said to my husband today, I feel normal again....  I've been in such pain and depression with all of this cancer stuff that finally I feel like "Nicole" again.  I had a check up last week with my Dr - all of my blood work was great, my elevated levels were back in normal range again and I scheduled my first set of scans - Cat Scan and MRI for May 17th.  This will show the wonders that my medicine Tarceva is doing to this cancer.  I am pretty excited, although a bit of stress is there, we call it "Scanxiety".  I get the results on May 20th, so those few days in between might be a little nail biting for me!

I looked at photos from our Mother's Day dinner last night today and thought to myself, wow, I am one lucky woman.  This cancer has truly picked the wrong woman! I have such an amazing family support system and I am eternally grateful. I am happy again, I don't think about this stupid cancer 24/7 anymore. I am living life to the fullest, making plans for some fun traveling and very thankful that I am on this targeted therapy that allows me to live as if I am cancer free besides from a few side effects :)

If there is anything I can tell any stranger, any friend, any family member...it's to just BE HAPPY.  Be happy with what you have, however big or small.  Realize that, that mole hill that you made into a mountain, is just that, a mole hill.  Life goes on, people come in and out of your life, money comes and goes, but your happiness is one thing that you must never sacrifice!  Love those that love you and enjoy them!