"happy best-times day"

It was sort of a big weekend around here.  

Valentine's Day marked one year since my last chemo treatment. 

Today we went to see my doctor where I just had some simple bloodwork.   If there had been anything weird with that they would have seen it and ordered more tests - but it was all good.  I scheduled a CT scan for May which will mark a year since the end of radiation, and took home a goodie bag filled with a berry-flavored barium sulfate smoothie.   We took Elise with us and I'm pretty sure she cheered up every single person there.  

Remember last year?  This year was way more fun.  Grandma & Grandpa Goote took care of Elise overnight and my Dad used his points and got us a fancy room at the JW Marriott downtown.  Bow chicka wow wow...just kidding.  Kind of.  Hi Mom.  

Anyways...

We went to dinner and the comedy club, and finished off the night with some drinks at the hotel.  The next morning (after their Saturday morning donut) The Gootes brought Elise to pool to go swimming.   Such a fun day.    

Our actual Valentine's day was pretty uneventful.  We went with my mom to Meijer to pick up some groceries and Qdoba for their BOGO lunch (if you kissed someone in line - Elise was my happy partner).   At one point she was carrying a valentine's balloon, a pack of stickers, new Elmo band-aids, and a penny for the pony.  Lucky girl.  

 I gave her a card to color for Nick.  

She added some stickers.  The selection of stickers cracked me up - mean Rapunzel wielding a frying pan, "'punzel's froggie" about to punch someone, and a scared Flynn with his hands tied.  Love you, Daddy.  

So - from Elise - "Happy Best-times Day" and from the rest of us - thanks for keeping us in your thoughts the past year.  I know a lot of people read this blog and have followed along with us this past year and a half - so thank you!

medical mumbo jumbo

I never write about cancer.  Mostly because I never think about cancer.  It's just a weird thing that happened to me last year that led me to this haircut. Yeah - we'll go with that.  

Anyways... I had a PET scan last Friday.  It's weird going in for these things because like I said - I never think about cancer.  Until I go in for a scan and everyone's like "oh hey! you're back! cute hair!" and then I have to wait a week for the results and I get a little nervous.   Actually my mom might be the worst.  Or Nick.  They get more worried than me.  

But the results were great.  I don't even need another scan for six months.  I go in again in February for some blood work and a check-up -- one year after I finished chemo.  A CT scan in May and hopefully an all-clear for another Goote baby.  Who's excited?!? Haha...

Everything was clear and awesome.  See?

So there's that.  I know you all were dying for an update.  

It's naptime around here and I had some rotten bananas so I made some delicious smelling muffins.  Now I'm just waiting for Elise to wake up so she can eat one bite and I can eat the rest.   

advice for bald people

Hey look!  I'm on a blog! 

 Last week Ashley at Lil Blue Boo asked people to send in their before, during, and after chemo hair pictures for her 'Cancer Chronicles' series.  I got brave and sent mine in.  I only took ONE picture of myself the whole time I was bald.   Bald mistake #1.  I wish I had more, honestly.  Bald mistake #2 was letting myself think that keeping the 45 stragglers sorta long-ish was actually doing something for me.  It was definitely not the face framing layers I had once requested and sorta made me look like that old guy in church who thinks his combover looks like real hair.  Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy. 

Anywho......

July 2011, then Jaunary 2012, and exactly one year later -- July 2012. 

There it is.

So my advice for bald people on chemo is:

1.  Take more pictures.  Because hopefully this will never happen again and YOU WERE BALD.  Weirdo.
2.  Just get rid of it all once your head starts reflecting light.
3.  Bask in the glory of the fact you don't have to shave your legs.  Or anything really.  Except maybe your head.  (See #2)

So I'm sorta famous now.   I wonder if I will start getting recognized in public. 

results, colbie, & a giant popsicle

I should first say - PET scan results are really good. The report states that "no abnormal foci of increased activity are noted withing the neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis to suggest residual or recurrent lymphoma".  Phew.  So now we're good until another PET scan in November. 

After that was out of the way we went to FMG for their outdoor concert series.  It's pretty cool - everyone brings their own chairs and food and sneaks in drinks.  We used a home-made wine purse with a classy bag of wine (done by my crafty mom) but the people behind us had a binoculars flask.  Awesome.  We saw Colbie Callait who was totally adorable and so so good.  And I want her outfit. 

We got amazing spots because Aubrey sneaked to the front of the line and threw her body on the grass in order to hold spots for 5 chairs.  And a 30 pound wine purse. 

Gavin DeGraw was there too.  Eh.  We left his part a little early to escape the mob of traffic.  I'm pretty sure he's balding under that fancy hat.

I went to the lake at the crack of dawn Saturday morning for the Green Lake 5k.  Dad and all the sisters ran three miles.  Go us!  I ran the whole time but I have figured out I am the slowest runner ever.  Took me 36 minutes.  Gotta work on the speed now...

Nick's work rented out 5th/3rd Ballpark for their yearly party.  There is TONS of people that work for Gentex and they provided food and a really fun afternoon.  Elise never gets pop so we was loving this diet coke.  She wouldn't let go and kept wanting more "nummies". 

And then she got the biggest popsicle of her life.  All of this stuff was free!

It was pretty cool - they had the whole outfield open with games.  Elise just ran really really fast.  Fun fact - that giant Fifth Third Burger was featured on Man vs. Food.  It weighs like 20 pounds or something.

Our friend Jacob was there too!

I've got another post coming up about the Color Run.  This weekend was insane.  I have nothing on my calendar for next weekend and I can't wait. 

chubby girl running

The PET scan went fine.  It was at 7:30 am so Nick stayed home with Elise while I went.  It's kind of sad I think about the Egg McMuffin I get on the way home pretty much the whole time.  (Actually what's sadder is that I have a PET scan "tradition".  I think this is my 6th one?  Not sure.)  And when I drive up at 10:30 I just pray they're still serving breakfast while I slurp in my drool.  The fat girl inside me wanted to order the Egg McMuffin with a side of hotcakes with a side of cinnamon roll.  But I refrained.  Be proud, people.  Be proud. 

Speaking of my inner fat girl - I've lost about 10 pounds.  I've been using MyFitnessPal - it's kind of like Facebook for dieters.  It's a calorie counter and it has a huge database.  I use my iPad and I can scan barcodes of whatever food I'm eating.  It's awesome and addicting.  And I'm trying to be healthier - you know because I had cancer and stuff.  But I really want to wear smaller pants...10 pounds to go. 

I did the Couch to 5K program - and it totally works.  Pick your jaws up off the floor now.   I can run for a solid 20-30 minutes now after 9 weeks.  When I started I couldn't even run for 2 minutes - so this is major progress.  Lauren and I are even running TWO 5Ks this weekend.  We are so athletic.

I never said I was a fast runner.  Actually the longer I sit here watching the women's gymnastics the more I think I could totally do that.  However Nick has informed me that my spontaneous floor exercise dance is seriously lacking in gracefulness and technical skills.  I actually tried to do a somersault the other day and kind of hurt my neck. 

But enough about me.

The other day I thought washing the car would be a fun activity for Elise.  She got bored and thought playing with the hose was way more fun.  So then I quit washing the car halfway through.  It was way too hot.

 

weekend update

Summer is flying by. And Elise has a new fishy face.

We went to the lake today for lunch and a little boat ride.

This weekend was crazy busy.  We had some family pictures taken on Friday.  You may have seen a preview on Facebook - I am so excited for the rest!  I'll post some when I get them back. 

Saturday night we had our 10 year class reunion (we are old!!!).  It was pretty fun.  We took a little dinner cruise around Lake Macatawa .  I found out quite a few people stalk read this blog -- so I'll say:  We had fun.  Some people are the same.  Most people are so nice.  But Nick and I wanted to go get a drink by ourselves afterwards...so we could of course talk about everyone else.  Bahaha...you know you did too. 

I'm currently snacking on shredded cheese because I can't eat any carbs or sugar today in preparation for my PET scan tomorrow.   I can't eat fruit but I can have a bag of cheese or a slab of bacon.  Or a stick of butter.  This scan is to clear up some iffy-looking stuff we saw in my CT scan last week.  We're pretty sure it's just scar tissue left over from the tumor and then radiation on top of that.  But we're doing the PET just to be sure.  Results on Friday. 

grandma's home! and a scan.

We met my Mom and Dad at the airport last night.  They've been in Alaska for two weeks and we have been missing them!  Elise fell asleep on the way there...sweetheart.

Yesterday I had my first post-chemo/radiation CT scan.  Hard to believe it's been three months since I finished radiation.  I had to drink a couple of lovely Barium Sulfate 'berry smoothies" and the CT technician totally botched my IV for the contrast dye - so now I have a lovely green bruise on my arm.  It was very weird going back to Lemmen-Holten - I never think about cancer so when I'm laying there on the table it kind of all comes back to me - no fun.  We'll get the results when we meet with my doctor next week.  

I'm done. Let's party.

I had my last radiation treatment today.  My LAST treatment.  

It's been 8 months since I was diagnosed.  It seems so long ago, but it went by so quickly.  SO much has happened in 8 months.  We sold our house, lived at the lake, moved to a new house.  Elise has changed so much.  Fertility preservation.  12 chemo treatments.  Shots.  My hair fell out.  It's growing back in.  Three and a half weeks of daily radiation.  And now I'm done.  Done. I even got an award:

It kind of makes me feel like a first grader.  Someone even decorated it with flowers and a purple marker.  It's pretty awesome.  

So many people have helped us over the course of the last 8 months.  So we're having a little party.  A get-together.  A shin-dig.  For all our friends and family.  Anyone that brought us a meal, or sent us a card.  Or said an extra prayer for us.  We want to see ALL of you.  I see how many people read this little blog - everyone is welcome.  This means you!  It's just a little way for us to say a BIG thank you.

So mark your calendars.  June 2nd - a Saturday.  

It'll be open-house style.  We'll start around 4pm.  Come whenever you can.  Stay for a few minutes or stay all night.  We'd love to see you.  We'll have the grill going with hot dogs and burgers.  We'll have beer.  So come and celebrate with us.   We have a new house with lots of space.  And we beat cancer. 

If you're thinking about coming - please let me know so we have an idea of how many people to expect.  Just drop me an e-mail (rachelgoote@yahoo.com) or leave a comment with your e-mail address and I'll reply with our address and directions if you need them. 

DONE.  Whoohoo!

let's get radiated.

Radiation is weird.  I don't see anything or feel anything but I kind of expected to grow a third arm or something.  Or at least I hoped my gum might mutate into a junior mint.  No such luck. 

It's not really that kind of radiation.  

When I get there I have to swipe my ID card and go back to a changing room, where I have to strip down my top half and put on a lovely hospital top.  Then I go to this fancy waiting room with a giant fireplace with all the other people in only a hospital top - most of whom are all significantly older than me and sorta look at me funny.  Then the radiation therapists come get me and take me back to this big room where I have to lay on this skinny table in the mold they made so I am in the exact same position every time.  

I am completely topless except for this paper (the kind they use at the dentist) over my chest.  Except on this one they tear a huge hole in the middle so they can align me according to the little tattoo dot they put on my chest.  The dot is the size of the tip of a pen and the hole is as big as a cantaloupe.  Seriously.  I told them they didn't have to make the hole so big but I think that's the standard size.  A light breeze would send that thing flying and I'd be alone on a table topless in a huge room.  And they'd have it on camera.  My only consolation is the thought that I'm pretty sure they have seen women older, fatter, and with weirder boobs than little old me.

This room is insane.  It's pretty huge, with this big machine right in the middle.  When I'm on this thing it feels like I'm in this science fiction movie where they're going to replace my brain with something from the Matrix.  It rotates completely around you and takes xrays (to make sure you're in the right position) and then the radiation.  It's crazy.  After about 15 minutes I'm done and I go home.  So - three more weeks of treatment. 

It's not a post without a picture:  We got out some markers and a coloring book for Miss Elise this week.  She loved it.  I'm so thankful for ColorWonder -- she colored more on the table than the coloring book. 

6 weeks post-chemo {an update}

It's been six weeks since my last chemo.  And it feels so good.  A few things:

My hair is growing back.  It's still super short but I haven't worn my wig in weeks. 

My eyebrows are growing back too!  They looks really weird right now though - like I accidentally shaved them off and now there's stubble.  Eyebrow stubble. 

I have to shave my legs now.  I was kind of enjoying that perk from chemo.  

I almost never think about cancer.  It seems so weird that it even happened to me.   I'm currently more worried about the dandelion epidemic taking over my backyard. 

I start radiation tomorrow.   I'm getting a super low dose for a short amount of time - so hopefully it won't affect me at all.  I'm expecting to be a little more tired and some skin irritation but that should be the extent of it.  It's annoying because it's every afternoon (Monday - Friday) for almost 4 weeks.  Looks like Lemmen-Holten and I will be getting friendly for awhile.  At least they make good lattes.  

My mom got all of us one of these necklaces from Lil Blue Boo.  She even got one for Elise when she gets older.  I love it.  Thanks Mom. 

And to wrap up our vacation posts, here's a picture of Nick and the fish he caught and ate for dinner and a sweet video of Elise on the beach. 

playdates, projects, and pure sweetness

Last week Elise had her friends Nicolynn and Stella (and their moms!) over to play.  Stella is still a little too small to play, but Nicolynn and Elise had a great time.  They did a superb job of trashing the playroom.  :-)

I went to town on a project I've been wanting to do since we moved in.  We have this giant empty wall by the stairs.  A few weeks ago I bought a bunch of frames at Ikea and used a tip from Pinterest to hang them.  I just used some old Christmas wrapping paper and cut them to the sizes of the frames.  Then I could move them around until I had the right positions.  I marked the spots where the nails would go so I had minimal holes to fix.  

 I think it turned out pretty cute! 

 

Elise after her nap today.  The pigtails kill me.

Every night before we eat dinner we say a little prayer.  Elise knows and folds her hands.  

It's so stinking cute.   

"Smile big!"

A little cancer update: Last Tuesday we met with my oncologist.  He went over my scans - and I am officially cancer free!  No cancer detected on any scans.  The radiation is mostly a precaution to help lower the odds of anything coming back.  I scheduled to get my port removed near the end of April.  For the next year, I will get a scan every 4 months - just to watch and make sure nothing comes back. 

I got a mold made for radiation to make sure I am in the correct position every time.  I also have tiny little tattoo marks on my chest.  They just blend in with all the other freckles.  This week I went to the mall without my wig.  I wore a headband and big earrings so people would still know I'm a girl.  I look like GI Jane.  Or at least I would if I lost 50 pounds and could do a push-up. 

There's an update for you.  I've started packing for our trip to Florida next week and we are so excited.  We need a vacation like none other. 

a megapost.

Warning:  Lots of random and maybe not so interesting information coming your way.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  


Friday we met with the radiation oncologist.  Nick was still in England so my dad went with me.  Long story short - I will be getting radiation.  Starting after our vacation around the end of March.  Hey -- at least I get to have a few at a bar on a beach before they start shooting me with death rays.  Kidding...sort of.   


Because my tumor was so "bulky", as they like to call it, they are recommending three and a half weeks of low dose radiation, targeted at my chest and neck -  basically everywhere there was cancer before.  I hate the word 'bulky'.  SO not flattering.   No girl likes to be called bulky. 


But the good news was that we saw my last PET scan from Tuesday,  and it looks really good.  There is no visible cancer.  We'll get the official results from my doctor next week.  They are doing radiation just to be sure we get anything microscopic and because it decreases the odds of it coming back.   I never want to see this stuff again.  It sucks.  And it totally messes up my plans.       

That morning I met my mom at PetSmart.  Basically so Elise could practice all her animal sounds and have tons of fun.  When I came home she knew how to do this:

Thanks Mom.  I really don't know what I'd do without you.  

Lauren and Carl came to town this weekend.   After Elise and I picked up Nick from the airport I went out since Nick wanted to go to bed.  It turns out my Auntie Winnie was performing at Mojo's (a local piano bar) Saturday night.   Here's a picture of Elise and Auntie Winnie at her birthday last July:

And here she is singing "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga:

Kidding.  That isn't really her.  But the whole night we pretended it was.  Love you and miss you Auntie Winnie!  

So that's it for now.  I have some really cute pictures from a playdate we had earlier this week but those will have to wait for another day.  Momma needs to go to bed.  

a little bath video

This will probably be boring to everyone but our families.  I know my sister will watch it at least ten times.  This is for you guys.   Elise likes to wash herself in the bath these days.  

She put this foam letter on her head and then forgot it was there for awhile.  

Elise had her 18 month doctor appointment today (a month late).  She only needed one shot and she's done with them until she's five.  But she's going to stay little forever so that will never happen.  Right??  Her stats:
Weight:  23 lbs (25%)
Height:  33 inches  (77%)


Apparently she's tall and skinny.  I have no idea where she gets that.  I think that's a Goote thing.  And I am definitely not posting my stats from my next doctor visit.  Unless it's my blood pressure.  That's usually really good.  


Nick left today for England.  I've already put up all the frames we got at Ikea this weekend on the wall and ordered all the prints.  I've also made chicken tortilla soup full of peppers and onions that Nick won't touch.  Elise and I have a few playdates scheduled this week so it should fly even though Daddy's gone.  

On the post-chemo front:  no chemo tomorrow!  Best feeling ever.   I have a PET scan this Wednesday and my dad is going with me to meet the radiation oncologist on Friday.  I'll keep y'all updated when we know more about all my test results and if I'll need radiation.  Hopefully not! 

last one. {chemo #12}

My last chemo.  Back in August I thought this day would never come.  And now it has and I get teary eyed when I think about it.  It's just such a sense of relief.  All done.  The next few weeks will be full of tests.  An echo-cardiogram, a pulmonary function test, a PET scan, and a CT scan.  And a trip to the dentist is in order since it's off limits during chemo and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have some issues.  

Chemo was pretty normal.  Blood counts were good.  We met with doctor and asked a lot of "what now?" questions.  More will be decided after all the tests, like if I will need radiation or not.  My doctor is thinking probably not, but we'll have to check with the radiation oncologist to be sure.   We have to wait one year at a minimum before even thinking about more kids.  That's okay.  Kind of makes me glad we get more time with just us and our sweet Elise.   Nick came with me to chemo, since it was Valentine's Day and all.  Hot date for us!  He did bring me Smashburger for lunch.  My mom and Lauren brought Elise for a few minutes to meet the nurses and wave to everyone there.  We got her a little balloon dog from the Children's Hospital gift shop across the street.  She loves it. We took a little video.  I should note that Elise waves "byebye" to every trash can see sees.  I think it started when I said "byebye" to dirty diapers going in the trash. 

I thought I should dress up for my last chemo.  I wore my wig and my nice jeans.  Ha.

And a big thank you to Mrs. Goote's kindergarten class for the sweet valentines.  So cute!

choosing JOY

I read  a lot of blogs.  A few family blogs, a lot of mommy blogs, a couple "make your house cute" blogs.  I recently made this family "yearbook"  a la Young House Love.  We made it through MyPublisher.  It took a few nights of organizing photos but it turned out really great.  We got it under a free extra pages promotion so it was only $35 - an awesome deal for a book over 80 pages long!

I've found a few "cancer" blogs throughout my treatment process too.  Some are uplifting, some are sad, some are full of complaints.  Some focus way too much on the bad.  Why did I get cancer.  I'm so sad I got cancer.  I can't believe this happened to me.  They detail every single terrible thing that chemo does to them.  I get it.  I've been through it.  Chemo totally sucks.  I have my TWELFTH chemo tomorrow.  I know about the bad stuff.  I lost almost all my hair.  I have like 5 hairs left on my eyebrows.  I get so tired I go to bed at 8pm and take three hour naps. My nose runs like a faucet 24 hours a day.  I'll spare you more details. 

Only God knows why I got cancer.  I didn't choose it.  No one would.

BUT.

I CAN choose how I respond to it.  I can CHOOSE JOY.  Why wouldn't I?  I've got it pretty darn good.   One blog I read is super inspiring -Lil Blue Boo - a woman who thought she was pregnant, only to find out it wasn't a pregnancy - it was cancer.  A rare type of cancer that required an emergency hysterectomy and grueling chemo that may or may not be working.  Way worse than me.  She chooses joy. 

I have no control over the crazy lady in front of me swearing at the pharmacist at Meijer about an insurance issue.  But I can control how patient I am and how nice I can be to the poor pharmacist.  You never know what someone else is going through.   Elise and I don't mind waiting an extra few minutes and having another pack of smarties.  Elise was probably happier.

I guess my point is just to quit bitching about your life and be happy with what you have.  I'm alive.  I'm cancer-free (yay!).  I have a sweet husband and a precious daughter.  I have a beautiful home and amazing family.  I am joyful.

(The cotton balls are an idea I found online: we were working on the word soft.   Elise mostly just threw them and tore them into tiny pieces.) 

Chemo #12 tomorrow.  Last one.  AND -- my hair is growing back!! Already!  I can't believe it.  It's super fuzzy and still pretty thin on top.  My mom took a buzzer to it with a guard last weekend so it's all the same length now.  But it's growing!  I may not need to sport the turbans on Spring Break.  I'll just be the weird lady with the buzz cut. 

it's february. omg.

I think I can speak for everyone in our family that we thought February was SO far off last August.  I have had chemo every other Tuesday for 5 months.  FIVE.   Unbelievable.   Only one more.  

Chemo #11 went pretty smoothly.   Judy, my Mother-in-law went with me and Jim brought us lunch.   Thanks guys.   We met with my doctor again.  My bloodwork looked good still, so no Neulasta shot needed.  Which means even if my counts are low next time they won't need to give me the shot again since it is my LAST chemo and my counts should bounce back on their own.  

I've been feeling surprisingly okay the past few days.  I just am super tired and I feel like I'm in slow motion.  My mom says I even talk slow.   Lauren came into town on Wednesday and stayed with us so I could sleep.  Elise LOVES her.  It's so cute.  

This is Elise smiling for the camera.  Cheeseball. 

And this is how we tire her out before bed.  Ha - she LOVES to climb up and down the stairs.  She's pretty good at it too - the gates are not needed too much around here anymore. 

a little photoshoot

Just keepin' it real, folks.  

This is the hat I wear almost all the time at home.  I call it my cancer hat.  Mostly because no one would actually ever wear these hats unless their head was bald.  And cold.  It's super warm and cozy. 

And this is what I actually look like.  Yep.  Baldypants.

Elise doesn't really care though.

I wanted some pictures of this time because I know Elise won't remember.  I had to survey several people before I had the guts to actually post them.  I know when I was first diagnosed this kind of post was actually a little comforting.  It will be okay.  I'll just be a little bald for awhile. 

10 down. 2 to go.

I had my tenth chemo treatment yesterday.  10 chemos is a LOT.  Holy cow.  2 more to go.  Only 2 more.  Chemo was pretty routine.  My doctor keeps telling me I'm his easiest patient ever.  As long as we keep the hot flashes under control and the Ambien flowing, I do pretty well.  :-)  My white counts were pretty low again so I had to go back this afternoon for another Neulasta shot.  

 We're five months in now from diagnosis.  One more month until we're all done with chemo.  I cannot wait.  Then we have another PET scan and we'll meet with the radiation oncologist to see if radiation therapy will be necessary.  It's a big maybe right now.

I am just SO sick of it all.

 I'm sick of functioning on an every-other week basis.  I get all hyper the weekend before chemo to clean my house, get all the laundry done because I just don't feel like doing it after treatment.

I'm sick of being bald.  So not cute.

I'm so sick of feeling so tired all the time.   I'm so glad I have my amazing family who takes Elise and lets me nap.  Naps are the best these days. 

I'm sick of having no energy to sew, or do crafts and cute things to my house.  Luckily my house looks amazingly adorable thanks to my mom and sisters who have an amazing knack for cuteness. 

Only 2 more.  The end is in sight.

Here's a picture of our sweet Elise watching Elmo last week.  Girlfriend loves her some Elmo. 

First Snow! {and PET Scan Results}

We finally have snow!  We got a couple inches overnight on Monday.  Elise was very very interested in Daddy snowblowing the driveway. 

We took her outside for a little while to see what she would do.  She could barely move.  And her thumbs wont fit into the thumb part of the mittens so she can't hold anything. 

She of course headed straight for the only stairs in sight.  Elise loves stairs.

Daddy pulled her around on the sled for awhile.  We were all getting a little cold. 

I took a video of the cuteness but accidentally deleted it.  Argh.  We'll do it again soon!

We had my 9th chemo treatment yesterday.  Everything went smoothly and now I only have THREE left!  I can't believe it.  So far I'm feeling pretty good still, so I hope that continues.  Elise and I are just hanging out in soft clothes today.  We also got PET Scan results.  Everything looks really good.  My scan was considered "PET negative" which means nothing lights up.  Active cancer cells light up on this type of scan.  So that's really good news.  There is still a small 2cm mass, but that may always be there - the doctor said it could be scar tissue but it should be nothing to worry about.  He still recommended I finish out all 12 chemo sessions - just to be absolutely careful.   He did said I may not need radiation, which would be great.  We will meet with the radiation oncologist towards the end of my treatment to be sure.  


So there's an update for ya.  It's almost naptime around the Goote house.  Here's hoping Elise sleeps a long time so Mommy can too!