Counting Down til the Next One...

So, I always have to start these posts with a weird picture that gets you wondering, right?? :)
We helped Kendall and Shantell move yesterday, and here is Greg celebrating Christmas a little early with one of their Christmas decorations. I think we got their new neighbors concerned enough by Greg riding around the yard in this...HA.

UPDATE:
-It has been another good week! I have been feeling wonderful, and Baby has been moving like crazy, as usual.

-As I mentioned, my oncologist thought I would probably "hit a wall" this past weekend as far as fatigue, since my blood counts were supposed to be low. Never happened! I felt great all weekend and was pretty active. It never hit. I'm very grateful for this!

-I had my blood counts checked again on Monday, and they were all wonderful. I think I surprised the doc. I asked the nurse if I just lucked out with this first treatment, and she said I may have, but also said that it really helps that I am young and healthy- my body is probably able to recover more quickly!

-The nurse did warn me that the fatigue will worsen with each treatment. I expected that, and I can handle it.

-I also did my diabetes testing at the OB on Monday- passed with flying colors! No gestational diabetes. Also got to take a peek at Baby- looked great! My mom was with and was thrilled that she got to see the Baby, too. I was mistaken- I get the more in-detail ultrasound next week, so I'll of course post pics of that.

-The OB told me something interesting- I asked if being pregnant could slow down my body recovering after chemo, as far as my blood counts coming back up, etc. He said no, it's actually the opposite. My body is actually in "overdrive" as far as producing red blood cells and the whole works. Everyone is different of course, but that was reassuring.

-Not-so-fun stuff: my hair has started falling out. Not in clumps yet, but a lot came out today. Good thing I've got super thick hair. Just hoping it will hold out for the weekend...I'm shaving it all off this coming Monday!

So, overall feeling great, just enjoying this until treatment #2 this Tuesday. Still been keeping busy and seeing lots of family and friends, which has been wonderful.

Some other not-so-fun stuff: My aunt Kay, who had breast cancer 9 years ago, unfortunately had a recurrence. However, they caught it early again, and she will be just fine. She did have a double mastectomy yesterday. I went to see her today, and she is doing absolutely wonderful. Still waiting on some pathology reports, but as of right now it's looking like she won't need chemo- YAY!! We've been praying like crazy for her. Strong women must run in the family. ;) LOVE YOU KAY!!


Now, onto some pics:

Here's a guy who keeps me smiling and is always a shot in the arm! LIAM! He is turning into such a little boy, I can't believe it. He's almost 18 months old now!


Liam on his Mickey plane- what a goof! You should see this kid dance- it's the funniest thing ever.


This past weekend, Greg headed down to Iowa for Kendall and Shantell's wedding reception (we went to their wedding in St. Thomas, if you remember). I, unfortunately, was ordered not to go by the doc, since we still didn't know what my levels were going to do. I was sad I missed it, but also had a wonderful weekend with family.

The Newlyweds, Shantell and Kendall!


Joel, Greg, and their Mollky hats. Mollky was the Finnish game we played in St. Thomas- apparently Kendall's mom sells it now!


Erin and Greg! The weekend was also a great Wartburg College reunion.


Jim, Greg, Joel, Kendall, Dan


A bunch of the Wartburg peeps!


Kristin and Greg


Barb, AJ, and their new little girl, Lhotse! She was only 10 days old or so in this pic. Congrats, you guys!!


Kendall, Greg, Dan


Anja! Look at her sweatshirt- I love it! I have to get one of these. :)


That's about it! Hopefully this weekend will be the Thompson cabin weekend, depending on how things go this week. I'll also post another belly pic soon.

Again, I have to thank EVERYONE for your E-mails, phone calls, visits, prayers, and cards. I truly have felt all of your love and support- it helps more than you know.

Truckin' Along...

I know, this pic doesn't have anything to do with my update, but I had to put a pic in, and I liked this one. :) Here is Tiger confirming the theory that cats like clean laundry!

Well, I had my follow-up oncologist appointment today and things are going well so far. I've had a pretty good week! Some fatigue, nothing horrible, but otherwise have felt really good. I've just been increasing my activity every day- walked around Lake Calhoun the other day (thanks, Bethy!) and it's been going well.

I've still had some contractions here and there, but nothing like right after the chemo. I think that's just how it's going to be during my pregnancy. I have an OB appointment Monday to check up on Baby- I'm sure I'll have more ultrasound pics!

At my appointment today, they drew some blood to check my blood cell counts. All looked well today, which was great news, but the doctor says I haven't reached my "nadir" yet, which is a peak low (oxymoron-ha) of my levels. That will unfortunately probably hit this weekend, so I am to expect some major fatigue that will kind of come out of nowhere. Not looking forward to that, but I can deal with fatigue. I'm going back to the oncologist on Monday to have my levels drawn again and see where I'm at- they want to make sure things don't get too low. If they do, they can give me an injection that will stimulate white blood cell production...but hopefully I won't need that.

Otherwise, my pregnancy appetite is completely back to normal! Speaking of food- thanks to our wonderful friends and family for your food "donations"- we appreciate it so much and it is such a big help. We've been eating like kings this week! It's so nice to not have to worry about that and to have lots of easy-to-prepare meals.

Also, thanks to everyone for the continued cards, E-mails, phone calls, and visits! I wish I could see each and every one of you in person to say thank you- it all means so much to me and your support has helped keep Greg and I going through all of this. We really are blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Love you all!!

That's about it! I've just been keeping busy and making sure I get my exercise in everyday. I haven't even been gone from work that long, but that part's also been rough. I really miss it, and it's been quite an adjustment. But, I know I'm doing what's best for Baby and me right now, and that it's just temporary. I'll be back!!

Have a great weekend, and I'll have more belly and Baby pics next week! :)

First Treatment Done- Whew!

Here I am at my first chemo treatment. I had Greg take this pic so I can look back on this someday and see how far I've come! Don't let the smile fool ya- I was scared out of my mind. I had to have an ice pack on my arm because I had a reaction to the plastic tape...just to add to the day. :)


Well, it's been an interesting week so far, to say the least. Again- terrified to get that infusion, and everything took about 3 hours to run in.

Let's see, to sum up this week:

-I'm trying to be positive here, but to be honest, it has sucked. It has not been fun. However, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I haven't thrown up (knock on wood) and really probably only had a couple days total of feeling REALLY crappy. 1st night (Tuesday) was OK, 2nd night was rough. By Thursday night I felt like a million bucks, then felt like I got hit by a truck again Friday night. So, who knows. It's Saturday and I'm feeling OK, so hope that lasts.

-Got hit with a total bomb on Tuesday. Since one of my genetic tests came back that I have a high risk of this cancer coming back if I don't take all of the possible measures, it turns out I need another 12 weeks of chemo after the baby is born. AAAAGGGGHHHH. I was devastated to hear that. Especially 10 minutes before going in for my first treatment- wish the doc could have called me at home with that info. However, the chemo med I'll be on then will be MUCH easier with way less side effects than the ones I'm on now, and my hair will continue to grow back when I'm on that. That one will be once a week for 12 weeks, since it's much easier on your body. The doc told me doing that med could "close the door" on this cancer, so I know I need to do all I can.

-As far as Baby: I unfortunately had an increase in some mild contractions after the chemo. I didn't know if they were really contractions because they weren't painful, but went in on Thursday to get checked out- and they officially were. Now that I know what they feel like, I actually had been having some here and there before the chemo. However, everything is good right now. They checked out Baby (who looked wonderful) and also other "parts" of me without going into too much detail...and they only get concerned if the contractions are changing those parts, which they aren't. There is no sign of me going into preterm labor at this time, so we'll just keep an eye on it. Actually, lots of women have these contractions throughout most of their pregnancies and do just fine. Also, I was afraid I was going to feel a decrease in Baby moving after the chemo, but Baby has still been moving around like crazy- very reassuring!

-I've been managing to get at least SOME food in everyday, including my prenatal vitamin, and lots of fluids, so I'm doing pretty well as far as that goes. I have lost a couple of pounds, but the docs aren't nervous for Baby until you lose 20% of your body weight- so I'll be fine. I did go in for some extra IV fluids and an anti-nausea med on Wednesday, which helped a lot.

So, there you go. It hasn't been easy, and I've had my moments wondering how the heck I'm going to do this three more times...but I know I'm killing off any possible cancer cells left over and that this is going to make me better!



I just had to throw this pic in- Greg, of course, has kept me smiling and laughing through this. The shirt he has on in this pic is actually a bike jersey- HA!! All he had to do was come downstairs in this and I just about fell over laughing. Looks like he's going on a bike ride in a double-breasted suit- hilarious!! Goofball.

Thank you so much to everyone for the nice messages and phone calls- they mean so much to me!!
Hopefully I'll have an update in a couple of days tell you I feel back to normal- fingers crossed!!

Well, Here Goes...

First off, I wanted to preface this news with a fun picture of Greg and I that was taken when we were in Marco Island! I LOVE the sunset. :) There was a professional photographer there doing free promotional sessions, so we had some fun pics taken. :)

So, keep this pic in your mind- our smiling faces, and that we and Baby are going to be just fine in this difficult time ahead!

Most of you who read this blog already know the news, and if you don't- I apologize for you finding out this way, but it's been difficult sharing this with everyone.



I (Nicole) was diagnosed with breast cancer in May. Yeah, it's been a shock. And very surreal. When I got the diagnosis, I was completely devastated and very fearful of the uncertainty. I didn't know if I had to fear for my life and/or my baby's life. I found out quickly that my prognosis is wonderful, as well as Baby's. It has never even come up in conversation that I wouldn't be able to continue with the pregnancy. We're going to make it through this just fine.

There's too many details to get into, so I'll try and sum up the main points:

-I found the cancer very early. The tumor was not very big and my doctors have been moving very fast to take care of this.

-If I have to have cancer, this is the best type to have. It's very non-aggressive and very treatable. It does not get to the baby.

-I had a lumpectomy in June to remove the tumor, which was very successful. They did find a TINY, tiny amount of cancer cells in one lymph node (all the rest came back clear) and removed that. I like to think that I am cancer free right now. Hopefully I am! I have recovered wonderfully from the surgery.

-Unfortunately, just in case there are microscopic amounts of cancer cells still in my body, I have to undergo chemotherapy right away. This is good and bad. Good- they've found that the type of cancer I have/had should respond VERY well to chemotherapy. There is a very good chance that I will be cured and hopefully not have to worry about this ever again. The bad thing- that I have to do this while I'm pregnant. Trust me, I practically begged the docs to let me wait til after the baby is born, but it's just not possible. Chemo isn't nearly as effective 3 months or longer after surgery, and my cancer could come back in the meantime.

-Really good news- most babies make it through chemo just fine. All of the risks are low, and there are chemo drugs that they've found to be very safe during pregnancy.

-Not so fun stuff: Since this type of chemo is easier on the baby and not as much gets to him/her, it's really hard on me. I will most likely be pretty sick and will definitely lose my hair.

-I will have 4 treatments of chemo, each 3 weeks apart. Last one will be in mid-September. I have my first treatment tomorrow.

-I will also have radiation for 5 weeks after the baby is born. Hey, that will be a piece of cake after going through chemo!

-I've been blessed so far with a wonderful pregnancy. Baby made it through surgery with flying colors, and his/her growth and ultrasounds are all looking perfect. The fact that Baby and I are very healthy going into this is a wonderful thing. We're tough and we'll be able to handle this!!

-I will have serial ultrasounds to check on Baby all the time to make sure he/she is growing the way they are supposed to. I also switched to a high-risk OB who has dealt with women like me all the time.

-How the heck did I get this? The docs, of course, don't know- as with most people who get cancer. They think because I am so young that there is a hereditary component, but they're not sure. I have 2 aunts that have had breast cancer, but they're not sure that's even a close enough link. They're thinking that I could have had these cancer cells in my body for years, and then when I got pregnant (because of the estrogen-positive type of cancer I had), it's highly possible that all of the estrogen in my body "fed" the cancer, forming the tumor.

So, there's kind of a sum-up of everything. I debated even really making this "public" for quite a while. My initial plan was to keep this as quiet as possible, get through my treatment, and move on with my life like nothing ever happened.

I then realized that that's probably not the healthiest way to deal with this. It sounds kind of cliche, but if my experience can bring about more awareness and inspire even ONE woman to make sure she does her monthly self-exams and/or gets her mammograms, it's all worth it.

The bottom line is, NO ONE is immune to cancer. ANYONE can get it. Here I am, a previously completely healthy, young person who ran marathons for goodness sake...and I still got cancer. I've had people in my life who ignorantly (and meaning no harm) have tried to come up with reasons why I could have gotten this...when again, we'll probably never know. And I think some people have acted like that trying to justify reasons why THEY wouldn't get cancer. No one is invincible. I'm not trying to be morbid and scary, just realistic...and remind people that they need to be aware and keep an eye out for it, themselves. 1 in 3,000 pregnant women is actually diagnosed with breast cancer- much higher odds than I ever would have thought. I sure as heck never even imagined I would get cancer. I don't think anyone does.


It's definitely been a crazy/scary journey since May, and now I'm about to start another one tomorrow. I know it's going to be rough, but I know this is something I have to do, and Baby and I will get through this fine. I am so lucky in that I have the most amazing husband in the world. He is going on this journey right along with me, and has been my rock. His support and love means the absolute world to me. He's my best buddy and makes me a stronger, better person! I would not be able to get through this without him.

SO- don't worry- Greg, Baby and I are all going to make it through this JUST FINE! Greg and I are going to have a wonderful gift of a new baby when all of this is said and done, and that will be the best reward ever.

I would appreciate any extra prayers that we'll all handle this OK, and that the side effects of the chemo will be minimal.

I honestly have the most wonderful, amazing people in my life- your generosity, kind words, prayers and support have meant more to me than you'll ever know. I love you all!

I'll keep you all posted right here on this blog and update as often as I can. Besides, I still need to post the fun "belly" and ultrasound pictures!! I am still going to enjoy my pregnancy to the fullest!!

Until next time...and I'm going to power through this first chemo treatment!!!

much love,
~Nicole

23 Weeks!

Well, here I am! Baby is definitely growing...as is my tummy! Things have been wonderful with Baby. I feel Baby move ALL the time now (actually have for a while) and I absolutely love it!!! I can't even describe the feeling- it's just unbelievable. Greg finally got to feel Baby move from the outside for the first time a couple of weeks ago, which he of course loved. I also can see my belly moving sometimes- little pokes here and there- hilarious!


I had another ultrasound at 21 weeks, and here are a couple of pics from that. Above is Baby's face- OK, yes, babies pretty much look like aliens in these ultrasounds, but we still think Baby looks pretty darn cute. :) If you can't see it, the top of Baby's head is facing to the right- then there's eyes, nose, and mouth open.



We LOVE these feet pics! We didn't have a good shot of Baby's feet with the other ultrasounds.


Definitely look like running feet! If Baby's anything like Mom and Dad, the poor kid's feet are going to be huge.
Again- everything looked and measured perfect. Back at 21 weeks Baby was 15 ounces! Another fun thing was when the tech zoomed in on Baby's mouth- he/she was sucking! I loved it!



For other events, we went to Ryan and Carolynne's wedding this past weekend. Congrats you guys!!

Beautiful bride Carolynne walking by....I was an idiot and didn't get a good pic of the bride and groom. They were a beautiful couple! :)



Greg, Chris, and Jesse


Jeremy and his little guy, Henry!


Bridesmaid Beth and Jesse


Nicole, Beth and Jenny


How pyscho do I look?? Ha! My girls and I being weird.


Dad, Mom and Baby. :)


Greg and Jesse re-enacting the previous pic. Weirdos.

Finally, on the 4th of July, Greg went golfing with a bunch of buddies in the morning, and then we headed down to cousins Bill and Anne's place to celebrate. Didn't really get a lot of pics...

But here's Liam enjoying some 4th of July food! Goofball! Love that dimple.


Sean and Greg having way too much fun playing on the floor with Liam.


After, we came back up to our house and had some friends over and watched some totally legal fireworks that our neighbors set off. :) Above- Jesse, Greg and Joel enjoying some beers around the fire pit.


Beth hanging out


Bethy and Nicole


One of the fireworks! They were awesome! It was also cool because since it's so flat around here, we got to see all of the firework shows from the surrounding cities!

Hope you all had a great 4th!

Half-Way Done!!

YAY! I'm 20 weeks along! The pic above was actually taken at 19 weeks- but close enough. :) Feeling wonderful pregnancy-wise. I started feeling occasional "pokes" at 18 weeks, and starting at 19 weeks I've felt Baby moving all the time! All you moms out there know- it is just the most fun feeling ever. Except when Baby is jumping on my bladder- ha.


Here's Baby at 19 weeks! Everything looked great at the ultrasound- they checked all the usual things, and everything measured and looked perfect. As you know, we're trying not to find out what we're having! Above, you can see a little something coming out of Baby down there, but it's the umbilical cord- so don't think it's something that it's not! :)


Baby's cute face! Eyes, nose, and mouth slightly open. He/she was trying to smile for the camera. :)


Above- Baby's arms and hands. It was so fun to see all of the little finger bones and everything- we couldn't see those last time.


Greg likes this one- Baby is showing some bicep! Must be working out down there. Head is on the left.


And finally, Baby's legs, crossed at the ankles. Just chillin'. What a FUN ultrasound! It was amazing to see how much Baby has grown! My due date of Nov. 10th is still on.


Also, last week we went to see the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Stillwater. It's a big event in the cycling world.

Above- right before they started. Floyd Landis was actually in this race, who won the Tour de France in 2006.


Here they come up the hill!! It was crazy how fast and powerful these guys were- that was a HUGE hill, and they did it over and over for about an hour!


Jesse and Greg cheering the guys on.


Nice. Jesse actually did the Ironman race out in Idaho this past weekend- way to go Jesse!!!


Nicole hanging out by the river- it's so gorgeous in Stillwater!


We also went to the Back to the 50's car show this past weekend. So many awesome cars!! Greg's Aunt Rose and Uncle Steve had their '62 Impala out there, but we forgot to get a pic!

Sean and Liam at the car show!


Uncle Greg and Liam


It rained for a short while, and Liam loved playing in the water that was dripping from the roof of the shelter. He of course was charming everyone there!



Sean and Pat


Hey- there's the Pink Panther in that car! :)


Liam enjoying some Sweet Martha's cookies!! He loved them!


Finally, here's a video of Baby's heartbeat at 18 weeks. I just love listening to that sound! Nice, strong heartbeat!!