It’s been a little over one week since Mom began her chemo/radiation treatments. That means one whole week down and just five more to go!

The first few days were pretty uneventful, with Mom hardly feeling any different. As last week neared its end, we noticed she wasn’t feeling quite as good as before. We’re not sure whether it was just an average dip or if she was seeing some of the side effects of treatments. Both doctors said they didn’t expect her to realize many of the troublesome side effects like nausea and fatigue, especially so soon, so we’re really hoping those couple of days were just coincidental. Either way, Mom was very happy to have the weekend off from treatments.

As of right now, her main complaint is having to set an alarm to get up and dressed every morning! She certainly isn’t a morning person (neither am I), so she doesn’t particularly like having to be somewhere at a certain time. However, I must commend the Northeast Louisiana Cancer Institute for being the most punctual doctor’s office that I’ve ever been to! Our appointments are at 10:15 every morning. (Yes, Mom doesn’t like having to leave the house by 10:00…that’s too early!) We arrive a little after 10:00. They call her name promptly at 10:15, and we’re headed out the door by 10:30! That is simply amazing!

In addition to being amazingly quick and on time, the staff is also the most outstanding group of healthcare professionals that I’ve ever come in contact with. Every single person that works in this office is genuinely sweet, caring, and uplifting. Each person you come in contact with offers a smile and friendly greeting. I’ve seriously never walked into an office that radiates so much positivity. There’s usually at least one bad egg in the bunch, but not here. We are so lucky to have such an awesome team taking care of Mom right now.

While Mom had a few bad days last week, the past two have been pretty good. She’s felt much better and more energized, allowing her to be more active. On Tuesday, we ran a few errands that included a trip to Target. As many of you know, Mom is awaiting a knee replacement (which is actually how we found this tumor), so sometimes it’s a bit tough for her to get around. I finally convinced her to try one of the scooters to spare her some knee pain. If anything, the experience provided us both with enough laughs to cause pain in our sides, and everyone in Target knows to stand clear next time they see Joyce Bryant coming! On a semi-serious note, it’s a good thing that Targets clothing racks are on wheels…they scooted this way and that way as Mom tried to navigate those aisles! We may or may not have almost rolled one over a lady in the baby department. Needless to say, she wasn’t nearly as amused as we were.  I mean, a sense of humor must be hard to come by these days. In Mom’s defense, that scooter was rather bulky. However, I wish I had a video to share with you guys. After all, you deserve a good laugh too!

All in all, we’re still trucking along quite nicely. I expect that we’ll have a mix of good days appreciate everyone continually checking in with us, and Mom enjoys the sweet comments. Please keep them coming!

Read the last two updates here and here.

I posted an introduction to my Mom’s new journey on Wednesday. We nailed down a treatment plan this week, so I thought I’d give everyone an update.

We met with the oncologists who will be overseeing Mom’s chemo/radiation this week. We were very happy to find out that while she will have to do the chemo through the entire 6 weeks of radiation, she will get to take the pill form rather than IV. I can’t even explain how happy she was about this discovery. Life is all about the small victories, right? The oncologist (Dr. Weinberger) said that we may have to do some intravenous chemo after the surgery but that will depend entirely upon what the pathology report says after surgery. Fingers crossed that we won’t need any additional chemo!

In addition to our small win with the chemo pills, the radiation oncologist (Dr. Zollinger) said she shouldn’t have very many nasty side affects from the radiation. He thinks that a sore, blistered bottom will be the most difficult side effect she’ll face. This won’t be fun (imagine a bad sunburn on your bum), but it could certainly be worse. If anyone has any tips for managing this, we’re all ears. Both Dr. Weinberger and Dr. Zollinger say they don’t expect either forms of treatment to make her nauseous or fatigued, and she won’t lose her hair. Let’s count that as another win!

The appointment with Dr. Zollinger went relatively well. The doctor and nurses were amazing at explaining things, asking questions, and filling us in on all of the details. We weren’t expecting to, but we ended up doing the prep work for radiation while we were there, so we are ready to go as soon as our chemo pills are delivered. (Update: The chemo pills arrived today, so we will be ready to start treatments next week!)

The prep process was a bit tough on mom. As you can see in that last picture, the patient was not very excited about having to have another physical. After determining that she was healthy enough for the treatments, they took her back to set up the radiation process. She had to lay on a weird table with her stomach in a hole (to shield her other organs), and they marked where the radiation will be done. She was rather drained after the process, but she’s happy to be one step closer.

All in all, the past few days have been productive, informative, and primarily positive. We are happy for our small “wins” and a plan. Right now the patient is traipsing around Monroe somewhere. I’ve instructed her to be home before midnight, but she doesn’t always follow the rules.

If you’d like to keep up with the journey, you can follow along with the #JoycesJourney hashtag on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter…as well as checking back here regularly. She loved the comments on the last post, so keep them coming!

(This post was written on Thursday evening after the radiation oncologist appointment. See the first update here.)

The past couple of weeks have been a little rocky. Unfortunately, we received some not-so-great news about my Mommy Dearest. While at a somewhat routine exam, we found a very large rectal tumor that turned out to be cancerous. The original prognosis was very bleak and had us all quite worried. However, the good news is, the cancer hasn’t spread and the surgeon thinks we’re going to be able to knock this out with surgery and a few weeks of treatments.

The current plan is to do six weeks of radiation treatment with a few rounds of chemo to kick it off. Then, we’ll let her body rest for six weeks and follow up with surgery to remove the tumor. Obviously, my mom isn’t thrilled, but we are pretty excited to have the chance to fight. We weren’t sure we would have that opportunity at first.

Anyone who knows my mom knows that it’ll take a heck of a lot more than a little (or not so little) tumor to set her back. While she might have a tough road ahead, we are a tough family, and this is just another bump in the road for us. We are encouraged. We are positive. And we will win. We will persevere and come out on the other side stronger, better, and ready for the next challenge. No doubt.

Why am I sharing this here? There are a few reasons actually.

1. I use this space to document my life. This experience has been a big part of the last several weeks and will be an even bigger part of the next few months. Simply put, I don’t feel like I can write about fall wreaths and my favorite skinny jeans without also showing this side of my world.
2. I truly believe in the power of being positive, even through the tough times. If I can share a positive outlook on such a dreary subject, maybe someone else will be empowered in their situation.
3. Cancer is hard. Been there, done that. It’s a disease that affects many people at some point or another in their lives. By sharing our journey, I’m hoping to help someone find hope in theirs.
4. Life is composed of the good, the bad, and the ugly. While I strive to make this space a positive one, I don’t believe in sugarcoating things or painting a false picture. My goal in sharing this journey is to show that everyone faces hard times. I don’t post on bad days, but believe me, they come. This part of my family’s journey is real, and I want to be real with my readers.

All of this being said, I still want to maintain a positive outlook here on My Neck of the Woods. However, we are beginning to fight cancer in My Woods, and I feel like it’s only fair to share. My sincere hope is that sharing this journey will inspire or provide hope to some of my readers. All prayers, well wishes, and happy thoughts are certainly appreciated. I share every message, text, call, and post with my mom, so feel free to leave some encouragement for her here.

(Photo from Mother’s Day 2013.)