A Super Long (and overdue) Update

Monday 8/6/18 - Charlotte had the chemo starting about 11:30 am, after putting in the anti-nausea medications via the IV, they start with the Adriamycin which Kristen, Charlotte's Oncology Nurse calls the "Red Devil", after that is done, they start the Cyclophosphamide, and during this IV she gets quite tired (it has happened both times) but by the time she's leaving the hospital she seemed to be doing okay.

Tuesday 8/7/18 – Charlotte felt great other than some nagging back pain that came and went, and she started to suspect kidney stones. As a result, doctor ordered blood work & a urinalysis. Results later in the week showed +2 for blood which does indicate kidney stones . This was not surprising as Charlotte’s CAT scan on July 7th showed positive for kidney stones on both sides (Char has a long history of k.stones). She just never had bilateral kidney stone pain, so that was something new. The white blood count was also way up (probably because of Neulasta)

Wednesday – Back pain intensified – the kidney stones were starting to show themselves. This of course, was the same day her Amazing “Bald & Toppings” party. Needless to say, the party wasn’t canceled, and Charlotte partied on somehow. Such strength (& good drugs). She found her joys that day even through the pain and emotions of shaving her head. And we all felt that joy!

Thursday – Still kidney pain, but off and on. It was lightning up. Thursday began the chemo exhaustion. Charlotte got a wonderful foot bath from Shenna and some energy healing done. Thank you Shenna! Also on Thursday, Charlotte’s hairstylist Hope came by and trimmed Charlotte’s wig, looks awesome!

Friday – Charlotte learned she’ll be having a CAT scan this week as a result of the recent lab work.

Saturday – Charlotte, Mariah & Kaysha and the girls ran errands and got a bunch of school shopping done. In retrospect, she probably shouldn’t have as her energy was super low, but they got the job done.

Sunday- Energy up a little. She actually spent time in the backyard helping with the landscaping.

Medical Stuff that I needed lots of Charlotte's help to get right

Charlotte is a researcher and is continuing to find methods to support the chemo and she feels like she’s getting closer to being balanced.

One of Charlotte’s longtime friends, Suzi, who lives in Texas, annihilated this damn breast cancer beast at Stage 4 with a 2% chance of survival. She’s been an inspiration and great support for Charlotte through this Journey. Living in Texas, Suzi stays very close to all the latest and greatest research. Just a few weeks ago she shared this research with Charlotte. It is a recent cannabis clinical trial for Breast and Prostate Cancer from the National Cancer Institute and supports the use of cannabis for both tumor shrinkage and making the chemo more effective. (info on the clinical trial findings).

Charlotte’s Medical Oncologist and Oncology nurses all fully support her using this. This is challenging her a bit, because the way Charlotte’s brain is wired, the “edible tumor fighting paste” affects her different than most – it actually ramps her up rather than relaxes her. As a result, they have set her up with a 2nd type to help balance her out. She spent the weekend working through the best dosage to ensure she is sharp and and cognizant as possible. So far so good. She is feeling ready to being back to full capacity.

Next Hurdles and Appointments:

Charlotte has a CAT scan with contrast this week, it’s a little more complicated for her than most because she needs to be prepped with steroids & medication prior to the procedure because she’s allergic to contrast dye. This CAT scan is to see if the chemo is causing her kidney stones to grow and how fast. If the treatments are causing them to grow too fast to pass, she will require lithotripsy (procedure to pulverize stones), which she has had in the past and is not too concerned. Then her 3rd Chemo Infusion is on August 20th.

Work and Compassion

Over the weekend Charlotte heard from 3 of her past bosses, all showing great support and concern. Her current boss sent her wonderful gifts. He asked his wife to shop for the gifts, and clearly he gave a good description of Charlotte to his wife, because they were definitely reflective of Charlotte’s personality. This outreach was very touching for Charlotte. She told me it reaffirmed her confidence in her value in business and quality of work over the years.

As of now Charlotte will not be working the week of August 20th and September 4th, but will be working the weeks of August 27th & September 11th.

Family and Friends

The girls are getting MUCH more used to the baldness. They recently found a new activity - Bald SnapChat.

However, Charlotte is still trying to wrap her head around being BALD (no pun intended) 😁

She is also trying to get comfortable in a wig. The wigs look great, but for the most part she likes the new Nike baseball cap she bought and has been wearing that the majority of the time. As far as out in “public” she is still pulling on the wig (she said it is scratchy and hot). Here is a picture of her new cap she loves and doesn’t let out of her sight. :)

As far as family and friends go, Charlotte is so very, very grateful for the overwhelming support of family and friends this week. Thankful to Claudia for inviting Hannah & Stella to her home to enjoy time with her children, at exactly the time when Charlotte needed it.

Charlotte is thankful for so many people and how they reach out to and offer help and support in so many ways. Jan, for her help in organizing spaces in her home, Kathy’s hard work at keeping her home clean to help alleviate chances of infection. For Megan bringing her ever-present humor and spending time with Charlotte. She's also totally loving the hats friends have made & brought to her, thanks guys! Thankful for Mariah and Kaysha caring for her this past weekend. Thankful to Kevin for helping Donny put together the trampoline & helping with yard work.

Charlotte and family are so very thankful for all the friends and family who support her through Facebook, text messages and phone calls.

Thankful for Mom and Dad and the unending support and love they always give. And, as always, Charlotte is thankful for Donny, her ROCK in every way - even taking on her crazy “honey-do” lists in a positive way. (I know it’s not easy!)

And to everyone who has been sending positive thoughts and healing prayers her way, I thank you. ❤️ Lynn