SolandMonica.com

 Wow!  Busy, busy, busy is all I can say!  I am so thankful that I have been feeling well enough to spend time traveling and visiting with people I haven’t seen in quite a while. 

Thank you for your prayers as I went up north the day after having chemo.  I didn’t have any side effects while I was there – except for fatigue.  I was able to hang out with my girlfriends, and the house we rented worked out perfectly!  We were able to put all 12 kids to bed and spend time hanging out!  There were 27 of us  all together!  One night was especially moving as we all talked and caught up on life – sharing heart issues and being real with each other.  As we talked, we all reflected on how special this group of friends is and how rare it is to have such a group in our lives.  I miss them already!  Let’s not wait 4 more years to see each other!

Also, while we were in Redding, my parents and sister (with baby) came and took us to the pumpkin patch.  We rode the train, saw pig races, rode in a canoe, and took some silly pictures.  It was a fun time with family.

The trip back from that weekend wasn’t so fun!  We missed our connection in San Francisco due to fog and had to keep Kai entertained at the airport for 6 hours.  We finally caught a flight to Santa Ana where a friend picked us up, but our luggage went to LAX.  We finally got our luggage late on Monday.  On Monday, I went home from work with a fever of 101.  I spent the whole day in bed and woke up the next morning with diarrhea.  It was no fun, but I was glad it didn’t happen over the weekend (or on the plane)!

I continued chemo on Friday, and then drove with the family to Monterey where my sister, Karen, had been all week for work.  She arranged to stay there for a few extra days so we could see her.  She lives in D.C. so we don’t get that chance all that often.  It was a fun weekend, a long drive, but a fun weekend.  We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and had a great time watching Kai discover new things.  He loves to explore and learn!  🙂  We dropped Karen off at the airport, and Kai threw a fit becuase he wanted to go on the airplane, too!  Karen actually made it home to D.C. before we made it to L.A.  So not fair!  I was so happy to be able to spend that time with her and to once again be feeling good enough to do it.

My chemo continued this past Friday (Halloween).  We took Kai trick-or-treating and boy do kids pick up the idea of spouting off a phrase when you get candy in return.  He had a great time.  He was dressed up as Batman.  He had a plastic mask that he just would not take off.  He pretty much wore it all day (he even ate dinner with it on).  He was in the parade at school waving at everyone.  Neither of us were there to see him, but our friend took some pictures and said that he just kept waving the whole time trying to see out of his mask.  It would slide down, but instead of pushing it up, he would just tilt his head back trying to see everyone!   The first thing he said to me on Saturday when I went to get him out of bed was, “My Candy?”  He made out like a bandit! 

Last night was our Sunday School ‘s annual Halloween party.  We had a potluck and played games.  It was a lot of fun!  I am so thankful that I have felt as well as I have to participate in all of the fun stuff.  Today, however, I am feeling pretty bad.  I slept in, went to church, and then came home and laid in bed for about 5 hours.  I just have a yucky feeling in my stomach and that chemo taste and texture in my mouth.  It’s a typical feeling after chemo, but sometimes it’s worse than others.

The next thing for me is a CT scan on Thursday (Nov 6th).  I don’t have chemo this week, but the CT scan effects are sometimes worse than the chemo effects.  I’ll be out of commission for the evening – staying close to the restroom!  We are hoping and praying that the scan shows continued shrinkage of the tumors – evidence that the chemo is working.  On the last CT scan, they said that the tumors had all shrunk by half, but that there was one new one showing up.  Our prayer is that this one is also shrinking and not growing.  I won’t have any report until the following week.  I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday (Nov. 14th), but will call earlier in the week (maybe Tuesday) to find out the results. 

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support even when you don’t hear from me!   One other prayer request that I have is that I have my teaching evaluation this Friday.  The Vice-Principal will be coming to observe me teaching a lesson.  I pray that my students are engaged and their behavior is top notch.  Parent conferences were last week, so there were some difficult conversations that will hopefully turn things around for some of those kids!  🙂

Thanks again,

Love,

Monica

Category tags: Cancer Update, Fun, News---- Comments Off on Is October really over?

 So far, I’m feeling pretty good.  My new friend Shelley went with me to chemo.  She is a teacher, too, so we spent time counting ballots and grading papers!  Today actually went very quickly.  I was done in three hours.  Then I came home, finished the movie I had started and did laundry for our trip.  I guess I’m feeling ok.  I am excited about the trip, so that keeps me going – doing what I need to do.

I am so excited and a little nervous!  We are leaving in the morning for Redding, CA to see my friends and family.  It is my 10 year from college and my friends and I are hanging out.  We haven’t seen each other in a little over 4 years or met most of the kids who’ve joined the XV clan.  I am nervous because I don’t know how I’ll be feeling.  The side-effects tend to hit the morning after, and that’s when we’ll be on the plane!  

I realize that a while has gone by since I’ve posted pictures, so I am going to attach a few pictures of our recent activities: 

This is us at the Fresno v. Ucla game!  Fresno won and it was a blazing 96 degrees!  Yea and Yuk!  Notice the sea of red behind us!  🙂

These pictures are of Kai cooking and learning that the pan can get hot!  He burnt his finger!  🙁

This is us at the Hollywood Bowl.

This is Kai Cousin and Athailai Cousin!  Kai LOVED having her here!  He wouldn’t leave her alone!

And my favorite picture from our trip to the zoo on Saturday is this one:

After looking at the Flamingos, Kai wanted to get down.  he said, “look Mommy…I Kai-mingo!  He thought of it all on his own.   I know, I know he’s a genius.  I was so proud of him playing with language already.  A little joke from my little guy!  🙂  

There are more photos in the photo section of the site, if you’d like to check them out! 

Right now I am doing well, but you can pray for the plane trip.  The side effects from Chemo tend to hit hardest, if they hit at all, the morning after!  I am glad to have an aisle seat just in case!  🙂  Thank you and I’ll be posting when I get back about the fun times we had up in Redding! 

Oh one last thing…We put an offer on a house and should hear by (now they’re saying) Monday.  We’ll keep you updated.

Thanks, the morning is going to come early, so off to bed we go!  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Love, 

Monica 

Category tags: Cancer Update, Fun, News, Uncategorized---- Comments Off on Chemo #10

Wow!  Two weeks have flown by.  I keep saying that I need to do an update, but it never happens.  Right now I am feeling so overwhelmed – it’s overwhelming!  (Seriously, it has brought me to tears on more than one occasion.) So now it is 11:00 on Thursday night, and I’m going to give you a long bulleted list update.

• Fresno State Beat UCLA, and we were there!  🙂  It was a blazing 98+ degrees and kick off was at 12:30!  Hot, Hot, Hot!  (Thanks again, Shelley! Kai had a great time!)
• Back-to-school night was 9/30.  I only had 12 of 35 parents come.  🙁
• It was a year ago October 2nd that I found out I had cancer.  Tough day.
• Chemo #9 went well (Melissa Torres went with me) with not too many side effects.
• Saturday night I even felt well enough to go on a dinner and movie date with Sol.
• My toes are still experiencing numbness from the Taxol, but it hasn’t gotten worse.
• Went without a T.V. all week…was kind of good for all of us.
• Kai has been doing GREAT going to daycare this week and has just been a joy to be around!  He’s so stinking adorable.  He loves to tell stories!  🙂 
• My students have been terrible!  I need help figuring out how to get them back!
• Renters in Fresno moved out on Monday, and we found out that they had not been taking care of the house while living there.  Things are broken and the place is filthy!  How disappointing!  Let’s just say, they will not be getting their deposit back!
• Phone has been ringing off the hook with potential new renters.  🙂
• Sol’s folks have been awesome, putting up for rent signs, taking calls, setting up showings, giving keys to people so that they can clean it…and a ton more things!  THANK YOU!!!  We are so grateful!
• Grades are due tomorrow.  I just finished correcting papers and will finish the writing of the grades tomorrow. 
• I’ve had a cold for three weeks, and it has drained any energy I had left after chemo treatments!
• I have had three subs in the last 5 workdays.  It is harder to be out and prepare for a sub than to just be there! 
• I purchased airline tickets to go see my friends and family at the Simpson University Homecoming weekend.  It’s my 10 year reunion from college!  I am so excited to see them all!
• My older sister, Karen, is coming out to California for work and we made plans to hook up while she’s in Monterey!  Hey, it’s not that close, but it’s a heck of a lot closer than Washington, D.C.!  🙂
• NO CHEMO THIS WEEK!!! 
• Sol leaves tomorrow for Men’s Retreat…just me and Kai for the weekend! 

I guess that’s about it.  I may have forgotten some things in my attempt to write fast so I can go to sleep.  I am sorry that it took me so long to update.  

Please pray for healing from this cold.  I am hoping that since I don’t have chemo tomorrow, my body will finally be able to fight it off. 

Thanks.

Blessings,

Monica

Category tags: News---- 1 Comment »

Well, we had answered prayer today, I actually received my chemo!  I am still sick, but don’t have a fever or chills, so they were able to give me chemo.  My temperature was actually only 96.6 degrees!  I was praying for no fever, so the fact that it was that low was so great!  I did only have Taxol this week and am feeling pretty good.  I don’t know if last week was a combination of coming down with something plus chemo, but I felt awful!

Tomorrow is the big game.  We are still planning on going to the UCLA v Fresno State game!  A bit of sad news is that my in-laws did not come down after all.  My father-in-law fell off a ladder and was in the ER yesterday for the pain.  He wouldn’t be able to make the trip and while he were here, would just be miserable.  Please pray for his healing.  He’s been having a pretty tough time.

Pray for little Kai.  He’s been getting “Big Time Outs” at school – going to the office.  Going to daycare in the morning has been quite the emotional time.  They say he’s been fighting more and getting very emotional about everything – even things that don’t happen to him.  We think he’s growing (he’s eating a ton!) and could be having some hormone issues related to that, but we really have no idea.  A good thing he’s been using the potty more regularly, but still needs his diapers.  He’s 27 months old, and this could be the beginning of the terrible twos, but we really don’t know.

Anyway, I am hoping to have such a wonderful day tomorrow!  We have a sitter from 8-5!  (Thank you, Shelley!)  I am tired of missing out on things because I don’t feel well.  I need some fun!  😉

Good Night Everyone!

Monica

Category tags: Uncategorized---- 1 Comment »

Numero Uno…we didn’t get the house.  We are ok with that because we were praying that if it was meant to be then we’d get it and if not, then we wouldn’t.  We have peace about it.  They are keeping our offer as a back-up offer, but we’ll continue to look at houses for now.

Numero Dos…I have some sort of sinus thing.  Tuesday I woke up with no voice which made teaching interesting, and my nose has been dripping constantly.  I walk around my classroom with my box of Puffs under my arm.  My kids have been great, but I need to be well for chemo on Friday.  They drew blood today, so hopefully my white count is ok and I get better by Friday.

Numero Tres…Sol and I aren’t sleeping very well.  Neither of us has had a good night’s sleep in over a week.  It is very frustrating as we are both so exhausted.  The praise is that Kai is sleeping beautifully! 🙂

Prayer Requests:

1. We have plans this weekend to go to the UCLA v. Fresno State football game at the Rose Bowl.  Please pray that I feel well enough to go and that if I don’t, I’ll be smart enough to stay home!  I tend to overdo it at times!

2. Chemo is on Friday, and I need to be healthy before they hit my immune system again!

3. Sleep for the weary.  Sol and I both need to get some sleep soon.

Well, that’s the short of it all.  I am heading off to bed right now, hoping/wishing for a full night’s rest!  Talk to you all later!

Thanks for everything!

Love,

Monica

Category tags: News, prayer request---- Comments Off on Just a Quick Note…

Well, yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment.  When we showed up, we found out that the doctor had been called in for jury duty, and we would see the nurse practicioner.  He was the one who I talked with on Tuesday.  So I didn’t find out much more information.  I know that I am going to have two more cycles (8 weeks) of chemo and then another CT scan.  I guess I’d better write that letter to the hospital soon, so that I can use my port on the next scan.

Chemo followed the appointment, and it went well.  I was the only one there with my friend Keri.  We watched a movie that ended right as chemo was ending.  This morning, though, I woke up with more nausea than I’ve had in a while.  It seems to be lingering even after taking the pills.  Sol is going to be bringing me some fizzy clear drink!   Hopefully that will help.

Anyway, besides that, not too much to report from here.  We haven’t heard anything about the house yet, but we hope to hear something by Tuesday, but we’ve heard that before.  Oh well, in God’s timing.  🙂  Tomorrow we are going to be going to the Hollywood Bowl, so that will be fun!

Enjoy your weekend,

Monica

Category tags: Cancer Update---- Comments Off on Dr. Appointment and Chemo #7

It’s good news! The results of the scan showed that the tumors have shrunk to half of their size two months ago! It was good to hear such great news.

Part of me wants to jump around and celebrate, but part of me is hesitant to hope. Last December, I was told that the original tumor had shrunk to half it’s size, but when they took it out in March, they didn’t find evidence that 6 months of chemo had killed anything. The explanation was that the original loss of size was probably only blood volume. So I am hesitant to believe that the tumors are really shrinking this time. One major difference that I keep needing to remind myself of is that this is a different chemo! It is designed to target angiosarcoma and has so far shown it’s effectiveness! The tumors have shrunk! I will continue to remain positive and pray because those are my biggest weapons in this battle!

I will be continuing with the chemo schedule – 3 weeks on 1 week off beginning again this Friday. I also have a doctor’s appointment this Friday and will hopefully find out how long I’ll be continuing this chemo schedule and when the next scan will be.

Thank you so much for the heartfelt prayers and your continued love and support. The news is wonderful, and I need to have faith and hope that the Lord is working whether it be through chemo or His healing hand

Love,

Monica

Category tags: Cancer Update---- 2 Comments »

Please pray for us as we are struggling with our health today.  The three of us have some sort of fluish type thing.  Kai had it on Saturday, but we thought it was just a Milk allergy.  Then last night, Sol was up and down who knows how many times.  This morning I woke up and was hit with the bug.  I really am praying that the 15 or so people who were over last night do not get it!  I had to go into work because I did not have any sub plans written for today, but then I came home and slept for a couple of hours, then went back to work in the afternoon to model a lesson in a classroom, then home for a couple more hours in bed before picking up Kai at daycare.  He seems to be over it, but Sol and I are still having a hard time.  Sol stayed home from work today and worked on stuff from here.

Pray that everyone gets better before my scheduled chemo this Friday.  They will be drawing blood on Wednesday afternoon, and I CAN’T be sick!  I will be calling the doctor’s office tomorrow (Tuesday) to find out the results of the CT scan.  Then on Friday, I have an appointment at 11:15 and Chemo at 1:45 pending a good outcome on the CT scan.

Thank you so much for all the encouragement I received and prayers written to us about tomorrow’s results.  I think since we didn’t get too much sleep last night, I should have no problem sleeping tonight.  Hopefully it’s not my turn to get up and down all night!

Love,
Monica

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Today was my CT scan, and it didn’t go as planned.  I chose to have a PowerPort put in because it can handle the CT contrast injection.  It was supposed to make my life easier.  I wouldn’t have to be poked by anymore needles!  I called ahead to make sure that there would be someone who could access the PowerPort. 

So here’s the story:  I drank all that nasty Barium stuff this afternoon and headed down to the hospital.  I get there, drink more of that stuff, and they tell me the nurse is on her way down to access the port.  The nurse gets there and tells the radiologist that she isn’t allowed to do it at this hospital.  She knows how to do it, they have the needles they need, but the hospital hasn’t set the protocol for doing it.  Can you believe that?  When they told me this, I started crying.  I was so frustrated – they would have to poke my arm.  I said that I guess it would have to happen, but that I didn’t want it in my hand.  The last time I had a CT scan, the IV was in my hand, and it hurt so badly!  The radiologist was actually very understanding and apologetic, but the situation was just so frustrating!  There was nothing I could do except lay there and get it done! 

I will be writing a letter to Presbyterian Hospital encouraging them to speed up the protocol process.  This is not the first time that “protocol” has been the enemy to getting what I need/want at this hospital.  The radiologist told me that this protocol has been in the works for over 6 months!  That is way too long!  This is something that patients want and need!

So, it’s done and now we wait and pray for the results.  Hopefully they’ll be ready on Tuesday.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Monica

Category tags: Cancer Update---- Comments Off on CT Scan

Since school has started, life here has been crazy!  I find myself stretched in all different directions.  I apologize for not updating sooner.  Usually that means I’m out and about and feeling ok! 😉

Thank you for praying for my students.  So far, they are wonderful!  I have enjoyed getting to know them and being back in the classroom.  Being out of the classroom for a year, it has been hard getting back in the groove of teaching.  The piles of papers are beginning to pile up around my classroom as I try to figure out how to balance two jobs at the school.  I am teaching three periods, and I have three periods of literacy coaching.  So far the second half of my job has been distributing supplies and trying to find things that seems to be missing.  Amazingly, it has really kept me busy!  Soon I will be going into classrooms and helping teachers with Language Arts needs!  It will be both fun and challenging.

Last Friday, I had chemo, and it seems to have gone very well.  I didn’t have many side-effects, mainly just fatigue.  As I was having chemo, I signed papers on an offer on a house.  It was really kind of exciting, but I’ll tell you more about that later.  At the end of chemo, my parents, sister and niece, Athailia, came through the door.  They were here all weekend.  Sol and I had already planned to go to the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday and happened to have 2 extra tickets, so my parents were able to go with us while my sister, cousin, Rachyl, and her boyfriend, Jonathan watched Kai.  It was a fun evening of music from the L.A. Philharmonic, a fireworks show, and two crazy bus rides!  🙂  It was really nice to have my family here, even though I wasn’t feeling my best.  Althailia has changed so much in 2 months, and Kai loved having her here.  🙂 

About the house, we made an offer and are waiting to hear from the bank.  It is a short-sale, and we’ve always heard that those take a while, but this seems to be moving pretty fast.  Our agent said that we should hear by the end of the week whether or not the bank accepted our offer or will be countering.  It is exciting to think that we could be in a home by the holidays!   🙂 

This Friday is my CT scan to see if the chemo has been working.  When this all started again in July, this CT scan is as far as the doctor told me the plan.  He said 8 weeks of chemo and then a CT scan to check the tumors.  I don’t know exactly what the next steps are, but I think that if chemo appears to be working, then we’ll continue with this chemo, and if it doesn’t, then we’ll try something else.  I am really praying that the scans come back clean, and they find no trace of cancer in any of my organs!  I believe God performs miracles, and he is in control of everything.  He is the great physician and can heal me if He chooses to do so!  I am living my life one day at a time and doing what I can to live with no regrets, because none of us is promised tomorrow. 

Thank you for your support and you prayers.  Here are a few specifics:

Pray for the CT scan on Friday at 4:00.  I am very anxious about it and will have to wait until Tuesday for the results.

Please pray for Kai and for us.  He has been acting out aggressively recently at school and home.  He was sent to the office two days in a row now for biting.  Yesterday he bit a friend, and today he bit himself! 

Pray for me in terms of balancing my life – the two parts of my job, my family, Bible study, chemo and doctor’s appointments.  It is all feeling overwhelming! 

Pray for our house hunting, that we would be guided to the right house and that the offer would go through only if it’s right for our family.

Finally, our renters in Fresno just gave their 30-day notice.  Please pray that we will be able to find renters by October.  We already have a few leads and are hoping that one of them works out!

Thank you and I’m so sorry it took me so long to update! 

Love,

Monica

Category tags: Cancer Update, Fun, News, prayer request---- Comments Off on Sorry, it’s been so long…