New President

I am very happy to have witnessed history change tonight. I was so fearful about this not happening today, I was fearing a replay of the 2004 election. All my fears were set aside when America spoke loud and clear that we needed a change.

From yahoo.com:

Barack Obama swept to victory as the nation's first black president Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself. "Change has come," he declared to a huge throng of cheering supporters.

The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states — Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa and more.

On a night for Democrats to savor, they not only elected Obama the nation's 44th president but padded their majorities in the House and Senate, and come January will control both the White House and Congress for the first time since 1994.

TGIF and 9/26

Today is Friday, it has become my favorite day to look forward to more lately. I am feeling very pooped by the end of the week. I have been particularly been looking forward to today though 9/26/08.

Today I am working a half day and I am taking my Mom to Oakland to see a very esteemed IBC Oncologist who used to work at MD Anderson the country's only IBC clinic. We scheduled this appointment about 3 weeks ago. We are hoping to get another opinion on my mom's best course of treatment.

My Mom started Chemo last Friday, she had it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So far she has felt pretty good, just very tired and a mild upset stomach. Soon her hair will fall out and we will bring out the cute wigs and have them styled by our own personal hair stylist D. I hope that this Chemo will shrink down the tumors to nothing. I hope my Mom does not have to do anymore Chemo, I know how hard it is on her body and mind.

Meeting a new Dr. for my Mom

Yesterday my mom and I went to meet a new Oncologist and we loved her! My Grandma and Sis-in-law went too, we all felt very good after leaving the appointment.

She has just the right experience with treating my mom's type of cancer (IBC) and has had many sucessful treatments of patients in remission for long term. She has a pateient that has been in remission for 18 years!!!! It gives us new hope that she has a better chance of beating the cancer. I hope that she can help us win this battle, it's all I want for Christmas for the next 10 years or more.
SO very thankful for the referral from my mom's radiologist for the new dr. Now we are waiting to see when we can get the new chemo started, they are hoping to start by end of this week. Time is of the essence in this case, so sooner the better. Bad news - my mom will lose her hair again, after having it grow back wavy which she loved. But luckily she has a good collection of wigs that are cute and some curly.

Positive news on my mom

I have been disappointed to say the least with my mom's oncologist at Kaiser for many months now, and even told him this the last time I saw him (I ripped him a new one). I had told my mom I wanted her to see someone else and I have got several referrals from the Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) message board I frequent.

After my mom found the lump on her neck and was told she had a recurrence almost 2 weeks ago she saw the oncologist again and he told her "Write a will and retire", um - she is not terminal and it is INAPPROPRIATE ON ALL LEVELS AS A DR.

I am filing a complaint against him with the medial board of Ca.

So my mom ripped him a new one and requested to see anther Dr. ASAP, as time is of the essence with her type of cancer.

We just got the okay from Kaiser to see another Dr. in Oakland, which is about 50 miles each way from home, but this Dr. came highly recommended. She studied at M.D. Anderson in Houston, which is the leading hospital in my mom's type of cancer. So we are waiting for a call on when we can see her.

In the mean time, my mom had asked me to e-mail the leading oncologist at M.D. Anderson in Houston, I've spoke to him several times via e-mail and he is setting up a referral to see him soon.

After we see Dr. C in Houston he can work with the Dr. in Oakland and we will have the best treatment we can for beating IBC.

I saw my OB re: stress

I had my Dr.s appointment this morning and she gave me Prozac for daily use and Lorzipan for anxiety as needed. I have taken both before getting Preg. I will have a follow up appointment in 2 weeks to see how I am doing. My OB also said she will take me off the medications around 34-36 weeks so it will leave my system in time for delivery (assuming I deliver on time).

I am going to try and see a therapist too, she acknowledged that I will likely getPostPartum Depression. I think it will be best to start therapy now and continue until after I deliver.

Mothers Day

I was just thinking about how I can make this mother's day the best my mom has ever had. I had an idea a few months ago about making a special book with letters from all her special friends and family, I think it's too close to make that happen now, but her birthday is 2 weeks from Mother's Day, so maybe.....

I just hope my mom knows just how special she is to me. I love her so much, and I just hope and pray with all that I have that she can be free of cancer for the remainder of her life.

hope

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of despair, wanting, wishing, suffering or perseverance — i.e., believing that a better or positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary.


I still have hope that my friends and my mom will get better from the disease.

I've lost a friend to cancer already, it hurts. I have two friends that are fighting now.

Sadness today

I found out that this lady lost her fight to IBC this morning. Her name is Susan, her husbands name is Warren. I don't know much more than that other than she had been okay earlier this month, nad now is in the hands of God. He battle against IBC ended this morning at M.D. Anderson in Houston, Texas around 10 AM.

I just wish a cure could be found, it's hard to know what a deadly disease Breast Cancer can be, especially IBC. I still have hope though, I have heard of survivors of IBC up to 17 years.

I have a stupid business trip to go to tomorrow night - only an overnight trip, so not bad. I just don't feel like being away for a night.

Update on my Mom

My mom's been down lately. Her Oncologyst is about to be fired. I have been reaching across the country to get her the best medical advise that I can. I started with my "IBC friends" on the message board. http://www.ibcsupport.org/



The people on this board are so supportive and helpful. I got in touch with a very esteemed Medical Oncologyst from M.D. Anderson in Houston, TX. I recieved his e-mail address from a lady with IBC. He wrote me back on Easter morning, which amazed me that he was working on Easter, let alone to e-mail a non-patient. (M.D. Anderson is the 1st IBC Clinic in the US)



I also got a referral to a very good Medical Oncologyst that works in Oakland Kaiser. She got her residency at M.D. Anderson. I hope that she follows the protocol of M.D. Anderson.



A ways back I did get another referral for a Medical Oncologyst at UCSF. I put a call in to the clinical trial center to see if I can get her in to there, Dr. Hope Rugo is a great IBC dr. who's treated most of the patients here in the Bay Area.





I am making steps to getting her a new doctor that will not give up on her. I feel like I should have gone to Medical School.