Lemons and Lemonade

On the other side of cancer, it looks crazy. While things are finally settling and looking up…things still look crazy. Many of you that know me well, or have read my blog, are aware of my diagnosis. If not, please check out the tagged related posts.

I was quite optimistic if I must say so myself. I tried my hardest not to let this diagnosis get me down or take me to a dark place. I knew what my plan was, and I was working closely with my team to ensure that I would beat this. Then, the bottom fell out. One week after my first and only round of chemo, I ended up in the ER, where doctors diagnosed me with Sepsis, MRSA, and Pneumonia. I was in septic shock and admitted to ICU. I don’t even know how long I was there before I woke up. I only remember waking up a day before doctors moved me to the Clinical Decision Unit. You know how nurses ask you your name and birthday before they give you a medication? I had to look at my husband or my father for the answer. I am not even sure which one of them was there that time. I just know it was one of them.

I was in ICU until the end of June. I hadn’t seen my child in 20 days. I can’t even imagine what she must have been thinking. She didn’t know I was in the hospital at first, and I didn’t want her to see me in that state. I had lost 40 lbs. in those 20 days, so you can imagine how that may have been frightening. I spoke with her over the phone, and it definitely brightened my days. After going home, there was a lot of recovery. I had home health, physical therapy, and a nurse that came to my home for a month after my release. It was hard. I had to learn to walk on my own again; I was using a walker to get around. I had no core strength at all, so I could barely sit up on my own. After all of the medication and the chemo still in my body at this point, food tasted gross, and I could barely keep anything down. Imagine the frustration of all of that. I had a PICC line in my arm, once I left the hospital, so that I could give myself antibiotics on a daily basis to ensure the MRSA would not come back. I also left the hospital with a Foley catheter on my leg. Those of you that know what that is, you know it is only the devil. The worst! However, after the doctors telling my family that they weren’t sure I would make it through the first night, I thank God that I’m alive!

Doctors’ appointments became the norm for us. It definitely wasn’t the summer I had planned. Most of our days we were heading from one follow up or another. Finally, I met with my primary care physician and asked for a referral to a new breast surgeon and oncologist. My husband and father FIRED my entire team of doctors. I don’t know where the fault lies in what happened to me, or if it lies anywhere, but I needed a team that I knew I could trust. I also knew I needed a team I chose not based on emotion and fear. I now have a new team, and I went through my surgery. The doctors only found a less than 2 cm tumor, and nothing affected my lymph nodes. Thank, God. I will have to have radiation, and I am beyond cool with that. I finally had an appointment with a new oncologist who gave me two choices for long-term treatment, regarding prevention. I chose and left the office with my husband and completely lost it in the parking lot. Why didn’t doctors give me choices the first time? Why was the first team so aggressive with my treatment? Those were the questions that went through my mind. Could I have avoided this situation? I almost lost my life. Is it wrong to have questions?

I know that I may never have an answer to that question. That’s okay. I can’t live wondering about it for the rest of my life. I can enjoy the fact that I have a second chance to live. I am still recovering and have some residual aches and pains from the sepsis, nothing damaging. I am back at work and I am so happy. I missed my work family. Each day is truly new for me.

Peace and Love

Alisa

Health Update

Heeeeeyyyy!

​​I am just writing to give y’all a quick update. It has been a very eventful month. I have been to probably about 20 doctor appointments over the last month since I have been diagnosed. Through it all I continue to pray and lean on God. It is the only way I am getting through it. I have a supportive family who has been by my side the entire time and a work family. They have been more like family through :).

So, on to my update. The cancer is confined to my breast. There are other small masses in my breast other than the one we already know to be cancer. It is the most common cancer and per my hormone receptors, will respond well to treatments. The others are unknown and since I am having surgery to remove and reconstruct both breasts, I am not having them biopsied. However, I will go through chemo for four months. I had the choice of before and after. I have chosen to have it before. I will have surgery one month after my final chemo treatment. I want my surgery to be the end of this process. I will most likely start chemo by the end of this month. Next Friday I will have my port put in. Please send me recommendations on books to read or Netflix shows to watch. I will have some extra time on my hands.

Thank you for the well wishes, prayers, kind words and positive vibes that you all send. It really helps to know that I have people in my corner. Also thank you for understanding that I needed to get my journey out through my blog. Having to contact everyone I know individually is a hard thing to do. Aside from parents and siblings, I had other family members spread this news. If you know me well, you understand and accept that.

It has only been one month and it feels like a lifetime. My team of physicians have moved very quickly on this. They expect a full recovery and of course I will be on maintenance medications for a while afterwards. I understand that everyone has their views on cancer medications, what they do and what they don’t. I have full faith in God on my decision. My husband and I took our time to look over my pathology, biopsy, CT results and the unknown of the other masses in my breast. We prayed and we made the decision that is best for me and my health. I appreciate the concern, but I cannot take the feelings of anyone else into account. Thank you for respecting that.

Thank you all for being so supportive. I will continue to update but only through my blog.

Peace and Love

The diagnosis

I have breast cancer.

Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma. It took me a few days to deal with that diagnosis. At first, I was okay. I said I was okay. I felt I could deal with this. I told my parents and siblings and let them know that I was fine. I felt okay because I know I am going to get through this. My family, however, is not okay. They are scared and stressed as one could imagine. I kept telling myself everything is fine, and that this too shall pass and everything will be normal. A few days later I came to the realization that it’s not.

Over the weekend I started to feel the heaviness of this diagnosis. I started to think about all the what ifs and how comes. Shortly after, I went to my follow up appointment with my surgeon, who had my MRI results. There were more calcifications in the same breast (no bigger than the one we know to be cancer). The left breast is completely fine. It was in that moment that I felt an enormous tug. That’s the only way to explain it. It was a tug on my stomach, heart, and my whole body, all at once; and it was overwhelming. My mother in law and my husband were in the room as well. I could see that my husband needed to process this. My mother in law, thank God she was there because she asked all of the right questions, when I couldn’t get out a word. My mind went to so many worse case scenarios in like 10 seconds. I left the appointment feeling angry, sad, and frustrated.

This is a lot to process as you can imagine. I often deal with things by burying them. I don’t reflect on my feelings about hard situations. I just keep moving. This situation isn’t allowing me to do that. God isn’t allowing me to do that. I am being forced to face this in a way that is uncomfortable for me. I have to talk to people about this. I have to feel, talk, cry, and scream, and sometimes all at the same time. I am slowly learning to be vulnerable because this isn’t something I can just fix. I can’t take a pill and have life go on as normal. Something tells me that God doesn’t like the way I live my normal life, and through this He is getting me to my purpose. Who knows?

I am learning to keep my circle very tight. I cannot be around a lot of noise. Sometimes there are so many people talking and giving you advice and your space becomes so loud. I had to close mine to a very select group of people, who I know have my best interest at heart. They give me soul-fuel; they help me to keep my soul full. Whether it’s a text to check on me or sending me a scripture to read, they are all I need right now.

As for my process, I have chosen to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction. My surgeon has also done the genetic testing, due to my age. I am doing better today, emotionally. I feel supported and I take all of my feelings to God before anyone else. I am being honest with myself about how I feel. This allows me to be honest with the world. I don’t have it all together and I am still a work in progress. This diagnosis doesn’t mean life stops; it doesn’t mean I am to sit and dwell. It means I need to face it, head on, pray, and keep it moving.

Thank you all for your texts, messages, and calls for well wishes. Thank you for your continued prayers for me and my family.

Peace and Love

How it All Started

It Was Only God

There has never been a time in my life when I have been more certain that God exists than I am right now.

I’ve always believed. I’ve had moments throughout my life when I knew there was no explanation other than Him. Moments when doors opened that shouldn’t have, when protection showed up unexpectedly, or when peace arrived in situations that should have broken me. But this season has reminded me in a way I can’t ignore that God is always present, even in the moments that scare us the most.

Two weeks ago, I walked into my bathroom and noticed a few drops of blood. At first, I couldn’t figure out where they were coming from. As I looked closer, I realized they were coming from my right breast. Panic immediately set in.

I called my husband into the bathroom, and together we tried to figure out what was happening. The bleeding stopped almost as quickly as it started, and we never saw it happen again. Still, I knew something wasn’t right.

The next morning, I called my doctor’s office so early that the answering service picked up. After explaining what had happened, the nurse scheduled me to come in first thing Monday morning.

My OB/GYN, who also delivered my daughter, is one of those doctors everyone hopes to find. She listens. She cares. She treats me like a person, not a chart.

After a thorough clinical breast exam, she told me everything felt normal. She couldn’t feel any lumps or abnormalities. Still, she looked at me and said, “Everything feels normal, but I’m sending you for a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound as soon as possible. This could be nothing, but we don’t want to miss anything.”

A week later, I found myself at the breast center.

Everyone there was incredible. Honestly, it felt more like a spa than a medical facility. Again, I was asked if I had a family history of breast cancer.

“No,” I replied.

The mammogram itself wasn’t painful, although the nipple discharge appeared again during the procedure. Then came the ultrasound.

As the technician continued scanning, I began to sense something was different. She spent a long time focused on one specific area and captured image after image. When she finished, the radiologist came in to review the results with me.

There it was.

A small mass in my right breast, a little over a centimeter in size.

The radiologist spoke with a calm, reassuring voice that I desperately needed in that moment. She explained that it could be benign, but that more testing was necessary. Within days, I was scheduled for a biopsy.

By the time I arrived at the surgeon’s office, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I found was another incredible team.

The surgeon had me laughing so hard before the procedure that I nearly forgot why I was there. She was warm, straightforward, knowledgeable, and compassionate all at once. During the biopsy, she explained every step of the process while I watched the images on the screen.

At one point, she shared something that has stayed with me.

She told me that because of where the mass was located, it likely would not have been found through a physical exam. It was too deep to feel.

Then she said, “Luckily, you had the nipple discharge. If you hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t have found this for another couple of years.”

That statement hit me hard.

I have no family history of breast cancer.

I have no lump that can be felt.

I’m not even at the age when routine screening mammograms are recommended.

Had it not been for those few drops of blood, I may not have known anything was wrong until much later.

That’s why I keep saying it was only God.

I know everyone has their own beliefs, and I respect that. But for me, there is no other explanation. Those few drops of blood may have looked like a frightening inconvenience, but they could very well have been a blessing. A warning. A gift.

I don’t know what my biopsy results will say yet. By the time you read this, I may still be waiting.

What I do know is this: whatever happens next, God is already there.

That doesn’t mean I’m never scared.

I’ve had moments of anxiety. Moments of frustration. Moments where I’ve thought, “Really? One more thing?”

But every time I start to spiral, I remind myself of all the things that are going right.

I have an incredible husband who has stood beside me every step of the way.

I have a mother who has been my constant support.

I have friends who check on me, pray for me, and remind me that I am not walking through this alone.

And I have faith.

Faith that whatever the outcome, God has me.

As I wait for answers, I want to leave you with this:

Advocate for yourself.

Find doctors who listen.

Find providers who treat you with compassion and respect.

Pay attention to your body.

Don’t dismiss something simply because it seems small or unusual.

You know your body better than anyone else.

Build relationships with your healthcare providers. Ask questions. Seek second opinions when necessary. Be an active participant in your own healthcare journey.

Most importantly, don’t ignore the things that feel off.

Sometimes the smallest signs can make the biggest difference.

When I have my results and feel ready to share more, I’ll provide an update.

Until then, I welcome your prayers, positive thoughts, and encouragement. If I don’t answer every phone call, please understand that retelling the story repeatedly can be emotionally exhausting.

For now, I’m choosing faith over fear.

And I’m trusting that the same God who allowed me to see those few drops of blood is the same God who will walk with me through whatever comes next.