Post-Op

It's been four days since surgery and by God's grace, the pain has lessened and I have been trying to wean myself off of the pain medication. I am so deeply thankful to all of you for your prayers and support. Surely, it is through your mighty prayers that has allowed me to persevere through chemotherapy and now through surgery/recovery. As my doctor expected, recovery has been quite manageable with little discomfort. I have limited mobility in my right arm since lymph nodes were removed from the right armpit. But with exercise and time, I should be able to regain most of my strength and mobility in my right arm.

A sweet moment between husband and wife

Dear friends Linda and Tina keeping me company hours before surgery

God has also blessed me with family and friends who have volunteered to help me and the family. Eugene's mother spent two nights with the girls while we were away at the hospital. She picked up Maddy from school, fed the girls and kept them busy in our absence. My mother flew in on Monday and plans to stay for a week and a half. The girls are so excited to have "LA Halmuni" around for so long since they rarely get to spend time with her. In addition to having an extra set of hands around the house, friends from church have volunteered to provide the family with a meal for several weeks. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for the many hands preparing and serving us with delicious meals. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such a loving and helpful community of friends and family.

Feeling thankful and overjoyed for God's mercy upon me.

Hello World!
After receiving several reminders from friends and family to update the status of my health, I've decided to come out of hiding (or rather laziness) to do just that. As of Thursday, February 3rd, I have completed chemotherapy treatments. Yahoo!!!! It's quite surreal to think that I have been receiving various cocktails of chemotherapy since last July and that all came to an end this month. I still have to go into the chemo clinic to receive Herceptin (a live agent, not a chemo drug) intravenously but really, it's like I'm receiving water in my veins. Absolutely no side effects from Herceptin. I'm still having to deal with lingering neuropathy in my extremities, mostly in my fingertips, but otherwise, I'm feeling quite fantastic.

Hair is slowly growing in but it's odd how it's taking shape. Most of my strands are about an inch long and much to my chagrin, the greys have made a return as well. Boo! So, the back of my head is full of hair but not so much on top. My nurse describes my hair growth as male pattern balding. At this rate, I'll be sporting a rather nasty mullet. What a vision I'll be. :(

A bilateral mastectomy surgery is scheduled for Friday, February 25th. I'm still thinking and praying over the possibility of having breast reconstruction but after sitting in two meetings with two different plastic surgeons, and hearing the number of options along with the risks involved, my gut tells me to just forgoe reconstruction. I have a few days to think about it and discuss it at greater length with Eugene so I would definitely covet your prayers at this time for wisdom and discernment to make the right decision.

Sasquatch

I have been blessed with an abundance of hair on my head. Not only do I have an incredible amount of hair but each strand is oddly thick. Along with my massive thick mane, I also have embarrassingly hairy arms. Now, my first thought and hope was that chemo would cause the hair on my arms to fall off. I even asked my surgeon if the hair on my arms would disappear. She laughed so hard at my inquiry and said that in all her years of practicing medicine, not one patient had ever approached her with that question. True to form, I have lost a good amount of hair from my arms where I can actually see several open pores. It's so nice to finally see the skin on my arms as opposed to the fur that could rival Esau's arms.

But in all seriousness, the weekly chemo treatments have shown very little side effects. I am a bit tired but not enough to keep me home bound or bed ridden. From time to time I do experience some slight tingly (is that a word?) in my extremities (Neuropathy) but it doesn't bother me at all. I'm so thankful to God that His mercies have been steadfast and new every morning. What a testament to His faithfulness and goodness as I am able to walk away from chemotherapy feeling healthy and well.

I'll be heading into the clinic tomorrow for another dose of chemotherapy. So thankful that my dear friend Linda will be accompanying to the clinic. Will try to post more often. :)

Am I really on chemo?

Feeling fantastic! Unlike the last four rounds of chemo, this new round with Taxol and Herceptin was a breeze with absolutely no nausea! I can't help but wonder if the nurse even administered chemo to me? I'm floored with how great I feel but am also thankful for God's continuing mercies upon me.

Getting ready for tomorrow's visit to the chemo clinic. Hopefully I can squeeze in a movie or two since I'll probably be stuck in the clinic for more than 3 hours. Thanks Jean C for providing a healthy supply of chick flick DVDs to help pass the time.

God bless!

New Cocktail

More than once I've been told to update my blog more often. I don't know why I have been neglecting my poor blog. I'll definitely make a concerted effort to keep you up to date in regards to my health and state of mind.

Can you believe I'm half-way done with chemotherapy? As triumphant and relieving it is to know that I've hit the half-way mark, I can't help but struggle with feelings of nervousness as I prepare for tomorrow's round of chemo. I'll be administered with a new "cocktail" of chemo drugs and am not looking forward to the side effects. But I have to maintain my trust in the Lord and take comfort in His sovereignty. As I shared with the moms in my weekly bible study, I want to be able to find joy during this time of struggle and uncertainty. Though I may not understand why this trial has been placed in my life, I believe that God has orchestrated every single event in my life for His own glory.

So, I've committed to memorizing a set of Fighter Verses with a couple of friends from church. I'm not exactly astute when it comes to memorization (I blame MOMnesia) so this is going to be quite a challenge for me but one I'm truly looking forward to. Here's the first one I'm currently meditating on:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. YOu will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29: 11-14a

Please keep me in your prayers as I begin weekly doses of chemotherapy. Pray that my body would respond well to the drugs and that side effects would be minimal. And though I will be hit with fatigue and possibly nausea, pray that it would not cause me to lose patience with my children and my husband.

Thank you and God bless!

Feeling Optimistic

Soon after the 3rd round of chemotherapy, my body got struck with a nasty cold. I'm telling you, it was like being hit by several Mac trucks. I was out of commission for several days and it took about 2 weeks to finally feel like my old self. I'm so thankful to God that I never suffered a fever during that time because my doctor has warned me that if I ever get to a temperature of 100.5, I have to check myself into the ER. Cannot risk the possibility of getting an infection, especially with my immune system being so low.

The best medicine I can ever receive is a visit from old friends. Last weekend, my friend Sally and her family drove all the way from SD and graced us with their presence. It was a wonderful time of catching up, seeing our children playing with one another, and reminiscing about the old days. Though our time together was brief, I was so blessed to hear how God has worked in Sally and Joon's lives and how faithful He has been to their family. I miss them already. :(

Maddy enjoying her time with J, K, and L

Go Lancers! Sunny Hills HS graduates (excluding Julie and Soo)

I'm gearing up for my next round of chemo tomorrow. Not much to look forward to except that it will be my last stint with the drugs Adriamycin and Cytoxan (A/C). These two drugs are known to cause nausea and other side effects which I have experienced most if not all. I've been assured by my doctor and nurse that the next set of drugs I'm scheduled to receive on October 21st - Taxol, Herceptin and Lapatinib - shouldn't cause nausea but I'll experience much more fatigue. So I'll be trading in one bad side effect for another. No sweat...God is faithful and just. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

My latest prayer requests:
1) As I enter the last phase of the A/C drug, I pray that my body will respond well to the chemotherapy and that the anti-nausea medication will work its magic.
2) I would remain faithful in spending quality time with God. My QT hasn't been as regular as I would like and I don't want use chemo as a reason NOT to spend time with God.

Praises:
1) Doctor's visit this morning offered some refreshing news. She feels as if the lump in my breast is becoming softer and smaller. Yea!
2) My nurse called me today to report that my protein level is HIGH! Thank goodness for Muscle Milk. :)
3) I've gained weight. Now, normally this wouldn't be something I'd be celebrating but I need to bulk up in preparation for future treatments.

Lastly, I would like to send a special *Shout Out* to my wonderful friends who walked and/or ran in Sunday's Susan G. Komen's Race for the Cure event. I was deeply touched and humbled by your act of love and compassion. Thank You to...
(not pictured) Grace, Sung, Chris, J, and J

Jina, Grace, Jin, and C


Lori, Teresa, Liza, April and Kim

Feeling Super!

Thank you for your prayers! The Lord has granted me with so much energy and I've been feeling so healthy and fantastic since the last post. Side effects have been minimal and I've been eating voraciously! Plus, I've been incredibly blessed with friends and family who have been so helpful during those not-so-great days. Just last week, my dearest and closest friend, Liza, took a week off from work just to take care of me and the kids. She arrived with a suitcase full of activities and crafts and the kids had such a blast with Auntie Liza. We miss her dearly and hope she'll grace us with her presence again!

I can't believe we've entered the fall season. Maddy's already been in school for two weeks and Alicia started this past Thursday. Where did the summer go? Here are some family pics from our summer vacation...


Family trip to the Happiest Place on Earth




Posing with Princess Tiana


Spent many hot summer days serving popcorn from this Main Street wagon


Breakfast with Minnie and friends


Hi, Tigger!


Brother's graduation ceremony from Fuller Seminary


See Jane Run
Ran the 5K while the ladies in the red bibs ran the 1/2 marathon (crazies!)


4th of July in Santa Barbara
Maddy & KK


de Young museum in SF


Happy Anniversary!


"Hurray for Helen" party...LOVE these women


Loved these cupcakes



First day of Jr. Kindergarten for Maddy

Please continue to life me up in your prayers as I prepare for another round of chemotherapy on Thursday, September 9th. I am not looking forward to another bout of nausea and fatigue but I am encouraged when I read this bible verse found in Psalms 56:3-4
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"

Dear friends, your prayers are not wasted. God has been so merciful and gracious to me and it is by the power of your prayers and support that have sustained me thus far. Thank you for being such wonderful prayer warriors on my behalf. I love you!


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