The Last of the Yucks?

I have made it through my last A/C Days 6, 7 and 8 Yucks. Although it wasn't without a little pain. My side effects definitely came out this time. I dealt with the usual headaches, tiredness, weakness and mouth sores however this time I experienced major hot flashes during the night and the daytime (just sitting at my desk sometimes) and extreme hunger side effects such as clamminess and blurred vision. I simply let myself get too hungry in a couple of meetings this week and was slow to recover.

Anyways, I am feeling better (it is Friday after all) and getting ready for a great weekend. I pick my mom up at the airport tonight and have my first baby shower tomorrow afternoon. Then we have another ultrasound on Monday with Baby Oesch. I can't wait to see how much she has grown and look at her beautiful features she is developing. I will be 26 weeks on Sunday.

Other updates. My life-long girlfriend, Cara...yes, the one that organized the St. Louis walk, just found out she is also having a Baby Girl! I can't wait for them to grow up together and share the special bond we have.

Jodi, my "crazy chemo friend" is completely done with her chemo treatments and has surgery on November 30th. Please keep her in her prayers for a speedy recovery so she feels like herself in time for Christmas. She celebrated and went out with a bang. She said good night to cancer and hosted a PJ party at the infusion center. She also collected over 300 jammies for needy St Louis children. Here we are celebrating her magnificent accomplishment! I am sure you are asking where my PJs are...I brought my robe to place over my clothes and had already stripped it off as I was in the middle of my own personal summer...hot flash!!!



Jodi and Jenna at Jodi's last chemo treatment. Good night cancer!

Rett and I took our baby bump photos with a fabulous photographer on Thursday, Kelly Ferguson.
Check out her work at: http://www.kellyfergusonphotography.com/index2.php?v=v1#/home/

Kelly lost her mom to cancer last year and therefore we had an immediate connection. It was so fun to get dressed up and actually showcase my belly. How often does a woman get to show off her belly bump? We will keep you posted on our favorite captures from the day.

Have a great weekend.
Love,
Jenna

A Husband's Perspective: Volume 2

Hello everyone again. This message is coming from the deer stand. One thing people who don't sit in tree stand for hours on end won't understand is that it gives you a lot of time to relax and think about things. A lot has happened since my first post. We finished our first 4 rounds of chemo and the baby is doing great. We walked in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walks in Kansas City and St. Louis and Team Jenna's across the country raised more than $20,000. That number still blows me away every time that hear it. It honestly was amazing how many people donated and walked with us. It also was eye opening to see how many people showed up to walk, volunteer, and donate at these events. There are so many people affected by Breast Cancer that I have found through this process and from all of the stories that I have heard it is so encouraging to hear how many people live a normal life after going through the process that myself, Jenna, and our Baby Girl are going through. No doubt it is a long road though. My Mom always used to tell me don't wish your life away but going through this it is really hard not to. I want this next round of chemo to be over so our baby girl will be here. I want her here because that means Jenna can have surgery move onto radiation and finish the last round of chemo and be done with this huge bump in our plan and get onto bigger and better things like starting our family and watching our daughter grow up. However this is not the plan God set for us but I think he is already showing us why. Some of the nurses at the infusion center where Jenna gets her treatment have said that Jenna and her friend Jodie (see previous post about the Crazy Chemo Lady) have changed the way other patients view that place. The first day Jenna walked in there she started crying and wanted to get out of there as quick as she could. Now when other patients see us in our Hawaiian shirts or Mizzou gear having a good time and getting through this it gives them hope. It gives me hope too seeing how everyone has supported us. Anyone is welcome to come to treatments with us. They typically are on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 am. I know it’s hard to stop by during work but even if it’s for just 30 minutes I know Jenna will really appreciate it. We typically have a theme so feel free to email me or Jenna if you are going to make it so you can join in the festivities. Once again thank you to everyone for your support, thoughts, prayers, cards, meals etc. You all are helping us get through this.

Thanks,

Rett

P.S. - Here is an action shot from the weekend and yes that is a beard.

No More Steroids!

Tonight I took my last steroid pill. Hell yeah! During the A/C treatments I had 4 days of post-chemotherapy steroid pill popping. At first, I really enjoyed these four days. My body was on a high; it was artificially stimulated and kept my energy running to get me through the week.

However, this last week on the steroids was not the same. The insomnia was out of control and my energy was non-existent and I am happy to be done with the highs and lows of the steroids. Plus, blessed to not have as many drugs entering my system as Baby Oesch continues to develop and grow.

With the Taxol, the next chemotherapy drug, I will receive steroids and anti-nausea medicine only directly before the treatment. Another hurdle crossed.

Today was a great day. I am nesting more and more. Today, I got the coat closet switched out with our winter coats. And I cleaned out the closet in the nursery to make room for baby's clothes. I got a great jump on Christmas shopping; figured I should do what I can when I feel good.

Tomorrow, our nephew, Will, gets baptized and we are so happy to celebrate with him and his parents, Angela and Matt.

Hope you all are having a great weekend as well!
Love,
Jenna

9 Weeks of Chemotherapy are Catching up With Me

Well, I think the chemotherapy treatments have begun to catch up with me. I have been more tired than usual which leads to an early bedtime of around 8:45 PM. The steroids are really causing me not to sleep. Last night I was up for over an hour. Thank goodness for DirectTV all house DVR as I was able to watch Parenthood in bed before I fell back to sleep.

Tonight, as you can tell this post is very early. I have been up since 2:15...it is now 5:15 AM. Sorry to those that were on the receiving end of some very early emails. My mind started racing thinking about my "to do" list, I created the list, watched Friday Night Lights, tried to get on email but the VPN access is still messed up at work, started our Estate Planning Document...let's just say it has been a productive morning...just wondering when I am going to crash.

Other side effects from the chemotherapy and steroids this time (because insomnia isn't enough) include a bit of nausea, heartburn (or is that the pregnancy?) and hot flashes.

I just wanted to send another round of thank yous for all the dinners supplied and the groceries purchased and delivered. It sounds like easy tasks but I can't tell you how great it has been to be able to focus my limited energy on other items vs the above so that I can live a more "normal" life during my treatments and pregnancy. Rett and I couldn't be more grateful for the family and friends that have stepped up to help us. We love you guys!

Love to all-
Jenna

See you later A/C!

Yesterday was a great day! Rett and I started off the day with taking a quick 24 week Baby Bump picture. Baby Oesch is only about 3 months from her debut and is tracking against growth and development nicely.

24 weeks pregnant

Then we headed to MoBap for my final A/C chemo treatment. 9 weeks done and the hardest drug is now behind me. I have three weeks off until I begin my weekly treatments on Taxol. On November 30th I will begin 12 more weeks of treatment. Hopefully the holidays will make this time fly by!

To celebrate no more A/C, we had a Hawaiian Luau complete with Hawaiian shirts, leis, and Hawaiian Punch with umbrellas.

Rett, Jenna, Aunt Eileen, Uncle Mike and Charlene

See you later A/C!

Only 12 more treatments until we meet Baby Oesch!

Then last night, Annalise and Mike brought us a wonderful steak and sea bass dinner. It was a great night with great friends!

Love,

Jenna

A Milestone Will Be Achieved Tomorrow

I had a great challenge ahead of me when I was diagnosed in August. Twenty four weeks of chemotherapy prior to delivering Baby Oesch seemed like a huge mountain to climb. And taking things day by day was a great plan to tackle the emotional and physical stress of dealing with breast cancer but was a slow process.

Tomorrow, I will achieve my first milestone in climbing that mountain. Tomorrow is my 4th and final chemo treatment on the first set of drugs (AC)! After tomorrow I will have three weeks off and then I begin my weekly treatments (beginning 11/30) for 12 weeks. This measures out to finishing my last chemo treatment (before Baby Oesch arrives) the week prior to my due date.

I am so excited to be nearly half way done with this first cycle of treatment and to celebrate we are going to the beach...well kinda...we are having a Hawaiian Luau at MoBap tomorrow. My favorite place is the Beach and therefore I will be imagining that I am on a deserted sandy white beach, drinking a fruity frozen drink, digging my toes in the sand, and soaking up the rays.

Feel free to join us tomorrow at 9AM at the Cancer Infusion Center at Missouri Baptist.

Save the Boobies!

St. Louis raised over $4,000 for Breast Cancer Research through the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk ($4,110 to be exact!)

Thank to you to everyone who joined Team Jenna on Saturday. It was truly a humbling experience to see all that came out to support me and the cause: to find a cure for breast cancer.

Here is the local news coverage from St. Louis Fox 2:
http://search.fox2now.com/default.aspx?ct=r&q=making%20strides%20against%20breast%20cancer

In all, there were six Team Jenna's across the nation (Denver, Boston, Dallas, KC, STL and Nashville) that raised $21,435 in 30 days! This is amazing! Thank you to all that donated, walked, organized teams, fundraised, etc. I can't describe in words how blessed I feel!

St. Louis Team Jenna

Angela, Jenna and Kristen

Matt, Will, Jenna and Angela

Will sporting his Team Jenna gear post walk

Kristen and Davey