Let me begin today with an apology for taking so long to update my blog. It is hard for me to talk about myself especially when I don't feel so good. A lot has happened since my last post--there have been many bad days but even more good days. God has been with me through them all!


Let me see if I can summarize all that has happened since September 14.

Shortly after my treatment on September 23 I developed an infection in my medi port. I ended up in the ER taking antibiotics intravenously. That treatment did not work so I had to have surgery on September 29 to remove the port. I was sad to see it go because it had made chemo so easy as far as the actual injection of the chemo drugs. I now have to have my chemo treatments through an IV in my arm which is not pleasant because I hate needles. The surgery also delayed my chemo treatments about a week and a half because my wound from where the port had been had to heal. Mother, Daddy and Brenda(my sister) came to stay with me while I was recovering from surgery. And then a few days after they left, Steve's family, Scott and Linda Mack and Kelli Maynard(Steve's sister) came for a few days. It was so nice to have all of them here!! I love my family so much!!! You have been an incredible support to me and Steve and Ryan and Katie and Julieanne and Will!!!

After they all left it was time to start my fifth round of chemo which I did not want to do. Steve had to make me go. The last two rounds were incredibly hard. I guess the more accumulation of toxins in your body the sicker you get and I was pretty sick. I had my last 'big' chemo treatment on November 13 and we celebrated after it was over. I continued to get weekly treatments of Herceptin up until my surgery.

My surgery was on December 16. I went in to Methodist Hospital at 8:00 a.m., the surgery began at 10:00 a.m. and they were wheeling me out the door to go home at 3:30 p.m. I was not quite ready to go home when they told me I was not spending the night but after I got home I was so glad to be in my own bed.

Recovering from a Mastectomy has been hard. I have had a lot of pain and I had a drain coming out of the side of my body which had to be emptied twice a day. Katie was so helpful taking care of that disgusting task. I went in for my follow-up appointment with Dr. Tramer on December 23. He gave me an early Christmas present in the way of a wonderful pathology report which showed that there was no sign of cancer in the breast tissue or the lymph nodes. Isn't our God amazing!!!

Dr. Tramer also removed my drain-Yea!! He wasn't going to remove it but then I looked at him with really sad eyes and he said maybe it was time for it to come out. As it turned out, the drain probably should have stayed in a little while longer as I developed an infection around the incision. It had to be drained instead with a huge needle. Did I tell you before that I hate needles!?! After two different antibiotics, the infection is finally gone and I am ready for my next step in the treatment--Radiation!

I saw a new doctor, my Radiation Ocologist, last week. I then had to have a Planning CT where they map out exactly where I will be radiated. I had to be tatooed with three ugly blue spots. I tried to get them to at least make them into butterflies or flowers or something but they said no. Now my kids want to know why they can't have a tatoo! Anyway, I start my Radiation Therapy on Monday, February 2. I will go everyday except weekends for 28 days of treatment. It should not make me sick, just tired. We'll see. The good thing is that I can have these treatments at the new South Texas Oncology office in Boerne so I don't have to drive to San Antonio every day. Yea!!

I also had a MUGA Scan this week. This test determines how your heart is holding up with the Herceptin treatments. Herceptin is known to damage your heart and so far mine is holding up well. I will continue to get Herceptin treatments every three weeks until July.

I know this is a lot of information and I apologize again for taking so long to update you on my treatment. Thank you for all your prayers and cards and food and hugs,etc... God has touched me through each of you!!!

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him"
Lamentations 3:22-24

By the way, my hair is growing back o-h s-o-o s-l-o-w! It is only visible under microscopic inspection but I am hoping to have hair by Katie's wedding in June.

Hello! This is Steve. We have had an eventful last couple of weeks and Sandy has not had a chance to post an update, so I volunteered.

Sandy started her third round of treatment on September 2nd (almost half way through!). The treatment went well with the dreaded frozen mitts being handled in a heroic way by Sandy. The week following was an uncomfortable one for Sandy due to periodic difficulty with nausea and other stomach related maladies. Also her legs were sore which we attribute to the injection she received on the 3rd, which encourages the production of the important white blood cells.

Katie and Blake came home for the weekend of the 6th and 7th to begin the wedding planning. But first on Saturday morning, we attended Will's cross country meet at SW High School in San Antonio. He is running on the varsity for the Boerne Champion Chargers. The Chargers won the meet with Will running a terrific race finishing 21st overall (I estimate that there were around 150 runners in the race) and 5th for the Chargers.

The afternoon was spent visiting a possible location for the wedding. We had fun traveling together and talking about the blessed event. On Sunday, Ryan joined us for lunch after church. We enjoyed the traditional Mack Sunday lunch of brisket, potato casserole and green beans. We missed having Julieanne for the lunch, but if she had been there we would not have had enough! Adding Blake to our table means that we have three growing boys (plus an old hungry one) and things just don't stretch as far.

Sandy had her treatment of herceptin on Tuesday the 9th and then on Wednesday the 10th she met with the general surgeon who will take care of the next step in the cancer battle. When Sandy is finished with her chemo treatments, the surgeon will remove the remaining tissue to be sure we have rid Sandy of any remaining cancer cells. Dr. Tramer was very thoughtful and professional, spending over an hour visiting and examining Sandy. He was very encouraging indicating that the tumor had pretty well "melted" away with the chemo treatments and that he could not even easily determine that a tumor was ever there! Thank the Lord!

On Friday I had a minor surgical procedure performed on my ailing left knee and Sandy spent the day looking after me. The knee is sore and stiff, but should improve quickly.

On Saturday, we traveled to Ingram to watch Will and the Charger CC Team easily win another meet with Will finishing 10th. He is having a good season and improving each week.

Our family is grateful for the continuing encouragement and prayers that are being offered to and for us. The Lord has been good to us during this period while we take one step at a time and resolutely march our way toward the finish. We know that God is in control and will care for us. Sandy is a beautiful example of faith. She encourages me with her trust in the Lord and confidence in his healing power.

Okay, I told you I was not very good at this yet! I'm sorry it has taken so long to get a new post up. It's been a very busy week around here. We took Julieanne to Abilene on Saturday and were there until Tuesday helping her move in and go to Passport (Freshmen Orientation). It was very hard to leave her there but I know God will take care of her and surround her with amazing friends.

We got back from Abilene on Tuesday afternoon just in time for my treatment. Will and Steve went with me this time. The treatment went well but on the way home I started feeling pretty nauseous and that continued into Wednesday morning. I'm feeling a little better today but the nausea comes and goes.

One of the side effects of chemo is the awful taste in your mouth. Everything you eat tastes like metal, that is except for iced tea. Tea tastes so good! It's the only thing that tastes normal.

I have lost nearly all of my hair now. There is still a little bit left but I have shaved it to about a quarter inch because it is so thin. The thing about losing my hair is hard not because I loved my hair but that without hair I look sick and I feel like people look at me and feel sorry for me. I don't want people to feel sorry for me. I have a God who loves me and is carrying me through this battle and fighting for me and teaching me so much!!! God is so good!!!

Thank you all for your sweet comments and especially for your prayers!! God is sustaining me because of your faithful prayers! Until next time...

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100