The last few Saturdays we've been showshoeing--and it's beautiful up in the mountains with all the new snow!! I keep wishing for the feeling of gliding down the hill on a snowboard--but not ready for that yet (and maybe because of my bones I won't be doing that again). But the scenery is still great! And so is the workout!!



My dad's the one who taught me to snowshoe. We're at White Pine just below Snowbird.





Joe and Sam love this! The fire slowly melts itself into a hole.




Me and my love--who by the way gave me the sweetest Valentine's gift--new scriptures with the name "LITTLE FLOWER" engraved on the front. That's what he calls me--more than by my real name. I guess he was tired of me using his scriptures.

This is by far the best photo Bry took!! I'm checking out some snow caves probably made by scouts--the kids thought these were awsome!

I received my last treatment of Aredia (bone strengthener) by IV and my Lupron shot last Friday the 15th. My appointment went well and my side effects have been minimal since. I was speaking in the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference and singing in the choir on Sunday, so I figured God would bless me to be well so I could make it.

The Saturday Evening session was so great!! Elder Nuenschwander was our visiting General Authority. He sat down and spoke with me just before the meeting started and let me know he knew what me and my family were going through. His wife had just recently passed away from breast cancer. From diagnosis to her passing away it was only ten months. The whole meeting was amazing. Just before I spoke there was a musical number called something like Fear Not. When I heard that I was hoping I could make it through the song and be able to speak. The song was beautiful and had some of the words from "How Firm A Foundation" the verse about "Fear not I am with you Oh be not dismayed..." It was then that the tears started rolling and I had a really hard time pulling myself together for when I had to stand up. I spoke about the temple and how important it is to all of us and how it keeps us together as family no matter what happens. The thing is any of us could pass away at any time--and the knowledge that we'll be together after this life is the one thing that I hold onto and gives me hope and peace. Elder Nuenschwander spoke after me and told his story about his wife and her passing. He told us of how he has been blessed with peace. The whole conference was amazing and the talks by our stake presidency and others were a real boost to me.

Just yesterday we received a letter from Elder Nuenschwander reminding us we can call and talk with him any time. What a sweet man! I think Bry really enjoyed talking with him after the conference--and knowing he could talk with him if he needed a listening ear from someone who's been there.

Everything else is going well. Last Monday and Tuesday I was terribly depressed and then the rest of the week I've been anxious at night and it's hard to sleep. These are just hormonal swings from the medications. For the most part I feel great and I've been exercising every day which really helps.

I got a call Saturday from my oncologist's office saying my cancer marker numbers went down by another 1,000!! That means that treatment is working and things are going well. YAY!!! I'm sure it's because of everyone's prayers. THANK YOU!!

Still doing pretty well

This last week has been pretty good. The days are good, but in the evenings I get achy and I easily get tired and irratable. By eight o'clock I want to turn my children off. I also get really cold sometimes and have a hard time getting warm. It all seems pretty hormonal--which makes sense since I'm having my ovaries shut down each month and the pill I take every day messes with my estrogen.

I feel best when I'm around others because it helps me forget about myself. I've been helping out at the kids school one or two days each week. I've still been working out most every day either by walking or doing the stair master/treadmill/eliptical at the gym. I haven't gotten up the courage to go back to the water aerobics class yet, since it put me in so much pain last time.

The amazing thing is that so far this winter I haven't had as much as a little cold. I'm sure it's because of everyone praying for me. THANK YOU!!

My next treatments are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 15th. My oncologist wants to give me the full dose of bone strengthener along with my Lupron shot (shuts ovaries down). I'm a bit nervous to do it all at once, since my body seems to react strongly to everything. We'll see how it goes.

--Jenn

Good day today!

A good friend of mine who's great uncle is Gordon B. Hinckley called late last night to see if I wanted to go with her to the family viewing this morning. I was in a lot of pain last night, so I said I wasn't sure--but that I'd call her if by chance I woke up by 6:45 a.m. when she was going to leave. I just happened to sleep okay (I'm sure because of the blessing I asked for since I was in so much pain) and I woke up at 6:45. I called my friend (Angie) and she hadn't left home yet, so I threw on a dress and she picked me up and we went to the Conference Center together. It was so great! There wasn't even a line there, since it was just family viewing the prophet at that time. We were right next to him and were able to be in the room for quite some time talking with family. I was able to meet President Hinckley's children and hear them talk about their father. I found out after talking with his daughter that he had been seeing the same oncologist at Huntsman as I am (Dr. Sandra Buys). He had been having treatments every two weeks up until he passed. And still he kept going and working right up until the end. That's inspiring!

It was an amazing experience--and I'm so grateful I felt well enough to go and to have such a sweet friend to invite me.

I've been feeling pretty well the past few weeks--just a little achy in the bones from time to time. I've been exercising more--walking at the mall in the mornings with friends and going to the gym to use the treadmill/eliptical/stairmaster. I went to my first water aerobics class since summer on Tuesday morning. I paid for it last night--lots of pain in my mid-section and back. I'm pretty sure the pain was from the workout--but it feels like it's more than muscle pain. I'm pretty sure my bones are hurting too. It's not as bad today.

Love you all!
--Jenn

Results from Bone-Strenghthening Drug

I received my bone-strengthening IV yesterday at Huntsman. I was really nervous because of how much pain and problems I had after the last time I had it. This time my oncologist wanted to try a different drug that does the same thing to see if I did better on it. It's called Aredia (Pamidronate). My oncologist also wanted to start out with only one-third the regular dose. She obviously didn't want a reaction like my last one. As of today I feel great!! I'm sure if I was going to have a bad reaction it would have started by now. I've even been to the gym this morning--mostly to make other people on the treadmill next to me feel like they're going really fast. I seem to feel better when I exercise and get my bones and joints moving.

My blood counts (white blood cell, red blood cell, hematocrit and platelets) are low. The white blood cells are critically low, but a couple points higher than when I was in the hospital in Dec. and my Hematocrit is actually a couple points lower than when I received my blood transfusion in the hospital. The nurse told me I should stay away from large groups of people, or sick people since I have a high risk for infection. I told her I teach primary and volunteer in my kid's school classes each week. I called my oncologist's office, and the nurse there said I can go where I want, but to wash my hands really well all the time and to stay away from sick people as much as possible. That's good because I'll go nuts staying at home. I'd rather be with people--it makes me feel better.

I feel so good--I know prayers are being answered!! Thank you everyone!!

Hello! Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years!! I decided not to do Christmas cards this year to lessen the stress--but felt so sad about it when we received so many from our friends and family. So MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
Christmas Eve and morning were difficult--I wasn't feeling very well. We did the Christmas story from the Bible together as a family in the bathroom--because I was in the bathtub with the jets going trying to feel better. Kind of wierd, but it worked. Christmas morning I felt particularly yucky and painful. While Joe and Sam were trying out the new games on the Wii I went and cried in the bedroom--mad that it was Christmas and I was feeling so bad. Then I remembered my 5-year-old nephew Nathan had been praying that I would feel better for Christmas. I reminded God about Nathan's prayer and that he would be visiting us in about 30 minutes. My sister Suzanne and her family were flying in that day from Chicago (that's Suz and her husband Tracy in the photos with me). Joe also said he had asked Santa to bring us a cure for cancer. So I had all these kids looking to see if I was feeling well. I took 3 Ibuprofin and a Lortab (which I never take during the day) and showered up and got ready to go to my mom's to have breakfast with the family. I was a bit sleepy, but have actually felt pretty well since that day. I haven't had to take much medication--especially during the day.

I actually went to the gym for the first time on the last Saturday in December. I got on the treadmill and slowly plodded along. I felt like people were looking at me thinking "You're never going to get in shape going that slow!" I stayed 30 minutes and decided I'd better not push it too far. I went walking for 45 minutes yesterday, and felt pretty good. I'm still not very fast, but at least I'm walking!! I get a little achy toward evening, but it's much better than earlier in December.

My next IV treatment of Zometa (the bone-strengthening medication) is on January 11th. It was supposed to be Dec. 27th, but I wanted to be done with the holidays. This is the medication I had such a bad reaction to that I was hospitalized in the beginning of Dec. We're hoping for a better go of it this next time.

I told our bishop that I was ready to be released from being Relief Society President earlier in Dec.--and the change was made last Sunday. Now I'm going to be teaching the 10/11-year-old girls in Primary. I'm excited for the new calling and to be able to spend more time with my family.

THANKS again to everyone!! We love you all!!
--Jenn

Done with Radiation!!

I just finished my ten days of radiation on Monday the 17th. So far my only side effects are a rectangular "suntan" on my chest (we radiated my sternum) and some esophagitis (did I spell that right?). My esophagus hurts at the bottom where it attaches to the stomach. I think this is from the radiation we did to my upper spine--they said it could burn the esophagus. The worst of it should be over by the end of this week. So I'm done with radiation until something else begins to hurt--which hopefully is far off! The radiation is mainly to relieve pain in my bones--or to kill a spot of cancer in a bone that looks like it could break. We can't radiate my ribs, though, since they're so small. It felt like I broke another one in my upper right chest over the weekend. But with time the pain gets better. The woman in the photo with me was one of my radiation buddies, Bodell (I'm not sure I spelled her name right).

Currently I feel pretty good and can move a lot faster. I'm thinking I'll try walking for exercise again (no more running). I'm usually pretty tired by the end of the day, and my back will ache or my ribs will hurt. It's still hard to bend over to pick things up or to put pants on, but it's getting better--and it's nothing like the pain I was in at the beginning of December. Every day is better.

I met with my oncologist, Dr. Sandra Buys yesterday and recieved my second shot of Lupron to shut my ovaries down. I get this once a month so I can take Femara, a drug that fights the cancer growth. It works only in post-menopausal women, so that's why I have to get the shot. We also set my next date to get the IV of Zometa, the bone-strengthening drug for Jan. 11th. This is the drug that I had such a bad reaction to at the first of December when I went into the hospital. We're hoping to have a better go of it this next time around. I asked Dr. Buys to move the date into January so I could enjoy the Christmas and New Years break with my family.

We are so amazed at the kindness and generosity of our family and friends!! We have recieved so much!! We have recieved help with meals, house cleaning, help driving me to all my appointments, Christmas shopping, and more. A good neighbor planned and paid for Joe's birthday party last week (which was so fun--Joe loved it). Some friends of ours also suprised us Saturday with a new bed for me--one that has a remote control and lifts/lowers your back or your legs and has MASSAGE!! No more sleeping in the recliner!! We are blown away with how we have been blessed and loved by everyone!! We love you all!!

Weekend Getaway at Huntsman Hotel

Bryan and I spent an adventuresome weekend away at the Huntsman Hospital. Sunday I was given two units of blood--which was quite exciting when I had an allergic reaction and my whole body broke out in hives. The nurse gave me a dose of Benadryl and some Lorazipam in my IV which made me feel like I was going to pass out--and I thought if I did I might not wake up. After we got that under control, I was a bit nervous to get the second unit of blood, but after the nurse promised everything would be fine, we went ahead and it went much better. We were finally released Monday morning so I could get to my 11:15 am appointment at St. Marks Hospital to get ready for radiation therapy--which will begin Tuesday and run for ten days.

It's good to be home--especially to see the boys. I do wish I had that awesome hospital bed that has all the fancy buttons and conforms to your body. I guess the recliner will have to do for now.

I'm feeling a lot of pain in my lower back/hip which makes it hard to bend over or put on pants in the morning. My sternum is VERY tender and hurts just to touch it. Hopefully with the treatments I'm getting the pain will get better. I know with radiation, it's actually supposed to be a little more tender before it gets better--but what's a little more pain? Bring it on!!

THANKS so much to everyone who have helped us out with the kids, meals, fasting, prayers and all the words of encouragement!! WE LOVE YOU ALL!!