Oh Me Oh My!!!

Oh my, today was a day that kicked my butt! My veins were not cooperative today. The first nurse tried 3 times with no success! They had to call in someone else. He had a hard time as well! While I was miserable getting stuck over and over I was having my Echocardigram at the same time. My nerves were shot to say the least! People working on both sides of me. Poor Spence was sitting in the chair looking helpless! But he's the only thing that kept me from not crying. 

So once I finally got my IV in they had to stick me again to draw blood for my labs! The whole time I was begging the Lord to let them find the veins! 

This port thing was sounding better and better. 

We ended up waiting hours but finally got wheeled back to get my port placed. The placement was weird. I was awake the whole time but didn't feel much. Pressure mostly. It is so weird being in the operating room and awake. I feel loopy. Drugs are a double edge sword. Because I feel like crap now. Going from healthy to all this crap is horrible. I know this is my battle to fight. So I am just a wounded warrior today. My body hurts tonight. Your prayers are so appreciated. I had tears flowing afterwards because this is getting more and more real. This thing is overwhelming at times but I will fight.

  Here is a picture of my port. I just got back to my room. I will be giving you the good, the bad and the ugly! I want to be transparent with my journey. I will praise you in the storm Lord. 

Brandi 

Usies- St.Thomas Midtown(Baptist)

Tuesday was a busy day.

Wow! What a day! It started at 5:30 this morning getting up and ready. We had to be at the PET scan at 7 am. Drank a lovely red drink! 2 glass of it. Then got a IV and some radioactive sugar shot in me. Was reminder no one need to use the same bathroom as me. Now that's just scary! Had to wait a hour so it could circulate in my system. Then in the machine for 10 mins or so. Then Spence and I were on the the other appointments. I got a EKG was informed my heart look great(at least I have that going for me)! Then got poked again for blood work, and then peed in a cup! Sorry guys you want all the juicy details right? :) After that I headed to my last appointment. The 2nd biopsy and marker placement. Chewed on a Valium on the elevator to be ready for the biopsy. All went well! I did good since I already had one. This time is was a little different. They didn't need a lot of tissue. This time I got Spence to take some great pics! 

The picture is the sample tissue of the tumor. 

Thanks for your prayers. I will just be laying in my bed for the evening. My day has finally caught up with me! 

Love ya'll

Brandi Maige: making breast cancer look good since 10/21/2014!

Not cool boobies, not cool at all!

Encouragement

Hello, 

Just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU to everyone that has sent me a message, text, cards, flowers, T-shirts, DoTerra Oils, gifts and talked to me in person. Your thoughtfulness has touch my heart. I am so humbled by all kind words. At church yesterday we had a sermon on The Power of Our Words: Source of Encouragement. Here are some of my take aways that I jotted down.

-Build Others Up: 
Its so important to lift one another up.
If you can not say anything nice, then do not say nothing at all.
If we are not encouraging others in this life then it makes God so sad. God tells us to love others not treat them like crap. 
-Be Different. Do not be like the world.
In Ephesians 4:29-32 it tells us specifically what to get rid of in our lives. As Christ followers were need to be a better example then what the world tells us to be. We need to remove those characteristics that henders us from being all that God has called us to be. 

I have been guilty at times. But I do try to live each day for the one that created me! We are not perfect. But we should try daily to live as Jesus did. He's the only one that I have ever found to be perfect.
But as I read your sweet words I have been so ENCOURAGED. When I have needed to be lifted up BOOM I get the sweet messages from you. It reassures me that my God is beside me. 

That is why I wanted to write about this today. You have been building me up! And I have so needed it. You are doing the Lord's will. You are being obedient to the Lord. You are being the hands and feet of Jesus. So thank you! I leave us with this verse.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 

Brandi

Makes My Head Spin!!

Good Morning,

Yesterday was the day I had my first Oncologist Appointment. Talk about a lot of info, GINORMOUS  words that I can not and will never pronounce or spell correctly. It was one tough appointment! I found out what type of Breast Cancer I have. It is called Triple Negative Breast Cancer. It more aggressive than other types of breast cancers. Which SUCKS! That means I will have to fight a little harder. I have been asked to be in a Clinical Study Phase 3. I will not bombard you with the all the details except this is how my journey will start.
Tuesday November 4th I will go for a PET scan. After that I will go back to my Surgeon for another biopsy. The study needs fresh tissue to determine which part of the study would I benefit more from.
Then I will be wrapped back up in an Ace bandage and icing for the rest of the day and next.
On Thursday I go for my Echocardiogram at St. Thomas Midtown. Following that I will stay and have my Port Placement. Then if all T's are crossed and all i's are dotted I should start Chemo next week on the 11th. The chemo treatments should go like this.

Chemotherapy Segment 1

12 weeks of Chemo once a week for 12 weeks.

Chemotherapy Segment 2

4weeks with 2 weeks in between.

That is a total of 20 weeks that is way more than I had hoped for. But God knows this journey and knows I must be able to handle it. Which is awesome to type and even say. But really my heart is pounding thinking OMGoodness can I really do this? Of course I am freaked out about chemotherapy but I am trusting the Lord and squeezing His hand SUPER tight! The appointment made this so really yesterday. Yes finding out was a huge shock but nothing really changed. Then this appointment yesterday and all the prep work that I have ahead of me this week is like reality hitting me in the face. I was so freaked out about loosing my hair, now loosing my hair doesn't seem half bad!
During the appointment yesterday all I could think about was Queen Esther again. She was brave and scared but she was faithful to the Lord in the command that He needed her to do. That is what I am feeling right now. God has gave me my command to battle this cancer. I must be brave and fight. It won't be easy and it's going to be challenging but I will fight. God is on my side and I have so much love and support from family and friends God has placed in my life.
Promise today you will look around you and truly LOOK and see the beauty in everything. God is alive and all around us. Be blessed and never take things for granted again. I am just as guilty as the next person. Until my next post. I leave us with this verse.

Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid!


Brandi