recovery for mary and beth

i am very happy to report that surgeries for both mary and beth went well today! so all of your love, prayers, and mojo worked their magic in wisconsin and washington today.

as mary's post said when she was finished, "Yay! Mary 5, melafuckanoma 0!" love that! i also wanted to include a picture of mary so that you could see her awesome outfit today;)

 

beth is also doing good, using meds to help with the pain and nausea and watching some olympics.

 

hopefully both of these lovely ladies are sleeping right now as i type this post.

 

they deserve some good rest.

 

my dad had a great birthday too, so all in all, february 11th came through as i asked.

 

i love when days don't let me know.

 

happy wednesday all, we are half way there - and i have to say, i for one am pretty happy about it. xo

 

 

february 11th (for my dad + beth + mary)

february 11th.

a day that is always special because it is my dad's birthday, and you know i love my dad.

i looked back tonight at what i wrote about him on this day last year:

"i love my dad, i think that he is the best. he will turn 68 this year. he taught me to ride a bike. to fly a kite. he played with me at the park for endless hours when i was a kid feeding ducks and watching me go down the slide (over and over again). he has taught me a million and one things that i carry through my daily life. not the least of which is how to set a good example and be kind and generous to friends and family. he has been so proud of all of my accomplishments. the big and the small. he has been a cheerleader when things haven't gone my way. he is a great grandfather to all his grandkids. he has been there every step along the way with me. he was at my first surgery, he will be at my second. he drove me to treatments. he sat with me in the room while the interferon dripped into my arm through the iv. he took me anywhere i wanted to go when i just wanted to get the hell out of the house for a while when i felt like hell during treatments. throughout the last two years, he has done everything possible to help. mowed the lawn. ran errands (and they have been endless). dropped off and picked up my drycleaning. waited in line at the post office to mail packages for me (he will do that again this week). went to the grocery store (sometimes more than once in the same day). washed our cars. filled them up with gas. made numerous costco runs. got the oil changed in the car. took my car to have the tires rotated. made a million trips to my mailbox for me. paced our sidewalk outside waiting for the phone to ring with results. he has done it all, and he has done it all without ever thinking twice. that is my dad. he is the reason that february 11th is an important day in my life."

last year my dad spent his birthday at the uw hospital as it was the day that i had my lung surgery. i am so glad that i am here to celebrate with him this year, and that his day doesn't revolve around me being in the hospital.

my dad turns 69 this year. this year i could use many of the same words above to describe what he has done for me. he saw me through my second surgery. he ran countless errands for me when i was recovering and not feeling well enough to get off of the couch. he heard me wailing from my upstairs bedroom when barrett took the bandages off my scars after surgery. he sat with me when i talked to him and my mom about what it would mean if the diagnosis came back as stage iv and how afraid i was, a conversation that none of us wanted to ever have to have. he has paced our neighborhood every time him and my mom wait for me to call with scan results, i am surprised our sidewalks have any pavement left. he has cheered for me when we got good news. he has done whatever i have needed on the days when i feel like hell after scans. he made me his world famous nachos to celebrate my latest scan results, and told me that those results were the best birthday present that he could have got this year.

 

when we went out to lunch to celebrate my good scan results, my dad pulled a lucky fortune. if you all remember, last time i got good scan results we went to lunch (same place, i believe in repeating lucky patterns) and i pulled the fortune that said in three months i would have good luck -- clearly that fortune cookie came true for me in january. so my dad is now carrying the below fortune in his wallet, and he will be the one to bring the luck for the next round in may (briel -- this is why the necklace was so perfect - xo).

so on this february 11th, i wish a big happy birthday to my dad -- the best dad a girl could ever ask for.

also on this february 11th, i want to wish two other people a ton of love, mojo, and prayers and hope that you will do the same:

+++ tomorrow afternoon in wisconsin mary goes in for her surgery to remove the melanoma tumors from her leg. she already has her outfit picked out which includes a shirt i got her that says "i am going to kick cancer's ass" (which btw is a shirt that i think everyone fighting cancer should own) and so i know that she is ready to go.
+++ tomorrow morning in washington beth goes in for a prepatory surgery for her treatment and larger surgery. beth has also started her caringbridge site so for those of you that you want to follow beth's story in her own words you can find her page at this link. i talked to beth tonight and i know that she is going to rock this one tomorrow.

both beth and mary's surgeries are outpatient so i should have updates to share tomorrow night. please send them both lots of love, mojo, and prayers. i have told them since 2/11 was my surgery day last year and we got all of the melanoma in my surgery, i think it is going to be a day when their surgeries will go well too.

c'mon february 11th, i am counting on you.

don't let me down.

happy birthday dad. love you beth and mary (you've got this girls -- f*ck cancer). xoxo

until the next round

 

my scans are going to be may 5th, results will be may 7th. i got the schedule on friday, no rest for the scan weary.

but between now and then, i have a lot i am planning on....

+++ celebrating the upcoming arrivals of some much loved and much anticipated baby boys entering our family and my tribe of girlfriends

+++ going to malena's valentine's day classroom party on friday. this year i got an idea from a blog and decided to do something a little different. i bought a paper mache mailbox (and some sparkle paint that malena used to paint it) and each day leading up to valentine's day i have been putting a little surprise in it (thank you target dollar bins for coming through with many of my fun surprises -- sheri, seriously, i couldn't love target more than i do) every morning. it is a fun way to start each day, i am going to miss that routine after this week.

+++ doing craft projects with malena, and cherishing the times when we both work at our desks in our craft room - i love to watch her imagination fly when she works with all of her papers and pens. i love to watch her play.

+++ continuing our friday starbucks girls date mornings, we sit at the same table each time (it is always magically open) and drink our tea and chocolate milk and eat a little food before we start our day at school and work.

+++ celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary, seems like just yesterday that i walked down the aisle with my dad

+++ playing shuffleboard with my friends mike and joel, and joel and i beating mike (mike - hope you were practicing this weekend buddy, we all know you are going to need it)

+++ doing some planning for our trips we will take later this year, including a fun surprise for malena

+++ showing up for my friends and family whenever they need me to in any way that i can

+++ dying easter eggs with malena, going on easter egg hunts, maybe eating chocolate and jelly beans (just maybe...ok, we all know that is very likely...ok, we all know it is going to happen)

+++ making green smoothies

+++ continuing to eat as healthy as i can to give my immune system all the strength it needs to kick cancer's you-know-what in may (and beyond)

+++ celebrating family and friends birthdays

+++ watching malena jump, swing, tumble in gymnastics

+++ jumping on my trampoline and giving my lymph nodes a good workout

+++ having date nights

+++ enjoying movie nights

+++ cheering for malena as she conquers swimming the lap pool all by herself, first time i saw her do that i thought my heart might burst, it has felt the same way every week since. i love to watch her swim.

+++ loving three more monday monthly dinners with my friend chris

+++ going to a bunco fundraiser for the cancer walk this year

+++ sending lots and lots of happy mail

+++ reading books, including this one, this one, this one, and this one

+++ trying out some new craft ideas, maybe even this one

+++ focusing on having the first word out my mouth when i hear the words "momma, do you want to play with me?" be "yes". reminding myself of this article when i catch myself saying "just after i..." or "in just one second..." instead.

+++ creeping closer towards 39 (yes!!!) and thinking about this post and how i too bet i am only just going to get better from here

+++ putting our weekly into albums and loving the sight of malena flipping through our photos with a big smile on her face

+++ getting a new drivers license, since the picture on mine is from when i was pregnant and had long blonde hair. so every time i have to take it out, i am reminded of life before i had cancer - before my hair fell out and before i knew that would be my first and my last pregnancy.

+++ going to the your story retreat, can't wait. so excited to go!

and the list goes on and on...but it is a good start, right?

yep, i thought so too.

happy monday peeps, hope your week gets off to a good start. xo

i heart good news on world cancer day

while i wish that there was no need for a "world cancer day" to even be necessary, i am glad that this year's brought good news.

sharon's tumor markers were way down, awesome news!!!!! so, so happy for her and her entire family as i know that they are all (as we are collectively with them) having a huge sigh of relief today. i just knew she was going to kick cancer's you-know-what and she did.

love that.

i also wanted to share an update on chase who continues his own fight on a daily basis:

   

"Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Chaser sure didn't like the tub. (we posted a video on Chases FB Page)....The last few days have been fairly routine around the Lykken Household. Chase is doing well, and has fully recovered from his cold. He has really been doing some great things these last couple of days. In therapy the other day, he was in a tall kneel position while holding his head straight up - for over 4 minutes! His neck and core strength seem to be improving almost daily! The kids are back in school- Lisa's hoping they are going to finish an entire week without a weather related closing. While getting a tub, Chase decided to show his voice and express himself- We have heard him cry and moan, but lately it definitely seems "different". We are looking forward to seeing-hearing what Chase will do next!

God is Good!

PS. On Behalf of all of us on the Chasers Warriors Polar Plunge team members -Thank you to all that have helped us get halfway to our goal. Not to be outdone by his sister- tanner came to me on Sunday after his post hockey practice shower "Dad, I tried that shower challenge thing for 2 seconds.....ya, not so much- dad, it was cold- I don't think this Plunge thing is gonna work out." Do you still want me to sign you up? I asked him with a smile on my face. "Ya, ok, sign me up." :) Its pretty cool to think that we take a couple hours out of our busy lives ,jump into some exhilarating, less than room temperature, seemingly walleye-less H2O..... and help some well deserved kids make memories of a lifetime! - Here is a link if you want to check our our team page."

i am going to head to bed now for hopefully some much needed sleep. last night was one of the most brutal runs of nightmares i have had yet. i kept waking up out of the nightmare about every 25 minutes or so, and would then fall right back into the nightmare, just to continue to wake up. a vicious and brutal cycle that lasted from about 30 minutes after i got in to bed until i had to drag myself out this morning. i was so tired today that i felt like a walking zombie. a zombie with low patience that just wanted to curl up in a ball and take a nap while my friend the daylight was still out.

 

happy wednesday peeps, i don't know about you, but i am pretty happy that we are half way to friday. xo

 

for sharon

i am still catching my breath after the scans last week.

i have a lot i intend to write about -- more info on the scan results, the list of for the 90 days, etc., --- but on tuesday there is one thing more important than all of those words.

tuesday at 1:30 sharon gets her bloodwork results and i just know that her tumor markers will be low and she will get good results. i told her when i got mine last week that the two of us are on a roll and she will keep the momentum going. i just know it.

so please send your mojo, prayers, and love to sharon as she gets those good results.

we need more reasons to celebrate and show 2014 that we are working hard to ensure that cancer gets its you-know-what kicked this year. big time. for all of the cancer warriors that are in still in their fights.

go sharon go, and f*ck cancer.

i know you will. xo

results

the results are in!

my lungs were clear!!

there is a spot on my liver that they are pretty sure is just fatty tissue. it was on last scans too but they got a better shot of it this time. because of that, i will be back in three months for another full round of scans, including the full body radioactive pet scan. if that shows the spot on my liver (or anything else) may be cancer, then we would discuss next steps which could include surgery and/or treatment.

but for today, we are so happy and relieved with the overall good news.

now we are off to celebrate!

thanks for all of the love and prayers --- they worked!!;) xoxo

scan day

scan day. ugh.

we did have one new surprise today. instead of drinking contrast for an hour, i had to drink two bottles of water. the radiologist changed up the negative/positive contrasts. lucky for me because it is so much easier to drink two bottles of water than two bottles of contrast. i will make that trade any day.

the rest of the day was typical. it took them about 20 minutes to get my iv in, my veins were not cooperating. that was not a fun 20 minutes.

even though i didn't drink the contrast, i still felt like hell all afternoon. so clearly the contrast i get through my iv during my scan still packs enough punch to make my day unpleasant. bummer, i was kind of hoping that i wouldn't feel so awful but that was just not meant to be. as usual, i crashed hard right after i got home.

while we were waiting after the scans to make sure that i didn't have a reaction, we ate some awesome snacks that ellie brought. sitting next to us was an older lady who had also just got done with a test. when she got up to leave, she told me to keep f&kcing cancer, i told her to the same. i have to say that one of the parts of going in for scans that brings me comfort is the kindness in every patients eyes that quietly acknowledge that they know you are part of the same tribe, and that they wish they too were anywhere else but there.

on this tuesday that needed a lot of love, we also got some good news. beth's radiologist confirmed that the tumor has not spread. that is the best news that could have come from the ultrasound so i am so thankful. beth has an important oncology appointment tomorrow to learn more about her treatment before and after scans, so please send her lots of love as she gets more answers. mary's surgery is now scheduled for february 11th. i told her that is the exact same day last year that i had surgery, and we got all of the melonoma in that one, and i know that her surgery will have the same results. mary sara's cousin's surgery also went well today and she was doing good in recovery. clearly, all of your love, mojo, and prayers worked their magic today and so i thank you.

it is now 11:44pm (i know stevie, past my bedtime but i am sure you understand). i am tired but don't feel like going to bed. the nightmares have been brutal and so i never like to try and sleep because i am afraid of what the night will bring. i am also scared more than you can imagine about what tomorrow will bring.

but tomorrow at 9:30 will come, whether i like it or not. the best i can do is hope and pray and believe that we will get good results.

so that is what i will be doing between now and then.

believing.

i know that you are all doing the same and i love you for that.

here we go again.

anywhere i go, you go. xo