Mary's Moments

Chemo Ahead

2011-06-07T14:59:00.002-05:00

Greetings to All :)
Hope this finds all of you doing good and enjoying our long awaited summer! I am doing very good in my healing process. My oncologist told me I was a fast and good healer. I will be starting my chemo on Monday, June 20th. It will be a 6 hour process and then I have to return every 21 days for 6 sessions. I also must go back 10 days after chemo to check my blood counts and if they have dropped to low then I receive a shot to boost them back up for the next round of chemo. If all the sessions and shots go as planned it will bring me out to the beginning of October. This chemo will be alot less trips to the clinic. Last time if you recall I had the stomach port too so I was at chemo 6 out of 9 days, wait 12 days and start over again. The drugs I receive this time will still make me lose my hair. It will help me stay cool in the hot summer months LOL!!! They also are alittle less rough on the stomach so she said I may just feel achey and fatigue for the first 3 to 5 days after the sessions. I'm up and about more now trying to get some strength going again. My mom and dad are taking awesome care of me and Dr. Lawrence keeping me adjusted! Thank you again for all your support. Please pray the chemo gets everything else. I have a little spot in my chest that we hope chemo will lick! My love to all of you :)

Hugs,

Mary

Doing Well :)

2011-05-26T14:45:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone :)

Hope you all are doing well. I just got access to my computer so I thought I'd update you. I had my surgery on May 10th and all the surgeons told me it went better than expected. I did have to lose my spleen and 3 inches of my pancreas as it was somewhat attached so they wanted to get it all. My surgery took 5 hrs and 20 min instead of 3 cuz it took the liver specialist and my oncologist 1 1/2 hrs to get to the spot under my liver! I ended up in the hospital for 9 days because my oxygen levels wouldn't cooperate. Turns out I had a small blood clot in my right lung so they kept me alittle longer. I got to learn how to give myself shots at 1:00 a.m.!!!! I was woke up and said here we go. I did it and was soooooo proud of myself. I gave myself 2 shots a day for 5 days until my blood was the right level. Today I got all my staples out (70 or so) which was another step done. I will start chemo maybe 3rd week of June or so. All and all I am doing great. I am very thankful for all of you, your love, support and prayers. You have no idea how much it means to me!

Love and hugs,

Mary

SET TO GO :)

2011-05-01T20:54:00.002-05:00

Hi All,

Just an update from my last post. I met the general surgeon and the liver surgeon. The liver/pancreas surgeon studied my scans and agreed to assist my oncologist to get the nodes under the liver and over the pancreas. I was absolutely thrilled to hear him say "YES" cuz otherwise they would just depend on chemo. I really want as much out as possible. There is a very high chance that I will lose my spleen in order to get everything above the pancreas. He will take the tail of the pancreas too which is where the tumor is above. This is actually what they do when a person loses the spleen because of a car accident. The general surgeon will be taking the nodes under my left arm. She will do her part first which will take half an hour. My general surgeon ordered a needle guided biopsy as to find out if the cells under my arm were the ovarian cells or something different. Good news was that it was ovarian cells but bad news it jumped that high. Thank goodness it wasn't something different! :) So we have all 3 surgeons lined up for May 10th at 7:45 am. As time gets closer I think I am getting more anxious but am staying very positive they will get most of it. I am very blessed to have excellent surgeons. They will have me heal for 6 weeks and then I will start some more chemo. Thank you for all your prayers. It means alot to me and I believe that is what has gotten me thru this far!!

Hugs

Mary

"Here I Go Again,Tough Journey Ahead"

2011-04-09T21:18:00.003-05:00

Hi Out There :) It has been a long time since I wrote. I have been really well the last 2 years except for the fatigue and numb feet (small stuff)! I even got back to work with Dr. Lawrence and Shanna. I have so enjoyed seeing everyone's smiling faces again. Alas my cancer has come back to haunt me again. :( It has shown up in several lymph nodes. The largest is near the spleen but sitting on top of the pancreas. There is one under the liver sitting above the renal blood vessels that go to the kidneys which is near the para aorta (this one is alittle smaller but in a harder spot). Smaller ones are in abdomen/pelvic area, one sitting on a muscle, one sizeable one under my left axillary area (arm pit) and unfortunately one starting to light up deep in my chest behind my heart. The one in my chest will only be reached by chemo. I feel good except for a small nagging ache in my right side. That is why Dr. Casey decided to do a CAT scan on me due to the ovarian history. Three areas had changed compared to my old scans which lead to the PET scan which lights up cancer like a christmas tree. The good thing in all of this bad news is so far none of my organs have lit up with cancer. I will be seeing a liver surgeon who specialized in tumors of the liver, pancreas and bile ducts. He will determine if he can reach the one under my liver cuz it is surrounded by alot of vessels etc. Then if it is a go, I will have surgery within a couple weeks with Dr. MacKenzie assisting Dr. Casey. I will have a general surgeon for the arm pit. I get 3 doctors! I never do things the easy way I guess. Six weeks after that I will have to go through chemo again. "YES" I get to lose my hair again!!! I will be the bald beauty :) Hope you are all well. I will sign off for now until I know more. Hugs Mary

Greetings :)

2009-09-16T08:21:00.002-05:00

Hello Family and Friends,

I hope this finds you all well! I apologize for not writing sooner but my mind is feeling alot more clear now. I have been doing pretty good considering all the poisons I had. My hair is coming in and I have to tell ya it has a mind of it own!! It is time for the hair products as my Dr said. I could have alot of fun with that. I told my boys I was going to spike it like the kids! Chris threatened he would shave it all off when I was sleeping if I did that. What a hoot!!! By the way I forgot to mention it is gray/black and white. I knew I had alot of white under all that dye! :)

I just went in to see my doctor Monday for an exam. She said everything seems to be good internally. I had to wait a day for my cancer count. I received awesome news yesterday that my cancer count went down some more. It was 8.5 and went down to 6.2!! Dr. Casey likes her cancer patients to be below 20. 0-34 is normal but nobody has a 0 count. I feel soooo thankful.

I have a few side effects that I may have to deal with for a while or maybe the rest of my life but it is a small price to pay to be alive!! I say don't sweat the small stuff! I have numbness on the bottom of my feet and toes and tips of my fingers. That may or may not go away. I still have bad fatigue which she informed me Monday that it will be bad for awhile cuz of the style of chemo I had. Then the short term memory is bad one day and good the next. It is hard to explain but it is different than the normal memory loss I had before chemo! HAHA All in all this is small stuff. I have had to realize this will be the new me.

I have spent some time at the lake with my parents and trying to get some walking in to strengthen my legs again. I put my back out trying to do to much when I came home so I have been visiting Dr. Lawrence and he has been putting me back together!!

I thank you all again for your love, support, gifts and prayers. I truly feel I would not be here if it weren't for all the strong prayers that were sent my way.

Love to you all,

Mary Ann

THANK YOU

2009-06-25T17:26:00.002-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

My family and I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone for your prayers, cards, donations and attending the wonderful benefit for me. We have experienced so much goodness from people.

We would also like to send sincere thanks to all who gave of their time to bring us delicious meals throughout my chemo therapy. We can't begin to tell you how much it helped and meant to us.

All your great generosity and support has helped us get through this trying journey. We will be forever grateful.

God bless you all.

Mary Ann Peltier Rigney & Family

"NEWS FLASH"

2009-06-11T22:00:00.002-05:00

I am CANCER FREE as of today. I wanted to pass on this great news to everyone. It is because of all of your cards, prayers and support that I was able to beat this. I can't even begin to thank everyone enough for what you all have done for me and my family.

My chemo brain is actually starting to clear alittle. I promise I will write in the next couple of days to fill in the blanks and let everyone know what comes next.

God bless all of you!!

Mary Ann

"5 Down, 1 To Go"

2009-04-10T15:35:00.002-05:00

Greetings to you all,

I apologize for not writing sooner. I had a little rougher time this round. The meds are building up more each session so the nurses told me to expect this. THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL THOUGH-ONLY SIX MORE DAYS TO VISIT THE CHEMO ROOM!!!

Dr. Casey said she is very happy with my progress and my blood counts. My cancer marker is now down to 9.8 and she likes her patients' numbers to be 20 or below. That was thrilling news in itself! After I complete my last round which starts April 20th and ends the 28th, I have to wait 8 weeks before they do a CAT scan. I think I go in for other blood tests in between there and also have to go to the hospital along the way to get the abdomen port taken out. They won't use that one any more. I will have to keep my clavicle port for about 1 year for blood draws etc.

I still have my extreme fatigue and will probably have it for about a month after chemo. The Dr said then the 2nd month will start getting better where I will have alot more energy and then I can start rebuilding my strength.

I am very blessed to have all of you in my life and thank you for everything you have done to help me and my family thru this new journey in our life.

Wishing you a happy and blessed Easter.

Love

Mary Ann

"Irish Wish for a Friend"

2009-03-17T10:42:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Wish For a Friend

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too
And a host of friends that never end
Each day your whole life through!!

Have a great week!

Love

Mary Ann

4th Round Half Way Done

2009-03-14T13:49:00.002-05:00

Happy Sunny Day Everyone!

Just a little update on what's been happening. I'm doing pretty good except for the extreme fatigue. The week before last I was worried as my blood counts started dropping toward the below normal marks and they said if it went down 2 more points I'd be looking at going to the hospital for a blood transfusion. That was a downer plus the lack of energy was big. So I started taking longer naps, my vitamin B's and protein I get from Dr. Lawrence. He told me getting the rest really helps those blood cells catch up and rejuvenate.

I went in Monday for the start of my 4th round and everything had climbed up again and I was able to continue my chemo which was an "AWESOME" thing. I can tell the meds are accumulating as I had to take some extra meds for nausea which I have been able to stay away from except at bed time. This Monday and Tuesday will be the end of round 4 then 12 days off again!!

The other good news is the nurse called me yesterday and my CA125 cancer marker has now dropped to 12.00!! It was at 45.17 after surgery and normal is 0-34.

I still have a hard time sometimes wrapping my head around everything that has happened. It has all been surreal. I could not have made is this far without all of you, your support and your strong prayers. I again want you all to know how grateful I am for everything. Have a beautiful week with all our upcoming nice weather!! Spring is just ahead.

Love,

Mary Ann

Benefit For Mary Ann Peltier-Rigney

2009-03-08T12:06:00.002-05:00

For all of you guys that haven't heard about mom's benefit here's the information. It's being put on by family and close friends. Hope to see all of you there.

Donald

When:

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Time:

3:00 – 6:00 P.M.

Where:

Eagles 94
13523 N. 60th St.
Oak Park Heights, MN 55082
(South frontage road near Wal-Mart)

Donation:

$10.00 at the door.
Light dinner will be provided.

Silent Auction:

3:00 – 5:00 P.M. (must be present)

Mary Ann was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer and went through an extensive surgery on November 21. She is now doing an aggressive type of chemotherapy which consists of I.V. chemo and abdominal injections. Due to this kind of treatment, she hasn’t been able to work since November and possibly not until August of 2009. The benefit will help defray mounting medical and living costs. Please keep Mary Ann in your thoughts and prayers for a full, healthy recovery. It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Donations Accepted:

Checks made payable to:

Mary A. Rigney Donation Account
Wells Fargo Bank
Attn: Amy
2000 Northwestern Ave.
Stillwater, MN 55082

"HALF WAY DONE!!!"

2009-02-25T22:13:00.001-06:00

Greetings everyone,

Yesterday I completed my third cycle of chemotherapy. "Yeah!" It is really hard for me to believe that it has been a full three months since I had my surgery. This last chemo session went pretty good for me again. The first week of each session I can tell that there is more fatigue setting in. It is hard to explain except imagine being very tired and multiply that by alot. The nurse told me that the common denominator they have found since they started doing this type of procedure three years ago was very severe fatigue in each woman. I love all my nurses. They are all wonderful and kind. When I'm checked in, a nurse sets you up and she takes care of you the rest of that day.

I am always very excited to walk out of chemo on day 9! I look forward to my 12 days of freedom (haha). I have been doing alot of sleeping lately and not having alot of energy. The wonderful thing that is happening during all this is my blood counts are still staying in the good zone. They go up and down but so far not dangerously low and my cancer marker (CA125) has now dropped to 16.27. Normal is considered 0 to 34. It was 45.10 after my surgery. This is all good!!

I thank all of you for all your prayers and continued support. I can not begin to tell you how much it means to me. I know all your prayers are what is giving me strength. I hope you all are doing well!!

Love and hugs,

Mary Ann

"2nd Round Complete!!"

2009-02-04T18:42:00.007-06:00

Hello Family & Friends,

I am happy to say I have successfully completed my 2nd round of chemo! I'll have to admit it was alittle tougher this time around. Now that I have had 2 rounds I am more aware of what to expect. My first week of my first round was when I had a couple of bad days. This time I had my bad days the same time which was after the first drug they put in my abdomen. It is a nasty one and also hard on the kidneys. I have been very blessed not to have the nausea etc. but have extreme fatigue!! I had no idea how bad the fatigue could get when they told me I'd have it. I will take fatigue over the nausea etc. stuff any day though.

I now know that week one of each session is going to be a rough week and I have to resign to the fact I will just be resting and nothing else. (learning process for me haha) The second week will get a little better and then I get my 12 day break.

The good news is all my blood counts are staying very strong. They are very pleased. They said I may be a good candidate to make it through all 6 of the abdomen sessions. Most just make it through 3 to 4 then continue with the IV drugs. I was very strong and healthy to begin with (except the tumor) so that is on my side.

I have been wearing all my new beautiful hats people have made me. I am going to post a picture without my hat!! Only my immediate family has seen me this way but my brother, Bill, came to see me Saturday, buzzed head and all, and boy if we didn't come out of the same mold!! I am also posting a picture of my brother, Bill, and two of our friends John and Chad all three of which are on the Stillwater Fire Department who did this "thinking of me". Thank you so much guys!!

I do thank you all for your love, support and prayers. I get very emotional thinking of all the blessings that have been sent my way. I really can't even begin to know how to thank you all. Just know I love and appreciate everything you are doing for me and my family.

I hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Love to all,

Mary Ann

John Bill Chad

"Round Two"

2009-01-28T09:38:00.018-06:00

Hello Family and Friends,

As you all can see I attempted to add some fun pictures to my blog but they are scattered because I'm not so good at this without my helpers. The boys shaved their hair back a week or two ago. They had alot of fun doing it so I took a few picture. My hair started falling out on Thursday so I called my good friend/hairdresser Sue to come and assist me with the deed!!

Saturday I was pretty emotional about it. Thought all this time it wouldn't bother me. Then I noticed as it came out in larger clumps my head was getting very tender. Sunday Sue came with her clippers and we got started. I was mentally ready by then and we had alot of fun with it. She helped me with my new hats and ideas with scarves. All new for me as I am pretty simple, new frills!! Thanks Sue!!

I started my second round on Monday. It was a 6 1/2 hour day and Tuesday was a 6 hour day so I was very tired both days. Yesterday, Tuesday was my abdomen day so I had alot of kidney and abdomen discomfort but not real painful. You just know its there and sometimes it gets alittle stronger.

I feel I am truly blessed by all of you as I have been doing (in my eyes) remarkably well. A lot of fatigue but I can live with that! I also got good news this week that my blood count numbers are still holding their own. They are down but safe yet. Right before I left yesterday the nurse came in with my CA125 count (cancer count). She said it had dropped from 45.10 to 26.10. Zero to 34 is considered normal so she said I'm am now considered normal!! (She really doesn't know me haha!!) Anyway that was very awesome for me because they are slowly going in the right direction.

Prayer and support are all so powerful. Thank you all again for all you are doing for me. I appreciate it with all my heart. It really is helping me get through all of this. God Bless you.

I have to go get ready for my fluid day at 1:00. Take care. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Love,

Mary Ann

"Round One" - Done!!

2009-01-15T14:18:00.003-06:00

Dear Family & Friends,

Tuesday morning I completed my first round of chemo, Yeah!! Yesterday I had some abdominal distress but nothing I needed to take meds for. Today I'm doing pretty good. I am now on my free time for 12 days and then return for the next session on January 26.

During the next week I will be watching for my hair to fall out!! As soon as this starts I am going to shave my head. Donald and Chris shaved their heads yesterday. It was quite fun to watch as they did it. I told them they should wait for me but they said they were ready to do it now. I took some cute pictures cuz they were having so much fun while they were buzzing their hair off.

I really feel blessed at how well my body has done during my first round. I anticipated it to be alot worse. As my counts go down it will get harder but my counts held pretty good the first week. They were very pleased.

I am also so extremely blessed to have all of you and your prayers and support. I know all the prayers have helped me get through. Thank you again for everything.

Love to all,

Mary Ann

"Reality Hits"

2009-01-11T11:47:00.003-06:00

Hi All,

Hope everyone is having a happy, healthy new year.

I don't like to complain so I haven't written the last four days. I have had a pretty rough couple of days but this morning I feel like I have more strength. I have been reading and taking in what the nurses have told me and it is all unfolding as such!! I thought I'd share how it goes.

Last Tuesday I had the Cisplat drug put in my abdomen with 1 liter of fluid. It was quite strange to watch my stomach turn into a water balloon. The cisplat is a BAD drug and it is very hard on the kidneys. After they are done putting all of this stuff in me, they put something in my IV the last hour which forces some of the fluids out the kidneys faster. Then the nurse asked if I had joint aches yet. I told her "not yet". She said the Taxol that I had Monday is going to cause me joint and body aches within the next day. She was right but my kidneys and sides were alot more brutal.

Tomorrow morning I have more Taxol but it is put into my abdomen instead of IV and then Tuesday I go back for fluids. That will take care of my first cycle. I will have 12 days grace period before I start all over. During the 12 days I could get what they call nadir which is when your blood counts drop.

I have learned alot this week. I now know what each drug is known to do and that it is not going to be a easy road. Now I somewhat know what to expect I can try to get the mind over matter going. I have never been a drug taker and they are pumping me full!!

I am soooo thankful for all of you, your prayers, your overwhelming gifts from Dr. Lawrence's office and any other support received. It is so humbling. I miss being with all of you!! You know me, I like to gab. Please keep me in your prayers.

Love to all,

Mary Ann

So Far So Good

2009-01-07T18:41:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone,

Hope this note finds you all well! I am actually doing remarkably well to what I anticipated. They told me this week was going to be brutal. So far it has gone smooth. I went yesterday, Tuesday, for the stomach medicine which is the culprit for pain and discomfort. I was there for 6 hours and I am so happy to say that besides being tired and watching my stomach turn into a water balloon I have had no nausea etc.

The nurse told me today that within the next day or two I will probably start feeling the effects of the taxol. I had that med put in on day 1 and this coming Monday. This is the drug that makes me lose my "lovely locks"! I also will have body or joint aches or pains. Exercise and tylenol can sometimes help those though.

Probably by January 26 I will be a woman of many hats! I anticipate a hair cutting party within the next couple weeks. I'll try to post a picture of the "new me"!

Today and tomorrow I just have to have nutrient fluids dripped in the IV for approximately two hours each day. Then I get 3 days off. Monday I get stomach Taxol and Tuesday more nutrient drip. The nursing staff is wonderful.

I thank everyone again for all your prayers and support. I know the power of prayer is really working. I appreciate and love each and every one of you!!

Love

Mary Ann

"Off We Go!"

2009-01-05T18:41:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

Hope you all had a happy holiday season.

Today I started my chemotherapy. Last night at 10:00 p.m I had to take 5 pills and again at 4:00 a.m. It is a drug to prevent allergic reactions. I am very sensative to medications so I was needless to say nervous last night. I did well with it, yeah!

This morning was to be a four hour venture, but turned into a 6 1/2 hour venture as Tuesday will also be. They did my blood counts first which have bounced back to normal since my surgery. I was given some antinausea and some drug that makes you sleepy. Boy, they weren't kidding! (I'm easy though, haha) I went to drink my juice about 15 minutes into it and my arms were soooooo heavy. Then they start the taxol and said if I have a reaction it would be within 15 minutes. I am very happy to say that the whole procedure went so smooth and as of right now I have no nausea. I even got a 45 minute snooze in when Don went to lunch. They said I may not have break through nausea tonight because they gave me alot of meds in the IV. I will take some strong medicine tonight at bed time for nausea and they said it will help me sleep all night in preparation for tomorrow.

Tuesday may be alittle rougher though. I've been told that this medicine is the culprit. I will be laying totally flat for one hour when they put the medicine in my abdomen and then I can be up in the chairs the rest of the 5 hours. The chairs have heat and massage! The nurses are extremely nice, helpful and a wealth of information! I will be having 1 liter of fluid pumped into my abdomen during the 5 hours. My system will absorb all of this in the next couple days.

This is the part of the chemo that over half the patients only tolerate for 2 or 3 sessions out of 6. I hope to tough it out for the 6 sessions as I feel it will give me better odds as it washes the abdomen and gets into all the nooks and crannies that the IV therapy doesn't get to. It finds all those free floating cells in there. It all depends to on how all my blood counts progress though.

I again would like to thank all of you for all the support and strong prayers. I know they are helping!! I truly do not know how to thank all of you for everything. I would like to ask everyone to add my cousin, Mark (my 1st cousin Karen's husband) to your prayer lists as he has been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor approximately 1 week after I had my surgery. He had surgery and is going through therapy. They have 2 beautiful girls that are about my sons ages and are a very beautiful, kind family. Mark and Karen are at least 10 years younger than me. Prayer is very powerful as I know you all have helped me in so many ways. You can't even begin to imagine.

Sending Huge Hugs to All of You!

Love,

Mary Ann

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T16:42:00.003-06:00

Hello All!

Just returned from Dr. Bailey's office from my postop check up. She said everything looked really good. I can't believe it has already been 4 weeks since my surgery.

She gave me the go ahead to get out and about alittle more. My chemo is stilled planned for January 5th and I will be going over there 6 out of 9 days the first week of every 21 days.
The anticipation of those days is defininately scary but one day at a time.

My family and I would like to wish each and every one of you a blessed and merry Christmas. We all appreciate you and all the support you have given us through this trying time for us.

Wishing you happiness and blessings!!

Love,

Mary Ann, Don, Donald and Christopher

New Port

2008-12-16T09:14:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone,

Just a little update on my new port. Yesterday morning I went to Woodwinds Hospital at 5:30 a.m. to have my clavicle port put in. This will be an awesome device as they will be able to do all my IV's and blood draws from it. It is a strange feeling I have to admit to have all these foreign objects under my skin! I won't miss all the needles trying to find my veins. The nurse tried 3 times to get an IV in me. The third try was a charm but in the most sensitive part of the arm she told me. I think she was more white than me as she had to work at it a bit. Each time I had to have a shot and then she would play with my rolling veins. I thought I would just play "hard to get"! (haha)

I was awake during the whole procedue. They give you sedation but want to be able to talk with you. It was a good experience at the hospital though. All the nurses were very nice and we laughed with them quite a bit.

I'm feeling a little sore today but all and all doing very well. Now I actually have until January 5 to rest and get stronger from all these procedures. Then the long adventure begins.

Again I would like to thank every one for all the prayers and support for me and my family. It really helps me get through these days. If you would like to come and visit, please do because my oncologist wants me to stay away from large parties, bowling alley and such just because of all the illnesses this time of the season. You know me, I'm a social butterfly so I will start climbing the walls. (haha)

Hugs to all of you!

Love

Mary Ann

"Road to Wellness"

2008-12-11T20:17:00.004-06:00

Hello All,

I just went to my new oncologist today. She is an awesome lady. I believe they are going to take very good care of me. I am being treated by MOPHA (Minnesota Oncology Hematology, P.A.).

My doctor is very pleased with how my healing has progressed within two weeks. The first thing that I will be doing is going to Woodwinds Hospital this Monday morning to have a port put in near my clavicle for IV's. That way they can do all my blood work and IV thru there instead of poking my arms. I have to stay there for 3-5 hours. Then this Wednesday they have a chemo class I will attend to learn about my chemo, side effects, good ways to deal with the side effects and all the meds I will be taking. This will be a very informative and helpful class.

Chemo will begin on January 5. I have a intraperitoneal port right below my rib cage where some of my chemo will be administered. I have chosen this type as it is more aggressive. The solution will flow into my abdomen and pelvic areas and will be absorbed into my body over the next few days after administered. This type of therapy will reach the areas where cells could be floating around verses just the IV option.

The doctor told me the first week will be real rough but I was given prescriptions for 7 different drugs for nausea. We will have our own pharmacy (ha ha)!! Each one is used different times during therapy. My regiment will be 21 day cycles. Day 1, an IV for 4 hours, Day 2, thru my Port for 6 hours, Day 3, IV fluids for 1 hour, Day 4 IV fluids for 1 hour, Day 8, thru Port for 2 hours, Day 9, fluids for 1 hour then 13 days grace and we start all over again for a total of 6 sessions.

If this turns out to be to much for me as it does for so many they said, they will just go to the IV method after 2 or 3 sessions. Any amount they can get into the abdomen is extremely beneficial. Alot of information to inhale in one day!!

I'm not going to kid you, I'm pretty nervous about the chemo but I will have to attack it one day at a time. So my job for the next 3 weeks is to eat right, walk on my treadmill, keep a positive attitude, regain my strength and harass my family!!

Hope everyone is doing well and getting all your shopping done. For anyone that has tried to leave messages and have had a hard time, I believe you can click on "follow this blog" which is found on the right hand side, then enter your email address and create a password for yourself. Then you can leave a message in that big square on the comments page.

Thank you again to all of you for everything you are doing for me. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you. God Bless all of you.

Love

Mary Ann

First Outing!

2008-12-07T18:17:00.003-06:00

Happy Winter!

Hope everyone is doing well. Yesterday I went on my first outing with my family. We took a ride out to White Bear Lake to spend a couple hours with my dad's side "the Peltier clan". We had our Christmas gathering potluck dinner. It was so nice to get out of the house. It is the first time I was in "street clothes" since November 21st!!

It was a total pleasure to be able to spend time with my relatives and watch the little ones with Santa and have some good laughs. I have to admit though I was pretty wiped out today and layed low all day.

Tonight I'm going to try not to take any narcotic meds and just go with the Advil. We will see how it goes. I really want to get off the strong stuff! My incision is healing quite fast which is good news. I will know what the next chapter holds by Thursday afternoon. Hopefully they decide to wait one more week than planned for the chemo so we can get through the holidays, but if not, so be it. I will keep you posted on what Dr. Casey says.

I thank all of you for your continued support and prayers. I can't even begin to tell you how much is means to me and how much my family and I appreciate all of you.

Love to you all,

Mary Ann

"One Day at a Time"

2008-12-02T21:36:00.004-06:00

Hello All!

Hope this message is finding all of you well. I have no new information right now. I will be going to see Dr. Casey on December 11th over near Woodwinds Hospital. She is my surgeon's partner who will be overseeing all my chemotherapy.

That meeting will tell us everything about the program I will be following and when I will be getting started. Dr. Bailey wanted me to start 4 weeks after my surgery which put us at Christmas. We'll see if they decide to start between Christmas and New Years or just wait until the holidays are over.

I am doing very well. I am taking one pill of a lower dose of the oxycodon and have stretched it out to 6-7 hours vs 3-4 hours. So I think that is a good sign. These drugs make me loopier than I already was (ha ha). I'm getting in naps, reading, and totally enjoy my visitors, cards, prayers and messages. All of these keep me going and give me strength and I thank you all.

I hope to be finished with all the pain meds by the end of the week so maybe I can take some short outings with my family. I will be able to have more energy and walk more so I can get strong before I start my treatments. I don't have time for all this stuff!!

Take care and love to all of you.

Mary Ann

Sunny Day

2008-11-28T15:01:00.003-06:00

Good Afternoon

It sure is beautiful out today!

I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our family had a good time. I managed to make it up to mom's. I wore my beautiful new outfit (my fuzzy green and blue striped pjs, ha ha)!

I'm feeling a little better each day. It is definitely slower than I like!! I am trying to wean my way down off the strong drugs they have me on. I was taking 2 every 4 hours/advil in between and now I'm down to 1 every 6 hours with the advil in between. I have a lower right side pain that is wanting to stay acute.

I sure do appreciate all the support and prayers I am receiving from all of you. It is so humbling. You can't even begin to know how much it helps me. It makes me emotional just writing about it.

I welcome all calls and visitors! If you would like to visit, please just call ahead.

Love to all

Mary Ann

Home Again!!

2008-11-26T22:42:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

I finally made it home to my own bed. I was supposed to come home on Monday but I was in to much pain yet so they opted for Tuesday.

Before my surgery on Friday, they placed an epidural port in my back so my whole mid section would be numb for Friday, Sat. and Sunday. This way I didn't have to be on hard narcotics all that time. The transition from epidural to pain meds on Monday didn't go as smooth as they thought so I had to stay until they had the right pain control for me.

The surgery went pretty much as planned. Dr. Bailey said she found no surprises. The large tumor was fluid and solid filled (solid being the cancer). It was actually attached to the left fallopian tube. The right tube and ovary were starting to attached on the side of the tumor too. Dr Bailey was automatically taking out the appendix with the surgery and cancer was found on it also. The abdomen lining call the "omentum" was what they were really concerned about as on the CAT scan it appeared to have multiple tumors present. When it moves to the omentum it automatically turns into "Stage III".

During surgery there were 2 cancerous nodules and the rest of the lining was clear with good color. Dr. Bailey took the aggressive approach and took all the omentum lining out not just the bad nodules. Dr. Bailey told me the morning I went home that usually when they find cancer in the omentum, by the time she gets in there the whole abdomen lining is one big tumor. I feel really blessed that I caught it before that!!

The results of the lymph nodes came back. *The right pelvic region they took 5 nodes all of which were benign. *The right para-aortic region took one node, it was benign. *Left pelvic region (where all the problems began) took 4 nodes, 1 had cells, 3 benign, and *Left para-aortic region, took 3 nodes and all were benign. Total-13 nodes (1 had cells, 12 benign)

In the report the cancer is called: Clear cell carcinoma

I'm doing well. I get to recuperate for 4 weeks and then start my chemo. It is already driving me nuts to be waited on (ha,ha). I know I should be enjoying it and taking advantage of it! I move slow but getting alittle progress each day.

I'll write more later. I know this is alot of detailed info.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of you. You all have helped me keep strong. Thank you so much.

Love

Mary Ann

"Walking in Circles!'

2008-11-23T18:21:00.003-06:00

Hello

Today I'm doing a little better. I've had a temp 0f 102.4 for 2 days. In the middle of the night the temp broke. Tonight it is starting to climb again. They don't seem to be to worried about it.

I have been walking in circles and down the isles just like at work!!

I finally get to talk to my surgeon tomorrow morning sometime. My whole abdomen was numbed up with an epidural so I don't have any pain. They will be taking that out and starting me on narcotics and tylenol. (I'm a lightweight when it comes to drugs so this ought to be funny when I get loopy.) Hopefully my surgeon will send me home later tomorrow (Monday). I believe she will start my chemo in approximately one month.

Thank you again to everyones support thru the blog, phone call, visitors, thoughts and prayers.

I love each of you.

Mary Ann

"And The Beat Goes On"

2008-11-22T17:11:00.002-06:00

First of all I would like to thank everyone for all their support and prayers!

My surgery had good things and not so good things. The mass had some malignancy and there were 2 nodules in the abdomen lining that were malignant. The good thing so far is my surgeon did not see cancer in my organs or lymph nodes.

I'm doing pretty good and will start chemo in approximately 4 weeks. They got me walking yesterday and today. That was real interesting!! They have put an epidural in my back to numb up the surgery so I don't have to take heavy narcotics.

I think I will get to go home Monday or Tuesday. Dinner just arrived, will post more later.

Love

Mary Ann

Getting Prepared

2008-11-19T21:58:00.003-06:00

Good evening everyone,

Above are the three loves of my life!! To the left is Christopher, 18, my husband Don and my 21 year old son, Donald. I am so proud of all of them. They are all college boys at this time. We took this picture on Monday night. We haven't had one of all of us in quite a while.

Today was my last day of work for a while. It was quite a weird and scarey feeling as I enter the next phase of this journey. I am so ready to get this stuff out and take on what ever happens head on!!

Tomorrow morning I start all the prep for my surgery. Friday morning we have to be at the hospital by 8:00 a.m. and surgery starts at 10:00 a.m. They anticipate the surgery lasting about 2 hours.

Please pray for the surgeon and her hands and that this is just one large benign cyst. We will try to get the word out of the outcome as soon as possible.

I thank each and every one of you for all your concern, love, shared stories and prayers.

Thank you so much.

Love,

Mary Ann

Weekend Fun!

2008-11-17T21:54:00.006-06:00

Hi All

I'm doing pretty good right now. Trying real hard to remain positive. This weekend a full torso of "HIVES" decided to visit me. Wow!! Never have had them but I guess they are caused by stress. They definitely itch!

Had a fun Saturday with Nancy, Deanne and Kelly. Nancy won 4 free tickets to the James Bond movie so the four of us went for free and 95 cent popcorn followed by lunch and a little shopping. It was great to get out with the girls. Sunday we celebrated my birthday at the bowling alley. Birthday cake was had by all thanks to Deanne and Dianne making a large, delicious cake and tonight at my mom's with my family. Thank you everyone for a great weekend and birthday. It was really, really appreciated!!!

Surgery is set in stone now for this Friday, November 21 at 10:00 a.m. I will be having it at Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis and then staying until at least Monday.

Please keep praying for benign and also for my family. It has been real hard on them.

I appreciate each and everyone of you and love reading my comment section!!

Love

Mary Ann

The Count Down Is On

2008-11-13T17:36:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone,

Hope all is well with you.

I just returned from my appointment with Dr. Bailey, the surgeon. She is a wonderful person. I had a extremely informational and "scarey" visit with her. It is all so much to take in.

She has reviewed everything and she said she is very concerned it may be malignant because of the nodules on the abdomen lining although it may be something totally different when she gets in there. She also said there have been times where the tests look real bad and the person doesn't have cancer. Everyone is different in how we break down cells etc. That is the extremely hard part of all of this is not knowing until you wake up. I just have to remain positive!!

She has scheduled me for surgery next Friday, November 21 at 10:00 a.m. at Abbott Northwestern hospital. The surgery will be approximately 2 hours and I will have to stay in the hospital for at least 3 days starting the day after surgery.

They test the tumor and anything else they find while I'm on the operating table. If there is something malignant, they will take out lymph nodes. She also is taking my appendix!

I'll tell ya, this is not the way I wanted to lose my weight!!

Have a good night and thank you for all your prayers and support. I really don't know how to thank everyone.

Love

Mary Ann

New Test Result

2008-11-12T19:11:00.005-06:00

Good Evening!

Just got home from working all day. It was the first full day since my news last Friday evening. My OB doctor called with the results of my CA125 blood test. He said it was 38 which is just slightly elevated. He said it could have been alot worse and he said it was somewhat reassuring!! They do this test for a baseline for the cancer count, I believe. He did say it isn't a very accurate test but they need something to go on.

I go in to see the surgeon tomorrow at noon to find out when they will operate.

Thank you so much for all the thoughts and prayers that have been coming my way.

Love

Mary Ann

My New Journey

2008-11-11T20:23:00.000-06:00

Welcome everyone. I'll start from the beginning of my story. One month ago I felt a firm band about 3 inches wide and long above my pelvis bone. I discovered it because I was loosing weight (on purpose). Thought is was muscle as I had been working out but as the weeks went on it started getting larger. I had Dr. Lawrence (whom I work with) check me out and he did x-rays on me and then sent me to my M.D. last Wednesday, November 5th.

My doctor felt a mass right away also and sent me to a ultrasound Thursday the 6th. Friday morning the Dr. called me at work and said the ultrasound showed it was quite large and the radiologist was worried because it looked suspicious. Next step was the CAT scan. I was able to get is right away Friday, Nov. 7th at 3:30. My doctor called me at 5:00 to let me know he had bad news.

He stated it was a huge cyst/tumor connected to my ovary and it had spread to inside my peritineal lining. (This is a thin layer that holds our organs and intestines together.) The radiologist told my doctor that there were multiple small tumors all over in the wall but the liver and spleen were unaffected as of yet. They suspect ovarian cancer because of the looks, size and it spread to other places. Needless to say the weekend was devastating for my whole family.

Monday, November 10th the cancer coordinator was able to get me in with a Stillwater OBGYN to go over my CT and tests. He put our minds at ease alittle as he down played the multiple tumors. He didn't seem to see it that way. The cyst is the size of a huge muskmellon or larger. He said it is the size of a pregnant uterus of 5 months!! When I do things I do it up good!! Anyways, he is referring me to a wonderful specialist at the Piper Breast Center at Abbott Northwestern. This doctor is a cancer OBGYN and can be a lot more aggressive with surgery as they do it all the time. He said if she sees any thing unusual, out it comes.

I will see her this Thursday, November 13 at noon and hopefully she won't see anything worse that the other OB doctor didn't. She will then schedule me for surgery, hopefully next week. The sooner the better!! Unfortunately, they will be doing a pelvis to belly button cut. Oh boy!! Once they get inside they will take tissue from the cyst, lymph nodes and anything else they need to and that will determine my treatment from there.

I will continue to update as I find out more. Wish me luck!! Thank you for caring.

Love, Mary

Welcome to my Family and Friends

2008-11-11T11:34:00.000-06:00

I am putting together this simple blog so that you may keep up with all that I will be going through. It will be much easier for me to keep in touch with you this way because there are so many that I want to contact. This will be a great way to take the stress off me trying to remember who I talked to and who I left out. I appreciate any comments(positive ones) that I receive from you and I will try to return a comment back, but please don't feel offended if I don't reach back to each one of you. Just know that I did read it and felt wonderful to see that you made it here. I love each and everyone of you and I know that you love me back!

Oh yea!, I almost forgot.....the point of this site is to live life fully. This thing I have is only a "bump" in the road. Are you ready to go on this bumpy ride with me? Good, lets go!

Love mary