Trial or Miracle??? Pam's story continues.....

Wow! I can't believe this hasn't been updated since November. Let me try and give you a quick run down.

We'll start with my brother first.... Craig's tests results came back showing that the Chemo is working and the cancer is gone. They are continuing the chemo treatments to fully keep it gone. (not to sure of the details or for how long). His blood count goes from good to bad, so the doctors are keeping a close eye on that. We tried to get a blood drive put together for him, and we want to thank all those who volunteered, however, credit cannot go over state lines any more. But in Washington, there was a HUGE turnout as about 100 people showed up to give blood in his name. He has had and continues to have numerous blood transfusions. He is a fighter and won't give up!

As for Pam.... ALOT has happened since November! I flew to Idaho in December to be with Kellie as she was at the ending of her pregnancy and Alex had to fly to Dallas to begin his internship on January 3rd, 2012. It was nice to be with the kids for Christmas and to get the support that I desperately needed.

Alex flew home in time for McKenzlie Tatyana Barnard to enter into the world. She arrived by planned c-section on January 12, 2012. Weighing in as the smallest baby our family has ever had. 6 lbs. 14 oz. (I know that isn't small for most, but for us, she was 3 1/2 lbs smaller than her big brother Camren. Mommy and baby were healthy and all went well. Alex soon flew back to Dallas, and as soon as Kellie and McKenzlie got the "all clear" from the doctors, we loaded up the car to start or drive to Dallas.
.... In January, I went to the doctor with what they believed to be a kidney stone. I recovered quickly from that, only to be go to ER a week later with a blood clot in my leg. MD Anderson was called and I was taken off the Cancer Medicines immediately as this was what was believed to be the cause of the blood clot. I was immediately put on blood thinners, and a new chapter in my life began.
.... Now, back to the trip to Dallas. When Kellie, Camren, McKenzlie, Jason, Kaydee and I started our journey, we had the priviledge of stopping in Arizona to visit a few people from Jason's mission. Kaydee went to church with him, and then we visited some of the people he lived with. It was great meeting these wonderful people who took such good care of our son. We also had the priviledge of visiting one of Kaydee's room-mates (Amber) from BYU-Hawaii and visit with her family. That was great visiting with them as well.
We finally arrived in Dallas about 5 days after leaving Idaho. The babies did great traveling! Jason and I dropped off Kellie, the babies, and Kaydee and the two of us headed home.
I immediately went back to my regular visits with MD Anderson where they have been keeping an eye on me, doing lab work every 2 weeks. My clot finally went away, and we thought that all was "finally" going forward. Until.... It was at one of the appointments that she noticed my breathing was not right. She sent me to a cardiologist as she didn't like that I was having breathing difficulties and some chest pains. I got in immediately to see the cardiologist and he thought I was having symptoms of a mild heart attack. Or at least the warning signs of one coming on. He warned me that any other severe pains, I was to get to E.R. immediately. Well, that time came the very next day...
February 14, 2012 I decided to have some very severe chest pains. I couldn't breath, and my vision was really off, arm went numb, etc. With Jason being the only one home with me, he immediately got me to the closest E.R. and a good friend was called. They stayed with me until about 2:00 am. While at E.R. the doctors went into full Heart attack mode! Medications and tests were done immediately. My first EKG came back abnormal. I was admitted in to the hospital for 24 hour observation. The whole time I was on oxygen as I was having a very difficult time breathing. CT scans, X-rays and several other tests were done. All of which the stupid doctor sent his Assistant and told me were all tests were negative. They released me and I found a new cardiologist immediately.
Two days after returning home, I went to see the new cardiologist. She immediately had me do an echocardiogram and nuclear stress test. All of which thankfully came back that my heart was fully healthy. So, she said she wanted me seen by a pulmonologist immediately. She still was NOT ruling out a possible "mild heart attack", but said it could be a clot in my lungs. Even though the hospital said there was nothing. She did not like the CT scans, and wanted me further checked.
So, March 1st started my Pulmonologist experiences. Testing was done, to measure my breathing, and it came back that my lungs were only functioning at 67% at best. Plus my lungs were taking SEVERAL seconds to refill, instead of less than a second as normal. He thought it could be severe silent Asthma, so he started me on Asthma meds. After being on those for 10 days and no change, they added a steroid. After 10 days on steroids.... Still, no change.
To add to this... a couple weeks ago, my c-section scar of over 20 years ago, started to bleed and open up. My doctor immediately sent me to my surgeon, and last Thursday (April 5, 2 cysts were removed.) They were sent to the lab to be checked for cancer...
So today, I returned for a follow-up with the pulmonologist. He went and re-looked at my hospital chest x-rays and CT scans, and decided that I definitely did NOT have Asthma. Both my lungs were covered with a haziness. So, tomorrow (April 10th) I am going in for extensive blood work. Looking for auto immune diseases, lung disease and even the ugly word of Cancer! I will also go in on April 19th for a repeat CT scan to compare to the one taken in February. If nothing is found to explain the breathing issues, he will schedule an exploratory surgery on my lungs and biopsy. This makes me really nervous, and hope it does not come to that point.
Well, that about covers me to this point of my life. Now let me tell you about Camren's latest updates....

As some of you remember, Our grandson (while in Idaho) was taken to Primary Children's hospital numerous times for breathing issues, apnea, seizures, etc. Well, it is amazing how wonderful Texas doctors are! In just 2 days and 3 doctors we FINALLY got the diagnosis' on Camren that we have been waiting a year for. One visit with a great ENT (who took care of KD and Kellie both as kids) found that Camren's breathing issues and apnea were most likely due to his enlarged adenoids and tonsils. So on April 3, Camren had his tonsils and adenoids removed. Since he would not eat or drink after surgery, (and being younger than 2 years old), he spent the night. The next day, he still would not eat or drink. But he was begging for McDonald's french fries. The doctor said to "let him try". So grandma Pam, bought him a large fry and he immediately ate EVERY ONE of them and drank his entire sippy cup of juice! Then became his normal self. The nurses could not believe the change in him, and he was able to come home! He has eaten literally everything you are NOT to eat after having tonsils out, but seems to be doing great! He was also seen by a Pediatric Cardiologist who informed us that Camren is like his Aunt Kaydee and has Syncope! That is what is causing his heart rate to jump around so much and if we were able to take his blood pressure at home, would most likely find that jumping around as well. He put him on another heart monitor, and Camren will most likely be put on meds soon to help with the syncope. These two doctors could not believe that no one in Idaho could come up with this! But we have a diagnosis, and treatments! So we accomplished!!!!
I think that about catches us up on everything. Tomorrow, I get my stitches out,get the blood work done, Camren goes in for his follow up from surgery, and Kaydee goes in for follow up on new blood pressure meds. And Wednesday morning I fly to Idaho with the kids and will stay a week before I come home to a totally empty house once again! It has been great having the kids close by, and having Jason home with me. They have been a huge strength and support to me. I will miss them while they are in Idaho! Until next time....

Trial or Miracle??? Pam's story continues.....

Ok, now for the update you have all been waiting to hear. Before I go into todays appointment, I need to back track about part of this miracle....
Before my 1st Surgery October 7th, I talked with breast Diagnostics to see what exactly this surgery was for and ask questions. They told me that since the biopsy could not prove or rule out cancer, they chose to do this surgery to remove the tissue. They informed me that medical research is going back and forth as to if it is really necessary to put someone through surgery when it may not be cancer. But Breast Diagnostics and MD Anderson did their own 2 year research program to follow this type of biopsy. In the surgeries were done only about 3 or 4 in 2 years came back as actual cancer. The rest came back as precancerous cells. However, in the women they did not do surgery on, over 1/2 came back with invasive breast cancer. So it was decided to be safe and remove the tissue in question, and be safe, rather than have it become full blown cancer within 2 years. They told me that I had a choice to turn down the surgery, but to me, it was a blessing this was even found, so I opted to follow through with the surgery and be safe now, rather than sorry later. The reminded me that only 3 or 4 in their research came back as cancer, so I should not be afraid. Most likely it was just an abnormal cell, or precancerous cell. So, with that, the rest of the story continued.
Now for today's update..... I went to MD Anderson and met with a wonderful doctor. She explained to me about the Lobular cancer I had and what it was, and the difference between lobular cancer and Ductal cancer. She called it cancer lesson 101. Which I was grateful because it helped us all to understand what excactly was going on in my body. She assured me that the RIGHT decision was made, not only to have the 1st surgery, but also the 2nd surgery. As they were able to completely remove all of the cancerous area. So I was relieved that we went against the odds and chose surgery! Huge blessing! She then explained that there are still numerous abnormal cells in my breasts. And because of that I am at very high risk for invasive cancer (meaning the cancer spreading). However, she explained that with Lobular cancer (LCIS) which is what I have, it does not respond to radiation or chemo! If cancer returns, and we know it will at sometime in the future, I would need a mastectomy. So, we had two choices.
One: we could just keep a close eye on the abnormal cells and if it goes into cancer, more surgery to remove. OR Two: Try some Tamoxifen cancer treatment pills. I would be on these pills every day for the next 5 years. They are suppose to slow down the cancer cells, keep new cells from growing, or hopefully kill off the cells.... There of course are some serious risks involved, but the risks vs cancer equals NO BRAINER! With being on the Tamoxifen, I will be watched closely with MD Anderson. And regular bloodwork will be done, along with other testing. We feel at peace with this decision. And the best news..... I am free to go to Idaho on December 14th as planned and stay till February to help Kellie!!!! I will have a follow up appointment and blood work before I leave for Idaho, and will follow up immediately when I get home in February. There is a bit of bad news..... I can still only lift 5 lbs. max. Hopefully in another month I will be able to lift 10 lbs. But that is my LIMIT! Which means.... No picking up and carrying my adorable grandson! Although I can HOLD babies and Camren as long as I am sitting down. NOT picking them up! So I will have to just be happy with that! Also, they found that there is still alot of fluid in the breast from the surgeries. It should have been gone by now, and with the pain I am having they are afraid it could go into an infection. So I have to watch that closely, and if pain gets worse, or any infection, I need to get to ER immediately and have it drained. GREAT! But I'm NOT complaining. This is the best news I could have asked for. I am sooooo grateful for all the prayers. Even if this slows the cancer down for a couple years, I am good, as I have other things I need to deal with. I am grateful for the miracles I have seen in my life these last few months. I am grateful for modern day technology as we have learned that this was just literally getting ready to spread. I know the miracles happened because of all the prayers that were offered in my behalf! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! You will never know how much you all mean to me!
Until next time.......

Trial or Miracle???? Pam's story Continues... and Craig too!

I guess it's time for a quick update on the Mace and Baldwin families. I am continuing to get stronger little by little. I still don't have alot of energy, and get tired out quite easily. Today I washed down the shower and toilet, (a total of all of 5 minutes) and I was wiped out. So I know my limits and trying not to over do. (Good thing I remodeled my house earlier this year. Guess the rest won't be finished for a while now). Anyway, My surgery is healing, we think we finally found the right meds for my anxiety, and we don't know if it is the surgery or anxiety that is making me so exhausted. Most likely it's the combination of the two. Even after having two surgeries already, to remove the cancer, I think it just finally hit me today that this is real. That is because I got my phone call from MD Anderson Cancer Center for my consultation and to meet the Oncologist. My appointment is for Thursday Morning. So this is where the real part of my cancer kicks in. Did surgery do good enough, or will there be more treatments.... I guess we will know Thursday. That is about all on me. I am still not lifting, Kassie and Joe are still here and have been a huge support. Just having them here really helps out! Now on to my brother......

Well, here is the latest update on my brother Craig. As everyone knows, our lives change minute by minute. Chemo was actually started over the weekend, but after 2 rounds of chemo, his liver count ended up being to high, so they had to stop the chemo and wait for his liver to continue to do better. The count is continuing to lower daily, but last night, it was decided to send him home and let the liver continue to drain and lower. He will return to Spokane every few days for blood work and when the liver count is better, they will be able to continue on with the chemo. I'm told his coloring is looking a LOT better. The yellow is disappearing and his coloring is coming back! A good sign that his liver is functioning.
He returned home last night to a brand new adjustable bed. Which according to his daughter, Craig slept very well in it. He pretty much sleeps, but the kids are glad he is home for a while. He may be home for about 2 weeks before they are able to get on with the scheduled chemo treatments. The doctors will follow him closely.
We ordered Green (lymphoma) and Pink (breast cancer) wristbands this week for all the family. We all wear them proudly knowing that "No one stands alone". (which is what is written on each of them).

So that is about it on the updates. My dad continues to heal from his surgery as well. It's a slow process, but all will be well. WE WILL FIGHT THIS AND WE WILL WIN!!!! Until next time.....

Trial or Miracle???? Pam's story Continues... and Craig too!

Well today I will do an update on my brother, as nothing has changed on me....

This morning the doctor was finally able to do surgery on his liver and drain it. The drain will be there for a while. Not sure the time frame. Craig said that as it drained he immediately started feeling better. He was able to breath without hurting. The doctor said that his yellow coloring should start coming back to pink as the poison is leaving his body. Following the Liver surgery, he was immediately taken in for the bone marrow procedure. And then after a very long and exhausting day, Chemo was started. ALL testing and procedures have now been completed.
He will now spend the next 5 days in the hospital on chemo, and then be allowed to go home for two weeks. As far as the testing results. So far the doctor has said that "They have found NO surpises." We are guessing that means that the cancer is in the area where originally thought and has not spread. We do not know that for sure, but from the comment, that is what we are believing. If that is the case, this is VERY good news! The doctor said that just with his liver being drained of the poison, Craig should be feeling ALOT better. Most of his sickness was most likely caused from the non functioning liver and not the cancer.
We should be getting all the formal reports back from all the tests and procedures, the beginning of next week and will then know what stage of cancer he is in.
His family, and ours as well, are very grateful for all the love and prayers. Especially for my friends who are praying for my brother, of whom they don't even know. THANK YOU!

Just a quick update on me. I am getting stronger every day. To just look at me, you would have no idea that I am dealing with cancer. (Except I've lost 22 lbs. since summer). Not all of which was from cancer, most was from stress for personal issues. I am still struggling with energy, but I know that will come back in time. Today I actually went shopping for a little bit ALL BY MYSELF! That was weird! I promise I am not over doing, and Kassie is making sure of that. I really enjoy having her here to give me the continued support I need.
I am grateful for friends and family, for all your comments on facebook! You are truly wonderful!!! I am also grateful for my 18 month old grandson, who today said, "gramma", then folded his arms and bowed his head. His mommy figured this meant he wanted to say a prayer for his gramma, so they did. What a precious angel!!!
PS.... the Lymphoma and breast cancer wrist bands I ordered for the family are in. The are great and each says, "No one fights alone." And from all the support and love we have felt, my brother and I both know that we are NOT fighting this alone!!!!
Until next time....

Trial or Miracle???? Pam's story Continues... and Craig too!

Well, alot is going on in the life of the Mace's and Baldwin's. First let me update you on me. (Pam)...
Today was my 1 week followup from my cancer surgery. With that follow up came good news and bad. (which was expected). The good news is that they were able to go in and remove ALL the cancer in my left breast. So I am cancer free as of last week! However.... The pathology results also showed that there is an area in my breast where the lobular gland and duct meet at the nipple. The surgeon was not sure if he would be able to clear that area. And he was right. He was not able to. The pathology report said that it is not LCIS cancer, however it came back as Atypical lobular hyperplasia involving the large duct. Which basically means I am at a VERY HIGH risk of Invasive (spreading) of the cancer. The report also shows there are several benign and precancerous tumors as well.
At this time, all my files have been faxed over to MD Anderson Cancer Center and I should be hearing from them tomorrow or Monday, to determine further treatment. If the hyperplasia cannot be treated, a mastectomy may need to be done in the near future. So, we wait for MD Anderson to determine which direction they want to take. Considering there are several benign tumors in the right breast as well, the surgeon believes radiation will be the next step. But..... there is a chance they may just keep a close eye on me and see what comes up. I'm not to thrilled about the wait and see approach, as I know this was found early for a reason and I don't want to risk it going into full blown cancer and chemo. Although it would be nice to be cleared to go to Idaho for the 2 months in December as planned. So I will leave it in the Lord's hands.

My little brother Craig, on the other hand, has had a VERY hard week. After he was admitted back into the hopsital (thanks to a VERY good Oncologist), he has been through a zillion tests, procedures and surgeries.... This week they did a Brain MRI, a Spinal tap, (at which they also put in a bag of chemo during the spinal tap, as a precautionary measure, so if the cancer is not in that area, it will keep the cancer free from there as they go in and do the other procedures). After the spinal tap, his neck went stiff. And he has been in severe pain. The stupid nurse came and gave him a tylenol, (which he argued and said he was NOT suppose to have because of his liver) but the nurse argued and told him it was on his charts and ok to take. So he did. Later the doctor came in and had a fit as my brother IS NOT to have tylenol or anything like it because of a non functioning liver!
Yesterday, he also had a heart test (surgical procedure) done. Because this took longer than expected, his other procedures were put off. Today he went in for a PET scan which will tell the doctors where the cancer has spread to. Once again, because this took longer than expected, they were not able to do other procedures necessary.
Tomorrow the plan is to drain the liver (which is a very serious surgical procedure) in the morning, then do a bone marrow test, and hopefully be able to start the chemo. We do not know for sure if it will happen or not, but we do know that these are the last two procedures he needs to have done before they can begin the chemo. So we pray that there will not be any complications with the procedures tomorrow.
The Mace family and Baldwin family want to thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, love and support. Although this is hard on Craig and I dealing with cancer, we know it is especially hard on our kids. But we know the Lord is with us. We are eternally grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows what we are all going through.
As I have said before, and has become the Family Motto.... "WE WILL FIGHT THIS AND WE WILL WIN!!!!!! Until next time....

Trial or Miracle??? Pam's story continues..... and family too!

Well, I have survived the 1st week of recovery. Yesterday I was finally awake for more than just a few hours. I still don't have alot of energy, but at least I was up before 1:00 pm today. I am still following doctor's orders, and not lifting and doing alot of resting. I return back to the surgeon Thursday for the latest pathology reports, and get my appointment to meet with MD Anderson.
In the meantime.... My poor family is going through Alot! My dad is recovering from Hernia surgery which took place on Oct. 26. Sadly, he is recovering on his own, as more bad news has hit our family.
Monday, the day before my cancer surgery, my little brother Craig, went to the hospital. He was transferred to a hospital in Spokane, Washington. After spending several days there, and learning his liver stopped functioning, a series of medical tests were performed. To our shock, he was diagnosed last Friday with B-Cell Lymphoma cancer. The stupid doctor sent him home for the weekend, only for him to become worse. So today, my mom, nephew, and brother returned to Spokane to meet with an Oncologist (which actually knows what he is doing), and is immediately admitting him back into the hospital. They will try and drain the poison out of his liver, do a series of more testing, and plan to begin R-EPOCH Aggressive Chemo by Thursday. At this point they plan on a 5 day in hospital chemo, 2 weeks home, 5 days chemo, 2 weeks home for at least 6 treatments.
We still do not know what stage he is in, but the doctors think that with the aggressive chemo it can be cured. But it will be a long 6-8 months. Our prayers go out to him and his kids, as he is divorced and the kids have no support at home to help them. Thank goodness my mom and dad are closeby. Although my mom is mostly in Spokane with my brother. My dad will help out as much as he can.
This makes me worried about what my future holds. Although his doctor assures me, that this is not hereditary, but because my cancer and his were found at the same time worries me. Was mine just a miracle and an early sign of what could have been??? I will know more after meeting with MD Anderson and making sure I will be cancer free. I thought I had it bad till I heard of my brother. My two surgeries, and possibly radiation treatments, are nothing compared to what he is going through. I am grateful mine was found before it went to the lymph nodes.
Again, we know the Lord is with us. For whatever reason our family is being hit with Cancer at this time, we do not know. The Mace family continues to deal with other personal issues going on in our lives as well, and sometimes it's hard to keep going. I know the Lord says he will not give us more than we can handle, but I do have to say..... "I've reached my limit!" But I know the Lord loves me, my children, my brother, his children, and all of our family.
As I have said numerous times..... WE WILL FIGHT THIS AND WE WILL WIN!!!!!
Until next time.....

Trial or Miracle???? Pam's story Continues... and family too!

Well, I made it through the 2nd surgery!!! Tuesday started out very early at 5:00 am. As we were pulling out of the driveway, I noticed that all the trees on our street had pink ribbons tied around them. Kassie and Joe went to all the neighbors the night before, informed them on what was happening and got permission to tie pink ribbons around all the trees. What a very nice surprise for me to see the love and support (some from neighbors we don't even know) before going in to surgery.
As far as we know at this point, surgery was a success. They believe they got it all, and we now wait a week for the pathology reports again to make sure we got it all. After that I will be turned over to MD Anderson to determine which direction to go next.
I slept for 3 days straight, but have been visited by several friends (some of which I may not remember them coming), have been fed very well, received tons of flowers, cards, phone calls, emails, and text messages.
I am very grateful to all my family and friends for all the love and support. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father who has been watching over me.
On a side note.... things are not going well with my family. My poor mom is keeping really busy. On October 26th, my dad had surgery for a hernia, and is suppose to be down for 6 weeks. The day before I went in for my surgery, my little brother (1 year younger) ended up in the hospital in Moses Lake, Washington. Because of the seriousness of his condition, he was transported to Spokane (about an hour and a half away). He was been in the hospital since Monday and awaiting test results. Things are not looking good, and hopefully test results will be in tomorrow. Our prayers are with him. My mom has been with him in Spokane (my brother is divorced and 6 kids) which has pretty much left my dad to recover by himself.
It amazes me at how much our family has been through this last year. Health wise, personally, emotionally, etc. But still we keep the faith and move on!!! We feel the love and prayers from all our family and friends. And know the Lord is in control at this time in our lives. Until next time......