Unfortunate news today peeps. The only color of cereal in the cupboard right now is various shades of beige and brown. NO COLOR WHATSOEVER!!! come on people, is that the cereal cupboard of a cancer patient I ask you???

You know you have a pretty darned good life when the thing that makes you the most distressed during the day is that your amazing niece and nephew send you the fourth season of Downton Abbey, straight from the UK and that you have a big decision to make Missy!

I sit here in my lovely recliner which was hauled downstairs and placed in the best spot in the family room by Holly and Ike whilst I was laid up "in hospital". Thats how they say it in the UK. I am sure my poor kids are scared of me getting MEAN through this next year and so for now, I tell you they are more stellar than ever before and that's saying something.  I am absolutely spoiled by everyone in my world. I still have times where this is not at all real, where I just go "how did I get here"?  t is like I am watching a movie about someone else.  I mean, I got a letter from Hannah Lartey today clear from the doitschland! (I sounded that one out obvi!) I call that a score for me!!

Had some interesting experiences in the hospital, at AF Utah. But I shall not bore you with them. I have some awesome surgeons I tell you. They are young and the BEST from all I have gathered. You know  you are in good hands when even the dietary employees are giving you a thumbs up on your Docs.  I am grateful, very grateful to both of them, to their commitment to medicine, to their specialties, their ability to drop the ego's and work like the amazing team they are all to help me. A big shout out to my Radiologist Dr. McClellan, for sticking me back in that Mammo mammoth over and over till he saw what hid from the other Mammogram ninja's. I often think if another Doc had been there, would he have gone back and looked as hard as mine did? Don't know.

Finally,  I am a die hard lover of the Family Medicine Doctors of the world.  They do not get the recognition they deserve.They are in the trenches with us. They get things rolling, and get us to the docs who can best help us.  I love my Doctor to pieces! Speaking of Doctors, my surgeon just called me with the call I have been waiting and waiting for, and guess what?? She was HAPPY! Out of twenty lymph nodes she removed, only ONE had cancer!! This is extremely awesome news! Whoo HOOOOO!!!!

I have a wonderful life:)

Easy to say now, but the kitchen floor is clean, the dog is clean, the laundry is done, It's Xanax-o'clock. Bring it on you f-ing CANCER! I love you all, I have, as I have said before the best teams ever and I have a wonderful life. Peace out all.

Are you symmetrical? I am symmetrical. I have a great exercise ahead of me to help rid me of this obsession.   I hear the clocks ticking, I say clocks because I am a clock freak and generally have one or two or three clocks in every room.  They make me nervous and calm all at the same time. They never tick or tock at the same time. You should have heard the battle over the photo arrangement in my bedroom between Holly and I.  If you know Holly, she is the least symmetrical gal around and everything she does is Pintrest ready. I sort of won the battle. We compromised. I am rambling. That is how my head feels today, sort of scrambled. I have a sweet friend, she is an incredible young Mommy who has faced physical challenges and pain that are unimaginable to me. She faces all of this with a grace far beyond her years and an outlook I can't begin to match. They say there are people who see the glass half-full, and people that see the glass half-empty. I think I am the kind of person that say's "Hey, there is something in the glass!" My friend, is a glass half full for sure.  She mentioned in her blog today that she would never take the kindness of ANYONE for granted again. I read those words of hers today and it shot me right in the heart because I have had those same thoughts times a  million in the past few weeks.  I cannot believe how nice people are. People I have never met have treated me with a kindness and dignity I can't describe. Surgeons have hearts, they have big hearts, anyway mine do. I am grateful for people who do their jobs and do them well.

Having surgery on Friday. That is the day I begin to realize that symmetry isn't all it's cracked up to be.  I have a wonderful life.  Thank you to all of you who think of us, pray for us laugh with us and understand that my irreverent manner is how I cope.
 
FYI--Have you seen the movie Frozen? Have you seen the movie Saving Mr. Banks?
If you haven't, I tell you, they are the best substitute for therapy there ever was. Trust me on this one.

Hello all. Its me, Joanna/JoMama/Mama Jo

I have always had a rule for facebook posts which my children and I have tried to obey. This is the rule: YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE STATE OF YOUR HEALTH! no one cares about your latest trip to your specialist or the instacare or your colonoscopy prep or your runny, stuffy nose.

This is not facebook.  This is just big old me, although I don't feel so old as I did a week ago.  Cancer makes you feel younger I have decided because your mind goes "hey dude, seems to me that you have a big bunch of years left.  Get that boob job!"  OK stop it all you who are thinking the last person in the world that needs a boob job is me! My insurance which I am SOOOO grateful for is going to foot the bill for this one (or two). 

Finally got my MRI results back.  I am clean as a whistle on one side and problematic on the other.  So this weekend I will figure out the glaring question.....one side, or both sides.  There are alot of opposing views on this question. You think you know exactly what you would do if you were faced with that decision, but guess what, you DON'T know until its in your face and the reality of the decision is in your hands. That is what I learned today. 

Update 1

Holly here!
For your first exciting update of mama Jo's cancer situation.

She went and met with the surgeon this morning, to see what path they would take.
The bad news, she has cancer.
The good news, it's the most common type of breast cancer! does that give you comfort? cause it sure as hell gave us comfort. The sort of bad news is that it has already traveled to at least one lymph node, but if you're going to have cancer, the most common type is preferable. eh?

Facts:

Her surgeon is the great Dr. Tittensor (yes) of American Fork.
Her plastic surgeon is Dr. Jensen also in AF. Dr T is very particular. We are grateful for her.

Tomorrow: she'll have an MRI of her chest, to see if the cancer has spread to the other side.

Next Friday:  She will have a mastectomy on either one side or both, depending on the outcome of the MRI, as well as reconstruction at the same time. They will also kindly put in her new friend called a Port, that is like a mondo semi-permanent IV to save her veins from Chemo assault. Ports are a blessing. ("I don't want to put up with fake boob bra's! I know myself, I won't wear them")

Chemo and radiation are going to be happening after the surgery

The cancer is not yet staged, they'll take care of that during the surgery.

She will not have a PET scan because she is not symptomatic of cancer anywhere else, plus $9000 and massive amounts of radiation are involved in a PET scan so no no no for now. (that scan would be to see if the cancer has metastasized, or spread to somewhere else in her body)

So for now, it is breast cancer we will wage a war with, thats it.

Fun Facts:

She did a very high-and-mighty mouth swish this morning, that "just about burned the shiz out of my tongue!" It's to test for the BRCA gene, a very unlikely positive outcome would mean that Emily, Jill and I would need to be watched VERY carefully starting now. Dr. T has done about 200 of those, and only had about 5 positives. so we're not worrying too much.

Angelina Jolie tested positive for that, which is why she had a double-mastectomy! I say good call Angie!!

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That's all for now! Thank you for your prayers and well-wishes.
We can feel the good vibes, and are grateful for the support we have.