PET Scan Results

On Monday November 4th. I received a phone call that nearly knocked the wind out of me.  One of my doctors told me that the Scan came back saying that cancer had invaded my bones. What??? How could this be? It certainly grew quickly.  It showed in my hip bones & in various places in my back. The doctor said that I would have an appointment with my 'body doctor' the oncologist on Tuesday as he would be in Escanaba.  I was not expecting to hear those results. I was hoping to hear, everything was clear & we would go ahead with our initial treatment plan.  This totally threw me for a loop. I tried to act as normal as possible for the sake of my kids but if you know my kids, you know they are not easily fooled & are quite intelligent like their daddy.  Sadie could sense something was off right away & tried to stay as close as possible to me.  The other 3 went about their business & I think were afraid to ask any questions.  We ended up having a late dinner that Adam picked up as he drove home. And to think I was actually planning on cooking some things that my mother in law had prepped for us.  Me cooking a meal for my family would have to wait until another day. I called my parents & told them. After talking with them I called my sisters & messaged a few other people knowing I would need some extra prayers to get through the night.  It ended up being a rough night in our house.  The baby kept half waking up crying. She finally ended up in our bed to help her sleep so we could sleep. Morgan was coming down with a cold and was coughing terribly. I ended up having to take her to the living room to give her a breathing treatment & had to wait until she was done, then tuck her back into bed. When I finally laid my head on my pillow again all I could do was pray until I finally fell asleep.  All the what ifs going through my mind were crazy. I want to trust Jesus through this whole thing but those results hit me hard.  I was exhausted but still got the kids up & ready for school. Then I laid on the couch to rest until the baby woke up.  I couldn't really sleep but tried to rest. The doctor office called to schedule my appointment at 1:45. That was a long time to wait.

At the appointment we went through the Scan results, didn't look at the images but things were explained a bit more than on the phone and we had to discuss a new treatment plan since the initial one would not apply.  Right now the cancer feeds off of estrogen. And since my body has been in a state of high estrogen after having Sadie & nursing her, we need to bring the levels down to zero.  That is done with a shot once a month. It will pretty much put me into menopause at the age of 37 and is supposed to put the cancer cells to sleep.  They can't remove them since they have attacked my bones but they can put them to sleep.  My doctor suggested that we could have a 2nd opinion but we didn't know if that's what we wanted to do.  After talking to a few others & them saying that we should get a 2nd opinion I started working toward that today.  I spent the morning resting, another less than stellar night of sleep to thank for that. And a mind racing. I was reading scripture and praying and I finally broke down & just sobbed.  My mother in law came to help out, made something for Sadie & me to eat & then she left. My parents showed up soon after and we talked. Cried a little, and decided, with texts to Adam, that I would go for that 2nd opinion in Ann Arbor.

The following is an except from the Guide to Metastatic Cancer "Moving Forward with Hope".  It starts out by saying something like, now that you've had a chance to process the news your doctor gave you here's what you need to know.

"But you'll soon see that life goes on-- even with metastatic cancer. Remember: Although it may not be curable, metastatic cancer is treatable, and you can live many years with the disease, just as you might with a chronic condition such as heart disease. So that special birthday, your child's wedding, the birth of your grandchild...don't count it out."

Today I spent grieving. As my dad said, "tomorrow we fight!"  I get that the cancer can wake up any time for any reason BUT God can perform a miracle and completely remove all cancer cells that the doctors are unable to. He can reverse the damage done to the bone. I believe in miracles and I'd really like to see a PET scan show that I am completely cancer free!  We still need tons of prayers.  We still need people who believe in miracles to hold us up in prayer, to fast & pray on our behalf, to call out to God to heal this earthly body of mine.  We still need help from those around us for tasks like laundry, yard work, picking kids up & dropping them off, meals, cleaning, etc  I do have pain in the areas of my hips and back where it has damaged the bone but I will not allow that to take me down.  I'm praying that I don't only get a few years with my family but several years to be with them & do God's work.  I'm not done with the tasks he's had me working on.  My husband needs prayer. Constant prayer as he processes everything & tries to make decisions for what is best for our family.  My children need prayer. They have what ifs too and a child shouldn't have to think about those what ifs if they don't have to.  So please keep praying.  God hears. God knows. And he most certainly cares about us.

Tomorrow I get the first shot to decrease the estrogen in my body.  And I hope to hear that we have an appointment in Ann Arbor next week. That means I'll be packing soon and travelling so I'm not sure how the updates will happen but my whole family needs your prayers. Encouraging words, cards, etc.  We need to continuously be lifted up and interceded for in hope & belief that God will answer with a miracle.  We may  not get back with all of you but we appreciate all that you do. There is power in prayer so please continue it.  Thanks so much!

One more thing. I was reminded of the story of Gideon from the bible during the time I was processing this information.  If you are unfamiliar with this story it is found in Judges 6 I believe.  Gideon was in charge of an army. He was told to send some of his soldiers back home.  He didn't have very many soldiers to begin with but he did what God told him to.  In the end, he had 300 soldiers to fight this massive army with.  The whole reason God did it this way was to show Gideon, the army, & everyone else that God is the one that won the battle, not Gideon, not the army because they were greatly outnumbered.  I know that God has a plan for me. I don't know what that plan is right now, nor do I always like the way it plays out but I trust God. I trust that he has my best interest at heart.  Perhaps God will use me to show a mighty miracle & bring more people into His Kingdom. A miracle that only HE could perform since the doctors say that this cancer is not curable but just treatable.  Just like he conquered the HUGE army that fought against Gideon's 300 men, he can conquer this cancer.  My hope is in Him and what He can do. Some days or times my family & I might lose site of this. That's where our prayer warriors, YOU all come in. Keep lifting us up in prayer, keep believing in God's healing touch, keep sending us scriptures to read & pray.  If you feel comfortable posting a prayer on Facebook for us to read, please do so. If you would like to send us one in a private message, please do so.  We read them all. I have been praying several of them over & over again. We are just unable to message back to everyone since we still have 4 kiddos to care for & things to learn & process.  We appreciate your time, your love, kind words, cards, prayers, & well, everything you are doing for us.  We are very blessed!!!

Never thought that I'd be.....

Ordering a catalog of wigs to pick a hairdo that I like. I've been warned that people usually lose their hair with the chemo treatments I'm supposed to start in a few short weeks.  I like shopping but this is a whole new experience for me.  I've put on a few wigs in my past, ones that were fun & crazy for costumes but nothing because I've lost my hair.  This is new and a little shocking but I will take it step by step.  Who knows, it would be cool if my hair grew back as the beautiful auburn color I grew up with until about my 3rd or 4th year of college when it started darkening.  No matter what happens, hair grows back and that's just what I keep telling myself.  However my biggest concern is not for myself but rather for my children & husband.  To me, it's just hair. It is a part of me but when I lose my hair, it will show that the chemo is working to tell the cells that have been doubling themselves like crazy to STOP.  I will still have my smile, my brown eyes, my high cheek bones, & my button nose but will have to borrow some hair for awhile.  All will be okay.  So for now, I treat this just about like any other online or catalog shopping I do. I educate myself to buy the best quality for the price that I am willing or able to pay.  Thankfully I have a hair stylist that has helped others & is so generously helping me maneuver this with love, kindness, gentleness, patience, & a good sense of humor.  I am blessed!

Today my baby sister Natalie came over to help out. She washed dishes, changed diapers, hung & folded laundry, helped carry large items that we have for sale out of the game room in the basement. She is a sweet & loving sister. I count the world a better place since she was born. :)

A shout out to my sister Renee` who got her kids ready for school on Monday after working late and then drove over to the place where our first appointment was on Monday.  She took Sadie to the store to look at toys to distract her while we met with the breast specialist for nearly 2 hours. Then rode with us when we went to St. Vincent hospital for the whirlwind of appointments they were able to schedule for us. She sat patiently in the van while Sadie slept for what I'm sure felt like a bazillion hours.  While Sadie slept she wet her diaper & it leaked & since it seldom does that, I never thought to bring extra clothes so Auntie took her to the store, bought her new clothes & then changed her diaper & freshened her up.  Then she had us stay the night on Thursday so we'd be able to get up & head to the hospital for the surgery & tests on Friday morning at 6am.  And then she came over to the hospital to sit with Adam & Sadie until I finished.

I'm not done...my parents have been amazing, especially my mom who has shown me such strength & faith as she has walked through medical things herself & with some of us growing up. She has come to our aid in the past when Morgan was born with breathing problems & spent 25 days in the NICU in Green Bay.  My mom has Multiple Sclerosis which tires her out & makes it harder for her to get around and yet she dropped everything to come stay the night & watch our kids. Get them off to school & then spent the day cleaning our house & made sure to be home for them to reassure them that mom & dad would be home soon to see them. She has a faith that to me has always seemed to be unwavering.  Growing up, I saw her pray, I saw her trust God to get us through the tough times & now I lean on her, my brave & wonderful mom to help me with the months ahead.  God knew what he was doing when he placed me in the family that he did.  Thank you mom I LOVE you!!!  And my mom wouldn't be the person she is without my dad's love & support so thank you pappy! I Love you too!

Prayers for Friday Nov 1st

Prayer Warriors

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer last week. Adam & I met with the breast specialist on Monday to discuss our treatment plan.  Because of the size and rate it is growing as well as the fact that I was breastfeeding so they were unable to get good pictures of the tumor and because we are waiting for some other tests to come back, I will be having a port placed near my clavicle on Friday morning in order to start chemotherapy within the next week or so.  Treatments will be once every 2 weeks for 8 weeks and then once a week for 12 weeks.  That’s 20 weeks of chemo.  I will also have an EEG done as well as a PET scan on Friday while we are down in Green Bay. This will take from 6am until about 2pm. We are asking for prayers that the PET scan comes back clear. That would mean that the cancer has not figured out how to leave the breast tissue through the lymph nodes and is contained; which would be great news!  Also please pray that the genetics test comes back negative as well.  Since I had to abruptly stop breastfeeding, I have been in pain for days. Praying for the milk to dry up quickly would be good and would help me be more comfortable. Please lift all our children up in prayer, but especially Sadie & Morgan. Sadie is having trouble calming down since she is unable to nurse. It is making for some very long and tiring nights for me. She also knows that something is going on & just about every time I leave the room, she starts to cry.  It’s hard to watch that but she’ll get better.   And Morgan is our super sensitive girl that needs extra reassurance that all will be well.  We believe that God will walk us and carry us through these times but sometimes it will feel like it is taking forever. Prayer & encouragement is essential. So we thank you for being willing to help us out with this. Please pray that I am able to tolerate chemo well. My treatments will be here in Escanaba with my oncologist from Green Bay.  We feel God’s clarity in the decisions we've made and we have an excellent team of physicians taking care of us.  Thank you for continued prayers.

Jeannette & Adam Pierce

Praise Him for Loving us so much that he's blessed us with great friends & the ability to be cared for & 'feel' his hand in this whole thing. We don't have that feeling of anxious but rather determination. It's great

1. Clear PET scan

2. negative on the genetic testing

3. Port placement, EEG, & PET scan to go smoothly on Friday

4. Abrupt stop of nursing & the effects on my body as well as how it all affects Sadie

5. Prayer for kids to cope & for their faith to develop even more.

6. Tolerate chemo good.

7. That we will be a great witness with the right words to share with others.

Be Encouraged & Reflect

So last week the kids & I spent most of the week going through their closets, drawers, papers & trinkety stuff they had stashed to save. It took a lot of time to get through 3 kids worth of stuff and sometimes its really hard to make the decision to get rid of special things that we think are dear to us.  I know I struggle with this sometimes but try to detach myself from the object if it isn't needed & I am trying to teach my kids the same thing.  The items that we place value on are usually more about the memories that we hold dear to us rather than the object itself.  The point is, I had to spend so much time in the bedrooms that not much else got done around the house, which made me feel out of control because so much was out of place which led to me feel discouraged.  And to top it off, my kids kept fighting with each other.  I posted about how frustrated I was & I want to thank everyone for the encouraging words.  What I realized was that sometimes we need to take a step back.  We need to take in as much encouragement as we can. Sometimes it comes from a great quote, reading the Bible or another good book, listening to those that have been through the same thing you are facing, or some other way.  Once we have that encouragement, we have a better chance of reflecting or evaluating the situation a little better.  We all have issues we deal with, your issue might not be dealing with kids that keep arguing & a house that is messy, it might have to do with a medical issue, or something you thought you had mastered only to have taken a step or two backwards...  I'll stop there because that list could go on for pages & pages. My point is, we are all a work in progress. We need to take time to reflect on what we have already accomplished and reevaluate things to see where we need to head.  Make a plan & head in that direction. There will be bumps along the way but we have to keep getting up, brushing ourselves off and moving toward the goal by following the plan that we have laid out.  If you want to get somewhere you need directions. If you want to build something great, you need blueprints, a plan...well reaching our goals in life happens in the same way.  You've got to make a plan.

What's your goal?  What's your plan to reach it?

Speed 2.0 Focus T25 workout

Oh my Goodness!  This was by far my FAVORITE, like my absolute favorite workout in the T25 series of workouts so far.  I LOVED it so much!  It was go, go, go.  Yesterday I started the Beta Phase of T25 which if you are unfamiliar with this new workout is the 2nd phase.  No need to be afraid of this program, you do what YOU can & build yourself up stronger, faster, & with more endurance. Let me start by explaining this program from the beginning.

Focus T25 is Shaun T's newest workout and is designed for most people in mind. Please consult your physician before you start any program.  It is 25 minutes of intense exercise.  The super cool thing is that it doesn't take long & it has a modifier in it so if you can't do the jumps, you can modify & do low impact but still have the intensity in just 25 minutes most days of the week.  The 1st phase is called Alpha phase and is your base for learning this workout program.  The goal is to get your movements down pat so that you can build on it. Form is extremely important in this Phase.  The first phase is set up for 5 weeks.  Since I had some injuries I was dealing with during the 1st phase, I missed a few workouts. I decided to try to make them up because they totaled about a week. That meant I did phase 1 for about 6 weeks instead of the typical 5 which ended last week.  Yesterday I started Phase 2 the Beta phase.  I like starting new things so having a new phase within this workout was cool for me! Yesterday was Cardio & was good but when I put today's video in Shaun T said, I hope you drank your E&E you're gonna need it.  WHAT?  I didn't drink any E&E but I have a tub of it so instead of starting my workout when I was going to, I drank E&E & waiting the 30 minutes to start it the right way.  That threw my routine that I am desperately trying to get into place all out of whack.  In case you aren't familiar with E&E its an Energy & Endurance drink that helps you burn more calories as well as have the energy to get through your workout.  And it works!  I put that DVD in & pressed play & let me tell you, it was go, Go, GO!  And I loved it.  I wear an armband that tells how many calories that I burn & it registered that my intensity level was not just moderate but Vigorous from pretty much start to finish!  It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  I feel so great now that I can tackle anything today.  That's what I love about working out. AND I love it even more that I was able to do it in 25 minutes.  Everyone has 25 minutes. Right???  What are your goals?  I'd love to help you reach them.  Message me!

If you've got questions about this workout program, leave a comment below or message me on Facebook www.facebook.com/jeannette.pierce  or you can email me coachjetta7@gmail.com

I <3 Comments AND I love getting to know people.  It's fun!

Miss his smile, hugs, wisdom...

It's been two years since my Grandpa Kenny went to be with Jesus. I always said it more like grampa though because sometimes I'd call him Gramps.

Today I remember his wonderful smile.  His big strong hugs, and the wonderful wisdom he shared with all of us.  He wasn't perfect but he loved God so much & he was a good example to his family & those who knew him.  He had a knack for growing a beautiful garden full of color, bursting with taste, & tons of veggies that he willingly shared.  He was a man of honor, a man of great character, a man devoted to his wife & his family.  Family was so important to him & we all knew it.  He was a hard worker.  In fact, I've been told that unlike most people, he didn't mind work.  He seldom complained & one would often hear the phrase, "No complaints" from his mouth when asked how he was.  That leads me to believe that he was a content man.  He had an 8th grade education but he was far more intelligent & knowledgeable than an 8th grade education gets you these days.  I never had the privilege to see it myself but I've been told that he would get on his knees every night to pray.  He told me once that each  night he prayed for every one of us grandchildren (including great-grandchildren).  He liked to tease & have fun with pranks.  He was a generous man, always giving of his time.  He taught by his actions. I watched him come back from several strokes as he went through physical therapy sessions & then worked on his own to do the exercises to strengthen himself again. He was a stubborn man but used in the right way taught me perseverance. He liked to rile my Gram with comments & get her reaction & sit back & laugh.  He disliked iced tea (one of my favorite drinks). He wasn't perfect but he was wonderful. I miss his smile.  I miss his hugs & the twinkle in his eyes.  I wish my kids would have gotten to spend more time with him or that he would have been able to meet Sadie.  I love the legacy he left behind for us.  Dedicated to his faith, family, hard worker, etc.  So two years ago on this day, he may have departed from us here but I wanted to celebrate his life & legacy.  And I look forward to our reunion in heaven.  It's gonna be grand!  Miss you so much Grampa!!!  I will share his memory & values with my children, nieces, & nephews so they can get a glimpse of who he was.

No Excuses. Stay Committed. PERIOD!

No Excuses. Stay Committed. PERIOD!

With a new year often come new goals. Or perhaps old ones that you are resurrecting because you didn't accomplish them in full the way you had intended. Once you decide what your goals are you need to commit to achieving them.  You can’t have a lackadaisical attitude about your goals or you'll just end up putting them on next year’s list again.  Eventually frustration sets in & you may give up entirely even though it’s something you really do want to achieve.

If you know me then you know that I LOVE to make lists.  I’d go as far as to say it makes me happy to make a list but it brings me JOY to cross things off that list. Are you a crazy list lover like me?  A great way to get to cross those things off my list is to have a plan for each goal that I set.  Now I know I’m not the only one that struggles with stuff like this because I talk to a lot of people & so many have told me that it’s hard to reach those goals. I want to reach my goals but I don’t want to do it alone. I want to help others achieve their goals too.  So let’s be committed together & have a plan so that when something besides our plan happens, we can stay on track or we can get back on track quickly without beating ourselves up.

I’m gonna share what happened this morning in my house.  Now please don’t read into this & think that I’m telling you that I’m better than you or that you stink at making a hard choice when things don’t go as planned. That might be what you ‘hear’ but that’s not remotely close to what I’m saying.  If you are a parent I’m sure this has happened at some point to you, probably even more than once.  

With the New Year, a clean slate, I recommitted to exercising 5 days a week. I’m currently on day 6 of Les Mills Combat. My initial plan was to wake at 6:30am, get contacts in & get dressed & get as much of my workout done by 7am when I have to stop to get my school aged kids ready for school.  The middle 2 get on the bus at 8:10, the oldest gets picked up at 8:30 so when those 3 are gone I finish whatever is left of my workout.  This might not be ‘ideal’ for a workout but one of my new things is to remind myself that “Some beats none.”

The first morning I had about 20 minutes left after getting the kids off to school.  By yesterday, I worked my way to only having about 10 minutes to finish after they all left.  I was improving with waking up earlier so I could get more done before the kids were up.  Now remember, I also have a 9 month old & whatever she decides her schedule is for the ‘moment’, that’s what I kind of go with.

This morning was one of those unplanned mornings.  I woke up to #1 telling me that #3 needed me.  Of course I jumped out of bed thinking that she was throwing up or something.  (After all the flu is going around like crazy & with them being back in school….well….)  I hate cleaning up ‘that stuff’.  I used to have a daycare & now we've got 4 kids of our own so I've had my share of it.  Thankfully it wasn't the flu. Instead, Morgan’s neck had a terrible kink in it & she was crying & told me she couldn't move her head at all.  I grabbed the heat pad & tried to make her comfy so she could rest a bit longer. The clock now said something like 6:20 & I knew I had a choice; I could try to fit my workout in later or do it now. But let’s be honest, I've found that if I don’t do my workout in the morning, the chances of it happening are extremely low…almost nonexistent.  SO I sucked it up. I reminded myself that I was committed to my routine, I have a plan. I headed down to ‘Press Play’. I tried to hit play in the SuperGym too but the internet was giving me trouble. I fussed with it for a bit when a glance at the clock told me that it was decision time.  Do I make reasons excuses that I just couldn't overcome the obstacles or just do it?  I laced up my shoes, got my DVD out, TV set up & pressed play.  Great job Jeannette, you overcame a rough morning. Big smile on my face as I punched & kicked with the Combat team…. But that's not the end of the obstacles.

Oh no!  Now I could hear the baby crying.  Sheesh!  Are you kidding me?  Pause.  Run up the stairs. Hold baby & feed her till she drifts off to sleep again. Put her in the crib.  Now it’s even later.  I've got about 10 minutes & I have to wake the kids & still deal with Morgan’s neck & knowing she’s not going to be able to do much to get ready on her own.  Back downstairs I press play again. Whew! 10 minutes more & time to press pause again.  Woke kids up, called to schedule Morgan to see the chiropractor, helped the kids with breakfast, made lunches, etc.  Since Morgan’s appointment was for 8:30 & school is at 8:45, I had another decision to make. Should I try to squeeze the rest of my workout in or wait until after 9 when I’d get back from dropping Morgan at school?  I decided that since Braly & Gabby are old enough & pretty good at getting themselves ready for their rides on time, I needed to press play again so I could finish.  Instead of making excuses, I stayed committed & finished my Combat workout.

What a morning right?  Sound familiar?  Even when you plan & have things set out, plans can change. Circumstances happen.  Have YOU ever have one of those days?  I can honestly say that I don’t regret pressing play. In fact, I feel as though I earned a gold star for the day & I want you to have that same feeling.  Once you decide on your goals, no matter what area in your life it is, finances, exercise, eating healthy, growing your faith, etc. commit to those goals & don’t let anything get in your way. Do your best to make it happen.  Yes, sometimes ‘life happens’ but if you are committed you can get back on track a lot quicker than if you aren't committed.  Don’t let those thoughts in your head make you feel bad, put it behind you & move forward, accept it for the slip-up that it was & move on to reach your goals from now on. No excuses. Stay committed. Period!

Questions: I’d love to hear from you!  What are your goals? What is your plan to reach your goals?  Are you committed no matter what?