Happy New Year!

Hope all of you ring in the new year with lots of happiness!

I finally had a chance to get back to the blog - forgot password and sign on so I haven't been here for quite some time.

2011 may be a better blog year for me! I'll try to update soon to catch you up.

The Latest

Sorry I haven't been posting here for a while. I update via email and on Facebook more often. I'm currently at chemo receiving my Avastin and Abraxane.

I see my oncologist later this morning for the regular monthly checkup. I have a feeling she will schedule a PET scan and CT Scan for May. Things seem to be going as well as expected. I have been off the steroids since Feb 15. I feel good most of the time, but get very fatigued quickly when doing tasks that require a lot of energy. All in all, I can't complain.

I received results of a brain MRI done the last week of March - everything's stable for now. I have another brain MRI at the end of May and a dr. visit with the neurological oncologist.

My feet are feeling better on their own. I have not taken the gabapentin and hope I don't have to. I still have nosebleeds. There's a possibility I will be taken off Avastin if they continue or get worse.

Posted to wrong blog!

I just posted the entry below to the wrong blog. At this moment, I can't figure out how to copy the entry and paste. I have to go to the bus stop for Gunner, so I'll work on things later.

It's been a long time.....

This is the new photo of our family. We had family photos made at Sears on Saturday. We had been wanting to do this since November, but it just hadn't worked out in our schedule. Unfortunately, Goldie is not in the photo, but I'll get one of her to post later.

Things are going pretty well at the Revlett household. We are managing with me and my cancer, the boys being active and Jeff working lots of hours and helping to coach football and do all the other things that a dad/husband does.

Gunner's playing flag football in the winter league and doing quite well. Games are on Sunday afternoons. Sometimes he and Jeff have to leave church early to get to the games on time.

Yesterday, they left and Brandon and I were getting ready for worship. Brandon laid down on the pew and was being silly. He rolled off and hit his head on the floor. Our church has a hard floor under the pews. He immediately started crying and when I picked him up there was a goose egg almost the size of a regular egg on the back of his head. Scared me and we got some ice. He calmed down quickly, but the goose egg was just sooo big. One of our members is a paramedic. He took a look and though he'd probably be fine, but said if it was one of his boys, he'd go to the emergency room just to double check since it was so big. After a few minutes, off I went. Called Jeff to let him know what was going on. Brandon and I were at the emergency room til about 2 pm. Jeff and Gunner arrived right as we were getting the paperwork to be released. Brandon had a CT (only one! for his age that's great, they usually wiggle too much and have to do 3 or 4 to get good images) and everything was fine. He still has a goose egg today but it's less than 1/2 the size it was yesterday.

So Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Jeff and I will be married 17 years next Saturday, February 13. We have a special date planned.....

Brandon will be 3 on Monday, February 15. B-day party is scheduled for 2/20 at a local park.

Have a great day!!! :)

PSALM 34 and Update

Psalm 34

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,

And delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

The young lions lack and suffer hunger,

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Who is the man who desires life,

And loves many days, that he may see good?

Keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking deceit.

Depart from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on teh righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.

The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

He guards all his bones;

Not one of them is broken.

Evil shall slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

I know this is a long Psalm, but just a couple days after I found out my cancer had metastasized to my brain, I opened my Bible to the Psalms and this is the one I read. It has brought me much comfort the past 3 weeks or so. I read it over and over and over. It is so powerful. I hope that you can draw strength from it too.


I haven't written here for so long, that I don't know where to begin. My life has been overwhelming the past month. It all started at my regular oncologist checkup at the end of September. I mentioned that I had been feeling some pressure in my head that I'd never felt before, especially when I would be picking up toys and such. My doc ordered an MRI immediately. The day after the MRI I found out that there was cancer all in my brain, basically several "small" tumors. Four are at least an inch and the docs say they're small. I had 15 days of radiation. I have lost basically all my hair. I had my head shaved two days ago. It's kind of a neat feeling, but now EVERYBODY knows I have cancer. I'd been able to "hide" it in public all these 20 months because I never had the "look". I still feel pretty good and I don't stress too much abou the disease. I get up each morning and imagine Jesus standing in front of me with this big cauldron steaming and He's holding out his arms to take my baggage and boil it away. I give it to Him and start each day fresh. I know that's weird imagery, but it works for me. I'm still on steroids and have 4 days left of them. Hopefully I'll be able to rest good soon. I'm not sleeping much because they just affect me that way. My brain just won't shut off and rest. I continually am thinking and making lists in my head. It just drives me bonkers!!

So, what I want to say to all of you. Your prayers for me are not in vain. Continue to pray believing that God will's be done. I feel wrapped in a blanket of love and the prayers are being answered. I am able to do pretty much anything I want to. I have NO PAIN. I can be a Mom and wife. I'm able to care for the needs of my family. I am happy. The only thing wrong is the cancer just keeps going places in my body and won't go away. I guess that's just going to be the burden I have to deal with because God is so awesome and powerful and good to me. I am so blessed in every other way that I can not be angry or sad or anything like that. I have a life to live and a family to raise and God gives me the ability to do that. Your prayers to Him on my behalf are just amazing. I can never thank you enough for loving me and my family. WE ARE SO BLESSED BEYOND OUR DREAMS.

This morning is going to be tough. I had my PET Scan on Monday and the dr's office called Tuesday afternoon and told me to come in today. They wouldn't give the results, so I know it's not good. Jill is still here. She was supposed to leave yesterday, but she's staying thru Saturday.
I will try to post the outcome as soon as I can, but I don't know what my "mental" state may be after this morning. I can only go by the fact that I feel good other than fatigue. I'm not giving up ever...........only God knows my last day on earth.

Hugs to all!

It's Tuesday, again!!!

Goodmorning everyone! Yet another Tuesday. Toxic cocktail day. Still waiting to get the good stuff. I've had my liter of fluid and am receiving my Zometa (bone strengthening) right now. The Navelbine is hanging, just waiting to be hooked up to my IV line. My bloodwork looked good today. My hemoglobin was 12.6 this morning, which is well within the normal range. That's why I've felt so good in recent days! Last week it was 11.6, below normal. When I fall below normal, I can definitely feel it. (BTW, normal range is 11.8-15.1) Of course my Red Blood Count is LOW, when you're on chemo, it supposed to be. Everything else was in the normal or High range. I think vitamin supplements really make the difference. I know my diet has been lacking......I made fudge brownies Sunday afternoon and have eaten WAAAAYYY too many.

So, as you can tell from the tone of this post so far, I'm feeling pretty good these days. I'm anxiously awaiting the boys getting into school and Jeff completing school. Our lives are going to be so different in the next couple of months! I think the changes will be good for all of us. We're definitely never in a "rut", but a new schedule for the boys and more time with Pop will be most welcome.

This past week, I decided to read the book of Acts. I absolutely can not remember the last time I actually read it from beginning to end. I'm almost done, but I have to say I've learned a lot from meditating on this portion of the Scripture. I hope to finish the book tonight, and may reread it again right away. The true faith of Peter, Saul/Paul, Barnabas and others is such an encouragement! So many segments of this book of scripture SCREAM, "Let go, and let God!"

Acts 14:19-20 (NKJV)
"Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe."

WOW! I just keep thinking what it would FEEL like to be stoned, let alone dragged out like I was dead, and then to just "get up" (like nothing had happened) and walk BACK into where the people had just thought they killed me. What a marvelous testament of faith!! What a miracle from God!! Sometimes, I think my burdens are heavy, but no one has tried to kill me and then I would even think to go back and face them right away, before leaving for another place. My God is so good and He blesses me everyday. I have so much to be thankful for. AMEN

Thoughts of peace......

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NKJV)

Thanks for sending me these verses Sharon R.!