A Visit with Anniston!

Before we left Ruston on Saturday after Thanksgiving, we got to have a short visit with JanJan and Anniston and Lindsey!! I gave her one of the baby hats that I knitted and a book to read. We had fun getting to see her in person and give her a hug!

Thanksgiving Day in Louisiana

We enjoyed spending time during the week of Thanksgiving with family in Louisiana.

November Notes

No Radiation!
That's right! When I went on November 17 for my first radiation treatment, the doctor said that since my diagnosis had been changed from Ductal to Lobular, and since I had surgery with "clean" margins and No Invasion, then radiation was no longer necessary. Hurray! Radiation was Cancelled! I know this sounds confusing and kinda crazy, but that is how it's been through this whole ordeal. Now all I have to do is get regular check-ups and I'm trying out Tamoxifen. So far, no side effects. Thanks everyone for all of the prayers and concerns, but I'm really doing fine and hopefully I can put all of this behind me and move on to something else!

The Visitor
During November I had a visit from one of my Tomball knitting friends! Martha came to see me, and we had a great time catching-up, knitting and exploring NW Arkansas! Martha was passing through on her journey to visit her mother in Illinois and others along the way in Indiana and Missouri when she took a little side-trip over to Bentonville. It was great to see her and to spend time together talking and knitting and playing. We went to War Eagle Mill and then over to Eureka Springs for a day trip, and then the next day we went to a knitting shop in downtown Fayetteville and we had lunch "underground" at Hugo's! Fun! The knitting shop in Fayetteville is not like The Hen House in Klein/Spring, TX, but it's the only one I know about. It did have some cute projects to look at and different patterns and yarn and a big black cat! Ha!
Thanks Martha for stopping in for a visit. I really enjoyed it!

The Lemon Tree Update
The lemon tree is surviving Northwest Arkansas so far. I even picked one of the lemons this morning! And, there is a new bloom! I have to keep the tree inside where it is warm and cozy.

Photos
Here are a few photos from November...

Meg Moore and Jan Martin

participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

for breast cancer in Monroe, LA in October.

 

Engagement Announcement

Wedding Bells will ring in February!

Dan and Kim became engaged to be married this summer in July! They have been making plans and we are all excited about the wedding in February. They will be married in Kim's hometown of Georgetown, TX. 

Our family is growing!  

November

Giving Thanks
I have so many people to thank for prayers, phone calls, flowers, cards, e-mails, and text messages recently. All of the words of kindness and encouragement have helped me more than you know. I really do appreciate the thoughts, well-wishes, and prayers, and I am remembering each one of you each day, and I'm thanking God for each of you. God has brought a variety of people into my life, and each one has filled a different need of love, kindness, friendship, and encouragement. When I look back on the things that have taken place in the last few months, I can see so many times when God's loving hand of mercy has reached out to me and brought comfort and peace. There's a lot of uncertainty in life and that has always been something that I don't like. I like to know what's going to happen so that I can be ready and prepared before hand. But, unfortunately, life just happens sometimes without warning. It's during those times that I usually fail to remember everything I have learned and I fall into a pit of fear. I have really been experiencing fear lately, and I can easily live in a complete state of fear which is paralyzing and self-indulgent. But God continues to remind me through His word and through my circumstances and friends and family that He is in control, and that no matter what happens, I can fully trust Him to take care of everything in His way and in His timing. Of course it is a process of me releasing each day to Him all of the fear and uncertainty and resting in His peace, knowing that God is still in control and I shouldn't worry. So, I'm trying to remain in a state of Thankfulness for all things.

New Diagnosis
Well, on Wednesday of this week I had a consultation appointment with Dr. Hershey Garner, an Oncology Radiologist. First of all I went there with the attitude of  "we'll see" and not wanting to be there. You see, I'm very skeptical about radiation treatment and whether or not it works. So, I came out of the appointment undecided and ready to do just about anything else but radiation. Then, after I got home and was feeling pretty good about myself and not doing radiation, the nurse from Dr. Cross's office called. She wanted to know how my appointment went, and she wanted to tell me that Dr. Cross had received my new "amended" diagnosis. After the surgery, the pathology report included a "comment" at the bottom that said they had to send off the tissue for further study and the report would be amended at a later time. But, I had thought that since 3 weeks had passed, that probably everything was still the same. Well, Kristin, Dr. Cross's nurse was on the phone now telling me that the diagnosis is not going to be the same. Previously the diagnosis was Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, No Invasion, Clear lymph nodes, clean margins. Now the diagnosis is has been changed to Pleomorphic Lobular Carcinoma In Situ with Apocrine features. Still No Invasion, still clear lymph nodes, and clean margins around the excisional site.The biggest change that Kristin was trying to tell me is that Dr. Cross wants me to do the Radiation treatments, and that it's not really an option to skip radiation anymore. Now, I don't know very much about this diagnosis. It is very similar to DCIS and so it will be treated in the same way. So, I will definitely be taking the radiation treatments. This past week I have already been "marked" for radiation and I should be starting with the treatments in about a week. I will continue to trust God that this is His plan for my life and He will walk through this time of fear and uncertainty with me and Fletcher, and He will see us through to the other side of the radiation treatments. These will last somewhere between 5 and 7 weeks. I'll update when I know more.

Dr. Appointments
My life has quickly become a series of Dr. appointments. The next appointment is tomorrow when I will meet with Dr. Rosenfeld, another Oncologist, about whether or not to take a hormone blocking drug called Tamoxifen. I'm hoping that he will say that I don't have to do this, but I don't know yet. My ER was only 10% and PR was 0, so it may not help much, but on the otherhand, it might be preventative for the other side. We'll see...

Flowers and Treats!
Here are a few pictures of the flowers and edible gifts I have recently received!
Thanks again!

 1.

1. From Aunt Cullyne, Cil and Charlane

2.

2. From Amy

3.

3. From Judy and Rick

4.

4. From Rhonda and John

Matt and Meredyth

October

It's hard to believe it's already the last day of October!
So many things have happened this month!

THE SURGERY      http://www.breasttreatment.com/
I guess the biggest thing for me this month was having surgery. On Oct. 14, I had lumpectomy surgery at North Hills Surgery Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Dr. Cross removed the "affected area", and he did a very nice job! I know I was in good hands, and he was intentional in removing everything that might possibly be cancer so that he was able to get clean margins all around the area. He also removed some lymph nodes which were tested and found to be "all clear" of cancer cells! The pathology report says No Invasion, so all of this is good news, and I am grateful to have dedicated doctors that basically saved my life. It was caught early, and early detection is the key to survival. Fletcher has been a wonderful and supportive husband through all of this, and I am thankful for him and for my parents that helped to take care of me after surgery, so I didn't have to do anything for at least a week! But, I feel like I have spent the entire month of October dealing with this, and I'm ready to move on to something else more positive. But what?

What is DCIS?

Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

DCIS by definition is a "pre-invasive" carcinoma (cancer). It is confined within the ducts of the breast. There is no risk of metastatic behavior because it is within the ducts. The cure is surgical removal.

There is no known "cause" for DCIS. It is an abnormal cell reproduction. This means that these "cancer" cells don't know when to stop dividing, and eventually there are enough cells to make a lump or swelling called a tumor.

If it's a "benign" tumor, that means that it will not spread into nearby healthy tissue. If it's a "malignant" tumor, then it will invade surrounding healthy tissue and may send cells to other parts of the body.

DCIS lies somewhere in-between benign and malignant since it will sometimes begin as benign and then at some point becomes malignant. No one knows when this will happen.

Todays technology has made it possible for DCIS to be seen on a mammogram, sonogram, or MRI to such an extent that doctors are able to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages and stop it before it becomes malignant. Hopefully, that is the case for me.

What causes DCIS? No one really knows. What they do know is that there is an increased risk of developing breast cancer in families that have a history of breast cancer. Diet may play a role, but that role is still unclear since there is no known specific cause-effect connection between certain foods and DCIS. Too much alcohol, environment, older age, benign breast disease, and some reproductive factors may play a role in the development of DCIS. There is really no single cause, but rather a variety of associations since cancer is a complex interplay of genetics, environment, and lifestyle.

*If any "invasive" cancer cells are found, then the diagnosis is no longer DCIS, but becomes a new diagnosis of Invasive Breast Cancer. This can only be determined 48 hours after surgery when the doctors have had a chance to look more closely at the tumor and the surrounding tissues, and have the results of a sentinel node biopsy.

Sources:
1. www.breastpathology.info/carcinoma
2. http://dcis.info/

Genetic Testing Results

The Good News:
I do not carry an inherited gene mutation for BRCA1 or BRCA2 which causes an increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer. This is good news for my children because if I don't have it, then they don't have it! The majority of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer is due to an alteration or mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. These mutations can be inherited from either your mother or father. My recent genetic testing for this gene mutation result was:  Negative! This means that my chance of breast cancer recurrence or for ovarian cancer is significantly reduced.

The Bad News:
I still have the same Ductal Carcinoma In Situ diagnosis which does increase my risk for invasion and recurrence and I still have to have some type of surgery. I'm still considering my options and taking the advice of the breast oncology surgeon to see a plastic surgeon and consider a mastectomy with reconstruction, or even a double mastectomy with reconstruction. It looks like these are my two best options considering the location, size, and chance of recurrence.

Our day trip to Gravette, AR

While Mother and Daddy were here visiting we took a ride over to Gravette, Arkansas to find The Shepherd Chapel Church. This is a Christian church that broadcasts services on TV, and Daddy has seen their program and wondered about this church and its location since it is so close to Bentonville. It is about 17 miles from here to the very small town of Gravette, AR, so it is pretty amazing that they have the ability to broadcast worldwide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week teaching and proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.

The Lemon Tree

This is the lemon tree that Fletcher's mom gave us when we moved into our house in The Woodlands as a housewarming gift. It thrived in the climate of southeast Texas and produced these two lemons. But, I'm a little worried about how it will do here in northwest Arkansas. So far it's ok, but the weather is getting cooler and dryer by the day. I'm planning on bringing it inside, but I'm not sure that will be good for it either. Any suggestions? I'll keep you posted on how the lemon tree is doing. It smells so good!

Blessings

Just wanted to let our FBC Tomball Sunday School Class know how much we appreciate all of your love and prayers as we were moving to Arkansas. We love this gift that reminds us of you and the friends we still have in Tomball. Thanks so much for such a special gift. We love and miss you!

Hopefully we will be back to Tomball to visit often.

Homemade

There's nothing like making a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies to make a new place feel and smell like home. Last Sunday afternoon, after attending church at First Baptist Church in Bentonville, we came home, had a bowl of chilli, and made these cookies while watching the Cowboys vs. The Texans. Follow this with a nap, and it doesn't matter what state you live in, you just get that feeling that you're at home.
Sweet.

First Week in Arkansas "Wooooo Pig Sooie Razorbacks!"

It's hard to believe we've already been here for one whole week!

The house is beginning to feel like our home as we have been putting things in place. I still have a lot to do, but it's coming together. We started the week, last Sunday, with a visit from my parents. They traveled  from north Louisiana to visit us here in Bentonville and to give us a hand with the unpacking. They were a lot of help. Daddy broke down all of the empty boxes and bagged up all of the paper and then drug it all out to the street to be picked up, and mother helped me inside with putting things away and decorating. It was great to have them here to keep me company too since Fletcher had to leave for the whole week!

On Monday I had the MRI at The Breast Center of Northwest Arkansas in Fayetteville and met Dr. Harms, the Radiologist. The MRI went well, not as bad as I thought it might be thanks to a couple of very caring nurses. Dr. Harms met with me afterward to discuss the results. He said there were no new spots, and the lymph nodes look good. But he thinks the MRI shows that there could be a possibility of some invasion. The diagnosis is still the same: DCIS in the right side only, with possible invasion. They won't know for sure until surgery. Dr. Harms also suggested the genetic testing for BRAC1 and BRAC2. Then, on Tuesday, I met Dr. Cross, the breast oncology surgeon. He was also very nice and spent about an hour with me explaining my options. He suggested that I wait and see about the outcome of the genetic testing before I make a final decision. I agreed, and I don't mind waiting a few weeks. This will give me time to get used to the idea and to get used to living here, and to get unpacked a little more before surgery.

Thanks to my Houston doctors: Dr. Todd Youngblood, a great Family Physician who encouraged me to have the mammogram in the first place, Dr. Rose, an excellent Radiologist at Tops Comprehensive Breast Center in Houston, and Dr. Philip Sutton, the Oncology Breast Surgeon Specialist, for setting up the appointments with the doctors here and for making phone calls on my behalf. I really do appreciate their help because it helped to make the transition from Houston to Fayetteville a little easier. They were able to get me in with the best doctors in this area, and Dr. Harms,a nationally renowned Radiologist, is probably the best in the country, and he knows Dr. Rose since they both worked together in Texas at MD Anderson. And, the icing on the cake is that Dr. Harms and Dr. Cross are both very caring doctors and just regular nice people too. On Thursday, I went to a counseling session for the genetic testing with a nurse at The Breast Center of Northwest Arkansas, and then I went over to the lab at the Diagnostic Clinic across the street to have blood drawn, and to get a baseline chest x-ray for Dr. Cross. I'm beginning to know my way around here, at least to all of the Dr. Offices! Ha!

Fletcher had a good week in Baton Rouge and came home on Friday all excited about getting started with his new position here in Bentonville with Community Coffee.

So far we really like it here, and I hope things continue to go well!
Thanks to all of our friends and family who have been praying for us through all of these changes. We really appreciate it and we are missing our Tomball friends. Thanks for all of the phone calls! We love you all!

We Moved!

We're busy unpacking and getting settled in our new home in Arkansas!

So far we really like it here. The weather is very nice this time of year.

The Diagnosis

As a follow up to my fiftieth birthday, I felt compelled to get a regular "check-up" at the doctor. I have a wonderful doctor, and every time I've seen him for any ailment he always asks if I've had a mammogram recently. This July, when he asked me I hesitated once again, but decided it would be a good idea to get one shceduled before we move to Arkansas. So, on July 19 I had a routine mammogram. About 3 weeks later, I got a call to come back for a second mammogram. This did cause me some concern since they asked me to go to a different place this time, but I still just thought it was a follow-up because I hadn't had one in five years. On this visit after the mammogram, I was asked to go to another room where a technician wanted to do an ultra sound. Well, now I was sure they had found something to look at, but I still didn't think it would be anything significant. After the technician did the ultra sound, then entered the Radiologist (they send a "separate" bill) and he spent about 45 min. with the ultra sound. Finally he said there were a couple of places he thought should be biopsied. As I left, an appointment was made for the biopsies. I asked Fletcher to go with me to the biopsy, and I'm so glad he did. The results of the biopsy showed one tumor was positive for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). Since we are moving, I will still need an MRI and then some type of surgery will follow. I'll be continuing this story in Arkansas...

Dinner at Dan's

Dan invited us to a Labor Day Cookout at his new house. He has recently rented a home in Houston that he and Kim will live in together after they are married in February. Dan and Kim cooked fajitas on the grill and it was delicious!

Thanks Dan! It was fun to have dinner with you at your house!

Jennifer starts Pharmacy School!

We are so proud of Jennifer!
She has started on a path to become a Pharmacist. She is now a student at The University of Texas Pharmacy School working toward a Pharm D. in Pharmacy.

Whoop!

Scotts are on the move again!

Well, I have a little catching up to do on the blog, but just to let you know for now, we will be moving in mid September. We have already leased a home in Bentonville, Arkansas. Yep, we are trading our cowboy boots for hiking boots and moving to the Ozark Mountains. Fletcher will be representing Community Coffee Company at the home office of Walmart! He is very excited about this new opportunity with Community Coffee, so I am excited too! It will be a fun adventure for us in our "mid-life" as we move on up to Arkansas. Of course we will miss Texas (which we love) and our friends in Texas, and our hearts are always at home in Louisiana, but God has provided this wonderful opportunity, so we don't want to miss out on what's going to happen in Arkansas.

Christmas is over. What now?

Christmas took up so much of my time with planning, shopping, cooking, and visiting that now that it's over, I really have to remember that it's over already, and I have to move on with this new year and do something else instead of shopping and cooking, and preparing for Christmas...but what?? What am I supposed to be doing now? I had been putting so much time and effort into Christmas, that now just seems dull, and boring, and meaningless.

For some reason I became interested in reading the book of Ecclesiastes on New Year's Eve as we were driving toward Rotan, TX at around 11:00pm to spend New Year's with Fletcher's family. I had been reading it earlier in the day before we left and had found the wisdom of Solomon to be so profound. And, since there were no good radio stations on that long stretch of road once we turned north of the Intersate heading toward Rotan, and I was trying to stay awake so that Fletcher would stay awake, I came up with the idea to read the Bible, from my iphone app. That's when I started reading the book of Ecclesiastes aloud to Fletcher (in my teacher/librarian voice), and before I knew it we had read and discussed the entire book! We finished just before we got to Rotan, TX and just before the year 2009 ended and 2010 began!

God thought of everything didn't he? I love the way he knows all of the troubles, feelings, and emotions we will have throughout our life, and he put all of the answers into one book, The Bible, just for us, his children, so that when we open it and seek his advice, it's right there in black and white. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can apply His word to fit our situations in life whatever they might be. What a great and mighty God we serve!

I would love to reprint the entire book of Ecclesiastes right here for you to read and give my own commentary on each chapter and verse, which would probably be different than any you have ever heard before! But, instead I will strongly suggest that you reread this book from your Bible, or iphone app, and see if you agree that God is speaking to you even today through the words of a wise King in the days of the Old Testament. Amazing!

I have included here in this post a few photo memories of our Christmas of 2009 which I am missing very much right now!