No place like home for the Holidays!

Hi there my friends and family!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I did!  Spent it with my sister Roseline and her husband!  Missed my other sister, Tina though. She spent it with her in-laws family. We all had a nice time with family and PLENTY to eat!

I have to say I'm really glad November is behind me.  Got those expanders out and the drain! Yeah!!!!! Looking forward to the Holidays!  There are some things I want to do during this advent season.  I know I have limitations and I'm afraid to commit to something and not be able to follow through. Here are a few things I want to do!

• Finish shopping and wrapping by Dec 8 this is something I've never been able to accomplish! I've been know to be wrapping my presents minutes before we open! 😁
• At least 3-4 nights drive around looking at lights.  If you know some good local places to go please let me know.  This is something my husband and I love to during Christmas time. 
• Go caroling with family and friends. Let's get together and do this for nursing homes, elderly people at home and possibly for some children who are ill?  Doesn't that sound like fun?  We can get boom box to play the carols so it won't matter if your too shy to sing.  A group of friends from Church came by house when I was going through chemo, it was so special. A night I will always remember. Let me know if your interested!
• Bake some cookies for my husband!

I know this may seem like an easy list but I just found out I'm going to be very busy in December at UCSF.  You see at my last appointment last week I found out it's time to change my medicine. My doctor said since your cancer is slow growing for your next treatment I would like you to try a clinical trial. Even though clinical trials are used mostly for patients at the end of their disease you are certainly not there but your cancer is slow growing so I think you can benefit from this new treatment that is doing very well.  We won't have to go through the approve medications now, they can be saved for later.  I'll write more about the new treatment in a day or so. Just wanted to let you know I'm going to be very busy getting a lot of test done, etc. at UCSF.

For now  I'm trying to live in the moment and enjoy my life!  Got my tree up!  How about you?

2013 Christmas

Hugs and Blessings!
Jeanne

My New Normal

Hey there I know I haven't been updating my blog for a while. Actually I was trying to get use to my new normal. Also, I needed to decide if I wanted to continue this journey openly with you, because this journey I'm on is going to be a road riddled highs and lows.   For now I've decide to keep this journal only because I'm going to need your prayers and friendship as I'm fighting for my life.

However, I've learned in the past few years that maintaining a friendship with a friend who has an incurable disease maybe hard for some people.  I completely understand if that is the case with you.

So here it goes - my health update is:

• Still on my original hormone (anastrozole) medicine for over year. The goal is to be on a drug for as long as possible.  This current drug I'm on only has an average life of 7 months before it stops working. So the fact that I've been on it for 13 months is very good.  
• Still getting the Xgeva shot every month to help heal my bones. 
• Still going to UCSF I have a new doctor as my original doctor left UCSF to be closer to her home.  
• Getting PET/CT scans and MRI every 3 months to monitor my progress
• My progress is pretty much the same. It appears that my spine is trying to heal itself. However, the spots on my lungs have grown a little but nothing that is significant. 
• My expanders were removed Monday 11/11/2013.  I'm currently at home recovering from surgery.  I have those blasted drains in right now. Hopefully they will be removed tomorrow. 

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.  Jeremiah 29:11 

Overall, I feel very blessed and gratefully for my family and friends. Looking forward to the Holidays!   Love and hugs to all of you!

Jeanne Oast

Ps. Geaux Saints!

Cruising Along

Praise God my health is stable and my back is still healing!  I went to UCSF today and  my doctor is very pleased with my progress. My scans are showing that my back is healing and the tumor is inactive. They don't use the term remission they use the term "inactive".  I'm just trying to adjust to the side effects of the drug.  I have severe arthritis symptoms with this drug.  We are making some adjustments so hopefully this will lessen.  Because I'm doing so well, she is recommending I come every three months instead of every month. We are trying to find a local doctor here that will give me my shot which helps my bones heal. I'm so thankful to God, I feel beyond blessed!

We finally moved to our little house in the country next to my sister, Rose and her husband.  I am so grateful for her and her husband letting us live on their property.  Now that we're here I feel so at peace.    I still have a lot of boxes to unpack but I think we're going to be very happy here.

In other news, I don't know if you heard but I open my own online jewelry boutique!  It's called Jeanne's Jewelry Boutique!  I'm very excited about it, below is a link if you want to go check it out! I have over 300 pieces of jewelry and accessories in my shop that I hand-picked from emerging designers.  If you have any questions or need any help picking something out for someone special or for yourself please let me know I'll be glad to help!

Click here to go Jeanne's Jewelry Boutique


I've always wanted to have my own business and I never thought I could with my current diagnosis.   God is so good!  Thank you all for your continued support, love and prayers!

Hugs!
Jeanne Oast