Author: alysafrostick

Happy 2022 everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year celebration ☺️

I have been trying to reflect back on this year and honestly it is a little hazy because of everything going on. Even with the cancer diagnosis, 2021 has been an amazing year: lots of family time, the birth of our baby boy, and seeing Charleigh as a big sister…just a few of the many happy highlights. Moving into 2022, one of my resolutions is to be open, raw, and honest with my emotions on this journey. I am not typically open with my emotions on social media, however I want this blog to be honest and open. No sugar coating.

This past week after Christmas was busy. I had more scans, more bloodwork, and my first chemo infusion.

Monday the 27th, I had my pre-chemo bloodwork, met with the genetics counselor, had my breast MRI (with IV contrast-to help enhance the tissues in the pictures), then had more bloodwork done for genetics testing. Phew! It was a lot and I definitely felt like a pin cushion (3 different “pokes”). I discovered that I have an adverse reaction to the MRI contrast, which led to nausea and vomiting 😳. Luckily they got enough pictures, before I regurgitated my breakfast, that we did not have to continue the contrast. But now we know for next time I need to take anti-nausea medicine before! Whatever it takes though to understand more about this cancer and why I was the chosen one…if you haven’t pick up on it yet, I like Harry Potter a little bit 🙃 and will be continuing HP references through this journey.

The genetics counselor meeting was very interesting with A LOT of information about how cancers can be passed down and which cancers can be “related” to breast cancer but not directly breast cancer. We are looking at if I have any gene mutations that may lead to another cancer down the road.

Wednesday: My first chemo infusion. I had my pearls and pink on, ready to show this shit to the door, and will be keeping up with #pearlsandpink on all my chemo days. I want to thank everyone who wore pink in my honor and tagged #alysasarmy on social media. I cannot even begin to describe how much it meant to me to see support from near and far. It gave me *HOPE* and that hope will get me through this.

For all you medical nerds out there, and those just interested, here are the order of chemotherapy meds and details[if you aren’t interested in those details, skip the next few paragraphs 🙃]. I was given steroids and anti-nausea meds to pre-medicate against any reactions. The monoclonal antibody drugs, Herceptin and Perjeta, are infused first back to back. They are run before the “big chemo” drugs to help activate the body and get my fighting 💪🏼💪🏼 system going. Herceptin ran for 90 minutes for this first dose but the infusion time will decrease over time to 60 min then to 30 min then stay at 30min for the remaining infusions. The Perjeta runs for 60 min with an hour waiting period after to monitor after for side effects. The waiting period after Perjeta will decrease to 30min after this first round. I will remain on Perjeta and Herceptin through Dec 2022.

After the Perjeta wait time came the Taxotere, which ran for 60min. During the Taxotere I am trying cryotherapy on my hands and feet to help prevent neuropathy. The (cold) socks I was able to handle with no problem. The ice gloves on the other hand (…get it..😂🤦🏻‍♀️-horrible joke I know) were ROUGH! I had to take them off after 5 min to let my hands warm up and used intermittently through the remainder of the infusion. I will work on my dad/chemo/pun jokes for the next few blog posts. Or just ask my Uncle David and Blake for some jokes 😂 The Carboplatin came last and ran for 30 min, which will stay at a 30 min run time. Overall, it was just a LONG day of catching up on shows–thank you for the recommendations! On Thursday I had to go back into the infusion center to get the Neulasta shot, which will help with white blood cell growth. As much as I have loved the time spent with my oncology nurses 🙃, It truly is a pain to have to go back in the next day for just one shot. So, My oncologist is going to work with my insurance (as everyone knows insurance can be a pain) about getting an auto injection patch so I do not have to travel back to the treatment center and hospital the following day.

At my infusion on Wednesday, I learned that the full side effects from chemo don’t start showing until 7-14 days after the treatment. Everyone is different, however, and New Year’s Eve played a different tune this year. I started experiencing more of the side effects, including major nausea, headache, body aches (from the Neulasta-“bone growing” shot), and hot flashes. Honestly, its felt like a bad hangover that won’t go away. I really was not expecting to see some of these till next week or so but all I can do is fight and manage these side effects the best I can with the meds we have! Some of my #breasties have mentioned that over time, I will be able to gauge when I’ll start feeling the side effects and when I’ll start feeling better. That will help with when to take certain meds!

The real side effects that come about 7–14 days after the infusion include hair loss. Truthfully, this is one of the things I have some what struggled with the most thinking about. BUT hiding behind my hair is is not who I am. My hair doesn’t define me. It will grow back. I am not sure what color it will come back as, thanks to my terddler,🤨. It’s fine. Everything is fine–insert dumpster fire.

Oh! Friends who are good with make up: if you have any recommendations for easy application of eyelashes and eyebrows (so they are natural looking), I’m all ears!! I will be losing all my hair…including eyelashes and eyebrows…and would love any suggestions. I will be saving money on shaving cream and razors though. Lucky Blake 🙃

Thank you again to our friends Casey and Colin Bunn for raffling off time at their OBX home. My grandmother, Lynea Manners, was the lucky winner! We have some other plans to show thanks and another raffle prize for anyone who has donated. We will be sharing these details in the next few weeks. Thank you again to each and everyone of you for your generosity and support.

Prayers for this next week: 1) insurance covers the Nuelesta auto injection patch so I do not have to travel back to the hospital for extra visits 2)side effects from chemo stay minimal 3)I start to learn my new body and when to take medications to prevent severe side effects of chemo

Love,

Alysa & Blake

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

https://www.gofundme.com/f/alysas-breast-cancer-treatments

https://mealtrain.com/07e2mz

We spent the last 3 days living “normal”. It was absolutely crazy but it was our crazy normal. And it felt so so good. I had no scans no appointments, no where to be and it felt good to just hang out with family. Seeing the magic of Christmas through a child’s eyes and teaching our children about Jesus’s birthday just brings joy to my soul. It felt so good to have these days to just reset before we start living our new normal (and kicking this cancers ass 🙃)

On Wednesday we got the results of my CT scan and bone scan I had earlier in the week. With these scans the doctors were looking to see if the cancer had spread to any other part of my body. If the cancer spreads, it would not be “curable” but could be managed. It could also change some of the chemotherapy. Let me tell you, “scanxiety” is a real thing you guys and it’s brutal. Waiting between scans/tests to get results can drive you insane. After waiting days for the results we found out the results showed the cancer has NOT spread to any other part of my body other than the known lymph nodes near the mass! We are SO SO thankful to God for these results!

I also had an appointment with the oncology team to go over more details about this “Phase 1” (out of 3) with the big chemo drugs. There was a change with the date of my first treatment and will be having it this Wednesday instead of Thursday. Every time after this initial one, treatments will be on a Thursday. I will be receiving 4 drugs: Carboplatin, taxotere, Herceptin, and Perjeta. The Carboplatin and taxotere are the “big” anticancer chemotherapy drugs. These are the drugs that have the “typical” chemotherapy side effects (hair loss, neuropathy, nausea, fatigue, etc.). Herceptin and perjeta are considered monoclonal antibodies that specifically target the HER2 cancer cells (I will continue these two infusions for a full year). These drugs do not have severe side effects like the big chemo drugs. I will also be getting an injection of the drug Neulasta the following day after the infusion. Neulasta is a bone marrow stimulant that helps promote the growth of white blood cells in the bones. They say some people complain of bone pain with this and I can’t help but think of Harry Potter when he had to regrow he bones 🙃 (I mean that’s kinda what it is). So I will be channeling my inner wizard and Harry Potter strength…I mean this gives me faux wizard status right?

“Phase 1” consists of 6 treatments. I will be receiving all 4 drugs during these rounds plus the Neulasta the following day. I wont lie, I am nervous about how my body will respond to them and how severe the symptoms will end up being. It’s hard not to worry or think about these things when you have two little ones depending on you. They say most people start feeling bad a week to two weeks after the infusion, so, just in time for the next treatment. If everything goes as planned, I will be receiving treatments every three weeks.

During this phase there are a few things we will be monitoring. We will be monitoring the tumor size in hopes that the big chemotherapy drugs will shrink it, hopefully all the way! I will also be getting an echocardiogram periodically to check my heart’s ejection fraction since one of the side effects of the Herceptin/Perjeta can effect the heart. Every day before infusions, I will be getting bloodwork done to make sure my levels are safe for the treatments.

So things to pray for this week: 1) that my anxiety stays low amidst this first treatment 2) that the side effects stay minimal and I can still maintain a somewhat ‘normal’ at home life, caring for my husband and kiddos.

Thank you again and again and again to everyone who has supported us, reached out, donated money, delivered meals, etc. It has been amazing and so touching to both Blake and myself. If I am being raw and honest, the financial generosity of so so many has touched us immensely and helped soothe some of the anxiety we have going into this about managing and paying for these treatments. Its daunting and the support we have received has been above and beyond what we ever could have expected.

Some of our family in Florida had t-shirts made and sent me a picture of them all together on Christmas Eve. Talk about a Christmas surprise! So thankful they are apart of our army. See the picture below and if you are interested in a t-shirt, please contact Britt (my sister) via messenger on social media.

For those continuing to ask, here are the links to the meal train and the gofundme. Don’t forget about the New Years Day raffle for a stay at our friends’ OBX beach house CJs Getaway. You will receive 1 ticket for every $20 you donate to go the gofundme.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/alysas-breast-cancer-treatments

https://mealtrain.com/07e2mz

Love always,

Alysa & Blake

‘Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28

Since learning about my cancer diagnosis, the word ‘overwhelmed’ has been consistently used to describe everything. Overwhelmed about the journey ahead. Overwhelmed about the medications and medical procedure ahead. Overwhelmed with balancing parenthood, work, and life. But overwhelmed really describes our feelings on the love, support, outreach, graciousness, compassion, and selflessness of others to help ease our angst. It brings me to tears each time I get another message about someone praying for us, thinking about us, or someone who has reached out to support us in other ways. Our army is amazing and we are so incredibly blessed to have each and everyone of you as part of it. 💗

This week was ‘quieter’ compared to what the upcoming weeks will be like. Wednesday the 15th, we met with our oncologist. She was compassionate, knowledgeable, and put many of our worries about the upcoming treatment schedules at ease. She gave us specifics about what our (tentative) treatment timeline will look like, and we have been able to adapt Blake’s work schedule so his off days coincide with my chemo treatments. We will not get a more accurate stage of the cancer until after my scans next week and the beginning of the following week. Again…waiting. One of the most difficult parts of this whole journey.

Thursday the 16th I had my chemo port put in in preparation for my first chemo treatment on December 30th. Overall the procedure was simple and straight forward. I will do 6 chemo treatments, each 3 weeks apart during the ‘intensive’ phase of chemotherapy. This will last ~18wks and I will then continue with chemo treatments every 3 weeks through December 2022. A whole year of these drugs that are fighting to kill off every terrible cell of this evil disease. During the ‘intense’ phase, I will start off taking 4 different chemotherapy drugs, then continue with two of these through the remainder of the year. After intensive chemo, I will go through the radical mastectomy and reconstruction. Our family has always been blessed with ‘all natural’ bosom sizes, so it will definitely be an adjustment to have ‘fake’ ones. Blake is excited he gets to help me pick out the size…but we have different preferences for this 😉. After reconstruction, I will have 33 radiation treatments, Monday through Friday, for 6+ weeks, while continuing with my chemo treatments. Whew…that’s a lot of appointments and a lot to process. Again overwhelmed comes to mind.

One of the most overwhelming parts of this past week is the incredible financial gifting and support we have received. We never expected or anticipated to receive a fraction of the support (financial or emotional) we have received so far. We sincerely want to thank each and every one of you who has donated to our medical fund. We know everyone has their own bills and things to pay for, so the fact that so many of you have or have considered supporting us is incredible and so touching. Cue more tears…

We have some incredible friends who have supported us over the years. Two of our good friends have graciously offered to raffle off a week at their vacation home in the OBX to one person who has donated to our gofundme (https://www.gofundme.com/f/alysas-breast-cancer-treatments). Colin and Casey Bunn have a beautiful house that sleeps 17 people in the OBX. For each $20 donation, you will receive 1 ticket for the raffle and they will choose a winner on New Years Day. Again…wow. Overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the selflessness of our friends and family financially supporting this journey and also offering an incredible gift to someone for supporting us. See the flier below.

My husbands social media post on Thursday really hit the nail on the head. There are absolutely no words that begin to describe the love and support we feel. We will not let this cancer get the best of us and we will take control, even in small ways. We plan to do posts on Sundays so we can recap the week and then prepare for the upcoming week. Over this next week, we ask you pray for positive scans, that the cancer has not metastasized anywhere else, and for strength as we move closer to starting treatment.

Love,

Alysa & Blake

‘Let your hears not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.’ -John 14:1

https://www.gofundme.com/f/alysas-breast-cancer-treatments

https://mealtrain.com/07e2mz

Taking control with one thing at a time…including over my hair:

You have cancer.

Those words are some of the most crippling and throttling words a person and family can hear. I have lost loved ones to cancer. I have friends who are fighting and overcoming cancer. Never did I think this would be in my story or a page in my book. Much less as a 33 year old mom of two, to a 2yo and a 3mo old, and only 4 years into my loving marriage. But here we are, starting a journey we never expected.

In August, I noticed a hard spot on my left breast. Asher was due in just a few weeks, so I chalked this up to my milk preparing to come in and my ducts swelling. Asher was born the beginning of September and we started on our own breast feeding journey, which many of you know has highs and lows in and of itself. At 1 week old, Asher and I both tested positive for COVID and he was admitted to the PICU for 2-3 days of observation. With COVID impacting our family and adjusting to a new family of 4 with two kids 2yo and under, I forgot about the mass for awhile.

Fast forward to November where I noticed this hard lump was still there. I had my doctor look at this at a post partum follow up and she scheduled me for ultrasound and mammogram, both of which occurred on December 1st. The mammogram and ultrasound identified the mass was 11cm, from my chest wall to my nipple, and showed calcification. Initially the biopsy was to only be taken from one spot, but the doctor ended up taking 3 samples: 1 from each end of the mass due to its size, and one from the axillary lymph node, which also showed calcification. Blake and I tried to remain positive throughout all of this, however after the biopsy the doctor indicated he had never seen a mass over 7cm come back benign. We quickly realized the ‘c’ word was going to play a more significant part in our future.

Wednesday December 8th was the day I received my official diagnosis…Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ and Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer. What we know: 1) the type of cancer and that it is HER2+ and estrogen/progesterone negative (so it is not hormone based) 2) that the cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes from the milk ducts (which is why it is is classified as IDC and not just DCIS and why we have not been given an accurate stage yet–but it is at least stage 2 since it has spread) 3) the cancer is considered grade 2 (which is good–not the most aggressive kind!)

What’s next? A lot….things are moving fast….and we are also hurrying up to wait. Waiting on more appointments. Waiting on more scans. Waiting on more clarification. Waiting. We are quickly learning that this will be one of the hardest parts of this journey.

I will have a chemo port put in on December 16th and are waiting for our first appointment with our oncologist. We have a tentative plan for treatment, but this will become more solidified once we meet with the oncologist. Our tentative treatment plan is to start intensive chemo therapy for 4-5 months, after the intensive chemo therapy, I will schedule my radical bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction, followed by continued chemo (for another 7-8 months) and radiation.

Chemo. Mastectomy. Reconstruction. Radiation. That is a lot to swallow as a 33yo wife and mother of 2 young kids. My family keeps saying I didn’t have to be this dramatic to get a boob job…what can I say? I guess I like to keep it interesting.

We have already felt incredible love and support from our families and close friends. What do we need? Prayers, good thoughts, and good vibes. We know God has a plan, even though right now we do not understand it and are scared about the unknown.

Thank you for taking the time to read up on our journey. We will try and keep everyone updated as we learn, navigate, and move through this season. And ladies….feel your boobs!

Love, Alysa & Blake

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer-Romans 12:12

A gofundme and meal train (links below) have been set up to help with the financial burden of upcoming treatments and to lessen the every day burdens of motherhood, parenting, and adulting. We are also going to be using some hashtags to follow this journey #pinkingofyou #AlysasArmy #byebyeboobies #tatafornow #dcis #breastcancer #fighter #idcbreastcancer

https://www.gofundme.com/f/alysas-breast-cancer-treatments?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

https://mealtrain.com/07e2mz