~The FINAL CUTS from MY CUTTING CREW~

~THE FINAL CUTS from MY CUTTING CREW~

~KRISTI, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THAT CLIPPERS TICKLES ME~
~"SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE~ Anyone remember that MTV Video from the 1980's???~
~ALLI AND KRISTI ENJOY THIS WHOLE PROCESS....KRISTI BEING DRAMATIC~
~HEY NICK, WHILE WE ARE HERE, LET'S CUT YOUR HAIR TOO~
~BILLY IDOL, EAT YOUR HEART OUT......REBEL YELL~~~~ OH YEAH~~~
~ALEX WAITING FOR HER TURN TO START CUTTING THE SPIKES OFF MY HEAD~

~WAIT MOM, ONE MORE BUZZ BEFORE THE UP CLOSE PICTURE~
~WOW.....HOW COOL THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL~LOL~
~ ALLI and KRISTI WANTED ME TO DO A ROCK CONCERT POSE....WHATEVER THAT IS!!!~
~ALEX GETS THE FIRST CUT OF THE SPIKES~
~SHE JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!! MY EYES ARE CLOSED MOST THE TIME BECAUSE HAIR KEPT FALLING IN THEM~ GO ALEX GO~

~MOM SHOWED UP TO GET INTO THE ACTION~ THANK YOU MOM FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT~
~ALEX'S FIRST TIME WITH THE CLIPPER, SHE WAS WORRIED SHE MIGHT CUT ME SO I SHOWED HER HOW TO DO IT~
~THEN THERE WAS NO STOPPING HER!!!! SHE WAS ON A ROLL and GOT TO DO THE FIRST STRIP RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE~
~ALLI GOT TO FINISH ME UP~
HERE I AM!!! G.I. JANE....also known as Mom and Amy......My final photo of the evening with Kristi.

ALL OF THIS WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY MY HAIR CUTTING CREW!!!! We had a blast and even had A WONDERFUL HUGE CHOCOLATE CAKE that BOB BOUGHT FOR THE OCCASION!!!! FUN WAS HAD BY ALL!!!
Hugs and Love, Amy (Who won't have a bad hair day for some time.....YIPPY SKIPPY!!!)

~Me with My Hair Cutting CREW~

GOTTA LOVE MY ENTHUSIASTIC HAIR CUTTING CREW

NO GLAMOUR HERE WE ARE MIDWEST COMMON FOLKS

From Left to Right: Kristi, Alli, Nick, Alex, Maddi

What's Left of My Hair (remember, I have enough hair for 3 people...LOL)
Braided by The Hair Cutting Crew for EASY CUTTING

LOOK HOW MUCH FUN THEY ARE HAVING!!!! Nothing like Making Lemonade out of Lemons!!! LOVE THOSE SMILES ALEX and KRISTI!!!

~GO MADDI GO~

~TADA~ THAT'S A BIG BRAID~ TOO BAD I CAN'T GIVE IT TO LOCKS OF LOVE as it has been COLOR TREATED and they WON'T ACCEPT IT~

~HEY....I don't look so bad in short hair after all......~

~THE CUTTING CREW couldn't WAIT to do the FAMOUS BOWL CUT....ROFLOL~

~THANK YOU NICK for PLAYING ALONG WITH US~

~ MY EYES ARE CLOSED so I don't GET ANY HAIR IN THEM....SILLY GIRLS that KRISTI and ALLI~

~GO MADDI GO.....KEEP CUTTING BABY~

WHAT A DORKY PICTURE OF ME.....but like I said before...NO GLAMOUR HERE!!!!

~THIS IS TOO MUCH....TIME TO CUT IT OFF PLEASE......I think at this point it was already over an hour of FUN...AND I AM STILL DORKY LOOKING...LOL~

~THANK YOU BOB for GETTING THE BALL ROLLING~

TO BE CONTINUED......TOMORROW MEET G.I. JANE aka G.I AMY

~My HAIR is Officially FALLING OUT~ PART II

Just a quick picture to show you how much of my hair is coming out at a time....this piece is from this morning and I still have a head of hair left but then again everyone has always told me "YOU HAVE ENOUGH HAIR FOR THREE PEOPLE!!!"......

Happy Hair Day to All of You......Amy

~My HAIR is Officially FALLING OUT~

THE LITTLE GIRL ABOVE HAS HAIR LIKE ME!!!

Just a quick update to let you know my hair officially started falling out in strands of 50 to 100 yesterday afternoon. I am shedding like a dog....LOL

And so.....THIS AFTERNOON we are having a "HAIR CUTTING PARTY" with the kids!!!
I will post all the pictures this evening for you to see...

I just wonder, is my HEAD going to be LUMPY???? I wonder if I have one of those BIG MELONS of a head because it was always hard for me to find hats because of all of my hair. At least that is what I am hoping that it was ALL MY HAIR and not because I have a big head!!! LOL

I came out to the bathroom yesterday and had an ENTIRE GALLON SIZE ZIP LOCK BAG full of hair and I said to my Mom, "Hey Mom, LOOK AT THIS!!!! I have MORE HAIR in this Zip Lock Bag than Dad had even with his COMB OVER!!!" We laughed so hard I thought I was going to wet my pants!!!!

Have a HAPPY HAIR DAY!!!!
~Amy~

~I'm HOME~

BREAST CANCER PATIENT PROTECTION ACT

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require Insurance Companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a Few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.Lifetime Television has put this bill on their Web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on. PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the Web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number. http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/petition/signpetition.php

I GOT HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL late last night....I AM SOOO HAPPY TO BE HOME!!!

I am very tired and my WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT went up to 4.6....YIPPY!!!
Still not good BUT BETTER THAN IT WAS!!! I am too weak to do my own hair so MOM braided it for me.......I LOVE as I said when she was done.....

(In my CUTE LITTLE SWEDE ACCENT)....."My name is Anna, I'm from Sweden"....and everyone laughed. BUT LOOK AT ME!!!! STILL ALL OF THAT HAIR and I AM STILL SMILING!!!

I will write more tomorrow as I really should be in bed.
My cousin Nancy sent the above information to me the day I was in the hospital and Joy also posted it in a comment on my blog...THANK YOU GIRLS!!! I have been too busy trying to stay well that I haven't been able to surf to much. I LOVE all the info everyone finds and sends to me!!!!

I AM SO BLESSED!!!! THE CARDS AND GIFTS CONTINUE TO AMAZE ME and makes me realize what a difference one person can make in someone else's life. YOUR PRAYERS, HUMOR, THOUGHTS and ENDLESS SUPPORT AND LOVE FOR ME is one I cannot even find the words for or comprehend.....I am truly humbled.....

All my love, Amy

~Amy's doing better~

Hello this is Mary Amy's friend from IsabellasCloset. Amy just called me. Her voice sounds a bit better. She may get to come home from the hospital tonight. She said she will post a comment on her blog when she can.
She laughed and said "I still have my hair!" What a funny Gal she is.
Bless her heart! Hang in there Amy..

~I'm in the Hospital Since 1:00pm July 4th~

I am writing this at 2 am Iowa time (CST) on Thursday July 5th as I can't sleep and the hospital has a nice service that lets you borrow a laptop. OH HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY DANCE!!!

I ended up in the hospital July 4th around 1:00 in the afternoon.....

I am way sicker than I thought as I ended up with a high temperature and my white blood cell counts are only at 1.2 (YES, ONE POINT TWO) and they should be around 25 (and they are afraid they might go even lower......also, that $6000.00 SHOT they gave me to help prevent this, didn't work so they are going to have to totally redo my entire chemo treatment. )
I have no idea how long I will be in here, depends on how fast my blood count and go up and also my blood pressure is low and my heart beat is very very faint......I am in a sort of quarantine until my counts go up......so....Here I am....Just trying to get better....I just wanted everyone to know that I am still here, just really sick but the REALLY COOL thing about all of this is I got to see the FIREWORKS out my HOSPITAL WINDOW LAST NIGHT!!!! So you see, it really wasn't so bad getting sick on the 4th of July!!!!
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH for your CONTINUED PRAYERS!!!! THEY KEEP ME GOING MORE THAN YOU KNOW!!!! ~Amy~

~HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA~

~GOD BLESS AMERICA~LAND THAT I LOVE~

STAND BESIDE HER, AND GUIDE HER~

THRU THE NIGHT WITH A LIGHT FROM ABOVE~

FROM THE MOUNTAINS, TO THE PRAIRIES,

TO THE OCEANS, WHITE WITH FOAM.

GOD BLESS AMERICA MY HOME SWEET HOME

THIS IS MY FAVORITE FAVORITE HOLIDAY OF ALL TIME.....No obligations to buy gifts, you get to eat lots of good food and there is a BEAUTIFUL EVENING STILL AHEAD and we don't lose sight of the TRUE MEANING of the HOLIDAY!!!

THANK YOU to ALL OF OUR SERVICE MEN and WOMEN and especially to our VETERANS for giving ME the FREEDOM I HAVE TODAY!!! A special THANK YOU to My DAD, (a year ago today we took you home from the hospital, I still think about you every day Dad) who served in the Korean War in the Army. And to my BIG BROTHERS who served in the Army and Marines during the Iran Iraq Wars and my nephew Jeff who is home this holiday from Iraq!!! THANK YOU GUYS!!!! I AM TRULY BLESSED!!!

"GOD BLESS AMERICA....MY HOME SWEET HOME!!!!"

~HAPPY MONDAY~

~LAST MONDAY'S MADDI'S 6th BIRTHDAY PARTY~

WHEW!!! What a difference a week makes. These pictures were taken LAST MONDAY as we celebrated Maddi's 6th Birthday. (her birthday was actually Thursday the 27th but I knew I would be in no shape to host a party after chemo) Sweet Carole from http://scoundrelsandrogues.blogspot.com/

sent Maddi a VINTAGE ORIGINAL TASHA TUDOR Fairy Tail Book for her birthday. Which she LOVES because Tasha Tudor is one of our FAVORITES. THANK YOU CAROLE!!! (the pictures are not in order as it is still hard to concentrate with this chemo stuff in my body)

WHAT A WEEKEND THIS WAS!!!
Well, I know that on the Wednesday's I have chemo, thru the entire weekend, I will be in bed!!!
Nothing worst than a migraine and nausea for 4 days straight. My spirits are still up, THANKS TO ALL YOUR POWER OF PRAYER and GOOD THOUGHTS and.....TODAY, is the first morning I woke up without nausea or a migraine. TODAY IS A GOOD DAY!!! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I am typing on the computer. WHOO HOO!!!

I STILL HAVE MY HAIR...although it feels GROSS, it's all dried out and feels like a big stack of hay.....LOL and MY WIG got here this weekend and everyone has been trying it on and having fun with it.....(THAT'S MY MOM with the WIG ON!!!! Now you know where I get my humor)

Above is a picture taken the day before my chemo with MISSY and KAREN.....(all 3 of us hate this picture but I had to post it anyways)

WHAT WONDERFUL ANGELS we have WALKING IN PEOPLE CLOTHES!!! Unknown to me, they DONATED MONEY for me to get a WIG and with the GENEROUS AMOUNT they gave to me, I will be able to get 3 of them!!!! MISSY AND KAREN.....YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANT TO ME!!! Not only do I have you as my friends but I am now going to call you my "PERSONAL HAIR REPS".....THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

I thought I might "ESCAPE" the mouth sores in my mouth but they started showing their UGLY SELF yesterday morning. I can feel them crawling down my throat and it's getting hard to swallow, taste or enjoy eating. (I DO LOVE FOOD....especially anything with potatoes, sauces, gravies and BUTTER....LOL) I have to gargle with warm salt water and that seems to help. Other than that....I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER TODAY!!!!!

Enjoy the pictures and HAVE A HAPPY MONDAY!!! (The above picture was taken YESTERDAY, JULY 1st 2007....it's of Me and Bob....and I'm STILL SMILING!!!!)
All my Love and Hugs to ALL of YOU, Amy

~I'm Very Weak...but I'm STILL SMILING~

Just a quick note to let everyone know that ALL of YOUR Thoughts and PRAYERS WORKED and I did not cry or melt down when I went into my first chemo treatment.

I slept thru most of it....can you believe that????

I am very very very very tired and have pretty much slept since getting home on Wednesday. BUT I'm STILL SMILING!!!

The above picture of me in that DARLING HAT is a GIFT from Betty over at SHE'S SO PRETTY that her daughter made for me. I think it is ADORABLE and my girls are already trying to snag it from me.....(I had to hid it from them....LOL) Oh, and I still have my hair BUT it FEELS GROSS, like a BIG HAYSTACK of CRUNCHY HAY!!!!

I have only been slightly nausea and have not thrown up at all....THAT IS A GOOD SIGN!!!
I did have to go into the doctor's yesterday to get a $6000.00 shot to decrease infection and try to avoid having to go into the hospital. I HAVE TO HAVE ONE EVERY CHEMO SESSION......$6000.00.....YES, that is $36,000.00 for just six shots. I WAS TOTALLY SHOCKED!!!

Well, my body is telling me to go back to bed...it's hard for me to concentrate as I do have a mild migraine but other than that....LIFE IS GOOD!!!! BLESS US EVERYONE!!!! I am humbled by ALL OF YOU....EVERYDAY.....Love, Amy

~Email from Amy about her Chemo~

Hello Gals! This is Mary from IsabellasCloset.
I just got in the door from work.
This email from Amy was waiting for me ..
Thought you would want to see it ASAP.

Mary, I did have a reaction to one of the medications and I have never seen doctors and nurses come running so fast in my life 3 doctors and 4 nurses WOW....BOB WAS EVEN IMPRESSED....they stopped my IV and started shooting all these shots into my IV to get me better....worked like a charm and I will just have to have it all the time now when I go in to chemo. I couldn't swallow...it was scary to me and I just couldn't swallow....I felt like I was choking. But they knew exactly what to do so that was great!!!!Starting tonight and over the next 3 days will be my nausea and vomiting stage.....and I got 4 of the RED Hair Cut Treatment Cocktail SHOTS so my hair will be gone in 2 days to 2 weeks......WOW...I never saw so much stuff shot into my veins in a day as I did today.
I am going to go to bed....I feel like I am getting the flu and the veins in my arms are cold.....almost like I can feel the chemo moving thru my blood stream...it's weird.....hard to explain....I am weak and very tired....
If you get a chance, can you post on my blog that I am doing great and the fear of the chemo is completely gone from me and every one's THOUGHTS and PRAYERS WORKED!!!! Please tell them THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU and I will blog as soon as I can.
(Mary, feel free to cut and paste anything I said out of this email to make it easier for you.....LOVE YOU!!!! Amy)

~My First Chemotherapy TODAY~

Well, It's 7:30am here in Iowa....I have been up for a while and only started to cry when my Baby Brother Jeff called me from his business trip in Chicago to wish me luck and let me know he will be praying for me and he will see my on Monday.

I actually woke up not afraid this morning because JILL spent the night with me last night. First time since High School that we had a "sleep over".....we had so much fun and didn't go to bed until midnight. THANK YOU JILL for being there for me!!!

I wanted to THANK EVERYONE for your prayers, your thoughts and your wonderful emails of encouragement. WHAT A GODSEND ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN!!! I will go in to chemo today thinking of each and everyone of you holding my other hand and talking and praying with me....

I AM HUMBLED and EACH OF YOU have TOUCHED MY LIFE and MY HEART in ways you will ever know.....ALL MY LOVE, Amy

~I'm SCARED~

Well, today is 24 hours and counting before I start my first chemotherapy treatment. I am SCARED TO DEATH. Over the past week I have been having horrible dreams in my sleep that I go into cardiac arrest while I am sitting there getting my chemo treatment. I think it all started with the reason they needed to do the Muga Heart Test.

I don't know if I told you but I bawled like a baby when they took me into surgery for my double mastectomy. I was scared that I wouldn't wake up after they put me under. THAT IS ALWAYS my BIGGEST FEAR when I am put under. But I did wake up, yet I was still crying when I came out of surgery. Funny huh???

Today I have to start a huge dose of steriods, something to do with my veins and I just don't want to go into that chemo room tomorrow. I told Bob, I know I will cry when I have to sit down and start but he will be right there with me, holding my hand and talking me thru it. Thank you Bob, I really don't know what I would do without YOU!!!

I am sitting here crying while I try to write this because I am truly so scared. It really SUCKS that I have to go thru this....that ANYONE has to go thru this and I just don't want to be sick anymore. So far, I've kept a pretty good outlook about this but today feels like the beginning of the end. Hard to explain but I am having a MELTDOWN....I am HAVING A PITY PARTY....but I have to do this....if I don't, I only have a 40% chance of living.

On a good note, I have lots of friends coming over today and tonight and I am hoping to get some good pictures with them before my hair falls out over the next 2 weeks. I just want that memory as I don't think I will ever get my hair this long again. Even tho, losing my hair is the least of my worries, it has always been my "trademark". Everyone Loves My Hair.....Everyone always tells me, "Don't Ever Cut It"....even strangers tell me that and how beautiful it is. Not sure how I am going to handle it when it really does fall out.....so we will see.

If you have the time, please say a little prayer for me that I don't lose it when I get there tomorrow.....I AM SO SCARED and I wish I didn't have to go thru this!!!! ~Amy~

~NEW Photos~ My BANDAGES ARE GONE~

~MY BANDAGES ARE GONE.....YIPPY SKIPPY!!!~

OH I AM SOOOO EXCITED...ALL of my Post Op Bandages have fallen off. YIPPY SKIPPY!!!

THEY ARE GONE and I am AMAZED at how well the scar looks. If you want to see my PHOTO JOURNAL just click here BUT PLEASE BE WARNED...THESE ARE ACTUAL PHOTOS of my Breast Reconstruction

TOMORROW I GO IN for my FIRST fill...LOL...sounds like car maintenance. Normally they would fill each one with 60cc of saline solution but I am doing so well they are going to add 120cc in EACH BREAST....I AM SO EXCITED to see what happens to all this skin and see how things look after tomorrow.

Of course, I will take pictures of that too.

HAPPY SUNDAY!!! Make it worth your while....Love to you, Amy

~WHAT A DAY~

I JUST GOT HOME!!!!
WHAT A DAY!!!
THEY LOST MY PAPERWORK at the Hospital so I had to WAIT to be "squeezed" in.....WHAT???

SO, I am just now home, I am EXHAUSTED.....BUT MY HEART IS GREAT!!!! SO...off to CHEMO I GO on Wednesday.....
Bob is making Grilled Hamburgers with Cheese, Pasta Ranch Salad and Chips for supper...

I NEED SLEEP and will be going to bed after dinner.....

UGHHHHHH!!!! I will catch up with all of you tomorrow....I have lots to catch up on....HAPPY SLEEPY~Amy~

~MUGA HEART TEST~

~MUGA HEART TEST TODAY~

I go for my MUGA Nuclear Heart Test today to make sure my Heart can take the Chemo. I have no idea how long it takes but when I get back...I will post more and be working on the website. I didn't sleep too good last night so I am sure a NAP will be in order.

HAVE A HAPPY DAY TODAY ~Amy~

~TODAY I FORGOT I HAD CANCER~

THIS IS MY 4th POST TODAY!!! WOW WEE!!!

MY HAIR like it NATURALLY IS EVERYDAY.....THICK AND CURLY

My HAIR STRAIGHTENED by my Daughter ALLI the night before my surgery

WOW!!! WHAT A DAY!!!
For the first time in weeks...I FORGOT I HAD CANCER!!!
Mom came over and helped me work on stuff for the website and for the FIRST TIME I felt like my old self....we never once talked about my breast cancer and what is going to happen a week from today. IT FELT SO GOOD TO WORK!!!!

WHAT A WONDERFUL FEELING....THANK YOU MOM!!!! And thanks for telling me about those WIGS on QVC!!!! LOL...I'm going to be checking that out soon.....Amy