Saturday, May 25, 2019
Bad news
I am 30 weeks pregnant and my doctor obgyn calls regarding my blood work. She said to me that the results are in my glucose test came back negative but my hemoglobin blood count has dropped from 10.7 to 8.7 and they want me to be at least at an 11. The story of my life. Now I am consider anemic and have to do another blood work test on my iron levels. Dejavú all over again but this time is different.
I did another blood work exam and consulted with dr.k about what was going on with my blood work results. Now I am back to see him once a week and changing the strategy to treating my blood. My body is going under a lot of stress and changes but as long as I don’t continue to drop I will be fine.
Yesterday my obgyn called to informed me that my iron levels are good and that I needed to see a hemoglobin doctor for further testing. I asked if my iron levels are good and normal would that still make me anemic ? She wasn’t too sure what category it would be.
I related the I formation back to dr.k and he said that is good to hear that my iron levels are normal. I am a special type of anemic that is called autoimmune anemic. My blood is producing more white blood cells which he calls the soldiers than the red blood cells which are the farmers. If you have a village full of soldiers with not enough farmers to work the land for food then the village starves. Weird way of putting it but it makes sense . So his job is to get my blood to start making more farmers to work the land.
Since I was 5 months pregnant I no longer could lay on my stomach so treatments have been change to fit what I was able to do but since then I have felt different like it wasn’t ass affective. Last week we changed it up and it got me feeling back like I use to feel which was drained and tired, now that I know that my body is receiving it.
Over all I am bigger and full of mass than what I was with Alejandra which means my body is receiving the nutrients it needs now it’s just a matter of producing the farmers. I have God on my side and nothing can give me more strength than relying on him. I can and I will beat it till I’m completely healed because I have giants on my team.
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Essential oils
Before cancer I was not to aware of the natural ways of living and didn't think it was a necessity. I was young and wild as you would say living like i was unstoppable. My whole world changed in 2015 and it was not just the cancer but so many other things that were going on in my life.
Mark told me about essential oils when we were pregnant and the first essential oil i ever used was frankincense. I used it with coconut oil as a belly and body rub as well as taking a drop a day under the tongue when we found out i had cancer. There are so many good benefits to oils that i did not know about. Its like a hidden world of wonderful amazing wellness. I began to do more research on others that would help me deal with cancer better and that is where i found out about lemongrass , the second oil in my life changing journey. The benefits are Amazing,i used it for hair loss and rashes which is what i was suffering from with chemo. I go over the details on these oils and how it help me in the past post if you need more info.
In the past 5 years i have used essential oils more frequently and grown my collection and knowledge on the different benefits. I am thankful to be able to come across this knowledge in the most needed time of my life. Essential oils are forever my to go source for building immune systems, relaxation, depression, muscle pains, etc which allows the body for better healing without man made chemicals...wow yeah i know right and that is a win in my book. I am not a hippy far from it but oils have been around for decades and its not just a hot thing must have popular trend. Oils are not just life changing but it is a way of life.
Now i have used a few different brands of essential oils and you really have to be careful on what brands you buy because of the purity of the oil. You wanna make sure it has no fillers and how its distilled, process and handle. The top one that is use is Young living , they are pure with no fillers and handle their own farms from beginning to end. Remember You pay for what you get and if you want the best benefits out of these oils i recommend young living which you can find in this link : https://bit.ly/2MtrZpx
The second brand would be Doterra. i recommend to always do research and see what is best for you. I hope to open a new world of great benefits for a better way of living. As i go through my journey of clean living and pregnancy i will be posting my views and its benefits so stay tune.
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Saturday, April 27, 2019
the battle with sinus infection
Natural stuff is amazing so we began our treatment for sinus infection. essential oils are a must have in the home. first thing that help was the hot water in a steel bowl with a drop of peppermint and a towel over my head to keep the steam in to breath in. The peppermint is strong and it will open your nasal up clearing your headache 50% if not more but also making you feel refresh. i was so backup i had to do it every two hours to keep my headache in control. Second, the sinus flush with salt water does helps to drain your mucus. I would go through two bottles a day followed by colloidal silver nasal spray. This nasal spray kills infection and helps improve your sinus infection. One night i accidentally rubbed my nose then my eye causing my eye to get infected. i woke up that morning with nasty green gung in my eye so i sprayed my eye with colloidal silver and did throughout the day which help it heal by the second day. I also made my own vapor rub with coconut oil, raven essential oil, peppermint oil.
Two days in and i was feeling better not 100% yet but surely able to move around and not be in so much pain. Now i understand how miserable people can be when they get a sinus infection Specially my husband Mark. Living in Houston my whole life i never had something so severe like i have experience here in Georgia. I hope this helps you if you ever experience the sinus infection plague. Click on the link below for the essential oils : youngliving
If you have any questions or experiences i love to hear from you.
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Never stop trying.
You would think the second time around I would just give in but that is not how God designed me. So technically it's not my fault 😛. As you can tell humor is my best friend. I want to share my goals for this year just remember nothing is impossible.
Goals:
1) Pray daily and grow closer with God
2) find natural treatments that are non toxic to the body.
3) de stress and breath daily
4) lower my Ig levels or stop the increase
5) find other doctors natural and pick their brain for knowledge
6) stay active .. yoga and walk in the park
7) don’t stop living
8) get in the best shape of my life so I can have another baby.
9) don’t stop planning the future
10) never give up fighting .
I can honestly say with all my heart that I am only strong because I have the lord on my side. I wouldn't have be able to raise my daughter, fight cancer (not the conventional way ), help my family all with a smile and a positive attitude. Writing down goals helps me to see clearly and not let life get the best of me.
I want to let everyone out there who is going through a rough time in their lives whether its cancer, drug abuse, marriage or lost in the worlds sins just remember you are loved. You have a purpose in life but in order to get there sometimes we have to face the storms in our lives to better understand and cherish what God has in store for us. What are your goals ? How do you fight back ?
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
3rd visit in atlanta.
October 1 was My third appointment with my new doctor. Blood work is still rising and now we are waiting on the insurance to approve a pet scan. That I am curious to do which will help to see where the cancer is active? Like always I cannot do nothing and sit around for doctors to tell me about my future.
I have been doing different dieting from vegan to vegetarian. Vegan is a bit of a challenge but once you get into the rhythm it gets easier. I did Vegan for 3 months and I notice that i no longer had foggy brain, I was very alert. Another difference I notice was more stamina , I was able to run longer and easier which helps when you have a 2 year old. At the moment I am trying to see what will work best for my body to help heal as well provide the proper nutrients it needs to better fight this cancer.
I have been to a few different natural path doctors and have a better idea what my body is lacking.
Now that we are better situated in our home I can better document this journey and see what GOD has in store for us.
What diet has helped your body recover and feel better?
Please comment below and share what has worked for you, I would love to hear your story.
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Monday, September 17, 2018
Here we ago again...
It has been a while since I posted anything, but 2017 was a busy year for us and it was my remission year. We have moved to another state in February 2018 and before we left i when to do a last check up with Dr. D. The last words he said to me was that everything was looking great ....yay me, I was still in remission.
May came around and It was time for a check up. I schedule an appointment with Emory which specializes in Multiple Myeloma. My New Dr. didn't have all my records from prior and with the new lab works he past down some bad news. He said "I don't know too much of your history but you Proteins are beginning the rise and this may mean that the cancer is awakening.
WOW...................... What.. ..........Here we go again...
My heart was crushed and of course I held back my tears like always. We talk about options and of course informed him how headstrong I am about certain things specially if it will damage my body. Oh lord what am i suppose to do now? I prayed and stayed positive and once again trust in him because if I don't I would have lost it along time ago.
It has been about a year that I have not been strict on my diet and it was time to go back to the roots. You know one thing that bothers me is that no doctor can tell me Why.. Why is it that I have this cancer? Where is the root from? How can you treat something you don't know where the root is? Back to the drawing board and lets see what God has in store for me..
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Friday, October 6, 2017
The great news
I had my last bone marrow biopsy on July 2017 and I was glad to hear that was the last one this year. I am bless to have such great doctors that helped me get through that rough patch but most of all thankful for my husband who was always there with me. During that last visit Doct. L told me my mproteins were down to .1 🤗😊 I was healing and getting closer to becoming in complete remissionn.
Fast forward to last week I had a folllow up with Dr.L and I asked what my mproteins looked like with the last bone marrow biopsy. He said well , there is no sign of the M spike so it's in remission. A bit confused but then he said I need to see my regular doctor D. So I told him I would and called to schedule an appointment with my oncologists Doc. D. Wednesday morning came along with such great new .... I am in complete remission... yay
Bless by the lord and heal my body. Now my mission is to help other do the same so if anybody needs anything please reach out to me at my email yvette1985@msn.com
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Second infusion
Today was the second and the last infusion. I am scheduled to come back in two weeks for lab work and a month later for a bone marrow biopsy. 😂
I am feeling tired than usual. Mark tells me my breath is kicking when I get the infusion and the smell that comes out of my body changes. I can't smell it unfortunately but it makes me a bit nausea. I'm glad he tells me these wonderful things 🙄. My back began tingling more frequently so I began stretching again. I did get my results and i am at .2 for my M-proteins. In January i was a .3 so im dropping slowly but surely. I hope with this treatment it puts me in complete remission. 😆
I know I have been slacking off a bit with my diet and fitness. I am slowly getting back to my clean eating diet leaving flour and sugar out. What makes it difficult is not being prepared. You have to be one step ahead of the game if you want to achieve success.🤔 Making lunch and snacks is key, specially if your going to be on the road. Every fast food meal comes with bread from burgers to pasta , oh and baking goods my favorite. Once I get over this hump I will be straight. My way of life will change for the better. indulge once In a while portion size of course, will be what I do later on. I'm not perfect but I do try.
Friday, April 14, 2017
Immunotherapy update
Today is good Friday and ready to go to church. I am on the second week of the immunotherapy and this week I have been so trained. I haven't worked out for months. This treatment has me feeling like I have been doing workouts because I feel so tired and sleepy. I don't want to push my body and let it do what it needs to do. In a way my body is in a battle right now and that's why I'm on overload exhaustion. I didn't really think about it that way but my wonderful husband constantly reminds me I need to rest.
Next Tuesday I will be receiving the second infusion which will also be the last. I hope this will help bring down my M-proteins from .2 to 0 then I will be in complete remission.
You guys have a bless weekend. Thank you for reading and God bless
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Immunotherapy
Tuesday April 4 was the first immunotherapy treatment. The hard part was the bone marrow biopsy, you know how I feel about that, ugh. I know mark hates watching the procedure and me screaming with pain. I rather give birth than do those biopsy. I was tricked, Last time I spoke to doc. L he said he would put me under a bit which i tought what a relief. The day of the procedure he mentioned i would be ok and that I was gonna get all the anesthesia I needed. Dang...
After that was over and done with I had blood work done and now we wait to get the immunotherapy t-cells. When the t- cells were infused in me doctor L said I would be getting a garlic taste in my mouth and it might cause nausea so they would get me some candy, nice. But I didn't taste it so I was fine. Mark told me my breath was smelling funky. Lol , dammitt. We waited for an hour to make sure I had no reactions before we were released.
Usually people do immunotherapy after they hsve done the transplant but I'm not really interested in doing the transplant and decided to skip ahead. I am hoping and praying that with me doing things differently , they can discover something new that will help people and have more options available to them than just the usual. Everyone has choices and you know what is best for your body.
I'm thankful for a wonderful family, friends and specially doctors that I drove mad with my non sense but for all their help and support. I know people get scared when they don't understand your mission and fear death. God knows why he does what he does and I'm here to fulfill my duties in this journey he gave me. Take the bad and turn it into good. Faith.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
A year
I can't believe it has been a year that I was diagnosed with cancer at 8 months pregnant. Man how time flies, my baby girl is turning the BIG 1 in a couple of days. Wow ..
Thank you Lord for blessing us with Alejandra. Even though I was battling cancer, I didn't want to Miss a moment in her life. My mornings with her are the highlight of my day. Even if I get no sleep I love being with her. I got to take it all in while I can because before we know it she will be running off with friends.😅
I got to buckle down and start planning her birthday party. I got 3 weeks to get things squared away. Excited , I made her tutu and it's so darn cute. Man she is spoiled with love. ..
I have a doctor's checkup on the 20th and doing some blood work so I'm praying my count is till low. Well that's another blog I'll write.
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Marathon
I began the year with a goal to accomplish and that was to run the marathon. I told myself last year when I was diagnose with cancer that I was going to run that marathon no matter what comes my way. It had been a goal of mine for years and I was too busy with life that I never acted on it.
I was scared because everything got in the way of me training specially doing the stem cell collection 4 weeks before the race had my body feeling pain on my joints. The week of the race I was able to do close to 2 hours of running. I was content with that.
The weekend of the Houston chevron full marathon my good friend Lauren and the her family came down from Atlanta to run the race with me. I love her for doing this race with me, both our first time. Lauren just had a baby back in August so it was going to be a challenge for the both of us. Excited and nervous, damn these mixed emotions we were feeling but we were determined , mind over matter was the key.
The day of the race we woke up early and got the crew ready. The crew being our husbands and babies. Two of my friends had also joined us that morning to the race. I made us breakfast but we were so nervous we couldn't eat the whole bagel. Lauren and I took off road the center to get ready for the race . My group of friends were already there getting ready. 1 out of the 6 of us had done the marathon before so we were all nervous.
We got into our section which was the last wave to be released and we took off. We tried to stay together to keep each other motivated but after the 8 mile we split apart. At 10 miles my feet began to go numb. I focused my mind on praying and enjoying the people in the side that would cheer us on. He weather was chill and at 11 miles it began to rain, yay just what I needed cold water. I put my shades on and kept running at a comfortable pace. I picked up every water they offered and kept moving. I would take my less than 1 minute walk every mile or so. At 15 miles I saw people huddled around and I past by I saw the medic giving cpr to a runner. Some stopped and prayed. I began to pray while trying to hold back some tears. This emotion came down on me hard I couldn't control it. I kept going wiping the tear off and I paid real close attention to my body. I was so close and I didn't want to go down like that. I kept praying for strength and endurance. The weather was chilling so it was hard to tell if you were fatigue, I caught myself hyperventilating twice so I would stop and calm down my breathing. I couldn't help to tear up because of how far I had gotten. I was so happy and thankful to my God for being with me in this journey. My faith was growing stronger and stronger each second. It just doesn't stop growing and that is when it hit me the love is forever growing.
Finishing the last 1/4 mile and seeing husband standing there with his sign for me and my baby Alejandra amp me up and closer to the finish line was my family with their matching shirts that we made for cancer awarness just cheering me on to finish strong and so I did. Took.the last pit of energy I had and sprint to the finish line. As soon as I stepped over the second count I teared up.. yes I was a big baby but thankfully I had my shades on so no one suspected a thing. .
Mission accomplished with God by my side. I ran for a reason and that was to proof that just because cancer enters our lives doesn't mean our world has to end. I am proof that with God by your side you will overcome any obstacles that come your way. Cancer has no power over us.
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Friday, December 30, 2016
Bye 2016
Well we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl this year and overwhelmed with our cancer Journey. Watching my baby girl grow and spending time with her has been very exciting. I am grateful to have such amazing family and friends in our lives that support us in our journey. I found peace with God in this chaos which I never have felt in my life. It's crazy but overall this has been such a great year and going to finish it strong.
How was your 2016?
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Crazy or not ?
I have 2 more weeks till the marathon and I have so much training to do. I'm starting from scratch. Everyone thinks I am crazy 🤑and perhaps they are right, but I am done waiting to do things. This has been a goal of mine for a while . I just never had time or it wasn't the right time. You know all the excuses we give ourselves, I did them. So now or never, I am not getting any younger and health is questionable meaning not knowing what else god has in store for me, so yeah I am a bit crazy😬 you can say. So here we go..😉
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Stem cell collection
It's been a long time since I have posted anything. Well let's catch up, shall we.
Friday December 19 , I began the stem cell collection process. I had to give myself 2 shots every morning of neupegene on my stomach, ugh. I hate needles, I don't mind getting shots but to give myself shots was the hardest thing for me to do. The nurse who taught me was very patient, It took me about a good 10 minutes or so it seemed like to do the first one. After day 4 I became a pro. Certified shot giver . .lol
That day the doctor made me aware that I would feel pain in my bones and advised me to get my medicine asap. I listened and turned in my prescription to the Pharmacy . I just didn't pick it up on time that night. It took me hours to fall sleep with the excruciating pain that night. Lesson learned😣
On Monday my numbers were low so they pumped me with a special medicine and another two shot the next morning. Side effects of that special medicine was facial numbness. Sure enough 2 hours after the medicine kicked in my face went numb. It reminded me of that song By the weeknd "I can't feel my face when I'm with you and I love it." I wonder if he had some of this medicine when he wrote that song..lol jk. Yup that was my jam for the night..
By Tuesday I was looking great and the collection began. 5 hours hooked on a machine unable to pee or move from my seat, yay how exciting. During that process you loose calcium and you begin to feel that numbness and tingling feeling all over your body ,when that happens they inject you with calcium giving you a warm sensation all over. Methodists has such great staff. My hubby stayed by my side the whole time. He is such a great guy.
The goal is to collect 6 million stem cells and that day we collected 8 million stem cells. Thank goodness. My body feels so weak . The rest time begins.
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Failure
Well, I am not in complete remission but the year is still not over. Right? I have been off chemo for 2 weeks now and I am gonna make December a hard working month to heal my body with good clean food. I know it's a high change but it's worth a shot.. I have to keep moving forward to keep my body from collapsing on me.
Dr.D Highly recommend me doing the transplant and I know the severity of my disease. I just don't feel comfortablewith that and till I do I can't do it. I am not playing around I am just choosing a different route that I am ok with. I have to try it a certain way because that is were my heart is taking me. Till then will I be comfortable with some
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Restless
I have come to total exhaustion of my body. I don't act like a person who has cancer. I keep up my pace and keep busy, especially with the new baby. Managing two jobs, training, a baby, husband, house chores, doctor appointments and chemo.
My body has completely crashed in the past two nights. The worse part is not being able to get up and get Alejandra when she wakes up in the middle of the night. 7 months of chemo has finally beat me to the ground were I can t say no. I need rest.
Thank you for being part of my Journey, God Bless. Yvette Norris
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
The masterpiece you can't see
At bible study we read this book called “what if” by author Mark Batterson. In the chapter the Rosetta Stone , Mr. Bouchard an engineer working for the napoleon armed was in Egypt doing demolition on the rosetta wall when he discovered a black granite stone with ancient writings (the rosetta stone) and save it. Then Champollion was the one whom worked to decipher the 3 ancient language writings. This rosetta stone was the key to the Egyptians civilization without it, it would have been a mystery, wow. This is what chapter 8 in Roman comes about. To those who are called according to his purpose. Roman 8:28
Living is going through life lessons and those lessons are not always good happy ones. We will suffer in many ways from mentally emotional and physical. If we didn’t have the struggles in our lives we would have not been able to appreciate the good things that's s including all the little things we take for granted. Count your blessings , I know I do and being able to take a first breath every morning is a blessing. God didn’t say we will not have suffering. He does promise that all of our suffering will be for good. Like Batterson mentioned, “ By not being able to see Gods masterpiece tends to freak us out because all we can see is odd shape pieces that don’t seem to fit together”. This is where our faith comes in to trust in God. When you don't the question rises “ Why do bad things happen to good people?” its all for a great purpose of good that we are not able to see at the time.
I Worked as a receptionist at Mossy Nissan dealership when I was 19 years of age. My desk faced these 3 big sky high windows where I will always look at the sky and ponder about whatever came to mind. It was a day I was reflecting back on all the struggles I had gone through growing up from relationships, family and money. That is when I realize that in life you will SUFFER and STRUGGLE , you have to find the STRENGTH to SURVIVE from all SINs. My philosophy. .. If you seen me and my S tattoo on my back which is 5 S's in one with sin the middle, now you know what it stands for. Its not superwomen. lol I know that’s the first thing that comes to peoples minds. I remember when I got the tattoo done. I showed my dad and explained to him with excitement what it stand for . his response was "you couldn't have just wrote it on a piece of paper instead of tattooing it on?" I said "nope" .. . It’s the first piece of the puzzle so I’m not quiet done with my tattoo. I tried to take the bad and turn it to something positive, I am only human so yes I will probably be upset at first till I collect myself and pray. I know I will not understand it but I’m ready to walk the path. I have Never been at such peace as I have been this year. I know you guys are saying “ WHAT”. . with all this going on in my life I have never felt so blessed and loved.. I love and thank God for a beautiful healthy baby girl that I was able to bring into this world with no complications, experience this pregnancy that really made me comfortable with my body, weird huh . This cancer journey that I am able to experience and learn so much and hopefully help millions of people. Blessed to have such a great employer that has worked with me and my crazy schedule. I don’t know how we make it work but God has provided for us. How can I not trust in him, how can I not have faith in him when he has been by my side through all these year from the good to the bad always holding my hand even when I would refuse to obey. Thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed on us.
Give thanks for all the blessings in your life. Even if we are not doing good we are still good and it will only get better so keep that in mind. All things happen for a reason, we may not comprehend but its part of his plan.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Looking the part
I was in pain from the day my daughter was born with back problems. I began my natural protocols and months later began chemo. Chemo is poisoning your body making you feel like your not alive. Next thing you know your walking like a zombie, on autopilot living in a foggy mind. Reaching with my hands out through the thick white fog trying not to hurt myself. How I hate those days. I fight them each time but, nothing changes. I come to work and but on a smile even through these shitty days. My facial expressions always give me away but I keep smiling . Its not gonna conquer me, not by the grace of god. I keep my head up with God on my side who can be against me. My motivation everyday all day my true medicine.
To all my cancer patients, Stay Strong in beast mode and remember your not alone God is always with you.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Truth
When I first got diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer, I was in disbelief. I never heard of that cancer there for i didn't know what it was. I don't like not knowing what's conquering my body and for doctors go push you towards chemo right away because you don't have time is pretty fudge up. If I am not comfortable going in, I am not gonna do it.
Research reaserch reaserch is so important. Know what's exactly going on in your body. I know doctors have the degree and they know their stuff but you know your body best. Cancertutor.com taught me so much and that led me to the truth about cancer. The world is not just black and white. The world is 90% gray so open your eyes and see what is infront of you. You have options and with more research you do the more options you Discover.
Here is a bit more information for you.
https://go.thetruthaboutcancer.com/uls/?ref=698462b0-f9dd-4fc5-a4ee-7d32041b99d1
Bring awareness and lets stop this disease called cancer from taking our love ones. Be ready , be prepared for the battle.
