MTHFR! (Don't get our your soap bar yet)

We had a quick stomach bug pass through the house this week...that will make someone want to drop the F bomb...Austin and I were up all night. We got a system down. 'Mom, get the bowl!' haha. The next morning he told me 'Mom, I am the Master Barf Machine!' hahaha. We are hopefully in the clear right now.

Jonathon tip toed around the house wearing surgical gloves. 1. because he can't stand barf (he told me it was one of his biggest fears as a kid). and 2. because he headed out to Miami for another big handicapping tournament and I don't think that being the Master Barf Machine was on his list of titles he was looking to win. haha. We spent the morning watching him on a live panel for handicapping called 'Raise Your Game.' Of course I had no clue what they were talking about, but it's always fun to watch Jonathon's charisma entertain others (it can also be an obnoxious characteristic too. trust me. There have also been a few times that I might have dropped the F bomb when he was 'on.' haha.).

But lately I've been dropping the MTHFR bomb quite a bit at our house. No, not the worst of all of the worst curse words. MTHRF is something that everyone has and needs. And we found out that I have a mutation. So, I've been diving in head first for research and opinions about what this means for me and my family. A mutation can affect different people different ways. MTHFR is involved in processing amino acids and B vitamins which in turn affects all of our systems. There are different variations people can have. The mutation that I have (luckily) is one of the forms that presents more mildly. The doctors are still out about all of the connections this mutation has related to health and wellness. It's recently become a hot topic and researchers are finding more and more out about MTHFR mutations.

What do we know so far about what this means for me...
1. I will never ever ever be able to get the same nutrients from food that people without this mutation can get (but there are supplements that I can take to help!). B vitamins and amino acids that my body cannot process like people without this mutation can do are either wasted or stored where they shouldn't be. This was actually relieving because one of the things that I talk to my doctors about all the time is how I just don't feel like my body and health reflect the amazing diet that I eat. Makes complete sense now. Although I am still recovering from the aggressive chemo and radiation involved in my cancer treatment and it will undoubtedly be affecting my body for years to come, I just felt like something was not right.
2. Some things that are ok for some people (mostly 'food like products') are actually even more toxic to my system because it is compromised in processing them properly (i.e. all of those years of chugging folic acid enriched orange juice and chomping on enriched bread...don't even remind me of the 2 years I popped folic acid enriched prenatal vitamins). My body can only utilize a percentage of folic acid I eat, the rest is no bueno for my body. Not only because I can't utilize it, but because I'm also compromised in eliminating it efficiently.
3. The mutation also affects how my body eliminates other environmental toxins. This is okay. Because I have knowledge and control over what I put in, on and around my body! I will update more on some of the changes I've been working on on goals I have in this department. Yup, more cooky hippie lifestyle changes to come...and you thought that the bone broth switch to stainless steel were weird. Wait until I fill you in on our water filtration and air purification systems. haha.
4. The specific mutation I have is linked to a higher risk of developing chronic diseases. One of these is cancer. Specifically breast cancer. Not a shocker since some of the specific deficiencies and impaired detox pathways are found at higher rates in people with breast cancer. 

extra chicken feet are my special secret ingredient for extra jiggly broth. haha.

What does this mean for my family? There's no need to test anyone because all of the dietary and lifestyle changes that I am making for myself are good for anyone (mutation or not) and no one else has any chronic health issues that are unanswered. So, at the Kinchen house we have been working diligently on getting lots and lots of healthy foods into every meal and eliminating as many chemicals and junk from our day to day lives. We found out some other interesting info related to my health. Will save for another time.

Moms and Dads don't feel too bad. I think we only got about half that green bean down. And that's some major progress :)

Make choices today that make you better.
Win the Day!
Jenn

Happy Happy Day!

Late on the Valentine's Day wishes this year...so plain old happy day wishes to you!

Austin and I spent the weekend together playing with friends and soaking up the sun in the amazing city of Austin. We had a Valentine's Day dinner with Aunt Maaya because Dad was busy continuing to make his mark in the handicapping world. Yes! We already have a trip booked to Vegas next year! And yes, you read it right, he already won 2 seats to play again. Unbelievable. Want to see something else that's kind of cute (Jonathon will die reading that I think it's cute. haha)? He was asked to write his own little handicapping blog :)

The guy's also been pretty darn busy (don't worry, handicapping tournaments are not my husband's full-time job) growing 2 businesses. We are so proud of Uncle Robert and Jonathon (and our newest family addition Uncle James) for all of their hard work in getting their new real estate and property management company up and running! Check out our new site for The Property Co. I find it pretty entertaining to click on the live chat button...guess which famous handicapper you get to talk with?? hahaha. I guess maybe I need to find a hobby too! Do you think there's any fame or money in the world of loud obnoxious craps table playing??

So...regarding my health, I am feeling well. More energy every day. My anxiety had almost disappeared, but then I started feeling a bit stressed about my decision to get a third opinion regarding my breast cancer maintenance program last week and had to tell you a story about just how amazing God can be at times when we really need a reminder. Austin was in school and I was running errands around town. For whatever reason, with only an hour left before pick up time, I drove all the way to the other side of town to get a few groceries (yes, I was actually IN a grocery store at another point that morning AND I drove by 4 grocery stores on the way to the one I ended up at). I quickly walked around the store, went to the checkout lane (walked past 3 open lanes and went to one with a girl finishing up checking out). I recognized her from a Breast Cancer Resource Center get together a few months ago. We chatted and she reminded me that there was a BCRC support luncheon for the Pink Ribbon Cowgirls (how amazing, and frustrating at the same time, that there is an entire group of hundreds of women in the very city I live in who are under 45 and are breast cancer survivors?!) happening right then and there in the store. Amazing. I seriously can't tell you how many hoops I jumped through and twists and turns I made around the city and ended up right exactly where I needed to be right then and there.

One of the parts of these luncheons is sharing your story. I am not joking when I tell you that I rehearse my diagnosis and treatment several times a day in my head. It's sad, but true. I want to be able to get through it without crying and without making it sound awful! I try new twists each time, but I still think it sounds like a nightmare. I'm working on doctoring it up to distract from some of the ick. I know that there are sunny sides in there somewhere! I actually practice telling Austin about it when he asks questions because I've always had a knack for talking about tough things with kids and not getting emotional about it. I find their honesty and understanding of things refreshing. I love the questions I get. Austin asks all the time what happened to my other booby. haha. And yesterday at the mall, we walked into a store and he said, mom, I wonder if there are going to be girls with 2 boobies here. hahaha. I hope so dude.

There was a new Cowgirl at the meeting who had just had her first round of chemo and the last thing I wanted her to hear was that it's possible that the chemo might not work and the cancer might grow. You might actually have to take even more chemo and your plans to have reconstruction after your treatment, might not pan out the way you think they will. So my version was...I had chemo (then I deflected to the group coordinator who knows my story well) and she interjected, then surgery, then radiation, oh wait, no, more chemo, then radiation. Now Tamoxifen. That's it. Then I switched to talking about being a stay at home mom. And that's about all I could get out without tearing up. And let me tell you, that is some major progress. And I needed prompting all the way through that very short and edited version! haha.

Next month, I am going to post some fundraising info for the BCRC and I hope that each of you can give a few dollars to the amazing cause. The money goes directly for services to women and men who need it right then and there right here in town. I can't tell you how many times I have emailed the group coordinator and she met me, emailed right back, called to check in...will be getting back to you on the Amplify Austin fundraiser soon.

WIN THE DAY!
Love
Jenn

Just in case you needed a laugh for today...

So many of you sweet people out there gave me some really nice shout outs about my hair and looking good and healthy in the pics from my last Vegas post...thanks so much...but I feel like I have to share with you what I really look like when I'm left to my own devices these days (especially with all of the rain we have had lately!).

HAHAHA. Yes. This is what I look like without professional help. A friend told me that I reminded her of this old Saturday Night Live character...

HAHAHA. So true. My hair is soooo curly. And I never fix it. Nor do I wear makeup or anything outside of the yoga pants category. I feel much better throwing that out there. Just in case anyone runs into the actual real me (not my other personality. the craps table wild and crazy got my hair did at the salon Vegas Jenn). Although it is fun to get done up every once in a while and I'm kind of jealous of all of the cute girls I know who are always fixed up and wearing real clothes, it's definitely NOT reality for this lady over here.

I had another long heart to heart visit with Dr. Jim (my oncologist) today. I wasn't scheduled to see him for another month (which will be my 6 month post-treatment checkup), but I stalked him to get me in sooner and give me another Tamoxifen pep talk. And by stalking, I mean driving to the out of town clinic that he visits once a week to see him instead of the busy in-town spot that's so hard to get in. Yup, no shame in my oncologist stalking game. After talking with a few other professionals and researching my risks of recurrence v. the benefits of continuing on the medication, I just wasn't convinced that taking the daily medication was worth all of my menopausal hormonal drama. The energy, sleep and anxiety symptoms are unbelievably better since my visit with the functional doc I told yall about a few weeks ago, but I am still having irritability, mood swings and other hormonal issues that are just no fun. And (although I'm sure my sisters and husband would disagree), not my personality. Just don't feel like myself these days.

I had poor Dr. Jim drawing diagrams, googling things on the computer for me, and printing out study after study so I could take the stack home and do my own reading on the subject. Bottom line is...and it's one of those things that's not fun to hear, but you kind of need to hear and then you immediately wish away that you had never heard...I had a very aggressive breast cancer. The disease I had is statistically a high risk disease for recurrence (I'm not ready to write or say the number). Dr. Jim thought that I was there because I had signs of cancer. He rushed into my room. 'What's going on? Lumps? Headaches? Bone pain? Confusion?' No Dr. Jim, I'm just here to chat (and don't forget the obligatory breast exam!). haha. He was relieved that I was just there for an hour long teaching session. And yall know I will pay my doctors' visit copay to any professional willing to cop a feel. haha.

It's kind of complicated because the pathology of the cancer we found in my body initially was triple negative (breast), slightly PR+ (lymph nodes), then the final pathology of my breast tissue was ER+ (2-4%) and PR+ (2-3%)...and a even a little Her-2+ (although so slight that it's still considered negative for that protein receptor). This type of cancers is not typically responsive to chemo...hence, the Taxol/Abraxane resistance. Confusing, right? Imagine poor Dr. Jim spending an hour of his life trying to dumb this stuff down to an OCD patient who cries. Every. Dang. Time.

So yeah, standard of care for an ER+ and PR+ pre-menopausal breast cancer patient with Taxane resistance (which is the category I am now a member) is to ride the Tamoxifen train for 10 years. So, I'm continuing on with my daily pill popping for at least the next month when I will then have another visit with Dr. Jim for my official 6 month survivor booby feeling party. Maybe I'll wear a nipple tassle for the appointment and really surprise poor Dr. Jim. Haha. Kidding. Kidding. I'll save that for my 1 year.

Be yourself. Even if IT'S PAT :)

Win the Day!
Jenn