Great News!!

My mom just came back from the doctor with some pretty wonderful news. Her Pet scan came back normal so her doctor is recommending only 2 more treatments- which will put her at a total of 4 instead of the originally planned 6!! She still has a lot of back pain and the doctor said that's because the lymphoma leaves a hole in the vertebrae. So at some point she may have to have some sort of surgery to strengthen the bone.
She meets with a doctor from UCSD tomorrow to discuss a possible stem cell transplant because it reduces the chances of the large diffused B-cell lymphoma from coming back in the future. The downside is, it doesn't prevent the low-grade lymphoma she had before from coming back.

Another treatment down, only 4 more (hopefully) to go! It left her feeling pretty lethargic and nauseous last week and she left the bed only to move to the sofa. She has become quite familiar with just about every show on TV. She'll meet with the doctor next week to look at her most recent PET scan and talk about whether or not the chemo is working.

Here is a picture of her in front of the organic garden, a work in progress, wearing the cute scarf my friends gave her!

By Sunday she had a little more pep in her step and she had her first big outing last night! Ashley and I took her to dinner and to see Legally Blonde the Musical for her birthday (her 3rd treatment just happens to fall on her real birthday). We had a great time and the show was so much fun! Ash took off work today and the three of us are getting to spend some time together. I'll update next week after her appointment!

Here is a picture of her with her adorable wig! It gave her a headache, but she sure looked cute!

Today my mom went through the second round of chemo and we kept ourselves quite entertained during the 5 hour process. We read, watched 2 movies, and one of the nurses got engaged so my mom is of course trying to plan her wedding :)!
There's really not much to report- she's sleeping now and when I ask her how she's feeling she just says "fuzzy" and "weird." She was already sick around this time last cycle so it seems to me that she is handling it better this time around.
Her hair is really falling out so I just bought scissors to cut it even shorter--she isn't on board with a buzz cut so we are just going for a very VERY short pixie. She has some cute headgear, though. Damian's kind grandmother gave her lots of little hats and scarves and my sweet friends from SMU gave her an ADORABLE and colorful scarf. It's just been so amazing for us to see how generous everyone has been. I think we've eaten better the past month than we ever have before!!!
On another note, my dad started working on the organic garden so when she starts feeling better she'll start planting!
I'll let you know if anything changes, but she seems to be doing well so far.

Hi everyone,
It's Debbie- I figured I'd be out of commission next week (it's my second round of chemo) so I may as well update you all this time. I have had a really great week! I found out on Monday that my bone marrow is clear and my blood was where it needed to be to be ready for next week, so that's left me very hopeful and positive. I love my doctor and he is always so reassuring.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with Rob Wergin, Master Healer and Spiritual Teacher. His healing technique left me feeling lighter and relaxed. He provided me with a positive mantra to help put my mind where it needs to be to go through this whole healing process. As you can see, I'm open to a range of methods dealing with both my pain and my overall attitude.
My wonderful trainer Erin has been helping me keep up my strength- I out-crunched Lauren yesterday :)- and she has also provided me with gallons of Kangen water.
I've started to shed a lot and the fabulous Heidi and Amber have been working on my wig to get the right cut and color for me. I am so thankful to every one's generosity and support. It has meant so much not only to me but to my family as well.
We are at the beach house til the weekend and I'm enjoying this little vacation while I am feeling well. Lauren will update you next week. My chemo days are Monday and Tuesday and the rest of the week will be spent recovering.
Thanks again and lots of love from the entire Huddleston family!

We had such a great time at Annie and Curtis Clave's wedding in Del Mar and my mom looks so great that I thought I'd share a picture!

She's baaaaack!

Today is a great day! She woke up a new person and she is feeling SO much better! She was up at 6 and went on a walk and to breakfast! We are VERY happy!

Today we had to put down our sweet Shae. We found out two weeks ago that she had cancer and she was becoming so weak and uncomfortable we decided it was the right thing to do. We all seriously loved this little girl and were so sad to see her go. But, as with everything, something good is going to come of it. We had a little fenced off area for the dog in our backyard and my mom decided she wants to start an organic garden there. We all agreed that it is a great idea and would be something fun for my mom to fuss over!
On another note, she went in for more acupuncture today. I'm not sure that she really feels any better but she's also not feeling any worse, so that's at least something. She's shooting for at least one outing a day so we're going to hit up the grocery store pretty soon and back to the couch she'll go.
Over the weekend she developed sores in her mouth from the chemo. She said it was the worst thing ever, and she's a pretty tough lady so it must have been awful. Her doctor gave her a prescription mouth wash and it's thankfully starting to get a little better.