Surgery Week - Timeline of Events

Well, in a whirlwind…..Abby's 2nd surgery week has come and gone. Below is a timeline of events throughout the week. A few things to know…..

1. All times are Eastern Standard Time
2. I'd guess each time has a 37 second margin of error

Here we go……

Friday, 3:22 PM - Some final Juddy/Mom quality time before the whirlwind begins.

Friday, 4:34 PM - Grandpa arrives from Tennessee. Judd and him play like not a day has passed.

Cousin Mitch visited too!

Saturday, 7:13 AM - Abs allows Ross to go out and play. A much needed round with the boys before the surgery. Mr. Adam wins in an epic dual that came down to the 18th green. Rematch soon!

Saturday, 1:04 PM - Final nap together before the trip.

Saturday, 3:57 PM - The Gator Game begins. Oy…..they make me sad. Oh well, at least we got to enjoy some Boiled Peanuts.

Sunday, 8:33 AM - Meadowbrook Church and Pastor Tim Gilligan are on fire! The lesson of the day…..We All Have Issues…..We All Have Gifts. Many thanks to worship team members, Tom Rau and Sheri Quistad, whom prayed over Abs and me before we left. Awesome stuff.

Sunday, 1:13 PM - Grandpa gets to take the beloved nieces to the beach. Paddle Boarding is the lesson of the day.

Sunday, 3:02 PM - Visit the Knudsens! Photos unavailable….the cats were too distracting.

Sunday, 4:12 PM - Ella's Soul Food Sunday, baby! If ever there was a restaurant designed for being Awesome, this was it! Ribs, Bacon Mac N' Cheese, Fried Green Tomatoes, Shrimp and Grits, and oh yes, a Bloody Mary infused with a Rib…..A Rib……I repeat……A Rib.

A Rib.

Sunday, 7:38 PM - Aunt Carrie, Grandpa, and The Gang get to go enjoy some Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. No word on if there was a last dance with Mary Jane. (Kidding of course).

Monday, 5:16 AM - The wake up call is right on time. The volume of the "ring" from the phone sends Ross into Cardiac Arrest.

Monday, 6:02 AM - Jesus Calling……right on point (as always).

Monday, 6:29 AM - Arrive at the hospital right on time. Promptness….That's what I do!

For the first time ever….Aunt Kristi and the Girls arrived first!

Monday, 6:46 AM - Some Good Laughs while waiting. (As already discussed).

Monday, 7:38 AM - Nerves are setting in and things are starting to get tense.

Monday, 8:08 AM - Dr. Lee, Crazy Nurse Nikki, and our good buddy David Seal are ready to take great care of Abby. First, we present them with a cake! To help them stay awake, and to show our thanks.

Monday, 8:14 AM - Another moving prayer from Pastor John of The Living Waters Church of God. We're all ready to run through a wall.

Monday, 8:16 AM - Me: "I love you. See you on the flip side."

Monday, 8:54 AM - A look inside Ross' thoughts. "Ok, I gotta update her….and her….and him. Oh %$&*, I forgot to update her. Ok, I think that's everybody. Crap….I forgot him and her."

Monday, 9:17 AM - Tick Tock. The family invades the waiting area.

I hate homework!

What a Tool.

Monday, 11:13 AM - Bruce Jenner completes his 54th Face Lift.

Monday, 1:15 PM - The phone rings from the O.R. All is going well. The Masectomy is done! The doc will be out to see you in roughly 30 minutes.

Monday, 1:46 PM - The moment of truth with the great, Dr. Lee. All went awesome! Margins looked clean. A collective "Whoop Whoop" is shouted.

Monday, 1:48 PM - Hugs all around. A big hug with Abby's rock…her sister Kristi. A few tears shed. She's relieved. I'm relieved. Abby's mom is relieved. Her Dad is relieved. My mom is relieved. Jimmy Fallon is relieved. Chief Justice John Roberts is relieved. Benjamin Netanyahu is relieved. You get the picture. It was a great moment.

Monday, 1:53 PM - "Ok, I gotta update her….and her….and him. Oh %$&*, I forgot to update her. Ok, I think that's everybody. Crap….I forgot him and her."

Monday, 3:14 PM - Making our way to room 531, we hear a voice from behind… "Hiiiiiii! Man, I was in Recovery forever!" Classic Abby.

Monday, 4:28 PM - Taco Bus arrives. Abs and I dig in! It's an Abby Surgery tradition.

Monday, 6:12 PM - The two loves of my life for this week have a visit. My wife and the incredible…..the talented…..the caring….the cool…..the bad@$$: Dr. Lee. She talks it and walks it.

Tuesday, 7:44 AM - Lets go for a walk.

Tuesday, 9:27 AM - Lets get dressed.

Tuesday, 10:54 AM - Lets stuff my face.

Tuesday, 12:12 PM - Lets go home.

Tuesday, 12:14 PM - Well, lets first hit Jimmy John's.

Tuesday, 5:31 PM - Reunited.

Wednesday, 9:04 AM - First shower. Quite a science experiment, but certainly rejuvenating.

Wednesday, 11:12 AM - Time to binge watch TV…..ALL WEEK!

And that's the way it was.



(Many thanks for what was an incredible show of support on Monday and really throughout this entire year. It was ridiculous and humbling how many texts, emails, Facebook posts, etc. that we received. We are very sorry to hijack everyone's News Feeds, but we are so thankful for the Love. The end is near for 29andGonnaBeFine. The finish line is in sight, and the 30th birthday is on the horizon. So far the name of this blog is holding true….everything is going just fine.)

A Few Good Laughs

Abs is in surgery as we speak! Wait, am I speaking or am I writing? Or am I blogging? Jeez.....you know what I mean.

We woke up this morning to roughly 1,214 posts, emails, texts and pretty much any other form of reaching out to us. Very sorry that we've hijacked everyone's News Feeds today, but man it's incredible. I know Abby feels the love.

So anyway, I dont do serious. I do funny. And so, I share with you a few things that really made Abby laugh out loud this morning. Great medicine before they wheeled Abby back......

1. Masectomy Jokes - You'd think Abs would be upset, but really she is fine with what is happening to her body. She is even willing to laugh about it. Here's a message from her friend that really got her going.......

2. Chucky...enough said. Well done Audrey Boyles.

3. A true sign of content.....laughing at your own jokes. Abs was quite proud of this one.

Talk to everyone later on.....Rossaroni

Dear Abby, (Part 2)

Dear Abby,

For all the same reasons It Was Never the Hair……It Was Also Never the Boobs.

-All of Us

This kid just needs a shoulder.

Last Wednesday with Boobs

Hi friends! A post is long overdue….so I’m sorry I’ve kept ya hanging for so long.

Here is what’s new in the Jones house….

MY NEXT SURGERY IS ON MONDAY, the 22^nd!  I am actually excited to get this part of my life over with. Several people have asked what surgery I’m having this time. I will be having a bi-lateral (both breasts) mastectomy. I will be left with 2 incisions and a chest as flat as Judd’s.  Like I’ve mentioned before, I can’t get immediate reconstruction. The surgeon needs to make sure she achieved clean margins and we won’t know that information until the final pathology report comes out. If clear margins were not achieved, we would have to go back in for surgery and remove more tissue. Usually, she would just send me for radiation and not put me through surgery again. However, in my case, I need to avoid radiation whenever possible.  Radiation, which most of you probably know, can cause secondary cancer. Since we know I have a genetic mutation that makes me more prone than the average person to getting cancer…..we need to avoid radiation!

We will head down to Tampa this Sunday night so we’ll be ready for the early morning wake up call on Monday. I need to get to Moffitt at 6:30 for my 8:15 surgery Monday morning.  My surgeon tells me I will most likely stay just one night in the hospital and that this surgery will be way easier than my last surgery.  That was nice to hear! I pray she’s correct! My Dad is flying in for the week, Ross took the week off and so did my FIL. When Ross heads back to work, my best friend, Mindi, is flying in for a few days to be my personal nurse.  I’m a lucky gal!  Lets Do This!

In other news, MY EJECTION FRACTURE (the heart issue I was having) is BACK TO NORMAL!!  This means I can start receiving Herceptin (the medicine I need to get 13 more times) again. So, tomorrow I’ll be heading to my local oncologist to get a quick, 30-minute infusion.  Those will continue every 3 weeks unless my heart needs another break. Praying it won’t though.  

Have I mentioned how happy I am to be done with chemo?!  The last round went well! I had no major problems other than the normal exhaustion.  I still have my hair and I’m SO GLAD TO BE DONE USING THE COLD CAPS! It was exciting to ship those back to the company. Don’t get me wrong, they worked wonderfully and I’m extremely grateful I have my hair….I just didn’t enjoy the process. I still have to continue to be gentle with my hair for a little while longer though.

Thank you, Jimmy Walton @ Walton Rental’s for supplying the dry ice each round.

During my last round, I got to see a few familiar faces…

I also learned that this sweet man that sat across from me the last few times is family of my family up in Tennessee. Sounds like Tennessee, right? 

They told me they prayed for me EVERY night.

I certainly rang that bell and RAN!

I know I look ridiculous.

Finally….. I need to say a special thanks to my sister, Kristi and my husband, Ross. Together, they make a fierce team. They helped make the last several months a walk in the park for me.  Without my sister (and the cold caps of course), I wouldn’t have hair. Kristi is so meticulous with everything she does and that played a major role in saving my hair. Kristi is so supportive and caring and has had my back every step of the way. I’m blessed she is my sister and my friend. Also, a special thanks to her bosses for letting her take all of that time off of work so she could be by my side. I’m so grateful!

And to my AMAZING husband….. as you all know….. HE IS MY #1 fan. He has had to be mega Dad and pseudo Mom to our son basically all year AND he does it happily. He is an amazing, hands-on Dad to our Judd. He makes sure I get my rest and makes sure I’m comfortable always. He assures me often that the soon to be change in my body will not alter the way he feels about me. He loves me for who I am…. and sometimes, I can be a handful.  He’s selfless in everything he does and always puts others first.  He’s just awesome! Thank you God for giving him the strength to fight this fight with me!

I love you Rossy-Pooh! 

I'll keep you posted!   

~Abby