After reading many blog sites I finally decided to bite the bullet and make one. It seems to make people feel better and my family and friends can actually see how I am doing with out having to call me.

As many of you know my history, it will probably be a little boring to start with but I will try to keep this updated as often as I feel like typing. I have started this first page with a little of my history. It seems so scary to me that my oncologist is 350 miles away and yet I am so happy to be where I am.

I moved to Eastern Oregon to be with a long time ago love and we are doing great emotionally but sometimes I wonder will he be able to handle the long run of going thru all of the mood swings and just plain bitch that I can become. Each day he suprises me and I think that this time I got it right in the love dept because each nite as I lay down and know I will not sleep I look over at him and thank God that he is in my life.. What can be a better feeling then that...

My name is Robi Fleming. I have Inflammatory Breast Cancer stage IV. I was dx on May 10th 2002. I was initially dx with mastitis as is commonly done with IBC. I found my lump one Saturday in April of 2002. Went to the doctor and he thought I had a cyst which he tried to aspirate. To his surprise and my pain we discovered it wasn't a cyst. He then sent me to a breast surgeon who diagnosed me with mastitis and put me on antibiotics. He also did what I consider is the one thing that has saved my life so far, he ordered a needle biopsy. On May 10th, (3 days before my 46th birthday) I received the news that I had breast cancer in both sides. I started chemo that very day. Their goal was to decrease the size of the tumor before surgery. My tumor had grown in one month from the size of a golf ball to a tennis ball. I had 6 chemo treatments and then a double mastectomy on Aug 28th. Chemo was successful and it had shrank my tumor. I had the mastectomy with what I thought was an easy time. Actually the surgery has been the easiest time throughout this whole treatment time. With IBC you can not have reconstruction which needless to say I was very disappointed but I was alive and healthy I thought so ok. I got very sick about one month following surgery and they realized I had staph infection in my L side. Spent 2 horrible weeks in the hospital, had another surgery and came home with a sucking machine to try to heal the new incision up faster. Spent a month on that, which I called my 5 foot life because youHad to wear it 23 hours a day and it only had a 5 foot cord. I continuedChemo, had Taxol, Taxitere, Gemzar and steroids etc. I have lost my hair 4 times but hey its always a new me :) In April of 2003 I had good news. I was in remission and I thought wow I can get back with my life. Back to work full time and feeling a little tired but not bad. In June of 2004 I woke up with a small stomach ache, kind of like when you have run to fast to hard. By the end of the day I couldn't even bend over to pick up a paper clip. I went to the Dr and he ordered a CT scan. When the results were back he said that he had consulted my oncologist and I thought hmmm for a stomach ache? Well it wasn't a stomach ache, the IBC had come back to cover 75% of my liver and I started chemo again. I had neutropenia and was very sick. At this time I was living in Little Rock and my family was all on the West Coast. My oncologist (Dr. Brad Baltz) called my mom and said that she needed to bring me home. I was fortunate to find another good Dr. Here in Oregon. Dr. Brett Cook resumed my chemo and we found that it had moved to both of my lungs. More chemo, more hair loss, more fatigue but I have a great support group in family, spirit and friends. I got Neutropenia again and decided to take a break. I decided to quit chemo and try to have a normal life without feeling so sick and tired..I resumed a romance with someone that was in my life 25 years ago (when I had boobs and everything) We decided that together was worth a shot. We have been together ever since. I found out in Sept (2007) that my cancer is back in my liver and I have started chemo again..have a great day!