https://www.facebook.com/152533277934841/

Follow JBird

Cancer-free warrior sharing life during & after mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Attitude is everything! 💪 Hello, I am Jacquie Bird.

I started this page to share my journey of dealing with Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma. I will also be sharing many things I have learned while living my best life and surrounding myself with fantastic, uplifting people. The journey has not always been easy, but I am finally on my way to reaching goals both professionally and personally that I have always dreamed of.

06/17/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐂𝐓 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭

Had my biannual CT scan with contrast today as part of my follow-up care.

If you've never had one before, the contrast dye can create some pretty strange sensations. Within seconds, it often feels like a warm rush moving through your body. Many people (myself included) feel like they've suddenly peed their pants... even though they haven't! 😆

The scan itself is quick, painless, and over before you know it. It's amazing what modern medicine can do to help doctors monitor your health and catch problems early.

Now the waiting game for results begins, but I'm grateful for another follow-up completed and for the healthcare professionals who make the process a little less intimidating. The results usually appear quickly in the app, but I will wait until my appointment with my oncologist on Monday to review them.

Have you ever had a CT scan with contrast? Did it make you think you peed your pants, too? 😂

06/03/2026

𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠

Another thing that nobody really talks about after head and neck radiation is that the side effects don't magically stop when treatment ends.

Today I had FOUR little cavities filled.

As someone who has always taken care of my teeth, this one is frustrating. I brush, floss, use my prescription toothpaste, and do everything I'm supposed to do. Unfortunately, radiation can permanently affect saliva production, which plays a huge role in protecting your teeth.

Because I knew what was coming today, I showed up prepared. 😆 I wore my AirPods and cranked up my music. I could still hear the drill, but blasting some music certainly helped distract me from the noise.

But then I remind myself...
👉 Things could always be worse.
😁 I still have my teeth. 😂

Cancer may have left me with a few extra challenges, but it didn't take away my sense of humor, my gratitude, or my ability to keep moving forward.

So today I'll take the fillings, keep using my fancy toothpaste, keep turning up the music, and be thankful for another day.

05/06/2026

One thing people don’t really talk about after head and neck radiation… eating changes. A lot.

For me, eating food without water nearby is basically out of the question now. I can easily go through 3 large glasses of water with one meal, just trying to get food down comfortably.

I was told at some point I’ll probably need to have my esophagus stretched, it’s called esophageal dilation, and apparently, it’s pretty common after radiation treatments to the head and neck area. That sounds miserable to me 😅, but everyone says it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds.

So for now, I’ll keep carrying my water bottle everywhere I go 😂💧

It’s funny how the things cancer changes are the ones nobody prepares you for. But you adapt, you adjust, and you keep moving forward.

04/23/2026

Where the journey started two years ago… back for just a cleaning today! 😁 The best dentist around!

04/08/2026

𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 👂

One little side effect I still deal with after radiation is my hearing. My left ear is not 100%. It always feels like it needs to pop… but it never actually does.

There’s no pain at all, it just feels muffled, like I’m underwater sometimes. I’ve seen my ENT a few times about it, and honestly, this part is on me. He has suggested putting a tube in my ear because there seems to be fluid behind the eardrum.

At my last visit about a month ago, it actually seemed a bit better, so I decided to wait. Well… now it seems worse again, so I’m thinking I’ll go ahead and let him do the tube at my next appointment.

I am getting very tired of saying “huh?” to everyone. 😆

The good news is that this is a very minor side effect compared to what many people go through. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful every single day. Some people have a much harder road, and I never take that for granted.

I’m sharing this just to be open about my experience and the little things that can linger after treatment.

But overall… I’m still here, still smiling, and still moving forward. 💛

04/06/2026

𝐀 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

I am often asked how I found out about my cancer, so here it is!
During a routine dental visit in March 2024, my dentist noticed a lump on my upper gum behind my molar.

Every once in a while, I would feel it with my tongue. It would change size sometimes, then shrink again. It never hurt, so I honestly didn’t think much about it. I’d notice it… Then forget about it.

But my dentist didn’t ignore it.

He said, “I want you to get that checked.”

That small lump turned out to be mucoepidermoid carcinoma, which is a type of salivary gland cancer.

There are several types of salivary gland cancers, and thankfully, this one is usually very treatable and often curable when caught early.

I went through surgery and 7 weeks of head and neck radiation, and today I’m grateful to say I’m cancer-free.

So here’s my reminder to you:

If something feels unusual — even if it doesn’t hurt — please get it checked out.

Early detection can truly save your life.

And I’ll always be thankful for a dentist who paid attention.
Dr. Brent Rampey | Schroeder Creek Dental | Wentzville

03/26/2026

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 & 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧

One thing I will never forget from my cancer journey is the support from my friends and family.

The texts.
The check-ins.
The offer to stop by.
The friends who were able to come to my last day of radiation to watch me ring the bell.
And those who wanted to be there but had to work.

During the hardest part of treatment, my world became very small. I basically went to radiation ->my bed -> to my home office -> my bed -> office -> bed. Thank goodness I was self-employed at the time because I honestly don’t think I could have handled going into an office every day.

When I don’t feel good, I tend to retreat a little. I’m just that type of person. Thankfully, my husband understands that and never takes it personally.

And Cooper… dogs are amazing. Somehow, they know when something isn’t right. I think he secretly loved all the extra naps we took during that time. He was never far from my side.

One thing cancer taught me is how much a simple message can mean.

If you know someone going through cancer or any illness, send them a quick text just to say hi. You may not realize how much that small gesture can brighten someone’s day.

I’ll be honest… before I went through this myself, I wasn’t very good about doing that either. But life has a way of teaching us things.

I truly believe I’ve become a little bit better person because of this experience.

And to everyone who reached out… thank you. It meant more than you know, and I will never forget. ❤️

03/24/2026

Hi friends… It’s been a while.

The last time I posted here was April of 2025.

When you go through cancer, there’s a lot of attention during treatment, appointments, updates, and counting down the days.

But what people don’t talk about as much is 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫.

The follow-ups.
The scans.
The little reminders your body went through something big.
The gratitude for every normal day.

I’m still cancer-free, and for that I am incredibly thankful.
But the journey doesn’t really end, it just changes.

So I’m going to start sharing updates again.
Not because anything is wrong… but because this experience changed my life, and maybe my story can help someone else walking through it.

Thanks for following along again. ❤️

Address

1000 Schroeder Creek Blvd
Wentzville, MO
63385

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Follow JBird posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company in Wentzville?