Newspaper Article

My mother nominated me as a Christmas Angel for the Danville (IL) Commercial News. Here is the link. http://commercial-news.com/local/x1633432113/Cancer-takes-backseat-to-children-faith

Update

I thought I better do a quick update, since it has been awhile since my last post. I received radioembolization/Y-90 treatments on October 30th and November 15th to the tumors in my liver. Both procedures went well with very few side effects. I resumed my chemo schedule on November 30th. Dr. Gupta is giving me the next two weeks off from chemo. He wanted me to get my energy level back up, so I could enjoy Christmas Break with the girls. I was so happy! I will get chemo again on January 2nd and 9th. I will get a PET Scan on January 14th and then meet with Dr. Gupta again on January 22nd. The scan will let us know if the Y-90 treatments worked by shutting off the blood supply that feeds the tumors. It will also show if anything new has developed since the last scan. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:5-8

First Treatment Complete

I received my first Y-90 Radioembolization treatment yesterday. It was another tiring 12 hour day, but everything went pretty smoothly. I am sore and queasy, but feel pretty good. Thankfully, the medicines seem to be helping control the pain and nausea. Dr. Martinez gave me a really heavy dose of radiation to the tumor on the left lobe of my liver. The next procedure is scheduled for November 15th. He will focus on the two tumors on the right side. Because of their location, he cannot get to them directly. He will give me a small dose of radiation to that general area. He said he will treat the tumor on my left side again that day. Two weeks after that, he is going to use some other type of procedure called RFA to directly blast the two tumors on the right. Then, I will get a scan two weeks later to see if the tumors responded to the treatments. I am also scheduled for chemo to continue during this time. It sure seems overwhelming thinking about all of this and what I have to put my body through. However, I know it is what I have to do to attack the cancer. I am just praying that all of this works, so I can get a break for awhile. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. Keep them coming!!

Vein Mapping Complete

Dr. Martinez did the vein mapping procedure October 18th. It was a long exhausting day. We were supposed to be there 6 hours and ended up being at St. Vincent's for 13 hours. The end result was good though; everything looked good in order for me to receive the radioembolization treatment. My radioembolization is scheduled for Tuesday, October 30th. It will be an outpatient procedure like the vein mapping. I will have the same recovery period. I may experience flu-like symptoms from the radiation for the first 24-48 hours. After the mapping, I was just a little sore and bruised, but it was not that bad. I just met with Dr. Gupta today and he does not want me to take chemo for the next two weeks. He said there is no need to push my body. I will resume chemo the week after radioembolization. I think I will just get Taxol and I am not sure what my treatment schedule will be. He will let me know later. I am looking forward to the Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk this weekend. I appreciate the support of my friends and family at this event. Please feel free to join us on Saturday at Wabash College. Registration begins at 8:30 and the walk starts at 10:00. Dress warm! Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. It helps me keep pushing through. It really means alot to me and my family.

Radioembolization

We met with Dr. Martinez in Indianapolis last week. He made a good first impression; Rob and I really liked him. He was really friendly and very knowledgeable. He showed us the most recent CAT scan of my liver. The mass on my left lobe is the main problem. The tumor kind of looks like a hand spread out with fingers. This is the tumor that the doctors always refer to as the "mean, ugly one". Then on the right side of my liver there are two "normal" shaped tumors. Dr. Martinez explained the treatment called Radioembolization. It is a targeted treatment for liver tumors that delivers millions of tiny radioactive beads called SIR-Spheres microshperes directly to the tumors. It has proven to be 80% - 90% effective in treating liver metastases. It may work at shrinking the tumors and/or preventing them from growing for at least 5 months. Sometimes it is effective 10 - 14 months, depending on the patient. As with any type of treatment, each person responds differently. If this type of treatment is successful and my body holds up, he can do the procedure again. He can continue to treat me on an as needed basis. It is not a one shot deal. However, if the tumors do not respond, then the next step would be Chemoembolization. Chemoembolization is much harder on my body as a whole. He said it still may be a great treatment option for me on down the road. So, hopefully we will not have to resort to that right now. After the insurance gets approved, the first step will be vein mapping. Hopefully, all of my veins are working properly and flowing the way they should. If there is any abnormality, Dr. Martinez will not be able to perform the procedure to administer this type of treatment. There is too much risk involved. If the vein mapping turns out regular, then we are all set for things to move forward. Needless to say, Rob and I are very encouraged by these treatment options. It is just the type of hope we needed.

Great Results!

We got the results of the PET scan yesterday. It showed that the tumors have shrunk considerably and nothing new showed up. We were thrilled with the good news! Dr. Gupta wants me to do 6 more rounds of chemo (12 treatments). I will follow the same regimen that I have been doing the past few months. Hopefully, the tumors will keep responding to this treatment and shrink even more. I will meet with Dr. Martinez sometime in the next few weeks. He is the doctor that will be doing the chemo embolization whenever the tumors get the correct size. We are anxious to learn more about this treatment. We feel so blessed to have so many people praying for us. It provides us with so much comfort and strength. Our faith in God is what helps us get through each day.

PET Scan scheduled

After my appointment with Dr. Gupta last week, we left the office with mixed feelings again. We got my tumor marker results back, and they were not good. My tumor markers had increased by 25. Since I have been taking chemo for the past twelve weeks, we thought they would have gone down. But, Dr. Gupta said some times the numbers go up before they come down due to the timing of the test. I am scheduled for a PET Scan on Monday, September 10th to get a clear picture of what is going on with my tumors. I will get the results the next day. We are praying that the tumors have been decreasing in size and that no new tumors are growing somewhere else. Please continue to pray that my body stays strong for the fight.

Feeling Good

I have been feeling pretty good during this whole round of treatments. My energy level is low and I get tired easily, but I have been very lucky to not feel sick. I battled one infection a few weeks ago and ended up in the ER. After some strong meds and bed rest, I was back to normal four days later. I will have chemo tomorrow and then will have another treatment the following Thursday. Dr. Gupta said I will do a PET scan after that to see how the tumors have been responding to the treatment. Of course, we have been praying that the chemo is working its magic and that the rest of my body stays strong to continue the fight. Thank you to everyone that has offered to help with various things. So far, we have been fortunate enough to handle most daily tasks on our own. We are very thankful for my dad being my chemo buddy for all of these weeks. I'm sure it is the most boring thing ever, but we have nice visits and the time seems to pass pretty quickly. Please continue to keep us in your daily prayers. We feel truly blessed to have so many people praying for us. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer." Romans 12:12

Hair We Go Again :)

I had an appointment with Dr. Gupta today. He said that he wants me to complete 2 more rounds of chemo before he does another scan. He was pleased that I am feeling okay so far with these chemo drugs. I have had a few side effects pop up, but nothing major. The biggest news is that my hair started falling out last week, so Rob had to shave my head. Kendal is probably bothered by it more than anybody, because she thinks it really makes me look like I am sick. She said, "Oh, great! I guess that means I am going to have to ride the bus to school this year." She is really worried about me and scared that I won't be able to take care of her. Even though I have had treatments recently, she doesn't remember what it was like when I was really sick from the chemo. She was just 4 years old then. So far, this treatment has not had that effect on me and I have been able to do my usual "mom" things. I am so grateful for that. We were able to go on our Orlando trip as planned. We had a great time and are so thankful for the opportunity to get away. An added bonus to the trip was that Rachel's AAU basketball team finished in the top 12 in the Championship Division at the National Tournament. We also really enjoyed hanging out with my sister-in-law, Michele, and nieces, Aubrey and Sasha. The girls loved being with their cousins. I will complete cycle 2 of round 2 of chemo on Thursday morning. My blood work was good, so I do not have to get any type of white cell booster shots prior to the chemo. We were really happy about that. Please continue to pray for us as we continue this journey.

Hit a Snag

I got along fine with my first cycle of chemo last week. I did not have any bad side effects and the nausea meds worked great. However, we hit a little snag yesterday when my blood tests came back. My counts were too low, so I could not get chemo today as scheduled. I received a Neupogen shot yesterday and then got bloodwork done again this afternoon. Thankfully, the shot worked and got my counts back to where they needed to be. I will get my second cycle of chemo tomorrow at 11:20 and then a Neulasta shot Friday afternoon. I will have a week off after that. Please continue to pray that this chemo works to shrink the tumors and that my body stays strong for the fight!

Teresa had chemo on Wednesday and has not experienced any complications. Fortunately, we were able to get away for a few days without the kids in order to attend a retreat at French Lick. This meant that she only had to take care of herself and enabled her to get plenty of rest. She has another treatment scheduled this Wednesday. In addition, she will also get a shot on Thursday to boost her white blood count. From our previous experiences, this shot is what will wipe her out for about a day. She is not looking forward to getting it but she knows it is a necessary evil. Thank you all for your continued prayers and concerns. We are very fortunate to have each of you in our lives.

The results from the PET Scan were not what we had hoped. It showed that the tumor on her liver has grown significantly enough to warrant starting chemo again. As a result, Teresa will start it on Wednesday, June 20 at 1:00 p.m. Dr. Gupta has decided to use Gemsar and Taxol this time around. His goal is to "back it into a corner" in hope of trying some sort of treatment aimed directly at cutting the blood supply off to the area where the tumor is growing. He is not sure of an exact procedure but is going to talk to some colleagues this next week at a conference. As you can imagine, Teresa is upset about the idea of starting chemo again. However, the good news from the PET Scan was that only one other small area showed up. This was located on her right hip. This Sunday is Teresa's 41st birthday. So, we have a couple of celebrations planned. One of them is a trip to the Oceanaire Seafood Room on Friday evening with some great friends. Please continue to keep all of us in your prayers. They have been answered time and time again over the last 3 years. We have no reason to believe they won't be this time as well. Rob

Results

I just wanted to let everyone know the latest results. The ultrasound showed that the tumors in my liver are still about the same size and nothing new showed up there. However, my tumor marker numbers increased. I will be getting a PET Scan on Monday, June 11th at 3:00. I will get the results from Dr. Gupta on Tuesday, June 12th at 1:00. Please continue to pray for us during this time of uncertainty.

We apologize for not keeping the blog up-to-date. It has been a busy 8 weeks with school functions, dance/gymnastics, and travel basketball. On Monday, June 4, T will have an ultrasound on her liver to see how the tumor is reacting to the hormone therapy (Aromasin). Hopefully, she will get great news on Tuesday, June 5 at an appointment with Dr. Gupta. Please shoot up an extra prayer for her when you get a chance. There is no doubt that they have been answered up to this point. Thank you all for your continued love and support. Rob

Quick Update

I had an ultrasound on my liver on Monday, April 9th. We met with Dr. Gupta yesterday for the results. The main tumor in the liver is considerably smaller and my tumor markers were down to 57. We are thrilled with the great results! I have been feeling really good and was hoping for good news.

I will get another ultrasound of that same area on June 4th to see if there have been any changes. I will continue my current treatment plan, since it seems to be working. I am also thankful that the new medicine does not have any bad side effects.

Thank you for keeping me and my family in your prayers. We continue to be amazed at the blessings God has bestowed upon us.

Great Results!!!

We just got back from my appointment with Dr. Gupta. The PET Scan showed that all of my tumors have shrunk considerably. We are so excited!!

Dr. Gupta said he wanted to give my body a break from the chemo for awhile. I will start taking a pill daily called Aromasin. It is some type of estrogen blocker. It is a cousin to one of the meds I took previously, but different enough that my body should respond to it. I am also trying a new medicine for my bones (I can't remember the name and didn't write it down). Anyway, it will take the place of the Zometa infusion. It is a shot I will get once a month. It is supposed to be less harmful to my kidneys than the other drug.

I am scheduled for an ultrasound on April 9th. I will see Dr. Gupta on April 10th for the results.

We are so thankful for this good news. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.
"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

PET Scan

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be getting a PET Scan on Monday, February 20th at 2:30. Dr. Gupta wants the full body scan to see if the chemo has been working to shrink my tumors and to see if any new spots show up. I will meet with him on Tuesday, February 21st at 1:30 to get the results. He will determine my next treatment plan at that time.

Update

I have a good friend in Tennessee that lets me know when I need to update my blog. She checks it often and usually assumes that no news is good news. She called me Saturday and I realized that I had not written for awhile.

I meet with Dr. Gupta tomorrow for my normal appointment. I will get my tumor marker results and get my PET Scan scheduled. I am also going to talk to him about my Neupogen shots. They boost my counts, but made me feel really bad this last time. I am going to see what my other options might be.

I have continued the same chemo schedule since October. I go two Fridays in a row and then I am off a Friday. The chemo is starting to wear me down and a few adverse side effects are creeping up. Hopefully, my tumors are shrinking so I can cut back on the treatments. I guess we will find out after the PET Scan.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.