Good News!

I had my appointment with Dr. Gupta this evening. My tumor marker levels had dropped from 157 in November to 152. Not a huge drop, but we'll take it! All of my other blood work came back great and my liver is still functioning normally. I do not have to get any tests until the end of May. Please keep those prayers coming my way!!

Brief Update

I just wanted everyone to know that everything is still going well at the Ramey household. Rachel is in the middle of her 6th grade basketball season and is really enjoying playing with her friends. Kendal continues to keep us entertained at home and is loving her hip-hop/jazz dance lessons. I am feeling fine. I am really thankful to be able to take the girls to their activities and enjoy watching them play/perform.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and concerns. My next scheduled tumor marker test is March 12th. I will get the results back on March 16th.

A quick update on my dad, Bob Denhart: Dad just finished week #3 of radiation treatment for his prostate cancer. He has to do it for 6 more weeks. He seems to be getting along really good with the treatments so far. Thankfully, he has only had pain a few times. Please continue to pray for him, too.

One Year Ago.......

On January 27, 2009, I received my 2nd cancer diagnosis. I remember everything about that day. What a punch in the gut! We were definitely not ready to hear those words again. We were shocked. That wasn't the way things were supposed to happen. The breast cancer I had two years prior was the non-invasive kind. No lymph nodes were involved. I had the radical mastectomy to just make sure it was gone. I remember thinking, "How on earth did this happen?".

I was most worried about breaking the news to Rachel. She was at Hoover playing in her first 5th grade basketball game. Rob had to go to the game and act like everything was fine. He avoided eye contact with my dad because he didn't want to tell him the news. My mom and grandma stayed home with Kendal and me. What a terrible night!!!!

My first oncologist painted a grim picture for us. He said I could try chemotherapy, but with Stage IV Breast Cancer in the Liver, it was very advanced and aggressive. He predicted that I could be dead in 3 months.

We wouldn't accept that. Dr. Williams suggested another oncologist that he thought we would like, Dr. Gupta. He gave us hope. I'll never forget his words, "Your cancer is not curable, but it is treatable." He confirmed that the cancer was advanced and aggressive, but he said we would treat it aggressively. He also stressed quality of life. He wanted me to be able to be a mom to my girls. That was so important to us.

With a lot of hope, faith, and prayers, I am still around. My tumors continue to shrink. I have not had chemo since the first week of July. My liver function is normal. Overall, I feel really good.

Please continue praying for us as we are on this journey. Thank you so much for praying for us and keeping us in your thoughts. I think it is fitting to end the post with this: Nothing ahead of you is bigger or stronger than the power of God behind you.

Great News!

I just returned from my appointment with Dr. Gupta. My tumor markers were down to 157 compared to 185 in November. What a relief!!! It feels so good to know that my tumors continue to shrink. My last chemo treatment was in July, so my body is getting a really nice break.

My bone density scan showed that I have experienced some bone loss, so I am starting on Boniva for that and also increasing my dosage of Calcium and Vitamin D. I will continue taking Femara on a daily basis. I don't have to see Dr. Gupta again until March 17th.

I bet we all sleep better tonight. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. Lets keep praying for a miracle!

Tumor Marker Test

I just wanted to remind everyone that I get the results of my tumor marker test tomorrow. The CAT scan that I had done the week of Christmas showed that the tumors were getting smaller and had not spread to other areas. We are praying that the blood test will show that my tumors are still shrinking (or at least not growing at this point).

I did not feel well last week; I did not have a single ounce of energy. Of course, our minds started wandering.... what if the cancer is growing again, what if the calcium levels have spiked, etc. Thankfully, I started feeling better yesterday. I'm still tired, but do feel better than I did last week.

My doctor's appointment is at 3:00 tomorrow. Please pray for continued good news and the strength to deal with whatever comes our way.

Happy & Hopeful New Year!

I've had several people tell me they have checked my blog and noticed I hadn't posted anything recently. I thought I better give a brief update. We had a wonderful Christmas Break!! We were able to spend a lot of quality time with family and friends. That is really all we wanted to do; none of us wanted it to end. We love just hanging out together.

After you have been faced with a life-threatening illness, you really learn to appreciate what you have. Things do not matter, but people do. We would not have been able to make it through last year without the love and support from our family and friends.

I have been feeling really good. I will get my tumor marker test on January 18th. I have an appointment with Dr. Gupta on Wednesday, January 20th.

We are still praying for a miracle. My hope is to be healthy. I want to be able to celebrate Christmas with my family again. I don't want to miss out on anything!

Please continue to pray for us. We want a happy and healthy 2010!!!

CAT Scan Results

Just received great news regarding Teresa's CAT Scan on her chest, abdomen, and pelvic areas that was done yesterday. The report said that the lesions on the liver continue to shrink and nothing new showed up. This is in relation to her last scan in August. Dr. Gupta thought this is what the scan would show since the tumor markers had been decreasing but we wanted to know for sure. It will help us sleep better at night.

In regards to Bob, Teresa's dad. He got his Bone Scan results back today. A light spot showed up on his chest bone. He will now get an MRI in order to show exactly what is going on in that area. They are still planning to remove prostate in late January.

Thank you all for your thoughtful prayers. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we battle the obstacles that have been placed in front of us. We hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Make sure to time to enjoy your friends and family.