PET Scan Results

I had a PET Scan on January 14th. We met with Dr. Martinez on January 16th to discuss the results. We were so happy and relieved to see that two of the tumors in my liver had completely resolved and the other one was considerably smaller. He said we could definitely say that the Y-90 treatments were a success! We met with Dr. Gupta yesterday and he was pleased with the results also. He thought it would be best if I had a break from chemo for awhile since I have been receiving treatments since June. I am going to take Arimidex orally everyday. It works to lower estrogen levels and is a sister drug to Femara. Since I had such good results with Femara in the past, we thought this drug was the best choice for me at this time. We remain cautiously optimistic that the cancer will not grow or spread for awhile, so that my body can get built back up for future treatments. We are so thankful for everyone's prayers. We truly believe in God's power and ability to heal. He gives us strength and hope. Please continue to pray for us as we are on this journey.

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.