First Round Complete

I had my third cycle of chemo on Tuesday, so my first round is officially complete. It has been an interesting three weeks to say the least. I am hoping the next round goes a little smoother! A few days before I started chemo, I had to stop taking the medicine that I had been on for the past 8 months. Unfortunately, my body had a negative reaction to not having that medicine in my system anymore. I was in alot pain and couldn't sleep. Then it was time to have my first treatment. I was very nauseated and fatigued, so I was mostly on the couch for four days. I started feeling better Saturday and then it was time to have my second treatment on Tuesday. They changed my dosage of nausea meds, which helped immensely, but unfortunately it caused my vision to be blurred and my eyes couldn't focus. It was such an odd feeling. I started feeling better again on Saturday, but started not feeling well Monday night. We found out my Calcium levels were elevated along with a few other things with my liver. Also, my white count was really low. I went ahead and got a reduced amount of chemo on Tuesday and then had to go back yesterday for an infusion of Zometa to help lower the Calcium and also received a Neulasta shot to boost my white cell count. I also received a bag of Saline to help hydrate me and flush my system. Unfortunately, the Neulasta shot does not kick in for 6 days, because it is designed to start elevating my white count closer to my next chemo treatment. I am praying that nothing else creeps up next week, so that I can enjoy my week off from treatment! In spite of this bumpy start, I have had a few good days mixed in with the bad. I really appreciate all of the cards, phone calls and words of encouragement I have received. I have really appreciated all of the meals and other special things that my friends and family have done for us. You are such a blessing!

New tumors

I apologize for not keeping this blog more updated, but you can always assume that no news is good news. I have had a wonderful Spring and Summer. I have not had chemo since January. It has been especially nice this summer not having to schedule our life around doctor appointments, tests, and treatments. Unfortunately, things are about to change. I had a tumor marker test July 12th and my tumor markers had gone up from 37.0 to 102.3, so Dr. Gupta had me do the test again the next week to verify the results. The numbers went up again to 129.0 in one week. I had a PET scan on July 29th and the scan showed that I have several new tumors growing in my liver. They said it was hard to differentiate how many, because they were all meshed together. I will start chemo on August 6th and will have treatments three weeks in a row in then get one week off. Dr. Gupta is going to try the drug Abraxane, which is a sister drug to Taxol. He said he is confident that I will respond well to the treatment, so we are hoping that he is correct. I am so thankful that we were able to have a few months of normalcy in our household. It was good for all of us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we start this roller coaster ride again.

Good News on MRI

I had an MRI of my liver done on Monday, April 8th. Dr. Martinez was really happy with the results. The sections of my liver where he had done the Y-90 radioembolization looked good. There were three scars where he had treated the lower lobe, but no tumors. The upper part of the liver where the tumors have always resembled a big claw, was the smallest it had ever been. My liver was almost a normal shape. It was really neat to see. The only area of concern was a 6mm spot that showed up on the right lobe just outside of the treatment area. He said it is too small to show up on the PET scan, so we do not know if it was there in January or not. He said the tumors need to be 8mm to 1 to show up on the PET. He was going to discuss the MRI with Dr. Gupta and then decide what I need to do. He was going to recommend just waiting a couple of months and then do another MRI to see if there has been any significant changes. I meet with Dr. Gupta on the 23rd, so I will find out the treatment plan then. I have been feeling really good and enjoying my time off from chemo. I am hoping and praying that I do not have to start anything again for a while.

Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been feeling really good and have my energy back. I also finally have some hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Yippee!! I will get an MRI on April 8th at 10:00 a.m. and then will meet with Dr. Martinez immediately following. My next appointment with Dr. Gupta is scheduled for April 23rd. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.

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