Whew! First of all, let me apologize for taking so long to update you all on my progress. I have been so busy with work and mom duties, this spring and summer have really gotten away from me.
Well, let's just get right to it: I am once again happy to be keeping company with NED. That's right; my latest scan (June 20) showed No Evidence of Disease!
I finished chemo in February and was supposed to continue on two other drugs for up to a year, but unfortunately the dreaded cardiac toxicity side effect got me again, so I had to stop those. So as of now, I am not taking any meds, just enjoying life.
I had some bloodwork drawn last week to start keeping track of something called tumor markers. As long as those remain in the normal range and I don't have any suspicious symptoms when I am tested again in three months, I will be off the hook for another three months. Then I think we will consider doing another scan.
Thanks to everyone for all the continued prayers and support. A friend asked me recently if I ever get tired of kicking cancer's ass. And the answer, of course, is a resounding yes! But I am blessed to have the love and support of so many; I could not do it without you.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
When shrinkage is a good thing
Just got the results of my scan from last week and I have some good news to shout from the mountaintops!
THE TUMORS HAVE SHRUNK BY 50 PERCENT!
PRAISE GOD!
DIE, CANCER, DIE!
Greedily, I was hoping for a total response (i.e., no evidence of disease), but I will take what I can get.
I'll have three more chemo sessions (next one is Friday) and re-scan for more good news.
Thanks to everyone for all the prayer, love and support. We could not do this without you.
Love,
M
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Better late than never
Hi everyone!
First of all, let me apologize for letting so much time lapse between blog updates.
I had my second treatment on Dec. 6 and the aftermath was nowhere near as bad as the first time, thank goodness. I made a conscious decision to not give in so much to the fatigue, a little mind-over-matter if you will. But I imagine it was mostly due to you and all your prayers! THANK YOU!
Don't get me wrong, I didn't feel great, but I was able to function much better during the day and just crash early every night. I even played two tennis matches within a week of treatment, something I couldn't even come close to doing the first time!
Next up was a repeat heart scan to see if my heart function was doing ok. It has dropped a bit, but not enough to consider discontinuing treatment at this point. I will go to see a cardiologist next week for continued monitoring, but I was very relieved to be able to receive my third treatment this past Friday. I really wanted to get to No. 3 because of our plan to do a scan after three treatments to see if we are making any progress against the beast.
I will have my scan on Friday, Jan. 10, so please pray as hard as you can for a good, positive result and some sign that the meds are working!
As always, thank you for all your support and prayers. We couldn't do this without you.
Love,
M
First of all, let me apologize for letting so much time lapse between blog updates.
I had my second treatment on Dec. 6 and the aftermath was nowhere near as bad as the first time, thank goodness. I made a conscious decision to not give in so much to the fatigue, a little mind-over-matter if you will. But I imagine it was mostly due to you and all your prayers! THANK YOU!
Don't get me wrong, I didn't feel great, but I was able to function much better during the day and just crash early every night. I even played two tennis matches within a week of treatment, something I couldn't even come close to doing the first time!
Next up was a repeat heart scan to see if my heart function was doing ok. It has dropped a bit, but not enough to consider discontinuing treatment at this point. I will go to see a cardiologist next week for continued monitoring, but I was very relieved to be able to receive my third treatment this past Friday. I really wanted to get to No. 3 because of our plan to do a scan after three treatments to see if we are making any progress against the beast.
I will have my scan on Friday, Jan. 10, so please pray as hard as you can for a good, positive result and some sign that the meds are working!
As always, thank you for all your support and prayers. We couldn't do this without you.
Love,
M
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Whew!
Well, it has been 11 days since my first infusion and I am finally starting to feel like myself again. That one was a doozy!
When I did chemo via infusion the first time way back in 2005, I would be really sick, practically bedridden for a few days and then bounce back. This one is so different. Only a couple of times have I felt so bad that I had to just retreat to bed, but I have been hit with the widest array of side effects imaginable. They come and go with no discernible pattern. Crazy. A partial list:
-- Extreme fatigue
-- Headaches
-- Back spasms
-- Severe chills
-- Indigestion (and assorted other digestive issues)
-- Blurred vision
-- Hot red rash on face that appears out of nowhere and fades quickly like a giant attack of temporary rosacea
-- Bone pain
-- Mouth sores
-- Metallic taste in mouth
-- Itchy, sore scalp
-- Dry, peeling skin on palms
-- General out-of-it feeling
-- Red, itchy rash on neck (new today!)
I have been able to get through the bare minimum each day, but poor Todd has had to take over all household duties when he gets home from work each day. And of course, he does so willingly and without so much as hinting to anyone that he himself may be tired, stressed, etc. I thank God every day for that man.
Anyway, today is a much better day! So that means I should hopefully have a week and a half or so of feeling good before the whole process starts again.
More good news -- I love the oncologist I have been seeing at Emory's St. Joseph's campus. He and his staff are great and the location is relatively new, so it's not too crowded. The infusion nurses are great, too. And it's much more convenient, so that is all working out well so far.
And on the we-are-blessed-with-amazing-friends front, my house is clean, I mean really CLEAN, for the first time in years. :) Three angels, also known as Cecilia and friends, swept in here last week courtesy of the generous parents from my soccer team and worked their magic. I will be eternally grateful.
Speaking of grateful, we have also been blessed by an outpouring of food and restaurant gift cards! This is an absolutely amazing gift. We have a binder full of gift cards from nearby restaurants that we can use as needed. Many, many friends contributed money and instead of casseroles, we get takeout! (I, mind you, like any good Southern girl, love casseroles. But my family, alas, does not.)
And every day, new goodies appear. A bracelet in the mail. Brownies on my front porch. Homemade bread in my mailbox. A beautiful, meaningful hand-me-down wig. A prayer book, Bible verses and muffins in a bag. Dozens of "thinking of you" texts and e-mails every day. You all sure know how to make a girl feel loved and I love you right back for it.
Please keep those prayers coming. Next chemo is Dec. 6.
Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you as He has blessed me and mine.
Love,
M
When I did chemo via infusion the first time way back in 2005, I would be really sick, practically bedridden for a few days and then bounce back. This one is so different. Only a couple of times have I felt so bad that I had to just retreat to bed, but I have been hit with the widest array of side effects imaginable. They come and go with no discernible pattern. Crazy. A partial list:
-- Extreme fatigue
-- Headaches
-- Back spasms
-- Severe chills
-- Indigestion (and assorted other digestive issues)
-- Blurred vision
-- Hot red rash on face that appears out of nowhere and fades quickly like a giant attack of temporary rosacea
-- Bone pain
-- Mouth sores
-- Metallic taste in mouth
-- Itchy, sore scalp
-- Dry, peeling skin on palms
-- General out-of-it feeling
-- Red, itchy rash on neck (new today!)
Anyway, today is a much better day! So that means I should hopefully have a week and a half or so of feeling good before the whole process starts again.
More good news -- I love the oncologist I have been seeing at Emory's St. Joseph's campus. He and his staff are great and the location is relatively new, so it's not too crowded. The infusion nurses are great, too. And it's much more convenient, so that is all working out well so far.
And on the we-are-blessed-with-amazing-friends front, my house is clean, I mean really CLEAN, for the first time in years. :) Three angels, also known as Cecilia and friends, swept in here last week courtesy of the generous parents from my soccer team and worked their magic. I will be eternally grateful.
Speaking of grateful, we have also been blessed by an outpouring of food and restaurant gift cards! This is an absolutely amazing gift. We have a binder full of gift cards from nearby restaurants that we can use as needed. Many, many friends contributed money and instead of casseroles, we get takeout! (I, mind you, like any good Southern girl, love casseroles. But my family, alas, does not.)
And every day, new goodies appear. A bracelet in the mail. Brownies on my front porch. Homemade bread in my mailbox. A beautiful, meaningful hand-me-down wig. A prayer book, Bible verses and muffins in a bag. Dozens of "thinking of you" texts and e-mails every day. You all sure know how to make a girl feel loved and I love you right back for it.
Please keep those prayers coming. Next chemo is Dec. 6.
Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you as He has blessed me and mine.
Love,
M
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Here we go again
In the words of our wise, wonderful and witty pastor, "Sometimes life sucks."
It does suck, but it is what it is. Dwelling on it doesn't change it. Doctors, drugs and prayer will change it.
We found out last week that my breast cancer has returned for the third time, this time in my lungs.
The spots are relatively small and have not been growing quickly, so we are hopeful that it can be kicked to the curb once again. Third time's the charm, right?
Starting tomorrow, I will begin a new treatment regimen of three drugs, one of which is a chemo. One of the non-chemo drugs is a new one, just approved by the FDA within the past year or so to treat aggressive cancers like mine. It showed great results, and even my oncologist seemed to think we had a good chance of seeing a complete response.
I'll do three treatments (all via infusion at Emory's St. Joseph's location), one every three weeks, and then have a scan to see if we are making progress. Then, even if I have a complete response, I'll have at least three more chemo treatments and potentially continue for months on the other two drugs, which fortunately seem to have mostly minimal side effects.
Unfortunately, the chemo I'll be doing is one of the harsh ones, so I will be losing my hair again. I really hate that part, not from a vanity standpoint (ok, maybe a little bit), but mostly just because I feel like I am walking around wearing a sign that tells people I'm sick.
As always, we have lots of support from our amazing friends and family. If you feel the need to "do something," PRAY! A lot. And help me not dwell on it. For me, one of the biggest victories I can have over this disease is to not let it affect how I live my life day-by-day. I still want to work, coach soccer, play tennis, pick up my kids, teach Sunday School, etc.
Love to all. Try not to worry about me -- I hate that part.
-- Faith makes things possible, not easy.
It does suck, but it is what it is. Dwelling on it doesn't change it. Doctors, drugs and prayer will change it.
We found out last week that my breast cancer has returned for the third time, this time in my lungs.
The spots are relatively small and have not been growing quickly, so we are hopeful that it can be kicked to the curb once again. Third time's the charm, right?
Starting tomorrow, I will begin a new treatment regimen of three drugs, one of which is a chemo. One of the non-chemo drugs is a new one, just approved by the FDA within the past year or so to treat aggressive cancers like mine. It showed great results, and even my oncologist seemed to think we had a good chance of seeing a complete response.
I'll do three treatments (all via infusion at Emory's St. Joseph's location), one every three weeks, and then have a scan to see if we are making progress. Then, even if I have a complete response, I'll have at least three more chemo treatments and potentially continue for months on the other two drugs, which fortunately seem to have mostly minimal side effects.
Unfortunately, the chemo I'll be doing is one of the harsh ones, so I will be losing my hair again. I really hate that part, not from a vanity standpoint (ok, maybe a little bit), but mostly just because I feel like I am walking around wearing a sign that tells people I'm sick.
As always, we have lots of support from our amazing friends and family. If you feel the need to "do something," PRAY! A lot. And help me not dwell on it. For me, one of the biggest victories I can have over this disease is to not let it affect how I live my life day-by-day. I still want to work, coach soccer, play tennis, pick up my kids, teach Sunday School, etc.
Love to all. Try not to worry about me -- I hate that part.
-- Faith makes things possible, not easy.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Still in the clear!
I had another scan this morning and it still shows "No Evidence of Disease!" Love that NED guy!
This scan was scheduled for three months after I came off the Tykerb, which I took for an entire year. I went in first thing this morning and my oncologist just e-mailed me the news! It's always such a relief to get through one of these without a bad result.
I will see the doctor in person tomorrow to discuss what's next. Most likely another scan in a few months. I am also going to see my plastic surgeon in a few weeks. Unfortunately, my right side implant is not handling the effects of radiation scar tissue that well, so we'll see what he says. I suspect it may need to come out. Not sure what this means for my reconstructive future, but maybe it means I'll finally get to go bigger. Who knows? :)
Love and hugs,
M
This scan was scheduled for three months after I came off the Tykerb, which I took for an entire year. I went in first thing this morning and my oncologist just e-mailed me the news! It's always such a relief to get through one of these without a bad result.
I will see the doctor in person tomorrow to discuss what's next. Most likely another scan in a few months. I am also going to see my plastic surgeon in a few weeks. Unfortunately, my right side implant is not handling the effects of radiation scar tissue that well, so we'll see what he says. I suspect it may need to come out. Not sure what this means for my reconstructive future, but maybe it means I'll finally get to go bigger. Who knows? :)
Love and hugs,
M
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Taking a break from Cancerland
Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were as full and blessed as ours were. We had a great time with family and friends celebrating Jesus' birth.
I saw my oncologist around the beginning of December just to check in with her after my (CLEAR!!!) scan. No real news. I will continue on the Tykerb until the end of March, which will have put me on it for a year. Then I will have a scan in June to see if NED will hang around even without the meds in my system.
When I am in the midst of treatments, scans and doctor's appointments, I often say I am stuck in "Cancerland." It's not a very fun place. So I am happy to take a break for now, until June at least. Ready to be just plain, old Michelle for a while instead of that chick who has breast cancer again!
Hugs and love to all.
Special prayers for Bill, still stuck in Cancerland. Thinking of you always, my friend.
I saw my oncologist around the beginning of December just to check in with her after my (CLEAR!!!) scan. No real news. I will continue on the Tykerb until the end of March, which will have put me on it for a year. Then I will have a scan in June to see if NED will hang around even without the meds in my system.
When I am in the midst of treatments, scans and doctor's appointments, I often say I am stuck in "Cancerland." It's not a very fun place. So I am happy to take a break for now, until June at least. Ready to be just plain, old Michelle for a while instead of that chick who has breast cancer again!
Hugs and love to all.
Special prayers for Bill, still stuck in Cancerland. Thinking of you always, my friend.
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