My husband and I sporting our twin domes.
Monday, November 18, 2019
Sunday, November 17, 2019
I have a bit of blog updating to get done!
Hello Friend!
I just realized that I have quite a bit of work ahead of me in updating this 14+ year old blog. I have changed ISP since this blog was published in 2005 and there are bad navigation links that need attending to. I have also changed oncologists so...yes. Work to do. I will get to that in time. Yes, I also got engaged in 2006 and my fiance was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2007. We got married shortly after his diagnosis......a bunch of good living to write about!
Let me tell you about how I am feeling today:
I feel good. I didn't sleep well last night...but I took a nap today and I think I am good. I feel somewhat bloated and I am pretty sure that is the Decadron that I am allowed to take during the nabpaclitaxel (Abraxane) chemotherapy. I take it to step down more slowly than "cold turkey" on the third day of the cycle. During the first cycle of Abraxane (I am on my third cycle now) I was knocked off my feet. Zero energy...like ZERO. Turning over in bed was a struggle. Yes, this treatment regimen is my first time back on systemic treatment via IV since 2005. I was caught off guard by the lack of energy on day three back on September 25th. I should not have been surprised, though, because I clearly recall my own experience in April 2005 with Adriamycin, Cytoxan & Taxol. It was rough. Can you imagine having to take a couple of minutes on the edge of the bed in order to summon up the energy to just to get to the bathroom for your first tinkle of the day? Brutal! It was like that. I mean 2005 was almost 15 years ago and I was not in the best physical shape then, I am certainly in worse shape now. 39 years old seems so long ago heehee.
DON'T LET YESTERDAY TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF TODAY.
So let's look forward:
I have completed my third cycle of Abraxane and the next step would have been a PET Scan to see what effect this drug has had (if any) on my cancer. Unfortunately my insurance would not authorize a PET Scan for me at this time. So, I am scheduled instead for a CT Scan tomorrow at DVOH and a Bone Scan at JMWC on December 3rd. I was pretty anxious for PET results because Abraxane's side effects are rough, and, well...we want to know if we have found something to quiet this cancer. Nothing this year has proven effective at even keeping the cancer stable. [sigh] However, the insurance company makes the rules most times, so I comply like a good subscriber. It just means a couple of weeks delay in finding out if Abraxane is working. I fell that it is, but we will see.
That is a little bit of what is bouncing around in my bald head this evening. I will post a photograph of my husband Mark and me...we have twin chrome domes these days...
I just realized that I have quite a bit of work ahead of me in updating this 14+ year old blog. I have changed ISP since this blog was published in 2005 and there are bad navigation links that need attending to. I have also changed oncologists so...yes. Work to do. I will get to that in time. Yes, I also got engaged in 2006 and my fiance was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2007. We got married shortly after his diagnosis......a bunch of good living to write about!
Let me tell you about how I am feeling today:
I feel good. I didn't sleep well last night...but I took a nap today and I think I am good. I feel somewhat bloated and I am pretty sure that is the Decadron that I am allowed to take during the nabpaclitaxel (Abraxane) chemotherapy. I take it to step down more slowly than "cold turkey" on the third day of the cycle. During the first cycle of Abraxane (I am on my third cycle now) I was knocked off my feet. Zero energy...like ZERO. Turning over in bed was a struggle. Yes, this treatment regimen is my first time back on systemic treatment via IV since 2005. I was caught off guard by the lack of energy on day three back on September 25th. I should not have been surprised, though, because I clearly recall my own experience in April 2005 with Adriamycin, Cytoxan & Taxol. It was rough. Can you imagine having to take a couple of minutes on the edge of the bed in order to summon up the energy to just to get to the bathroom for your first tinkle of the day? Brutal! It was like that. I mean 2005 was almost 15 years ago and I was not in the best physical shape then, I am certainly in worse shape now. 39 years old seems so long ago heehee.
DON'T LET YESTERDAY TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF TODAY.
So let's look forward:
I have completed my third cycle of Abraxane and the next step would have been a PET Scan to see what effect this drug has had (if any) on my cancer. Unfortunately my insurance would not authorize a PET Scan for me at this time. So, I am scheduled instead for a CT Scan tomorrow at DVOH and a Bone Scan at JMWC on December 3rd. I was pretty anxious for PET results because Abraxane's side effects are rough, and, well...we want to know if we have found something to quiet this cancer. Nothing this year has proven effective at even keeping the cancer stable. [sigh] However, the insurance company makes the rules most times, so I comply like a good subscriber. It just means a couple of weeks delay in finding out if Abraxane is working. I fell that it is, but we will see.
That is a little bit of what is bouncing around in my bald head this evening. I will post a photograph of my husband Mark and me...we have twin chrome domes these days...
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
SEP 2019 PET scan results & next steps
So I had a PET scan on Monday, Sep 9 and I got a phone call from my oncologist two days later. She wanted me to come in (presumably to hear the results of the PET) the following day. Yikes.
In the past the results of my scans would be phoned to me by one of the medical assistants letting me know that the cancer is “stable” or “nothing new”. That I needed to come in to see the oncologist for my results had me thinking the results were not so good. But, I calmed down by reminding myself that this was my new oncologist and that this was my first scan....maybe she wants just to give these results to me in person the first time.
Yeah, no such luck.
The PET scan results showed progression of the cancer in my liver. Another lesion. And more intense activity in the existing tumors. Deep breath.
Okay, that means I can stop taking the CAPECITABINE (brand name Xeloda). Hurrah! That drug has made my palms and soles of my feet dark-colored and spotty. The skin is tight and peeling. The nurse practitioner says my skin will go back to normal in a few weeks.
Next step: intravenous chemotherapy. Agent: nab-paclitaxel.
Hopefully I will start the nab-paclitaxel this week....like Friday.
Cheers!
In the past the results of my scans would be phoned to me by one of the medical assistants letting me know that the cancer is “stable” or “nothing new”. That I needed to come in to see the oncologist for my results had me thinking the results were not so good. But, I calmed down by reminding myself that this was my new oncologist and that this was my first scan....maybe she wants just to give these results to me in person the first time.
Yeah, no such luck.
The PET scan results showed progression of the cancer in my liver. Another lesion. And more intense activity in the existing tumors. Deep breath.
Okay, that means I can stop taking the CAPECITABINE (brand name Xeloda). Hurrah! That drug has made my palms and soles of my feet dark-colored and spotty. The skin is tight and peeling. The nurse practitioner says my skin will go back to normal in a few weeks.
Next step: intravenous chemotherapy. Agent: nab-paclitaxel.
Hopefully I will start the nab-paclitaxel this week....like Friday.
Cheers!
Wednesday, February 06, 2019
Shitty to have something to write about.
My breast cancer, previously metastatic only to my bones has now spread to my liver. Pfft. Not good news, but not the worst news, either. The universe has gotten my attention by adding the cancer to my liver. Not too much cancer, only one solitary lesion, really…but a little cancer is just a different amount of cancer. Sucks in small portions and large. That’s where I am at. I feel like I am at the beginning of a ride at an amusement park…and I have no idea how long the ride lasts, or what kind of horrors lie ahead of me. What am I to do? Nothing else to do but get my head in the game. Be ready for the next appointment, procedure, co-pay, claim, deductible and balance due.
Shitty to have something to write about.