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...