I've been on my current treatment for 4 months. It's been a little rough, but I'm adjusting and the good news is that my last cancer marker blood test was lower, so it looks like it's working.

I did lose most of my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. I still have a little bit of hair in the back, so I've chosen to wear a lot of hats. They're more comfortable than a wig and the kids think it looks more natural.

Other (mostly annoying) side effects include watery eyes, dry mouth, some achiness, a metallic taste with many foods and drinks (even my favorite tea!), and I continue to give myself shots for my white blood cell count. And of course, the fatigue.

I also receive an IV steroid to combat nausea, which comes with it's own side effects.

All of this and not enough sleep have led to me being very cranky at times. James has also felt the stress of my treatment (and his work and travel). We're working on finding ways to reduce stress (like getting more rest, which neither of us are good at), so hopefully we'll start the new year feeling more like ourselves.

I was disappointed with my October scan because the tumors hadn't changed after 3 months on the new treatment. Stable is better than growth, but I thought there would be more progress. I am hoping that my recent cancer marker result means that there will be more changes on my next scan (in January). Dr. Kaplan did say that some patients stay stable for a year or more, and that's considered a good thing.

I'm frequently reminded how blessed I am to be at Swedish. Two nurses gave me a hug as I was waiting for treatment last week and we talked like old friends. I wish going to the treatment center wasn't part of my routine, but the people there actually make it pleasant.

Here is a link to a local story about one of Dr. Kaplan's patients. Her original prognosis was 2 years, and it's now 18 years later. It was a good reality check of what CAN be and I related to many things that she said. You don't often hear the story of people living with Stage 4 Breast cancer (I also recently learned that not many research dollars go in to finding treatments for folks like us), and it's a story worth telling. It was also a good reminder that when I'm feeling sorry for myself, at least I don't have to drain one of my lungs everyday. Wow.

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/stories-worth-sharing/2015/11/13/18-months-turns-
into-18-years-stage-4-cancer-survivor/75706164/

Other than "cancer stuff" we had a busy fall and like you, we've started getting ready for the holidays. I'm wishing for a little bit of snow, but not on a treatment day or any other time that it would be inconvenient!

Happy Holidays to All!

Read more...

Here we go again....

My cancer markers have slowly increased over the last few months, and because the most recent test showed a more concerning "jump", I had a CT last Monday. Unfortunately, it showed that at least two of my existing liver tumors have grown, which means it's time for a new treatment. There are many obvious reasons that I'm sad and frustrated, but one is that I've been tolerating my current treatment well, and the new one will have more side effects.

To start with the positive, it was good news that the cancer hasn't spread somewhere new. I've been having asthma symptoms for a few weeks and it was in the back of my mind that I might have a tumor in my lung.

Another positive will be that the new schedule will be two weeks on, one week off, which is slightly better than my old schedule of three weeks on, one week off.

Eribulin is given through an I.V., and I'll also receive pre-meds to combat nausea, which I didn't need with my last treatment. So, my time at the clinic will be longer. Put that in the negative column (the longer time to administer and the potential nausea). I'm going to start this treatment on the 17th, which means I'll have had an almost two week break to give my blood counts time to recover. 

Unfortunately, I will likely lose my hair. Having been through this before, I know it's not going to be easy. And I'm worried about Olivia, who struggled with this last time and talks about my hair loss to this day. Other frequent side effects include numbness in the hands/feet, loss of taste and more fatigue than with my current drug. 

Eribulin is made from sea sponges, which is interesting. Maybe someday a joke about Sponge Bob will be funny, but not today. 

I'm going to take it one day at a time and I know I'll adjust, but right now I'm experiencing sadness and fear of the unknown (including whether this drug will work). And by the way, James was in Miami when I got the news. I'm officially feeling sorry for myself. 

I will try to update with more details on the new treatment as I learn more. Hopefully, I'll also be reporting that the side effects are mild and I'm getting used to my new routine. Not that I have choice!

Read more...

I knew it had been a while since I'd written, but I didn't realize it was two scans ago. There haven't been many changes, but I always have something to say!

I had a CT and a bone scan in November and again at the end of January, which were both stable. I'd like to see more improvement, but I know "stable" is better than tumor growth or new tumors appearing. More good news is that my bones are slowly healing. The tumors I had on my bones in 2010 did damage to my spine and pelvis, and although they'll never be completely healed, every little bit helps.

What I haven't had in 6 months is a PET scan. A PET scan is a full body scan that literally "lights up" areas that have even the smallest amount of cancer. A CT scan can only find and compare more visible tumors and there are angles/areas that it can miss. Beginning last fall, most insurance companies changed their PET scan policy to only allow patients to have four PET scans over their LIFETIME. This was a blow to me, because I was receiving four PET scans a YEAR. I've talked to Dr. Kaplan about this at length and he admits that I am the exact type of patient who needs consistent PET scans. A PET scan caught new liver tumors in 2013 and the progression of the disease to my ovary in 2014. In both instances, the tumors were small and likely caught earlier than they would have been with a CT scan. Which I worry about. I trust Dr. Kaplan completely (as you know) and I'm sure I'll get used to this new routine, but for now I don't like it.

I have more to say on the subject, but because I haven't written in so long, I want to get this done and I'll return to the topic another time. I also need to start working on a talk I'm giving during a Lent service at church (which you local folks are welcome to attend, although it will be fairly short).
 
My white cells have fluctuated quite a bit over the last two months, which means I had to skip two weeks of treatment (when they were frighteningly low) and I received a reduced dose for another two weeks (when they were better, but not where they needed to be). I'm thankful that I didn't get sick during any of those times. If I'm able to receive full treatments for the next three months, I'm hoping I'll see more improvement on my next scans. Because one of the larger tumors in my liver doesn't seem to respond to anything, I also have to remember that keeping it stable IS a 'win'.

Overall, I've been feeling okay. I do get tired and the shots for my white blood cells often give me a headache. Or is that from my three bickering, yet adorable children?

Read more...