An Update or On With the Fight!

 

I promised an update on what is next with my fight against this cancer. I do feel like I’m in a war against the cancer that is attacking my body and my plan is to put up quite the fight against it! After going through the first series of chemo treatments without much success, in fact the cancer actually grew a bit, I am now about to head into Round Two. I had an appointment with my oncologist last week and he has a new plan of attack. The first round I had chemo every third week. This one we are hitting it a bit harder with chemo once a week. The treatments will be a slightly lower dose each week but the overall amount of medication will be increased compared to the first series of treatments. He is also adding a new medication this time. So now my medications will be Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and Avastin. Avastin is the new one and it is supposed to do a good job at attacking cancer. They did not give it before because it can have more potential side effects. I am armed with several medications to help with the side effects including pain pills and a steroid to fight inflammation. Previously I took the steroid the first three days after chemo, this time I will take it the first seven days after the first chemo treatment using all three medications. Some of my treatments will just be the Paclitaxel, alternating with all three medications in one treatment. My first, which should be this coming week, will be all three medications and is expected to take all day.

So, knowing I am about to start a new and possibly tougher round, I have been trying to get things done around here so I can take it easy when the chemo starts. I’ve not really felt like doing a lot around the house but I’ve done what I can. I even gave Tom a haircut today!

There has not exactly been a lot of activity going on here but we have continued to have special family visits which we love! I think I mentioned in my last post that we were planning to go out to eat with my son Chris and his wife Kristi. We did that last weekend after first visiting them at their house. We had a wonderful time with them and great food at one of the many special Kansas City bar-b-que restaurants! Last Wednesday my other son, Sean who lives out of town, came and spent the day with us. It was so nice to catch up with him. Then on Friday my grandson Gavin came out to visit us, and even brought us some delicious homemade Snickerdoodle muffins that his girlfriend Amalia made!  We had such a nice visit with Gavin. He is really a kind and caring person and a very special grandson! Plus, I always enjoy him telling us about the various experiences he’s had as a firefighter in Independence.

After loading up on lots of family visits and love, I am ready to start Round Two with my fight against this cancer. It may be challenging but I have no intention of backing down to it! I want to thank every one of my blog friends here. There is something very special about bloggers. Even though I did not post for a year due to a variety of reasons, you are all still here and supporting me. That means so much to me. I may not post for a while depending on how things go, but I will post again as soon as I am able. Thank you all for being here! I am blessed in so many ways!

Ups and Downs

 

My fight with this cancer continues and while it is a bumpy road, I'm determined to keep fighting. My third chemo was three weeks ago and six days after it I was once again back in the hospital. I'm beginning to feel like the hospital is my second home. It was for the same reason as before, colitis that caused more pain than I could handle. This time I had some pain pills at home but they didn't touch this pain. I know I must sound like a wimp for pain but really, I'm not. I usually handle pain fairly well. Something about this chemo seems to cause me to get a bad colitis infection several days later. They do like me to be on IV antibiotics for that infection, so at least hospitalization allows for that.

The original plan was for me to have three rounds of chemo and then another CT scan. The hope was that the cancer would have shrunk some making surgery easier. Then after surgery I would have more chemo. When I was recently admitted to the hospital a CT scan was done and it showed that the cancers had actually grown. That was not what I wanted to hear. I had another CT scan this week of my lungs and I’ll get those results next week. I see my oncologist April 22^nd so I should find out then what happens next. I’m a little discouraged to hear the cancers have grown despite the three recent chemotherapy sessions. However, I’m certainly not giving up and I’m willing to have more chemo if necessary.

I’ve been having three weeks off between chemo treatments but this time I have an extra week off. That helps me to have a longer break and start to feel a bit better. I still don’t have a lot of energy but I am feeling like doing a bit more for a change and that is nice!

I had a special Sunday after I came home from the hospital. My granddaughter Annika, her husband Nick, and my adorable great-granddaughter Juniper came over for a visit and they even brought lunch! It was such a blessing to be able to spend some time with them. Juniper is nine months old now and crawling. She has always been the happiest child I have ever seen and she spreads joy everywhere she goes! Family always lifts my spirits and reminds me how very lucky I am!

This coming Saturday we will be able to visit with my oldest son Chris, and his wife Kristi. We will also be going out to eat with them which is something I have not done in quite a while, so it will be a special day for me. Then the next day my other son Sean, who lives out of town, will be coming to visit us. Family is everything and Tom and I are certainly blessed by ours!