Hello Family and Friends,
I have been so busy attending doctor’s appointments, getting scans, and trying to keep up at work that I have not been blogging…for quite a while. I have updated my Facebook friends, and hopefully you are one of them, but for those of you who do not have a Facebook account, and for everyone in FB land as well, here is a recap of the past few months, as well as the latest plan based on recent scans and treatment options.
As you know, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer in December of 2016. (There is no Stage V. Stage IV is incurable but treatable, and we are treating it aggressively.) At the time of diagnosis, they found lesions in my bones (spine, ribs, and skull), some spots on my liver, and I had a large (7cm) mass on my left ribcage.
My former oncologist moved on to other things, so I started with a new oncologist this go-round. I absolutely love him, as he takes his time to explain everything, every step of the way. He started me on three intravenous chemotherapy drugs (Doxetaxol, Herceptin, and Perjeta) every three weeks starting in January. They implanted a new smart port, and we got a baseline echochardiogram (Herceptin can be hard on your heart). After three treatments I went back in for a bone scan and CT of the pelvis and abdomen to see whether it was working.
After three treatments, the mass on my ribs was gone, and it looked like someone had scraped it off my ribs with a knife. We gave God glory for that one, and kept on with the plan. In addition to the positive scans, my tumor markers in the blood work were decreasing dramatically; all pointed to the treatment was working. There was a concern about some additional “flares” in the bones which seemed new compared to the first set of scans. While he thought this is just a flare and not an advancement of the disease, we wouldn’t know for sure until after the 6th treatment and follow-up scans.
So that brings us to today.
On Monday of this week I went in for the follow-up echo, and Tuesday I spent all morning getting repeat bone scans and CT scans. Today it is Wednesday, and I saw the oncologist to get the results and determine our next course of action. “Was it a flare, or was it progression of the disease?” were the questions on our minds. I was anxious to hear the outcome, as the repeat scan should tell us where we stand. Fully prepared for the best or the worse, I just wanted to know “what’s next?”
Tim had an overnight trip planned for a very important meeting in Chicago. As it turned out, the flight was delayed so badly they could not even guarantee the incoming plane was going to make it. So, he cancelled the trip and went with me to the appointment. I was so happy to have him here, and it was good he was there to hear the news.
The good news is, while I do have cancer, I don’t feel like I have cancer. It’s surreal. I have very little pain, or I am very tolerant of the pain. The chemo took my hair, but it’s only hair. (Frankly I was ready for a change!) Otherwise the side effects have been minimal, and my energy level has been such that we can enjoy trips on the motorcycle as well as time spent with family and friends. I still have enough energy to chase around our 2-year old granddaughter, as well as hold our 6-month old grand baby every time they come over. I am still working full-time, and somehow I am managing to keep up to speed. Tim and I have been ministering together at the state level, and if I don’t feel up to traveling, I don’t sweat it. Yet it energizes me to meet with the pastor’s wives, and visit the different churches to spread a few words of encouragement.
The other good news is, when you have cancer, people come to visit! We’ve had a steady flow of friends and family members coming to Texas to visit since my diagnosis in December. It has been encouraging to laugh, share meals together, and just spend time with so many good friends. In fact, we have two couples coming in this weekend to go for a Texas motorcycle ride together. I’m not going to let a little cough stand in the way of the ride! What a blessing to see how much people love us and are willing to take time out of their travel plans to see us. God has given us such wonderful friends and family!
Okay. Now, for the not so good news. :-\
The scans indicate the disease is progressing. The CT found two spots in my lungs, over 1 cm each. I have had a cough for a few weeks now, which we thought was a cold, but now he is convinced this is due to the cancer in my lungs.
What does this mean? It means more tests to confirm what is going on. It means a new kind of chemotherapy treatments, and it means the disease is aggressive, as it continued to progress in spite of their first line of treatment. HER2+ is a tough form of breast cancer to treat, but they do have several treatment options to continue to throw at it. Next week will look like this:
- Full body PET scan,
- MRI of the brain (the PET does not give us good enough images of the brain),
- They noted that my heart has a slightly lower functioning since the last echo, so they want me to get a full work-up by my cardiologist since we will start on a new chemotherapy.
- Back to the oncologist to determine when I will start the next round of chemo. He told me he will start me on another cocktail. Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine (Kadcyla) is the official name if you are interested in looking it up.
I’m sure thousands of questions are going through your minds, as they are ours. Questions like, will you continue to work? Will you go on disability? How long do you have to live? We can’t fully predict the future, so right now we’re just taking it one day at a time. I am starting to gather information about disability, but I’ll keep working for a while longer. My oncologist has faith that we can arrest the progression, giving me a few more years on this earth. How much time do any of us have, really? No one knows for sure, so I think this is a call for all of us to take time to enjoy our families, take advantage of every single day you have, and serve the Lord Jesus until your very last breath.
Breast cancer is the second-biggest cancer killer of American women, after lung cancer. The American Cancer Society says more than 232,000 cases will be diagnosed this year, and more than 39,000 people will die of it. Let’s pray for a cure!
Everywhere we go, people tell me they are praying for me…daily! You are praying for me. People I don’t even know are praying for me. Some of you pray for me several times a day. I can tell you are praying because I could not have this strength or maintain a positive spirit without the mighty hands of God lifting me up. You have activated those hands, and for that I give thanks.
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” ~James 5:16 NLT
Here’s how you can pray specifically…
- Pray the cancer will stay away from my brain.
- Pray the heart will remain strong, so I can start on the Kadcyla.
- Pray for a few more years of life. While I can’t wait to meet Jesus, I’m not ready to die!
- Pray for energy, e.g. minimal or no side effects. I really want to be able to do some things with my family and friends.
- Please pray for my hubby. This is really hard on him, although he is very strong. He is my rock and I am so sad he is going through this.
Let’s kick cancer in the butt!