Lots of joy!

Today was an awesome day! Ian came home from his two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on January 7th. He spoke in church today and shared with us how he learned to recognize and follow the Spirit. He shared how his understanding of the gospel grew as he studied. And how when he learned of my cancer just as he was beginning his mission he studied harder and learned for himself the plan of salvation and spoke of the peace he felt when he understood it. His testimony is firm. I can't include everything he said here but it has brought me great joy to see his growth, and to know that he knows.

On the evening of the 7th, after picking up Ian, I wasn't feeling well. I went to lay down and when I woke up a couple hours later, I had a fever. I'm supposed to call into my doctor any time I have a fever. I haven't had a fever in a long time. But I know that because they only seem to happen at night, it means a trip to the ER. Sure enough we found ourselves in the ER. I was so afraid that I was neutropenic and that I would be admitted and our trip to Atlanta on the 9th would have to be postponed. But as sure as everybody seemed to be that I was neutropenic and would be admitted, it turned out not to be the case. They determined that I had picked up some kind of virus and would be fine to travel. Yay! So by the end of the next day I was feeling back to myself again and we were anxiously packing to go and see our new grandson!

Our trip was awesome! We stayed with my son-in-law's parents who are also friends of ours. They were very gracious for putting us up and putting up with us for over a week. It was nice to see them and catch up. I had all of my children together in one place and seeing my grandson was amazing. He is adorable and already you can see some if his personality.  It was incredible watching my daughter be a mother and seeing how my sons adored their nephew. We were exited to see Eddie's brother and his wife an their daughter. They flew down for a day to see everyone. It was nice catching up with them. Between Valerie and I we couldn't go out and do as much as we would have liked but the boys did a few fun things like going shooting and visiting the aquarium and playing basketball together. My favorite was going to story corps. It is free and their mission is to provide people of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. What an awesome idea! You get to go into a room, record your story and they preserve it and you get a copy! We originally were going to go in and have my husband record his 9/11 experience but at the last minute we decided that I would go in with my three sons and we would talk about this cancer experience and how it has affected each of us. What a special time that was. I enjoyed that conversation and the time spent with them so much. It was the right conversation to have.

So, now I'm back home ready to settle into a routine again but feeling so blessed with life's greatest blessings. A grandson. A son who has come home a man, ready to do what the Lord wants him to do. A daughter who has become a mother and her husband who is good and patient and helpful. A son who is serving his country and has such high ambitions and goals for his life. And another son who is preparing to go out on a mission and serve. I am grateful for all these things and more. It's a wonderful life!

Now back to January 6th and the ct scan results. There are two things they look at when making a determination on how treatment will go. The first is the tumor markers and the second is the ct scan. The scan is more heavily relied on than the tumor markers. This scan showed that right now things are stable meaning things are not growing  (they're not shrinking either) but the tumor markers have gone up. This chemo has been a hard one on me. He reduced the chemo a couple of rounds ago and I have done better. But he's thinking that the reduction is what has caused the numbers to go up. So he is going to increase the chemo back to 100% but take out the 5FU part of the chemo which is what is in the pump that I bring home for two days. The thought of not coming home with a pump makes me want to jump for joy and may be the only reason I agreed to go back up to 100%. We'll see how this goes. Hanging on till my next scan in a couple of months.

Good News and News

The good news is...Valerie followed me back to Seattle for what started out as a two week visit and has now turned into three! She came out to help with putting the house back together from the water damage. The new floor is in, and GORGEOUS! We all love it! Downstairs is all painted. The bathroom is nearly complete. It feels like a new house downstairs. Thanks to friends who came to help us in such stressful times. We appreciate the support and feel very loved!

Now for the news. After the last four rounds of chemo my numbers have dropped to 345. Today was my CT scan and we went over the results with my oncologist. The CT scan showed that the tumors in my liver and thyroid are stable...not growing, but the tumors in my lungs are growing and multiplying. He wants to be 100% sure that the new growth is cancer so I will be going in for a biopsy in the next couple of days. If it is not cancer, we will continue the treatment I am on now, folfox. If it is cancer, the chemo regimen will change, to folfiri. I qualify for a clinical trial. It will be an addition to the folfiri. Some of the side effects with the new chemo will be nausea, anorexia, acne rash and no more neuropathy (cold sensitivity and tingling in hands/feet).

It was expected that I would stop responding to the folfox at some point and would be switched to another chemo. There are four chemo regimens. All that I have done up to this point has been the first. If we switch, it will begin the second. There is a 50/50 chance that the clinical trial could be a better treatment. We have the choice to participate. I feel it is worth a shot.

CT Scan

Monday was my latest CT Scan. It showed that most of my tumors have remained the same but a couple of the tumors in my lungs have grown just a little bit and my numbers have gone up a little. They are 269. Also my thyroid is low so I am now taking medication for my thyroid.  My doctor said overall he is happy with the scan. Considering where I was in the beginning, this is still a good place to be, and believe me, I agree. I still feel good. Sometimes I get really tired but hopefully the new meds will help with that.
I've tried several times to respond to your comments and for some reason I can't, but I want all of you to know that I read and appreciate each of your comments. I am thankful to have the support of amazing and wonderful friends in my life.

Aches and Pains

One thing they ask every time I go in for my appointment is "Are you in any pain?" Even though I didn't think it was cancer related I let them know this time that yes, I am in pain in a few different places. They did some x-rays and the results came in today. The good news is, it is not cancer related. The not so good news is, it is arthritis. Boy, does that make me feel old-just because I have it and also the way it makes me feel.
Also, for the first time since starting chemo my numbers have gone up instead of down. They are at 213. It's still a far cry from where I started and could just be a little hiccup. We'll see.  I have one more round of chemo in three weeks before I have another CT scan at the end of October.

Prayers for peace

Today as I was getting my chemo, I couldn't help but overhear the patient next to me as she was talking to the nurse. She was sounding a little frantic because her numbers had been going down and were starting to go up. My numbers are down again... they're at 171. I am very aware of my blessings. I wish I could bring comfort and peace to the woman on the other side of the curtain...

Still Coming Down!

Yes, they reduced my dosage. Let's hope this does it. Although I enjoyed adding a few extra days to my week "off" it is important to keep going and kill those tumors.
More good news...my cancer markers are now down to 254! Yay! I am feeling really good. Like my old self.
I need to get some excercise though. I started going to the Y for water aerobics. I'm in the advanced class. Don't get all excited and think I'm such a trooper, they're all advanced... in age. ;)
I may be starting out slow but it does feel good to work those muscles and I fully intend to work up to more and more. I would LOVE to be able to run again.

Prayer. When life gets too hard to stand...kneel.

Feeling Good

I've had people ask me to update the blog more often. I'll try to be more regular with my enteries.
I'm happy to let you know that I feel good. I am quilting again and working on various small projects. I still have not developed the ability to pace myself so I tend to wear myself out quickly but I do feel good other than getting really tired rather quickly. My cancer marker continues to drop, it is now at 560.
The first round of oral chemotherapy was interesting. At first I could not keep my balance which is not even a side effect of this pill. I experienced a mild case of the hand foot syndrome and so my dose has been adjusted beginning with this round which began yesterday.
I am looking forward to going with the young women in our ward this week on their high adventure. We will be white water rafting! So excited!

"Cancer Markers dropping like a stone"

"Cancer Markers dropping like a stone" These are the words of my physicians assistant.
The latest numbers have me down to 1400! And I'm on my second round of chemo since then. So they are possibly even lower than that by now. As a reminder Cancer Markers are found in the blood and tells them how much cancer is in me. My origanl number was 16,000.
I started my 8th round of chemo yesterday and will finish it on Wed. It's always a little nerve racking waiting to see which side effects will effect me this time and how severe will they be. I hope it's a good week. I have Corey home for a visit and I would like to feel good enough to run around and have fun with him and the rest of the family. Here's hoping for a good week. Then I have a CT scan next Wed and one last round of chemo after that! Yay!

Results

We just finished meeting with the doctor here at SCCA. He went over the results of the CT scan. We have two months of chemo down and two more to go. Her tumors have shrunk an average of about a third of the size, or less, of the original. The large tumors in her liver have only lost only about 2-4mm, which is not nearly as significant as we had hoped. They are still fairly large, but they are at least responding! The doctor was pleased with the results. He also said surgery is not likely after the treatments. It would not help because of how wide spread the cancer is. After two more months of chemo she will switch to a pill form that is more a targeted therapy than a chemotherapy, that will cut off the blood supply to all of the tumors. The pill would still help shrink the tumors. It's looking like the tumors will never completely dissapear, but there is always hope! It is good news that the cancer is responding to the treatments. Just because the tumors did not shrink in half does not mean there isn't hope for there to be more progress. Only time will tell and we pray continually we will pull through this.
Her cancer counters went from 16,000 to 3,600.
We are currently in the waiting room for her next chemotherapy....

Round 4

I'm sitting here in the middle of my 4th chemo with my chemo fanny pack around my waist.
The side effects that happen every time in the beginning are going on. Cold sensitivity-I can't drink or touch anything cold for several days. Facial pain when I bite into something-it lasts only a few seconds but is not very pleasant. I'm starting to have vision problems. I don't know if it's strictly the chemo or my RP or a combination of both. I'll have to see if my eye specialist will talk to my oncologist to see if there is anything that can be done. Sometimes when I rub my eyes or sometimes randomly my vision will narrow to a tunnel vision view with everything blackened but a small narrowed view of what I'm looking at. It only lasts a few moments.

But the good news is  my cancer marker has dropped to now 4000 from the original 16000 which means I am responding to treatments! I think that is an amazing drop after only 3 treatments. I am feeling better, stonger, and more in the mood to start back into some small projects. This is good. I am thankful.

Colonoscopy

January 31st

Dad brought Mom to the scheduled colonoscopy.

They were done much sooner than expected because they

immediately found what they were looking for.

A 5-inch malignant tumor

35 cm from the start, partially obstructing.

This tumor is the primary cancer site so it is Colon Cancer.
It has caused the pain she had been feeling the last year

and the harsh prepping for the colonoscopy.

She was scheduled for surgery consultation on friday

to talk about removing the tumor.

Today doctors called in the morning saying

they did not want to wait until friday.

Mom and Dad immediately went in to consult with the surgeon
who did not think surgery was necessary but highly recommended
starting chemo ASAP to shrink the tumor.

We also found out today that she has Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

After considering and praying about our options,

we decided to cancel the oncologist
appointment that was scheduled for today.

We chose the

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

and our appointment with the oncologist is scheduled for Monday February 6th.

As soon as we spoke with someone from the SCCA

we felt we were in good hands and felt very good about going there.

Even though it puts off the oncology visit by a few days,

we still feel it was the right decision.