Skip to main content

Exciting Updates

I haven't blogged recently as I've been trying to wrap my head around everything that is going on, and trying to enjoy the last bit of summer fun with the family in Tahoe. I forgot how busy things get once a cancer diagnosis is made. There are calls from this doctor and that doctor, appointments made for this, that, and the other thing. There is the incessant waiting, which is by far the worst part. There are the good days, the bad days, the ugly days, and the "I'm too busy to even deal with this shit" days. But no matter what type of day it is, I force myself to do at least one thing positive towards my recovery. Okay, that's not true... MATT forces me to do at least one positive thing a day. I can confirm that if it weren't for him, some days I probably wouldn't get out of bed. I've always said he's a Pollyanna, and I am so grateful that he is my pollyanna. Something as little as forcing me to have my morning coffee outside with him as we chat about stuff can turn my mindset around and at least give me a few good hours.

Okay, but besides Matt, a lot of other good things have been happening too. Liver biopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. I start to feel nauseous when I think about it. It just seems so disgusting to have a long needle being stuck into an organ and plucking at a tumor. I'll be at the hospital from 8 am until 3 or 4 pm. Yet the actual biopsy is only about 10-15 minutes. Due to the risk of excessive bleeding, I'll be in recovery for 3-4 hours.

Next Thursday is my Zometa infusion. This is to strengthen my bones...help prevent any more random breaks and hopefully heal some of the broken bones. Of course with any treatment there are risks of side effects. I find it funny that one of the most common side effects of zometa is "achy bones." Ummm.... okay.....

But.... drumroll please..... the MOST exciting news is that I have an appointment at MD Anderson in Houston on August 30!!!! They are requesting all of my medical history, and will get a copy of the liver biopsy results. Matt and I have to get all of the scans on a CD and bring that with us too. We meet with the oncologist on 8/30 and they will either agree with Dr. Adler's course of treatment, suggest a different one, or put me in a clinical trial. This is HUGE!!! MD Anderson is a leading cancer institute. They are on the cutting edge of treatment. I NEED CUTTING EDGE! I am all about cutting edge... I was MADE to be in a clinical trial. If it can't cure me, at least I can be a source of great info for the future of cancer treatment for others.... Right?! I can hope that I'm that important at least!

They told me to ask Dr. Adler to postpone starting treatment until after they meet with me. But if he thinks it's too urgent to wait, they said to listen to him. If that happens, then they will not treat me until the results of his treatment are determined.

So... I'm going to Houston. I've got a ton of hope in my pocket, my husband will be by my side, and the strength and prayers everyone around the world has been sending me will be in my heart.


Comments

  1. Such exciting news and with your positive attitude, I am confident you will get the answer you have been looking for. Sending good vibes and prayers your way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. πŸ’–πŸ™πŸΌπŸ˜˜

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beauty in Life and Death

This is Matt unfortunately Melissa did not get finish her last entry so I will take it from here.  I will try not to have any typos or grammatical errors.  Melissa would really not like that, but she was my official proof reader for all important documents. Melissa and I always strived to look for beauty even in the darkest of times.  It is not always easy but it is always there when you look hard enough.  Our situation the last year and half have not been ideal there were lots of tears and dark times, but the beauty was overwhelming. Whether it was a note, meal, flowers, or text a a low point or just the love we felt from family or friends.  The beauty was there.  We had so many people praying for us and for Melissa to beat cancer once and for all, but I also prayed that Melissa would be pain free and if it was God's will that she passed peacefully.  Melissa was in so much pain last year.  She did not let her slow her down but she was hurting.  She packed more into a year with

Sigourney Weaver

Years ago (okay, fine...decades ago) in high school some boy jokingly called me Sigourney Weaver. I don't remember all of the details of how or why that nickname came about, but it's sort of funny that she and I do have a lot in common now. Well, the Sigourney Weaver of 1997 or whenever "Aliens" came out. Bald, badass, and with an alien growing inside of us!! My alien will be removed tomorrow morning though, Thank GOD! I'm SO over having this gross bump that hurts more and more every day. The other day I couldn't even put my jeans on without it pinching my little alien baby. It turns out I'm developing a "day before surgery" routine. I go shopping. Today it was the first ever "Back to School" shopping for Reagan! She starts Kindergarten next month, so I figured we should get her some new clothes before the full effects of radiation kick in and I'm too tired. (Wait.... I don't think anything will ever make me "too tired&qu

It's Baaaaaaccccckkkkk.......

6 years.... that's how long it's been since I finished with active treatment. However, I took Tamoxifen for 5 years to squash any estrogen left in my body. I recently switched over to a "tougher" aromatase inhibitor call arimidex. These drugs provided comfort and faith that I was doing everything in my power to prevent a recurrence. Guess what?! They failed me. Big time. It's back, and it's back all over. After months of hip pain that my NP chalked up repeatedly to muscle pain, she finally sent me to an orthopedist. He took X-rays and did NOT like what he saw. Additional blood work and bone scans have led to the diagnosis of cancer pretty much throughout my skeletal system. Metastases were found in the skull, scapula, multiple ribs, pelvis, both hips, and spine. Definitely NOT the news I was expecting nor wanting to hear. After an afternoon of crying and occasionally feeling like I was going to throw up, Matt and I met with Dr. Adler, my oncologist. He was