The Latest Update

OK, so after visiting the oncologist today, there is both good and bad. I choose to remain positive and focus on the good.

The bad news is the main mass is back to the size we began at. The spots on my lungs that began at “innumerable,” but had shrunk to half their size and number have begun to grow again in size and number (but we’re not back to “innumerable”). On the PET scan before this one we were down to only the main mass and one spot being “active” and now many spots are again active (but certainly not all).

The type of cancer I have is quite uncommon. My doc is very up on all the literature, and there just isn’t any out there on what I have. The good news is he’s in touch (by email) with the world’s authority on this type of cancer, and that doc has given us many different chemo drugs to basically experiment with. We will go through them one by one until we (God willing) find the one that helps us shrink this beast into remission. We’ll do three to four rounds and then a scan. If it works, we’ll keep going with it. If not, we’ll try the next. I’m ready for the fight!

The good news is the drug we will start with has a low toxicity for me, so I will not lose my hair and I should not get sick like before. If I get sick, he thinks it will only be for one day per treatment. This is so important because I did not want to give up another summer of quality time with Amanda. I want to enjoy every moment of our summer break together. The drug will not require a port and will take less than an hour for infusion (it used to take four hours). I will only have to go once every three weeks (like before). The best news is that although the cancer has started growing again, it has not spread anywhere. I will focus on this!

I thank God for the support He has given me through my family, friends and students. You have all been overwhelmingly wonderful, and I can’t thank you enough. My faith is strong and with God leading me and your support, I will win this battle! It will not be easy, so please keep praying that we find the drug that will work soon! Thank you!

Well, if it can happen, it's going to happen to me

Hello everyone,
Well this morning I drove from Livermore to Walnut Creek in the morning traffic after unwillingly having to take a day off work to have a CT scan and PET scan. They hooked up my IV, started my contrast, and after 20 minutes of trying to figure out their new IV machine, my CT scan was done. They then took me upstairs for my PET scan, injected me with a radioactive glucose tracer, had me sleep for 45 minutes, and then brought me in for the PET. Not 5 minutes into the scan, the machine breaks down WITH ME IN IT!!! Yes, my worst nightmare, I'm caught in the machine. Luckily, I didn't know for sure that it had broken while I was in it. They finally got me out, but I had to jump off the table, because the table wouldn't even lower me down. YIKES!!! I waited another hour and a half while they talked with technicians on the phone trying to get it to work, when they finally came in and told me they would have to reschedule, because my $500 radioactive glucose tracer's two-hour life span was up, and the machine had still not been fixed. Oh YAY now I get to have ANOTHER IV with ANOTHER radioactive glucose tracer!! If you can believe all this, they are going to take me after hours on Thursday after school (which is what I wanted in the first place) to redo the PET, so now it will be until Friday or Monday until I have results. If my doctor is able to give me ANY results at all from just the CT, believe me I would love that, but I have a feeling I won't know anything until Monday. Wow, it's not like it's hard to wait through the weekend or anything...
Oh well, I'm sure God has his reasons for having me go through all of this. He's gotten me this far, and continues to be there for me. And so do you! Thanks for bearing with me everyone!

Good News

Hello everyone! I’m so thankful to report that my scans show NO GROWTH in the tumor or any of the spots on my lungs! HALLELUJAH!! Thank you, God!!! The PET part of the scan did show that the main tumor and the one spot (the only ones that had remained active after I finished the last round of chemo) had shown a little more “activity,” but no growth. We could possibly do radiation on those two, but his recommendation was to just watch it for now and do another scan in two months, since there was no change in size. I’m very happy with this news, and so thankful to GOD! Hey, I’ve got a show to put on in a week and Disneyland is waiting for me, my family and my Chamber Singers this weekend!!
I’m so thankful for all of you, your thoughts & prayers and your support! Please keep me in your prayers. I continue to need them always...

Well, it's been a while...

Hello everyone. I know it's been a while. Life has been so normal since I had my last chemo and they took out the broken port catheter, that it's almost surreal. I feel just fine. I still get tired, but nothing like before. I've even started walking again (1 mile on the weekends). Of course, before all this began I was walking 2-2 1/2 mi. 6-7 days a week. I even have about 3/4 inch of hair growth!!
I'm scheduled for my first PET scan since I've been off the chemo on March 6th. That will tell my doc how I'm really doing. Of course I'm anxious, but I just say my prayers and believe I will be OK. I would truly appreciate it if you could keep me in your prayers for complete healing and peace during this time. The results should be in within 1-2 days, which means I will pray that I have GOOD news just before I leave for my Disneyland tour with my advanced choir on March 9th. I thank God that I am so busy right now with planning the tour and getting ready to open our spring musical on March 15th that I don't have a lot of time to sit around and worry... Thanks so much for your prayers and support!

THEY GOT IT!

Well, thank you so much for all the prayers, everyone! This morning's repeat procedure was a success! They were able to remove the port catheter tube after close to two hours. I can't tell you how thankful and happy I am that I won't need major surgery! I've seen the inside of way too many hospitals recently and hope it will be a very long time before I see another one... At least this part has come to an end. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for continued healing. I truly appreciate it!

A Little Good News

Well, my mammogram results came back clear today! Yeah! I've been waiting since Dec. 27th. I know, only a little over a week, but it feels like forever when you're waiting! Thank you, God!

Surgery #3

Well, I met with the surgeon, and rather than have surgery right away, he’d like me to try the same procedure one more time with another internal radiologist at John Muir. That outpatient procedure is scheduled for 6:30 am on Tuesday (Jan. 9) at John Muir Walnut Creek. Because of where the 6-inch catheter is lodged, IF they can’t get it out on Tuesday, it will be major surgery where they will have to go through the sternum and possibly even have to stop my heart to get this ridiculous thing out. IF I do have to have that surgery, they will also take out the mass at the same time, to make it worth everyone’s time. Obviously I’d rather not have major surgery, because I DON’T HAVE TIME! My oncologist would rather just watch the mass and IF it grows, we will do radiation at that time. I will just have to wait and see how it goes. Please keep me in your prayers for this procedure to go well and for continued healing. Thanks so much.