Dec. 21 Dr. Appt.

I had an appt. with Dr. Bova on Dec. 21.  She walked into the room, shook our hands and said "well, all I have to say is 'wow'!"  and she kept saying it throughout the appointment.  She said she was expecting the spots on my lung and adrenal glands to be smaller, but not smaller AND inactive!!  I think she was at least as excited as we were!!  She still wants me to continue the Tarceva (chemo pill) - the same dose as I've been taking.  I was hoping for a decrease in the dosage but she didn't make it sound like that would  be happening for quite some time (bummer).  I'll be having another PET scan in 3 months.  Things look great right now - prayers have definitely been answered!

It looks like we're at the point where I just keep taking the chemo pill and going for scans to make sure there is no new growth or activity.  I feel fine, the only side effect of the pill that is really annoying is my lack of appetite (it's really hard to find anything that tastes good to me).  I guess if that's the worst of it then I've got it pretty easy.  Now, if my hair would just hurry up and grow back!!!!

As always, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!!

MORE GREAT NEWS!!!!

The prayers are definitely working . . . .

Yesterday I had a PET scan to see how the chemo pill I'm taking is working on the cancer on my lung and adrenal glands.  This morning Dale (our friend the radiologist) called Bob to tell him that the results of the PET scan were the best we could have hoped for - he saw no sign of any cancer on my lung or adrenal glands any more!!!!!!!  WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!  I'm still shaking and can hardly believe it!

I have an appt. with Dr. Bova (oncologist) on Dec. 21st, so I guess we'll find out at that time what the next step is.  We know we'll have to monitor this for the rest of my life, but for right now we just got the best Christmas present EVER!!!!!

Thank you ALL for your continued thoughts and prayers - they're working!!!

GREAT NEWS!!!

I had a brain MRI this morning, then we had our appointment with Dr. Young (radiation oncologist) this afternoon.  She said that my scan looked very good - as good as we could possibly expect!!!  We got to see it and most of the spots are gone - one that was pretty big is very very small now and another one that was fluid-filled with a ring of some sort around it is now very small with a barely noticeable ring.  I will have another MRI in 6-8 weeks and we will monitor the brain that way for awhile.  Otherwise, Dr. Young said that if the spots stay the same as they are today, with no activity, she wouldn't mess with them at all.  We are SO-O-O-O excited!  Actually, I think I'm still in shock - it hasn't really sunk in yet.

I'm on my 3rd prescription medication for nausea, but I think this one is finally working - yay!!!  I still don't have much of an appetite but it's getting better.  I'm sure being a bundle of nerves the past couple of days hasn't helped things.

December 1 I will have a PET scan - that will be to look at my lung and adrenal glands, to see how the chemo drug is doing. 

I get to start driving myself to work now - yippee!!  Thank you so much, Brandon, for taking me to and from work these past few months - Bob and I really appreciate it!!!

Thank you for the prayers!!!  They're working so far!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I'll write more after the PET scan on Dec. 1

Nausea is Better - If I Can Just Stay Awake!

I talked to Marilyn (Dr. Bova's nurse) yesterday evening about the nausea I've been experiencing (like it makes me gag just to open the refrigerator door or walk into the kitchen when food is out).  Seems as though the drug they gave me to take with the steroids for "nervousness" - Ativan - is also good for nausea.  Well, I still  have some, so I took 1/2 a pill last night and didn't even make it through our t.v. shows (oh yea, it's main side effect is drowsiness). . . . but I wasn't nauseated.  I took another 1/2 this morning and haven't felt the nausea and haven't fallen asleep on my desk.  I do feel just a little dizzy/fuzzy, but I'll take that over the nausea.  We'll see how it goes!!!  I'm sure Bob is getting tired of eating frozen dinners or going out because I can't stand the smell of cooking food!!!

Update

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile - there really hasn't been much going on with me.

Last Friday I had an appointment with Dr. Bova (Oncologist).  We hadn't seen Dr. Bova since before she had her baby several months ago, so it was good to see her again.  We just talked about how I'm feeling and about some of the side of effects of the Tarceva.  Things are going pretty well, except for the nausea I feel a lot of the time (she put me on a medication for Thrush and we hope that will take care of it).  Her office should be scheduling a PET Scan for the end of November but I don't have that date yet.

I also had an appointment with Dr. Young (Radiation Oncologist) on Friday.  She said she was ready for me to have another brain MRI to see how the radiation did.  It is scheduled for next Wednesday, November 10.  It will be at Mercy in OKC in the morning, then we'll get the CD and head to our appointment with Dr. Young that afternoon.  I'm starting to get a little anxious about the results - I just hope and pray that they're good.

I still don't have any hair - hopefully it will start growing soon, bald heads get cold!!

Besides for the little bit of nausea and the continuing skin rashes/acne I'm doing pretty well.

Bob and I appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers - we're hanging in there.

Steroids, Rashes and More . . . .

Hey Everyone,

Since last week about all that's happened is that I got some new medicine for my forehead and it works great - finally!!!  By last Wednesday evening my forehead was killing me and Pam at the Cancer Center was able to call me in a new prescription for some wound care gel that has Lidocaine (yay!), aloe vera, vitamin E, collagen and several other good things in it.  It has worked wonders in the last week!  My forehead almost looks normal again.

Saturday I woke up and found that I had a painful crack in my heel along with several small cracks in the skin around my fingers.  Wow. . . . . something new every day.  I looked it up, and sure enough, more side effects of the chemo pill.  So, I spent the weekend putting Neosporin, heel balm and band-aids on my cracked skin, hoping it would help it heal.  Right now I'm waiting for Marilyn (Dr. Bova's nurse) to call me back and let me know if there is something better I can be using for my cracking skin.

I think I'm still having some allergy issues - runny eyes, puffy eyes, fluid in my ears, etc., etc.  Sure wish that stuff would go away soon!

I've just got about 4 or 5 more days of taking the steroids (1/4 pill a day) and hopefully when I stop I won't get a headache again.  Sure will be glad to get off the steroids!!!

Besides for feeling like an old woman with a new ailment every day I'm doing pretty well.  I feel pretty good most of the time - sure could be worse.

Thank you to everyone around me for having such positive attitudes - it really helps me stay positive (most of the time).  Bob is the best - he's always there to listen when I'm down and he's very patient with my complaining (old lady ailments) - THANK YOU BOB!!!!!!

Quick Update

It's been a week since I finished my radiation and I'm feeling really good, except for my forehead - which is burned from the radiation.  I think (and hope and pray) it's starting to heal and that's why it itches but it also hurts really badly sometimes.  Oh well, we knew there would be side effects.

I'm also starting to wean off of the steroids (yay!!), starting today and for the next two weeks.  So, hopefully my taste buds will be back to normal soon!

Just enjoying the cooler weather  - Woohoo it's Fall!!!!

Radiation Done & Update

Yesterday was my last radiation treatment - WOOHOO!!!  They did tell me that the side effects from the radiation (such as any fatigue, the burn/rash on my forehead, the fuzzy/weird feeling I feel sometimes) could last for up to about 2-4 more weeks.  Oh well, at least we're on the downhill slide.......

We also had an appointment with the oncologist yesterday.  They did a chest x-ray and labwork and we saw the doctor (after a VERY LONG wait!!!)  She told us that after me being on the Tarceva (chemo pill) for about 3 months they would do another scan.

So, the timeline as we understand it is:

In 4-8 weeks from now I'll have another brain MRI to see how the radiation did (this has not been scheduled yet).  Hopefully the brain MRI will show great results and I'll be able to drive myself to work again!!

In a little over 2 months from now I'll have a PET scan to see how the chemo pill is doing (also not scheduled yet)

Bob and I really appreciate all of you who volunteered your time and drove me home from work for my radiation - that was a huge blessing for us!!  Thank God for friends and family!!

We appreciate all of the encouraging words, thoughts and prayers - they mean so much to us.  I'm feeling pretty good most days - just not really myself.  Can't wait to feel like me again!!

Just 3 More!!

Radiation treatments, that is!  YAY!!!!  We don't know when I'll have another brain MRI but it was supposed to be approximately 4-8 weeks after the radiation treatments were over.  Hope we'll hear something soon.

Nothing really new to report.  I don't have quite as much energy as I used to, so the house isn't always as clean as it should be be.  Bob seems to be working all the time trying to get caught up, sure wish he could catch a break.

This Wednesday morning is my last radiation treatment, then we'll head to OKC for an appointment with the oncologist (which includes a chest x-ray and labwork).

Thank you so much for the prayers, cards, calls, rides, etc. - they are greatly appreciated!!! 

GO POKES!!!

Hair's All Gone Now!!

We had a wonderful time in Eureka Springs with Ken and Debbie - the weather was beautiful, our cabin was really nice, we got to relax, eat some good food, shop, look at some cool antique cars and just plain enjoy being out of town with friends!!  Good to do every once in awhile.  Thank you to Charlie and Mattie for keeping our dogs while we were gone and especially for driving them back to Stillwater for us!!!  We really appreciate you guys!!  And, to Stephanie, too, for taking care of the pets we left at home!

Last night we decided to go ahead and get rid of the rest of my hair - so...........Bob got the trimmers and trimmed as close to my head as he possibly could - all over!  Wow, that's definitely a look I never thought I'd see on myself!!  And, I'm sure Bob never thought he would shave his wife's head (and get away with it!) either!  All new experiences..............

I still haven't really had any major side effects from the radiation - just feel a little weak and shaky/fuzzy feeling at times.  As for the chemo pill, that's another story..............the main side effect is a rash/breaking out on your face.  Makes you feel like a teenager all over again and I'm really not enjoying it!!    I talked to Marilyn (the nurse) today and she told me I could use Head-n-Shoulders shampoo to wash my face and that is supposed to help - we'll see!

A couple of people have asked about bracelets - we do have bracelets!  We ordered some in the beginning and they went a lot faster than we thought they would.  So, we placed another order and it's taken forever to get, but they are finally here.  Let me know if I can get some to you.

Thank you, Marilyn, for the ride last week - hope you enjoyed your Hideaway pizza!!!

Thank you, everyone, for the comments - I love reading them.  They always help to brighten my day!!

Today was Day 13 of Radiation (7 to go) - yay!

Hair Loss is in Full Swing...........

It was nice to have 3 days without radiation (no headache).  Now I'll have 3 more days of radiation this week, then another 3 days off (since we're leaving for Eureka Springs right after radiation on Thursday morning!)  And, what do you know?  The nice people at the Cancer Care Center were right on about my hair loss - they said it would be about two weeks and they were right!  On Saturday after my shower it started coming out in much bigger clumps than before and now I have quite a "pile" of hair on the bathroom counter (Bob wondered if I was saving it - not for long.  It's just kind of interesting to compare what's on the counter to what's still on my head).  I can tell that it's much thinner on my head but no one else has really noticed.  I still can't imagine what I'll really look like bald, but I guess I'm getting closer and closer to that look!  Hope it's not too scary!

My mom took me to OKC on Saturday - we did a little shopping at Penn Square and I got some new glasses.  Still trying to get used to them since they have a frame all the way around and I'm not used to that, but I like them - they're FUN.  We had a good day together, just doing girl stuff.

I got to see Mattie and Charlie yesterday - wow, it had been awhile!!  We had a nice day together - thank you for the pins and lunch and driving me around!!

My parents have both been so great to drive from Edmond to Ponca City to get me for radiation - I really appreciate all you're doing for me!!!

Today will be Day 10 of Radiation - half-way there and still feeling good!

It's Friday.................and I'm Feeling Good Today!

Today is Day 9 of Radiation - we're closing in on the half-way mark!  I started taking the Tarceva on Tuesday and haven't noticed any changes or side effects yet - probably still to come.  Yesterday I woke up with really puffy eyelids and I just felt really out of whack all day - it wasn't the best day I've had.  But......today I feel really good, almost normal, so it's a great day!!!  Plus, it's the Friday before a long weekend!!!  And, next week will be a short work week (2 days), then we leave with Debbie and Ken for our annual Eureka Springs trip - YAY!!!!!!!  Friends, relaxation, shopping and food!!!  Oh yea, and the guys get to enjoy gawking at all of the antique cars in the car show!

Thank you so much to all of the people who have been driving me home for radiation - Barbara and my dad both again this week!  I appreciate you guys so much!!

A Highlight in My Day...............

Yesterday was Day 6 of Radiation and on Tuesdays you get to see the nurse and the Dr. too.  The best part was................the Dr. told me I could cut my steroid dosage in half!!!!  WOOHOO!!!  My face is feeling really puffy, mostly around my eyes and I'm getting a double-chin!!!  So, that was great to hear!  Maybe the puffiness will start to go down sometime soon and my appetite will go back to a little more like normal.  We'll see......

I started taking the Tarceva yesterday too.  Guess it will probably take awhile before I start to see any side effects from it.  Just hope they're not the really bad ones!!

Thank you, Sheila, for the ride home yesterday!!!

Radiation - Days 5 and 6 - AND. . . the start of the Chemo Pill

Good Afternoon!  Yesterday was Day 5 of Radiation - all went well, as usual.  I got a little tired last night while I was trying to cross-stitch (couldn't seem to keep my eyes open) and ended up going to bed a little earlier than usual.  But I woke up feeling rested, so that's good.  Thank you, Martha (our neighbor) for the ride - we had a nice visit on the way home!  And the watermelon was great, too - thanks!!!

Today I'll go for my 6th radiation treatment and Bob let me know earlier that my Tarceva (chemo pills) came in the mail today, so I'll start taking one of those each day (for however long it takes to kill all the little buggers, I hope!!)

I'm surrounded by so many wonderful people and you've all been such blessings to me.  I really appreciate all you do for me each day - from the thoughts and prayers and stopping by my office just to check in on me to the rides to radiation or lunch or wherever I need to go.  THANK YOU!!!!!  And, continued thanks to Brandon for stopping by my home and picking me up for the ride to Ponca City each morning - I really appreciate you!

It's The Weekend!

It's Saturday afternoon.............Bob is working, of course (sure wish he could catch a break - maybe next weekend).

Yesterday was day 4 of radiation and it went quick, as usual.  It must be the radiation that's giving me the little bit of a headache because I haven't had one today - yay!!  And the numbness in my skull from the "halo" is still there some but getting better, I think.

My mom and I had a great visit and did a little shopping today - just the two of us.  I even got some awesome new shoes!!  That was fun!

I'm feeling fine and plan to do a little resting and a few things around the house this weekend, then gear up for 5 days of radiation next week.  Still waiting for the rash to appear on my head and my hair to start falling out..........eek!!

Enjoy your weekend!

It's Friday!

It's Friday and today will be my last day of radiation until next week.  It's going well - it only seems to give me a little bit of a headache, nothing unbearable.  And, I think the naps afterwards are going to be helpful, just to give me a little boost.  Yesterday I took about a 40 minute nap then mowed the back yard!!

Thank you, Barbara, for driving me to Stillwater for my treatment - you're such a great friend!  And, it gives us a chance to get caught up on our visiting!

My mom will be driving from Edmond today to get me and take me to radiation, then she'll spend the night, so we'll get a chance to get caught up too.  Might even do a little shopping tomorrow if she sticks around long enough!

Thank you ALL for checking on me all the time and making sure I'm feeling good and doing alright - I really appreciate you all!!!!

Oncologist Appointment and Day 2 - Radiation

Bob and I had our first appointment with Dr. Canfield (she's filling in for Dr. Bova). It's been an informative day. Instead of starting IV chemotherapy I will be starting on an oral chemo drug called Tarceva - just as soon as it is delivered to our house (in about a week). This is a chemo drug that is used primarily for lung cancer. It's a pill I'll take once a day for as long as it's working well. I'll have periodic chest x-rays and lab work to make sure everything is going well.

We arrived home earlier from Day 2 of radiation.  All went well there too.  Just took a couple of minutes and we were outta there.  At some point I'm supposed to experience some fatigue so we've decided that when we get home from radiation I'm going to plan on taking a nap/rest for about 30 minutes (guess I'll have to put the shock collar on Dudley since he feels the need to bark every time a car pulls up in the driveway - which is often!) 

2 down - 18 to go!!!

Thank you ALL so much for all of the nice comments on the blog - we love reading them and feel SO loved!!!  And, thank you, too, for the offers of rides back to Stillwater for radiation - I'm sure I'll be calling on you some time.  Thanks!

Radiation - Day 1

Today my dad drove from Edmond to pick me up at work in Ponca City.  Then we headed to my first day of radiation and found out that it takes longer on Tuesdays.  First they did an x-ray, then the couple of minutes of radiation, then they weighed me (yippee.....those steroids are doing the trick!), then a visit with the nurse where she asked me all kinds of questions, then a really quick visit with the doctor.  The rest of the days of the week should just be the couple of minutes of radiation.  You can't feel anything, you just lay there and they "zap" you.  Not sure when it will start making me feel tired - guess we'll find out soon enough!  Thank you, Debbie, for coming by and hanging out with my dad!  It was great to see you!  Oh yea, and my friend Susie had sent flowers to the Cancer Center for me - that was a sweet surprise!

Tomorrow we'll head to OKC to see the Oncologist and get the plan for the chemotherapy.  Feeling fine so far.  More later................

Thank you for the ride, Daddy!

NEW LOOK! YAY!

YAY!!  Mattie came home and made the blog look so-o-o-o-o much prettier!  Thank you, Mattie!!

The Start of a Plan . . . .

More appointments!


We just got back from Cancer Care Associates in Stillwater, where we met with Dr. Young, the Radiation Oncologist we met in OKC a few weeks ago.  I was fitted for a mask (it has markings to make sure my head is in the right place during the radiation).  I will be having radiation 5 x per week (Monday-Friday) for 4 weeks, starting next Tuesday, at 3:45 pm.  I was told that my hair will fall out in about 2 weeks after starting the radiation - woohoo..........should be an interesting sight!  Dr. Young spoke with Dr. Canfield (the Oncologist) while we were there and Dr. Canfield is planning on the chemo being once a week, but we don't have a schedule for that yet.

My biggest scheduling conflict now is that I'm having to find a ride home from Ponca City each day in order to be at radiation by 3:45 pm.  Both of my parents have graciously agreed to some days already - thank you!  And, many others have offered - I just have to get a plan put in place.

One of the best pieces of news today.............we have a plan for some treatment and Dr. Young said we'd work around the radiation so that we can go on our annual Eureka Springs trip in 3 weeks!  Yippee!!!!!

See you soon!

Radiation Day......Didn't Happen The Way We Planned

I guess we got somewhat of another shock this morning.  We traveled to Mercy where we checked in, I was sedated and the halo was "installed".  They performed the brain MRI and that's when they realized there were several more spots on my brain (very likely there before, just too small to see until today under the fine microscope).  The Radiation Oncologist came in after the study of the MRI to tell us that is wasn't feasible to do the Gamma Knife Radiation anymore.  So, after all that, we got nothing today, which is very disappointing.



But, on the bright side, I have an appointment at Cancer Care Associates (where my Doc in OKC is also affiliated) tomorrow to get fitted for a "mask" (Bob thought we should just stop by Academy on the way home and get me a hockey mask!) and then, we think, go ahead and start with the "whole-brain" radiation.  This type of radiation will be at a much lower dose than the Gamma Knife would have been and will hopefully treat the current spots and any others that may be too small to detect at this time.


We also found out that my oncologist had her baby last night, so I have a new one.  Dr. Canfield (same practice).  I have an appointment with her next Wednesday so we can go ahead and get the chemotherapy schedule set up and going.  They want to try to do the radiation and the chemo concurrently, if possible.


Yes, today was kind of disappointing, but we did learn some new things.  And we really feel like God is watching out for us because the new route seems like a better way to go now with the new information we've acquired.


Thank you, Daddy, for being there with Bob - I'm so grateful that you guys have such a close relationship.  And, I hope it was helpful for you to be there to get actual first-hand information, even though it was hard to hear.


And, thank you, Becky, for stopping by - it was great to see you too (even though it was just for a few short minutes).


We really appreciate all of the continued support and the calls to check on us, etc.  It's great to have your love surrounding us.  THANK YOU!!!!

Tomorrow - Gamma Knife Radiation

Well..........tomorrow is the day.  We'll be at Mercy Health Center around 5:00 am and they'll screw the halo into my skull, do a really in-depth MRI of my brain, plan their strategy, then shoot me with the radiation.  We just pray that this treatment will get those spots out of there, and quick!  They said there really wouldn't be any side effects from tomorrow's treatment, so..........I hope to be back at work on Friday

Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers and comments on the blog - we really love hearing from everyone (and lots of you I haven't talked to in ages - thank you!) 

Thank you, Sandy C., for the wonderful dinner last night - mmmm, very tasty!!!!

New Test Result

One more little tidbit . . . . last week I had a bone scan (to double-check a place on my back) and today we found out that it was clear!!!  Yippee!  We'll take all the good news we can get at this point!!

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers - and comments on the blog!  It's great to hear from all of you - we feel your love! 

In the beginning.....

Bob and I returned from a wonderful vacation at Yellowstone National Park and the Mount Rushmore area at the beginning of July (sure glad we went when we did!!).  On our first day back I started having some chest pains and ended up at the dr. a couple of days later.  The doctor thought I might have blood clots in my lungs (from the long truck ride across the states, then exerting energy cleaning the travel trailer when we got home) so he sent me for a CT scan to check it out.  As it turned out I didn't have blood clots but they did find a suspicious spot on my right lung.

We've recently found that the rumor mill is alive and well so we thought we'd create a place where our friends and family can go and see what's really going on with this journey.  So, here it is.......

In a nutshell,  as soon as we heard about the spot on my lung Bob called a good friend, Dr. Dale Brannon (a radiologist in OKC) and Dale has been a Godsend to us - thank you Dale!  Dale has paved the way for my testing (which started with a PET scan) and an appointment with my oncologist, Dr. Abby Bova.

Through several different kinds of scans and a biopsy of my left adrenal gland we were informed on July 28 that I do have cancer.  It is called adenocarcinoma and it seems to have originated in my lung.  Strange, for a non-smoker.  They did say that I am one of a very small percentage of "young white women" who have never smoked and get lung cancer.  The cancer is also on my adrenal glands and there are a few spots on my brain.

The first course of treatment will be the Gamma Knife Radiation I'll be having on Thursday, August 19 at Mercy Health Center in OKC.  This is a form of radiation (no knife involved) and will just take the morning or so.  The radiation will pin-point only the spots they have found on my brain - it is NOT whole brain radiation.  The neuro-surgeon said they will do another brain MRI about 4-8 weeks after the radiation to see how we did.  Gone with the spots, we hope!!!

The next course of treatment will start a few weeks after the radiation - that will be chemotherapy.  We don't have any details on the chemo yet, guess that will be coming sometime soon.

Meanwhile, Bob and I are doing our best to keep up with our daily lives and keep a positive attitude about this little bump in the road.  It was quite a shock at first and is still very scary.  But, we have a very loving and supportive family and tons of great friends who are rallying around us.

We welcome your comments - we'd love to hear from you.  We have received so many nice cards in the mail and have them hanging in our dining room - thank you for your loving thoughts and prayers!!!

More updates as we have them...............