Chemo today .....

Well, I went in for my 6th treatment of Myocet + Cytoxin, and I have a couple of hours before the side effects start setting in. I have been on chemo now for most of the past 18 months. What this means is that my body takes a little longer each time to recover from the "assault" ... it isn't that each treatment makes me sicker, just that my body isn't as able to respond and it takes longer and longer each round..... So, based on my other cycles, I would predict that I will not be back at the computer for awhile !!!! I will try not to let it go 2 weeks again, like i did last time..........

I had a good check-up. My oncologist says my lungs sound excellent (his exact words), and there is no additional fluid that he can detect. I was delighted to hear this, since I've actually been coughing quite a bit lately, of course I was worrying a little.... but it appears that my lungs still sound to be in good shape.

After this chemo cycle, I will have more scans - a CT scan to check the disease progression, and a MUGA scan (to check for heart damage, a possible side effect of the type of chemo I am on). After these scans he will decide what is next, but it will likely be another 2 rounds before switching to a different drug....

That's all the news for now. Otherwise, everyone in the family is well and coping pretty well right now. Cheers to all.

Joanne

Not much new !

No news is good news - I've just gotten through the tougher parts of my 5th cycle of this newest round of chemo (Myocet + Cytoxin), and am back to feeling OK. I had a blood transfusion on Monday as my hemoglobin had again dropped too low (common with chemo), and so my blood counts should now be in good shape for the next little while.

I still seem to need the oxygen, the morphine, the wheelchair and the bedrest, but as long as I do all of these I actually manage very well, and feel quite well on a day-to-day basis. Thank goodness for my mom and my family, because they manage to see that I have the best life I can from my little world !!!!!! My mom continues to be here with me whenever Gord or Brian are away from the house.

So, all in all, things are stable and that is great !!!!

CT Scan Results

Well, it is pretty good news. The CT scan showed an excellent partial result - what this means is that the cancer is not gone (that would be in the miracle category), but it is reduced from what it was back in June. Some of the spots have disappeared completely. And most of the rest of them are smaller than they were. The largest nodule in my lungs was 1.3 cm x 1.4 cm....it is now 0.9 cm x 0.8 cm. Also the mediastinel nodes are reduced in size. And, finally, there is no new cancer, no further spread. My liver, abdomen and bones (in that area) are clean.

I still have fluid surrounding my lungs, but it is greatly reduced. And my lower right lung is still collapsed.

So, today I am filled with gratitude. Chemo has been successful, and it will continue, likely for four more treatments with this particular drug combo, then perhaps with a new combo. Of course, with this disease, things can change on a dime, and there are no guarantees, but for today, the result is very good, and we are very happy and very grateful.

I had a chemo treatment today, so will now hunker down to get through the next few days. But it is all worth it when the treatment is working and giving me more time. What a great gift.

Thanks to all for your continued love and support. Maybe those prayers are working, so keep those up too. if it is not too much trouble !!!!!!

Joanne

Checking In.....

Happy days are here in Regina. For the non-Canadians, our long suffering football team (Saskatchewan Roughriders) are having a #1 season for the first time in about 30 years........ Above are my niece and nephew, Kate and Niall when they attended Sunday's football game here in Regina.

No news yet for me. I had the CT scan yesterday and it went very smoothly actually. I will find out the results tomorrow when I go in for my next chemo treatment. I will post about it as soon as I can.

Cheers to all. Go Riders Go....... Joanne