I had my monthly bloodwork and visit with Dr. Bonomi at Rush this afternoon. All the bloodwork remains normal and everything seems to be fine.
My appetite has continued to be weak and I still get pretty tired by the end of each day, but we are not sure if I have a cold or if it is a side effect of the Tarceva. Dr. Bonomi suspects that it's the Tarceva. I am staying on the every-other-day dose, at least for the time being. I might try to drink some wine with meals more often to stimulate my appetite. The doc said that is probably the best way to go in terms of an appetite stimulant - it could be worse! :)
I still have just a little stubble on my scalp and I am starting to get impatient for hair - it is really chilly on the head and neck when the temperature outside is freezing! But both the doc and his nurse, Irene, say that the speed (or lack thereof) of my hair growth is pretty typical. Aaaarrggghhhh! and Brrrrrrrrr!
Tuesday, February 1 will be another round with the MRI and CAT scans. I don't think there will be much other news between now and then.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Happy Holidaze
All is well and Sundance and I are both doing fine.
I just wanted all of you - my army of supporters - to know how much it has meant to me to have your support during the past four months since my cancer diagnosis. Thank you from the bottom of my heart (and Doug's too) - you cannot imagine how much of a difference you have made and how much you have helped to keep our spirits up.
Enjoy your holidays however you celebrate them. But celebrate - don't forget to find some joy in this hectic holiday season. I can personally attest to the fact that looking for good things never fails to deliver and that it provides the fuel to keep pressing forward.
I am very grateful for the many good things in my life - many of them are the people reading this blog. You bring me joy.
And finally, best wishes to all of you for a happy and healthy new year!
I just wanted all of you - my army of supporters - to know how much it has meant to me to have your support during the past four months since my cancer diagnosis. Thank you from the bottom of my heart (and Doug's too) - you cannot imagine how much of a difference you have made and how much you have helped to keep our spirits up.
Enjoy your holidays however you celebrate them. But celebrate - don't forget to find some joy in this hectic holiday season. I can personally attest to the fact that looking for good things never fails to deliver and that it provides the fuel to keep pressing forward.
I am very grateful for the many good things in my life - many of them are the people reading this blog. You bring me joy.
And finally, best wishes to all of you for a happy and healthy new year!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Quick Update on Sundance
Since I mentioned Sundance's illness, I should also provide an update on her condition. She is now responding well to the medication to treat her Addison's disease and has returned to her normal state of high energy, activity and entertainment for her loving owners.
I think our household is finding its way back to something we can call a normal state of being. Whew!
I think our household is finding its way back to something we can call a normal state of being. Whew!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Mammogram and Ultrasound
I had a mammogram at Highland Park hospital today since the technicians at Rush saw some density in my left breast during the check CT last week and they wanted it checked out. I should state up front that nobody was overly concerned about this density, they just want to be thorough and make sure they don't miss anything.
When I was all gowned up and ready to be smooshed, the technician at HP said she couldn't do the mammogram without the films from the CT so that they could see what they were looking for. This was the first I heard of needing those films for this appointment, but I had them at home. I convinced the tech to go ahead with the mammogram and I would bring the films and hang around until they looked at them in case they needed to take more images.
Well, I brought the films on a CD as well as the technician's written report from last weeks chest CT and I waited.... and waited... and waited... Once the doctor who looks at the scans was available, he couldn't get the computer to read the CD so they had to bring it to another department. About an hour and half later they said they wanted to do an ultrasound to be sure there was nothing amiss. So I gowned up again and had the ultrasound of my left breast.
No surprise to me, they didn't find anything so all looks well. They even mentioned to me that they could see the same density in the chest CT scan that Highland Park hospital performed in August and in my prior mammograms. This whole thing felt like a big waste of time to me. But I guess it is good that they are being so cautious and thorough.
When I was all gowned up and ready to be smooshed, the technician at HP said she couldn't do the mammogram without the films from the CT so that they could see what they were looking for. This was the first I heard of needing those films for this appointment, but I had them at home. I convinced the tech to go ahead with the mammogram and I would bring the films and hang around until they looked at them in case they needed to take more images.
Well, I brought the films on a CD as well as the technician's written report from last weeks chest CT and I waited.... and waited... and waited... Once the doctor who looks at the scans was available, he couldn't get the computer to read the CD so they had to bring it to another department. About an hour and half later they said they wanted to do an ultrasound to be sure there was nothing amiss. So I gowned up again and had the ultrasound of my left breast.
No surprise to me, they didn't find anything so all looks well. They even mentioned to me that they could see the same density in the chest CT scan that Highland Park hospital performed in August and in my prior mammograms. This whole thing felt like a big waste of time to me. But I guess it is good that they are being so cautious and thorough.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Long-Awaited Scan Results
The Results
Today I finally had the MRI scan of my brain and the CAT scan of my lung to see what kind of progress has been made. The news is pretty good. There has definitely been no spread or growth on any of the tumors in either region. Dr. Bonomi said the lung mass looks less dense and slightly smaller. He was having some trouble with comparing the films for the brain MRI baseline from Highland Park Hospital with the MRI from Rush taken today to determine what difference there is. He could only see 4 lesions from today's films and HPh had reported 5, although two seemed very close together in that initial report. Bonomi said it looks like that there may have been some slight reduction in the size of some of the brain lesions too. He was pretty satisfied with these outcomes and considers this a positive report. I think I was hoping for some more significant improvements, but that doesn't seem to be the nature of how this treatment progresses.
The radiation technician also saw some density in the left breast that they want to investigate further, so they want me to have a mammogram and also provide films from mammograms from the prior couple of years. Although this is a hassle, I am not concerned as the very first mammogram I ever had showed density in the breasts and required a follow-up ultrasound. Nothing came of that and I don't expect that anything will come of this either.
What's Next
I will have a regular check up with blood work in another month and in two months, we will repeat the MRI and CAT scans. There is a possibility that in about 6 months, if we don't see significantly more shrinkage, we may do focused radiation (gamma knife or cyber knife) on the remaining lesions in the brain and the lung mass.
The Lead Up to Today
The past few weeks have been very difficult to say the least. I have not felt well and our beloved dog, Sundance, has been gravely ill. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, we thought we were going to lose her and it was more than we could bear. The good news is she will live. The bad news is she has Addison's disease, which is a malfunction of the adrenal glands that can be managed with medication throughout a normal dog lifetime. She still isn't well and we are still trying to figure out why the medication to treat her illness isn't having more effect, so tomorrow I take her in for an ultrasound. This has obviously been an added stress in an already stressful time. During this same time, I caught some kind of cold or flu and became nauseous, lost my appetite, got chills, was very fatigued and had little energy. I was either riding the couch, going to the vet, or preparing special food and force-feeding it to Sundance with Doug. By the time these tests came around today, I was so drained of emotion that I didn't even care what the outcome might be.
I am feeling better now. I am no longer nauseous but still have very little appetite. Dr. Bonomi is putting me back on the steroids for a few weeks in hopes of stimulating my appetite. He is also having me take the Tarceva every other day instead of every day.
So, we got a decent report, we have a plan to go forward and now we just got to get Sundance and me back to our normal selves.
Thanks to all who have been sending such supportive and caring emails, voice mails and texts and for thinking and praying for me as we waited for the results of this day. It means so much to have such incredible support!
Today I finally had the MRI scan of my brain and the CAT scan of my lung to see what kind of progress has been made. The news is pretty good. There has definitely been no spread or growth on any of the tumors in either region. Dr. Bonomi said the lung mass looks less dense and slightly smaller. He was having some trouble with comparing the films for the brain MRI baseline from Highland Park Hospital with the MRI from Rush taken today to determine what difference there is. He could only see 4 lesions from today's films and HPh had reported 5, although two seemed very close together in that initial report. Bonomi said it looks like that there may have been some slight reduction in the size of some of the brain lesions too. He was pretty satisfied with these outcomes and considers this a positive report. I think I was hoping for some more significant improvements, but that doesn't seem to be the nature of how this treatment progresses.
The radiation technician also saw some density in the left breast that they want to investigate further, so they want me to have a mammogram and also provide films from mammograms from the prior couple of years. Although this is a hassle, I am not concerned as the very first mammogram I ever had showed density in the breasts and required a follow-up ultrasound. Nothing came of that and I don't expect that anything will come of this either.
What's Next
I will have a regular check up with blood work in another month and in two months, we will repeat the MRI and CAT scans. There is a possibility that in about 6 months, if we don't see significantly more shrinkage, we may do focused radiation (gamma knife or cyber knife) on the remaining lesions in the brain and the lung mass.
The Lead Up to Today
The past few weeks have been very difficult to say the least. I have not felt well and our beloved dog, Sundance, has been gravely ill. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, we thought we were going to lose her and it was more than we could bear. The good news is she will live. The bad news is she has Addison's disease, which is a malfunction of the adrenal glands that can be managed with medication throughout a normal dog lifetime. She still isn't well and we are still trying to figure out why the medication to treat her illness isn't having more effect, so tomorrow I take her in for an ultrasound. This has obviously been an added stress in an already stressful time. During this same time, I caught some kind of cold or flu and became nauseous, lost my appetite, got chills, was very fatigued and had little energy. I was either riding the couch, going to the vet, or preparing special food and force-feeding it to Sundance with Doug. By the time these tests came around today, I was so drained of emotion that I didn't even care what the outcome might be.
I am feeling better now. I am no longer nauseous but still have very little appetite. Dr. Bonomi is putting me back on the steroids for a few weeks in hopes of stimulating my appetite. He is also having me take the Tarceva every other day instead of every day.
So, we got a decent report, we have a plan to go forward and now we just got to get Sundance and me back to our normal selves.
Thanks to all who have been sending such supportive and caring emails, voice mails and texts and for thinking and praying for me as we waited for the results of this day. It means so much to have such incredible support!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
My Family "Wigged Out"
This posting is for fun. There has always been a strong family resemblence among my siblings, but when we all have the same hairstyle, you really notice it. Some other relatives who may not have a strong resemblence joined in for fun.
If you click on the link below, you will see me and then each of my family members wearing my wig. http://donnaleespix.shutterfly.com/461
From left to right, the pictures are me, my sister Deborah, my sister Susan, my brother Rick, my mom, my dad, Doug, my sister-in-law Jennifer and my nephew Charlie.
If you click on the link below, you will see me and then each of my family members wearing my wig. http://donnaleespix.shutterfly.com/461
From left to right, the pictures are me, my sister Deborah, my sister Susan, my brother Rick, my mom, my dad, Doug, my sister-in-law Jennifer and my nephew Charlie.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Good Results from Doctor's Visits
I saw my oncologist, Dr. Bonomi yesterday and my neurologist, Dr. Angelopolous today and all the signs are positive and everything is looking good. My blood work was all in the normal range. They both thought I looked very well.
The Tarceva rash has so far been very mild. This may be due to the pre-emptive anti-biotics I have been taking, but whatever the reason, it's good by me. Bonomi is not too concerned about the rash correllating to the efficacy of the Tarceva as he was part of the study that tried to establish that correlation and they were unsuccessful.
I will have a MRI for the brain and a CT for the chest/lung on November 30th so that is when we’ll find out what kind of progress we’ve made.
I've added a "subscription" gadget to the left column of this blog that should allow you to subscribe to the blog so you can be notified, or even read a new posting, directly through your email rather than having to check for a new post by coming to the blog site. I am new to all of this blog technology, so I am not certain how this will work, but it is worth a try. Since my postings are becoming less frequent now that things are settling down a bit, this will be a less cumbersome way to keep track of my progress for the readers, if it works.
I've added a "subscription" gadget to the left column of this blog that should allow you to subscribe to the blog so you can be notified, or even read a new posting, directly through your email rather than having to check for a new post by coming to the blog site. I am new to all of this blog technology, so I am not certain how this will work, but it is worth a try. Since my postings are becoming less frequent now that things are settling down a bit, this will be a less cumbersome way to keep track of my progress for the readers, if it works.
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