And so it goes . . .
On Wednesday I saw my oncologist. The news was both good and bad. The CT and bone scans I had on the 1st show that the tumors in my lung have started growing again but that there is no new metastases. So . . . it's back to chemo. I'll be taking a drug called Alimpta this time. My doctor said it is usually very well tolerated and doesn't have a lot of the side effects I had before. Best of all, it isn't famous for causing bone pain like the Taxol was. There's also an 80% chance that I won't lose my hair again. With this new drug I have to have a Vitamin B12 injection every 9 weeks and take Folic Acid every day. But that's a small price to pay if it works.The treatments will still be every three weeks but will only take an hour or less, unlike the last regimen which took at least 5 hours. The doctor is confident Alimpta will be effective.
I'm sad that my remission is over but it really was expected. It's been about nine months since the tumors have shown any growth and that's about average. It seems impossible that so much time has passed since my diagnosis ~ about 11 months. Then there were those weeks spent waiting for a definitive diagnosis which seemed to go on for years. ; )
So now we start again . . . at least the tumors are much smaller than they were in the beginning so we aren't starting from scratch. The past few months were a nice break but since my main job is survival, it's time to get back to work. Hopefully, this round of chemo won't be so debilitating and I can go on living a normal life. I know I'll have the same restraints I had before, mainly staying away from large groups of people so I don't catch any bugs, and that can get a little boring . . . especially with winter just around the corner. But, I can deal with it! : )
I got a call from one of my old high school classmates yesterday announcing our upcoming reunion. 45th reunion at that!! I could hardly believe it's been that long. It was a nice conversation and I found out what some of my old cronies are doing now. Sadly, 21 members of our class have died. I won't be able to attend the reunion because of chemo, but I did order a picture and it should be interesting to see how everyone looks now that we've become senior citizens.
After a summer with almost no rain, we've entered into a mini monsoon season. We've gone from hot and humid to cool and wet. Thunder woke me up this morning which I didn't mind at all. It's such a comfy feeling to lie there all cozy under the covers and listen to the booming in the sky and the rain hitting the window. Of course, if you have to get up and go out into it, that's a different story!
With the bad weather, I think today is the perfect time to get my office organized. I've let it go for almost a year and you can imagine what a mess it is. I have so much junk to get rid of and filing to do, it makes my head ache. But maybe I'll come across something interesting that I'd forgotten about . . . you never know! At least when I'm done, I'll feel accomplished and won't have this mess hanging over my head any longer.
Well, guys, that's about all I have to tell you this time. I wish the news had been better but it could have been worse. I hope you're all doing well and having a good day.
'til next time . . . concentrate on the positive aspects of your life.
I'm sad that my remission is over but it really was expected. It's been about nine months since the tumors have shown any growth and that's about average. It seems impossible that so much time has passed since my diagnosis ~ about 11 months. Then there were those weeks spent waiting for a definitive diagnosis which seemed to go on for years. ; )
So now we start again . . . at least the tumors are much smaller than they were in the beginning so we aren't starting from scratch. The past few months were a nice break but since my main job is survival, it's time to get back to work. Hopefully, this round of chemo won't be so debilitating and I can go on living a normal life. I know I'll have the same restraints I had before, mainly staying away from large groups of people so I don't catch any bugs, and that can get a little boring . . . especially with winter just around the corner. But, I can deal with it! : )
I got a call from one of my old high school classmates yesterday announcing our upcoming reunion. 45th reunion at that!! I could hardly believe it's been that long. It was a nice conversation and I found out what some of my old cronies are doing now. Sadly, 21 members of our class have died. I won't be able to attend the reunion because of chemo, but I did order a picture and it should be interesting to see how everyone looks now that we've become senior citizens.
After a summer with almost no rain, we've entered into a mini monsoon season. We've gone from hot and humid to cool and wet. Thunder woke me up this morning which I didn't mind at all. It's such a comfy feeling to lie there all cozy under the covers and listen to the booming in the sky and the rain hitting the window. Of course, if you have to get up and go out into it, that's a different story!
With the bad weather, I think today is the perfect time to get my office organized. I've let it go for almost a year and you can imagine what a mess it is. I have so much junk to get rid of and filing to do, it makes my head ache. But maybe I'll come across something interesting that I'd forgotten about . . . you never know! At least when I'm done, I'll feel accomplished and won't have this mess hanging over my head any longer.
Well, guys, that's about all I have to tell you this time. I wish the news had been better but it could have been worse. I hope you're all doing well and having a good day.
'til next time . . . concentrate on the positive aspects of your life.
posted by Linda @ 9:25 AM
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