Lots of Updates

 First, I would like to apologize for the lack of updates to this blog. I have literally either had no time or didn't feel well enough to sit at the computer and type out something. Our kids' schedules have kept us extremely busy. There have been times where I had to be at an appointment at the same time as Luke needed to be somewhere in one part of town and Abbey needed to be somewhere in another part of town---and I wasn't allowed to drive. It was a very difficult time, but we are so thankful for friends who helped us with rides and more.

I get Enhertu infusions every 3 weeks. Enhertu is the latest drug I have been on for cancer. Because it is known to cross the blood-brain barrier, they switched me to this drug when they discovered my cancer had metastasized to my brain and it appeared I had leptomeningeal disease (LMD). I am currently in the infusion chair for my 4th treatment, so I have some time to update everyone. The infusions have been going well, with no terrible reactions. Surprisingly, during the first week of the infusion, I feel my best; I'm sure it has something to do with all the anti-nausea meds and steroids they give me. For the first few infusions, weeks two and three were the worst--lots of nausea and endless constipation has been the ongoing issue. At the last infusion, I requested to get a full bag of fluids before they put the bag of Enhertu on, and I feel that helped with nausea throughout the three weeks significantly. We are slowly lowering the duration of infusion, but with the pre-meds they give me, the total time is about 3 hours. I also have labwork and a doctor appointment prior, so it is a large chunk of my day. Hopefully, with each infusion, my body gets more used to treatment and the nausea isn't as significant. I have found the more movement I get in, like walking, the better I feel. It's often difficult to find motivation to workout or walk when I feel extremely fatigued or nauseous, but it does always help. So I do have movement goals each day. Some good news is that my tumor markers continue to go down. They still aren't close to how low they were when I was first diagnosed as stage IV (in 2022), but they continue to fall. Our prayer continues to be complete healing. Some people have asked how long I will be on this treatment. Because I have stage IV cancer there is unfortunately not an "end" to treatment. I am on a treatment as long as it is showing that it is working to kill the cancer. If it appears the cancer has figured out how to resist treatment and begins progressing, we get off of one treatment and onto another. Enhertu is my 6th or 7th line of treatment since being Stage IV. I really hope and pray this works for a long time. I don't believe there are FDA approved treatments options after this since I have already done so many other treatments, so I believe it would be clinical trials after this. But, I totally believe in healing---with or without conventional treatment. And I know only God knows the number of my days, and He is sovereign over all. So, my focus should be on taking good care of this body He gave me, and focus on glorifying Him in all I do. He cares most about my heart and soul. I need to focus on my character, and my relationship with Him and others above all else. Cancer can be very overwhelming and take over your life---in both time (tons of appoinments), and thoughts and feelings (when you feel sick, sometimes it's difficult to think about other things). I have to remain focused and speak life and positivity to myself and others.

I had an MRI of my brain a couple of weeks ago. It appears treatment is working. All the areas of cancer in my brain have reduced. I will be honest though--as the neurology oncologist was showing me the images of this most recent MRI and the last one, I had no idea how significant the cancer in my brain was. It seemed to be all over the place. For some reason I just thought I had a little bit of cancer in my brain. So the fact that it is all reducing is a HUGE praise. Also, I asked him again if it did look like I had LMD (leptomeningeal disease), which you probably shouldn't google because it is scary. Unfortunately, he did confirm that I had that. But, the good news is it appears Enhertu is helping with that. The other thing I didn't realize, but was called out in the MRI, is that I have many cancerous lesions throughout my skull. Since that was bone-related though, the neurology oncologist said he didn't really look at that (he focuses on the brain and spinal cord). With all the holidays coming up, that oncologist was okay with us scheduling my next MRI in January.

Above is the impression from my MRI (summary of the findings)

I have a busy week of appointments this week. Tomorrow morning, I will have a PET scan. The PET scan will show us how my liver, bones, and lymph nodes are responding to treatment. I pray that just as my brain is responding, my bones and organs are responding well also. On Thursday morning, I have an echocardiogram scheduled. This drug, Enhertu, can cause heart issues, so we have to get regular echocardiograms. My resting heart rate has been very high since starting Enhertu, so hopefully my echocardiogram shows my heart is still functioning well--and that my heartrate is just high due to the drugs. My resting heart rate used to be in the 60s (bpm) prior to starting this treatment. This morning, for example, they measured my resting heartrate a couple of times and it was 110-120 beats per minute. I have a watch that shows my heartrate and it is typically now in the upper 90's to low 100's. I drink a ton of water, so it doesn't appear to be a dehydration issue. I also have my high dose vitamin C infusion appointment scheduled on Friday morning, so it is definitely a full week and tons of time will be spent in doctors offices.

More positive news...At the beginning of this month, I gained the ability to drive again since it has been 3 months since my last seizure. I do a lot of driving with all the kids activities (our new 2024 van has almost 40,000 miles on it), so this is huge!!! Also, Luke turned 16 and passed his driving test. So, we have a new licensed driver in our house. All of this has been extremely helpful! Praise the Lord!

We have been traveling a lot for volleyball and to go to Oklahoma recently. Sadly, my dad passed away in September. He was not sad, as he was looking forward to going to heaven to be with Jesus. However, we all miss him greatly here on earth. So we traveled to Oklahoma when he passed and again in October for his celebration of life. My mom passed away in 2015, so it is odd having no living parents any longer. Also, my siblings and I are now trying to figure out what to do with all of his things and the house we grew up in. It's quite the process. I am so thankful though to have had two amazing Christian parents---we were truly blessed.

my dad and I at our wedding

my parents with us at our baby dedication at church

Here are a few photos from volleyball and Luke's birthday. (He had a volleyball tournament in Dallas on his actual birthday).

that's him in blue---look at that vertical!

on his actual birthday when we got home from Dallas--he picked up his free "Nothing Bundt Cake".

At his 16th birthday party

Hopefully, at least by my next Enhertu infusion in a few weeks, I can provide another update to everyone. By then I will have seen my results from my PET scan and my echocardiogram. And I'm believing we will be praising and thanking the Lord for all the answered prayers and healing. Thanks for your continued prayers.