A Little Good News and a Lot to Be Thankful For

Volleyball season has officially wrapped up for our kids, Abbey attended her first homecoming dance, and I am just so happy and thankful to be alive. ❤️

On Wednesday, I had an appointment with my oncologist. Drew was out of town for work all week, so he wasn’t able to come with me. My doctor was actually disappointed that he wasn’t there because, for once (she said), she had some positive news to share! Lately, my appointments with her have been anything but encouraging, so this was a welcome change.

My PET scan on October 16 showed quite a few positives, with just a couple of concerns. Overall, most of the tumors in my bones have resolved, although there is one new tumor in my left hip. My liver is also looking much better, which is especially encouraging since it has been such a big concern lately. Unfortunately, my lungs showed quite a bit of fluid. My doctor said we could have it drained if it starts bothering me, but I would really like to avoid any additional invasive procedures if possible. For now, I’m praying that the fluid will resolve on its own.

As far as treatment goes, the plan is to continue Eribulin at my 50% reduced dose and keep a close eye on everything. That means regular bloodwork, tumor markers, circulating tumor DNA, and another PET scan in seven weeks. I’ll also continue receiving injections to help my bone marrow produce white blood cells.

I just had chemotherapy this past Thursday, so this week I’m in the second week of my treatment cycle. I’ll head in Tuesday and Wednesday for bloodwork and, depending on my counts, possibly more injections. Then, hopefully, I’ll be able to receive treatment on Thursday.

My doctor is also going to try to cut back on the number of bloodwork appointments and injections, recognizing just how hard and painful all of this has been on my body. I’m so grateful she is taking that into consideration and trying to make things a little easier on me.

There are still things we need to watch closely, and I know there are no guarantees about what comes next. But for now, I’m choosing to be thankful for the good news, celebrate the progress we’re seeing, and take things one day at a time. Life has felt especially precious lately, and I don’t want to take a single day for granted.

Thank you all for continuing to pray for me and walk alongside our family through this journey. Your prayers, encouragement, and love mean more than you know. ❤️