Good News

I got a call back later this afternoon. The scan is clean. Yah!

Two MRI"s, bloodwork and PET scan

Well it has been awhile. I have had a few people ask why I am not updating. I am not sure why I haven't. Today I thought I would let you know what has been going on lately. I am feeling good. The natural meds I am on for the thyroid seems to be working well. I am not so tired all the time as long as I don't forget to take them.

I can't say I am back to normal. I don't think I will ever be my normal again. So I am trying to adjust to a slower pace of life(enjoying the little things like tickling my kids) and a not so good memory. Life hasn't been so forgiving of the bad memory but I am told the forgetful memory is normal for alot of people. But to go from a memory that could remember all my appointment, kids appointment, activities and Ryan's without a calendar and now having to look at my calendar multiple times a day and still forget activities. For example Cole has piano every Wednesday at 3 and has all year. Yet the last two weeks before spring break at about 3:30 or later I remembered I forgot to take Cole to his lessons. This is a more common occurrence at my house lately. One of the best is Kamden has had dance for at 4 on Monday's and Cole had a game on Monday the week before spring break. I thought I had done so good. I had gotten Cole from school. Made dinner and feed my kids and got Cole's to his baseball game at 4pm. About 1/2 hour later I remembered I forgot to take Kamden to dance. Which remember we have had every Monday since school has started. O.k. I am sure you get the picture.

I can't remember if I post this or not. So I will do it and hopefully I am not repeating myself. My hip had been aching and so Dr. Rado's office ordered an MRI of my hips and also one of my head. Just checking things out. The results on the brain was a clean scan. The scan on the hips found early avascular necrosis on the left(11x20mm) and right femoral head(small than the left side). For those of you like me what is that. Very basic terms it means the blood vessel that comes up through the hip bone socket is dead. Which is causing the bone to dye. This disease comes from steroid use. The doctor doesn't think I had enough steroid with treatments to cause this. But we all know I am kind of the 1% when it comes to things.

Over the last two months my CA2729 count has gone up. It was 20 something I think 29 in February and at my last blood work it was 49(last Tuesday). As Dr.Kris pointed out it is almost 50% increase. But also 0-40 is normal. I have also been having some pain in my ribs. So Dr. Rado's office order a PET scan which I had last Thursday. The lady the did the scan said I should have results by Monday. Monday no results, Tuesday no results. Tuesday night Mitra's nurse called the hospital. They said oh we only have one guy reading the scans so he said he would put in on the top and do it first thing this morning so we will see hopefully today we will have the results.

Fun Run

Just thought some of you might be interested.

2nd Annual Rochelle Schultz Bassett Fun Run/Walk on Saturday, April 11th. This race is a fund raiser for The Tri-City Cancer Center in honor of Rochelle Bassett who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer in 2007. The race will be held at Howard Amon Park with race start at the Lee Blvd. Boat Dock near the round-about. 5 K runners will head north, and the mile runners/walkers will head south. All the money raised will be donated to the Tri-City Cancer Center. Race begins at 9AM.


Cost: $10/individual and $25/family. Donations are welcomed. (Checks to Tri-City Cancer Center or TCCC)

Prizes: Top over all runners, male, and female. Ribbons of age groups both male and female for 5K Runners. All 1 mile finishers (kids) will receive an Easter Egg full of surprises from the Easter Bunny. There will also be drawings for prizes (adults).

Registration: 8-8:45 AM only morning of race

Race Director: Megan 509-266-4420 (home) or 509-845-0772 (cell).

First Five......

The first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2- What I create will be just for you.3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)4- You have no clue what it's going to be.It may be a story. It may be poetry, shoes, bags, or a little invention of my own! I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. Believe me... it may blow your mind!The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!Sounds like fun, right? So, let's play!

Great News!

O.k. I put something in the last post I didn't mean to post on this blog. I was a little worked up and it went on a family blog. I forgot to edit it out. The part about suing the hospital or the reader's of the images. Again sorry that was in there.

I had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Rado today. I was a little weird but we made it through. He thinks that the scan didn't look bad but that we need to keep a careful watch. So I will continue to get blood work once a month and scans every couple of months. I asked if we were going to keep up the three month visits. He said two months he thinks for now.

He gave me standing orders for Blood work and Herceptin every other week. Zometa once a month. He also gave me orders for an echo (heart test), MRI for my head and MRI for my hip and pelvis. I have been having some pain in my hip area so we are just going to check it out.

I am not sure if I put it in the last post but I am doing really well. I feel better than I have for a while. I expect to continue to increase my energy and stregth as time goes on. Thanks for all the words of encouragement. It is nice to have such good friends. Thank you!

CAT SCAN

Two weeks ago I had a CAT scan. I don't think I am going to do the CAT scan again. I have done it three times and each time I do it the side effects get worse. This time I was throwing up and also coming out the other end (sorry grose I know). Anyway I was then sick the rest of the day. Like in bed not feeling well. So I talked with one of the chemo nurses she says just tell the docs you are allergic to the scan or the drink that goes with the scan.

I then had a doctor Kris appointment on Tuesday this week and he went over the results with me. It seems the techs that read my pictures missed a spot on the last PET. I guess this CAT scan they found a spot on my liver. But when they look back at the PET from three months ago I guess they can see the spot there too and just didn't notice then. I was really upset and thought I am going to have to sue them this time. I can't let them do this again. Then Dr. Kris said that the spot hasn't grown in three months so it probly isn't cancer. It is probably just scar tissue or something like that. There are some other question about the results that I need to talk to Dr. Rado about this next week. Thing like there are places not healing and they have found more little spots. Let me go back a little bit the spot they found on my liver is only 3.5mm. The other spots are smaller. 3.5mm is very small so I am not so worried that they are anything.

This week when I went in for Herceptin I had a blood draw done for my CA count. It came back 31 which is a jump up from 23 in October I can't remember what Novemembers was it was one lower or higher than 23. Anyway it isn't above the 0 - 40 range but I am still a little concerned. They told my numbers go up a down. I just haven't expereince that. I had a brain tumor last time they told me that.

Can't Say Anything NICE Don't Say Anything!

I typed this up last week and forgot to post. We left out of town last Friday. When I got home today I had a few phone calls saying I hadn't posted in to long.

O.k. so my mother taught me if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all......

I think that has been my problem lately with not updating my blog. I thought last May this trail was over then they found the brain tumor which all went really well until I had radiation. Then it seems like I just couldn't get back to a normal. Every time I turn around with this radiation something else pops up. The last month I have been dealing with being very tired. So tired that I while unloading dishes I have to sit down and take a break. Dr. Rado's office run some test this last month but kept telling me it wasn't my thyroid or my pituitary gland. Which all my system fit with that diagnoses. So I became very frustrated. So they decided since they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me they would send me to a endocrinologist. Basically they are a gland doctor. Rado's office doesn't think I have a thyroid problem or a pituitary problem but they think something is wrong. So they called over to Dr. Wilson one of the two endocrinologist in the tri-cities. They said it was urgent. So I got an appointment for Dec 2 that is when you get an appointment when it is urgent. NICE!!! So basically they are tell me there is something really wrong but it can wait a month and a half. So you can just have absolutely no energy for the next month and a half. Then who knows how long to get you better after that. So if you can't tell I am not very happy with the doctors. Luckily I see Dr. Kris who is my life savor. He said you have a theiord and a pituitary problem. And he put me on some vitiams last Friday. Since then I have been getting better. Thank goodness for Dr. Kris or I would still be laying in bed for our family vacation. I have been in a panic because we leave today for Disney World and I thought I might not make it. I am still not 100% but I am feeling well enough to go.

I am also waiting for CAT scan results from Dr. Fewel. He is my neurologist (brain tumor doc). About two weeks ago it felt like my scull is starting to cave in. I have been having some head symptoms. So I am hoping that there is something they can do to help my headaches and dizziness.

So I am really feeling bad for my kids we keep telling them I am not sick anymore which I am not but them I am always laying on the couch not feeling well. So I am hoping soon my kids will be able to believe me that I am not sick anymore.

So you see if you can't say anything nice you shouldn't say anything at all.