New Every Morning

Cruisin' with the family

2009-09-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

On Aug 29th this year, our whole family including our 3 daughters, our son-in-law and grandson flew to Miami, Florida and the next day caught a massive cruise ship headed for the southern Caribbean. We stopped in Grand Cayman, Belize, Roatan - an island off Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico. During the various stops we visited a turtle farm where they raise humongous sea turtles, para sailed, jet-skied, got massages, hiked thru the forest for 25 minutes after which we cave-tubed. Besides all this, we were waited on hand and foot by friendly staff both in our tiny staterooms and in the lovely dining room. On top of it all they had some of the most amazing shows I've ever seen. We laughed at the comedians, oohed and awed over the magic show, and sang along with the singers and dancers. Those 7 days passed by fast and now we're home again.

I was supposed to have a chemo treatment a few days before we left but with my doctor's permission, I skipped it in order to give my body a short break and to not be sick on the trip. And I wasn't sick! We used a wheelchair for me at first but I got tired of it and wanted to try out my sea legs and found I could do pretty well. The weather was, well...tropical. Hot and humid. Not Walt's cup of tea so he ended up staying on the ship for a couple of days. But that's the nice thing about a cruise, they have something for everyone.

Here are the three websites if you want to look at photos of our trip:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/weverly/sets/72157622319850272/
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ellis.Damon/CruisePicturesForBlog?authkey=Gv1sRgCJL5uuaOjJX0wAE&feat=directlink#
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3960785&op=1&view=all&subj=1173777900&id=563045408#/photo.php?pid=3960760&op=1&view=all&subj=1173777900&id=563045408

Update

2009-07-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

This is my chemo week so it's back to the yucks. The doctor added another 4 days onto my antibiotic schedule so it's twice a day at the hospital unless there's a test to be done and then it's three trips to the hospital.

Anyone who's talked to me lately knows that my voice is difficult to hear or listen to. This has been going on for several months but now it's worse than even - at times I can only whisper. I saw a nose, ear, throat specialist and he explained that we all have 2 vocal cords that vibrate when we talk, thus making sounds. In my case however, only one is working. The other one seemed to be paralyzed or something. I've got a scan scheduled which will hopefully give him more info to go on. No idea at this point what there is to do for this problem if anything.

For those who don't live nearby, we're having extremely hot weather - over 100 degrees many days. Thankfully, this is the first summer we've had a heat pump which means AIR-CONDITIONING!! I'm not sure how we could have survived without it.

Something doesn't look right

2009-07-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

There are places on my body that I can't see including my upper right chest where they inserted a port by which I've been getting chemo treatments. Fortunately I have an observant sister (Lu) who saw the area around my port which was bright red, hard, swollen and painful to touch. Although we had a doctor's appt in 2 days, she insisted that I not wait and made an appt with my general practice doctor who immediately admitted me to the hospital and started me on IV antibiotics (again). At first I was told the port would have to be surgically removed but it was later decided to discharge me to home but have me come in twice a day (x 10 days)for IV antibiotics at the hospital in the hope of saving the port.

Thankfully, there have been many friends and family members who have volunteered to take me, stay with me, and bring me home. That's dedication - which I really appreciate! In the meantime, I'm feeling much better although the infection seems to still be present. Hopefully by the end of treatment, it will be gone - otherwise I might still have to have the port removed.

LuAnne has gone on holiday to India for 5 weeks to trek in the mountains with her friend from Great Britian. My other sister, Carolyn - bless her heart - has been making meals for us which has been a great help, esp when I was feeling so sick. Hopefully I'll be back on my feet again soon and can be of some use around here.

Hadn't been to the hospital for a while, so...

2009-07-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Walt here...
Last week the cough that Yvonne has had for a long time started getting worse, and she began running fevers. LuAnne took her to the doctor on Friday and after getting some x-rays done, Yvonne was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. Her white blood cell count was down to .8 (low normal is 4.8). Within a day or two at the hospital her white cell count was back up to 4.5 and her temp was back to normal, but she was still very, very sick. Her sisters and daughters have been taking turns staying with her day and night.

She was released today and is back home but still very weak.

As always, we are so grateful for everyone's prayers, encouragement and good thoughts.

Walt

Another Brief Update

2009-07-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

Very short update from my appointment last week. Tumor markers had risen 3 small points (dr says he's not concerned). I continue to have lots of nausea and vomiting - the most embarrassing one being at a nice restaurant with a friend for lunch. Thankfully, I had an airline barf bag with me which I whipped out in time to put my deposit in. I was also wearing my "cancer sucks" t-shirt which hopefully explained to people what was happening. Still, I felt bad for the other patrons who were trying to eat.

Chemo week continues to be rough. I basically don't leave the house for a week and spend most of the day resting, wishing I could be more productive.

Brief Update

2009-06-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we found out my tumor markers had dropped from 106 to 83 (normal is 0 - 35). Yeah! And the MRI of my brain showed no change - better than the other direction. We're happy.

A great week

2009-05-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

At my last doctor's appt on Monday (18th) we got good news that my tumor markers had dropped from 120 down to 106. Yeah! Unfortunately, my weight is going in the opposite direction. I've gained around 30 lbs in the last 8 months. Heavier than I've ever been which is discouraging since it's mainly due to the steroids I'm on. Discussing it with my physician's assistant, she said I could cut back slowly on the steroids and see how I do with nausea, appetite, etc. I'm on a tiny amount as it is but it still affects me a lot. Swollen face, neck, hands, feet, etc. I shouldn't complain but my vanity gets in the way.

On an entirely different note, our oldest daughter, Miriam recently announced she is pregnant for the first time! She and her husband adopted our adorable little 4 year old grandson, Isaiah and he was the one to make the announcement that he was going to be a big brother. He has no idea what that means but he dutifully recited was he was told to say. Very cute. The next day, their pug gave birth to six puppies. The father is a boston terrier and the puppies are so cute (at this stage anyway). We love playing with them.

Had all the kids over for Sunday lunch and in the heat of the afternoon (except for Hannah who was napping - and I) went outside and doused each other with water balloons and water guns. They were laughing their heads off so I guess they were having fun. Isaiah was soaked to the skin as were most of them. What a great family I have. I'm so blessed!

A good direction

2009-04-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

Had more chemo on Monday (27th) and found out my tumor markers had dropped slightly which pleased us. Also, we had been told the results of my last CT scan showed more tumor growth in the liver - but as it turns out, they had been comparing it to a 6 month old scan instead a more recent PET scan. Compared to the recent scan, the tumors had actually gotten a bit smaller rather than larger. Nothing massive but at least things are moving in a good direction.

Liver problems

2009-04-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

We saw a doctor who does the SIRTS procedure. According to my oncologist, he's the best in the state. After comparing scans, he felt I should go ahead and have the procedure. He explained that it's actually 3 surgeries. One to map, one to shoot radioactive beads into one liver artery and the third to shoot the beads into a second liver artery. In the meantime, they want to keep me on chemo which becomes slightly complicated since I can't have chemo too close to the surgeries. After we had talked and decided I would go ahead and do this, the doctor's office called me that evening. My oncologist and the SIRTS doctor had put their heads together and decided I should wait and give the new chemo treatment more time to see if it would have a positive effect on the liver perhaps making it unnecessary to have the other surgeries. I'm all for not having surgery if I don't need it but it makes me a bit nervous to wait very long in case the chemo doesn't work on the liver. Right now, I've decided to take the doctors recommendation and wait. Hoping and praying this is the right decision for the moment.

My tumor markers were up again but the doc says he's not that concerned since the scans are the more accurate tests to go by. Thankfully, I'm not in any pain and my only real complaint is fatigue and some nausea the week of chemo. I think I can handle that.

CT scan results

2009-04-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

I had another CT scan (which shows the chest and abdomen) on Wed. The dr called me yesterday with the results which were mixed. Everything was better - shrinking tumors - except the liver which showed more tumor growth. We had looked into a procedure several months ago called a SIRTS (don't know what that stands for) which is threading a catheter into the femoral (leg) artery and up into the liver where they inject radioactive beads. This involves 2 surgeries. The first one is when they "map" the area so when they are ready to inject the beads, they will know exactly where they are supposed to go. Unfortunately I must be awake during both procedures which doesn't sound like fun to me. I was very distraught when this was first brought up but in the meantime, I've been in contact with a very pro-active cancer patient named Suzanne who had this done herself and credits it for extending her life by years. She also didn't think the pain was too bad. It was very good to talk to her since she was able to give me a patients point of view and reassure me I could do this.

One thing that still makes me a bit nervous is that there is the possibility that in spite of the "mapping" they do, they might still get some of the radioactive beads in other organs nearby and this would definitely cause problems and pain. Because of this, I'd like to find an experienced doctor who has done this procedure many times. Right now, I don't know any.

I'm supposed to get an appt in the next week or so and proceed from there. Prayers are appreciated. Right doctor, right timing, etc.

Woohoo!

2009-03-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

I saw the doctor yesterday and got the best news I've had in a long time. My tumor markers had climbed to 168 at the last count 3 weeks ago (normal is 0-35). Yesterday's count had dropped to 75 - less than half of the previous count! This simply means that the new chemo I'm on must be having a positive effect on the cancer. Now I'm just praying for it will continue to drop to zero.

I continue to feel fine although with a bit of nausea this week due to the chemo. We have a big wedding coming up in two days for my nephew and I'm hoping to hold up for all the festivitives.

2009-03-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

I have a wound under my reconstructed breast that won’t heal up. I’ve seen numerous doctors and wound specialists about it and they are all in agreement. This wound is not going to heal on it’s own. Surgery would be required. Now there is talk of another mastectomy – but I have questions of my own. Will I need to go off chemo (answer: yes) in order to have the surgery? Would that be safe to do given how much tumor growth there has been in the liver and brain? Priorities: what to take care of first? Isn’t the liver a more vital organ than a breast wound that is not causing me any pain? With my compromised immune system, would I be able to heal from surgery or would this be like opening Pandora’s box and making things worse? Is this going to extend my life (and for how long) or make a mess of it?

Nobody seems to have the answers for me and there are 3 main doctors working on this who do not necessarily agree with each other on a course of treatment. Very frustrating sometimes. On top of all this, I got word this afternoon that my tumor markers have jumped from 120 to 166 in a few short weeks. Normal is 0 - 35. Once again this is hard news. The dr has already changed my chemo regimen in anticipation of this. Now we play the waiting game to see if the new chemo will have any effect on the tumor markers. Bummer.

Catching up on my health

2009-02-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of months I've just been going along with my 3 week chemo treatment plan. But I've recently had more scans which is going to change things. The MRI on my brain showed continued growth of my main tumor which progressed from 16mm to 19mm in 3 months. The PET scan done 5 days ago showed "substantial progression of the metastatic [spreading] disease" which involves the liver, bones, left breast tumors and lymph nodes. The liver seems to have the most cancer involvement. The doctor has decided since the current chemo regimen doesn't seem to be holding the cancer in check, he is going to switch me to something different in the hope that this will be more effective. It's difficult to be hopeful since so far, nothing medically has seemed to help very much. We're still praying for a miracle.

It's easy to be discouraged and depressed with news like this, but as my sister, LuAnne pointed out - we have lots to be thankful for. The best thing is that I feel pretty good most of the time with no pain. This is the strange and frustrating part. How can I feel this fine and have so much wrong with me?

Some dear friends of ours loaned us their condominium at the beach for Valentine's Day weekend and I felt better that weekend than I have in months - possibily years! It's the first time Walt & I have been able to get away together for ages. We've got a great family who is surrounding me with love and friends who are dedicated to praying for my healing. Others have brought bread, sent cards of encouragement, called, visited, sent flowers and even knitted a prayer shawl! I couldn't ask for more. So in spite of the bad news, I will continue to trust that God has the best plan for me and I'll try to focus on all the good things to be thankful for in my life.

MRI results

2008-12-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

I saw the doctor yesterday for a chemo treatment and realized I haven't posted any news for quite a while. Six weeks ago when I had a chemo treatment, the doctor gave me the good news that my brain tumors were not growing...at least not a lot. The MRI report stated there was some growth but the doctor didn't seem concerned about it so I have to assume that's a good sign.

In the meantime, I seem to be doing pretty well except for the constant fatigue. An afternoon nap usually helps.

Rough week

2008-11-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I'd gotten past all the nausea and vomiting and had weaned myself off most of my meds, all those nasty symptoms returned in full force. Plus I had crying spells for no reason leading me to return to my anti-depressants and anti-nausea meds - pretty much I'm back on all my meds and feeling just a bit better. No vomiting today. But it's slow going and I'm impatient to feel better.

The brain MRI is scheduled for next week on the 19th. When I worked as nurse, we sometimes had patients who would come in with advanced problems that could have had simple solutions if only they had come in earlier. I was always astonished when they were asked why they didn't come in sooner and the answer was, "I didn't want to know". Now I'm in a position to understand that reply somewhat. Part of me doesn't want to know if the brain tumors are growing because then I will be facing very bad news. On the other hand...what else can you do? These things have to be faced. But it's pretty scary.

On the bright side: we got a puppy about a month ago. I love dogs and lost my little dog to coyotes in the spring. Ever since, we've been looking for another dog. I was sort of half-hearted in my search but my sister, LuAnne made it her mission. We finally found (accidently) some neighbors who were selling cairn terrier puppies. I've not been familar with this breed but read up on them and they sounded like great dogs. My sister Carolyn (who lives next door) and I both got puppies after falling in love with the cute little things. Everyone says it has perked me up to have a puppy again. Now we just have to get through the potty-training phase...yuck!

News from the doctor

2008-11-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

I saw my oncologist yesterday just before chemo treatment. He informed me that my tumor marker had dropped about 10 points and although it's still far from normal, going down is a good direction - showing that the new chemo regimen is working. Other lab work showed that my liver enzymes went from high to normal as well. Another good sign.

On the negative side, I've been getting spot headaches, meaning not like a regular headache where your head hurts all over but rather just one or two particular areas will get a sharp, throbbing pain that fortunately doesn't last long. Because of this, the doctor wants to get another MRI of my brain in the next week or so. This part concerns me the most since it's the tumors in my brain that most likely could kill me.

I also have a tumor under my reconstructed breast which has been there ever since the cancer spread all over. It's kind of been my barometer for how the cancer is growing. When it gets large, usually the internal cancer is growing. When it starts to shrink, the internal cancer is most likely shrinking as well. Right now, the breast tumor is fairly large. When it gets large, the skin tightens to the point of splitting open. Usually some antibiotic ointment takes care of it and it eventually closes over but more recently, it is not closing up like it usually does. Whether that is due to the fact that the tumor isn't shrinking very much or the openings are not responding to the antibiotic ointment - I don't know. The good news is that in all of this, I don't have pain - or not enough to complain about. Now and then, I'll have a pinch or ache but compared to others who have to be on narcotics, I feel very blessed.

New treatments

2008-09-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

I saw my oncologist yesterday and he had been able to speak to a radiologist concerning the tumors in my brain and treatment for them. Since I've already had whole brain radiation, I can't have that again so they were looking at picking them off one at a time. The trouble with that is that there are too many tumors to use this method. Most of them are very tiny - pin pricks - but if you misss even one, there's not much point in having done anything. Also the brain swells around the site where it's radiated so if you have more than 3 or 4, there can be too much swelling for the brain to handle. Because of this, it was decided that radiation was not an option. The only other thing he had to offer is a newer type oral drug that crosses the blood-brain barrier and may have some effect on shrinking the brain tumors. It's called Tykerb and you have to swallow 5 large horse pills a day. I guess it's worth it if it works. They will check my brain again in a month (s)? to see how things are progressing. If things are shrinking, all is well but if not....I'm not sure there will be any other treatments available.

As for my liver - the doctor has decided to try me on a new chemo drug (Ixabepilone) which is similar to one I've already been on that I tolerated pretty well. Of course there are always side effects but we're hoping they will be few and not too bad. It will be given once every 3 weeks. It's so new that none of the oncology offices had it in stock so they had to order some and my first treatment is tomorrow.

My hair was beginning to grow back in spite of the chemo but now I'm told there's a 50% chance it will fall out again. Bummer. It's a little thing but it made me happy to have some hair growing back.

Liver, brain and fevers

2008-09-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Time to play catch-up. Much has happened since I last posted. There was more discussion between doctors concerning the liver proceedure. It was decided it may be worthwhile to go ahead with this but will probably be postponed until mid-October. My mother has a trip to the Philippines scheduled for Oct 1 - 15. There is a huge fine arts center auditorium that will be named after my parents at Faith Academy, the missionary school they taught at for many years. This is a great honor and we are thrilled that Mom will be able to attend the festivities and dedication. She is happy to be going but it's hard for her not to worry about something happening to me while she is gone.

Last week I got results of the MRI of my brain which showed quite a bit more tumor growth. The doctor wants me to have more radiation which I am reluctant to do since it really messed up my quality of life last time I had it done. On the other hand, I've not been told what will happen if I don't have it done. Brain tumors are what generally will get you in the end so I'm anxious to get more information on this. The plan was for the doctor to speak to a radiologist and get back to me on what was said. I never did hear back, so I'll have to put a call in today and start bugging someone for answers. Tomorrow I'm back on chemo.

As if this wasn't enough going on, I've been running high temps lately. Usually I wake up with a fever but it slowly goes away through the day and by evening I'm feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, this last week I woke up with a very high fever of 103.3 and were advised by our insurance nurse to get some medical help. I ended up in the emergency room at our local hospital where they drained my blood for dozens of tests, did x-rays, cultures, etc. In the end I was sent home and told to take Tylenol. Thankfully I've felt pretty good since then.

Liver trouble

2008-08-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

I was able to visit with an interventional radiologist - the kind of doctor who does the liver procedure I spoke about last blog posting. After considerable discussion, he felt that it would not extend my life with good quality so that idea has been set aside for the time being. We can revisit it at a later date if need be. This is a relief to me in some ways but it also means that nothing will be done for the liver. The doctor was reluctant to give any kind of prognosis so we're back to taking one day at a time. It's pretty obvious that I need a miracle. The good news is that in spite of extreme fatigue, I'm not in any pain.

CT scan results

2008-08-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

We got the results of my latest CT scans which showed "mixed results". Most things showed improvement - the tumors in the lung had shrunk along with the one in my breast. That's the good news. The bad news is that the liver has developed more tumors. The doctor is talking about doing a procedure involving injecting radioactive grains into the liver which hopefully would kill the tumors without killing healthy tissue. I've read about it on the Internet and it sounds scary to me. Of course, if I don't do it, the results could be scary as well. In the meantime, I'm still taking chemo while weighing what to do next.

For those of you who like detail, check out
http://www.hpbcancer.co.uk/patients/sirtex-liver-cancer-treatment/

Hanging in there

2008-08-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

I'm getting complaints about not keeping my blog updated. Shame on me. I'll try to do better.

Since I last wrote, I've been feeling better in general. The nausea was a bugger to get under control but at last, with 4 different anti-nausea meds spread out over the day, I think things are finally looking up. The dry heaves were such a problem that in desperation, I actually visited a hypnotist twice and he made a CD of our sessions so I can listen back to them when needed. I'm still not sure what I think of hypnotism but I did like the nice British man I visited. He came highly recommended.

I was also put on a very small amount of steroids which must be helping too. Walt says to say I can bench press 300# now. The nurse practitioner explained that the kind of steroids they use in sports are hormone based and not the same as I'm taking. So there go my biceps.

I continue to have fatigue from chemo but with a nap during the day, I manage to get through. Yesterday I had a CT scan which involves drinking 2 tall glasses of barium spaced 30 minutes apart. You must be fasting during this time so it makes it all the harder to get and keep the barium down. It's a thick chalky mixture which I hope you never have the need for. I did manage to keep it down in spite of coming close to losing it. We should get the results from the tests on Monday or Tuesday. They will show whether or not the chemo is working and will help decide what to do next.

Feeling Better

2008-07-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

The past 4 days or so, I've been feeling better than in the whole past month. Much of this is due to last week's meeting with the doctor who put me on four different anti-nausea meds which I was to take whether I felt I needed them or not. In other words, the plan was to anticipate the nausea before it started and have the meds already in my system. It seems to be working well. I've been able to eat and drink which has also helped me feel better. Of course, I still deal with fatigue but overall there has been remarkable improvement.

Today I will get another chemo treatment which makes me a bit nervous since the last two made me run high fevers for a couple days afterwards. Oh well...

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me, sending cards, flowers and emails, bringing food, visiting and making me feel loved. I haven't been able to respond much but each act of kindness has been felt and has lifted my spirit.

6/12 Update

2008-06-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Walt again: Yvonne's oncologist was very encouraged by her CT & MRI scans - said they were much better than he expected. But the downside is that he can't explain the constant nausea. As he read all the results from the blood tests and the scans, he said there was no reason for Yvonne to be feeling as bad as she is.

I was very nervous about her beginning a new chemo regimen in her weakened condition, but I think the Dr. is correct that the cancer is causing the nausea somehow (it would explain why the nausea is getting worse), and the sooner she gets started again the sooner it will go away. Another reason to begin as quickly as possible is that the new cancer in her bones is already causing her some pain. Two years ago it was the bone cancer that rendered her nearly immobile until chemo killed it.

We are very grateful for everyone's continued prayer.

Some good news

2008-06-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Walt again: We won't get the technical explanation until next Tuesday, but according to the oncologist's nurse the results from yesterday's MRI "look very good, and we're very pleased."

Philippines & after

2008-06-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Walt filling in for Yvonne. We flew to the Philippines on May 26 to attend Megan's graduation. The week before we left Yvonne began having more than the usual difficulty with nausea and so had trouble getting food and liquid down. We went ahead with the trip but it was very difficult for her from the moment we left. Once there Yvonne was able to attend the 3 graduation related events - baccalaureate, Senior/Parent breakfast, and commencement, but the rest of the time could do little but sleep.

We had planned to spend 5 days after graduation in Boracay, a resort island in the central Philippines. The day before we were to leave, however, it was very clear that we needed to get Yvonne home as quickly as possible. Megan's host family, the Becks, went far beyond the call of duty and worked to get our flights changed, and we returned to Oregon on Monday, June 2.

By the time we got Yvonne to the Dr. on Tuesday she was severely dehydrated. She was given an IV to rehydrate her, along with steroids & anti-nausea med, and by the end of the day she was feeling much better. The Dr. scheduled her for CT scan on Wednesday & MRI on Thursday (today).

When she went for the CT scan Wednesday morning she was given two large cups of Barium drink to get down, and after that she was nauseated & ill. She began feeling better by the end of the day and asked for some leftover spaghetti (w/o the tomatto sauce). It felt so good to her to eat that she asked for more - which I gave her after waiting for a half-hour or so. This was the first time in two weeks she had felt hungry, and we took it as a good sign.

She ate the second spaghetti and was feeling good, and was up watching a movie with her sister when she suddenly started feeling sharp abdominal pain that quickly spread to her upper torso & radiated to the arms. After trying some antacids without success, we took her to the emergency room.

By midnight the pain had subsided quite a bit. The ER Dr. couldn't offer any concrete diagnosis, but suggested that, since stomach irritations and ulcers are common in chemo patients, the food she had eaten probably caused the reaction. She was given pain med, anti-gas-whatever it's called, and more anti-nausea med and sent home. She almost made it home before throwing up again. This morning she is awake and weak, but not feeling any pain.

While the ER Dr. was checking all her online records, he read us the results of the CT scan that had been done in the morning. As Yvonne suspected, there is new cancer in her lungs, liver, and vertebrae in her back - all very small spots so far, but still... She is scheduled to start a new chemo regimen this next week.

We are so grateful for all your prayers for Yvonne.

Hanging in there

2008-05-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Recovering from radiation was a much longer process than I expected. I continued to struggle for several weeks with nausea and vomiting and my head feeling hot all the time. It is now a month later and I'm back to wearing a wig (yeah!) and the nausea is 99% gone. Praise the Lord! That part was hard.

After throwing up my oral chemo pills, I decided to stop taking them. The doctor is talking about starting a new (to me) chemo IV regimen but can't really do it until we return from our trip to the Philippines in a month. There are times when I just want to stop taking ANYTHING. I'm not really giving up as much as just tired of the constant barrage of treatments. It wearies me at times to be in a daily battle for my life.

The radiation oncologist told us that statistically speaking my prognosis is about a year. He hurriedly went on to say that people don't always follow the statistics and there are many other factors to consider. Still, it's a sobering thought.

On a more positive note, I'm learning so much about praying - especially for healing. Several dear friends in our town have been giving their time to pray with me in person on an almost daily basis. This has encouraged me a lot. There are many times when I feel like Moses during a crucial battle where he was instructed to keep his hands lifted in the air in order to win. When he could no longer keep them lifted by himself, others came along and held them up for him. That's what these friends (and many others) do for me.

An emotional day

2008-04-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started very early with barking at 5:30am which woke Walt. He got up to check it out (we've had trouble with coyotes attacking the dogs) and found that our little white dog Angel was missing. He walked outside to where the noise had been but couldn't find her and couldn't see much. After showering and getting ready to leave for work he made a general search of the premises and took with him my sister's dog Phoebe who was very agitated. We've kept Phoebe for the past 3 years while LuAnne has been teaching overseas and the two dogs have become inseparable companions and playmates. No sign of Angel. Walt checked again on his break and lunch hour. She never turned up. It's now been a day and a half so we are sure we won't be seeing our sweet little dog again. Though she had her faults, it's always hard to lose a dog who loves you unconditionally.

The high point of the day was finishing my last radiation treatment. Yeah!!! Words can't describe how ecstatic I feel to be done at last. Those were the longest 3 weeks of my life. Although I only had 2 vomiting episodes, the nausea was an issue throughout. What a relief to have completed that part. I brought the office staff homemade cinnamon rolls to help me celebrate. The doctor explained that the radiation would keep on working on the cancer for several more months so they won't do an MRI until all that is "settled down" in about 2 months. In the meantime, I see my oncologist in a few days to go back on chemo.

My hair had finally grown back about 2 - 3 inches - enough to start looking like I might be able to get away with a short haircut. I was excited about this since we hope to go to the Philippines at the end of May for our daughter Megan's graduation from Faith Academy. In the tropical heat, I didn't want to wear a wig. Unfortunately I've been losing my hair in massive amounts this past week and the doctor assured me it would continue in spite of stopping the radiation. So for the third time I underwent the shaving process which my son-in-law never tires of doing for me :) This time, unlike the other times, I am unable to wear a wig to cover up my baldness due to radiation burns. My daughter is helping me experiment with scarfs. This part is hard for me. It's not only my vanity that suffers but I've always given it my best shot to not look like a cancer patient. Though I appreciate the sincere sympathy from onlookers and friends, I occasionally will find myself caught up in a bit of self-pity which does no good and dampens my otherwise can-do attitude. I prefer to envision myself as a healthy person with the strength, determination, and persistence to continue praying and fighting this through. But until my skin recovers, it'll be scarves and head coverings for me.

Did I mention it was an emotional day?

One more week to go

2008-04-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

Still being plagued by nausea. In fact, had one episode of "tossing my cookies" just after Thursday's treatment. The new medication for this is only minimally helpful. Ice chips seem to help the most.

I mentioned fatigue last week that knocked me out (even while on a phone call). Turns out it was an old medication for nausea that I still had around and had taken. Drowsiness was listed as one of the side effects you might experience. Perhaps I should read the warning labels more carefully.

Our friends from church, Jeff & Lecia, have been our faithful prayer partners throughout this time. Others are praying as well, but Jeff & Lecia have been taking an hour or so every evening to lay their hands on me and pray for my healing. It's been a very uplifting time and brings me great joy - even on my "down" days.

Two weeks down and one more to go.

Radiation effects

2008-03-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

The first week of whole brain radiation is over and I'm starting on my second week. Since I "breezed" through chemo, I was hoping that radiation would be easy as well. Sadly, it is much more difficult than I had anticipated. The nausea is what plagues me the most. It's fairly "low-grade" - if it can be measured by degrees. But to me, any kind of nausea is semi debilitating. I somehow find it hard to function at a normal level when my body is constantly hinting that vomit lies just below a shallow surface. The doctor was also surprised by this symptom since he claims he's giving me a low dose and most patients don't have the problem at this level. Lucky me! Medication has mostly controlled the issue.

Fatigue is the other problem. It's not been too bad except on occasion - but when it hits, it hits hard. I actually fell asleep while on the phone with a friend! (I'm talking sound asleep with dreams and everything!) A bit embarrassing to be wakened by my phone (I had it on speaker) asking me if I was still there. Thankfully my friend was very understanding about it. But I wouldn't recommend it as a friendship builder.

Six down, nine to go...

Do NOT try this at home!

2008-03-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day to get the whole brain radiation. They had warned me that it would be a long day because of measurements, xrays, and basically setting it all up. And they weren't kidding! First on the agenda was making me a "mask". They take a porous material - you can see the many holes - and wet it down which makes it pliable. Then it is wrapped over your face giving you the feeling of being suffocated in spite of knowing there are holes through which you can breathe. Just when you feel it is really too tight, it is pushed down further on your face and bolted onto the table. This is not for the claustrophobic. I got to stay in this position for quite a while as they made marks, adjustments, raised and lowered the table, twisted and moved my face by fractions until everything was just right. Except that it wasn't so we repeated the process several times. The very kind technician gave me a break from the dreadful mask now and then but I always had to return to it.

We found out later that my radiation oncologist is a perfectionist and wanted to get things exactly right. Now if there's ever a time for perfectionism, I say this is it. As far as I'm concerned, he could have taken the whole day if the goal was precision. I consider my brain one of my favorite body parts and one which I'd like to be able to use in the future to it's fullest capacity. (Oops...this leaves me wide open for editorial comment and unkind jokes.)

I was given my first radiation treatment after all was set properly - the actual radiation only lasts for a few minutes - and was finally free to go. I felt fine until a few hours later when queasiness and a headache developed, eventually reaching the throbbing level. I took an Aleve but was still hurting until my friends prayed for me. Immediately the pain decreased and after more prayer, disappeared altogether! Today's treatment was much quicker and there's been no headache. Yeah! The doctor offered me a steroid drug to combat the brain swelling but assured me I wouldn't like the side effects so if I could tough out the headaches, I'd be better off. However, he gave me a prescription just in case.

The countdown begins. Only 13 more treatments to go!

Fried brains, anyone?

2008-03-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

I met with a radiation oncologist 2 days ago to see what could be done for the 4 tumors they found in my brain. My hope was to be able to have them individually "zapped", thereby sparing the rest of my brain from unnecessary radiation exposure. This is what made sense to my uneducated mind. What I learned is that the process to do pinpoint radiation is somewhat "barbaric" (a word the doctor himself used to describe it). A neurosurgeon drills holes into your head in order for a halo-type structure to be attached to it. The surgery is so exact that there can be NO movement. The more tumors you have, the longer the time that you will be immobilized. Since there are already 4 known tumors in my brain, the doctor suggested that it is likely that they could find more when a better, precise MRI would be done a day or two before treatment. That would mean possible immobilization all day long. But the main concern is not immobilization but effectiveness of treatment.

The doctor was quite clear that in his opinion the best course of treatment in my particular case would be whole brain radiation. It's when they give you a small dose of radiation over a period of time. In my case, 15 doses spread over 3 weeks. The side effects are hair loss - darn, it was just growing back - skin dryness, nausea, fatigue and cognitive issues such as memory loss and difficulty concentrating. I hate the sound of all this but it seems to be the lesser of evils. The doctor stated that I was fortunate so far in that I don't have any symptoms - headaches, dizziness, imbalance, etc - but said if tumors developed in my speech center, I could wake up one day and not be able to speak. Currently, the largest tumor is in my coordination center.

This has been a difficult decision to come to. I explained to the doctor that I didn't want to have radiation, then my life sucks, and I die anyway. He assured me that although he cannot make any guarantees, he did not believe this would decrease my quality of life but he did believe it could extend it and mentioned a couple of cases who are still alive today many years after treatment.

Because I've been taking an oral chemo drug which enhances the effects of radiation, I was instructed to stop taking it and then wait a week to allow the drug to get out of my system. My treatments are scheduled to start Monday, March 24.

Our friends from church, Jeff & Lecia, took me to a healing /prayer/worship service this week which was very uplifting. I love being prayed for and continue to pray in this direction.

Trip to North Carolina

2008-03-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I was in North Carolina where I went to see a research scientist who specializes in cancer alternative treatments. Ultimately, I'm not sure if I will implement his suggestions but at least I came away with more options to chose from.

The trip turned out to be lots of fun. My dear friend, Liiza bought an airline ticket at the last minute in order to accompany me so I wouldn't be alone. I'm not shy about traveling by myself but it was much more fun to have my buddy with me. She also was my navigator while we drove around unknown streets and highways. I'd still be wandering around lost somewhere if she hadn't been giving me directions.

On one of the days I didn't go into the clinic, we toured the Biltmore estate - a massive castle like mansion built by the Vanderbilt family in the early 1900's. Their wealth in today's money is estimated at 93 billion and you can see how some of that was spent when you take the tour. It's a mind-boggling and fascinating structure. We also got in on freezing cold weather - waking up to heavy snowfall a couple of days.

Through some interesting circumstances, I was invited to stay with a lovely Christian family for my last 3 days after Liiza returned home. Some friends invited me to visit their mostly black church where we had a rockin' good time. That evening I enjoyed a tiny home church service. Everywhere we/I went we met friendly, lovely people who opened their arms to welcome us. So if you ever have a chance to visit Asheville, NC....I'd highly recommend it!

Bad news

2008-02-22T16:40:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I had my periodic PET scan which is a full body scan and lights up any cancerous areas. The doctor called to say they were seeing "something" in my brain and wanted to get a better look at it with an MRI. When my brother remarked that, "We know there's nothing in your brain", I wished for once that he was right! Unfortunately, the second scan showed 4 small lesions (cancer) - the largest measuring one cm. Even at that size it's bigger than I'd like.

The oncologist says radiation is the standard treatment but I've decided not to go with that option for now. I hate the idea of having my brain radiated and the side effects have the potential to severely decrease my quality of life. The other option that was offered was the combination of 2 oral drugs - Xeloda & Tykerb. Xeloda is a chemo drug which I'm currently on but is giving me horrible side effects...red, itchy, blotchy, swollen, painful rash on my face, head, hands and feet. I'm trying to live with this but it has at times been difficult to grasp anything with my hands and painful to stand or walk. So I'm not sure whether I can continue taking it. This is frustrating since it dwindles my medical options.

The doctor refused to give me a prognosis. He says with new drugs coming out all the time, no one can say for sure how long a person is likely to keep going. I have chosen to continue to be hopeful and live my life as fully as possible. The good news is that I feel perfectly fine (other than drug side effects). No headaches, dizziness or vision problems for now.

I'd appreciate your prayers for my family - esp. my girls as this is most difficult for them. Thankfully, I'm not feeling too anxious, depressed or scared. Surprisingly, it's usually the opposite - cheerful and upbeat. Not that I don't have my moments but obviously I'm being lifted above the circumstances through people's prayers. Thank you.

New chemo drug regimen

2008-02-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago my oncologist agreed with me that the IV chemo therapy I was on didn't seem to be working as we had hoped. I continue to have a breast tumor that doesn't seem very responsive to the chemo we were using. In light of that he switched me to an oral chemo drug (Xeloda) and ordered a PET scan to see what the progress has been so far. I've been on Xeloda before but was unable to continue it due to a severe itching / red rash it gives me on my face. However, we decided to try it again but added an allergy med along with it to try and combat that problem. I've already been through a one week on, one week off cycle and the first week ON was fine, but the week OFF was quite itchy and miserable. I've just now started the second cycle and am ON so will see how this goes. This time I will continue the allergy med even on the week OFF and see if I do any better. I really want to be on this medication because it has been shown to be fairly effective on my type of cancer, it's less harsh on my system and doesn't cause hair loss. It's also nice to be able to take it at home without the hassle of being hooked up to IVs for hours at a time.

Ready for a break

2008-01-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday - Jan 24th - I started feeling some steady pain in my chest. Didn't think much of it until it became persistent and started working it's way up the pain Richter scale. Everyone knows not to mess around with chest pain and this being late in the day, I ended up making a visit to the emergency room of our local hospital. By the time I got there the pain was at a whole new level of intensity. In spite of this, within minutes the doctor assured us it was most probably NOT the heart (it wasn't) but a condition called Costochondritis - an inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the sternum. (According to my husband, this is similar to Costcochondritis, the inflammation in his brain - and wallet - when he goes to Costco.)

After bloodwork, x-rays, prayers and a simple over the counter pain reliever from my purse, the pain died down and they sent me home. I ran a fever the next day, then felt progressively better. I'll see the oncologist tomorrow and see what he makes of it - if anything. My personal take on it is that my poor immune system has had all it can take of chemo and is screaming for a break. There's that fine line between killing the cancer and killing the person.

Overall, I've done remarkably well with all the chemo I've been given. Six months' worth since starting this last program and on and off before that. But I've been hit by a couple of viruses going around which again emphasises that the ol' immune system ain't what it used to be.

Happily, my normal state of affairs is lots of energy, feeling good, and going strong. That's probably why I'm so frustrated when I hit a speed bump and have to slow down. Ah well....perhaps it's for the best.

I beg to differ - Walt

2008-01-13T16:56:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Lineage

Everly Look-alike Meter

2008-01-12T22:37:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family photos

Guaranteed to offend some (but try to see the humor)

2007-11-19T21:33:00.003-08:00

It all started with my complaint to the oncologist. How do I word this delicately? "Is there something you can recommend for dryness?" With the discovery that female hormones are a contributing factor to cancer growth in "female" cancers, one of the current treatments involves medications to slow or stop production of hormones. This results in menopause and all the fun symptoms that go with it, including dryness. (I'll let you figure that one out.)

"Unfortunately there's nothing medically I can give you, but I have a patient who has found a product that she feels is so helpful that she is passing the word on to other cancer patients. " At this point, the doctor pauses before continuing. "The only thing is,uhmm.....you have to get it from a porn website."

"WHAT???" I yell. "Are you joking?"
"I'm afraid not," he answers sheepishly.
But my discomfort overrides my concern about the location of the product.
"What's the name of this stuff?" I ask.
"It's called....Eros." He smiles out of embarrassment at having to say the word out loud.
I just laugh. "Of course it is."

He writes the name of the product on paper for me to take home and do with what I want. But I'm deathly afraid to access any porn site on my computer. I've just changed email accounts due to the amazing amount of disgusting spam I was receiving and I don't want to trigger anything that would cause a recurrence of that. But then, inspiration strikes.

At my former job, there were some women who occasionally liked to buy "naughty" novelty gifts as gag presents for office parties. So I called the office. "Patti, would you do me a favor and buy me something next time you go to a porn shop?" I explained the situation and what I needed. When I finished she said, "I haven't been in years but I'll take you." She assured me the store she knew of was "tasteful" and not sleazy. Yeah, right.

I protested and threatened to wear a disguise but in the end, reluctantly agreed. I also called ahead to be sure they had what I needed so we could get in and out quickly. Confusingly under the name Eros, there were quite a few options, all of which were just a befuddlement to me. The manager was very accommodating and said she'd set a variety of products under that label aside for me.

Fortunately when we arrived, we were the only ones there. Upon entrance, you must pass through some security rails which made a noise as we walked by. "Probably taking our photo," I lamented to Patti. Choosing from among the variety of Eros products took much longer than I would have liked as I tried with some difficulty to keep from seeing anything else. At last I made my purchase and dashed for the car all the while wondering, "Isn't there an easier way?"

I'm open for suggestions.

Going, going, mostly gone

2007-11-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

If I were a dog, I’d be a hairless Chihuahua. Emphasis on hairless. On the positive side, I no longer need to shave my legs, armpits or worry about moustache hairs. On the other hand, I do miss my eyelashes (which departed last week) as well as my eyebrows. It’s getting harder to continue looking female. I actually went out and bought a pair of false eyelashes but the process of applying them was quite a bit trickier than implied on the box. When my success was limited to getting glue inside my eye causing a burning sensation, I decided to give it up as a lost cause. Now I’ve got penciled on eyebrows (like the ones I foolishly made fun of in my younger days) and eyeliner where once I had lashes in the hope of giving the illusion of feminine makeup. Not that I have the hang of it completely. On bad days when the eyeliner gets smudged, it looks like I’ve been slugged rather than made up. Aw well. Such is vanity.

I’ve now had 4 rounds - going on 5 - of chemo (3 wks on – 1 wk off) since I started again this July. A new chemo drug was added to the mix for the past 2 rounds. The breast tumor which had grown quite large and was unresponsive to the first several rounds of chemo has finally begun to shrink. In fact, it’s close to HALF the size it was! Praise the Lord!!

There’s a wonderful couple from our church who has agreed to meet with me weekly to specifically pray for my healing. They both work full time as well as have children to raise and many other responsibilities so we have felt very blessed to have been given the gift of their time and prayers. Lecia has been visualizing God holding the tumor in His hand and His warmth melting it away like an ice cube. So we’ve been praising God for answered prayer.

Other than hair loss and some neuropathy (numbness) beginning in my fingers, I’ve had mostly no side effects from the chemo. My energy is great and I am pain free so can’t ask for much more. We have lots to be thankful for. In spite of no eyelashes.

A post from Feb 2007

2007-10-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Just found this older blog I meant to post way back when but it got buried in a folder and forgotten. Not that it's important but thought I'd post it anyway. More musings than anything else.....

In the past couple of weeks I’ve noticed a growing phenomenon. In spite of feeling fine almost all the time, there has been the occasional ache or pain which under normal circumstances would go completely unnoticed, but due to the fact that I have cancer now becomes a big deal. Never having been one to “freak out” easily over medical problems – just ask my girls how many times I have said, “You’ll be fine” even if evidence points to the contrary – it frustrates me to be worried so easily. On the other hand, how can it be helped? A few weeks ago I had a pain in my shoulder that grew in discomfort until I finally took a half tablet of Tylenol. (This is a big thing. If you ever catch me taking a WHOLE pill – call an ambulance.) I seriously considered contacting my oncologist to see about ordering an MRI but it was late on a Friday and I decided to wait it out through the weekend and see what transpired. The pain went away and never returned. I’ve since had other “tweaks” of aches and pain here and there, none of which ever stayed very long or deserved a half tablet of anything. But the fear has come every time. And the “what if’s”. I put away the list of songs I was collecting for my memorial service when I began to suspect I wouldn’t need them quite yet, but it’s a battle of the mind to resist going back to those thoughts when aches and pains arise. Fortunately they are quite rare.

Catching up

2007-10-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

I've been very remiss about keeping up this blog. Several friends have reminded me (gently) that I should update it. So much has occurred that it's hard to know what to say so I'll summarize. Back in Feb or March, I noticed some lumps growing in my breast again - same area as before. Started with one, then 2, then 3. Soon they were starting to merge. Of course, I pointed this out to my doctor at each visit but he was not terribly concerned at first. Eventually, he started me on an oral chemo from which I got a horrible red, itchy rash all over my face. Only got half way thru the first cycle before having to discontinue. A PET scan was finally done which showed that the cancer had grown back in most all of the places it was before though not quite as bad as it originally was. But bad enough to need IV chemo again. Of course, this has led to the second round of head shaving and wigs.

The most recent PET scan (as of a couple weeks ago) showed mixed results. The tumor on the liver and in most bones was improved but some lymph nodes, thorasic spine, and breast tumors were worse. A new chemo drug has been added to the mix now and we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I'm still exercising, taking my nutritional supplement, and doing a smattering of alternative things. The good news is that I feel fine with energy, stamina, and generally a good outlook.

This summer was an emotional roller coaster with Meg (our youngest) returning to Faith for her senior year, my sister, Lu returning to Saudi Arabia, and finding out that a woman who had the same cancer (with the same metastases) as I, had died. We had been "holding each other's hands" over the phone and praying for one another. She was a support to me and her death was devastating since she seemed to be doing well. Thankfully she was a dear Christian so she is with Jesus. But I miss Paula.

January Update

2007-01-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

Since I’m doing so well these days, I don’t always have much to tell. But now I do have a couple more good news items. A year ago I had a bone density test which shows whether or not you have osteoporosis and the degree to which you have it. This was to get a baseline as I enter my “elderly” years. At that time, it showed my poor bones to be in the osteopenia range – a precursor to full blown osteoporosis. A year later – my bone density test shows improvement in all 3 areas tested. Two areas are back in normal range and the third is just a hair below normal. And this despite a bone cancer diagnosis!

On top of this, my last week’s tumor markers showed the most improvement so far – both well within normal range! Yipee!

Thanks for the many prayers.

Continuing to Improve

2006-12-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to believe that my health continues to improve, but that is exactly what’s happening. Four weeks ago my oncologist gave me a complete exam and was very impressed by my progress. This doctor has been quite optimistic from the start but even he seemed genuinely surprised at my obvious energy and stamina. His comment that I was doing “better than average” was an understatement.

Last week bloodwork was drawn. My white count (immune system) is continuing to climb but the best news is that my tumor markers have dropped significantly again putting BOTH into the normal range!! It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago we weren’t sure there was much hope for me. Once in a while I’ll remember an activity or movement that I wasn’t able to do before but am doing easily now, and I’m sooo thankful!

In the midst of my joyful progress is the sad reality that not everyone with cancer is doing so well. A dear family friend recently passed away, another one was recently diagnosed and a couple others are in the throws of treatment and even hospice. I write this to remind myself that there but for the grace of God, I could be. Thanks again to all who have been praying.

With gratitude,

Yvonne

Good News!

2006-10-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

There are so many good things to report that I thought another update was in order. Those of you who live near enough to see me in person will know how well I’m doing, but for those who don’t, I will tell you. Although I didn’t think I was doing too badly before – my interpretation being that I wasn’t in constant pain – I realize now that my limitations were more severe than I wanted to admit. The cancer in my lymph glands under my arm and in my breast were hardened to the point of not being able to raise my left arm above my shoulder level. The bone pain in my ribs prevented me from being able to cough or sneeze without intense, searing/burning, excruciating pain. Even laughing was uncomfortable. Hugs had to be very gentle to avoid pressure. Turning from side to side in bed was painful and Walt had to help me get to a lying position. Halfway through the night, I’d have to go to the living room and try to get comfortable on the recliner chair we borrowed. I had to curtail my morning jogs early on when the jarring movement hurt too much to continue.

That was then. About a month ago we started noticing changes. Turning from side to side at night without pain enabled me to stay in bed through the night and thereby get better sleep. Little by little we noticed all the above mentioned problems disappear. Sometimes I didn’t even realize things were improving until my family pointed it out. Miriam watched me laughing one day and reminded me that it used to hurt to laugh. Now there is absolutely NO pain or discomfort of any kind to deal with.

Yesterday we got even better news. The doctor said the PET scan I had done last week showed so much improvement that he took me off chemotherapy after only 8 weeks! I will still be getting Herceptin – a drug that works with your own immune system to fight the cancer, but instead of weekly treatments, he changed it to once every 3 weeks at an increased dose. To top it off, my 2 cancer markers are vastly improved with one of them back within normal range!

As you can imagine, we are thrilled with this good news and the speed at which it has happened. There is still cancer present so the fight persists, but it is great to have hope. We have learned not to take anything for granted and every morning I wake up and thank God for a wonderful new day. I expect that everyone who is reading this has prayed for me at one time or another – many have said they pray for me daily. What a wonderful gift you’ve given me. It’s very humbling to be on this side of so many prayers and well-wishes. What a joy to have much love and support. We are so grateful.

Wigs!

2006-10-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I couldn't stand another day of thinning, graying hair falling out everywhere so we had a shaving party. My daughters, Miriam and Hannah had a great time cutting what was left of my hair into various looks including a mohawk and a punk rocker. In spite of the fun and laughing we did, in the end I felt the loss as I caught a reflection of myself in the window (while trying to avoid mirrors). As I left the room to cry Hannah followed me, put her arms around me and told me how beautiful I was to her. Walt & Miriam followed suit a few minutes later. It's wonderful to be surrounded by people who love me no matter what I look like!

Next, we began trying on wigs! Walt suggested that instead of shaving their heads in solidarity, that they all wear red wigs. We laughed at how funny my blonde daughters looked as redheads. The long, straight wig made Hannah look like she was from the 70's. The short, curly wig gave Miriam a "Shirley Temple" look and the short, straight one I wore hopefully looked "just right".

2 week update

2006-09-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the 18th I went for my 4th treatment. No chemo that week but they gave me something to "strengthen the bones". Said it would make me feel like I had the flu. They weren't kidding! Didn't hit me til the next day but was enough to be very uncomfortable. Besides the flu-like symptoms, there was also muscle pain in my legs. I finally took some Tylenol and laid down for a couple hours. Felt better after that. Very grateful the symptoms didn't last any longer than they did. This past Monday (25th)showed my white count was back up again - almost double what it has been the last two weeks! The dr seemed surprised at how well I've felt and esp. at my energy level being so high. I've also noticed a reduction in my pain at night. Main perk is being able to turn from side to side without discomfort which has improved my overall sleep. They added chemo back into the regimen this week but the dr said he may be able to take me off chemo and just use Herceptin if the cancer is responding well. He will run tests in a month.

Looks like my hair is finally succumbing to the chemo. I'm getting piles of it in the shower drain as well as on my brush and pretty much everywhere else. I'm afraid there will soon be rules for me like the dog who sheds - "Dogs and Yvonne stay off the furniture". I still have enough to be presentable but went wig shopping this past weekend in preparation for baldness.

In an effort to help me answer my email, my dear husband set up this cool blog site for me. (I'm still learning how to use it.) However, not everyone likes this method and some have said they have trouble accessing it. Plus, I fear that it sounded like I'm too busy or tired to receive and answer emails. I admit that it's sometimes tricky getting every email answered in a timely way but I like to try and I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from writing. If you'd rather get the updates in email form, please let me know and I'll set up something for those people who prefer that.

Happy 50th!

2006-09-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yvonne is dragging her feet about posting anything about her 50th birthday; classic denial :)

But here are a few photos for you to enjoy.

Walt

(Yes, there really are 50 candles on that cake. Needed a leaf blower to put them all out!)

Flowers from the Faith Academy class of '74

2006-09-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sept 11 Update

2006-09-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

I've had 2 more chemo treatments since I last updated everyone. Both went well - things are much less fuzzy since they substituted a non-drowsy medication for Benedryl which makes me sleepy. Second treatment went so well that Mom and I ran errands and went shopping afterwards. I was up till 10:30pm and still running strong! Today after my 3rd time, I'm a bit more tired. Yet we managed to get some errands done and I haven't needed a nap. So apparently nothing serious.

One drawback is that my white blood count has taken a serious hit. It's running at 1.7 instead of the normal 3.9 - 11 that it should be. Next week is a treatment with Herceptin only (non-chemo drug) so they're hoping my immune system will have a chance to recoup. Overall I'm still feeling fine and sleeping pretty well. Hard to ask for more than that!

We were able to talk to our daughter Megan in Manila a couple days ago which probably did me more good than any medicine. It was great to hear her voice and have her tell us that she is doing well and enjoying being in the Philippines. It was her 16th birthday.

Thanks for the many prayers and emails. I so enjoy reading each one.

Aug 29 Update

2006-09-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know how chemo went. It turned out to be much more traumatic mentally than physically. So far, no drug allergies and no side effects. In fact, other than getting dopey and dry-mouthed from the Benedryl, I can't tell that I've suffered any ill effects. 'Course it's my first go round but I'm still encouraged. Doc said I might have trouble sleeping but I slept very well. Not only do I not feel tired today, I feel fairly perky. So all in all things are going well.

Will keep you posted,

Yvonne

P.S. I highly recommend that everyone have a Port-a-Cath. It works so well.

Aug 28 Update

2006-09-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Family & Friends,

This is the first“Update” I’m sending out. Since I’m still working on adding email addresses to my list, it’s a worry that I may have left someone off by mistake. So please email me if you’re not reading this so I can add you on. (How do I find out whoI’ve missed?)

I saw the oncologist on Thurs (24th). He is very optimistic that the treatment regimen will get the cancer under control but he basically said I’d be doing chemo once a week for the next 6 months to a year and then periodically the rest of my life. The first treatment starts this Tues (29th) andwill last 3 hrs. After that, they will be shorter.

Besides the chemo drug, I’ll be getting Herceptin – a fairly new non-chemo drug which works with your immune system to attach to the cancer cell and bring other immune cells to help kill it. There are side effects to everything, so more meds will be added to combat those (one of my pet peeves with medicine). I have a nice short haircut and a wig waiting in anticipation of losing my hair.

Some of you know I’ve been taking and even selling a nutritional product (Reliv) that helped my son-in-law overcome his horrible problems with Crohn’s disease. Unfortunately I didn’t understand that I still had cancer cells running amok so the minimal maintenance dose I was taking wasn’t enough. In the last 6 weeks since my diagnosis, I’vebeen flooding myself with this nutrition figuring it couldn’t hurt and there wasn’t much else I could do. My lab work came back showing the white count (indication of your immune response) was the highest it’s been in the past 3 years! In fact, the doctor’s comment was, “It looks like your immune system is working overtime.” I also have a friend who says Reliv helped her tremendously with the side effects of chemo. This is my hope as well.

As an anti-chemo, alternative, nutrition-seeking person, it is difficult to agree to this treatment. But for some reason, I feel at peace with it – at least for now. My dear husband also really wants to be aggressive with treatments from all angles. So our plan is three-fold: Determined prayer, heavy-duty nutrition (Reliv), and chemo with Herceptin.

Thank-you for all the cards, emails and phone calls. My wish is to respond to each one but I’m having a hard time doing that. Whether I answer or not, please know that I read every word that comes to me and appreciate the brief ones as well as the long ones. Your encouragement keeps me going when I feel discouraged.

Feel free to call if you like (some have asked if they may). If I don’t feel up to it, I’ll let you know or you can leave a message.

Thanks again for the prayers and support,

It begins again...

2006-09-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I need to get this news out to many people so in spite of the fact that I’d like to talk to each of you individually, this seems to be the only practical way to do it.

Most of you know that I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. After a mastectomy, chemotherapy and reconstruction surgery, I’ve been followed by an oncologist and have felt great. Since there are no reliable breast cancer blood tests to go by, the follow-up is mainly symptomatic – if you have pain, it is followed up with appropriate tests. So when I developed pain in my shoulder and sternum recently, many tests were run. It was discovered that my cancer has returned and has spread to most of my upper bone structure, lymph nodes, neck and a spot on my liver. Although the doctors are reluctant to give a prognosis, it is clearly not a good scenerio.

This week I had a Porta-Cath (permanent IV line) inserted in the anticipation of starting chemotherapy in the next week or so. If this cancer turns out to be the same as before (estrogen receptive), then there is a newer chemo drug that is more specific to targeting it.

As you can imagine, this has been a difficult road to travel – one we had hoped to avoid. My personal concern has been for my family – besides our 2 daughters who live here in town near us (one is married, the other a freshman in college), our youngest daughter (15) is spending a year attending Faith Academy in the Philippines where I went to school.

Another concern is my mother who is still recovering from the loss of my father, and my younger sister who lives in Saudi Arabia and feels frustrated at not being able to be here to help.
Even though this has not been public news until now, we’ve already seen an outpouring of love and concern from those who knew. Those caring acts and prayers have held us up when things have looked darkest. We will continue to need wisdom as we face each new challenge.

In an effort to keep everyone informed, I hope to be able to send out periodic updates. This will save me the effort of repeating myself dozens of times. If you would like to be included on this update email list, please let me know by sending a short note to that effect. Only those I hear from will be put on this list so nobody gets extra emails they don’t need.

We appreciate your prayers at this time,

Yvonne (& Walt) Everly