how do you make a hormone?

You forget to pay her!!  har, har......

Sorry but wanted to laugh a bit......

Went to the doctor on Monday.  I know that's a surprise, another doctor visit.  He was almost ecstatic.  Very pleased to say the least.  All tumors smaller, remember I was only given a 60% chance of remission.  Remission is defined as cancer not active, smaller and no new sites.  He did not expect it to go away.  I was and still am hoping for a different kind of miracle.  The one that the cancer is ALL GONE!  It could happen you know!

But for now I started the next therapy.  Hormone therapy, hence the lead off joke!  It is a form of progesterone.  It is to make the remission last longer.  It is also used as primary therapy and makes tumors smaller. 

The pharmacist told me it is also used to treat anorexia.  Now, that is all I need.  A life saving drug that could make me eat more.  The dose is 5 pills a day.  If being treated for anorexia you take all 5 at once.  So I will divide the dose!  Hopefully it will kill the cancer and not make me eat myself silly!

Took the boys to the movie while Michelle and Haley were at the cheer gym nearby.  They split up for the ride back to the gym and Blake rode with me.  Upon arriving back at the gym I took off my wig and replaced it with a bandana.  I said to him "Look at grandma's bald head".  "Is it all over" he asked.  "Yes" I replied and I showed him.  "That's sad" Blake said.  What a tender 7 year old.  Then I told him "no, it's not.  The medicine is making the cancer smaller.  It will grow back".  I hope he is ok and does not worry.  It is hard to know what's in a kid's mind, you know?  I always believed you should be honest with kids.  Come to think of it, mine turned out pretty good. 

What we've been waiting for

Chemo done.  Scan done, labwork drawn.  Verdict in.


Dr Crane called today.  Cancer continues to shrink.  Tumors smaller than last scan in March.  I said everyone wants me to celebrate, but I don't want to.  He said yeah I know, but we all need to celebrate more than we do.  No one knows what will happen.  I will be in remission until the tumors start to grow and/or show up somewhere else.  Dr Crane will open a bottle of wine to me tonight!  


We will start hormone therapy at my next visit in a couple of weeks.  He is researching another treatment too.  We will do labwork in 6-8 wks and scan again in 3 months.  We are still on the "attack" mode!


Spoke with my friend Leslie today.  She is a survivor too.  We've known each other since we lived in Nashville.  One of those friends that you can pick up right where you left off.  Not many of those kind of friends around.  She gets it.  She was honest enough to tell me the fatigue will last a while.  Hers lasted 9 months.  Wow definitely not what I wanted to hear.  But at least I know.  


So since I wasn't sick until I had chemo and the tumors are all smaller, it stands to reason when I finally recover from the chemo I won't be sick.  Really looking forward to that! 


If anything speaks to me it is music.  On American Idol tonight Lauren sang Martina McBride's "Do it Anyway".


Some of the lyrics go like this: 


God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah I do it anyway, yeah, 

You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah sing it anyway

So, even tho' I don't feel so well right now, even tho' I'm scared this is not over, even tho' I feel alone sometimes, I will celebrate.  Do it anyway!

next steps

last treatment this round
notice the bags that hold
the "poison" hanging
above my head!

Before this treatment I had to have a Neupogen injection last Friday.  My white blood cells had fallen and this injection helps my bone marrow make new ones so I can have the "poison" take them down yet again.  Cannot afford to get an infection as my body will have a difficult time fighting infection without adequate numbers of WBC's!

Saw the doc before the treatment as usual.  The shot worked, treatment as usual.  We will scan again next week and go from there. Also drew tumor marker CA125 today.  Both tests will either confirm or deny remission.  

My cancer is the kind that responds well to hormone therapy.  My hormones bit the dust a while ago!!!  Not the right hormones anyway.  Still have to take the pills.  We will start them probably in four weeks.  We don't want the hormone therapy to interfere with the poison doing the rest of it's job.  We are going to be "aggressive" with this cancer.  The hormones will prolong remission, we hope!

Even though Dr Crane does believe in prayer and miracles.  He has to give me the facts, medically speaking.  I appreciate that he told me upfront he will always be honest with me.  But he adds, he has been surprised by some of his patients that defied the odds.

Overall, statistically speaking, the odds are not in my favor.  Uterine cancer is the most common of gynecological cancers and when caught early, removed with no evidence of spreading, has a very good mortality rate.  For you non-medical types, they live longer.  That was the prognosis given to me in June 2009.  That changed January 2011.  When uterine cancer metastasizes, spreads, the mortality rate goes remarkably down.  Survival rate of 12 months or less.  I did warn you not to read my blog if you cannot handle it.   

I have to know the truth medically speaking.  I cannot hide from it.  I do not discount miracles.  So no sermons needed, at least today.  I am remarkably calm today.  But I don't feel bad yet.  That will come Wednesday....................

This is what I am fighting for, in no particular order:

 

The rest of you know who you are!!!

I love you!

PS:David told Dr Crane about his healing when he was hit by a car at 15yrs old.  He was in a body cast for several months.  One night his mom prayed to God for his healing.  You see he was told he would not walk again.  She cried out to God, " You COULD if you only WOULD".

You all know what happened.................Dr Crane said they should have turned that in for the second miracle for the Sainthood of Pope John Paul II !!

He has a great sense of humor.   A merry heart doeth good like a medicine!

Yay GOD!