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!

the week leading up to Chemo #6

Here I sit as I contemplate my last treatment, for this round at least!  What is next?  This has sure been a year I would not have chosen.  Not even for my worst enemy.

I don't look forward to Monday, sitting there is not too bad.  But the days that follow suck.  I know the side effects are temporary, I hope.  But I still get depressed.  I think that I get depressed because I let my thoughts go to the fear place.  That I will die a long, drawn out, painful cancer death.  That's what I envision.  And maybe that is what will happen, eventually.

Today I listened to Max Lucado's Fearless book.  He pointed out that God wants us to talk to Him about whatever we are afraid of.  Be very honest.  He knows anyway.  Mine would be, God I am scared, I don't want to die.  Take this cancer from me.  Kill it.  But Your will is what I really want.  Max reminded me that this is how Jesus prayed before the crucifixion.  Jesus was not so anxious to die either.  He begged to be relieved from it.  But, he knew it was the Father's plan.  It also exemplifies that Jesus understands what I feel. He did it too.

I am self conscious about my lack of hair.  Well if Oprah is brave enough to let herself been seen in public without makeup and a fancy hair-do then surely little ole' me can open myself up too.

Without makeup, as if you had to be told!

With makeup, a little better!

Top it all off!

questions asked and answered--chemo #5

I have felt stronger this past two weeks. I do end up paying for it when I finally get home.  So far my blood counts have been ok.  Not so this time.  White Blood cells have fallen to the level that now I have to return to the office Thurs and Fri this week for possible neupogen shot.  Neuopgen stimulates WBC growth in the bone marrow.  Will have to do it next week as well.

I asked Dr Crane what his definition of remission was.  When the cancer is not active.  Not that the tumors are gone, but not active.  He would say I am in remission now since tumors are responding and tumor markers are down.  We will continue the full treatment plan.  Six treatments are all that are indicated.

I asked what if the tumors are gone.  We scan at the end of treatment, then 3 months later.  What if the cancer does return.  Remember Dr Crane fully admits he is not God.  He says the next steps would depend on when the cancer returns.  It will return. This is not a primary site.  I had that already in June 2009.  Now that cancer has traveled (metastasized), it will return.  The only way it will not return is if we kill every cell.  The odds are not on our side given what has already happened.

If it returns before 6 months we would not repeat this treatment.  If it returns after 6 months we could repeat the same treatment we have been doing.  Question-does that mean if it comes back within 6 months there is nothing you can do for me?  No, says Dr Crane, I have lots of options for you.  sigh of relief!

I was hoping for extinction of this cancer.  Telling God to kill it.  He is my only hope,  Funny how something like this really drives that home.


Now before everyone starts to lecture me about God and His Power, I am already down with that.  I know I am in His great big Hands. It is His Call.  I find peace there.

As a nurse I have heard advice given to heart patients for years.  You better do this,  You better do that or you will die.

I used to think that would be motivation enough.  You  know if I don't eat right and exercise, take all these drugs, etc I would die.  So if that is not enough to motivate you perhaps nothing will.

When I was first diagnosed with metastasis someone encouraged me to charge up my credit cards(they obviously don't know Dave Ramsey!), and travel anywhere I want, do anything I want.

In reality, I have done pretty much what I wanted to do.  I don't have a bucket list.  Guess I kept my bucket maybe 1/3 empty.  There is one place I really want to go that I have not been and that place is in the plan if God allows me.  Guess that is not so bad a way to live.

I do tend to forget that I am not the only one going through this.  Yeah I do get the lead in this production.  But there are more players here.  David, Michelle, Bill, Haley, Nick, Blake, Dustin, Jess, Mom, Dad, Donna, David, Lori and their respective families.  And not to forget Dennis, Daryl, Dan, Denise and their families too.  And not to forget Fresh Winds.  I do not want it to always be about me when we get together to practice and Dan reminded me that they were dealing with this too. 

Dustin met the holistic oncologist and asked him what the family could do to help me.  Dr Sakko said "Community".  The people around me.  They are the ones who give energy.  So forgive me if I lean on you or pull from you.  Just continue to be there to provide a soft place to land.  I know you will.

My prayer is of course for complete healing.  I will continue to move toward a more healthy lifestyle.  No sense in making it harder for God you know.  If complete healing does not come, then my prayer is that God will make it easy and keep His loving arms all around me, comfort me and slide me right into the place He has prepared for me, and all who know Him.

continue to be my rock all of you.  I love you all so much, diane #1

ps: Oh and don't forget the "purple" ladies of my Awaited choir from Crossroads.

To everyone who reads this, please check out this event on Facebook. Save the date if you can! Thanks so much for your prayer and support for my mother and our family!

Save the Date Benefit for David and Diane Orner

Dustin

rambling thoughts

fresh winds practicing tonight as usual.  brenda singing "for every blessing", us "that's why I praise You"......

I think back over this week.  I felt really good monday which caused me to do too much.  fatigue builds over the days.  my mind goes to the "dark" place.  I get scared.  I don't want to die.  people say "you are so strong".  yeah but strong people die too.  I don't want to miss anything.  I never want to be left out.

my thoughts wander, go down, then up but not too far up.  I tell myself you have no choice, what is going to happen will happen whether you want it to or not. this is not your call.  get over it, you know the drill.

back to tonight, for every blessing, that's why I praise You.........I realized something......If God takes me now, I have so many blessings, He has done enough.......married to david for almost 40 years, michelle and bill, haley, nick, blake, dustin and jess.....mom, dad, donna, david, lori......fresh winds (cannot name you all, God gathered us up from all directions just for me you know)......the outpouring of love from so many, you know who you are (I don't even know who all of you are)....support and love I have never known before.......upon returning home tonight dustin handed me a cd he recorded today of a song he had written about his journey dealing with my cancer diagnosis.......so awesome...

yep, if He takes me now I have been blessed enough.......

by popular demand.....................

CT results:

Tumors in lungs are 2/3's smaller

Tumor in retro-peritoneal nodes 1/3 smaller

NO NEW SITES SEEN!

GOD VIA THE "POISON" IS WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!

YA GOD!