Well, first things first: tonight is my last night of my 40s. Goodbye, 49...HELLO 50!!!
Let me tell you, it is a WELCOME & BLESSED birthday! Even after a tough week!
My birthday weekend began with a visit from my beautiful friend from Austin & staying with another beautiful friend in Nashville. Visiting Dr. Awesome, getting some medication for pain management & a procedure to gather some information moving forward.
Today, part of my day was spent with an amazing group of people at, "Linda's Hope". They held their 3rd Annual Chili Cookoff and I was one of the special guests of the founder, Meredith Crowley. What an amazing young woman! She is absolutely stunningly beautiful, both inside and out! She and her husband, Taylor work tirelessly in raising funds and awareness for my Dr. Awesome and his great Pancreatic Cancer program at Vanderbilt. HUGE THANK YOU to Meredith & Taylor for my decadent chocolate birthday cake! Which topped off my Saturday evening with my fabulous son & his friends at my house. I wouldn't trade places with anyone for the life I have, challenges and all, I am one blessed girl!! <3
Now for my latest medical update:
Thursday afternoon, I arrived at Vanderbilt in quite a bit of pain. My back pain has increased because there appears to be a small recurrence of cancer. They administered 4mg of Dilaudid and I was able to rest comfortably Thursday night before my procedure. My beautiful friend from Texas flew in to be with me & she drove me to my other beautiful & generous friend's house to rest & enjoy our time together. It was like an old-fashioned sleepover in grade school! Albeit, I was heavily dosed with narcotics!
On Friday I underwent an Endoscopic Ultrasound with the hope of obtaining a sample for biopsy...No such luck. The mass, while small, is in the celiac axis. It proved to be a bit dangerous to stick a needle in it based on the location. My amazing Gastro@Vanderbilt tried to do a nerve block. We thought it was successful initially, but I am still experiencing pain. She informed me that it was a 50/50 chance of success.
Where we are now, The Radiology Report:
Small mass that appears to be a local recurrence
Liver is clear (except for the same small hemangioma that has been there since Feb.)
Lungs are clear
BEST NEWS: NO METASTASIS
Where to go from here:
Tuesday my case will be presented to the Tumor Board...all experts in their field. I may undergo another resection, chemo, radiation or combination of these. My tumor will undergo genetic testing to see what therapy it responds to best. Chemo is a necessity and I WILL lose my hair this time. sad face...
HOWEVER, here's the positive: it is local AND its small! I responded well to Gemzar, the first round of this challenge. So, I will in all probability be given Gemzar again with a combination of added therapies/drugs. I will most likely be enrolled in a clinical trial that will be much more aggressive than my previous chemo.
I ask for continued love, support & prayers.
I cannot begin to express my gratitude, as I just can't find the words. I become extremely emotional when I feel the outpouring of love, comfort and support from my family & friends.
Get ready for round 2 and hopefully the last round of knocking the witch out.
In the words of the Marathon Goddess & Heather Lilla, "WE GOT THIS!"
Surrounded by love also helps...#blessedgirl #truelove
Surrounded by love also helps...#blessedgirl #truelove
Love y'all more...infinity...no take backs
No comments:
Post a Comment