NO MORE MEDS!

After talking to my nurse last Friday and hearing that the scan showed I had a fractured rib (which explains all of the pain I've been in since late February) and that a tumor in my low back has progressed I had a rough few days until I saw my oncologist yesterday afternoon. Since I have progression they are taking me off of the clinical trial which they were probably going to have to do anyway because of the neuropathy in my feet. That sounds bad, but actually my doctor and I both think this is a good thing. I will be off the meds and now I won't have to have the mandatory scans every other month. When they do those scans they inject a radioactive substance into me and it always takes me down a few notches. Since the beginning of February I have had either a cold, flu or pneumonia...and now after having the scan last Thursday I haven't been feeling well and have a bad cough again which aggravates my broken rib. The biggest relief was that my oncologist doesn't think the broken rib has anything to do with my disease. He studied the scan and there is no tumor around the rib, he doesn't see any lesions on the rib, so he thinks it is completely unrelated. The big question was how I broke my rib and the best we can come up with is most likely I coughed so long and hard when I had pneumonia that I broke it. It does show that the break is healing so I was very relieved to hear that. My Doc thinks it will take another few weeks to heal. We are in a wait and watch mode on the active tumor. The rest of my tumors have remained stable so it's really just the one that is rearing its ugly head. I hope it is ready for a beat down. I am looking forward to detoxing my body now that I am off the drugs and trying some natural therapies. My nutritionist is researching some other things for me to try. She has had other cancer patients very successful in using some other natural therapies. Of course, nothing comes with a guarantee but life has no guarantees so I am not worried. It is my job to give my body all of the tools it needs to heal and make sure I don't do anything to work against it. I am looking forward to healing and feeling better soon! Another thing that really pleased me was my cholesterol screening. My cholesterol levels were great; both my LDL and HDL were excellent. The nurse said you would never guess I am a cancer patient looking at my blood work. I am the healthiest cancer patient they have ever seen! It may not seem like a lot, but I will take every positive I can get at this point. Last, but foremost, an update on my little triplet grandson: Austin, Brody and Caleb are thriving and so precious. They are walking, climbing and more and more fun everyday. I have called them my little natural healers and they are all of that and more. Their Mom, Mattea, is my hero and although not an easy task she has managed to get them through their first year with a lot of love and patience. She is certainly my definition of a "Super Mom" and a very sweet daughter-in-law to boot! Scott and Mattea both do a great job and it is such a pleasure for me to see their little family blossoming. Thank you for all of the prayers. I know I am blessed. See everyone soon I'm sure!! Love, Vicki

PRAYER REQUEST

A lot has happened since my post in November. My scan in January wasn't as good but my doctor said not to worry about it. That was easier said than done. The November scan showed zero levels of cancerous activity but the January scan showed some low levels. There was also a questionable relapse in my low back near L5 which could be why I was having some low back pain. But my doctor questioned the radiologist's findings and he said it is normal for the activity to go up and down at times. I started working one day a week again on January 6th, but it was been a rough couple of months. A lot of people at work have been sick and first I got a cold, then the flu, then pneumonia. I went with family to AZ and with the warm dry weather there I finally got over the pneumonia. Unfortunately a couple of days after we returned I started having some horrible pain in my left side towards the back. It was about a level 10 for a good week and then with the help of my natural doctor I got it down to a 7 for a couple of weeks and the last week, after another visit to my natural doctor, I call it functional pain. It hasn't gone away but I am able to work my one day and go about my business for the most part ignoring the pain most of the time. I am trying to be super careful not to do anything to cause the pain to increase. It is so annoying and a little scary because none of my doctors seem to know what the pain is from and my oncologist doesn't think it is related to the cancer and/or treatment. I do, however, have neuropathy which is one of the bad side effects of the treatment they watch for. My Doc said at my February appointment that if I continue having trouble with my feet they may have to stop the meds. I finished Cycle 10 last night and now am on my week off. I have my next scan in a couple of days, Thursday, March 18th, and then I see my Doctor on March 23rd, and I will find out whether they are going to continue my treatments. So I am praying and I need lots of prayers that this scan is good and that my Doctor make a good decision regarding whether or not to continue my treatment. I am confident that my lymphoma is under control. I am a little bit confused and annoyed with the pain I am in but I am praying that it goes away sooner than later. It is not fun to deal with chronic pain but I am coping well I think. Thank you everyone for the prayers. God Bless. Vicki