Countdown to Chemo. Stop #1

Did I have a liver resection and extensive debulking surgery exactly one month ago today?  Yes!
Did I run several miles today?  Yes!
Did I then run/ walk several miles today? Yes!
Did I then walk several miles today?  Yes!
Did I finish the WDW half marathon along with Rick? Also, yes! 🙌 (Rachel and Jared were way ahead of us! 😅)
For years I've been saying "There will come a day when I can't do this..."
But I'm happy to report, once again, that day was not today.

It’s been two weeks

I am incredibly happy to share that this week I have “turned the corner” and am basically back to regular everyday life. I’m having to remind myself not to lift heavy objects, and I am trying to be intentional pacing myself so as not to overdo it. But my appetite is back, for most of the day my energy is back (cue an early bedtime), my abdomen is healing nicely, and I can concentrate on tasks (which means I am back to driving). I’ve even started back “running” - gingerly, carefully - since we do have the WDW Half Marathon in just over 2 weeks!

Thank you for all of your kind words, visits, and support during this time.

I had my 3rd Lupron injection on Monday at Zimmer Cancer Center with Dr. Robinson, and I will see Dr. Rossi at the Duke Cancer Center on Monday, December 29. I am hopeful we’ll be able to agree on a plan of action for 2026. I am going to remind her that I want to live, not simply be alive. I believe there’s a huge difference in those two things.

No, Baby Clara is not here yet, but every day brings us closer to her arrival, and we will be seeing her very soon!

This morning I read Luke 2:19, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” The question from Catching Whimsy asked, “With all the mysteries and unknowns in your life, what would it look like for you to treasure up in your heart the ambiguity God allows?”

I’ll be pondering that question in the days ahead.

Merry Christmas!

Saturday morning update

Yesterday was full of family and friends, and this morning Rick offered to take me down to the beach to see the sunrise. I felt well enough to walk for a few minutes, as well, and that was wonderful.

Baby Clara isn’t here yet!

I am not having to take as much pain medication, and I feel like my energy is coming back. I have to remind myself I went through a fairly substantial procedure just three days ago, and I should rest and not do too much just yet.

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”

— Lamentations 3:22-23

One last delivery

The time has come. Rick and I will head to Durham in about an hour, and I have packed as much as I could into today. I am happy to report I was able to go for a run, then a walk on the beach early this morning. Beyond that, all Christmas presents are wrapped and under the tree, and laundry is washed and put away. I made one last bank transaction for Haiti Awake, and I even had a chance to do one more delivery for Moe’s. (No matter how well surgery goes tomorrow, I won’t be able to lift much until sometime in January. Therefore, I’ll be out for a while.)

This is what was waiting for me at work when I arrived. It was so unexpected. My heart was touched. Nearly six years ago when we stopped at Moe’s one night for dinner and the GM asked, “Hey! Are you interested in a little part-time job?” I’m so glad I said, “Yes!” I enjoy getting out in the community, meeting people, and bringing them food. (Who doesn’t love Moe’s?)

If you had asked me what I needed today, I would never have guessed this was it. But it was.

The August 29 MRI and the Current Plan

On Friday, August 29, I drove up to Raleigh for a DEXA scan and an MRI of my liver. I have not gotten results on the DEXA scan yet, but I do have the MRI results, and I have spoken to Dr. Rossi’s office regarding them.

I actually got the MRI results Friday afternoon, but I wanted to speak to someone at Duke before sharing, especially since the MRI noted: “Musculoskeletal-subtly enhancing marrow replacing diffusion restriction lesion in the right L1 vertebral body is suspicious for metastasis.” This is the first time there has been any indication of spread to that area of my body, and I questioned whether this would change the recommended treatment we had talked about after the July PET scan. (It does not.)

To keep it simple, here is what we currently know and here is the current plan. There are many unanswered questions, but hopefully those will be answered to the best degree possible after the October 10 appointments.

October 10 - PET FDG SCAN and Pre-Op Visit with Dr. Rossi.

October 15 or 22 - Laparoscopic surgery at Duke.

The Goal- Minimally invasive surgery

Recovery - I have been told not to schedule anything from October 15 through November.

Treatment options for after surgery are being discussed, as noted in a recent post. Much will depend on the PET results on October 10 and how the surgery itself goes.

I am thankful for those of you who continue to pray. Please pray that my medical team and I will be able to discern together the best course of treatment after surgery.

I’m especially thankful for friends who, though eager to know these results themselves, have given me time and space, offering to “check the blog” instead of asking me to text them directly. A little bit of understanding right now is incredibly helpful.

And to end on a positive note, I am thankful for my friend - Rachel Dobrowolski. We were able to coordinate schedules between my two appointments, and spending time with her was refreshing and encouraging. To know Rachel is to love her.

Two years with Letrozole - June 2025

Two years ago I was wrestling with the question of whether or not to begin taking Letrozole. My May 2023 post-op pathology report had revealed the following:

Combining this information with the fact that I had my first surgery for GCT in 2019 and had already recurred less than 4 years later, going on Letrozole seemed to be the best course of action for my situation.

I was anxious about starting Letrozole, and so I began keeping a diary of sorts. That turned into several posts here on the blog, information I hope helps other women facing the same choice.

Despite the fact that my Inhibin A, Inhibin B and AMH are elevated, we have decided to continue with Letrozole for the time being. It is now a part of my daily routine, I don’t have any great adverse side effects, and we still believe the potential benefits are greater than any risks at this point, though I do question have effective it actually is for me since it would seem I am entering into another recurrence.

Asking for prayer

I never thought I’d be sharing this blog with my brother, but here we are as he starts his first day of chemotherapy today.

Please pray for him and his wife as he has a fairly intense schedule ahead, but one that his physician is hopeful will yield positive results.

“After four months of tests and diagnosis, the journey of 12 weeks of chemotherapy starts today, Monday. My oncologist is optimistic that this will knock it out.

Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers please.”

— Bobby

I just haven’t regained my stamina

This past week I saw an acquaintance I hadn’t seen in a while, and she shared with me that she had had abdominal surgery. I asked her how her recovery had gone and how she was feeling now, to which she replied: “I just haven’t regained my stamina.”

Those words resonated with me and summed up the way I’ve been feeling lately. I feel absolutely fine . . . but I am not the person I was before surgery in May 2023. I felt the same way after my initial surgery in 2019. I recovered quickly, I felt just fine, but I was never quite the same after that procedure.

I thought through that as I was run/walking around Wrightsville Beach yesterday morning.

I noticed groups of runners out together, a common sight on the weekends, and I thought back to the days when I ran every Saturday with friends. I remembered how easy 10 miles used to feel, how quickly a couple of hours on a Saturday morning could go by.

I have nothing to complain about these days. I’m thankful for the health I am currently enjoying, while always aware that the words “incurable” were spoken to me by my healthcare provider.

I go back to Duke November 13, and I am expecting a good report again. But, if I’m being transparent, I just haven’t regained my stamina.

And I miss it.