MRI, Cold Capping, and Chemo

The results of the MRI of my head yielded normal results. 🙌

My hair, though thinner and wilder, is still holding on. 🙌

I feel much better than I did last week. 🙌

We're on track for Round 4 on June 8. 🙌

Chemo Round 3. Day 5. May 22.

Persistent nausea did not win today.

And… another positive test result.

Chemo Round 3. Day 4.

Today was better overall, and I'm hopeful tomorrow will be even better

Today's low. My hair is shedding heavily.

Today's high? Time with Clara.

Chemo Round 3. Day 3.

Today has been pretty awful with nausea and fatigue. I went down to the beach this morning but had to cut my walk short due to tummy issues.

I've been in bed all day. I guess this is what Dr. Robinson meant by the effects of the chemo would be cumulative.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

In good news today, Inhibin A and B are both slightly down for the first time since starting treatment. Maybe it's working!

Chemo Round 3. Day 2.

Today was fairly uneventful.

I did make it to the beach this morning and walked about 3 miles. Running is getting more difficult, probably due to my low RBC.

I was able to go to Trader Joe's, Harris Teeter, and Whole Foods to get some groceries, and I enjoyed my lunch, despite the nausea.

I did get a rash from the steroids again, so I look like I have a sunburn.

This afternoon I had a post-chemo massage at the Zimmer Cancer Center.

I've rested a lot today, so this has been my view.

Jared and Rachel came over for dinner tonight. That was the highlight of my day.

Chemo Round 3. Day 1. May 18.

Today my lab appointment was at 7 am. I saw Dr. Robinson and Tiffany between 8 and 8:30, and my infusion started about 8:45. My day ended before 7 pm when Crystal removed the final cap.

For the first time, I was able to nap, and I napped hard for about 2.5 hours, stirring only when the cold caps were changed every 25 minutes.

Surprise of the day? I got a private room! It was a luck of the draw thing, and it was wonderful. I am sure that contributed to my ability to nap and relax, despite it all. Thank you, Jesus, for small blessings.

Jared brought lunch and came back to the house with me and Crystal when we finished at Zimmer a little before 2. Vince Rogers came to visit for a couple of hours late this afternoon, so between their visits and the nap, a very long day was made so much more bearable.

I am dealing with substantial nausea today, as well as pronounced food aversions, but overall I’m still feeling strong and hope to go to the beach in the morning.

This was the last cap of the day. It felt so good to take it off!

I saw this today for the first time, and it summarizes my outlook as I continue to “get busy living” between these days I would never have chosen for myself.

Chemo Round 2. Cold Capping.

My next round of chemo is on Monday, if all goes as planned. My hair has stayed healthy through this cycle, but the last few days I have been shedding excessively. The bald places around my ears are prominent, and my hair is thinner overall, but I do not believe anyone would look at me and know that.

This whole air dry, no brushing thing has led to curly waves I never knew I had. Then there are the “I haven’t washed my hair is almost a week” days when my hair is as straight as it’s ever been.

We will see what Round 3 brings.

Chemo. Round 2. Week Three. Monday.

I had my scheduled labs and visit with Dr. Robinson this morning. Here's what I learned.

1. Dr. Robinson has been in communication with Dr. Rossi.

2. My ANC is a bit low, but looking at past trends, the Zimmer team believes it will be high enough by next week for me to have chemo on Monday, May 18.

4. The only thing concerning with the blood work was liver function. Last week's results were not an anomaly. I do have impaired liver function, with Alkaline Phosphatase trending up further (335 U/L) since last week while ALT and AST, though elevated, remained consistent.

5. My RBC and WBC are low, but not critically so.

And there's one more thing. I stumbled getting onto the scale this morning, and the nurse saw it. I hadn't really thought about it, but I stumbled twice last week, once when turning to the side and once when looking up. As this became a topic of conversation at the doctor's office this morning, I had to admit I've stumbled quite a few times recently. Why is this? To be safe, Dr. Robinson has ordered an MRI of my head. The MRI has been scheduled for May 28 at 5:45 pm.

I had a telehealth visit with Dr. Rossi this afternoon. It’s been a while since we spoke, and I realized how much I have missed her. Some hightlights of our discussion:

1. I affirmed to her that the enlarged lymph node noted on the recent CT is getting smaller. She would like to make the same assumption about the rest of the disease we saw on the scan.

2. She agreed with Dr. Robinson in that it is unlikely the metastasized cancer is compromising my liver function. But the question is: What is having this effect? She will have Dr. Zani take another look at the scan and offer his insight. Further, Taxol is metabolized by the liver, so Dr. Rossi will talk to the clinical pharmacist at Duke to see if she can offer any insight.

3. Dr. Hillman, Dr. Rossi and Dr. Robinson all agree. As long as we’re seeing response and my body can tolerate chemotherapy, we should continue getting this systemic therapy into my body as it’s the best way to combat widespread metastasis.

4. If I need further intervention, immunotherapy might be our next option, though it might prove difficult to get it approved by insurance, but we will deal with that when the time comes.

5. Dr. Rossi wants me to complete a minimum of 6 cycles, and she wants me to be open to the idea of more cycles if we’re seeing success on scans but after 6 cycles there is still cancer.

In other news . . . Dr. Rossi noticed my hair while we were on the call. And yes! My hair is still holding on! Dr. Rossi said, “You’re a case study!”

It’s hard to just let my hair be and not wash it often and not style it at all, but (so far) the tradeoff has been worth it. I am thankful.

The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.

Psalm 145:13