Game Plan and Second Opinion

 First of all, I want to thank you all for the love, support, but most of all the prayers during our cancer journey. It is a daunting task at times but I have a lot of love and support to help me and crazy kids to keep my smiling!

One song that has really helped me and has kept me focused on God and His plan for me has been by Hope Darst - Peace Be Still. 

I don't wanna be afraid

Every time I face the waves

I don't wanna be afraid

I don't wanna be afraid

And I don't wanna fear the storm

Just because I hear it roar

I don't wanna fear the storm

I don't wanna fear the storm

Peace be still

Say the word and I will

Set my feet upon the sea

'Til I'm dancing in the deep

Peace be still

You are here so it is well

Even when my eyes can't see

I will trust the voice that speaks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsIpGiz3SfQ

It is true, I don't want to be afraid every time I face cancer but I am human and fear sneaks in. It isn't easy, it hurts- emotionally and physically but I know there are blessings in trusting in God and listening to Him. 

To update everyone, I had my PET scan and Dr. Skinner called with the results and Wil and I went in to see them and go over treatment plans. The PET did reveal that the spots that were seen on the CT were "hot" which means cancer (in the picture below it is the round very bright spot). The great news is that the PET didn't reveal more disease than what was expected from the CT. I have had some people ask me if it is still ovarian cancer since I don't have my ovaries (and haven't had them since 2012). The answer is yes, still the same cancer that keeps coming back. 

Wil and I have prayed diligently about the treatment options that were presented to us. We decided to go with the oral chemo drug but to start it after our family vacation mid-September. I have to get an eye exam, Echocardiogram (ultrasound of my heart), labs, and chemo teaching done before I am to start the medication. One of the praises is that insurance has already approved the med, so we are good to go on that front. Wil and I go in on 9/2 for the chemo teaching and the labs, awaiting insurance approval for the echo. 

We also decided it was time to get a second opinion. We see this not that we don't trust our oncologist because we most certainly do, but just as gathering more information. It is possible to get other treatment options (for now or in the future) or that we end up with the same exact treatment plan we are already pursing. 

Thank you to Jim Condon, one of our family friends, for pulling some strings for us at Johns Hopkins. Wil and I will be going up there the beginning of October to be seen in person. One of the people that helped set this up was named Lisa. Another God moment happened when she called me to get my details, and asked about my (919) area code number. I've had the same cell number since high school and told her I grew up in the Raleigh area. Lisa told me that she is from PA but went to college in Winston-Salem. So we got to talk about Dewey's Moravian cookies and sugar cake. She also said that it was a nice change of pace to have such polite people to talk to when we kept saying "yes ma'am and no ma'am." 

Athena's Run for GYN cancers has been a great event we have participated in for the last 8 years. Due to COVID, there will be no actual run this year but they are still raising money. This money goes towards research, funds special projects for the local GYN cancer support group that I have been part of since my diagnosis, and much more! Please consider "adopting" a flamingo to flock the yard at my cancer center and help in the fight against this terrible disease. 

https://www.athenasrun-ws.org/

Life doesn't stop just because you have cancer. I still work full time, I am running (having to start back slowly after my stress fracture), spending time with family, and enjoying the life God has given me. 

Right after a run

Story time with Daddy

More than anything, we love having prayer warriors out there. Here are requests and praises: 

1. Prayers for continued wisdom and guidance as we start this next treatment. 

2. Prayers for minimal/manageable side effects from the medication.

3. Pray that the drug is effect and works quickly. 

4. Praise for getting second opinion scheduled. 

5. Praise that the new chemo drug was approved by insurance.

6. Praise the PET results were consistent with the CT and no further disease was seen.  

Whack-a-mole Round 4

 First of all, I totally dropped the ball on updating my blog after surgery. My main issue that plagued me since surgery was diarrhea. It was all just caused from the surgical changes. After seeing my GI doctor, it has evened out with medication. 

I had a routine CT, labs, and physical exam back in March/April. Everything looked good then, including the new cancer marker, HE4. Before surgery with known tumors it was 68.7. In April, it was down to 49.5. The end of June is when it changed and starting increasing. It bumped up to 54.7 so made the plan to check it again in four weeks. 

We hit our knees praying that the blood test would show it decreasing, but our want was not God’s will. It increased again and up to 60.5. So Dr. Skinner ordered a CT scan and Wil and I went in this last Thursday for the results. Unfortunately, my cancer is back. There are three spots that were seen on the CT. The game plan is to get a PET scan to verify what we already know is there and see if anything shows up. 

The good news in this is that the treatment plan does not include surgery at this point. Also, the blood marker works so we can monitor my cancer better. There has been so much research and new treatment options for my exact type of ovarian cancer done in the last 8 years since this journey began. 

The way that my cancer works is that like playing whack-a-mole. It will be something that I will always deal with on this Earth. When that dang mole pops up, we whack it back down with a new treatment. I have stopped the Letrozole oral medication and we were given other treatment options to consider while we wait for the PET scan. 

Our prayer requests as “beast mode is activated” (my cancer sister Erin told me this one):

1. Praises for the research development on low grade ovarian cancer treatments. 

2. For the PET results not to show anything other than what was seen on the CT scan. 

3. For us to see the blessings in the brokenness. 

4. For wisdom and guidance as we consider the treatment options. 

5. Most of all, for God to be glorified in my cancer journey. 

IV for the CT scan

Contrast for CT scan, Bottoms up!

The largest of the three tumors on the CT scan.