Weekend News

Actually, there isn't much to report. Just continuing to clean and organize in the house. I finished filing away my papers; I cleaned out about four years of Eddie's school and art work and only kept the best; organized the storage under his loft bed more; figured out what pictures to hang on my walls and which on Eddie's, etc.

Yesterday, I had more pain under that left armpit, where the swollen lymph nodes are. Any time I raised my arm up or out, it seems like it would pull on whatever tissue fibers are there and I'd feel a sharp pain that went up the back of my arm a bit. That pain now seems worse than what's going on the right rib area. I also seem to have a bit more lower back pain - and whether that's due to having to sleep on my back more or this new chair that I sit in in the living room or whether it's all the slouching on the floor as I go through papers . .. probably a combination of all three.

I had a good night's sleep last night, though, and things don't ache as much today as yesterday. I'm still not sure what my plan is for the day - need to finish hanging a couple of pictures and lord knows I should work on my fellowship application. I really want to go look around at furniture stores to come up with a solution for Eddie's loft bed. We'll see what I come up with!

I'll pick up Eddie later today. I wanted him to stay with me tonight because I will be accepting the Phyllis Lee Award tomorrow at OSU, during the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Breakfast. I'll write some more about it tomorrow. I just wanted Eddie to see me receiving this award - my folks and my brother will also attend. Happy Sunday everyone!

CT Scan Results

My doc called me with the CT scan results yesterday. It was as I expected: the three tumors in my left lung are still there and they have grown over the past six months. The largest grew from 2.0 to 2.5 cm. That's 0.5 cm in six months. Compare it to 1.0 cm in the three months before that (that same tumor went from 1.0 to 2.0 cm in three months). So, Tykerb plus Femara (or whatever combination it was) slowed the growth down, but didn't stop it.

The lymph nodes under the left arm pit have sorta grown together into a 5cm mass. That will hopefully disappear with the new treatment. Other lymph nodes around the lungs (under my breast bone, near my aorta, and in my pelvic region) have also grown.

On the right side, there are four ribs, behind the breast tissue and back, that have extra calcium deposits that are indicative of healing. We don't know how long ago they were broken or how long they've been healing. (Note, the last time I noted healing ribs in Fall 2008, there were only three ribs involved, so apparently, another rib fractured.) The little nodule I felt under my RIGHT arm pit, near the breast tissue, might be scar tissue, but my doctor feels that it's probably a little "nest" of cancer cells.

For now, all of them will be treated with whatever combination of drugs we decide on.

My doctor also gave me the contact info for the UW folks - it's the Her-2 Study Group. They may accept me as a patient - and maybe even harvest some of my t-lymphocytes to create a vaccine to help stimulate my immune system to attack the cancer. I'll contact them on Monday.

In the meantime, my folks and brother are continuing to move things into the house. My brother is all moved in. We rented a U-Haul and got most of mom and dad's big stuff. I cleaned out my files . . . and have almost put all of them away. So, things are progressing slowly but surely. Whew! Yay!

Back to Work - Kicking and Screaming

Although I am back at work - and was feeling kinda ready to jump back into it - I am finding it hard to be here! Today, even though I got almost eight hours sleep (with a good 4 hour uninterrupted time in there), I'm tired! I think it's back to going to sleep around 10:30 or 11pm and getting up at 6:45am - which is way too early in my opinion!

I also have several applications to write and while they are moving forward, slowly but surely, my attention isn't really on them.

I think it's because my house is still unorganized. Eddie's room is almost completed, but I still have piles of files in my room. I can't imagine my parent's house, though. I think their place must be more discombobulated than mine.

It's a lot of work, moving is.

I am thankful, however, that I'm not teaching this term. I managed to buy myself out of both of my classes - I need to continue my interviews with Yup'ik elders and I will also be doing a little study on cancer blogs.

My right ribs continue to be tender - guess I'll call Dr. K and see about maybe getting an x-ray or something.

Remember that book I read a couple of months ago, "The Unmistakable Touch of Grace"? Well, the latest message I seem to be getting is to somehow unify or balance those energies or forces that are seemingly opposites in my life. A friend of mine said something to that effect in a message to me recently; the Deepak Chopra book I'm reading "Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul" said something about it; and then, last night, when I randomly flipped to a page in this large mandala/meditation book I got on sale at Borders, the mandala depicted and the explanation discussed both Hindu and Buddhist teachings about the "illusion of separation between opposite forces" such as male/female, matter/spirit, etc., and how they are not really separate, but exist simultaneously. Or something like that. My lesson is to learn how to incorporate or open myself up more to my spirit or soul and not just rely on the physical part of healing. Still working on how to articulate it - well, maybe I don't really need to articulate it as there are some things in this world that can't be articulated.

Whew. Philosophy in the morning. Now on to things more practical, like an article review!

Tumor Marker Results and Blast From the Past

I received my tumor marker numbers yesterday - my treatment was Mondayday. The CEA was up to 13.2 (from 10.5 last month) and the CA15-3 was down to 37.5 (from 38.5 last month). Anything less than 3.8 is normal for the CEA and anything less than 33 is good for the CA15-3.

CEA
1/2008 - 1.2 ng/mL
3/2008 - 0.9 ng/mL
6/2008 - 1.0 ng/mL
8/2008 - 1.1 ng/mL (need to double check this number, but it was in that 0.9 to 1.2 range)
9/2008 - 0.5 ng/mL
10/2008 - 0.9 ng/mL
10/31/2008 - 1.2 ng/mL
11/28/2008 - 1.2 ng/mL
12/30/2008 - 1.1 ng/mL
3/2/2009 - 1.4 ng/mL
4/8/2009 - 1.6 ng/mL
5/5/2009 - 1.9 ng/mL
6/4/2009 - 3.0 ng/mL
7/2/2009 - 3.7 ng/mL
8/3/2009 - 4.2 ng/mL
8/31/2009 - 5.1 ng/mL
10/2/2009 - 5.7 ng/mL (or was it 5.8?)
11/2/2009 - 7.6 ng/mL
11/30/2009 - 10.5 ng/mL
12/28/2009 - 13.2 ng/mL

And, here's the CA15-3.

Sept 2007 - 23 U/mL
Jan 2008 - 31 U/mL
Mar 2008 - 36 U/mL
June 2008 - 23 U/mL (started radiation that month)
Aug 2008 - 18 U/mL (week of August 4th)
Sept 2008 - 14.5 U/mL YAAAAAAY!!!
Oct 1 2008 - 19.6 U/mL
Oct 31 2008 - 15.3 U/mL
Nov 28 2008 - 19.5 U/mL
Dec 30 2008 - 16.0 U/mL
Jan 22 2009 - 15.4 U/mL
Mar 2 2009 - 17.8 U/mL
Apr 8 2009 - 19.6 U/mL
May 5 2009 - 18.4 U/mL
June 4 2009 - 19.7 U/mL
July 2 2009 - 22.1 U/mL
Aug 3 2009 - 29.7 U/mL
August 31 2009 - 31.9 U/mL
Oct 3 2009 - 38.7 U/mL
Nov 2 2009 - 36.4 U/mL
Nov 30 2009 - 38.5 U/mL
Dec 28 2009 - 37.5 U/mL

This is the fourth month that the CA15-3 has hovered in the same range - a good thing, I guess. The CEA, though, continues to rise slowly. When I asked Dr. K how he interpreted this a couple of weeks ago, his reply was, "it means that these numbers aren't really telling us anything". Sigh. I knew that, though.

In the meantime, the lymph nodes in my left armpit seem to be either getting a bit bigger or at least not getting smaller. It feels like I have a small egg under there. When I saw Dr. K a couple of weeks ago, he felt that between the tumor markers not going down and the swollen lymph nodes, it probably means that the current regimen (Tykerb and Femara) isn't doing the trick, so he was going to look into what my next option would be. We'll talk about that when I see him in two weeks.

Also, last week, as I felt around my right ribs where they are sore, I felt a small nodule, about the size of a grape, under the skin and under my right arm, just outside the reconstructed breast (the TRAM flap side). I showed it to the nurse the other day and she said she was going to call Dr. K and let him know. I'm going to call him today and see what he feels we should do. It could be a new tumor. Or, it could be calcifications from fractured ribs. It's not tender - not like the ribs - it's just there.

In the meantime, I had a nice long visit with Lisa, one of my first friends when we moved to Prineville when I was ten. I hadn't seen her since high school - we figured it had been at least 28 years since we last seen each other. We had a good visit - got caught up on where our lives were/are and then started chatting about where this person was or what happened to that person. It was fun and interesting . . . it was great to reconnect and I'm sure we'll see each other again. Gotta love Facebook!

Also, things are moving along with my family's move into my house. We've had discussions about what we're keeping and what we're getting rid of, etc. It's been kinda fun because we're reimagining how to use the space. Change is good. It's like the house is getting a bit of a facelift!

Rib pain continues - off and on

I really wish I knew what was going on with those ribs - by evening last night, they were painful again. There's some tender spots right on the lower, lateral part of the right ribs, beginning just under the reconstructed breast and extending under the arm and around to my back. I didn't wear Under Armor yesterday - just a camisole. It feels better this morning - I wore Under Armor to bed and also did qigong to try to loosen things up. My plan is to take an Epsom salt bath this morning . . . if nothing else, those Epsom salts seem to relieve any achiness in my joints. My leg muscles - the calves and lower hamstrings - have been achey, too. I really need to get into a regular streching routine . . .

What's up for today? Decluttering, finishing up a beadwork project, making up rhymes for a treasure hunt for the kiddos, and then taking Eddie to Wacky Bounce with his classmate.

Eddie just asked me what we were doing today - and other than going to Wacky Bounce, he said that he was more than happy to stay home because "Mario Kart Double Dash will keep me focused". He just got a new game he can play on the wii - an early Christmas present. He's really become a Mario Kart officionado. He has almost all the games, I think, from the virtual console version of the original games to the wii. He also likes Mario Bros and Donkey Kong. My own brothers had a Nintendo years ago - they played Mario Bros for hours. For me, that whole franchise dropped off the radar until Eddie got interested in them this year. It's been fun seeing how the games have evolved through the years.

Well, have a great day everyone!

Earache's gone, but now ...

I have diarrhea and my sore ribs are aching more.

Not sure what's causing the diarrhea - it is a side effect of Tykerb and I was off of it for three days while I waited for my doctor, the pharmacy, and insurance to do what it is they do best. I started taking it again on Sunday, so perhaps my body is adjusting to it again.

My sore ribs, though, may indicate a fracture. The slight pain has been increasing - deep breaths hurt and last night, I experienced pain as I tried to roll over on my side.

My doctor or my physician's assistant noted that when bones are radiated (and my ribs on the right side have been radiated twice), it changes the architecture of the bones and sometimes, they can spontaneously fracture. I didn't really do anything strenous lately and I haven't fallen on them. I have tried to sleep on that right side more since I have swollen lymph nodes under my right arm and they get uncomfortable when I sleep on that side. It's one of those cases where I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't when I try to sleep. A few weeks ago, I may have overreached once when I played v-ball, but if that's the case, then why have I been experiencing more pain in the last week?

I know there isn't much to do with broken or fractured ribs. They just need time to heal. I am, however, thinking about asking my doctor if I should get an x-ray.

I was feeling sorry for myself, but my cousin expressed sympathy for me, King Island-style, on Facebook a minute or two ago and my mood kinda lifted. Amazing how that kind of support can make you feel.

I also finished this introductory chapter for a book proposal today. That feels good.

Tonight, I'm would like to get my Christmas cards ready to send out.

P.S. Eddie had a bit of diarrhea, too, which suggests that he and I were around something or ate something that would cause both of us to get it. We made cookies at my sister's house on Sunday - something we ate? That would've affected us sooner, so maybe some little bug over there? Who knows? I'm feeling better today. And, I got my cards ready to go. Eddie has a Christmas worship service tonight so while his stomach isn't quite 100%, he's still going to try to go to school so he can go to the program tonight.