An Bulleted Update of Sorts

Lots has happened since I last posted. Goodness, I can't even remember where I left off. I better go check that first.

• I got to go on a chemo break for the holidays starting in November.
• I got these horrible shots that caused me to have a lot of joint and bone pain.
  
• It was almost as hard as the chemo.
  
• We moved to Kentucky in January.
• The day we packed our truck, I found out that my scans showed progression.
• That was a super hard day, but we got through it.
• Once we got to Kentucky, I saw my new doctor the day we were moving in.
• I really, really liked him. He was very knowledgeable, really treated me with respect as to my medical knowledge, and had a lot of good insight.
• Dr. Stevens decided to start me on Ixempra, a very hard-hitting chemo.
• It hasn't been as Icky as all the stories that I have heard, but the side-effects have built up.
• I have a TON more fatigue on it. I basically am in bed for a week after chemo.
  
• Then I am slow-moving for the first part of the second week.
  
• The nausea is a bit more with this one than any other drugs I have had.
  
• The meds I take for that work, but it is still "icky".
  
• I still have a lot of pain.
  
• The pain meds work part of the time, but they have their own side effects.
  
• The first round of this chemo, I did feel better right away--better than I had before I started it.
  
• The scan that I had at the first of this month showed that Icky is working well.
  
• I had significant improvement: all the tumors in my liver are smaller and the number of them are greatly decreased.
  
• The tumors I have are all small, but they are just kind of diffuse throughout.
  
• My liver continues to function as normal.
  
• Bone involvement seems to be stable.
  
• It is hard to tell the difference between healing and the tumors in your bones on a CT scan.
• I have them in my ribs, spine, and pelvic bones.
• So far they do not cause me any pain as far as I can tell.
• The plan is to continue Icky until the side effects become too much.
  
• I hope to be able to take another good break with some other kind of drug.
  
• I also found out that the shot I received over the holidays was not given to me correctly, so that could possibly still work for me if given correctly.
  
• I am looking into getting into a clinical trial after completing this chemo.
  
• This may involve some trips to other cancer centers. The main one I am interested in is the National Cancer Institute in Maryland.
  
• I have visited another oncologist who is willing to help me and work along side my current doc. He said he will help me find clinical trials.
• I would really like to get into something with immunotherapy/vaccine type trial.
• These have shown to work well and can really slow down the growth and activity of the cancer by using your own body's defenses against it.

So sorry for the obnoxious bullets, but I wanted to get an update out there quickly. Feel free to post any questions in the comments. I am free for all with the info. Well, to an extent!! Ha, ha!

Other than that, life is good, really, really good. It has been amazing being here in Kentucky with my family. The amount of support and help that they give us could never be replicated anywhere. There is just nothing like it. It has relieved so much stress on our family. You can't even imagine. Josh and I have had so much more time and ability to re-connect with each other. Just the lessening of the stress of carrying the burdens alone has allowed that to happen, not to mention all the dates and weekends we have been able to spend together. Dealing with the emotional side of having cancer is very difficult, but we are working through that together daily, and trying to make it together. Living with cancer is not easy at all either, but I am blessed to be able to have such a wonderful support around me to help us get through it. I am able to focus on treatments and enjoying life when I am feeling well, due to the help we now receive. The main thing is that the good days far outweigh the bad days. Life is a beautiful thing. Make the most of it as much as you can!!