Tag: chemotherapy

Poking my Head out from the Cave Again

July 24, 2025 will be the sixth anniversary of my Metastatic Breast Cancer diagnosis. July 10, 2019 was the day I found the lump. The days in between that and the horrible diagnosis are etched in my memory. July is a difficult month for me. I have not felt like blogging for a long time. This is what my body has been through so far:

Treatments: 102

Gamma Knife Procedure: 3

Brain Radiation SRS: 5 rounds

Adrenal Gland Radiation: 5 rounds

Shoulder Radiation: 1 round

Spine Surgery: 1

LITT to remove a brain tumor: 1

Brain MRIs: 17

Whole Body Bone Scans: 14

Chest/Ab/Pelvic CT Scans: 19

Echocardiograms: 9

Heart MRIs: 9

Breast MRI: 1

Complete Spinal MRI: 1

Thoracentesis to drain fluid from my lung: 2

Hospitalizations: three

This was a photo from treatment 102. Next Tuesday, July 22, will be #103. It has been a whole year since I had a new brain tumor – a record for me. Along with my infusions every 3 weeks, I take 2 oral chemo pills morning and night. They are not kind to my digestive system, but they are manageable, especially since it seems to be working. I am an ambassador for #LightUpMBC again. We raise money for Metavivor for metastatic breast cancer research. This is even more important now that the controlling political party has slashed billions from cancer research through the NIH with the support of every voter who helped to elect them. My fundraising page can be found here:

https://donate.metavivor.org/fundraiser/555408

I am grateful for those of you who have reached out to me while my blog was on hiatus. It means a lot to me. The painted rocks seen in photo at the top of this blog were a special gift from 3 people who know just how to add smiles to my day. Some of you even keep up with my treatment days (still every 3 weeks and still on Tuesdays). A little text or email to let me know you are thinking of me really brightens up those days. I am really tired of dealing with Stage IV cancer every day. Grief over that and missing my mom seep into all aspects of my life. Most days I still have the urge to pick up the phone and call Mom, to share something exciting or something that scares me. I carry her with me in my heart always. I appreciate any shares of this site, as I am still taking a huge step back from social media. You can also sign up to receive new blog posts via email.

I leave you with my new mantra: You don’t have to like it or want it or approve of it. Simply allow it to be there – because it already is.

I Hate Capecitabine So it Better Work

I am still battling Hand Foot Syndrome (HFS). My oncologist told me to take a week off Capecitabine and then restart at a lower dose. At the one week mark, my symptoms were still bad, so I was told to wait another week. That was Wednesday. My symptoms were still troubling but somewhat tolerable and I know I need this drug, so I started back. The HFS started becoming worse again Thursday evening. My toes really hurt today and I have another finger with a deep crack in it. I am determined to take it until next Wednesday (11/13) I have treatment 91 and the chemo infusion nurses will send my symptoms to my oncologist for review. But, of course, that will be the day I begin a glorious week OFF capecitabine. I am really struggling emotionally with the foot pain and not being able to walk for extended periods of time. Walking is so good for my physical and mental health and I miss it. I could not play the piano for church last week but should be able to get through it this Sunday. I’ve practiced most days this week and it is good to spend time thinking and praying through music.

December 2 will be a long day at Barnes. I have a brain MRI at 8 am and see my radiation oncologist for the preliminary results a couple hours later. It is wonderful that they do not make me wait long. Then I see my oncologist and have treatment 92. Dave and I will be at Barnes (main campus) from 7:30 am until around 4:00. So we will leave home around 3:30 am and get back home to the farm around 8:00 pm. We try to get things scheduled like this (in one long day) to save gas money and to avoid hotel expenses. It gets difficult, but driving up the lane as we get home is such an amazing feeling. For me, there is no place like home. In September I had my first clear brain scan since 2020. Here’s hoping for the second one in December.