Chemo update

Hi again family and friends,
Just a quick note to let everyone know I've started weekly adriamycin.  We were hoping for insurance approval of Doxil, which is very similar, but in the end they just didn't approve it because adriamycin is cheaper.  Anyway, I've had three weekly doses so far and it is going okay.  I'm hoping we'll see my tumor markers come down.  We might still fight for Doxil since the side effects are lower (less chance of causing heart failure for starters), but also Doxil is given every three weeks versus weekly, which would be a huge benefit as you can imagine.  Anyway, I'll post more soon, just wanted to let everyone know the new chemo is started and so far, going okay.

Update

Dear friends and family,
It has been a while since I've posted an update.  My latest scan showed progression in my liver, so I'll be starting a chemo called Doxil as soon as we get insurance approval.  I've got mixed feelings, on one hand I am worn out from many months of taxotere/cytoxin, so I was ready to stop it from a quality of life perspective.  On the other hand, I'm getting low on treatment options and it is discouraging that my cancer is now resistant to yet another drug.  Dr. Rinn says I've got two mainline chemos left, Doxil and Ixempra.  Aside from those drugs, there might be possible experimental therapies via clinical trial.  She wants me to have a 2nd opinion at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance to see if they might have some in-house trials and also to get a fresh set of medical eyes on my case.

Doxil is similar to a drug I had years ago called adriamycin, but the side effects should be a little easier.  While my liver is worse, thankfully my brain looks stable, the latest scan showed improvement on all 11 lesions treated with gamma knife back in May.

In non-cancer news, we went on an absolutely amazing trip in August with our dear friends, Jason and Wendy, to Italy, Greece and Turkey.  I felt really great on the trip, I had an extra week off from chemo, which helped a lot as we walked a ton.  Here we are on a beach on some Greek Island.  :-)

Team Fancy Nancy - We did it!

Thank you to everyone for supporting Kate, Molly, and I as we ran the See Jane Run half marathon on July 12th.  It was incredibly touching to have Kate and Molly literally by my side for 13.1 miles and to cross the finish line with them, arms linked.  There is no way I could have done it without Kate and Molly, I am blessed beyond words to have such amazing sisters-in-law.  I love them both so much.  This was absolutely the highlight of my summer!!!

Thank you to everyone who supported our fund raising efforts, we raised $6,000 for Team Survivor Northwest!

At mile 8 on the University Bridge

Crossing the finish line!

Team Fancy Nancy

Dear family and friends, thanks again for checking in and continuing to follow the ups and downs.  From the last post, you might recall I was able to squeak onto a clinical trial for a newly approved oral medication.  Dr. Rinn was willing to give it a shot, even though it was a long shot, because I needed a break from chemo and the clinical trial was my only hope for ever getting to try this drug.  I was on the drug for about 2 months, but unfortunately my tumor markers continued to rise, so we knew it wasn't effective.  I had a scan and sure enough, additional tumors in my liver showed up along with some existing ones that had gotten larger.  Oh well, it was worth a shot, but now I'm back on the nasty chemo I was taking before (combo of Taxotere/Cytoxin).

In other news, you might recall they were keeping an eye on some spots in my brain, which all got larger, plus a few more popped up.  Yesterday, I had gamma knife (radiation) on a grand total of 11 lesions.  The procedure went fine and I feel remarkably well.

Backing up a bit, you might remember from my last post that I've started running again.  The break from chemo was exactly what I needed to get rolling on my goal of completing a half marathon.  Lucky for me, I've got lots of cheerleaders and support!!  My friend, Jennifer, plans to run with me in the Rock and Roll half marathon in about a month.  If that isn't enough, my two amazing sisters-in-law, Molly and Kate, have formed "Team Fancy Nancy" and for the See Jane Run half marathon in mid-July.  We've decided to do some fund raising for Team Survivor to celebrate the event.  You can make a donation and follow our progress at the Team Fancy Nancy website.  THANK YOU!!

SEE TEAM FANCY NANCY RUN!!

The latest

Dear family and friends, thanks as always for checking in.  Things are going pretty well, sorry it has been a while since I've posted an update.  Since my last post, I had several months of taxotere/cytoxin, which is a rough chemo combo and I was ready for a break.  Luckily, a new oral medication was recently FDA approved and I was able to squeak onto a clinical trial.  Side effects are mild and I'm relieved to have a little time off IV chemotherapy.  The new drug is called Palbociclib, which is given in combo with letrozole, a drug I've had in the past and to which my cancer is resistant.  Frankly, it is a long shot, but worth trying since I really needed a break.

As for my brain mets, my most recent cyberknife procedure worked well on the area they treated, however my latest scan in late January showed 5 new lesions.  The plan for now is watchful waiting, my next follow up scan is April 3rd.

In happier news, we had a great weekend with Jake's Uncle Jack and Aunt Lynne in Tucson a couple weekends ago. It was fun to spend time with them and take in the beauty of Tucson, plus the rodeo was in town, which was really fun.  I've also started doing some volunteer work, helping families at a transitional housing facility and I've started running again with the hope of finishing a half marathon this summer depending on how treatment is going.