The Definition of tumor marker is a biochemical indicator of cancer presence: a substance in the blood or urine that indicates, either specifically or by its high level, the presence of a malignant tumor in the body.
I am so happy to report that my tumor went from 67.7 to 49.7. In October it was 147. God is soooo good.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Nails Gone!
Hi yall!
Well a couple of posts ago I mentioned my nails were looking not so pretty and I was having issues with them. Because chemotherapy is very drying to your tissues, your nails can become brittle and yellow. Dry nails will break and crack easily. This is all due to one of the meds I'm on called Taxotere or Docetaxel or Taxol. So to date I have lost the top half of my fingernails on two fingers and it doesn't look so cute. I think I need to go find me one of those back scratchers, because with these nails I can't scratch a good itch. From what I have read the fingernails will recover and so will the toenails, it will just take them a bit longer. But that's okay, this too shall pass. Right? Have a wonderful blessed day!
Well a couple of posts ago I mentioned my nails were looking not so pretty and I was having issues with them. Because chemotherapy is very drying to your tissues, your nails can become brittle and yellow. Dry nails will break and crack easily. This is all due to one of the meds I'm on called Taxotere or Docetaxel or Taxol. So to date I have lost the top half of my fingernails on two fingers and it doesn't look so cute. I think I need to go find me one of those back scratchers, because with these nails I can't scratch a good itch. From what I have read the fingernails will recover and so will the toenails, it will just take them a bit longer. But that's okay, this too shall pass. Right? Have a wonderful blessed day!
Spring Surprise!
On Saturday morning I was in the kitchen about to cook breakfast and heard a knock at the door. I went to the door and there stood my Ponderosa Family once again with a big surprise. They were here to beautify my yard!!! And to see this is the way their kids spend their time on spring break to help and bless others, were amazing. They were very hard at work. They cleaned flowerbeds, planted flowers, palm trees, and beautified two areas in the yard with a truck load of flowers! They even scheduled a professional lawn crew to come cut, edge and trim. They did a great job also. When I look out my kitchen window I see all these beautiful flowers and that puts a big smile on my face. Thanks so much to the Wyndham's, Reed's, Ransom's and the Schmidt's. Here is a photo of some of their beautiful hard work. Enjoy!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Results
Hi yall! Today is a great day! Thanks for praying for me.
This past Tuesday was a long day. Sham and I arrived at MDA at 11:00 for my 11:20 visit to see Dr. Ibrahim. They called us right on back, surprisingly not a long wait at all. Guess he was anxious to deliver my good report he had for me. First of all I have this awesome nurse name Kris. She's a sweetie and she always encourage me to bring along my good luck charm, my sister...Shamarion. Yes she has earned that title, LOL. Anyway...my tumor marker numbers were stable this time around still hanging around the 60's. The Dr said that's nothing to be alarmed about as long as the numbers don't shoot up by ten points. The CT scan came out really good. No new areas were seen and my liver is looking good also. They did see some healing of lesions on my sternum which is good to know. Who knows all the lesions on my bones may all be gone one day. Let's pray about that too. The echo-cardiogram looks normal which is a good thing. One of the meds Herceptin sometimes affects the heart. I have been on that since the beginning and so far my heart still looks normal and is functioning well. I have a couple of nails that act like they want to lift, but are hanging on. The nurse said they looked really good, but not to me. She said she has seen worse. My feet are cracky, my skin is just really dry these days and the cold weather is not helping either. Well when it was time for my chemo, we didn't get so lucky to get right in. The IV team was backed up and the beds were all full, so we had to wait for a while for a room. Oh, I almost forgot...my magnesium was a little low, so Dr I put in orders to administer magnesium along with my chemo. Magnesium numbers should range from 1.8 to 2.6, mine was a little low hanging around 1.6. It was a 2 hour drip added to the already 3 hours of chemo and that took us to around 7 p.m. and we were home at around 8 p.m.
It's really weird how after my chemo I am in speed mode. It's the premed steroid that they give me before the chemo starts to help with side affects. Well yesterday I spent all day in the kitchen. For some reason I miss being in the kitchen. I miss chopping and stirring and whipping up stuff. So when I'm feeling like it, I go for it. So yesterday I whipped up this mexican dip with refried beans, avacados, sour cream, olives and cheese. I made enchiladas from a recipe I ran across in a magazine, I made my husband a pot of pinto beans and sausage which he has been wanting for a while. I baked cookies for the kids dessert. I didn't take a nap all day. I actually stayed up and finished my income taxes and before you know it, it was 2:30 in the morning. So I turned off the tv and the computer took a long 30 minute shower got in bed and I'm guessing I fell asleep around 3:30. Today the steroid affect is almost gone. I'm feeling a little sluggish and not much of an appetite. Assata is at home sick again today and I'm trying to stay upbeat for her to care for her. Hopefully she will feel better on tomorrow and she can head back to school.
Oh, almost forgot this bit of info...I did ask the question how much longer will I be on chemo. Well the answer I got was, "we will not put a number or time, just keep watching things as we go, it's important to keep the numbers from going up." The goal is for the numbers to be 35 or below. However, with my breast cancer being a Stage IV, I could always be on some type of medication for maintenance, being that it is labeled as a chronic disease. So let's pray that away too prayer warriors.
Thanks again and I will write to you soon. I will try to do better with updates. I know I'm a little slow.
Keep the prayers coming. Love yall!
This past Tuesday was a long day. Sham and I arrived at MDA at 11:00 for my 11:20 visit to see Dr. Ibrahim. They called us right on back, surprisingly not a long wait at all. Guess he was anxious to deliver my good report he had for me. First of all I have this awesome nurse name Kris. She's a sweetie and she always encourage me to bring along my good luck charm, my sister...Shamarion. Yes she has earned that title, LOL. Anyway...my tumor marker numbers were stable this time around still hanging around the 60's. The Dr said that's nothing to be alarmed about as long as the numbers don't shoot up by ten points. The CT scan came out really good. No new areas were seen and my liver is looking good also. They did see some healing of lesions on my sternum which is good to know. Who knows all the lesions on my bones may all be gone one day. Let's pray about that too. The echo-cardiogram looks normal which is a good thing. One of the meds Herceptin sometimes affects the heart. I have been on that since the beginning and so far my heart still looks normal and is functioning well. I have a couple of nails that act like they want to lift, but are hanging on. The nurse said they looked really good, but not to me. She said she has seen worse. My feet are cracky, my skin is just really dry these days and the cold weather is not helping either. Well when it was time for my chemo, we didn't get so lucky to get right in. The IV team was backed up and the beds were all full, so we had to wait for a while for a room. Oh, I almost forgot...my magnesium was a little low, so Dr I put in orders to administer magnesium along with my chemo. Magnesium numbers should range from 1.8 to 2.6, mine was a little low hanging around 1.6. It was a 2 hour drip added to the already 3 hours of chemo and that took us to around 7 p.m. and we were home at around 8 p.m.
It's really weird how after my chemo I am in speed mode. It's the premed steroid that they give me before the chemo starts to help with side affects. Well yesterday I spent all day in the kitchen. For some reason I miss being in the kitchen. I miss chopping and stirring and whipping up stuff. So when I'm feeling like it, I go for it. So yesterday I whipped up this mexican dip with refried beans, avacados, sour cream, olives and cheese. I made enchiladas from a recipe I ran across in a magazine, I made my husband a pot of pinto beans and sausage which he has been wanting for a while. I baked cookies for the kids dessert. I didn't take a nap all day. I actually stayed up and finished my income taxes and before you know it, it was 2:30 in the morning. So I turned off the tv and the computer took a long 30 minute shower got in bed and I'm guessing I fell asleep around 3:30. Today the steroid affect is almost gone. I'm feeling a little sluggish and not much of an appetite. Assata is at home sick again today and I'm trying to stay upbeat for her to care for her. Hopefully she will feel better on tomorrow and she can head back to school.
Oh, almost forgot this bit of info...I did ask the question how much longer will I be on chemo. Well the answer I got was, "we will not put a number or time, just keep watching things as we go, it's important to keep the numbers from going up." The goal is for the numbers to be 35 or below. However, with my breast cancer being a Stage IV, I could always be on some type of medication for maintenance, being that it is labeled as a chronic disease. So let's pray that away too prayer warriors.
Thanks again and I will write to you soon. I will try to do better with updates. I know I'm a little slow.
Keep the prayers coming. Love yall!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Coming up...round seven!
Hello everyone! Yes I know it's been a while. I've missed you! Round seven of chemotherpy is coming up on March 5. Echocardiogram, CT scan, xray, and blood work is scheduled for Friday March 1. Praying all scans produce good results. Since I last posted, my body has gone through a lot of changes. My hair is all gone, my nails are sensitive to touch and may be lifting soon and I may lose a couple...ouch! The doctor recommends soaking my nails in vinegar and water to help with the healing process...stinky!! My feet are darker and my toenails are looking funny and has this funny looking color. I'm expecting them to pop up and off too. So I will not be sporting sandals or flip flops anytime soon. Love my flip flops and will miss them dearly! I have lost 46 pounds which feels great to have off. Praying I'm able to maintain the pounds off when I'm all done. Some of you may be wondering when that will be. Well...me too. My tumor markers are still going downward according to the last vist. They started at 147 and they are now at 64. Dr Ibrahim say that our goal is to get to the thirties. So in a few days we will see where we are.
Before I go...I just have to say THANKS to those of you who have brought hot meals by, gifts, sent cards filled with encouraging words and funds to help us out as needed. And many thanks to my church family who watches over our children and encourage them when I'm not in attendance. Miss you all much! More thanks for the phone calls, emails and text messages of encouragement and visits that I receive from time to time. Thank God for family, friends, my church family and my neighborhood family. Love yall much and you are a blessing to us.
Before I go...I just have to say THANKS to those of you who have brought hot meals by, gifts, sent cards filled with encouraging words and funds to help us out as needed. And many thanks to my church family who watches over our children and encourage them when I'm not in attendance. Miss you all much! More thanks for the phone calls, emails and text messages of encouragement and visits that I receive from time to time. Thank God for family, friends, my church family and my neighborhood family. Love yall much and you are a blessing to us.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Gearing Up for Round Two
It's one week before my second round of chemotherapy and I'm fired up and ready to go! My energy level is up and I'm trying to get it all in.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Day Two After Chemo
Good morning friends and family!
Last night was good and I rested well. Today is going good. I'm experiencing a few hot flashes, but they are tolerable.
This morning, I got up and did my usual baking for my daily delivery and Frederick was the delivery guy for the day. Got the kids up and out. For breakfast I juiced a big glass of green juice and ate oatmeal, blueberries walnuts and cinnamon for breakfast. Yummy! I sure missed my butter and brown sugar LOL. Yep, I on a mission to cut out sugar.
Yesterday when I got home I found this package lying by my door. It was a book entitled Healing The Gerson Way. Thank you Gigi! So I'm about to curl up on the couch and read it. I truly think it's all about what we put into our bodies...even when that big fat juicy cheeseburger is calling your name...LOL. Veggie burgers are an option and you can make them taste just as good.
Until next time...
Last night was good and I rested well. Today is going good. I'm experiencing a few hot flashes, but they are tolerable.
This morning, I got up and did my usual baking for my daily delivery and Frederick was the delivery guy for the day. Got the kids up and out. For breakfast I juiced a big glass of green juice and ate oatmeal, blueberries walnuts and cinnamon for breakfast. Yummy! I sure missed my butter and brown sugar LOL. Yep, I on a mission to cut out sugar.
Yesterday when I got home I found this package lying by my door. It was a book entitled Healing The Gerson Way. Thank you Gigi! So I'm about to curl up on the couch and read it. I truly think it's all about what we put into our bodies...even when that big fat juicy cheeseburger is calling your name...LOL. Veggie burgers are an option and you can make them taste just as good.
Until next time...
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