This blog post has been hard for me to write. I have been struggling with it for four days now. I guess because once this is posted it makes it all VERY real. This is how we have chosen to keep those who are interested informed of my treatments, how I am doing and how you can pray for us. This has not been easy on my family as we have been through a lot this fall (a different family crisis) and adding another stress, somedays just feels like too much. We are all hanging in there and remaining positive. This is all we can do right now. We will get thru this. So here is what we know at this point.
On December 6th I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. On December 7th I met with my GYN oncologist, who concurred with the original diagnosis. On December 19th my PET/CT scan showed metastasis to my lymph nodes (pelvic & along the spine in my abdomen), bones (sacrum, left ischium & right pubic), and my liver (I think 2-3 spots).
For now I am seeking treatment at Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte. The doctors, physician assistants and all staff that I have come in contact with have been some of the most kind humans I have ever met. They truly have made this difficult time a little more bearable.
Tomorrow I start my first of ten radiation treatments to the pelvic area. As long as nothing changes I am set to finish this on January 10th. They said that the most common symptom of this will be tiredness. In the last week I have been really tired. Most nights I fall asleep on the couch about 7:30, so this should be interesting.
After the radiation treatments I will be sent for chemo therapy. For those who want to know there will be 3 chemo drugs given via IV (Paclitaxel, Carboplatin, Avastin). They want to add an immunotherapy drug (Keytruda) also but I need to pass a pathology test first that will show that my body will accept the drug. They will administer this cocktail once every 3 weeks. I do not have a start date for chemo yet and have no idea right now how many are planned.
We haven't been made aware of a lot of the extended treatment details as they have just been pushing me through all the different departments ASAP. It has been a whirlwind of appointments over the last two weeks.
Besides all this I have incorporated more targeted nutrition and supplements that help fight cancer. We will be looking into some other natural therapies to help support me through chemo when the time comes.
How you can pray for us:
- that pathology test will show that my body will accept the immunotherapy
- that we can remain positive through this challenge
- my God is a big God full of miracles - complete healing
My plan is to keep you all updated here on my blog as things change. If I am unable I will have Devin post. Thank you to all my family and friends for keeping us in your prayers during this difficult time. We are extremely grateful for all of you.
