March 26, 2007
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The Chemo Visit
Today, I met with my medical oncologist to discuss the next steps in chemotherapy.
There are a lot of decisions that need to be made, and while I appreciate that all of you will have opinions, know that in the end, the decision has to be my own, and if I make a decision differently than you would have, please support me anyway.
Dr. H is asking the hospital where I had my surgery to take a new look at the cancerous mass that they removed. If the cells have hormone receptors on the surface, his suggestion is that I start immediately on Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is a drug normally given for breast cancer, but if my cancer is hormone fed, then we need to block the hormone receptors. This would cause the cancer cells to be incapable of growing, and in some cases kill the cells all together.
If my cancer cells have hormone receptors, this is my choice of therapies.
However, if the cells do not have hormone receptors, meaning that the cells are not fed by hormones, then I have a major decision to make.
We could go ahead and do chemotherapy, but there is no guarantee that it would work. Chemotherapy is not going to cure my cancer. Like Elizabeth Edwards, my cancer is treatable, but not curable. There is metastatic disease in my hip bone, which is contributing to the pain I feel walking.
Dr. H's recommendation is that we wait. In 2 or 3 months, we do another CT scan. We see if the cancer has grown any. Then we make a decision again to do Chemo or not to do Chemo. If it has not grown, his recommendation is that we wait.
The chemo that he would be using on me is very tough. It would be a combination of Taxol and Carboplatin. He believes that my quality of life would be so drastically negatively affected that it would not be worth it until we have no other choice. The choice, however, is mine, and if I want to go ahead and try three rounds of chemo and then do another CT, I can do that. He will completely support any decision that I make.
He believes that I might live years before the cancer grows again. That perhaps radiation and chemo knocked it out enough to send it into remission. There is a difference between remission and cured, however.
Remission is the state of absence of disease activity in patients with known chronic illness. It is commonly used to refer to absence of active cancer.
Cure means that there is no more cancer period in my body.
I have the option of getting another opinion, but I believe that the docs in the cancer center are a great team and that they work well together. I trust that they're doing what's best for me. Dr. H said that I'm looking better and getting stronger. That my color is good, my weight is good, and that he really doesn't want to make me sick again with no guarantee of a positive result.
So, if you could be praying over my decision making process, I would be most appreciative. That God would make it ultimately clear what the best road is.
Also, pray for my sweet girls. They took off for Mexico yesterday, and were both so excited. I hope that they have an amazingly wonderful trip!
Comments (18)
Praying for you!
{{{Evie}}} You're still in my prayers!
May you feel the arms of God around you as you wrestle with this issue. And may your girlies be having the time of their life! ((Hugs))
I can't begin to offer any opinion on this, Evie. Just gonna pray for strength and wisdom for you so you know what God means for you to do.
((Evie)) hugs and prayers for guidance. Whatever you choose to do it will be the right thing for you and your family. Hope the girls have an awesome time.
Praying for wisdom and discernment for you and Paul to make the best decision for you. Love you my friend! {{Evie}}
Good luck with whatever decision you make. Trust in your team of doctors is important.
Definitely a lot to think about, Evie. You continue to be in our prayers.
I understand your situation; we are in a similar one facing choices with my husband's cancer treatment. I wish you clarity and all the best as you deal with this. It can be so overwhelming. Love to you.
Does it feel kind of empowering to be able to make this decision? You didn't get to choose whether to have cancer, but you get to choose how to live with it. I know you're in for a long night, but I know you'll look at things clearly. I like that you have some good options. (((Hugs and Love)))
I have every confidence that you'll make the best decision for you. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
There was a doctor on the news Friday discussing Elizabeth Edwards. She made an interesting observation. She said that maybe it's time to stop looking at cancer in the same way that we used to. Before they always talked about either dying from cancer or finding a cure. She contended though that with progress in treatment, there is actually a third category - living with cancer/managing the disease. That is an quite a distinction.
Dear Gracious Heavenly Father, please be very close to your precious daughter Evie as she wrestles with these decisions. Please overwhelm her with your peace and your presence. Please cloak her in the sense of your love. You love her far more deeply than anyone here on earth ever could. We know that you are too good to be unkind and too wise to make mistakes. Please help Evie to see this too. And please fill her with your wisdom to so she knows exactly what path to take with her treatment. Thank you, Lord. We love you and pray that Evie will know that she is resting safely in your arms. In Jesus' name, Amen.
{{Evie}}
I pray for wisdom for you as you contemplate the options on how to fight this cancer and I pray for strength of mind and body.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Amen to that prayer SpiderDad.
Keeping you in my heart and in my prayers.
(((Evie))) Well said SpiderDad.
Tamm
Just popping in to tell you I love you, girlie!!
Evie, you are dear to me, do you know that? (((Evie))) Thank you for being there!
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