Still N.E.D.! So, what's next?

As I look back it has been 3 full months since my last blog post. I have not intentionally been keeping you in the dark.  I do have things to share, but I have just been busy living life, appreciating being off the heavy duty chemo, enjoying being active and finding my groove without as much active treatment in my daily life.  When I last posted, I was newly diagnosed with no evidence of disease (N.E.D.) i.e. clean scans.

The Latest Results & Plans:
Two weeks ago I had a repeat interval scan which showed that I am still N.E.D. Yeah!!  This week I completed my 3 months of maintenance (lower dose) chemo with Avastin (tumor blood supply targeted therapy).  Yeah!!!  I have graduated from the prescribed chemo regime and now have a decision to make;
1) after a one month chemo break continue with a new chemo regime study out of Seattle, WA that is showing promising results (Xeloda in combination with the arthritis drug Celebrex) OR;
2) continue to support my immune system through healing foods, supplements, integrative medicine support, and exploration of other complimentary therapies.

I may be N.E.D., but I know that I still have circulating cancer cells just waiting for the right environment to grow & cause a recurrence. So, sadly I can't rest on a couple of clean scans.  I'm doing my research and consulting with professionals to come to the right decision for me. I'll let you know what I decide.

Trying to Stay Active & Eat Well:
I have been maintaining a fairly clean diet (with the exception some recent holiday indulgences), but I know I have room for improvement.  I can now appreciate the negative effects of gluten & sugar on my body. I really feel crappy after I cheat with cookies & other sweets.  So, it is time to get that under control!  I would like to do more juicing to increase my daily intake of healing antioxident veggies. I'm thinking it's time to get out the juicer I forgot I had and put it to work, so I don't keep running to Whole Foods every time I want a green juice. I find that my post-surgery gut can not tolerate green smoothies they just have too fiber filled for my shortened gut to absorb :-(.


I continue to see my integrative doctor twice a month for acupuncture, dietary consultation, & monitoring blood values. I had labs drawn in late October, which showed a reduction in my A1c (3 month average blood sugar) from 5.6 (borderline pre-diabetic) to 5.2 (a value well into normal range).  This was a result of having stopped eating fruit, sweets, and gluten.  I have now started having occasional low glycemic fruit and hope my next test will still maintain in normal range.  My inflammation markers were also a down, which is likely due to my anti-inflammatory diet, removal of the identified food allergens in my diet, & supplements.

Up until December when the rains began, I had been playing tennis 3-4 days a week and walking or hiking quite a bit. It is such a thrill to get my FitBit to vibrate daily indicating that I met my 10,000 step goal! WooHoo!  Since the rains have been so steady this month, this goal has been challenging to meet. I prefer to exercise outdoors & don't love to go to the gym other than for yoga classes, but I feel it may be time to suck it up and find an alternative indoor routine for in-climate months. I'm such a spoiled Californian!

Unfortunately, my hips have been bothering me for the last several weeks, so I finally saw a orthopedic doctor who took some X-Rays. I was glad to learn that I do not have arthritic changes in my hip joints, however I was not thrilled to learn the pain may be caused by the chemo drugs I have been on for so long.  I am hopeful that a chemo break will bring a reduction of hip discomfort, as I want to stay as active as possible.

On The Home Front:
It has been a treat to have Elyse & Kayla home for the holidays. We prepped the house for fumigation, packed up the dog, & spent 5 lovely days in Carmel Valley in a beautiful house.  It was a much needed break from reality.  We enjoyed hiking, playing Mexican Train (a family favorite domino game), watched a LOTR movie marathon, relaxed in the hot tub, and just vegged reading books.  Before too long the two eldest girls will be back at college, and Jenna will begin a new adventure high school adventure.  She very excited to be transfering to Kehillah Jewish High School on January 6th. Craig also, has begun a new chapter at work. His practice has merged with a larger partnership, and he has taken on the roll of Director of Business Development while maintaining reduced hours of his clinical practice.
With the new year comes new adventures, new challenges, and new hope for a brighter future.

Wishing that 2015 brings you and yours much love, happiness & health!

   

Our Carmel Valley Family Trip, December 2014 

 

New Reality, New Diet, New Me

Finding My New Reality 
I am still having trouble grasping the concept that I currently do not have any tumors or other evidence of cancer.  Yes, we popped the champaign to celebrate with friends, and I am thrilled to be NED!  However, it is hard to grasp, in-part because I still think of myself as a cancer patient and likely always will.  I am also on chemo, so in reality I am still very much a cancer patient. That being said I want to come to terms with what my new status means to me.  I am reading a book called, "Picking Up the Pieces; Moving Forward After Surviving Cancer by Sherri McGee that I think will be insightful.  McGee shares her insight:

Stepping back into everyday life after having faced a life threatening illness is not as simple as it sounds.  Many survivors experience a tidal wave of emotions once their treatment is over. 

These emotions can be conflicting too. At different times, you may feel overwhelmed, vulnerable, elated, exhausted, weak, relieved, anxious, grateful, and unsure....

....Finishing treatment turns out to be only half the battle. 

Your purpose must now switch from attaching the disease to healing from the experience. 

I have joined a cancer survivor support group series at Cancer Care Point that I hope will help me sort out some of these conflicting feelings.

In the mean time I continue to learn more about how to improve my health, stay fit, and manage my diet & nutrition to the best of my ability.

Maintenance Chemo Begins
I completed my first cycle of maintenance chemo yesterday.  The three week cycle begins on Day 1 with blood work, a visit to the oncologist, followed by a quick infusion of intra-venous Avastin (the targeted chemo that cuts off the blood supply to tumors).  In the evening of Day 1 I take my first of doses of Xeloda (pill form of 5FU chemo) and continue taking this twice a day through Day 14.  Then I have a chemo break from Day 15-21.  Then I start the process all over again.  The side effects for these drugs were not too bad.  The dose of the Xeloda is a bit lower and spread out over longer time than what I had for full treatment.   I had some fatigue after the Avastin infusion that lasted about a day and a half.  The Xeloda initially seemingly did nothing to me, until the second week when I began to have progressive fatigue, mouth sensitivity, joint pain, and very dry skin - especially on my hands and feet.  I was grateful to have no nausea or intestinal upset at all.  Yay!  I am looking forward to a week of no chemo and hopefully a return of some energy.

Integrative Medicine Results
If you remember back in early August, I visited an Integrative Medicine physician, lets call her Dr. Julie, who did a very thorough history and exam and drew19 tubes of blood to determine food sensitivities, vitamin/mineral levels, and other blood studies.  Earlier this month I met with her to learn the results.  I have learned some very important information, as a result I have dramatically changed my diet.

Findings and Dietary Changes:
1)  My blood values for Vitamin D and Magnesium were significantly low & require supplementation.
2)  I have blood values showing high levels of inflammation in my body.
3)  I am pre-diabetic.  My A1c value was 5.6, which means that I have had an average blood sugar for the last 3 months of ~123mg/dL; this is too high!  Type 2 diabetes runs in my family, so this is now a problem that I can no longer ignore.  The best way to bring my blood sugar average down is to lose weight, exercise regularly, and reduce sugar intake in my diet.  The doctor said I can no longer eat sugar; no sweets, no fruit and no hidden sugars in sauces, dressings, etc.  I now only use stevia to sweeten my nut milk latte (stevia is a natural sweetener that does not raise insulin levels).
3)  I am sensitive/allergic to the following foods:
coconut, flax, wheat, buckwheat, oats, gluten, basil, dill, mustard, cayenne, and clams. 
Eating foods that I am sensitive to will cause inflammation in my body.  Inflammation increases tumor growth if you have cancer = Bad for Me!

So, I am now gluten free and need to avoid all of the foods that I am sensitive to.
My diet already included no processed foods, no grains, and no/limited dairy (as I am lactose intolerant).  I basically can eat any vegetables (except the starchy ones) and any healthy protein source - including meats, nuts, seeds, etc.  When I asked Dr. Julie if I could eat a gluten free tortilla to make a wrap, she said, "If there is no 'tortilla tree' you can not eat it.  It is a processed food."  So, yes, it is very restrictive, but I am embracing it.  I now make all kinds of nut milk (it is so easy and yummy!), nut butters, sauces, protein bars, and mineral rich bone broths.  I have even gotten used to having salads with hard boiled eggs and soups for breakfast when I run out of time to make a veggie scramble.  I have never eaten so healthy in my life!


Allergies - how could I have known!.... I am allergic to coconut and flax - two things I was eating almost every day in my green smoothy...  And oats - I was having steel cut oats several times a week...  Cayenne - I sprinkled it in my lemon water every morning for the previous two months...  All of these things were adding to the inflammation in my gut and body.  Now that I know about these allergies I will avoid them, feel better, and have a more resilient-less sensitive gut.  Happy gut = happy me! :-)

As for not eating sweets, fruit, and grains - I really thought I would miss it, but strangely, I do not!  I think my body knows what it needs and is sending me signals that I am eating the right foods for me.  I feel better and the bonus is that I am being rewarded with a slow steady drop in weight. Yay! Progress!!!

New "Recipes & Resources" Page
You may have noticed that I have added a new page to my blog.  Over the months of my cancer journey I have learned a lot of helpful health recipes and resources & I am often asked to share some of them. To get things started I posted the recipe for Delicious Almond (and other nut) Milk and a link for the nut milk bag I use to strain the nut solids from the milk. Nut milk is so delicious, healthy, packed with protein, vitamins & minerals, and super easy to make. I hope you will try it. My favorites are hazelnut & cashew milk! Yummm…  If you have any requests for resources or recipes you would like me to post, let me know.



The Jewish New Year
Today was Rosh Hashanah - the first day of the Jewish new year.  Rosh Hashanah is a time of hope and well wishes for the coming year.  So, I sign off by wishing you all a sweet year filled with love, happiness and health.  I would also like to reflect on the past year and thank all of you for your love, support, prayers, well wishes, friendship, and countless helpful hands!    

 September Family Photos: 

Elyse is lovin' UCLA Yell Squad!

Kayla is settling in to UW &
TriDelta Sorority Life

Jenna is sporting a new Do
& Lovin' SHS Colorguard!

Craig & I celebrated 22 Years of Marriage!

I Can Hardly Believe It; I have No Clinical Evidence of Disease!!!

On Tuesday, 8/26/2014 I received the most wonderful news from my oncologist!  Other than the evolving changes in the right sided lung nodule that was cyberknifed, I had no activity/findings on my PET & CT scans!  I had a hard time believing this wonderful news, so I wanted confirmation.  I waited until today when I saw the Radiation Oncologist at Stanford.  He not only confirmed that I have no clinical evidence of disease (NED), but that the slight uptake on the PET scan at the cyberknife tumor site is consistent with scar tissue.  It is no longer a tumor.  I currently have no evidence of any tumors!  Yah Hoo!!!

So, what does this mean?  On Tuesday 8/26 I received my last round of Folfiri (Irinitican+5FU) with Avastin.  I will change to maintenance chemo in two weeks.  I will continue maintenance chemo due to the high risk for recurrence in stage IV colon cancer.  Maintenance chemo will have me going in for a 30 minute  infusions of Avastin every 3 weeks, plus twice a day pills (oral form of 5FU) called Xeloda for two weeks followed by a one week break of no chemo.  Then start the 3 week cycle over again.  I will continue with every 3 month scans for a while.  This will be a huge change for me!  The Xeloda comes with it's own set of side effects (primarily nausea/GI stuff, fatigue, mouth sores, and hand/foot syndrome), however this is so much better than my previous regime!  I am happy to experience NO MORE 5+ hour infusions every two weeks, NO MORE chemo ball/pump for two days, NO MORE steroids keeping me up on infusion days, NO MORE Irinitican causing a drop in my white blood cell count, NO MORE painful Neupagen injections to boost my white count, and most importantly a recovery of some of my energy and immune system! :-)))  I am excited & nervous for the change, but mostly thrilled to experience improved health & more control of my life!!!

I am so happy and feel so very blessed to receive the best news I have had since my diagnosis in April 2013.  Thank you to my friends & family for all for your support thus far in my journey to health ❤️.  I could not have reached this milestone without you!

Hugs, Jacki ❤️

Busy Summer Plus Scans Today and Next Week

Wow! What a whirlwind couple of months it has been; medically & socially. If you've been following me on FB you know that I've been enjoying life to its fullest! My family had a lovely vacation in Ojai, CA (just south east of Santa Barbara). Then I spent 4 fun, interesting & delicious days in New Orleans with my sister, Deni. Then off to Seattle to get Kayla oriented to college life at University of Washington. Once back home, Craig & I were blessed with an opportunity to attend the Farewell to Candlestick concert with a Sir Paul McCartney with friends; simply fabulous!  I hope you have all been having a great summer too!

Hiking in Ojai

Deni & I on Bourbon St.

Kayla & I at UW.

   

Medically, I've been having chemo every two weeks, tolerating it okay, and having some important consultations with specialists to address side effects and overall health. Here is a summary of those visits:

Gastroenterologist:
I had continued to have digestive issues, so I went to see my GI doc. He wanted to do an endoscopy (EDG) to take a look & biopsies to see if my reflux was part of the issue. All looked good on the EDG, so he then sent me for a test for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) , an issue that I am at risk for after having my right colon removed (including the iliocecal valve that separates the small intestine and colon). Apparently the small intestine has thousands of bacteria of a limited variety, in contrast to the colon has billions a more diverse variety. If the small intestine gets too much bacteria more similar to the large intestine it causes digestive issues  http://www.m.webmd.boots.com/a-to-z-guides/small-intestinal-bacteria-sibo.   My test for SIBO was positive. The treatment was simple; take a special (& expensive!) antibiotic to kill off the excess bacteria in the small intestine. I am pleased to report that it worked like magic. My gut has not been this happy and functional since before my surgery & the start of chemo. Yay!  Recently, I have had a few of the symptoms of SIBO return, so I am going to restart the special antibiotics to get back that happy gut!

Integrative Medicine:
What is Integrative Medicine?  Integrative Medicine is a new approach to medical care that brings patient and practitioner together in a dynamic partnership dedicated to optimizing the patient's health and healing.   It combines conventional Western medicine with alternative or complementary treatments, such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, yoga, and stress reduction techniques -- all in the effort to treat the whole person. Proponents prefer the term "complementary" to emphasize that such treatments are used with mainstream medicine, not as replacements or alternatives.  My integrative  doc, Dr Julie Chen, is board certified in Internal Medicine and has special training in Integrative Medicine.  She helps lots of patients manage chronic illnesses.  As an interesting side note: I recently learned that she has appeared on the Dr. Oz show speaking about a new healthy weight loss supplement  http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/newest-fastest-fat-busters.

I visited Dr. Julie Chen in hopes to get some professional advise about my diet, including supplements, address allergies, fitness, and overall health that will help me better fight cancer.  The first appointment was a whirlwind! She reviewed my complicated history, supplements, and she ordered a ton of lab tests including food sensitivities, vitamin levels, sugar levels, and many more (19 tubes of blood in all!).  In addition to my already veggie filled diet, I am now off alcohol & sweets ;-(, as they cause too much inflammation that can triggers tumor growth.  I am looking forward to my followup appointment in early September where I should learn the results of all of these tests. 

Ear, Nose & Throat:
I started having intermittent voice changes, so went to see my ENT doctor. He took my history, listened to my voice, scoped my nose and throat, and concluded that my voice change was neuralgic due to chemo neuropathy and should resolve when I finish chemotherapy.  Glad to know its not something more serious and just another annoyance brought on by chemotherapy.

What's next?  Scan Time 
Today, 8/21/14, I had an interval CT scan with contrast of my chest, abdomen and pelvis to see if I have any changes. On Monday, 8/24/14, I also go back up to Stanford for a PET/CT and special chest scan to evaluate the results/progress of my cyberknife nodule. So, I should have more info to report in the coming days. I feel well, so it is hard to imagine that I will have a "bad news" scan, but there is always that chance; that is why they call that feeling we get at scan time "Scan-xiety".  So, please send your positive energy, preyers and love my way for a NED scan (No Evidence of Disease).  That is my long term goal, and the sooner I get there the better!   

   

I feel like a caterpillar; the cancer is my cocoon.  

I will spread my wings fully when it is gone.

Summer Maintenance Mode

I hope you are all enjoying your summer! I can't believe it is July already!  Since my last post I have
been up and down with minor nagging health issues, but glad to say I am in good shape now.

On May 30th, I had a repeat colonoscopy; my first one was a year ago when I was diagnosed with colon cancer. This time I got much better news.  The surgeon said my colonoscopy was "boring"!  He found no suspicious findings & my surgical scar from the tumor resection had healed well.  I got the "all clear";  I don't need another colonoscopy for 3 years. ;-)

On Monday, June 2nd I started back on chemo therapy after a two month break for lung surgery and cyberknife radiation procedures.  Unfortunately, all did not go well.  My daughters had both been sick with a gastrointestinal virus the prior week, so of course my turn to get the virus coincided with my first day back on chemo :-/.  Having not yet recovered from the colonoscopy prep the prior week,  then the insult of chemotherapy, and a GI bug - MY GUT WAS NOT HAPPY!   My gut was not absorbing anything and just ran though.  I quickly became dehydrated, got a urinary tract infection, and was put on antibiotics.  This all made my gut even more unhappy; I ended up getting a liter of IV fluids with electrolytes at the infusion center for four consecutive days.  I felt like hell!  Finally, my gut began to calm down.  It took the following 3 weeks of medications, diet changes, probiotics, and rest to get myself gut back in working order for another round of chemo :-(.  








On July 1st I was finally feeling strong & healthy and ready for another round of chemo.  My "chemo cocktail" to date (since February 2014) includes Fulfuri (Irinotecan, Leucovorin & 5FU).   We had been wanting to add another special "targeted" chemotheraputic drug called Avastin.  Avastin is an anti-angiogenesis or "tumor-starving" drug.  Unlike chemotherapy that attacks the cancer cells, the purpose of Avastin is to block the blood supply that feeds the tumor. This can stop the tumor growing and spreading to other parts of the body.  If you wish to better understand how Avastin works you may want to watch this video:   http://www.avastin.com/patient/overview/about/how/index.html .  We had to wait until I had fully healed from my lung tumor removal surgeries to begin this therapy.  On July 1st I was finally declared fully healed & was able to receive Avastin in addition to my usual cocktail.  I did not experience any noticeable side effects from the Avastin, however we need to monitor my blood pressure for a potential rise (the most common side effect).   Most importantly, Avastin is another step in the right direction towards preventing growth of &/or removing the couple of small "potential tumors" that we are watching in my lungs.  It is a powerful tool to help my body kick cancer in the ass!

Hike with Havurah.

My next scans are scheduled for late August. These scans will monitor the progress of the tumor destruction from the cyberknife radiation treatments & check for any other changes.  So, until then, I am on every two weeks chemo maintenance mode & trying to make the most of the summer :-).  I continue to learn more about anti-cancer diet/foods, keep my stress levels down, and improve my fitness.  I finally am able to begin to add weight and resistance training to my fitness program and hope reduce my BMI.


The rest of my life is otherwise treating me well!  I am getting out regularly with family & friends.  I have been hiking, walking, & playing tennis.  My family has celebrated some spectacular family milestones this summer.  In May/June Kayla had senior prom at PacBell Park in SF & graduated from Saratoga High School; Elyse joined the UCLA Yell Squad & finished her Freshman year at UCLA; and Jenna is serving on the board for her BBYO youth group & completed her first year of high school.  Having cancer certainly gives one a deeper appreciation for life's precious moments.  I so appreciate that Craig, the Girls, and I could enjoy these joyous moments together!

  

The summer weather has been perfect!  I am looking forward to a couple of upcoming trips.  In a couple of weeks the whole family (all five of us!) are headed to the Central Coast to explore Ojai, CA.  Ojai is a  lovely artist community that boasts great hiking, spas, beautiful orchards, food & wine.  In early August I am looking forward to meeting up with my sister for as long weekend in New Orleans, LA.  I have never been there & am so excited to explore this old historic city & it's wonderful food and jazz.  Finally, in mid-August Kayla & I are off for a short trip to Seattle, WA for Kayla's University of Washington orientation.  I will miss her so much, but I am proud and thrilled for her to make this exciting transition!

I hope you are enjoying your summer and had a fabulous July 4th weekend.
Live each day to the fullest!   Jacki

Cyberknife Treatments Complete! ✔️

Last week I completed the cyberknife radiation treatments to the third and final lung tumor scheduled for treatment.  I went to Stanford on four consecutive days to receive the treatments.  Each treatment took about 20 minutes to do the scans that verified the precise positioning needed to deliver the radiation and about one minute to deliver the treatment.

Here is a photo of me on the table just prior to my last treatment. That device above my chest circled around my body - a complete 360 while delivering the radiation to the tumor.

The tumor will be progressively destroyed over the next several months.  I will have scans to check the progress in late August.  I had vertually no side effects, except for being tired from getting up early to fight the traffic on the way to Palo Alto.  If I am to have any side effects, they will likely show up in about 4-6 months.  The most common side effects of cyberknife radiation to the lungs are a cough, indication pneumonitis (inflammation in the lungs), that may require steroids and pain & weakness in a rib if it is near the tumor site. Let's hope neither of these occur to me.

Cheers!

As my husband so eloquently stated, "Check one more treatment off the treatment to-do list!"  We celebrated several times this weekend the fact that I am now three tumors closer to beating this cancer than I was about a month ago.  I am almost recovered from my lung surgery & the neuropathy pain from the surgical incisions is getting better each week.  So, WOO HOO!!!

We also enjoyed a visit from Elyse this weekend, had a great hike at Freemont Alder Open Reserve, had a wonderful dinner with friends, and enjoyed a couple of fun events at Brookside (our local family tennis and swim club).  It's shaping up to be a nice summer!

   

Hike with Hubby and Elyse

My girls enjoying cheese fondue together

Now I move on the next procedure - never a dull moment around here! ;-). On Friday I will have my colonoscopy, as it has been one year since my colon cancer diagnosis. We do not anticipate finding anything suspicious, as my recent CT scans have shown no findings in my liver, abdomen, or pelvic (yay!!!), but my surgeon wants to take a look at his surgical handy-work, specifically at the anastemosis (the technical name for the area where he attached my small intestine to my large intestine after removing the section of bowel that contained my tumor).  He will make sure there is not excess scar tissue present and verify that indeed I otherwise have a health happy gut ;-).

June 2nd marks the day I start back on chemo. I do not look forward to returning to this every two week regime.  I think it will end my post here and not think about this until I have to.

On a happier note, I think I will begin to ease back into playing some tennis in the coming weeks. Nothing too competitive.  Just social tennis to start, but it makes me very happy just to think about it! ❤️

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Weekend too!

Cheers, Jacki

Recouping Well from Surgery... Thanks to my Team!

I can always tell when I'm overdue for a blog post.... My People start calling, texting, and generally reaching out requesting more details.  I have such a wonderful supportive team of people in my life, & I appreciate all of you so much!  So, here goes....

Surgical Post-Op Report:
Today is 2 weeks and 3 days post-op from removal of the TWO, left upper & left lower lobe, lung tumors & the day of my surgical post-operative appointment.  For the most part it was all good news :-)!  Dr. Burt told me that the final pathology report showed clear margins (clean of cancer cells) for both removed tumors!  WOO HOO!!!  He reviewed my chest x-ray and looked at my surgical wounds, and reported that all was healing as expected.

I have some annoying residual post-op pain & numbness in my left rib area that refers forward from where the chest tube was inserted.  This kind of nerve pain is called "neuropathy".  It may be temporary while I am healing, but for some it can persist. I hope not for me, as it is really uncomfortable at times & I hate taking pain meds.  He started me on a pain medication specifically for nerve pain called Gabapentin or Neurontin. I hope it doesn't make me too sleepy, as I understand it can have this affect :-(.  I need to be functional!

Otherwise, I am regaining strength & energy each day. I have been out walking and beginning to increase my distance and elevation. I do get short of breath a bit, but it sure feels good to expand my lungs and  exert my self!  Cooper is enjoying it too!


So, what's next....
The other appointment I had today was a 4 hour radiology cyberknife preparatory appointment. They made a mold of the back side of the upper half of my body & marked my skin to ensure that I will be in the exact same position for each radiation treatment. Then they prepared to do a PET Scan.  For this scan they had me not eat for 8 hours, then deliver sugar tracking medium, had me wait in a quiet dark room & rest (zzzzzz......), then put me in my upper body mold (made earlier) for positioning & run the scan to detect the areas of faster sugar uptake (tumors metabolize sugar more quickly than normal healthy cells).  Without letting me move, they then deliver IV contrast & do a CT Scan of my chest on exhale & one final chest scan without contrast on inhale.  All three of these scans will be overlayed on each other to create the radiation delivery parameters to obliterate the remaining right upper lobe tumor.  That all took about 4 hours this morning. Then…, I finally was allowed to eat!  I am now prepared to have the cyberknife (a.k.a. SBRT) treatment on 4 consecutive days; May 20th, 21st, 22nd, & 23rd.  The tumor destruction & scar remodeling takes several months to complete following the radiation treatment, so they will monitor my scans every 3 months for the next year+ to ensure there is no further tumor growth in the area.  With any luck, this will be it for that tumor!

Plan for restarting chemo:
Craig & I met with my oncologist just prior to surgery to discuss my long-term chemo plans.  I will restart every 2 week chemo on June 2nd for about 3 months.  The plan is to give me what I was previously on, Folfuri (Arinatecan & 5FU), as it was working to stall tumor growth, plus add the drug Avastin.  Avastin is a targeted therapy that targets the blood supply that sustains & allows tumor growth.  Avastin has been proven very effective and has very few side effects.

After three months of the above plan, if all scans & labs look ok, I will stop getting Arinatecan, start an oral daily version of 5FU (pills taken at home), and go in to the infusion center every 3 weeks for Avastin only.   This will continue with monitoring & guidance though regular scan results &/or until I am declared in remission.

More Scans & Procedures Pending:
With all the attention on my lung scans, we are behind in checking my abdomen & pelvis.  So, next week I will squeeze in a CT scan with contrast of my abdomen and pelvis to ensure no tumors have cropped up in those regions.

May 1st marked the one year anniversary of my colonoscopy that unveiled my cancer diagnosis.  So, I am due for a repeat colonoscopy. With all the other treatments going on, I will fit this in around
mid-June.

Keeping up with my treatments, procedures, & scans has been a full time job of late. It has been challenging to keep up with my daily green smoothie commitment, exercise routine, meditation/yoga/relaxation, not to mention, the rest of life with three kids and a dog plus preparing Kayla for prom and graduation!  I am still on track, but it's quite a challenge with all that has been going on.  I am hoping things will slow down into a quieter routine for the summer, because right now I'm pooped!

I'm off to bed; today was a very long day!!!

I will close with a video that expresses my feelings about cancer at the moment.
Thanks, Rasheeda, for sharing this with me. 

"Hey Cancer" 

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5253930?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

Extra Day in the Hospital

Hi Friends & Family,
My surgery went well. The surgeon removed the left upper nodule/tumor via wedge resection. Then he took a look at the left lower lobe tumor to see if it could safely be wedged out as well; it could so he did!  I am now minus two of my three lung tumors. The extra wedge resection has caused a bit more chest tube drainage and pain, so bought me an extra day in the hospital.  I will be going home tomorrow!
Feel free to give me a call.  I'm a bit sleepy & board in here! ;-)
Take care!  Jacki

Ready for Cancer Surgery #2

Tomorrow is the day I kick the butt of one of my lung tumors!  I would really appreciate all of your prayers, positive thoughts, healing energy, and love sent to me at Stanford Med Center tomorrow morning, as they surgically remove #1 of 3 tumors.  I plan on it going smoothly & to be home in 2-3 days.  Recovery isn't supposed to be too bad; mostly rest, pain meds, some breathing exercises, & no lifting over 10 lbs for two weeks.  My sister, Deni arrived today & will be around for ~10 days.  It is so wonderful to have her here to help out ❤️!  Thank you also to my very generous friends who are bringing meals over the next two weeks.  You are all so kind & supportive!

I have had a wonderful & relaxing weekend to prepare. On Friday I had an invigorating hike to the Montalvo Outlook & lunch with my tennis buddies.  It was beautiful, warm & full of everything in bloom; so much so that my allergies are reaping havoc & have caused me a case of laryngitis ;-(. Friday evening it was ladies night catching up with my buddy Shari at Enoteca wine bar.  Craig has been on-call this weekend, so we curled up & watched a movie Saturday night.  I had another walk with this morning with Sue & our dogs, Cooper & Lulu, a lovely afternoon with the girls & Deni watching  Harry Potter, & an evening of making calzones.  I am now relaxed & ready for tomorrow ;-)!

I'll post soon & let you know how it all went. 

Hugs to all, Jacki

Honored….. in Relay for Life

I just wanted to share the warm & fuzzy feeling I have for being recognized by two very special people in my life.  Both have honored me by walking in the Relay for Life in support of American Cancer Society.  I am very happy to be a part of their motivation to help fight cancer!

My beautiful and compationate niece, Sarah Shinn, headed-up her team called the "Jacki Husslers" at Colorado State University at Boulder this last weekend.  This was her post:

"Our team is named after my beautiful and amazingly tough Aunt Jacki and Amanda Hogen's late grandfather Harold "Huss" Hogen. It would mean so much to me, my family, and many of my friends if you donated any extra dollars to our team! Time to kick cancer's ass, people."

The second team, headed by my good friend, Lisa Hoffman, walks on April 25th. Here is her post:

"This year I Relay in honor of 4 very special people: Richard Hoffman, my father-in-law, who died 1 1/2 years ago after a one month battle with Pancratic Cancer.  May his memory be a blessing.   Patti Stevens, BFF, who is 12 years out from her Breast Cancer battle.   Jacki Berlinberg, who is currently fighting back against Colon Cancer.  Go get your colonoscopy!!  Donna Gein-Logsdon, friend and community leader.   She is the reason I became involved in Relay. Donna took our Relay from a "baby" relay to the 5th largest Relay in California.  May her memory be a blessing."It's time to Celebrate, Fight Back & Remember!!!   Together, we can finish the fight!

I am sorry I missed posting Sarah's donation period, however if you'd like to support Lisa's team, please visit  http://main.acsevents.org/goto/lisahoffman to donate.

What is Relay for Life:

At Relay For Life events, communities across the globe come together to honor cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against a disease that has already taken too much. The funds you raise truly make a difference in the fight against cancer – just ask one of the nearly 14 million cancer survivors who will celebrate another birthday this year!

Relay For Life teams camp out overnight and take turns walking or running around a track or path at a local high school, park, or fairground. Events are up to 24 hours long, and because cancer never sleeps, each team is asked to have at least one participant on the track at all times. 

I hope to participate on a team in the near future, but for now I am honored to be honored :-)!
Thank you, Sarah, Lisa, and all who have participated or plan to participate in this fabulous event in support of the American Cancer Society!

Jacki

If you'd like to learn more about Relay for Life &/or find out when one is happening near you, visit http://www.relayforlife.org/learn/whatisrelay/index

Welcome to My Blog

Welcome to my blog!
If you'd previously followed me on email, then CaringBridge, I apologize for moving around.  I promise this is my final HOME.  It is very important to me to increase public awareness about colon cancer, and a public blog is the best way to accomplish this.  Through sharing my story I hope to help to prevent colon cancer by increase awareness, educating others, and to assist others who share my diagnosis to learn through my experience, all while keeping my friends and family updated on my journey.  This blog is public, so feel free to share it with anyone you feel could benefit from it's content.

Blog Basics:
If you've never subscribed to a blog before, it's super simple. Here are some basics.
1)  How to subscribe; a two step process.
- Step 1, find the box on the right-hand sidebar labeled "Subscribe to Jacki's Blog" just under my photo. Put your email address in the box and hit submit.
- Step 2, you will receive an email asking you to verify your subscription.  Click the link to verify, and you're done!
* You will not receive any spam, your address will not be shared, and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.
2) Why subscribe? When you subscribed you will receive an email each time I post a new journal entry. It's just an easy, convenient way to keep up-to-date on my posts.  I may not consistantly post all updates on Facebook, so I encourage you to subscribe if you want to stay up-to-date.  Also, if you wish to reply to a journal entry or post on the Guest Book page, you will need to be a subscriber.
3) How the blog is set up - click the tabs under the title & explore the three pages:

• Journal - a place for me to post my updates, educational stuff, photo's, links, etc.  I have posted all previous/archived posts in this area chronologically. 
• Photos - a place I can load photos just for fun. I will not post names on photos for privacy purposes.
• Guest - the place for you to leave an encouraging note, ask questions, or leave positive feedback/suggestions.  I have set this up so that I must approve posts since the site is public, so you post will show up after I have read and approved it.  *A note to friends and family:  Feel free to post here, however if you prefer to be a less public ...  I love to get your emails texts and calls anytime! You are my people; I love you and need your positive energy to fight this battle!!!  

Now that that is out-of-the-way, here is what's going on with me.

I apologize that this is going to be a very long post.  But, there has been a ton of stuff going on since my last post!  I will try to not be too detailed and rattle on.

1)  We finally have a plan of action to treat the tumors (nodules) in my lungs!  

First some follow-up on my bronchoscopy results: The bronchoscopy was done to try to determine the reason for the residual inflammatory response in my lungs after my pneumonia.  I am happy to report that all the results were negative. This means they found no bacteria, virus, or malignant cells in the bronchoscopy samples & biopsies.  It was decided that we should give me a trial of one month of steroids to treat the unresolved inflammation in my lungs.  I have been on a prednisone taper for the last 2.5 weeks at a fairly high dose (60,40,20,10 mg). Side effects of prednisone can be fairly challenging; poor sleep, mood swings, headaches, jitteriness, and it's hard on your stomach.  I am tolerating it well and am more than halfway through the taper.  I am hopeful and excited to see if it will be effective in resolving the inflammation, which should make my lung CT scans clearer to view.  With that addressed we could proceeded with making plans to treat the lung tumors.   

After consulting with the Stanford thorasic oncology surgeon and radiation oncologist we now have what I think is a smart & effective plan of action.  There are three nodules each 1-1.5 cm in size that are believed to be cancerous and able to be removed/treated. There are also two or three other smaller nodules that are either too small to treat and/or have not proven themselves to be cancerous.  We will continue to watch these for further development via CT & PET scans.   On Monday, April 21 I will have surgery to remove one of the nodules that is positioned more laterally in the left upper lobe and can be easily removed via wedge resection using the VATs (video assisted thorascopic) procedure. The procedure will have me in the hospital 2 to 3 days, and should be fairly straightforward with minimal pain. A full recovery will take 2 to 4 weeks, so my return to tennis will have to wait ;-).   I am grateful to my sister, Deni, who will be coming into town for much of my recovery to help out.  I might ask a few friends to help with a few meals and to help walk Cooper, but I am glad that it doesn't sound like a terribly tough procedure to recover from.   The removal of this tumor surgically provides an opportunity to send the tumor to pathology for further study to aid in more targeted therapy.  Stanford is also doing some interesting genomic research on metastatic colon cancer tumors, so I have volunteered to submit my tumor to the study.   

The second part of the treatment plan will start one-three weeks post-op and include obliterating the remaining two nodules via cyber knife radiation treatments.  These two nodules are located more central in the left lower lobe and right upper lobe.  This amazing technology allows intensive radiation to be delivered directly into the tumors with minimal damage to the surrounding tissue.  I will receive 4 radiation treatments; one per day for 4 consecutive days.  To keep me in the same position for each treatment they will make a mold of my body/chest area for me to be placed into for each treatment. Also, because the lung moves with breathing it is essential that I am taught to hold my breath using a video game-like training module (a tool developed by Stanford) to "still" my lung while delivering the radiation.  After the radiation is delivered the treatment will continue to obliterate the nodule and a 5mm margin around the tumor over the next several months.  The treatment is completely painless & side effects are minimal; primarily fatigue.  There is some risk of developing inflammation in the lungs after the treatment which would require more steroids.  But most people are able to continue their daily routine with little interruption.  I will begin the training & mold preparation one week after my surgery & the treatments will begin 2 weeks after that.   The results will be monitored by CT &/or PET scans in the months to follow. 

Whew!  That is the plan....  March was super busy with consults & planning.   April & May will be busy with prep, surgery, & treatments.  Let's not forget that throughout all this I have been & will continue to get every two week chemo treatments, shots of Neupagen to keep my white count from dropping, acupuncture for the neuropathies, and other treatments.  There will be some adjustments to accommodate for healing and preparing my immune system, but all this keeps on coming.  So, thank goodness for the boost in energy from the steroids and my smoothies.... I have & will continue need it!  But, mostly, I am thrilled to have a plan to get these tumors out of my lungs!!! :-)

2) It finally happened.....  I got really sad about my cancer :-( ….
Over the last couple of months, with the delays in my treatment from my lung complications, the ankle sprain slowing me down, the gloomy raining skies, a million appointments and treatments, and the stress of it all on me and my family…. it finally got to me.  I know....  it was long overdue!  Denial is a powerful thing.  Through the help of friends and an amazing organization called Cancer Care Point, I have found a support network, services, and professional help to assist me in navigating what can best be summed up as learning to live with the unknown.  I need to find a way to be at peace within while I navigate the many unknowns that are an integral part of living with cancer.  I now feel like I am plugged-into the services I need,  and I am learning to manage the emotional side of my disease.  Please, do not mistake this "sadness" as me losing my positive attitude, because I am still confident in kicking cancer in the ass!  I just need to give my psyche equal time and importance along this journey.  

3) Food as Medicine:

I continue support my immune system thought eating well; minimal white sugar, cut out processed foods, more fruits & veggies/mostly organic when possible, whole grains, more fish/less red meat. I also have been doing surprising well with my commitment to having a green smoothies every day.  The natural anti-inflammatory effects of food and spices added to my smoothie & daily diet have been quickly apparent.  Herbs & spices such as tumeric, ginger, garlic, rosemary and mint, and foods such as greens, berries, cucumbers, green tea, and others have helped to calm and reduce the negative side effects of chemo on my mouth & gut,  as well as increasing my energy level.  I continue to study about the effects of nutrition in treating cancer and other chronic conditions.  There is so much to learn!

I have want to share of a couple of helpful healthy eating resources that are helpful in improving anyones diet:  

• Have you heard of The Food Babe?  On Facebook search "the food babe" and take a look at her posts. If you like what you see like her page and/or subscribe to her blog http://foodbabe.com. You will not regret it! She is full of helpful healthy eating tips on selecting whole nutritious foods, tips on juicing, ordering healthy selections at your favorite restaurants, GMOs, etc.  She was the woman who has recently been preasuring Subway to remove the ingredient used to make yoga mats from their bread!  I have learned a lot from reading through her site and reading her posts.

• The Clean Fifteen and The Dirty Dozen.  Are you confused about which fruits and vegetables are most important to buy organic vs. conventional?  The Environmental Work Group has put out a app for your phone that lists the top 12 items that contain the most pesticides, so are best to purchase organic.  At the top of the list you might be surprised to find apples, strawberries, grapes & celery.   The Clean 15 refers to the items that use less pesticides, so may be okay to buy non-organic/conventional.  Just search your App Store for The Dirty Dozen to find the EWG app for quick grocery store reference.

4)  Making an Impact:

Colorectal Cancer(CCR) Awareness Month came to a close in March, but it is never to late to schedule your screening appointment.  Finding and removing silent polyps (pre-cancerous spots in the bowel) though having a routine colonoscopy could save your life.  I've received several notes from friends telling me that my recent posts have encouraged them to schedule their appointment.  This makes me very happy!  I was thrilled to learn that my post also motivated a friend and colleague/public health nurse & administrator to plan a CCR education event at her hospital. Way to make an impact, Abbie!  

5) This and That - Life Goes On
Elyse was home from college for a week at the end of March and we had a nice visit and a great day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was great to have her home!







Kayla had a successfully participated in the schools Benefit Fashion Show fund raiser; good work!  She has also now received all of her college acceptances and has some soul searching decisions to make.   She was accepted to many wonderful schools, so needs to visit a couple and weigh her options…

 Jenna has had a performance filled couple of months with Winter Guard which is now done, so she can focus on the musical Les Miserable that will show at her high school the last weekend in April and first weekend in May.  Come check it out!









Craig, Jenna and I are on vacation this week and plan to get away for a few days of R&R in Carmel Valley.  I plan to do yoga, hike, get a message, and generally try to re-charge before I enter this next phase of treatment.

Hugs and love to all!

Have you had your colonoscopy yet? Plus the latest goings on with me...

Before I tell you the latest in my colon cancer saga I want want to make you aware that.....

March is National Colo-rectal Cancer Awareness Month

If by reading my site, I convince just one of you that has been procrastinating getting their colonoscopy to schedule this simple life saving procedure, I will have done my job!  Take it from me, prevention is a much better way to go than cancer treatment!!!

Among cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Every year, about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer.  

How can you reduce your risk?

The risk of getting colorectal cancer increases with age. More than 90% of cases occur in people who are 50 years old or older. Colorectal cancer screening saves lives, but many people are not being screened according to national guidelines.  

To learn more visit: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/ColorectalAwareness/

If you're 50 years old or older, getting a screening test for colorectal cancer could save your life. Here's how—

Colorectal cancer screening helps find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. 

Who should be screened and when?  please visit this site to learn more about screening:  http://ccalliance.org/screening/who_and_when.html

Often, as in my case, colon cancer may have no symptoms at all; screening is the only way to find them.  So, what are you waiting for, stop procrastinating.  Pick up the phone and make that appointment today!

What's Been Going On With Me?

Consultation with Stanford Oncology Team
On Monday Craig and I finally had our consultation appointment with Dr. George Fisher.  He reviewed all of my records and scans and reassured me that Dr. May Chen was taking good care of me and provide an excellent treatment plan.  Prior to our appointment Dr. Fisher had shared my scans with his Cardio-Thorasic surgeon who felt, as did our local CT surgeon, that they would have to take out too much lung tissue to remove all of the tumors (there are 5 or 6 of them) surgically due to their position in the lung (not all in one area of the lung, some buried in the middle of the lobe/not near the side, etc).  Dr. Fisher thinks I am potentially a candidate for cyberknife radiation procedure to destroy some of the tumors.  He wants the CT surgeon and the Radiology Oncologist to review my scans together to determine which tumors can be treated by cyber knife radiation &/or a combination of cyber knife and surgery.  So, now we again wait for a follow-up appointment to discuss the results of these deliberations.   

Pulmonary Consult
I also visited a Pulmonologist last week to discuss the reason for the residual inflammation in my lungs. He scheduled me for a Bronchoscopy (lung scope) to collect cultures and tissue samples to rule out any residual infectious process from my pneumonia in November '13.  The procedure was done yesterday, Tuesday 3/11, & result should trickle in over the following week to 10 days.  The procedure went smoothly, however I got a nasty fever of 102.5 last night, the evening after the procedure.  Luckily I recovered quickly today, but it makes me curious if they stirred up some residual bacteria in there while poking around in my lungs…. time will tell.

Food, Exercise, and Family
I have also now seen two nutritionist regarding the best way to alter my diet to not promote tumor growth, support my immune system, and reduce inflammatory response in my body.  I will do this through working towards these key diet changes: 1) avoiding intake of intake of white sugar, white flour, and processed foods.  2) rarely consume red meat and reduce healthy desserts to 3 times a week, 3) dramatically increase consumption of fruits and vegetables (organic when possible), especially those found to have anti-cancer properties, 4) have one green smoothie a day packed with lots of supplements, antioxidants, and foods found to have anti-cancer properties.  I have been reading a great deal about fighting cancer with nutrition, but the most fascinating book is called, Anti Cancer; A New Way of Life, by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD.  The author is a physician who, as a cancer survivor, sought to find a means of reducing his highly likely to recur cancer.  The book is packed with lots of research and information for anyone seeking a healthy lifestyle weather fighting cancer of not.

Finally, I have been busy resting & rehabbing my ankle sprain with the help of my physical therapist and friend, Deby Quinn Lemire (thanks, Deby!).  I am really missing the release, endorphins, outdoors, & companionship from playing tennis & hiking!  This is what typically keeps me going, so it has been a bit if a bummer. My ankle is healing SLOWLY, but on track I think.  I just have to remind myself that I am 4 weeks into an 6-8 week recovery!  I'm trying to get to Yoga, Pilates & the gym where I can use the stationary bike, but it is just not quite the same.  I am very excited to start, later this week, taking ½ hour tennis lessons with the tennis pro (without any running) to just have him feed me the ball and get back into hitting.  I can't wait!  I may just have to take some of my pent up aggression out on the ball; poor tennis balls!

I hope this finds all of you well and enjoying your families!  Elyse is coming home from UCLA between quarter.  It will be great to have her home!  Kayla is doing the waiting game for her remaining schools, but is happy with her early admission options to date.  Jenna having a busy season with Winter Guard and rehearsal for SHS's upcoming musical Les Mis.  Craig is working a lot, trying his best to accompany me to appointment when he can, and being very supportive.  My family and friends have been so supportive, and I love you all for this.  I am so very blessed!

Have a great National Colon Cancer Awareness Month and don't forget to schedule your screening exam!

Cheers, Jacki

February 21st Scan Results

Posted February 25, 2014 - On Caring Bridge Site

Today was a long day! Thanks for being patient. My scan results show a mixed bag or results, but essentially no change from the prior scan in early January. Inflammatory changes from pneumonia are still present on the scan despite being clinically resolved since mid December (We don't know why they are taking so long to resolve radiologically). More significantly all prior identified lung nodules are unchanged. This is good news in that there are no new nodules (tumors), prior identified lung nodules didn't grow bigger/stable size, & no new metastatic disease was found anywhere :-)! Not in the liver or abdomen, or anywhere other than lungs. It is a bit disappointing that they did not shrink, but maybe 3 rounds was just not enough. Given these findings we have decided to move forward with exploring the possibility of surgery to remove all nodules (cancerous & potentially inflammatory nodules - this is the only way to be certain what they are is to remove & send them to pathology). This also provides an opportunity to send the pathology samples for further review potentially enabling a more targeted approach with any further chemo that I might receive. Another possibility is to attach some of the nodules with cyberknife radiation (cutting with targeted radiation instead of a scalpel). All of the options will be considered once we talk to a surgeon).  After receiving all of this info I went to the infusion center for a another round of chemo to prevent further tumor growth while my oncologist consults with a respected thoracic oncologist surgeon & a highly reguarded colleague, Dr. George Fisher @ Stanford Med Center. 

I am excited about the opportunity to remove the tumors. Get those darn nasty tumors out of my body! This is my best chance for a cure!!  Once I learn more about details, dates, etc. I will post again, but I wanted to share what I am considering good news. 

Now, I am off to bed to do some more healing!

Scan Tomorrow

February 20, 2014 - On Caring Bridge Site

I've had lots of inquiries, so thought I'd let everyone know that my scan is scheduled for tomorrow midday. I will very likely not hear about the results until Monday, as my oncologist is out of town this week.  It may take a few days to sort out the results of my scan, and determine the next plan of attack. Attack?  Yes, I think that is the right word, as I am at war with cancer. I may need to meet with the thoracic surgeon if there is a surgery to conside, & I will get a second opinion if there is any question about the next move.  I will post once we have settled on the best plan for my findings. Please keep me in your prayers tomorrow and send those positive vibes for a good scan.  

I finished my last round of chemo on February 6th, so have been staying focused on getting healthy since then.  My side effects have all but resolved, and I managed to slip through this round without losing my hair!  Hallelujah!!!  A lot of people ask me, "how is it you've managed to get through chemotherapy and not lose your hair?".  Well, apparently many of the chemotherapy drugs they use for colon cancer do not cause hair loss. Some do.  As a matter fact, I had a 50-50 chance of losing it with the current chemo that I was on.  I did have a bit of thinning, but mostly - I was just lucky!  

I'm recouping nicely from my ankle sprain;  doing physical therapy, regular stretches & strengthening, and trying not to overdo it. I really miss playing tennis (and my tennis buddies)!  But, in the meantime I'm using the "tennis down time" to work on strengthening my core by taking Pilates classes and spending time at the gym.  I discovered that I can ride a stationary bike without causing pain my ankle :-).

I've also been spending this down time on my quest to research adjuctive therapies to support my traditional cancer treatment.  I have appointments to meet with two nutritionists next week to discuss how to alter my diet to support my immune system & deter cancer growth.  I also had a wonderful experience today with a woman who incorporates Reiki, Healing Touch & Hypnotherapy to help people relax & stay focused to better support healing. I am not sure what she did, but I left her office in a much more relaxed and better mental space than when I arrived. She sent me home with an audio CD of relaxation practices for me to do "my daily homework", and instructions to seek out Therapeutic, Yin, Restorative or similar yoga classes to incorporate into my weekly routine.  I love yoga, so I will gladly comply.  She reminded me that incorporating regular relaxation techniques will support healing and thus help my body better fight off the cancer.  I look forward to working further with her.

I recently have been following the blogs of two women with colon cancer.  They have been fighting colon cancer for several years, so have a lot of treatments, therapies, antidotes, & experiences for me to learn from.  Both of these women's blogs have been discovered by many other people battling colon cancer, and give them hope and experiences to learn from.  For this reason, I am working on starting my own blog site, and hope to offer similar learning experiences to other cancer patients. At some point I will transfer my regular health updates & communications from this site to my own personal blog site for you to subscribe to.  So, watch for that in the coming future.

Thank you for your support and positive thoughts and energy.  Not a day goes by that I don't marvel at how blessed I am to have such wonderful supportive people in my life.