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.