Jacki's Journey to Health: 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.