May 31, 2007

I have been feeling great for the past week, and I am thankful for a full week without a doctor’s appointment or treatment! I saw the nurse practicioner at my chemo appointment yesterday, and she was very encouraging. My Herceptin treatment was given yesterday after visiting with her, and it went very well. I have no side effects from this treatment, and they’ve shortened the actual drip time to 30 minutes, so I can be in and out of their office in under two hours!

I’m still taking the medication for my cough that the ENT doctor prescribed. I tried to stop taking some of it last week– but my cough came back, so I quickly got back on the regular routine and it was better. The nurse practicioner wasn’t too concerned that I’m taking this medication, but she said my doctor would probably talk about it at my next appointment.

I’m feeling very good and continue to thank God that I have this precious time to enjoy my family, the warm weather and planning Whitney’s wedding. We are very excited about her future with Nick, and we’re looking forward to the big event on August 25!

Thanks for your encouragement.

Sandy 

May 21, 2007

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.– Philippians 1:4-5

I had this verse in my daily inbox, and it reminded me how much all of you have done to support Mark and me through this battle. Thanks for your partnership. We love you all.

Sandy

May 18, 2007

God has answered our prayers friends! I’ve had a great week, and sometimes it’s easy for me and my family to forget that I’ve been very sick this year. I feel like I’m getting back to normal, and it’s great.

I met with the ENT doctor for my MRI results this week. His report was that my throat area is all clear, and that there are no indications that anything is causing my cough in this area. The medications he prescribed for my cough are working, so he was happy about that. He has extended my prescriptions for another six months and didn’t see any reason to stop taking them if they were working.

I was very happy that there were no problems in my throat area, but it’s still a little bothersome that we aren’t finding a cause for my cough. I still start coughing if I haven’t had my medication, but I feel great if I take it regularly. The ENT doctor said I’ve had enough tests, so he wasn’t going to order anything else (PTL!). He just wants to see me back in six months. He’ll share his findings with Dr. Aggerwal, too.

We’ll take the good news from this report and relax for a while. I’m thrilled that I don’t have any appointments with any doctors next week. WOW! My next treatment for Herceptin is May 29.

Mark and I are being blessed by each comment through this blog, and we appreciate your questions when we see you in person. Thanks for your concern and for reaching out to us during this struggle. God has shown us His love through all of you.

Sandy

May 8, 2007

Thank you for your encouraging words and prayers last week. They were truly felt and heard! I received some medication for my cough from the ENT doctor, and it has almost gone away. I am so excited to get some real sleep and not be bothered by the constant coughing. We still don’t know the cause of the cough, but at least it is under control for now.

I don’t have to go back to the pulmonologist anymore because he doesn’t believe my cough is lung related. He wants me to continue with the ENT doctor and follow his treatment along with Dr. Aggarwal. He also decided not to do the asthma test because he was pretty sure that wasn’t my problem.

The ENT doctor ordered an MRI of my throat, which I had today. It went very well, and I think they’re looking at my vocal cords, larnyx, nerves, thyroid, etc. to see if anything has been affected by cancer or chemo. My follow up appointment to hear the report if May 16.

I started back on Herceptin chemo yesterday, which was actually a relief. Dr. Aggarwal was nervous about holding this off for 4 weeks, so she decided to get it started again. I’m going to have this treatment every three weeks, so that’s a lot more manageable schedule than weekly treatments! This is the same treatment that I had last year, and my body seems to tolerate it very well. I’ve had no side effects that I know of, and it is pretty simple and quick to receive. From what I can tell, this might be the treatment I’m on for the rest of my life unless cancer shows up again. Then, they would switch to an aggressive chemo or add something to what I already get. The doctor said that breast cancer could come back anywhere in my body, so she’ll be watching to see what happens. For  now, though, I’m feeling great and don’t have any active cancer that we can find. Friends….this is reason to be THANKFUL and praise God! I’m grateful for each new day and the chance to be here longer with my family and friends, and having days that I’m not sick or feeling terrible are a true blessing.

Do I sound like a different person than I was last week? My emotions run up and down on a pretty regular basis, and last week was a down week. I know it is important to stay positive through this battle, and I really believe that God gives me strength when I don’t have enough of my own to keep going.

Thanks for your never-ending prayers.

Sandy

May 3, 2007

My sore throat and fever were caused by an upper respiratory infection, so I’ve been treated since Monday and feel much better in that area. No change on the cough, though, so the detective work continues. I saw the ENT doctor yesterday, and he was great. God is certainly blessing me with kind, sincere and caring doctors.

I don’t have too many answers, and I’m not sure I understand everything he told me, so I hesitate to try and relay information that may all be wrong. The ENT doctor said that my vocal cords or nerves in that area could have been damaged by chemo or the enlarged lymph nodes in January, which would cause the cough symptoms I have now. He is scheduling an MRI of my throat to check this out, but I’m not sure what the solution would be if he finds it to be the cause. He prescribed two new drugs that help suppress the cough and send a signal to my brain not to cough from the irritation. I’m not too much better, but I was able to get 2-3 hours of sleep at a time last night between coughs.

I saw Dr. Aggarwal again today and she has decided to restart my Herceptin treatments next week. She said she was nervous having it stopped for so long, and she didn’t want to take any chances and wait longer for the tests. This will be a every-three-weeks treatment, instead of weekly, so I can cut down on how many times I go to their office. Yippee!

Your prayers, cards and emails mean so much. I needed the extra encouragement this week. The ENT doctor apologized for the medical system that is dragging me through so many tests, and I almost cried. At the end of the day, God never lets me go through any of this alone. Besides my incredible husband who rescues me on a daily basis, I received this verse in my daily email last week, and I have come back to read it many times over the week: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:19

Take heart and persevere through your trials.

Sandy