November 30, 2012 CTCA

Another trip to CTCA with amazing results! I was very nervous about coming to see my doctor because of the side effects I am having. For some reason I just didn't have the confidence that I usually have. My health was failing and the cancer was more painful. How can I feel like my fight was causing the cancer the decrease? While waiting for the doctor to come in, my heart became warm and comforted. I knew exactly Who it was. I've always believed that God is my healer and all I need is Him! The doctor proceeded to tell us that my cancer markers are down and all other blood tests look good! The side effects are from the Afinitor and they should subside. Once again my faith has been proven! The prayers that you are saying, the support that is strong, and my trust in God has once again made myself, family and friends very relieved. I thank God and you for all that you do! Rob, Patti, Shae, and Robbin came out with me so the celebration did go on tonight! Tomorrow we are going to Chicago to do a little shopping and mostly to eat the best pizza every, and see the Christmas lights. Chicago is so beautiful this time of year. I'll get pics on later. Sunday we plan on going to the Brat Stop for cheese and brats. Then back to watch the Broncos. Monday night we will be back home. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! There is so much to celebrate and we hope you are healthy and happy! God Bless, Gwyn

October 2012 At CTCA

Yep it's time for another trip to CTCA. This time we got here Sunday in the late morning so we had most of the day and night to do whatever we wanted. So we dropped off the luggage and off to the Chancery to eat. We were starving!!! After lunch we unpacked and yep we both took a nap and watched football. That's all the excitement we had. Outlet mall right across the street and I didn't go. Wow must be something wrong with me! Monday I had a PET Scan scheduled for 5pm. This is the scan that you can not eat 6 hours before and after the injection of radio active gadolinium you must stay still for one hour. The scan then begins and it takes 21 minutes. It's one of the easiest tests I have to do. Sleep through the whole thing. Well, ok kind of. HAHA We then went back to the hotel for a cheesehead dream hamburger!! Yum yum! My favorite hamburger!!! Then tuesday morning we went back to the hospital for my doctor appointment at noon. She told us that she was taking me off of the doxil because it was to hard on my body. After a dose of it I got a rash over my body, mouth and throat sores and body aches just to name a few things. These lasted for 3 weeks. I had one good week a month while taking the doxil. My doctor was not pleased with that and didn't want me living like that so I'm off of it and will now take Afinitor, Aromasin and Xgeva. These drugs are very costly and not entirely covered by my insurance. The Afinitor and Aromasin are a pill and the Xgeva is a shot. I will travel back to CTCA every 6 weeks for the shot and will take the pills daily. She did tell me that there is still increased activity on the bones that showed on the scan. My markers were all up also. This tells us that the doxil didn't work as well as she wanted it to. That's the main reason for stopping that drug. With the activity on the bone it's still important that I take some kind of chemotherapy. I have put a link for the Afinitor and Aromasin if anyone wants to look it up. There is side effects but nothing like any of the other drugs I have taken. Yeah!!! We return wednesday afternoon and I will come back the end of november for blood tests to see how this new drug is working. Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers. God has been so good to me and with His help I am still fighting!! I thank Him for that and for all of You!!! God Bless!

September 2012 Trip to CTCA

Amazing how fast a month goes by!! Robbin and I went back to CTCA for my second round of chemo on September 7th. When we arrived at the hospital at 7:30am, I had my port accessed, gave blood, we went to breakfast and then the doctor appointment. I love my doctor. She spends at least 20 minutes with us explaining everything in detail!! You just can't find a better doctor than her!! The fist chemo that I got gave me several side affects.....swelling throat, hives, huge pimples, more neuropathy, headache that lasted 3 days,and bad body aches for most of the month. The doctor was very concerned about these and did say that these are not good for me but it is part of going through this chemo. She felt that if I could handle it she would like to see me have another month of the same chemo to see if my body will respond to it a little easier. It is up to me to make that decision and after much discussing with the doctor, Robbin and I thought it would be worth trying it for another month. The other option is to start on a pill that will work like a non hormone. I have been on a couple of these and they are much nicer to except but with my cancer markers going up I just felt like I wanted to get on top of the growth and after 6 treatments I can start on the pills. I need much prayer that my body will except this chemo so that I can continue it for 4 more treatments. I also am having the xgiva shot to help with the bone healing and pain. So I got a double dose of poison. We hope and pray that all of this will help stop the growth for another year and I can have some quality of life. It doesn't seem like much to give up 6 months for one year!!! Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers along this journey!! My daughters have been very helpful after I get home. This is a very difficult time for Robbin and the girls!! The support from you is so needed and appreciated!! While Gwyn goes through the struggle with Chemo, I sometimes feel very helpless and unsure of what I am supposed to do for her. As the side effects take a huge toll physically, they tear her down emotionally. I try to maintain a positive and supportive attitude, but it becomes a challenge. She and I BOTH need the help to cope with the stress involved with treating and living with this disease. Family and friends play a crucial role in the treatment of the mind and soul. Last year when she went through Chemo, we really didn't know what to expect. And since this one is a different type, we have to wait and see how she reacts as the medication accumulates. I would like to ask everyone to pick up the phone and check on her and talk to her about different things. Keep her mind occupied and she does much better!!! I have to say a huge thank you to our girls and Gwyn's sewing friends. Please continue to call and stop by (we need that). Thank You to all!!!

August Trip to CTCA

I must say.....I knew this trip was going to be a little different than in the past. A couple of events have occurred since July and this is where it all starts. My body has been feeling different than before which I've always been able to feel and definitely listen to. My doctor wanted a Pet scan done to see what if anything had changed as far as bone cancer growth and also to see if anything is abnormal in the liver, kidneys, heart, pancreas, adrenal glands lower abdomen and lungs. I did tell her something is different...I have more aches in my shoulders, not sleeping well, very fatigued, and just am not myself. I'm thinking because she is the best doctor EVER, she always listen to me, that she could tell something was wrong. So the Pet scan was done from the base of the skull to mid thigh. It showed there is multiple foci of increased metabolic activities involving the sternum, both ribs, thoracic spine, left scapula and both proximal humeri. The blood tests showed all cancer markers have increased. This is where my pain is coming from. With all that said the doctor request that I start on a chemotherapy again. I had 2 different affects from that request.....oh no, not another 6 months of feeling like someone ran over me and then my mind felt the reality and I knew this was going to help me with the quality and quantity of my life. My doctor is and always has been a step ahead of my feelings. It's so amazing how she does this....very compassionate lady!! She sends me to the infusion room for my first round of chemo. This drug is call doxorubicin liposomal Doxil. I added the link if your interested in looking into it more. 2 hours later I was done and headed to the airport to come back home. We walked in the house about 10:30 pm and I went straight to bed.

CTCA Visit July 2012

Once again here I am at my favorite hospital. Wendy & Patti came out with me this time and they have been so supportive!! My first appointment was at 5:15am. Really? Well, we made it on time with a few minutes to spare. Since I was having a CT scan I couldn't eat. The techs here are very understanding of my need for coffee!! They got me in and out of there in 10 minutes!! I'm sure they have seen me without coffee before, otherwise why would they be so efficient? Haha....really this is just the way this hospital works. I Love Them!! I had about 2 hours before I could see my doctor. So, yes we went shopping. We found the cutest little boutique. Cute cute clothes, purses, belts, shoes.......and yes we came out of the store with a sack. Back to the hospital for my doctors report. She told me that the cancer markers had gone up just a little but she expected that. All other blood levels were doing what she expected too. The CT scan was good and showed the cancer activity but it was unchanged from the last scan. All in all, I had a good report!! My Healer is still answering our prayers!! Thank you Lord for that!! We left the hospital and went to the hotel to eat lunch and then went to the outlet mall right across the street. If you haven't gone shopping with Wendy and Patti, I'm telling you you should! They are a blast and when they get focused on finding something, don't get in their way!! We had lots of fun and I thank them for spending their time bringing me here and for making me laugh. Love you both! I usually come out every three months but she wants to see me in one month for a PET scan. Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers!!! Love you!!

CTCA in March 2012

Bring on the spring weather!!! It was beautiful and no need for a coat. Yeah!! As I was packing for this trip I really felt like I had mixed emotions about the results of the tests I was having. It had been three months since my last scans so it was time again for a Pet scan, CT scan and MRI. When I make my appointments of course I want to be the first one because I can't eat or drink before these tests. So my day started at 6am and I was done by 10am. These people know how to get you in and out of there. I love it!! And yes I did get grouchy because I was sooo hungry! :o) Robbin drove fast to the restaurant (thanks Robbin) and I scarfed down a waffle. One thing I like to do after these scans is walk off all the chemicals they put in my body. Ok I can't walk them off but I can at least help get them through my body. Otherwise, I get sick and my body just feels heavy. So we went shopping. One favorite thing that we love to eat is the Kringles at the Danish Pastry Kitchen. So we had them pack up some to bring home. We then went to the Brat Stop to get cheese and cheese curds. The next morning were my appointments with the doctor for all the results. We got there at 8:45am and didn't have to wait long. As we waited for the doctor to come in, you could just feel the tense air in the room. Robbin and I both were so concerned and had lots of anxiety going into this. My doctor comes in and tells us that the MRI showed no abnormal masses and the pet scan and ct scan has no significant increase in metabolic activity!!! The comparisons showed a decrease in growth rate of the tumors. The tumors have not moved to any other areas and are still contained in the bones. Robbin and I had tears of joy. We both felt so relieved and once again our God has answered prayers! There is a God who is my healer! He is always here for me in times of trouble and when times are good. This is proof!! God is good!!! Prayers from all my supporters are felt and answered once again. Thank you for all of this!! I got a shot of xgeva also. The doctor said since it had been two months since my last shot, it could cause some bone pain. I will contact my doctor here to ask if she can give me this xgeva shot. That means I don't go back to CTCA for 3 months. Wow, I may feel lost! hahaha

January 18, 2012 at CTCA

It seems like a long time since I've been to see my doctors. I really like that!! lol When I arrived at the hospital, I checked in, gave them some blood and waited for the doctor. I have been feeling so well and didn't think she would give me bad news. And she didn't! She did tell me my cancer markers are going up from 86 to 198. One thing is that she expected that as it is part of starting on tamoxifen and it takes time for it to start working. She wants me to continue on my schedule and return in March to see how the markers are doing then. She also gave me a shot of Xgeva. This is the bone healer medication. If the markers are still going up she wants to put me on another hormone along with the tamoxifen...like femara. This would be great with me. That means no chemo!!! It's time again for CT & PT scans which will show how the cancer is growing. I have been feeling so well and really don't want to start back on chemo. My life is getting back to normal, well as normal as I can get it, and Robbin and I want to enjoy some travel while we can. We also are moving and I want to create a comfortable home in town. It's exciting for us and we really need a new start this year. So continue to pray for us! As we move and get settled in a new home, I will continue to feel well, get more energy and not have as much pain.

When we arrived tuesday night our good friends meet us for dinner. Sandy & Jeff, thanks a ton! It was so good to see you and to know you are here if we ever need anything while away from home. Thank You!! The burgers at the Chancery are always the best! I crave them!! The weather here is soooo cold. Yesterday the high was 17 with 65% humidity and 10 mph winds!! Burr!!!!! We will be leaving just in time. They are expecting a snow storm this weekend. And we are supposed to be in the 50's at home!!

God Bless You All.