Updates from 1/7/23

This week's updates. Happy New Year!!!!! Here's to an amazing 2023!

• I just finished cycle 6 of my chemo (CapTem) and am now on my 2 week chemo break! Yay!

• I went over my latest CT Scan with my oncologist on 1/3 (Scan was 12/27)

• He said (over the phone)

  • Still looking good

  • Still seeing shrinkage (In most/all tumors - Pancreas, Liver, Lymph Nodes)

  • Shrinkage is slowing a bit

  • We will stay on my current protocol of chemo drugs, CapTem until I stop seeing shrinkage or my blood work shows my platelet counts dropping too much

  • I do have some other spots but he isn't worried about them and they continue to shrink too

  • Once the tumors stop shrinking or my platelets are too low we will look at surgery. I am guessing we are thinking June or July (but thats my guess)

• I have an appointment to see him in person on 1/17 and an appointment with a Urologic Oncologist for the kidney cancer on 1/19. I am feeling great about both appointments

• I did throw a couple of ideas at him about how to lessen my tumor load and he suggested that I bring them up with the surgeon

  • Most of the methods I brought up they prefer to do after surgery if needed since if you do them before surgery they could make the boundaries of the tumors less well defined and harder for the surgeon to remove

  • I always throw ideas out!

• My symptoms are pretty consistent but a little better this week

  • Fatigue

  • GI Issues

  • Some skin stuff like eczema

  • some phlegm in my chest and coughing but this is improving

• On the non-medical side, I went back to Yoga which I LOVE and no doubt helps me a lot. It's so relaxing and transports my mind to a different place

• I am also keeping my mind very engaged. I am already volunteering and active in one organization (Society for Integrative Oncology), am talking to a second one this week (my goal is to volunteer for two orgs and OHSU, my hospital, where I can help people), I did a focus group for OHSU this week too and still talking about consulting.

• I have found that for me, the more active my brain is the better I feel overall

So that's the update. If you read this far, thanks!