Good News

Hello all.  Before I share the good news of the day, I must clarify something regarding my last post.  When I complained about not having access to the chemo-sensitivity testing in Calgary, it was not a knock on my oncologists there.  For the past 8 years, they have treated me very well by Canadian standards and I have great respect for each of them.  It's just the processes in Canada that frustrate me, because everything has to be based on randomized controlled trials and it takes decades for changes to be instituted.

Okay, onto the good news...my tumour markers have decreased by 50%.  Yay, you say, what the heck are those?  In metastatic breast cancer, there are some proteins in the blood that can (but don't always) indicate "tumour burdern", and decreasing numbers can mean that there is less cancer present in my body.
(See http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ca15-3/tab/glance for an explanation of the CA-15 tumour marker).  Dr. Kleef was pleased but surprised that I would show an improvement so soon.  I have been feeling very low on energy and hope for the past 3 weeks, so although it's not a miraculous cure, this news is a gift and a lift to keep me going.  We are thankful.

As for the fatigue, it is due to low hemoglobin (red blood cells) and I will be having a transfusion tomorrow, so that should give me a physical boost.  The medication given last week was successful in returning my white blood cells to normal.  I am also on several natural supplements each day that have some good evidence behind them as being "anti-cancer" (beet juice...as gross as it sounds!, melatonin, boswellia, hydroxycitrate, hypericum, vitamin D, indole-3-carbinol, lingzhi spore oil).  At the clinic, I also receive high dose vitamin C, artesunate and alphalipoic acid by IV into my portacath.  I only list them in detail for those of you who have a keen interest in the details.  Feel free to glaze over this paragraph if you're not one of them!

Enough with medical details, onto tourism.  Last week, we were fortunate enough to be invited for lunch with my cousin's wife's father's cousin (how's that for close relations!) and her husband and daughter.  They took us to a traditional Viennese inn restaurant in the oldest part of Vienna.  We are thankful that their English is worlds better than our German, and enjoyed the conversation.  On the weekend, we ventured to an area called Prater, where we rode on the world-famous ferris wheel that was built in the 1800's.  The view from the top was amazing.  This weekend, we'll aim again to go to Baden to experience the healing mineral spas.

Christmas is just around the corner.  We wish you and your loved ones joy as you anticipate the spirit of Christ's birth.

Love,
Shawna for Will, Alexis, Willie and Linda