Latest Scans

In the past couple weeks, I had another round of scans which were compared with the ones I had at the end of September.  I was quite sure these ones would show a marked improvement, so I eagerly read over the reports and was surprised that they didn't confirm the almost miraculous recovery I've been experiencing.  Once I got over that, I was able to re-read the reports to find that there is a mix of good and bad news.

I'll start with the bad... the area of bone affected by the cancer is more extensive.  There are many spots on my skull, spine, pelvis, femoral heads (hips), ribs, and humeral heads (shoulders).  Fracture lines are showing up in my pelvis and neck, which I knew about, but also in my ribs, which I didn't know about.  This picture more closely matches how I felt in October through December, but not what I'm feeling now.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I don't still have acutely broken bones as I can literally jump up and down on one foot, and it doesn't hurt at all while I breathe.  I find it strange that when I first started feeling worse in the spring and summer, my scans hadn't changed for the worse at all.  Those negative changes didn't show up until September.  So now that I'm feeling better, the scans still show an aggressive bone picture.  Does anyone know how long it takes for CT and bone scans to pick up on improvements?  Something for me to look up.  Oh, I also have nodules on my thyroid which are being investigated.

And onto the good news...The cancer is showing up as less intense in my sternum, a couple of my ribs, my sacrum and the left side of my pelvis.  All of the bony lesions (except a few spots on my spine) are said to be "sclerotic" which means there is extra bone being laid down, as opposed to "lytic" which refers to weaker bone.  Sclerotic bone can either mean extra cancer cells or a healing process, and without a biopsy it's impossible to tell which is the case, but at least my risk for breaking bones is less now.  The other great news is that my vital organs are stable.  The spots in my lungs have either gotten smaller or stayed the same.  The 3 spots in my liver are nearly gone, but there are 2 new small spots.  All my other organs are normal.

As you can see, it's a mixed picture.  The oncologist here in Calgary recommends going back on a traditional chemotherapy.  I thanked him for the info, but have decided to continue with the monthly trips to Vienna.  Because I feel quite well and strong, I want to carry on with my current treatment.  I'll re-visit the oncologist here in another month, and likely re-scan everything in 3-4 months.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying my morning exercise routine.  I'm able to walk Alexis to and from school with a cane in one hand and Penny's leash in the other.  I don't even need the cane if I know I won't have to negotiate ice and snow, and my limp is pretty much gone.  It's been nice to get back to cooking (and even cleaning!), and I'm finally working on our Disney cruise photo album.

Will and I are going to Canmore today for a late Valentine's lunch date.  Alexis finally had her 9th birthday party last weekend, a few months late.  All in all, we're doing well.  God's taking good care of us through the people He has placed in our lives.

Blessings to you and your families,
Shawna, Will, Alexis, Penny (the dog) and Chloe (our new fish, bought while I was away in Vienna...I wonder what I'll come home to next time?!?)

Trip #2 - Path to Recovery

After a lovely two and a half weeks back home in Calgary, I returned to Vienna with my friend, Nadine for another week of treatment.  I again received low-dose chemotherapy, hyperthermia, immunotherapy, acupuncture, massage and naturopathic infusions.  Based on how well I'm feeling and my lab values, Dr. Kleef believes that I'm on the path to recovery.  I agree.  I am feeling much better than I was 3 months ago - less pain, smoother walking, more energy, stronger bones, stronger faith, more hope.  I am having scans done this week in Calgary and should have the reports in 2 weeks.  It will be interesting to see if they show the improvement I'm experiencing subjectively.

Nadine and I had a great time together, and we were able to take in some touristy sites when I wasn't in the clinic.  We saw the beautiful architecture of the city centre, went to a Mozart/Strauss classical concert, ate schnitzel and sacher torte, and did some shopping.  She even ventured to a couple places I haven't yet seen:  the Lipizzaner stallion stables and the Belvedere palaces.  When I go back at the end of February with my friend, Terri, perhaps we'll check those out too.

Will and Alexis fared very well on their own for a week.  I think they enjoyed taking the pace down compared to when I'm there, as I always seem to find extra "jobs" for them to do.  Can any other Moms relate to that habit?  Will continues to work diligently at eliciting hand and finger movement.  Last week for the first time, he was able to actively extend his left thumb (into a "thumbs up" position).  Now he hopes his other fingers will follow suit.

You know, after going through other hardships in life (mainly health), there has always been a lesson or something good that has come out of it all.  This period of life has been particularly long and challenging for us, and I keep waiting for that lesson but nothing is clear yet.  However, what has been tugging at my heart and mind has something to do with 'gratitude', not just when the trial is over, but throughout it, or maybe even looking at the hardship as a gift in and of itself.  I'm not sure though...it's hard to wrap my mind around that one.  If you have any insights, I'd love to hear them.

And that's the update for this round.  I'll post again once I know my scan results.  As always, thanks for caring and we sure appreciate all the prayers and support.

Love, Shawna
for Will and Alexis too