I have been blessed, again, with a great doctor.  I decided to get a new oncologist, so my neurologist recommended one at her clinic in Corvallis.  She is amazing.  I told her everything that I have been doing and she was so supportive that she offered to put in an order for me to get a port.  She thought my PICC line must be a huge inconvenience for me, which is quite true, so why not get a port, instead?  A port is a catheter that is surgically placed under the skin, usually around the clavical area.  There is essentially no maintenance and it can get wet, which is lovely.  Trying to keep this PICC line dry in the shower has proven to be quite challenging.  Swimming is definitely not an option, which is a big bummer when going on vacation.  I’ve wanted to get one of these for awhile now, but didn’t have a doctor that would be willing to give the order to have it done.  It is such a relief to have a doctor that supports what I’m doing homeopathically, and it’s amazing that it happens to be the same one that is also monitoring my cancer treatment.

I have scheduled my follow up MRI and PET scan on May 5th.  Based upon the results of those scans, we’ll decide what the next step will be.  If the tumor is still growing, it is recommended by all of my doctors that radiation should be done.  This would be the absolute worst case scenario.  We’ve always wanted this to only be a last resort, rather than play that card so early.  It’s a one time deal and can’t be done, again, later.  But if it’s necessary to get it done, then we’ll do it.  I really don’t anticipate any growth on this scan.  My focal seizures have decreased quite significantly over the past month, which is such a huge relief.  I have done 3 rounds of chemo so far and will be doing a fourth right before my scans.  The first round of chemo was a learning curve.  I learned that the fatigue I experience is significantly reduced if I eat some protein first thing in the morning, followed by small meals throughout the day.  It seems like this drug plays with my blood sugar level, so keeping it balanced helps tremendously.  Part of this issue, I’m sure, is because I have to stop eating early the night before.  I have to take Zofran (anti-nausea med) on an empty stomach and an hour before I take the Temodar.  It really seems to wreak havoc on my GI system, too.  About an hour after I take the Temodar, I experience some fairly significant cramping.  ‘Smooth Move’ tea is a fabulous solution for this.  As soon as I start drinking it, the cramping subsides.  So if you’re on Temodar, buy a case of this stuff here.  It’s significantly cheaper than buying some in a store.   I am so extremely thankful for modern medicine when chemo is necessary.  It’s amazing that I can be on chemo and forget that I’m on it, thanks to things like anti-nausea drugs.

I’m hoping to get my scan results a little faster than I have been getting them.  It’s been taking about a week to get the results, versus a couple of days like what it used to be.  The waiting game is always a stressful time.  It’s hard enough dealing with the anticipation of having the scans done, let alone having to wait to get the results several days later.  I feel so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by caring hands right now.  My surgeon, my naturopath, the MRI tech, the nurses changing my PICC line dressing, my oncologist….all amazing people.  Experiencing cancer is so much easier when you enjoy the people who surround you throughout your journey.  I ame blessed in that way. 

Other than all of that stuff, I’m hoping to have some good news to post on May 6th…