Hi everyone –
I hope you are all healthy and enjoying summer! We are all fully vaccinated and it seems as if time is passing even faster than before.
I write with a brief update here. I’ll be writing again soon with links to more information.
I had scans at the end of June. It is looking like (stable) Mable is a fickle friend. The radiologist indicated “mild progression” on my bone scan (although interpretation is a bit of an art form). My CT scan was clear so there is no cancer apparent in any internal organs. It remains only in my bones as far as we can tell.
My tumor marker in my bloodwork jumped a lot last month. The combination of the big increase in tumor marker coupled with my messy bone scan means that there is likely progression. I am exploring with the oncologist what the next line of treatment would be. I am waiting on new tumor marker blood work results from my appointment earlier this week. If the values jump again, we will move to a second “line of treatment”. If the blood work numbers stay the same or drop, we stay the course.
A “line of treatment” is basically the set of medications taken to keep the cancer from progressing and growing. We know that at some point all medication stops working. The goal is to stay on each line of treatment for as long as possible. There are a finite number of treatment lines.
I have a lot to be grateful for. I celebrated another birthday at the end of June and in August Glen and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We spent time this summer as a family in Las Vegas, Steamboat Springs and New England.
I hope you will celebrate all the milestones in your life, even if they don’t seem particularly big. Soak up every day. More soon.
Much love,
Life As I Know It 