Here we are, well in to fall and about to embark on pink-tober. (More on that later.)
I had my monthly check up last week. No change in medications or blood work (well, blood work looked a little better than normal). When I shared this with my sisters one of them referred to me as Steady Betty. I’ll take it.
I’ve been feeling quite good the past few weeks. Interestingly – and frustratingly – how I feel has no correlation to the status of my cancer. Regardless, I’m grateful the the medication I am on is not causing significant side effects.
Life of late looks pretty normal – school back in session, still working remotely, making sure M gets to dance, E balancing the fun of being a senior with working on college applications. Glen waiting a bit in the morning for the temperature to rise a little before he heads out for a run.
Evelyn is not playing volleyball this fall; she did take on the task of coordinating the Dig Pink! fundraiser for the volleyball program. She organized and promoted the event and raised money that will go toward breast cancer research and local support. She did a great job! ❤️
Next month I will have scans (bone scan and CT scan with contrast) that will determine if the cancer is stable or growing.
Until then, be well my friends and family.
Details: The blood work used to monitor me monthly is the CA 27-29 tumor marker. No evidence of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is a value of 38 or lower. My tumor marker number has been rising for months with a big jump this past summer. My oncologist was ready to switch me to my second line of treatment when it stopped rising. The value in September was the same as August. The higher the number the more likely there are cancer cells circulating around in the body. The CT scan in June looked clear. The bone scan in June suggested maybe mild progression. So, no clear evidence of what is going on.
This means I just keep taking the same medication as before. I just got a delivery of Ibrance – the one doing the heavy lift in stopping progression. This photo shows you what $36,000 in medication looks like. Each box is a 28 day supply. (I have 3 other meds in addition to this one.)
Life As I Know It 
Hi Sweetie! Thanks for the update and great photos. Terrific one of you and Glen…such pretty surroundings! Fall is probably my favorite season because of the color.
We are glad to hear you have been feeling good, and that things appear to be pretty constant, allowing you to function pretty normally. Thank God for good insurance, with the horrendous cost of those meds you are on. How frightening for those that don’t have that benefit.
On a side note, I designed the graduation present for Evelyn this week and should be able to see the rendering from the jeweler in about a week or so. Don’t know how long it will take to have it made, but it should be ready well in advance of her graduation. I think it will be very pretty, and I hope she likes it!
Hope you all enjoy the upcoming weekend.
Much love,
Mom & Pop
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