So here is a little timeline:
Friday 8/16 - Found out previous cancer gone but new grew - so more SBRT & new chemo coming
Monday 8/19 - Went to radiation oncologist for 3 month check up & to start new SBRT process
Tuesday 8/20 -- The "MRI that wasn't" due to insurance complications
Wednesday 8/21 - MRI at 7 am that only happened b/c of a caring person at check-in that fought to get the right paperwork there; Came home in afternoon to find that there was water damage to my laminate floors due to an AC issue
Thursday 8/22 - FC classes start / SBRT simulation appointment
Friday 8/23 -- Insurance adjuster comes regarding floors
Saturday 8/24 - Get 3 estimates on floors
Sunday 8/25 - Water mitigation company comes & tells me that they will begin tearing out my floors the next day. Wonderful friends from church help me get everything boxed & moved as needed. (10 people got it done in an hour - it would have taken me all night - so, so appreciative!)
Monday 8/26 - Floor tear out & chaos begins; Find out that there was a complication with my SBRT sim & have to go back to do it again
Tuesday 8/27 - SBRT sim take 2 & hiring/signing paperwork for flooring company
Thursday 8/29 - SBRT treatment 1
Friday 8/30 -- Thanks to a wonderful friend, I ended up at the Florida Georgia Line/ Dan & Shay concert which was such fun & a welcome reprieve
Tuesday 9/3 - Move to my parents because flooring begins ; SBRT treatment 2
Thursday 9/5 - SBRT 3
Monday 9/9 - Flooring/ baseboards get done
Tuesday 9/10 - SBRT 4 has complications and has to be rescheduled; a wonderful friend begins the process of painting needed due to new baseboard and portions of wall being removed
Wednesday 9/11 - SBRT 4 actually takes place
Friday 9/13 - painting ends/ start process of getting house together
Saturday 9/14 - Move back to my house
Monday 9/16 - Final SBRT
Tuesday 9/17 - Begin new chemo - whew!
Besides all of the cancer and house stuff, there was also teaching all of my classes at FC and online & trying to rehearse a couple hours every day for my recital that is coming up. My main goal was to be back in my house by the time I started the new chemo, and I am so thankful that it worked out. There are still lots of boxes and things in the wrong place, but I'm home and that is because of the wonderful support of family & friends over the last month. Thanks for indulging my whining about the craziness, lol! Plus, I love my new floors and wall color!
The new chemo (Gemcitabine or Gemzar) has an infusion once a week for 2 weeks and then a week off where I will get labs done. There have been some side effects such as nausea, fatigue, & headaches that I'm figuring out how to manage. I also had a skin reaction for the first 3 days that required Benadryl / watching. I was still able to do all of my teaching, rehearse/ practice, etc.; so, I am very thankful that it seems like the side effects will be manageable. And let's be real, after the month I've had....who wouldn't be a bit fatigued, lol. Once this first 3 week cycle is done, hopefully, I will have an idea how to best manage the side effects for the future.
I've had people ask how long I will be on the chemo, and when we will scan next. This chemo will be my treatment for as long as it works. I will always be on some type of treatment for the rest of my life, and we hope that this chemo will work a long time. After SBRT, they wait 3 months to scan due to inflammation, etc. being possible for that long. So, sometime in December will probably be my next scan. We are doing tumor markers regularly. After radiation, I expected that my tumor markers would rise as the protein being measured can be from both live & dead cancer cells. I was pleasantly surprised that the markers went down some so that seems really promising to me!
It was a crazy month, but thankfully, the month got topped off in a great way by a visit from one of my closest friends and the FC leadership dinner that I was able to attend due to the generosity of another friend. It was a great experience to get to spend time with both of them and get to hear and meet Steve Forbes.
I'll have chemo again this Tuesday and then my week off. My oncologist & radiation oncologist helped plan the SBRT and beginning of chemo so that my off week would correspond with my recital. I'm so thankful for this as I've been planning and working on this recital for quite some time. I will get to perform at FC on Tuesday 10/1 and then again at HCC on Thursday 10/3 at their Ybor Campus. Friendly faces in the audience always make a performance better if you are local and could come out for either one!
I would really appreciate prayers that this chemo will work and keep any cancer from growing with as mild of side effects as possible. A little less stressful next few weeks or months would be wonderful as well, but it will be what it will be! Thanks for reading, and I hope that you have a wonderful week!
