Dear friends,
I was debating whether or not to post today, and I’ve already spoken with so many of you. I spent the morning in the ER for what I thought was a bowel obstruction. The ER team was great, and I can’t say enough good things about my experience there.
The outcome, however, was not so great.
The CAT scan that was taken shows a progression of my cancer. It appears the biologic I’ve been on has stopped working—but not only that, the cancer has grown rapidly in a short period of time, causing issues around my colon and contributing to peritonitis and ascites, which is fluid in my abdomen. This is causing some of the pain I’m experiencing in my intestines and the digestive issues I’ve been having, along with the distention of my belly.
I’m actually surprised to be this uncomfortable so fast.
Over the next week, I have a lot of information to gather and a lot of decisions to make.
Questions like:
- Why did the Elahere drug I’ve been on, that was working so remarkably, all of a sudden stop working?
- Can we bump it back up to a higher dose?
- Based on what’s going on with the cancer progression, what’s the best treatment for me right now—and what are the implications of getting that treatment?
- Where is the best place to get it?
The other thing to consider is: do I even want to pursue treatment?
I would really like to get through an entire summer without undergoing some sort of chemotherapy or cancer treatment. I accept and understand what the statistics are and where I am in this journey. It would be so great to have a few more years. But I also understand if I don’t.
As soon as I have more information, I’ll share it.
Today is a beautiful summer day—except for the wildfire smoke that has turned the sky white and put a haze over the horizon. I wish I could be sitting outside, but it’s just not a great day to be outdoors.
Here’s a picture from last night’s sunset, which was also enhanced by wildfire smoke and made for a really great photo.
With love,
lynn
