The Cancer Years: February 2019

Update February 2019: OK and Not So Great News

So, after returning from a fun four week trip to SE Asia, I had CT and bone scans done. On Tuesday I met with my oncologist, the wonderful Dr. Iqbal, who gave me the OK and not-so-great news update: the Ibrance (pablociclib) was continuing to work on my liver and lungs where the tumours are stable however there has been progression in the bone mets (metastases).

Progression is really an awful word.

So, I will be starting IV injection chemo in the next few weeks and continue with letrazole and hope that this combination does the trick. I’ll be taking Taxol which can have side effects such as fatigue, nausea, hair loss etc. So, after all these years, I will finally lose my hair. Sigh.

Finding progression on the bone mets did not come as a surprise. It looked that way from the bone scan in November although it wasn’t as clear as it is now. Plus, I’ve had more pain in my hips, legs and lower back over the past months.

So, I’m changing to another treatment option and if that doesn’t provide good results, there are other options for the future. At the moment, I still feel reasonably strong and healthy and, as my sister said today, the end of winter is in sight. It may be a few months away but it’s in sight. And I’ll plan a trip for after the chemo is done (hopefully within 6 months) so that I have something to look forward to.

The recent trip to Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore did my heart good, seeing friends, enjoying the culture and food of the region. I’m extremely grateful that I had that opportunity to travel there and hope to go back at some point.

Verla and Randy joined me in Vietnam for two weeks. To get an overview of the Vietnam travels, check out Verla’s blog at:

http://verla-travels.blogspot.com/2019/01/alliteration-in-vietnam-hanoi-ha-long.html.

She has also written about her previous trips to Vietnam and Guatemala which are very entertaining.

Here are some articles to peruse.

These are about “beating” cancer and those who don’t.

https://uzmamd.com/2016/07/03/i-am-sorry-i-didnt-beat-cancer/?fbclid=IwAR0QuFcXsPPAlUa4tWV3rz_fqtsA8bnt1TsSty_0lQvibdffFDIwHvD-mAc

http://nancyspoint.com/beating-cancer-mean-anyway/

And living life to the fullest once you’ve received that diagnoses.

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/fatima-ali-died-cancer?utm_brand=ba&utm_source=facebook&mbid=social_facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned

And here’s one about leaving a legacy.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-we-will-all-leave-a-legacy-whether-we-like-it-or-not/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=Referrer%3A+Social+Network+%2F+Media&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links

Here are some of my favourite pictures from my SE Asia trip.