Sunday, January 24, 2015 - Update

It's been about three months since I've updated my blog and a lot has happened since then. Here is the condensed version. I did three monthly treatments of Doxil, but my body did not respond and the cancer continues to spread and grow throughout my lungs. My shortness of breath continued to escalate which took me back to my Pulmonologist. He took me through a series of testing to try and determine the cause. We did an ultra sound on my legs and a CT scan of my chest to rule out blood clots. Both tests came back clean. Next he did a bronchoscopy so he could look into my lungs and see exactly what's going on in there. What he confirmed was that I have two air passages that are completely blocked, and one that is partially blocked by tumors. They aren't main air passages, but his analogy was normally you breathe through something the size of a drinking straw...in the places where I'm blocked, it's like trying to breathe through a coffee stirrer. Next step...radiation. Not as a treatment, but as treating a symptom (the tumors squeezing my air passages closed). So...as of this past Wednesday I completed ten daily treatments of radiation. Now we are just waiting for my body to respond. Once my cells split, and the radiation does its thing I should see an improvement in my breathing. For right now I am fatigued beyond belief...imagine shampooing your hair and having to take a break before you can finish. Some days I'm light headed (due to low blood pressure, dehydration or maybe all of the shit that has been pumped into my body in the past 3.5 years). I'm still coughing and gaging...which sometimes makes me vomit. Since the radiation no matter what I eat or drink I feel like I am swallowing a piece of un-chewed burnt toast. Both Friday and Saturday when I got sick I threw up blood. That's how raw my throat is. They say things should improve in about a week. I'm scheduled to start Avastin on Monday, but I'm going to discuss pushing it out a week as the Avastin can slow the healing process. I'd like to give my throat, esophagus, tummy etc. adequate time to heal.

My family and friends continue to care for me. I am currently not driving, cooking or cleaning...because I am not able to...so they do it all for me. I thank God everyday for the love and support of my posse.

That's it my friends...I keep waiting for better to come, but she keeps hiding just ahead.