I'm Still Here

Hello again!  Long time no post.  I thought it was about time I let you know that I am still among you, and am just too busy and exhausted to post regularly.

The good news is that the Taxol/Perjeta/Herceptin/Xeloda combination is working very well.  My last scan showed no evidence of disease from the neck down, and that is  the very first time I have achieved that since my initial diagnosis.  It took an aggressive combination to knock out bone metastasis that would just not go away.  Further, my one small brain tumor did not grow at all in 2 months.  We will check it again in a few weeks, but for now all is well.

The bad news is that this combo of medications has really taken its toll on me.  I struggle to make it through my days and rely on medication to get me through the worst of it.  I vomit nearly daily and have little to no notice it is coming.  If it wasn't such a disgusting topic, I would post a collection of horrifying yet hysterical-in-retrospect vomit moments from the last three months. I have quite a list, and it continues to grow.  More than anything, though, I am tired, tired, tired.  I feel (and yes, I know this is ridiculous), like I have become the laziest person on earth.  All I want to do is sleep and watch TV.  Yet, being the mother of seven is not compatible with this plan, so I get up and go.

There are bright spots, too.  Every four to six weeks my treatments line up so that I get a whole week without any chemo at all.  When this happens I perk up and start frantically catching up with all I missed doing during the prior weeks (further evidence that the inherent laziness is only a myth, but I am still unwilling to accept it).

In other news, my mom has moved in with us and that is working out very nicely.  She has had some medical problems and we didn't like having her on her own, so now she's not!  I am using some of my "spare time" to get her house cleaned out and hopefully rented by the first of the year.  Or so.  It is lovely to have her here and she is a great help with the kids, helping with homework, hanging out with them and driving when she can.

Blessings to all of you and until next time (whenever that may be...), take care!