First of all, they told me that a Tumor Marker was a measurement to show the amount of cancer that is in my blood. Whenever my blood work is done, among the other test results, one is to show how my tumor marker is doing. Six months ago (when I was with Kaiser) my numbers went up and down on a regular basis, however, I don't recall it ever going over 120. Mind you, I don't really understand this stuff sometimes, and these are just numbers to me. However, after switching to Sutter and starting on Temoxifen we determined that it definitely didn't work for me and you can see how my numbers are doing by the following:
<38- u/mL (standard range)
5/19/11 - 98.1
6/19/11 - 162.3
7/18/11 - 191.9
Our next plan of attack is to go back on chemotherapy, but this time oral form. The new drug is called Capecitabine (also known as Xeloda). I will be on one week, then off the next, and so on. They are starting me with 3 tabs in the morning and 3 in the evening, then if my side effects are bad, they will taper it accordingly. Apparently the side effects aren't nearly as bad as the other chemo(s) that I've been on because other than mouth sores, he's only mentioned redness/soreness in the hands and feet. I may also lose some more hair, but that's no longer an issue with me. I've kind of grown accustomed to really short hair again. I should be starting on my new chemo this week, when it is delivered to the house.
Next, in case you haven't already heard, we're going to Michigan for a bittersweet vacation. The kids are already there (they went with their cousins & aunts/uncles) and we will be joining them this coming Friday. Since John could only take one week of vacation, we will catch up with everyone this weekend. Growing up, John's family would always go to Michigan for the summer and spend it at his mom's family cabin (actually located in Rose City, MI). His mom's grandfather built the cabin, so it has quite a family history. Unfortunately, we lost John's mom last year (and yesterday was the one year anniversary). She always wanted her ashes to be spread at the lake where she grew up and so we are honoring her wishes. We will forever miss "Nana" and it just doesn't seem real that it's been a whole year without her. So, as I said, it's definitely a bittersweet vacation.
To end on a happier note, yesterday I was invited to the Rivercat's baseball game to watch my friend Sonia throw out the first pitch. If you recall, I threw out the first pitch last year on her behalf because she was out of town. Well...I shouldn't ever trust her because she always talks me into stuff! Sure enough, they were short a gal and needed a "survivor" to take part in just a little celebration out on the field. I thought, sure, they're just gonna need me to stand somewhere and that's it...not. They actually had me run out with the pitcher to the mound and I had to stand there as they sang the National Anthem! I was in friggin flip flops and wasn't expecting to have to run, thank goodness I didn't land on my face...that would have been so embarrassing! Instead, it wasn't all that bad. At least the pitcher was cute :) Since I wasn't expecting to do anything other than support my friend, I didn't bring anyone, and John ended up working late. That's okay, it was just another day in the life of a survivor :) Thanks a lot Sonia, I can't trust you anymore! jk.
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
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