24 February 2016

Good Stuff

I started another round of chemotherapy treatments yesterday.  The good news yesterday was that I had gained 1.3 pounds in the thirteen days since my last treatment!  I know that doesn't sound like much, but for someone who was consistently losing 8 to 10 pounds between treatments back in the fall, anything that is stable or higher is really good news.

Today I had my IP chemo.  We call it the "rotisserie chicken chemo" because I have to rotate on the hospital bed after my peritoneal cavity is filled with the cisplatin.  The best news of all was that my CA 125, which is the tumor marker and cancer antigen indicator, was down another 200 points -- from 545 to 336!  I would have been perfectly happy with something in the 400's, nervous that it may have gone up, and DELIGHTED when I saw 336 on my lab report!  I am still shooting for something in the 30's, but I am thrilled at the downward trend we are seeing.

So many of you have reached out and told me that you are praying that the chemo will do what it's supposed to do.  We can truly thank the Lord that, at least for the time being, it seems to be.  Thank you so much for your faith and prayers in my behalf.

I know that some of you have also expressed that you are praying for my appetite.  I hope you can appreciate the photos below.  After my IV chemo yesterday, I went out for Mexican food and ate a decent amount.  Tonight, after my IP chemo, I thought I wanted Mexican again, so we headed for a restaurant called Jalapeno's.  On the way, I decided I wanted ravioli at Olive Garden.  Then just before we got there, I decided I wanted crab at Red Lobster.  I ate a full pound of Red Lobster snow crab and loved every bite!  I hope I don't throw up seafood when the special pre-meds start wearing off, because I know I would never eat crab again.  Since I am jacked up on pre-meds for anti-nausea and energy and hydration, I realize that I am artificially feeling well right now, and I'm not sure what to expect when it all wears off.

Thank you for all that you do for me!  I don't take any of it for granted.





12 comments:

  1. Great Post! FOOD!! Weight gain!! Cute Pictures with Happy Faces!! This makes my day. Only good things headed your way, I just know it. *And thanks for FINALLY posting. Seriously...Us Michelle-blog-addicts that wait to hear from you, can only refresh our links so many times in so many days before we start worrying. Let's go back to Elder Eyring's talk: "Remember, Remember" where he shares how he committed to writing EVERYDAY about how the Lord has blessed his life. Since he's an apostle, and speaks for God, I think the daily post would be a really good idea. ; ) Pray about it.

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  2. And here's a special shout out to the Wonderful friend who printed Michelle's blog into a book--NICE JOB!! Way to think of something SO cool! You're amazing. Thank you for giving her such a sweet gift! xoxo

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  3. Such GREAT news! I was biting my nails over the CA125, praying that this number would be lower than it was last time. 200 points less?!? What a huge blessing! Sure do love you Michelle, and we will keep praying, prayers of gratitude and continued healing! Hang in there!

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  5. I feel the same as Michelle Burk! So happy to hear from you and so happy that the news is good! We are continually praying for your spiritual strength and your health.

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  6. I feel the same as Michelle Burk! So happy to hear from you and so happy that the news is good! We are continually praying for your spiritual strength and your health.

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  7. What great labs! Your food fest looks delicious, we'll keep praying for your appetite to stay hungry and thirsty with cravings for lots of calories! Now, go get a snack!

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  8. Michelle, thanks for posting when you feel like it. I know that when you don't feel well and that every day feels like the last one, it is silly to type "ditto". And this doesn't need to be your journal entry. We continue to pray for you and put your name in the temple. Love you!

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  9. This is fantastic news! You deserve every bit of it.

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  10. Yay for an update!! So happy to hear numbers going down. That is wonderful news. We continually pray for you and think of you often in our home. I love that you went for seafood. Matt and I would have loved to have joined you with that crab! Yum. Every pound you gain is fabulous news. Keep on keepin on. Xoxo

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  11. So great to hear good news! We continue to check your blog and you are in our daily family prayers. We love you.

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