Day 291 - It's Not About The Bike

So my Mom picked me up Lance Armstrong's book awhile back - It's Not About The Bike. I finally finished my previous book & I have moved on to this book. I can't say enough how much I'm enjoying it. I don't know if any of you out there have read it, but it's really worth it!


Today was my appointment with Jessica. I always enjoy my sessions with her. She is really an amazing woman. She's had quite the history with cancer & various other crazy health battles & she has come out on top! If you ever have an issue, I would highly recommend her. Whether it is Autism, Cancer, Arthritis, migraines... She takes on all cases. And not just physical ailments... She'll help you out with emotional issues, financial issues... Did I mention she's an absolute riot as well? She certainly gets my vote. Give her a shout!


I stopped over at Mom2's afterwards & had a great visit. I timed it just right & was able to sit down for a turkey dinner! Stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy I'm still drooling over! Whoo hoo! My lucky day! I scoped out her garden, cherry tree, crazy saskatoon & raspberry bushes & of course, the flower beds. If anyone has a green thumb, it's Mom2! 


We made plans to pick her up tomorrow morning on our way to treatment. She is going to spend the day with me. It's awesome to have the company & it makes me feel very supported. I hugged her goodbye & headed to Chapters to pick up a book on *gulp*, marriages. 


Jaco arrives in a few short days & to say that I'm a wee bit nervous would be an understatement. It will be the longest we've ever spent together & ultimately the beginning of the foundation of our marriage. I'll be in chemo, we'll be living with my mother & Jaco will be without his ship Cabin Steward bringing him fresh towels & cleaning his cabin 2x/day & without the maid from back home to clean & cook for him. To say it will be a growth stage for our relationship would be an understatement. Did I mention I don't cook? :o) Wish us luck! 


To counterbalance that last paragraph, I must also add that I am terribly excited to see him & spend this time together. Despite our challenges lying ahead, he is a wonderful man & I am so blessed to have found him. Stay tuned for our adventures together! 


On that note, I'm off to bed... It's been a long day, but tomorrow is guaranteed to be much longer! 


Sleep well,
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

2 of Mom2's 4 Apricots

Mom2's cherry tree

Life ain't nothin' but a bowl of cherries. Or something like that.

Mom2 & I with our sexxy hair do's.

Day 209 - Cross Eyed Computer Day

Okay, so I spent the entire day working in Photoshop for Unka Jer & researching chemo drugs - mainly Bleomycin. My mind is swarming with statistics & information & terminology I had no prior knowledge of before today!


I researched bleomycin, Lance Armstrong, Etoposide, Isofosphamide, Pulmonary Fibrosis... my bookmarks page is a disaster now! I have so many pages saved & still plenty of reading to do. I found some pretty remarkable information out there... I won't bore you to tears with it, as it's probably not that interesting to someone who's not staring it in the face... But here's a few excerpts from the day:


"BPT (Bleomycin Pulmonary Toxicity) results in a significant decrease in 5-year OS (Overall Survival) in patients who are treated for HL (Hodgkin's Lymphoma). Age greater than 40 years seems to add substantially to the risk. In patients who do not die from acute pulmonary toxicity, both OS and PFS (Progression-Free Survival) seem equal, despite the omission of bleomycin."


"Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (a general marker of inflammation) measurements may be elevated in Hodgkin disease (Hodgkin's lymphoma). An elevated ESR has been associated with worse prognosis. However, the ESR is a nonspecific test that should not be used for Hodgkin disease (Hodgkin's lymphoma) screening." - This is the Sedimentation Rate they tested at Dr. Castillo's. Mine always decreased after 10+ days of treatment with Dr. Castillo.

"The Ann Arbor classification (1971) is used most often for cases of Hodgkin disease (Hodgkin's lymphoma). Clinical staging involves assessment of disease extent by clinical examination, history, and imaging techniques. When staging laparotomies are used as part of staging, the disease extent is designated as pathologic staging.¹⁰

• Stage I denotes a single lymph node area or single extranodal site.
• Stage II denotes 2 or more lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm.
• Stage III denotes lymph node areas on both sides of the diaphragm.
• Stage IV denotes disseminated or multiple involvement of the extranodal organs. Involvement of the liver or the bone marrow is considered stage IV disease. For staging classifications, the spleen is considered to be a lymph node area. Involvement of the spleen is denoted with the S suffix (ie, IIB_S).

A or B designations denote the absence or presence of B symptoms.

• A "B" designation includes the presence of 1 or more of the following:
  
  • Fever (temperature >38°C)
  • Drenching night sweats
  • Unexplained loss of more than 10% of body weight within the preceding 6 months
• An "A" designation is the absence of the above.
• An "X" designation is sometimes used to indicate the presence of bulky disease."

 - At present I have been told that I am a stage IIB, although I have not had the symptoms listed - only itching. I suppose I could have the 'X' designation. Maria X. Hmmm... Sounds like Malcom X's sister...


"Bone thinning (osteoporosis) may be related to steroid treatments such as prednisone." - Excellent.


"ABVD and other regimens containing bleomycin increase the risk for severe effects on the lungs when used before or after mantle-field radiation. EVA [etoposide, vinblastine, and doxorubicin] is considered to be an effective substitute in patients with lung disease for whom bleomycin and radiation present an unacceptable risk." - If only Etoposide didn't have the risk of bladder problems & leukemia.


'Although the exact mechanism of action of Bleomycin is unknown, available evidence indicates that the main mode of action is the inhibition of DNA synthesis with some evidence of lesser inhibition of RNA and protein synthesis.'

Regarding Bleomycin: "Improvement of Hodgkin's Disease and testicular tumors is prompt and noted within 2 weeks. If no improvement is seen by this time, improvement is unlikely."

"Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition marked by thickening and scarring of tissue deep in your lungs. It also may result in inflammation and scarring in your air sacs and their supporting structures.

If the scarring progresses, it may lead to breathing difficulties and/or impair your lungs' ability to deliver oxygen to your bloodstream. This can keep your internal organs from getting the oxygen they need to function properly."

The first page I opened, regarding a natural cure for Pulmonary Fibrosis, said this was the #1 thing to help: "(1) Serrepeptase - this should be taken at quite high doses e.g at least 160,000 IUS a day, but double that dose is safe, as people can take large amounts of this, it is an enzyme so is not toxic. Example dose 60,000 IU's three times a day. This enzyme will thin mucous so it can be expelled from the lungs and the lymph system, reduce inflammation, and in the long term help reduce the actual fibrosis itself. Furthermore it will have some calming effect on the immune system that is attacking the lungs."

"Interferon-ß Inhibits Bleomycin-Induced Lung Fibrosis by Decreasing Transforming Growth Factor-ß and Thrombospondin"

Okay, so I still have another 12-15 sites that I visited plus the articles I saved as pdf's... I won't bore you to tears, but the facts are out there! I just need to find them! I'm feeling a lot more confident in refusing the Bleomycin. I'm going to see if Jaco can reach Dr. Canellos & have a discussion with him regarding the omission of the drug. My apologies if I've bored you to tears... we can talk about embryos & sperm tomorrow! :o) Or wiener dogs... take your pick! 

Love & hugs, not chemo drugs...

Maria & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Searching for the sunlight!

Peek-a-boo!