Six Chemo Treatments Down!
I finished my 6th chemo treatment this week, which means I'm halfway through my first regimen. Some of you have asked about my overall treatment plan. I will have 16 treatments, followed by surgery.
Here is the breakdown:
Taxol and Carboplatin—12 chemo treatments given weekly. Followed by...
Adriamycin and Cytoxan (A/C) 4 chemo treatments given every 3 weeks (12 weeks total). Adriamycin is also called "the red devil" due to its red color and the toll it takes on your body. This is why there is more time between treatments.
Keytruda: Originally I was supposed to get this immunotherapy every 3 weeks throughout my 24 weeks of infusions. I received 2 rounds of Keytruda and stopped due to its negative effects on my liver.
It's on hold for now, and unknown if I will start this again. Keytruda is supposed to "unmask" the cancer cells and teach my body to attack them. It's a great option if it works as expected, but if it goes "rogue," it can really mess up the body.
Surgery within 4-6 weeks after the infusions are completed. We will meet with the surgeon soon to discuss options.
Following surgery/recovery I was supposed to receive 9 more infusions of Keytruda every 3 weeks-that too is up in the air now.
While we are still on the front end of this process, it feels good to say we are 6 treatments down. I was told this past week that my body is "extra sensitive" and needing "rest" weeks earlier than is typical with this first phase. But we're hoping that means the cancer, too, is "extra sensitive" and being obliterated with each treatment! We pray to this end.
This was a good week overall. I'm in the middle of the 28-day steroid taper (to bring down the inflammation in my liver), I'm still experiencing hot flashes (as chemo slams my body into menopause), and I had multiple crash days in a row (Thurs/Fri - perhaps the accumulation of the chemo knocking me down longer?), but I had no migraines, and my bloodwork numbers are stable!
I've been thinking a lot about 2 Corinthians 4:17: This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
Light and momentary vs. weighty and eternal. Those are some big contrasts. It could seem unfeeling to describe the deepest and most painful griefs of this life as "light" and "momentary." But when contrasted to the grand, vast, immeasurable, endless beauty and substance of a glorious eternity, it seems the only objective way to characterize them. And somehow, my current suffering through cancer is connected to my eternity. In a mind-bending way, it's actually working to prepare something extraordinary in glory.
I don't claim to understand how it all works together, but I do know the One who is orchestrating it all. Thanks to Jesus, I have a confident, sturdy hope that this suffering is not wasted. When all is said and done, and I am in eternity with him, I will see how it all makes sense. This is where faith comes in. By nature we all have faith in something. I'm putting my faith in the one found to be most trustworthy. The one—Jesus Christ—who has proven his credibility with his very life, death, and resurrection and has prepared the way into heaven for me. In light of this...
We do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. —2 Corinthians 4: 16-18
Please continue to pray for...
Perseverance as we steadily make our way through these treatments, and patience with "delays"
That my body will continue to respond well to the chemo destroying the cancer while preserving the good stuff.
Continued wisdom for my care team as they assess and make decisions regarding treatment.
So thankful for you all!
Pictures: (1) Thanks, Kathy, for accompanying me this week! (2) Logan, one of the therapy dogs, came to visit me this week during treatment.