Merry Christmas blogger buddies!

This pic is from last week when I got be a sub at my friend Robins' bunko Christmas party. I've been subbing at her party for many years and have enjoyed these wonderful women since all our kids were in elementry school together.

Yesterday I went to UCSF to see my Oncologist. My doctor said that since everything they had been looking at, in both the stomach area and lung, was too small to do anything about, I should just go on modified treatment. He even went so far as to say that they couldn't say for sure what it was any more. I told him I wanted to go into NED (no evidence of disease) and I'd do what I needed to get there. He said I was just about there and that he questions if there truly is a complete NED anyway...The modified chemo includes a drug called Xeloda. It's the pill form of 5-FU. 5-FU was the chemo that I carried in a pump for three days at a time. Now I'll be taking the pills for two weeks on and one week off with Avastin once every three weeks. I have to watch closely for side effects on the Xeloda because it can be more toxic on some people. The reason it can be more toxic is because when you take a pill it has to go through your stomach, intestines and liver before it really gets into the blood stream. By this time it's hard to monitor just how much is getting into your system and how much was broken down. Women, for some unknown reason, metabolize it a little different and can have more severe side effects than men. I just have to watch and wait. I'll do this for three months and then do another check. Before I begin the regimen, I have to get my teeth cleaned since I couldn't while I was on the Avastin. Then I also have to have another colonoscopy..routine. I'm supposed to have one every year but since I was in treatment I couldn't have one. But I can now..YEA!! Anyway, I do have a lot be be grateful for. I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy my Christmas so much, while I'm feeling really good. After our appointment with the doctor, Casey, Brigitte and I went to China Town and found the Fortune Cookie factory...yes, we purchased a few bags. Then Casey was on a mission to find a recommend bakery that makes egg custards. They were hot out of the oven and very tasty. Next we met up with Ricky, my son -in-law, and went to the Oriental Pearl restaurant for dinner. It was mentioned by Rachel Ray for great dim sun food. It was very good, but the dim sun is only served at lunch so we missed that, but the peking duck was amazing! We finished the night off with going to the oldest bakery in San Francisco and purchasing a Chinese donut...not so good to me but I did bring home a few BBQ pork buns. They are great! All in all we had a wonderful day/evening in the city. Merry Christmas to all of you and I pray that all you wonderful people make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you can not repeat it and tomorrow is not promised, only eternity is promised to those who believe in our Lord and savior. I have posted this verse before and it's worth repeting and memorizing as it is considered the heart of the bible. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Good morning and happy Christmas season! Last Tuesday I had my dr apt in San Francisco so Casey and I decided to spend the entire day there. We went to the new Natural History Museum and it was great! The pic is of Casey on the "green roof". It was a very interesting and fun day. The second pic is of Kyle. He fell asleep at the dinner table one night during the Thanksgiving break, so Sean covered him with flour. Lesson not to fall asleep with an older brother near by! The dr apt in the city was with the thoracic surgeon. He pretty much said the same thing as the liver/gut surgeon. There was really not much to look at. Way too small to get anything and the uptake from the PET was so low it didn't indicate much activity. So no surgery for now. I feel so blessed to have such good readings from the PET, to have great doctors to take care of me and to have all the love and support keeping me up. As I have said before, there are some blessings with cancer. I have a follow up in a few weeks with my dr at UCSF to discuss what to do next...maybe go on a chemo break and just take Avastin?? I am looking forward to a great Christmas and a very happy and healthy new 2009! God bless each and every one of you and thank you so much for all the prayers. They truly help me. As stated in Matthew 21:22 All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. Merry Christmas and please have a happy, healthy and safe 2009! This is my prayer for all of you. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

Happy season everyone! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and remembered to say "thanks"! I had a wonderful time with my kids and so many family and friends. I did lots of cooking and hanging with the kids. I even played football at our annual game. It was a blast and no one got hurt! Some of the "old"guys (and not so old guys) had to take Advil for a few days after! They take the game very seriously and play way too hard! But we all had a great time and had plenty of food to eat after. On Sunday, all the kids had gone back to school and Casey and I got the house back. It's always nice to have them around, but also nice when they leave and I can get the house back in shape. We do miss them though. Monday I was able to get the results of the last PET scan. I was told that there were no surprises and they would refer me to a liver/gut surgeon. On Tuesday I got a call from UCSF and they scheduled me to see Dr Warren on Wednesday at 9am. So Casey and I drove to SF this morning in very thick fog. It took almost 2 hours. This doctor told us that he wouldn't recommend any surgery on the liver or gut area at this time because the spots that are there are way too small to find. He had spent 45 minutes on the phone with the radiologist asking exactly what is showing. He said the radiologist was going to go over it again and circle the area. There was little uptake of the glucose dye so that indicates the tumors are not strong and active. When a tumor is strong and active it glows on the PET, and this didn't happen. Then he suggested I talk to the lung specialist because he wasn't at all sure what he was looking at in the lung. He suggested it looked more the shape of a lung cancer but said that would be very rare to get that disease while I'm fighting another disease. He thought maybe a biopsy since even that tiny spot (which is see able and reachable) had little uptake as well. So next Tuesday I have another apt in the city with the Thoracic surgeon. Then once that is done, all three doctors will review my file and determine the next step. He said it looks like I am responding very well to the treatment I'm and to stay with that for now. So today I had #13 chemo treatment of Folfiri without the Avastin. They don't want the Avastin in my system if I do go in for any surgery. I'm doing ok with this treatment. I managed to walk my 3.5 miles when I got home from treatment, but now I'm pretty tired. I continue to know and trust God in everything. I'm trying to follow His path no matter where it takes me and to keep trusting in Him. The doctors may be confused and not sure what they are seeing, but I know God is not confused and knows exactly the next step ahead. Thank you for all your continued prayers. I am so blessed by all of your blogger buddies. This verse struck me because you don't always see a clear path but He is always leading if you let him. Psalm77:19 "Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty water, though your footprints were not seen" . That is faith, to follow without seeing the footprints. God bless you all as you prepare for this holiday season.