Radiation #7 complete: Only 1 more to go! Feeling a refreshing touch of hope after my consult with interventional radiology yesterday. They have 1, possibly 2, better options for helping treat the liver mets. I’m waiting to hear back from them about the 2nd, but either way, it is looking like I won’t be facing another major abdominal surgery or more radiation with the potential for detrimental side effects due to their size! While (like anything) either of these treatment options would come with their own risks, they seem like something I could actually handle right now 🙏
Please keep those prayers coming! I know they’re being heard and are helping! 🙏❤️
I haven’t been able to muster up the energy to write a detailed update, so this will be pretty brief.
I had my scans and appointments with Mayo over the last couple weeks. Biggest takeaway right now is that I do Not currently need treatment. However, we have to continue to monitor things closely. There is a 2.7cm currently indeterminate lymph node versus metastasis in my left axilla (armpit), and 1 of the lung nodules grew 4mm since mid-April. Thanks be to God, the remainder of the lung nodules have remained stable, and 2 of them actually decreased slightly 🙌
I am still Majorly struggling with debilitating fatigue, shortness of breath, and intolerable to activity. I’m down 20 lbs now and doing everything in my power to get calories in and keep them in. Will be seeing cardiologist again and PCP this next week.
Feeling immense relief and gratitude that I don’t need immediate treatment, and hoping and praying I will get better soon so that I can actually enjoy the summer and do more things that will aid me on my healing journey.
I appreciate your prayers and well wishes. It has continued to be a scary, lonely, and difficult time since radiation. I’m doing my best to focus on the wins here, rather than the unknowns, but it continues to prove challenging each and every day. Stage IV cancer sucks beyond belief, and I’m eternally grateful for my support system 💜
I went through the full simulation process yesterday, ending the day with a chest CT. I didn’t get the results until evening, and then had to wait to talk to the radiation oncologist today. I’m still waiting to hear back from my oncologist about next steps, and have received some confusing and unclear information about the details, but here’s the long and short of it: Over the last 6 weeks 1 lung nodule has continued to grow, 1 has DECREASED in size, and the rest have remained stable 🤯 This is typically unheard of without traditional aggressive therapies, so we are Incredibly excited, hopeful, and cautiously optimistic! The self-experimentation and hitting my protocol hard seem to be working!!! 🙏🤞
I asked the radiation oncologist what she thought about radiation at this point, and she essentially said that because the nodule isn’t a big threat right now, I could cancel treatment… so you better believe I did! 😂🥳
I still have no idea when I’ll go in for my next scans, or if I need to consult with anyone else in the near future for the one nodule that grew, but for now, I at least know that I do not need to do radiation next week! 💃🏼
I couldn’t get an appointment with my oncologist until the 31st, so it may be a while before I have any additional details to share. My head has been spinning all day… trying to grasp reality, but for once, in a good way… I’m very excited to (at the very least) be able to delay treatments. But I’m working for Total Healing, and will continue to do the work to get there! I know your prayers, positive energy, and support are all helping me get there, too!
Lauren MG Doyle 