Taxol #15 & 16 - BELIEVE!


Shortly after writing my last blog post, I had some concerning symptoms that led me to be fearful of a recurrence. Thankfully those symptoms were timed perfectly with my Dana-Farber visit. Dr. Overmoyer listened, agreed that what I was saying could be concerning, and she ordered a skin-punch biopsy of what I perceived to be the worsening redness on my inflammatory breast cancer side. This biopsy was only going to rule out a localized recurrence if it came back negative. Since being on chemo, I had not had a repeat skin biopsy, so there was no way to tell if the cancer cells had ever disappeared. We were fully expecting the biopsy to show cancer cells and then Dr. O was recommending repeat scans. Anyway... after a week of waiting, the results came in... negative for cancer cells! This is very exciting news and prompted Dr. Overmoyer to refer me to the breast surgeon & radiation oncologist at Dana-Farber to see if they think surgery is a good option for me at this point. I am leaving this all in God's hands. When I got the report in December that things were "stable" but not a lot of improvement, I had given up a little bit on the idea of surgery for now. But, as I said back then, God's timing is perfect and I'm trusting him to lead my doctors and me toward the right path. 

Last week I had a dream. I don't really remember the dream itself, but I woke up with a really weird feeling, like something major had just taken place. The feeling stayed for a few days before I told Jason about it. When I woke up that day, I thought to myself, "my cancer just exploded or disappeared." I know neither is likely, but ever since then the slight bone aches I've grown accustomed to have all but disappeared. I'm praying that something major really did happen, the miracle we have all been hoping & praying for. And, if it hasn't occurred yet, I'm praying it is on its way. 

I'm doing well... hanging in there. I am surrounded by influenza-like symptoms at school. Owen had the beginning stages of pneumonia but thankfully antibiotics worked quickly. So far I have been able to keep it all away... probably has something to do with the mask I wear at school, the chaga I drink, the elderberry syrup I made, the hand sanitizer I bathe in, and all the prayers. 

We will be heading back to Dana-Farber on Feb. 6 to meet with the surgeon & radiation oncologist. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my week off from chemo and pray that I stay healthy. 

Comments

  1. Judy UhlmanJanuary 28, 2020 at 6:09 PM

    We always look forward to your updates, and hope and pray with you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VickiFebruary 3, 2020 at 4:04 PM

    You are such an inspiration to us all Rosanna! Your faith and positive attitude are amazing! I want to grow up and be like you!

    ReplyDelete

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