3 Months at a Time

 Hi all, it’s been a bit.

About 3 months actually.  The timeframe in which I sort of live my life these days.  Last time I checked in, I was pretty stoked that the oral hormonal meds I was taking caused regression in my lung tumors, and my doc and I had celebrated with a very happy hug.

Spoiler alert…my last visit was less happy, my last scan showed progression, and I continue the slow march down The who-knows-how-long road of metastatic breast cancer.  

Scans like these mean in some ways that everything has changed and in other ways that everything stays the same.  It’s the exhausting part.  The anxiety leading up, the waiting for the MyChart notification, the research before meeting with the doc, reviewing the visit notes to make sure I didn’t miss anything, telling family and friends.  And yet, I’m still here, giving those reports, and that IS what really matters.  

Medical rundown first, and then an update on what have actually been a pretty freaking amazing 3 months.

There’s progression in the lung nodules/tumors.  Meaning, that it’s time to move on to something new in terms of treatment.  However, of primary concern right now is this terrible persistent cough I have.  It’s an intense cough, it makes me puke, I’m sort of surprised I haven’t cracked a rib yet.  Even if it wasn’t COVID times, it draws attention, and it sometimes makes sleeping hard.  We have previously tried some meds to calm the coughing reflex that didn’t really work.  So now, I’ve been referred to a pulmonologist.  I’ll likely have a bronchoscope (camera down the throat) to see if there are any lesions/cancer cells inside the bronchi (tubes of the lungs) that may not be fully visible on CT scan.  If there are, they’ll biopsy so we can retest the cells to see if the cancer has mutated/changed from it’s estrogen positive status, to no longer having those receptors.  Typically, hoping for “triple negative” (no estrogen, no progesterone, no HER2 markers of the tumor) isn’t what you want (it’s the breast cancer with highest mortality) but in this case, it would open additional treatment options besides just IV chemotherapy.  

If there isn’t anything to sample during the scope, I’ll likely do another lung biopsy to try and determine the same thing.  Pending these results, we’ll switch therapies to either an immunotherapy (if triple negative) or an IV chemotherapy (if has stayed the same).

The quiver is running a little low on arrows, but there are still a few there.

The news was disappointing, though maybe not all that surprising, given the progression of my cough over the past few months.  It’s hard to have to wait to initiate a new plan, but gathering additional data first fits with my scientist ways.  

The good thing about a delay in changing tactics is that it won’t interfere with some upcoming planned travel…to AFRICA! Yes, the safari is happening.  Plane tickets are booked.  International wire transfers (a headache and a half) have paid for it, we’re doing this thing.  I’m excited.  Prepare yourselves for an onslaught of travel photos from the trip with adventure buddy Erica, coming to you at the beginning of July.

Over the past few months I’ve done a decent amount of travel as well, taking advantage of the flexibility of sabbatical for some extended trips.  Phoenix with grad school friends, hanging with Mom and Tucci, then up to California to see Bechtel crew for birthdays, badminton, and more and the Idaho fam at the beginning of their spring break vacay.  Minnesota for high school friends, then out to Colorado to see pretty much someone from all stages of life…sister and fam, grad school friends, a high school buddy, and a UD friend.  It’s always been really important to me to put in the work to maintain these relationships, and it’s only more important now.  

Work stayed busy with students finishing theses and an outstanding trip to Philadelphia for a conference, the first in person one for a couple of years.  Meeting up with a former student, hanging with current students, and seeing colleagues “not in a box!” Was really uplifting.  I should take some credit, I know (my therapist and I are working on this, trust me!) for the relationships I’ve built and made and sustained, but there’s still some luck involved, privilege of being in the right place at the right time with the right people, and for that, I am super grateful.  

So rather than a well-laid out chronological trip through the last few months, I’ll just photo dump with some captions, to try to bring the tone of this to a happier place than it started.  

Thanks for the love and support and prayers and good thoughts.  Just got to keep on keepin’ on.

(Post hoc edit…it never fails, I love that when I go through pics to add to these posts, there’s always something that I’m like “oh yeah! That cool thing happened too!”  Gratitude friends, may be the most powerful drug of all.  

February-May photo/good times review…NOT in order and I’m too lazy to change :)

Lots of graduation celebrations!  Congrats seniors!

Oh hey Idaho Crecelii…thanks for coming down to Cali!

Thanks for bringing us lunch, Nat!

Pretty cool when you get to give your former prof an award.  Carissa is awesome.

Just hanging out…Jay has skills.

Demolition is a pretty great way to get out some frustration.  Side note, don’t wear rubber sandals.

Erica won a major award!  Congrats friend!

Oh Mikey…how I love that in an hour at 8 in the morning we can go from your legal savant skills, to afterlife and all topics in between.  I love this friendship.

Lab/UD alum (and now official doc!) showed these current lab/UD students how to have fun in Philly!

Not a bad crew for a semi-impromptu high school reunion at the local brewery (that used to be the Perkins we hung at)

Benefits of zoom meetings…yes, I will take that meeting in Phoenix.

Ok, so this could be a whole post, but yeah, Erica “Reece” is awesome…look up Reese’s University for a good laugh.

I also won a major award!  Great to be back at CSU to accept it, so fun to have Erica along, see the old lab crew, be joined by other colleagues.  The Fort will always hold a special place in my heart and Frank and Jen…you guys are the best.

Students win awards too!  Congrats Abby!

Oh hey munchkin.  Fun to share breakfast with you, even if it was a quick trip!

Thanks for driving up for post-award celebrations friends!  Getting to see you multiple times in a month was quite the treat!

I don’t care if I ruin the flow of the line by taking selfies with students at graduation.  Marshalls be damned!

Girls weekend in Phoenix!  Cat and LJG are awesome.  And they even put up with Tucci! :)

When you remember that your hs senior year prom date now works at your graduate alma mater, you have lunch!  And meet his wife (who happens to work in a similar area!).