Life After Chemo...When You Still Have Cancer

In July I finished chemo and rang the bell!

I was scanned to see if it had worked to eradicate the cancer in my breast and liver.

I was excited to be done and anxious to feel better again.

Being sick and in pain all the time is hard.

The scans came back with amazing results!

The two lumps in my breast completely disappeared!

It was a miracle and we were so excited and so thankful!!

The four liver lesions had been reduced by 50%, but they were still there.

It was good news, but not good enough.

Since I had received the maximum allowed amount of my chemo drug, Taxotere, 

they put me on a schedule of infusions every three weeks of the other two drugs 

I had been receiving with chemo, Herceptin and Perjeta.

The great thing about these drugs is they wouldn't make me sick like Taxotere!

They would hopefully work together to continue to shrink the liver lesions.

The goal was to get down to one or two lesions so they could do surgery and remove them.

That would be my best chance.

Cutting into the liver is tricky and can't be done too many times 

without damaging the function of the liver.

I started taking an oral drug as well, Tamoxifen.

I take it every day to keep the breast cancer from growing back.

It has no obvious side effects either which is such a blessing!

Recovering from chemo was harder than I expected.

People expected me to be feeling better right away and I did too!

The truth was that it took several weeks before I could get off painkillers

and I am still recovering my strength and energy.

I am super excited to be off chemo!

I have been running around taking advantage of every adventure I can!

I am stretching myself to help people in ways I would not have before.

I am so inspired by how good and kind people are 

and how willing they were to help me and my family when I was sick.

I am thrilled to be able to be able to volunteer at my kids' school

and have the strength to stand and rock babies at church.

I enjoy the simple pleasures I couldn't during chemo, like shaving my legs, 

eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and driving myself wherever I want to go!

Today I receive another scan to see if my current treatments are working.

Please pray with me that the lesions are shrinking and that no new cancer is growing.

I am humbled and amazed at your faithfulness as I hear about people I barely know 

who pray for me every day, whose children pray for me every day.

A thousand thanks to you!!

XO

Jaime