Keep on Truckin'

 

So, I know it's been a while since I posted. I really don't have an excuse, just not really that much has been going on. I AM NOT COMPLAINING lol 

I just transitioned this week to my new higher dosage of the immunotherapy drug, Opdivo. ...480mg now instead of the 240mg that I have had every two weeks since June. The side effects were more intense this time, but the good news is I only have to do it every 28 days now instead of every 14!  This monthly cycle will go on for the next 7 months then we will reassess where I am in this journey. 

It is also almost time for my next cancer screening scan. This time it will be a CT scan instead of a PET scan. I will be having them every 3 months going forward until I graduate to the next phase in all of this in a year. Prayers please that the scans look good and that there is no cancer trying to take hold anywhere else in my body. 

My side effects with this immunotherapy have somewhat surprised me because I was able to tolerate chemotherapy pretty well. They have been minimal compared to what I have heard others doing immunotherapy share, but still manage to disrupt my daily activities for the first two days after the infusion. I get muscle and joint pain. It feels a lot like the post work out muscle pain or the beginnings of the flu and I really don't feel like pushing through or moving too much. 

I am grateful for my clients and family. They have really been so gracious and forgiving as I have been inconsistent with plans and schedules when my symptoms flare. 

Paul has also taken a turn at being a patient. Several months ago he started having some vision changes. Once I got stable, he went to the eye doctor and they diagnosed rapid onset cataracts (a diabetic complication) and he had to undergo eye surgery. He is two weeks out from the surgery on the first eye and doing great. He is scheduled to go in to do the second eye on October 17th. Please pray that the surgery goes well and that his healing is uneventful and quick. 

Beyond the cancer and the surgeries and learning to eat with a new digestive system (I will make a whole other post on how that is all going at a later time...sheesh! It's been a whole thing!) ... We have ushered in a new tutoring school year, have started homeschooling our last two kiddos (a middle schooler and a SENIOR!) and our senior got a new job at a local grocery store bakery. We also have been raising a very sweet litter of puppies.  So yeah, no...there has been no rest or down time for anyone over here lol 

Still, I appreciate the normal rhythms and routines of our lives so much more. The chaos and busyness, as well as the fact that the diagnosis and treatment isnt taking up so much of the bandwidth of our day.

For those that normally text/talk with me, you may have noticed I've been a bit quieter. No worries, I'm just soaking it all in. Sometimes I am just sitting in the middle of it doing nothing at all even. I remember when I got the diagnosis thinking back on all the moments, I wished I could do over. They weren't big flashy things. They weren't vacations taken or never gotten around to. It was the small things...listening to the kids giggling, sitting in my husband's arms, shutting the curtains, grabbing a snack, and watching reruns all piled on the couch. It was just being present in the miracles that God has so graciously blessed me with. 

So, now that I have some time, no matter how long that time turns out to be, I'm making sure I don't EVER end up with the same longings. I am not taking any of the moments for granted. 

I've also definitely grown more introspective. I am looking for Him, appreciating them, and just keeping my head above water. 

So, that's my update. I've just been truckin'...

So put your arm out the window, let your hand start surfing

Ain't no thing, everything ain't working.

Throw a little love till the world stops hurting, keep on, keep on, keep on.

Everybody's going through a little something something.

Sing a little song with a guitar strumming.

Smile on ya brother, heard the good lord's coming.

Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on trucking

PS...kinda ironic that the next line talks about your dogs not barking. We got a complaint on our dogs for barking this week. (Sorry neighbors) Perhaps if I sing it like I mean it, they will hush and we can all just go back to not being disturbed :) 

PPS I am presently splicing both the Tim McGraw and Grateful Dead version of this song in my head with a little bellbottomed Temptations/Eddie Kendricks also thrown in for good measure. 

Love you all!