Hello Team Annie's Army!
Another post to let you know how we're doing, which, all things considered,
is pretty freakin' great!
Had our last CT scan on Thursday and were told by our oncologist on Friday that he has never seen a patient with lms respond to treatment as well as Annie. Tumors continue to shrink and, in some cases have disappeared. Though there is still evidence of multiple tumors, ALL are smaller, and we are very encouraged that this regimen is working so well.
Our biggest challenge now is to keep Annie strong to handle the next four rounds of chemo. The cumulative effects of this regimen have been increasingly hard on her system, but with the psychological shot in the arm this last CT scan has given us, and because our docs feel we shouldn't mess with what's obviously working, we have decided to stay the course and continue with the current regimen, at the same dosage and on the same schedule - two weeks on and a week off - and do two more cycles (4 treatments), with our next CT scan on Thursday, December 4th; results on Friday the 5th. Then, as usual, we will re-evaluate and see what's next.
We have fully grounded ourselves in what we were told, but didn't fully understand in the early days of this diagnosis: that we are involved in a marathon, not a sprint, and that we need to try to stay grounded and strong for the long haul.
The News we've been getting is HELPING!!!... :-)
Annie gets up every day and practices yoga, with Gabriel's....um.... help, and has become especially proficient at Downward Dog (Gabe, not Annie, though her down dog is pretty good too). Hazel is our household Halloween and Harry Potter expert, as well as our unbelievably helpful Big Girl/Big Sister. I am just trying to keep up with everybody.
We are so grateful for the chemo doing it's work and know that, in conjunction with the complementary medical and spiritual practice Annie is focused on accounts for a big part of the reason she is doing so well. The rest is all about Love, Hope & YOU.
Thanks for standing with us. Forward. All our love, Anita, Annie, Hazel & Gabriel
