Carin' for Karen

Karen tells us how crappy chemo is, and we tell her how uncrappy she is.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Update

It is been a while since I posted something and I am sorry for the delay. I went on a cruise for a week, and have been busy doing lots of things I love. Let me catch you up as quickly as possible. As far as how I am feeling, for the most part I feel fine. I have been tired, but that is about the worst of it. The fatigue is manageable since I don't have a 9 to 5 job. I can just rest anytime I feel the need.

I am still on a 3 week chemo cycle and according to my oncologist I will be doing this indefinitely. That was what I learned the last time I talked to him and I have to admit it was a little hard to hear. I was expecting a "finish line” or a date I could mark on the calendar which could be circled and then counted down to. But that isn't the case. The reason is because my breast cancer is advanced and aggressive. This is the best that medicine has to offer me.

So emotionally and spiritually I am back to where I started. I started this journey with the verse that says to give thanks in all things. I need to think on the things I have to be thankful for and not concentrate on the things that are impossible. I am thankful that I have the energy to live my life pretty much like I would have if I didn't have cancer.

Yesterday my daughter, Elizabeth, went to a new doctor and when she had to give a family medical history my health issues came up. When she told the doctor I was diagnosed at stage 4 over a year and a half ago and that I have the HER 2 Neu factor, the doctor asked, "How is she doing?" Elizabeth told her I was alive and the doctor was impressed! I asked her if she told the doctor that I was planning on going back to school for another degree and she said, "No, she was impressed enough that you were alive!"


So that's my update. I am alive and doing well. I am happy and thankful to be alive.