Nearly 2 years since I posted.

I am happy to be back in. I had gotten blocked out, was worried I wouldn't be able to get back in! This is mostly a test post to make sure everything is in working order. Happy July 2012 everyone!!

Hey Everyone.... UPDATE!! :D

Hello my friends, thanks for joining me here!! I have been cleared of cancer!!!!!!!!!! Last clean PET scan was in January!! No cancer in me. I have been taken off the clinical trial drug because of the bad side effects. Since the cancer hasn't grown since last year I don't have to take it anymore!! I have another scan this month sometimes.... just to check on things.... :D "All will go well, all will go well...." anywho.....

XOXO

:Dawn

Results of biopsy.

In Seattle tonight. Staying at the SCCA House, Seattle Genetics has covered the cost of a room again for us. Last time we stayed here was February. Blood draw is bright at early at 8:45 a.m. so it is very nice to be here already. Traffic would have been busy tomorrow I'm sure. Results of the needle biopsy showed no cancer. :D Dr. Petersdorf explained that it appears to have been bone that was damaged and is repairing itself. So........... treatment tomorrow! Questions?

XOXO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dawn

Biopsy Complete.

Harborview hospital this morning. Checked in at 10, was home by 4! Great timing, just missed the traffic. Needle biopsy to my C7 vertebrae, lots of crunch~crunch~crunch~crunch. In the beginning I could feel it a lot and had to have them "up" my numbing meds. Finally I couldn't feel it and only could hear it which wasn't as bad. They said sometimes when you are done you don't really remember it. Well, after I finally couldn't feel it I relaxed much more. I can't say I remember it all but I do remember hearing a lot of it. Four samples were taken out of the bone. Per doc, might as well get more than enough while he's in there then need more and have to go back. Not sure when I will get results. Plan on asking tomorrow.... I hate waiting for news. Thanks everyone for the good thoughts an wishes, it worked. The procedure went smoothly!!

Back to resting.

XOXO

Dawn

Birthday and Biopsy in the same week!!

Tuesday, the big 2-9.... my goodness time is flying. Two years, seven months of dealing with my cancer.

So, the spot on my spine is on C7 vertebra, needle biopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning at Harborview. Getting nervous about it. I remember listening to the bone biopsy I had last time, crunch~crunch. That was out of my hip bone though. This time it's a much different area. Apparently the spine spot was showing from the CT in March but because it was less than 1.5cm it wasn't considered large enough to investigate, now the spot is 1.6cm which means................. it grew........................ so..........................it's time to investigate. Had a really wonderful birthday BBQ on Saturday. VERY lucky the weather held out for us. Had such a great time playing Frisbee! I am fairly sure that is my favorite sport to play.... Frisbee is a sport right? :D

If anyone ever has any questions they are curious about NEVER be afraid to ask!! I am always willing to share my story!

Wish me luck for Thursday!!!!!! Sheesh... for Tuesday too!!!! :-D

Thanks everyone, I love hearing from people and try my best to respond!!

XOXO

Dawn

Booooooohooooooo CANCER SUCKS!!

Well..... results of CT scan today. Didn't get treatment. An abnormal spot on my spine bone, up at the top below my head. They can't carry on until they know what it is. Scheduling a bone scan for next week, probably at the UofWA. Then they can see better and be able to tell if I have any other abnormal spots on my bones. If so, that's kind of good because then they can biopsy my bone and have it not be on my spine..... if on my spine is the only abnormal place then they will probably biopsy up there.... It could be cancer, it could be bone "healing" if I ever had an injury to that area this is what it would look like.... so idkwtf. That's all for now. I really am feeling shitty. Have a fever on top of it with the chills.... hey.... it's Friday! Bonus! =)

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read this. Hope everyone is doing alright.... shoot me a line to say hi if you think of it!!

xoxo

The Cancer Patient. ;-)

My good friend Mindy and I were having a FB conversation and she was asking how I was doing. Here it is. :-) thanks everyone for your support. XOXO!!!!

11:57amMindy

i checked out your blog but no updates

11:57amMe

im so bad with it

i should update it. its hard when i think no1 cks it

comment or something when u ck it.... makes me think people r caring

11:58amMindy

um yeah people care.

cancer free still right?

11:58amMe

YES

still doin treatments..... have 1 next friday

11:59amMindy

thats all i care about

11:59amMe

not outa the woods but see the light now.

prob will still b doing em thru august

11:59amMindy

good as long as the scans are good

11:59amMe

not sure of step after that.... either just stop and c if it returns on its own or do another transplant

prob not transplant and just take my chances tho bcz 1 in 3 chance i die from next transplant

12:00pmMindy

why if its gone?

12:01pmMe

SCCA/fred hutch doesn't really know what to do..... they know transplants give good return on never having cancer again..... but can't say that it won't kill me. ALSO....

can't say that cancer won't just come back in a month or something stupid bcz mine stubborn and since on clinical trial they can't say they will have anything to fix it next time if it does come back

while i stay on the clinical trial it's working... but no one knows what will happen if they stop giving it to me.

so if they transplant me while they know its "gone" then i can have good chance nvr get it again.... so pretty tough call

Treatment today.

Went just fine. Will need another six months or so of treatments, maybe a transplant, maybe not.... the docs and such really don't know what the procedure is. I guess that's the shot in the dark you get with a clinical trial. Please shoot me an email or something if you read these. I will be sure to respond. I really wonder sometimes if anyone ever checks this out anymore.

XOXO ALL!!

Dawn

At least another six months...

Had another CT on the 12th, will get results on the 19th and have treatment again. The way it is looking now is another 5-6 rounds of treatment.... through August... and then another transplant. A mini allo transplant this time. Mini because they say they don't use as extreme of chemos to kill all my cells and allo because they use someone else's stem cells to restart me.... hopefully after my appointment on the 19th I will know more.... I want life to go back to normal. I want it so bad. MY OWN PLACE, MY JOB BACK, A NORMAL LIFE!!

Not over yet... but almost!

No signs of cancer in my body. WOW. No idea how much more treatment.... two more months of treatment, then another CT scan. Then 2 more months of treatment and another scan. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Interesting.

Biopsy

Well, an appointment is scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. to "discuss my options" (like I have any!) and talk about having surgery. How dumb.

No more treatment right now.

So had my PET on 12-18.... got the results of them today. Treatment was canceled. I have more growing nodes in my neck. Both sides. It's a significant enough growth that the doctor is concerned that it's still the cancer attacking me. I have been taken off the clinical trial drug for now because if it is not going to work then he won't be having me take it. I have to be scheduled for another neck biopsy to remove one of these enlarged nodes and confirm it's the same cancer or whatever. Very frustrated. Was so excited in the beginning to have something that was FINALLY working. Doesn't sound like it is working anymore. It appears from what I can decipher on the foreign paperwork I was sent home with that the previous nodes shrunk quite a bit but there was significant growth in other areas. The doctor was sure to state "sorry for ruining your holiday" and "sorry about the bad news".... I am trying to be okay with all of this. I really don't want to crumble. When you stop hearing reassuring things from doctors though you begin to get worried. A simple "Merry Christmas, we will get this all figured out soon" would have been a little better.... anyway that is all for now.

I will be sure to post when my biopsy will be so everyone is informed.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

A Pivotal Open-Label Trial of SGN-35 for Hodgkin Lymphoma - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

A Pivotal Open-Label Trial of SGN-35 for Hodgkin Lymphoma - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

Treatment.

Well next treatment isn't scheduled until Dec. 2nd. My next PET isn't until Dec. 18th. Last I heard doctor was still talking about maybe having another transplant in Spring. I really don't want to have a transplant if it's not NECESSARY. If this drug is working and things are shrinking I would rather maintain success then have a transplant and then not know what the next step would be if it doesn't work. It's hard to get answers from them sometimes because it seems that any question I have they respond with "we will deal with that when we get there". Very hard to plan anything. Of course I will have to live within 30 minutes of the clinic for transplant. Ron is working on getting a job down south so we can move down there (south Snohomish Co./North King Co.) so come transplant time... whenever that might be.... we wouldn't have to move again. Hailey would have to change schools but I think that if it is done early enough, ie. elementary school, it shouldn't be too bad. That's all for now.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Please comment SOMETHING if you read this. I would like to know if anyone is reading these... if so, I will keep posting...

Four treatments so far

I have had a total of four treatments so far. This last treatment on 10-8 wasn't so bad. I did have Hailey's birthday party on the 10th and that was difficult. I was very tired and stressed. Results of the most recent PET showed good signs of everything still shrinking. The doctor did explain though that it could be recommended that I receive the full 18 doses or more. So... most likely another year of treatments. Doctor said also that if by chance in the next month or so EVERYTHING disappears it is possible to have my mini transplant after the first of the year. But most likely that will not happen and would rather let me continue on with the trial for as long as I can so we can make sure the cancer is dead before the final step of the mini transplant is done.
Thanks for reading.
That is all for now.

p.s. a mini transplant would require at least 4 months (with no complications LOL) of living within 30 minutes of the clinic. When that mini transplant might happen no one really knows.