It's good to be home!

Just another bump in my road....Wednesday April 24th I started to feel myself get short of breath and a very slight pain in my sternum by Thursday afternoon I could hardly breath and the pain became intense so I called Dr. Serious and they told me to go to the ER...I didn't get home until the following Tuesday afternoon.

When they compared my newest lung scan (from the ER) to my Pet Scan done earlier in the month there were several changes taking place in my lungs, it's now all through both lungs and the pain I was feeling and the shortness of breath was because fluid was building up between my chest wall and my lungs...so much fluid that my lungs were floating in it...when this fluid was tested it was loaded with cancer cells...so they did a tap, a needle into the fluid sac and drained the fluid, I received immediate relief with the first needle draw.....yahoooo for me! lol

I already had a brain MRI and a thoracic MRI scheduled for that following Friday but because that was the day they were doing the fluid drain I had to wait until Saturday....no biggie, I'm already stuck in the hospital anyway. The MRI's revealed that I have a very tiny tumor in the brain and even though it's very small it has all the characteristics of cancer...we all know now that we can't wait on anything....I went from having a little bit of cancer in my lungs to a lot of cancer in my lungs in a few short weeks and we are not taking that chance with the brain now so I will be starting radiation this coming Monday. I will have if Monday through Friday for 3 weeks, the good news is that I can still take my oral chemo through all of this and that should clear up the lungs and the spot on my spine...the oral chemo can't penetrate the brain so that is why I have to have full head radiation....they are not only going after the small tumor but they are not leaving any chances for any cancer cells to remain active in my brain either.....we are going to zap all of those little buggers! I am thrilled that they aren't leaving anything to chance even though I will once again be the 'Hot bald chick!" lol I would rather lose my hair (again) than my life right now so I am giving it all I got once again! God it's good to be stubborn! I am sure there were many days in my childhood that both my parents wished I wasn't so head strong, strong willed and stubborn but it's a big pay off now right Momma??? lol

So the Silver linings in all this mess...I didn't need to come home with oxygen, it's only a teeny tiny tumor on the brain and a teeny tiny lesion on the spine, and the fluid has not built back up again due to the oozing of the lesions in my lungs so that is an early indication that my oral chemo (Xeloda) is doing its stuff, I only get a little winded now and I am now on a morphine patch and I am pain free....again I asked my Oncologist's if they still can get me into remission with all this new stuff taking place and on two different occasions with two different Oncologist's they both said they had no doubt they could as long as we are on the right chemo drugs....and so far my intuition tells me I am....I am barely coughing anymore so that too is an early indication that my lungs don't seem to be under so much duress, every day I can breath deeper and deeper without coughing or pain and I am one appreciative patient!

Thank you for all your uplifting comments, the cards and gifts you all are such special angels protecting me while I fight this battle.....I must have pretty good karma to have all of you in my life!

I'm off to take my Jim to an Orthopedic Surgeon, that stubborn man hurt himself the same day I had to go to the ER and now he might have to have surgery due to something being torn in the back of his leg under his knee cap....send a prayer up for My Guy...he has taken such good care of me now it's my turn to return the love and the favor!

Life is good and I ain't about to give up now! lol lol lol