May 2023 - The End of Treatment?

Dear Friends,

So much has happened since my last update. If you want the nitty-gritty outline of my cancer treatment thus far, read here: History As you may remember, in January I switched my care from City of Hope Torrance to City of Hope Duarte. My new oncologist wanted to make sure that we leave no stone unturned, so right away I had lots of tests run. In addition I started a new, promising targeted chemotherapy infusion every three weeks called Enhertu. I also had a pleural catheter put in to drain the fluid that was collecting around my right lung. After twelve weeks of infusions we found that the new drug was not working as hoped. On the other hand, the pleural catheter helped a lot and I was able to have it removed. I am no longer collecting large, uncomfortable amounts of fluid. Yay!

Unfortunately there may not be any more treatments that will benefit me appropriately. My last infusion was four weeks ago. Last week I had some blood drawn to check for a mutation that I may or may not have. The test will be back in a week or two. If it comes back with the mutation, I may try one more medication. For now, I am taking a treatment break. The good news is, I feel a lot better! I still have cancer pain and fatigue, but gone are the headaches, joint pain, scalp pain, extreme fatigue, etc., etc., etc.

Today I am leaving for a one week getaway with my husband, brother and sister-in-law. I plan to do a lot of relaxing while I relish time with my loved ones in sunny Mexico.

If you are new here, please note the other sections of my website including maps for local hikes and some of my thoughts on life during hard times.

Thank you for checking in. We all feel very loved and supported by our friends, family, church family and neighbors. We firmly believe that the Lord has a purpose in all of this though we may not fully know all the whys.

With love and gratitude,

Julie