Mike's Fight: Short but sweet.

Today was Mike's 31st treatment. It may have taken almost a year but we finally figured out the best time to go into Dana Farber so that we miss traffic and long wait times. Things went pretty smoothly. We arrived on time and didn't wait long for labs. Mike's port didn't work today so they had to put TPA in it to clear it up for treatment. Mike hasn't been feeling great over the past few days. He started having a lot of anxiety followed by body hot flashes, sweating, dizziness and light headedness. He struggled to work this week and I was of course worried about him. His rash on his arm ran its course and was defiantly bothersome. Going into this weeks appointment we were both anxious. I had a splitting migraine that I couldn't shake. Thankfully Mike's appointment went well. His oncologist said that all of his bloodwork looked great. His liver counts have been off the past few months due to the effects of chemo for the past year. It was a concern but today it looked great. There are two different types of tumor markers for PC. The blood work tells us what they are. His CEA was in normal range at its lowest count yet and his CA-19 was so low that it wasn't even detected in his blood. He previously had chemo induced anemia which was significantly better and his red/white blood counts and platelets where in great ranges. This was all good news! He hasn't had belly pain which is a good sign and his symptoms are mostly side effects from treatments. Aside from the rash (which he set up an appointment for Mike to see dermatology) his fingernails have been sore and changing shape. He said it was toxicity from being on treatment so long. The great thing about his oncologist is he listens to us gives us information that we can understand and works with us to come up with treatment plans. He asked us what we thought the hot flashes were coming from and I was pretty certain it's from the anxiety he has been battling, which Mike agreed. His oncologist thought it could be a sign the cancer is growing but said since his blood work was great, he doesn't have pain, his stomach isn't distended and he can't feel any tumors through his belly that it's likely it could be an anxiety reaction. So he prescribed Mike some daily anxiety medication. We will see how it works fingers crossed!

We didn't hit any traffic on the way home either which was great! Once we got home Mike myself and the puppy all crawled into bed for some snuggle time.

Health update on me. My insurance hit its maximum for physical therapy visits so I had to stop therapy on my sprained ankle. I sprained it back in May and it has never been the same since. I can feel the effects of not being in PT anymore. It aches and is so sore. Some days both of my feet hurt so bad I can't walk at the end of the night or in the morning when I wake up. I'm not really sure what I am going to do. My orthopedic doctor in September mentioned if it didn't get better then I would need an MRI to see if surgery was needed. I know my health is important but I just can't handle the stress of all that right now. I am hoping to go back to PT in January when my new insurance starts. We will see. In regards to the terrible symptoms I have been battling since April 2014, nothing has changed. My doctor is going to treat me for Lyme since my symptoms match Lyme disease to a T. I start that treatment next week. She said I will get better before I get worse so we will see. Finger crossed. I have thought it was Lyme from day 1 but never showed positive on the tests. However Lyme is very difficult to diagnose and not everyone that has it will test positive for the disease.

For those who have been asking about the Bravelets jewelry here's the info!

Each Bravelet that is purchased through this site donates $10 to Mike's Fight. To purchase a Bravelet Click Here

Since November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month bravelets has a code to get 10% off. See below for details! Thank you to everyone that has purchased one! I hope you love them as much as I do.