We got jokes…
No but seriously, I am not against complementing my treatment good supplements and nutrition to balance all the crazy effects of chemotherapy. But I will loudly say to those that get uncomfortable and are weary with me doing chemo “both the lives of my brother, and father were saved due to systemic chemo, so onwards to everything that can help and assist“
On the flip side, as I mentioned in my last post, IMMUNOTHERAPY OPDIVO has been put on pause indefinitely (after only 3 rounds) due to my liver enzymes climbing too high. I was placed on prednisone which brought a whole other slew of pros/cons.
PROS = weight gain, 8 lbs in one month, and was effective in lowering the inflammation to liver. It’s been almost a whole month on it, started at 50mg, now down to 20mg. So good to feel some fat on my skin, I regret ever wanting to be skinny.
CONS = insomnia and mood swings, low potassium, low cortisol and adrenal gland deficiency. Hopefully once I taper off, these will reset themselves accordingly.
Along with this new information of stopping immunotherapy, I will be moving forward to supplements. THC/CBD/TURKEY TAIL/VIT D/B12 etc. All in a balancing act to keep things leveled and steady.
This week I am also starting to pack and prep for my Mayo Clinic appt in Jacksonville for a current status and re-staging. I will get another detailed MRI and CT SCAN. These tests will provide crucial insights into my current status and will help determine the potential for me to undergo TG (total gastrectomy) surgery, CRS (Cytoreductive surgery), and HIPEC (hot chemo into the peritoneal area).
Then I’ll be riding round #9 of chemo, and off to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas to meet with their GI team and get a bit of feedback on my status as well. I am lucky and ever so grateful to be able go to on of the top hospitals in the world and get their team’s evaluation.
Much like a game of chess, many surgeons like to use this quote as they make their assessments for patient eligibility.
“Biology is the king,
– Blake Cady, MD
case selection is the queen,
and the technical maneuvers undertaken
are the princes and princesses of the realm”
I am fully aware that when the opportunity arrives for me, I must take it head on, in full force, though it comes with its own set of risks and obviously enormous LIFESTYLE change, but I know inwardly I could never live with the thought of “What if I had done it?”
I know my path will reveal itself as I walk it with head high and my eyes clear and focused.
Onwards to this week of random photos: funny, hard, and sweet serendipitous moments. I am grateful for them all, this is what being alive in this machine of body that is doing it utmost best to keep my soul riding the wave of life.
It comes with the territory.
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REALM OF HEALING 
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