Getting ready for vacation

Hi everyone, Michael and I are spending the day cleaning house (I don't want to be embarassed when our friends minding the house get here) and packing as we get ready to head out on vacation. We leave well before the crack of dawn tomorrow and head to Missoula, MT for a great vacation. We start out in the area of Glacier National Park for a week and then relocate to Yellowstone NP for another week or so. I will be blogging from there and hope to be able to share some great stories and photos. Stay tuned! I had the third chemotherapy treatment this past Thursday and so far side effects are minimal, thankfully. I also had a couple of doctor visits and the results from some scans and the news was good! The lesions on my spine are better and nothing new showed up. Nice that everything was fine for our travel! Otherwise I would be getting postcards from Michael! So if you will, please pray for good travel and no side effects from treatment for the next few days. Love, Wendy

Saturday morning and all is well

Hi there everyone, Well it is Saturday morning after having treatment on Thursday and all is well. I am not going to run a triathlon but certainly am up for household chores. There was good news also this week when I had an echocardiogram of my heart and it showed improvement over the last few scans. The particular measurement that they were looking at improved to 52% which takes me into the normal range for that measurement for the first time this year! The treatments seem to be going fine with relatively few side effects, although it may be a little early this time to determine that. I am hopeful though. I did lose my hair this week and am back to rocking some awesome scarves and hats. Still thankful that I have a pretty even head, no big lumps or anything! I had some scarves still saved and Cindy sent some beautiful ones from Boston, some new and some from her collection and they are all gorgeous! And she sent the cutest Nepalese hat as well! It is a little warm for the weather here now but will be a blessing when Michael and I are traveling in Montana in September. Just wanted to keep you up to date. Hope this message finds you all well and happy in your world. Love and Blessings to you all, Wendy

Doing fine.

Hi there ya'll, The new treatment started last Thursday and Friday. All went well and the weekend was fine although I was a little tired. The side effects that did show up were more in evidence this week but still they are minimal and manageable. So yeah! Next treatment will be August 14th. We have some photos to share from the most recent Dry Tortugas trip so I hope you enjoy! Love, Wendy.

Way over due!

Hi there everyone! I know I always plan on keeping this blog more up to date and now it has been months since my last post. Sorry! But it is a lttile funny that the last post is from the Dry Tortugas as Michael and I just returned yesterday from a second camping trip down there. This time we did a lot more paddling and got over to Loggerhead Key and the lighthouse there. We also did a bunch of snorkeling and as soon as we process some of the fish photos I will post them here. It really was another awesome trip even though it was quite a bit hotter than in April as you might expect. There is some news on the health front too, the last PET scan showed new activity in my pelvic bones and in my liver. So Thursday this week I start a new chemotherapy treatment regimen. Three drugs two of which are new to me and I will receive them every 3 weeks. Then on Fridays after the treatment days I get some additional meds that help with the side effects of the treatment. I am calm and have peace about this small change in my treatment and trust that God has a plan for me. So look for another post soon with lots of beautiful fishy photos. I am hoping all of you are well and enjoying the summer. Love to all of you, Wendy

Our trip to the Dry Tortugas

Wow this post was worth waiting for, you all! Michael and I spent three nights and four days camping on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas this last weekend. These islands are 65 miles from Key West at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico. On Garden Key is Fort Jefferson, an enormous brick fort that covers ten acres. The parade ground is seven acres alone and the moat wall around the fort is over a mile. There is a little camping area and a few docks. At one time there were two huge coaling docks on the north and south ends of the Key. The docks are gone but pilings are great for snorkeling as they are covered with coral, sponges and sea fans and are inhabited by fish of all colors, shapes and sizes. Adjacent to Garden Key are Long and Bush Keys which have actually joined together as the north channel closed in over the last few years. Those areas are protected seabird rookeries and are filled with nesting brown noddy terns and magnificent frigate birds. The frigates fly over the fort just riding on the wind and the thermal drafts, you never see them flap their wings. The water was so blue and blue in many different shades from aquamarine to a deep clear blue. Michael and I got there via ferry from Key West so we were able to bring our gear and kayaks. Unfortunately the winds were very strong and it limited our paddling until the last day. But we made up for that with snorkeling, fishing and exploring the fort. Here are some photos from the trip. Hey Alison this looks like your Blog! Love to you all, Wendy

I have some great news!

I have been feeling bad that I hadn't posted anything since March 10 but this news was good enough to wait for. I had a PET scan today and within 40 minutes of leaving the hospital my doctor's office was cslling with GOOD NEWS!! The scan showed that two of the mets have been "resolved" hospital speak for they are gone!!!One of them was the only one I had in soft tissue! The other mets are shrinking also or inert and stable except for a small one on my hip. This is an indicator that the Kadcyla treatments are doing exactly what we hoped that they would do. And also answers to prayers that so many of you have said on my behalf. I am extremely humbled and touched by all of you. And let's give thanks to the Lord for His mercy and healing. Love you all, Wendy

Yikes!

Why is it that I am always apologizing for not keeping this blog current? I guess it is a good sign that life is just going on in a normal way and there isn't really any news. That continues to be the case this morning too. I had my third Kadcyla treatment last Friday and there is nothing exciting to report. I have relatively little side effects and e ones we need to watch are being closely monitored by my doctors (namely the effect on my heart). I appreciate the ease which I tolerate this treatment and how well everything is going. Unfortunately that isn't the case wight everyone dealing with cancer. I have two friends who are struggling. Please pray for Luz and Karyn and their families. At the risk of being cocky, I am feeling good enough to set a goal to complete a sprint triathlon this year. You all can help keep me on task to get that accomplished. I will have to walk the run portion but the goal is just to. Omelette the event not to set any records. In the next month I am heading to boston to visit my sister Cindy over our birthday weekend (I am the 28th and she is the 29th), planning on vacationing with Michael in the Dry Tortugas, and tomorrow Michael and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage! Imagine him putting up with me that long! So that is the news for now. Take care of yourselves as you are each precious. Wendy