Had my second round of chemo with the drug that has been successful in the past on Feb.7th and that went well. Then on Feb. 10th, I went to Denver to have my belly drained again- removed 4.2 liters and lost 10 lbs! I will get a blood transfusion tomorrow, 2/15, because my white blood cell count is low and I have no energy. Hopefully I will be feeling much better by the end of the week - in time for a week off from school for a "winter" break. Couldn't have timed it better! God is always so faithful in rescuing me. Whenever I feel low and needy, He just steps in and provides for my every need. I am so in tuned with my body and can sense when something isn't right, so I can usually be proactive in my treatment. I will get an echocardiogram before my next chemo on Feb. 28th, and will have a CT scan sometime that following week to see how well the chemo is doing and what changes have taken place since the last one a few months ago. Until then, please continue to remember me in your prayers, as I do believe God honors the prayers of those who love Him. Bob and Sarah need your prayers, too, because they have been dealing with this chronic illness for a very long time and have never complained about anything - not even once! I am indeed blessed!
Love you,
Ruth

It's hard for me to admit to myself and you that this is the first time I have felt well enough to get to my computer and post something on my blog. After getting the ascites (fluid) removed from my belly on Wednesday, I have been in a lot of pain. I was not able to go to school on Thursday or Friday, and felt too sick to get the chemo infusion as planned on Thursday. I rescheduled the chemo for Friday, but my blood draw showed that my red blood cell count was too low to give me the infusion. So, I am now scheduled for 2 units of blood on this Monday, MLK Day, and will hopefully get the chemo on Tuesday. I am greatly discouraged that I am already a week behind where I thought I would be in the process - the fluid is already building back up which is a sign that the cancer remains unchecked by anything I am doing. I am still taking the alternative remedies for my immune system, enzymes, and sticking to the vegan diet because I know they can't hurt, and just might help in the overall scheme of things. That cancer is a tough one to beat! I have had to resort to taking some powerful narcotic pain medication and the side effect for that is constipation which causes even more pain! I feel like an old lady talking about all my aches and pains, but I did want you to know what's going on. I was able to meet with the head doctor of a Phase 1 clinical trial for endometrial patients at the University of Colorado Medical Center that could possibly be something I could participate in down the road if I remain strong in all of my bodily functions. Sarah has left the park, Patagonia Conservacion, and is traveling with her friend Caroline in Argentina. All seems to be above and beyond her wildest dreams. Bob continues to work 12-14 hour days, take care of me, the house, and all the shoveling, and still swims 3 mornings a week and runs 3 days a week. We both pray that God will loan me some of his energy, as I could really use it. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and phone calls. It is so comforting to know that you are pulling for me and encouraging me to get through these rough days because there are brighter ones ahead! Our Lord is so faithful in meeting our every need, so at times like this, I know to just draw closer to Him. Love you-
Ruth

News from Sarah is all good - sounds like she is enjoying every minute of her experience at Conservacion Patagonica! Bob is glad that finally everything has gotten back to "normal" at the club after the holidays. I'm back at school but have been struggling with a lot of abdomenal pain and overall discomfort due to the fact that the fluid has already come back in my belly. I will be starting chemo again with a drug that I had success with over a year ago but was taken off of because of the danger of congestive heart failure for users over a long period of time. Since I have tried all of the chemo drugs that are on the "approved" list for my kind of cancer according to my insurance company, I really have no other alternative at this time. I hope the doxorubicin (trade name adriamycin) will be as effective as it was previously. My homeopathic physician has been unable to get the enzymes from Germany that he hoped to give me intravenously over the holidays, so that is on hold for now until after I get through a few rounds of the chemo. My oncologist will order an echocardiogram prior to the treatment on Monday or Tuesday of next week, and will infuse me with another drug that helps counteract the negative symptoms that might occur. I have an appointment on Wednesday, Jan. 12, to meet with doctors at University of Colorado Cancer Center in Denver about eligibility for any clinical trials they may have going on for endometrial cancer. I will also get the fluid drained from my belly that afternoon at Presbyterian St. Luke's where I have had it done the past three times. I feel so relieved that we have a plan for my treatment - I felt like we were floundering for the past few months trying different chemos that were ineffective and losing ground rather than making progress. The Lord is in control and He is faithful, so with your continued prayers and support I know that we are on the right track for now. Will keep you posted as any new developments (good or bad) come up.

My Mom and our whole family are rejoicing in God's faithfulness to us once again! His mercies are new each day! The radiologist at Presbyterian St. Lukes in Denver successfully drained 3 liters of fluid from her abdomen yesterday. It flowed freely after only one attempt which is truly an answer to specific prayer. Today she gets a CT scan, meets with her oncologist and will discuss next steps with her homeopathic physician about possible alternative treatment. We will keep you posted. Please continue to pray for discernment and wisdom as we proceed. Thanks for your prayers and good wishes! God hears our prayers!

Good news of God's faithfulness once again. After receiving a letter from my medical insurance company that they would not pay for the chemo drug that I have already received for two treatments because there is no research evidence that it is effective in my kind of cancer, I get the results of my most recent CT scan and it shows that the new lesion in my liver got smaller - from 26mm to 17! The doctors are appealing my case and will use these results to show that the drug is effective in my case. Please pray that they will resolve this matter. The scan results also said that there is no increase in the amount of fluid in my abdomen, nor is there any change in the number or size of the tumors that have been there. So no change is actually good. It's good news that the cancer has not spread to any other organs! In the meantime, the doctors contacted the insurance company that covers my prescriptions and they will cover my taking the same chemo drug orally, so I will begin taking that on Wednesday. We will have to work on the correct dosage as the body usually only absorbs about 40% compared to 100% when given intravenously. I hope and pray that I will respond positively to the oral drug as it will be so much easier to manage than going to get treatment every day for five days in a row as I have been doing. My homeopathic physician returned from a month in Germany where a team of doctors looked at my most recent scans, and he is optimistic that he can dissolve some of these tumors. We will meet to discuss what treatment options are available with him as well. There is no doubt in my mind that God hears our prayers. So many people continue to pray for me and I find great comfort in knowing that. Thank you.

One more "everyday for 5 days" chemo treatment done! Everything went well, though my red and my white blood cell counts are low. I will receive a shot today to build up my immune system a little - can't hurt and might help! I am scheduled for a CT scan on Nov. 8th to see how effective this drug (topotecan) has been. My best hope is that it has actually shrunk some of my tumors, and least is that it has not spread to any of my other organs and that the tumors have not gotten any bigger. This drug is also available in pill form to take orally; however, the insurance company has not authorized payment to receive it orally because there is not enough experimental evidence to support its effectiveness in my kind of cancer. You could be praying about that because I would find it much easier to swallow one pill a day than to have to drive up valley five days in a row to get poked and sit for a hour during the treatment. My oncologist says that it is much harder to get the exact dosage with a drug that is taken orally because the absorption rate varies greatly from one individual to another, but I'd still like to give it a try! God is always so faithful! I have had a normal amount of energy throughout a hectic week of having to stay late at school for parent-teacher conferences and trying to prepare our cars, house, and yard for the winter - just in time, too! We are experiencing a total "white-out" today, with snow falling steadily and accumulating everywhere - another example of God's bountiful provision! Please continue praying for us, as I know that Our Lord hears our prayers and answers them according to His will and purpose. Will keep you posted as I have new information to post. Sarah and Bob continue to be an unbelievable support to me. They are real troopers!

Just completed day four of five of my new chemo drug, Topotecan. This is the first time I have had to get chemo five days in a row, off two weeks, then five days again. It has definitely affected my lifestyle - have had to go in an hour earlier to school each day during treatment to make up for the hour early that I leave school in the afternoon in order to get to the Shaw Clinic in time to get finished before they close at 5 P.M. It has also necessitated finding someone to cover part of my last class each day - not really long enough to warrant getting a "sub", so different people have stepped in to help me out this week. I don't know that I can ask them to continue to do that. I'll have to make other arrangements. The good news is that so far my body has tolerated the drug well with no adverse side effects, for which I am truly grateful! The plan is to have another treatment followed by a CT scan a few weeks later to determine how effective this drug is. At that time we will assess what other options might be available. I would hope to schedule a consultation visit at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale or at MD Anderson in Houston in the near future to see what they recommend in trying to keep the cancer at bay, keep it from spreading, and maintain a long-term maintenance treatment that would afford me a normal lifestyle for as long as possible. I feel certain if there was a "magic bullet" to shrink the tumors dramatically, we would know about it.
I trust that I am getting very good care here, but it never hurts to get another opinion. Thank you for your prayers and continued support and interest in how I am doing. It means so much to all of us. You can pray for Bob's speedy recovery as well - he just had hernia surgery today but seems to be ahead of the curve again. Will keep you posted as new info worth sharing comes up.