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.

After consulting with my oncologist on Thursday, he would like to try another chemo that has been successful with ovarian cancer patients rather than go back to the chemo I had been on previously for a year that was successful, but can have detrimental effects on the heart. So, we will probably begin that regimen on Monday, Sept. 27th. If it becomes necessary to go back to the old one, we would have to monitor the heart activity very closely. In the meantime, we will hold off draining the ascites until we see how well I do on this new drug. I forgot to have my doctor write it down for me, so I don't remember the name, not that you would even want to know! I feel well and do not notice any change in my level of energy or sleep pattern. I am in very little pain, except for the hernia in my navel, but I can certainly live with it. Please keep me in your prayers and I will keep you informed as I continue with my treatment.

My recent CT scan revealed bad news and good news. The bad news is that there is a new spot on my liver. The good news is that the multiple tumors in my abdominal cavity seem to be stable. My oncologist recommends that we drain the fluid in my belly as soon as possible and try to fix the hernia in my navel that is the size of a golf ball. I am waiting to hear if the procedures will be done here or at Presbyterian St.Luke's in Denver where I have had the procedure to drain the ascides done before. I am very disappointed that the cancer has been extremely agressive in the last few months, but we hope to stop it by returning to the old chemo regimen temporarily until we can come up with another one to try. Because the old chemo is hard on my heart, we will have to have a echocardiogram done before every treatment and monitor things very closely. In the big picture, every day that I have been given since I was sent home from the hospital last December to die has been a gift. I am so grateful for every day, the wonderful summer I had, and the great start to another school year! We will continue to treat my cancer as any other chronic disease by being proactive in every way - spiritually, physically, and emotionally. I'm not giving up, nor should you - please continue to pray for discernment and Divine guidence throughout this time when we will have to make important decisions regarding the quality of life that I have while I am still on this planet. God is soverign in my life, and He has indeed been so merciful and good to me. I have never taken for granted your faithfulness in remembering me in your prayers. It is such a blessing knowing that I have your loving support. I'll continue to post updates as I have them.

I received the second dose of Doxal on Monday and all went well. I'm feeling a little tired today after the first day back with children at school, but so are the majority of teachers, many of whom are a lot younger than I am, so I'm not to worried about it. I just might have to go home and take a nap! The kids seem to like my new "hairdo", which is short but a bit different from last year - light brown with gold highlights so I won't look as old as I feel! I'm back full time as long as I have the energy to do my job with enthusiasm. If I have to drop to part-time, a lady who has worked in the library with me for years will job share with me. So far everything is going well, PRAISE GOD! I will get a CT scan next Thursday to determine the growth, or lack of growth, in size and number of tumors, and after reviewing the results, the oncologist will decide whether to stick with this drug or move on to something else. The homeopathic physician is going to the clinic in Germany that he is affiliated with in the latter part of September and will take the disk with my most recent CT scan images to the team of cancer specialists there to see what they recommend. So far we have been unsuccessful in shrinking the tumors significantly. They haven't gotten bigger, but they haven't gotten significantly smaller, either. I am experiencing more fluid accumulating in my abdomenal area as well in that I can't zip up pants that I could wear at the beginning of the summer. That's usually not a good sign either. Sarah is off to Washington, D.C. this week and so is hurricane Earl - hope it misses her and everyone else! Bob is back doing any and all exercise that he feels up to. He is training for a century ride in Boulder in 2 weeks, so he has been spending time in the saddle. I'm so grateful that I feel better than I did at this time last year. I feel that I am making progress and that I am able to enjoy my "normal" life. Your continuing prayers are always needed and cherished. Will give another update after getting the results of the scan.

My new chemo regimen, the drug Doxil, took me down a notch or two, but I am feeling better now. This summer has been so wonderful - I've felt like my old self before I got sick, with loads of energy, no pain, and feeling stronger every day. The treatment this past Monday was the first time with this drug, so I am a little discouraged that it left me feeling so fatigued, with pain in my abdomen, cramping in my hands and feet, and overall operating at about 60% instead of 90%. After a few days of sleeping a lot and not doing much of anything, I am starting to feel better, so I'm hopeful that I will continue to improve. My oncologist would like to keep me on this drug for 3 treatments, given every 28 days and then we will evaluate how effective or ineffective it is in addressing the spread of cancer in my body, as well as in reducing the size of the tumors. So we won't have any tests done until the end of September. Thank you for continuing to pray for me. School starts on Aug. 23rd, so I need all the energy I can possibly have to put in a full work day. Bob and Sarah are doing fine. Sarah will participate in a triathlon this weekend, so she has been training like a maniac! Bob will do a 100 mile bike ride in Boulder in a few weeks, so he's been working out a lot, too. The weather is already turning a little cooler - fall will be here before we know it!