Parting with Pneumonia

Apparently isn't very easy to do! The xray today (September 23) showed a big improvement in the right lung but the left side is still "full of crap". Even the radiologist can't tell if it's from pneumonia, cancer or scarring from radiation. Dr. Nixon did not prescribe another antiobiotic until they take another xray next week - it's a balancing act between killing the bad guys and building immunity to antiobiotics. Dr. Nixon wants me to take a metronomic chemo called cytoxan. It is an old chemo drug being used in a new way. You take a small dose in a pill daily instead of a big mega dose all at once. Dr. Nixon has used it on four of his own patients there at CTCA and has good results with each of them. It supposedly has very little or no side effects. It has not been tested on mesothelioma patients, so I will be a guinea pig. They will know in about 4-6 weeks if it is doing the job of cutting off the blood supply to the cancer cells. If the cytoxan works then they will add Celebrex, which is normally used for arthritis, but it seems it helps with this type of therapy as well. I must confess to being terribly nervous about this - even though everyone says there are no side effects (I heard that before starting radiation!!) I got a little emotional having been through chemo, then radiation, then recovering from radiation and then having pnuemonia and now trying a new drug - but I can quit any day I want to if there are side effects - so I really have nothing to lose. I'm feeling much better from the pneumonia, but my oxygen sats are still low so I'm tethered to the oxygen tank and still working on recovering from the pneumonia. Thank you for your prayers - I still need them until I'm safely on the other side! A special thank you to my babysitters this week for cleaning my house, rearranging furniture, driving to Timbuktu and doing my grocery shopping - you are so, so awesome!

UPDATE on XRAY RESULTS

With all the hoopla of the party, I neglected to let you know the results of the X-ray on the 3rd of September (follow-up to the CT scan on August 13th.) They found both lungs full of pneumonia. I was feeling pretty rotten and unable to breathe well (breathing is always a good thing), so at least it was nice to have an excuse for feeling poorly and that there is something they can do to treat it. I'm on antibiotics and oxygen full time since my oxygen stats were low. Until the pneumonia is resolved well, they still can't determine if there is any interstitial spread of the cancer in the left lung, but for now they know its an infection because it is in both lungs. I go back again for another x-ray on the 10th and then I'm leaving on the 11th for a trip to Lake Tahoe with my Dad, his wife, Jackie and my two sisters and one brother-in-law -- a tradition we had for many years and haven't done for a long time. I may have to take portable oxygen but I don't care - I'm going and they can't stop me!! I try to take all of these new adventures in stride - knowing that the Lord loves me and will help me through them all. Thank you for your continued faith and prayers - I feel your strength - especially when I'm in the temple!!

Finally! Pictures from the party!

If I ever thought my children were a challenge when they were young - you ought to see them now! They are forever trying to outdo themselves with kindnesses and service to their Mom. Once again, they brought me to tears by throwing an anniversary party just for the simple fact that I survived cancer for a year when I wasn't supposed to. Big deal - thousands of people do it all the time!

BUT, as usual, they were right and I was wrong because it was a wonderful, beautiful evening and a chance for me to thank in person so many people for their love and support and prayers over the last year. (Something I couldn't have done at a funeral). A time to celebrate friendships with those I hadn't seen in so long - and my children totally outdid themselves with decorations (it was like a wedding reception!) and other fun things as you can see in the slideshow. Kudos to a great team who pulled this off in a week: Steve, Heidi, David, Rachel, John, Rebecca, Kathie, Paul, Jennie & Wes and to the grandkids who helped too!

Thank you to all who came and helped make it such a special evening - thank you for your faith and prayers, thank you for your support and strength - thank you for the wonderful memories! I love you all! My life is richer because of each of you - especially my children, Kent, Mike, Scott, Heidi, David, John, Kathie, Wendy, Jennie, Jeff, their companions and each and every one of my 32 grandchildren!!

You're Invited to a Party for Mom/Ruth!

You are invited! Please join us to celebrate the 1 Year Anniversary of Ruth's battle with cancer. Please follow the link below for more information. Please forward this along to anyone that you know that might like to be there. It's going to be fun, and there'll be food, so what more could you ask for? Oh, and Ruth will be there! What a fun time for everyone to get together, share our gratitude for your support and love, and give you the opportunity to see Ruth if it's been a while.

http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/LCVMHQTEGTOEBSETSSLX/RuthsParty

Can't wait to see you there!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

One year and a few days ago, I was diagnosed with mesothelioma and given 6 months to 1 year to live. I'm happy to report that I lived the whole year - and with the new scan results received yesterday, the oncologists feel that I have 6 to 12 more to go!! It was a mixed result on the CT scan, nothing shrank more than a couple of milimmeters, but they feel they got excellent results from the radiation. I may have some radiation pneumonitis, or some spread of the tumors intersitially into the lung, but an X-ray will determine that next month.

So - I am staying with CTCA for now because I feel pretty darn good except for being very weak, easily tired and having fits of coughing and they (CTCA) want to continue to monitor for awhile. I know I've said it before, but though I would never choose this journey, I am so grateful for all I have experienced - and I do mean ALL of it! There have been sad times, joyful times, hard times, memories made that I wouldn't have missed for the world, times my family and friends rallied around to help me out of the pits, the countless miracles and tender mercies the Lord has poured out upon us and the things we have experienced, while not always easy, I think have changed us all for the better.

I must stand as a witness before my Heavenly Father of His constant goodness, His unfailing love and support, for blessing us with miracles, and for the Savior and His atonement which makes whole all of those broken things that we cannot mend by ourselves. I hope to prove worthy of His continued blessings - He is my Rock and the One who holds my life in His capable hands. I know He has a plan for me and for each of His children, designed to maximize the joy of this life and in the world to come.

Once again, as always, thank you, my beloved family and friends, my angels here on earth, for sustaining me with your faith and prayers.