Counting to TEN

(completed chemotherapy treatments!!)

I have completed TEN chemotherapy infusions!! Praise the Lord! The end of treatment is a mere four weeks away. Time has both crept slowly and flown by, as it always does, and in God’s kind providence we look forward to the day FIVE weeks from now when I will not have a chemotherapy treatment on my calendar.

Thank you all for praying so fervently for my health, and for my Northstar test to show positive results, i.e., lower numbers. My original ‘baseline’ number was in the 300s, and my second test showed a drastic drop to 27. Therefore, I had high hopes and prayers for a number of less than ten. However, my third Northstar test showed the number had fallen to 24. Reminder: this is a specialized test that tracks ‘tumor-specific methylation sites in the bloodstream,’¹ and can tell if cancer treatment is working (numbers go down) or isn’t working (numbers go up). My oncologist was not overly concerned by my current number for two reasons: 1) I still had three more treatments to go (sadly he won’t let me off the hook for any of them, though I ask every time); and 2) sometimes those numbers never reach less than ten or zero, for reasons that are hard to pinpoint. Basically, if the numbers stay consistent and do not increase, it’s okay for them to not be at zero.

So, moving forward, I will have another Northstar test run at the end of my chemotherapy, and a CT Scan two weeks after my treatment finishes. I already have the CT scheduled, and assume I will have a follow-up appointment with my oncologist to review the results.

Back to my treatment day on Monday: My oncologist’s response to my playful request to drop a med or a treatment day was “you’re younger than me, and I think you can push through and finish the treatment. I would hate to not finish and wonder if we got everything.” Thankfully, an added anti-nausea medicine does seem to help with the severe nausea I dealt with two rounds ago. That being said, for the past several treatments I have started to feel very ill while receiving my infusion. I get queasy, and cold or clammy, and feel a bit faint even though I am in a chair and not moving around. My color changes DRASTICALLY— I basically become Casper the friendly ghost. My nurses noticed it this week and spoke to the doctor about it, but since I wasn’t violently ill, they tried to help make me more comfortable and push through the treatment. Once home on Monday I stayed in bed, and thankfully woke on Tuesday feeling better.

This seems to be the pattern— I feel awful on my treatment day, but better on Tuesday and following, though still weary and worn out from Monday. Fatigue and brain fog are my regular companions right now, and I am thankful for the slower pace of the summer that allows for more naps.

As always, we feel so loved and supported by those who are praying for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Praises:

• My white blood cell and neutrophil counts are within normal range, which allowed me to receive chemotherapy treatment.

• TEN treatments are complete! TWO more to go, Lord willing.

• Adding additional medication seems to help my nausea stay under control.

• Nathan, Georgia and Baxter had a great time together in Orlando for the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. Eleanor, Fuller and I stayed home and had a lot of fun being lazy together while also hanging out with friends (the kids mostly), seeing a movie (Sheep Detectives, surprisingly good) and eating at a new-to-the-kids restaurant (Cheesecake Factory)

  

• The two youngest Finnlings have day camp this week, but then we have a couple of weeks of no travel or camp or ‘big activity’. I think we will enjoy the quiet.

Prayer Requests:

• Continued ‘normal’ WBC and neutrophil numbers throughout the rest of my treatment

• Pray for me to be able to endure any side effects from the chemotherapy infusion, especially the ones that make me feel sick while at the cancer center. It’s pretty rough to feel miserable and not be at home in your own bed. Pray also that I can tolerate side effects that come from medications that I have to take (some anti-nausea meds make me VERY sleepy).

• I have found myself dreading each treatment more and more with each round. This can make Saturday/Sunday beforehand very anxious and stressful. Pray for my anxiety to ease, and for me to trust my doctors and nurses, and most importantly, my heavenly Father who is the ultimate Healer.

• Dates of the next treatments: June 29 and July 13.

• Now that the end is so close, pray for there to be no evidence of disease when all of the test results come in. We trust that God has a perfect plan that He is working for His glory and my good², and we pray FERVENTLY that I would be cancer-free. If I am not, we know that God is still good.

• We have planned a trip in early August to our favorite beach spot!! Pray that it will be a time of rest and recovery, and that I might be able to have an appointment with my oncologist before we travel so that is not hanging over our heads.

We are so appreciative of your love and prayers! Please check out my GoFundMe fundraiser and MealTrain calendar, so if you feel so led. We are thankful for the support of many!!

1. https://www.northstaronc.com/northstar-response

2. His Glory and My Good, by CityAlight