First Day of the Website

This is a new experience for me... starting my own blog.

I wanted to have a spot to update folks on a regular basis, so I wouldn't have to send such long updates as I have done in the past. I thought this might be an easy way to keep everyone informed, hear back from you, and let you know what's going on here.

Speaking of what's going on... school starts tomorrow. Guess I need to go to bed early tonight in order to be prepared for an exciting day on Monday. For all the children out there who are scared and nervous about going back to school, tomorrow marks my 37th "first day of school" and I'm almost as nervous as I was the year I started, 1968.

That very first "first day of school" was at Park Hill Elementary School in Denver, Colorado. If I can locate some pictures of that exciting experience, I'll post them. My first assignment was in the old cafeteria. On one side of the cafeteria was my classroom, and on the other side was another first year teacher. We were fortunate that we liked one another and that we could share music and art duties. Back in those days, the classroom teacher did everything -- art, music, and phys ed. Things have changed A LOT in these almost-forty years.

Here's the latest on my cancer treatment.

In late May when I found out that the Taxol I was on had quit being effective, I started on Topotecan. I really loved the sound of that chemo medication. (It sounds so tropical and Caribbean, doesn't it?) At the end of July, when I had a PET scan and CT scan, there was no longer just one tumor in the liver, but another had appeared. I stayed with Topotecan for another treatment, but then the CA-125 made a big jump to 85.

With the CA-125 increase, Dr. Hudhud, my oncologist decided to change to another plan for the chemo treatment. I'm now on Doxil (one treatment every four weeks) and Avastin (one treatment every three weeks). Thank goodness for computer calendars that can keep up with all these dates. I still go into the office at least once a week for blood work. I'm glad to report that this past week my levels were all good so that I didn't have to have either Neulasta (for low white blood count) or Procrit (for low red blood count).

Next post, I'll talk a little about how these two chemos work -- my interpretation!

Thanks for reading...

Think about all the school children returning to the classrooms tomorrow -- and those mommies who put their kindergarteners on buses!