Update on Luann

Good Morning!
I had a new, scheduled, CT scan on April 14th.  Ken and I met with my new Oncologist, whom I love, on Monday April 17th (Jenny's 38th birthday).  She told us that three of the spots have grown quite a bit from the last scan I had in December of 2016.  She said that the daily chemo pills that I've been taking the last 21 months wasn't working any more.  More than likely, my cancer had mutated to where the pills weren't able to work anymore.  She told me to stop the chemo pills. She scheduled a biopsy for Tuesday April 25th. They took two core samples and sent it off to Foundation Medicine, a company in Cambridge Mass.  They will map out my cancer and hopefully figure out what my cancer feeds on and how best to fight it.  The process will take three weeks.  My next appointment is May 24th and hopefully my oncologist will have a plan for what to do next.

I am not running to the bathroom anymore!  It's awesome! My appetite is back and I'm loving food again.  My pants are getting tight. My favorite place is Chuck a Rama! It's been nearly five years since I have been able to eat like this.  I'm in heaven!

Most likely, I will start a new infusion chemo called Trabectedin.  It's made up of poison from sea urchins.  It is given every three weeks and it's a 24 hour infusion.  So it would be given in the hospital.  It is for soft tissue sarcomas.

There is a new spot, that we noticed about four weeks ago, on my left side under my shoulder bone.  The doctor said that, most likely, it's cancer.  We, of course, are very concerned about this spot and asked if it could be removed.  She said that it would be good to keep it and we can watch it and see if the new treatment can shrink it or possibly make it go away. Wouldn't that be awesome!

Ken and I had a feeling like something was up.  We were very nervous about this CT scan.  So we weren't too shocked when we heard the news.  Ken is very upset and I'm worried about him.  I HATE what this does to my family! This cancer journey is coming up to five years. It's hard to believe it's been that long. The hard thing is not knowing what's next or how much longer it will go on.

I have faith in the plan of salvation.  I know that we lived before this life.  I know that we are all here on this earth for a reason.  And that reason is to gain a body, to have our free agency, to be tested and to return back to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for this knowledge!  I'm so grateful from my wonderful, awesome husband Ken!  He is my everything and I know we will be together forever and ever!  I'm so grateful for our children and their families!  They mean the world be me.  I'm so grateful for temple covenants that have been made so we can be together forever!
I pray that I (we) can stay strong and stay the course!