Hi! I’m still alive. I’d like to thank my cousin for reminding me that many of you don’t know what’s going on in my world unless I post now and then.
Not too much has changed for me. I’ve been on Lenvima for about a month now and it’s still a little too early to know if it’s working. I’ll be getting scans and labs pretty soon to find out.
I feel better-ish overall. So that might mean the lenvima is working. Although, I think a big part of it is that the Cometriq side-effects were just so bad that I’m feeling relief by not being on it anymore.
Bartering for side-effects
Some side-effects are better and some are worse/different. My feet and hands don’t hurt as bad, I have a little less fatigue and I’m not dashing to the bathroom all day. Now I’m dealing with sporadic bouts of insomnia, constant itching of my face and head – especially at night, and throbbing pain in my neck. My neck has been more swollen lately and blood flow is not so great to my head. I need to sleep with my head propped up a little more than usual and when I stand up I feel a heavy, painful whoosh of blood settling in my neck and collar bone area. Kinda weird.
I feel a little nervous about the swelling and blood flow problems. It could be a side-effect, but I’m worried the tumor and metastasis are growing. Most times I’m wrong though. So… We’ll just have to wait and see what the test results are.
I’m also grappling with some of that old pain in my back and upper body. I got a few more scans, but my oncologist team still cannot figure out the exact cause of the pain. It sucks. I was in so much pain at one point that I was literally pulling my hair to try and distract myself. Even with constant doses of oxy in my system.
Family visits!
The best part of the last month has been all the family visiting me in Texas. Nothing lifts my spirits more than seeing familiar faces and getting real hugs from real people I love. Over the course of a few weeks, I had visits from my Mom, my brother Jason, my great friend Chris, my Dad, my brother Garry and his wife Dee! It was awesome, to say the least. With all the love around I was feeling pretty darn good, and had a lot of much-needed laughs and tears. I may have also ended up with a new tattoo! Thanks, Fam for making the trek to Austin! Love y’all!
Umm… Aliens!?
I’ll try to post again within the next month or so. Especially, if I find out if the Lenvima is working or not. In the meantime, I encourage you all to read about aliens. And no, I’m not joking. We are so caught up in stupid politics that we are not paying attention to, quite possibly, the most profound events in the history of the world. Click here to read the New York Times article.
