It looks like my liver is continuing to heal...a total miracle. It is just one of many. I tell my husband I am on my fourth life now, but I am thankful to be here and to be healing. My faith in God and in my body sustains me more than I ever really talk about on the blog. I never want to appear preachy to any of you, but I know it is alright to remind you of my core strength every so often. Also, the faith that all of YOU have in me does me good as well.
I have put on about 4 lbs, which is great. That means my body is metabolizing food appropriately through the liver since the stint surgery. My energy is slowly returning. Because I am on steroids right now, my energy is affected by that drug. The doctors are using the steroids to reduce inflammation on the liver in the short term. Yet I am really sensitive to medicines and Decadron, the steroid, can cause sleep issues and sort of keep your engine revved up all day. I don't know how anyone could take steroids consistently without becoming a mean person because it definitely has made me jumpy. Roid Rage, huh?
Anyway, I keep my irritability in line, but it is kind of funny. I have snapped a couple of times, but Michael and I just laugh about it and I apologize immediately. What else? As far as medicines, both of my oncologists feel great about my liver healing. They submitted my information to the medical trial we are trying to get into and the drug company wants one of my liver counts to come in line before they let me on the trial. To them, I am just a number. To me, I am a person. (Keep in mind that ALL OF MY OTHER NUMBERS are great. This includes bilirubin, which represents that my liver function is doing great!)
So, we talked to our medical team here at KU and the team at Jeff City. Michael and I were ready to cut our losses and just do another medicine. I was beginning to think that we were trying to fit my "square" liver counts into a "round" whole...so to speak. So, the Jeff City oncologist had a great idea that Michael and I evaluated with our team here. The idea is to have me do this drug that would flush my liver of all of these medicines....kind of like a liver detox....over the next five days.
I have been wanting to do a detox for a while, but haven't because I did not want to mess with the effect of the drug fighting against my cancer. However, now it is kind of like I am getting what I want. Funny. Here is why they are thinking this could work to lower my enzyme count. Liver enzymes can sometimes be high due to toxicity from drugs. So, in theory, all of these meds that we have pumped through my body for the past four years could have a residue effect in the liver. This would cause my liver to work harder to create enzymes to process food and function and increase the enzyme count. If we take that "toxic burden" off of the liver, my counts should be more pure. They should lower.
So, we are going to start that process today. But, I would like to encourage of you not to worry. I am not worried. I am viewing myself in the journey, I am relaxing into it. This process is also part of my healing. Though I am not on a hard chemo right now, we are helping my liver purge some of the bad stuff from my body so that we can move forward and fight some more. I still think this drug is the right drug for me, however, I am open to anything if we need to switch back to another drug...I will. No one promised me that the journey back to health would be easy, in fact, no one promised me that we would have gotten this far. Yet, I continue to feel confident in my medical team, in my body, in our treatment plan, etc.
I have thoroughly interviewed and evaluated both of my medical teams and they are smart oncologists who have my best interest at heart. I constantly maintain that I am lead of my medical team, though my husband Michael could not represent me any better than anyone else in the world. I am blessed!
Okay, friends, have a kick-butt day!
Blessings,
Lolo
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