Stay the Course

Stay the Course by Iration  I do not own the rights to this music.

This song has a reggae vibe and definitely worth a listen. The video features a sea turtle. Who doesn't like sea turtles?  Another cool find while looking for an appropriate blog title. Check it out.

Mike and I met with Dr. Kocs today. We had a whole list of questions. But, true to form, Dr, Kocs answered most of them before we could ask. Our opening dialogue is true Bishop/Kocs banter.

Me: How do you like the new system?

Kocs: I hate it! Can't you tell? I have less hair!

Me: Well, I have you beat. I have a nice round bald spot where they radiated one of the brain mets. For the rest of it, I was shedding like crazy, so Mike buzzed it off this weekend. I now have less hair than you for a change. I am blaming it on the radiation.

Kocs: Yes, let's blame it on the radiation!

We have fun.

Anyway, as you know we have mixed results from the PET. Some tumors can take longer than others to be impacted by the chemo. Some may have mutated and are a bit more resistant. I asked if we needed to biopsy some of these resistant suckers and see if any of the cancer characteristics have changed. That may be something we consider down the road if tumor markers, liver enzymes, and other tumors seem to be getting better but some tumors continue to progress for some unknown reason. Bottom line, we won't rule it out. 

I also asked why radiologists change the descriptions of the tumors they are reporting on. One of my pet peeves when reading PET results. How can I keep an accurate spreadsheet to compare results from one PET to another if they keep changing the description? That's code for "I can't project manage this cancer with bad or incomplete data"! I think I am going to blow up a picture of the lymph system and go back to all my PETS and mark the ones mentioned in the various scans. I bet I become a lymph system expert before we are done, as far as where the various nodes are located and their scientific names. Maybe that will help me decipher the PET results.

We talked about the possible mets on the bones. He isn't convinced we have mets on the bones. Could we radiate the possible mets on the L1?  We watch to see if there really is an issue on the L1; if we see a risk of fracture, high pain, or other issues caused by the cancer on the L1, then we can radiate it. The goal is to make sure I am comfortable, pain free, and prolong my life as long as possible. Dr. Kocs reiterated we still have lots of tools in our toolbox, including Piqray.

The final question is can I travel to help Matthew drive Sadie home, then go back to help nurse him to health when he has oral surgery on 6/14. Dr. Kocs says yes I can travel since we all have our vaccines, but the traveling could wear me out (I've made the 2-days each way round trip before; rough, but doable. I'll be fine). If we need to, I can send Mike back to nurse Matthew back to health on 6/14 if my cancer is misbehaving. I hope it isn't!

So ... what's the final verdict on treatment plan? We "Stay the Course"; continue with Abraxane. Abraxane has proven to be 48% effective in killing cancer cells. We have seen evidence of that ... just not across the board yet. Hoping that, between my diet and the Abraxane, we kick some of that cancer to the curb! We will be checking tumor markets every two weeks (did I tell you they are heading down  after going up two months in a row?). Let's give Abraxane a little more time to do its magic. If we notice that tumor markers are heading up, then we move up the PET, see what's going on, and possibly move on to Plan F.

Fingers crossed Abraxane does it stuff!

Friday is chemo aka "Get Your Groove On" day for the self proclaimed dancing Chemo Queen. Now that it's warmer, I can wear my Chemo Queen t-shirt (Thank you Ms Jay!), my black leggings, and my latest dancing shoes! Are these not too cute?!!

Meanwhile, in celebration of my lifestyle change, I've decided to post a recipe of one of the dishes I really, really like at the end of each blog. That by itself should keep you coming back for more 😍

First up, my new vegetable casserole. It is really, really good!

Tomato Vegetable Casserole Recipe | Giada De Laurentiis | Food Network

 https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/tomato-vegetable-casserole-recipe-1914994 Total: 55 min  Prep: 15 min Cook: 40 min Yield: 6 servings 

• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
• 1 medium yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2- inch pieces 
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
• 5 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings 
• 2 small or 1 large zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces 
• Salt and pepper 
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/4- inch thick slices 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 
• 2 tablespoons dried Italian-style bread crumbs 
• Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Toss the potato, yam, bell pepper, carrots, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until coated. Spread vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan. 
2. Arrange the onion slices evenly over the vegetable mixture.
3. Arrange the zucchini over the onion.
4.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil
5. . Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
6. Arrange the tomato slices over the zucchini. 
7. Stir the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a small bowl to blend. 
8. Sprinkle the Parmesan bread crumbs over the vegetables in the baking dish. 
9. Drizzle with the last tablespoon of olive oil. 
10. Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender, and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired. 

Soooo good!