Update
I am sorry that it's been this long since I last updated my blog. Much has happened since December, but I just didn't have the inspiration to write about it all. I was taken off the Lapatinib/Tycerb study at Duke at the end of March when it was discovered that the tumors in my liver had grown beyond the limits in the clinical trial. I was very sick. In fact I was hospitalized for two days. It took a while to figure out what all my problems were since there were many that were interrelated. Since then I have learned that I was severely dehydrated in addition to the tumors multiplying in my liver. For over a month now I have worked at drinking 64 oz. of fluid each day and started a new chemotherapy.
This week I got good news from my cardiologist that my heart is returning to normal function. The dehydration caused my heart to race when I did the simplest exertion. I am very grateful that I can now return to doing normal activities such as walking and talking without loosing my breath and making my heart go into adrenaline mode. This is part of the reason that I haven't written in this blog. If I took 8 steps or did even the simplest things I would get out of breath and feel like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. When I went to a cardiologist, he figured out that my blood just didn't have enough fluid it to pump my heart. I knew I was probably dehydrated because the Lapatinib gave me severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. I know this isn't a pretty picture, but it's what has been going on. In fact the reason I was hospitalized was because they couldn't find my blood pressure.
Anyway, the latest news is that this week I learned that my heart is in good shape, my CT scan showed that there has been some shrinking of the tumors, and I am going to continue this new chemotherapy.
The bottom line is that I haven't given up hope. I am planning to walk down the aisle in about two weeks for my daughter's wedding and I going to continue to celebrate being alive each day the Lord gives me. Thank you for checking in with me. I'll try to post updates more often.
This week I got good news from my cardiologist that my heart is returning to normal function. The dehydration caused my heart to race when I did the simplest exertion. I am very grateful that I can now return to doing normal activities such as walking and talking without loosing my breath and making my heart go into adrenaline mode. This is part of the reason that I haven't written in this blog. If I took 8 steps or did even the simplest things I would get out of breath and feel like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. When I went to a cardiologist, he figured out that my blood just didn't have enough fluid it to pump my heart. I knew I was probably dehydrated because the Lapatinib gave me severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. I know this isn't a pretty picture, but it's what has been going on. In fact the reason I was hospitalized was because they couldn't find my blood pressure.
Anyway, the latest news is that this week I learned that my heart is in good shape, my CT scan showed that there has been some shrinking of the tumors, and I am going to continue this new chemotherapy.
The bottom line is that I haven't given up hope. I am planning to walk down the aisle in about two weeks for my daughter's wedding and I going to continue to celebrate being alive each day the Lord gives me. Thank you for checking in with me. I'll try to post updates more often.
posted by karen @ 7:30 PM
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