Hi Friends!
If I'm back, it's generally not good news, but it certainly could be worse. I had scans this week, and they showed an uptake in cancerous activity in that same friggin' right armpit again, as well as a little glow in my left hip socket, which is new. But nothing in my sacrum or spine, so that's great news!
We are going to change my drug regimen to a new drug. This one is called Enhertu (brand name) or Trastuzumab Deruxtecan. I can see why they have brand names.
Most severe possible side effect is lung issues which can be fatal if left untreated. Starts with a dry cough, so I'll definitely notice if I have any of that.
It's a more aggressive chemo, so more nausea, fatigue, hair thinning, and it will compromise my immune system. Yay... Of course, those were possible side effects with "Catzilla," and I didn't have any problems with it at all.
My first dose will be Friday. The standard add-ons to combat nausea are Aloxi, which I have been taking with Catzilla, and a major bump in steroid (Dexamethasone). Like I've been at 2 mg (which is basically nothing) because 4 mg made it hard to sleep. The suggested amount for this is 12 mg. 😳
So I guess we'll find out Friday if I become a hungry rage machine, or a very chatty Cathy. Probably very busy. Maybe busy barfing.
***OH WAIT!*** Next day update: Insurance has denied this new treatment. Because the best people to decide on my cancer care are insurance companies. 😤
Back to the fun stuff. I went back and read my last blog post from 16 months ago, and had to pause and lament the year that wasn't. [Time Capsule snapshot] As we all know, 2020 was a heck of a year!
• It was the longest Spring Break ever. No "Singin' In the Rain" at USF. :(
• No trip to Paris for us (we have a pre-paid travel voucher waiting to be used). Hopefully next July during the Tour de France. We didn't want to try this year with Europe in general, and France in particular, still having some troubles.
• Online everything. Teaching, shows, church, visits with grandparents. We all learned a lot very quickly.
But we made it through, and are feeling fairly safe to go out and interact with the world again. At the current moment, the Covid-19 Delta Variant is wreaking havoc on the unvaccinated, but in general, things are back to almost normal around here. On June 1, I went back to teaching voice lessons in person again in my home, since my whole family is vaccinated, as are the majority of my students (with the exception of the kids who aren't old enough to qualify). While online lessons will always be an option, I am so glad to not have to do them all day every day anymore!
I won't bore you with a run down of all the shows I still got to do during the Pandemic and since things opened back up, but I'll throw some pictures in. See if you can guess! Titles include: Greatest Hits Cabaret, It's A Wonderful Life, Christmas in July Virtual Show, A Very Virtual Valentine's Variety Show, 4 Broads and a Band, Royals Cabaret, Iconic Cabaret, Goldie B. Locks and the 3 Singing Bears, and The Fantasticks. Not bad for a year without live audiences!
