Update

(You may need to click on photo to read entire blogpost) I have reached the 2-year mark in this cancer journey.  The first year was icky, with flu-like symptoms and abdominal pain and then, the ickiness of Chemo and Radiation.  Compared to that, the second year, however, was lovely!   So, this is how I celebrated living through a whole year without taking any cancer medicine or treatments:   a visit to the Emergency Room for nausea and abdominal pain. I've spent my life rejecting the idea of the ER, unless I might have a severe accident or heart attack. Everything has worked itself out with time, a call to the MD or, at most, a visit to Urgent Care.  But, that day, in my imagination, I thought the tumor had grown or spread because the pain was getting worse.  My thoughts went to Walter Payton.  He had Bile Duct Cancer too and led to a serious infection of his Bile Duct called Sclerosing Cholangitis. It can start with a blocked bile duct that ...

  It's been almost 18 months since I knew something wasn't right with my health and about 15 months since I learned it was because of a rare and aggressive Bile Duct cancer.  My quick update is, that after all the 2022 Chemotherapy and Radiation, I still have that inoperable tennis-ball-sized tumor inside my liver.  No change.    BUT... I have not had ANY cancer treatment all this year and no medication for pain or nausea for most of the year.  Yahoo! Thank the Lord for this gift!  For the most part, I feel pretty good. In the medical world, it is easy to become distracted by tests and statistics.  Sometimes, I really fight being obsessed with those numbers.  If they are "bad", then I feel defeated.  If they are "good", then I'm victorious.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I watched the silly movie, "Dumb and Dumber".  Admit it.  I know that some of you have watched it too.  If so, you probably remember these oft quoted...

(Please click anywhere within this post to read the WHOLE post) I am feeling really quite well!  I've been more active than usual and have mostly figured out how to handle the digestive stuff that bothered me for a year!  What a blessing!  I know, beyond a doubt, that this is a result of God's mercy and I truly feel the prayers and support of my friends, family and local church. God is good!  Life is good!  No matter how this thing called life turns out, I hang onto the HOPE that we have in our Creator, Jesus Christ.   He has a plan.  He is merciful.  He is here with us. He cares.  He leads.  He comforts... He does it all. ... New Hope, Pennsylvania... Because my right ribs have been hurting, I had a routine CT scan a little early - in July and followed up with an appointment with the Oncologist today.  I was quite confident that I was going to quickly write and post the blogpost already formed in my mind.  But, I didn't. ...

(Click on photo to read entire post) It's been about 4 months without cancer treatment, which has been such a relief.  I still have little, annoying symptoms, but nothing terrible.  So my darling husband, John, and I decided to take a lovely vacation to the UK.  We celebrated our 46th anniversary there!  I'm a genealogy freak, so, as John would say, we spent a lot of time "visiting Cheryl's dead relatives."  Churches and graveyards.  Lots of castles too, but those are unfortunately not my relatives. After the trip, I had another CT scan of the liver that showed the bile duct cancer tumor is a little bigger.  Today, the Oncologist said that, since I'm not feeling too badly, we can wait for 3 months and do another scan.  I am very content with that!  Life is a gift.  We just keep moving until we can't. This old hymn by Fanny Crosby is especially meaningful to me right now.  All the way my Savior leads me; what have I to ask beside? Ca...

I had a CT scan last week and although the tumor is basically the same size, the Oncologist said that it appeara to have fewer living cells.  A beaten up tennis ball? I'll have another CT at the end of May - in 3 months.  It is a relief to know that I won't be going through any treatment or having to make decisions about it during that time.  The stomach issues continue unpredictably up and down, but I think I'm getting a better handle on controlling the symptoms with diet and medicine.  The back pain has been helped greatly from the exercises I got during PT.  It's important to be vigilant about both issues, because it seems to help a lot if I do. (click text for more) I'm grateful for many things:  For the confidence and knowledge I have that, despite my many flaws, God loves me is in control of my situation - no matter how this thing turns out. I am blessed by my praying & caring husband and family, dear friends and lots of brothers and sisters in fa...

I finished the last of 15 Radiation Treatments today!!   It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Unlike Chemotherapy, I've felt well enough to go to a few concerts and events, shopping and to church!  It's been great to feel a bit more normal. Unfortunately, for yours truly, the impatient patient, I must wait until late February or early March to have the next CT scan done and a measurement of the tumor. In the meantime, that part of my liver still needs to "cook" and I'll probably be "stewing" because I like things to go really quick! Since I last blogged, I had some back injections as well as a Physical Therapy assessment and have been doing some stretching exercises for the mid-back pain.  The pain is the same, but I have hope, that in time, it can get better.  After Christmas, I'll start going to PT twice a week for a few weeks and reevaluate then.  The Orthopedic doctor wasn't sure if the pain will go away with this approach, b...