Angie's Battle, God's Victory!

From Angie: Met with oncologist this week and he is ordering the chemo pill but it will take a few weeks to get, the tentative plan is to start it on December 20th and take for two weeks then have blood work done and take a couple weeks off.  Normally it would only be one week off but because I will be in Florida it will take longer to get blood work results.  Please pray that I will tolerate the treatment well.

From Angie: Finished radiation today with 28 treatments.  Doctor said last week I could stop early if I wanted.  My skin was very irritated and painful with little relief using the creams.  It will take a week for my skin to improve and 2 weeks to feel total relief.  I’m looking forward to a short break before starting the chemo pill in December.  Thank you for your continued prayers, some days the road seems long.  I’m trying to take it a day at a time.

Just finished the fourth week of radiation.  I’m still feeling really well.  This week I started having a rash and some itching but with the special cream the doctor gave it calmed down after a couple of days.  Very thankful to be feeling so well.  Thank you for your continued prayers.

From Angie: Radiation went well so far, 3 days completed so far.  Also met with oncologist yesterday and he said we will probably begin chemo pill mid-December.  Continue to pray for Jim, that his back will heal soon.  Very thankful that I am feeling strong and able to drive myself to radiation.  Special thanks to Julie for driving yesterday and doing a grocery run.  Please pray for continued strength and successful treatment.

Decided to do the radiation.  My first treatment will be on the 29th of September and continue through November 12th. Treatments are five days a week, Monday-Friday.  After radiation there will be a break for healing.  Tentative schedule for reconstruction surgery would be February.  The chemo pill will also be a part of the treatment but where it will fit into the plan is unsure.  I meet again with the oncologist on the 29th of September. Please pray for continued healing and wisdom for the team of doctors.  I do have peace about the decision to do radiation, please pray for God’s continued peace.  Thanks to all of you that continue to walk this journey with me, your prayers and support mean so very much.

Angie is continuing to heal well post-surgery even though the recovery is slow--we are thankful for making small steps in the right direction. This week we met with the oncologist and radiation oncologist. The oncologist shared he would like to begin a chemo pill after she heals and recovers post-surgery and radiation. The radiation oncologist explained her tumor size was 4.5 cm and showed no cancer in the lymph node biopsied. If there is cancer shown in lymph nodes and/or the tumor is greater than 5cm--radiation is proposed. Typically, this would suggest she does not need radiation; however, because TNBC (triple negative breast cancer) is challenging to treat, aggressive, and has a high chance of return---he feels radiation would still be a good choice. Unfortunately, we left discouraged and confused. There is little research and answers within this process and because the tumor did not respond to the chemo regime--it has been making decisions a challenge. Radiation would begin a few ...

Angie found out the results of the pathology report at her appointment and it was good news! There was no cancer found in the lymph nodes and no other surprises in the tumor removal--clean margins! While there is no such thing as 'cancer free' this feels like great news to celebrate!  She was able to get her drains removed and the bandages removed because her healing is going so well. She is still a bit uncomfortable trying to sleep through the night but she's getting rest and taking it one day at a time. After a few weeks of healing, we assume she will meet with the radiation oncologist again to determine what radiation treatment will look like in light of the latest developments post-surgery.  Thank you again for the prayers and support! We are so thankful!