stay tuned

just a quick update. ginny's next appointment is friday april 29th.  she will have a ct scan and blood work in the morning and we will meet with dr. peethambarum in the afternoon (3:30). it has been a few months since the docs took a look at the masses in gin's abdomen.  we are curious to know what the little monsters have been up to. gin has continued to take her hormone medication daily and is successfully managing her blood clots.  we are hopeful.  we will post as soon as we know more...

kir&gin

gloves are off...

today ginny and i travelled to mayo for ginny's check-up (blood work, a CT scan and a consultation with dr. peethambarum).  a rough go.

i need to back up a little to help make sense of all this...so hang in there with me :)

in june 2010 we were told that ginny's cancer had spread to her lungs...after a summer of tests it was decided that the lung abnormalities were not likely cancer.  BUT just to be sure ginny started taking megase to keep the sleeping cancer in her abdomen snoozing and to treat the cancer in the lungs that likely isn't cancer.

so over the past 6 months gin has been taking megase and for a time was taking prednisone for the "stuff" in her lungs.  the steroids did not seem to make a difference but gin started feeling better...all good it seemed.

well the megase caused blood clots in her legs...the clots have travelled to her lungs...the same lungs that are once again being diagnosed with metastatic cancer...yep that's right cancer.  so all along the first doc was right.

the blows kept coming....the cancer in the abdomen has "woken up"...

so the plan is to first get the clots under control.  gin will have a shot of heparin once a day for 5 days and will also start taking coumadin...in two weeks the cancer treatment will start again...

this is where it all gets tough....there is one other hormone treatment option (like the megase) and there is one more type of chemo to try...both of these have a success rate of less than 25%...so we will start with the hormone treatment (pills) and if it does not do the trick we will take on chemo...

dr. p was very clear that we are entering the ring with a fierce opponent and it is the BIG fight...the fight for my sweet ginny's life...

love
kir and gin

P.S. gin is feeling good...and looks good...and wants you all to know that she has had her curly hair trimmed three times...*this girl smiles*

good news....good good news...

good news today...ginny's cancer is behaving and it is contained in her abdomen...it is quietly sleeping...no cancer in her lungs...we are celebrating!

here is my beautiful ginny...

p.s. house renovating almost done...will have pics and an update soon!

goose down

my beautiful ginny...

defy gravity

this past weekend was our local relay for life event...ginny and i were captains for a team...great friends joined the effort...it was so good to be able to participate and to raise cash for cancer research...

here are a few of the photos from the evening!

what a motley crew...

we raised $9222...that put us in 3rd place...not bad for our first year :)

the team name came from the show WICKED...i feel like ginny has defied gravity this year....

so good to be celebrating with ginny...

thank you to all of those who donated to the team...and thanks to our girls... kate... jess... melissa... kelley... andrea... emily... janet... penny & amy

biopsy, beach and baguettes

well ginny had her pulmonary testing and biopsy today...she feels just fine...friend mary weis took her...thank you mary :)

we hope to have a call monday with information about the next appointment/results...will post once we know.

thrusday erika, chris and the kids headed back to canada...they are making a pit stop in kent washington-they have tickets to watch the races...nascar i think...

i spent the morning on the beach with gal pals sarah and sue...so good to be with them...oh how i love them!

we ate lunch at a little french cafe...mussels and pasta...baguettes and croissants so good...

i fly home saturday...will be good to see my ginny...

will post again next week once we know more....thanks again for hoping with us...praying for and praying with us...
kirsten

TB or not TB

Well it is not TB...grateful for that...Ginny will have more tests on Wednesday...she is feeling great and we are anticipating that the report on Wednesday will tell us she has an infection...thank you for hoping with us!

I flew to LA on Friday...have had a couple of days with friends and today Erika, Chris and the kids are arriving...I will spend the week with them...Disney, Legoland and the beach are all on the schedule...

More updating to come...
Kirsten

a duck? maybe not!

if it looks like a duck...walks like a duck...quacks like a duck...it must be a duck...

but wait...the doctor thinks it could be a platypus!

there was a twinge of anger this afternoon once i realized that the report from the local oncologist last thursday was, perhaps, premature...that is right...premature...

the spots in ginny's lungs may indeed be cancer...but there are two other explanations...the chemo may have caused a lung infection...in the next week gin will undergo additional testing to rule out tuberculosis and other pulmonary infections...a biopsy of the largest lesion will also be done to determine a presence of cancer or not...

additionally...to be proactive and to continue to treat the cancer she will begin hormone treatment (megase)...she will take 4 pills a day....so ginny will get a chemo break!

ginny feels like she was given a death sentence last week and after today she feels like she has been given an appeal...i am holding my breath...these spots may very well be cancer...and they may not...

so ginny hopes...despite my fear...i hope....and we ask that you hope too...

ginny had the TB test today...results on saturday...next wednesday (july 7th) she will travel back to rochester for the pulmonary tests and appointments with docs in the afternoon...our friend rita will go in my place...

i will be in california with my family...taking jayme and dustin to disney...this is a challenge for me as i feel like i need to be here but ginny is insisting that i go...

i will update you, as ginny updates me, this weekend and into next week...

kirsten