Roni here

I know I haven't posted for awhile. Kevin's being doing a great job of keeping everyone up to date, so why be redundant?

However, after reading Kevin's recent post, I want to echo Kevin's thanks to G-d (I hope to one day soon post a list of all of the miraculous events--some of which we did not include in the blog postings when we were in the thick of things).

I also want to add my thanks to Kevin's for all who prayed for us, encouraged us, brought us food, drove us, stayed with us at the hospital. The list goes on and on. But we're mostly grateful for the prayers, because we fully believe it's because of prayer that Kevin is here today.

Lastly, I just want to say how proud I am of my husband. I have seen his soldier's strength and resolve from the very beginning and throughout his long, difficult battle. I saw his faith, already firmly established in a bedrock of carefully considered truth-seeking, continue to strengthen and grow. Normal moments of self pity were fleeting, and not something in which he indulged himself. In many ways, he has been my stable, dependable source of strength as I struggled in the role of caretaker. In other words, he was Kevin.

Crises tend to bring out either the best or the worst in people. Cancer brought the very best Kevin to the forefront, and I am proud to be his wife and grateful for the lessons he is still teaching me. He is my hero.

Roni

Test Results

"O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning."
(Psalm 30:3-5)

Well, the test results are in, and we still have "good news".

First, my CEA tumor markers went down from last time. If you recall, Roni and I were concerned that they had continued to rise since my initial surgery with Dr. Sugarbaker in Feb of 2004. In Feb of this year, the CEA results went up to 3.1, 0.6 past the acceptable range of 0.0 - 2.5. We had the test done again a month later, and it went back down to 2.7. Roni and I breathed a sigh of relief. Well, this time it was even better, it went back to 2.5, back into the normal range.

With that out of the way, the next thing was the CT scan. I had that done Monday morning.

To be honest, I really hate having a CT scan. You have to drink about a half gallon of "contrast", which could either be barium, or this other mixture which contains white cranberry juice. The white cranberry juice is just slightly better than the barium. Slightly. After you drink the "stuff", you lie down and they hook up an IV with more contrast that they pump through your veins. This isn't horrible, but I'm really tired of needles and IVs. This time they gave me the IV in probably the most painful spot they could. It's now Wednesday and it's still sore. But, the scan went quickly and I was soon on my way.

I called my oncologist yesterday (Tues) and asked if he had the results. He did and said that for the most part, everything looked good. There was just one thing that he didn't understand and wanted to confer with Dr. Sugarbaker. Unfortunately, Dr. Sugarbaker is busy with surgeries for the next few days, then I believe he is going overseas to do some training. So it might be awhile before we get a good answer for my oncologist's question. But he said with the CT scan, the tumor marker result and the exam he gave me last week, he was very happy and said "I think you're getting better." Always good words to hear from a doctor.

So, after 17 months since my MOAS (Mother Of All Surgeries), and a year after my last surgery, things are looking good. My intestines are still not fully healed, and I still have problems with diarrhea and having to use the "loo" about 5 times a day, but I am much better than I was just a few months ago.

I would just like to thank everyone again (I'll never be able to thank you all enough) for all of your prayers, good thoughts, support, etc. Roni and I wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for all of our friends and family that helped us through the hard times, to get to today.

Kevin

One Test Down... One To Go

Last Wednesday (July 13th), I had my latest Tumor Marker test. I still don't know the results yet, but should find out tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, that is the day of my next CT scan. I'll have to admit, I'm not looking forward to it. The tests themselves aren't too bad, it is the waiting for the results that I don't like. And then when the doc says something like, "Well, there are some anomalies, but nothing to worry about.", you always worry.

I'm praying that this time, I will get an "All Clear" with no anomalies.

Your prayers are appreciated as well.

I'll let you know the results as soon as I get them.

A Year Ago Today

Last year, today, I had my last (and hopefully final) surgery dealing with my cancer. This time last year I was still in the recovery room, and if my memory serves me right, I was having nurses and doctors telling me I needed to breathe on my own. I thought I was, but I guess I wasn't, 'cuz they kept telling, "Try breathing."

Jump ahead one year. Today I am doing much better. Still not 100%, but getting better all the time.

Of course, the surgery was not the last thing to do with this disease. I still have tests to take to make sure that the cancer doesn't come back. The next test will be a tumor marker blood test. I'm scheduled to have it done July 13th at 10:30 AM. At that time, I will also schedule my next CT scan. Prayers for both of these events would be greatly appreciated. Right now I'm not nervous about them, but I am sure as the time gets closer, the fear of "recurrence" will start to raise its ugly head.

Now, back to the story...

In the last post, I talked about our trip to Israel. After we returned, we had a few days to recover, then on Friday, May 27th, I left NYC and headed to Washington DC. Not for an operation, or even a doctor's appointment, but for one of my favorite events, "Rolling Thunder". Rolling Thunder is a demonstration or "protest" if you will, to remember the POW/MIA issue, and to never forget those who never came home from war. It is a large gathering of motorcycles and veterans, with approx 500,000 motorcycles descending on the Pentagon's north parking lot Sunday morning, May 29th. A parade then begins at 12 noon and continues until late afternoon while hundreds of thousands of motorcycles snake through Washington DC, with thousands of people lining the route waving, yelling, waving flags, etc. It is always a very patriotic, moving experience.

After the parade, the group I was with (New York City Harleys Owner Group, or NYCHOG) left DC and started the long trek back to NYC. I finally pulled up to my apt about 11:30 PM, tired and sore, but looking forward to doing it again next year.

The next Sunday, June 5th, was the annual Bikers Against Breast Cancer run that we do every year. This is hosted by our HOG chapter (again, NYCHOG), and because it was a warm, sunny day, we had a good turnout. There was well over 1,000 bikes and that meant even more people registered for the ride. It is always for a great cause, but this is the last year that I will actually "ride" in the parade. Why? you ask. Well, with about 1,000 bikes, it takes about 3 hours to travel about 60 miles. Even though we had a police escort, we still averaged about 20 - 30 mph. I've done that for 4 years (two of those in the rain), and from now on, I'll help with the setup, parking, etc. But when the parade starts, I'll head directly to the destination to help there. I'll leave the looonnngggg, sloowww ride to others.

The other big event that has recently happened, was my 46th birthday. A few years ago, birthdays didn't mean much to me. All of a sudden, this birthday meant I made it one more year after being diagnosed with cancer. Birthdays have taken on a new meaning to me, and this one was celebrated enjoying good friends and good times. I plan on having many more.

Last year on July 4th, Roni and I went for a long motorcycle ride before going to a friend's house for a BBQ. It was a great day. The only bad thing was that the next day, I would be heading to Washington DC for a major abdominal operation. This year, we went to the same friend's house on July 3rd for the BBQ (and to look at pics of Israel). On July 4th, Roni and I again went for a long ride (about 160 miles). We rode through CT, and some some of the back roads of NY State. It was a great day to go riding, and although we both arrived home tired and sore, we had a great time.

And that brings us back to today, one year after my last surgery, and a week before my next blood test... That's one thing about cancer, even when you're given the "all clear", you're still never sure...

I'll let you know what the results are when I get them.