Where to begin......

I had my second week of chemo on Tuesday and my blood work looks good and the Gemzar went into my veins with no burning AND she got my vein on the first prick in a hard place to even find the vein so I was not only impressed with my nurse but happy with the results of no burning. No side effects yet.....that happens about Thursday/Friday which is just a little tiredness and belly burn from the poison (chemo) they inject into me.
I have no chemo next week and even get to stop the Xeloda chemo after another week. So....my body gets one week out of the month to rebuild and then do it all over again. I feel better than I have in AWHILE.
I also saw Dr. Goswami in the a.m. yesterday and he thinks all looks good. Blood is clotting at a safe level but not too thin to cause a brain bleed.....we hope. I will see him again in 30 days but I have my Anti XA (blood clotting test) checked every week. It determines if I need to up my Lovenox shot or lower it....or keep it at 50 mg which is where is has been for two weeks. I think we might have found the magic amount....lets hope.
I almost have my x-mas shopping done but we mostly do stocking stuffers and $$ so it is pretty easy. I kinda miss the days when Pat and I went whole hog the day after Thanksgiving and hit the malls/stores.   Notice I said KINDA!
We have heard a little more about the clinical trial with Dr. Chapman at Barnes Jewish in St. Louis. Still need to wait and see 100% what it consists of but they called Jenn and said I would have to be off ALL chemo for 6 months. I don't think I could do that to my body and I would really worry about metastasis. The drug for the clinical trial is the liquid form of Xeloda. I take 3000 mg a day of the pill form. The BIG difference is it would pump the drug right into the tumor and hopefully cause enough shrinkage to remove it. You are kind of a lab rat in these studies. No one knows if it will work or not. Then you have a pump they will surgically implant under your skin and attach it to your inside to keep it in place. Then I would have the liquid chemo injected....I think it is slowly released over a period of time and they fill it back up again. I should know more by the end of January. I am not ruling it out but my dr in Houston says since I am stable, my tumor had NOT grown, and the chemo is slowly killing the tumor....why change something that is working. It's alot to ponder on but it is also the Christmas Season so I am going to try and enjoy the Reason For The Season as I hope all of you do, too!! I would ask that if you have enough money for gifts, Christmas dinner, gas money to get to the malls, cigarettes......find that extra $10 for a donation to a worthy not for profit charity....Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, a local food pantry.......even giving extra at church to help out with poinsettia's, etc. It should be the first thing you do before budgeting for X-mas but I can guess for alot of people, it is not. It is never to late to change!! Pat and I are doing it this year and we give to charities/church all year long.....but we have not always did a little extra at X-mas like we are this year!!
Happy Holidays to all of you and may God keep you safe and WARM!!
Hugs!
Patty