Hello everyone.
I know it has been a really long time since I have done a formal update so I figured I should.

Overall I am still doing really really well. So thank you for all the prayers.
In the past week I have felt better than I have since April. I am so glad that these new chemotherapy infusions are 3 weeks apart because it gives my body more time to bounce back in between.

Last I updated, I mentioned I would be switching medicines. I had 12 weekly TC chemo treatments and those proved to be very effective, shrinking the tumors a lot! Now I am on AC chemo every 3 weeks and this one is a lot more impactful on me. They give me a lot of pre-meds before infusion and meds at home that help keep side effects at bay but the biggest felt-impact is fatigue. Even with steroids, I am pretty low energy from infusion day forward for a few days. Once the steroids wear off it gets more pronounced for another few days. My arms and legs felt heavy like lead. And even though I didn't do much I wanted to rest a lot. I missed going for walks and wasn't sure when to push through and when to give in to it. Now that I experienced bouncing back 7-8 days later I see that it is ok to give in and let my body recover.
This chemo also has a big impact on my white blood cells, making me susceptible to infections.  So they give another kind of bone marrow boosting shot. I was nervous that this one would give me headaches too. Luckily, even though I did get a headache, it was not as severe as with the previous drug.  

Admittedly this whole journey has been hard to navigate mentally and emotionally. I thank you all for upholding me in your prayers. They really do make a difference. I am beginning to see beyond all this and regain vision for a life after cancer. And I am also learning to be more present in each day. If you know me, you know I am always planning for the next thing... and being present is difficult for me - so that is progress all around.

My next chemo is August 18th. Then September 8, then September 29. And that should be it. That is if all goes well and no need for delays or missed treatments. My white blood cells have to stay within range and I cannot get sick from anything else.  

After that, a month to heal and then surgery. I am still having a hard time deciding which surgery option to go for. I won't bore you with all the options but needless to say...choosing your amputation details is not easy.  Prayers for clarity on this would be great.

After surgery comes radiation. And depending on if live cancer cells are still present or not... determines whether or not I do oral chemo pills or not.  Oh yeah - and I have gotten immunotherapy every 3 weeks this whole time and should continue with that after surgery too for awhile.

So to recap ongoing prayer needs:
-continued protection from the potential bad side effects of immunotherapy and only its cancer-killing good effects
-that this second line of chemo knocks the rest of the tumors out!
-that my body rallies in between chemo infusions well
-that my white blood cell counts stay in a happy place and that I don't get any of the nasty germies circling the community while I am vulnerable
-for clarity and wisdom in choosing a surgery type and method

Thank you for loving us through such a darkness as this. Thank you for being the light.

I thank the Lord for each of you.
Blessings,
Amanda Paul