Hey Dear Friends! 

I know I have not posted an update in a while, and I have been blessed to have so many of you to reach out and see how things were going since my last Petscan! 

As you may recall, I finished my last chemo May 14th! The plan from there is let chemo detox from my body and start on maintenance drugs in a few weeks. Since my cancer is basically triple positive- (highly estrogen positive, medium progesterone positive, and low HER2 positivity)- I will be on the following medications: Letrozole- (started June 5th) this drug attacks the estrogen producing receptors in my body- we all make more estrogen then just in your ovaries. This also means the joyous side-effects of full-blown menopause- hot flashes, joint pain, brain fog, etc. Honestly though- since being on this drug- I don't feel WORSE than when they started turning off my estrogen (haha- small win). This drug also causes bone loss so I will get infusions to help my bone strength as we go along. I am also getting a Lupron shot every three weeks which I have been on since December which puts my ovaries to sleep- I will stop this shot once I get my ovaries removed which is highly encouraged. I am also being put on Ibrance- started this drug June 22nd as they wanted to see how I tolerated the Letrozole. Ibrance is a CDK4 inhibitor and to my best knowledge attacks multi-diving cell growth. This drug is more tolerable and can cause mild hair loss as well as droping my white blood count. I also will continue a Herceptin/ Parajetta shot every three weeks (I have been on this since December) to target the HER2 part of my disease. The last biopsy I had showed HER2 negative, but since it has appeared even once in the past- they still treat for it. 

I also love to get acupuncture- I swear it helps with energy levels, sleep, chemo detox and menopause symptoms. My acupuncturist has been great to recommend supplements to help with this journey- so I currently take a women's multi-vitamin, an iron supplement every other day (my iron has been tanked since chemo), and a high dose of Omega-3s to help with the joint pain. As you can see, with these new breast cancer meds and my supplements- I now need an AM and PM pill box! :) 

I had a Petscan June 16th- first scan since finishing chemo and also 4 weeks POST chemo. I was anxious to see what the cancer was up to. Granted the Petscan results appear in MyChart about a day or two after the scan- but I wouldn't see my care team to go over the results until June 25th. I felt a little defeated on my own interpretation after reading the results on my own- but felt much better after talking to my care team. Basically, some spots of the cancer has grown on the right side of my liver, but the left side has shrunk, the spot in my breast had gotten larger, but the spot in my lymph node had gotten smaller. I also had new spots light up in lymph nodes in my abdomen- but she said they were small. I was also worried because in my head, the chemo would kill the cancer, then after chemo- maintenance drugs would keep it from growing and nothing else would kill it. But, my care team informed me that on the maintenance drugs I am on, that cancer cells should die off. We just need some more time to for these new drugs to work! My PA explained that this scan is considered as a 'mixed stable response' and I am holding hope in the word 'stable'. We want things stable! I see my Duke oncologist in September, and I am looking forward to her interpretation. Lastly, my bloodwork and organ function looks great, other than my iron levels. 

I have felt pretty good overall and am continuing to make memories with Everett! Memorial weekend, Nick, Everett and I went to Rooster Walk (music festival in Martinsville). Everett graduated from pre-school which was so adorable and fun! I went to my youngest niece's senior dance recital and high school graduation- so, so proud of her! Nick, Everett and I also went to Noke' Fest, kids birthday party and got to see lots of friends in between. Just last weekend we did a huge family trip to Dollywood and Gatlinburg where Sara and Asa came as well! Next up, going to Pittsburgh to see more family. I am so blessed to see family, make memories, and continue to work through it all. I am grateful for all of you, your support, encouragement, donations, and prayers! Medical bills are starting to come in, but still in the 'manageable' state. So much love to you all! <3 God is good all the time- and all the time- God is good. 

Love, Megan and Everett