My run with Cancer

 Hi Everyone, Wanted to send out a quick update after my call with the Oncologist.   Chemo is working!  Some of the spots have disappeared and the rest have shrunk.  YAY!!! We discussed next steps and have a plan to scale back chemo to give my system a bit of a break.  Basically, I will be able to round out the next 2 weeks at the cottage without having to come home and will then have 2 more rounds of the regular chemo (FOLFIRI) starting Sept 2nd.  After those 2 rounds we will drop one of the chemo drugs (irinotecan) for the next while.  This is one of the 3 drugs in the FOLFIRI cocktail and the one that is hardest on your body (nausea, toxicity, neutropenia etc).  It was explained to me as being the standard practice in the US and has been shown to have no impact on duration of treatment efficacy or prognosis.  It also allows for more time with less side effect and less impact on my overall health.  The longer term plan is to scan ...

 Hey everyone, So the plan worked. Did the shots... had the chemo. But MAN those shots kicked me in the butt. Literally. It’s strange to say your bones hurt... but apparently kicking your bone marrow into high gear can be uncomfortable... and in hindsight continuing to run may have been questionable. By day 4 of the shots my legs and hips were in agony. I took day 5 (Sunday) off from running and felt much better.  Chemo itself went fine. Can’t say I’ve bounced back as well this go around but I have to wonder if the shots immediately followed by chemo have something to do with that. Sitting up at 3am right now hoping the “yuk” will pass soon.  I’ll be sure to post some cottage pics and updates... as well as an update post call with my doctor on the 17th. Hoping that will give us a better idea of what’s to come now that we’ve done the first scan.  Thanks to everyone who’s reached out with a quick text or message. Miss y’all ❤️ Shannon

Just a quick update... I was supposed to have chemo yesterday but unfortunately my white blood cell count was too low (so my immune system was too compromised).  This meant a delay in my next treatment and a change to my treatment schedule.  This wouldn't normally be a big deal but of course... Ian is about to start 3 weeks of holidays (sorely needed) and we wanted to spend as much of it at the cottage as possible.  Delaying chemo a week meant treatment on week 1 and 3 of his holidays plus a ridiculous Covid test on week 2.  When I groaned about this to the nurse on the phone, she worked with me for 10 mins looking at the calendar and trouble shooting with me, and told me to leave it with her... she would talk to the Dr on call (because of course these things only happen when my Oncologist is on holidays... Murphy's Law).   She came back with a beautiful plan.  I started 5 days of injections yesterday to boost my white blood cells and will have chemo o...

So I met my July goal... running 200km in the month.  I'll be happy to getting back to running because I want to and not because I have "x" number of km left to run, but I'm glad I did it.   I also came to the conclusion that it was time to give up trying to work.  I packed up my laptop and dropped it off at the office to a security guard wearing a mask (a strange way to end one's career). It was an incredibly difficult thing to do. I probably shed more tears in coming to this decision and communicating it to my coworkers than I have since getting this latest diagnosis.  In order to stay sane I've had to tell myself that I can always go back.  Otherwise it feels very final.  That being said... I definitely think it was the right decision.  This chemo brain is no joke... although it makes for lots of laughs.  I signed up for a seminar on managing chemo brain fog... we'll see how that goes.  Hopefully I don't forget to attend LOL.  At...

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago... never posted it.  I think I felt like I had to make some tough decisions before putting these thoughts out there. But here it is.... Sitting here right now I'm feeling great physically and emotionally to be honest.  I was able to run 8km yesterday on Day 4 of a chemo treatment which is a record for me thus far.  It was purposefully slow (7min/km) but felt great!  I've decided running can almost help me stay in denial about this.  Really... if I don't feel sick, and it isn't getting in my way... it can't really be an issue right now... right?!?!  I know that this thing will eventually get me... but I also know that day isn't today, and that I have a lot of life to live between now and then.  I have a scan scheduled for July 29th to check on how the chemo is working... the goal being no new spots and ideally the existing ones shrinking.  Time will tell...  but shrinkage is on the prayer list! The part that ...

In a way getting the news in January was a relief.   Every scan came with the anxiety of “will this be THE ONE”; the scan that will mark the beginning of the end?   So once we absorbed the information, I could start to formulate my “game plan”.   Through all my diagnoses and changes in treatment plan, etc… this has always been the most important stage.   The Game Plan.   Once I know what we are doing, and how I need to plan and adjust my life around the plan, I can move forward with life.    Living WITH  Cancer is how I chose to move forward.   When Ian asked me what I wanted to do before I had to start chemo (which we assumed to be early summer), my answer was : “Go to Nashville, New Orleans, and run a half marathon”. Unfortunately, COVID had other plans for us when it came to travel…   but the half marathon was totally within my control.   So that’s what I did.   Ian begrudgingly decided to run it with me.   I think he...

I think it’s important to start with … I am not a writer.   I went into the Sciences in large part to avoid writing essays... so this is a little outside of my comfort zone.  It may not be pretty or poetic... but it's me.  I am starting this blog as a way to communicate updates and how I’m managing, to those who want to know.   Given that this will not be a sprint to the finish line, I don’t really want to post all the play-by-plays on Facebook (too many sports analogies?). I guess for those who haven’t been around for the whole journey, my run with cancer has been a long and unexpected one.     It started with a diagnosis of Breast Cancer at the age of 33 (10 years ago... if you're counting).   This came after 5 months of investigations in follow-up to a miscarriage I had on Family Day of 2010.   It took until July 7, 2010 for it to be eventually diagnosed and surgery scheduled.   I was told a number of times “well you’re too young ...